- - - - - - - - - - - The Opportune Moment - - - - - - - - - - -
Shane jumped as if he'd been slapped in the face. He'd dozed off at the Plummers' kitchen table. Really dozed off, considering the midmorning sunlight and continual chatter pervading the house. Then he realized the tone had changed—something's got them excited.
It took a bit of wandering to find Tanner, who was intently focused at the phone tap. The volume was loud enough to hear who was on the other line.
"…Have him meet me at the same place, alone. That's all I want."
"What about the hostages?" Tanner countered. "The last time we dealt with you, you screwed us over and left two of 'em dead. Call it a trade—Shane'll talk to you, you bring the kids. Fair enough?"
"And I'd be dead before I could move three feet," the voice sneered. "I'm not stupid; that's why I'm still alive and you're still groveling. Let me put it this way: the longer this banter takes, the less chance you have of seeing Agent Bryant or the Plummer kid alive again. Maybe even at all, if the mood strikes me. It would make my revenge all the sweeter. Remember—today, 4:00, same place, Shane only. For their sake and yours." The connection went dead.
"Location?" Tanner rapped out.
"Corner of the park, sir," replied the tap operator. "Outside, public place…this guy knows what he's doing. He'll probably dump the phone now, too."
"Here." Tanner tossed a cell phone to Shane. "You didn't wake up when it rang. Makes me real nervous if he managed to get a hold of your number, though. I oversaw Reese's training myself."
Shane glanced at his call log. "It's Seth's. The creep must've taken his phone as a precaution. "And anyway, Reese has the pressure of keeping Seth alive. She cares about 'im, and this Trenton kid could easily find him dispensable." His heart sank at the thought. After guarding the Plummer family through the madness following their father's death, one disappears right out from under his nose.
"She wanted to leave after this wrapped up, you know. Wanted a chance to move on, have a normal life."
"We can still give her that chance, Tanner. We'll get them back."
"Right." Tanner stepped back to address the room. "Okay, we know this kid can't risk going too far with an agent for a hostage. So he has to be reasonably close to home base. Check everything within about a mile radius from that point—abandoned buildings, houses, places that sit on the South bus route, anything. See what unusual activity crops up."
A chorus of 'yes sirs' sounded off around Shane.
"Then let's get it done. Shane, I want you to give Trenton what he wants, if only I had a surefire way to buy more time."
"What does he think I have?"
"The access code to the safe in that van."
"But I don't. Only the techs—"
"Reese must have lied to force his hand, which unfortunately still leaves us with the difficult move. He's brilliant—and volatile. I want to be able to see the finish line before I agree to a move like this, but there's just no way to predict his behavior from here on out. We're just where we were last time."
"And what did you choose last time?"
"They got tipped off that we were moving in before we could even get close. I want to just take 'im out at the meeting, but he's our only lead on the hideout if we can't nail it down ahead of time. There's just so little wiggle room left, I can't—"
"Hey, hey, hey, calm down. You're letting your private concern for Reese keep you from thinking clearly. She knew what the risks were doing this job. This guy is trying to milk all the revenge he can get out of the situation; he'll make sure he's got what he wants before deeming the hostages not to be of any further use to him. That buys us a little time. If I could hide a GPS directly in my clothes—not as any kind of accessory, he'll expect that—I should be able to keep 'im busy long enough for you to make it this time."
Tanner nodded slowly. "That might be the closest to airtight as we'll ever get, anyway. Just one thing—I want communication and a six-hour on you when you go in."
"Sir, it's too risky. That'll tip 'im off for sure that we got—"
"His beef's with us. He'll notice if it looks like we're making the same mistakes. Gives the impression that he's still in control, which is what he needs to feel above all else. Trust me on this one."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
In the eerie silence, Reese fought to keep the latest wave of panic at bay. It had to be close to lunchtime by now, though despite the bright sun, the warehouse remained cold and drafty. She couldn't quite stop shivering. But that wasn't what worried her the most. Seth hadn't moved or spoken since Trenton had stormed out.
Cold fingers weren't a reliable indicator, of course, considering their surroundings. This information still failed to comfort her. She had no way of knowing how badly Seth was hurt…unless she managed to free herself.
Reese immediately set about exploring how she'd been tied, and had just found part of the knot that had been worked loose when she heard movement that wasn't her own. She froze.
"Uhhnnn…"
"Seth!" Reese hissed. "C'mon Seth, stay with me. You've got to stay awake until we can get out of here, okay?" Hang in there." She twisted around as far as the ropes would allow.
Seth tried to straighten up in his chair, causing him to inhale sharply. Blood had smeared and dripped everywhere. Underneath, bruises were already visible on much of his face. "How are you holding up?" he finally gasped.
"Probably better than you, at the moment. You've been out for several hours now."
"'M fine. Don't worry about me."
"Yeah, right. You do realize he could have killed you with his bare hands, don't you?"
"Considered it. But we can't—"
"—Let 'im get the computer. I know."
"Then why'd ya tell 'im?"
"Because it forced him to contact Shane. Now they have something to work off of. And anyway, it still wasn't quite the truth." She smiled in spite of herself.
"Oh. Well that's always helpful." Seth gingerly squirmed around for awhile, apparently trying to stretch his cramped muscles. "So, what now?"
"I think Trenton's gone to meet Shane or someone in person. If we could…disappear for awhile, they'll be able to snag him without risk to us. All I'm worried about is that he's still carrying."
"'Carrying?'"
"Six-hour pistol in the small of the back. The silencer's bouncing around in his jacket pocket. I thought you watched a lot of those crime shows."
"Oh."
"Yeah. We'll have to work fast, though, if we want the illusion to work right. I'm not going to keep sitting back while he beats the crap outta you."
"But you're the one he wants."
"That's why I can't stand it. I've been thinking about everything Trenton's blackmailed me with. It's not like we're short on time around here. There's so much that people have taken on for me; I figured it's time I stood up and taken some on myself. Don't try to talk me out of it if I get the chance."
"Okay, okay." Seth grinned for a moment despite the pain he probably felt. "Do you think they'll get here in time?"
Reese took a deep breath. "I think we'll have to accept whatever course of action they take as the best one. Remember, Trenton's got more than just us. But like I said earlier, I don't want to die if can be helped."
"It's okay to be scared, Reese. No one expects you to be the perfect agent, and they certainly won't think any less of you."
"I guess sometimes I do," she said quietly.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Okay, I have a visual, coming down the east side of the park. He appears unarmed, but don't take that at face value."
"Copy that. Sit tight unless he makes any threatening moves. With any luck, he'll cooperate an' this'll be over by dinnertime."
"You know the chances for something not going screwy are pretty much nil. He's a merciless wack job. He'll—"
"I know, now shut up and do your job so I can do mine. Shane, I've got a visual now, so he's all yours in about a minute and a half."
After tuning out most of the mindless chatter over the earwigs, Shane jumped when he realized Tanner was addressing him. "Copy that." Sure enough, Trenton soon appeared around the corner, heading straight for the building where Shane was waiting. He mentally kicked himself for not suspecting the kid earlier.
Though Trenton looked not much bigger than Seth in person, he surveyed Shane with disdain and calculation worthy of The Godfather. This kid really thinks he has it all figured out.
"So, you have it, the access code?" the boy asked coolly. His eyes immediately found each piece of equipment Tanner had insisted upon.
"Yes." Shane had great difficulty keeping his voice even, though he made no other outward show of emotion. "What about the hostages? How do we know they'll be released alive?"
"All in good time. You have to come with me anyway, to make sure I haven't been fed more government lies. What if I were to vent my displeasure on them?"
"Like we've got much choice," Tanner grumbled through the earwig. Do what he says; the plan'll back you up. And you can always take 'im hand-to-hand if needed."
Shane expressed his consent with mixed feelings, handed over his gun, and allowed Trenton to search him for everything else. Silence reigned for several minutes while the boy inspected each device—the only things left unnoticed were an ordinary pen and (Shane relaxed inwardly) the GPS. The rest went into a nearby trashcan.
"Very well," Trenton finally pronounced. "You will walk in front of me, naturally but with your hands in plain sight at all times. If you try to talk to anyone or turn on me, I will not hesitate to shoot you with your own gun." He tucked it in his jacket pocket with his finger on the trigger. "Understood?"
He really thinks we're at his mercy, it's unreal. Shane nodded. They set off the way Trenton came.
"So how's a brilliant kid like you get cornered into this kind of work?" Shane ventured to ask after awhile. "You still got your whole life ahead of you—opportunities to go anywhere."
"That time came and went," Trenton spat. "I became exactly what your precious agencies branded me as from the beginning. They made the choice, and rejected all other options for me. Tanner, the Bryants, you…you're not even close to my capabilities. But I was unclean, because I lived too close to the mob, and thus was not worthy of the same opportunities."
"You can still change that around, Trenton. There are deals—"
"Don't try to soften me up with that I-know-what-you're-feeling crap, not when you're a government pet, yourself, from what I've heard. You all had your chance." They rounded a corner, bringing several derelict buildings into view. Trenton started to push Shane towards the nearest one when something made him freeze. He felt more carefully the fabric under his hand. Then, almost too fast for Shane to react at all, the lanky boy had him pinned to the wall with both arms twisted in a police hold. The GPS was ripped from its hiding place.
"You dare to toy with their lives?" he hissed in Shane's ear, throwing the device on the ground. "By rights I should walk in and kill them right now. But senseless rage doesn't leave much leverage on you." Trenton pulled out a pair of handcuffs found in one of Shane's pockets and secured them to his new captive's wrists. "Understand, however, that when you walk in here, you join the rules. Good behavior keeps you alive; attempts to cross me are punishable for everyone. I will walk out of this. Let's hope, for all of your sakes, that you don't bluff about this access code."
And without compromising his grip on Shane, Trenton unlocked the door and pushed him inside.