A/N: Faster chapter than expected, huh? Well, I've been thinking of this chapter for a long time now, so I hope it turns out as well as I'm hoping. Thanks to all of you that have reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. It really means a lot to know you enjoy my work. I hope I can only continue to do it service. Enjoy!
Derek sat in the back of the room watching clip after clip of Cortez's men coming to and from their home base. Young Do had pulled them in showing them these clips asking them if they could point out what they all had in common.
"The woman." Young Do pointed to the lady with the big sunglasses covering half her face and the bit extravagant hat upon her head.
"What about her?" Kit asked flipping through the file that held stilled pictures of the woman.
"She's always around Cortez." Young Do pointed out.
"She could be his wife." Andrew sighed hoping Young Do had come up with better material than this.
"I looked into that, there's no record or sign that Cortez is married." Young Do informed them.
"A girlfriend then, look you're wasting time with this," Andrew stood up ready to leave.
"Just hear me out, please." Young Do begged, holding his hands out in an attempt to stop him.
"Go on Choi; it's better than any one of you has dug up." David off said motioning for Andrew to sit down.
"Thank you, sir." Young Do bowed his head to the Dragonhead before continuing.
"While the fact that she is Cortez's girlfriend is still unknown to us, we have taken notice that she is always with him while receiving shipments." Young Do went on clicking on his laptop to pull up more pictures.
"Here you can see the woman talking to one of our own local shop owners. Montrose was the one to investigate on this event."
"What did she find?" Kit asked.
"The woman was there to persuade leaving Triad protection and joining Cortez's side." Young Do explained.
"Was she successful?" Davidoff asked next. Young Do looked about the room and with a sad expression nodded.
"Unfortunately she did, along with a few of our other clients as well." He announced.
"How did we not know of this?" Kit suddenly barked outraged.
"It came to our knowledge that the members, who were assigned to watch over the clients, have joined Cortez as well." Young Do laid down the devastating news to them all.
"He's pouching my men!" David off shouted. "Stealing my clients, and my merchandise from right under my feet!" his whole body shook from anger.
"How did this happen?" Andrew then asked. "How could our men be so easily persuaded? They know the penalty for betrayal is death, why sign up for suicide?"
"I am not sure of that just yet, but rest assured," Young Do began, but a roar escaped from the Dragonhead.
"I want him dead!" he shouted. "I want him hanging by his toe nails, stripped and skinned!" he slammed his fist against the table. "He is out to get everything my lineage has built, I WILL NOT STAND FOR IT!"
A sudden knock came to the door silencing the room. Derek stood up to get it, opening up the door to tell off the person who intruded on their meeting. He was expecting it to be one of the men, but instead it was one of the reception girls from downstairs. She stared up at Derek wide eyed.
"I'm sorry for interrupting, but I have some urgent news." She said her voice small.
"Let her in." Davidoff called taking in deep breaths to calm himself.
The girl only took a few steps inside staying close to the door. She bowed low to show her respect and continued to deliver the news.
"We just received a call from the police station. Miss Elizabeth Delaney's car was found on the side of the road crushed on the driver's side."
"What?" Simon spun around in his chair hearing this.
"Are the girls alright?" Derek immediately asked.
"Girls?" Andrew asked.
"Liz was taking Tori and Chloe home." Simon explained, his words almost a whisper.
"The girls were not found at the site." The receptionist informed them.
"What?" Young Do's voiced echoed in the room.
"What do you mean they weren't found?" Davidoff added his heart rate sky rocketing.
"When police arrived, the girls were gone and so was the other vehicle." She bowed again showing she had no more to add to that.
"What the hell happened to them?" Davidoff asked.
"Sir," the receptionist spoke up. "I also received this but a few moments ago, the man said it was urgent." She lifted a small white envelope in her hand.
Davidoff held his hand out for it, and immediately Derek took it from the girl and took it to him. Davidoff ripped it open yanking out a folded piece of paper inside it. Tossing the envelope onto the table he opened up the letter and began to read.
With each word his heart grew heavy, and with each breath he could feel the floor open up beneath him.
"That son of a bitch!" He bellowed. "Kit, get the men ready, Andrew load up the cars." Davidoff ordered handing off the letter to Derek.
"If Cortez thinks he can lay a hand on my family, he's a fool! A dead fool!" Davidoff shouted the men going into action.
Derek stared down at the letter in his hands, a picture of the three girls tied up and black and blue at the bottom. Four words in bold print above them.
COME AND GET THEM
"It's a trap." Derek said looking up at the moving men. "Sir, don't you see it's a trap!" Derek ran up to Davidoff to try and reason.
"He wants us to go there, he's planning on it." Derek said pulling Davidoff's arm to stop him.
"He has your wife, boy!" Davidoff shouted not understanding why Derek was hesitating.
"Yes, I know, and as much as I'd like to see him dead I can't allow him to make a fool out of us." Derek replied.
"The shipment." Simon then said standing up. "The shipment from Korea comes in tonight, that's what he's after." Simon explained, looking around the room for someone to agree.
"He's luring us away from it so that he can have easy grabs." Kit nodded backing Simon up.
"What if he isn't, what if he plans on killing Tori and the others?" Andrew asked.
"Simon and I will lead a group to raid his home base, but the men should be out there making sure we get that shipment in." Derek turned to the Dragonhead for an approval.
"You're right, gather some men and take them to Cortez the rest of us will get the merch." Davidoff nodded. "Good thinking, son." He smiled proudly at Derek.
"So then, who's coming with us?" Simon asked walking up to Derek.
"Grab Choi and get the cars ready, I'll go get the men. Call Montrose as well, have her meet us there." Derek went into action walking out of the conference room and down towards the lounge to see the men he could grab.
His heart was pounding fiercely within his chest. He wanted to rip the man's throat out for harming Chloe and his family. If he had the chance he would kill Cortez himself. But his main focus was getting the girls out of there and back to safety.
Chloe's head felt like concrete, and her whole body felt numb. She tried to open her eyes but her lids were too heavy. She tried to mover her hands but to no luck. She could hear someone close to her, a familiar voice. Who could it have been? Her mother?
"Easy there sunshine," the voice was sickly sweet. "Wakey wakey." Chloe groaned trying to get her eyes to open. "Your guests should be arriving very shortly." That's when Chloe could smell him. The reek of cigarettes choked her and the heavy scent of cheap cologne poured off of him.
"Come on Chloe, you don't want to miss the party." Chloe's eyes finally opened slightly, scared at the fact that this person knew her name. She saw the sick smirk first, her focus coming in and the blond hair and blue eyes.
She gasped flinching away from him, while laughed grabbing her chin and forcing her to look at him.
"Miss me?" Liam sneered letting her go and walking to the other side of the room.
Chloe looked around taking in shallow breaths due to her chest pains. The room was bare except for a dresser and a cot for a bed. Chloe scanned to room her eyes landing on Liam who was lighting a cigarette between his lips. Her hands were tied down to the chair she sat on, along with her legs. She couldn't move an inch.
Pocketing his lighter, Liam strutted across the room towards her blowing out a cloud of smoke. Chloe watched him cautiously trying to figure out how she got here. Where was Tori and Liz? Where they okay? What was Liam doing here? Where was she?
"You must be so confused." Liam chuckled crouching down in front of her and sucking on his death stick again. He blew the smoke into her face getting her grimace and turn away. "You're precious boyfriend should be here soon." He said smirking up at her.
"You should have taken my offer when you had the chance, love." He said placing a hand on her knee. Chloe tried to pull away but her legs were tied down to the legs of the chair. "Would have saved you a lot of heart ache." He placed the cig back between his lips.
"Now I'll have to kill you along with that bastard." He stood up turning his back to her and pulled out his phone from his pocket.
"Before I kill you though," he said slowly turning and holding his phone out in front of him. The red light indicating that he was recording her. "I'm going to have a little fun." He smirked plucking the cig from his lips and walking over to Chloe.
"Tell me, did you know that you're boyfriend was the leader of a notorious gang?" he asked. Chloe shut her eyes turning her head away from him. So her assumptions were true, he did know about Derek. "Oh, by that reaction I'd say you did know." He chuckled apparently amused with this.
"Why would he tell you, though?" he said flicking the excess ashes collected at the end of his cigarette. "Do you mean that much to him?" he asked taking another puff. He blew out the smoke reaching the front of her again. "Why won't you talk?" he shouted.
Chloe kept silent knowing it was her best defense against him. Liam crouched once again putting his phone right in front of her face.
"Such a good girl he's captured." Liam laughed. "But every good girl has a bad side." He said as he took the burning end of his cigarette and pushed it into the exposed part of her shoulder.
Chloe let out a whimper as her face squeezed shut and her skin burned.
"I can make you scream." Liam smirked at her flicking the bud across the room. "Want to see?" Liam turned setting his phone up onto the dresser and moving back to Chloe.
He began to remove his belt from his pants, Chloe's eyes going wide realizing what he planned to do. Her chest rose and fell quickly as she tried to calm herself, but only succeeding in panicking even more. Liam enjoyed the fearful look in her eyes as he sauntered over to her and taking his belt to wrap it around her neck.
"What shall I do with you first?" he smirked walking around her only to pull on the belt and choke her.
Chloe gasped for breath only to cough with the struggle to breath. Liam reached around her and reached down inside the top of dress groping one of her breasts. With a demonic chuckle he began to plant kisses down her neck. Without the ability to move all Chloe could do was try and wiggle and try to free herself, but the more she struggled the tighter the belt around her neck became.
Suddenly, a scream from down the hall was heard pulling Liam's attention away for a few seconds. A grin splayed over his face and he looked back down to whisper in her ear.
"Sounds like one of my buddies is having fun." He chuckled.
Tears began to spill over the sides of her face as she continued to gasp for breath. Black spots filled her vision once more from the lack of oxygen.
Was this how she was going to die? She squeezed her eyes shut praying for someone to find her, that she would survive this. She screamed for Derek.
The door to the room busted open, slamming against the opposite wall. Liam's head snapped up glaring at the person who had interrupted him. Within the next second he was knocked back and onto the floor, a pair of strong hands around his neck in a vise like grip. Liam gasped for air pushing with all his might to get the person off. He blinked to clear his vision and saw his enemies face above him, full rage in his eyes.
When Liam dropped so did the belt causing air to slam back into Chloe's lungs. She gasped finally getting the air she needed, only to cough from the sudden release. The blood rushed to her head and she felt very dizzy seeing the world around her start to go black. She felt someone's hands on her and she began to struggle against them, even though she could hardly feel her body.
"Relax, Chloe it's me." She heard Simon's voice just as the world was coming back to her. She fought against the darkness and cleared her head. She looked over to see Simon next to her untying her hands from the chair.
Chloe looked to her other side to see Derek on top of Liam. Her hands were free now and she looked down at Simon who was quickly trying to untie her feet next.
Liam punched Derek causing him fall over. He rolled over and began to get up just as Derek did, and within the next second they lunged at each other wanting to kill the other. Derek's blood boiled with full rage. He wanted Liam dead for harming Chloe before, but finding him like that with her helplessly sitting there, all he could see was red.
Liam kicked Derek in the chest sending him to the floor, and swung his fist against the side of Derek's face. Feeling the sting only fueled his anger, and Derek stood up upper cutting Liam his head snapping back and he fell against the dresser. Derek went for him again but Liam spun around kicking out again, but Derek caught his leg punching the bend of his knee.
Liam let out a cry of pain and Derek dropped his leg only to punch him again. Liam hit the floor hard right next to Chloe was now standing free from her binding.
"Get her out of here." Derek ordered Simon.
Simon nodded, wrapping an arm around Chloe's waist and leading her out of the room. Chloe looked back to see Liam stand launch himself at Derek. She gasped turning back to try and help Derek but Simon pulled her back.
"He's okay; we have to get you out of here." Simon said pulling her down the hall against her will.
"Simon!" a voice shouted from the other side of the hall. They both looked to see Young Do and a limping Tori coming down the hall.
"What happened?" Simon asked frantically, seeing the blood stain on Tori's clothes.
"Bastard shot me." Tori said her voice cracking as she struggled for breath.
"We have to get her help." Young Do said a bit panicked.
"Come on." Simon said pulling Chloe along with him.
Chloe looked around seeing that they were inside some type of building; the lighting of the place was dim with red tint. She could hear gun shots in the distance and as they rounded the corner they found out where they were coming from.
Adeline was stuck behind a wall shooting at some of Cortez's men who had her trapped in the room. Liz lied in her lap unconscious and as black and blue as the other girls. Simon nodded for Young Do to take cover while he pulled out his gun. Chloe took cover on the other side of the door knowing to cover her ears.
Simon shot the first two nearest him, giving Adeline a chance to shoot the other three. Simon ran inside the room picking up Liz in his arms and ushering Adeline out of the door. Without any hesitation Adeline went to Chloe's aid helping her follow the others out of the building. The whole placed was filled with screams and gun shots. They couldn't get out the front door without getting spotted.
"There's a way out the back." Young Do said motioning down the opposite hall.
Moving as fast as they could they made it out the back and headed towards the front. A loud crashing sounded above them, glass falling around them. Tori and Chloe let out a scream covering them from the shower of glass. Next came a loud splash from the pool that the setting sun reflected off of. They all looked over to see who had fallen.
The surface of the water rippled while two bodies floated to the top, both not moving. Instantly, they recognized the two men.
"Derek!" Chloe shouted leaving Adeline's arms and running towards the pool.
Young Do bolted for the pool reaching it before Chloe and diving into the pool. Making sure Derek's head stayed above the water he swam to the edge of the pool where both Adeline and Chloe were waiting. Adeline helped pull Derek out and laid him flat on the ground. Chloe fell to her knees immediately checking on him.
"He's not breathing!" She said her hands shaking as she pulled at his shirt to prepare for CPR.
"Shit." Young Do muttered taking off his jacket to put it under Derek's head.
He positioned himself to start pumping on Derek's chest, but Chloe was already on it. With the strength she had left she began the reps counting in her head, and pinching Derek's nose before blowing air into his lungs.
"Chloe, maybe you should let me," Young Do began.
"Shut up!" Chloe shouted, continuing the reps. "Get the others to safety." She ordered before blowing into Derek's mouth again.
Both Young Do and Adeline hesitated looking at each other not knowing what else to do. Adeline made the first move and ran back to Simon and Tori.
"Come on Derek." Chloe said pushing onto his chest, ignoring the tears that came down her cheeks. She blew into his mouth again but still no response. She pushed on his chest not caring if her body was about to give out.
"Don't you dare leave me!" She shouted at Derek sniffling and then blowing into him again.
"Chloe," Young Do called out but she ignored him continuing on. "Chloe, please you can't continue like this." He begged afraid that she would pass out.
"Yes I can!" she shouted pumping Derek's chest.
She continued the CPR a few of the other their members making their way into the back. When they saw what was going on they all stopped in their tracks.
"Come on, Derek!" Chloe cried, blowing once more.
This time Derek's chest rose and his mouth opened. He coughed water ejecting from his mouth as he coughed up the water he had swallowed. Young Do let out a sigh of relief as gasped for air as well. Derek's eyes flicked around trying to figure out what was going on.
"Derek," Chloe called out her heart aching at the sight of him. She placed her hands on the side of his face, the tears falling freely from her eyes. "Oh my god," she sighed in relief.
"Chloe," Derek croaked reaching up for her.
"We need to get out of here." Young Do announced and turned to the other men barking orders out in Korean.
The men went into action, one of them coming over and helping Derek up. Chloe couldn't even stand anymore, but Young Do was there to help her and lead her out to the front where their men waited for them.
"You did an excellent job, Chloe." He said as she leaned up against him.
"Sorry for," Chloe began but he shook his head.
"You did what you had to. Don't apologize." He said getting her into one of the cars.
Chloe rested her head against the seat, fighting the heavy weight of sleep. She wanted to make sure that the other's were okay, that Derek was going to be fine. But the more she fought against her exhaustion the more sick she felt. When she saw Young Do get behind the wheel of the car she knew that she would be okay for now. Her head lolled to the side and before she knew it, she slumped across the back seat. The last thing she heard was someone shouting her name once again.
A/N: Wow, what a chapter huh? How did I do? Let me know in the reviews! Thank you all for the support so far. The next chapter will be one you won't want to miss either. So stayed tune for that one. Until then, Ciao!