Chapter 43
Colton slapped a huge hand over Tara's mouth before she could scream and pulled her back into the alley. "Well, Agent Tara Manning," he said, looking down at her in disbelief. "Shouldn't you be with your husband at the hospital?"
Without releasing her mouth so she could answer, he looked from her back towards where Tara had just come from. "Oh, hell. You're with him, aren't you?" Colton spat venomously.
Tara tried to ask him to let her go, but the words came out only as a series of muffled grunts. She tried fervently to break away as he dragged her toward the concrete room, muttering curses beneath his breath with every step. However, Colton easily deflected her attempts to free herself, his size dwarfing her petite frame.
"One sound outta you, and I'll have to shut you up right now, you got that?" he warned as they stopped in front of the locked doors.
The glint off the gun he had tucked into his waistband had Tara nodding compliantly. It occurred to her that the words should have sounded corny, almost comical, especially in the Hollywood 'tough guy' growl Colton had suddenly adopted. However, she found nothing humorous in the warning as her mind searched for a way to get away.
Satisfied that she wouldn't cause any trouble, Colton tucked her beneath his left arm like a football and used his right hand to unlock the storage room again. Shoving Tara inside, he closed the door firmly behind her.
Tara pitched forward on her hands and knees, landing painfully on what felt like a rough concrete floor. Her breath left her in a whoosh. At first, she thought the room was filled with tiny colored lights, but then her vision cleared, and she realized the room was completely dark. There wasn't even a window to give any light.
Her breath caught painfully in her throat. It wasn't that she was afraid of the dark, but it did bother her not being able to see. She didn't like not knowing what was around her.
Tara groped around her, locating a stack of wooden crates and another pile of smaller, cardboard boxes. She jammed her fingers painfully on something hard, and she hissed, pulling them back to her chest.
She was almost afraid to reach out again as her fingers throbbed, but she needed to know what was around her. And where was Wayne? Tara wondered as she hesitantly stuck out one hand. Her fingertips touched something soft, damp, sticky. What is that? she wondered as she moved her hand around, and it registered. Hair?
"Wayne?" Frantically, Tara scooted closer, running her hands over his chest as she tried to learn by feel alone if he was breathing. He groaned and stirred beneath her touch.
"Thank God," Tara whispered, sighing with relief that he was still alive. "Wayne?" He muttered something incoherent as he moved under her hands. If only I could see him, she thought frustrated.
"I'm such an idiot," Tara said aloud, slapping her forehead with her palm. Spring to her feet so quickly, she nearly fell right on top of Wayne's prone form. There has to be a light! she thought as she bumped painfully into another wooden crate.
Locating the door, she ran her hands over the cool concrete wall next to it until she found the light switch. A moment later, the small, square room was flooded with light from a single bare bulb hanging overhead.
The boxes were stacked along almost every wall, leaving little space to spare in the center of the room. Tara glanced briefly at them before kneeling back down beside Wayne, who lay on his side, his back to the door. There was a dark, shiny patch at the back of his head, a small puddle of red on the gray floor beneath him. His face was pale and his breathing shallow, but at least he was alive.
"Wayne, please answer me," Tara begged, delicately touching the deep cut on the back of his head. It had already swollen and was turning purple around the edges.
His eyelids fluttered, but didn't open.
"Wayne!" Tara spoke more sharply that time.
Again, his eyelids fluttered. This time, to her relief, they opened. For several long moments, Wayne laid there, very still, frowning up at her until finally his clouded eyes cleared.
"Tara?"
"Yes, Wayne. It's me," Tara breathed a sigh of relief.
"What happened?" Wayne lifted his head, cautiously, looking around him. "How did you get here? Where's Shanna?" he asked her all at once.
"Colton and Cameron came up behind you when you were trying to get in this storage room," Tara told him as he pushed himself up on one elbow. "I don't know where Shanna is. I followed the two of you here." With a few muffled expletives, Wayne shoved himself to his feet as she hurried to support him when he swayed slightly.
"What are you doing here?" Wayne demanded impatiently. "If you're involved in this, Tara, I'll…" he brushed her off his arm annoyed.
"Of course I'm not in on this!" Tara interrupted indignantly. "Bobby and I were sent here to investigate all this. I was trying to rescue you when Colton caught me and threw me in here with you," she spat as Wayne studied her face, much like she'd seen Jack and Bobby do when they interrogated a witness.
Tara was genuinely offended since she'd been his biggest supporter when Bobby thought he was responsible for the Morgan's disappearance. Because she believed in him so much, she'd left the hospital to help him, and now he repaid her by accusing her of being a part of it. Her blood just boiled at the thought.
"Okay, okay, I believe you," Wayne put up his hands in surrender. "Why were you following me?" he asked, wincing as he brushed his hand across the cut on his head.
"Well, Wayne, you and Shanna were acting quite suspicious back at the office in Austin," Tara told him.
"You saw us?" Wayne's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "And we thought we were being so covert," he muttered almost under his breath.
"I came from a surveillance team in D.C., remember?" Tara rolled her eyes. "After Bobby's accident, you haven't been talking to me, Wayne, and now that I think of it, some of your actions even before that make me concerned about your involvement in all of this," she admitted, her heart pounding as she waited for his response.
"I can see how you would think that," Wayne frowned, running his hand through his hair and wincing again when his fingers hit the sore spot on the back of his head. Pulling his hand away, he grimaced when it came away red. "I've known for a while that someone on my team was behind all the trouble we've been having, even before the Morgans disappeared, but I couldn't figure out who. I had asked for help, but had no idea you were sent here, or I would have let you in on what I knew," he admitted with a shrug.
"But how could all of this go on without you knowing, or at least knowing who if it was someone on the team?" Tara questioned as all of Bobby's comments came flooding back.
"I don't know," Wayne confessed as he paced away from her. "I don't know how they did it, but now I…uh, we have proof that they did. The Morgans are still alive, but won't be for long if we don't get out of here," he told her, returning to stand in front of the petite blonde agent. "How did you get in here?" he asked.
"I followed you and Shanna. I hid in the shadows by the corner until I thought it was safe to move," Tara shrugged. Wayne's face showed his astonishment at her comments and his inability to notice he was being followed. "But I ended up running out of the alley right into Colton. He wasn't too gentle, but then I guess he thought I was just a city girl," she smirked slightly.
"Are you all right?" Wayne asked with concern, placing his hand on her shoulder as he studied her again.
"I'm fine," Tara nodded. "I just think we need to figure out a way to get out of here," she moved away from him as she turning her attention to the room they were in. Testing the door, she sighed as she found it securely locked from the outside. Turning, she continued to survey the room. She pried on some of the crates but couldn't get any of them open. A search of the boxes didn't yield anything that could help them.
"Even if we can get out, Colton and Cameron wouldn't have gone far," Wayne came up beside her.
Tara was just about to make a comment about his negativism when an idea suddenly came to her. Looking around again, she began smiling slyly.
"Move other there," Tara instructed, pushing him into the corner by the door. "Be ready."
"Ready for what?" Wayne asked confused as he watched her move into the middle of the room.
"Just be ready," she spoke that with such a forceful command that he found himself obeying without further hesitation. However, his eyes never left her as she took a couple of deep breaths, running her fingers through her hair before concentration on the door.
Suddenly, the room echoed with an ear-piercing scream. The sound was still vibrating through the tiny room when the door burst open, and Cameron rushed through.
"Would you shut up?" he demanded, glaring at her as he stepped partially through the door. "You…"
Tara watched as Wayne barreled into the man, knocking him into the far wall. The impact jarred his injuries, causing him to lose his grip on the younger man. Cameron quickly tried to take advantage of this lapse, slugging the man in the stomach, watching with delight as he dropped to his knees.
Turning his attention to Tara, he wasn't expecting her to catch him in the solar plexus with her foot, forcing the wind out of him. Following through, she knocked him senseless with the back of one downward-slicing hand. Cameron fell with a heavy thud to the floor and didn't move.
Catching her breath, Tara looked up at Wayne, who stared at the inert body, then back up at her. The look on his face had her concerned that he'd been hurt more than he already had.
"How'd you…" he stammered
"It's my job, Wayne. Remember?" Tara scoffed as she pulled him quietly toward the door.
"I mean you're so little and he's twice…" Wayne finally shook his head clearing it. "Remind me never to make you mad," he whispered as she peered out a crack in the door.
"Tell Bobby that when we get back," Tara grinned. "He needs a little reminder," she winked before pushing the door open farther as she led Wayne out.
A long line of crates lay between the storage room they had just come out of and the office where they saw Colton waiting with another man and a tall brunette. Tara headed for the crates at a run with Wayne on her heals.
Just before they made it, there was a muffled shout behind them, then a funny popping sound. With another hissing curse, Wayne almost threw Tara behind the crates, diving in beside her.
Chapter 44
Wayne landed on top of Tara with enough force to drive most of the remaining breath out of her lungs. As she gasped for breath, it occurred to her that they were being shot at. The very idea that their escape would be so short lived was almost too bizarre to accept.
"I wish I could be sure whether Shanna made it out or not," Wayne growled.
"You aren't sure?" Tara looked at him with a quick surge of disbelief.
"She left to get back up, once we verified Colton and Cameron were here," Wayne whispered as more gunshots pinged off the crates around them. "We knew someone on the team was involved. Shanna was working with Morgan before they disappeared."
"You mean you knew all along?" Tara asked, just for clarification.
"Not who it was," Wayne shook his head. "Just that someone was involved. It's hard to believe my own staff could carry on something like this right under my nose without me knowing, but they did," he sighed.
"But now they're going down," Tara promised. Somehow, she added silently, knowing they had to get out of there alive. Listening, she realized the shooting had stopped and knew that it might be their only time to get away.
Motioning to Wayne as she clawed her way to her feet, Tara turned to run again, only to stumble into someone else's arms. This time she wasn't going to be taken so easily as she struck out before he could get a good grip on her. With some satisfaction, she heard her opponent grunt when her fist connected with a firm jaw.
Tara almost cried out in triumph when the arms released her. However, before she could rejoice, she heard a grunt from behind her and turned. Her jaw dropped as she saw the two men standing behind Wayne with guns pointed at his head.
"Chill out, tiger," Colton sneered from behind the revolver. He sounded almost amused as signs of defeat flashed across the face of the petite blonde. "Wouldn't want anyone getting hurt now, would we?"
"Cameron," Tara looked at the tall man next to her, who was nursing a sore jaw. "What are you doing? You're an F.B.I. agent."
"And a rich one at that," Colton interrupted the other man's reply. "Every day we get put through crap jobs that put us into danger, but what kind of gratitude do we get? Nothing! Our salaries aren't even worth writing home about!"
"That is until they met me," the other man boasted as he casually moved around in front of Wayne, keeping his gun trained on the two of them. "There are a lot of people who will pay a lot for information regarding F.B.I. cases and agents currently assigned to specific areas," he explained with a sly smirk.
"You sold out your friends, the people that cover your back?" Tara demanded disbelievingly.
"No one would have known had Morgan not made that program…" Cameron started, cringing as Colton raised his gun as if to backhand him.
Tara glanced at Wayne, noticing that Colton obviously was in charge and Cameron was just following along. If only we could figure out how to get through to them, she wondered, taking a deep breath.
"What is it you want, Colton?" Wayne asked. There was so much pain in his voice that Tara's eyes were automatically drawn to his. She knew this must be hurting him. She hadn't known him long, but she knew he placed a very high value on loyalty and friendship, something he thought he had in both these men.
"I don't want anything from you, boss," Colton snarled sarcastically. "We've got a helicopter on its way here in less than half an hour, and we'll be out of here, but sad to say, you two won't be joining us," he flashed a smile that made Tara shiver.
"And neither will your little partner, Franklin," the other man grinned contemptuously as Wayne and Tara realized Shanna hadn't made it out. "Though perhaps she and this little blonde spitfire might join some of the other women…uh…vacationing in the Middle East. They'll pay a lot of money for American women over there we've learned," he cackled.
The scorn in his final words made Wayne flinch, but neither of them could move while they were outnumbered. There was a raw fury overlying the pain in his eyes.
"Come here," Colton motioned towards Tara with the gun.
"Stay where you are, Tara," Wayne directed.
"Oh, finally acting like a man, are we?" Colton remarked sarcastically as he coolly aimed the weapon at Wayne's forehead. "I said come here," he said more forcefully, flicking Tara only a brief glance.
"What are you going to do?" Tara questioned hesitantly. She didn't want anyone hurt and had no question that Colton or one of the others would pull the trigger. However, she didn't want to blindly step into danger, either.
If I only knew the cabbie had made the call, Tara sighed silently. If only I could stall long enough to give Jack and Myles a chance to rescue us.
"Just providing myself with a little insurance, as they say in the gangster movies," Colton smirked with a twisted smile.
"Do I need to point out that it rarely works in the gangster movies?" Tara asked quietly, shooting a worried glance towards Wayne.
"It's not like you got any other choice," Colton shrugged. "Get over here, darling. And you start heading for the office. Make one false move and she's dead," he warned.
Tara and Wayne didn't move. They looked at each other, neither certain what to do.
An ominous clicking sound came from the gun. Tara had heard that sound so many times before, but she'd never expected to hear it when it was pointed towards her. Colton was prepared to shoot Wayne, and then proceed from there, she realized from the look in the other man's eyes.
"Now!" Colton bellowed, his voice echoing through the warehouse.
Tara pulled herself up to her full height as she took a step toward Colton. Instinctively, Wayne reach out to stop her, but she just shrugged off his hand.
"Be careful, Wayne," Tara whispered, her eyes locked with Colton's.
"Good advice, Wayne," Colton mocked as the other men laughed. "Be very careful."
The moment Tara stepped within reach, Colton grabbed her, his fingers digging brutally into her wrist as he pulled her in front of him. She stumbled, and he jerked her upright, bending her arm behind her as he did so. She couldn't help gasping at the sharp pain in her twisted arm.
Wayne automatically moved towards them. Cameron and the other man quickly stopped him, holding the barrel of their guns towards his head.
"Do you really want to risk this, Wayne?" Colton asked, a slight undercurrent of desperation in his voice.
"I'm okay, Wayne," Tara said breathlessly, trying to ignore the throbbing in the arm Colton still held behind her. She knew it was important to keep him calm. Panic was much too dangerous when his unsteady finger was curled around the trigger.
Wayne turned slowly, making his way towards the office as instructed, the other man close behind him with Tara. As he approached the door, he could see Shanna slumped over in a chair inside. At first, he thought they'd killed her already, but he could see the slow rise and fall of chest and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Cameron," Wayne stated, stopping at the entrance. "You have to know this is foolish. Give yourself up now, before something tragic happens," he looked at the smaller agent beseeching.
"As far as we're concerned, something tragic has already happened. Now we have to make it right again," Colton interrupted again, his voice was laced with bitter self-recrimination.
Wayne started to say something else, but a muffled sound from outside made them all jerk in that direction. Colton swung Tara with him, the movement twisting her arm even higher behind her. She cried out, and instinctively bent to ease the pressure, pulling downward on Colton's hand.
"Check it out." Colton snapped, the panic evident in his voice as well as the actions of the others. "Stand up!" he bellowed, his control slipping rapidly. Angrily, he hit her with the back of his gun hand, almost snapping her neck backward.
Still reeling from the blow, Tara tried to regain her balance, but her vision was clouded, her ears ringing. She could feel her knees buckling as she slumped against Colton's arm, pulling him off balance with her.
"Damn it!" Colton pulled back his other hand to hit her again.
Wayne threw himself forward, hitting them both with his full weight just as Tara opened her mouth to warn him away. The three of them went down in a tangle of flailing limbs as Tara vaguely heard a door crash open and shouting. She couldn't quite make out the words being shouted around her, but she knew she had to fight as she struggled with Colton to get the gun.
And then she heard the shot.