Laying her out on the small bed, he tied her wrists and ankles to the bedposts. He traced the outline of the bruise on one of her wrists as he *tsk,tsk'd* wondering just how she had obtained the bruises. He spoke softly to her, whispering words of endearment as he arranged her hair lovingly on the pillow on which her head reposed.
Slowly, very slowly, he slid the knife's blade flat along the length of her body. Oh, how he had adored her from afar and the thought of finally possessing her body caused him to quiver and grow hard at the thought of thrusting into her. But that had to wait...he needed her to be awake. She needed to know how much he loved her.
At the same time, the need to punish him...the other one...was unyielding. Oh, yes. Frank Donovan would experience the ultimate suffering...no longer would he possess such a wondrous gift.
He moved away from her to the telephone on the stand by the bed and dialed the number very few civilians knew. He covered the mouthpiece with a handkerchief to muffle his voice as the phone on the other end rang.
"Forrester."
"Gimme Donovan," he demanded.
"Is there something I can help you with?" Cody asked, screening the call. He had learned of Shay's abduction when the team had made it back to the nest. Frank sat at the conference table with Frankie while Jake paced back and forth in frustration.
"Dammit, I said gimme Donovan!" he shouted. "Unless, of course, you'd like me to take care of his wife right at this very moment?!"
Cody gasped. "Frank..." Cody called as he muted the phone. "It's him."
Cody began running the trace while Frank, Jake and Frankie approached the console.
"Donovan." To the untrained ear, his voice exuded his normal confidence. To the people who occupied the room with him, the sound of a defeated man could be heard.
"I know you're tracing this call...and I'm letting you...because I don't want her to be alone for too long after I leave her."
"Don't...Listen, I know you have something against me; don't take it out on Shay. Don't take her away from her children. Take me instead," he pleaded, almost calmly.
He laughed manically. "Don't worry, Frank...you'll join her soon enough."
Donovan stared at the phone as the line blared its dead signal. "Did you get the trace?"
"Yes," Cody answered in a hushed whisper. "The Motel Essex..." he trailed off as Donovan's eyes widened. "Wha...what?"
"Good God...no...it just...no..." he trailed off. He checked the guns in his shoulder holster as he ran for the door.
"Frank!" Jake yelled trying to get his attention. Frank didn't stop and Jake turned back to Cody. "Let's go..." He grabbed Frankie by the arm and they headed out the door in time to see Frank's Blazer peeling out into the midst of the early evening traffic.
They piled into Cody's jeep with Jake cursing loudly. "What the hell is he thinking?"
"Thinking?" Cody said, flooring the jeep and jumping into the flow of traffic. "No thinking...feeling."
Frankie nodded in agreement.
Jake shook his head. "What did Shay say? 'Emotions rule the brain, babe'. She sure knows her husband."
************
