An: Sorry for the extremely late update. I was trying to finish up this story in one chapter but it wasn't working. There should be one more chapter after this one.
Chapter 16 - Strange Lights
It had been about half an hour since Luna had been abducted and Danny scanned through several sections of footage taken from security cameras within the Montecito starting with the ladies bathroom. The man had hidden his face from the camera but he could be seen carrying what appeared to be a drunk Luna out of the casino. Most passersby hadn't paid much attention as they simply looked like a husband carrying his drunk wife back to their room.
Danny brought up each section of footage as the man disappeared from one camera into another. At the very last camera in the parking lot, Danny had a sinking feeling in his gut as he watched Mary's car pull up next to the car killer's car, who had only seconds before shoved Luna into the passenger seat of his black Cadillac and scurried over to the driver's side to leave.
"Please be ok." He muttered to himself as he watched her get out of the car and say hello to the stranger.
He cursed Mary's friendly nature. Why did she always have to be polite and pleasant? Would it kill her to be a bit more cautious of strangers? He continued to watch as Mary looked down into the car and noticed Luna, her mouth opened to talk to Luna but before she could do anything the man skidded over the hood of his car and held a gun to her temple. Mary shut up instantly and the man placed a cloth over her face and she fell limp with in seconds. He quickly picked her up and piled her into the back seat of his car. With one last glance around the yard, he walked calmly around his car, entered the driver side and then sped off.
Danny's coffee cup smashed against the adjacent wall. It was his fault she was outside. He had asked her to go down to Lucky Burger to get some burgers for him and his security crew. She was probably coming inside to get some help to bring everything in. He knew he needed to calm down and concentrate on finding Mary but the thought of her in the hands of that monster was driving him crazy. He knew exactly how Ron was feeling and he knew the poor guy must be going crazy in his hotel room waiting for news.
He was trained to handle situations like this but it felt much different when someone you loved was in danger. He exhaled deeply and clamped down on all his feelings. He could dwell on it after he found her. Right now he needed a clear mind. He went back to the security footage and got the license plate number of the car. His contacts at the police station revealed that the car had been stolen earlier that day and a few detectives were on the way over to view the security footage as well as interview the witnesses.
Danny needed to report to Ed but was told that he was on the roof and would be back soon. He couldn't help but wonder why Ed would go to the roof at a time like this!
-*-
The Roof
Ed was waiting patiently as he knew Harry would be returning soon for he had only promised him that the camera would be down for half an hour. He wondered how Ms. Granger faired on the little trip. She didn't seem too adventurous. He looked out at the numerous lights that made up Las Vegas and he knew that Ms. Lovegood could be anywhere among those lights.
Ron was a complete mess without his friends. The wizard had insisted that they would be able to find Luna quicker than Ed could. He instructed the redhead to wait in his room while he waited for Harry to return. A frantic Ron greeting them wouldn't be good.
Soon he heard Hermione admonishing Harry for descending to quickly and scaring her that they were going to crash. Harry playfully retorted as he jumped off the broom with her securely against him. Ed hated to break up their moment but it needed to be done. He cleared his throat and their heads snapped towards him.
"We have a slight problem?" The older man said.
"Ron?" They both asked simultaneously.
"Why would you assume it's Ron?" Ed asked letting his curiosity get the better of him.
"It's always Ron." Hermione said rolling her eyes.
"You're close but the actual problem is Luna." He revealed.
"Is she ok?" the brunette witch asked with fear laced in her voice.
"Quite frankly no, she has been abducted." Ed deadpanned.
Hermione gasped as Harry's hold on her tightened instinctively.
"Have you found her yet?" Harry asked his Auror instincts kicking in.
"No."
"We could track her through her wand. When we came in the Auror's placed trackers on our wands. We can contact them and get Luna's location." Harry revealed.
"Would she have her … wand with her?" Ed asked feeling a bit funny about asking about a stick.
"Yes, I drilled it into her to keep it with her at all times." Hermione said.
"Ok, one of you come with me; we'll contact your people. The other gets the task of handling your redhead friend."
Both Harry and Hermione turned to look at the other and they silently agreed that Hermione would go to Ron while Harry dealt with the local Aurors.
-*-
Ron's Room
Ron paced up and down the room. He wished he had his wand so he could go after Luna. It felt wrong to be cooped up in the hotel room while Luna was possibly being hurt by the deranged muggle. Why did he even agree to wait here in the first place? He should be the one looking for her. If only Harry was around, he could contact the Las Vegas Aurors with his wand.
There was a popping sound and Draco and Ginny appeared in a heated embrace in the room.
"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed.
"Ops, wrong room." Draco said smugly.
"I told you the other portkey would take you to MY room." Ginny snapped.
"Where have you been?"
"Out." Draco replied cockily.
"Draco, this is not the time for that bloody Slytherin attitude of yours!" The red head wizard said clenching his fists.
"What's got your knickers in a twist?" Ginny asked her brother.
"Luna's be taken."
"Taken where?" Both Ginny and Draco automatically replied.
"Are you both bloody stupid, taken, you know, away from here, kidnapped." Ron shouted.
"Oh well say that the first time." Draco replied as he collapsed on to the bed.
Ginny ran over to her brother and hugged him. "Don't worry. Harry will get her back."
Ron's whole face turned red. "Harry, Harry's bloody missing as well and why does it always have to be Harry going to the rescue. I'm an Auror as well. Are you saying I can't rescue my own girlfriend!"
Ginny opened her mouth to respond but Ron beat her to it. "Save it, I'm going to find her on my own."
In three steps, he was at the door and a second later it was slamming shut.
"This is bad." Ginny said turning to her fiancée.
"Harry will fix this; it's what the golden boy does." Draco replied.
Ginny glared at him and pointed at the door. "Go and find him and keep him from getting in trouble. If you want to marry me, you marry my family as well, so go help my brother."
Draco eyed her carefully before dragging himself off the bed and heading out the room. The things he did for that witch! Actually running after a stupid Gryffindor, his father would be turning in his grave right now.
-*-
Luna's eyes slowly opened as she regained consciousness. She had a pounding headache and she looked away from the artificial light in the room. Her vision was blurry but as it slowly came into focus, she could see someone next to her. She recognized her as the events co-ordinator from the Montecito, Mary. She tried to move to her and that's when she realized that her hands and feet were bound.
"Mary," she called worriedly.
She saw the brunette stir and was thankful that the girl was alive.
"Mary" she called again but instead of getting a response from her, a shadow fell over her and she realised that there was someone else in the room besides the two of them.
She slowly turned around and took in the room. The walls were a dull grey and there was one entrance/exit that looked like it lead to a staircase. There was one light in the centre of the room attached to the ceiling. A tall thin man with brown hair and brown eyes stood over here. He looked like any average muggle, harmless, but Luna knew better.
"You're awake my precious." The man said in a sickly sweet voice.
Luna glanced at Mary to see she was still unconscious. Her abductor noticed the shift in her gaze and chuckled to himself. "Don't worry dear, she will not interfere with our short time together tonight."
Luna felt the rising panic in her. She could hear her heart hammering against her ribcage and she was struggling to gain control of herself. Ron had told her that it was important for her to remain calm in a dangerous situation. She heard a groan next to her and focused completely on the sound.
"I'll leave you to say goodbye to your friend. I still have to finish some last minute preparations to the bedroom." He said cheerily.
The man walked back to the lone door in the room and glanced back at the girls for a few moments before he shut the door behind him. The light in the room automatically shut off and Luna rolled in the direction of Mary in pitch blackness.
She slowly reached out to nudge Mary with her forehead "You ok?"
"I guess, I have a splitting head ache but its better with the light off. Was that our captor?" Mary asked.
Luna nodded absentmindedly before realising that Mary couldn't see her in the dark.
"Yeah but Ron will be looking for me." Luna said confidently. She knew Ron would not let anything bad happen to her.
"I really don't feel like waiting around here for anyone." Mary said dryly. "There must be some way out of here."
Luna could feel her wand in its holster and she knew if she could get to it they would be free. She was very grateful for the muggle Yoga classes Hermione took her too as she was able to stretch her bound hands to one side to retrieve the smooth wood. As soon as her hand wrapped around the wand she felt her confidence and hope soar, now all she needed was a plan.
-*-
Draco closed the door behind him and found Ron waiting in front of the elevator. He chuckled to himself. Ron was anxious to find Luna but too lazy to use the stairs.
"What do you want?" Ron snapped at him.
"To make Ginny happy." Draco replied simply as the elevator doors opened and he stepped into it with Ron.
"Then what are you doing here with me." The redhead countered.
"Easy, this will make her happy. Oh and you should probably know, I asked her to marry me and she said yes." At Ron's shocked face, Draco chose to continue.
"We'll also be having a baby in a few months time."
Ron was convinced the world was ending. The love of his life was missing and he was officially going to be related to a Slytherin, who also happened to father a child with his baby sister. Why did the world like to kick him when he was down?
"I'm going to kill you right after I find Luna!" Ron told.
"Yeah, sure you are." Draco replied smugly and at that moment Ron knew that if it weren't for Luna he would have tried to wipe that smug smile off his face.
"You know, I have a broom and I know how to track her wand." Draco offered as he watched Ron's face perk up.
"Then what are we waiting for lets go get her!" Ron shouted.
"Elevator doors." Draco deadpanned.
-*-
Luna had two choices, use magic in front of Mary and get out now, or wait for her abductor to return and try to fight him physically. Luna preferred the first option. With her hands bound together, it was extremely difficult to move her wand but she was able to cut the bandages off of her feet with her wand and then transfigure the bandages into a knife so she could cut her hands free. After that she used the knife to free Mary.
"What was that light?" Mary asked
"Maybe he left the door open," Luna said ignoring Mary's comment.
"Hardly likely," Mary responded.
Luna moved to where she hoped the door was and hoped Mary would forget about the strange lights she was seeing. Her hands landed on a smooth wall and she started searching for a knob. Her hand passed over a break in the wall and she was able to trace the outline of a door however she couldn't find a handle anywhere on the door. She remembered which way the door opened and started tapping her wand along one side of the door trying to open the lock. She heard the lock click open but there was no way to pull the door open. She used another transfiguration spell to convert a small piece of the door into a handle. When she was finished she pulled gently and was happy when a crack of light entered the room.
"It's open," Luna said tucking her wand quickly away.
Mary looked at her suspiciously. Several times she had seen some funny lights in front of Luna.
"Let's go." Luna ordered firmly.
Mary followed the blonde out of the room and up some stairs. There was soft music playing and a wonderful smell wafted through the house.
"Which way out?" Luna asked.
"There's usually an exit in the back." Mary told her as she took the lead.
They crept quietly along the corridor but froze when they heard whistling coming from somewhere nearby. Mary peaked through an open doorway and saw the man bustling around what appeared to be the kitchen. He wore an apron that said kiss the cook. She could also see a table with two chairs and a single red rose in the middle. One chair had hand and foot restraints attached and she was positive that chair was for Luna.
"When he turns back to the stove, we'll move." Mary whispered to Luna.
They waited while their captor fussed over the table but a timer went off and he grabbed some kitchen mittens and headed for the oven.
The girls darted across the open doorway, through the living room to a door in the back. Mary carefully unlocked it and both girls exited leaving the door wide open. It was still dark and there was hardly any light in the back but they could make out a tall fence and it seemed unlikely that they would be able to get over it. They circled round to the front of the house and with the little light coming from the street, they saw a small gate in a white picket fence.
"From this day forth, I do not want a house with a white picket fence." Mary said and Luna looked at her strangely. "Never mind."
"Do you think we could make it there without being seen?" Luna asked anxiously.
"It's night time but cross your fingers and pray. Let's go." Mary said grabbing Luna's hand and making a dash across the open yard to the gate.
Once they were in the road, Mary looked left down the long empty street and then right down more empty street.
"Which way?" Luna asked.
"Doesn't matter, which do you prefer left or right?"
"Left," Luna answered automatically and the brunette muggle wasted no time in dashing off.
They ran through the street until Mary recognised a sign and realised that she was close to her home.
"Follow me!" She said.
Luna followed Mary down a short street to a house at the end of the cul-de-sac. It looked like the rest of the houses around it but Mary ran to the porch and looked under a rock. She pulled out a key and opened the door. Luna hesitated.
"This is my house." Mary told her.
Luna flew up the stairs after her and into the house. Mary ran into the kitchen leaving Luna in the entranceway to use her cordless phone but the base was empty. She hit the pager button and heard the phone ring in her bedroom. Once she had her phone, she hit the speed dial button.
"Mary!" the voice on the other end asked hopefully.
She smiled. Danny was worried about her. Of course, by now he would know what happened and she hoped he was frantically looking for her.
"I'm home."
"I'll be." click, the line went dead.
Mary looked at her phone funny. She was sure she had paid the phone bill.
"Luna!" Mary called as she went towards the front of the house where she was sure she left Luna.
"Luna!" she called again when she didn't find the blonde. She walked into the living room and found her unconscious on the floor with a large gash across her forehead.
They had been followed!
An: For those of you that have not seen Las Vegas, Mary's dream was to have a house with a white picket fence in the front.
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