Oh fuck, Sam thought. Can I get the gun from him? He thought about what kind of moves he could use that Tolie wouldn't be able to counter.
"Don't." Tolie shook his head. He could see Braddock was considering his options. "The only option is to come with me and help me." He frowned at Sam. "What do you think your team would think of you if they knew you were a murderer?"
"I'm a sniper, they know." Sam said evenly. He avoided thinking of it that way, but he was paid to kill.
"No that's the job. But you killed your best friend in cold blood." Tolie spat pointing the gun angrily at him.
Sam went back to that fateful day. It came to him in flashes. He checked in with Matt and Tolie before they had to go silent. "You owe me a beer B." Matt had used their code for, "all clear, see you after." He had snapped to attention when he heard his commander give the coordinates for the next shot and the clear to fire signal.
Aim, squeeze. He looked through his scope and could see a blood spattered person on their knees screaming. That looks like, no it can't be. No no no. He had put his head down, screamed and pounded his fist into the God forsaken desert. When the commander had asked for confirmation he had pulled himself together enough to say, "target down."
"Target down." Sam repeated his eyes unfocused.
Tolie nodded, his hand holding the gun shaking. "Yeah. So now you're going to help me get back the one thing in my life worth living for. Let's go." He could see that Sam was only semi-cognizant. So he stepped forward and grabbed Sam's arm.
The touch brought him back to reality in a rush and Sam shook his head. No, he can't do this. If he does his career is over. Need a way to let someone know. Tolie has my phone. I'll have to find a way to get it from him.
He suddenly remembered his plans with Spike and Lew. Will they really miss him? Will they worry? He knew the team would worry when he didn't show for workout but that was two days away. Shit I'm in deep trouble.
As they reached the door Tolie said, "I'm putting the gun away, but if you resist or try to get away, so help me I will take out your team one by one starting with the pretty brunette."
Sam nodded in understanding. Maybe I can try to delay him somehow. To put him off for two days was going to be tough.
They walked to Tolie's rental parked behind Sam's building. Tolie opened the trunk and had Sam sit in it. When Sam tried to tell him it wasn't necessary, Tolie had punched him in the face hard knocking Sam out. He tied Sam's arms and legs and put a black hood over his face. He laid Sam down in the trunk and closed it.
This'll make it easier, he thought. He drove out of the city, took a country road a few miles out to an old abandoned two story house. He pulled up the drive and drove on the lawn to the back of the house, just in case. He got out and looked at the house. Every room has windows, so what was he going to do with Braddock? He had to hope that his threat to take out his team was motivation enough. He knew another soft spot if that didn't work.
Sam felt someone slapping his face and recoiled. He opened his eyes and focused angry eyes on Tolie. His arms and legs were already unbound so he sat up. "What the hell? I told you I'd cooperate." Sam put a hand to his face and moved his jaw gingerly. It was really sore where Tolie had hit him and he had a hell of a headache. Man, he still hits hard, Sam thought.
Thier first and only fight had been pretty ugly. Tolie had accused Sam of stealing his girlfriend, a woman working in the Middle East as part of the reconstruction efforts. Sam completely denied it. He'd seen the woman fall and helped her up. That was it. Someone had seen him holding her in his arms and made assumptions. She had hugged him to thank him.
Their yelling had quickly turned to fisticuffs. Tolie had some good bruises, but Sam had to have stitches in his head, a split lip and had a giant black eye. It was lucky Matt and a few others from the unit had been there or it could've been worse.
"It's better this way anyway." Tolie motioned him to follow. They walked up the steps of the wraparound porch and entered into the rear of the house. It was old and poorly maintaIned, but with a little work it could be really beautiful.
Sam looked around. They had entered into the living room. To the left through an arched doorway was the dining room. They walked forward towards the front of the house. There was a bedroom with a bathroom next to the living room and on the left side was a small kitchen with the stairs to the upstairs between the dining room and kitchen.
They walked upstairs and found three more bedrooms including a master with it's own bathroom and another bathroom between the two smaller bedrooms. Sam stopped in the doorway of one of the smaller bedrooms. One was decorated top to bottom with pink and had a beautiful white crib draped with a pink blanket. A rocker sat empty in the corner.
"I hope she likes it." Tolie said from behind Sam.
"So you're planning to raise her here?"
"Yep. It's a great house isn't it? I'm planning on turning the other room into a playroom for her. The whole place needs fixing up, but I'll have plenty of time. I just started getting my pension from the Army. We can live on that until I can find another job." Tolie gushed.
Sam turned and looked at him. He sounded so excited about his future with his daughter, but reality may not live up to his expectations. He made it sound like Teresa would be out of the picture. If he killed her, how was he going to live here? The police would be after him, Sam and his team would be after him. Maybe. It was a big risk to involve them.
He knew Tolie was capable of carrying out his threats. He could tell the team about Matt and then what? Would they go back to shunning him? Could they live with knowing his secret? Would they see him as nothing but a killer? A horrible person? Or worse, he knew Tolie could kill each of them, including their families. Could he live with that? There was no way.
"Well, I've stocked the fridge and the cupboards so let's go find something to eat." He put a hand on Sam's shoulder and felt him stiffen. "You do what you're supposed to and this will all be over soon." Tolie said into his ear, patted Sam's shoulder and headed down the stairs.
When Tolie turned and walked down the stairs, Sam could see his cell phone sticking out of Tolie's pocket. He looked at his watch, he wouldn't be missed for several more hours. I have to stall.
##### Spike's house, 1330 hrs #####
Spike had just finished lunch with his parents and was cleaning up the dishes when his cell rang. He smiled at the famiar number. "Yellow?"
"Magenta." Lew laughed.
Spike looked at his phone and then put it back to his ear. "Magenta? I think Wordy is rubbing off on you." He laughed as he rinsed dishes and put them in the dishwasher.
"Rinse them first Mikey!" Maria Scarlotti called from the dining room.
"I am Ma!" He called back to her.
"I don't think it's a bad thing." Lew said as he pulled up outside Spike's house.
"Rinsing? I don't know why she says that every time. I always do it." Spike finished putting the dishes in the dishwasher, put in the soap, closed the door and turned it on. He stood and looked out the kitchen window, noticing the familiar car parked out front.
"What? No I am meant Wordy man." Lew laughed. He looked at the house and saw Spike looking at him through the window and waved. "So what do you say we kill some time until moviefest pig out?"
"Sure! What'd you have in mind buddy?" Spike left the kitchen and started to climb the stairs. If he was right, he was going to need to change and grab some of his play gear.
"Well I already talked the others into paintball and Jules is already in the car with me.. "Hi Spike!" Jules called. Lew smiled and said, "so should I ask your Ma if you can come out and play?" Jules giggled in the background.
"Sounds good." Spike smiled. He was already putting his paintball gear into a bag. He loved when he and Lew thought alike. "Hang on," he put the phone away from his face and yelled, "Hey Ma! Lew and Jules want to know if I can come out and play!"
"As long as you're back before supper time!" Maria yelled back chuckling. She loved her son's sense of humor.
Lew held the phone out so Jules could hear. They were in hysterics when Spike got back on the line.
"Gotta be back before dark." Spike said solemnly.
"Not a problem." Lew laughed. "Hey, I tried to call Sam but there wasn't any answer." He put the phone back to his ear and said, a little worry in his voice.
"Huh. I'll try him. I'll be out in a minute." Spike said. He dialed Sam's landline and got his automated message. He left a message, hung up and dialed his cell. It went straight to voicemail. Weird, Spike thought. Maybe he's busy, or getting busy and doesn't want to be disturbed. He pocketed his cell, grabbed his bag, walked out of the house and to the car.
By the time he got to the car, Jules had climbed into the back. She was so small it was easy for her to climb between the two seats to the back instead of getting out, putting the seat down and then getting into the back. Spike loved Lew's midnight blue, mint condition '72 Charger. It was a project car for Lew and his Dad and had brought them even closer together while they worked on it.
"Jules, you could've stayed up front." Spike looked in the back seat at her.
"No big." She shrugged and put a hand out for his bag.
He handed her the bag and then climbed in. He looked at Lew. "I tried both of his numbers. No answer. His cell went right to voicemail. Must be busy." Spike wiggled his eyebrows.
Lew laughed and said, "busy getting busy. Lucky." He saw Jules roll her eyes in the mirror. "You don't think so Jules?"
She scoffed and said, "that's all you guys think about."
"Hey, we are two young, single guys. Of course that's what we think about." Spike looked back at her.
"You have to think about it all the time if you aren't doin' it." Jules smiled and cocked her head at him.
"Oh!" Spike and Lew looked at each other, their faces dropped in surprise.
"Nice!" Lew grinned at her in the mirror as she and Spike bumped fists. He started the car and it roared to life.