Chapter eleven,
Madeline fell backwards, as the door was flung open, she stopped herself from falling over by grabbing onto the back of a chair. Before she could do any more than steady herself one of the men had grabbed hold of her arms.
"Now Mrs Westen, don't try anything stupid. Some one just wants a little chat with you that's all."
"W-" She went to speak but the man who had hold of her arms, placed a hand over her mouth.
"Not a sound Ma'am." He told her, he nodded to the other man in the room, who held a roll of duct tape and a handful of cable ties.
They secured her wrists with one of the cable ties, and a piece of tape went over her mouth. "Now we're going to get in our car, you behave yourself and walk out without giving us any trouble you get to sit inside. You cause any problems though and I don't care how old you are, you'll get put in the trunk. Do you understand me?"
Madeline nodded, her eyes were filling with tears, her heart hammering in her chest. She left her room with a man on each side, her feet barely touching the floor as they hurried her down to the car park.
.
Sam walked along the jetty, following the sound of a lively party that was coming from one of the many yachts tied up in the harbour. He discovered a group of very drunk forty somethings. Using his Sam charm, he got himself invited on board and after excepting the offer of some dry clothes, he joined the festivities quickly becoming the life and soul of the party. As he mingled with his new best friends he came across somebody's mislaid cell phone, that soon disappeared into his pocket. Not long after, he started up a conversation about cars, and discovered that most of the guests had parked their vehicles in the very same car park he had been in earlier. Stumbling through the group to get some more to drink, he snagged a set of keys and was soon on his way to find the car belonging to the set of keys.
So it had taken him a little while to get going, but he was back on track now. Hopefully he could get the thumb drive, and move Maddy to a new location. He wondered if Larry was keeping his word to tell Michael what was happening. If he hadn't, Fiona and Jesse were in deep trouble. Still he could only do one thing at a time. He had to hope he made the right choice.
He drove as fast as he dared, keeping a sharp eye out for police patrols, he couldn't risk getting stopped and the word getting passed on to Vaughn. It was quarter to midnight when he pulled into the Motel car park. He almost immediately dropped down in his seat. Two men were walking at speed across to a plain looking beige sedan, inbetween them, her eyes wide with fear was Madeline. With no weapon, all Sam could do was watch as she was bundled into the backseat and with one of the men getting in beside her the other getting into the driving seat the car was driven away.
Careful not to get too close he followed the sedan all the way back out to Fort Lauderdale and a derelict building near the airport.
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Jesse really was not convinced that setting fire to the building they were trapped in was the right way to go.
"It's going to take time for Sam to find us." Fiona stated calmly. "And one clip of bullets isn't going to keep all Vaughn's men away. I'm talking about setting up a sort of fire trap on the stairs. Soak the walls and floor in the cleaner solution and then set it all a light when they start coming up."
"If the fire really catches we'll be trapped." He pointed out.
"No we won't." She dropped a fire extinguisher at his feet. "Plus we go up to the top floor and then break through the boards." She glanced at watch they were a long way off daylight. "Once it starts getting light we can start another fire, try and produce something with a lot of black smoke attract a bit of attention."
Still not happy, but not being able to come up with a better idea he nodded his agreement. "Ok, but let's try and make it harder for them to get up here in the first place." He took the torch out of her hand and pointed it at a pile of debris lying around the floor.
"Good idea. It'll add to the fire trap as well." Jesse thought her smile looked particularly scary in the torchlight.
.
As soon as Michael had noticed the half open door he had increased his pace. Stopping outside the room, he listened for any sounds that would tell him somebody was still in there. Hearing nothing he took a deep breath and entered fast, arms extended gun cocked and ready to fire.
"Ma?" He called out, no response.
He continued to look around, noticing an over turned chair, a bedside rug pushed up on one side and the rest half hidden under the bed. His Mother's hand bag still on the table, an open box of cigarettes next to the bed, along with a row of medicine bottles. The last two were a sure sign of wherever she was, she had not gone willingly.
He finished clearing the room with his gun and then placed his hands on the table head bowed, the stress showing plainly on his face, his arms trembled slightly. Shutting his eyes tight he fought to maintain some level of control. The headache that had retreated to a dull barely noticeable pain was now back full force, he felt his stomach clench and gasping he staggered in to the bathroom.
Larry had stayed in the car only until Michael had walked out of sight, he had then got out and followed from a distance. He had watched Michael pause outside one of the rooms and then enter with his gun draw, obviously expecting trouble. When he heard no shots, he cautiously moved forward wondering what was going on.
Stopping in the doorway Larry noticed a thin trail of blood on the side of the door. He listened to the sounds of vomiting coming from the bathroom, with cool detachment. Instead he was more interested in the handbag sat open on the table. While he waited for Michael to finish up in the bathroom he went through the contents, smiling when he came across an envelope with a familar shaped object inside, he had found what he was looking for.
He slipped the thumb drive into his jacket pocket as Michael came out of the bathroom. "She's gone." Michael told him, and then sank down onto the edge of the bed.
Larry didn't say a word, he watched as Michael sat, leaning forward head in his hands looking like he was about to breakdown completely.
"It must of been Vaughn." Michael said, he was back on his feet now pacing, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose trying to stop the almost overwhelming pain coming from his head.
Larry had heard and seen enough, he was finished pussy-footing around with his protege, it was time the kid was brought into line.
"Michael!" He spoke sharply. "This is all your own fault." He told him, ignoring the look of devastation he recieved. "People like you and me, we're not meant to have family and friends. We're a danger to everyone we form an attachment to. You know that, wasn't it drilled into you during your training? How many times have you held the safety of a loved one over somebody's head to get them to do your bidding." He poured scorn into the words. "You've gone soft and got personally involved and this is what happens. Vaughn's playing with you."
"He said I'd learn what it was like to have him as an enemy." Michael spoke softly, his tone flat, lifeless.
"Well he's certainly doing that Son." Larry answered grimly. "But don't you think it's about time he learnt what sort of predator he's taken on. Show him the real Michael Westen, not this watered down wreck you've become."
Michael had stopped his pacing, he still had an almost blinding headache but he pushed it back, his eyes had a strange brightness to them. He put his gun back into his waistband.
"Yeah, I think you might be right." He muttered. Larry was only telling him what he had been saying all along, without the protection of an agency he was a danger to all his friends and family.
After Larry's little pep talk Michael was ready to move, he started towards the door. However Larry held out a hand and stopped him in his tracks.
"That headache of yours isn't getting any better is it?" Now he had Michael's attention, he changed his tactics.
"It doesn't matter." Michael replied trying to push passed.
"Yes it does." Larry returned the push a little harder, forcing Michael back further in to the room. "You're weak, and next to useless in your present condition."
"So what do you want me to to about it, Larry?" Michael shot back. "You just told me to go after Vaughn, and that's what I'm trying to do."
"When we leave here, you sit in the car and don't move a muscle. You don't ask a single question, try and give me a single order, suggestion or whatever you want to call it."
"I don't trust you Larry." Michael told him. "It would be a lot easier for you if Fi, Sam or even my Mom were just killed by Vaughn."
"That's right kid, it would be a hell of a lot easier with those albatrosses dead. But you really don't have much choice in the matter." He shut the door and leant against it. "Because you're not going anywhere until we have an agreement. You rest and trust me to supply the guns we need and to find your friends. Or we stay here until you either pass out or improve enough to take me on. You decide." Shark like smile firmly in place, he continued to block the way out and waited.