Out of Time 01 - Out of Time

He’d never wanted to strike a woman before, but he could feel the rage burning inside to a fever pitch. With one final shake, he shoved her away before the final tether on his control broke.
    Dix staggered back, loose strands of hair, matted down by tears, clung over her face. She trembled and wiped a shaky hand under her nose. “I’m sorry. I didn’t have any choice.”
    Charlie took a few steps closer, but stopped when she cowered back. “It’s all right,” he said with a quick glance at Simon. “Tell us what happened.”
    She sniffled and took a few, hiccupping breaths. “I didn’t want to tell him. You gotta believe me,” she said. Her eyes darted to Simon before looking back pleadingly at Charlie. “I didn’t have any choice. King made me do it.”
    Charlie inched forward and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Did he hurt ya?”
    “No,” she said and wriggled out of his touch. She looked over at Simon. “I didn’t do it to save my own hide, if that’s what you’re thinkin’. I know you don’t think much of me, but I’m better than that.”
    Simon forced himself to look at her, but didn’t trust himself to speak.
    “Then why, Dix?” Charlie asked. “Why’d you do it?”
    “For you,” she whispered.
    Charlie blinked in surprise. “Me?”
    “After work, he’d come by. Sometimes here, sometimes on my way home, and he’d ask me things. About them. I didn’t say nothin’ at first, but then he said there’d be a price to pay if I didn’t. I couldn’t let nothin’ happen to you, Charlie.”
    “You should’ve told me,” Charlie growled. “Wasn’t your choice to make. Don’t ya see what you’ve done?”
    “I did it cause I love you, Charlie.”
    Charlie looked thunderstruck, and took a step backward.
    “And so Elizabeth pays with her life?” Simon spat.
    Dix patched together what little pride she had left and set her jaw. “You woulda done the same thing. You can’t tell me you wouldn’t.”
    Even the truth in what she said couldn’t salve the sting of betrayal. He’d been a fool to trust them, to trust anyone.
    Charlie leaned against the bar, stunned. Whether it was from what she’d done or why she’d done it, Simon didn’t care. They were wasting time. “Where’s he taken her?”
    “I don’t know,” Dix said. “Really. I don’t know.”
    “Charlie?” Simon said. “Tell me where he lives, or I’ll walk out that door and question everyone I see until I get an answer.”
    The barkeep heaved his big chest and seemed to come to a decision. He walked around to the back of the bar and reached under the counter. “You ever shoot before?”
    Simon looked at the pistols in Charlie’s hands. “Only rifles.”
    Charlie nodded grimly and shoved the revolver across the bar. “Good enough. I got these after the break in. Figured they might come in handy,” he said and tucked a Colt into the waistband of his pants.
    Dix jumped forward and gripped his arm as he tried to walk past. “You’ll get yourself killed.”
    Charlie took her by the shoulders. “You go to your sister’s in Hoboken. I’ll call ya when the coast is clear.”
    “Charlie,” she pleaded, but he shook his head and walked around to Simon.
    Simon picked up the revolver and wrapped his fingers around the heavy metal. “This won’t stop King.”
    “We’re gonna have to get through a lot before we even get close to Kashian.”
    Charlie stood at the ready and Simon shook his head. “I can’t ask you to—”
    “You ain’t askin’, but I’m goin’,” Charlie said. “Come on, I got a car round back. You’re gonna need all the help you can get, Professor.”
    Simon felt a quick rush of denial, but Charlie was right. He did need help, and for once he had to be man enough to admit it. He nodded sharply and started for the door. The sooner they got to King’s, the better. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Charlie turn once more back to Dix. “You get to your sister’s,” he said, then gently touched her cheek. “You shoulda told me.”
    With one last look, he joined Simon in the doorway, and the two men headed off to face King Kashian.
    * * *
    Charlie’s Studebaker swerved through the late, afternoon traffic, snaking its way uptown. The oppressive heat wave was back, and Simon felt a trickle of sweat run down his cheek. Through the dirty car window, he could see a storm brewing in the distance as it crawled its way down the coast from the north. Both men sat forward in the