Stronger With Him

by JA Hensley

  Stephanie glances at me and I smile and nod, opening the door for her. She walks in hesitantly and Jude immediately stands up when he sees her.

  "Who's this? What the fuck?"

  "Always the charmer, Jude. This is Becca's friend, Stephanie. She’s worried about her and Kevin thought we should discuss her concerns in here, rather than out in the hall." I give him a look that says he should close the computers and shut his mouth, which he does.

  "Why don't we have a seat," Kevin says to Stephanie. She gives him a death stare but moves to the only chair in the room. I sit on the couch closest to her and Kevin stands on the opposite side of the room.

  "I don't understand what’s going on here," she says. "I thought you were a graduate student like Becca." She looks at me suspiciously.

  "I've been undercover for months working on a big case, which brought me here a few weeks ago. I'm actually with Drug Enforcement Agency. This douche bag is my partner, Kevin, and that’s my brother, Jude."

  "Hold on. You're DEA? Does Becca know?" She sounds pissed.

  "No, right now you're the only one who does and I'd like to keep it that way until we find her. I couldn't say anything because it would compromise the case, but that doesn't matter anymore. Do you have any idea where she might be? Does she do this kind of thing?" I know I'm firing questions at her, but I'm about to lose my shit.

  "I have no idea where she might be if she's not at home or school. She never drops off the face of the earth, ever. I called Christin and she said she texted with her last night and Becca was at the lab. She hasn't heard from her either. I'm really worried." Her eyes got shiny with tears.

  "We are, too. Do you know of anyone who would want to hurt her? Any fellow students who stalked her or took an interest in her?"

  "The only person that comes to mind is Ron. He’s crazy jealous and after the way he hit her, I wouldn't put anything past him." She shakes her head and the tears fall down her cheeks. "I told her to stay away from him and to get a restraining order."

  "A restraining order is only a piece of paper. Unless she could call the police it's worthless. Tell me everything you know about Ron," Kevin says.

  "He's a control freak who's into weird shit. He's one of those guys that comes off really charming but then turns possessive. He never wanted Becca out of his sight when they were together, but he travelled a lot. He would call her every morning and every night wanting to know exactly what she was doing and who she was with. They were together for six months and he got worse and worse. When she insisted on keeping her apartment, he went ballistic. Thankfully, she didn't give in. Then she broke it off. He didn't take the rejection well and punched her in the face, giving her a black eye. He showed up here and Colin had to restrain him until the cops got here. That was last week, I think." She looks at me and I nod in agreement.

  "What's his last name?" Jude pipes up.

  "His name is Ronald Jason Gordon. At least that's what he told us. I don't trust anything he says anymore. Do you really think he took her?" Stephanie looks at me with the last question.

  "I don't know, but he's at the top of my list."

  "Is this him?" Jude turns the computer around so Stephanie can see the screen. It's one of the pictures that we got from the security cameras in the apartment building. We know that's him so I'm not sure what Jude’s angle is.

  "Yeah, that's him." Stephanie looks at each of us as she finishes. "What aren't you telling me?"

  "That's the guy we've been looking for. His real name is Joseph Ronaldo and he’s a major drug dealer in this area. He's wanted for smuggling, dealing, and a few murders. He's really bad news and if he's got Becca, things are really fucking complicated." I turn to my brother as I say the last part. His face says everything I feel, and shit just got real.

  Chapter 24-Rebecca

  The sound of the door slamming against the wall startles me awake. My neck is stiff from sitting up against the wall and my ass is asleep. I’m trying to focus on the person in front of me, but my eyes are dry and everything is blurry. It's not Ron today, I can tell that because this person is much smaller.

  "I have breakfast for you," I hear the woman say. Wait, a woman? I rub my eyes and try to focus. Sure enough, there's a woman standing at the door with a tray of food. She's shorter than I am and she looks like she's been beaten recently. I have no idea what's going on or why she's here, but I'm grateful that she isn't yelling at me or trying to rape me.

  "Thank you. Please come in." I’ll do anything to get information about where I am and what’s going on.

  "No, I'm not allowed. You have to come to me." Her eyes are downcast and she doesn't move.

  "Okay, give me a second to stand up. My body is sore." I stretch my legs and scoot off the bed. I keep my eyes on the woman just in case she decides to sneak up on me or run away. Once I get to my feet, I move slowly toward her. She stands perfectly still, holding the tray in front of her chest. When I get close enough, she shoves the tray at me, takes two quick steps backward, and closes the door in my face.

  "Well, I guess that answers that question," I mutter to myself. Carrying the tray over to the bed, I look at what I've been served. Scrambled eggs, sausage links, and orange juice. Nothing is in an original container so I don't touch any of it. Who knows if Ron is going to try to drug me or kill me with the food? I've watched enough crime shows to know better than to eat or drink anything. I put the tray on the floor under the bed so I don’t accidentally step in it while I'm pacing the room.

  My mind keeps going back to the woman who brought breakfast. Is she a prisoner here, too? What are they doing to her? How is Ron involved in all of this? How am I going to get out of here?

  Time really has no meaning when you're in a windowless room. I have no idea how long I've been walking back and forth trying to figure out what’s going on. I realize that I haven't had a shower or gone to the bathroom since I left school and I have the sudden urge to pee.

  I start pounding on the door hoping that someone will hear me. It takes a little while but I finally hear footsteps on the other side.

  "What the fuck is going on in there? Stop pounding on the door!" The man is pissed, but I really don't care.

  "I have to pee. Please, let me out so I can go to the bathroom." I'm trying to be as sweet as I can even though I'm angry.

  "Pee in the corner. I'm not letting you out of there."

  "No, that's disgusting. I want to talk to Ron. Go get him and I'm sure he'll let me use a proper toilet."

  "Ron isn't here and you’ll do what I say. You're not leaving that room until I'm given other instructions, so just deal with it," he shouts and then I hear his footsteps walking away.

  I bang my forehead on the door and pound it with my fists again. This situation keeps getting worse and worse. I try not to give in to tears, but they fall anyway. I turn around and slide down the door, sitting on the floor crying. It's hard not to be hopeless right now.

  My tears are drying up and my ass is asleep again. Who knows how long I've been sitting on this cold concrete floor? There's a draft coming in under it and I'm starting to feel chilled. As I roll over onto my hands and knees to stand up, my breakfast tray catches my eye. I was so upset when it was brought in that I didn't really look at it. I crawl over to the bed and when pull the tray out I can't believe my eyes. They actually gave me a fork. I'm sure that nobody really gave it much thought at the time, since eggs are usually eaten with a utensil, but I think the fork is going to be a great weapon when I need it.

  I pick up the plastic fork and inspect it closely. It's fairly flexible, but the handle is rigid. I could use it on someone's eyes to at least buy myself a few seconds. Now, where to hide it? There isn't much in this room and the bed seems too obvious. I tuck it into my bra for now, under my left arm. This way it's not really visible to others, but I can grab it when I need it.

  When the door finally opens again, I've got a better plan of how to deal with the situation. A man that I've never seen before e
nters the room but doesn't say a word to me. He just stands next to the open door staring at me. I don't move from my spot on the bed, afraid of what's going to happen next.

  I hear voices in the hall and I know one of them is Ron. I don't know whether to be relieved or terrified. He doesn't sound too happy with whomever he's speaking to. The man standing guard looks over his shoulder when Ron approaches but doesn't say anything.

  "Becca, you look tired. Did you not rest like I suggested?" Ron comes to me and puts his hand on my cheek.

  "It's hard to sleep on this bed. It's not very comfortable and I'm scared, Ron. I can't relax in this situation." I fight the tears that are threatening. I will not cry in front of him.

  "I'm so sorry, dear. I'm working on something more accommodating for you, but it's taking much longer than I anticipated. Why don't we take a walk and get you out of this room for a little while. I'm sure you'd like to have a shower."

  "I would love a shower. You know me so well." I give him the most genuine smile I can muster. I know I need to keep him thinking that I’m going along with his wishes if I'm going to have any chance to escape.

  "You've been such a good girl that I think you've earned it. Now, come with me and I'll show you where you can clean up." He takes my hand in his, squeezing just enough to hurt slightly. I get up and follow him out of my prison. The fork in my bra pokes my armpit, but that only reminds me that it's there in case I need it.

  It's a fairly short walk to a room that appears to be a commercial bathroom, like what you would see in a truck stop. There are several toilet stalls on one side and a wall with showerheads on the other side. There’s very little privacy.

  "Go ahead and get cleaned up. There are a couple towels and soap here on this shelf. I'm going to lock the door so nobody will bother you in here. When you're done, just knock on the door and someone will let you out. Take your time, Becca. You've earned it." He kisses me on the cheek and pats my butt as he walks out of the bathroom and locks me in.

  I take a deep breath and look around. I try the door, and sure enough, it's locked and I can't see any way to open it. The next thing I do is take care of my business. The toilet's filthy, but it's better than urinating on the floor.

  Once I've taken care of business, I inspect the shower area. Again, it's dirty and looks like it hasn't been used in ages. It makes me wonder what this building is really for. The floor has little tiles like those that were in my elementary school bathrooms. Maybe this is an abandoned school. But wouldn't there be windows? I look around the room again, but just like everywhere else I've been, there’s nothing that goes outside.

  I turn on one of the showers and the water that comes out is brown. I shudder as I back up, hoping that it’ll clear up as I let it run. I'm debating whether or not I want to get completely naked when I realize that I don’t have any clean clothes to put on when I'm done. I find the towels and soap, but the only other thing there is a robe. I'm certainly not walking around this place in only a robe. I'll just make what I have on work.

  Eventually the water does clear up and I decide that getting clean is probably the only thing that will lift my spirits at this point. I hurry through the shower so I'm not naked for very long, I don't want to be that vulnerable. It does feel good to wash the sweat off, though. Once I dry off, I turn my underwear inside out and put my clothes back on, making sure to tuck the fork back in my bra. My hair is a mess, but I'm not trying to win any beauty contests. I look in the mirror, which is just a shiny piece of metal, and wipe my face with the towel. From what I can see, I look like shit with dark circles under my puffy eyes.

  "Well, this is as good as it gets," I say to my reflection. I take a deep breath and then move to the door and knock on it, signaling my captors.

  When the door opens I'm surprised to see the woman from earlier standing there. She moves to the side and I enter the hallway. She doesn't speak as she leads me down the hall and around a few corners. I forgot to keep track of the way to the bathroom so I'm confused as to where I am. She continues walking and I'm fairly certain that we're not going back to the room I was held in.

  "Where are we going," I ask quietly. She doesn't acknowledge me and keeps walking. We pass several closed doors before stopping at the end of a short hall. The woman opens the door, waving her hand to usher me inside. I hesitate, not wanting to walk into something unknown.

  "Go before you get us both killed," she whispers. I look her in the eye and the fear I see there is enough to make me consider running the other direction.

  "What's taking so fucking long? Get your ass in here, Rebecca!" I hear Ron yell from inside the room. I take slow steps forward, and once I clear the doorway, the woman slams the door behind me. I hear the lock turn and I know that I'm stuck in here with him.

  Chapter 25-Colin

  This day is not getting any better. I feel like a caged animal pacing back and forth in my apartment, but I know there’s nothing I can do without more information. Jude has been on the phone throughout the day coordinating with the SAC to get a team set up to go in and get Becca. "Okay. Yeah. How long? Call me back." Jude ends the call and stands up from the couch. I wait to hear the rest of the conversation.

  "So, Jack is pulling in the local FBI field office and some police specialists. I've got snipers and sniff dogs coming as well. I think the warehouse where you and Kevin saw action is going to be the place to start, or at least the surrounding area, but—"

  "Well, then let's go." I cut him off, reaching for my gun, keys and phone.

  "But we need to wait until we get confirmation that everyone is going to be there. We aren't going in on our own. There are too many variables, most of which consist of this asshole's firepower. We all know what he's done in the past and I don't think you want to chance Becca's life on not being prepared."

  I put my things back on the counter and drop into a chair. "I've never felt so fucking helpless in my life, man. What the fuck?"

  "I know, but we have to do this right or you may never see her again. Trust me, we'll get there. We need to be sure we have every contingency covered first." His phone rings and he answers immediately.

  I tune him out this time, thinking about all the possible things that could be happening to Rebecca at this moment. Ronaldo could have raped or killed her by now, or he could be shooting her up with drugs to make her compliant. She's smart, but I hope it's enough to keep her alive. I’m pissed at myself for not teaching her the self defense stuff I had planned. Fuck, this is the worst.

  "Let's go." Jude pulls me from my thoughts. He's closing his laptop and holstering his gun. I get mine and follow him out the door. "Kevin's at the station getting everything we might need to get into the building and we're meeting him there. All the other units are assembling, as well. I'll give a briefing and we'll go. Choppers are already in the air over the warehouse with heat sensors. We're going to find her."

  "If he hurts one hair on her body, he's a dead man. I hope you know that and you know he's mine."

  Jude opens the car door and looks over at me. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that." He squeals the tires as he takes off.

  We make it to the station in under five minutes, which is a record for me. Thank God Jude isn't fucking around with this. Kevin’s at a desk talking very quietly into a phone and there are cops and S.W.A.T. everywhere. Jude goes into a conference room and I stand next to Kevin, trying to hear what he's talking about.

  "Okay, man, thanks. Send me the app and I'll install it ASAP." He ends the call and looks at me with a grin but says nothing.

  "What the fuck, man? I'm not in the mood for your fucking mind games," I say loud enough for him to hear me but not the rest of the guys.

  "That was Bink. Let's just say he's been very helpful in tracking Becca's phone. The FBI is going to want to talk to him about his techniques," he practically whispers to me with one eyebrow cocked.

  "Let's talk outside." I go out the front door and Kevin follows me. He unlocks his car and once the doors
are closed, I lose it.

  "What the fuck is going on, and don't you dare make a joke out of this shit."

  "Bink has figured out a way to find Becca's cell phone, even if the battery is out of it. He's fucking brilliant, man. He's got an app that works like radar and he's sending it to my phone. Once I install it, he'll be able to take the signal he's getting and put it on my phone. We should be able to at least find her cell within one hundred feet."

  "Assuming that she still has her phone, or it's where she is, that's a big thing. Less than legal but a great thing."

  "That's why I think the FBI is going to want to talk to him. This could be a huge advantage for the Bureau. Anyway, we need to get to Jude's meeting and get our assignments." Kevin jumps out of the car and walks to the building, not bothering to wait for me.

  I take my time going back in. I know my assignment is to have Jude's back and find Becca. No matter what else he tells me, that's what I'm fucking doing. I enter the conference room as Jude's finishing up.

  "Now, you all know what to do. We want as few casualties as possible. Remember that we have at least one hostage, but there could be more. Don't assume anything and only shoot if you see a gun. All right, then. Go to work." He dismisses the officers and they exit quickly.

  "Colin, you and Kevin are riding with me. We can discuss the details on the way. We're going to take an SUV. I'll pull around front and pick you up. Be sure to get the equipment we need, Kevin," Jude orders and leaves.

  Kevin has two large metal briefcases by the door so I pick one up and we head. Once we're all in the vehicle, Kevin's phone beeps.

  "There's the app. Hopefully this will give us a direction to go." He starts messing with the phone and I can't stop my leg from bouncing. Why is everything taking so fucking long today?

  "Got it. Jude, looks like Becca's phone is in the area of that warehouse, just a few blocks away, actually."

  "Good, that's where the choppers are. Do you have an exact address on that thing?"