Against The Wall by Dee J. Adams

her.
    Think, think. There had to be a way out of this. She still needed Tanner’s help if she wanted to get Maurice, but if Maurice every member of your familyle behind thought she knew Tanner then she wasn’t going anywhere either. She doubted Tanner would mention her in any way.
    Moving down the hallway to the gym, Jess found a baseball bat in a closet filled with every piece of sports equipment imaginable. Tanner’s gun would be in the wrong hands at this point, and a bat was better than nothing. Jess hugged the wall, backtracking quickly to the bathroom next to the office. She closed the door and held her breath, listening for any sound.
    The massive gray granite bathroom was about half the size of her apartment. As many times as she’d used this room, she’d never gotten used to its ostentatious amenities. Easily eight feet of wide-open space rested between each wall. Would that help her or hurt her when it came time to listen? She eased toward the door that led to the office.
    It took two agonizing minutes of waiting before she heard more scuffling as the men dragged Tanner up the stairs. Jess strained to listen as the struggle continued in the next room.
    “Tanner Bryant,” Maurice said. “What a surprise. I didn’t realize they’d let you out.”
    “Why? I did most of my time. You made fucking sure of it.”
    Maurice just chuckled. “I did do that. But a father’s got to protect his son. I’m sure you understand.”
    “I understand I did the time that Alex should’ve done. I understand you threw me to the wolves to save Alex and didn’t bother saying anything after he died.”
    Information overload. Jess tried to absorb everything, but her heart pounded too hard. Her palms sweat furiously as she gripped the bat.
    “I didn’t see a point,” Maurice said.
    “No point in freeing an innocent man,” Tanner scoffed. She heard him struggle, heard the muffled sound of a punch and a grunt, squeezed her eyes shut to block it out.
    How had this become her life? So much violence and pain. Physical, emotional. Jess had never dealt with anything like this before. Her stomach threatened a revolt and she swallowed convulsively.
    “I’ll bet you were the one shooting at me earlier, weren’t you,” Maurice went on to say. “I thought it might be Facinetti again, but it was you.”
    “Fuck you, Juneau. You’ve screwed too many people. I’m not the only one you need to worry about. You’ve fucked over so many people that you’ve got no idea who wants you dead. Hell of a way to live your life.”
    Another punch sounded and Jess felt the sting of tears in her eyes. Maurice had let Tanner do time for a crime his son committed. The unfairness made her nausea worse.
    “I won’t have to worry about you anymore, Bryant. You’re going to be another ex-con who disappeared because he couldn’t cut it on the outside. Take care of him,” Maurice said. “Dump him in the desert or the ocean. I don’t care. I’m heading to the penthouse and I’m taking the other guys with me.”
    “No problem,” one of them said.
    “Just don’t do it here. There’s enough blood on my floor as it is. Clean this shit up. I don’t want anything out of place the next time I get back.”
    Jess heard Maurice leave the room, heard the guys murmuring. She didn’t have time to think about the orders he’d given because if she did, she’d lose it. If she didn’t act now, she’d be too late. After a flurry of footsteps moving downstairs, she eased out of the bathroom and peeked through the railing. Maurice walked toward the side door toward the garage with his men behind him. She didn’t have much time. She had to create some kind of diversion.
    Jess went back to the bathroom, closed the door, grabbed the handle and started shaking. “Hey, get me outta here,” she called. “Maurice, get me outta here. The door is stuck! Maurice, are you there?” She heard one of the men coming closer. “Maurice, is that you? I thought you