Hey there again! I just wanted to thank Sweetpea, a person, and skippy1967 for reviewing my story : ) I kind of write stories on and off, usually when I get an idea into my head and need to write it down so I really appreciate when people take time to read my story and write a review. ANYWAYS, lol. Here is chapter 4!
"If you think that we are going to negotiate with you think again," Sam said blandly as he sat in front of McCormick in a slouching manner.
"Well, you are if you ever want your agent back," the elderly man sneered.
"You don't get it do you? You are already in our custody. Whether we trade with the human traffickers for Callen you are still going to be here." Sam glared at him.
"Oh, no. You see, you won't be able to find them with out me. Because when they call there is no way they are going to tell you where they are."
"When they call?" Sam asked in confusion. Just then his phone in his pocket buzzed and Sam stared down at it. He opened it and then put it to his ear. "Hanna"
"Agent Hanna, I believe I have your agent," the man said on the other end
"Mr. Beale are you tracing this call?" Hetty asked from where they were watching the interrogation.
"I'm on it," Eric answered.
"You know who I am but I don't know you," Sam replied.
"Oh, unfortunately it will be staying that way. Mr. McCormick gave me a thorough warning of all the sneaky little tricks you may try to pull over my head."
"Alright, then. What do you want?"
"It's not what I want but what you want. Your agent. We will give him back in exchange for a sum of money and Mr. McCormick."
"How much money are we talking about?" Sam asked.
"1.2 million."
"That's a pretty specific number," Sam started to stay when the phone line cut and all he could hear was the dial tone. Sam stared at it knowingly.
"Darn!" Eric cursed back in OPS. "Hetty I almost had it. He must know how much time it takes to trace a call." Just then Sam's phone began to ring again.
"Hanna," Sam answered in a bored tone.
"Oh, don't be so put out Agent Hanna. Now, what were we talking about?"
"Money." Sam gritted his teeth. McCormick sat across from him with a crooked, nasty smile on his face.
"Right, right! Of course. 1.2 million and Mr. McCormick. I will call again later with further instructions." Before Sam could say a word he heard the dial tone again. He sighed and left interrogation without saying anything to McCormick who started laughing silently to himself. Once outside the room, Sam painfully punched the wall in front of him.
"Damn it!"
"Taylor? Is your name Taylor?" Callen whispered to the young man repeatedly. He had grown quite a bit but there was no denying he looked like the Taylor Lockhart he remembered. Olive-toned boy, dark brown hair, and startling hazel green eyes. He remembered his smile being almost straight except for one tooth on the bottom, he didn't know if it was still like that though. Callen returned from his memories of the smaller Taylor Lockhart and focused on the boy in front of him who started to move. His skin was dirty and the dull clothes he wore were too big and hung loosely on his frail body. He settled his feet under himself and then placed his hands on his knees in front of him.
"Yes sir. My name is Taylor and I will be of service of you today. If you would like to call me something else please feel free to give me another name," the young boy whispered frighteningly.
"Service?" Callen asked, scared to find out what the hell the boy was talking about.
"Sir?" Taylor glanced up with fearful eyes.
"I'm sorry. What service is it that your providing me?" Callen asked more formally. The kid sat there uncomfortably and hesitated. The boy then leaned forward, grabbed Callen's hand, and placed a kiss on it while bowing to him. Callen didn't even have time to react to this.
"I am your slave, master. You may do with me as you wish." Callen could not believe the words that were being uttered from this fifteen year old. He knew they were rehearsed and could see the boy shaking as he sat up straight again. The kid reached for his shirt to take it off when Callen stopped him.
"That's not necessary. And you don't have to call me master or sir," Callen spoke hastily. He must have said that a lot harsher than he intended because the boy flinched back as if he was going to be hit. "I'm not going to hurt you" he relaxed. "...Or touch you," Callen added in a whisper.
"Why not?" Taylor's eyes became confused. Why was this man not doing unspeakable things to him right now. Callen was at a loss. Taylor didn't understand how wrong this was. He didn't understand that he shouldn't take such treatment.
"Because it's wrong and people shouldn't do that to you," Callen admitted. He could tell Taylor was shocked. All of the abuse he had over the years...Callen couldn't even imagine. Taylor's eyes then became suspicious and Callen wondered what he was thinking until he spoke again.
"Did the guards tell you my name?" the question caught Callen off guard. Taylor clearly saw recognition in the man's eyes as if he had known him from somewhere else...
"No. They didn't." Callen whispered. "Do you...remember me?" he asked uncertainly. Taylor tilted his head to the side in confusion. "I could understand if you didn't. It was so long ago. You used to call me big brother because you didn't believe my name was actually Callen." He chuckled in memory. He was flashing back before Taylor could even answer.
Fifteen year old G. Callen wasn't used to this new home. The McCormick's. That's what their last names were but he didn't know their first names. That sometimes happened. He would only know the last names of the people he was staying with because sometimes he would only stay with them for a couple of hours, maybe a couple of days, or if he was lucky a couple of weeks. He was walking outside the perimeter of his new "home" and kicking stones when he noticed one of the kids playing. There was quite a few of them here, he noticed. He was old enough to realize when someone was fostering you for money or if they genuinely wanted to add a new person to their family.
The boy was young, probably three or four, and was playing with a toy construction truck. He was pushing it back and forth in the dirt, making motor noises. Kids his own age Callen didn't really get along with but the younger kids he did mostly because they were fun to be around. Callen chuckled at the boy and stopped when the kid suddenly flinched, turning around at the sound.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Callen placated him. The boy relaxed slightly.
"Who are you?" the boy asked. His darker skin and hair made his green eyes stand out.
"My name is Callen. I'm your new foster brother." Callen stuck out his hand to shake. "You usually shake hands when you meet a person." Callen instructed when the kid didn't respond. "What's your name?" he asked when the kid still didn't shake his hand.
"Taylor." The kid fidgeted and then suddenly blurted out. "Is your name really Callen?"
"Yeah, why?" Callen got irritated slightly. He never told anyone his first name anymore. It was just...stupid. People didn't understand.
"What's your last name?"
"That is my last name."
"What's your first name, then?" Callen sighed.
"I...don't have one." There. Maybe that would be a little bit easier to understand. I mean, G's a letter. How could that possibly be a name?
"You don't have one?" Taylor yelled in surprised innocence. Callen laughed when Taylor scrunched his eyes in concentration.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"I know what to call you!" Callen looked at him in confusion.
"What?" Callen asked.
"Big brother! There, now you have a name!" Callen smiled and shook his head. "Come on Big brother, let's go play!" Taylor tugged at his hand and began running.
It seemed Taylor was seeing into the past as well because when Callen came around to the present once more, he saw Taylor's eyes were slightly unfocused. Callen sighed and began picking at his tennis shoe. He had his eyes cast down when he heard a whisper.
"I-I remember you."
Wow, that took longer than I thought! Sorry for the delay. Now that I am out of school there should be no excuse. Hopefully I will have chapter five be up soon. I don't like leaving my readers hanging for too long cause I know how irritating that can be!