Here's chapter 14. Enjoy! As much I would like to, I don't own anything even close to resembling Crossing Jordan.
Woody couldn't believe how smoothly picking up Romero had gone. As soon as he had the location, Woody raced to get him. Romero had still been at the same spot and didn't put up too much of a struggle when he was arrested.
He was now being held in an interrogation room at a local precinct waiting to be questioned. Woody had been watching Romero closely behind the mirror. The guy didn't look as nervous as someone in his position should be and that made Woody nervous. Typically, someone who had been picked up for committing a serious crime like kidnapping would be very jumpy. This guy didn't seem to be phased in the slightest. Cool as a cucumber he thought. What could he be hiding? One other case sprang to Hoyt's mind as he watched Romero, the psychotic Leviathon killer. Nothing seemed to phase that guy either, except for maybe not being able to get to his cigarettes.
Woody decided that he had let Romero sweat long enough. He opened up the door to the room and sat at the opposite end of the table from him. Romero barely even glanced over at him. Keep your cool Woody thought. He was having a hard time composing himself and staying calm. The thought of Jordan in trouble or pain was always enough to send him over the edge. It was worse now, as he felt responsible for everything that had happened to her.
"Where is she Romero?" he asked with an edge to his voice.
"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about Detective. Where is who?" he grinned back at him with an evil smile and tried to play innocent.
"The woman who you kidnapped earlier this morning! Don't try to deny it, we have you on camera taking her!"
"Is there anyone listening on the other side of that mirror?" he said changing the subject, his voice just below a whisper.
"No" Woody answered knowing full well that there was another local detective on the other side.
"Don't play with me Hoyt! The only way I'm going to tell you anything is if you get me out of here. I will only talk once we are out and I am certain no one has followed us. If you don't do as I say, the girl will die."
Woody knew he couldn't let that happen. He got up out of the room and went back behind the mirror again. The other officer was still there.
"You can't possibly be thinking about cooperating with him! These guys will say almost anything to get themselves out of trouble, but it won't be the truth. You have to know that Hoyt."
"I understand, but I have to get her back safely. I haven't come this far to lose her again!" And with that he knocked the other officer out and ducked back into the interrogation room with Romero.
"Come on, we need to leave now before I'm reported." Woody cuffed him again and led him out of the precinct and back out onto the busy street. The other officers that had been there didn't pay any attention as Romero was moved. Any one that did bother to look up from what they were doing thought that Woody was handing him over to the feds.
They walked up to a car that was parked outside and Woody broke in. He pushed Romero inside and got into the driver's seat hotwiring the car and getting it to start. They drove away quickly but not too fast where anyone would realize that something was out of the ordinary. The only talking that Romero would do would be to bark directions at Woody. After all, it wasn't his plan to give away, it was Ramon's. And he should be the one to let Woody in on it.
Not too terribly long after that talk with Pollack, Jordan was taken from the room she had been sharing with him and moved into another. After only a few moments of waiting, Ramon Martinez himself entered the room to speak with her.
"Who the hell are you?"
"I am the man who holds your life in the palm of his hand. If I were you, I wouldn't get too smart with me!"
"You must be either Ramon or Jorge Martinez." She concluded staring up at the man trying not to let the fear she felt show in her eyes.
"And you are the lovely Jordan Cavanaugh. I can see why Pollack got so angry when he found out about you and Hoyt reconciling down here. It would be a shame to lose a girl as pretty as you" he said looking her up and down.
Her cheeks burned in embarrassment and anger. "Why does everyone keep saying that? There was never a 'reconciliation' between myself and Detective Hoyt. We are friends-that's it!" Even though she knew that wasn't exactly the truth.
"Anyone can see it in the pictures from the other night. Or maybe I just overheard your conversation with Pollack?"
"You were listening in! You seriously need to get a life!" she shouted, letting her mouth run away with her again, forgetting where she was and the danger she was in.
After hearing the shouting coming from down the hall, Jorge burst in through the door and rushed over to where Jordan was tied to the chair. He pulled his knife from his belt and held it up against her cheek with the end pointing towards her eye. "Disrespect my brother again, woman and I'll cut your pretty little face up so that no man will ever want you again. Understand?"
She nodded. He pulled back the knife drawing a small cut in her cheek and letting the blood fall.
"That's just a small taste of what could happen if you don't start behaving yourself! Watch that mouth of yours!"
"I have to know, why are you keeping us?" she asked, quieter this time. She already knew what the basic plan was from Calvin, but Jordan wanted to see what other information she could dig up on her own.
"By now, your good friend Hoyt should be on his way here with one of my men. You'll remember him, he was the man that took you from the hotel this morning. I told him to let himself be captured so that we could make a deal with Detective Hoyt one on one, without the pesky intervening of the police and the feds. In order to save you, Hoyt had to break him out of jail and bring him here."
"Woody would never break the law just to save me!'
"He already has, my inside connection with the police department has already confirmed it."
Jordan felt as if a hard punch had been delivered to her stomach. The wind was knocked out of her and she felt a sudden urge to be sick. Woody had already started on the path she didn't want him to go down. She managed to push aside the wave of nausea, thankfully, and maintain her cool.
"What are you going to do to him once he gets here?"
"We make a trade, your life for his lifelong commitment to our business."
"He'll never do it, you know. I won't let him!"
"We'll see. Look what he has already done and we haven't even had to push him yet. Just wait until we really get started" he said with a wicked smile on his face. She glanced back over at Jorge and he wore the same expression. Creepy she thought to herself. She could definitely see the family resemblance.
Just then Ramon's cell went off and he opened it to take the call.
"He's here already? Send him in." He turned back to face Jordan. "Time to see if he loves you as much as I think he does."
Woody appeared in the doorway dragging Romero with him. As he uncuffed him, he saw Jordan and immediately noticed the cut on her cheek. A look of sheer terror and concern spread across his handsome features.
"Jordan!" he exclaimed and lunged forward reaching for her. Ramon stepped in front of him, cutting him off and said "Not yet, first we need to talk."
To be continued. I'll try to post the next chapter tomorrow night before I have to go back to work again. Weekends are just never long enough, sigh. Until then, please review. I'm always inspired to get the next chapter up right away when I see your wonderful reviews. Thanks!