[Mac's POV]
As Stella and I make our way back across the street to the crime scene, I can feel that much of the tension I was holding onto has at least somewhat subsided. I'm coming back into things with a clearer head, and am ready to face the next challenge, and do whatever I need to do to fight for Reed's safe return. Truthfully, I want nothing more than to bust the front door down myself and go in and get him, but I know that that's not an option. Still, I think about him in there, scared and alone with those two maniacs; and it just makes my blood boil. Relax Mac. I tell myself. Clearer head remember? Right.
"Detective Taylor! Detective Taylor!" I hear the over-zealous reporters call my name and I attempt to just walk past them and pay no attention to their questions, but one question regrettably makes me stop for a moment and turn in their direction.
"Detective Taylor, is it true that your own son is the hostage?"
I freeze for a brief moment and can only offer a dumbfounded expression... Get it together Mac.
"Uh, no comment" I finally manage to tell the reporter who is desperately waving his microphone at me, hoping I'll give him something for the 6:00 news.
"Why did you assault the S.W.A.T. officer?" another asks and I know I have to get away from these vultures before I officially lose my mind.
"Alright folks, you heard him!" Chief Sullivan begins, as he comes to my rescue. "Detective Taylor has no comments at this time. I already gave you my official statement, now if you don't kindly back off, I will see that these barriers are moved back another 50 yards."
"Come on Chief, give us something! Who's the gunman, and has he made any demands?"
"I'm sorry, that is privileged information that I cannot divulge at this time, for the safety of hostage." He explains calmly, but the questions keep coming.
"You mean Detective Taylor's son?" One asks, trying to put words into the Chief's mouth.
"That's all for now, thank you" He tells them as he turns away from the mob of cameras and reporters, but still they continue shouting at him.
"Relentless..." he tells me with a frustrated sigh as we walk back towards Jack to discuss our next move.
...
[Reed's POV]
Time dwindles by me as I wait anxiously for this whole nightmare to be over. I don't even know how long I've been down here. There's no windows, so I have no clue whether its day or night. Scenarios start working their way around my tired brain. Some of them with a happy ending, and others not so much. Mac's gonna save me right? Oh God I hope so...
If he's out there right now, and I'm sure he is; I can't imagine what's going through his head. First off he's probably wondering why the hell I didn't tell him about L.J. in the first place, and frankly so am I. But as they say, hindsight is 20/20...
Still, I can't help but kick myself for the decision I made. I was naive to think that I could handle this on my own. I guess I've just never had to worry about anyone other than myself before, and likewise have never had anyone worry about me either.
...
[Mac's POV]
"Well Jack, what's the plan?" the Chief asks as we approach Jack.
"I need more time with this guy. I need some time to get inside his head, to figure him out."
"Time is a luxury we might not have Jack. It's been hours already and the longer we wait to make a move, the more anxious and restless those two are getting in there."
"Come on Mike, you know how this works..." Jack lightly begs, obviously growing more frustrated.
"I'll give you 1 hour Jack. After that, I'm going to allow Captain Vaughn and his S.W.A.T. team to take over."
"An hour?!?" Jack scoffs. "Are you kidding me?"
"Look, I'm sorry Jack, but the press is all over this, and I've got the mayor breathing down my neck; I've got to do something. You have one hour."
With that, he turns on his heel and walks away. Jack looks at me with true remorse and shakes his head.
"I'm sorry Mac. But don't worry, I'm not giving up. If I've only got an hour, then I promise you I will make the most of it. I'd much rather get Reed out of their on my own terms, and I swear I'll do everything I can to ensure that happens."
"I know Jack. I trust you." I tell him, sincerely this time. I know he doesn't like this any more than I do, and appreciate his compassion.
"Alright, are you sure you're ready for this again?" Jack asks me as he goes to reach for the phone.
"Ready." I reply with a firm nod as I pick up my headset and put it on.
He picks up the phone and dials "1".
"Jack?" Masons voice answers on the other end.
"Yeah, it's me Mason. Listen, how's everybody doing in there?"
"We're doing just fine Jack. How are you doing?"
"Well I gotta tell you, there are some nervous people out here Mason."
"Some more nervous than others I bet, huh? You can tell Detective Taylor that his whiny little brat is just fine."
"What's it gonna take for this to be over?"
"Rule number 2 Jack, I can't ask you for something you can't give, remember?"
"And what would that be?"
"No jail time."
"You're right, I can't give you that, but we can talk about this. Give yourselves up and I'll make certain that you do the absolute minimum sentence."
"Sorry Jack, not good enough." He growls and hangs up the phone.
I toss my headset back on the desk and bury my head in my hands, letting out a frustrated sigh. Time is even more critical now, and Mason just keeps wasting it. I can only hope that Jack is as good as he says he is...
"Mac!" A voice shouts, pulling me out of my thoughts. It's familiar, yet I can't place it. I begin searching the scene with my eyes, to see who's calling for me.
"Mac! Over here!" the voice shouts again and I look over to see Cassie fighting with two officers for them to allow her access onto the scene.
"Oh great" I sigh inwardly. This is the absolute last thing I need. I can't even keep my own emotions in check, never mind a teenage girl.
I quickly look around for Stella, but don't see her anywhere nearby, so I let out another sigh and make my way over to Cassie.
"She's okay; she's with me." I tell the two officers and they reluctantly raise the police tape for her to duck underneath.
She quickly comes running toward me with a look of panic.
"Is it true? Is it Reed in there? My dad was watching the news, and I overheard your name mentioned a few times and... Is it true? Please just tell me!" she blurts out, barely making any sense as all her words just seem to run together.
"Yes Cassie, I'm sorry to tell you it's true" I tell her in a soft tone and she instantly begins tearing up.
"I'm sorry" she tells me as she tries to fight the tears. "look at me, I can't even imagine how you're feeling"
That's right, she can't. But still, I feel for her as I can tell she obviously cares about Reed; so I take my arm and wrap it around her shoulder to offer any comfort I can.
"Don't be sorry" I assure her as she just starts sobbing more.
Now what? I ask myself. Ugh, where is Stella?
I hold onto Cassie for a few more moments until she gets her composure back and the tears finally stop running down her face.
"Does Reed's dad know yet? Have you called him? He must be worried sick!" she asks and I am stunned by the question. Reed's what???
"What do you mean?" I quickly ask.
"Reed's dad... In Miami..." she tells me in a confused tone, as if I should know exactly what she's talking about.
"Reed doesn't..." I begin but then stop myself when I realize he must've made up some story as to why he's staying with me. "he uh, they don't talk anymore..." I finish with a lie, hoping it sounded convincing enough. I'm not going to get into the sordid details now; that's up to Reed.
"Oh..." Is all she responds with, which is more than fine by me.
"Stella!" I shout as I see her round a corner of one of the police trucks. Thank God...
"Cassie?" she asks, looking just as shocked as I was as she approaches us.
"It appears I've made the evening news..." I tell her with huff.
"Well, you did attack the captain of the S.W.A.T. team..."
"Now that I don't regret, he deserved it."
"Yeah, they've replayed that like a hundred times" Cassie tells me and I roll my eyes.
"Anything for a headline huh?" I tell Stella with a frown.
"Mac I think Jack was looking for you" Stella informs me and I'm relieved.
"Just go, I'll stay with Cassie" she lightly demands and I'm more than happy to comply.
"Thanks Stell." I tell her as I part from them and make my way back over to Jack.
...
[Reed's POV]
It seems pretty quiet upstairs, and I'm not sure why. What on earth is going on up there? I just want this to be over...
I hear the slow creaking of the basement door opening again and I tense up against the wall as I hear footsteps coming towards me.
As he steps closer towards me, I'm almost relieved to see that it's L.J. and not that other guy. Sure, L.J. is a total creep, but this Mason guy scares the hell out of me. At least with L.J. I know what his motives are, but Mason... I don't know. It almost seems like he's just in it for kicks. I know what L.J. is capable of, and the fact that even he seems to be afraid of Mason, only further justifies my fear.
What does he want from me now? I wonder. Probably making sure that his 'insurance policy' is still alive and well so they can buy themselves some more time.
"Hey!" he barks at me as he crouches down to my eye level.
"Drink this!" he demands as he passes me a glass of clear liquid.
"What's in it?" I instantly question, not trusting him farther than I can throw him.
"Water! Now drink it!" he snaps back as he shoves the glass into my free hand.
I stare into the glass for a few moments, then back at L.J.
"What's a matter? Don't trust me?" he asks with a grin.
"Gee, why would that be?" I throw back at him sarcastically, and his grin turns to an angry frown.
"Drink it, or you're going to wear it!"
A threat? Now that's something from him I can trust. And since I'm already shivering from sitting on this cold hard floor for the past God knows how many hours, I'd rather not be drenched with water, so I take a sip; stopping to sniff it first, just to be sure.
"Told you it was only water" He replies with a sneer as I lower the glass back down from my lips, and he snatches it from my hand.
He turns to head back up the stairs when I quickly stop him.
"Wait!" I yell and he stops and turns back towards me.
"I have to use the bathroom" I tell him, which has a slight hint of truth to it, but really I just want to get off this floor, even if it's just for a minute. Besides, who knows when I'll get another chance.
He takes a moment to mull over my request before rolling his eyes and letting out a loud huff as he decides to give in and walks towards me.
"Don't try anything stupid, you understand me?" he asks before releasing my wrist from the handcuff, and I offer a quick nod.
He takes a quick look around then finally slips the key into the handcuff and turns it. I instantly grab my wrist with my other hand as it's freed from the wall. It's red and raw, and hurts like hell. My entire arm is numb and pain instantly rushes into my body as I'm able to relax my arm.
He grabs me by my good arm and hauls me to my feet. My legs wobbly at first, as I haven't stood on them for... well, I'm not sure how long. Too long, anyway.
He holds on to me by the back of my sweater and starts pushing me towards the stairs. I quickly grab for the railing to support myself while I try to slowly make my way up the stairs, but L.J. continues pushing me along.
"Come on, move it or lose it, let's go!" he snaps at me as he takes his free hand and slaps the back of my head.
"Alright, alright, take it easy!" I huff as I use the railing as leverage to get myself up the stairs faster than my legs are capable of carrying me.
We finally reach the top and he pushes the door open. I see Mason standing a few feet away and as he notices us, he quickly draws his gun and aims it at us.
"What the hell are you doing?" he growls at L.J.
"Relax, the kid had to use the bathroom. But if you'd rather, I could let him go on your floor downstairs..."
"You've got 60 seconds kid! And don't let him out of your sight L.J.!" Mason commands us with a stiff glare as he tucks his gun back into his pants.
I'm led into the bathroom and thankfully L.J. doesn't follow me this far. He closes the door and leaves me alone in the bathroom. I quickly look around and curse under my breath when I realize there's no windows in here, and absolutely no other means of escape.
I decide to go ahead and take advantage of my bathroom privileges, since this might be my only chance to go. I finish up and open the door to see L.J. standing in front of me staring at his watch.
"58 seconds. Very impressive. Now let's go!" he demands as he latches on to the back of my sweater again and continues pushing me along through the hallway. As we make our way back to the basement door, the phone suddenly rings and L.J. and I both stop in our tracks as Mason reaches for the phone and hits the speaker button, not realizing I'm still within earshot.
"What is it this time?" He growls.
"Do you have any other demands?"
"I'm not greedy, and the one thing I want, you can't give me. So where does that leave us Jack?"
"I tell you what, why don't you let me inside and we can discuss your options?"
"Ha! Nice try Jack!"
"No, I mean it. No guns, no back-up, just you and me. Man to man, you let the kid go and you get me instead. Come on Mason, a cop in exchange for the kid? That's a pretty good deal."
"Hmmm, tempting but I'm gonna have to pass on that one."
I finally understand what's been taking so long for me to be rescued. Trying to negotiate with this head case? Good luck! This is a man that I'm sure can not and will not be reasoned with. My anxiety grows with every second, as I start to come to terms with the fact that I just might not make it out of here. Now that he knows that I'm not his 'get out of jail free card', what's to stop him from ending my life? I can't even think straight anymore, which is why I stupidly let myself throw all caution to the wind and decide it's time to make a break for it. After all, the front door is a mere few feet away, and this might be my only chance.
With Mason distracted by the phone call, I quickly throw my elbow back, landing a hard blow to L.J.'s nose and he instantly releases his hold on my sweater and grabs for his bleeding nose.
"You little..." he begins screaming at me, but I don't look back, just continue running as fast as I can to the door. I reach for the handle, and then *BANG*I immediately drop to the floor.
...
[Mac's POV]
I hear sounds of a struggle in the distance on the phone, then a scream, then a single gunshot that echoes throughout the entire crime scene. My heart stops in that moment, and the world around me goes silent. I look at Jack in horror as we hear the phone line go dead. A sudden flash of something I've never felt before comes over me and I jump out of the police truck and scramble across the front lawn and up the steps to the door.
"REED!" I scream as I hurl myself into the door and go barrelling through it, not thinking twice about the consequences.
...
[Reed's POV]
As I hear the deafening gunshot, I drop to the ground with my arms covering my head and I remain still, not even sure yet what just happened, or whether or not I'm even hurt. Before I have a chance to move, I am quickly grabbed from the back of my hair and hauled to my feet. Mason turns me to face him and I quickly notice the gun still in his hand. He grabs on to the back of my sweater and leads me away from the door. We are forced to step over L.J.'s lifeless body that lies inches from the front door with a large pool of blood underneath it. He must have been running after me and gotten in the way when Mason shot at me. Something tells me that next time I won't be so lucky...
My brain is fuzzy, and I'm not even sure yet what's happened, and then I hear a frantic yell from Mac.
Oh no...
...
[Mac's POV]
As I force my way inside of the house, I stop dead in my tracks when I almost stumble over the body on the floor, then look up to see the look of panic in Reed's eyes as he stands a few feet in front of me in Mason's grasp with a gun held to his temple. I watch tears stream down Reed's face, and the look of terror in his eyes makes my heart sink down to my stomach. What have I done?
"Not a very smart move dad!" Mason taunts as he pushes the gun harder into Reed's temple
"Don't hurt him, please!" I beg him with my arms raised slightly in front of me, showing him I came in unarmed.
"Now where would be the fun in that Detective?" he replies with an evil grin.
"Look, if you walk out of here with us unharmed, you've got some options, okay?" I try reasoning with him.
"Are all cops this thick headed?" He snaps back at me. "It's like I already told your buddy Jack, I'm not interested in your options. The only option I'm considering right now is whether to kill him first and make you watch; or the other way around." He replies in a chilling tone that sends a shiver down my spine.
...
[Stella's POV]
"Mac, wait!" I scream at him after I hear the gunshot, and notice him dashing across the front lawn. Unfortunately my screaming does no good as I watch in horror while he throws himself into the door, and runs into what I can only assume will be certain death.
"Alright, nobody moves!" Jack yells over the crowd of police officers and S.W.A.T. members.
"You stay in position until I give the signal!" he warns again, knowing as well as I do that if he sends an army through that door that Mac and Reed will be killed for sure.
I have to remind myself to keep breathing as I keep my eyes fixated on the house.
Come on Mac...
...
[Mac's POV]
Thankfully nobody has come running in after us yet, and I'm sure that's thanks to Jack. But I know he won't be able to hold them off for long. I need to do something, and quickly.
"Look, just let him go. You can take me instead, just please, let him go." I try to persuade Mason who is clearly growing more anxious by the second.
"No, I can't..." he begins with his voice now shaking and his eyes starting to well up with tears.
I quickly decide to act on his now vulnerable state, as it might be my only chance to get an upper hand on him.
"Come on Mason!" I snap at him.
"How far are you going to let this go on? You've already killed your partner!"
"That was an accident!!!" He screams at me through tears as he takes the gun away from Reed's head and points it at me in desperation.
"Hey, whatever helps you sleep at night" I throw back at him and watch his emotions continue to sky rocket as his face turns to a deep shade of red and the veins in his forehead begin throbbing.
"Shut up! Shut up! Just shut up!" he screams even louder as he takes a step closer to me, dragging Reed with him; then pulling back the hammer on the gun with his thumb as it remains aimed for my chest.
...
[Reed's POV]
What the hell is Mac doing? He's yelling at the homicidal maniac that's holding a gun to my head??? As Mason screams at him and takes the gun away from me and points it in Mac's direction I can see the tension in Mac's shoulders starting to ease, then I figure out exactly what he's up to. He's actually trying to provoke Mason further, to take the attention away from me and put it towards himself. I should have known... Now I remember why I didn't want Mac involved in the first place.
Here it is, the White Knight Express, pulling into the station right on time...
The thought of Mac being hurt or killed in order to protect me gives me exactly the surge I needed to push my fears and panic aside long enough to fight back.
Without a second thought, I throw my shoulder as hard as I can against Mason and we stumble a few feet back into the wall, causing his gun to drop to the floor. Before either of us has a chance to move away from the wall, Mac pounces on Mason forcing him to the ground.
"Reed, get out of here, go!" Mac screams at me as he wrestles with Mason on the floor, their bodies so jumbled together that I can't even tell who's who.
I freeze for a moment, and just watch the two of them in panic.
"Reed, go! Now!" He yells again, just as Mason lands a punch to his face and starts to claw his way across the floor, desperately reaching for the gun.
I decide to make a dash for the front door, hoping once I'm outside I can get some help in here for Mac, but as I make my way out the front door I don't even have a chance to speak before I'm quickly mauled by several S.W.A.T. officers .
"Let me go!" I start yelling while trying to struggle my way out of their grasp; but they pick me up and begin dragging me away from the house anyway.
"He needs help, please!" I try yelling again but I'm not even sure they're listening to me. These guys don't mess around and I'm sure they're only mission is to get me to safety, but still I can't help but continue in my useless fight to free myself.
"DAD!!!" I scream desperately towards the house as tears stream down my face, and everything around me seems to be moving in slow motion as I'm carried further away from the house, my legs and arms still struggling to be free.
Another gunshot goes off, just as the officers finally set me down to my feet next to the ambulance where paramedics are standing by. I fall to my knees as I feel the echo of the gunshot like a knife through my heart.
Why did I leave his side?
...
[Stella's POV]
As I'm forced to stand back and do nothing, I can't even allow myself to watch any longer as I think about what's going on inside that house. I quickly turn away to see Flack coming up behind me with Danny following closely behind and I collapse into Flack's arms as my knees go weak and I feel tears finally coming on. I can't stay strong any longer. I was strong earlier for Mac because he needed me to be, but with him now out of my sight and his life in serious jeopardy, I'm the one that needs strength. Flack holds me tightly against his chest, and Danny rests a hand on my shoulder in an effort to comfort me but I know I won't feel any better until I see Mac and Reed emerge from the house safely.
Being that Cassie is a civilian, she was eventually escorted away from me and forced to remain inside one of the police trucks until this is over. I'm relieved now that I know I don't have to put on a brave face for her any longer, because at this moment, it's me that needs a shoulder to cry on. I remain in Flack's arms for a few more moments until suddenly I hear a lot of commotion coming from the house. I dare to turn and look, and see Reed come outside, unfortunately without Mac. He is quickly pounced on by the S.W.A.T. team and I watch in sorrow as he desperately struggles to free himself from their grasp. He begins screaming frantically that Mac needs help and as soon as the words leave his lips Flack, Danny and I quickly look at each other, then begin running towards the house. Chain of command be damned; that's Mac in there, and he would undoubtedly do the same for any of us.
We run as fast as our legs will allow us, as we dodge through the swarm of police officers and vehicles surrounding the scene. We get about half way across the lawn when we hear another gunshot go off. We instinctively stop dead in our tracks and exchange horrified glances.
Oh God, please be okay Mac...
**I'm evil, I know, leaving you hanging like this. But hey, at least Reed is okay right?
I promise to update soon ;) Maybe even by tomorrow night. Will probably be the final chapter next. Please review!**