A/N: So glad you liked this last chapter! Thanks a ton for the reviews! Jen, in your review, you asked why none of the TAC team's shots hit Cheng.
My computer randomly erased all of my Word files a few weeks ago, so I had to re-type all the rest of the chapters of this story (I had up to Chapter 17 posted here). In the original version of this chapter, Kim freaks out when she hears the gunfire. Doyle explains that the gunfire is cover fire, and that the TAC agents were specifically ordered NOT to hit Cheng. (It's difficult, but it can be done.) Their instructions were to lay down cover fire and provide a distraction so Jack could capture Cheng. (In real life, someone like Cheng would probably be arrested and tried for war crimes, but it's also possible that someone in Jack's situation would seek revenge and kill the person before that could happen. Doyle and the TAC guys knew that Cheng would probably never make it to trial; that Jack would most likely kill him.)
I guess I forgot to include that part when I re-wrote this chapter. Sorry for the confusion!
ANYWAY...let's see what Jack has in store for Cheng Zhi, shall we??
Chapter 25
Jack propelled Cheng firmly in the direction of the empty warehouse. "I've waited a long time for this." His smile disappeared. Jack tightened his grip on the man's arm and kept walking.
Suddenly, a gunshot split the air. Cheng howled in pain as he fell to the ground, clutching his right ankle. Bright red blood spilled from between his fingers.
What the...? Instinctively, Jack grabbed his pistol from its holster and returned fire. Click, click. "Dammit!" he growled. "It's jammed." There wasn't time to clear the jam. Jack flipped the safety catch on, unloaded the gun, and re-holstered it. "Don't even think about trying to go anywhere," he ordered Cheng. The man didn't move. Jack ran across the clearing to where Cheng's car was parked. Inside, the lone guard was dead. Next to him, on the seat, was a police-issue shotgun. Jack didn't take the time to puzzle over why the guard had been carrying a shotgun instead of a sniper rifle or a pistol. He just snatched up the weapon, chambered a round, and fired a shot in the direction that the gunfire had come from.
A high-pitched cry echoed through the air, and Jack nodded in grim satisfaction as he shouldered the rifle and turned back to Cheng. "Whichever of your goons was hiding back there, they can't help you now."
Cheng frowned, puzzled. "That was not one of my men. The only people that accompanied me were your daughter and a guard. The guard is dead; your agents killed him."
"Well, it sure wasn't me," Jack retorted. "And my team already left. That leaves you and your men. Personally, I'm leaning towards that choice." He shook his head. "Get up. You and I are going to have a little talk. You know what, forget it. We're beyond talking. You are gonna pay. Consider it my gift to you in return for kidnapping and torturing me, torturing and traumatizing Audrey Raines, and trying to kill my daughter."
"We weren't going to kill her," Cheng told him. "We only wanted her to lead us to you."
"Like hell," Jack snorted scornfully. "Does this ring a bell? 'For the sake of your daughter's life, I advise you not to try anything. My men will not hesitate to kill her.' Remember that?" Cheng nodded silently. "Yeah, I thought so."
Cheng glanced at him. "I have a wife and a daughter of my own, Mr. Bauer."
"Do you?"
Cheng nodded. "A wife, named Minghua, and a four-year-old girl named Mei-Li." He smiled slightly. "She is beautiful, like her mother."
"How would you feel if someone kidnapped your little girl and threatened to kill her?" Jack asked coldly. Cheng lowered his eyes. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Well, I feel the same way about my daughter."
"Then, for her sake, I am glad you made the right choice," Cheng shot back. This was the Cheng Zhi that Jack knew. Gone was the slight trace of a compassionate father. In its place was cold, ruthless manipulation and pure villainy. "Your daughter is a beautiful young woman. She doesn't deserve to die."
"No, but you do." A woman's voice rang out from the shadows beyond the warehouse. Jack recognized that voice. Before he had time to process and identify it, however, gunshots split the air. The sharp, steady bark of rapid assault-rifle fire filled the air as gunfire erupted from the shadows. White fire poured forth from a rifle hidden in the darkness, lighting the area with a strobe-like effect. A strangled cry came from Cheng Zhi, and he collapsed limply to the ground.
At last, the volley of shots was replaced by a dry clicking sound that meant that the rifle was out of ammunition. The clicking continued, signaling that the shooter was continuing to pull the trigger even though the gun was empty. "Cease fire!" Jack yelled. "Your gun is out of ammo; it's useless! Put it down and come out to where I can see you!" He waited tensely. From beyond the side of the warehouse, he heard soft gasps and whimpers. It was the sound of someone injured, trying to hide their pain. Cautiously, Jack moved towards the sound.
He rounded the corner of the building...and stopped in his tracks as he came face-to-face with Audrey.
A/N: Dun-dun-DUNNN...