Grissom and Sara pulled up to the park just as Rhory started to drag Shelly towards the store. "Shelly!" Sara called out. "Shelly!" She tried again but didn't receive any acknowledgement.
Grissom dove across, mid-run, and covered Sara's body on the ground as six shots rang out. After a quick evaluation, noting neither one of them were injured, they stood back up and ran towards the store. They stood behind the police barrier formed by the cruisers and listened as two more shots then yelling erupted from within.
Grissom looked to his right as a hand slinked into his and squeezed tight. Noting that Sara was just as frightened, maybe even more then he was, he gave a tight squeeze in reply.
They both turned to their left as they heard other cruisers and an un-marked car pull up. Both went running towards the homicide captain, hands still holding strong, and started to ask what the plan was to get Shelly out alive but they were interrupted by Brass' cell ringing.
"Brass." He answered briskly.
"Sir, I have a patch request coming in from a cell owned by a Debbie Darwin from Chicago."
"Who the hell is Debbie Darwin?" He asked the dispatch operator; Sara however, was the one to answer.
"That has to be Shelly. Debbie bought her the phone. It must still be under Debbie's name."
Brass nodded. "Patch it through." He told the operator. The first thing he heard was a female voice, "When I yell now, you all run."
"Shelly?" When no answer came forth, they knew it was a one-way communication.
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"When I yell now, you all run." Shelly whispered to the young captive beside her as she tucked the cell phone under the shelves behind them. "I want you to tell the others to run to the door when I yell now and don't look back." The scared thirteen year old nodded.
"Shut up bitch!" Rhory crossed the open entrance area to Shelly and backhanded her across the face. As much as she wanted to, she was not going to pull out the gun. Not until the others are out safe. She thought. Don't want them caught in the crossfire. I trust my shot but not his.
Shelly went to stand up but met face-to-barrel with his nine-millimeter. "Get up Shells and it'll be your last move."
She set her jaw defiantly, "But without me you'll never find Brennan."
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"Don't push him Shelly. We only just found your father. You haven't met him yet Shells." Sara whispered, willing Shelly to hear her thoughts.
Brass took in the scene in front of him, not the store but his two friends. Sara's face was contorted in fear and concern and Grissom's mask was slipping away fast. Sara, I expect but Gil, emotionally involved? Who the hell is this kid? He thought as the male voice quickly brought his attention back to the cell, which had been switched to speakerphone and placed on the hood of one of the cruisers.
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"Sit down and shut your mouth bitch." Rhory spat as he raised his gun and brought the handle's end down into her right temple.
Shelly shook the cobwebs from her head. Mind over matter. "Why don't you let these people go? They have nothing to do with this shit. It's just between you and me Rhor. You and me." She tried to negotiate.
"You're the one that's been hangin' with that cop bitch; has she not taught you nuttin? You should know that leverage in this situation is superb and with all you idiots I have plenty of it." He replied confidently.
"It's stupid Rhor. You've already killed Lil' D and Officer Rickter; just let these people go."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"He what?" Yelled Sara.
"Settle down. He didn't kill Officer Rickter. He was shot twice but his vest caught the chest shot and he's going to the hospital for his leg." Brass reported. "He's without gun, however, and is unconscious so I'm guessing Rhory has his firearm. We found his back-up and an empty magazine near him but not his extra mag."
"He killed D?" Sara asked breathlessly.
"There is a young African American male DB found near Officer Rickter. He's around age 16, maybe 17. Is that…"
"Oh Shit." Sara cut him off then breathed deep and exhaled saying, "Poor Shells." She shook her head sadly.
Brass and Grissom shared confused glances but refrained from asking when their attention was again pulled back to the phone.
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Rhory shook his head ruefully. "I'm not letting them go Shells and if you don't sit back then I'm shootin' them one by one. Starting wit the youngest."
Shelly sat back down but had an ire of confidence around her. "If my math is correct, and I'm damn sure it is, and if your nine-mill is the same model as Officer Rickter then I'd say you only have two rounds left. There's seven of us here Rhor. What ya goin' do?"
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Jim, Grissom, Sara, and the SWAT commander, who was now standing with them, all breathed in a collective sigh of relief that, if Shelly's math was correct, then they now knew that Rhory didn't have Rickter's firearm.
"Then who has it?" Brass asked.
Sara smiled. "I know." Grissom gave her a quizzical look, which she shrugged off as she leaned in to whisper for him only. "She has your intellect, stubbornness, and quick thinking Griss. I know she's in there fighting because she wants to meet you."
He tried to smile but his expression was pained.
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"Okay brainiac, tell me what the fuck I'm supposed to do."
"Where do you want me to start?" Shelly asked the vague question, hoping he would play along with her. She knew that if he just continued to talk then it would give SWAT enough time to set-up. "Do you want me to start at the very beginning?"
"Sure, you do that, it's not like I've got anything planned for the next little while. Let's hear it." Rhory leaned back against one of the checkout counters, his gun lowered but still held tightly in his right hand.
"Okay, let's start with what you shouldn't have done. You shouldn't have followed me and attacked me on my graduation day. You shouldn't have forced yourself on me on my graduation day. You … actually let's go back a bit more… to the very, very beginning." She looked into his deep brown eyes and spat, "You shouldn't have been born."
He just smirked, "If I was never born then you wouldn't have Brennan now would you, so don't tell me that you didn't want me to."
"No. Brennan was a gift from god, not you. Even if you never did that shit to me, Brennan would still be here eventually and I would still love him the same and maybe he'd actually have a chance to have a father who he could respect and who could love him back."
"I do love my son. Don't you ever say otherwise." Rhory yelled.
Shelly smirked back, "You have a very funny way of showing it asshole."
Rhory quickly walked towards Shelly, who was sitting ramrod straight, confidence and anger fueling her words. He brought the gun up again to hit her across the face but she managed to kick his shin. He lost his balance for a few seconds but as Shelly went to stand and fight more, he managed to punch her right cheek, making her fall back against the shelf.
Rhory laughed. "Bitch." He spat. "You say one more thing I don't like and I'll start taking lives."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
As SWAT surrounded the building quickly and quietly, Grissom, Sara, Brass, and SWAT commander Alexandre Brody stood around the hood of the cruiser, listening intently to the happenings going on in the building.
"What is that crazy girl thinking?" Brody asked. "She's egging on a man who is already on the edge."
"She's got a plan." Sara replied defiantly, her chin thrusting into the air to show her confidence.
Grissom, who was still holding Sara's hand in a vice-grip, looked at her then with a doubtful stare. "Are you sure Sara? It doesn't sound like it to me."
"Griss, trust me… trust her." Sara warned him with her eyes. "She's too much like you to not have a plan." She whispered to him. He nodded and listened as Brody commanded SWAT to hold back.
"We need to know where everyone is positioned." Brody announced. "Gerardeo," Brody called into his radio. "I need positions." He demanded.
"Right away sir."
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"Come on Rhor. Think about this okay?" Shelly took a breath to calm herself. "You have two rounds left and seven people sitting here. I know for sure that you are not getting out of here alive if you kill one more person. Just listen to me." She demanded with her hands up in innocence when she saw Rhory coming towards her again.
Rhory stopped four feet away and pointed the gun to her chest. "Don't piss me off anymore Shells."
"Fine," Shelly saw out of the corner of her eye that the thirteen-year-old beside her was fidgeting nervously so she reached over and grabbed hold of her hand; that move didn't go unnoticed by Rhory. "By now they probably have SWAT surrounding the building. They're probably being as quiet as possible so that they don't alert you but we both know you're not stupid. We both know that you know they're out there."
Rhory smiled which Shelly returned, knowing that boosting his ego was something that always made him feel better. When Rhory nodded, she continued.
"Now, what I'm trying to tell you is that if you let these hostages go, you'll have a better chance of getting out of here unscathed. They don't know that you know they are out there so by giving up the hostages, it looks to them like you're ready to comply to whatever they want, which makes you seem less like a nut job." Shelly backtracked when she noticed Rhory growl. "Look, I'm not saying you're a nut job but you have to think about what it looks like to them out there. You're holding seven people hostage in a grocery store, and they don't have a clue why."
"Get to the fuckin' point Shell."
"Okay, let the hostages go and pick up the phone when it rings. Make your negotiations and then we can be out of here." Shelly said with a calm she wasn't feeling.
Rhory thought for a second. "That sounds all good and everythin' but … how you know I won't be shot down?"
"Because if you take me out at the same time and use me as a shield then they can't shoot you. Remember, like you said, I've been hanging with that cop lady so it's not like she will let them shoot at you with me as a potential hit right?"
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"She's giving away our fucking position!" SWAT commander Brody yelled.
"No, she isn't." Sara replied just as loud. "Listen to her. She's not giving away your position but negotiating the release of six hostages who aren't even related to the situation."
Brody harrumphed.
"She let you know that Rhory only has two shots left and that he is not stable."
"But she's also saying that he should take her as a shield!"
"No, she's …" Sara swallowed the lump in her throat and squeezed Grissom's hand tight. "She's giving herself up for the sake of her son and the six hostages."
Grissom looked at her with pleading eyes; pleading that she wasn't telling the truth; pleading that Shelly wouldn't really give herself up before meeting him. He closed his eyes tight against the threat of tears when he saw Sara nod.
"I'm giving her five more minutes before my men try to make contact."
"That's all she needs." Sara replied confidently.
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Rhory leaned back against the checkout counter and thought about Shelly's plan.
"Look Rhory, this is between you and me, not this thirteen-year-old girl or this twenty-something year old guy beside her. Not even those two senior citizens sitting with their middle aged daughter against the front shelves."
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"How does she know all that?" Brody asked.
"She doesn't." Grissom finally spoke up for the first time, masking, just barely, the emotion from his voice. "She's just hazarding guesses so that she can give us the information about the other people inside the building with her." That put a small smile on his face, for the first time understanding what it felt to be a proud father.
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Shelly looked back around, desperately searching for the sixth hostage that she knew was there when they first sat down. Rhory must have also noticed that one was missing because he turned around in time to see the thirty-something year old man running towards the back door. Rhory quickly aimed and shot him in the back of his head, making the man drop to his knees before his forehead slammed against the wall and he finally fell to his death face down on the floor.
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Grissom pulled Sara forcefully into his chest when the shot resounded across the phone lines. He knew that if he didn't pull her into him then she would have raced into the building herself.
"Let me go, I have to…"
"You have to do nothing Sara." Grissom hissed. He leaned down next to her ear. "If I lose Shelly in this then I'm going to need you here with me. Please don't run in there. I won't be able to get through this if you run in there and he shoots you too."
Sara stopped struggling and stood staring gape-mouthed at Grissom. His eyes showed the truth of his words and she held him tight as they listen to Shelly yelling at Rhory through the phone.
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"You're a fucking idiot Rhory!" Shelly blasted as the young girl beside her curled into her side and hid her face in the pit of Shelly's arm. "You just gave SWAT the fuckin' go sign. They're going to come in here and blast your ass now, you know that?"
"No they won't because I still have my gun and they won't risk it." He replied cockily.
"You are an idiot." Shelly mumbled and placed her arm protectively around the young girl before yelling again. "It's called bullet proof Kevlar Stupid! They come in here and you have one … one shot left out of an automatic nine-mill handgun while they are blasting you away with AK's and high artillery."
"You were always such a drama queen Shelly-baby." Rhory said flippantly.
"Don't call me that," She hissed. "I'm the fuckin' drama queen? You're the one holding seven … no, count 'em six people hostage all because I have the right to keep Brennan away from your skinny, no good, broke down sewer rat lookin' drugged up ass!"
Rhory brought the gun up and went to hit Shelly over the head again but the twenty-something year old guy sitting beside the thirteen year old jumped up and tried to tackle Rhory. Rhory was able to knock him over the head with the gun and when the man dropped to the floor, head first; he was knocked out on contact.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Alright!" Yelled Brody after hearing the latest scuffle over the phone. "That's enough." He grabbed his two-way radio. "Micheals, what's your position?"
"Just outside the back door sir."
"Good, stand ready. Gerardeo, what's your position?"
"Main entrance. I see two young girls, one middle-aged woman, and two seniors. There's a man down at the back door and one down by the gunman."
"Good. Keep your entrance team at the ready. Ronald is starting communications."
"Yes sir."
"Ronald, get on the phone and talk down this madman"
"Yes sir."
"Wait," Called Sara as she saw Brody leaving their huddle. "What are you going to do? You aren't going to put Shelly in harms way are you?"
"Ma'am, stay here. You're no part of this."
"Like hell I'm not! That's my friend in there!"
"Sara," Grissom soothed. "Calm down and let them do their jobs."
Sara pushed away from Grissom so that she could see his eyes. Forgetting that, thankfully, only Brass was standing within ear shot, Sara felt the roller coaster of emotions trapping her again as she blasted Grissom.
"That's your daughter in there and these guys are ready to put her in harms way and all you do is stand there telling me to calm down! What the fuck is your problem Griss!"
Sara struggled against him as he pulled her back to his chest, but eventually gave up when she felt his breath, warm and slick, by her ear and she could feel him shaking along with his words.
"I'm petrified Sara. I've never been more so in my life but I know that the only way she's going to get out of there alive is if we let SWAT do their jobs effectively without us in their way. So please, for Shelly's sake, as well as yours and mine, please calm down. Stay with me here please."
Sara nodded and felt warm tears not only cascading down her face but also being caught in her hair from Grissom.
Brass looked on and felt as if he was intruding.
They obviously don't remember I'm here.
Gil has a kid?
In all these years he's never mentioned one to me.
Maybe he didn't know.
But this is Gil.
But then again, he is very private.
Ah hell, I don't know. Brass shook his head and brought his attention back to the cell phone all while having a new worry building inside of him for his long time buddy.
I know what it's like to lose a kid, even if they are right there in front of you.
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"Shit." Shelly mumbled. "You're a fuckin' idiot." She repeated but this time focused to the knocked out man by her feet. As Rhory got the older man to drag the knocked out body down the aisle and out of the way, she tried to devise a plan in her head. She still had her left arm wrapped around the shoulders of the silently weeping teen beside her. With her eyes, she was able to communicate with the middle-aged women, who then told the elderly women beside her, to stay as calm as possible under their current circumstances.
The plan she had been thinking of was quickly thwarted when Rhory came back to stand in front of her. "I noticed how close you're gettin' wit your new pal here. I wonder if she is anything like you in the sack?"
"If she ever gives you permission to find out then I hope she bites you hard just like I did you perverted fucker." Shelly spat. "And I wouldn't be getting too comfortable and confident Rhor. It's only a matter of time before they come rushing in here to tackle and shoot your ass for this."
Rhory laughed and forcefully yanked the young girl out from under Shelly's arm. He pointed the gun at Shelly when she tried to jump up. "Uh uh uh Shells. You move and I'll shoot you."
When Shelly went to stand and tackle him, he re-worded his threat. "I'll shoot her." He knew that Shelly's conscience wouldn't let her move for the risk of an innocent person getting shot. He was proven correct when Shelly knelt back down; he didn't notice, or didn't care, that Shelly hadn't sat down but was squatting on her feet instead.
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"Gerardeo, what's happening now?"
"The gunman has one of the young girls in his arms and is threatening the other one with the gun sir."
"Ronald is having no luck. The gunman is not picking up the phone so I want you to be ready. If this Shelly girl is correct then the gunman has only one shot left so if he takes it I want you guys in there."
"Yes sir."
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Rhory licked the girl's neck. "What's your name precious?" He growled.
"Sa… Samantha." She managed through sobs.
Rhory smiled at Shelly. "She seems more nervous then you did the first time."
Shelly ground her teeth together. "That's probably because she's younger and because she doesn't know you. Not to mention the fact that I knew what was going to happen because I knew you were a perverted fucker before you barged into my house that night."
Rhory's smile grew bigger and he slid his free hand down the inner right thigh of Samantha. "You know Shells, if you would have just given up Brennan in the beginning, this wouldn't have had to happen. That officer wouldn't be dead, Deryck wouldn't be dead, Debbie wouldn't be brain-dead, that man by the door wouldn't be dead, and that other man wouldn't have forced me to knock him around. So, really, this is all your fault." He knew that even a lapse Catholic was quick to feel guilt and he loved every minute of Shelly's torture.
"No, you know what Rhory, that's not going to work. The only reason we are in this mess is because you couldn't keep your pecker to yourself."
Rhory laughed. "Then I guess it's my fault that this beautiful young girl in front of me is turning me on with her crying and fear." Rhory leaned down and whispered into Sam's ear. "You really are a sweet girl you know that? I'm going to have fun with you while your new buddy and those sick old farts over there watch." He then licked her ear lobe, which made her shutter.
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"Entrance team! Be ready to make your move!"
"10-4 sir."
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Shelly looked over to the other three in the store and winked at them; they understood the cue immediately and got ready.
She then looked back at Rhory and Samantha. She had to think of something to do to get his attention for at least a few seconds, giving the rest of them a head start to get out of the line of fire. She watched Rhory's hand glide back up Sam's thigh and remembered the phone that she tucked under the shelf. She grabbed at it stealthily and held it behind her back.
Sam glanced at her with teary eyes and swallowed hard when she saw Shelly wink at her; she knew what was coming next and was silently stoking herself up for it.
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"It's been quiet too long. What's happening? What's going on? They're not talking, not moving." Grissom smoothed his right hand over Sara's back to try and stop her panicking.
"Remember, you're the one that told us to keep trust in Shelly to get out of this. You have to believe in that too okay?" He pulled Sara away from him and cupped her face with both hands. "Please have faith?"
Sara nodded, her hands coming up to hold onto Grissom's. "Okay." She whispered.
Sara jumped when she heard Shelly's voice yelling, "Now!" over the phone.
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Shelly grabbed tighter around the phone and after winking at Sam, she tossed the phone gently at Rhory to grab his attention and yelled, "Now!"
Samantha raced over to the other three hostages and the four of them ran to the front door as Rhory was just getting his bearings straight. He glanced to his right and noticed Shelly standing, getting ready to lunge at him but before she could, he aimed and fired.
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"No!" Sara yelled as she heard the two gunshots. Grissom was having troubles holding her back so Brass jumped in the path between Sara and the store, blocking her way.
As Sara fought against Brass and Grissom, SWAT commander Brody was demanding his entrance team, "That was his last shot, get your asses in there!"
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Shelly stood over Rhory's body. She managed to fire off one shot from the firearm she had hidden but not before Rhory shot her in the shoulder. Now she stood, holding her left shoulder with her right hand, hovering above Rhory's body as he writhed in pain.
"You bitch!" He yelled as he gripped his right leg tighter and hissed in pain.
"You should know not to mess with someone smarter then yourself Rhory." She said as she held the gun to his head level.
"You bitch. You're going to pay for this." He spat before gasping in pain when she kicked his leg.
"Las Vegas Police! Put your gun down!" SWAT leader Gerardeo yelled.
Shelly spun in the direction of the voice and raised the gun. "Stay the fuck out of here. I don't want any rescue personnel anywhere near him yet."
"Ma'am," Gerardeo started in a soothing tone, "Think of yourself here. You've been shot and need medical attention as well."
"No I don't. At least not as badly as Rhory does." She turned her attention back to Rhory and knelt down by him, just within his reach. "I got you Rhory. That shot you gave me was nothing more then a graze compared to what I got you. In a few minutes, you'll be out cold and if you don't get medical attention right after that, then you'll die of exsanguination. How does that suit you?" She snarled.
She jumped back when he went to grab at her and she laughed. She looked back at the SWAT members to make sure they weren't moving and when she was sure they were staying put for the time being she continued taunting Rhory.
"See, I clipped an artery in your hamstring which is making you bleed out faster. Soon, you'll be out of it." She smiled. "And I'm not too sure I'll let them in to help you in time."
"You bitch."
"We've already established that." She waved him off with her hand. "But what we haven't established yet is your time of death." She looked at her watch. "I'd say you have about … two minutes before you're out cold. Then possibly another five before you're gone for good."
"Fuck you."
"Oops, that's a minute and a half now."
"Fine… let me die here."
"Miss O'Brien, if you let him die here then you'll be charged with murder. Let us help him. He's already looking at the death penalty." Gerardeo said with little conviction.
"Hmmm … see you die on a slab with a needle in your arm, feeling barely any pain … or ...watching you die here, in a pool of your own vile blood and in a lot of pain." She kicked at his leg again. "Big decision and I only have … forty seconds to make it."
"Shelly!"
Shelly turned her head toward the door and saw Sara standing behind a police cruiser crying. She looked back down at Rhory and saw him smiling lazily back up at her. "See Rhor, you were wrong all those years ago." She knelt down again and hissed at the sudden pain in her shoulder as the adrenaline of what was happening wore off slowly.
She looked deep into his eyes and finished her thought, "I will and have found people already who care about me. And guess what, unlike you, who will have people sitting there cheering, watching you with a needle in your arm, dieing, I will be living in a nice home with my son and friend." She hissed again as she stood up.
She handed over her firearm to Gerardeo, as the EMTs were finally aloud to assess Rhory and the unconscious man. Before leaving the building with the EMTs, Shelly turned and yelled to a half-conscious Rhory, "Word of advice," When she saw him stare at her through the bodies of the EMTs she smiled, "Your ass is pretty fresh so if I were you, I wouldn't drop the soap in the shower."
She was led out of the building, leaving behind a yelling Rhory, and sat down on the stretcher before it lifted her into the ambulance. Sara was by her side, with Grissom a few feet behind her, starring at his daughter for the first time. Without taking her eyes off Grissom, Shelly reassured Sara. "It's only a graze. I'll be out of the hospital in no time flat."
Sara nodded but it went unnoticed by Shelly as the ambulance doors closed. She sat there being fussed over by the EMT but was paying him no attention. She stared through the glass windows into the eyes of her father for the first time, neither blinking away until the ambulance turned a corner and they were out of sight from each other.
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A/N: Thank you for your great reviews. I'm sorry I ended the last chapter in the middle of the action but I was writing it during my lunch break at my schooling area so I didn't have time to write more and I really, really wanted to get that up for everyone. I hope you enjoyed this chapter because I most definitely enjoyed writing it.
Chapter spoiler … In the next chapter, Grissom and Shelly meet and you'll finally get to hear Grissom's side of the story.