Outside they could hear Nick’s desperate shout, “Sara, Sara honey, talk to me. Sara!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Nick was going through seven kinds of Hell, as he stood behind the Aspen in Tess’s postage stamp sized front lawn. He couldn’t believe how dumb he’d been. Tom must have laughed his ass off after their phone call. It would have been a simple matter for him to find out where it had originated from. What a fuck-up. He couldn’t believe he’d missed something so obvious, and now Sara was paying the price. If Sheridan hurt one hair on her beautiful head, he would die.
Checking the illuminated dial of his watch, he was surprised only half an hour had passed since he’d walked out of the house next door to check on Sara, only to come up short when he heard thumps and cries coming from the break between the two yards fences. Racing silently over, heart pounding, he came upon Tess and Grace, both women fighting off attackers three times their size, Tess screaming like a banshee.
Gliding through the moonless shadows, Nick crept up on asshole number one and with a swift upper cut to the jaw; he was down and out for the count, yanking poor Tess to the ground as he fell. Dropping down to her, he made sure she was unharmed, losing precious seconds, before turning on dick number two, only to see him pulling a resisting Grace through the front hedges and up the steps into Tess’s house, slamming the door behind him.
Hurrying back to Tess’s side he quickly stripped off his shirt, tying numb-nut’s hands behind his back, and then used his belt to tie his feet tightly together before leading the shaken woman into the kitchen and setting her down amidst his friend’s concerned eyes.
“There’s a tango outside by the back fence. Someone drag his sorry ass in here, we need to have a little chat.”
Crouching beside the dazed female, he took one of her frail hands in his own, sharing his warmth as quakes shook her lean frame. “Can you tell me what happened, Tess? Is Sara still there? How many men did you see?”
“Let her catch her breath, you can see how upset she is, just give her a minute. Would you like a cup of tea, ma’am? My momma swears tea is a cure all.” The scent of honey and bergamot drifted from Frank’s hands as he brought her over a delicate cup, all but lost in his giant mitts.
“Here, I found this in the living room,” Maggie said as she draped a soft multi-colored afghan over her hunched back.
Jared came back into the room with a swarthy looking man with dark shaggy hair draped over his shoulder. He gave a heave and dropped the dead weight in a corner of the room, the solid thunk proving the guy was still dead to the world.
“I’m sorry for rushing you, Tess, but I’m worried about Sara. Is there anything you can share with me?” Nick asked, his chest tight with fear.
Taking a fortifying sip of the hot brew and a sharing a shaky smile aimed at Maggie for her kindness, Tess looked to Nick. “I know, honey. I’m every bit as scared as you are. I’m not quite sure what happened. We were sitting in the kitchen talking about that scoundrel ex-husband of hers when the doorbell rang and Sara jumped up to get it, no doubt thinking it was you. Only it wasn’t.”
She shook her head in bewilderment. “We heard her hollering at someone named Tom, her ex I’m sure. She warned us he wasn’t alone, and we could tell from her tone she didn’t want him knowing we were there. Grace wanted to stay, to help her, but then I remembered you were over here with your friends.” She glanced at each of them before turning back to him, “so we tried to sneak out the back door and across the yard. We almost made it to, if not for those creeps that came out of nowhere and snatched us.”
Jared slammed a fist into the wall above the lump on the floor, leaving a nice crack in the plaster. “Fuck.” He swung away, stomping into the living room. Nick knew how he felt, both their loved ones were in that house.
He turned his gaze back to Tess who shrugged helplessly. “You have to help her, Nick, she’s in terrible danger. I looked down the hall as we were leaving and saw a young woman with those men. They had her hands tied behind her and her mouth was covered, but worse than that, her face was all bruised like she’d taken a bad fall but I don’t think she did. I think they hurt her, and now they have our Sara.”
Nick stood paced the room. He wanted to rush out and force his way in, he needed to be there. Anger fought with the fear that was building inside his chest, crushing his lungs and making his heartbeat slow and sluggish, his worst nightmare and there wasn’t a fucking thing he could do about it, or was there? He still had the all-important file. It wasn’t much, but he hoped it’d buy him a little time, at least until they could figure a way into the house that wouldn’t get the women killed.
“I assume you came prepared for a little action?” He looked at Adam standing by the kitchen sink staring out across the dark lawn at the shadowed forms moving beyond the closed curtains next door.
“Of course, Maggie and I both have Glocks. What about you guys?”
“I still have a license for my Sig Blackwater, and practice regularly, if things go to shit over there and he hurts her, I’m going to kill that bastard.”
“I know you’re upset but you have to remain calm, going off the handle isn’t going to help you or your girlfriend.” Special Agent Holt warned him.
Whatever. He had more than enough on his plate already; he didn’t care if he censored his words in front of federal agents, as long as Sara was returned safely they could toss him behind bars and throw away the keys, if that’s what they wanted.
“Relax, Maggie, he’s blowing smoke, right buddy?” Adam stepped between them, ever the peacemaker.
“You want to explain to me how the hell he managed to get by your team who supposedly had the airport covered. Want to explain that, buddy?” He was spiraling out of control and knew he had to reel it in. He was no help to Sara this way, but fuck, he had promised her that son-of-a-bitch would never have the opportunity to hurt her again. He’d failed.
“We all need to calm down and figure out a course of action. If we go in there half-cocked someone is going to get hurt.” Adam said as Maggie moved closer as if to protect him, probably a good idea right now.
“I know that, but my gut is telling me we don’t have much time. We need get pro-active and take the power out of his hands. I want to offer him the file. We all know how important it is to him. I think it’s our only chance.” Nick looked to Frank, hoping he’d at least agree, “After he makes the exchange and Sara is safe, you guys can go in and do your thing, I don’t give a shit; all I want is to have her out of there.”
“I agree with Nick, time is of the essence, hashing over who screwed up where is not going to accomplish anything. Jared and I can go around back, find a way in. You, Adam, and Agent Holt can flank Nick and make sure he doesn’t get his sorry ass shot.” Frank pushed himself away from the old wooden table, the chair legs groaning their relief. “Nick, you can be our voice. Give him the ultimatum, and with any luck he’ll accept and the rest of the mission will go like clockwork. If not, we’ll be there, and he’ll wish that he accepted.”
For a too brief moment, the thrill of the chase brought an answering smile to each of their faces, before the gravity of the situation reasserted itself, wiping the grins away and replacing them with intent. Hooyah.
Nick went to gather up the scattered file pages on the table, pleased to see Tess’s color looking better, her nerves settling. Now they were moving forward his were also, he centered himself on a successful outcome. Nothing else was acceptable.
Handing the elder woman a heavy cast iron frying pan they had used to make pancakes for Jessica just a couple of days ago, he told her, “I need you to do me a big favor. Watch that guy,” He pointed at the still unconscious bulk in the corner. “If he wakes up make sure he stays put, can you do that?”
“You bet your britches I can; it’ll be my pleasure to teach that toad some manners,” she answered, sitting up straight, her myopic eyes squinting at the lump.
“Thanks, Tess, I knew I could count o
n you. Okay, are we ready?”
“Already gone,” From Jared and Frank as they ducked out the door, both of them armed with an assortment of kitchen utensils.
“Waiting for you, my friend.” Adam and Maggie moved to stand by the front door, both checking their guns and ammunition.
He grabbed his own weapon from where he had stashed it in the cupboard above Sara’s fridge, just in case. File in hand he stepped past his buddy, glad to once again have him at his back.
Gliding through the thick shadows the three of them made it to Tess’s front yard without incident, the other two peeling off into the gloom.
Holding his breath, he counted to ten, and then let it out, praying like he’d never prayed before. “Let them go, Sheridan. I have what you’ve come for; if you want it, let them out.” He stood inside the gate, belly up to the giant Aspen that dominated the small yard, his heart pounding uncontrollably. Fuck, he’d not been this scared on any of the missions he’d been on before. He knew every day was a crapshoot. They trained for that, prepared for it, but he was not prepared this time, when the stakes mattered so very much.
Suddenly he heard Sara’s voice shouting, followed by a horrifying screech and then something that made his heart stop. Gunshots.
“Sara, Sara honey, talk to me. Sara!” As he leapt for the front stairs, ignoring Adam’s whistle to remain in place, his sole focus was getting inside that door. Using his foot, he nailed it close to the handle causing it to crack wide open, thankful that his eyes had adjusted to the darkness as the lights inside were extinguished. He stuck close to one wall and slid through the entry, his gun leading the way.
Assessing the situation, a feeling of hopelessness threatened to overcome him. Sheridan had Sara held tightly in front of him, an arm around her throat pulled her head back against his shoulder exposing her fragile neck. The other hand had a tight grip on a gun, an M&P 9mm by the looks of it.
Off to the side Grace and another young woman, probably Sara’s friend Fiona, sat huddled together on the floor, bits of plaster and glass all around them explaining the gunshots.
In his peripheral vision the fast moving shadow of a man as he dodged from one bedroom forward to the next, and a slight scrape from the kitchen let him know of at least one more. Okay three, he could handle three, if only one of them were not holding the love of his life in his hands. Shit.
“Has no one every taught you how to knock? We’re kind of busy right now. Why don’t you toddle off, and no one,” Tom grunted as he tightened his grip and Sara’s feet came off the floor, harsh choking noises emitting from her throat, “will get hurt.”
Though there was nothing he wanted more than to look into Sara’s beautiful eyes, to reassure her that it was going to be okay and they would find a way out of this, he kept his attention trained on his nemesis, searching for any weaknesses. Unfortunately for now Sheridan held the winning hand. He’d placed himself in a corner of the room with an inside wall at his back, and no blind spots. He also made sure he kept Sara firmly centered in front of him, her head blocking his own, even though it forced her up onto her toes, the prick.
“Look, you want your file back, so take it.” Keeping his gun trained on the inch of Sheridan’s forehead he could see, Nick pulled the file out from where he had tucked it into the back of his jeans, waving it back and forth like a white flag before throwing it to the floor where they heard it land with a soft slap. “Let the women go, Tom, all they’ll do is slow you down, you don’t need them. Your little girl needs her mother.”
He knew instantly he’d said the exact wrong thing, Sheridan’s already constricting hold on Sara turned malevolent, her neck squeezed so tight he could see the whites of her eyes as they rolled back in her head, the cock-sucking, fucking, prick.
“Look man, do what you want, I don’t give a shit, but she promised me some big dough so why don’t you relax there before you do irreparable damage and we’re both out, cause no cash, no file.” His finger tightened on the trigger, desperate for a shot.
“You must think I’m an idiot. First, you fuck with my contacts in Iraq,” he said coldly as he moved the gun from his aim of Nick’s chest down to his crotch, causing his balls to practically climb up his ass in reaction. “Now you want me to calmly turn over my wife so that you two can go riding off into the freaking sunset together? I don’t think so.”
The simultaneous sounds of grunts and the slap of fist against skin coming from both the kitchen and the bedroom as Frank and Jared made their entrance gave Nick the break he’d been looking for. As he leapt towards Sara he sensed Adam and Maggie as they burst through the door right on his six, but then as he set his right foot down his leg buckled beneath him at the same time he registered a fiery pain.
Adam and Maggie caught him under his armpits stopping his downward momentum.
“Drop your weapons,” Tom snarled, “drop them now—or she’s dead.” He placed the barrel of his gun into her temple, causing a whimper of pain to escape.
The three of them crouched there helpless, Nick’s leg laying awkwardly in front. Tom kicked their weapons out of reach before sidestepping them to reach the now empty doorway, which would have been covered if he had used his brains and waited the asshole out.
Jared and Frank, having taken care of business slid into the room, and gauging the situation, froze.
“Well, much as this has the makings of a great reunion, I think we’ll have to pass on our regrets and leave. After all, my wife and I have a lot of catching up to do, don’t we dear?” He leaned around far enough to grind his lips into the side of her exposed neck, laughing as hatred consumed Nick and he lunged forward, only to fall back into Adam’s arms as shots of fire rose up his body. A cold sweat broke out across his forehead and his vision tunneled until all he could see was Sara.
Staring into her beautiful face, twisted now into one of loathing and fear, he could feel her desperation, and prayed she wouldn’t do anything to trigger the beast. A kaleidoscope of their time together raced through his mind even as he was working feverishly to find a way to stop Sheridan from getting out that door. Their first encounter, she’d looked so adorable standing up to him over that silly dog. Their first kiss where he had learned there were kisses, and then there was connecting on a level that he hadn’t even known existed. Holding her as she trusted him enough to confess her pain and confusion and cry out her absolution. The first time they made love, when he learned there was a very big difference between having sexual intercourse and becoming intimate with the right woman. The woman meant for him, the woman that meant everything to him.
Their eyes met, hers backlit by the streetlight outside, glowing with love and a thousand unsaid things, and he couldn’t let her go out the door that way, without him ever saying those three all important words, “I love you.”
Her eyes widened and filled with tears, a look of such joy coming over her that his own throat closed and his eyes became so misty he had to blink rapidly to keep her in focus. “I love you, Sara, forever and ever. We’re going to get out of this okay, be strong, baby, for Jessica and for me, we need you.”
“How touching,” Sarcasm dripped from the words. “Too bad she’s mine. Come on, baby, it’s time to move, we have a plane to catch.” He laughed at the surprise on the DEA agents faces, “did you really think you would catch me that easily? They need to teach you to think outside of the box. I had a feeling there would be a welcoming party at Sea-Tac, not to mention it might have raised a few eyebrows to see the lovely Ms. Radcliffe bound and gagged, even though it was for her own safety.” He glanced over his shoulder at Fiona, grinning mockingly. “I had my pilot land us at a nice and quiet, rustic little airfield, no questions asked. It’s called ingenuity, agents. I’d recommend it.”
“You won’t get away with this. Our team is on the way, you have nowhere to go.” Maggie spoke quietly, evenly. “Why don’t you let her go and turn yourself in? It’ll go better for you. We can make a deal.”
Nick’s hars
h denial, “You’re freakin’ kidding me, right?” was almost drowned out by Tom’s bitter laughter.
“Of course she is, Nickolaus. It’s her job to say things she doesn’t mean. As long as she gets her man, isn’t that right, O’Connor. Yes, I see you there, so the rumors were true. I thought I got rid of you ages ago. You’ve been a thorn in my side for more years than I can count, my boy.”
“Yeah, good to see you again too, you bastard. Watch your back, ‘cause paybacks a bitch. I’m not stopping until you go down, one way or the other.” Adam growled from over Nick’s shoulder.
“Threats? I expected higher of you. I should of known better. A man’s roots always shine through in the end, wouldn’t you agree, Nick?”
“Fucking rights, they do. That’s how we always knew you were pond scum.”
“Tut, tut, you’re sounding a little bitter there, my friend. Well, as much fun as this has been, we really need to be on our way. See you gentlemen on the other side.”
He gave Sara a rough shove through the doorway as sirens sounded down the block. The strobing of the blue and red lights lit the interior of the house and showed Grace as she rose from her spot on the floor, some kind of pipe in her hands lifted high over her head. Growls from outside coincided with Jared’s alarmed cry, “Mom!” and then pandemonium erupted as Sara took her chance, lifting her foot up and slamming it down on Sheridan’s instep, causing him to howl in pain, again jerking her off her feet by the neck. At the same moment, Grace’s rotund frame rushed forward and brought the pipe down hard on Tom’s back and shoulder, missing his head which surely would have killed him, but causing him to loosen his grip on Sara and fall hard on his right side.
Then Jake burst through the door, all fangs and slathering jowls, and locked his teeth around Sheridan’s leg, shaking the bejesus out of it. Tom cowered away, face covered, crying and pleading for help. Frank and Maggie were on him, Frank pinning his legs with a flying tackle that caused the old floorboards to groan in protest. Maggie had his arms up and pulled tight behind his back as she used plasticuffs to restrain him and began to read him his rights.
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