Warning: This chapter is rough, not very pleasant. There will be violence, so if anyone is not comfortable with it, you have been warned.

My thanks to my official sounding board, my good friend blucougar

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Counterplay Chapter 11

"What's with Alex?" Deakins asked.

"It's her damn sister and brother-in-law." Bobby was doing his best not to slur his words. He'd drunk twice the amount Deakins did, but was still fairly sober, considering. "They had this…fight, I guess, so they're not going away, and they're taking the baby home. Alex is crying, I think."

"Alex is crying? C'mon, that doesn't sound like her."

"I know. But I don't know… the baby…" he sounded vague, uncharacteristically confused.

"Maybe you'd better let me drive," Deakins suggested. Bobby may not have been drunk, but he was definitely feeling those last few shots.

0O0

"You're being a very smart girl, Alex." McFadden was pacing around the living room. "How long till he gets here?"

"About…thirty minutes…" The venom was just dripping from Alex's mouth.

"Okay, little Alex." He was stroking her again; she was cringing at his touch. "Let's go over this one more time. When your boyfriend gets here, you're going to insist he come in. I'm going to be watching you the whole time. If you fuck up just once—any little signals, clues,,, well first I'll put a bullet through that big brain of his, then I kill the baby, and then it's Fun Time with Alex." He looked Alex up and down again. "You like fun, don't you, Alex?"

"Not with you!"

McFadden slapped her, hard, knocking her down.

"I guess you do like your partner better," he said, standing over her. "Well, we'll see just how much fun Bobby can be." Every time he said the name Bobby, he said it with such hatred and antagonism it made Alex wince. "Get up, and clean yourself up. I want you looking good for him. And remember, Stevie will be watching the baby."

While Alex made herself fairly presentable, under the watch of the treasonous guard Wilson, McFadden busied himself checking out the house, including the basement. Satisfied, he finally returned to the living room, checking his gun and occasionally taking a furtive glance out the window from behind the curtain. He made Alex sit on the couch while they waited for Bobby, and despite her protests, Micks took baby Nathan into the bedroom.

"Remember, little Alex, any screw ups and Stevie hurts the baby."

Alex nodded. Although Alex prayed that something would come up, and for some unknown reason Bobby wouldn't show, but she knew it wasn't to be. After a while Wilson said, "Hey, it looks like this might be him."

A sudden shot of fear went through Alex, and McFadden checked. "Yeah, it's him. Ready Alex?" he said, pulling the reluctant Alex off the couch.

0O0

Pulling into the driveway behind Alex's car, Bobby sat there in the passenger seat for a minute with his eyes closed.

"You want me to go up and get her?" Deakins asked.

"No, no, I've just suddenly got this monster headache," Bobby said, pinching the bridge of his nose just below his eyes. "I'll get her."

Deakins smiled. "Damn, Bobby, if you've got that bad a headache now, I can't wait to see you in the morning. Just sit tight, I'll let her know we're here."

As Deakins approached the door, McFadden, who was still watching, suddenly said, "Who the fuck is that?!"

Alex looked out. "It's…it's our captain. I…I don't know why—"

McFadden grabbed her by the hair, forcing her face into his. "Just fix it! Now!"

Deakins knocked on the door, and Alex opened it. Damn! She does look like she's been crying… he thought. "Alex, are you alright?"

"I'm fine…um, sad that Nathan's going home. Come…in." She did not want Deakins coming in, but there was nothing she could do.

Deakins hesitated. "Bobby's in the car…"

"I know. My sister isn't here yet. We have to wait. Can you … can you tell Bobby to come in?"

"Okay, I'll go get Bobby. He's had a few," he warned Alex playfully.

Alex gave him a wan smile. However drunk Bobby was, he wasn't drunk enough. Not enough to get through this night.

0O0

"Bobby! C'mon, Alex is waiting inside," he said, opening Bobby's door.

Bobby looked at him. "I thought we—"

"We are. We just have to wait a bit. Alex's sister hasn't shown up yet."

Bobby got out, and followed Deakins to the door. Alex was standing there, with the strangest, morose look on her face. Bobby thought he had never seen her look so sad. God, he'd love to wring her sister's neck for doing this to her.

Alex ushered them in, her one hand covering her eyes so they couldn't see her eyes, and she couldn't see theirs. Bobby had the strange feeling that something was very wrong.

Once inside the door, suddenly there was the unmistakable feel of a metal gun to his head.

"Get down!" McFadden snarled. "ON YOUR KNEES!" Bobby did as he was told, as Deakins whirled to see what was happening.

"Ah, our guest of honor has arrived," McFadden said smugly, pushing the gun harder into Bobby's head. Deakins would have gone for his own gun if the threat to Bobby wasn't so real, with the gun pressed into the base of his neck.

Then from nowhere it seemed, Micks and Wilson emerged, each holding a gun. Then none of the hostages had a chance.

Bobby looked at Alex. "Alex?" he asked. There was no mistaking the look in his eyes. Betrayal. Alex, his best friend and partner, had given him up.

Alex's eyes were pleading with him. "I'm so sorry, Bobby, oh God, I am so sorry… the baby—"

"Yeah, we're all so sorry, Bobby," McFadden said sarcastically. "We're a real sorry bunch here, aren't we?"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Deakins demanded.

"I think," McFadden said with his ever present evil grin, "that I have some unfinished business with Detective Goren. And you, old man, are gonna sit your ass down and watch. Or, you can participate."

"Participate in what?"

McFadden turned to Bobby. "Our unfinished business."

"You sick motherfucker," Bobby said. That earned him a hard whack across the back of his head with the gun, knocking him down, dazing him.

"Please," Alex begged, "Don't hurt him!"

That only made McFadden laugh. " 'Don't hurt him'? That's the whole purpose of our little get-together. Okay, sweetheart, it's time to get this party started. I need you to gather some items for me. First, your handcuffs. Get them, now."

Alex, accompanied by Micks, walked slowly into the bedroom for the cuffs. She glanced at the baby, who had apparently cried himself to sleep. McFadden took advantage of her brief absence and spoke softly to Bobby. "You know, it didn't take much to make her give you up. All I had to do was threaten her once, and she was all over that phone calling you."

Bobby closed his eyes momentarily, as if to block out the words he was saying. It didn't help. "Yeah, she gave you up in a New York minute."

"Bobby, don't—" Deakins started, but stopped as he felt a gun at his own head.

Alex walked over to McFadden, and dropped the handcuffs at his feet, staring at him defiantly.

McFadden stooped to pick them up. "That's all right, baby. That's just one more thrust with the broom handle for Bobby here." Alex looked horrified, and felt horribly guilty. This was something else she's done now to hurt him. "Every time you disrespect me, he pays. Now," he handed the cuffs back to Alex, "I want you to cuff him. And make sure they're tight, or you know what happens."

Alex knelt by Bobby. If possible, she felt even worse, now she had to be the one to cuff her own partner, leaving him totally at the mercy of this sadistic monster. "I'm sorry, Bobby," she whispered as she cuffed his wrists behind his back. If he heard her, he didn't acknowledge.

McFadden checked the cuffs. "Good job, little Alex. I can see how you made detective. But how did this shit ever make it?" He kicked Bobby viciously in the ribs and chest, rolling him over. "Now Alex, I need you to gather me some clothesline.. Oh, and get us each a beer. You want one, old man?" he asked Deakins.

Deakins refused to say anything. "Get one for him, too," he told Alex. "And one for yourself. Just bring out the whole twelve pack. This is a party, y'know."

Alex stared at him, unmoving, until Wilson gave her a shove. McFadden and Micks picked Bobby up into the kneeling position again. Already Bobby was hurting; his still recuperating ribs were broken again. And he knew this was only the start of his ordeal.

Alex returned, carrying clothesline and the beer. She handed the items to McFadden dully, and distributed the beers to the others. Micks and Wilson took and drank theirs eagerly. Deakins didn't touch his, nor did Alex.

"Drink," he told Alex and Deakins. When neither moved, he jerked Bobby's head back by his hair. "Drink, or I'll break his goddamed neck."

As Alex and Deakins reluctantly drank their beers, McFadden opened one of his. Still holding Bobby's head back so far he had to open his mouth to breathe, McFadden started pouring the beer down Bobby's throat. "Don't want to leave you out, Bobby, it's your party." As the beer poured down his throat, Bobby started choking. After a bit, McFadden let him go, pushing him down, and Bobby fell to the floor, gasping and choking. McFadden poured the rest of the beer all over him.

Wilson laughed. "Now this is a party!"

McFadden opened his beer, then suddenly turned and kicked Bobby in the face, breaking his nose again. Bobby cried out in pain, as his eyes began watering from the blow to his nose.

Seeing Bobby's eyes watering, McFadden sneered. "Oh, is the big detective crying? Alex, you need a real man. Ordinarily, I'd be willing, but tonight I'm saving myself for Bobby. Oh, and I need another beer." He pointed to the twelve pack not three feet away.

McFadden cut the rope into shorter pieces. "Here Wilson, tie the old man up—Captain, is it—who gives a shit anyway." Wilson took the rope and tied Deakins hands behind him.

Alex brought McFadden another beer. Handing it to McFadden she again pleaded, "Please don't hurt him anymore."

Bobby stared at Alex, his eyes already bruising and turning black. His face was unreadable. "Bobby, I'm sorry!" she started again. "They made me! They—"

McFadden grabbed her. "Shut the fuck up!" He slapped her again.

"Stop it! Bobby shouted, still choking a bit. "I don't care what you do to me! Just…let them go."

McFadden suddenly became enraged. "Oh you don't, huh? We'll see about that!

Then he shoved Bobby to the floor onto his back. "Spread him!" he snarled at the other two. Bobby tried to resist, but he was outnumbered, hurt and cuffed, and Wilson and Micks pulled his legs apart. McFadden sneered at him, "So you don't care what we do to you, huh?" And he kicked Bobby savagely in the ribs again, then in the groin, three or four times until Bobby started vomiting. Alex had turned, covering her eyes, not wanting to see, and unable to help. McFadden motioned for them to let go of Bobby's legs, and as Bobby continued to throw up he tried to turn over so as not to choke again and to hide himself from Alex and Deakins. And he was hurting bad.

McFadden waited for Bobby to stop vomiting, then told Alex, "Clean that disgusting mess up. Now."

"Okay," Alex said, tears streaming down her face again. She got some paper towels and a cool washrag. She gently wiped Bobby's face, even as he tried to turn away from her, completely mortified. "It's okay, Bobby, let me, please," she whispered to him. Finally she managed to clean his face as he lay taking shallow breaths, refusing to look at her. Then she cleaned up the floor.

"Thank you, little Alex. He's disgusting, isn't he? Oh, well, after tonight, it won't matter. Get him back up, boys."

"NO!" Alex screamed. "Don't touch him again!" She actually tried to push him away from Bobby. McFadden laughed, and shoved her onto the couch. Still laughing, he straddled her and tied her hands behind her.

Changing the subject, McFadden said, "You know, that's a real nice bed you've got in there, Alex. Big, solid brass, and sturdy. Tell me, Alex, do you think it's sturdy enough to keep your partner down when we tie him to the posts?"

Alex's eyes widened. "No…don't…"

McFadden suddenly stood up. "It's time to get this show on the road. And you, little Alex, and you, old man, have got front row seats, the best in the house. Okay, Alex, move. You, too, old man. Move!" Neither was inclined to head into the bedroom, until McFadden put his gun to their heads. Then they moved.

Once inside the bedroom, he directed them each to a chair on either side of the room, brought there by Micks and Wilson. They were each tied securely to the chairs.

"Why are you doing this?" Deakins asked hoarsely. In answer, McFadden ripped off a piece of duct tape and placed it over Deakins' mouth, effectively silencing him. He did the same with Alex.

"And now for the guest of honor." The three returned to the living room, where Bobby was still lying on the floor. He'd attempted to get up, but his injures and cuffed hands prevented it. McFadden knelt beside Bobby.

"You ready to give that big bed of hers a workout?" he said softly. Then, "Okay, Bobby, it's show time. Let's get him in there," McFadden said to the other two.

Micks and Wilson jerked Bobby to his feet again, and the three of them started dragging Bobby to the bedroom. Bobby fought, and resisted with everything he had. In his condition, it wasn't enough.

tbc

The next chapter will be in the M section, I think.