"Detective Kate Beckett…Part of the 12th. New York's Finest…"
With a loud chuckle, the tall African American man threw her badge to the ground, going as far as kicking it off to the side, where it slid across the concrete floor and eventually ended up next to the drain.
"And you are…?", she demanded, memorizing the faces of the three men who had come to check on them, all of them black, all of them dressed in dark gray battle fatigues, wearing Glocks, a small Velcro badge on their left shoulder signaling their belonging to some sort of para-militaristic group.
"That's none of your concern, gorgeous.", the presumed leader replied, then cocked his head, causing his two buddies to fan out around her, "What should be of your concern is what you and that…that jackass cop down there discovered and how you are not gonna say a word about it to nobody. Is that clear?"
"I don't know what you are talking about.", Beckett deflected, never breaking eye contact with the man until he leaned forward, his nose so close to her ear that she could feel his breath against her cold skin.
"Of course, you do, you pretentious little bitch!", he countered and grabbed her by the chin, forcing her to look deep into his intimidating, brown eyes.
"Now you listen to me, Beckett, and listen well.", he began, annunciating each word, "We're going to enjoy each other's company here for the next few days, so you better learn some manners. And by the time it's all said and done, you and your friend here are gonna forget everything you saw and found in that house, is that clear? Because if it isn't, I can make it clearer for you."
As if on cue, one of the other guys pulled out his handgun, pointing it as Esposito's head.
Beckett swallowed hard, her eyes moving from the handgun to the unconscious detective and back to the man holding her by the chin.
"Very…clear…", she muttered between gritted teeth, grateful to see the other man tuck his gun back into the holster.
"Good. I am glad we have come to an understanding.", the leader cheered and straightened back out, before beginning to pace the room.
"As you will come to find out, Detective Beckett, your best practice will be total compliance. I have no patience for hero cops and stupid moves. I will get paid whether you two make it out of this alive or not. My primary role here is to keep an eye on you until elections are over with. And to discard you afterward, whichever way I choose."
"You'd commit murder for somebody you barely know?", Beckett tried, just to watch him spin around to face her from the a few feet away.
"It's all part of the business. You kill for your job, detective. What makes you different than me?"
"Morality.", she argued sternly, "I will deploy any other option first before pulling that trigger. And if I kill, I kill murderers. Bad guys. I don't just kidnap people and intimidate them to cover the tracks of a sleazy politician."
"One person's freedom fighter, detective…", the man answered smugly, then went down on one knee, his hand reaching inside the collar of Esposito's black suitcoat, "How about that? He's still alive."
"He needs medical attention. You can still keep me as a hostage, just let him go, please.", Beckett tried, her voice quivering slightly, the cold that was beginning to seep into her bones not the only reason.
"No can do, Kate. I hope you don't mind me calling you Kate. Might as well become acquainted,", the leader sneered and rose back to his feet, "Putting him out of his misery when this is all said and done will be one of my greater pleasures. You see, he nearly put three of my guys in the hospital…three well-trained guys. I don't take too kindly to that."
"It was self defense. There were more of you than there were of us."
"You were asked to stand down. But you decided to make a stupid move.", the leader bellowed, then rushed back over to her, "And let me remind you one more time that this sort of behavior will not be tolerated. If you have as much as a snowball's chance in hell to get out of here alive, it will only happen if you do exactly what I tell you, when I tell you, and how I tell you to do it. Is that clear?"
Swallowing a fitting answer that was on the tip of her tongue, Beckett reduced her reaction to a faint nod, sighing in quiet relief when the group gathered once again, ready to leave.
"Very well. You better get comfortable. It's gonna be a long night ahead. I suggest you use your time wisely."
Then, without another word, the entourage left again, their footsteps disappearing after several seconds, a door slamming somewhere off to the right, making her wonder just how far off the beaten path this building was.
With a heavy sigh, Beckett leaned back in the chair, trying not to let her trembling body rob her of her last bit of hope.