by Linnea Hall
How many people, she thought? She tried to think through the guards. Some of them she recognized as being different, but some, she didn’t know if they were people that had already been there before, or new. If they hadn’t left, the original four were there, plus the two in the car. One of them had guarded her at one point. She pressed her fingers into the arm of the chair to keep track; that was six. She thought the first guy with the hamburger may have been one of the people there when she transferred cars; his voice had a distinctive Southern drawl, if she had to describe it, she would say Redneck. One of her guards wore Fahrenheit cologne; it smelled like he bathed in it. The only reason she knew the smell was that Mike Forester at the firehouse wore it. He said he wore it as a joke, Fahrenheit because he was a fireman. She smiled a little thinking about Mike. As far as she could count, there were at least nine, but she didn’t think there were more than twenty.
At least nine, but no more than twenty he thought. The emotions were flooding his mind quickly. He was trying to make sense of what she was thinking. There was too much. The terror in her thoughts was overwhelming.
“Hold tight Honeysuckle. I’m close by. We will get you out love, and I will never leave you again.”
He was close, he was close. Relief washed over her as she realized people were looking for her.
Chapter 50
Collin stood up from the chair. His muscles were tight and his shoulders hurt. He must have been sitting in that chair longer than he had thought. He looked at his notes as he moved his head from side to side trying to get the kinks out of his neck and walked to main room. The pandemonium in the room assaulted his senses like a tidal wave. He stopped at the entrance, watching what appeared to be complete disarray, soon realizing that the room was controlled chaos, each person working on their task, attempting to bring about Jewell’s release.
He scanned the room until he saw Sheriff Payne on the other side of the room. He carefully maneuvered his way around and through the confusion toward where the Sheriff was standing. Sheriff Payne gave Collin a smile as he moved to one of the tables that had a blueprint of the warehouse. The S.W.A.T. platoon member smiled at him as he handed the sheriff a rolled up copy before turning back to his work. The sheriff walked back to where Collin was standing and took him gently by the arm, leading him outside.
“Were you able to learn anything?” Sheriff Payne resisted the urge to ask Collin what he had been doing in the other room.
“Yeah, I think so.” Collin took the map from the sheriff and unrolled it on the sidewalk. He studied it for a minute, pulling his notes out of his pocket and compared them with the map. “I’m not entirely sure, but I think that she’s here.” He pointed to an interior room on the map. Collin showed the sheriff his notes and explained how he had reached his conclusion.
“Did you get any other information?” Sheriff Payne asked after they had finished with the map.
“Well, I think that they keep a guard in the room. And there are about nine people, maybe more.” He looked at Sheriff Payne, and then down at his hands. “They want me.”
“Well we already know what they want!” Sheriff Payne responded. “But that other information… Let me see what I can do.” Sheriff Payne held the door for Collin. Collin hesitated before going inside, his gaze lingering at the end of the street in the direction of the warehouse. They wanted him. If they had him, they would let her go. “I know what you‘re thinking.” Sheriff Payne interrupted his thoughts. “We don’t know if surrendering you to them would help Jewell. Don’t get any crazy ideas. Let these guys do their job and stay where I can keep an eye on you.” Collin sighed and walked inside.
The sheriff walked straight to Jeff Wagner, the sea of chaos parting before him. As he reached the table where Wagner sat, he laid out the blueprint and pointed to the room that Collin had shown him. “Here, this is the room where they’re holding her.”
Wagner looked up from the documents he had been studying to Sheriff Payne. Wagner’s eyes studied the sheriff’s for several seconds before he looked down at the blueprint lying on the table. The room the sheriff had indicated was one of the key locations the S.W.A.T. team had been considering. “Are you sure?”
“Relatively,” the sheriff responded.
“May I ask how you know this and where your information comes from?” Jeff was looking at the sheriff, not so much with suspicion, but doubt. Wagner had been a S.W.A.T. officer for over a decade and information like this didn’t usually fall into lap.
“I have a source that has some inside information. For safety reasons, I can’t tell you anything else.”
Jeff nodded his head once in acknowledgement. “Do you have any other information?” The sheriff sat and explained everything that Collin had told him.
After he was finished speaking with Sheriff Payne, Wagner called his team together to discuss their plan. The three guards patrolling outside would be taken with non-lethal force, subdued, and placed into custody. That would leave at least six captors inside, one in the room with Jewell. If the S.W.A.T. team rescued Jewell rather than negotiating her release, it would have to be well planned and swift. There was a risk that the captors would kill Jewell if an alarm was raised.
Another concern was access to the building. A master key to all locks in the building had been provided by the building’s owner, but they would need to eliminate the outside guards. There had been nine individuals rotated through outside guard duties. They changed individually on three hour shifts, one guard being changed every hour. But it was impossible to determine how many remained inside the building. It was assumed that all captors were armed at a minimum with a gun and a sword.
Collin sat quietly in the corner, listening as the S.W.A.T. team made plans. He also tried to figure out how he would escape Sheriff Payne to go with the team when they left to rescue Jewell.
Finally, after more than two hours of discussing details, they decided they would move at four o’clock that morning. By planning the rescue early in the morning, it was more likely that fewer of the captors would be awake. It was just after one a.m. so the team laid down for a few hours rest. While everyone was resting, Collin slipped silently out a rear door and headed down to the warehouse where he planned to wait until the S.W.A.T. team arrived.
At three thirty, the S.W.A.T. team donned night vision goggles, loaded non-lethal weapons, and checked their handguns as well. The plan was to cause as little death as possible.
*
Collin sat near some landscaping that decorated the perimeter of the warehouse. From where he sat, he could see the S.W.A.T. team assembling just outside the range of the warehouse lights. Their dark uniforms made them difficult to see in the black night. Collin’s gaze shifted between the S.W.A.T. members and the guards circling the building’s perimeter.
As Collin watched, the S.W.A.T. team formed into a single file line, moving to the corner of the warehouse where they wouldn’t be seen until the first guard turned the corner. Collin could see both sides of the corner, the side along which the guard would walk, and the side along which the S.W.A.T. team waited.
Benjamin Lindgren was thirty-two years old. He had been a full member of the Obsidian Knights for almost six years. His specialty was weapon design. His father was a bladesmith, a skill that had been passed down in his family for generations. Benjamin had been helping his father to craft swords since he was old enough to pull himself up using the anvil. Lindgren blades were some of the finest blades in the world. Many of the Obsidian Knights, not just in his Order, but from around the world, owned Lindgren Swords. Of course, a sword was the quickest and easiest way to kill an infidel. A properly sharpened sword could easily slice through bone and flesh, severing a person’s head from his body
This was the third time Benjamin had been outside, endlessly circling the building. As he walked, he practiced his sword formations. The sword that he carried was not a replica. This was a real, high carbon steel, heat treated and tempered blade with a double edge sharpen
ed until it could split a single hair. He also carried a Glock 21 45 mm pistol. He was well armed. He sighed and slid his sword home into its hand tooled leather scabbard and continued his relentless circling.
Benjamin paused before he rounded the corner that would take him to the street side of the warehouse. He glanced up at the landscaping that separated the warehouse from the buildings on the other side; he thought he saw something move. He pulled out his PolyTac Xenon flashlight and held it at shoulder height, pointed towards the trees. With his other hand, he released the clasp on his holster, pulling his pistol out slightly and letting it drop home, just to make sure it was clear of the holster. After carefully scanning the trees and bushes for several minutes, he decided that it was probably just a dog that he had seen. He put his flashlight back in the flashlight loop on his belt, and secured his gun in the holster. Laughing at himself, he rounded the corner of the warehouse.
There was a pop, and something hit his chest, hard. Benjamin was wearing a bullet proof vest so he wasn’t concerned that he had received a mortal wound and he quickly realized that there hadn’t been enough force behind the pellet that hit his chest to have been a bullet. These thoughts went through his head instantaneously as he reflexively looked down to where he had been shot, moving his hand to his chest. That’s when the gas hit him. He recognized it immediately as CS; pepper spray. Turning his head to the side, he tried to inhale to warn his partner on the other side of the building, but as he took a breath of the poisoned air, the burn in his throat and chest caused him to choke and start coughing, forcing him to his knees. He could feel the gas as it invaded his nose and mouth, penetrating and saturating his sinus cavities.
In the next moment, he felt rough hands securing his wrists behind his back and he was jerked roughly to his feet. He tried to get a look at his captors, but the chemicals made it impossible to open his eyes. He was dragged some distance from the warehouse before he was shoved into the back of a car. The door slammed and the car immediately pulled away. Benjamin didn’t believe in Karma as such. He was a devout Christian, a warrior and servant for the Lord, but in those few moments, he had his first thought that maybe kidnapping the girl to get to the infidel was not such a good idea after all.
*
Shawn “Kountree” Robins had known that he wanted to be S.W.A.T. ever since he was a little boy. He was point man because he never missed. This occasion was no different. Squatting silently against the wall, Kountree could hear the snap of a gun holster being secured, and a flashlight slipping into its holster. The muted footsteps in the grass let Kountree know exactly where his target was, even though Kountree couldn’t see him. At the moment that his target was visible, Kountree fired the tear gas pellet, hitting the startled guard square in the chest. As Kountree’s target clawed at his face, the arrest team, wearing gas masks, secured the man and carried him to a waiting NOPD squad car stationed a few blocks away.
The second and third guards were also taken down without incident, succumbing to the gas before they were able to sound an alarm.
On schedule, the door to the warehouse opened to let out the next guard. Kountree expertly placed his shot directly in the exiting guard’s chest, while Jayce Miles fired a CS gas shell inside the open door. Within seconds, the five member team had moved in to secure the gas infested room. Even though they were wearing masks, the gas made the team’s eyes water and noses burn. From here, they would avoid using gas to shelter Jewell as much as possible. While it was non-lethal, the affects would traumatize and frighten her, making rescue that much more difficult.
Kountree entered first, quickly scanning the room with his night vision goggles. The rest of the team followed closely behind in single file. The reception office was dark and empty; the door leading to the other offices was securely closed. The team moved quickly to their areas of responsibility, securing the room and stood silently, waiting for their next command.
After ensuring that the area was clear, Kountree opened the door to the main office scanning for captors. The hallway outside the office was clear. Kountree used hand signals to silently move the team into the hallway. The team quickly moved through offices other than the one holding Jewell to make sure they were clear.
When the conference room was the only room that remained Kountree slowly reached for the door handle, signaling his men to be ready. As he began to pull the handle down, he heard movement inside the room. He slowly released the handle and moved his men to the far end of the hall. He whispered into his headset, letting the command center know that the office area had been secured with the exception of the conference room, which was occupied. He waited for several minutes while the tactics unit worked to make a plan.
Outside, Christopher Mills, a member of the S.W.A.T. team scanned the surrounding area. It was little more than ten minutes after the infiltration team entered the building when he saw the lone man running alongside the building. He quickly turned his rifle toward the target and sighted. As he carefully took aim, he realized that the young man running alongside the building attempting not to be seen was Collin Sykes. Christopher sighed and lowered his weapon. He should probably shoot him with the pepper pellet just to teach him a lesson, and keep him out of harm’s way, but while the pellets were classified as non-lethal, they still had the potential to kill. Christopher quickly communicated to the rest of the team that Collin was entering through the front entryway.
Kountree cursed under his breath when he heard Christopher’s message through his headset. If he made it into the building, there could potentially be two hostages instead of one. Kountree pointed at Ryan, and then pointed at the door to the reception area, signaling him to intercept Collin and escort him to safety. With Logan guarding the warehouse door, and Ryan moving to intercept Collin, his team was down to three; three men against at least six.
Kountree watched as Ryan stood up and started moving towards the reception area’s door. Ryan hadn’t had time to take two steps when the door to the conference room opened and a man stepped out. His eyes immediately found the S.W.A.T. team hunched at the end of the hall, and turned to signal the alarm. As he did, the man pulled a pistol from a holster on his hip. Ryan instinctively raised his rifle and fired an OC pellet at the man standing in the doorway. The man stumbled backward two steps and then, despite being incapacitated by the painful gas, fired off six shots blindly. It was then that Collin opened the door leading into the hallway.
When Collin entered the building, he was immediately struck by an overwhelming smell. His eyes immediately started watering and he blinked heavily pulling the collar of his shirt up over his mouth and nose to help filter the gas. As he staggered across the dark room, he heard gunshots from hallway beyond the door. Without thinking, Collin burst through the door to the hallway. He could barely see through the tears in his eyes, but he quickly took in the situation, seeing the S.W.A.T. team to his left and the now incapacitated man to his right.
Between where he stood, and the fallen man was the door to the room where Jewell was. He didn’t think; he simply turned and started running towards the door. Behind him, he could hear the S.W.A.T. team chasing him. Before he had taken two steps, the door to the room imprisoning Jewell opened and a man stepped out holding a gun. His eyes fixed on Collin as he fired two shots. At the same moment, Collin dove towards the man’s ankles. One shot hit Collin’s left shoulder, but he barely noticed the pain. As Collin hit the man he heard Jewell scream his name. He quickly pushed the downed man out the door, closing and locking it behind him. The S.W.A.T. team would have to deal with the guard.
Collin sat on the floor, catching his breath and listening to the sounds of the S.W.A.T. engaging in full battle outside the door. He could feel the door shake as bodies were thrown or fell against it, but all he could do was sit and stare. In seconds, he took in all of the details. Each of Jewell’s ankles was fastened to a leg of the chair, which were too far apart for her small frame. Blood had soaked through the pants of her scrubs in random spots.
The rope that held her to the back of the chair had caused her scrub top to creep up, baring her belly which showed hints of bruising. Her wrists were bound to the arms of the chair with plastic ties. The ties did not look tight, but nonetheless, they had abraded deep wounds on her arms that dripped blood steadily down each side of the chair marking the light wood with its crimson path. She was blindfolded, and she held her body stiffly against the chair pushing away from the unknown danger that had just entered the room. Her face and neck were covered with new bruises. There was a dried trickle of blood running down the back of her neck turning the collar of her lavender scrub top a rusty brown.
Suddenly, he realized that as he entered the room she had called his name. Through the terror, he could see a sliver of hope. He stood up quickly, crossing the room in two steps. He laid his hand gently against her face, afraid to hurt her. There was no place that he could touch her that did not show some evidence of injury. He worried about the wounds that her clothes must be hiding. As he touched her, he felt the sudden warmth, the shock of passion that he always felt when he touched her. His breathing quickened, both in response to touching her, and in anger for what they…what he, had done to her. He whispered her name. “Jewell. Honeysuckle.” He choked back a sob as he carefully untied the blindfold, lowering it from her eyes.
Jewell knew she was hallucinating. She was hungry, she hadn’t slept in days. She looked to the corner where her guard had been sitting reading his book; the chair was empty, his book placed face down on the floor to hold his place.