Resident Evil – Abduction
Chapter Three
Surprised at how quickly nine days could pass, Carlos Olivera stood in his darkened room; his focus directed three houses over across the street. They would discontinue taping the video feed transmitting from that house in approximately six hours. That would be when the signal would change to play what had been recorded for the last week, looping it for as long as it took to complete this mission. With any luck, it would be over within the day. With any luck...
It was nearly 11pm and he could close his eyes and picture what was happening in that house. It was his job to go in under the cover of the pre-dawn darkness. His assignment? To contain the occupant and persuade her that her interests lay in helping them. If she refused...
He shuddered at the thought. If she refused, he would have no choice but to end her life to protect their identity and whereabouts.
With the image of murdering an innocent floating in his mind, his eyes closed in a vain attempt to push it away. Within moments, images floated in to surround it, morphing into a bizarre video playing just for him.
Each day he had studied her movements. Early on it was evident she was operating under the delusion she was safe within her own little corner of the world. She locked the door, yes, but other than that, she had no security system, no guard dog. At the moment, it was just her in that house. There had been no evidence of the child she was supposed to be caring for, and that had alarmed him the first day. But by that evening, a phone call from her mother in a neighboring city had informed them that the little girl, Lindy, was spending two weeks with the grandmother.
Lindy was their leverage and her absence presented a problem. They had worked a way around it, and were hoping it would hold as much threat as if Kincaid was actually able to see her niece being held captive.
He sighed deeply and made his way to the bed. He had already been through his nightly ritual with Angie and she was sleeping the good sleep. Thankfully, her dreams were not torturous this night. She had an amazing way of shutting those things down when there was a risk of exposing her 'family' to the authorities. Still, she had awakened just as she would at the times her nightmares would have started and came looking for him. He then returned her to her bed and sat with her until she drifted back to sleep.
Now, his own torturous thoughts were preventing his own slumber. He wanted to push them away, block them out, but his mind was filled with the woman he was about to assault. Thoughts of reddish-blonde hair tossed over a shoulder caused him to groan and roll over onto his side. Visions of hot, steamy showers in the early morning hours before heading off to work heated his blood and another groan escaped him while he snatched up the pillow beside him and smashed it down upon his face. Go away!! his mind screamed even as he felt his body responding to additional thoughts of her stripping for bed. She sleeps naked.
After the first night, he forbade LJ to monitor the video feed. He should have ordered himself away as well. He did make it a point to monitor during daylight hours when her activities were of a more uninspiring nature, leaving Jill to the more 'personal' times. Angie was relegated to monitoring during the hours when Kincaid was working. No matter what, the feed had to be consistent with the time of day Umbrella might check on their little lab rat. The most mind numbing chore had been making sure the dates were changed on every millisecond of the recording. That had succeeded in occupying everyone during the long week of 'tv viewing pleasure', as LJ called it.
Their only break had been Friday night when she went out with some friends from work. The plans had been made Thursday evening, letting her eavesdroppers know she would be at The Tarnished Mug directly after work.
Had he been careless in going there that evening? Probably. It was possible he could have been spotted and turned over to Umbrella. Luckily, that hadn't happened. He found a deserted booth in the darkest corner of the bar and spent several hours nursing a glass of bourbon. It was amusing to watch their little homebody let loose, and let loose she did.
Mugs of beer were brought to their tables (two pushed together to accommodate the group), but she had turned her nose up to the frothy beverage, ordering a "Sex on the Beach" instead and enjoying a Jell-O shot or two. He wasn't surprised when she was rip-roaring drunk before a couple hours had passed.
Who could blame her for cutting loose? It was the end of the week and she was ready for a good time. Still, he didn't envy her the headache she would have when she awakened in the morning.
He shifted in his seat to watch four members of the group, Kincaid, two men, and a woman, while they moved over to the electronic dart game and selected the "301" option. He found it amusing to see how many of the little plastic projectiles actually made it onto the dartboard. What was also fun was watching the occupants from the nearby tables find a safer location, but Carlos remained where he was, undeterred by the possibility of losing an eye to their drunken aim.
What he didn't like was how the sound of her laughter made him feel. It made him miss the days of carefree laughter and the need to be seen and enjoy the company of others. He couldn't remember the last time he'd cut loose and had a good time. Ironically, Umbrella had managed to close that part of his life long before Raccoon City.
In retrospect, what happened next was the worst thing that could have happened that night. After taking her turn and a moment to laugh at herself when she barely managed to hit the board, she excused herself to go to the ladies' room. Carlos slid back farther into the booth, if that were possible, to prevent her from getting a good look at him. He had no doubt Umbrella posted wanted posters all over their facilities and computers, alerting their employees to notify them if they spotted him or Jill.
After she passed by, he drained the remainder of the bourbon in his glass. Momentarily he thought about another drink, but knew it was time to call it a night. He couldn't deny the urge to stay and make someone's acquaintance had crossed his mind. He looked down at the napkin lying beside his empty glass.
The pretty, if not surgically enhanced, brunette waitress had handed it to him after asking him for the countless time if he wanted a refill. When he had refused, she scrawled her number on the napkin and tossed it down saying if he was looking for something 'hotter' than liquor, she could definitely help him out. All during her offer, she made a point to lean over and show him just what those surgeons had given her.
He sighed heavily, wondering why he didn't just jump at the chance to get his rocks off. What the hell was wrong with him? His libido had never failed him before. He chalked it up to the stress he was under and shook it off. It was time to go before anyone noticed him.
The best laid plans, he thought as Kincaid stumbled out of the bathroom and right into his lap while he had been scooting to the edge of the booth to leave.
"Oh my God!" she cried, grasping onto his shoulders and tried to wriggle off him.
"It's okay, Miss," Carlos grunted. Her squirming was causing a friction he was unprepared for. He grasped her by the waist to hold her steady. "Let me help you."
By this time, she had lifted her face to acknowledge the poor fool she had fallen onto and Carlos found himself nose to nose with his objective. He could feel every soft, womanly curve he had watched via the video feed now pressed against his body. Her warm breath, laced with Peach Schnapps and other fruity ingredients of the drinks she had consumed, assaulted his senses. His dark eyes locked onto the soft green of hers and he fought the irresistible urge to see if her lips tasted like their rich, strawberry color.
"I'm really sorry," she slurred.
He could tell she was embarrassed, but she didn't look away. Instead, he could swear she drifted closer. He watched an amused smile form on her lips just before she softly bit down on her bottom lip.
"No problem," he finally found his voice. He shifted in the seat a bit and lifted her easily at the same time. Before she could say another word, they were both standing. "Are you going to be all right?"
She nodded rapidly, her hair falling in her face. "I'm..." she began, and he assumed she had gotten dizzy because she stumbled into him. Purely on reflex, he caught her, holding her steady against him.
"I'm fine," she insisted, pushing away. She stared up at him for a moment, a frown creasing her soft brow. "Thank you..."
He watched her walk back to her friends, held captive by the mesmerizing sway of her hips. The distinct feeling of being watched caused him to look past her. Sure enough, one of the men in her group was sizing him up. Time to leave, Olivera.
"Jesus Christ, man! Are ya gonna wake up or am I gonna hafta kick yer ass?" LJ complained while shaking Carlos.
"Goddamn it, I'm awake," Carlos snarled while knocking LJ's hands away. "What the fuck's your problem?"
"I ain't the one with the problem," LJ snapped back. "It's time to get your military trained ass outta that bed and go do what needsta be done."
Carlos rolled over to the side of the bed and sat up. He ran his hands over his face to rub away the remnants of sleep as well as the memories of that night in the bar. Who was he kidding? He could still smell the subtle scent of her perfume and feel the warmth of her breath on his cheek. "I got it."
"You sure?"
"I got it!" He stood quickly and brushed past LJ. When he reached the doorway, he paused and looked over his shoulder. "Make the video changeover and be prepared to move base to Kincaid's as soon as I give the word."
"Aye aye, Captain."
Ignoring LJ's sarcasm, Carlos took care of his personal needs and then changed into his black BDUs. He checked his guns, noting the bullet that filled each chamber, and double checked the clips before holstering them again. He locked the safeties on each gun, hoping he would have no need to use them. He then headed to the living room where he knew Jill and LJ awaited him.
"Be ready," he reminded them both as he walked by on his way to the back door. He didn't pause to wait for a reply. He knew what he needed to do, just as they knew what was expected from them.
333
It was as easy as he thought it would be – jimmy the lock and slip inside the dark interior of the kitchen. He had studied the layout extensively so even without the night vision goggles he wore, he could find his way around her house easily in the darkness. He navigated the rooms quickly and ascended the stairs as silently as possible. All too soon for his own comfort, he stood in the doorway of her bedroom. The door was open and he stepped closer until he could see her, sleeping peacefully.
He slipped off the goggles and moved beside the bed, his hand hovering over her face. She moaned softly, erotically, in her sleep, her body shifting beneath the covers. She was dreaming, and soon she'd be in the middle of a nightmare. As if sensing his presence, her eyes flew open, fear whirling in their limpid pools. Before she had a chance to scream, he clamped his hand over her mouth while he held her down with the other.
"Do as you're told and you'll live," he said menacingly. "Scream and you won't see the light of day."
...to be continued.