CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Emily sat nervously in her chair, Stockwell was looking at her intently and she really didn't like it. Her skin was crawling.

'Now we will see just how much you mean to your family.' Stockwell told her.

'My father is going to kick your scrawny butt for this!' Emily replied, she was trying to sound brave but had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't working very well. She was angry that Stockwell was manipulating her dad like this.

Stockwell raised an eyebrow and leaned forward. 'He isn't as innocent as you might think.'

'I never said he was but he's ten times better than you are. He has better dress sense for one thing.'

'I see you've been taking lessons from Mr Peck on how to answer back, well let's see if we can't change that.' He reached into his drawer and pulled out a file. He pushed it across the desk to Emily who only looked stubbornly at him. But eventually curiosity got the better of her and she picked it up.

'He never told you how he really managed to find Michael did he?'

Emily looked up at him. 'He had an idea and then we met Joseph and he told us.' She stopped realising that she'd make a grave mistake. Stockwell's eyes instantly flashed.

'I see so Mr Marshall is involved in this too is he? Somehow that does not surprise me. Well let me tell you that he would have found Miguel Santiago without Joseph Marshall's help. Little lady, he was the one that I originally hired to take out Santiago. He was the one who was supposed to kill him the first time around.'

'That's a lie.' Emily shot back. 'My dad would never kill anyone especially not for you.'

Stockwell smiled a cruel smile. 'Deny it all you want, it's all there, you're holding proof of what I'm saying in your hands.'

Emily looked through the file and stopped with a gasp. In the file was a piece of paper, at the bottom she easily recognised her father's signature. The paper stated that if Murdock killed one Miguel Santiago then John Smith, Templeton Peck and Bosco Baracus would receive their pardons.

'No.' She whispered. 'He wouldn't, he wouldn't.'

Stockwell raised an eyebrow. 'Wouldn't he? It wouldn't be the first time.'

'That was different, that was war, and you don't get a choice then.' Her voice was trembling, she'd been shocked enough when she'd learned of what Stockwell had wanted Michael to do and she'd heard that Murdock had worked for Stockwell but she hadn't put the pieces together.

'He lied to me, made me think that he'd killed the man but he didn't, he let him go.'

Emily raised triumphant eyes to meet Stockwell's gaze. 'So he didn't kill anyone.'

'Oh yes he killed someone and then made me think that it was Miguel he'd killed.'

Emily looked through the file with care, her eyes scanning the information before her. She knew that she had something very important here; proof some of the things that Stockwell had done. If she could somehow manage to take one or two documents from the file.

The phone on Stockwell's desk rang and he picked it up. 'Yes.' He said smoothly and then reached over and pressed the speaker button. Murdock's voice filled the room and Emily bit her lip waiting to see what he would say.

'Stockwell.' He said. 'If you've hurt her.'

'Rest assured Captain, she is fine, for now. You have eight minutes, time is ticking on.'

There was a hard note in Murdock's voice. 'Let me just make it clear, even if she's fine right now if I find out that you've hurt her in any way I'll rip your head off and feed it to the flies. Now listen to what I have to say.'

'Gladly Captain.'

Emily looked at him; Stockwell had gotten up and crossed to the window, looking down into the street below. Emily took a couple of documents from the file and folded them up and tucked them in the waist band of her jeans.

'Right, I have no intentions of letting you have Michael whether or not you have Emily there. I'm not letting you use my kids to manipulate me Stockwell but I do have an offer for you.'

Stockwell went and sat down again. 'Is that so? Perhaps you'd be so kind as to explain this offer to me Captain but remember you now have seven minutes.'

'I'm aware of that. I'm willing to trade Miguel for Emily and guys. But only if you'll leave Mike alone afterwards.'

'And why should I do that? As I said before there is still the matter of his contract.'

'I know and if you take Miguel then he'll have done his job. He won't have killed Miguel but he'll have delivered him to you. You can do what you want with him afterwards and then the contract is void.'

A smile touched Stockwell's lips. 'Very astute Captain, young Daniel seems to possess brains as well as his father's charm. Your offer is accepted. You now have six minutes.'

'We'll need more time, another fifteen minutes at least.'

'I see, very well. In twenty minutes I expect to see you here.'

'Ok and now I want to speak to my daughter.' Murdock said trying to keep relief out of his voice.

'Of course.' Stockwell took the phone off of speaker and handed the receiver over to Emily.

'Dad.' She said.

'We're getting you out of there baby. We're working on it right now, don't worry, I'll be there soon. Are you alright?'

'I'm ok.' She said softly. 'Want away from this creep though.'

'I know you do and I won't let him keep you there any longer than I possibly can. I'll see you soon just hang on.'

'Ok, love you Dad.'

'I know, love you too.' There was a click as Stockwell cut off the call. Emily shot a look of anger at him and then handed him the receiver.

*** BA paced the small room they'd been put in. Hannibal was in the corner smoking a cigar and Face was standing by the door.

'Come on Hannibal.' Face urged. 'Figure a way out of here, think up a plan.'

'I have a plan Face. We sit tight and wait for Murdock to get here.'

'Something better than that!'

Hannibal exhaled smoke and chewed on the cigar thoughtfully. 'We're in a locked room Face, there's no way out.'

'Since when did that ever stop us?' Face was getting irritated now, Hannibal seemed far too calm.

BA came to a stop and shook his head. 'If he hurts Emily.' He growled. 'He's gonna pay, sucker can't just do this!'

'See!' Face all but shouted. 'Much longer in here and BA's going to explode, plus we need to help Emily.' He gestured to emphasise his point and then ran a hand through his hair. 'Come up with something.'

'What can I say, my mind's a blank.'

'Not funny.' Face protested.

'You're the conman; you get us out of here.'

'Alright, alright, I will.' Face drew himself up as tall as he could and hammered on the door. No-one came.

'You see.' Hannibal said. 'Stockwell knows what we're like, no-one's going to come along and open this door unless he tells them to. Not to mention the fact that we're being watched.' He pointed with his cigar to the corner of the room where a security camera was mounted on the wall.

'So we're really going to wait for Murdock to come get us?' Face asked in disbelief.

'No.' Hannibal said and stayed where he was, saying nothing more.

'But you said..'

Hannibal just grinned.

'You had a plan all along didn't you?' Face asked and Hannibal shrugged.

BA looked at them. 'So are we getting outta here?'

'Face.' Hannibal began and Face knew that he was about to impart some bit of wisdom which would end in Hannibal revealing his plan. 'If you look at things the right way, you can do almost anything. Getting out of here is easy.'

'But the security camera?' Face asked.

'Not on, it's a deterrent; the one we have to worry about is in the hall there. As I said getting out of this room is easy but it's from there that we have the problem.'

BA shifted restlessly and walked over to the door; he looked at it and ran his hand up its edge. 'I can take the door off.'

Face frowned. 'But why would Stockwell put us in a room he knew we could get out of.'

'Because, Face, he enjoys seeing us working for freedom. BA you don't need to take the door off, it's not really locked.'

'What?' BA practically bellowed.

'You thought you heard it lock, it wasn't.'

'Sucker's playing games with us, making us look like fools. He's gonna pay.' A low growl issued from his throat and in his anger he kicked the door open.

He strode down the corridor and kicked the door at the end open too. Instantly a gun was pointed in his face, BA ripped the gun from the guard's hand and bent it over his knee, twisting it beyond use. He threw it away and picked up the man and threw him down the end of the corridor where he'd just come from.

Face and Hannibal pressed against the wall as the man sailed past them. He crumpled into a heap.

'He's angry.' Face said and Hannibal grinned round his cigar. He was on the Jazz.

***

'Ok.' Murdock said. 'Try it again.'

Brandon nodded and sprayed the unconscious Miguel with cold water. Miguel was suspended by his ankles in the shower and Brandon was spraying him with water from the shower head.

The freezing water hit Miguel straight in the face and finally, with a lot of spluttering the man came to.

'Whaa.' He wriggled, trying to get out of the rope that bound his arms securely across his chest.

'Ok enough.' Murdock told Brandon and Brandon lowered the shower and turned it off.

Murdock leaned forward and ripped the duct tape from the man's mouth. Instantly he gave a yell for help. With a sigh Murdock replaced the tape and hunkered down so that his face was level with Miguel's. He tilted it and looked the man in the eyes.

'Shhhh.' He said putting a finger to his lips. 'No yelling. Now we don't have much time, I'm on your side. Do you remember me? My name's Murdock, I saved your life 17 years ago. Stockwell wanted me to kill you.'

Miguel nodded his head vigoursly. 'Right, so if I take off the tape you'll keep quiet won't you? Because I don't want this guy here, who is very angry by the way, to get even angrier and do something he'll regret later. He's just a kid but you should see the muscles on him, boy he's one strong sucker.'

Brandon nodded in agreement. 'I'm not nice when I'm mean and I'm starting to feel real mean.' He growled at Miguel, thoroughly enjoying himself in his father's usual role.

Again Miguel nodded so hard it seemed his head was about to fall off. Satisfied that the man meant it, Murdock ripped the tape off again.

'Ow!' The man said and spat water out of his mouth.

'Yeah I know.' Murdock said mimicking Miguel's voice as he had done earlier.

Miguel's eyes went wide. 'What do you want?'

'I need your help.' Murdock signalled to Brandon who released Miguel and helped him down. Murdock handed him a towel.

'With what?'

'Long story, my son was hired by Stockwell to kill you. We managed to stop it and got you out but now Stockwell has my daughter, who is only 15 by the way, and my friends and Stockwell says that if we hand you over then he'll let them go.'

'So you want to trade me for them? Are you nuts?'

'Yes but that's besides the point.' Murdock said. 'We've got a plan, we're not really going to hand you over, we're just buying time. Please man, I've saved your life twice now already, don't you owe me something back?'

Miguel sighed. 'Let me get some clothes on and while I'm doing that you can tell me what you're planning to do.'

Murdock smiled and clapped a hand on his back, not caring that Miguel was soaked. 'Thank you.'

'Yeah yeah.' Miguel waved it off. 'I've got a girl about her age, Rosa, she's 16. I know how I'd feel. I'll help all I can.'

He walked into the bedroom dripping, a beaming Murdock and a smiling Brandon following him.