Lee walked around outside for a while. He was tormented. If the simple thought of that guy's hands and tongue over Kate's body was unbearable, he could hardly imagine what he had planned next. Kate was an amazing woman and there was no way he would let any guy dirty her.
He saw a few guys walk towards the building, most probably some of Dominik's men. He followed them inside.
"Dom, we have been able to identify the guy", said one of the guys as he walked over to one of the computers. He sat down and started typing away. All of them gathered around him. The guy's face popped up on the screen.
"His name is Kyle McGregor and the reason he knows Victor and Kate is that he used to work for the Department of Defense up until a year ago".
"Why was he fired"? asked Barney.
The guy looked a the information. "For industrial espionage. He was working as a security agent. I guess he realized he could make a lot of money if he passed on vital information to criminals. He got fired a week after the project was launched for the device".
"Meaning he knew exactly what is was capable of doing. It's left him a year to find a buyer".
Lee looked at the screen. "What's his background"?
He knew from seeing the way he hit and his intimidation techniques that he hadn't just picked that up by being a simple security agent for the Department.
"Ex-Marine, Special Forces". He opened McGregor's military file. Lee analyzed it. From what he could see this guy had gone into some major interventions and not the prettiest. He had been released five years ago for insubordination and temper issues.
"Most of the guys he has are all ex commandos. These guys have a lot of experience", said Dominik.
"Now, we just need to find where they operate from, go in, let all hell break loose and get Kate out of there safe and sound".
Kate woke up in the hospital bed again. Her entire body was stinging, it felt like it was on fire. She couldn't remember much of what had happened aside from the blows the guy had thrown at her almost bare body, and it was probably better off that way. She slowly turned her head and saw the doctor looking at her. There was something different in the way he was looking at her.
"Why won't you help me"? she said to him in hushed tones.
"There is nothing I can do, my hands are tied, please forgive me".
"You don't owe these guys anything. I know there is nothing much you can do on your own but maybe you could go to the police. I can see it in your eyes, I know you want to help".
"The police won't do anything, they work with these guys. How do you think they got this place? This is an old abandoned police building. This guy has connections beyond what you can possibly imagine. The best thing for you, is for your father to deliver whatever it is they are after".
"My father doesn't have the expertise to do that. You've got to help me get out of here. Please"!
Kate tried to move but felt something bury into her ankle. She lifted the sheet and saw that she was tied to the bedposts with the shackles wrapped around her ankles. She sighed. They knew she had tried to escape, and they weren't going to let that happen again. The restraints on her ankles were the least of her problems. The pain was slowly starting to come back, and her sternum, ribs and jaw hurt. She touched her slightly swollen lips and winced.
The door opened, and the suit walked in. The doctor rose and stepped out of the room.
"Thank you, Kate for earlier. I really enjoyed the time we spent together. I hadn't felt that great in a long time".
He looked at his watch. "Your father has twenty more minutes to get to the rendezvous point with the device and if he doesn't…" his voice trailed off a bit as he looked at her, "you and I are going to get to know each other in a more profound kind of way".
He bit his lower lip as he let his hand trail down the side of her face and progress down towards her breasts. She grabbed his hand.
"Feisty! I love that. Save it for later. Even if the device is the only thing I want, I kind of hope your father won't deliver… not just yet. The thought of me sharing a very intimate moment with you is very tempting".
He gave Kate a devious kind of smile and walked out of the room. Kate looked around, trying to find a way to remove the shackles. There was no way, she was going to let this man place another hand on her, in any way. A bit further, on a metallic tray, she saw a scalpel. If she could reach it, maybe she could pick the lock on the shackles and free herself.
Lee paced the floor and finally got tired of waiting around. He walked out and headed to the nearest bar. He walked in and headed for the bar. He sat up on the stool.
"A whiskey, no ice please".
The barman and nodded and prepared his drink. He knew he shouldn't be drinking right now but he needed to numb the pain and ache in his heart.
"Bad day for you too"? asked a man sitting on the stool next to him.
"Yeah, bad couple of days actually".
"I know what you mean", said the man. He took a sip of his cognac. "Have you ever felt helpless? You want to help someone, but you can't"?
"Tell me about it. It sucks, and it hurts. I'm Lee by the way", said Lee as he put his hand out.
"Doctor Alex Witsel".
Lee nodded. "A patient is worrying you"?
"You could say that. She's not officially a patient".
Lee raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Not officially a patient? Why? Because you have feelings for her"?
"What?! No of course not. Let's just say its unofficial business".
Doctor Witsel took a big gulp from his glass.
"She's in a lot of pain, she's asking me for help and I can't do anything".
"Why not? You're a doctor aren't you"? said Lee perplexed.
Lee didn't know how many drinks the doctor had had, but he was getting pretty wasted and rather friendly and very talkative.
"I know. But if I help her, they'll kill me".
Lee started to laugh. This guy wasn't making any sense.
"Kill you? Who"?
Doctor Witsel laughed too.
"The bad guys".
"What bad guys"? asked Lee.
"The bad guys", repeated the doctor.
Lee finished his glass and decided it was time to head back. This guy was completely trashed and he wanted to know if the team had gotten somewhere on the location where McGregor was holding Kate.
As he stepped away, Witsel grabbed his arm.
"I'm not crazy. There are really bad guys in this city", he said in a slurred voice.
Lee removed Witsel's hand from his arm. "There are bag guys everywhere".
Lee started to walk away and he half paid attention to what Witsel was saying until he said something that made him instantly turn around.
"… and they're holding her hostage and ask me to fix her up so they can beat her up again".
Lee took a big step towards Witsel.
"This girl, do you know her name"?
Witsel smiled drunkenly. "It's possible. Why are you interested"?
Lee knew he had to play this the right way. He smiled and winked at Witsel. "Maybe. This girl, she's got a name"?
"She's so… no, she was so pretty... A pretty name for a pretty girl". He sighed. "Kate".
Lee's eyes grew wide open. He grabbed Witsel by the arm and pulled him off his stool and out in the street. They walked a few feet until they reached an alley. Lee maneuvered him inside the alley and pushed him against the wall.
"Where is she"?
"Who"?
"Kate? Where is Kate"?
Witsel blinked a couple of times. "You're wasting your time. She'll be toast soon. I'll find you another pretty girl".
Lee shook his head and then slapped Witsel in the face. Maybe that would bring him back to his senses.
Witsel blinked again a couple of times as he passed his hand over his cheek.
"What the hell was that for"?
Lee got in closer to him. "Did that feel good? Probably not. So imagine was Kate has been going through with McGregor. Tell me where she is".
Suddenly Witsel sobered up. "You're being serious. You know her"?
"Yeah, I do".
"Oh, you know her, know her...". He looked Lee straight in the eyes. "They'll kill me. But please understand that I feel hopeless. I told her I couldn't do anything to help her".
"When was the last time you spoke to her"? said Lee as he dragged him out of the alley and towards their operational headquarters.
"About an hour ago".
Lee felt relieved. At least it meant that she was alright, at least for now. When they got to the warehouse door, he pushed Witsel in.
"You're going to tell us everything you know and you're going to have to be precise and fast"!