Chapter 11 The Bomb

When Tom awoke, he found that he was unable to move. His arms were tied behind his back and his feet were tied to the legs of the chair that he was seated in. His head hurt, as did the rest of his body. He discovered that he was also gagged, so there was no chance in yelling for help. He looked around and saw Vinnie and Mark Thompson over to the side, huddled around something that seemed to have their attention. Tom flexed his fingers, testing out the tightness of the ropes that bound his hands. To his dismay, they were so secure that he was starting to lose feeling in his fingers.

"Well, well, nice of you to join us again Hanson." Mark said, walking up to the young officer. "Had a nice nap, I hope?" he said with an evil grin. He patted Tom on the cheek, causing the officer to let loose with a few choice words that were stopped by the gag. "Now is that anyway to talk to your hosts Officer Hanson?"

Vinnie came up along side Mark and handed him a small black box. "It's all set. I've set the timer for twenty minutes, leaving us plenty of time to get the hell out of here." He then looked over at Tom and smiled. "Although, I can't say the same for you. Seems as though it's your time to meet your maker son."

Tom struggled against the ropes that bound him to the chair. No way was he going to go up in smoke without a fight. His struggle was useless however as the bindings were just too tight. He watched as Vinnie sat down a timer in front of him.

"Thought you'd like to keep an eye on how much time you have left." Vinnie said. He knelt down before Tom and added, "Been nice knowing you kid." With that, he and Mark gathered up their belongings and walked out of the old abandoned warehouse, got into their car and drove off into the night.

Tom looked at the counter before him and watched helplessly as it counted down the minutes left in his life. Doug, please…where the hell are you? Tom watched as the timer hit 15 minutes. He closed his eyes and began to pray to anyone that would listen.

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Doug was growing impatient as Ethan maneuvered the car in and out of traffic. He was terrified for his partner as the images of the files that Agent Bowers had shown him ran through his mind. He knew that Tom was in trouble and probably didn't have much time left. His anger got the best of him and he punched the dashboard in frustration.

"Damn it, are we there yet?" Doug yelled.

"Doug, calm down. We're almost there." Ethan said. "We're going to find him. I promise."

"I hope your right." Doug muttered as he glanced out the window. He and Tom had been through so much together in the past few years. They were a perfect pair. They looked out for each other, no matter what the circumstances. It was killing Doug that the mobsters had gotten the upper hand and now had his partner.

Ten minutes later, Ethan pulled up to an old warehouse. He and Doug got out of the car and pulled out their weapons. Slowly, they made their way up to the building and glanced around. Ethan nodded at Doug, motioning him to enter the building first. Ethan would follow, keeping an eye out behind them. Doug held his gun out in front of him as he entered the building. He did a quick sweep around before motioning for Ethan to follow. Once inside, they noticed Tom in the center of the room, tied to a chair. He was also gagged and seemed to be struggling against his bindings. Doug didn't see anyone else in the room and slowly made his way over to his partner. Tom's eyes lit up as he saw Doug making his way over to him. He glanced from Doug to the timer and tried to warn his partner, however his warning came out as a muffled cry.

"Hanson! You alright?" Doug said as he started in on Tom's ropes. He noticed the bruises that decorated his partner's face and upper body. He reached up and pulled the gag from his mouth.

"Doug, we've got to get out of here. There's a bomb." Tom said in a rush. "Get these ropes off me now!"

"Wh-what?" Doug exclaimed. He cut the last rope from his friend's ankles and noticed the timer beside him. "Shit, 2 minutes…"

Tom stood up only to sink to his knees. His legs had hardly any strength left in them. He wrapped an arm around Doug's neck as his friend grabbed him around the middle.

"Whoa…you okay?" Doug asked.

"Yeah, let's just get the hell out of here." Tom answered. "Ethan…let's go! There's a bomb!" The three men took off in a sprint for the entrance. Tom prayed they made it out in time. As they reached the entrance, Tom felt a rumble beneath them as the timer hit the end. "GO!" he yelled, as the three officers leapt for the door. Behind them, an explosion echoed throughout the building and into the night. A bright flash of fire lit up the entire building as the bomb went off. The entire place was engulfed in flames within seconds.

Sorry this was so short, but I needed to end it here. More to come soon, I promise 