A/N: Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews. I do appreciate them. Once again, I'd like to thank Lani and Jenne for betaing for me! You girls are awesome.
Calleigh's POV
When I came to, I was in an old warehouse, bound and gagged. I saw two men. One of them had a gun. He ordered his partner to get me up. The second man removed my gag.
"What do you want from me?" I asked, trying not to show how scared I was.
Every year I see so many victims kidnapped, used, raped and killed. I don't want to end up like that.
"Solve a crime with Calleigh." I heard the first man say.
Cooper! I raged silently, Look what you've started! I know this wasn't his intention, but he should have realized the consequences his actions could have.
They wanted me to cover up this murder. How could I do this? It goes against everything in me, but I have no choice. I don't want to be the next one to die. My thoughts raced. What needs to be done?
"You need gloves, and we've got to bleach the floor…" I said.
Fingerprints. Shoeprints. Skin. Trace. All this evidence – helping them destroy it is killing me, but what other option do I have? The bullet. If I have to dig it out, they'll have to untie me. It's not much, but at least I won't be quite so helpless. The man in black nodded his head, and the young man untied me.
As I looked closely at the body I noticed something. Blood. I think there's something they're not telling me. There's hardly any blood. There's no way he was shot here. It's just not possible. I pulled out the bullet. Then one of my captors aimed his gun at me.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." I said quickly.
"Why's that?" he asked.
"The bullet smells like garlic." I explained.
"What the hell does that mean?" The second man asked.
"It means I need you to get me some toilet cleaner, a lint roller, speaker wire, and a black light." I told him.
If I can just keep working maybe they won't kill me. He didn't look convinced.
"Yeah, we'll get right on that. You know, you should stop stalling." He said harshly.
"I'm just trying to do what you ask me to." I tried to keep my voice steady. It's not an easy task with a gun in my face.
"Look, I think we should see what she can do." The second man blurted out.
Please, Lord. I begged.
"Ok." Thank you, Jesus. "Give me a chance to get to know this bitch one on one."
His words were enough to scare any woman. We both knew he wanted more than a friendly chat. I desperately wished Eric was here. I knew he would protect me. But he wasn't, so I had to think of something. The cigar!
"I'd smoke that cigar."
"Yeah, I was planning to afterwards, but if that's what turns you on, then…"
He made me sick.
"The smell of the cigar will mask the smell of decomp. Unless, of course, you want your neighbors calling the cops down here."
"You're not as stupid as you look."
At this point I was too scared to be angry. If I could just keep him off me and get some DNA, I'd be fine. If I could just escape his notice, I could leave a clue for my team. I know they'll find this place, but by that time, I might not be here.
"Pick it up."
I did.
"Tommy's out running errands. I thought maybe me and you could waste a little time."
"I'd rather die than let you touch me." I spat out.
I hit him. I know he could kill me, but I really would rather die. He hit back. I fell. He kicked me in the stomach. Oh, how that hurt! He shoved the gun in my face.
"Last words? Let's hear 'em."
"I don't think you killed the poker player."
He backed off.
"No? Why's that? You don't think I'm man enough to kill anyone?"
"The bullet. It was too shallow and there's not enough blood. Look at the wound. Clean, no spatter." He laughed.
"Like I said, you're not as dumb as you look."
- - -
Seth. Tommy called the man Seth. It's not much, but knowing who it is that has me makes me feel a little bit better. A very little bit.
I still had the cigar, and I needed to shove it in the man's wound without them noticing. They were curious about the field tests I was running. The wires turned grey. I was right. He was poisoned - time to head to the primary crime scene.
Seth pointed his gun at me. "If you even think about running, I promise you, I will not hesitate."
Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to be within 100 feet of help and unable to do anything about it? I can only hope that the team will find the clues I've left. I just wish I could be in Eric's arms right now. He has the most amazingly strong arms. I always feel safe when I'm in his arms, even if it's only a brief hug. He's such an incredible man; I want to be with him. He doesn't realize how attractive I find him. I wish I could feel his lips against mine just once. I wish I could bury my hands in his hair and pull him closer. I've been in love with him forever. I shake myself out of my daydream. For now I'm just grateful to be alive and unharmed. That will have to be enough for now.
A/N That's all for now. Chapter 4 is almost ready, but reviews always encourage me to keep writing faster!
Free virtual jelly beans for anyone who reviews. ;)
Thanks for reading!
