Gabriella followed Agent Vandurem to what he told her was a typical car issued by the Bureau, a white late model Ford Taurus. She pulled the seatbelt across her waist, and waited for him to start the engine. She held onto her purse with a death grip as she watched the station in front of them as they pulled away.
Vandurem drove down the main street in town for a while before turning down a street that had a long line of shopping plazas and small businesses. They didn't talk at all which was fine with her because all she could think about was getting this interview over with. She wanted the man behind this to be apprehended, do whatever she could to help the FBI get her husband and end this horrible nightmare.
He pulled into what looked to be an abandoned shopping plaza and Gabriella shifted in her seat. "This is where you rented an office?"
"The Bureau has a tight budget, rent out here was cheap," he said grimly as they made their way to the back of the building. "There's an entrance in the back, I just have to get my briefcase."
"Right." Something wasn't right, Gabriella frowned as she looked out at the building with frown. "Looks creepy."
"It's fine."
When the car came to a stop Gabriella gripped the door handle and watched as he killed the engine and removed his keys. He got out of the car and moved around to her door opening it for her like a gentlemen would. Gabriella couldn't help but hesitate, she'd been here before. Not this place or with this man but she knew the situation. Like a natural instinct she knew what was going to happen when she got out of the car. She was about to get hurt.
Years of being with Michael had taught her something.
The Agent smiled as he held out a hand to help her out of the vehicle and she took it. Even though every fiber of her being told her she'd regret it. Once she was on her feet he let her go and moved towards the back of the car and she scanned the empty parking lot. If she ran, she'd have to bolt towards the empty road. She might have a chance if someone was driving by.
Suddenly a sharp pain fired from her neck then shot throughout her body. She cried out as her legs collapsed and she dropped to the pavement. Her entire body started jerking with agony as spasms racked her muscles.
"It's time to get you into the truck bitch," he grunted as he scooped Gabriella up from the ground. Her vision blurred as paralysis overtook her muscles. He dropped her body into the trunk and moved her legs and arms until she was lying in a fetal position. The next thing she knew the trunk lid slammed shut and she was claimed by the darkness.
Exhaustion pulled at her as she struggled to remain conscious. She was still unable to fully process what was happening to her body. What he'd done to her. Images of Eliot flashed through her mind and her fingers twitched around her purse. She still had her purse.
"What if he's already killed her?" Troy murmured as he looked down at the tabled filled with maps in front of them. "We should be out there looking for her, not in here looking at maps."
"We can't think like that," Chad said lowering narrowing his eyes at the address and following the road. "The address he gave us is an abandon strip mall. Donny said there's no signs of them there. We have to think about where he might be taking her."
"He wouldn't have taken her there in the first place, he gave us that address to throw us off. I should have known it was a fake." Troy said, "I knew something was up and I ignored my gut."
"Then use your gut right now," Chad said pointing at the map. "We know this town, there's nowhere he can hide. We know his name, we know what he looks like, let's get this son of bitch."
Just then the door to the room opened and Jack came in with a duffle bag, dumping it on the table. "I got her."
Troy and Chad looked up, "What?" Troy frowned. "What do you mean you got her?"
Jack held up his phone, "It means I'm tracking her by her cell phone, and I know she's on Park Street."
Troy grabbed the phone from his father's hand and watched the little red dot on the screen flash.
"That girl of yours is a fighter," Jack said as he looked down at the map. "We got have as much faith in her as she has in us right about now."
Troy frowned as he looked up at his father, "When did you-"
"You got a lot to learn boy, you might be the new Sheriff but you still have the milk in your eyes," Jack turned to Chad. "That car he was driving, he isn't driving it anymore. Let's find out what he is driving."
"I got it," Chad walked over to the phone and dialed Martha extension.
"Let's go," he said opening the duffel bag and pulling out a vest for Troy. As soon as they were suited up they sprinted out to Troy's truck. His fingers tightened around the steering wheel as slivers of fear cut through him. He didn't know what he would do if Herman hurt her. Who was he kidding? Gabriella was his target this whole time. He knew without a gut wrenching doubt whatever he did to her was going to hurt. He was going to kill her. There was no doubt about it and if she died he vowed to personally track Herman and there would be no need for a trail. The bastard would be eliminated and the world would be a better place for it.
"Remember, Troy he been working his way up to this. There no way he's killed her by now. This sick fuck is going to drag it out." Jack watched his son carefully and wished he'd reached the driver's seat first. Troy looked like he about to explode at any minute.
Troy radio chirped and he reached up to hit the button, "This is Sheriff Bolton."
"Troy, the prick rented a 2006 white Ford Taurus license plate is Texas 766AWT. Do you copy?"
Troy looked over at his father and nodded, "That explains why he ditched the car."
Jack looked down at his phone, "She's leaving Park Street and heading towards State Route 32."
Troy nodded and jerked the wheel as they headed for the highway. "Chad?" he said into his radio. "Check the property records online in public records. See if Herman had any recent estate transactions. We haven't been able to find him but he has to be living somewhere. Check under Michael Catania as well he might be paying for his expenses."
"Now you're thinking," Jack said with a smirk as he reached for the radio.
"Will do Sheriff," Chad voice came over the speaker and then they were incased by silence again. Until ACDC came through the radio.
"Dad?"
"Son, you're going off to fight for your lady friend. Chances are this has a fifty/fifty chance of ending the way we want it to. Take my advice for once and relax a little."
Gabriella tried to shift to a more comfortable position. The thick cloud of confusion abandoned her brain, leaving raging comprehension in its wake. It was very dark but she remembered she was in the trunk of Agent Vandurem 's car. Thank God he hadn't tied her up. She could hear the road beneath her, bumps in the pavement jarring her body.
She regained feeling in her arms and legs. She stretched her body as much as she could in the small space provided. She had to get to her purse. Her cell phone was in there, so was her pepper spray and her Glock. The strap still crossed her body but the purse itself was somewhere behind her. She moved her hands behind herself as far as she could reach. No purse. Where had it gone?
She tried rolling to her right side but the small trunk permitted little movement. She pushed as far as she could, then extended her arms behind her body again to feel around in the darkness. Nothing. A small amount of panic surged through her but she pushed it aside as she reached for the strap began pulling on it, moving it closer and closer. Soon she could feel the lump that was her purse.
Suddenly the car stopped, slamming her face against the hard metal frame of the trunk.
Ted Herman opened the car door and got out of the car and made his making his way to the trunk with a gleeful smile. He opened the trunk and looked down at his cargo. "Why Gabriella, how did you get a bloody nose? Too freaking bad. I stopped to check on you to make sure you were alright. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you before we get to the house. I have that private party planned just for the two of us and I've waited a long time for this."
His hand reached down gently pushed a stray strand out of her face. "Now if you keep on being a good girl I won't have to use the stun gun on you again."
He slammed the lid shut again and before long the car was moving again. Panic like she'd never known before welled in her throat now that her suspicions were confirmed. She began to shake as terrifying images of his plans for her formed in her mind. He would kill her just like he did to the others. Just like he did to Betty.
Fear was soon replaced by Anger. She had no time to be afraid; she needed to plan how she'd stop him. The first thing she needed to do was get her cellphone out of her purse and call for help. She moved her hands behind her as far as they would stretch and felt the edge of her purse. Carefully, she tried to secure the purse by embedding her long fingernails in the sewn edge and pressing down against the flooring.
Troy pressed the button on his radio "Sheriff Bolton."
"Troy we got something on the public records. It looks like Catania inquired about property, no offer was made but it was the only the realtor said she had a hit on in the area."
"What's the address?" Jack said as he watched road with hawk eyes for the Ford Tarsus.
"It's an old farm house outside of Meadows, I'm looking at it right now on the website it's located just before you reach the end of the city lines on State Road 45. There is rusted mailbox marking the entrance of the property. There's also a realtor signs right under it."
"That has to be where he's taking her," Troy said looking over at his father. His pulse kicked up a notch and he stepped on the gas as they made their way down the highway.
"That's about fifteen minutes away," Jacked lifted his Glock 21 and slipped a magazine in his pocket. "We can do a quick drive by get sense of the land the hide the truck and approach on foot."
"Sounds like a plan," Troy muttered as he gripped the wheel tighter.
Gabriella felt the car turn onto what felt like a gravel road. Her body bumped around in the trunk until her teeth rattled. It wasn't long after that, that the car came to a stop. They must have reached their destination and Gabriella let out a deep breath as she prepared herself.
Clutching the container of pepper spray in hand, her body stiffen as she waited for the trunk lid to open. She listened carefully to the sound of each footstep as it crunched in the gravel. Then she heard the latch of the trunk lid as it twisted. He pushed the lid up and looked down at her. She laid very still, waiting until he was in the right spot.
As soon as he bent down to grab her arm, she pointed the pepper spray container at his face and pressed down on the button as hard as she could. He screamed as the toxic spray splattered into in his face. He knocked the container out of her hand. The next thing she felt was pain exploding in her left jaw her attacker back handed her. Blood sprayed from her nose and lips.
Eyes closed she waited for the next blow and when it didn't come she opened her eyes to see that her attacker was on the ground rubbing his eyes and cursing in pain. This was her chance. She pulled herself into a sitting position, ignoring her bodies protest to stay still. Gritting her teeth she used a lot of her upper arm strength to lift herself out of the trunk. Standing however was not as easy no matter how hard she wanted to. She instantly dropped to ground near the man and she felt him grab her arm.
Fear tore through her and she kicked him in the mid-section as hard as she could. Her Gun. Where was it? She rummaged through her purse to find it. Cursing as she kept coming up empty. Deciding to make a run for it she got up to her feet, a wobbly start but she hadn't fallen yet. She just needed to run.
She saw the stun gun just before the probes hit her neck. For a second, it felt like a horse had kicked her, a large horse. Her legs collapsed and she dropped to the ground. Her entire body started jerking with agony as spasms racked her muscles. Her legs crumbled and the darkness gripped her.
Troy slowed the truck down as when saw the mailbox and realtor sign. His father leaned forward pointing at the white Ford Taurus in the driveway.
"That's him," he said motioning for Troy to keep going, "Radio Chad, we got them."
Troy's eyes scanned the property as they passed, a white ramshackle farm house with a old painted front porch stood about a quarter mile from the road. He looked for any signs of Gabriella or Herman and seen nothing, nothing, but a dim light coming from one of the windows on the first floor of the house.
He also noticed a wooded area ahead on the right. He turned onto a dirt road that led into the woods and parked the car. Just as he was going to jump out of the truck his father's arm caught him. "Troy, we can't go there yet. We need a plan. If we go in there without one Herman can turn this into a hostage situation or worse. You have to calm down."
Troy let out a breath as he placed both hands back on the steering wheel and let out grunt as he gave it a good tug and pull before submitting to the truth. His father was right. This was personal and he wasn't thinking like a cop. He knew better than this to let his emotions take over.
This was all his fault, he should have locked her up someplace safe and lost the key until the bastard was caught. He had made a promise to protect her and instead he handed over to the killer on silver platter. How could he be such an idiot? If anything happened to her …
"Troy?" Jack said quietly after they sat in silence for a moment.
Troy shoulders fell and he shifted so he could look over at his father, "Tell me what I gotta do."
Jack reached for his duffle bag and unzipped it, happy to see his son back in control of his emotions. "We go to do some surveillance figure out what he's doing and where he is. Call back up and get this place surrounded no lights or sirens. Let's surprise this son of bitch." Jack handed him a pair of night-vision binoculars.
Gabriella tried to move and couldn't. Her head throbbed and every muscle in her body was in revolt. She felt achy and exhausted. She tried to open her eyes, but only her right eye would cooperate. The other one was swollen shut. Again she tried to move her arms.
No use.
She was sitting in a hard, wooden chair with her hands bound behind her back. The thick twine of the rope was cutting into her skin and making her fingers feel numb. The room was dark and smelled of mold and mildew. There was a light coming from a room to her right and she saw her attacker bending over the sink splashing water into his eyes.
Quietly she let out low breaths as she regain consciousness, she didn't want him to know she was awake just yet. She needed a plan. Her eyes scanned through the rest of the room and what she could see, the faint glow from a laptop on a coffee table. An old lamp in the corner of the room missing its shade, a dirty sofa and chair, her purse was slung across the chair.
If she could just free her hands she could get to her purse and the gun inside it.
She wiggled her fingers a little and then her wrist, thankfully the bindings were not as tight as they appeared to be and she was instantly thankful. Her attacker must have been in a rush to tie her up so that he could tend to the pepper spray. She focused in her legs and realized she could move them freely. They weren't bound.
Scrubbing a towel across his face he turned towards her his eyes red and tearing. "You bitch!" he shouted. "I'm going make you pay for that."
"Go fuck yourself," she sneered. She was becoming intensely angered as she scratched at the knot in the rope binding her hands. As far as she was concerned he was damn lucky she grabbed the pepper spray and not her gun.
"Your husband's paying me good money to make you disappear," he said coming up to her and grabbing her face. "Do you know how easy it was to find you?"
"Then why did it take you so long to get me all to yourself?" she shrugged out his grasp and earned a smack across the face.
"You fucking cunt!" he screamed so loud her ears rang, spittle sprayed her face and his stale breath assailed her senses. "I'm under strict orders to get rid of you and bring that boy back to his father. You think anyone going to fucking care about you? News flash, anyone who does dies."
Gabriella glanced up at the light coming in from outside. It had to be way past the time he said he was going to bring her back. Troy had to know something was wrong by now. Getting him angry wasn't going to help her case. She needed to calm him down and keep him talking. It would buy her time. She could only pray that Troy was out there looking for her.
"How much is my husband paying you?" she focused on using her most calming voice, speaking slowly and softly.
He glared at her for a moment then sat down on the dirty stuffed chair. "If I do this for him then he does something for me," he said in low voice. "I can't be brought bitch, you see in order for a negotiation to work two parties have to be interested and you don't have a damn thing I want."
"What does my husband have on you?"
He just sat there for what seemed like infinity, just staring and saying nothing.
Troy and Jack approached the housed and Troy bolted towards the window, crouched at the edge so he could peer inside.
"Anything?" Jack whispered as he stood guard.
"Nothing," No one was in sight so he moved to the front door and twisted the knob. It was locked. Pulling out his wallet he took out a credit card and went to work on the lock. In a moment the opened and he smiled back at his father.
Jack nodded and Troy crept inside. He listened but heard nothing, so he moved down a hallway, his gun pointing towards the floor. He cleared the small bedroom and closet then inched toward the next doorway. This bedroom and closet were also empty. He backed down the hall until he reached the kitchen and cleared it. There was nothing left to search but small glassed-in back porch and that too was also empty.
Where the hell had he taken her?
When Troy emerged onto the porch again he was greeted by Jack and Chad who were quietly waiting for his feedback.
"The house is clear," Troy said placing his hand on his waist.
"But the car's here," Chad said with confusion.
"They gotta be here," Troy said looking out into the night, it was almost pitch black outside and he had to give his eyes a moment to adjust. He pulled out a flash light and waved it slowly around the yard. "I'm gonna go around back, Chad take two guys into the house give it another sweep look for any signs that he might been hiding here."
"Yes sir."
"Dad-"
"Right behind you son," Jack said as he began making his way off the porch and following Troy to the backyard. They carefully made their way through the yard noting the rusty child's swing and clothes line. The two men said nothing to each other as they search for any signs of Gabriella. Until Troy shined his light across the yard stopping in his tracks when ancient storm cellar came into view. "Dad," he whispered motioning to the doors.
Jack instantly turned around and held up his flash light signaling the others.
The storm cellar had probably protected inhabitants of the house from violent weather that raked across the flat farmland since the forties. Troy grasped the handle of one of the angled doors and pulled it open. It creaked loudly as it opened to reveal a stairwell with worn, wooden steps. A light shone through the door beyond the landing.
Troy's heart felt like it was about to beat out of his chest at any moment, One wrong move and everything he worked all his life for could be gone in an instant. Soundlessly he took to the stairs one step at time, pausing to listen as he went. His father behind him, both had their weapons drawn.
On the landing Troy pressed his body against a wall and twisted to see inside the cellar. There she was and at the sight of her his chest expanded so hard and fast he thought he might die. Gabriella was in the center of the room tied to chair. Her face was bloody and a dark bruise covered her cheek. He gritted his teeth as anger shot through him.
Herman was standing over her a knife in his hands as he taunted her.
"Count of three," his father whispered.
Troy didn't wait.
"Put your hands above your head, Herman. It's over." His voice was a growl he barely recognized as he aimed the gun at Herman's chest.
Herman whirled around to face him, and then flew behind Gabriella's chair.
"Drop your gun or I kill her." He pressed the blade to Gabriella's throat.
"Take the shot, Troy. Shoot him." Gabriella said quickly only to be jerked back by the hair as Herman grunted.
Troy hesitated. Herman was not very tall in his crutching position behind her; he could barely see his chest above Gabriella's head. It was too dangerous to take the shot.
"This is even better than what I planned for you, now you can watch me kill your boyfriend before I end your worthless life."
"You'll have to go through me asshole," Jack said coming in beside Troy as he aim his gun at Herman. "We got you surrounded."
"Troy," Gabriella said through gritted teeth, "Take the shot."
Troy shook his head it was still too dangerous of a shot. Suddenly she threw all of her weight to the left and the chair toppled down before Herman could stop it. Troy and Jack shot off instantly without hesitation. Blood sprayed from Herman chest and arm as he fell to the floor.
Troy and Jack raced over to the scene with about three other men behind them as Jack quickly disarmed Herman and made sure he was out.
Troy quickly began untying Gabriella hands and pulled her into his arms. She tightened her arms around him as if she couldn't get close enough. Relief like she'd never known flowed through her. It was over. The nightmare was over.
"Honey, let me see you." Troy pulled back his hands brushing her hair from her face, "Where are you hurt?" There was blood caked around her mouth and nose. One eye was swollen completely shut.
"I'm okay," she sobbed as she fought to cling to him again, "don't let go."