Disclaimer: I don't own the characters on "Walker Texas Ranger".
Gage approached her from across the room.
"I remember. What do you want this time, Ranger Gage? I have no more children for you to take." She said with anger in her voice. She stared at him with eyes cold as ice.
"That's not why I'm here." He took a long breath. "I'm about to do something that goes against everything I stand for as a Texas Ranger. But I realize now that it's necessary. We're running out of time and I'm afraid if we wait much longer a person I love very much will be dead when we get to her."
He took out his gun and pointed it at her. "Sit down at the table, Mrs Lawrence."
"What are you doing? You are a Texas Ranger, you can't do this." She slowly sat down on a chair and put her hands on the table.
Gage ignored her objections and reached for the phone she had been about to use when she entered the kitchen.
"Is there anybody else in the house?" she didn't answer. "Is there anybody else?" he repeated a little louder. She shook her head.
"Good. Then I want you to call your husband and find out where he is for me. We both know he has Sydney Cooke and I want to know where."
"Or you will shoot me?" she asked.
Gage hesitated. He had never threatened someone like this before. This woman was a criminal in a way but he would never shoot her no matter what happened. He had made sure no accidents would happen by taking out the bullets. But he needed her to think he was going to use it if she didn't call Johnny. He could lose his job over this but Sydney was worth it. He couldn't let her die.
"Yes, or I will shoot you." He assured her. "Take the phone and call him....NOW."
"I can't do it. He'll kill me if I do, and then he'll kill himself. He couldn't live knowing I had betrayed him."
Gage kept the gun pointed at her. "So you're going to let an innocent woman die?" He stepped closer to her. "You know, it would be easy for me to make your death look like suicide. A woman who's husband left her alone home because he had to work. The police come, takes her child away and she kills herself." He looked at her and could see she was terrified. She believed him.
"No, no please. I'll call him, I will." She picked up the phone and dialled a number. He answered almost right away and she began to speak in a shaky voice. "Johnny, it's me. Where are you?"
"You know I can't tell you that, baby. Why do you ask? Did something happen?" he answered on the other line. Gage took the phone from her.
"Let me talk to Sydney." He said.
"Who is this? Who are you" Johnny asked surprised and angry at the same time.
"My name is Francis Gage. You have my partner and I have your wife and daughter."
"What?" was all he could think of to say.
"Your daughter is safe with the police but your wife isn't. And let's just say she won't be either if you don't give Syd back unharmed." He tried to sound like he was absolutely sure he knew what he was doing. The truth was he had come up with the plan when they ran out of people who possibly knew where Johnny and Sydney were. He hadn't had much time to prepare it.
"Hey man, you're a Texas Ranger. I know that and you can't kidnap my wife. This is some sort of trick to get me to come running with your girlfriend."
Gage gave the phone back to Mrs Lawrence. "Tell him I'm serious and what will happen if he doesn't cooperate."
"Johnny, if you don't give the Ranger back.......he will kill me. He is here alone and.........and I don't think the other Rangers know he's doing this." She said. He took the phone back.
"We already have proof about the abuse and are aware Sydney knows about something big that's going to happen. Probably something to do with drugs, am I right" he asked not expecting an answer. "We already have your daughter and you're not gonna get her back...but you can get your wife back. You can still get away and escape before Sydney tells anyone about your little secret, all I want is her back and her daughter safe, ok?"
"Like I'd want to keep this bitch, you can have her." He said. "If you hurt my wife or try to trick me I'll kill your girlfriend here, understand?"
"Yeah, I got it. We'll meet by the abandoned warehouse on Oak-street in three hours." He finished and hung up.
A hidden cabin:
Johnny unlocked the door and entered the room Sydney was in. He walked right over to her, took off the hand-cuffs and howled her to her feet. The first thing she did was try to punch him in the face but he ducked and quickly tied her hands up again. She was still very weak and had no way to defend herself. Johnny took out the knife again and held it close to her face.
"If you try anything, I'll cut your throat. The only reason you're still breathing is that your boyfriend has my wife and now I'm going to exchange you for her."
Sydney was very confused. Her boyfriend? She didn't have a boyfriend, who would kidnap Johnny's wife just to get her back? Gage! But he was a Texas Ranger like her. Surely he wouldn't cross that line for someone who wasn't more than a friend to him. Or would he?
"Let's go!" he said and took her by the arm and dragged her outside to a car that was waiting for them. The man who had been there when she woke up was going to drive them somewhere to meet Gage or who ever it was that was making this happen.
Or maybe he's lying. Maybe he's just saying that so I'll stay calm while he takes me out in the forest to kill me.ยด she thought.
Suddenly she could feel her strength coming back and she pushed away from him. She started running, not sure where she was going. She ran behind the cabin and took cover behind a shed. She struggled to free herself from the ropes but they were too tight. Instead she picked up a large rock from the ground and waited for the kidnappers to come. She stood up and raised the rock high above her head and slammed it down on the man who came around the corner first, who happened to be Johnny. He fell to the ground but the rock had only hit him in the shoulder. She got the next one in the head and knocked him out, leaving him bleeding on the ground. Unfortunately something she had not expected happened next. A third man who was so big he could be a wrestler had joined Johnny and the driver when she ran off and now he surprised her by coming up from behind her and knocking her out.
He helped Johnny up and then carried Sydney to the car and put her in the backseat.
"What about Miller?" the big one asked Johnny.
"Forget him, he's dead. Just drive!"
To be continued
Gage approached her from across the room.
"I remember. What do you want this time, Ranger Gage? I have no more children for you to take." She said with anger in her voice. She stared at him with eyes cold as ice.
"That's not why I'm here." He took a long breath. "I'm about to do something that goes against everything I stand for as a Texas Ranger. But I realize now that it's necessary. We're running out of time and I'm afraid if we wait much longer a person I love very much will be dead when we get to her."
He took out his gun and pointed it at her. "Sit down at the table, Mrs Lawrence."
"What are you doing? You are a Texas Ranger, you can't do this." She slowly sat down on a chair and put her hands on the table.
Gage ignored her objections and reached for the phone she had been about to use when she entered the kitchen.
"Is there anybody else in the house?" she didn't answer. "Is there anybody else?" he repeated a little louder. She shook her head.
"Good. Then I want you to call your husband and find out where he is for me. We both know he has Sydney Cooke and I want to know where."
"Or you will shoot me?" she asked.
Gage hesitated. He had never threatened someone like this before. This woman was a criminal in a way but he would never shoot her no matter what happened. He had made sure no accidents would happen by taking out the bullets. But he needed her to think he was going to use it if she didn't call Johnny. He could lose his job over this but Sydney was worth it. He couldn't let her die.
"Yes, or I will shoot you." He assured her. "Take the phone and call him....NOW."
"I can't do it. He'll kill me if I do, and then he'll kill himself. He couldn't live knowing I had betrayed him."
Gage kept the gun pointed at her. "So you're going to let an innocent woman die?" He stepped closer to her. "You know, it would be easy for me to make your death look like suicide. A woman who's husband left her alone home because he had to work. The police come, takes her child away and she kills herself." He looked at her and could see she was terrified. She believed him.
"No, no please. I'll call him, I will." She picked up the phone and dialled a number. He answered almost right away and she began to speak in a shaky voice. "Johnny, it's me. Where are you?"
"You know I can't tell you that, baby. Why do you ask? Did something happen?" he answered on the other line. Gage took the phone from her.
"Let me talk to Sydney." He said.
"Who is this? Who are you" Johnny asked surprised and angry at the same time.
"My name is Francis Gage. You have my partner and I have your wife and daughter."
"What?" was all he could think of to say.
"Your daughter is safe with the police but your wife isn't. And let's just say she won't be either if you don't give Syd back unharmed." He tried to sound like he was absolutely sure he knew what he was doing. The truth was he had come up with the plan when they ran out of people who possibly knew where Johnny and Sydney were. He hadn't had much time to prepare it.
"Hey man, you're a Texas Ranger. I know that and you can't kidnap my wife. This is some sort of trick to get me to come running with your girlfriend."
Gage gave the phone back to Mrs Lawrence. "Tell him I'm serious and what will happen if he doesn't cooperate."
"Johnny, if you don't give the Ranger back.......he will kill me. He is here alone and.........and I don't think the other Rangers know he's doing this." She said. He took the phone back.
"We already have proof about the abuse and are aware Sydney knows about something big that's going to happen. Probably something to do with drugs, am I right" he asked not expecting an answer. "We already have your daughter and you're not gonna get her back...but you can get your wife back. You can still get away and escape before Sydney tells anyone about your little secret, all I want is her back and her daughter safe, ok?"
"Like I'd want to keep this bitch, you can have her." He said. "If you hurt my wife or try to trick me I'll kill your girlfriend here, understand?"
"Yeah, I got it. We'll meet by the abandoned warehouse on Oak-street in three hours." He finished and hung up.
A hidden cabin:
Johnny unlocked the door and entered the room Sydney was in. He walked right over to her, took off the hand-cuffs and howled her to her feet. The first thing she did was try to punch him in the face but he ducked and quickly tied her hands up again. She was still very weak and had no way to defend herself. Johnny took out the knife again and held it close to her face.
"If you try anything, I'll cut your throat. The only reason you're still breathing is that your boyfriend has my wife and now I'm going to exchange you for her."
Sydney was very confused. Her boyfriend? She didn't have a boyfriend, who would kidnap Johnny's wife just to get her back? Gage! But he was a Texas Ranger like her. Surely he wouldn't cross that line for someone who wasn't more than a friend to him. Or would he?
"Let's go!" he said and took her by the arm and dragged her outside to a car that was waiting for them. The man who had been there when she woke up was going to drive them somewhere to meet Gage or who ever it was that was making this happen.
Or maybe he's lying. Maybe he's just saying that so I'll stay calm while he takes me out in the forest to kill me.ยด she thought.
Suddenly she could feel her strength coming back and she pushed away from him. She started running, not sure where she was going. She ran behind the cabin and took cover behind a shed. She struggled to free herself from the ropes but they were too tight. Instead she picked up a large rock from the ground and waited for the kidnappers to come. She stood up and raised the rock high above her head and slammed it down on the man who came around the corner first, who happened to be Johnny. He fell to the ground but the rock had only hit him in the shoulder. She got the next one in the head and knocked him out, leaving him bleeding on the ground. Unfortunately something she had not expected happened next. A third man who was so big he could be a wrestler had joined Johnny and the driver when she ran off and now he surprised her by coming up from behind her and knocking her out.
He helped Johnny up and then carried Sydney to the car and put her in the backseat.
"What about Miller?" the big one asked Johnny.
"Forget him, he's dead. Just drive!"
To be continued