Renegade Runaways :: Chapter Twenty Seven

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Bo growled as he approached Shane. It'd taken him all night to get to Shane's location. He'd had plenty of time to stew. He grabbed his collar and lifted him up in the air in the midst of his worried rage. His voice shook and his pulse bounded in his veins.

"Bo," Shane panicked, "Whoa, take it easy! We're on the same team."

Bo dropped him and began to pace, "Where is Hope?"

"She's inside," Shane readjusted his shirt and jacket, "She's been captured."

"Are you kidding me?" Bo kicked the gravel beneath his feet. It took everything in him not to scream out of anger and frustration.

"Bo," John snapped, "This isn't going to go well if you don't chill out. We're all here to help. You can't divide the team."

"Well, what the hell is he doing out here, while she's inside alone?" Bo snapped back, "Sounds like a divided team to me."

"Hey," John threw his hands up in surrender, "We're all tired. We're frustrated. Placing blame and pointing fingers doesn't make it any better. We're here to get Hope out. And we will. Right?"

"Right," Shane nodded, "How would you have gotten our location or had any communication with me if I was on the inside with her?"

Bo rolled his eyes. His fists shook. He didn't have time for any of this.

"Shane, don't poke the bear," John advised, "Let's all focus here."

"They're on the move," Shane announced suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Bo reached for the iPad Shane held.

"They've been in a room all night," Shane replied, "Looks like they're moving them now."

Inside, Hope moved slowly down the hallway. Her ankles were still tied together, but looser than they were the night before. She could take small steps, but running was out of the question. Ciara traveled closely behind, clinging to Hope's thigh.

"Where are we going?" Hope questioned for Shane's benefit. She was unaware that Bo was on the premises. She didn't know what day it was, or how long she'd been trapped with Ciara. There were no windows. She didn't even know what time of day it was.

"More walking, less talking lady," the man with the crooked teeth and bad breath mumbled at her.

"Where's your girlfriend?" Hope questioned and winced as the man jammed a gun into her back.

"What do you care?" the man asked. He stopped Hope's walk and shoved her forcefully up against the wall. She grunted as she made impact and the wall knocked her breath out of her body. She struggled for air, but she stared her captor in the eye.

"You like it rough don't you?" the man smiled wickedly at her, "I imagine you got pretty lonely with your husband gone all that time."

Hope swallowed once and looked down at her terrified daughter. Ciara battled to keep in her tears. She put her poker face back on and stared back into the dark eyes of the man that pinned her to the wall, "You could say that."

The man took her response as an invitation to kiss a forceful trail up her neck.

Around the corner, Bo wasn't pleased or prepared to find Hope with a man's hands roaming all over her. His gut twisted as he watched the man forcefully kiss her lips. It took all he had to fight for control of his rage. He had to trust her. After years of being her partner on the force, he knew she was up to something. He reminded himself to be her partner, not her husband.

John stood at Bo's back covering his blindspots. They waited patiently for Hope's next move.

As Hope let the man kiss her roughly on the mouth, she balled up her fists. There was no use trying to separate them. She was still tied, however she managed to swing them up and into the side of his head. Next she used her elbow, and slammed it as hard as she could where the man's neck met his shoulder. He cried out as he fell to his knees, and dropped his gun in the process.

"You bitch!" the man roared at her as she dove for the gun. Ciara broke out in tears.

To Hope's surprise, a gunshot rang out, "Ciara, get down!"

When she realized Ciara was unharmed, her eyes found the man with the crooked teeth in a pool of blood not very far from her. Her heart pounded.

"Daddy," Ciara wailed. Her arms instinctively reached up in the air for him.

Hope couldn't believe her eyes as she watched Bo run for their daughter. He quickly untied her and wrapped her safely in his arms.

"It's okay LittleOne," Bo mumbled into Ciara's hair, "Daddy's here."

"Nice moves," John complimented as he knelt at Hope's side and untied her. When her hands were free he handed her a gun and helped her stand up, "You okay?"

Hope nodded, even though she was feeling a bit dazed, "Let's go."

She looked over her shoulder to see Bo alive and well with their little girl not far behind her. Emotion threatened her, but she refused to fall prey, "You need to be in the middle."

Bo's jaw clenched. He had so much to say to her. Now wasn't the time. He agreed and did as she said. He held precious cargo, and he trusted her to have his back. John took the lead as they made their way out of the building.

They met Shane near the bushes of the perimeter of the building, "I've wired the building. I know that there are still a few people in there. None of them are ours. We've got an hour before it blows."

"What's the plan?" Hope questioned.

"We've got a plane," John nodded in the direction of it's location.

"Victor and Maggie?" Hope questioned.

"They're in my SUV," Shane replied, "Let's go."

Ciara still cried softly in Bo's arms. They moved quickly to the SUV in an effort to make it to the plane before the explosion.

Shane jumped in the driver's seat and John took the passenger seat.

"Thank God you're okay," Maggie greeted with relief when Hope climbed in the seat behind her.

"Mommy!" Ciara cried out frantically when she lost sight of Hope.

"I'm right here baby," Hope replied and reached for her, disregarding Bo. Ciara crawled on her lap and wrapped herself around Hope's body.

Bo climbed in next to them. He couldn't stop staring at his girls. His stomach twisted and turned as he watched Hope avoid eye contact with him. He didn't care. They would sort it out later. All he could manage to do was focus on the fact that both of his girls were safe and sound.