Chapter Eight: The Wheels Start to Turn
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Slamming down the phone, Danny kicked over a nearby trashcan. Jillian, who was looking back out at the surveillance room, turned around instantly.
"I'm guessing Brunson said no." she commented as Danny sat down at Ed's desk. He nodded silently back at her. "That figures. Ed always says that, based on his dealings with him, he's not sure that Brunson even has a heart."
"I'm inclined to believe that." Danny replied, putting his head in his hands. "I just hope that Sam can convince one of her clients to let us use a plane. There's no way we could get those weapons on a commercial flight!"
"Don't worry about that." Jillian assured, putting a hand on Danny's shoulder. "If worse comes to worse, I think Ed has a few contacts from his CIA days that would be more than happy to help us out."
Just as Danny was about to reply, Sam walked into the office with a huge smile on her face.
"Tell me how much I rock." she said, looking at Danny.
"That all depends on what you're smiling about." Danny replied, smiling back at her.
"One of my clients has agreed to let us use his private plane." Sam replied, plopping down on Danny's lap. He groaned slightly due to his injuries. "And his pilot is a native of Panama, who knows a few private airstrips that would be perfect for launching a covert operation at."
"Awesome." Danny remarked, hugging Sam. "You do rock."
"I know." Sam replied with a smile. She hopped off of Danny's lap. "I already told Nessa and Mike the good news." She looked at Jillian. "When do you want us to come by and grab the weaponry?"
"As soon as possible." Jillian suggested, "After all, Ed's time might be running out as we speak."
"Let's round up Mike and Nessa then." Danny said, looking at Sam.
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"Damn!" Mike remarked as Jillian opened the door to a small room off of the Deline's basement. Ever kind of gun and hand-explosive imaginable seemed to be laying on rows of shelves, well represented. Astonished, Danny turned to Jillian as the others began looking around.
"And nobody's called Homeland Security about this?" he asked, turning back to the arsenal.
"I won't tell if you won't." Jillian replied, grabbing a nearby pistol. With a sigh of sadness, she handed it to Danny. "This one is Ed's favorite. Apparently, it's gotten him out of a lot messes." She smiled. "I think it would appropriate for you to use it get him back."
"Thanks." Danny said, gently taking it. "I promise I'll take good care of it."
"Anyone know how to use these things?" Mike asked, turning near a row of explosives. Nessa picked one up and light-heartedly juggled it.
"I've used a grenade similar to this one." she remarked, getting the room's attention. To everyone's knowledge, Holt had never spent any time in the military, so they questioned how she had experience. She shrugged slightly. "It was a night of partying that didn't end very well."
"Mom?" Delinda asked as she stood in the doorway of the room. Her blue eyes surveyed the four people in front of her. No one had seen much of the blonde-haired woman since the parking lot meeting that morning. From looks alone, one could tell that she hadn't been sleeping well and was prone to having long fits of sobbing.
"You should be upstairs resting." Jillian said, putting a hand on Delinda's shoulder.
"What are they doing here?" Delinda inquired, nodding at the four.
"Why don't I take you up to your room?" Danny offered gently. "I'll explain everything on the way."
"You're going to rescue him, aren't you?" Delinda asked after a moment of thought. A hopeful look appeared in her eyes. "I want to go with you."
"You can't." Danny shook his head as Delinda stared at him.
"What do you mean I can't?" she inquired, putting a hand to her chest. "He's my father!"
"It's too dangerous." Danny replied frankly. He also knew that Ed would kill him if he let Delinda come along.
"You're letting them go!" Delinda protested, gesturing to Sam and Nessa, who, like Mike and Jillian, were silently watching.
"They can take care of themselves." Danny said, "You'd only get in the way."
McCoy could feel his head turn sideways as Delinda slapped him powerfully across the face. Saying nothing, he slowly brought a hand up to his cheek.
"You bastard!" Delinda screamed, "You're the only reason my father's even missing in the first place!"
"Delinda!" Jillian called after her now-sobbing daughter, who ran out of the room. She put a comforting hand on Danny's shoulder. "Don't listen to her."
Jillian ran out of the room after Delinda. As the door closed again, Danny dropped his hand. His gaze, however, remained fixed to the floor.
"Danny?" Sam asked gently.
"You guys pack up." Danny said quietly before walking out of the room.
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"The truth hurts, doesn't it, Jack?" Ed asked when he finally recovered from the punch the younger man had landed on him. Keller simply scowled before punching Ed in the stomach. As Deline reacted, Keller simply walked to the doorway of the room.
"Get some rest, old man." Keller said as he turned off the light. "Don't worry. I'll make sure that you don't miss all of the fun."
As the door shut behind Keller, Ed was immersed in total darkness and silence. He lifted his head and shifted as much as he could in his seat. Danny was probably on his way, or close to leaving for wherever Deline was right now. He could only pray that Danny would be fully prepared for whatever Keller was going to throw his way. Ed's thoughts then shifted to the others at the Montecito. What were they doing now? Were any of them in on Danny's plan?
Feeling his eyelids get heavier, Ed yawned before closing them. Perhaps a little sleep wouldn't do him too much harm.
To be continued.....
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Slamming down the phone, Danny kicked over a nearby trashcan. Jillian, who was looking back out at the surveillance room, turned around instantly.
"I'm guessing Brunson said no." she commented as Danny sat down at Ed's desk. He nodded silently back at her. "That figures. Ed always says that, based on his dealings with him, he's not sure that Brunson even has a heart."
"I'm inclined to believe that." Danny replied, putting his head in his hands. "I just hope that Sam can convince one of her clients to let us use a plane. There's no way we could get those weapons on a commercial flight!"
"Don't worry about that." Jillian assured, putting a hand on Danny's shoulder. "If worse comes to worse, I think Ed has a few contacts from his CIA days that would be more than happy to help us out."
Just as Danny was about to reply, Sam walked into the office with a huge smile on her face.
"Tell me how much I rock." she said, looking at Danny.
"That all depends on what you're smiling about." Danny replied, smiling back at her.
"One of my clients has agreed to let us use his private plane." Sam replied, plopping down on Danny's lap. He groaned slightly due to his injuries. "And his pilot is a native of Panama, who knows a few private airstrips that would be perfect for launching a covert operation at."
"Awesome." Danny remarked, hugging Sam. "You do rock."
"I know." Sam replied with a smile. She hopped off of Danny's lap. "I already told Nessa and Mike the good news." She looked at Jillian. "When do you want us to come by and grab the weaponry?"
"As soon as possible." Jillian suggested, "After all, Ed's time might be running out as we speak."
"Let's round up Mike and Nessa then." Danny said, looking at Sam.
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"Damn!" Mike remarked as Jillian opened the door to a small room off of the Deline's basement. Ever kind of gun and hand-explosive imaginable seemed to be laying on rows of shelves, well represented. Astonished, Danny turned to Jillian as the others began looking around.
"And nobody's called Homeland Security about this?" he asked, turning back to the arsenal.
"I won't tell if you won't." Jillian replied, grabbing a nearby pistol. With a sigh of sadness, she handed it to Danny. "This one is Ed's favorite. Apparently, it's gotten him out of a lot messes." She smiled. "I think it would appropriate for you to use it get him back."
"Thanks." Danny said, gently taking it. "I promise I'll take good care of it."
"Anyone know how to use these things?" Mike asked, turning near a row of explosives. Nessa picked one up and light-heartedly juggled it.
"I've used a grenade similar to this one." she remarked, getting the room's attention. To everyone's knowledge, Holt had never spent any time in the military, so they questioned how she had experience. She shrugged slightly. "It was a night of partying that didn't end very well."
"Mom?" Delinda asked as she stood in the doorway of the room. Her blue eyes surveyed the four people in front of her. No one had seen much of the blonde-haired woman since the parking lot meeting that morning. From looks alone, one could tell that she hadn't been sleeping well and was prone to having long fits of sobbing.
"You should be upstairs resting." Jillian said, putting a hand on Delinda's shoulder.
"What are they doing here?" Delinda inquired, nodding at the four.
"Why don't I take you up to your room?" Danny offered gently. "I'll explain everything on the way."
"You're going to rescue him, aren't you?" Delinda asked after a moment of thought. A hopeful look appeared in her eyes. "I want to go with you."
"You can't." Danny shook his head as Delinda stared at him.
"What do you mean I can't?" she inquired, putting a hand to her chest. "He's my father!"
"It's too dangerous." Danny replied frankly. He also knew that Ed would kill him if he let Delinda come along.
"You're letting them go!" Delinda protested, gesturing to Sam and Nessa, who, like Mike and Jillian, were silently watching.
"They can take care of themselves." Danny said, "You'd only get in the way."
McCoy could feel his head turn sideways as Delinda slapped him powerfully across the face. Saying nothing, he slowly brought a hand up to his cheek.
"You bastard!" Delinda screamed, "You're the only reason my father's even missing in the first place!"
"Delinda!" Jillian called after her now-sobbing daughter, who ran out of the room. She put a comforting hand on Danny's shoulder. "Don't listen to her."
Jillian ran out of the room after Delinda. As the door closed again, Danny dropped his hand. His gaze, however, remained fixed to the floor.
"Danny?" Sam asked gently.
"You guys pack up." Danny said quietly before walking out of the room.
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"The truth hurts, doesn't it, Jack?" Ed asked when he finally recovered from the punch the younger man had landed on him. Keller simply scowled before punching Ed in the stomach. As Deline reacted, Keller simply walked to the doorway of the room.
"Get some rest, old man." Keller said as he turned off the light. "Don't worry. I'll make sure that you don't miss all of the fun."
As the door shut behind Keller, Ed was immersed in total darkness and silence. He lifted his head and shifted as much as he could in his seat. Danny was probably on his way, or close to leaving for wherever Deline was right now. He could only pray that Danny would be fully prepared for whatever Keller was going to throw his way. Ed's thoughts then shifted to the others at the Montecito. What were they doing now? Were any of them in on Danny's plan?
Feeling his eyelids get heavier, Ed yawned before closing them. Perhaps a little sleep wouldn't do him too much harm.
To be continued.....