Chapter 10~ Desperate Measures
"Where is my son?" Victor landed a powerful hook right under Skarloey's rib cage. Hands chained to a hook in the ceiling and held over his head, Skarloey couldn't make a move to defend himself. Even his feet were shackled to the floor. All he could do was sneer at Victor and keep his silence. It had become the next morning. By now Skarloey was bruised, cut, and dirty. He had obviously been tossed around for a while. Victor pulled his fist back and let Skarloey have it across his face. "Where is he?" Victor demanded.
"Keep asking," Skarloey taunted, "No matter how many times you do it's not going to make me answer." Victor got in a few more punishing blows to Skarloey's chest and sides before Michael peeled him off.
"Check in with the girls and see how the leads Candace found are panning out," Michael suggested.
Victor looked Michael up and down, then glowered at Skarloey. "This isn't over," Victor warned. He walked away and out of the room.
"Why don't you and I have a chat?" Michael requested.
"By all means go ahead and talk my ear off," Skarloey smirked.
"Would you rather wait for Victor?" Michael offered.
"So you're going to play good cop, bad cop- huh? Predicable," Skarloey coughed.
"Yeah," Michael agreed, "It's boring so let's forget that game."
"What do you propose? I just hand over the kid's location?" Sarloey scoffed.
"Could be your best option right now," Michael replied.
"Victor is going to kill me," Skarloey said.
"That sounds like a personal problem," Michael shrugged.
"You've made yourself a part of this," Skarloey asserted.
"I am not interested in the vendetta between you and Victor," Michael restated, "My concern is the boy."
"Are you really that much of a do-gooder?" Skarloey snickered. Michael stepped forward and reached for Skarloey's mangled tie.
"I saw the photo," Michael made sure to make eye contact with the chained man as he straightened the tie. "I heard Mikey on the phone with his father," he continued and began to tighten the tie. With a slide of hand he slipped a coin sized
device in without Skarloey seeing.
"He's fine- thanks to me," Skarloey replied.
"Where is Mikey?" Michael asked. He tightened the tie more.
"I am not telling you so you can run and tell Victor," Skarloey asserted.
This time Michael pulled the tie completely taunt. It dug into Skarloey's skin. Skarloey gasped futilely for air. "Wrong answer," Michael frowned. He pushed Skarloey away and loosed the tie. Victor came in with a cellphone to his ear. He covered the speaker.
"Sport, your girl wants to talk," Victor said. Understanding the code Michael nodded. They left JD in the room watching Skarloey.
Victor shoved the phone into his pocket. "We need to step things up," he said.
"I take it the girls struck out?" Michael replied.
"Well, it wasn't good news," Victor rubbed his forehead then drew his fingers down his face, "This is taking too long."
"We're going to plan B then," Michael said.
"I don't like it," Victor admitted.
"You have to be sure about this," Michael offered an out.
"Letting Skarloey go will lead us to Mikey," Victor replied, "There's no choice right now."
"It should be a faster approach," Michael conceded.
"Skarloey's not completely stupid- he is going to run behind his shield," Victor answered.
"I planted the microphone and tracker on him," Michael said.
"Thinking ahead, huh?" Victor remarked.
"It was something to do," Michael shrugged his shoulders, "So how are we going to play it?"
"Zip tie him to a chair, knock him over near something sharp- he'll get himself loose," Victor said, "There's a broken window over on the far end of the room. Knowing Skarloey that's the route he'll take."
"And we'll follow him," Michael finished. They went back to Skarloey.
Victor unlocked the cuffs on Skarloey's ankles. Then he temporarily freed Skarloey's hands. He dragged Skarloey over and threw him into a chair. Michael held a gun on Skarloey as Victor zip tied his wrists behind the chair back. "Are we all cozy now?" Victor asked.
"Oh, just peachy keen," Skarloey retorted.
"Good," Victor said.
Michael called Victor away, "Let's go." They began to walk over to JD who stood by the door.
"What?" Skarloey called, "No last chance…?" Victor turned around and drove his fist into Skarloey's jaw. Skarloey's head moved in the direction the blow took it. He would have rubbed his throbbing jaw if his hands were free.
"I gave you the chance to give Mikey to me," Victor snapped, "Now I'm taking him back." He kicked over the chair and Skarloey. Skarloey howled in pain at the resulting crash. He landed just where Victor intended: a few feet away from some broken window shards. Skarloey glared at Victor and Michael. They took JD and left Skarloey lying there.
Once he was alone Skarloey freed himself as expected. It took him a few minutes to find the window to get out, but he did. Candace had picked up the guys in a blue van. They kept in touch with Fi and Mel so they could coordinate the rescue. Candace fixed her eyes on the tracker's receiver and relayed Skarloey's movements to JD who was behind the wheel. In the back of the van Michael and Victor had their earpieces in and tuned into the bug Michael had slipped into Skarloey's tie. They waited until he was a good distance down the road and had hitched a ride before they started to follow. The car dropped him off at a store. They parked in a nearby parking lot and listened as Skarloey managed to lift a cellphone off of someone. He headed out of the store and into a neighboring multi-level garage. Skarloey then finessed his way into an unoccupied car. The slamming of that car door made a loud enough sound to make Victor and Michael grab their earpieces out momentarily. "What's happening there?" Skarloey demanded, "Don't ask questions- just listen… Get the guys in position… We're going to have company any minute now…" Victor and Michael looked at each other. Skarloey continued, "I want everything on lock down before I get there… Keep a hold of the boy…" Next they heard Skarloey toss the phone down on the floorboard and hotwire the car. He pulled out of the garage and took off down the street. They followed him discreetly.
"He's going past you," Candace notified Fiona and Mel.
"On it," Fi answered.
Finally Skarloey stopped at an office building. He got out and looked around. The van was already passing him and Skarloey couldn't see in the windows. The van drove on and he didn't pay much attention to it. Through the rear windows Victor and Michael watched Skarloey enter the building. JD went down the street until he found a place to turn around. He pulled into a parking lot for the shops across the street. Candace immediately got her laptop out and started up her wifi card. She got the address and wasted no time gathering information on the building.
Still unaware of the bug Skarloey charged over to the man he had left guarding Mikey. "You look like hell," the guard greeted.
"We're all going to look a lot worse if Victor gets ahold of us," Skarloey snipped, "He didn't take too kindly to Mikey's absence."
"I can see that," the guard replied.
"Tell me you have the guys in place, Ric," Skarloey said.
"As soon as you warned me I gave the order," Ric assured him. Victor recognized the voice from the video call. "Three on each side and two with the boy," Ric added.
"Where is the little shit?" Skarloey demanded. Victor saw red.
"Right where you left him," Ric replied.
"Let's check- shall we?" Skarloey insisted.
Ric took Skarloey down the hall and brought out a key. He unlocked a door. The guards in the room straightened as Skarloey stepped in. He set his sights on Mikey. "Aren't you special," Skarloey addressed him. Mikey sat quietly gazing at a beat up photo album. Victor closed his eyes for a moment. What would he have given to be with Mikey right then- to protect him from everything that was going on. Skarloey squatted down in front of Mikey. "You are to stay put," he wagged a finger in the boy's face, "Understand?" Mikey said nothing, but turned his attention back to the photo album. Skarloey snatched it out of his hands and stood.
"Hey!" Mikey objected. He shot up, "That's mine!"
"Too bad, Kid," Skarloey replied.
Victor seethed. It took all he had in him not to charge inside. Skarloey was in for a world of pain when this was all over. Victor focused on the building that held Mikey. He made a vow. The sun was not going to rise on a new day before his son was with him, safe and sound.
Victor listened more to the bug while waiting for the pieces of the plan to get into place. Maybe he should have been the one to go for Skarloey's car. Instead he held back and his anger grew while Skarloey and Ric conversed. Victor tried to concentrate on the blueprints Candace had gotten. With information from the tracker they were able to pinpoint the area where Mikey was being held. They had planned a way inside and how to deal with the guards. What was taking so long?! It was twilight already.
"Quit your pacing," Ric quipped, "When have I ever let you down?"
"There's a first time for everything," Skarloey rejoined.
"Who was the person you brought the kid to in the first place?" Ric countered, "Haven't I kept him for you through over half of a decade?" Victor took hold of his belted gun. He was on the verge of doing something stupid if things didn't speed up in a hurry.
Michael put his hand on Victor's shoulder. Victor turned to him. "They're ready," Michael said. Victor nodded. He checked his weapons one last time then followed Michael into position. They heard a thundering crash. Fiona had driven Skarloey's car into the far corner of the building. Gunfire ensued as she, JD, and Candace engaged the guards.
That was Victor and Michael's cue. Michael broke a window then he and Victor slipped inside the building. They made their way towards Mikey. From around a corner they saw two guards stationed at a door. Michael readied himself. Both he and Victor knew what they were about to do. "Go get your son," Michael said. He drew the two guards away from the door and out of sight as Victor swung around through a second hallway behind them. He was spotted by Ric and followed. Ric fired after him, but missed. Victor spun around and shot from his own silenced gun. The bullet got Ric in the arm. Ric grabbed for his arm with his free hand, but managed to keep his gun up. Victor looked into the face of the man that had been given his son. Contempt rose within him.
"Skarloey said you were mad," Ric said.
"I'm here for my son," Victor declared.
"I know," Ric replied. Before Ric could shoot, Victor got the drop on him and pulled the trigger. Ric fell. Victor went up to him and made sure he was dead. He went through the man's pockets and found one key. This had to be the key to the room with Mikey. Victor stuffed Ric's body into a closet and shut the door.
Victor went to the door the guards had been standing at and tried the key. It worked. He cracked the door. "Mikey?" Victor said in a voice barely louder than a whisper. A small figure sat up in the corner of the dark room.
"Dad?" At the sound of his son's voice Victor pushed the door open fully. The light that poured in allowed him to see his son in the corner with a blanket thrown around him. Mikey forgot that he was cuffed to a bolted down desk and tried to run over to his father. He was painfully yanked back. Victor switched the light on. He was by his son's side in a flash.
"Are you all right?" Victor dropped to his knees.
"Yeah, for the most part," Mikey grimaced from the pain in his arm.
Victor tentatively reached out, afraid that Mikey would vanish right in front of him. He took his son's face in his hands, "It's gonna be ok." His eyes wanted nothing more than to drink in Mikey, but it would have to wait until they were safe. Victor scrutinized the cuff around his son's wrist and followed it back to where it was anchored, "You still want to come with me, right?"
Mikey smiled and nodded profusely, "Definitely." Victor smiled back at him and took out a lock pick set and went to work on the cuff lock. There was the rattling of two small keys. Mikey's face fell. Victor turned around to find Skarloey standing in the doorway.
"Wouldn't these be easier?" Skarloey taunted. He drew his gun and shoved the keys into his pocket.
"Make the smart play and get out while you can," Victor advised.
Over Skarloey's shoulder Victor saw JD heading to help. "You know what I think? It's time to finish what I started seven years ago," Skarloey aimed the gun at Mikey. JD leapt for him. Skarloey fired. Mikey screamed, "Dad!"