Shadows and Light: The Complete Series, page 41
“Oh God, Danny!”
Danny’s eyes met hers. He lay prone on the bed with his hands bound over his head and attached to a hook in the wall. Duct tape covered his mouth.
He could see her because he struggled with his bindings the second he recognized her. Huge tears streaked down his face over multicolored bruises that covered the surface of his face and neck. The fear in his eyes tore at her heart.
An uncontrolled shiver raced through her body while the thrashing of her heartbeat replaced the hum. She reached out for him, but found she was immobile, frozen in place; something held her back.
“Let me go to him. He needs me,” she cried, fighting the invisible force.
“Someone else needs you more.” A familiar voice penetrated her consciousness.
“Who could need me more than Danny?”
An instant later, she was no longer with Danny, but inside another bedroom. Allowing her eyes to adjust to the dark interior, she scanned the unfamiliar room. Like the other room, it was also completely bare of any furnishings. As she advanced away from the doorway, a large shadow formed in the center of the room. While moments earlier the unknown force froze her in place, now it shoved her toward the shadow.
“Stop, I don’t want to see.” Dread crescendoed through her.
But the familiar voice uttered. “You must.”
Positioned in the center of the room was a man lying spread-eagle on the floor. His arms and legs were chained like an animal to four posts hammered into the hardwood planks. A pool of blood seeped from a huge wound in his right shoulder and left thigh. The moment she saw the blood, the metallic odor assaulted her, causing her to gag. She could taste the fear in the room. “Dear God.”
The man turned his face in her direction and tried to speak. She couldn’t make out what he said so she moved further into the room. The instant she saw his face, recognition hit home and every muscle in her body clenched.
“I know you. I’ve seen you before.” The drumming in her ears increased. “You were there! You shot Quinton!”
“No, not me, Ivan … I couldn’t stop him,” he pleaded with her, his voice laced with pain.
“I don’t believe you. You let it happen. He was only a little boy,” She screamed, wanting to kill him. The emotion was so strong that it frightened her to the core.
“Wait, please, I beg you … you must warn them.”
Those familiar words echoed in her head and caused her to pause.
“My chest, my chest!”
His fear slammed into her.
Glancing at his chest, her heart stopped. It was covered with numerous wires connected to squares of plaster attached to a Kevlar vest. One end of a thin wire was affixed to a round key pull on the vest. The other end of the wire extended across the floor and was looped around a pulley drilled into the door frame and fastened to the door knob. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what would happen if someone on the other side attempted to open the door. Jennie turned back to the man. “What do I do? I don’t know what to do.” The words trembled out of her.
“You must warn them,” he replied.
“Warn who?”
And then it dawned on her. Jared! She had to warn Jared. Twisting, she rushed toward the door, but the force of the blast lifted her off the floor and sent her airborne.
• • •
Jennie came off the bed with an earsplitting scream, her heartbeat hammering in her ears. She slammed one hand over her mouth as she grabbed onto the corner of the dresser for support with the other. She removed her hand from her to mouth to gasp for air.
Several moments passed before her mind registered the banging coming from the connecting hotel room, and the unfamiliar male voice threatening that if she didn’t open the door, he would kick it in. With unsteady steps, she stumbled over to the connecting door.
“Who’s there?” Her voice trembled.
“Thomas McNeil, Jared’s father. Open the damn door, Miss McKenzie. Now!”
It took a couple of tries before Jennie could make her fingers work the lock, twisting it to the open position. Thomas McNeil didn’t give her a chance to get out of the way before he stormed into the room, his weapon drawn. Behind him, a woman who couldn’t be anyone but Jared’s mother followed.
Wrapping an arm around Jennie to keep her from stumbling, she scolded her husband. “Thomas, you almost knocked the poor girl to the floor. Where are your manners?”
“She screamed, you heard her, too.” Thomas searched the small bathroom by the door, then the closet.
“It was a dream.” Jennie stared at Jared’s parents. Her head pounded and her neck hurt like hell. She took a couple of steadying breaths. Her T-shirt clung to her body, damp from sweat, and her hair covered her face in a tangled mess.
You sure know how to make a great first impression.
Unable to stand any longer, she dropped down onto the edge of the bed, dragging her hands through her hair, moving it off her face.
Taking her wrist in her hands, Mrs. McNeil felt for her pulse. “Your heart is racing, Jennie. What’s wrong?” she asked kindly.
“Bad dream, really bad dream,” Jennie replied. The force of the images shot back into her. Sinking from the foot of the bed onto the floor, Jennie cried out, “Oh God, I need a cell phone. I have to warn them. It’s a trap and they’re walking right into it.”
“Who is walking into a trap?” Thomas roared, moving so he stood right over her.
“Jared, the team, there’s a bomb. I saw it. I have to call Jared.”
Thomas pulled out his cell phone and pressed a number. Moments passed before he shut the phone and returned it to his pocket. “It’s going right to voice mail,” he said, shaking his head in frustration.
The news sent an uncontrollable shiver through Jennie. She wrapped her arms around her knees and tried the only thing she could think of. Closing her eyes, she concentrated completely on Jared’s essence while repeating over and over again, “It’s a trap, bomb.”
• • •
Lombard Street
The agent charged down the short hallway, checking the small bath. Jared moved past him and paused at the first bedroom. With the door ajar, he scanned the room from the hallway before opening the door wider. The room was empty except for a bare twin bed pushed against the wall. The mattress was stripped bare and the hard wood flooring spotless. A lemony scent of cleaner still lingered in the air.
Leaving the room, he met up with Noah, who was approaching the second bedroom off the hallway. The door to that room was also open slightly. Noah eased into the room. It was as clean as the previous one. The men approached the closed door of the third bedroom on the other side of the hallway. Jared turned the doorknob and found the door locked. As before, he positioned himself on one side of the door with Noah on the other side. The third agent stood in front of the door waiting for Jared to give the signal.
Jared gulped in a deep breath and let out slowly. The pounding in his head persisted. Something was very wrong. Checking his twin’s expression, he knew Noah felt the same way. He put a fist up and stopped the agent from kicking the door in.
He lowered himself to the floor. Lying flat, he peeked into the room through the tiny slit under the door. The bedroom was completely dark. Pulling a mini Maglite out of his pant’s pocket, he lit the floor underneath the door. Rising, he ran the light all along the outside edge of the door jam. He couldn’t figure out why he was so tense because he found nothing out of the ordinary. But his mind was screaming, bomb.
Lowering himself a second time flat on the floor, Jared swept the light across the threshold. On the second sweep, the stream of light picked out a very thin wire running across the floor. He rose again and pulled an electronic amplifier out of his back pocket. The amplifier was the size of a cell phone, and it was used to detect surveillance devices. He held it above his head and began a sweep of the hallway walking back into the living room. Whatever was behind that door, Mendoza hadn’t installed surveillance equipment to watch the show.
“What did you see, sir?” the agent asked.
“There’s a thin wire running across the floor. Something or someone is behind this door. I need a bomb squad in here now.” Jared waited until the agent left the apartment before turning toward his brother.
“You heard it, too?” Noah asked.
“Yep,” Jared said, running his hand through his hair. “And you?”
“Oh yeah. She was screaming in my head. It took every bit of control to keep from yelling, I got it, bomb. Now shut the hell up! Damn Jared, how is that possible? How did she know? I looked over at you and knew you heard her, too.”
This time, Jared ran both hands through his hair while he shook his head. “I don’t know, Noah. I just don’t know, but I’m damn grateful. We need to get through that door. If it’s a bomb, it could go off anytime. The kid could be in that room. Any suggestions?” Jared asked.
Noah walked back into the hallway and dropped down on the floor to look under the door. Twisting his body, he angled Jared’s flashlight up trying to see where the wire was attached.
“The wire must be connected to the door. Maybe we can break through the drywall a couple of feet from the door and go in that way.” Noah stood.
“Okay, that’s genius.” Jared studied the wall. “So, how do you suggest we get through?”
Without replying, Noah moved down a couple yards, and bracing his hands up against the opposite wall, kicked the drywall of the bedroom with enough force to place a huge hole in it.
Jared laughed. “Shit, bro, you’re paying for that.” Lining up with his brother, Jared kicked the drywall until they made a hole large enough to fit through. Breaking through the two-by-fours was a little more difficult. Tearing the remaining drywall out of their way, Jared flashed his penlight into the room.
“Son of a bitch,” he bellowed. Climbing through the hole, Jared moved over to Raúl. “Hell, man, I told you to get out in one piece. Don’t you dare die on me.”
Raúl’s eyes fluttered open. “Where is Jennie?” he said, staring at Jared. “Did she get out?”
“Man, Jennie’s not here. She’s safe.”
“Loco dreams dude … real loco. You need to the get the hell out of here. You don’t know shit about defusing bombs.”
“Yeah, but you do, so tell me about this little one,” Jared demanded. “Is there a timer?”
“No, but there’s a cell phone and a key pull.” Raúl bit down and tried not to scream out as Jared checked the gunshot wound in his thigh.
“Who did this to you?”
“Your dear friend and mine, Ivan. He can place the call anytime, so get the hell out.”
“Not without you. Besides the gunshot wounds in your thigh and shoulder, is there anything else I need to worry about?”
“Every single inch of me hurts, but I think those are the most serious.” His voice trembled with pain.
“BPD said their bomb expert is on his way. How much time do we have?” Noah asked, sticking his head though the hole.
“Don’t know. Depends when Ivan gets the urge.” Jared grabbed the paper towels that Noah handed him. Tearing off several sheets, he placed as much pressure on the shoulder wound he felt Raúl could handle without moving. “Can you talk me through deactivating the cell phone?”
“No. I woke up and it was already attached. It’s too risky.”
“I can’t take the chance of untying you. The wire is too snug to see if it’s attached to you and the cell phone.” Jared stood and stepped back. “Shit man, how did you end up here?”
“Came after the kid. Ivan caught me. Stupid. Blew my cover; ruined the whole damn mission.”
“Everything is still in place. Did you see the boy?”
“Yeah, he was in the room across the hall. Ivan moved him sometime before dark. I don’t know where.”
“Do you know why Mendoza has him?” Jared asked. The more questions he asked, the more distracted he hoped Raúl would be from the pain.
“No, but Ivan is being very careful with him. Couldn’t hear much except the kid is scared. As for why Mendoza wants him, your guess is as good as mine. Can you get me some water?”
Moments later, Noah passed a water bottle through the hole. Jared gave Raúl a sip.
“Your amor, Jared, I saw her here. I spoke to her like I’m talking to you. Are you sure she’s safe?”
Pulling out his cell phone, Jared made a quick call then faced his friend. “Dad is sitting with her. She’s fine, Raúl. I can’t explain — ”
“That’s okay. I’m part Indian. Weird is in my blood,” he said, and drifted into unconsciousness.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Her hotel room closed in on her. With her heart in her stomach, Jennie hugged her knees and stared up at the towering figure of Thomas McNeil, Jared’s father. The uncontrollable tremors spiking through her body weren’t caused by his overwhelming presence, nor the stone features framed across his face. In fact, she was barely aware of him. Her total concentration was on Jared’s presence that was always with her. She could feel the fear and anger searing through him, but nothing else. Oh God, keep him safe.
“Did you hear me, Ms. McKenzie? Jared called and he knows about the bomb.” Thomas knelt down so he was eye to eye with Jennie.
Jennie blinked twice. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“Jared is fine.”
It took several moments, but his words finally sunk in. She covered her face with her hands, taking in a ragged breath. Her dinner was doing cartwheels in the pit of her stomach.
“Please call me Jennie,” she said, removing her hands from her face as she tried to keep her voice steady.
“Thomas McNeil. It’s nice to finally meet you, Jennie.” Thomas gave her a warm smile.
She gulped in another breath and attempted to smile back. “When this is all over, could we pretend what’s about to happen never happened and we can start all over again? I usually make a better first impression than this.”
The moment the last words were out of her mouth, she jumped up, almost knocking Thomas down, and darted into the bathroom. She dove for the toilet, making it just in time to upchuck her dinner.
A slender hand came from behind and gathered her hair out of her face. With her eyes shut, she listened as the water ran in the sink. Moments later, a cool cloth was placed at the base of her neck.
Opening her eyes, Jennie glanced at the doorway. A deep blush ran from the bottom of her toes to the top of her scalp. Great impression, Jennie, just great.
Jared’s mom wrung out another washcloth and handed it to her. She took it, nodding her thanks. After wiping her mouth, a cup appeared in front of her, and she used it to rinse her mouth. She replaced the lid of the toilet, flushed, and sat facing Jared’s parents.
“I’m sorry, I . ..”
Thomas handed her a water bottle. “Drink,” was all he said before stepping out the doorway. Jennie did as she was told, then stood and went through the process of brushing her teeth.
After a final rinse, she glanced at the bandage around her neck and groaned. A line of blood seeped through the gauze. Her stomach rolled and color drained from her face. Before she hung her head over the toilet for the second time that evening, Mrs. McNeil pushed her to sit back on the toilet seat.
“Thomas, get my bag,” she ordered, before turning her attention back to Jennie. “You just forced open part of the incision and it’s bleeding a little. I’m going to give you something for the nausea and pain,” she said, peeling the tape off the bandages.
Jennie eyed Jared’s mother and tried to smile. “Hi … I mean, I’m Jennie, Dr. McNeil.”
With a chuckle, Mrs. McNeil said, “Yes, I know. I think the woman who just saved my son’s life can call me Mary.”
Thomas appeared with the bag, sat down on the edge of the tub next to Jennie, and took both of her hands in his hand. “Jennie, squeeze down on my hand as hard as you need to. The kids used to do this whenever Mary was cleaning one of their numerous boo-boos.”
His voice was so calm, tender … so much like Jared’s. She glanced at him and wrapped her fingers around his and squeezed, trying not to bawl like a baby. All she did for the last few days was cry. She was not going to break down in front of Jared’s parents.
After Mary efficiently changed the bandage and gave her something for the pain and nausea, Jennie settled on her bed. Thomas grabbed a handful of cheese and crackers from the small kitchen unit and handed them to her.
“Eat,” he ordered.
“Do you know what the mark-up is on these snacks?”
Thomas leaned over, clutched the package from her hand, tore it open, pulled out a cracker, and handed it to her. One look at his expression, and Jennie took a bite, not daring to argue. After she finished it, he handed her one after another until the package was empty. He moved over to the small refrigerator, snatched out a bottle of sports drink, cracked it open, and handed it to her. Again, without a protest, she drank it down.
Thomas faced his wife, who sat next to Jennie on the bed. “Her color is better, right?”
“Yes, it is,” Mary said, studying Jennie.
“I’ve been very patient.” Thomas eyed his wife.
“Yes, you have, love. She’s fine now. Go ahead and do your thing.” Mary smiled at her husband.
Thomas drew a chair up to the bed and faced Jennie. “Are you feeling a little better?”
“Why am I compelled to say no?”
“I’ve some questions I would like to ask you if you are up to it.”
Jennie raised her eyebrows and sighed. “Of course you do, Mr. McNeil. But I have only one, so may I go first?”
“Of course and it’s Thomas.”
“Why are you here?”
“Jared didn’t want you to be alone, so he asked us to come by until he got back. He didn’t mention it to you?”
Jennie shook her head and grimaced from the pain. Stifling a groan, she asked, “I guess you want to know what just happened.”
