Chapter 15

Boone followed Kim out of the room like a puppy dog follows the man with the steak, leaving Starsky alone. Once the door was closed, Kim leaned confidently against the wall, almost bored.

'Well?' Boone asked.

'Well what?'

'I did what you asked. I brought him to you. What're ya gonna do now?'

Kim smiled. 'Nothing.'

'He's been with Jade. You promised her to me. You told me she was mine.'

'Uh huh. When you'd earned her.'

Boone pushed himself away from the wall, anger colouring his face. 'Fuck it! I've put my career on the line for you. I kidnapped a cop. That's a federal offence. I could get 15 to 20 for that alone. I think I deserve….'

Kim moved lightening fast, His actions were almost a blur of speed as he whirled and grabbed Boone by his collar, virtually swinging the man of his feet. With Boone dangling in mid air by his neck, Kim stared calmly and coldly into the man's eyes. 'You deserve nothing. You're a coward and a piece of shit. You have no honour. You let your partner be captured and killed and you did nothing. Why should I reward that?'

For a second Boone looked confused. 'But you told me…. You said you wanted….' A smile spread over Boone's face. 'Oh I get it. This was a test. Let's see how the rookie handles this one, huh? How did I do? Did I pass?'

The Chinese man let go of Boone with a shake of his head and wiped his hands down the sides of his pants as though trying to rid himself of some dirt. He sneered at the cop. 'You have no honour. But at least you follow orders.'

'So? Do I get Jade?'

'Sadly no. Jade has dishonoured me. She is no longer a part of the family.'

Boone's face turned ugly. 'You promised me I could have her.'

'If you can find her, you still can. She means nothing to me any more.'

'Fine' Boone snapped. 'I've done all this for nothing. Just fuckin' peachy.'

'I didn't say I wouldn't reward you' Kim said, heading for the door.

Boone's face brightened. He'd always been a looser. His looks were plain and homely and he'd been a dork at college. He was the guy the girls turned to as a last resort when all the best ones were taken. He was the one who was always left last in line when the Captains picked their teams and he was the one who had to resort to violence to get the class dweeb to do his homework assignments for him. Boone was a born looser until he'd hooked up with the Red Dragons and had found a new master to run with. He licked his lips in anticipation. Later he would go out and find Jade – his real prize. In the mean time…. 'Reward? How?'

Kim's hand was on the door handle. 'I have business to attend to. Meanwhile I have a cop in there who needs to disappear. What you do to him first is up to you. Enjoy.'

Boone nodded briefly. Starsky was the epitome of everything he'd come to hate. The curly haired cop was handsome, muscular, athletic and had some peculiar type of charm that left the female of the species limp and drooling in his wake. But this time, Boone's worm had turned and with Starsky tied and helpless, maybe he could finally demolish his demons and start afresh.

As the young cop walked back into the room, he took a moment to look at his victim. Starsky sat in the chair, his head hanging down until his chin touched his chest. Bruises showed on the older man's face and blood dripped from the gash on Starsky's forehead where his head had hit the floor when the chair had overturned. At the movement of the door opening, the brunet forced his head up and screwed his eyes up as he tried to focus on Boone. The whole left side of Starsky's face was swollen and distorted and the eyes that had looked at Boone so fiercely only half an hour ago now seemed blurred and out of focus.

And Boone felt no pity. Instead, all the young cop saw was a punch bag ready for sport. Starsky had had Jade. Starsky had taken what Boone knew was rightfully his. He imagined the beautiful woman writhing in ecstasy beneath Starsky's body and Boones fists balled in indignation. Starsky had all but ignored him at the Metro. He'd never treated Boone as an equal but more like some young rookie who needed to be patted and encouraged to do his job and the more Boone thought about it, the more outraged he became. He walked slowly over to the chair and stood in front of Starsky.

The wounded cop lifted his head. 'Let me go' Starsky managed to force out through his damaged jaw.

'Why? So that you can go back to that blond haired wimp you call a partner and report me to Dobey?'

Starsky ignored the comment. Thinking was difficult. Hell, even breathing was difficult but the brunet's pain had won out over his fear and now all he could do was to try to reason with Boone. He tried again. 'We can talk.'

Boone hunkered down so that he was at eye level with Starsky. 'I don't wanna talk. We had time to talk before, when you used to ignore me in the squad room. What did you think of me then huh? Oh he's just a rookie. Poor Patterdale, having to deal with the rookie all day?'

'You got it wrong. I….'

Boone stood and swung his fist at Starsky so that his knuckles connected with the brunet's already bruised and torn face. Starsky's head rolled with the punch and a soft groan escaped him as he tried to process the new pain. How much more could he take?

How much more did he want to take?

God he was so fed up with hurting. Wouldn't it just be easier to let the pain consume him, so that he could sink down into the darkness and stop fighting? Something in that thought seemed so seductive that for a moment Starsky actually contemplated allowing Boone to kill him. He'd fought every single day for the past eleven months. Each day had been a battle of his body versus his will and every day he'd won a little more ground. But it took so much out of the brunet, so much willpower and energy just to keep his heart beating and his lungs working and Starsky was bone tired. Wouldn't it just be easier to surrender to it all?

For a second he imagined what that would be like and then it hit him. Hutch would find him eventually and if the blond man was too late to save him, Hutch would never live with himself. In his mind Starsky played over the scene. Hutch rushing into the room to see Starsky's dead body in the chair. The blond crumpling to his knees in front of the body and holding Starsky's head in his hands. In his imagination Starsky saw a single tear in Hutch's eye and in that moment he knew he couldn't give up…..not for himself, but for his partner – the man who'd stood by him through thick and thin. He would survive, if only for Hutch.

Boone watched the bound cop's head fall forwards and realised that this was not as much fun as he'd anticipated. Starsky couldn't fight back and somehow that seemed wrong. Boone wanted to feel as though he'd won and he couldn't do that if he was fighting a restrained man. It didn't matter to the younger cop that Starsky, even untied, would be in no state to fight back. To Boone just having Starsky freed made it a fair fight – and one he was sure to win. To Starsky's surprise, Boone leaned down, took a flick knife with a three inch blade and sliced through the bonds around his wrists and ankles.

Starsky's arms fell forwards, the tingling in his hands turning to burning as the circulation returned. Automatically he massaged his wrists slowly as he dealt with the pains in his side from his damaged rib.

'Get up' Boone said as he stood back.

'Huh?' Starsky's hearing was almost non-existent.

Boone lunged forwards and grabbed Starsky by the arm, hauling him to his feet. 'I said get up.'

The brunet staggered and sank to his knees as nausea and dizziness threatened to consume him and once again Boone was at his back, this time kicking out at Starsky's back.

'Get up, you faggot. I know all about you.' Boone's voice was raised now so that the younger man was almost shouting and Starsky could make out the words. Slowly Starsky got to his hands and knees, shaking his head from side to side and Boone grabbed him and stood him upright.

'The great and mighty Starsky and fuckin' Hutch huh? So bloody good, you're like saints. Well I don't see anything too great about ya now. Or is it that you're only good when you and that blond bimbo are together. I've heard the rumours and I know they're true. You aren't just cop partners are ya?'

Starsky swayed and leaned against the wall for support, his shoulder mashed into the hard plaster to keep him upright. 'Don't do this' he started to say.

'Look at ya' Boone cut him off. 'All these freakin' months I've heard nothing but Starsky, Starsky, Starsky. Starsky the miracle cop, like getting yourself shot has made you into a saint or something. Wanna know the truth buddy boy? They only let you back coz it would have looked bad to the powers that be if they didn't re-employ a gimp. You're fucked. You're a wreck. Disabled….unfit….whatever you want to call it, you aint fit to do your job and they brought you back because they're too fuckin' soft hearted to tell you that you're a has been.'

The words lanced to the very core of Starsky's body and hurt him more than blows could ever do. 'Shuddup' he mumbled. 'Just….'

Another blow knocked him to the ground.

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Hutch's car screeched to a halt outside the Royal Phoenix. The building was in darkness still and for once thee were no doormen prowling the pavement outside th front door, but as the last notes from the engine died away, a face appeared at the glass door.

'It's my brother' Jade said.

'You wanna wait in the car?' Hutch asked as he started to get out.

The woman straightened. 'No! I'm not scared of him.'

Hutch grinned. He admired the pluck of the young woman. Beaten, bruised and sore as she was, nothing would stop her from helping to find Starsk. And any friend of Starsky's…..

The duo got out of the car together and as they walked to the door, Kim opened it, undisguised loathing on his face.

'So you've come crawling back and you've brought the cops. Thank you so much little sister' he said with sarcasm dripping from every word.

Jade stood her ground. 'I came to find Dave.'

'Dave who?'

The woman drew up her tiny frame and glared at her brother. 'You know who I mean. Dave Starsky, the cop you hated me seeing so much. Where is he?'

Kim plastered an innocent look on his face. 'Why should I know where he is?'

Hutch had so far stood back from the siblings in the hope that Jade would be able to get the answers he needed, but time was running short and his patience was running thin. He stepped in and put himself between Jade and Kim looking down at the Chinese man.

'What have you done with my partner? We saw his place. We saw the mess and we know it was you that took him. I'm gonna say it plain and simple. Where. Is. He?'

Kim turned away. 'I have no idea what you're talking about.'

Hutch launched himself at the younger man at the same time as Kim whirled around. With his martial arts training Kim was a supremely confident fighter but he'd not taken into account that Hutch too had trained to fight – in the wrestling ring. Now Kung Fu met a light heavyweight in mid air and both men's bodies crashed into each other. Kim and Hutch fell to the ground, clinched together as close as lovers and whilst Kim tried to wriggle free, Hutch employed all his strength to straddle the smaller man and hold him pinned to the ground. Kim fought like a tiger, expending his energy on shaking Hutch off of him but Hutch merely hung on until Kim's struggles started to fade. He stared down into Kim's face.

'I asked nicely. Where's Starsky?'

'What's in it for me? By the time you get to him it'll be too late anyway.'

'You'd better hope not.' Hutch ground out.

Kim smiled wolfishly. 'How much more punishment do you think he can take? His scars are pretty impressive.'

The revelation stunned Hutch and for a moment his concentration faltered. It was the second of indecision that Kim was looking for and with lightening reflexes he shot out from beneath Hutch's body and got to his feet, aiming for the door.

The sound of the Colt cocking echoed around the room and brought Kim to a standstill. Very slowly the younger man turned and stared down the barrel of the Magnum. Hutch was on his feet, the muzzle of the gun centred on Kim's chest.

'Where's my partner? You got five seconds punk. You can count 'em if you like.'

Kim's face cracked into a grin as he raised his hands into the air. 'Shoot me and you're fucked man. Without me, you have no idea where your partner is.'

'Tell me.'

'I have nothing to lose, you have that poodle of a partner. Seems like I hold the winning hand.'

Hutch thought for a moment and realised bitterly that Kim was right. His anger fuelled his thought processes. Kim had Starsky, that was now a given. Another given was that Kim wasn't going to tell Hutch squat unless Hutch had a trading card in his hand. And the only one that Hutch could think of left sour taste in the blond man's throat. Having seen Starsky suffering all those months had made something snal inside Hutch. There were times, especially in the psychiatrists office when he'd laid all the blame for Starsky's shooting firmly on his own shoulders and whatever anyone told him about how he couldn't have stopped Gunther's goons, Hutch still held the conviction that somehow he could have stopped those five bullets. Logically he knew that was hogwash and yet his closeness to Starsky, his affinity with the brunet told him that he should be superman. He should be able to take away all Starsky's hurts.

Those feelings kicked in again now, with a vengeance and before he'd thought it through, Hutch heard himself saying 'I can give you freedom. I'll give you 12 hours to get you and your family out of my town. Where you go is your concern, but I want my partner back.'

Kim looked taken aback. This was the one thing he hadn't bargained on and the offer was too seductive to pass up on. 'How can I trust you?'

Hutch flicked the huge gun in his hand. 'It's either take up the offer, or argue with Mr Colt. The choice is yours, but know this. If I find a corpse instead of my partner, I will hunt you down for the rest of your natural. You won't be able to breathe, sneeze, cough or blink without me knowin'. I'll be right behind you every step of your life and you won't be able to rest for wondering of the next loud noise is a bullet with your name on it. Do I make myself clear?'

The look in those icy blue eyes said it all and for one moment Kim hoped that Boone was going to take his time with Starsky and enjoy himself….at least until Hutch got there. 'Warehouse. It's a small place on West Bankside. But you'd better be quick.'

Hutch was already heading for the door. '12 hours and counting' he threw over his shoulder as he ran for the car.