Taken - Before her very Eyes

by Faubert, Wade

  Once the road dipped downward, she lost view of the kidnapper’s car. She realized that he could stop and backtrack, but that was a chance she had to take. After all, she’d taken this road a few times during pursuits and always came out ahead. She laughed, thinking about his downfall, then remembered what was at stake—Sabrina.

  Her adrenalin surged. She was going to stop him, but then what? He had a knife and she had nothing.

  She couldn’t worry about that. She’d have to deal with it when it happens. Her real concern was her muscle spasms. They seemed to be subsiding during the chase, but she wondered what would happen when she came face to face with him. Would she find herself crumbling on the ground, battling her own body, or would her training take over and her reflexes kick back in?

  “Worry about that later,” Summer muttered. “Stop them first, disarm him and get Sabrina back.”

  The narrow lane dipped suddenly and the farmer’s fields gave way to the small saplings that grew uncontested in the shallow ravine. Straggly, bare branches poked up from the water soaked banks of the small stream, which surged over the drain tubes and onto the roadway. Muddy water sprayed from the soaked gravel, splashing up and over the hood. The Volvo slid in the mud, but regained traction as the tires gripped dryer gravel on the other side. Summer hurried and flicked on the wipers, then gunned the engine. The car tore up the hill, rocketing toward the intersecting road.

  “Only a few more seconds.” She felt great. Back to her old self. Back to her cop self.

  She narrowed her eyes, squinting at the long narrow objects on the road ahead.

  “Shit!” Suddenly she didn’t feel like her old self anymore. She felt like an idiot. How could she fall for this? How could she let herself be caught like this? Summer slammed on the brakes, but she was travelling too fast to stop. Her tires hit the spike belts and all four exploded.

  The car lurched from side to side, banging off the raised earth walls. It rode up one side, then fell back only to try to climb the other. She managed to make it fifty feet before coming to a stop. Another twenty and she would’ve been blocking the intersection, but he’d known that and calculated it perfectly.

  The headlights of the Mercedes sliced through the darkness up ahead, illuminating the falling raindrops. Summer watched as the car slowed, passing through the intersection. The Volvo’s headlights spotlighted Sabrina’s face in the side window. Her red, swollen eyes were pleading for help.

  Summer felt raging anger fill her body at being outsmarted. She pushed against the driver’s door and it opened six inches then stuck in the wet muck beside. She gripped the door and squeezed halfway out before slipping in the mud and slamming her chin down on the top of the door.

  The rain continued to fall, blurring her vision as Sabrina disappeared from sight. Summer lowered her head and her chest heaved as she started to cry.

  Chapter 3

  The smell of exhaust hung in the air, filling Dean’s nostrils as he gasped for breath. He stood hunched over, holding tight to his stomach as the warm blood oozed over his clenched fingers. When the white Volvo disappeared into the darkness, he’d glanced around the empty street. Nobody was in sight. The street was deserted thanks to the pouring rain which rinsed the crimson blood from his fingers, pooling it around his feet.

  The pain from the wound was subsiding and Dean knew this was not a good sign. He’d lost a lot of blood and if he stood there waiting for help to arrive, by the time someone noticed, he’d be long dead.

  “Hel…” He started to call out, but the exertion only reignited the pain. Wiping the rain water from his eyes, Dean spotted the glass enclosed telephone booth down the street. With his cell phone still in the Mercedes, this was his last chance to survive. Slowly he staggered to the first parking meter, eyeing the crutches toward the phone.

  Why? Why now? Dean couldn’t believe this was really happening. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Two minutes, that’s all it was supposed to take. Swoop in and sweet talk Summer into another night with Sabrina then make a quick getaway.

  He’d heard about the capture of Summer’s attacker—John Scott they said his name was. He was captured last night and Dean knew Summer would be in no condition to take care of Sabrina today. He knew her mind would be reliving those painful memories and Dean couldn’t blame her. The moment he’d heard about John Scott’s capture he felt the newly intensified mixture of anger, sorrow and pity that he’d felt daily for the last five months. He shook his head and glanced down at his blood covered hand gripping his stomach.

  This is all my fault. I should’ve been more careful. I should never have agreed to take that shipment. But how was I to know they hid drugs inside that shit.

  The booth was ten feet away, two parking meters to go before he could call for help, but his head was swimming and his thoughts were sinking in the murkiness. If only he could go back in time and erase the last five months of his life. Everything had been so perfect back then. He and Summer were still so much in love and Summer was so eager to conceive a second child. They’d talked about it for months and were in the midst of a maddingly fevered pace of love making that he thought he’d died and gone to heaven. Everything was perfect… until…

  Dean lunged from the last parking meter to the side of the phone booth. His hand slid to the corner and almost slipped off, leaving a bloody smear across the glass. He staggered and rested his body against the corner of the booth and tried to stop the spinning in his mind. A second later he rolled around the corner and burst through the swinging doors, falling inside the booth. The sound of the downpour on the glass walls was almost deafening, but at least he could see now without the cascading water flowing down his face.

  Dean reached up, grabbed the metal shelf then raised himself. He knocked the phone from the cradle, letting it bounce off the shelf and rap against the glass wall. Quickly he gathered the last bit of strength and punched in the three numbers then collapsed, sliding down the wall, coming to rest beside the dangling receiver.

  He couldn’t help but feel that this was all his fault. If it wasn’t for his business contacts then Sabrina would be happily on her way home right now instead of… Dean squeezed his eyes tight, refusing to even imagine what was going to happen to his little girl. He’d seen what that fucker, John Scott had done to Summer and his gut churned just thinking what would happen to his little girl.

  The wind picked up, whipping in every direction, slamming fat raindrops against the sides of the booth. He was soaked and cold. Every ounce of strength zapped on his journey down to this corner.

  The phone twisted and banged off his temple before he managed to trap it against the wall. He listened as it rang through, but his mind drifted to the glass door. It was covered with red smudges—his finger prints illuminated against the streetlights.

  “At least he didn’t hit the aorta,” Dean muttered. “Or I’d be dead by now.” He felt the searing pain as he reduced the pressure on the cut and glanced down to see the blood trickle over his fingers, pooling in the crotch of his pants. “But the stupid fucker cut me bad.”

  A second ring came and went and Dean wondered if he’d dialled the right number. “Three numbers. How the hell could I get that wrong?” Just as he finished muttering, a woman’s voice came on the line.

  “Nine, one, one, what’s your emergency?”

  “I’ve…” Dean cleared his throat. “I’ve been stabbed.”

  “What’s your location, sir?”

  “Um… downtown.” Dean glanced at the street sign. “Corner of King and Forsyth. I’m in a—”

  “Is the attacker still there?”

  “No—No, he kidnapped my daughter.”

  “Sorry, he did what?”

  “He stole my car.” Dean swallowed hard. “And… took my daughter.”

  “Hold on a second,” she said, and without waiting she left the line.

  Dean heard a muffled conversation and wondered what the hell she was doing “Hey! Didn’t you hear me, my dau—”


  “Sorry, I was just confirming another call that came in.”

  “Summer,” Dean whispered.

  “An off-duty officer is in pursuit of the vehicle, a red Mercedes, as we speak.”

  Dean felt his stomach drop. He couldn’t believe Summer was still chasing him. That she might actually capture him and get Sabrina back.

  “Where is she?”

  “Sorry, I can’t say.”

  Dean pushed his foot against the opposite glass wall, raising himself closer to the mouthpiece. “She’s my wife! Tell me where she is!”

  He thought about what would happen if Summer did stop him. She was unarmed. He was sure of it. They’d taken her gun as a precaution—for her own safety. And this maniac had a knife and who knows what else.

  “No, really, I can’t say. The call was cut off.”

  Maybe she did catch him? Maybe he overpowered her? Dean thought of how strong she used to be. She’d always been a fighter. Strong, capable, even brutal in her self defence, but something happened to strip all that away. Something bad—bad enough to tame a Pit Bull.

  He shook his head, remembering the way she had coward away from him in the hospital after the attack. It was as if his own hands had done the damage. As if somehow he’d been responsible.

  “Sir, the operator who took the call said it ended during the pursuit, as if her phone died.”

  Dean felt relived. Felt temporarily satisfied that Summer was all right. The distant sound of sirens echoed through the empty streets.

  “Sir, the ambulance is en route. Please stay where you are and they’ll arrive in just one minute.” Dean hooked the door with his foot then gave a hard yank, swinging it open and hitting his other leg. Ignoring the pain in his stomach, he struggled out of the booth.

  The rain felt good cascading down on his face. Maybe it was from the loss of blood, or maybe it was from the stress, but his entire world was swirling past his eyes. He crawled his way to the sidewalk bench as the red flashing lights illuminated the distant store fronts. Although the ambulance was getting closer, Dean hardly noticed the sirens anymore.

  Throwing his free hand up, he clasped onto the back of the bench and hoisted himself to his knees. The pain was subsiding and he felt like he could probably stand and walk down to the oncoming rescue, but as he struggled to his feet, he collapsed down onto the hard metal bench. The impact jarred his ribs, knocking the air from his lungs. Dean fell flat out on his back, arms flaying down, letting the blood run free.

  “Fucking asshole cut me deep,” he muttered as the bright red light of the ambulance bounced off the phone booth. He heard the shouts of the paramedics as they jumped from their vehicle and ran to his side. He could also hear a few murmured gasps from onlookers who’d decided to come from the warmth and safety of their apartments, stirred from their comfort by the sirens.

  Dean saw the faces of the two paramedics floating above. Heard their incoherent voices drifting away. Felt the numb pressure of their hands on his belly. Tasted the acidic rain as it fell from the sky to his partially open mouth. Smelt the blood—his blood as they tried to stop it from spilling. But as everything unfolded, his mind kept returning to the same thing—Sabrina.

  Chapter 4

  Fat raindrops fell straight to the earth, splashing hard against Summer’s head, plastering her blond hair flat against her scalp. She didn’t know how long she’d been standing there with the car door propped open, but she knew it felt like an eternity.

  The tightness in her chest had returned. She tried to breathe deep and relax, but she couldn’t. Nothing would take away the pain until she held Sabrina in her trembling arms.

  “What have I done? What the hell have I done! I should’ve protected her more. I should’ve known someone would target her to get to me.” Summer shook her head and slowly slid back inside the car. She picked the phone from the seat and glanced at the black display. “Piece of shit,” she muttered, tucking it into her purse.

  After climbing over the console, she opened the passenger door, hoping it wouldn’t get stuck. As it swung open wide, she climbed out, stepping down into a deep rut. The water raced down the road and pooled in the rut, gushing over her running shoe. She froze only momentarily, fighting to keep the anger inside, refusing to scream in rage.

  “It’s nothing. Only water.” Summer drew a deep breath. “Gotta get to the highway and find help. Gotta get Sabrina back.”

  When her other shoe started to take on water, she cursed softly and began climbing the hill. She knew the most direct route to help was across the empty field. It’d be tough going with all the mud, but it would save a lot of time over backtracking down the dirt roads. The water squished from her shoes as Summer reluctantly set her foot into the thick mud, feeling it gush over the top of the runner. She took large steps, managing to find a few rocks to step on as she made her way up the hill, but slipped nearing the top of the embankment. Her hand grasped a tangle of weeds, preventing her from falling flat on her face, but her purse slid down her arm and landed with a splat beside.

  Summer raised the mud covered accessory to her face. “Great. Just fucking great!” She shook off the mud then slid it up high on her arm. As she reached the top of the hill, she looked out over the dark empty cornfield, seeing only a few headlights slicing through the darkness at the bottom of the slope. Summer spotted the highway and wondered if he’d taken Sabrina on there, because if he had, then she didn’t have a hope in hell of finding them.

  Staggering on her next step, Summer noticed the glow of lights to her left, in the direction she’d been driving. They were definitely car headlights illuminating the thick of trees. She felt relieved knowing that he hadn’t disappeared down the highway, but the relief turned sour when she realized the headlights weren’t moving. He’d stopped the car about a mile down the road. But why?

  “What the fuck’s he doing, playing another game? Catch me if you can.” Summer broke into an awkward run across the field as her feet continued to sink deep into the mud. When she hit a low area, her right foot sank below the ankle. She fought, pulling hard against the suction, losing her shoe in the process. She stumbled backwards, working her way around the small depression in the field. Hobbling through the mud, she hardly noticed the missing shoe as she was too busy concentrating on the illuminated forest in the distance.

  After glancing back at the Volvo, she realized just how much the mud was slowing her down. Quickly she headed toward the dirt road, sure that she’d make better time on a stable surface. Summer grasped onto a small bush poking up on the hillside and struggled to cross a wet depression. Her feet sank deeper with each step and it took every ounce of her strength to continue. Her legs burned and her back ached, but she forged along, knowing that relief was just ten feet away.

  When her hand gripped the bare brittle branches of a gooseberry bush, she placed her left foot close to the roots, getting a sure footing and pulled her right foot free from the mud. It held for a second, then gave way with a loud slurping noise.

  Summer smirked remembering how that always made Sabrina giggle, but her reprieve ended when the reality struck hard. Down the slope she ran, her right foot limping over the sticks and rocks until she hit the dirt road and broke into a full out run.

  She rounded the corner of her shortcut and followed the direction that the kidnapper had disappeared. She started to slow, the exertion of the mud taking its toll on her, but with the memory of Sabrina’s red swollen eyes pleading for help, Summer found a little reserve of energy and pushed ahead.

  She continued her awkward one shoed gallop around the bend and spotted the taillights in the distance. They looked like evil red eyes waiting to disembowel the innocent, but Summer shook the thought from her mind and hobbled toward the human monster. As her sock covered foot continued to pound the rough gravel, Summer was glad it was numb. She knew she’d pay for it tomorrow—if there was a tomorrow. The pain would be intense, but like she’d come to understand, pain meant you were still alive
.

  The red Mercedes was parked in a tiny alcove to the side of the road. It looked like he’d parked it there, hoping to hide it from the road—but with the lights blazing away. As Summer approached, she couldn’t see any sign of Sabrina or the kidnapper. She ran through a mental list of her purse’s contents, then cursed that there wasn’t anything more dangerous than a nail file inside.

  That’s okay. Her hands were trained to fight. She’d beaten some of the biggest and best at the station, but as she glanced down at her trembling hands, she knew she wasn’t the same person she was five months ago. Pushing the thought aside, she approached the car. It was still running. The cloud of exhaust hanging in the cool air.

  As she neared the driver’s door, she could see it sitting ajar. The interior light had been turned off, but the glow from the headlights on the naked trees was enough to tell he wasn’t behind the wheel. She came up cautiously beside the car, reaching to her side for her gun, but it wasn’t there.

  With no sign of the kidnapper or Sabrina inside the car, Summer turned quickly, scanning the woods for an ambush. Her head whipped from side to side, taking in every hiding spot.

  Satisfied that the surrounding area was secure, she opened the door and fumbled to find the interior light. She flicked it on and her heart caught momentarily. She froze in terror at the sight of the dark splotch on the back seat as it triggered her greatest fear. She staggered, then grasped hold of the car for support.

  Blood?

  Summer leaned in closer and caught the distinct smell of urine in the air. Feeling so relieved, she feared she might pass out. It was only understandable that Sabrina had wet herself. Hell, most people would’ve in that situation.