Closer (9 page)

Tears welled in her eyes and leaked down her face. Blood was running from her nose, dripping on to the concrete floor. He turned his back to her.

“I have to go put the boat in the water and bring it to the dock at the back of the cottage. I won’t be gone long. Then we will continue with our little chat,” he said with a singsong voice as he walked away towards the stairs. “Stay here and be a good girl,” he smiled, walking up the stairs to the front room of the cottage.

Emma’s head dropped, shot through with pain, and she sobbed at her hopeless situation. The man planned on
killing
her. She could only hope Michael was on his way. But the truth was, she knew he wouldn’t be able to find her. Ingrams didn’t bother to cover her eyes when they arrived. She saw the cottage surrounded by trees and ocean. They were back in the woods, away from people. There was no one around to hear her scream.

She began wondering how he would kill her. Would he rape her first? He certainly touched her like he was going to rape her. She knew he wanted information;
that
she could work to her advantage. She knew she was strong. She could withstand it…until she couldn’t. Would she turn on Michael then? Would she tell Ingrams everything he wanted to know and get Michael killed in the process? No, she couldn’t think like that. She had to hold out as long as she could to give Michael a chance to find her. She had to believe he would find her, or she might as well accept her death. Only she wasn’t ready to die. She wanted a life. She wanted to finish her project. She wanted to see where her feelings for Michael would take her.

∞

The caravan of men continued down highway I95 and approached the Wells city exit. Rob turned on his right turn signal and exited the highway. He drove down a two-lane country road passing high priced mansions. Rob turned left onto Post Road and made an immediate right onto Harbor Road.

“Should we drive by? See who’s home?” Rob asked Michael as he made a left onto Dock Street.

“Yeah. Let’s do a little reconnaissance work before we go in guns blazing,” Michael responded as he tried to concentrate on the mission before him. He couldn’t let himself think Emma had already been killed. She had been taken from him over five hours ago. It was now nearing 1630 and the sun hadn’t yet started to set. They still had functional daylight. Emma was still alive. She is a smart, tough woman. She had to be. He cleared his mind of Emma as Rob pointed out the upcoming cottage.

“This is it,” Rob said as he slowed to pass the house.

“This can’t be right,” Michael responded, “there are no cars here.”

“Maybe he isn’t here?” Rob stated.

“Don’t even think that way. She has to be here,” Michael hissed.

“The customer service agent said this was the address of the rental under Ingrams’ name,” Rob remarked.

“Pull over up here, in that turnabout,” Michael commanded. “We will double back and check it out anyways.”

Rob pulled over into the thicket of trees and Steve pulled behind him. Tony and Steve got out of the second car and walked to Rob’s car. They stood in a circle with a serious look in their eyes. They were ready for action. They had missed it the six months since they’d left the Army. Danger was all they knew until six months ago. Keeping a state of hyper vigilance in a combat zone became second nature. Hell, they still were hyper vigilant.

“There was no car at the residence, but I want to check it out anyways given the Intel we have on the place,” Michael explained to his brothers.

“We might as well. We’re here,” Tony said as he walked back to his rental car and popped the trunk.

Rob walked over to his car and unlocked his trunk. Michael met Rob and they grabbed their bags. Once they all had their gear, they set them on the ground and pulled out the weapons they would be using to search the house. Tony passed out the ear pieces to each member of the Unit and they placed them in their right ears.

“Locked and loaded,” Steve grinned. He felt a pure adrenaline rush flood him just like in any mission he undertook. Just because he was no longer an active Green Beret didn’t mean he didn’t feel the same type of rush he felt in Afghanistan. They ran the chance of being killed. In fact, on all of the private security details they worked, they ran that same chance. They placed their bags back into the trunks of their vehicles and started the quarter mile trek back to the cottage.

“Tony and Steve, you have the sniper rifles. You take up position in the surrounding woods with sights on the front and back door in case anyone tries to escape. I will go in soft. And Rob, I want you on my six in case I need you in there,” Michael finished.

They reached the cottage and they all disappeared into the woods. No one would know they were even there.

“Comm. check,” Tony said into his shirt. One by one, each member of the Unit checked in with Tony. Communications were working; one less thing for Michael to worry about. He didn’t know why he was worrying so much anyways. He trusted these men with his life. But this time, it wasn’t just his own life, it was Emma’s life too. He had to clear his mind. He had to prepare himself for whatever he might find lying in that cottage and that included Emma’s lifeless body.

Rob followed Michael to the back door. Michael picked the lock in less than thirty seconds and slid his tools back into his shirt pocket. He twisted the doorknob and slowly and quietly opened the door. He stood there for one full minute, listening for any indication of the whereabouts of the occupants. Just because there wasn’t a car, didn’t mean there wasn’t someone there. Ingrams could have ditched the very obvious SUV. After a full minute, Michael treaded lightly inside the kitchen. He stopped again listening for any hint of movement. Nothing. He cleared the kitchen and made his way, up against the wall, to the entrance to the living room. Again he waited and listened. Nothing. Silence. He rounded the living room and went into the hall pausing and listening. When he was certain there was no one in the rest of the first floor, he opened the bedroom door.

“All clear,” he radioed to the men.

He walked back into the kitchen and stood next to the door which lead to the basement. He knew that opening it could give away his position. So he stood, silently listening and praying for some sign of Emma. He placed his ear against the door and waited. He heard her then, softly sobbing. Overcome with emotion, Michael opened the door and took the stairs two at a time. He could be walking into a trap, but he didn’t care; he had to get to her. At the bottom of the stairs, his heart sunk into his stomach.

There she was hanging from the rafters, alive. He went to her and cupped her face with his hands. “Emma, Baby. Look at me. I’m here. You’re all right now,” he coaxed her as he took stock of her injuries. “Tell me where you’re hurt, Emma,” he whispered. Seeing her beaten and bloody was more than his heart could take. His eyes glistened as he looked over her body, her busted nose and lip. Her beautiful face marred with such injury.

“My stomach hurts Michael,” Emma whimpered, “My nose hurts, too.”

“Don’t worry, Emma, I’ve got you. No one is going to hurt you again,” Michael said to her as he reached up to untie her hands.

“Rob, get down here man. I need you. Emma’s hurt,” he said into his shirt.

He heard his best friend taking the same stairs two at a time.

“Let’s get her down,” Rob asserted as he finished untying her hands and releasing them from above her head.

She collapsed into Michael. Michael’s arm wrapped around her waist and held her up. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the couch, gently laying her down. He stood back to give Rob room to work. Rob lifted Emma’s shirt and pointed out the bruises which were already starting to form.

“Fuck. I’ll kill ‘em. I’ll fucking kill ‘em,” Michael snapped running his hand roughly over his stubbly face as he paced off his nervous energy.

Her porcelain skin was marred by bruises some fuckwad inflicted on her. Michael felt a rage he had never known. He was going to kill Ingrams. Michael kneelt down next to the couch.

“He wanted me to tell him about you, but I didn’t,” she said proudly to Michael as he grasped her hand in his. He took care with it as it was discolored from having been tied at such an angle for such a long time. He rubbed her hand trying to increase the circulation.

“What do you mean, Emma? What did he want? What did he say to you?” Michael asked as he continued to rub her hand lightly.

“He wanted to know who you were, and who you worked for. He said he is going to kill you, Michael,” Emma sobbed as she squeezed Michael’s hand. “He said he is going to kill me so that I can’t give information to the GIA,” she whimpered.

“He’s not going to hurt you ever again, Emma. I will take care of you,” he promised as he bent his head and kissed her ever so gently on her lips tasting her blood. He had made her a promise he had never made to another living being.

“Where is he, Emma?” Rob asked pulling her shirt back down.

“He said he had to pull the boat into the dock,” she sobbed, “so he can throw me into the ocean.”

“Let’s get her out of here, man, before he comes back. We can deal with him later, but we have to get her taken care of first. Make sure there are no serious injuries. Let’s get her back to my house where I can bandage her up,” Rob said as he looked Michael in the eye.

Rob understood how his friend felt. His Lizzie was still out there. God only knew what was happening to her. The quicker they could get Emma bandaged up, the quicker they could get Lizzie back.

Michael picked her up in his arms and carried her up the stairs. She wrapped her arms around Michael’s neck and buried her face in his chest and silently cried. He had come for her against all odds. She didn’t even know how he found her, but he promised and he did.

He carried her to Rob’s car and placed her carefully into the back seat. Michael got in the back with her and put her head on his lap as Rob drove them back to his house. Tony and Steve followed in the car behind. Yes, they would take care of Special Agent Daniel Ingram, but not tonight. Tonight, they would take care of Emma.

They pulled up top to Rob’s house and parked on the street. Michael had been stroking Emma’s hair as she lay in his lap.

“We’re here, Baby. Don’t move. Let me carry you in,” he softened and opened the car door.

“I can walk, Michael, really,” she responded and sat up slowly placing her feet on the floorboard of the car.

Michael ran around to her side of the car and opened the door for her. He reached in to carry her, but she started to stand of her own free will. He placed his hand at her elbow to gently move her away from the car as he slammed the door. Stepping beside her, he placed his hand on the small or her back and led her down the walkway to the front door. Once inside, Michael guided her to the couch.

“Why don’t you lay down? You have been through enough,” he whispered behind her as he helped guide her to a sitting position.

“Really Michael, I am just sore,” she pleaded. “That’s all. I promise, if I were really hurt, I would tell you.”

Rob made his way to the couch and effectively crowded Michael off to the side. Michael sat at the end of the couch so he could watch what Rob was doing. He didn’t want her hurt, and he knew his friend wouldn’t hurt her if it could be avoided. Rob brought out the antiseptic and a cotton ball. Holding the cotton ball to the mouth of the antiseptic, he soaked the cotton and squeezed the excess liquid onto his carpet.

“Hold still. This is going to burn,” he cautioned bringing his hand up to the cut on her lip.

He dabbed her cut lightly and she winced. He began blowing on the cut to ease the burn.

“Should you be doing that, man? What about germs?” Michael asked as he bounced his knee impatiently up and down.

“Since when did you stop trusting me, Michael?” Rob asked although his latest stunt, getting Michael to unknowingly work for a terrorist cell, could make anyone lose faith.

“I trust you. I just don’t want her hurt worse than she is,” Michael answered.

Next Rob moved to her nose. He pressed both sides of it with his thumbs gauging her reaction. She winced and she fought back her tears. He had to give this girl credit. She was tough.

“It’s not broken, but it will be sore for a few days,” he told Emma as he dabbed the cotton to remove the dried blood from her nostrils.

“What about your stomach? How are you feeling here,” he asked her as he placed a hand against her belly.

Michael couldn’t stand to see someone touch his woman. For all intents and purposes, she was his, and the only person who should be touching her was him. But his mind knew Rob had to examine her.

“Here, sit back and let me see,” Rob commanded and gently pushed her shoulders back against the couch. He lifted her shirt and could see the blossoming of a bruise over her right rib cage. He pressed with his fingers and she groaned in pain.

“Stop it, man. You’re hurting her,” Michael demanded as he sprung to his feet pushing Rob away from Emma. Rob fell over but caught himself with his hand.

“Boy, do you have it bad,” Rob thought to himself as he stood up.

“What can I do for you, Emma?” Michael whispered, lowering himself next to her on the couch.

“I would really love a shower. I need to wash him away,” she said looking at Michael with relief in her eyes. He had come for her. She still couldn’t believe it. “How did you find me?” she asked Michael never breaking eye contact.

“It’s a long story. How about I help you get a hot shower, and then we get these guys to fix us something to eat. You have to be starving, and Tony is one hell of a cook. What do you say?” his eyes pleaded with hers.

“That sounds like heaven,” she cooed struggling to stand.

Michael held her elbow as he helped her up.

“Just point me in the direction of the shower,” she said.

“I’ll show you,” he replied guiding her by the elbow into the kitchen where his brothers had gathered. “Tony, what would it take to get you to cook us up something to eat?” Michael smiled from across the room.