Stronger With Him

by JA Hensley

  "No, just a general area. Maybe when we get closer, the GPS will be more accurate."

  Jude turns on the lights and sirens and flies across town. I'm trying to keep my thoughts focused on finding Becca and getting her out safely, not on all the things that could go wrong. None of us are talking, because, really, what is there to say? We know our jobs and we're damn good at them.

  When we get to the warehouse where the shooting was, I see a bunch of squad cars and the SWAT bread truck. Kevin keeps checking his phone trying to pinpoint Becca's. Jude parks the SUV and I’m out before he's turned off the engine.

  Kevin stands behind me and points toward a building across the street. "I think that's where the signal is coming from. What's in there?"

  Jude answers his question. "It used to be an indoor self-storage place about ten years ago. Then it was turned into a kind of housing place for migrant workers. There were a bunch of little rooms with metal cots and a couple bathrooms made like locker rooms."

  "How the fuck do you know that?" I demand. He just got here last night and now he's an expert on the local business?

  "Because I spent a lot of time last night researching the area. There are pictures on-line because the fucking building is for sale. You were too busy pacing to notice."

  "I'll rip your fucking head off, mother fucker," I say lunging toward my brother. Kevin steps between us to keep the peace.

  "You can kill him after we find Becca, okay? Let's stay focused here, boys." He puts his hands on my shoulders and pushes me away from Jude.

  At this point, I'm ready to take anyone's head off who crosses me. Instead, I turn around and wait for the rest of the team to assemble. Jude is in full supervisor mode, barking out orders, and getting people in position. It takes everything in me to stay put and not barrel into that building. There are no windows, so it's hard to tell if anyone is even in there, but that's not going to stop me from finding out. I start to walk toward the door when Jude puts his hand out.

  "Let's take this nice and slow and follow procedure, bro. We don’t want anyone to get killed."

  "Fuck you, Jude. Hurry the fuck up and get eyes in there so we can get her out."

  "We don't even know if she's in there. I know you want to be the hero and go in with guns blazing, but that's not the way to do it this time. We have to make sure there aren't bombs or other traps on the doors. We'll be in there in five minutes and then you can do your thing."

  Fuck. I know he's right and I absolutely fucking hate it. I'll stand here and wait, but everyone better move out of my way when it's time to go in.

  Chapter 26-Rebecca

  I walk further into the room and see Ron standing by a bed. Not one of those cots like in the other rooms, but an actual bed. When I look closer, I also see restraints on the corners and it makes me sick. I start to back up the way I came in.

  "Where do you think you're going? There’s no way out of here unless you have a key, which I know you don't. Why don't you just come in and sit down so we can talk."

  I know I have two choices here. I can comply and make him believe that I’m willing to do whatever he wants, or I can run for it. The door is locked so I won't be getting through it. As I stand and think things through I hear what sounds like a helicopter, but the noise is so faint, it's difficult to tell. I look over at Ron and he's still standing by the bed. His facial expression has changed and he looks angry. I decide to go with the path of least resistance and walk over to the bed and sit down.

  "Thank you. Now, let's discuss our future."

  "Our future? I'm not sure what you mean." Who the fuck does he think he is? There's no future for us. As soon as I can, I'm getting the hell out of here.

  "Yes, I think we’ll be moving away very soon. Would you like to live in the mountains or on the beach? I'll let you choose, because either is fine with me."

  I have to be very careful. He's obviously delusional and I know that going along with it will probably help me stay out of restraints. At least I hope so.

  "I think the beach would be wonderful. We could swim, I could lie out, it would be beautiful all year around. Yes, I think I'd like that very much." I smile at him to reinforce my choice.

  "You're right. It would be beautiful all the time. Plus, we can get a boat and go out on the water whenever we want. I'll make the arrangements and we'll leave as soon as possible." He smiles at me, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. This man is not the person I thought I was in love with. He’s a crazed control freak, who scares the living hell out of me.

  "Will I be able to get any of my things from my apartment? There are a few pictures that I don't want to leave." I hope that he'll at least take me there and I can get Colin to help me.

  "Oh, Becca, you know we can't do that. Your neighbor will probably have me arrested again. We'll just make new memories and take new pictures. Yes, that's what we'll do. You can take up photography and take all the pictures you want. I'll buy you a new wardrobe and you won't want for anything." He takes my hand in his and kisses it. I hold the shudder in and pretend like it's exactly what I want.

  "Well, if we can't go to my place, would one of your helpers be able to go? Nobody will know who they are and they can get my things."

  "Why are you so focused on going to your place?" He yells and I flinch. "Are you not telling me something? Are you fucking that guy?" He's in a full rage now and I try to move away from the slap I can see coming. I'm not fast enough and my right cheek explodes in pain and I'm thrown off the bed onto the floor.

  "Get up, you bitch! You've been cheating on me with that fuck of a neighbor of yours, haven't you? I forgave your transgression with the club owner, but now you've gone too far. You're going to pay for this. When I'm done no other man will ever want you." He picks me up off the floor and tosses me on the bed face up. I try to roll across to the other side, but he's on me before I can. I struggle against his body and try to buck him off. I kick my legs and try to connect with something, but I don't. Ron takes my left arm and stretches it above my head while keeping the rest of my limbs under his body. He puts the leather cuff on my wrist and tightens it to the point it hurts. I cry out in pain, which earns me another slap to the face. I see stars at this point and my right eye starts to swell shut. He gets my other arm secured and as he's moving toward my ankles I see my chance. I move my knee up as fast as I can and connect with his nose. Blood flies across my pants and he howls in pain. I take advantage and kick him again, this time hitting his ear. He leaps off the bed but continues to try to catch my ankles to restrain them. I do my best to keep my legs away from him. As he catches my left leg the door swings open and a man comes in.

  "Boss, I know you don't want to be disturbed, but we have a situation that's urgent," the man says in a rush. His voice sounds familiar, but I don't bother looking up. I stay focused on Ron's face to tell me everything I need to know. He looks annoyed but doesn't stop cuffing my leg

  "Get the fuck out of here and take care of it," he says without looking at the man.

  "Sir, I can't take care of it. The police have the building surrounded. We're under attack!" he screams and Ron finally acknowledges him.

  "I see. Well, we've planned for this. Have you done everything we discussed?"

  "Yes, I have, but I thought it was important to tell you."

  "You're not paid to think, you're paid to act. Now get the fuck out of here and do what you've been told!" The man doesn't say another word and I hear the door close a few seconds later. I still have one leg free, but I haven't moved. I don't want to remind him that he hasn't secured it.

  "Well, looks like our fun will have to wait. You stay here and be good and when I come back we'll play." He bends down to kiss my lips, but I turn my face and he gets my cheek.

  "Oh, that's not being a very good girl, Rebecca. You’ll be punished for that," he says as he grabs my chin and holds my head in place so he can kiss my lips. I don't move or kiss him back, but that doesn't seem to bother him. He walks out of the room and
I let out the breath I was holding.

  I finally process what the other man said. The police have the building surrounded. Hopefully that means I'm going to get out of here soon. I try to move my hands, but they're locked in tight. My left foot is the same, so I can't see any way of getting off this bed. I strain my ears to hear anything that might be going on outside the room. I can still hear the helicopter noise but nothing else. I lay still and think about what I can to do convince Ron to let me off this bed.

  He keeps telling me to be a good girl. He wants me to be submissive and do what he tells me to do without question. That's going to be very difficult, for many reasons. I go back to my training and think about how to best deal with delusional people. I know not to fight the delusions because they're real to the person. I've been doing that so far. He sees me as a flight risk, obviously, so I need to try to convince him that I'm not going anywhere. The kicks to the face and head didn't help that at all. I'm going to have a difficult time with my eye swollen shut, too. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves and try to think rationally.

  As I'm breathing and focusing on that, I hear a noise by the door. I lift my head to see what it is and the woman who brought me in here is standing at the end of the bed. She must be part ninja. We stare at each other for a second or two before she moves to the head of the bed.

  "What are you doing? I thought you were one of Ron's employees," I whisper to her.

  "No, I'm a slave like you. I saw what you did to him and I know that you can help me get out of here." She looks back at the door nervously.

  "What'll happen if he finds you here?" I have to know what we're dealing with.

  "He'll snap my neck. I don't care. I have to try to get out. He's different with you. He doesn't hurt you like he does the others."

  I laugh a little at that. Does she not see my face right now? I look at her with my one good eye and start to ask when the look on her face tells me all I need to know.

  "Oh, you don't mean physically, do you?" She shakes her head and looks away.

  "All right, if you want me to help you then you have to get me out of these straps. I hope that the police really are outside, otherwise we're in deep shit." She nods and works on freeing my hands.

  "What’s your name?" It's important to me to know.

  "I'm Susanna. I haven't been called that since I was taken. It seems strange to say it."

  "Well, Susanna, I'm Becca and I'm glad to meet you. We'll get out of this together, one way or another, okay?" She smiles at me and nods.

  Once my arms and legs are free, I sit up and look at Susanna. She's petite, but her muscles appear to be strong. It looks as though she works out on a regular basis.

  "So, you have obviously been able to move around this building. Do you know how to get out?"

  "Yes, but it’ll be difficult. Hidden cameras monitor all the hallways. I don't even know where they are, but I've been told they're there. There are two doors to the outside but they're locked with a deadbolt that takes a key."

  "Any windows in here?"

  "No, only the two doors." She sighs.

  "Okay, how far are we from the doors? Are we closer to one or the other? Maybe we can just run for it."

  "This room is in the middle of the building. We’re as far as we can be from both doors. Even if we tried to run, someone would see us on the camera and catch us before we made it out. They all have guns."

  "What about a weapon? Do you have access to anything we can use to fight them off with? Are there any knives or pipes or tools around?" I'm grasping at straws here, but if she can get us something, we might have a better chance, as long as we don't get shot.

  "There’s a small kitchen, which is where I made your breakfast. There are a couple steak knives but nothing bigger than that."

  "It'll have to do. You go and get the knives and then come back here. We can figure out how to get out after you get back." I'm starting to feel hopeful again, which is probably a very dangerous thing.

  "I'll try, but I can't promise anything. I've been gone too long now and they may know something's wrong." She looks terrified and I reach out and hold her hands.

  "You’re being very brave doing this. I know you're scared, so am I, but we'll get out of here. Hopefully, the police are trying to get in and they can save us. But we have to try to save ourselves." I squeeze her hands as the tears fall from her eyes. She looks at me, but I can't read what she's thinking.

  "You are the first person to call me brave. Thank you for that." She smiles at me, stands up and walks out of the room, locking it after she leaves. I pull my knees to my chest and wrap my arms around them. Then I hear gunshots, so I get on the floor and try to hide under the bed.

  Chapter 27-Colin

  "Everyone in place?" Jude asks into his headset. Each unit answers in the affirmative and Jude gives the signal. The first team uses a battering ram to break the door open. Gunshots come from the entrance and I take cover behind the bread truck. Once I hear that the unit is in, I follow behind them with Jude by my side.

  We enter the building into a hallway that stretches in both directions. I stop for a second to listen for anything that will give us a clue, but I don't hear anything. Jude tilts his head toward the right. I nod and head left. I keep my back against the wall and my gun in front of me. The voice in my earpiece startles me a little.

  "Back door is covered," Kevin reports in.

  I reach the end of the hall and there's only one way to go.

  "To the left of the entrance," I check in with the team. "Long corridor with closed doors every ten feet on both sides. Need assistance to clear them."

  "Roger that, Team Two in route," is the reply.

  I move forward and check the first door. It's locked. "Fucking shit," I grumble. I move to the next door and find the same thing. The team shows up behind me and we spread out. Each man checks a door and they’re all locked.

  I reach for the knob on the fifth door and it starts to open before I touch it. I pull back and aim my gun. The door opens slowly, causing the other men in the hall to stop and assume their positions. A small woman comes out and screams when she sees us. I quickly grab her and put my hand over her mouth pulling her toward me.

  "Who else is in there?" I ask quietly in her ear. She shakes her head but doesn't fight me. I carefully remove my hand.

  "Nobody. I was getting a knife to protect myself and the other woman," she says through her tears.

  "What other woman? Take me to her. Now!" I say more forcefully than I had planned. She jumps at my tone but nods and looks down at the floor.

  "Sir, we need to secure the rest of the corridor before we move forward," I hear from behind me.

  "Fuck. You clear the area. I'm going to find Becca. Radio Jude and tell him where we are," I order as I nudge the woman to get her going.

  "They have guns and they'll kill us all before they give up. Please save us," she cries as we walk down the hall.

  "That's what we're here for. You get me to the other woman and I’ll make sure you both get out of here safely."

  We reach an intersection in the hall and she starts to turn right, but I stop her and pull her back. I look around the corner and make sure there's no one there. I see the security guard from the university standing at the end of the hall. I pull back and whisper to the woman to stay put. I ready my gun and walk into the corridor. It only takes one shot to take the son of a bitch down, though the noise will likely bring others soon. The woman and I run to the door and I see a large lock."Do you have a key?" I ask. She nods and hands it to me. I push the woman behind me and tell her to stay put. I slide the key into the lock and turn it as fast as I can.

  Opening the door quickly, I enter the room with my gun drawn. What I see in front of me stops me in my tracks. There's Becca, her shirt torn and barely covering her breasts, bruises on her face and arms, one eye swollen shut, and blood coming from her nose, being held against Ronaldo's chest with a gun to her head. This is my nightmare come true.r />
  "Well, I didn't see this one coming. How are you, Agent?" He sneers at me. Becca's good eye opens wide as she looks at me from head to toe. Now is not the time to get into it, but I have a feeling I’ll be doing a lot of explaining once I get her out of here.

  "I'll be doing much better when your fucking ass is in prison." I keep my gun pointed at his head but with Becca in the way, there’s no good shot to take. I hear movement behind me. I'm not taking my eyes off Becca to look.

  "Oh, look, the cavalry has arrived. Too bad I'm going to be the one riding off into the sunset," he says as he tightens his arm around Becca.

  "Not happening, asshole. Now, let her go and we can deal with this like men. Hiding behind a woman is just pathetic and sad," I say.

  "Oh, but this woman means something to you, doesn't she? However, she belongs to me. You'll never have her," he says as he kisses the top of Becca's head. She stiffens in his hold but doesn't move.

  My blood starts to boil the longer he touches her. I chance a glance behind me and Jude is there with his gun pointed at the asshole. He nods and begins to talk.

  "What do you want, Ronaldo?" Jude is using his hostage negotiator voice.

  "What do I want? That's a stupid question. I want to walk out of here and spend the rest of my life with my woman. You gonna make that happen, Agent?"

  "No, I'm not. I'm also not going to let anyone get hurt unnecessarily."

  "Well, aren't you just a boy scout. Fuck you. I'm taking what's mine." He moves the gun away from Becca and points it at Jude. The sound of two shots bounces off the walls and everyone jumps. Jude falls to the ground without a sound. Ron grunts and I see his shoulder is bleeding. I look back at Becca and she’s crying. Her knees give out and Ron loses his grip. I take advantage and shoot, just missing his head. He drops Becca and aims at me, but I shoot first, this time catching him in the chest and the crotch. Ron falls to the ground, howling in pain.

  I run over and grab Becca, carrying her out of the room. The other officers take care of securing Ron and getting Jude. I cue my microphone; "We need medical assistance in here now!"