Chapter 10
'You know the drill…' Peter said as he handed Neal a watch, complete with GPS and listening device.
Neal looked down and nodded; he hadn't gone undercover in years and yet the ritual seemed all too familiar.
'Try to give us as much information as you can; we'll be listening' Jones added as Neal absent-mindedly slipped on the watch. He hoped he had the wherewithal to keeps things together, to stay focussed; one false move could put Sara even more at risk.
'You did a great job on those sketches and Homeland Security was able to identify the two guys; they're known operatives for the North Korean government. They don't have any reason to think they've been made so their guard will be down. The Feds have confirmed that they've booked a flight to Pyongyang leaving Newark at 10:30 tonight' Jones added.
Neal became agitated at this new piece of information. 'They do know not to move in until we've got Sara, right?'
'I've got the Director of Counter Intelligence's word that they'll wait for confirmation that Sara's safe before making an arrest' Jones said, trying to sound reassuring.
'Neal, don't expect them to just hand Sara over to you' Peter reminded him. 'Chances are they'll want some lead time. They might call you or get a message to you to let you know where she's being held once they feel they're safely out of reach.'
Neal nodded once again, trying to absorb all this information. He was finding it hard to concentrate; all he could see in his mind's eye was Sara's body, barely able to sit up from all the drugs they'd fed her.
'They'll want to examine the flash drive' Jones said. 'Let them. Homeland Security has substituted whatever was on the original flash drive with plans for a nuclear facility in Oregon that never saw the light of day.'
Neal was looking worried again; these guys would likely know what to look for. What if they spotted the phony intel?
'If we hear that you're in immediate danger, we'll move in…' Jones began.
'No!' Neal said adamantly. 'I can handle myself. If you come in with guns blazing, we might never see Sara again.'
Peter and Jones exchanged worried looks. They needed to trust Neal with this operation; after all, he was the one who had the most to lose if things went sideways. If he felt he was keeping it together, they needed to respect that and give him a wide berth.
'Then, promise me you'll use the trigger phrase' Peter said, placing a hand on Neal's shoulder and staring intently into his steely blue eyes.
'Okay… promise' Neal reluctantly agreed, eyes avoiding Peter.
The kids had been sitting nearby on the couch in the family room, listening to the conversation and after exchanging worried glances, Hope stood to make her way over to the group of men.
'Uncle Peter, are you sure it's safe to let him go alone?' she asked as she stepped in closer to her godfather.
Peter put a protective arm around her. 'Don't worry, honey. We'll be keeping a safe distance but we'll be able to hear everything that's going on.'
'But… that's not going to help if…' Hope began as Neal interrupted.
'Hope… Hope… I promise' Neal said, knowing full well he could never keep such a promise. 'Nothing's going to happen to me.'
He could see the look of worry in his daughter's eyes; her mom was already in the clutches of kidnappers and now he was slipping away to meet with the thugs. If anyone knew the speed at which a bullet travelled, it was Hope; she'd been a witness to her dad being shot barely a year earlier and she knew all too well that Peter and Jones sitting in the municipal van a few blocks away wouldn't be of any help to Neal if the thugs decided to do away with him.
Neal could see tears forming in her eyes and he stepped in a little closer as she let her arms slip around his waist. His arms moved around her, chin resting on the top of her head.
'Don't worry. I'm going to bring Mom home' he whispered into her hair as he hugged her tight.
WCWCWC
The noises seemed more distant now. Sara was becoming strangely accustomed to the dense fog in her brain; after all, she'd been kept on varying doses of the wonder drugs for the past 15 hours. As much as she hated not being in control of her usually alert mind, she was grateful that the regular injections served to dull everything around her, including the persistent pain in her arms and shoulders. She had to admit, though, that the fog was becoming thicker and that she was having more and more difficulty staying connected to reality.
After she'd been dragged back into the room, she'd been given a mega-dose of whatever choice cocktail they'd been injecting and she'd slipped into unconsciousness for a time. She'd awakened to find the younger of the two men sitting beside her on the bed, his slimy hands on her body, roaming under her t-shirt. Her meek protestations had seemed to spur him on as he'd stared down at her terrified eyes, his hands continuing to explore her body despite her feeble attempts to fight him off. Sara had tried not to choke on the gag they'd stuffed into her mouth, her eyes growing wide as he'd continued to ignore her insistent moans.
Now, she was back in the chair although she could barely hold herself up. She heard their voices in the distance, undecipherable sounds floating in and out as she struggled not to tip over. Her hands were firmly tethered behind her back and the pain in her shoulders and wrists flared as she tried to move against the zip ties. Her legs were now tied to the chair, making movement even more difficult – so much for her aborted attempt at escaping, she was paying for it in spades. She could feel bile rising in her throat and she tried to swallow it down for fear she might choke on it; the gag in her mouth was shoved all the way to the back of her throat and her jaw ached from having her mouth open for hours on end. She drifted in and out, outlandish dreams taking over her messed up psyche; she could see Neal, Hope and Liam, laughing together as she watched from her chair, a prisoner, incapable of making a sound… her captors laughing at her discomfort and Neal and Peter joining them as they all watched her struggle.
In her muddled mind, she had a faint recollection of Neal telling her to hang on, that he was coming for her. Where was he? Why hadn't he kept his word?
WCWCWC
Neal recognized the old building from the Google Earth picture Peter had managed to download off the internet. The decrepit old warehouse was situated in an abandoned part of town, uninhabited, except for a couple of down on their luck druggies Neal had spotted up the block, looking for reprieve from the cool November night.
There was a back door to the building, which Neal had been instructed to use and when he entered, it took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, the dim street lighting coming through the broken windows the only source of light in the cavernous space. Deprived of sight, Neal's other senses kicked in and he picked up on a soft rustling sound as he stopped dead in his tracks – better to let the abductors step out of the shadows and make their presence known.
Suddenly, a bright light blinded him and Neal winced at the intensity of it, unable to see where the light was coming from.
'Did you bring it?' he heard a disembodied voice say.
'Where's my wife?' Neal responded.
'First things first' the voice repeated. 'Did you bring it?'
Neal felt around in his jacket pocket for the small item – the unlikely source of all this pain and drama. He heard a gun being cocked and he slowed his movements, making sure the kidnapper could see he was unarmed. He gingerly pulled out the flash drive and held it up in his hand, awaiting instructions.
'Turn around! Hands up against the wall!' the man yelled as Neal turned slowly, placing his hands up over his head, flash drive still firmly in his right hand.
The bright circle of light from the reflection of the flashlight on the wall grew smaller as he heard the abductor move behind him, drawing nearer.
'Did you come alone?' the man asked, his voice loud and threatening.
'I told you, I don't give a shit about what's on this goddam flash drive. I didn't ask for it… all I want is my wife back' Neal said, his voice strong despite the sudden trembling in his shaky legs.
'I don't blame you… she's a pretty little piece of ass' the man said unexpectedly as Neal froze. 'She's got a hot little body, perky tits…'
Neal shuddered; surely this guy was just trying to provoke him. He needed to stay calm, no matter what.
'I especially like that cute little mole on her left hip' the man continued as Neal felt his fists close, determined not to rise to the bait.
'I enjoyed spending time with her… if you know what I mean' the man laughed as Neal stood, perfectly still, his heart sinking at the thought of what Sara might have endured.
'But if my partner doesn't hear from me in the next five minutes, you'll be burying that cute little ass of hers' the man said, a wide grin echoing in his voice.
Neal's blood ran cold as he realized once again how tenuous the situation was; one false move on anyone's part and it could spell disaster for Sara. He could feel the man getting ever closer to him and suddenly, he was grabbing the flash drive from Neal's hand.
'Don't move!' he instructed as he patted Neal down, none too gently.
Neal could hear a soft whirring sound nearby and it took him a moment to realize what it was – a computer. He heard some clicking sounds, the soft drone of the laptop growing louder as it downloaded the flash drive. He held his breath; it was impossible to know to what extent the men were versed in what should have been on the flash drive – if the man detected anything amiss it was game over for both him and Sara.
He heard some more clicking sounds as the man ostensibly checked out the material on the screen, the flashlight still pointed to his back as Neal stood immobile, hands above his head.
'Finally' he heard the man mutter.
Neal relaxed his shoulders at the man's reaction.
'My wife…' Neal dared to repeat.
The man ignored his latest utterance and Neal heard the sound of a phone being dialed.
'It's good' he heard the man say. 'Give her another dose before you leave.'
'I don't care if she is unconscious, give her another one' the man said as Neal cringed. 'Oh, and give her a nice wet kiss goodbye from me.'
Whatever type of sedative they were giving Sara could kill her if she overdosed; Neal feared he was running out of time. His guard down, he dared to turn towards the sound of the voice, the bright light blinding him as the man got closer.
'I told you not to turn around' he said as Neal felt a meaty fist hit him right in the pit of his stomach. His breath was knocked out of him and Neal fell to the ground with a thud.
'You are damn lucky your little lady is still alive' he said as he kicked Neal, bringing on another loud groan. 'Now, stay put and you'll get instructions on where to find her when the time comes.'
Neal was just about to protest when he saw a sudden movement and felt the sharp stab of pain in his neck.
Then, nothing.
WCWCWC
Peter Burke hadn't been in the municipal van in over three years. The last time he'd sat in the decrepit old van was on a money laundering case Jones had asked him to help with – and Peter realized it didn't smell any better than it had years before.
He sat with Jones and a couple of men from Jones' team; they had volunteered to work this end of the case, watching Neal's back while the hotshots at Homeland Security concentrated on apprehending the two North Korean operatives at the other end. Their capture would be a definite win for the department; if nothing else, it would give them leverage when negotiating the release of Americans being held in Pyongyang. Peter hoped that they would be true to their word and not jump the gun when arresting the two men at Liberty Airport. Locating Sara's whereabouts on their own was akin to finding a needle in a haystack; they didn't have a clue where to start looking and were totally at the mercy of the thugs revealing where they'd been keeping her – if, in fact, they were inclined to do so.
Neal had done a terrific job talking with the abductors – convincing them that he had nothing to do with Brenda Foster or her ill-advised plan to put money into her rainy day account. That placed Neal and Sara as innocent bystanders; Peter hoped the men had a shred of decency and would let them know where to find Sara once they felt they were finally out of reach of the Feds.
Jones and Peter had listened with interest to the conversation in the warehouse three blocks away. It was a miracle Neal was keeping it together with the way the kidnapper was toying with his emotions. Peter knew Neal would be beyond angry at the comments the man was making but, to his credit, Neal had managed to stay on track, handing over the flash drive and finding a way to stick to the game plan.
The sound of Neal collapsing on the ground after the first blow took Peter by surprise and his eyes turned to look at Jones. They didn't want to move in too quickly and jeopardize Sara's rescue but hearing the sound of Neal's groan resonating in the van was almost more than Peter could stomach.
But even worse than the sound of Neal's heavy breathing as he recovered from the second attack was the eerie silence that followed and, despite their promise not to interfere, Jones and Peter were out of the van in seconds flat, on their way to the nearby warehouse.
TBC