The Most Magical Place on Earth – Chapter 7: Promises
Thank you for your patience! I really hope this chapter was worth the wait. Please let me know what you think!
Huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story. Your feedback really is a great help and a motivator. Your words and kindness have kept propelling me toward the finish line.
Another Great Big Warm Thank you being sent out to Tangledupandsideways. Thank you for beta reviewing this chapter and more importantly for always being so patient, encouraging, and helpful!
When I began writing this chapter, I had actually thought it would be the last one. Surprisingly the story wasn't ready to end just yet. This whole experience has been me getting out of the way and allowing the story to naturally unfold. A few times it meant coercing things out of hiding.
Which leads to a Big Ol' Special Thank You to SassyCop for helping with the FBI involvement in this chapter. I got stuck on this story line for a bit and the insights you provided got me going down the right path.
FYI – SassyCop is being published! So check out her bio page and consider picking up her new books. Support a fellow FanFiction writer!
I do not own Lie to Me, the characters, dialogue, or events in the episodes.
Robert was terrified. The mean man had Gillian. His Gillian.
He desperately wanted to run out there and hit him or... or kick him or… well anything, anything to save her.
But Michael stopped him. Michael wouldn't let him go. Michael said Robert couldn't help Gillian that way. The men were too strong. If Robert went out there he would be captured too. Then they would have Robert and Gillian, and that would not help anyone.
Robert shook as the tears ran down his face. It was so hard to listen to Michael, even though in his heart he knew that what Michael said was true. Robert wasn't strong enough. He hadn't been strong enough to help mommy and daddy. He wasn't strong enough to save Gillian. It just wasn't fair.
Michael told him that when it was safe they would go get help.
But Robert didn't want to hear that.
He hated the mean man! Hated that he kept taking the people Robert loved away from him. First his parents, then Darcy and Brian. Now Gillian.
Tears poured down Robert's face. The mean man had a picture and he was showing it to Gillian. Robert couldn't see what was on the photo but he saw Gillian shake her head no.
He heard the mean man say, "She knows something. Take her."
Robert bit his lip to keep from making a noise. He watched as Gillian tried to pull out of the big man's arms but he was too strong. Robert fisted his hands so tight his fingernails dug into his skin, but he listened to Michael and stayed put. He didn't even flinch when the big man held something over Gillian's mouth, but a single tear ran down his cheek as he listened to Gillian's muffled cries and watched as she dropped to her knees.
The big man picked her up and put her over his shoulder. Robert saw her face one last time before they disappeared down the hallway. Her eyes were closed like she was sleeping.
When they were out of sight, Robert knew it was time to act. He would be brave.
"I may not be strong enough but I can be brave," he told Michael. "I'll find someone who is strong enough. Someone who can save Gillian."
'But how will you make them listen?' An ugly thought rose in his mind. 'Mommy and Daddy didn't listen to you. You're only a child. Who will listen to a child? Who will believe you?'
Robert shuddered at the questions in his head. "I'll just have to find someone who will listen to me. Someone who will trust me." He responded out loud. Then looking at Michael, he realized who they needed to find. Michael nodded in agreement.
Squaring his shoulders, Robert pushed the door open as carefully and quietly as he could and squeezed through. Making sure the door closed without making a noise, he took one last glance down the hallway where the men had taken Gillian.
'I'll find someone Gillian.' He told her in his mind. 'I promise.'
With that, he turned and ran in the other direction.
Cal sat with his head in his hands. How had this gone so wrong so quickly?
"I'm sorry Cal, really I am." Sharon said for what felt like the hundredth time. He couldn't even bother responding. His past had ruined the best thing in his life.
Worst of all he hadn't even been able to explain himself. Gillian's face had been all he needed to see. Her devastation broke his heart. All trust in him had died in that moment. It was killing him; and it was all his own doing. So desperate to keep his daughter from realizing where Gil's room was, he had rushed out of their room with some stupid excuse and had forgotten to grab the room key. Wallowski had only been trying to help when she followed him out. He knew that really, but it was shite timing.
The group around him was uncharacteristically quiet. Uncertainty coupled with concern for Cal's defeatist attitude had left them without their earlier fervor.
Emily sat next to her dad on the couch, rubbing his back in an attempt to comfort him. She wasn't sure what had happened, but could tell it wasn't good.
Ria perched on a side chair biting her lip. Sharon's face was an open book of apologetic guilt. There was no reading Lightman as his face was hidden in his hands. Yet Ria was still fairly certain it had something to do with Foster. It didn't take rocket science to know that only two people could rock Cal so badly. As Emily was accounted for, that only left Gillian. A 'harumph' caught her attention as she looked up at Reynolds.
Ben was pacing back and forth. It was clear he was getting more and more agitated as time passed without an explanation. He was tired. Tired of no answers. Tired of waiting for Lightman to explain his weird behavior. He opened his mouth to start asking questions, but was interrupted by a loud banging on the door.
Ben turned to look just as Cal jumped up from the couch. Emily grabbed her father's hands in panic. Ria slid into the seat shrinking down behind the arm of the chair. Sharon's hand went to her gun.
Spotting Wallowski's stance, Ben motioned for all of them to stay back as he went to the door, hand on his own weapon. He peeked through the peephole but didn't see anything at first. Then he heard what sounded like a child's voice accompanying another round of banging.
"Let me in! Let me in! It's Gillian! They have her! They have her!"
Before Ben could even grab the door knob, Cal had knocked him out of the way and pulled the door open. A screaming, crying Robert had rushed in and wrapped his arms around Lightman's legs. He was hysterical.
"They have Gillian. They have Gillian. We have to stop them."
There was nothing on the feeds.
'Why was there no sign of these guys on the feeds?' Eli's frustration and concentration were both etched in the lines on his face. His eyes were running back and forth across the laptop screen searching the hallways and stairways of the hotel for any sign of the members of the gang.
"God! Why are there so many people here?" Eli stood up slamming his hands on his legs in frustration. Pacing over to the table to pour himself a coffee, he pondered the options available to him. There had to be something he was missing.
After adding the creamer to his cup, he stirred it with one of the little plastic sticks. Then turning he threw the stirrer into the metal bin next to the table. Something caught his eye. It was the reflection on the metal surface as his arm returned to his side.
Eli turned his head sideways looking at the trash can. His eyes moved back and forth in thought. Something elusive played at the edge of his mind. If only he could figure out what it meant.
The ring of a phone made him jump. Several agents stood up at the noise. 'Glad I'm not the only one on edge.' Eli thought running his hand through his hair as Agent Prefti answered the cell.
"You found the boy…" The agent's face frowned in response to what he was hearing. "But how… Right. We're headed your way." Prefti signaled to the agents remaining in the room as he headed for the door. Grabbing his jacket he pulled it on as the agents followed him out into the hallway.
Eli watched them go shaking his head. No one ever told him anything.
"What do you mean they have Gillian?"
"Who has Gillian?"
"Where did they take her?"
"Oh my god Robert! Are you ok?"
Each of them shouted out questions in unison at the poor kid who was glued to Cal's legs in terror. It was Em's question though that caught Cal's attention. Leave it to her to be just like Gillian and care about the kid first.
"Oy!" he yelled at the lot of them giving them a cursory glance to be quiet before squatting down and prying Robert off his legs so he could look him in the eyes. The poor kid felt like a rag doll in his hands. Cal was pretty much holding him up. He was careful not to shake the boy, although part of him felt an impulse to do just that, the part of him that desperately needed to know how to find and protect Gillian. Instead he lowered his voice and slowly spoke to the child.
"Robert, you said they have Gillian. Who has Gillian?"
Something in Robert's eyes flashed. Cal saw the terror go across his face. Robert whispered, "The mean man."
Cal would have continued this line of questioning but he heard Ria's gasp behind him. "Agron Shehu," she clarified. Cal risked a brief look at her, Sharon, and Ben. The confidence in their faces was enough confirmation for Cal.
"Where did they take her Robert? Do you know?" he asked the boy again speaking slowly and softly.
Robert looked at Cal and shook his head biting his lip. "No. I don't know where…" Cal felt his insides tighten. "But I saw them go down the hallway."
"Right. Can you show us Robert? Can you show us where they went?" Cal knew he was asking a lot of the kid. He was already so drained physically and emotionally. But Robert once again surprised him. The kid pulled from a reserve of strength that Cal couldn't believe he even had. Pushing back his shoulders and taking a deep breath Robert nodded and turned to open the door behind him.
"Cal are you sure it's the best idea to…" Wallowski gestured toward the kid as if to ask if they really wanted to expose him to further danger.
"Got a better one?" Cal growled back at her. She shut her mouth and looked away.
Standing up Cal followed Robert into the hall, barely registering that the rest of them were following behind him. He could hear Ben whispering into his phone having already reached out to Agent Prefti. Robert led them down the hall and around a bend before pointing further down the hallway toward the lobby.
"They're headed toward the lobby," Ben whispered as he pulled out his gun and took off in the direction pointed out by Robert.
Cal felt the pull to race after Ben, but knew he had to take care of Robert and Emily. He could already see Em's face starting to prepare to fight him, but he played the sympathy card. "Em, I need you to watch after Robert." Guiding the boy toward his daughter with a gently hand on the kid's shoulder, he attempted to step around Robert. "Take him back to the room and don't let anyone in until I phone you."
Ria and Wallowski were already edging around the two youngsters in an attempt to follow Ben.
"I'll ring you as soon as we have Gil." With that Cal turned prepared to take off with Ria and Sharon when the boy's shout stopped them all.
"NO!" Robert had grabbed ahold of Cal's arm and was now pulling him in the other direction. "You can't go that way. You can't!"
"What? Why Robert…? What's this about? I need to save Gillian." Cal was already trying to extricate himself from the determined young man's glue like hold on him. His frustration was mounting. He needed to get to Gillian. "Let go!"
"NO! No you can't go that way. You won't make it in time. You won't save her." Robert cried grabbing onto Cal's belt with his newly freed hand; Cal had just managed to pry it off of his arm.
Cal stopped and looked at the kid. "What do you mean?"
"Michael said we have to go this way!" Robert was now tugging Cal by the belt in the direction opposite to where Gillian had been taken. "Please we don't have time. We have to go now!"
"Robert, you just said Gillian was taken that way." Cal pointed back down the hall where Reynolds had run moments before. The lack of action on his own part was getting to Cal and his frustration was rising.
"I know, but that's not where she is. You have to trust me! Michael is NEVER wrong. We have to save Gillian. We have to go this way." The kid was still pulling on his arm in what Cal felt was the wrong direction.
Cal wondered how he could extricate himself from this situation. Robert was bordering on hysterical. Cal began trying to pry the kid's fingers off his belt. Perhaps if he could get the boy into the hotel room he could catch up with Reynolds still. Time wasn't on his side though and each second was eating away at him. He was so focused on how to get the kid off of him, that Ria's question to Robert stunned him.
"Michael told you Gillian was this way?"
Cal glanced at her as if she'd lost her mind. But she didn't notice. She was fixated on the boy's face. Cal realized even Wallowski was staring at Robert. Both women appeared to believe the answer was important.
"Yes! Michael said we have to go this way to get to Gillian in time." The boy nodded at both women. If Cal hadn't known better he would have sworn the kid had read the agreement on their faces and believed them to be allies.
"I think we should go with the kid." Ria shocked him even further.
Looking from her to Wallowski, he was astonished by the look on the cop's face. It seemed even Shazzer agreed with Robert. "Have you all lost your bloody minds?" Cal threw his hands up in frustration. "May I remind you that the kid just said that they took Gillian that way?" Pointing down the hall in the direction Reynolds had left.
"I know it doesn't make sense," Ria tried to explain, "but ..." pausing she bit her lip anticipating her boss' reaction, "Michael's been right before."
"Michael!?" Lightman glared at her, the sarcasm and disbelief evident in his tone. "Michael's been right before?! Well then you bloody go with Michael!"
"No!" Robert interrupted, fear causing his voice to shake. "Michael says you have to come. You have to save her. You're the only one who can!"
As the boy pleaded with him, Cal studied the worry on the kid's face. It was clear that Robert believed in Michael; that he believed going in the opposite direction was the best way to get to Gillian. Cal felt himself actually beginning to question which decision would be the right one.
Perhaps sensing Cal's resolve weakening, Robert struck one final blow. "Please. You promised. You promised you'd trust me. You promised!"
The kid's demand tore at Lightman's heart. Then his daughter crushed the last of his weakening resolve.
"Dad," Emily cut in. "Ben's probably already at the lobby with the other agents." She rested her hand on his shoulder. "You did promise."
Cal looked at his daughter as she stared back at him with compassion. He then looked down at Robert, the boy's earnest face pleading with Cal to listen to him. Breaking that promise would hurt the kid in a way Cal wasn't sure he was prepared to handle. Cal then glanced at Torrez and Wallowski. Both were set in agreement with the kid.
Cal's gut was in knots. Trusting Reynolds to save his Gillian was a hard pill to swallow. Hurting the kid after promising to trust him was doing something to Cal's psyche he couldn't seem to stomach. Running in the opposite direction from the best chance of saving Gillian was pulling his heart out.
"Trust me. Please!" Robert pleaded one last time, tugging hard on Cal's belt. "We have to go now!"
Looking the kid in the eye, Cal nodded, making his bed. God he hoped this kid was right. "Right. I trust you." Robert's eyes widened in momentary surprise before filling with an emotion that surprised Lightman. Hope.
"Let's go." Cal told him. With that Robert turned and raced down the hall, the others following him.
Cal couldn't resist one glance back over his shoulder as he followed. His only thought was, 'Please be alright Gil.'
Reynolds raced down the hallway in the direction the kid had indicated, adrenaline coursing through his veins. All the pent up frustration he had been feeling was now being channeled into the chase.
He slowed down as he approached a blind corner. Performing a visual check he saw no one in the vicinity but spotted an elevator door in an alcove off the main hall. Flicking open his phone, he scrolled quickly through the last few numbers he had dialed and hit send.
"Reynolds?" Eli's voice answered after half a ring.
"Loker, I need you to check the cameras in these hallways. I'm running blind, man."
"On it." Eli responded clicking away on his laptop. While he typed he switched to different camera feeds and gave a running play by play on what he saw. "Agent Prefti and his team of agents just left. I see a few of them in the lobby, looks like the rest are heading … in your direction. There you are Ben."
Ben looked around and spotted the camera. Wiping his hand down his face in exasperation, he clenched his teeth as he responded. "Right, Loker. I need to know about the Albanian boys. Kid came tearing up to Lightman's room screaming about Gillian being taken…"
"Foster?" Eli interrupted his typing fingers froze in mid key stroke. Concern and confusion was evident in his voice. "Foster's been taken?"
"Apparently!" Ben's voice rose. "So get these cameras working and tell me where I need to go!"
Furious typing noises followed Ben's rant. Loker was speeding through the feeds providing frustrated commentary as he scanned the images. "I see you, Ben. There's Agent Prefti… but these guys… they aren't on any of the feeds. It's like they know where the cameras are and are avoiding them." Eli's frustrated exhale was followed by silence then more frantic typing. "Wait… wait, there's something here… There you are!"
"Finally!" Ben huffed.
"I saw a flicker of something on one of the camera feeds." Loker continued his play by play. "So I zoomed in on the video. It's a reflection. Looks like a group of them are one floor below you, still heading toward the lobby..."
Before the words even formed on his lips, Loker read Ben's mind and answered the unasked question. "You can take that elevator there in the alcove. I'm interfacing with it now. It should be headed to your floor as we speak. Take it one floor down and head toward the lobby."
"Right." Ben moved into the alcove and hit the down button on the elevator. "Eli, get ahold of Agent Prefti. Direct him so we stop these guys and get Foster back."
"On it." Eli responded before the line went dead.
Trusting him to do his job, Ben felt an odd sensation run down his spine as the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Glancing around in confusion he got on the elevator and hit the button for the lower floor. As the doors closed, he realized what felt so weird.
He was alone.
"Where the heck is Lightman?"
Racing behind Robert proved to be more of a challenge than expected. Those little legs were fast. When the kid turned and pushed open a door that was hidden in a little alcove, they almost over shot him.
The door led to a stairwell which Robert headed down. The stairs proved a bit more difficult for him. He couldn't race down them as fast as he had run along the hallways as he had to hold onto the railing. Unable to abide by another delay, Cal scooped him up in his arms and carried him.
"Keep going down!" Robert called out directions to Cal as they raced down the stairs.
They were all panting by the time the stairs leveled out on a landing with an exit door. A sign on the door read "Parking Deck".
"Here." Robert told Cal pointing at the doorway. "Through that door. Michael says Gillian is through there."
Cautious energy took over the group at his words and they all instantly quieted. Cal set the boy down and edged over to the door. Opening it as silently as he could, he snuck a peak outside before pulling his head quickly back in.
It was as labelled: a parking deck. His cursory glance showed no signs of people only parked cars. His heart dropped into his chest. Why hadn't he followed Reynolds?
Reynolds heard the sound of approaching footsteps as he neared the end of the hallway. Slowing his speed and hugging the wall he held his gun at the ready. A rumbling in his pocket alerted him to an incoming call. He had silenced the ringer in fear of this very thing.
Sliding the phone out of his pocket, he eyed the caller id. 'Now is not a good time Eli,' he thought. About to slip the phone back into his pocket, he noticed out of the corner of his eye a hallway camera. Shaking his head in frustration, he flipped open the phone and held it to his ear. The look he shot the video feed conveying just what he thought of the Loker's interruption.
"That's not the Albanian boys." Loker's voice echoed in his ear. The confusion on Ben's face was clear even on Loker's laptop feed. "It's Agent Prefti and his team."
Ben hesitated, then looking at the camera in exasperation, he called out. "Prefti?"
"Reynolds?"
Recognizing the other agent's voice Ben slammed his hands down. "Dammit Loker!"
Ben rounded the corner holding both arms up in appeasement. The agents on the other side of the hallway lowered their own weapons.
Picking the phone back up to his ear, Ben demanded. "Where the hell are they?"
"Off to your right, there should be a stairwell entrance," Eli responded.
Ben motioned for the agents to follow him as he approached the door. Slowly opening it he cleared the space before nodding his head indicating that Prefti and the team should follow him.
"Talk to me Loker!" He whispered into the phone.
"Down. The stair well leads to an exit." Eli said in his ear.
Still pressing the phone to his ear, Ben held his gun aloft and motioned for the team to follow him down the stairs. They made it one flight down before Ben halted them abruptly at the sound of Eli's voice in his ear.
"The exit's to a parking deck. They are out there, headed toward the lobby."
Ben paused at the question in Eli's voice. "What Loker?"
"It's just… odd. Before they were avoiding the cameras, but now they are strolling right down the middle of the parking lot like they don't care they're being watched. It's just…" Eli tried explaining to Ben the sense of foreboding he had.
"I got it Eli. They've changed their m.o. and that's enough to concern me too." Ben emphasized to Loker that he too was on high alert. "But they got Foster, so camera shy or not, we've got a meeting with them."
"Just… be careful." Loker whispered.
"Always am." Reynolds responded before hanging up the phone.
Ben took off down the stairs. The other agents followed closely behind.
Nodding at Wallowski, Cal attempted to convey that they were clear to exit. Holding the door open behind him, Cal exited first. Wallowski followed holding the door open as Robert and Emily came through. The last to leave was Ria and she closed the door behind her as quietly as she could.
Cal glanced at Robert and the kid pointed to their left. He nodded and set off in that direction, hoping against hope that the kid was right.
As he rounded a curve in the deck he heard the rumble of an engine. Cal held up his hands to stop the progression of those behind him. He snuck a look around the stone pillar that was blocking his view. A car was idling in the middle of the deck. The driver looked suspiciously like one of the brutes Cal had seen in the elevator.
The clanging of a door opening drew Cal's eye. A huge man emerged with something thrown over his shoulder. 'No, not something,' Cal thought as his heart jumped into his throat, 'someone.'
"Gillian." The whispered name only reached his own ears.
"Reynolds," Agent Prefti hung up his cell as he fell in step next to Ben. The team had just entered the parking deck behind them. "My men are approaching from the lobby."
Ben turned to Prefti and nodded. "We will have them blocked." Ben directed his next statement at the other agents with them. "The plan is to try and keep this from escalating, if possible, but keep your eyes and ears open. This could go south quickly."
Turning back to the task at hand, Reynolds rounded the corner and came face to face with a group of suited men heading in their direction.
'They must have spotted Prefti's men and turned back,' Ben deduced as he halted in front of them.
The group stopped when the man in front paused. He was obviously in charge. His eyes took in Ben, then dismissed him when he recognized Reynold's counterpart.
"Agent Prefti," the man snarled with barely masked hatred. "This is a surprise."
Reynolds could sense the history there and decided to take a back seat on this exchange. Sometimes having anonymity was a benefit. Ben felt Prefti stiffen next to him.
"Agron Shehu."
Prefti's identification of the man in front of them raised the hairs on Ben's neck. According to the kid, this was the man who had Foster. But as his eyes quickly took in the group in front of them, her presence was notably absent. The blood rushed to his ears and his hands fisted in frustrated rage. He swallowed to get better control of his emotions. It was one of the few similarities he shared with Lightman, a soft spot for Gillian Foster.
Reynolds realized that the rest of Agent Prefti's team were now standing behind Shehu and his goons. Prefti was now showing his credentials to the group in front of them. Ben let out a breath to clear his ears. It was important for him to pay attention.
"…You and your boys here are wanted in connection to the recent disappearance of …"
"I'm afraid me and… my boys, as you put it, have no idea what you're talking about." Agron interrupted Prefti. "Now if we could go back to our business…"
"Business is it?" Ben interrupted, unable to restrain himself any longer. "Isn't this a vacation spot? What kind of business is it you're working here?" Spinning with his arms out Reynolds kept a close eye on Mr. Shehu's face when he posed the next question. "Kidnapping women maybe?"
There was no response on the man's face, save a slight narrowing of the eyes. The men behind him, however, straightened a bit at Ben's line of questioning.
"I can assure you, agent…?" Trailing off the statement as a question directed toward Ben, Agron Shehu began to reevaluate the agent he had previously dismissed.
"Reynolds." Ben hissed out his name, staring the man down intimidatingly.
"Reynolds." Agron repeated, staring right back. "We have no need to resort to kidnapping is it," disdain oozed off the word as he said it. "Women naturally want what we can provide them. We are never in short supply when it comes to the ladies." Shehu smirked but the smile never reached his eyes.
"Isn't that right boys?" Looking around at his men they laughed in response but immediately stopped when he continued speaking. "Perhaps you have issues on that front… Agent Reynolds… perhaps you should see a doctor about that."
There was no question in Ben's mind that the nasty way he emphasized doctor was directly related to Gillian Foster. It took all of his restraint to keep himself from punching the man in the face.
The sound of the car's trunk popping open caused Cal to break his eye contact with the pair. Glancing over, he saw that the driver had exited the vehicle and was walking toward the trunk. The driver motioned for the large goon to hurry up and pointed toward the trunk, saying something in another language. Cal realized quickly what their game plan was.
Turning around, he whispered, "Em, you keep Robert out of sight. Go back in the stair well. Stay there and stay low." He eyed his daughter conveying the danger he knew was around them.
Nodding, she reached her arm around Robert's chest and pulled his back to her in an awkward hug. Moving so her arm was around his shoulder, she maneuvered him back towards the stair entrance. Both kids gave one last look over their shoulders at Cal before they disappeared from his view.
Turning to Wallowski, he said, "There's two men, a big guy and a driver. Gil's unconscious. Car's running. Follow my lead." He then made a few motions with his hands, basically telling her that he would be going out toward the two and she should go left through the cars to cover him.
Sharon nodded her understanding. Ducking below the windows of the cars she stealthily made her way along the wall of the parking deck.
Cal turned the other way, scooting low across the open area toward the cars parked across from them. The goons hadn't spotted him… yet. They were contemplating the trunk of the vehicle. The one carrying Gil, was almost to the open boot and had swung her off his shoulder as if to get a better angle to deposit her inside it.
'Not gonna happen buddy.' Cal thought. His one goal was to keep Gillian outside that running car.
Reynolds face contorted with the barely contained rage he felt. This punk deserved more than an ass whooping. But Ben was too professional to lose this on a technicality. Straightening his tie, then smoothing his jacket lapels, he cracked his neck before responding to Shehu's implication.
"Now that's funny, isn't it?" Ben turned around as if he was looking at the other agents, mocking Shehu's earlier interaction with his men. "You throw the word doctor out there like it's some kind of pun, when in reality you know that the woman we are looking for is a doctor. She's the one you kidnapped." Ben stepped very far into Shehu's personal space, gazing with disgust at the man's face. "And I guarantee that when we find her, and we will find her, you will regret that decision for the rest of your life."
"Is that a threat agent Reynolds?" Agron spit back at him.
"No. That's a promise." Ben growled in response before reaching his hand into his pocket. The men behind Agron moved to do the same, believing Reynolds to be going for his gun. Their actions sent the agents on edge and they drew their own weapons.
"Gentlemen," Shehu held his hands up to stop his men but he didn't step away from Reynolds. It was apparent that Agron knew how the law worked and didn't want to risk having his men pull their guns on the agents. The goons behind him instantly moved their hands away from their weapons. "I'm sure we can handle this civilly." Shehu eyed Reynolds before turning dismissively and addressing Agent Prefti. "I suppose, Agent Prefti, that you have a warrant for our arrest? Otherwise we will be leaving." Agron made a motion as if to walk past Reynolds who stepped back in front of him blocking his path.
Pulling his hand out of his pocket, Ben swung the set of handcuffs in a mocking gesture in front of Agron. "I don't think so." Ben sneered.
Wallowski slowly crept her way up the side of the parking deck, holding her gun out in front of her. There was no telling what Lightman would do, especially as Gillian was involved, so she was on high alert.
Popping her head up over the hood of a car to sneak a glance in the direction of the car, she confirmed what Cal had told her. A large man with something over his shoulder was approaching the opened trunk of the idling vehicle. The smaller man, she assumed this was the driver, was also standing behind the car.
Glancing to her right she spotted Cal striding down the center of the deck with his chest puffed out. 'Here we go,' she thought.
Cal took a deep breath before standing and sauntering up the roadway toward the running vehicle.
"Oy!" He called out. "Big fella! You're lady friend have a bit too much bubbly then?"
The two men looked up over the raised trunk. Cal saw the cabbie, drop his lit cigarette and turn to take a cue from the big fella. The big guy lowered Gillian to the ground. Cal read on their faces the instant before they went for their guns. He dove between two cars on his right just as they opened fire.
Glass from the parked cars shattered all around Cal as the bullets rang out in the parking lot. Several car alarms began to blast, but above all that noise he heard Wallowski's voice identifying herself.
Emily huddled in the corner of the stairwell holding Robert next to her. They were sitting in shadow. She didn't know whether to stay silent or try talking to the kid to keep him, and honestly herself, calm. As she contemplated the question, Robert took the decision from her.
"Michael says it's going to be ok." The little boy whispered patting her hand gently. "He says we are safe here."
"I'm glad Michael thinks so." Emily hugged Robert closer to her. How was it the kid was keeping her calm? That was her job, wasn't it?
Robert snuggled into her lap getting comfortable.
Emily could smell the apple scent of shampoo in his hair. She rested the side of her face on his head for a moment, then nibbled her lower lip.
Before she could second guess herself she asked the question that had been worrying her more than their own safety. "Robert… did… did Michael say anything about Dad… I mean, Cal and Gillian? Are … I mean will they be…" Her whispered voice trailed off.
She was so worried about both of them her stomach was in knots. She was trying to stay strong for Robert, but it was really hard. Emily knew how much trouble her dad was capable of getting himself into.
Robert turned and looked up at her with those big eyes. "Emily, he…"
They both jumped as the sound of gunshots filled the parking lot. Robert turned in her lap. Hiding his face, he hugged her like his life depended on it. She hugged him back, holding onto him like it would somehow help keep her dad and Gillian safe. Silent tears ran down her face as she internally prayed, 'Please let them be ok. Please let them be ok.'
Slipping a few cars further up under the cover of Lightman's cockney accent, Wallowski kept his form in her periphery. Ducking quickly behind the hood of a sedan when she saw Lightman's form dive between two cars on his right, her brain automatically prepared her for the shots that rang out.
'So this is how they want to play it?' she thought. Jumping up behind the sedan she yelled out above the gun fire. "D.C. P.D. Freeze! Drop your weapons!"
Knowing full well they were not going to listen, she immediately dropped back down to the ground as car windows around her exploded.
Ria heard one of the men yell "cop" followed by a stream of cuss words in another language. Had she been interested in analyzing the man's voice, she would have easily gauged the shock at a police presence. But Torrez was more interested in making it out of this alive.
As if the profanities were not enough to emphasize their displeasure, the men promptly began shooting at Shazzer.
Ria had no idea what the detective was thinking, except from her vantage point, she could see that Lightman was using the distraction to sneak around the car he was behind and creep up along the wall. He was moving closer to the running car.
When the men stopped shooting, Ria watched Wallowski return fire. She was positioned between a mini-van that had backed into the parking spot and an old sedan. Ria came around the back of the van and stayed there. She had no idea where the bullets might ricochet.
Part of her desperately wanted to go back and hide with Emily and Robert. It was that childhood Ria, the helpless kid that she had fought tooth and nail to bury. The adult part of her, the part that faced adversity with stubbornness and sheer will, refused to run and hide. It wanted to stay close to Sharon, to help her in any way it could.
So Torrez stayed rooted to the spot, watching as Wallowski called out, "Throw down your weapons and put your hands on your head."
The men responded by firing at her.
"Agron Shehu," Ben's voice was clear and authoritative. "You are under arrest in connection with the kidnapping of Doctor Gillian Foster and attempted interference with an ongoing federal investigation. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say, can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights as I have explained them to you?"
"Yes Agent Reynolds." Agron sneered. "I understand you perfectly."
"Then turn around." Ben held the handcuffs up.
"That really won't be necessary." Shehu eyed Ben. "I'm willing to come along peacefully. As are my men." Agron turned as if he was looking at them to confirm their agreement, but in reality his eyes never left Reynold's face. The men of course nodded without looking at Agron. They too were focused on Ben and the other agents.
"Ben?" Prefti approached him from the side and gently laid a hand on his shoulders. "We …"
But whatever it was Agent Prefti had planned to say was interrupted by the loud retorts of gun fire echoing in the parking deck from behind them.
Instantly, all hell broke loose. The agents and Shehu's men scattered seeking cover and drawing their weapons for protection.
Cal was now almost in line with the hood of their car. For some reason they seemed to have forgotten about the crazy loud Englishman. Which was good news for him. Glancing quickly around the hood, he spotted the smaller man sneaking around the driver's side of the car. It appeared that he was planning to get back into the driver's seat, presumably to take off in the car.
'Shit!' Cal thought as he lowered himself back down, resting his back briefly on the hood of the parked car behind him. He couldn't let them take off with Gillian; he might never find her again. But there was no way to communicate this to Wallowski without blowing his own cover.
"Lower your weapons and come out with your hands up." Wallowski called out when there was a pause in gun fire. She had no doubt they would continue to ignore her. Her hope was to distract them enough to buy Lightman time.
Surprisingly, a heavily accented voice responded, "You come out first cop," followed by a pause. Then he laughed and said, "Maybe we don't kill you," before he resumed firing at her.
'Fucking asshole,' she thought as she retreated further back behind the car for better protection.
It was utter bedlam. No one knew from which direction the gun fire was coming as the sound echoed throughout the parking deck.
The FBI had their weapons aimed at Shehu's men demanding they stop shooting, while the Albanian boys had their guns pointed right back.
"Cease fire and throw down your weapons." Prefti called out across the parking deck to Shehu's boys.
"We aren't the ones shooting Agent Prefti and my men will not lower their weapons until we know who is firing at us." Agron's voice could be heard loud and clear in response to Prefti's demand.
"This is the FBI! Lower your weapons." Reynolds' demand was met with silence and no action on the part of Shehu and his men.
"We need to know who is shooting." Prefti directed his comment at Ben. The older agent was squatting next to Reynolds behind the hood of a blue sedan.
Looking around for the source of the gun fire, Ben's eyes rose to the ceiling. He spotted a camera which gave him an idea. "Give me a second." Reynolds met Prefti's eyes to receive confirmation. "I'm gonna find out."
Prefti nodded as Ben circled low behind him. He hit Ben's back in a further sign of confirmation. Taking Ben's now unoccupied space at the far end of the hood. He reengaged with Shehu and his men. "This is the FBI. We demand you throw down your weapons now!"
Prefti didn't expect compliance but wanted to give Reynolds cover. The agent's voice echoing through the parking lot was more than enough noise to drown out Ben's footsteps.
Reynold's for his part swiftly made his way back toward the entrance to the hotel. Slipping past cars, he pulled his phone out and scrolled to the correct number. Rounding a corner in the parking deck, he scanned for any of Shehu's men. Noting the scene was clear, he took a few quick steps to the door, opened it and slipped inside already dialing Eli.
Cal heard the pop of the driver's door opening despite the man's attempt to cover it with his voice. He took the chance to skirt up one more car length. Stopping he took a steadying breath. He'd made it; he was now in line with the running vehicle.
Despite his attempts to calm himself, his heart still hammered in his chest. Perhaps that was best. He always seemed to operate better when running on adrenaline. It had a clarifying quality it did.
His mind ran through his half formed plan. He needed to get to the trunk before they put Gillian in. He had to time it just right. Leaning back against the hood of the vehicle he was hiding behind, he glanced up. Cal wasn't a praying man, but perhaps the circumstances justified the moment for him. There were two things in the world he couldn't lose.
That one look up, though, changed everything. It was roulette and he had hit double 00. Right above him, somehow unbeknownst to the two Albanian hit men, was one of those round reflection mirrors to enable drivers to see around corners. Reflected in the mirror, Cal could see each man's every step.
Cal was just given everything he'd need to time this just right.
"Loker? What the hell is going on? We've got shooting down here in the parking deck. Where the hell is it coming from?"
Eli knew who it was without having to check his phone. Ben's voice betrayed both the adrenaline and the tension he was feeling.
For his part Eli didn't respond in normal Loker fashion. There was no running commentary or explanation of what he was doing as his fingers flew over the typewriter. Eli could tell Ben didn't have the patience for that and the circumstances warranted a quick response.
It was only seconds before Loker's voice brought them both up short, "Lightman?"
Ben stopped dead in his tracks.
Eli literally jumped forward in his chair to get closer to the screen. "Holy crap! Lightman's hiding behind a van in the parking deck. There's two men in the middle of the road. They've got a car running. One just dropped something… on the ground…" Eli paused in mid-sentence as he pulled up another video feed. The pause grew longer as his brain tried to digest what it was seeing on the screen.
"Oh crap Ben. It's Gillian. Holy shit, it's Foster on the ground." The panic in Eli's voice was causing his voice to raise an octave. "Ben, they've got the trunk open. Ben they're trying to take her in the car..."
Eli shook unable to pull his eyes from the screen. He couldn't remember ever feeling so useless.
There was nothing he could do to stop this.
Rotating on his hips, Cal prepared himself to jump up on a moment's notice and take off running. He watched as the driver got into the car. The man transferred the gun he was holding to his left hand and stuck his arm up over the hood of the car through the opening between the door and the windshield. This wasn't a good angle for him to fire, but he attempted it anyway. The shots were obviously meant solely to distract Wallowski because the bullets were bouncing off the ceiling. The driver wasn't watching where he was aiming the weapon, instead he was reaching with his right hand to put the car into drive.
At the same time, the giant brute in the back slipped his gun into the trunk and bent to lift Gillian's unconscious form. Time seemed to slow down. Cal sprung up at the exact moment the big guy's knees extended upwards to lift Gillian. He employed all those years of drunk fights in the pubs to his advantage, plowing into the man and using the upward motion of his legs against him.
All three of them went flying. Gillian rolled out of the big man's arms and across the concrete floor. The big man smacked his head on the ground having not expected the blow from Cal. Cal, on the other hand, rolled with the fall and scrambled up almost immediately and slammed the trunk down.
The trunk slamming must have been a signal for the driver, because he reached across and popped open the side door. But when the big guy didn't get in, he turned and spotted Cal grinning like a Cheshire cat. The driver was not pleased and turned toward Cal with his gun.
Wallowski again ducked behind a car to hide from the random spray of bullets heading in her direction. The pattern of fire was more haphazard than before telling her that they were using it as cover rather than specifically aiming at her.
Another noise drew her attention and she risked a glance over the hood of the car. She saw the large figure topple over toward the ground and whatever he had been holding go flying before she ducked back down. The sound of the trunk slamming spurred her to risk another glance around the car.
There standing behind the car with a huge grin on his face was Cal Lightman. Movement caught her eye as the driver was pulling his left hand, holding the gun which had been firing at her back into the car. She heard someone scream "Lightman!" from behind her.
Turning around she jumped up automatically and grabbed Ria tackling her backwards behind the parked cars before the woman could endanger herself.
"What the fuck!" She whispered vehemently in Torrez's ear. "Stay here!" Emphasizing the spot with her finger pointed down, Wallowski turned and risked a glance over the hood of the vehicle she was now huddled behind.
Unconsciously, as he listened to Loker, Reynolds reentered the hotel and began walking back in the direction he had left Lightman. "Where Loker? Where are they?"
But Loker didn't respond. He was too riveted by what he was watching unfold on the screen: one of the men was moving to get into the drivers' side of the running car.
Pulling up another feed, Eli whispered "Wallowski?" She had just popped up from behind a car on the other side of the parking deck.
"LOKER!" Ben's voice broke through the young man's haze.
"Uh, yeah Ben, sorry…" Loker typed a few buttons. "Wallowski's with Lightman. They're in the parking deck. She's on the right side opposite Lightman."
Reynolds turned around in the hallway as if to head back toward Agent Prefti and the team.
"No!" Ben stopped at Eli's shout. "Not that way. Go down three hallways. There's an entrance there that's closer."
Ben began to run in that direction. "Are the men the ones who are shooting?" He asked through rapid breaths.
"Yeah, and Wallowski's returning fire." Eli confirmed pulling up several feeds. "I'm still only seeing the two men there."
"Good." Ben's response was short, conserving his breath. The man was sprinting down the hall, and he wasn't as young as he used to be.
"You're almost there Ben. Up ahead on the left, around the corner, there's a door to the parking lot. When you exit go right. They'll be around a few more bends."
Ben nodded knowing Loker would see it on his screen. He was too focused on following Eli's directions. Ben rounded the corner with his gun drawn in front of him and spotted the door to the parking deck. The last thing he heard before ending the call was Eli's whisper.
"Ben, be careful."
Broken glass rained down on Cal and he did the best to cover his head.
Luckily the driver's shooting arm had been draped across the windshield in his efforts to distract Walloski. This had afforded Lightman time to drop below the trunk before the driver was able to pull his arm around and shoot out the back glass.
Cal heard someone yell his name followed by the sound of more shooting.
Then the driver called out, "Veton! Tani! Tani!"
A groan from his side, alerted Cal to the big man's rising. The large man sat up and shook his head, apparently oblivious to the chaos around him. Something must have registered however, when he caught Cal's eye. Murderous rage tore through those cold eyes as the massive man's hands went for his gun.
But fate was on Lightman's side yet again. The big man had dropped the gun in the trunk before picking up Gillian. Cal had shut the trunk. The man's hands were searching his body for the now safely locked up gun. Cal's grin froze however when the realization spread over the large brute's face. The big man didn't need a gun to cause Cal harm. He stood up and his massive size towered over Lightman. Grinning he drew back a colossal fist.
Cal knew he was in for an epic beating and threw his arms over his face in a desperate attempt to defend himself. But nothing could prepare him for the massive fist that broke through his feeble defense, smashing his nose and blackened both eyes in one go. There was a rattling noise in his ears. When he attempted to open his now swollen eyes the world was spinning.
It took far too long for Cal to be able to focus on the detail of the man's face. It was almost like the huge man was waiting for Cal to be able to see his awful smirk before he pulled back that massive fist again. Cal couldn't even raise his arms this time in an attempt to defend himself.
But the punch never landed.
Instead he was falling backwards and felt his head strike the concrete.
Huddling behind the cars, Ria and Sharon exchanged surprised glances when they heard a door bang open from somewhere far behind Lightman. It was followed by the sound of running footsteps and shouts of "FBI! Freeze!"
Torrez broke out into a grin and Wallowski couldn't help but agree. The cavalry had finally arrived.
Then the ricochet of gunshots rang out.
"Fuck!" Wallowski hissed under her breath. The fear on Ria's face was mirrored in her own.
Ben burst through the door of the parking lot and swept the area. Spotting movement out of the corner of his left eye caused him to jump behind the nearest car just in time. He heard a voice that sounded suspiciously like Agent Prefti's call out "FBI, Freeze!"
The sounds of running footsteps preceded gunfire. Shots blasted through the glass above Ben's head, sending little pieces raining down around him.
A pause in the gunfire, led Ben to pop out from behind the car to quickly assess the situation. From what he could tell several agents, along with Prefti were exchanging fire with a few of Shehu's men.
The Albanians appeared to be inching their way closer to Ben, heading in the direction of Lightman and Foster. Perhaps they were back up to the two goons trying to kidnap Gillian.
'Not on my watch.' Ben thought to himself. Taking another quick glance he noticed something. While Prefti and his agents were engaging with the few men in the center of the parking lot, a lone figure was pressed against the wall, sneaking his way toward Ben, using the shooting as cover to dart between vehicles.
Risking another check to determine if he was in fact correct, Ben grinned smugly to himself. It was the damn devil himself.
'Well Agron,' Ben laughed internally, 'looks like it's just you and me.'
"Oy." Cal moaned before sitting halfway back up. The sound of running footsteps and cries of "FBI! Freeze!" followed by more gun fire echoed around him.
The brute that had let him go unceremoniously was now looking frantically around his feet. Cal focused as best he could on the man's features. Fear… no … panic registered on the big guy's face.
The brute stopped searching, his eyes had found Gillian's prone form several feet to his right. Cal watched the big man's face struggle with a decision. The large man risked a glance back toward the approaching footsteps. Cal could tell the man was weighing the time it would take to run over and grab Gillian with the closeness of the shouting runners.
As weak as he was, Cal didn't know what he could physically do to stop the man from touching Gil. But dammit he would not let him take her. Even if it killed him.
Wallowski again ducked when a random spray of bullets began to be fired loosely in her direction. Their pattern indicated to her that they were firing at her for cover and not actually aiming at her. Not that it mattered. A stray bullet could still ricochet and cause either her or Torrez some serious damage.
A lightbulb blew overhead causing Ria to jump at her side.
'Why hadn't she advised her to stay with Emily?' It wasn't safe here and it wasn't safe sending her back at the moment either.
She turned around and prepared herself to fire back when there was an opening. Assuming Cal was still behind the car, firing back caused her more concerns. Not that inadvertently hitting Lightman in the ass wouldn't be deserved, and potentially pleasant for her, but she didn't want to cause him any real damage. The realization actually surprised her a little bit and she found herself smirking.
"What?" Ria whispered staring at Sharon's face.
Wallowski just shook her head. Leave it to Torrez to read her face in a moment like this.
"You're boss." She replied shaking her head. "He's in my line of fire."
Ria's eyebrows rose before she nodded as if in understanding. "If you can," Ria told her, "aim for his smug British ass."
Wallowski's face broke out in a huge grin followed by Torrez returning the smile. It was an odd circumstance for humor but Sharon was used to the adrenaline playing out in weird ways. Not her first rodeo.
"I was thinking the exact same thing." Sharon responded.
"I could tell." Torrez pointed at Wallowski's face.
Abruptly Sharon turned away, acting as if she was preparing to check the car again. In reality, she needed to hide her features from the younger woman. Ria was getting way too good at reading her and she didn't to expose her current thoughts.
Wallowski had just felt a pull deep in her gut. One she had promptly rebuffed. A major realization was running through her mind: if the situation had been different she might just have kissed Torrez.
The Shehu brother never saw it coming.
Anticipating Agron's path, Ben had himself snuck down the parking deck along the opposite wall. Once he'd rounded a bend in the deck, he quickly moved across to the other side and hid behind a parked Tahoe. Silently he'd waited for Shehu to arrive.
The brother had been too busy looking over his shoulder at the agents exchanging fire with his men, to notice Ben until it was too late.
This time there was no delay in Reynold's actions. Slamming Agron to the ground, he quickly had him in handcuffs. Checking Shehu's pockets, Ben expected to find a weapon, but to his surprise there was only a cellphone. Glancing at the screen, Reynolds realized it was on. He heard a question being asked in another language.
"Agron? Agron!?" the voice asked frantically.
Pulling his gun out and pointing it at Shehu's temple, Ben pushed the man in the head with the barrel. Though Agron's face snarled back at Reynolds, Ben could see something resembling fear in the Albanian's eyes.
"Call off your boys, NOW!" He demanded. "And don't even think about any funny business."
Agron glared at Ben before swallowing and nodding. The slick man had been caught; and he knew it.
Ben held up the phone in front of Shehu's mouth. The man on the other end could still be heard calling to Agron, but the voice immediately stopped talking when Agron spoke, his voice rolling out solemnly. "Ndaluar. Shtroni armët tuaja."
There was a pause before he finished with, "Tani."
Cal gritted his teeth and tried to roll onto his knees when he heard the giant man grunt in frustration. The big lug's decision had been made.
Cal released the breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. The man had decided he didn't have time to grab Gillian. Instead the brute turned and jumped into the running car. Before he even shut the door, the tires made an awful squealing sound as the driver slammed on the gas.
Rolling over to cover his face from the exhaust fumes, Cal heard the car take off behind him. As he got to his knees, he risked a glance at Gillian and thanked Lady luck for still being with him.
That was three double zeroes. He wouldn't expect a fourth.
The noise of that followed Shehu's pronouncement of "Tani" shocked not only Reynolds but the other agents. Guns were being thrown out into the open. Men were holding their hands on their heads and slowly stepping out from behind cars. The Albanians were nothing if not loyal.
Though shocked the agents reaction was swift. They were on the men and handcuffing them before leading them off toward the waiting FBI envoy idling in front of the lobby.
Prefti and a handful of agents were shocked when Ben came strolling toward them with Agron Shehu cuffed in front of him. Before they could even ask Reynolds what had happened. The man shook his head, handed over Agron to Prefti's custody, then turned and bolted off toward Foster and Lightman.
Prefti motioned with his head towards a few of his agents, signaling they should follow Reynolds. Then turning he dragged Agron Shehu off reminding him yet again of his rights. There would be no technicalities on this one.
The noise of the car taking off, cleared Wallowski of all other thoughts. Jumping up as the vehicle sped past, she ran out behind it. Taking aim she attempted to shoot out the vehicle's tires, but the car was careening back and forth as the driver zig zagged.
Sharon saw that the passenger side door of the car was not closed. She watched as the large man in the seat turned around stretching his hand out the opening. Time seemed to slow down. He had a gun. As it rounded around toward her she raised her own gun to fire back, knowing somehow that there wasn't enough time.
Later Sharon Wallowski would swear she had saw the actual spark as the bullet left the chamber.
Focused as she was on the anticipation of being shot, she was unprepared when something slammed into her right side knocking her to the ground. Her face first smacked and then scraped against the concrete floor. Everything went black.
Somewhere in the periphery of his vision Cal spotted Wallowski running out behind the vehicle. He realized she was shooting at its tires. The side door of the car caught his attention. Specifically the giant man's arm which was extending out of the opening with a gun.
With no time to think, Cal launched himself off the ground and spread his body over Gillian in an effort to protect her. The shots rang out but Cal felt nothing, no pain or impact pressure. The gun shots stopped as the sound of the car turning a hard left out of the lot signaled to Cal that the men were gone.
Ria had no time to think about her actions, no time to debate what she was doing. Instinct took over as she watched the man pull his arm around to aim his gun at Wallowski.
Throwing every inch of herself into the lunge, she leapt off her feet toward the detective. The only thought in her mind was to stop Sharon from being hurt.
Reynolds heard one last gunshot coming from in front of him, as he approached the next bend in the parking deck. Then only eerie silence met his ears. Picking up the pace, he sprinted around the bend just in time to see the tail end of a vehicle taking a hard left on two tires. It sped out of the parking deck.
Too late to do anything about the car, Reynolds stopped and took in the scene in front of him. To his right he saw Lightman shielding someone on the ground. He watched as Cal sat up and looked over at a pair of prone figures in the middle of the road. Following his gaze, Ben recognized the two dark haired females. It was Wallowski and Torrez.
Loker hadn't been sitting idly in the control room while everything played out in the parking deck.
From the control room, he'd been able to lock down corridors, doors, and elevators thus preventing any civilians from accidentally getting into the fray. Informing the hotel liaison of his actions, he'd also convinced the man to institute emergency procedures to protect the guests.
Contacting both the FBI office and the local P.D. he'd arranged for back up. They assured him that they'd be on the scene shortly. The FBI contact had demanded to know where Prefti, Reynolds, and the undercover agents were located. Luckily, Loker could tell them based on the video feeds he was monitoring closely.
He was watching so intently in fact, that he had seen Lightman's close calls. Both times he had been shocked that the Brit was still alive. Realizing the man's luck had to run out eventually, he also told the local P.D. that an ambulance was needed in the parking deck. Not wanting them to be hurt, he reminded them that there was active shooting at the scene.
They'd wanted Eli to stay on the line, but he had too much to do and told them as much. After unceremoniously hanging up over their protests, he checked back over the entrances to the parking deck. He wanted to make sure he had successfully locked them all down. Loker jumped out of his seat when he spotted a familiar face on the video screen. Emily was huddled down in a corner by the stairwell closest to the escalating situation with Lightman. She was clutching a small boy tightly next to her.
Not giving it a second thought, Eli left in search of her; the only thought on his mind was bringing her back to the room safely. Having rushed out of the room, Loker never saw the last few minutes of the fight.
He never saw Wallowski jump up and shoot at the car as it careened out of the parking deck.
He never saw Lightman cover Foster with his own body, protecting her from the gunshot that rang out from the passenger side of the car.
He never saw Torrez throw herself into Wallowski, knocking the woman to the ground.
Eli Loker had no idea that Lightman wouldn't need the ambulance he had requested, someone else would.
