Warning for violence in this chapter.
Blue Bloods
By the time Saturday afternoon came, dad had barely said two words to me. I was seriously starting to consider telling him what had happened. I couldn't understand why Sarah didn't want me to tell anyone. I shook my head. I couldn't tell anyone, I had promised, and if she found out that I had told someone, she wouldn't trust me anymore. I wanted her to trust me, to know that she could count on me if she ever needed help. I promised myself that I would keep an eye on her at school, just in case Samuel tried anything.
On the other hand, what if he did attack her again? I would have to tell. If the confrontation on Friday wasn't enough to deter him from hurting Sarah, then there wasn't anything we could do to stop him without outside help. So if it happened again, then I would tell dad. He would know what to do.
I got up from my homework and headed downstairs. I wanted to talk to dad before he left. I walked into the kitchen to see him reading the paper and drinking a cup of coffee.
"Dad, can I talk to you for a minute?" He didn't acknowledge me. He acted like I wasn't even there. I felt my eyes stinging and had the sudden urge to run back to my room and cry, but I wouldn't. I felt anger towards him. He never listened to me. He was going to listen whether he wanted to or not. I closed my eyes and sighed. Out of respect, I tried again. "Please, dad."
He pursed his lips, sighed, and set down his paper and coffee. "This had better be about the incident yesterday; otherwise, I don't want to hear it."
I took a deep breath and prepared myself for his anger and disappointment." I can't tell you what happened." he pursed his lips again and glared at me but otherwise kept quiet." I made a promise that I don't plan on breaking-" He sighed again and picked up his paper and started ignoring me again. I wasn't going to stop, though. "-but I want you to know that, given a choice, I would do it again because it was the only way. I'm sorry that I disappointed you." I waited several seconds, but he continued to ignore me. "I really am sorry, dad," I whispered as I turned to go back to my room.
"Danny is picking me up in a few minutes. I expect you to behave while I'm gone."
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Right then, we heard someone honk.
"That's Danny. I'll be back in a couple of hours."
I looked at dad. He didn't spare me a single glance as he turned and walked out the door. I felt my eyes stinging again. He was acting like I didn't even exist. I let out an exasperated sigh when I realized I was crying. I wiped the tears off my face and went back upstairs to finish my homework.
Blue Bloods
This is perfect. What are the chances? I can't believe that it had worked out like this. "We just have to wait for him to leave the kid alone, and then we'll grab him." Denis almost wanted to grab him now, but with the kid's dad being a cop, the chances of success were minimal. So they would wait for the perfect opportunity to take him and then disappear before anyone knew what happened.
They watched the house all morning, waiting for Jamie to be left alone. Denis was tired of waiting, but he knew the longer the wait, the sweeter the reward. So when 3:00 rolled around and Frank left without Jamie, Denis wanted to jump for joy. Finally, we get to have some fun!
"We should wait a few minutes to make sure they don't return. Blake said. I can't wait to get my hands on this kid. He's going to pay for what he's done.
"Fine. Fifteen minutes and then we go in." Denis said with a grin. "Don't worry, he's scrawny; it'll be easy." After precisely 15 minutes, Blake pulled the car around to the back of the house. Denis and Blake put on their masks, exited the vehicle and made their way over to the side door. Denis tried the knob and almost laughed. You'd think a cop would lock the doors when he left his kid alone.
Blue Bloods
Twenty minutes after dad left, I decided to head downstairs for a soda. Dad's silent treatment was worse than not being able to go to the BBQ. I was hoping my explanation and apology would have gotten some kind of reaction. He probably knows how much it bothers me when he- what was that?
"I'll go up and grab him, stay here in case he gets past me."
Oh, God! Were they looking for me? I need to call dad! I went to pull it out of my pocket before remembering it was in my room. Crap! I turned and quickly, quietly went back to my room. I closed the door, grabbed my phone, and hid in my closet. I dialed dad's number and hit send. Please answer, please answer, please answer! It went to voicemail. I felt tears threatening to fall. What if he didn't answer? If these guys were really here for me, no one would know I was gone for hours. I tried again, praying harder than I've ever prayed. Please, dad, please answer.
"What do you want?" He snapped
"Dad, someone broke in." I was trying to keep my breathing under control.
His tone changed instantly." Where are you? How many are there?"
"I'm in my closet. I'm not sure, at least two."
"Okay, Danny called 911. We're on our way, stay where you are, They are probably just looking for valuables."
"No, dad, I think they are here for...me." I took a shaky breath.
"Why do you think that, Jamie?" he asked hesitantly.
"I heard them talking downstairs. One of them said 'I'll go up and grab him, you stay here in case he gets past me."
"Okay, okay, umm…"
"Jamie, can you climb onto the roof through your window?" Danny asked.
"Danny?"
"Yeah, buddy, I'm here. Can you get onto the roof?"
"I'm scared." God, I sounded like a wimp.
"I know Jamie, but you can't let them take you, okay? You have to make sure they don't find you, so I need you to climb onto the roof. You can do this, Jamie, just stay on the line so we know you're okay." Danny said.
"Okay. I can do this." I listened for a few seconds and took a deep breath before opening the closet door. I crawled out and went to the window. As quietly as I could, I opened it. Just as I was about to climb out, I heard my door slam open. I spun around so fast I'm surprised I didn't give myself whiplash. "He found me," I whispered. As soon as the words left my mouth, the masked man charged me. I yelped and dodged to the right, trying to run around him. I didn't get far before he grabbed my arm, making me drop the phone. I could hear dad calling my name. "No! Let me go! Get off me!" I yelled as I tried to twist out of his grip. He tightened his hold and punched me in the face, letting me fall to the ground. I groaned and tried to sit up only to fall back to the floor with a yelp when he kicked me in the ribs.
"Stay down, kid."
All I could think about was how Danny said that I couldn't let them take me, so I waited for him to turn his back. What did they want me for? Nothing good. Dad, please hurry! The man turned to my phone, and I tried to kick his leg as dad had taught me, it doesn't take much force to break a knee. Unfortunately, he saw it coming, and I missed my intended target. He turned back and glared at me.
"You'll pay for that!" he snarled.
I watched him pull out a taser, and my eyes widened. I tried to hurry back, but he grabbed my leg and pulled me forward. "Wait! No, don't!" I yelled. He just smiled and thrust the taser into my ribs. I screamed as white-hot pain flared through my body. I thrashed on the floor and tried to force air into my lungs. It was hard to think about anything other than the pain. Finally, it stopped, and I slumped to the floor, gasping for breath. I felt tears gather in my eyes, but I blinked them away. I wasn't going to show him how scared I was.
"We need to get out of here."
I looked up as another man walked in. I looked back at the first man. He had a pair of handcuffs. Oh, God. This can't be happening. I tried to get up, but I was too weak. He flipped me onto my stomach, and I struggled weakly. He grabbed my left arm and put the cuff on. I felt the panic rise, and I threw my right elbow back, connecting with his head. He grunted, grabbed my arm, and locked it into the cuffs. I cried out when he punched me twice in the kidney. They had me. I was about to be kidnapped, and I couldn't fight my way out. No one was here to save me. I yelped when he yanked my head back by my hair.
He leaned down and whispered in my ear "Next time you try something, I'll break all the fingers on your right hand."
I let out a desperate sob as he released his hold on me; I had never been so scared. I felt a sharp pain in my arm and turned my head; the man smiled as he put an empty syringe into his pocket. After a few seconds, I could barely keep my eyes open. I tried to fight unconsciousness but, eventually, I couldn't, and it overtook me.
Blue Bloods
The first time Jamie called, I ignored it. He probably wanted to apologize and give vague excuses. I wasn't angry about him getting in a fight. When he refused to tell me what happened, that's when I got mad. Why couldn't he tell me what was going on? Was he in some kind of trouble? Did he do something that he shouldn't have? Then he came and tried to talk to me. When he said he had made a promise that he wouldn't break, I was worried that someone had threatened him. Did he see something that he wasn't meant to see? Trying to hide my fear at the possibility that Jamie had witnessed a crime and had been caught, I hid behind my paper. Then he said he would do it again because it was the only way. If Jamie had witnessed a crime, he would have told me, even if someone had threatened him. My son was the poster boy for doing the right thing, no matter what happened to him. But if he was trying to protect someone else… There was no way he would let someone get hurt if he could stop it. I was startled out of my thought when my phone rang for the second time in as many minutes. Something had to be wrong if he was calling again.
"What do you want?" It came out much harsher than I meant.
"Dad, someone broke in." As soon as he said those four words, my heart skipped a beat. I could tell he was scared, but he was trying to hide it.
I stood up and grabbed my keys. Danny looked up with concern in his eyes. "Where are you? How many are there?" As soon as I asked, Danny stood, grabbed his phone and dialed 911. He gave them the address before hanging up and taking my keys. We both ran toward the car.
"I'm in my closet. I'm not sure, at least two."
Okay, Danny called 911. We're on our way, Stay where you are. They are probably just looking for valuables." I was trying to reassure him. There had been a few break-ins in our neighborhood in the past couple of months. All but one had been dumb kids looking for easy to pawn electronics.
"No, dad, I think they're here for...me." I thought my heart would beat out of my chest. Why would someone be after Jamie? I thought about anyone I put away that had gotten out recently. Maybe someone was out for revenge and saw Jamie as an easy target?
"Why do you think that, Jamie?" We had made it to the car, buckling ourselves in. Danny wasted no time pulling out onto the road, Ignoring the honking and cursing that followed when he cut someone off.
"Dad put it on speaker." Danny urged as we sped down the street.
"I heard them talking downstairs. One of them said 'I'll go up and grab him, you stay here in case he gets past me.'" My breathing picked up, and I looked at Danny, hoping that I had heard him wrong. The look on his face told me that he had heard the same thing I had.
"Okay, okay, umm…" Think Frank!
"Jamie, can you climb onto the roof through your window?" Danny asked.
"Danny?" Jamie asked.
"Yeah, buddy, I'm here. Can you get onto the roof?"
"I'm scared." God, he sounded it. Danny and I exchanged a look.
" I know Jamie, but you can't let them take you, okay? You have to make sure they don't find you, so I need you to climb onto the roof. You can do this, Jamie, just stay on the line so we know you're okay." I felt myself start to panic. If they got ahold of him before we got there… No, I couldn't think like that. I needed to focus on helping Jamie.
"Okay. I can do this." I could hear the determination in his voice. I was so proud of him.
A few seconds later, I heard him open the window. I was silently urging him to go faster. I felt the panic surge again when I heard a loud bang.
"He found me," Jamie whispered.
I felt my world crashing down around me. I had been ignoring him since last night, and I was about to lose him. I was jolted out of my stunned silence when Jamie yelped and dropped the phone. "NO! JAMIE! JAMIE ANSWER ME!"
"No! Let me go! Get off me!" Jamie yelled in desperation. I heard him hit the floor and groan.
"Danny, go faster!"
"Dad… We aren't going to make it."
I looked over at Danny and saw the fear in his eyes. I knew he was right; it would be at least ten more minutes before we arrived. I prayed the police would get there in time. I felt tears gather in my eyes. I couldn't hold them back when I heard Jamie cry out. My baby boy was alone with someone who wanted to kidnap him and do who knows what with him. He was hurting Jamie, and I could do nothing to stop him. I hadn't felt this helpless since Mary got sick.
"Stay down, kid."
I heard shuffling and tried to figure out what was happening. I felt my heart breaking. Please, God, help my son.
"You'll pay for that!" The man snarled.
Please don't hurt my son.
"Wait! No, don't!"
I looked over at Danny and saw tears running down his cheeks. He pressed the gas pedal to the floor, trying to urge the car forward faster. Then Jamie screamed, and Danny let out a sob.
"We need to get out of here."
It was a different voice this time. I heard struggling and the jingling of handcuffs. Then one of the men let out a pained grunt. My pride swelled. Jamie was still fighting back. He wasn't going to make it easy for them. "Ahh!...Ahh!" That was the last thing we heard before the line went dead. I let out a strangled sob. Oh God Jamie I'm sorry! I love you so much. I'm so, so sorry.
Blue Bloods
"He's all yours," Denis said.
Blake pulled Jamie up and put him over his shoulder. This kid is light. I thought he would be better built with how hard Denis had to fight to restrain him. They made their way back to the car, and Denis popped the trunk. Blake threw Jamie in, grabbed the duct tape, and put a piece over his mouth. Denis smiled down at their unconscious captive and shut the trunk.
They drove for an hour and a half before pulling into a driveway and following it to an abandoned house. This particular house had been chosen for its location, which was miles from and structure, and for the fact that it had functioning solar panels. They could use electricity without anyone ever knowing. Blake had come across the house a couple of weeks ago when he had been looking at some nearby property. He was surprised to learn that the owner lived in the city but came back every couple of weeks to make sure the property was properly maintained. When they needed a location to take the kid, this house was the first suggestion.
They parked in front of the door and popped the trunk to grab Jamie.
"Kid's still out," Denis commented happily.
Blake reached in and pulled him over his shoulder before following Denis into the house.
They made their way to the basement, and Denis watched as their hostage was secured to the support pillar in the middle of the room.
Once Blake was finished, they went back upstairs to gather their supplies. Twenty minutes later, when the car had been unloaded, Blake grabbed the keys. "I've got to make a call before we get started. I'll be back in a few minutes." He turned and walked out the door without waiting for a response.
This is perfect. Jamie fought hard earlier. He's going to be a lot of fun. I'm gonna mess with the kids head a little while Blake's gone. He stood and made his way to the basement.
Blue Bloods
When we turned onto our street, I saw the flashing lights of police cars and an ambulance. The paramedics were standing at the back of the bus with a stretcher, waiting for the okay to go in. I was out of the car before Danny had was able to stop.
"Dad, wait!"
I couldn't wait. If the paramedics were still outside, that meant the house hadn't been cleared yet, signifying we had only arrived just after the police. What if they were still in there, using Jamie as a hostage? He needs me. I pulled my badge out from under my shirt, grabbed the gun from my ankle holster, and ran in. Danny was right behind me, badge out and weapon at the ready. We almost made it to the stairs when we heard a yell.
"Police! Hands up!"
Danny and I stopped, raised our hands, and turned toward the officer. "I'm detective Reagan, and this is my house. Where is my son?" I was afraid of the answer, but I had to know.
He lowered his gun. "I'm sorry, detective, but my partner and I cleared the house. We didn't find anyone, but there are signs of a struggle in one of the upstairs bedrooms."
Danny and I both turned and ran to Jamie's room. I stopped just short of crossing the threshold, not wanting to disturb the crime scene. I took everything in quickly. The open window, the phone that was smashed to pieces… The blood on the floor. Was it Jamie's blood or had he injured one of the attackers, giving us a vital lead?
"Oh, God, dad. He's gone. What are we going to do?" Danny whispered.
"We're going to find him and bring him home," I answered with determination.
