They had made it through the basement´s hallway to a side exit.
"Here they are", they heard the sudden voices of one of Sanchez's henchmen, who appeared, weapon drawn, beside another familiar face.
In an involuntary reaction, John pushed, firing his pistole towards the two attackers, Danielle back into corridor.
"If I was you, I would lay the weapon down."
Closing his eyes in foreboding, he turned in the direction of Samuel Cardiff – the direction in which he had pushed Danielle only a few seconds ago.
"I think you've caused enough trouble."
Looking into the eyes of the man who was holding his gun against womans head, he turned his pistole toward the ceiling.
"Okay, you got me", he tried to win time with a soothing gesture.
"Wrong, I got her, and you better put your gun down if you don´t want me to end this right away", Cardiff stated, covering Danielles mouth with his free hand.
Seeing no way out for now, John decided to follow the double killer's instructions.
Aware of every flicker, he searched for an element of surprise that would provide a much-needed distraction; a distraction that didn't want to reveal to him at this moment.
"Do what you want with him. He shot two of your men, so Sanchez won't be sad if you kill him," Cardiff instructed the accomplices that in the meantime placed themselves behind his back.
It was his unexpected cry the next moment as Danielle bit his perpetrators fingers in an attempt to break free that gave John the distraction he needed. Trusting his instincts, he reflexively picked up his gun, opening the fire of the two henchmen.
From the opposite direction he heard Danielle, who was being dragged towards the elevator, calling his name.
"One wrong move and she's dead", Cardiff let him know before pushing her like a living shield infront of his chest into the cabin. Watching without a chance as his target person was abducted in front of his eyes, he sprinted towards the stairs.
"Finch, Cardiff kidnapped Danielle", he reconnected with his partner back at street level.
"I already was afraid of something like that", Harold replied in concern. "Are you alright?"
"I´m okay, I just hope that I´m right with my guess that he´s taking her to Sanchez´ headquater."
Looking for a hint of Danielle's kidnapper, John sprinted back to his car before screeching in the direction of the main road.
"I have informed Detective Carter. She´ll be with you in about 15 minutes", Harold informed his staff after a moment of silence.
„I don't have 15 minutes."
Parking the car opposite the entrance of the building he visited earlier on, he saw lights from the inside. Opening his trunk, he reached for the black travel bag in which he had deposited some of his more powerful weapons for emergencies.
"Be careful. I'm afraid that Mr. Sanchez has taken precautions against unpleasant disturbances", he heard Harold's voice in his ear.
"And I have my ways to break through these precautions", John informed his partner in a determined tone.
"Tell Carter to bring enough handcuffs", he added before cutting the connection.
Picking up the bazooka that helped him to open closed doors before already, he positioned himself across from the building. Firing the smoke bomb, it took no longer than a few seconds until the 6-diameter bullet breaking through the glass began to fill the store interior with fume; seconds in which he swapped the weapon for an automatic submachine gun before entering the property. Opening fire on the knee area of Sanchez's henchmen, he was highly aware of every move and every sound of his surrounding.
Taking the stairs to the basement, it was Sanchez himself who stormed into the hallway with a large caliber semi-automatic. His intentions not settled for games the bullets ripped through his chest faster than he had a chance to put his gun in John's direction. As usual in situations like this, his eyes were focused, his senses heightened like a hungry prey. Despite the paradox of the dangerous situation, he felt self confident. His pulse was beating steadily as he surveyed the adjacent rooms with the weapon on the go. Contrary to his private life, he had a clear goal in mind; a goal he was not willing to miss. Ironically, it was this danger that sparked his spirits - all or nothing, life, or death. With every number arising, he was willing to go all in to protect his target persons. If this way of life was to be his destiny, he had vowed to give no less than 100 percent.
He had secured the adjoining rooms when he heard Danielle's voice behind a door at the end of the hall.
"So go ahead. Do what you need to do but if you're hoping that I'll beg for my life, you will wait forever", she stated stubbornly.
"Big words for a little bitch. However, I´ll do as you wish. But first we will both catch up on what you unfortunately withheld from me 16 years ago."
Guessing what Cardiff was alluding to, John didn´t waste a second to enter the room where the criminal, armed with a knife, was standing at a table, bent over Danielle. Noticing his presence too soon, he, once again, yanked her in front of his body as a living shield.
"Look, that pesky guard dog is back", he remarked in an almost amused tone.
John remaint silent. His gun pointed at the head of the man who was holding a knife onto Danielle's throat, he solely focused on his target.
"So what now? You know as well as I do that you're not going to shoot. You won't take the risk of killing the one you're trying to save", the criminal continued to sneer while pressing the knife so close to Danielle's neck that the blade threatened to pierce her skin. Only recognizing a vanishingly small space between him and her for a targeted shot, an unforeseen movement by her kidnapper in fact was a too great risk to take.
"I trust you, John."
It´s been Danielles surprising words - the conviction in her gaze fixed on his eyes -that nonetheless made him pull the gun's trigger with a sudden determination.
It didn't take more than a split second for Cardiffs expression to change from sneer to blank by the bullet that hit the center of his forehead; another second until the knife fell beside Danielle's feet with a clanging sound.
Watching her terrified eyes fixed on Cardiff in disbelief, John put down the gun to lay a hand on her shoulder.
"It's over. He'll never hurt you again", he let her know in a calm tone.
"Thank you." It wasn´t more than two choked words leaving her mouth; two words that said everything and yet far too little about the chaos of her feelings. Caught between shock, relief and disbelief at never having to fear her torturer again, she swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Thank you for your trust", John replied quietly.
"Wasn´t it that what you asked me for?"
Smiling at the paradox of the situation, she turned her gaze to the man who, even in this situation, radiated the calm of a sphinx.
It was the noisy opening of the upstairs front door that made him switch back in aware mode.
"Help is here", John let Danielle know. "Stick with Detective Carter. You can trust her."
"What about you?"
"Let's just say, most other detectives are not a too huge Fan of me. But if someone asks you about it, an unknown man in a suit came along to help you out", he instructed her with a smirk.
Waiting for a nod from his counterpart, he went towards a side exit without a further goodbye.
Focusing back on the voices from above, Danielle saw three people rushing down the stairs, pistols at the ready.
"NYPD, hands up, so I can see them", one of the men prompted. Following the instruction, her view fell on the only woman who formed the vanguard of the team. Fully focused on the situation the black-haired looked over to Samuel Cardiff, who was staring at the ceiling with a blank expression.
"I'm Detective Carter", she stated. "Are you Jenna Benson?"
Danielle nodded before also her gaze fixed back on the corpse at her feet.
"What happened?", Carter asked the question, which she seemed to suspect, would not get an honest answer to.
"I..." Danielle began, nodding to the dead man on the ground. "This guy kidnapped brought me here to rape and kill me. Suddenly someone appeared with a gun. It was a tall man in a suit. After he shot him down, he disappeared just as quickly as he rushed in", she echoed John's instructions with a few further additions.
"A tall man in a suit", Carter repeated, in a tone of voice that couldn't have been clearer, before directing the other detectives to search the upper floors for more suspects. Waiting until they were out of earshot, she turned back to Danielle.
"Where's John?", she asked in concern.
"Don´t worry. He's not here anymore."
Looking to the sideway entrance, she pointed in the direction of a door that obviously was another way out.
"So I think it´s time to leave for us as well", Carter stated with a suppressed sigh.
Looking back at the detective, Danielle hesitated.
"Am I under arrest?", she asked the question, she wasn´t sure if she wanted to know the answer.
Taking a deep breath, Carter gave her a look she wasn´t able interpret.
"I see no reason to do so. You didn't kill that man, and as far as I know, there are no charges against a Jenna Benson. That's you, right?
Only able to guess how bad the inner discrepancy of the last parts statement seemed to trouble her counterpart, she gave her a grateful smile.
"Yes, I am", she confirmed before heading towards the exit.
According to the cell phone locator, which John, as he always did after the end of a case, uncoupled from his cell phone at that moment, he had tracked down Danielle one last time at Hudson River. Unsure of why exactly he came here or what he wanted to say, he had silently stood beside her on the parapet while their eyes were fixed on the landscape.
"I wasn't sure if I'd see you again", she remarked, glancing in his direction.
Averting his gaze from the water, he now looked directly at his counterpart.
"I just wanted to wish you all the best for your new life", he replied.
Noticing some kind of uncertainty on his counterpart's face, he asked, "what are you up to now?"
Thinking about his question for a while, she eventually shrugged.
"If only I knew that for sure. 'A few days ago I spoke to my parents. Next week I'll go to see them", she explained, looking at him with a mixture of hope and fear about the upcoming meeting.
"So, you're going back to Baltimore?"
Danielle shook her head.
"No. As strange as it may sound but I can't just pick up where I left off 16 years ago. I'm not the girl I used to be back then, just like I'm not Jenna Benson. To be honest, right now I don't even know who I am or who I want to be."
John remained silent. Although it had been other circumstances that led him into this type of identity crisis, he knew the point she was at and its implications all too well.
"From now on you have the opportunity to find out", he tried to pass on the optimism he hadn't mustered up until the appearance of Finch in his life.
"Looks like I do. Nevertheless, I will take it one step at a time. First, I am going to finish my courses, so can build up afterwards."
"Sounds like a plan."
"I owe the opportunity to you... and Mr. Finch... and Detective Carter... but most of all to you."
John smiled. "Thats what I'm here for."
Sharing a moment of unified silence, he eventually added: "Detective Carter has closed your case and if anyone ever decides to delve into your past, they won´t find anything suspicous."
Noticing a slight hesitation, he saw a sudden realization in Danielle´s eyes.
"Mr. Finch?, she asked.
"All the best to you", he left her question unanswered. He already turned into the opposite direction when she called his name once again.
"Thank you", she let him know with a smile.
John nodded before continuing on his way, ready to save another person. Though he knew he wouldn´t be able to correct his past mistakes, it was those moments that gave meaning to his life; a work that could not be weighed with any money in this world and not only kept alive those whom saved.
If you kept reading until here, thank you! I hope you liked the story. It was a lot of fun to write. 😊
Just a quick question: would you be interested in a follow up? I may have some cool ideas to integrate Danielle in a second part. Let me know.