by Nye, Laine
Brad watched her out of his peripheral vision waiting for his cue.
The cop was behind Brad. He holstered his gun. Charlene nodded her head and suddenly the cop was flying up into the air.
He was panicking. Kicking and clawing at the air. Brad had seen that before. Charlene and he got up from their knees. He took the cop up about thirty feet. The officer finally began to recover his wits. He pulled his gun out again to aim down at Brad.
“Set me down carefully or I will shoot you.”
“Let go of your gun and I will bring you down.” Brad retorted.
A shot rang out. The bullet embedded into the pavement next to Brad’s foot.
“The next one will not miss.”
Brad sent him about two hundred feet into the air rapidly. Let him aim accurately from that distance.
The cop was still trying to take aim from that high up. Granted it was a hard shot. Too far away and looking almost straight down. But Brad could not take the chance on Charlene being hit accidentally or on purpose. Brad dropped the cop at a high rate of speed toward the ground until he had the officer yelling in panic. He almost let him hit the ground before he started sending him back up again.
“Are you too stupid to know that if you shoot the person who’s holding you up, you will fall?” Brad yelled up to him as he was going up rapidly.
He turned to Charlene and spoke quietly. “Hon get in our car and drive it down the road so that the cop cannot get our license number. I will follow you in his patrol car. Then I will jump back in with you.”
She nodded her understanding and ran to the car while Brad sent the cop up to about three hundred feet. The officer was too concerned for his own personal safety to worry about his suspect. Panic was setting in deeper. His dedication to law enforcement forced him to try to take action even when he was at a severe disadvantage. He never considered what would happen if he shot the suspect that was keeping him in the air.
Charlene took off down the road while Brad jumped in the patrol car. The officer never had a real chance to identify their car, let alone get a license number. All he knew was that it was a dark colored sedan. As Brad began to pull away he moved the cop over to the top of the Burger King building and set him down on the roof. Then he sped away with the emergency lights still flashing.
His wife stopped the car down the road a quarter mile. Brad caught up to her quickly. He jumped out of the prowler and ran to the car they were driving. He jumped in the passenger seat and they took off. People that had seen the incident were too involved in the action to get their license number. The officer started banging on a roof hatch on top of the fast-food restaurant. The roof hatch was eventually opened for him to climb down into the store. He had already used his shoulder mike to call for back-up. They were too late to catch or even find Brad and Charlene however.
“Well, so much for our disguises.” Charlene said. They haven’t don’t the job as well as we hoped.”
“We’re going to make it Char.”
They did not meet any more policemen who were suspicious of them on their way to Napa. No one else spotted them.
“Why is this manhunt so intense?” Brad asked rhetorically.
Charlene answered. “They have never had a case as sensational as this one. There are a lot of law breakers out there. But none of them are anything like us. Imagine how the public is receiving this. Even the cops are caught up in the sensationalism of our case.”
“We may not be able to stay in America now, Charlene.”
“I was thinking the same thing. You dodged this bullet once but now your cover is blown. When we get Steve back I think we better pull all of our resources and get out of the country.”
“Maybe we could find a place in The Philippines.” Brad suggested.
“And have you near that awful hole that drew you in? I don’t think so.”
“I was fooled into going back to those holes twice. Both times it was a disaster. I don’t think I could be fooled again.”
‘I don’t know Brad. There has to be somewhere else.”
“We can talk about it later.”
“There is something else.” Brad told her. “I think that I need to go back to the hole in Utah.”
Her look showed how incredulous she felt after what they had just said.
“Hear me out sweetheart. I have to get rid of this energy. It is wreaking havoc on my whole- system. I think that it could be very bad for me over time. If we make a tubular aluminum frame to fit over the hole, then I can’t be sucked in. The energy will get pulled out of me and I won’t fall. I can’t live with this much longer Char. The pressure is killing me.”
“Okay.” She agreed reluctantly. “Only if you can keep yourself safe while doing it.” I haven’t wanted to say anything, but you are looking older now. You look to be aging right before my eyes ever since the the Philippines.”
“Then I’m right. I have-to get rid of this. Even if it takes my g-force back.”
She sighed loudly. “Alright Brad. Let’s get our son, go to Utah, and then leave the country.”
Brad looked-into the mirror to see the aging she was talking about. She was right. He did look older. He had not noticed with everything that had been happening.
Now that they were in Napa, all they could do was wait for Brad’s father to arrive. They wanted to talk to Jeff right away to get their son out of his situation sooner, so he would not continue to be drugged up. But Brad was sure he would need his father’s help on this one. Just like he had needed him those many years-ago on the roof of the hotel in Ogden where Brad had been in so much trouble. Hiding from the whole Ogden city Police force. Sherman Greene finding him on the roof with his dad. Without the presence of his father that day, Brad would have been shot to death by Greene. His father was no longer a young man, but he kept himself fit. He was in his mid-sixties now.
Brad had to wonder what Jeff’s purpose was in taking his son. Jeff had not killed him though he could have. He had been very intent on escaping from Brad. He had briefly threatened to kill Steve in the back of the van with Brad looking on, but that appeared to be a bluff to get Brad to back away, so they could take his son where Brad could not find him. What was the point of all this? Jeff said he wanted Brad to suffer. What did he mean by that? If he was planning to take Steve’s life, he could have already done so. He could have had Steve shot right in front of Brad and then shot Brad also. But no. That had been a bluff. He had kept Steve alive. That was why Brad had so much hope that he could get his son out alive.
∆∆∆
Brad certainly did not know what nightmare Jeff had planned for him and his son. It was going to be harsh, cruel and that was just the way that Jeff wanted it. Teaching Brad a lesson about hurting others wasn’t really-what Jeff’s goal was. He wanted revenge. Pure and simple. Nothing else. All these years he had been a drug supplier for many, many drug dealers. This was his paramount reason for it. He needed a lot of money to find Brad and then set his plans in motion. Everything was working how he wanted.
They were in a camping spot at Lake Berryessa waiting for Brad’s call. There were not a lot of people in the camping area for some reason even though the lake was a very popular place. Steve woke up again hearing more conversation.
“…should be here sometime in the next 24 hours, I would think. You guys are going to keep him all bundled up nice and neat while I go to Napa to meet Brad.”
Jeff was taking their second car, so he could travel independent of his crew.
“When is your sister supposed to get here Jeff?”
“She is driving in from Sacramento after her flight later today. She is going to be with me when I meet Brad. She deserves the satisfaction as much as I do.”
“What about your older brother, Jeff.” Steve heard.
“Dan, I need you here to help with Steve. These guys will need your help to get the boat off the van and hook up the motor to it. Then you can help them get the kid ready to dump him in the boat. Come on Dan.
I really do need you here.”
“No more favors after this one Munch Mouth.” Dan said. Jeff hated that nickname. It came out of his childhood when he used to cram huge-amounts of chips, cereal or popcorn in his mouth. He glared at his brother, nodded, then walked to the car.
“I don’t know what you are complaining about Dan. You’re the one who will be here to see the action. I will be with Brad.”
Steve heard a car door slam and the car start up. Soon the sound of the motor faded away. The doors were opened at the back of the van. Frank walked up to him; A person Steve did not know. Steve did recall that he was the one that Steve had thrown against the wall in his house when they had attacked him. Frank spoke to Steve.
“You want us to inject you again or would you like to come out for a bathroom break? By the way, there is a sniper off in the trees who is ready to shoot you if you use any of your magic on us. Any at all, and boom you are dead.”
Steve had already tried to use his g-force. He was too weak and having a hard-time concentrating. But he knew one thing for a surety. He was becoming more resistant to the drugs they were using on him. He was going to continue to act groggy until he saw an opportunity to send this group into the upper atmosphere.
“I could use some food after I go.” Steve told them.
“All right.” Frank said in an easy-going manner. “We’ll get you some food before you go nighty night again. Now Jeff did not want us to let you out of your rug, but we thought we could be a little nice to you. Don’t want to ruin the surprise he has planned for you, but It won’t be a birthday surprise.”
Frank motioned to his brother to come over and help remove Steve from the van. They set him on the ground then unrolled the rug with him being turned over and over until he was free.
“Don’t forget the sniper out here watching you.” Frank told him.
Steve tried to get up. Or, at least he pretended like he tried to get up. He acted as if he was too weak to get up on his own, so the two brothers helped him up. He staggered haphazardly toward the restroom with Josh still holding his arm.
“Listen to me kid.” Josh said quietly. “I didn’t know what they had planned for you but it’s beginning to look bad. I came for the money. Thought we would all get a nice pay-off with a ransom. But that doesn’t seem to be their intent anymore. Maybe it never was.”
They continued their way to the restroom which was about a hundred feet away.
“I didn’t know they were going to keep you drugged up like this either. I’m going to give you a couple pills. They are called Dexedrine. You take them, and it will help fight off the effects of the drugs and give you some energy. Just don’t do anything stupid. Okay?”
“Thanks.” Steve responded as he took the pills from Josh.
“Drink them down now.” Josh told him. “The water here doesn’t taste very good, but you need to do this.”
Steve complied. He wasn’t worried that he was being slipped another knock-out drug. They could easily inject him instead and there was something about Josh’s manner that made Steve trust him.
He hoped his act was good enough because he wasn’t waiting for this Jeff he heard about to decide what to do with him. He was going to be free before that. They gave him some food to eat.
It wasn’t long before he was approached by the entire group in case he offered trouble. They pulled out another syringe as they approached making sure that they always kept the line of fire open to their supposed sniper.
“Pajama time again.” Frank said.
The injection went in. Steve acted as if sleep overcame him immediately. Actually-it took a while before he felt sleepy again. The Dexedrine was doing its job.
Before he fell asleep, he heard one of them say; “I’m glad he’s out again. This kid scares me. The way he handled The Manster is just a little too intimidating. This kid is tougher than all of us combined.”
“Only because he has this weird thing he can do.” Another said. “If it weren’t for that, any one of us could kick his butt back into last week.”
Another one said; “Just be glad that his dad isn’t here with him. Between the two of them, if this one was awake, we would all be in serious trouble. His dad messed me up years ago. Never felt anything like it. He had me flying through the air for about seventy-five feet until I hit the glass wall.”
Then Steve was out and heard no more.
About the time that Jeff had arrived in Napa, Brad’s father arrived at the Napa airport. They shook hands instead of hugging. Brad’s father Steve did not want to injure Brad’s sore chest and arm.
“How did it feel to get shot?” Steve asked his son.
“It hurt bad. At first there was a numbness and then the pain took over. I ended up passing out. That was when the group got away from me. I almost had Steve out of their hands when Jeff shot me.”
“Never did much care for that family.” Steve said simply.
“Dad, I’m already healing from the injuries. It’s some new ability I got at the hole in The Philippines.”
“Well, That’s good son. Really good. I want to hear all about it when we have time to talk.”
They met Charlene who was waiting in the car. She jumped out and hugged her father-in-law.
“Good to see you Dad. Next time let’s visit when my son isn’t missing.”
They got into the car and drove back to Napa. Brad was anxious to make the call to Jeff. But he also had a strong-sense of dread. Something could go very wrong. He felt a lot better knowing his dad was there to help. Even though he was in his sixties, he was still a very formidable man having spent many years working for the DIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency.
They arrived back in Napa. So, Brad pulled out his cell and called his son’s number.
Jeff answered on the first ring.
“I’m here. Now what?” Brad asked his former friend.
“Now we wait until dark before we meet.”
“No. Sooner. My son has been doped up long enough.”
“Tonight, at twelve o-clock at a church at the top of Chapel Hill Drive. You will go up a fairly-steep road. At the top is a chapel on the left. You will continue-on past the church and turn into its parking lot behind the church. That is where we will meet.”
The line went dead.
Brad had the phone on speaker so that his dad and his wife could both hear the call.
“Let’s go to Chapel Hill Drive right now and see what kind of advantage we can pull out of the meeting site. A little tactical reconnaissance could make an enormous difference for us.”
They started into town using GPS as a guide.
“I hope he has Steve with him when he gets there. I just wish I knew what he is planning.”
They arrived at the street and drove up the steep incline to the top. The green church was on their left. They went past it to the parking lot and pulled in keeping a sharp eye out for Jeff and his van. They saw no-one.
The three of them got out of their car and walked around the area. Checking things out. Looking for strategic advantages. Brad’s father did not comment. He was thoughtful. After about twenty minutes, he thought he had seen enough.
Charlene was going to stay at the bottom of the hill parked in their car after letting Brad and Steve out earlier in the night. Steve would be hiding in the bushes on the far side of the parking lot. Brad would have to be in the open area of the lot to have his meeting with Jeff. But his father was convinced that whatever Jeff had planned, he would not be there alone. That was why Steve wanted to be hidden in the bushes before the hour arrived. The bushes were high and thick enough to cover Steve when he was waiting in the dark.
As they drove aimlessly through the area, Brad’s father reached in his jacket and pulled out a gun to show it to Brad.
“This is one advantage of belonging to U.S. Intelligence. I was able to bring my gun with me.”
It was a Glock .45 caliber gun. He had a couple extra full magazines as well.
“This
gun will add a little extra insurance that things don’t get too rough out there tonight. If they intend to shoot you or beat you, then they have-to face an old marksman. We’ll get through this Brad. We will get Little Steve back.”
That was what he always called his grandson who was named after him.
Jeff waited to hear from his sister Sherry about her arrival at which point he would go to meet her. He wanted her to be there when Jeff instigated the greatest horror of Brad’s life. He wanted his sister to be a witness to it.
As he waited, Jeff drove around Napa looking for the seedier side of town. When he found it, he intended to employ two or three extra people in his efforts against Brad. He didn’t want to use any of the guys that were with him. They needed to be there to make sure Steve went into the boat. And to make sure that if any passersby happened upon them that they discourage those persons from hanging around. His plan was almost complete. He was so close. He found two guys in a biker bar. They were young, strong and looked to be meaner than a rattlesnake. He approached them and asked if they would like to make a quick couple thousand each. They of course, said yes. He asked them if they had guns. They said yes.
“You’re hired.” He told them. Then told them of how he wanted to employ them that night.
∆∆∆
Steve was coming to his senses again. He lay in the rug in the back of the van. He began to concentrate on how he would escape while he was rolled up tight in the rug. He surmised that every one of his enemies would have to be seriously incapacitated before he could extricate himself.
Then he heard the voices he had so quickly learned to hate. They were talking about him. The van was shut up so that their voices sounded distant.
“He should be awake right about now. Go give him a smaller dose so that he will be semi-conscious by midnight. Jeff doesn’t want him unconscious when we put him in the boat. He just doesn’t want him so awake that he can attack us. This drug has kept him subdued this far. It should work until we finish with him.”