CHAPTER 26

She really wished he'd leave the light on when he was gone. She had even asked him to as he left the last time, a request that he had found very amusing. But it was hard to work on the ropes in the dark. She felt she was making progress, but it would go so much faster if she could see what she was doing. Her mouth was completely dry since he had refused to give her a drink in view of her stubborn refusal to cooperate, but at least she didn't have to use the bucket again.

Suddenly the door opened and the light came on, but he just stood in the doorway.

"He's here!" he hissed excitedly. "He's coming up the walk. Oh, he's much smarter than I thought he was, blew through those false leads in no time at all. Now it's time to have some fun!" He giggled. "Be back in a bit," he promised with a wink. "I have to make sure everything is ready," Then he was gone, the door shut and the light off once more.

Brennan wondered if this was another of his games. Maybe he was just getting her hopes up so he could dash them. She decided it didn't matter and began working at the ropes furiously, determined that she was going to be freed by the time he returned.

Riggs lived in a middle class neighborhood with toys scattered on well kept lawns and homes that showed their owners were proud to live there. Booth scoped out the house from four doors down. The shutters were drawn and there were no lights on, but a blue sedan sat in the driveway, so he was fairly certain someone was home.

"Look, Hodgins, I want you to stay in the car." Booth was busy strapping into his vest. Hodgins glanced down the street as more unmarked vehicles pulled into sight. Soon there were a dozen agents gathered behind Booth's SUV. Booth gave them their instructions in a low voice and then they moved quickly into position.

Booth was moving toward the front door, gun at the ready, when one of the agents took a battering post and smashed it into the front door. Suddenly an explosion rocked the quiet neighborhood, blowing four agents off their feet. Booth dropped to his face in the grass, looking up in time to see the front door blown off its hinges. Three of the agents were getting up slowly, dazed. The fourth, the one who had wielded the battering post, wasn't moving. Booth pushed to his feet and rushed over to him.

"Jenkins!" he called urgently. Reaching the fallen agent, Booth turned him over gently, feeling for a pulse that wasn't there. "Damn!" he cursed softly. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself a moment to grieve over the agent's death. He'd known Jenkins for 6 years, a good man. Then a surge of anger pushed the grief to the background. The bastard was gonna pay.

Doors up and down the street were cracked open as neighbors peered out, thankfully too terrified to come out. Booth fought the urge to charge in with his gun blazing. He knew that would be suicide. Taking a few calming breaths, he gathered the agents around him. "Okay, I'm sending the Explosives Removal Team in to clear the house. Everyone else stay back and stay sharp. I don't want any more casualties and I don't want this bastard to escape."

Booth paced near his vehicle, clenching and unclenching his fists, gaze fixed on the house. Hodgins sat in the driver's seat watching him, keenly aware of every minute as it ticked by. He wished for the umpteenth time that he was back at the lab, analyzing mold or soil or larvae. He was out of his element here. He didn't have Angela's gift for dealing with people. If Angela were here, she would say the right thing to Booth to defuse his rising temper.

It took nearly forty five minutes for the ERT to finish clearing the house. The head of the team approached Booth. "The house is empty. All of the bedrooms had claymores wired to the doors."

"Empty? Why would he go to all that trouble if he wasn't holding her there?" Booth frowned, at a loss. It didn't make sense. "Hodgins!"

Hodgins head popped up from where he'd leaned it against the steering wheel.

"Put on a vest. We're going in with the Hostage Retrieval Team."

Puzzled, Hodgins shook his head. "We? Going in? Dude, weren't you listening? The house is empty."

Booth sighed. "I know, I just—I've got this feeling we're missing something. Now, put the vest on, you're wasting time." Hodgins strapped on a vest as quickly as possible as Booth checked his gun for the fourth time. "Keep your eyes peeled, okay? They've cleared the house, but you can never be too sure."

They moved through the house slowly, Booth in the lead. Searching each room carefully, they paused to listen in the quiet rooms frequently. The laundry room was the last one they searched. The tiny room was only big enough for two, so they left the HRT out in the hall. Hodgins looked around, taking in the washer and dryer, the folding table, the low set of cabinets. Then he noticed something that made him do a double take. He touched Booth's sleeve, then pointed at the floor under a set of metal shelves. Faint tracks on the floor indicated that the shelves had been pulled out and pushed back several times. Booth bent to look closer. When he straightened, Hodgins knew they may have finally caught a break. Booth pulled out the shelves and felt along the wall. Pressing on a slight depression, a door in the wall popped open.

Booth shot Hodgins a triumphant glance and held his gun ready. Suddenly the door crashed outward, knocking Booth's gun away as he fell. Hodgins dove for it too late—he saw it slide under the cabinets, out of reach. Booth rolled to his feet in time to face Charles Riggs standing in the doorway with a grin from ear to ear.

"Agent Booth! I can't tell you how glad I am to finally meet you." Booth lunged at Riggs but stopped as he heard a strangled scream from inside the room. "Ah, ah, ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you," he sing-songed. He held up a small mechanism with a button on it. "This remote goes to the shock collar around Dr. Brennan's neck. When I press this button, she will be subjected to the most exquisite pain as the collar sends electricity coursing through her body. The remote has a fifty yard range. You're going to let me walk out of here unmolested, or I'm going to press this button repeatedly. I haven't tested how many shocks a person can survive. I'm sure you don't want your partner to be the first to find out."

A muscle jumped in Booth's cheek as he heard lows moans from inside the hidden room. His fists were clenched and he was breathing heavily, but he made himself take a step back. Hodgins moved out into the hall, motioning the HRT agents back.

Suddenly the hidden door crashed all the way open. Brennan grabbed Riggs' right arm and ducked under it, twisting it mercilessly. Riggs' finger was pressing the button repeatedly until Brennan held up a strap of leather in her left hand.

"It doesn't work too well if it isn't around the victim's neck," she taunted.

Riggs kicked back at Brennan with deadly force, hitting her knee and causing it to buckle. Booth lunged at Riggs who dodged to one side and lashed out with his left leg. Booth's breath whooshed out as Riggs foot connected with his midsection. Doubling over he spun and punched Riggs in the kidneys. The killer howled with pain, panting as he turned to face Booth. Brennan struggled painfully to her feet, favoring her left knee, moving slowly to Riggs' right as Booth circled him to his left. Riggs' gaze bounced back and forth between them, trying to anticipate their next move. Brennan stepped in, wincing as she put weight on her injured knee, grabbed his right arm and twisted with all her strength. Booth stepped in and feinted with his left, bringing in his right fist to crash into his chin. Dazed, immobilized by Brennan's painful pressure on his right arm, Riggs finally went down. Straddling him, Booth's fist hit the killer squarely on the chin, knocking him out cold. Breathing heavily, Booth turned him over and snapped the cuffs on him as Brennan dropped to the floor, clutching her knee.

"Get him out of here," Booth snarled fiercely, turning Riggs over to an agent. Then he turned to his partner. "Are you okay?" he asked as he knelt next to her. She let go of her knee to throw her arms around his neck. Holding her tightly, he turned his face into her hair, relief coursing through him. That was too close.