***
"Okay, here we go," Cody announced when the search finished processing. "Got a warehouse registered through a dummy corporation. It's traceable back to Patriaka."
"Good job, Cody," Frank said approvingly as he patted him on the shoulder. He turned to Shay and said, "Shay, get Director Karnes. We're going to need backup for this." He glanced at Cody's monitor as the building specs for the warehouse came up. "That's a large warehouse for four people to search. No telling how many men they have."
Shay nodded and rose to her feet. She was halfway to the door when she realized what he said and turned to face him. "Four? I don't think so, Sir. Three at the most; two if one of us has to make sure you stay put."
"I'm perfectly capable," his argument began until Alex laid a quieting hand on his shoulder.
"We all know you're as tough as they come, Frank, but you're sitting this one out," she stated firmly. Before Frank could utter a word, she continued, "And I think Shay will keep you company."
"Alex, whether Shay stays or not is my decision." He turned back to Shay, "Let Karnes know we'll need a full assault team."
Shay nodded and headed off to find Director Karnes. When she returned with him, Frank went over the details of where they believed Nick was being held. It was a pretty straightforward plan. Agents would go in through all entrances simultaneously. The warehouse was large, but, thankfully, only one floor. No complicated plan was needed. Converge and capture. Take down those they could, put down those they must.
Director Karnes agreed to the plan and put a full team under their charge. The team and necessary equipment were ready to roll within the hour.
***
Michelle entered the hospital hours later, after going home for a fitful nap. She had snuggled into the bed she and Nick shared, curling herself around his pillow. It seemed like forever before she drifted off to sleep with his manly scent filling her nostrils. She had dreamed of him, lost somewhere in a dark place full of evil and despair. She had reached for him, held him close, and tried to shield him from it with her love. When she awakened to only his pillow, the dread from her dream filled her, causing her stomach to churn. She had spent the next few moments kneeling in front of the toilet, retching her guts out.
She had wandered the house for a while, but she was too nervous and distracted to stay still. Deciding to try to keep her mind off things by working, she headed back to the hospital. Although she knew she was not up to anything serious, she had mounds of paperwork to go through and hoped she could handle that task.
She passed Reception without looking up. Norman called out to her to get her attention and she backtracked to him. "Hey," she acknowledged him weakly.
"You have a call, Shel. I was going to take a message, but here you are," he said sociably.
"Thanks, Norman. Can I take it here?" she asked. She prayed it was Frank and Shay calling with news and, at the same moment, prayed it was not. She realized she was frightened; she expected the worst. "This is Michelle Chambers."
"Michelle, it's Shay. Listen...we've just contacted the EMT's to follow us. An ambulance is being sent from your location to the Warehouse District near the Bay Bridge."
Michelle's heartbeat increased rapidly as she tossed the phone back to Norman. Without another thought or word, she raced to dispatch as quickly as possible. When she reached the call center, she asked breathlessly, "Has a bus been dispatched to the warehouse district yet?"
The dispatcher looked her up and down. "Wha... what?"
"Has one been dispatched?" she asked again insistently.
"Just now...they're about to..."
Michelle did not wait for the remainder of the answer. She tore outside and hurried to the soon to be departing ambulance.
***
Nick lay, groggy and disoriented, in the same smelly bed he had been in for days. While unconscious, his captors had tied him back to the bed. Although, how he would have the strength to escape was beyond him. He knew they would be back to put him through more punishment. He was beyond caring if he would be rescued. Humiliation, pain, and torture...he prayed for death now. Anything that would end the cruelty and suffering.
--
Shay heard the slight growl Frank emitted as he watched Alex and Cody follow the assault team into the building. He wanted to be there, in the midst of the action. Instead, he was stuck in the back of the surveillance van watching through monitors. She stood behind him and began massaging his shoulders to ease his tense muscles. "Breathe, Donovan...just breathe."
Frank reached up and covered one of her hands with his. "I pray we've found him in time, Ash..."
"I know, Frank, I know..."
--
His vehicle neared the turnoff to the warehouse district as he spotted the many FBI vehicles approaching from the opposite direction. Sonofabitch, he cussed silently. They had discovered where Donovan was being held before he had a chance to extract the information he was after. He gnashed his teeth forcefully and pounded on the steering wheel as he drove past the entrance and headed away from the area.
Donovan would live through this, but Rudolf was far from finished with him. He needed the information to complete his assignment. Sonny Walker was a valuable commodity. Patriaka still had connections to money the United States government had not been able to seize and Rudolf wanted that money. He worked long and hard for it. He received a generous salary for his services, but bringing Walker down was worth millions in bonus. He meant to have that bonus.
For now, he would disappear. There would be another time to seek out Agent Donovan for his knowledge. In the meantime, Rudolf would lie in wait.
--
Cody and Alex were part of the group that entered the warehouse from the rear. Each team of agents checked in as room after room was cleared.
Jimmy heard the noises coming from the hallway. Rusty was not due to relieve him for another hour, but it was possible he was early. Going to the door, he unlocked it for his partner. "Aren't you a bit..." The words died in his throat when several semi-automatic handguns were thrust into his face. Without a word, he backed up into the room, giving them leave to enter.
"Where is he?" Alex growled questioningly.
Jimmy nodded toward the door at the far side of the room.
"Cuff him," Alex ordered, grabbing the thug and shoving him toward one of the assault team. She then moved over to the door. Cody stood to one side while she kicked the door open forcefully. She entered first, gun leveled at the ready and Cody followed behind her.
"Jesus Christ," Alex whispered, seeing Nick's prone body tied down to the bed. "What the hell did they do to him?"
Cody was sickened by the sight, but not surprised. Whoever did this was someone who enjoyed his or her job. "Frank..." he spoke into the headset's microphone.
"We saw, Cody," Frank answered. "We're on our way."
--
Nick thought he was dreaming when he heard the noise in the outer room. Surely it was just his imagination when he turned his head and saw what looked like law enforcement standing just inside the door. No, it had to be another hallucination. He had given up hope, hadn't he? As his vision focused on first one then the other, he realized they were law enforcement. FBI. He wondered absently how they found him. He gave up trying to figure it out; just the simple act of thinking caused him pain. No, it was not worth the effort. Better just to die...
Cody and Alex looked at each other for a moment after hearing Nick's pitiful groan and watched him turn his head away. The man lay near naked, covered in filth, blood, and bruises. What torments he had gone through were unfathomable, even by those trained to deal with such things.
"Nick," Alex murmured quietly as she and Cody approached the bed. Removing her jacket, she covered Nick as best as she could. She could see Cody shaking his head as he cut the ropes away from Nick's ankles while she removed the ones at his wrists. "Nick...can you hear me?"
Nick opened his eyes and gazed uncaringly at the woman who spoke his name repeatedly. He could hear, but cared not to speak. He could see, but would rather not. The one thing he wanted was to disappear. Yes, disappear. He could do that.
"He isn't responding," Alex informed Cody quietly while helping Nick to a sitting position.
"He seems almost catatonic," he agreed. "Although, it's clear he can hear us and knows we're here," he added when Nick's eyes flicked toward him when he began speaking.
Both Alex and Cody turned toward the door when Frank and Shay entered. They stopped short upon seeing Nick in the pathetic state he was in. Shay mumbled something under her breath and then turned, yelling for the EMT's.
Nick's eyes were downcast as the newcomers approached him. He did not want to see anyone, nor did he want them to see him in his present condition. He felt the gentle caress of someone's hand on his cheek and only then did he raise his eyes. "Please...just...don't touch me," he begged in a tortured whisper.
Frank nodded toward Shay, who then backed away from his cousin. He hunched over, resting his hands on his knees and looked into Nick's face. "Nick...we're going to take you home now," he assured him. He felt the guilt wash over him at the sight of his cousin's condition. All of this happened because they were identical in appearance. How could this ever be made up to the poor man?
Nick recognized the voice and looked up to see Frank leaning down toward him. "You!" he accused hatefully before spitting in his cousin's face. "All because of you!" He had not felt much emotionally in the past day, but he felt something now. Hatred. Pure and raw. It burned in his gut like pure grain alcohol. He knew two things were real. He knew was alive; and he knew hatred.
Frank retreated slowly and wiped the spittle from his face. Although upset by the sound of unmitigated loathing from his cousin, he understood where it was coming from. Nick would have a lot of emotions to deal with and wade through. With time and the proper help, Frank could only hope to repair the damage between them.
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the room. Everyone turned as Michelle ran into the room. Frank noted the look of horror that washed over her face and disappeared quickly, replaced with concern and love. If Nick were to get back what had been taken from him over the past few days, Frank knew the woman who just entered the room would be the only one who could see to it. He imagined that if it were him in Nick's place, his Shay would be that same anchor for him.
"Nick," Michelle gasped, scurrying to him and dropping to her knees in front of him. She reached out, intent on holding him, but Nick pushed her arms away.
"Don't...don't touch me, Michelle," he demanded quietly, hanging his head. He was more than aware of the disgusting state he was in. "You don't want to touch me."
Oh, but she did want to; she needed to. She needed to hold him, love him, and make him believe everything was all right. She whispered softly while she leaned closer, "Don't think that I would ever turn away from you. Nothing can keep you from my arms."
Before Nick realized it, she had wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. How she could stand to be near him, he could not understand. He buried his face into her hair and blocked out the world. If he could spend eternity in her embrace, he would be a happy man. But life could not be lived in her arms, and he knew he would have to face the world.
Michelle reluctantly pulled away from Nick to allow the EMT's to secure him onto a stretcher. As they carried him from the room, Michelle followed alongside. Shay watched as he turned from the onlookers. He was withdrawing inside himself. She had seen that look more than once during her time with Espinosa. ** Tortured, he was a nearly broken man. He would have to find the will to pick up those pieces and put himself back together.
"He's alive," she whispered, slipping her hand into Frank's and entwining her fingers with his.
"If you can call that alive," he replied, closing his eyes against the image of his cousin. "He'll need help. I'm going to call Monica..."
"That's a great idea." Shay nodded and squeezed his hand softly. "I'm so sorry, Tiger," she whispered, knowing how much his cousin's visible hatred must be hurting him. She wished for nothing more than to be able to take his pain away.
Frank nodded and noticeably straightened his stance. "We're trained for this shit," he spat. "But it doesn't make it easier."
"No, it doesn't," she agreed.
__
** Read "A Shock to the System"
***
to be continued...