Chapter Four #2
Rebecca refused to allow them to win as she spun and pressed the cold hard steel of her gun to his head. “Don’t come any closer,” she commanded. “I’ll shoot him if you make a single move.”
Agent Hemming walked toward her, making her aim the gun at his chest, while holding the other man in a chokehold.
He smiled as he proceeded, thinking she wouldn’t shoot.
Rebecca squeezed the hammer and fired. Yet, Agent Hemming continued toward her.
Realizing he duped her into believing he gave her a gun with actual bullets, she threw it at his head, giving her mere seconds to make her escape.
Rebecca shoved the man she held toward him, sending both to the floor as she fled down the hallway.
Her heart raced as she heard the sound of thundering feet chasing her.
“There’s nowhere to run, Rebecca,” Agent Hemming called as she clutched the knob on the back door and twisted. It refused to open, trapping her.
“Can we finish with this?” Hemmings said as he stalked toward her.
“Did Stills order this?” she seethed.
He grinned as he grabbed her coat, jerking her close to his chest. “You trusted the wrong people. Now you’re caught, and I’ll put you in a cage.”
His hot breath hit her face, making her almost sick as her stomach twisted in knots.
He pushed her forward, where another man dragged her back to the living room.
They removed her coat and tied a piece of material over her eyes and ropes to her hands.
Someone led her down the hall and shoved her into a room, making her stumble.
“Rebecca?” Harrison whispered.
“Harrison?” she whispered. “I’m sorry. Agent Stills betrayed us. Hasan will arrive shortly. Where’s Jackson?”
“I’m here, Rebecca,” he assured her weakly.
“The assholes beat him when you escaped,” Harrison explained. “He’s not doing good.”
“Shut up, Harrison,” Jackson growled.
“I’m sorry, sir,” she said sadly as the lump in her throat grew bigger.
“Did you ensure Avie got moved?” Jackson asked her.
“She’s safe,” she assured him.
“How do you know?” Harrison hissed. “You trusted those men and now we have no way of getting out of this. Do you know what they’ll do to us when Hasan comes?”
“I took a shot when I got the chance,” she snapped. “Why did you eat the food?”
“They held a gun to our heads,” Jackson admitted, groaning as he turned.
“Didn’t they do the same to you?” Harrison asked suspiciously.
“No. They slid it across the floor and left it,” she told him. “Do you have free hands?”
“No, genius. They tied him to the bed, and I’m in a chair,” Harrison informed her.
“We’re on the same team here. Maybe if I can get to you, we can get the knots undone,” she suggested.
“It’s no use,” Harrison replied. “They broke my hand.”
“Shit,” she mumbled. “Did you happen to hear when Hasan planned to show up?”
“No. They’ve stayed away from us for the most part. We get released long enough to use the bathroom, and they give us some rice shit,” Harrison informed her.
The material over her eyes pulled her hair as she attempted to remove it by rubbing against her shoulder. Rebecca refused to allow Stills to get away with murdering them, even if it meant she scratched and clawed each one of the traitors outside.
“What’s your plan, Rhodes? We haven’t got a chance in hell of getting out of this,” Jackson said sadly. “Tell them where you took Avie and they’ll let us live. They only want the kid anyway.”
“When did they tell you they only want Deni?” she said, turning toward the bed.
“It’s not hard to deduce he doesn’t care about Avie after all this time. He didn’t order his men to find her while he sat in prison. It’s gotta be about the son,” Jackson guessed.
“Come on, Rebecca,” Harrison entreated. “If I’m about to die, I want to know what I’m giving my life up for.”
“And how does knowing her whereabouts matter if you’re dead?” she snapped. “It puts her in harm’s way when they torture it out of you.”
The door opened, and a man with a Middle Eastern accent entered.
He ran his hand through her blonde hair, making her jerk away from him.
It made him chuckle as he said something to the person beside him.
A minute later, two men hauled her up from the floor and dragged her toward the living room.
Rebecca twisted and bucked against their hold, causing the men to laugh.
Someone pulled the rag from her eyes, pulling out her hair. She blinked rapidly to keep the tears from her eyes. She stared defiantly toward the man as he regarded her.
“My men tell me you know where my cousin’s wife hides. You’ll tell me,” he said confidently.
Rebecca stubbornly held her chin high, refusing to answer.
“If you answer, I’ll let your friends go,” he bargained.
Yeah, right. He must’ve considered her stupid. She continued to stare him in the eyes.
“You know what my cousin does for business, do you not? You and your friend from Texas have caused him a lot of trouble. It’s time you repay him for his pain,” Hasan said smoothly. “Do you not value the lives of your coworkers? How much do you weigh their friendship over a woman you barely know?”
“No matter how this plays out, we all know you’ll kill us,” she said. “We took an oath. I’m sure it doesn’t mean anything to you, but it does to us,”
Hasan grinned and turned, speaking to one of the men.
His cohort walked down the hall to the room they dragged her from.
Opening the door, he said something to her friends.
Rebecca braced herself. They planned to shoot one of them to get her to save the other’s life.
No matter how much they prepared her at the farm for this scenario, she kept reminding herself to show no reaction. Never give them what they want.
A minute later, Harrison strolled out with Jackson following him. Neither man appeared beaten or abused, despite the yelling and screaming she heard the day before. Her mouth dropped as Harrison stood beside Hasan and crossed his arms.
“We gave you every chance, Rebecca. Jackson convinced us you needed an incentive. You kept us on the run when you removed the tracker. It’s a good thing you called Stills, or this might’ve gotten awkward,” Harrison gloated.
Rebecca slowly put things together. The moved items in her apartment happened after she stopped there with Harrison to pick up a file.
No one dared to question her partner for entering her office without her, giving him ample opportunity to access her computer.
Her eyes roamed toward Director Jackson.
“How did they get to you? You took an oath,” she shouted at him.
Jackson stepped forward, appearing wrecked.
“They knew about my wife and girls. When Trish’s medical bills piled up, I came home to find a man holding a gun to her head.
He asked if I wanted him to put her out of her misery or if I wanted a second chance.
I can’t let my girls grow up without their mother. ”
“Think of your daughters. What if they trafficked them?” she demanded.
“I didn’t have a choice. They paid all the bills and my wife’s receiving treatment in Switzerland,” Director Jackson informed her. “I’m sorry, Rebecca.”
Rebecca shook her head. Harrison appeared beyond saving by the way he stared at her. She predicted Jackson’s fate as soon as they finished with her.
“You know there are fates worse than death, Rebecca,” Harrison taunted. “Tell them what they want to know, and they’ll let you die swiftly.”
“You sicken me,” she spat.
“Take her to the vehicles. She’ll fetch a fair price at the auction. If she decides to tell my cousin Avie’s location, we’ll let her die.”
Harrison stepped forward and gripped her arm as Jackson jumped between them, shoving Harrison backward.
“We didn’t agree to this,” Jackson argued. “She can’t live. Rebecca knows too much. I never agreed to sell her to those animals.”
Harrison shoved him. “She won’t be in any condition to tattle on us.”
“No,” Jackson shoved him back, causing Harrison to lose his hold on her and she fell to the floor as a weapon fired. She jumped, thinking they shot her.
Jackson stumbled and her gaze went to his chest as dark red bloomed from his chest. He fell beside her, appearing shocked. Rebecca moved toward him and applied pressure. Her hands turned red as she urged him to hold on.
“Stay with me,” she encouraged. “Think of Trish and the girls.”
Jackson grabbed her hand and whispered something she didn’t understand. “Search for the Eagle,” he said, choking on his own blood.
Harrison pulled her away as she watched her mentor lay dying on the floor.
Fighting for her life, she kicked and screamed.
Rebecca didn’t want to die. Memories of her and Julio laughing, his tender touches, and the security of his arms, flashed in her head, reminding her of what she fought for.
She refused to go quietly. The butt of a gun hit her on top of the head, making everything go black.