I've updated the last chapter after Lalez's comment, just added a little bit, not sure if you want to go back and read it; but it's there if you want to. Hopefully here are some answers :)
Street had spent exactly four minutes and twelve seconds out of the bank; but it was four minutes and twelve seconds too long. He re-entered clinging onto the first aid kit, the zip was already open and he was ready to jump into action; but it was too late, he had taken too long and she was already gone.
Street stood in the doorway, bag in one hand, his free hand stilled after rummaging through it to find what he would need. He'd stopped. Looking at the scene in front of him. Her blood pooled on the floor. He didn't remember her bleeding so much.
The first aid kit fell to the floor. It was silent in the bank and it collided loudly with the tiles at the entrance. Street wouldn't remember dropping it. He would only remember the full body chill he experienced looking at the empty bank, when he realised he had played right into their trap.
'Which way?' he called out to the hostages lining the far wall. He reached to pull his gun out of the back of his jeans and found it empty.
'Through there,' the high vis vest guy pointed into the back, 'they left the second you did,' he added. Street started running in the direction they had gone. He had to catch up to them before they disappeared with her. He ran after her trying to decipher which way they would have gone. He heard a noise coming from the floor above him and made his way to the stairs. He took them two at a time and soon found himself opening the door out onto the roof. He scanned it quickly; there was no-one up here. They had to be up here, he was sure he had heard something.
He stepped out onto the roof. There had to be something, some sign of them. He stepped to the edge looking over the side. It was three floors down to the pavement. Just as he thought they had got away with out a trace he spotted a ladder resting on the edge of the roof. It was balanced between the roof of the building Street was on, and a window sill on the building opposite, which towered four floors above Street.
It created a bridge between the two buildings and Street wasted no time climbing over it. He entered a staircase through the window. Without giving it at thought he went down. He trying to decided which floor to stop at when he saw a label for the underground carpark. Two more floors to go.
He took the steps downward two at a time swinging around the corners with his hands on the banisters. He threw the door to the basement open without thinking hoping to get a glimpse of the getaway vehicle. He was shocked when he came face to face with the gunmen and for half a second they all stared at each other.
Street's eyes went to Chris. She was at the back of a white van, Rod had one arm wrapped around her waist, holding her up. His other hand was at her neck, holding a syringe that was inserted into her neck. The plunger had been pressed in and whatever had been inside the syringe was now coursing through Chris's body. His eyes went from the syringe to her face. She was quickly loosing consciousness.
The shots ran out and Street had to duck for cover. He was still on the threshold to the basement and darted behind the wall in the stairwell. Street knew the shots would attract help from his team. He had no weapon and if they chose to advance towards him he would have been easily executed.
The machine gun bullets pounded the wall he was hiding behind. There couldn't be much wall left between him and the bullets now. Silence fell. The shots still rang in his ears. He was crouched on the floor against the wall when black heavy boots started descending the stairs.
'Street,' Luca immediately spoke to him, while standing beside him, leaning out into the parking garage. 'They've cleared out,' he spoke before turning back to Street. 'You ok? Been hit?'
'I'm fine, they've got Chris,' Street pulled himself to his feet and came face to face with the rest of his team. He was relieved to see them. Finally he could go on the offensive.
'The vehicle?' Hondo questioned him.
'White Ford van. I didn't get the plate. They drugged her.'
All the women they had found had been drugged. The race was on to find them before Chris's time ran out.
'We're going to find her,' Hondo placed his arm over Street's shoulder and started to lead him out of the garage. Hondo doubted they would be able to find the van. This crew were particularly good at covering their tracks. Still they would look.
Street let himself be lead. It felt good to have his team around him. He felt stronger with them at his side. Now they were just missing one member of their family and they were going to stop at nothing to get her back.
Street stopped suddenly: 'She knows him,' he had everyones attention, but no-one knew what he was on about. 'Chris knows Rod. I don't know how, but she knew him, even with the mask on.' He didn't wait for their reply. Instead he took off full pelt for the bank. The team exchanged knowing glances before following. If Chris knew him, her chances of survival just dropped significantly.
Street pushed through the crowd outside the bank, under the tape and ran up the front steps. He just had to know what was on that piece of paper. It had been eating away at him before Chris got injured. What had made Chris react the way she did?
The bank was empty now. He had passed the hostages on the sidewalk, police officers were still talking to them. God he hoped it was still there. As he approached the desk he saw the white rectangle right where Chris had left it. He didn't hesitate before snatching it up and looking at the scrawl that was meant to be hand writing.
He was shocked. Disbelief filled him. As if he actually tried to ask for this. They couldn't have met this demand. His hand subconsciously crunched the paper as he got to the end of Rod's words. Finally he understood. He wanted an immunity deal covering all crimes for him and all of the crew for all past and present offences. It didn't mention the robberies and murders over the past month; but it did make a specific reference to sex crimes, sex crimes involving minors. Apparently he had something more than the lives of his hostages to offer up to get what he wanted.
'What you got?' Street looked up to find the rest of the team had joined him.
'Rod's list of demands. The one Chris wouldn't read out,' he handed the piece of paper over to Hondo. The others stood over his shoulders reading with him. He watched their faces change from confusion to disgust. Street could only respect Chris's decision. She didn't back down on things she believed in, apparently even if that meant going face to face with a murder.
His gut flipped as he replayed her asking Rod to kill her. And it was only a matter of time before he did. They had ten hours to find each of the other girls once they had been taken. Street just prayed that Chris would be given the same amount of time.
