It had been a strange night at the club. It was only eleven thirty and they had already broken up four fights in the line outside and three in the club itself. Adam wondered if there was a full moon out. It happened like this sometimes; there would be string of easy nights and then one where everyone seemed to lose their minds. Up in the office Adam stared through a one-way glass at the revelers below. Everything was okay at the moment, the DJ had been instructed to play some lighter fare, and it was helping, people were dancing more and fighting less.

 

He heard his phone buzzing from his desk and sighed. He was tired and his ribs hurt; he wanted to go home. But Adam knew he could never ignore a ringing phone so we slowly went over and lifted the buzzing phone from his desk, and then almost dropped it.

 

Dakota Kane, the phone told him. Dakota Kane was calling him at eleven thirty on a Saturday night. His heart stopped in his chest and he felt nauseous. The last time a girl calling him had stressed him out this much he had been a clueless high schooler. He took a deep breath and picked up the phone, clearing his throat as he waiting for whatever came next.

 

“Adam?” Dakota’s voice was a terrified whisper.

 

“Dakota, where are you?”

 

“I’m in a parking garage, about six blocks from you, 115 North Delaware Ave. Adam please, can you come and get us? There was supposed to be a party, but now someone’s here with a gun,” she stopped when her voice broke into a sob.

 

“I’m coming. Don’t move. Stay down and make sure whoever is there doesn’t see the light from your phone.” Adam’s movements were confident and assured. He keyed in the code to the gun locker and opened the door. He grabbed two shotguns, a box of ammo, two bright flashlights and locked the door. “Where exactly in the building are you?”

 

“We went up to the roof in the elevator and then when we went to go back down it didn’t work. So we started walking down the ramp, but we only got down one floor before we heard someone behind us, and there was a gun blast and I didn’t know who else to call.”

 

“You did the right thing. Who’s with you?”

 

“Marley.”

 

“Do you have any mace or a gun?”

 

“No,”

 

Just then, the door opened and Joey walked into the office. He took a step back when he saw the guns on the table in front of Adam. “What the hell, man?” he asked.

 

“Dakota and her friend are six blocks away. Someone’s trapped them on the roof of the garage. Whoever it is has a gun. I need to go and get her.”

 

“Then I’m coming, too,” Joey said, picking up the shotgun and loading it.

 

Adam nodded, grateful for the help, and knowing that he never needed to say so. Both men slipped the guns under their jackets and raced down the stairs and out into the night.

 

“Dakota,” Adam said into his phone. “I’m getting on my bike, so I won’t be able to hear you, but it won’t take me longer than three minutes to get to the garage. Just stay on the line, okay?”

 

“Okay,” Dakota whispered.

 

“I’ll be there so soon. Just stay hidden and silent. If you try to sneak out, he’ll see you. Right now the best thing to do is stay silent and still and we’ll get there before he finds you.” Adam’s heart was pounding in his chest and his hands were shaking. But he refused to be slowed down; he put the still active phone in his pocket and straddled his bike, revving the engine and taking off with Joey right behind him.

 

The beauty of motorcycles is they don’t need roads. Adam knew exactly where Dakota was and he worked out the quickest way to get there. Jumping curbs, cutting through parking lots, riding down the sidewalk, Adam and Joey were at the lot in under three minutes.

 

“Are you still there?” Adam asked into the phone. Three minutes had felt like an eternity. He couldn't hear Dakota over the roar of his bike and in those three minutes Adam had envisioned every awful and terrible thing that could happen to two women cornered by a man with a gun. In his mind, he had seen Dakota die a thousand times in those three minutes; he had watched himself be unable to save her. He had lived through her death a thousand times in those three minutes, and now that he was here, he was going to protect her, no matter what.

 

“Still here,” she whispered. “I don’t know where the guy with the gun is. We haven't heard anything. Maybe we should try to keep going-”

 

“No!” Adam cut her off. “He’s couldn’t find you, so now he’s waiting for you to make a move, so don’t. I’m here. I’m on my way. Stay hidden.”

 

“Stairs!” Joey called out and Adam ran over to the emergency exit, which was locked from the outside.

 

“Kick it in,” Adam said and, without hesitation, Joey brought up his strong leg and kicked at the door. The metal squealed as it was pushed and bent. Joey kicked it again, and the door rattled. He kicked it a third time and the lock broke, the door swinging open to welcome them.

 

Armed with shotguns and bright lanterns, the two men raced up the stairs, taking the steps two at the time. Adam felt his chest begin to scream out in pain as his tightly-wrapped ribs were stretched. But he used that pain as fuel to push himself forward. Every stab of pain was more fuel to his legs, pushing him farther and farther up the stairs.

 

Breathing heavily, the two men came to the sixth floor, where they suspected Marley and Dakota were hiding. Their guns were armed, but put away; instead they both pulled out their flashlights. Silently, Adam held up one finger, then two, and then three, before slamming open the door and flooding the garage with bright lights.

 

“Head’s up! Scarred Angels is here, so I suggest you start running!” Joey yelled into the garage, his voice echoing around them. The two men ran out into the darkness their lights illuminating cars and cement pillars.

 

“This doesn’t end well if we find you,” Adam added, sweeping his light around the lot. Come out, Adam thought to himself. Come out so I can question you myself. No lawyers, no cops, just me, him and a basement where no one can hear him. Footsteps, someone running, but just one person. Adam and Joey both ran towards the sound, but they knew they were too late as they heard the door on the other side open and slam close.

 

“Go,” Adam ordered and Joey took off, running after the gunman, following him down the stairs.

 

As Joey’s footsteps receded into the distance, Adam continued to look around the garage, his senses on full alert. The bright light in his hand flowed over cars, revealing every dent and crack, but no movement. Was the gunman alone? Was he gone? Adam waited one full minute, but still no one appeared, still there was no movement.

 

“Dakota,” Adam said clearly, his voice carrying over the garage. “Come out slowly.” He saw her to his left, her hands appearing first and then her head as she stood. Her phone was in her hand, the call still active and he watched as she ended it. She was alive, she was alive and unharmed; she looked pale and scared, but alive.

 

Adam didn’t let his guard down. He continued to sweep the garage with his light, waiting to see if another killer was hiding somewhere. Slowly Dakota and Marley made their way over to him. Adam met them halfway, taking Dakota by the arm, and putting Marley first, he led them to the stairway. Dakota’s arm was shaking in his hand – her whole body was shaking – and he could hear Marley crying softly.

 

“It’s all right,” he said quietly as they continued down the stairs. “I think there was just one of them.”

 

“One of whom?” Marley asked.

 

“Soul Stealers,” Adam said, but he offered no other explanation.

 

They finally emerged out of the broken door and into the night. The streets around them were silent, no cars, the only person they could see was Joey, jogging over to them.

 

“Well?” Adam asked, his hand still holding Dakota’s arm.

 

“Gone, out the door into an old car. Looked like 2010 Honda to me, green in color, too dark to get the plates.”

 

“Did you get a look at him?”

 

“Short guy, young, brown hair, but I didn’t get a good look at his face. He was fast, I’ll tell you that.”

 

“What were you two doing here?” Adam asked, turning to face the two women, both pale and afraid with tear tracks down their cheeks.

 

“It’s my fault,” Marley blurted out. “This guy I knew, or thought I knew, told me about this party. Dakota didn’t even want to come, but I didn’t think anything bad would happen. I’m so sorry,” she stopped as she broke down into sobs, her small body shaking as her hands came up to hide her face.

 

“Don’t cry, Marley,” Dakota said, taking her in a hug. “No one had any idea this would happen. It was totally crazy.”

 

“We should go talk to Detective Evans,” Adam said. “Something is still going on with your family. I don’t think we’re past the danger yet.”