by Chrys Fey
“I know what you’re saying, but will you stay with me until help comes?”
“I’m not going anywhere.” He stretched out beside her and embraced her.
In his arms, her pain disappeared.
She closed her eyes.
Chapter Nineteen
With Beth’s bracelet in his fist, Donovan marched on. His hunger and thirst were forgotten. All that mattered was Beth and getting to her before Jackson’s men could execute her. He didn’t believe for a second they wouldn’t kill her if they had a chance. The one thing stopping them was their desire to take them down at once.
Well, nothing could stop Donovan from getting to Beth. Nothing. Not even a bullet.
The sun began its descent from its perch high in the sky. He judged it to be around four o’clock. The sun’s rays were brighter and hotter than ever. The clean shirt he got that morning clung to his back. Sweat poured down his face and slithered into his eyes. The salt burned, causing him to rub his eyes and squint for some relief. He would’ve stepped right over the tiny, silver circle if he hadn’t blinked his blurry vision clear. The silver flashed at him like a warning. When he recognized what it was, he sank to the ground. He held the sun-warmed ring by the tips of his fingers and stared at the infinity knot. The memory of his proposal came alive in his mind, as if he were kneeling on the cold tile in the San Francisco Police Department. He tilted the ring this way and that with his thoughts focused on Beth. That was how he saw the bit of dried blood.
He rose and scanned the area. He took a couple of steps into the road and stared up at the building. It made sense for her to leave a clue where Jackson’s men were keeping her. Dropping something as small as a ring wouldn’t have been hard to do as they dragged her inside, and it was the last item they could look for.
Spiral and infinity. That was her tip to Thorn.
“Do you think she’s in there?”
Thorn met his eyes. “Possibly.”
Donovan launched forward. His hand wrapped around the door handle. He was about to fling it open and rush inside with no thought for himself when Thorn tackled him. Donovan fought against him. He swung his fist out, the one grasping Beth’s jewelry. Thorn leaned back so Donovan’s knuckles grazed his chin. Then Thorn’s fist caught Donovan square in the jaw, sending him into the wall. Thorn wrenched Donovan’s arm behind his back and shoved the side of his face into the stone.
“Stop it,” Thorn hissed in his ear. “If you go in there half-cocked, you’ll get yourself and Beth killed. Probably me, too. So cool the fuck down.”
“She’s all I have.”
“Which is why you shouldn’t do something as stupid as storming that building with no weapons and no backup.”
Donovan knew Thorn was right. They’d all die because of his brashness. “All right. I won’t. Now get off me.”
Thorn released him and took a step back. “We have to get out of here in case they heard us.” He peered around. “Let’s go to the roof of that building.” He pointed at the building across the street. “We’ll have eyes on this building. If we see anything suspicious, we can take the next step.”
Donovan hoped that next step involved him getting his hands on the bastards who had been hurting Beth.
They ran across the street, snuck into the building through the unlocked front door, and made their way to the roof where they hunkered behind the wall. Time ticked by with no activity in the building across the way.
The sun sank lower. Clouds drifted overhead and blocked the rays, leaching sweat from Donovan’s pores.
Sitting still brought his hunger back in full force. He tried to keep thoughts of fat hamburgers dripping with special sauce and pizzas loaded with sausage and onions at bay, but his mind kept circling back to the foods he wanted to gorge upon. It disgusted him. Had Beth had food since their picnic? Were Jackson’s men starving her?
He glanced at Thorn who was scrutinizing the building as if it were an enemy that needed to be taken down. Donovan didn’t doubt Thorn was considering ways to get in and out alive.
“Thank you,” Donovan said.
Thorn tore his gaze from the building. “Why are you thanking me now? We don’t have Beth yet.”
“Because I never would’ve known about her situation if you hadn’t come. I wouldn’t be this close to her with the hope of rescuing her.”
He imagined returning home a widower and Thorn telling him the awful news too late to do anything about it, because by the time he would’ve arrived home, she would’ve surely been dead. Killed days before by the men whose patience would’ve run out while waiting for him. He would’ve been waiting for a ghost in the hospital’s parking lot.
“You and Beth would’ve done the same for me,” Thorn said and turned to the building.
Thorn was right again. He had become a part of their family. They would’ve risked everything to save him or the woman he loved. Even if Donovan would’ve been hesitant, Beth would’ve kicked his ass into taking action. She was a fighter for others, for him when they were strangers, for the students in her classes, and for a battered woman who sold her body for money. No one was unworthy of her help.
Donovan turned his attention back to the building in time to see the door open. He ducked his head.
A man stepped into the dying sunlight. His greasy, brown hair hung over his forehead. A gun was in his hand. He moved to the side of the building, set the gun on a window’s ledge, and unzipped his pants to take a leak. A stream of pee flowed between his feet. When he was done, he picked up the gun again. His head swiveled left and right before he slipped back into the building.
Donovan didn’t take his eyes off the door. “She’s in there.”
Thorn went inside the building to call the Honolulu Police Department with his cell phone. He was put on hold until they could verify his position at the Orlando P.D., then again to patch him through. For the past several minutes, Donovan listened to him argue with the Chief of Police.
As Donovan paced back and forth, Thorn’s voice grew with aggravation.
“I know about the conditions out there, sir. I came here with the American Red Cross, and I’ve walked the streets. I’m asking for your help.” A brief pause. “I know your men are out there looking for survivors, but we both know they won’t find many, if any at all. Saving a woman who is alive right now, but could die at any moment, should be a top priority. If you do nothing, you’re condemning her to death.” Thorn whirled around and sank his fist into the wall. “You’re going to let these men get away with murder!”
Donovan’s own anger swelled as he listened to Thorn’s heated words. Thorn’s face was a dark red. His chest rapidly rose and fell.
“Sir, if you don’t rally your men and send them here, I will tell every news source in America about how you could’ve saved a woman, who survived the tsunami, only to be kidnapped by ruthless criminals, but you did nothing, which resulted in unspeakable torture and her death. You and your department will be disgraced.” He breathed heavily. “Yes, sir, that is a threat. But if you come to her aid, people will praise you for giving this devastated island something positive to hold onto in the wake of this disaster. Which will it be?”
Donovan studied Thorn’s face for a reaction to the Chief’s words, but the anger never left his eyes. Was the Chief denying him help? Denying Beth?
Thorn nodded once. “Thanks, sir.” He ended the call and slumped onto a chair with his head in his hands.
“Tell me they’re coming.”
Thorn raised his head and looked Donovan in the eye. “Thirty minutes.”
Donovan released his breath. His shoulders dropped.
Those thirty minutes took forever. The sun sank, and the sky turned granite. Donovan’s nerves hummed like a wasps’ nest. With five minutes remaining, they snuck out of the building to meet up with the officers down the road, away from spying eyes.
The Chief didn’t send just any officers, though. When the rumble of an approaching vehicle touched Donovan’s e
ars, he turned and was stunned to see a SWAT truck coming toward them. It stopped beside a building for cover and uniformed SWAT members climbed out two by two. A total of six. The men and one woman wore helmets, body armor, boots, and weapons. In their hands, they held semi-automatic weapons with scopes.
“Are you Detective Thorn?”
“I am.” Thorn briefed them on the situation. “I’ve seen at least one armed man. Based on the footprints, there could be three or more. No activity at the front of the building or near any of the windows. They might be holed up in the back. I don’t know where the hostage is, so keep an eye out for a white female, 5’8”, brown hair, and brown eyes. These men are highly dangerous. We don’t want any of them getting free to do any more of Jackson Storm’s dirty work. If they don’t surrender, shoot to kill.”
They nodded confirmation.
“Do you have a plan of action?” the SWAT captain asked.
“I think we’d be able to take them by surprise if we split up. One group could go through the front and the other through the back. Take out these men, clear the building, and find Beth. Unless you have a better plan. I’m open to anything as long as the end result is the same.”
“I agree, but we wait for nightfall. The dark will be our advantage.” He held out night vision googles and a gun, like their own, to Thorn.
Then he held out googles and a gun to Donovan.
He took them with a raised brow. He had been prepared to argue all the reasons he should storm the building with them and had been ready to get a firm refusal.
The leader must’ve noticed his frown because he said, “Thorn said you’re training to be a cop.”
Donovan’s gaze swayed toward Thorn, who gave a discreet wink.
“But since you’re not licensed yet, you get this.” He pointed to the gun in Donovan’s hands. “This gun has rubber pellets in it. It’s not lethal, but it can still hurt like hell and leave a nasty bruise. You’ll stay behind us at all times, out of the line of fire until the criminals are taken down.”
“I can do that,” Donovan confirmed. “Thank you.”
“We have vests and helmets for both of you, too.”
Donovan and Thorn put on the body armor and waited with the SWAT team for nightfall to settle over the island. To occupy the hours, they watched the building from multiple vantage points. No light. No movement. No life. Jackson’s men were being careful about keeping their presence unnoticed. Other than the man who came outside to take a piss.
Something in that action told Donovan he was arrogant. Smug. Surely, there were bathrooms inside. Even without electricity to keep the water pumping, he could’ve peed in a toilet. Why come out in the open?
Because he thought he was safe, smart.
The moment darkness fell they went into action. Thorn slunk off with three of the SWAT members to the back of the building. Donovan took up the rear of the three who would break down the front door. Captain Foster held up his fist, and they pressed their backs to the building. Williams, the other man, went to the other side of the door. The captain counted down with his fingers from three. When he pointed, Williams stepped in front of the door and sent his boot into it. The force of his kick caused it to bang open. Foster rushed in and turned left. Kano, the woman, was a step behind. She swung right. Williams went in after them, and Donovan followed.
With the night vision goggles, he saw perfectly. Everything was cast in a neon green glow. He could make out the desks in neat rows as well as Foster, Kano, and Williams. Seeing them move with such uniformity and precision was a sight. He felt safe trailing behind them, but that didn’t stop his heart from beating erratically, thanks to the adrenaline pumping through his veins.
Shouts came from the rear of the building. Gun shots sounded. Donovan gripped his gun tighter but kept it pointed down. Foster, Kano, and Williams picked up their speed but continued to sweep the area, calling out clear whenever they searched a room and found it empty.
At the end of a hall, they came across a body stretched out on the floor. Even with the night vision goggles, he saw the bullet hole in the middle of a man’s forehead. Dark stains spread across his wide chest.
He stepped over the body. More shooting echoed through the hall. He followed Williams around a corner to see another SWAT member standing over a man with a bullet hole in his forehead. As he passed, he noticed the man had a patch covering the left side of his face.
They rounded another corner into a new hallway. Captain Foster and Kano ducked into a room and stepped out.
“Clear. Smells like this one has been dead for a while.”
Donovan looked into the room. The smell of a body left to decompose in a room with no air conditioning punched him in the face. He took a step back. The man’s face was unrecognizable. His features had been smashed into a bloody pulp.
As they made their way down, systematically checking every room, Donovan’s thoughts went out to Beth. Where are you, baby? Where are you?
He was following Williams when a dark object blurred the corner of his vision. A breeze swept behind him, tickling the sun-roasted skin on his neck. He whirled around with his gun at the ready. In the green glow, his gaze landed on a man trying to make an escape down the hall. He squeezed the trigger. The man tripped on his feet and slammed into the ground face-first. Gun pointed at the back of the man’s head, Donovan advanced on him to make sure he wouldn’t rise. There were no holes or spreading darkness on his back. He wasn’t dead, just unconscious, and Donovan wished his bullets had been real.
Captain Foster stepped beside him and tightened a zip tie around the man’s wrists. Williams stayed behind to keep an eye on him while the three of them joined Thorn’s team.
“How many did you count?” Foster asked the other men.
“We took down two, sir.”
“We found one dead in a room, and Donovan took down another.”
The other teams’ heads swiveled to Donovan. He couldn’t make out their expressions with the night vision googles occupying half their faces; were they shocked or impressed? By the grin Thorn wore, it was easy to see he was amused.
“That makes four. You were right, Detective Thorn.”
Thorn shrugged. “I’ll feel right when we find Beth.”
They split up to check all the rooms. With every “clear” that sounded, Donovan became more and more anxious. Had they taken her somewhere else? Did they kill her and dump her body where Search and Rescue would find her and think she was a victim of the tsunami?
His gaze scanned offices. He even checked under desks to see if she was huddled there in fright. He was starting to believe she wasn’t in the building when someone said, “She’s in here.”
Donovan made it to the closet ahead of Thorn. The faint smell of urine touched his nostrils, making his heart muscles clench. Beth lay on the ground next to a black stain. He fell next to her. The green light from the googles made her look sickly. Bruises darkened her skin like storm clouds. Cuts resembled tattoos as if someone tried playing tic-tac-toe on her arms. Blood smeared her skin, giving her the look of someone with the plague. Her arms lay on her chest. The fingers of her right hand were bent at odd angles. A spot near her left shoulder made Donovan think of a black hole.
Hole?
Donovan’s hands touched her shoulder. His heart shattered as if someone hit it with a sledge hammer. He gently felt the back of her shoulder, and his fingers found another hole. He looked up at Thorn who was frozen a few feet away.
“They shot her,” Donovan roared. “Those assholes fucking shot her!”
He ripped off the googles. Blackness consumed his vision. He couldn’t even see Beth as he lifted her onto his lap. “Beth.” He felt for a pulse at her throat. It was faint. Too faint. “Beth.” His fingers stroked her face. “Can you hear me? It’s Donovan.”
She didn’t move. She didn’t make a sound. Her breaths were too shallow to hear in the silence around him.
He bent down and set his lips next to her ear. “Do
n’t you leave me,” he whispered. “Don’t you dare. I love you too damn much to say goodbye now. It’s too soon for that. Hold on. Please hold on…”
Chapter Twenty
Beth’s eyes fluttered open. Light blinded her. Groaning, she squeezed her eyelids shut. Am I dead?
She commanded her eyelids to open again. Alien objects surrounded her. Where was the trashcan holding her pee? What were the blurry things that circled her?
A face floated in front of her. The features were distorted. Demonic. Fear shot her into fight mode. She thrust her elbow toward the face and felt something crunch.
A cry pierced the air. Hands pushed down on her chest.
“Help! Help!”
The shouts were garbled. Robotic.
Where the hell am I?
She kicked her legs. Growls rumbled from her throat. This was the sound a human made when they resorted to their animal instincts to survive. And that was all Beth had left. If she could, she would rip off an ear with her teeth. Bite off a finger. Tear out a throat.
During her rampage, she saw a snake feeding on her arm. Her fear of snakes brought a startled sound from her throat. She reached for the snake’s transparent body to yank its fangs out of her flesh.
“No!” A hand grabbed her wrist. “No, don’t pull out your IV.”
Another hand shoved her down, pinning her injured shoulder.
“Watch her shoulder. Careful!” The order was issued as Beth let out a pained cry.
Something jabbed her in the neck.
Her fight dissolved. Her limbs went limp. And her eyes sealed with one thought, where’s Donovan?
****
Sounds came to her first. The beeps of machines and voices she didn’t recognize. Then she felt the warmth of a blanket, the softness of a pillow under her head, the cushion beneath her spine. None of it made sense. She was locked in a closet, sleeping on a dirty, hard floor. Her blood loss must be messing with her brain. Not only had she seen a giant, inflatable snowman, but now she was imagining a bed.