Meanwhile ...

The sports bar was dingy looking and almost completely empty. The only people there were the weary bartender, a couple of drunks slumped over their drinks at one end of the bar and a sad looking woman in her late twenties or early thirties who was watching the muted, flickering TV in a hopeless manner at the other end. She had placed a bet on the game and her team was losing. With a sigh, she nodded at the bartender who brought her another whiskey. She looked down at her glass and then back up at the TV screen. There was no hope of her team winning. She had lost yet another bet. She owed her bookie a lot of money, too much money really, and he was beginning to get impatient. She didn't know how he went about collecting the money he was owed, but she knew from past experience that it would be wise for her to either pay up or leave town very soon. There was a big football game on tonight. She had already placed her bet. She was confident that she had backed the winning team. She was very aware that things would probably get ugly between her and her bookie if she had backed the wrong team.

The door opened, momentarily letting the icy wind blow in. The two drunks at the other end of the bar drowsily stirred. One of them noticed that he had finished his drink and ordered another beer with a slightly slurred voice. The woman didn't look up yo see who had just entered, knowing that it was probably just another lost soul needing to drown their sorrows for the afternoon. But then:

“You're a difficult woman to track down, Tina Green.” A voice whispered softly, menacingly in her ear.

The woman, Tina, sat up alarmed. Nobody in town knew her by that name, her real name. She had left that name behind many years ago, the first time her gambling had forced her to up and leave everything, including her family behind. She looked up warily at the well dressed man sitting at the bar next to her. He looked out of place in such a dingy looking bar in the middle of the day. He was too well groomed, and lacked the air of despair everyone else in the bar carried with them. “I don-don't know what ya mean. I'm n-not Tina. I'm Carol.”

“Don't play that game, Tina.” The man smiled. There was something cold and dangerous about his smile that left Tina in no doubt that she was being threatened. Threatened by a man who was extremely confident he was going to get away with it. He hadn't taken off his sunglasses despite the dinginess of the bar, adding to Tina's unease. “We both know you're Tina, and that you owe a lot of people a lot of money.” Still smiling that cold and dangerous smile, he pulled a device from his pocket and looked at screen. His eyebrows rose slightly in mock surprise. “That is a lot of money. I'd say it's a safe bet to say that you don't have that kind of money.” He looked around the bar with a smirk.

Tina shifted nervously in her seat. She had caught the glimpse of the man's screen. He knew exactly who she was, which meant that he was working for T-Bone. She owed T-Bone a lot of money, and knew that he was a dangerous man to cross and not repay debts to. It was extremely bad news that one of his goons had tracked her down. Although this man did seem much better dressed than most of the thugs that worked for T-Bone. That still didn't change the situation though. She was in a lot of trouble now, and if she didn't cooperate her family would soon most likely be in even more trouble. “What d'ya want?” She asked in a small, defeated voice, wringing her hands nervously around her whiskey glass.

The man looked disdainfully around the bar again. “This isn't the place to conduct business. Come to my office at four thirty.” He placed a business card on the bar before getting to his feet. “Oh, and please don't think about skipping town. It'll be so much the worse for you and Hunter if you do.” He smiled that cold, dangerous smile of his once again and got to his feet while Tina tried to come to terms with what she had just heard.

Tina watched him exit the bar with a heavy, sick feeling in her stomach. Hunter was her eldest son. She hadn't seen him since she had first fled T-Bone and her debts. No one was supposed to know about him or her other children, especially not T-Bone and his goons. She was in serious trouble now. Or more accurately, her family was in serious trouble now because of her. She wanted nothing more than to collect her meagre belongings and leave town. But the threat to Hunter forced her to stay and to meet the man later that afternoon. Tina swallowed her whiskey in a single gulp. She stared at the liquor bottles behind the bar for second, before she leapt to her feet and rushed to the toilet as the combination of copious amounts of alcohol and her current situation caught up with her.

Tina slumped down on the dirty toilet floor shaking. This was partly due to her having just violently thrown up after not eating anything all day. But it was mostly because of the man's parting words. He knew about her family, and she had no doubt that they would be the ones who would be hurt if she refused to pay and simply fled. T-Bone had already tracked her down once. He'd be able to do so again, and with news of what had befallen her family because of her actions. She wiped her mouth and realised that she was also crying. Tina had always believed that she would be able to go on the run and keep her family safe. This belief had been the only thing that had made it possible for her to leave everything behind in the first place. Now she knew that it had all been pointless. She flushed the toilet and went to the basin and looked at her reflection in the dull, grimy mirror. She almost didn't recognise the woman staring back at her: the woman in the mirror was pale with her greasy hair pulled untidily back. Her mascara was running down her face. But what really shocked Tina was that the woman in the mirror looked haunted and completely without hope.

“Get a grip, girl.” Tina growled at the mirror, gritting her teeth and forcing back her fear. “I'll be able to negotiate something. This time I'll be able to do something good for my family.”

The woman in the mirror looked slightly less fearful and hopeless. Her eyes were no longer watering, but they were still looked like the eyes of a person completely defeated and without any more options. Tina knew it was because deep down she didn't truly believe her words. But there was no choice. She had to believe those hollow words. Had to hope for the best. Otherwise she would not be able to carry on. She splashed her face with cold water from the tap in a futile attempt to calm her nerves and make herself a little more presentable and look as though she was in control of her life before heading back to the bar. The business card was still where the man left it. Tina picked it with a shaky hand and look around for a clock. “What's the time?” She asked the room in general.

One of the drunks slurred something that sounded like it was meant to be insulting. The bartender looked at his wrist. “Ten to four.” He said and then continued to absent mindedly wipe the top of the bar.

Tina looked at the business card in her shaking hand, and noticed for the first time that the man worked at the local lawyer's office. It wouldn't take her long to walk there. “Another whiskey, please.” She sighed, sitting down at one of the stools. “And can ya please let me know when it's quarter past?”

The bartender wordlessly placed a glass of whiskey and his scratched and dented watch in front of Tina. She nursed the whiskey, she did not really have the money for another. Nor was she certain that she'd be able to keep it down if she did have another. Her eyes never left the watch face as waited to find out what T-Bone had in store for her. She was having trouble imagining anything, but she knew that she probably was not going to like whatever it was. It was just a little before quarter past when she put down, or more accurately, slammed down the whiskey glass on the bar, and unsteadily got to her feet. “Thanks.” She muttered, pushing the watch back to the bartender. She staggered slightly as she crossed the bar towards the door. She paused for a moment at the door to regain her balance and composure.

It was cold and windy outside. The wind whipped Tina's hair across her face as she looked up and down the busy main road of the small town. The clouds were dark grey and were threatening rain, possibly even snow. Once again, Tina considered simply just running away. She had done it so many times that it was now just second nature to her. But she knew she couldn't do that. Couldn't place her family in danger because of her actions. They had already suffered enough because of her. With a small, defeated sigh Tina crossed her arms across her chest against the cold and turned her feet towards the lawyer's office. She kept her head down, looking at her feet as she trudged down the main road.

The lawyer's office was an old white washed eighteenth century stone building. A bell tinkled merrily as Tina opened the door and stepped into the warm, welcoming reception, feeling ice cold. She glowered at the middle aged receptionist, letting the door slam shut behind her, causing the bell to tinkle merrily once more. There was country music softly sounding from a radio behind the receptionist's desk.

The receptionist smiled warmly at her. “Well, hi there! What can I do for ya, sugar?”

“I have a four thirty appointment with … um,” Tina looked at the business card in her hand. “Mark Evans.”

“Hang on a jiffy and I'll see if he's ready to see ya.” The receptionist said brightly. She picked up a phone. “Mr Evans, ya four thirty is here.” She said brightly, her smiling never once fading. She returned the phone to its holder and turned her smiled onto Tina once again. “He'll be out soon., sugar.” Tina found the receptionist's bright, happy demeanour to be grating on her nerves. She wanted nothing more than to hit the woman and make her as miserable as she was. At this point in time she was finding it difficult to believe that anyone could be so cheerful. Tina suspected that hitting the receptionist would only make things worse for herself though, and simply just clenched her fists instead.

“This way please, Miss Green.” The man's voice said to her left. Tina looked up from her feet and saw him still wearing his sunglasses, smiling at her from his office door. He stepped to one side and motioned that she should step through, which she reluctantly did, wondering what fresh hell she was walking into. Now that she was facing this man again, Tina found that she didn't want to leave the presence of the receptionist, as annoying as she had found her to be. “I must admit I had some doubt about whether you would show up.” He said, closing the door behind him and crossing the room so that he was seated behind his desk, facing Tina.

“Ya threatened my family.” Tina snapped, sinking into one of the chairs in front of his desk. “Of course I was going to show. How could I not?”

The man, Mark, raised his eyebrows in surprise. “That hasn't seemed to have been a problem for you in the past.” He remarked, casually pulling a pile of paper towards him. “And I only threatened your first born, Hunter.”

Tina gaped at Mark. She opened her mouth to say something, realised that she didn't know what to say and closed it again her mind racing.

“Now what to do about your debt with us. You've earned a lot of interest, you know.”

“Can't we just organise a payment plan? T-Bone should be ok with that as long as he's getting his money.”

“T-Bone? He's only one of our employees. Past employee, actually.” Mark chuckled. “The matter was long ago escalated beyond him. As to a payment plan, I'm afraid that's entirely out of the question. You've proven to be too unreliable for that.”

“But!” Tina could feel the world slipping out from beneath her. She was beginning to wish that she had not had anything to drink. She was sure that that was not helping with her spinning head. “But I don't have that kind of money!” Tina protested, feeling a wave of panic sweep over her. She had always assumed that T-Bone was his own boss. He had never struck her as someone who would take orders from others. The fact that he had been was even more terrifying. T-Bone had been brutal and more than willing to go after anyone who he felt was not showing him enough respect or he simply just disliked at the time. What kind of people were his superiors? What kind of people could make such a man answer to them? And she had just walked willingly into one of their offices without letting anyone know where she was going. Not that she had anybody to tell where she had been going. “I'm good for the money if ya'll just let me pay ya back in instalments.” Tina pleaded.

“Like you were the last time? No, you'll be working off your debt, as per your contract you signed.”

“Work? What contract?” Tina hugged her arms across her chest, feeling very vulnerable and sick.

“Don't worry. It's not that kind of work. We don't do that kind of thing.” Mark said, correctly guessing Tina's fears. “More like odd jobs and the like.”

“What kind of 'odd jobs'?” Tina asked slowly, feeling no less ill at ease. She knew that most of T-Bone's business had been more than less than legal. She had no reason to believe that his superiors were any less shady. “I'm not doing anything illegal.”

“You'll do what we tell you do.” Mark snapped, flicking through the pile of paper in front of him. “Here we go. Your contract you signed.” He passed it to Tina, who accepted it and numbly began reading through it. “Basically, it says that you'll work for us until your debt is paid off should you fail to repay us that amount. You failed to repay us, now you must work for us. Before you make any more objections, I suggest reading the terms and conditions, which I suspect you didn't do when you signed. The fifth term would be of most interest to you.”

Tina glared suspiciously at Mark before flicking through to the back to read the terms. She doubted there was anything there that would prevent her from further protests about the situation. A moment later she gasped in horror at what she was reading.

“You really should've read the terms and conditions before signing. This whole situation could've been avoided.” Mark drawled, sounding thoroughly bored.

Tina began to shake uncontrollably. She could hear a rushing sound in her ears and felt like she was plummeting. She felt like she was about to faint. The office around her faded to black as she stared in horror at the contract in her hand, which clearly stated that if she failed to repay her debt then her first born child would be forfeit. She had signed away her first born, signed away Hunter so that she could keep gambling. She knew that the contract couldn't be legal. It was dealing with people as though they were nothing more than possessions. But she was dealing with people who obviously had a large reach and quite a bit of power. They had managed to track her down, after all. Who knows what they could do to Hunter if she went to the police to voice her concerns. There was no doubt that they would view such actions as another attempt on her behalf to get out of paying the money she owed them.

“We've been keeping track of Hunter all these years.” Mark said, after giving Tina a moment to recompose herself as best as she could under the circumstances. “We have people ready to pick him up at a moment's notice.” He pushed a couple of large photos of a young boy playing at school. Still shaking, Tina picked up the photos, years streaming down her cheeks as she stared at the picture of Hunter. She felt a dull ache, and realised just how much she missed her children. It had been so long since she had seen them. For the first few months after fleeing she had often returned just to see her children. She had never dared to show herself to them because of her fear of T-Bone and his thugs. Watching her children from a distance had been too painful for her though and she had stopped doing so, simply hoping that they were getting along well without her. All this pain came flooding back as she stared hungrily at the photo, wishing that she could talk to her son who was now a stranger to her. There could be no doubt about what Mark said; at any moment, people could easily take Hunter and whisk him away. These were people Tina wanted to keep away from him.

“And when my debt is repaid?” She asked in a trembling voice.

“You'll be free to go where you please. You can even return home to your family.”

There was a long pause. “I'll do it.” Tina said finally, although she and Mark both knew that she didn't have any choice in the matter. She continued to gaze longingly at the photo in her trembling hand.

“You'll be needing this.” He pulled out a phone from his drawer and passed it across the desk to Tina before turning his attention to the computer for the first time. He rapidly clicked the mouse a few times. “And your first job is tomorrow, just after midday.”

This was sooner than Tina had expected, although she didn't know when she had expected to start. She had been expecting a little time to get used to the idea first though. “What? Doing what?”

“There's going to be a police pursuit that we need you to stop.”

“Stop a police pursuit? How? I don't even have a car.” Tina paused for a moment, thinking about what had just been said. “How d'ya even know there'll be a pursuit then?” She asked, and immediately wondered if she would have been better off not asking questions.

“We'll take care of the car for you. We'll also let you know where you need to be and when. Just keep any eye on that phone. We'll be in touch by tomorrow morning.” Mark scooped up the paperwork and put it in the filing cabinet that was just to his right behind his chair. Sensing that the meeting was over, Tina picked up the phone Mark had given her and went to place the photo of Hunter on the desk. “Keep that. I get the feeling you're going to need the reminder.” Tina glanced up at Mark for a moment, and then hugged the photo to her chest. She scrambled to her feet and hurried out of the office, ignoring the receptionist who wished her a good evening as she fled outside to the cold and windy street. It was getting dark now, and after being in the warm office, Tina could really feel the cold. She went to go back to the bar, which would now be quickly filling up with eager football fans all wanting to watch the big game. But then she remembered that her bookie would most likely be there as well. After dealing with a former bookie and Mark already, Tina didn't feel like she could handle trying to keep another at bay. She had lost so much to gambling already, and knew that she would lose so much more if she had to face her bookie tonight. She turned on her heel and stumbled to the trailer park on the edge of town where she lived.

Tina sat rocking on the couch in her tiny trailer. She had no memory of walking home or anything that had occurred when she arrived home. She had been in a daze, and had collapsed on the couch the moment she was inside. The reality of her situation was still only just sinking in even though she had done nothing except think about it all night. She was dealing with people far more powerful than just the local crime gangs. These people had the power to track her down even though she had changed her name more times than she could count. They also had the resources to keep constant tabs on her son. Although since she had, unknowingly, signed him over to them, this was only good business sense. Even if it did raise troubling questions. Like, what kind of people would have a clause in their contracts stating that if the terms of the contract weren't met then that person's first born became their property? And what happened to those children once they were taken by these people? The possibilities were too horrible for Tina to contemplate so she focused on what she could do instead. She looked at the photo of Hunter again with a dreadful sinking feeling. There wasn't anything she could do. She was completely at their mercy or Hunter would pay the price. She would have to do what these people wanted and hope that what was asked of her wasn't too terrible a price.

The phone buzzed on the rickety table in front of her. She flipped it open and saw that she was to stop the police pursuit on the road out of town at ten to two that afternoon. She still had no idea how she was supposed to do that. But she was desperate to do so as she thought that her new bosses wouldn't take failure very well, and would possibly take out their anger on Hunter as punishment. She still didn't even have a car. The tightness in her chest that had been building all night became too much. The trailer was too small and she felt like she was being suffocated. She threw open the door of her trailer and burst outside, gasping for breath. She shakily pulled a packet of cigarettes and a lighter from her pocket. It was only then that she noticed the grey sedan parked in the parking space next to her trailer. She stared at it for a moment, vaguely aware that she had heard a car being parked there during the night. But she'd been wracked by too much despair, fear and helplessness to take any notice of it or consider how strange it was that someone else was parking their car in her spot. It was then that Tina realised that these people also knew where she lived. For the first time since Mark had first approached her in the bar, Tina felt a sense of relief that she hadn't fled. It had just occurred to her that she was probably being watched and probably wouldn't have gotten very far before they stopped her. She lit the cigarette and warily approached the car, wondering what would've happened to her if she'd been caught trying to flee. Would they have simply killed her or forced her to witness Hunter's abduction and murder?

The car was unlocked and the keys were still in the ignition. Tina retrieved the keys and pocketed them, checking to make sure that none of her neighbours were watching as she did so. Most of them weren't very law abiding themselves, but Tina knew that they were always on the lookout for anything that they could possibly use as leverage to help themselves get out of trouble. There were also a number of people who owed money to the same bookie as Tina. It was likely that they would go to him with the news that she had a car and was undoubtedly planning to leave town in the hopes of lessening their own debts. It was something Tina had done several times in the past.

There was still a lot of time until Tina was supposed to stop the police pursuit. She finished the cigarette and threw the butt to the ground before going back into her trailer. She looked in the cupboard and fridge but saw nothing that appealed to her even though they were both reasonably well stocked. Instead she opted for a liquid breakfast of whiskey. She found a glass that was relatively clean in the sink then decided that there was no need for a glass after all. She picked up the whiskey bottle, noticing that it was half full. It had been nearly full yesterday when she had left. She must have drank last night when she got home in a daze. Or whoever Mark worked for had been in her trailer and had helped themselves. Tina looked fearfully around her trailer feeling sick. She had no idea who these people were or what they were capable of. Knowing that she couldn't stand being in the trailer any more, Tina fled back outside carrying the bottle of whiskey.

Without a second thought, Tina jumped into the car, turned the ignition and backed away from her trailer, knocking over her neighbour's bin in her haste. She sped out of the trailer park, and drove aimlessly around town while she tried to figure out her next move. She glanced at her reflection in the rear view mirror, once again barely recognising the woman who looked back at her. The woman in the mirror looked drawn and haggard and now had a trapped look in addition to her air hopelessness. She was definitely a woman with no options left. This disturbed Tina. She had always thought of herself as someone who could always find a way to escape her troubles and avoid being pinned down. But this time she was backed into a corner with no way of escape. She wished that she knew something, anything, about these people who had cornered her. She was certain that even the tiniest bit of information would help her get out of this mess without any harm coming to Hunter or anyone else in her family. It was only as she drove by the sheriff that it dawned on her that the car she was driving might be stolen. She clenched the wheel tightly, her knuckles going white, but the sheriff didn't give her a second look as he drove by her. Tina glanced in the rear view mirror. For one wild moment she considered drawing his attention. She knew that one wild police pursuit would be enough to land her in jail and out of the reach of these shadowy people she knew nothing about. Except Hunter would still be within their reach, and being in jail would probably be considered not meeting the terms of her contact. Not to mention that they could still probably reach her in jail. She knew it was a better idea not to draw the sheriff's attention.

“I have to get out of town.” While Tina had not been in any serious trouble with the sheriff's department in this town, she had spent a couple of nights in the drunk tank and was known to them. They also knew that she didn't have a car, and would undoubtedly want to ask her questions about the one she was currently driving. Questions she could not answer even if she wanted to. She turned the car around and drove out of town and to the next town over where she was not so well known to the sheriff's department, keeping an eye out for possible ways to stop a police pursuit as she drove.

Just before midday Tina was in a run down old diner on the outskirts of the next town over trying to counteract the effects of almost half a bottle of whiskey with a large burger and fries washed down with a strong coffee. She had not seen anything that would help her stop a police pursuit on her drive there. Despairing about what she was going to do Tina had parked just outside of town, trying desperately to think of a way to stop the police pursuit while drinking the whiskey. She had been alarmed when she had noticed the time and and realised that she was not in any state to drive. The diner was not too far up the road from where she had parked, which meant that she had been able to walk, weaving slightly as she went. She kept a nervous eye on the clock while she ate. The food didn't do much to counteract the effects of the whiskey, she still felt tipsy, but the food made her feel better, less like she was going to be violently sick again. Feeling far more composed than she had when she entered, Tina left the diner and walked back to her car. She was more than likely over the legal limit, but she figured that by now there would not be any police on the roads. They would all be responding to whatever it was that was going to cause the pursuit. It was nearly time for her to stop it.

“Oh God, have mercy on me.” She sobbed, turning the ignition. She still had no idea how she was going to stop this pursuit. But Hunter's life depended on her doing so. She was certain that she was about to let him down, that she would lose him forever. It was too much to bear. She grabbed the whiskey bottle and gulped down the rest of its contents before heading back towards her town.

“They're heading towards you. You'd better be ready.” Mark's voice announced from the radio, causing Tina to jump in fright and almost crash.

As it was, she swerved wildly across the road, which was luckily empty of any other motorists. “What the -?” She gasped, regaining control of the car, somewhat alarmed at the way the trees were still spinning around outside the car.

“Around the next bend you'll intersect them. I'm sure I don't need to remind you what's at stake if you fail to stop this pursuit.”

Tina stared at the radio in terror, her knuckles white from tightly clenching the steering wheel. She didn't need to be reminded of how high the stakes were. She was painfully aware of the stakes. Her mind slowly filled with a dull buzzing sound, preventing her from thinking clearly. “No! Nonono!” She sobbed as she rounded the bend and saw the traffic banked up. She was trapped. Another car pulled up behind her as she watched a grey sedan speed towards them, closely followed by what appeared to be the entire sheriff's department. The dull buzzing in her head grew louder. It was like she was surrounded by a swarm of angry wasps. She could barely breath as everything appeared to slow down to a crawl. She was dimly aware of Mark's voice speaking to her through the radio, but did not hear what he said. She was panting as the grey sedan sped ever closer to her, all of her attention was now fixed on the sedan and the pursuing sheriff's department. “Fuck! Fuckfuckfuck!” A plan was slowly forming in her mind. She did not like it. She did not want to do it. She could not see any other way.

Tina waited until the grey sedan passed her. She then hurriedly pulled out into the oncoming lane and slammed her foot down on the accelerator. The lead pursuit car was closer than she realised. She closed her eyes, knowing that there was no way that she could miss. She hoped that this would be enough to keep Hunter safe.