The Kidnap II

Chapter 25: James' Grand Plan

James and Habbleman stared each other down for a while. Everyone stood still, still taking in the surprise and relief felt at the sight of the new arrival. Even Habbleman was happy to see James. He had his own reasons. Habbleman scowled at James as the officer walked further in, eyes keeping on their adversary. James' eyes, while furious, were also calm. He alone seemed at ease about the whole situation.

Curly, clutching his chest with his one free arm, and breathing heavily, stared with his eyes half closed from Tim to James and back again. Randy, with his one free hand, kept it around Curly, supporting him up. Lawrence was not paying attention to the boys in his grasp anymore. The arrival Tim was one thing, now James? He didn't expect him so soon. Mark, wrists tied against a wooden pillar, struggled with his hands and fingers.

"Habbleman, Habbleman, Habbleman," James sighed. "You never learn, do you? And yet again, you fell into my trap."

"Oh, no, the trap is your to fall in now," Habbleman breathed angrily. "Been years, my old friend."

"Do you honestly think you dragged me here against my wishes?" James laughed. "I spent a month preparing for this. For you to take my family. No, not my family. Do you know who the people are in the other room?"

"I'm not unwise to your plan, Peters!" Habbleman shot. "But you see, you're here, unarmed and without backup."

"I think you are unwise," James said calmly. James passed right behind Mark's pillar, and when no one noticed, pressed a small pocket knife in Mark's hands. "Let's look at this, shall we? You believed me fooled when you had an officer in the station itself. But you had no clue that I was aware of it all along. And who else to tell me, but my friend Jeffery. You kidnap Bradley Taylor, only to release him a bit later. Attempting to use the kid to get information, under threat of death is low, Habbleman. Very low indeed. You attack the station and the house with what few men you had, and two seconds later, the area Lawrence had under complete control, Mark was kidnapped. You expect me to believe he had missed this? So, I allowed Lawrence at that area, allowed you to kidnap Mark, and therefore expose Lawrence as the idiot. As expected, the two boys left go out to search, and you take the house over."

"Tim is here now, and you never banked on that!"

"That was a minor setback," James insisted. "But now he;s here with your tool, and even so, you are not about to get your hands on that tool. You lost."

"You forget you're in my power!"

"I have no family, Habbleman," James said back. "The woman and teenager you have in there is a juvenile teenager, seventeen, and his mother. No business with us at all."

Habbleman stepped back in surprise, and James smirked, "You see, you know nothing. You know what's really weird, is that you told me not to bring backup, and I did. He's waiting outside on cue."

Just then, the door banged open once again. This time, Jeffery ran in, gun pointed directly at Habbleman. Lawrence pointed his own gun at Jeffery. Before Jeffery could lower his gun, Habbleman was jumped from behind by none other than Mark Taylor. Habbleman fell to the floor, and tussled with Mark there. Now free, Curly fell to the floor from weakness, and Randy rushed forward to aid Mark. Lawrence pointed his gun at Randy's sprawled form, which was getting kicked repeatedly in the shins and in the face at least twice.

Then, Jeffery shouldered Lawrence off, and shot him once. Tim marched in with his laser tool, now determined to do something here. Before anyone knew it, Randy rolled away, half unconscious, and Habbleman had Mark in a headlock, gun pointed at his temple.

"Everyone stay still, or the kids gets his brains blown out!" Habbleman yelled angrily. "You lost. James, drop your weapon. Jeff, you too. Taylor, hand the tool to me, and I'll kill you and a kid of my choosing. DROP THE TOOL!"

"You're a psychopath!" Randy said weakly from the floor.

James dropped his weapon. Jeffery followed, and so did Tim. The tool was finally on the floor, under control of one side or the other. Habbleman pushed Mark off, and made for the tool. As he picked it up, a loud bang sounded outside. It sounded like more gunshots. He looked at Randy, who just recovered, and got up.

"See what it is! Or else!"

Randy limped weakly over to the window, and peered out. "The police is here. They're fighting your men!"

"Brilliant! Lawrence, watch over them. Make sure they do nothing. I'm going to… quell the fighting." And Habbleman left outside. Lawrence backed them all against the wall, leaving a weakened and near-dead Curly on the floor. He kicked all the weapons away.

Before he could say a word, however; the door opened again, and a bang sounded. Lawrence, eyes wide open in surprise and shock, fell face forward to the floor. Standing behind him, a look of triumph on her olive-skinned face, was Olivia.