"What the hell?…" Warrick stared in horror at Nick's rapidly reddening face. His mind scrambled to see a reason for his partner's sudden crisis. He grabbed Nick's right arm and pulled hard. There, on the meat of his triceps was an angry red welt about the size of a silver dollar. The damn scorpion had stung him and the poor guy had never felt it.
Nick pulled his arm back and pushed back away against the inside wall of the van. His heels dug into the metal flooring for purchase as his hand began to claw at his throat. His nails were leaving reddening scratches on his flesh. His eyes were screwed shut in concentration and his mouth gaped wide open as he swallowed gulps of air.
Warrick had heard of animals chewing their own limbs off to escape a hunter's trap. He had never been able to imagine the desperation necessary to do such a thing. Watching Nick tearing at his flesh made Warrick realize that his partner would gladly rip a hole through his chest if it meant getting oxygen to his lungs.
"Nick! Nick, listen to me, Bro. Do you have your pen on you?"
His partner ignored him so Warrick scooted over and started checking Nick's belt for the leather-bound case that usually rode there. Nothing. Sang must have had his goons take it off of him.
Nick's boots were pounding a sickening tattoo as he repeatedly kicked at the metal flooring. The noise echoed in the cavernous interior of the utility van.
"Fuck! Kenny! Kenny! How far are we from civilization?"
"Hour or so. Why? What's the problem?"
"That bastard put a scorpion on Nick and it stung him. He can't breathe, Kenny!"
"A scorp… Jesus." Kenny gave a long low whistle. "Got nothing for you, Man. I'm driving as fast as I can but this is a fuckin' UPS truck and this road is too rough."
Warrick ran through his options. What was it that bitch had said? If it stings Mr. Stokes you still have enough time for me to revive him. I am a trained doctor and I have all the necessary medicine.
"Shit! Damn it! Why didn't I grab her fucking bag?"
"What bag, Bro?"
"The doctor's bag. The bitch said she had medicine in it. Damn!"
"Was it the leather doctor's bag on the table?" Kenny asked in a small voice.
"Yeah… yeah! It was - why?"
"I, uh … I took it."
"You what? You took her bag? Well, where the Hell is it?"
"In my backpack. Thought maybe she might have some drugs in it I could sell. For get outa town money. You know."
Warrick flashed the man an angry glare. For once the little man's propensity for thievery was gonna help.
He grabbed up the ratty old backpack and ripped it open frantically. There, nestled in amongst a hodge-podge of electronic gizmos and other curiosities sat the doctor's leather bag. He pulled it out and rifled through it, pulling out a familiar looking device.
It was similar to the epi-pen he had seen Nick carry and he ran through the instructions he'd memorized months before.
"Hang on, Bro! I gotcha. I gotcha covered." He just kept repeating that phrase, hoping for it to be true as he snapped open the plastic case. The injector unwrapped, he crawled over the corrugated floor on his knees to crouch next to his partner.
Nick's struggles were becoming feebler as oxygen deprivation began setting in. His face was an alarming shade of burgundy, leaving him looking like a newborn baby crying itself to sleep.
"Here we go, buddy, just hang on." Warrick reared the pen back and slammed the small needle home into the meat of Nick's denim clad outer thigh.
He sat back on his haunches to wait for Nick's breathing to ease. His stubborn partner had never really talked about the epi-pens he had to carry or the silver medallion currently riding his still heaving chest. Warrick had taken it upon himself to sit Tina down and have her tell him exactly what anaphylaxis looked like and how to treat it. After getting all the details he'd made printed out copies and surreptitiously handed them out to all their team members in case Nick was ever stung while out with one of them and too out of it to help himself. While he knew it woulda driven his partner nuts to know he had done it he was never gladder that he'd gone behind his friend's back than he was at that moment.
Because of his "worrying" as Nick would have referred to it, he knew the epinephrine didn't work immediately. He could only hope that Nick had the five to ten minutes it would take to kick in.
He sat and waited, his eyes flicking back and forth between the minute hand making its agonizingly slow circuit around the face of his watch and Nick's continued, albeit fading, attempts to bring air into his oxygen-starved body.
Seven minutes of eternity later his watchful gaze noted an easing of Nick's struggling. Hoping that it wasn't just his partner succumbing to hypoxia he sidled back over next to him and grabbed Nick's sweat covered right hand, fumbling for a pulse at his wrist. It raced at hummingbird rate, which Warrick took as a good sign. He knew Nick's resting pulse rate must have averaged around 70 what with the amount of time the guy spent at the gym. The pulse he was feeling right now ran up well over a hundred. It meant the epinephrine was doing its job.
The other sign the medication was working was seeing Nick's hands drop at his sides in exhaustion. The clawing at his throat had left raw red streaks that ran down his neck onto his chest. A thin sheen of perspiration covered his whole body.
When he saw Nick shiver he realized the sweating had just made the man even colder. Unless it was shock or the aftereffects of the poisoning. That was the rub. He knew Nick reacted to the bite but the toxin from the scorpion still ran through his veins and he didn't have a fucking clue what that would do.
He picked up the forgotten Longhorns sweatshirt and put a hand on Nick's shoulder, giving it a light shake. His partner opened reddened eyes and nodded at him as he continued to inhale heavily, obviously relishing the new ease to his breathing.
Warrick waited, shirt in hand until Nick sat up and stuck a shaky hand out to grab the hated garment. He mustered enough energy to curl his lip at the emblem on the front, then gave half a chuckle as he pulled it into his lap.
"Fuck, Nicky. That was… how you feeling?"
Nick just nodded at him, not yet willing to waste precious oxygen. He pushed himself to lean heavily against a pile of cardboard packages, lifting his quivering hand to wipe at his face. The simple effort winded him and his hand dropped back down immediately.
"You need the shirt on, Bro. You want a hand?"
Stubborn man that he was, his partner held the hand back up and shook his head with a small smile.
"Got it," he rasped out.
He took a few more deep breaths, then lifted the sweatshirt over his head. When he eased his broken left hand through the sleeve he grimaced but managed to get the clothing on, collapsing back in exhaustion.
As much as Warrick felt relief at seeing his partner breathing easier, he knew it wouldn't last long. While Nick rested he returned back to the medical bag to see what other medication it contained. Two more of the plastic-tubed epi-pens and a whole lot of sharp pointy things. Nothing else.
The goal of Nick's torturer was obviously to revive him temporarily, only to inflict more pain and suffering.
Nick usually carried Benadryl with him in the same case as his epinephrine. He knew the whole case had been taken back at Sang's place. He also knew that without the Benadryl all this fresh oxygen Nick had been enjoying would be leaving him within a half hour.
This was further confirmed as he saw Nick's hand run along the back and side of his belt feeling for the leather case.
"It's gone, Bud. They took it," Warrick said shortly.
Nick nodded, as he was half expecting this. He laid his head back on the side of the jouncing van, his mind still working sluggishly. But still working.
"You still have those cold pills?" he croaked out.
"Yeah…why?…Ohh… hold on a sec." Warrick rummaged through his pockets, counting on the goons not relieving him of something as innocuous as some cold tablets. His hand brushed against crinkly plastic and he pulled out the foil blister pack. Still six pills left. He flipped it over to read the printing on the foil, the tiny lettering hard to make out in the relative darkness of the back of the van. He tilted it into the light from the windshield and his eyes read the prettiest word he could think of. Diphenhydramine. For runny noses and watery eyes.
"It has Benadryl in it, Bro," he said happily. His thumbs pushed two pills out and handed them to his partner who swallowed them like a man who hadn't eaten in a week.
The van hit another rut and the two men bounced and jostled about, nothing to grab onto but loose cardboard packages.
He turned his head as Kenny spoke up from the driver's seat. "Hey, Ricky. I gotta slow down, Man. This road is for shit. And there's a steep ravine on one side of us."
Warrick knew that while they had been seen taking off on foot it wouldn't take The Voice long to figure out that Kenny had made it up here in some kind of vehicle. Their head start was so insignificant, and the bad guys were probably driving jeeps or other vehicles better suited for this rough terrain.
"Gotta keep the pedal to the metal, Kenny. Just watch it, okay? You're knocking us all around back here."
Kenny just gave an angry shake of his head and bent over the steering wheel, the shorter man having difficulty seeing out over the hood of the truck to the rutted road rapidly disappearing under them.
Warrick glared at the back of Kenny's head then returned to scope out how his partner was doing. The timing was going to be tricky. The epi shot would last about half an hour but the antihistamines took almost that long to take effect. He pulled the doctor's bag next to him to keep the other set of pens close at hand.
Nick for his part was still leaned up against the pile of boxes, his eyes closed but his breathing easier. Warrick was about to join him in some relaxation when Nick suddenly grabbed his stomach and rolled over onto his side pulling his knees in towards his chest.
"Think I'm getting car sick," he croaked out as his face gained a green cast.
"No, I don't think so, Bud. Sorry, but I think its just the epinephrine. Tina said…"
Nick cracked open an eye and stared at him. "Tina said what?"
Shit. "Tina said one of the side effects of the shots was nausea."
"And this came up over dinner one night?" Nick asked, simultaneously raising an eyebrow and grimacing at his upset stomach.
"Not exactly."
"Oh yeah? When exactly?"
"Look, Nick. If you weren't so damn stubborn about this… Every time I asked you about it you clammed up and told me not to worry. So I asked Tina one day. She gave me the whole rundown on what to do and what to expect. Damn good thing I did it too, Bro, otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation," he said with a pointed look meant to diffuse the situation.
Nick just put up a hand and nodded his head, too sick to fight, and not too stupid to realize his friend was right. "Yeah, yeah…so what other fun things do I have to look forward to?"
"Nothin', Man. Just relax. Besides, pretty soon we'll be -"
There was a loud bang from under the van and the vehicle lurched heavily to one side. Kenny fought valiantly with the wheel as the two CSIs tumbled about in the back. The truck came to a shuddering stop, the dust from the gravel road a cloud obscuring the windshield. As the grit settled they could see that the van was now perpendicular across the road, the nose mere inches from the ravine.
"God damn it! I told you guys we couldn't go that fast," Kenny swore. He continued to mumble expletives as he opened the driver door and gingerly hopped out so as not to tumble over the edge.
The two in the back groaned as they pulled their bodies back up into sitting position. Being thrown about on a corrugated steel floor was no picnic under the best conditions, and with the various aches and pains and breaks they each had it took them a moment to catch their breaths.
Warrick winced at the fresh pain in his shoulder and scrambled to his hands and knees. He released the back door and jumped down to join Kenny at the front of the van.
Sure enough, from bad to worse. The front passenger side wheel was bent. They must have hit a big rut and broken a tie rod.
Warrick planted his hands on his hips and stared at the mangled metal. He was running a hand over his face, his expression one of pure defeat when he heard something behind him. Nick had come down from out of the back of the van. He leaned against the side, his left hand cradled around his stomach. He was still a bit green around the gills, his nausea no doubt amplified by the state of their current situation.
"Snapped a tie rod, huh? Looks like we're hoofin' it from here," he grunted out.
Warrick shook his head. Where could they go? All around them stood a thick forest, the only hint of civilization the rough road they stood in. Sang's men would be coming by any time now to take them back to …
Nick eased himself up off the side of the vehicle and began to wander a bit down the road. His eye caught on something and he stepped hesitantly off to the side to poke at some greenery.
Warrick noted Nick had rounded a small bend just out of sight and began to walk over towards him. Hell of a time to have the sick guy go traipsing off. Or wind up in a ravine.
He rounded the bend to find Nick squatted down at the side of the road. He was peeling back a handful of long green vine-like plants. Curious, Warrick took a few steps closer, his boots catching awkwardly on the ruts in the road.
"Whatcha doin there, Bro?"
"Think I found a path. Look."
Nick had cleared an area that showed what looked like two grooves in the ground. Hardly a road, but it did look as though vehicles had passed that way many times over the years. The road had not been used in some time as evidenced by the thick growth covering it. But not too long - the vines weren't woody. Hunting season would have been in November, and it was now January. Looked like the users of the road had skipped on killing Bambi this year.
It was their only option. Lord knows where the path would take them but they had to get off the main road and fast. Like now.
Warrick gave Nick a small shrug and headed back to where Kenny sat disconsolately on the bumper of the truck, head in hand, an elbow resting on his knee.
Warrick climbed back in the back of the truck and grabbed the doctor's bag and Kenny's knapsack. He got back out and closed up the doors.
"C'mon, Kenny. Gimme a hand."
Kenny looked up at him, surprise and suspicion on his face.
"With what?" he asked slowly.
Warrick exhaled sharply. "Just come over here, Kenny."
The smaller man got up with a small huff and walked around to join Warrick at the back of the truck. Nick had come back from investigating their path and joined them at the back of the truck. It was evident by his actions that he knew exactly what Warrick had planned.
Warrick planted his good shoulder against the back of the truck and gestured for Kenny to join him.
"Nick? You wanna go throw it in neutral?"
Nick nodded and hurried over to the driver cab and climbed in to switch gears. He got back out and joined them at the back, placing his good hand on the rear bumper. Warrick gave a one two three count and the three men shoved as hard as they could against the rear of the vehicle. It rolled an inch, then stopped. Rolling the van on the broken wheel was near on to impossible. But they were so close. They reared back and gave another mighty shove. The truck rolled forward another few inches, the front end teetering over the brink. Another good push and the vehicle's weight carried it over the edge to go crashing down the side of the ravine. Warrick sidled up to the edge and looked down. Thankfully, the UPS truck was that famous brown color and it blended in rather well, swallowed up as it was by the trees that grew from the bottom. If you didn't know where to look you would probably never see it. Which, of course, was the plan.
Kenny turned to him and held a hand out for his backpack. Warrick rolled his eyes at him and handed it over silently.
He turned to look for his partner. Nick was bent over at he waist, hand resting on one knee holding himself up. Warrick walked over to lay a hand on his shoulder. Nick looked up and flashed him a sickly smile. "I'm good. Just gimme a sec."
Warrick sighed. That's pretty much all they had. But as promised, Nick righted himself and took a deep breath. Gave a quick nod and held a hand out to have Warrick lead the way.
The path was definitely an old road. Further in the ruts grew deeper and were identifiable as those left by the passage of a vehicle over many years. There were no signs. No gates. No clue as to who used the road in the past. But they were now, an hour after losing the van, at least a couple miles or so in from the original road.
There had been no sound but for their feet clomping on the hard packed earth and Nick's ragged breathing. His nausea hadn't passed and he'd already stopped once, running off a few feet into the woods to be sick. He came back, wiping a shaky hand across his mouth. Never said a word about it. Just rejoined the group and kept up as best as he could, limping gamely along.
The going was rough; vines catching at their feet, the uneven ground making them trip and lurch as they made their way.
While the trip in the van had been a pretty steady descent from the higher elevation of Sang's place, this was at least a reasonably level course. Of course that also meant that they were no longer leaving the mountains where presumably civilization began.
Kenny for his part never left off from the string of expletives he'd been muttering ever since the breakdown. It was almost as if he truly blamed the other two for the tie rod breaking. Especially Nick. The Texan had left the path again to throw up and Kenny cast a disparaging glance at his back. Warrick closed his eyes as he listened to the harsh and painful- sounding heaving coming from off in the brush. When he saw the look Kenny was throwing Nick he walked over and grabbed him roughly by the arm.
"What is your problem?" he whispered acidly in the smaller man's ear.
Kenny pulled away from Warrick's grasp and brought a hand up to his mouth to gnaw on a hangnail. "Dude's slowin us up."
Warrick seethed, understanding that Kenny had no idea what the men had gone through back in that house, but disgusted by the lack of compassion the man was showing.
He started to give the little man an earful when he heard Nick come trudging out of the woods behind him.
He tossed Nick what he hoped was a reassuring smile and walked over to him. "You need a break, Nick?"
"Nope. Keep going," Nick rasped out. His throat was raw from vomiting and his earlier crisis. But he knew they couldn't stop. Especially not on his account. The nausea had eased a bit after his last purge and he plastered on a small grin and began gimping along the path once more.
Warrick grit his teeth in all-out frustration; everything was against them. They found an obstacle at every direction, but what choice did they have? Warrick followed his partner, quickly reaching his side and walking at a slower gait to allow the man to keep up. He looked back at Kenny, his boyhood friend, and source of this carnival of horrors. He forced back his dark thoughts and the three of them pressed down the path for a while longer.
Nick's pace was growing slower, to the point that Kenny was now in the lead. Warrick was about to suggest that they all take a break when Kenny stopped in his tracks and looked back at the others with glee in his eyes.
"There's some kind of cabin around the bend!"
Warrick and Nick exchanged looks of relief, but each of them felt a bit guarded. Nick nodded to his friend, not wanting to waste any more energy on speaking. Warrick knew what was on his mind.
"Hey, Kenny! Wait up, Man!"
Warrick corralled the impatient man and told him to wait outside while he and Nick inspected the dilapidated shelter. It looked like a hunting cabin that had not been used in at least a season or more. The wild growth of the forest overran the path leading up to it; the wooden planks of the small front landing creaked with their footfalls. Nick checked out the back area, inspecting the old fashioned outhouse. Typical small building, seat made of a plank with a hole in it. There was a hand pump sticking out the ground the owners had put in for fresh water. The sound of burbling water coming from further in the trees was evidence of a stream running nearby. After checking for any possible unseen enemies, he came back around to the front where Kenny was picking at the lock.
Nick raised his eyebrows in question at Warrick, who rolled his eyes and shook his head in bemusement. The little pack rat was using his skills for something. After some jiggling around the door opened, and Warrick elbowed the smaller man out of the way, still very suspicious. He cautiously entered the darkened room, searching for a light source.
Nick followed behind him hugging the walls as each of them inspected the tiny, empty room. A small kitchen area was to the left, a stack of old cracked stoneware piled on the counter; a squat woodburning stove took up the center of the room, a stack of logs piled next to it. Another open door lead to a second room where two shabby cots made up the sleeping quarters. A set of rusty fold up chairs leaned against one wall. Satisfied that there was no one lying in wait for them, both men searched the shelter for a light source. Warrick found a rusted lantern, empty of oil. Next to it on the shelf lay a few large candles and some simple candleholders. He picked them up and brought them over towards a small card table. There was a small amount of light from the outside, but with all the surrounding trees camouflaging the cabin, most of the sun's rays were lost in the layers of brush and tree limbs.
Warrick found a match and lit a few of the candles, adjusting the sticks of wax in front of him. Kenny began to pace around the confines of the spartan room and kept his eye out the front window. Nick dragged one of the cots over to the side of the room and practically collapsed on to it.
Warrick moved over towards his friend, noting his eyes were closed tightly. His partner was still sweating and he noticed Nick's arms twitch occasionally. Warrick could write a list of possible causes for the light trembling, ranging from possible nerve damage from the needles to the adrenaline treatment or a reaction to the toxin of the scorpion sting. Warrick bit his lip and rested his hand on Nick's shoulder for a moment, then slid it over to his carotid to monitor his pulse.
It was still beating fast, but had slowed down a bit. Warrick's lips twitched at what that portended. Nick opened his eyes, "I'm okay. Just trying to rest a sec."
Warrick patted his shoulder, and regretted his next words knowing how exhausted his partner must be feeling. "You can't really rest, Bro. Got to keep your blood pumping, your natural adrenaline to fight off the allergic reaction. We have to wait a little longer before you can take any more cold meds since we have a limited supply."
Nick slowly sat up from his resting position, rubbing a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I know," he chuckled. "Maybe I can just do... jumping jacks," he said in between two shaky breaths.
Warrick knew that Nick's breathing was already showing signs of becoming more labored. He calculated how many more cold tablets remained and frowned at the amount needed for their crude method of trying to combat the respiratory complications. Nick kept his head bowed, his raspier intake of breath only fueling Warrick's sense of impending panic. He began to look around the room trying to see if anything would aid in their situation.
There was very little to speak of. No stacks of supplies. No clothing. He found a toolbox with some rusty fishing tackle and a serrated knife for carving up game or fish but nothing that could really be called a weapon. Not even a first aid kit. Warrick scanned every corner until his eyes rested on Kenny who continued to stare out the window, glancing back at the inactivity in the room. Warrick eyed his backpack, his face lighting up with an idea.
Warrick's long strides brought him over to his friend who shrank back at the intensity he saw in the taller man.
"Hand me your inhaler, Kenny."
Kenny's eyes grew large as his arm wrapped around his precious knapsack in a protective manner. "Why? It's mine," he whined.
Annoyed, Warrick gestured with his hand for the desired item. "I'm not going to waste time jawing with ya, Man. Hand it over."
With a pout, Kenny dug through his bag, muttering complaints under his breath the entire time. He handed Warrick over the medication and then stood up and stalked off into the other room. Warrick didn't pay him any more attention and wandered over to Nick. His friend followed him with his gaze as he walked back over to join him.
Nick narrowed his eyes when Warrick sat down next to him, reading the instructions on the asthma mediation. "It's safe to take this; it'll open up your airways until you can take some more cold pills. Then you can put off your jumping jacks for a little while," Warrick said as he mustered up a smile.
Nick had his left wrist snugged up along his stomach, and his right hand pressed over his sternum as his breathing continued to worsen. He took the inhaler with an expression of gratitude, pressed down on the
device, and inhaled a dose of the medication. He sat there a moment as his lungs began to expand and the pressure eased up a bit inside his chest. He still felt queasy, but he tried to concentrate on one issue at a time.
Warrick watched as Nick's body relaxed a bit and his face lost that pinched look. "Now you can lay down for a few. This stuff is going to make you pretty lethargic."
Nick shook his head. "I'll take a ten minute…power nap, and then we'll decide how to get Tina back."
Warrick's mouth opened to say something, but Nick's strong grip on his forearm stopped him. He saw a set of determined eyes. "We're gonna get her back. I've survived worse things than this. Not gonna let some stupid bug bite keep me down."
Warrick smiled, genuinely moved by his partner's words. He held his hand up in a fist and Nick tapped his own on top of it in their usual gesture of friendship. "All right, Man. But get your beauty rest while you
can. Got to get up and running soon enough."
Warrick got up to give Nick a few moments to himself. He looked in the direction of Kenny's room and for once didn't have the energy to go talk to the little man. He'd give him an earful after he got some fresh air. He was tired of the "pity me" attitude Kenny walked around with. Warrick was going to give him a lesson in real friendship.
Warrick walked out on to the porch, surveying the trees in front of him. He scanned the afternoon trying to decide the next course of action. He wasn't sure how far away they were from any town. The trees and surrounding mountains framed everything from view. No landmark gave him a clue as to where they were hidden. Warrick knew that the next thing they needed to do was locate a hospital. Maybe he could scout out another cabin, one with power and a phone. Or maybe there was a ranger's station somewhere near by to get
help.
He'd get Nick the needed medical attention and then go find Tina. His wife. God, how petrified she must be. What torturous horrors was she being treated to? He walked a few feet out and began to pace in front of the cabin when he heard a familiar shrilling noise. His eyes widened in disbelief as he recognized the sound of his cell phone. He still had it. Why had Sang had not taken it? Warrick cursed himself for being so caught
up in the crisis that he hadn't even realized the thing was still in his pocket. Maybe he could dial 911 and get an ambulance up here...wherever here was. He patted down his jeans and fished out the ringing device. He looked at the number on the caller ID and his heart leapt.
"Grissom?"
"Not exactly, Mr. Brown. Although it was enjoyable to hear the hope in your voice. I take my small pleasures where I can. I must say, you have truly surprised me, Mr. Brown. I did not think you capable of such dishonor."
Warrick felt his face flush with the heat of his anger. "You son of a bitch! You know nothing about honor you cowardly little man," he seethed as he continued to pace.
"You and your friend disgraced Madame Chu with your escape. She has lost much face with me and will receive severe punishment for her disgraceful actions. I see that Kenny continues to be an annoying thorn in my side. One that I want removed immediately."
"That bitch can fry in Hell," Warrick growled. "You underestimated us. It's time to end this stupid game and let Tina go."
Warrick almost crushed the phone when that familiar laughter echoed in his ears.
"Mr. Brown. Do you not get it? I still hold all the cards in this game. I have your wife and now your other Achilles heel is slowly fading away. How much longer do you think Mr. Stokes can survive without proper medical attention?"
Warrick froze in mid step, his face draining of color.
"Tut, tut. I know everything. When will you realize that? Madame Chu saw the scorpion inflict its sting on your friend and while you had that little thief tie her up she observed the welt on Mr. Stokes' arm. She knew you would not have much time."
Warrick instinctively looked into the window of the cabin to see his partner resting on the cot.
"You know I monitor all outgoing calls. I will now have all my ears on every line to every hospital and every emergency call made from this local area. You will not get any medical attention for your friend or I will kill your wife."
Warrick closed his eyes. It was the first time Sang had threatened to harm Tina. He walked back up to the front of the cabin to lean against the outer wall.
"I have lost patience with all of you, Mr. Brown. You have a choice to make. Go ahead and use your cell phone and contact a hospital. You do and I will let you listen to your wife's screams as she dies. Bring Kenny and the files to me and your precious Tina will be released and your friend won't slowly suffocate. Choose wisely."
Warrick's response was cut off. He stared at his cell phone, the words "call ended." blinked back at him. He felt his back slide down the wall behind him, his breath hitching in his throat as his world spiraled out of control around him. He felt moisture at the corners of his eyes and the phone dropped from his hand as he pulled his knees up to his chest. He finally succumbed to the pressure, smothered by the crushing weight of the events of the day and the life-altering decisions he still had yet to make.
tbc...