Chapter 8: Held Captive
Monk paced back and forth outside an abandoned warehouse they had followed the bomber to. The SWAT team was positioned around the building, preparing to take a shot at the bomber once Sharona was out of the way.
Stottlemeyer and Disher left their spot next to the Captain's car, walking over to the overly anxious Monk.
"Monk," the Captain said, causing Monk to turn and look at them.
"What? What is it? Is she okay?" Monk questioned him. "I have to get in there. I have to protect Sharona."
"Monk, the SWAT team has everything covered," Disher assured him, attempting to lay a hand on Monk's shoulder.
Monk threw Disher's arm away, starting to pace furiously. "No, no, you just don't get it. I can't lose Sharona. If something happens to her, it will be all my fault."
Stottlemeyer sighed. "Come on, Monk. You can't blame yourself for what happened."
"Yes," Monk disagreed, "I can. I went over to talk to you, leaving Sharona all alone." He stopped pacing long enough to confide to the Captain, "I can't lose Sharona. Not like I lost Trudy."
The Captain rubbed a hand across his face, stopping at his mouth. "Monk...Adrian...nothing bad is going to happen to Sharona. These guys," he motioned around at the SWAT team, "are professionals. And this guy is obviously an amateur.They can handle him."
Monk turned from Stottlemeyer, gazing at the warehouse. "I hope you're right." Stottlemeyer clapped Monk on the shoulder and walked back over by Disher. "I wonder what's going on in there..."
...Inside the warehouse, Sharona was tied to a wooden chair the bomber had found, and the bomber was loading a gun, in case she decided to pull a fast one and try to escape.
"Do you think you could untie me?" Sharona asked, annoyed.
The bomber looked at her incredulously. "Do you think I'm stupid? Like I'm going to untie you. You'd just escape and run off to your precious little cops." He looked around suspiciously, checking for possible law enforcement outside. "Ya hear that, coppers? You ain't getting me or your precious little Sharona!"
As soon as he made that last comment, he regretted it. "How the hell did you know my name?" Sharona questioned in a low voice.
The bomber turned back to Sharona, trying to act like she was stupid. "I heard one of those cops say your name. You know, that Adrian guy." He looked very proud of himself for coming up with a good answer.
Sharona still looked suspicious. "Yeah, I know 'that Adrian guy.' How do you know he's a cop?"
"He was at the ball, wasn't he?" the bomber asked, figuring he had this interrogation in the bag.
"So what?" Sharona asked. "You were there, and you're not a cop. I'm not a cop. Neither are the waiters, the caterers, or the trumpet player that you almost killed. And all because you didn't want the police to find your hidden stash of stolen cash."
The bomber suddenly pulled a knife from inside his coat and held it to Sharona's throat. "You mention anything about that money to the cops and you're a dead woman," he warned.
Outside the warehouse, a SWAT team member announced, "He just pulled a knife on her."
Monk quickly started for the warehouse. The officer that saw them held him back. "Captain!" Monk called out, panicking. "I have to get in there! He's going to kill her!"
Stottlemeyer rushed over, assuring him, "This guy isn't going to do anything to Sharona. Now that he's made his move, we're going to make ours." He turned to the SWAT officer, announcing, "It's time."
The officer nodded briskly and ran to inform the other officers. Monk turned to the building, then back to Stottlemeyer, a truly worried and frightened look in his eyes. "She is going to be okay, isn't she?"
Stottlemeyer glanced at Monk, surprised to see such a high level of concern on his face. He awkwardly laid a hand on Monk's shoulder, saying, "Yeah, she's going to be okay." Monk smiled a little, and Stottlemeyer decided to ask the question he had been wondering about all evening long. "You love her, don't you?"
Monk gulped. How was he supposed to answer that?
(hehe, aren't I evil? Hey, at least I updated. Let me know what you think!)