Cursed Bones

Chapter 5: In which I make an apology tour for being kidnapped for three weeks

We both completely forgot these things were always going to send us back to a Elgin's Men compound. Shame we don't even know which one.
We drop into a padded bed. And my first thought is, fuck we should have somewhere padded to fall.
Then the cries of "HEY!"
We get up and bolt. The Elgin's men manning the thing are just a couple of guys in their dorky uniforms. They're not armed they seriously weren't expecting us to do that.
We manage to bolt out the doors while the men chase after us.
Shedding 16th century Italian clothing, we run down what turns out to be a street in Boston. So this compound was downtown Boston? Sweet I guess that's where they plan to go back to. It's the middle of the night, incidentally, but as soon as we make the street the Elgin's men stop chasing us. It was getting obvious and there's a decent number of pedestrians despite the late hour. Game over.
"Yes, back home, and I have cell reception—and so many missed texts calls," I sigh. And none from Rush. Nothing. Riker telling me to call him. His are infrequent. He expects the worst I'm sure.
"We need to get back to the west coast—I'm calling us an Uber," Anna says.
"Right, brilliant, I"ll book tickets," I say.
"I'll pay you."
"Whatever let's just go home," I say. I reply to my mother that I'm completely fine and out of town for work. I meant to text before I left but I got out of signal. It's a slim lie and I know it. My father has just texted me a series of articles of crimes across the country, that occurred while I was gone, each one with a question mark after it. He thinks he's very funny. Cassie is asking if I'm okay. I tell her I'm okay and I'm so so sorry hope she's okay.
I text Riker: we lived. Then I take a selfie of us standing here half in Italian clothing on the curb in the dark waiting for our Uber. Because we're very mature we both have the immediate response to flip off the camera.
The Uber comes and we pile into the back. No bags just two people frantically texting relatives, living in the moment. Riker calls and I hang up on him.
Boston international is busy even this time of night, I awkwardly show our boarding passes and we shuffle through security. Now we are back in street clothes fully and clearly exhausted and by now starving. Almost none of the shops are open so we settle for vending machine snacks and pop, before calling Riker.
"Where are you?" He asks, with the tone of someone about to pick him us up.
"Boston, we're waiting on a flight home," Anna says.
"What in hell happened?" Doc asks oh so he's there too. It's two am.
"We got kidnapped by Elgin's Men," I say.
"They dropped us in 1502 Italy, but we managed to find some of their own collars, turns out Borgia's aren't so easily robbed," Anna says.
"Elgin's Men who took us did it because we were looking into Rush's disappearance, they clearly knew what happened to him, I take it he hasn't turned up?" I ask.
"No," Riker says, "We thought you were dead."
"We're fine just a bit shaken—,"
"Did you feed my cat—?" I ask.
"I forgot about that I'm mad at you!! That emergency contact form was for your FAMILY, Fin," Riker growls.
"Your family was told you were on an extended trip, because you filled out the form, Anna," Doc says.
"But beyond all that, we might have a lead to what Rush was doing. Plus the Elgin's men were involved so we might have a clue what happened," I say, "I'll show you when we get there it's the receipt for the ring he wrote a message on it."
"Kherfe's pyramid, he said to go there that's what we were going to ask you before they kidnapped us," Anna says.
"Ah. I'll look at the past jumps," Riker says. But it's—evasive?
"We've not jumped there, I remember," Anna says.
"Perhaps Rush did before you joined. He had a few solos before we recruited you—I don't know off the top of my head—all right what time does your flight get in? I'll come pick you up," Riker says.
"Don't drive two hours off the island and then two back with us that's dumb we'll get an Uber," I say.
"I'll send you an Uber how about that?" Riker asks.
"Fair enough, thank you," Anna says.
"Just get home safe?" Doc says, "You say you took their collars to get back—?"
"Yes we've got them, little present, courtesy of Fiamatta de Michelis," I say.
"Oh you did not—," Riker begins.
"I think you know I did. I want you to let me jump back there bonus she half trusts me now I might have an in to help Leonardo but, that's later. Right now we need to find Rush," I say.
"Agreed. Ah, just get yourselves home safe," Riker says.
"Okay, see you at probably like noon at Skagit Valley?" I ask.
"Be safe," Doc says.
"And eat something, try to rest," Riker says.
"We will," Anna says.
We say our goodbyes and hang up, then go back to texting frantic family members with apologies and excuses. Cassie just calls me.
"Look I'm in an airport—," I begin.
"What the hell, Fin?" She growls, "It is four am."
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," I sigh.
"What, are you dad now?" She asks, quietly.
"No, no, no that is not what this is, it's—," it's different? Am I really any better than our father, going god knew where to do god knew what. Showing up when he pleased missing birthdays and holidays for no real reason he ever gave. "—it was unavoidable. You know I said Rush is missing?"
"Yeah," she says.
"The guys who I think got him, nearly got me."
"Fuck," she sighs, "How mixed up in this are you?"
"Ah, pretty damn. But right now lives are at stake," I say.
"Okay," she sighs,
"That's it?"
"I'm not gonna stop you am I?" She asks.
"No," I say.
"Okay then, let me know when you land," she says. Then she hangs up.
I text her that I love her. Damn it.
By then it's time to board. We're consumed with our phones till we have to put them into airplane mode. Only then do we have the chance to talk.
"Did—Riker sound evasive to you?" I ask.
"He did. And, he wasn't surprised by Kherfe's Tomb but the thing is, I know we haven't done any jumps there. I've been in the records, I know all those pyramids like you know—,"
"Kings of England and France?" I offer.
"Quite," Anna says, leaning forward, "We haven't jumped there."
"So why did Rush go there? And Elgin's men—they said that he was 'lone gone' and it was his fault not theirs. That they were going to do to him what they did to us, drop us back in time," I say, "So that means—,"
"Fin, that means they think he's dead," Anna says, gently.
"But—,"
"They said long gone. His fault not theirs. Meaning he died trying to escape them," she says.
"No," I shake my head, "I'd—know—I—,"
"Maybe he lived but—now it's been a month," Anna says, "I'm just, pointing out that he might not be there for us to save."
"Why the ring? And the note? He expected to disappear? He thought something was going to happen I—I'm not giving up. If I find him and bury him that's what I do," I say, sighing.