PARTNERS IN TROUBLE
Loralei stood at the doorway of the bedroom. She had thought she would have found Donovan sleeping. She had left him up here a few hours ago, and he had been so drained and exhausted, that he seemed ready to slip into a deep coma. However, he must have had another idea in mind. He was wide-awake, of course, with the baby lying beside him. He had yet to notice her, but that was okay. Before she spoke to him, she was content to watch him and Rachel for a moment. Uncharacteristically for their daughter when around her daddy, she was asleep. She knew her husband was under an extraordinary amount of stress right now, but he was trying to keep from letting it show. She didn't know whether she appreciated that particular self-defense mechanism or if it irritated her. Loralei didn't want to admit it, but she was afraid for him. She had been afraid before, but it was nothing like this. She couldn't exactly describe the feelings rushing through her, but it felt as a time bomb inside her was ticking furiously, just waiting for its chance to explode tremendously and disastrously. She found herself wondering if he would come out of this situation unscathed, or if he would endure punishment for what the bitch had said. What would become of her husband if he were permanently dismissed because of this bullshit? She didn't want to think of that right now. She had to talk to him, and she wasn't getting anything done simply staring at him as if he were an exotic [and sexy] zoo exhibit.
"Frank?"
Donovan glanced up and looked at her. It killed her a little to see the pain there. She had never seen him so worked up, so unsure. He was far from scared, but there was a vacant look about his eyes that was unsettling. He didn't say anything; he simply held her transfixed with a hypnotizing gaze. After a moment, he gently shifted his position so that his body was drawn into a partial sitting position. Instead of telling him what he needed to know where she stood, she approached the bed and sat down before him. She found her hand drifting up to the side of his face. His hand came up and grasped her wrist. He turned his head a bit and placed a kiss on her palm. He held his hurt so valiantly inside, but hers coursed through her violently. She had taken all his, combined it with hers, and now, it ate away inside her, growing like a dark, ugly tumor. There was nothing she could do, and she hated that feeling most of all. She hoped what she had to tell him would make things a little better. The problem wouldn't go away, of course, but it might help the obvious shell shock he was experiencing.
"I know what you're doing, Loralei," he said with the hint of grin on his lips. "I've seen it a dozen times. You've got everything internalized inside you, and I won't have that, my love."
"It's hard not to do. I'm not like you, I have to wear it on my sleeve, if I didn't, I'd have a ton of ulcers by now. I'm worried about you and pissed that I can't do anything. If I ever see that woman again, I'm going to kick her ass, make her kiss the pavement to injure those kiss stealing lips of hers. She fucked with the wrong woman's husband, Frank. She really, really did."
He smiled and shook his head. Yes, she would do exactly what she said. For a little while, she hadn't been herself, but today, she was right on. "Baby, she's not worth the energy you would expend." Of course, he realized he was speaking to a deaf woman. If she wanted to kick the bitch's ass, she just might succeed. She was certainly stubborn and persistent enough to wait for her chance. "Worrying about me won't help you. It's not good for you, especially now."
"I'd like for you to show me a way not to feel like this, not to worry. I mean it, if I ever see her again, she's going to be one sorry ass bitch. She will beg to go back to whoever hit her, because what I'm going to do will be ten times worse. She'd better never cross my path, Frank. I mean it." She sighed. "I'm getting way off track here. I'm actually in here for a reason. You have some guests waiting downstairs to see you."
The little 'what the fuck' crease appeared between his brows. "Guests," he asked, confused.
She nodded. "Yes, FD, guests. Go downstairs and see them. I'll take care of Rachel."
He kissed her, declaring his love for her as he left. Donovan slipped out of the bedroom and stood peering over the railing for a few moments. His 'guests' were the team. When Loralei had mentioned 'guests,' he had a feeling it would be them, but the moment he saw them, he felt a surge of gratitude and mutual respect flowing through him. When he saw them last, he was certain they had believed the bitch, that they intended to abandon him. However, when he realized that he had earned their trust, their loyalty, it had rendered him nearly speechless. What the hell were they doing here? They were all decked out in what Cody had nicknamed their 'combat threads,' with the exception of Alex. She had a trench coat covering her body from view. Surely they weren't doing what he thought they were. He slowly descended the flight of stairs until he was facing the group. At first, he was rendered silent. Hell, he didn't know what he was going to say.
Stiffly, stately, he asked, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Jesus, Boss, what does it look like," Jake spat. "We need to break this ring apart and we can't do that without our fearless leader."
He gazed at them incredulously. What was he talking about? If they did that, Shoemaker would dismiss them all. He could not allow them to sacrifice their careers for him. They all had very long, very promising futures ahead of them, and he didn't want to be responsible for their downfalls. "I can't let you do that," he said. "You must go and do what you need to do, but I cannot let you drag me along. I've been disciplined. It hasn't happened often, but it has happened. I won't let any of you harm your careers for me. Don't worry about me, I'll be back in business as soon as those tests come through."
"Screw that, Sex Machine," Cody quipped. "We can't let you take a bad rap. So, if Shoemaker finds out, which he will, we'll all be in the unemployment line together! We have a job to do, true. We have a ring to break apart, truer still, but there's no way we're going to buy the bullshit that trouble starter has fed us."
"So, Boss," Monica said. "We can't wait for you all day."
* * *
Before leaving, Donovan insisted that Loralei call over their next-door neighbor to sit with her and Rachel. He didn't trust leaving her alone, not with the bitch looming in the shadows. Of course, he realized that his wife was stubborn, and he didn't walk out the door until Loralei called Kara and she agreed to come over. He waited another half hour for the woman to arrive. When she appeared, she didn't come alone. Farron had accompanied her. Donovan would have liked to explore their newfound relationship a bit more, but there would be time for that later. With one last hug and kiss from Loralei, he left.
* * *
Huete had sent Torcido to find the residence of Frank Donovan. Farron wasn't aware, but Ennui had pilfered around his apartment the day she seduced him. She had found his address book and saw an address without a heading. She assumed it was Donovan's home, because if it weren't, he would have written a name to associate with it. It was a bonehead move, of course, but one that would pay off nicely. Torcido wasn't sure he had secured the right address until he saw something that made him smile. Five people, three men and two women, exited the residence, and four of them were the UC agents. The man following them out was Frank Donovan. He knew that Donovan's wife and daughter would be inside the home, alone and vulnerable.
Kara and Farron were literally hovering over Loralei. It was sweet, and she was appreciative, but it was also getting on her nerves. Leaving Farron and Kara downstairs, she announced that she wanted to lie down. All of a sudden, she felt extremely tired and worn down. She had hidden her exhaustion from her husband, because he needed no other distractions. If he were distracted out in the field, it would only spell disaster for him. If anything happened to him, she would lose her mind. She dragged her body upstairs and fell face first onto the bed.
* * *
Donovan, Cody, and Monica remained in a surveillance van parked fifteen or so blocks from where Alex stood playing her role to the hilt. Jake was on standby near Alex in case she needed the backup. Both Alex and Jake updated Donovan every few minutes. They had yet to see Huete's right hand man or a woman out recruiting kids. Nothing. The fact that they had seen nothing didn't sit well with Donovan. If the bitch had gone as far as to pin her rape and beating on him, she might turn the tables on their mission. The thought of that pierced his heart with paranoia. He made a hasty call home, and when Farron assured him that everything was all right, he turned to Cody and demanded a list of Alca Huete's associates, and their rap sheets.
* * *
He stood over the form of the sleeping woman. She was apparently so exhausted that she didn't know he was there. His fist was swollen and bloody from hitting the man, and blacking the other woman's eye. He had literally had to shoot the man to get him away from the woman. The woman had been easier to take care of. One punch and she was out. He had thrown her body into his SUV and returned for the other woman. She was a beauty, and she might turn an excellent dollar on the streets. Ah, and the red tinged hair was always a plus. How long would it take to get her hooked on Huete's powerful cocaine? He had stolen two of them; two Donovan women, and his jefe would be pleased. Of course, Huete's whore would also be pleased. If she wanted to take care of Donovan herself, the best way to do that [according to Primera] was to snag his wife. The reward would be great.
Loralei couldn't breathe, and she had no idea why. She had been sleeping one moment, and then the next, she couldn't breathe. When she managed to muster the strength to open her eyes, she saw a large man looming over her, covering her mouth with his large paw. She tried to struggle away from him, but his body was beefy and immovable. She couldn't hurt him unless she had a sledgehammer. As he carried her struggling form out of the room, she could hear the cries of her daughter. Oh God. Oh God. She didn't want anything to happen to the baby. Please don't let him hurt my baby, she thought, please don't let him hurt her.
* * *
Cody found the information Donovan wanted. He stared down the extensive list of associates, and most of them he knew or had past experience with. There was one he had never heard of, though, and he wasn't sure why the name caught his attention. Enfermo Torcido. It stuck in his mind, tweaking his brain. He flipped through the remainder of the pages and glanced at the rap sheets of each man. There were few surprises with the men he knew. However, Torcido's record spoke immense volumes about his personality. His charges were even more extensive than all the other men together: five rapes, four attempted murders, twelve aggravated assaults, and one murder. All of these charges were dismissed because the witnesses and/or victims had disappeared. The rapes he had committed were brutal and vicious. He had an affinity for biting his victims. He thought of the bitch, thought of the injuries she had reported. Torcido had attacked her, but why? The bitch was a former lover of Huete. What if he had asked her to ensure some bizarre re-initiation ritual where she had to spend the night with one of Huete's men? Was that a feasible idea? Was it? He was certain the bitch had double-crossed them. Frantically, he grabbed his phone and dialed his home number again. This time, no one answered. Dear God. His wife. His daughter.
* * *
Farron regained conscious slowly, painstakingly. The last image he had seen before blacking out was a gun pointed directly toward his head. He had been shot, but he didn't think the injury was life threatening. Another thought entered his mind. Shel. The sick, twisted fuck had taken her. He then thought of his sister in-law and niece. Vaguely, in the back of his mind, he could hear the wailing cries of Rachel. What the hell? He brought his aching, bleeding body up into a sitting position, and glanced around the room. His brother. Yes. He would call Frank. Frank would know what to do. He would find Shel and Loralei. First, he had to think about Rachel. How terrified the baby must be.
* * *
Both Kara and Loralei had been taken to a room and locked in. The brutal fucker who kidnapped them had cuffed their ankles to the steel supports on a cot-type bed sitting in the middle of the room. There were no windows or other furniture inside. Loralei was focused on nothing more than her baby. At the same time, she tried to soothe a very distraught Kara. Her eye was blackened and swollen. Dear God, that sick fucker was cruel. Loralei wrapped her arms around the other woman, and they clung to each other. Kara had seen the man shooting her lover, and she was certain he was dead. The two of them looked up suddenly as the door came open. A man they had never seen before greeted them. He was evil. They had no trouble seeing that, but he carried himself as if he were Mr. Universe. He had come alone.
Alca Huete gazed at the two women. One was staring up at him defiantly. The other was nursing a ruined eye. Primera had told him that the auburn haired woman was Donovan's wife and the blonde was Farron's mistress. By the end of the night, he planned on having both of them broken down enough where they would gratefully submit to the cocaine he would push on them. As soon as Donovan discovered his wife had been kidnapped, he would come here, and then he would allow Primera to do whatever she wanted. He might even let her have the wife. They could use the blonde, in some capacity. Perhaps he would give her to Torcido. He had taken an affinity for the woman when he smacked her. Strength came in numbers, so he immediately decided to separate them. He backed toward the entrance to the room and stuck his head out the door. He called for Torcido, and Kara began to scream.
* * *
Loralei was trying to determine the weakness of her leg bond. It was a reinforced steel shank, and she was certain that it would take her an eternity to break through it. She didn't know what Huete had in store for her, but she knew it wasn't good. She looked up again as the door creaked open. She growled when she recognized the bitch. Ennui stood in the doorway, staring at Loralei with a victorious grin on her face. It would only be a matter of time before Donovan came. When he did, she would be waiting for him. She watched as Loralei began struggling against her bonds again.
"You can't get free," Ennui said, "You're trapped, trapped like a caged animal."
"When I get out of this, I'm going to kick your fucking ass back to Colombia," she snarled.
Ennui laughed. "Ha. Very funny. I'd like to see you escape that. You might be Frank's wife, but you're not as smart as he, and you'll never get free unless a key releases you. I wouldn't spend my time fretting. Huete has plans for you and your little girlfriend. I have plans for Frank. You stole him from me, stole the life that should be mine, and I'm not about losing. I'm about winning. And this time, Mrs. Donovan, I will win."
Loralei looked the woman up and down with her bright green eyes, sizing her up, checking out her weaknesses. She had plenty, she only hoped she could use them against her. She said nothing to the other woman, she watched her closely, carefully. Ennui approached her competition, the woman who had stolen her life and dreams. She wondered what was going through Loralei's head. She had said nothing to her, and she was certain Mrs. Donovan was a weak little bitch. She didn't know what Donovan saw in her. Ennui was actually looking at Loralei's left hand ring finger. She spied the engagement ring atop a thick gold wedding band. She didn't know why she had fixated on that ring, but for some reason, she couldn't tear her eyes away. Then it hit her. The diamond in the gold setting was significantly larger than the one in hers. For a moment, she was totally and completely flabbergasted. What other hideous proof did she need that Donovan truly loved Loralei, truly wanted her more?
Loralei watched as Ennui leaned closer and closer to her, fixated on her wedding rings. If the bitch got just a little closer, she could make her move. She took in shallow breaths as she waited. Before Ennui knew what hit her, she felt an explosive pain blooming in her head. She actually wasn't sure what hit her. Surely, the weak ass Mrs. Donovan hadn't done this. Ennui brought her hand up to her face and felt the warm gush of blood spouting from her mouth. She had punched her directly on the mouth, loosening teeth [probably knocking out a few while she was at it]. Goddamn. Goddamn. Her world began to gray a bit, and she fell face forward onto the cot.
* * *
Donovan arrived home to total and complete chaos. Farron's blood had made a small pool on the living room floor. It was a flesh wound and he had managed to stop the flow of blood on his own. He refused medical treatment. Donovan stood in the living room and watched as his twin soothed his crying infant. He could stand still no longer. He went to his brother and took his daughter. The instant she recognized his touch, his scent, she began to quiet down. The man who looked like Daddy wasn't Daddy.
"Where is Loralei," Donovan asked, boring his eyes into Farron's.
He shook his head. "I do not know," he began painfully. His jaw was swelling by the second. "The man who shot me took her. Took her and Shel."
Donovan felt the bottom of his world dropping to the darkest black hole in outer space. "Oh God," he moaned. "This man who attacked you and took the women, what did he look like?"
"Big, arms like clubs, dark hair, dark eyes, built like a bulldog."
He closed his eyes tightly. When he opened them, Farron was staring at him. Although he was in the throes of a widespread panic, he managed to hold onto his daughter gently, thoughtfully. "Fuck," he spat through clenched teeth. "They're with Alca Huete. That man was his right hand man. Can you help me find her? I know you're not in that mindset any longer, but I need your help."
Farron nodded. "Yes, of course. They have Kara as well, and I cannot stand here and let them hurt her, hurt either of them. I'll do it. I'll help you."
Donovan hoped it wasn't too late. He shoved the ominous thoughts out of his mind to set the wheels in motion. They had little time to fuck around.