Lee quickly gestured for Francine to pick up the extension on the other side of the room. She quietly picked up the phone and listened to the heavily Russian accented voice on the other end.
"Ekaterina Egorov. I was wondering when you were going to call." Lee stated as flatly as he could. I was important that he showed no emotion to Ekaterina. He didn't want to give her any more fuel to add to the fire. He tried to remain very calm on the outside while his insides were running marathons and doing back flips.
"What a pity. You have already guessed who this is. And to think, I thought I was going to have to provide you with a few hints. It's nice to know you remember me after all these years, Mr. Stetson. Or is it Scarecrow now? Amanda won't tell me which you prefer."
Lee's jaw clamped down tight with the mention of Amanda's name. Again, he tried his best to remain calm. "What have you done with Amanda?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing, Scarecrow. At least not yet. We are waiting for you to arrive. And you really should hurry. The whole family is here waiting for you…..Philip, Jamie, Amanda and of course, your unborn child, all here waiting for you to arrive."
Lee hit the roof at the mention of Philip and Jamie. This has changed the situation exponentially. Amanda knew how to take care of herself in this situation. Philip and Jamie were likely to panic and with panic can come fatal errors. Lee became angry. "What do you mean Philip and Jamie?"
"Come now, Mr. Stetson. You don't think I would give a party in your honor and not invite your family, do you?"
"If you hurt one hair on any of their heads, you will pray for death!" Lee screamed into the phone.
"Now, now! Mind your temper! At least I am giving you the courtesy to forewarn you of their death, unlike what you gave to me. But, don't worry. I wouldn't dream of starting until you get here. You have one hour. For every minute you are late, I will do some type of physical harm to a member of your family. I suggest you hurry."
"Where the hell are you?"
"Oh, I am sure you can figure it out. And before you get any ideas, you are to come alone. Any sign of anyone with you, and your wife and unborn baby will be the first to die. Are you willing to take that chance?"
With that, the line went dead. Lee stood behind his desk holding the receiver and looking at Francine.
"Lee, try to remain calm! We will.."
"CALM? How the hell am I going to remain calm? My entire family is being held hostage by a crazy woman that wants her revenge on me for something I did when I was 23 years old. And there is a very real possibility that she might succeed before I can do anything! Give me the address. I don't have any time to waste."
"Lee, we need to figure out a plan first. You can't just run off and…."
"Francine! GIVE ME THE ADDRESS! This is not up for negotiation. This is MY family and I will handle this."
Francine slowly walked over to Lee and handed him the slip of paper in her outreached hand. As Lee reached for the address, she tenderly grabbed his hand and looked into his eyes.
"Please let me help, Lee. Amanda is important to me, too."
Lee nodded. "OK….get a back-up team ready. But they have to stay OUT of sight and they can't arrive until AFTER I am already inside. Got it?"
"Got it! Now get going!" Francine gave Lee a half smile and grabbed the phone to begin arranging the team. Lee sprinted through the bullpen to the elevator.
"Hold on, everyone. I'm coming!"
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Jamie and Philip walked cautiously into the house and Natasha shut the door behind them.
"Go! In there!" Natasha barked at them as she shoved them into the living room.
Jamie and Philip did as they were told, both too afraid to not comply with Natasha's orders. Upon entering the room, they saw Amanda tied to the chair. They froze at the sight of her. Angst now turned to paralyzing fear in the two boys.
"Mom!" Jamie shouted and attempted to run to her. He was stopped by Ekaterina as she came into the room from the kitchen. Jamie began to cry as Philip began to fight back the tears.
"Let my sons go! NOW!" Amanda screamed. The boys became even more frightened. "It's going to be ok, fellas. Just do what they tell you and it will be ok. Lee will be here soon."
"Mom? Are you ok?" Philip sheepishly asked.
"I'm fine, sweetheart. Everything will be ok."
Ekaterina said something in Russian to Natasha. Natasha began to argue with her mother. Although Amanda did not know what they were saying, it seemed obvious that Ekaterina was losing patience with her daughter. Their discussion became more heated as Natasha disagreed with her mother's requests. The two women were eye to eye and tempers were flying. Suddenly, Ekaterina slapped her daughter across the face. Natasha stood there stunned, cradling her cheek with her hand, tears filling her eyes. She inhaled sharply and pointed her gun at the boys. Amanda's heart nearly stopped at the sight of it. She had no idea what the two women's intentions were with Philip and Jamie.
"NO" Amanda cried out!
Ekaterina, still angry with her daughter, walked over to Amanda and backhanded her across the face. Amanda's cheek began to burn and sting. Ekaterina's ring had scratched Amanda's face. The cut began to bleed. Jamie let out a whimper at the sight of his mother being struck.
"You two, MOVE!" Natasha commanded the boys as she indicated that they should walk down the hall. The boys did as they were told. From the angle that Amanda was seated, she could not see where they were going or what was happening to them. The fear that was rising up inside her was almost unbearable. She then heard Natasha speak. "Get in the room and keep quiet. We will come get you when it's time!" Amanda then heard the closing of the door and the latching of what sounded like a deadbolt.
"What do you want with my sons? This whole thing has nothing to do with them! Let them go!" Amanda pleaded.
"Amanda…come now. The incident all those years ago had nothing to do with my son either, yet he was killed. You know exactly what I want with your sons. At least I will let you say good bye to them before I kill them."
A single tear ran down Amanda's cheek as she fought to keep in control of her fear. "Please hurry, Lee!" she screamed to herself in her head. "Please…hurry."
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Lee tried to keep a calm head about him as he sped through the D.C. traffic. The vette hummed along as Lee pushed it to speeds he had not ever attempted since he owned the car. He desperately tried to formulate a plan that could save them all, but all he could think about was the image of Nicholai Egorov dead on the floor of the cold, dimly lit apartment, surrounded by his own blood. Lee's flesh began to crawl as he remembered the inhuman sound that Ekaterina made upon discovering her son's body. Bile began to churn and rise up in his stomach. He had tried so desperately to forget that day. It was his first big assignment and it wasn't supposed to end that way! No one was supposed to die, especially not a child. Lee swallowed hard as the guilt of his actions began to wash over him and the image of Ekaterina cradling her dead son's body with his ice blue eyes frozen open over took his mind's eye.
"Damn it!" Lee screamed as he hit the steering wheel with the fleshy palm of his hand. "It was an accident! It was an accident! I never mean to kill your son!" he declared to no one.
His mind then began to conjure images of Philip and Jamie, scared and confused as to what was happening. He then pictured them lying in a pool of their own blood: Lee helpless to do anything to save them. He forced himself to push those images far out of his mind. He remembered what Paul Barnes said to him on that fateful day:
"You have to learn to keep your feelings out of this business. If you can't, you'll never last."
Lee slowly exhaled and then drew a sharp breath in and held it. He knew what he had to do; failure was not an option. Grasping the steering wheel firmly, Lee pushed the accelerator further to the floor and sped to the destination that Francine had scribbled on the paper. He hoped he would get there in time.
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Ekaterina nervously paced back and forth in front of the large picture window in the living room, glancing outside every 30-seconds or so-waiting for the arrival of Lee. Natasha sat in the winged back chair once occupied by her mother. She hung her head low and looked at the floor, not making eye contact with anyone. Her body language was tense and disturbed. Amanda was trying desperately to think of a way out of this horrible situation. Was there anyway that she could let Ekaterina and Natasha let Philip and Jamie go? She scanned the room hoping something would come to her. The bright noon sun streamed in through the window, heating the already warm room. As she looked for a solution to the situation, Amanda saw her purse taunting her from the corner of the room. If only she could get to it and retrieve the gun that was stowed within.
Ekaterina began sternly speaking to Natasha. Natasha picked up her head and replied to her mother. Ekaterina looked at Amanda and smiled a most evil smile accompanied with a sinister laugh. Natasha's expression did not change or acknowledge her mother's taunting of Amanda. Her eyes were sad and distant. Amanda shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
"Um…excuse me, but I really need to use the bathroom. I have been sitting here a long time, and well…being pregnant, I have to go to the bathroom all the time. Can you please bring me to the bathroom before I have an accident?"
Ekaterina said something to Natasha in Russian and gestured to Amanda with the gun that had not left her hand since Amanda had arrived. Natasha rose from the chair and began to untie Amanda.
"Natasha will bring you to the bathroom and then right back. If you try anything, I have told Natasha to shoot you in the stomach and I will do the same if necessary. I am sure you can appreciate what a tragedy that could be for you, Amanda. Don't you?"
Amanda took in a quick shallow breath and answered in her raspy tone. "Yes…..I think I understand exactly what you are trying to say."
Natasha finished untying Amanda and told her to stand up. Amanda rubbed the places where the ropes bound her wrists. She then stretched and gently rubbed her stomach.
"Down the hall." Natasha gestured to Amanda to begin walking towards the bathroom. Amanda complied. When they got to the bathroom door, Amanda walked in and shut the door.
"Quickly!" Natasha said as the door was closing. Amanda finished as fast as she could. She splashed some cold water on her face as she washed her hands. "Think, Amanda! Think!" she said to her reflection. Natasha banged on the door. "Let's go!" Amanda heard through the door. She opened the door to find the barrel of Natasha's gun staring her in the face. "Back to your chair" Natasha said.
Amanda walked back to the chair and sat down as ordered.
"Tie her to the chair!" Ekaterina commanded.
"I am, Mama! I am!" Natasha answered back in a very annoyed tone. Her reply was enough to spark another argument between an already stressed mother and daughter. Natasha continued to tie Amanda as she fought with her mother. Amanda noticed that she was distracted and took the opportunity to slightly lift her arms above the arms of the chair creating some wiggle room in the rope as she was being tied. Natasha didn't seem to notice Amanda's ploy. She then began to tie Amanda's legs to the chair. Amanda relaxed her arms and noticed that this time, her arms were much more free to move beneath the ropes.
Ekaterina stopped pacing and looked out the window with great intensity. She reminded Amanda of a dog noticing another dog in its yard-its focus unbreakable. A great smile broke out across her face as she turned to face Amanda.
"Tasha, go get the children. Hurry!"
"Amanda, a small part of me is very sorry that I will have to kill you and your children. You seem like a nice woman. But the moment I have waited over for all these years has FINALLY arrived. I finally get to have my revenge on Lee Stetson."
"Please let my children go. You can have me and Lee, but let Jamie and Philip go!" Amanda pleaded.
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. But don't worry. I have no intention of killing Lee Stetson. I want him to suffer as I have suffered. I want him to see his spouse and children killed in front of him while he lives with the memory knowing it was all his fault."
Amanda's eyes widened in horror, mouth agape. Philip and Jamie came stumbling into the living room, both blindfolded with their hands tied behind their backs.
"Mom? Mom are you in here? What's going on?" Jamie and Philip both cried out in fear and confusion.
"I'm here, fellas. It's going to be ok." Amanda answered trying very hard to hide the fear in her voice.
Ekaterina walked over to Jamie and stroked his hair. Jamie jumped at the contact.
"Not to worry, child. It will all be over soon. Very, very soon."
"Don't. Touch. My. Son!" Amanda said, her voice full of venom.
Ekaterina suddenly grabbed Jamie by the hair and yanked him down to the floor. "I will do what I please, Mrs. Stetson and there is nothing you can do about it!" The two women began to stare each other down. Amanda wanted nothing more than to jump out of the chair and take down Ekaterina. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Amanda's heart leapt at the sound. Ekaterina smiled from ear to ear.
"At last the guest of honor has arrived."
Amanda let out a heavy sigh.
"Don't worry Amanda. This will all be over soon. Momentarily actually."
To be continued….