Chapter 5 Danny Boy
After being verbally ripped a new one by his caption Dan Rodriguez finally gets to leave the precinct. He stops and grabs food for him and Jamal too the kid was the closest he had to a friend and he'd been an ass at the Bistro.
As he waits for his order he calls the kid's cell no answer. He blocked his number thinking that maybe the kid was screening his calls and did not want to talk to him. He was met with the same message. "Hey it's Taylor leave you message at the beep."
"Jamal pick up I'm on my way and I'm bringing food. I'm sorry for the Bistro." Dan closes his phone and collects his food. "Well if the kid won't talk to me on the phone he will speak to me in person." Dan says to the inside of his car. He drives faster than he expects and is now sitting outside of Jamal's house. He notices the lights are out but both cars are there. The hairs at Dan's nape rises something was wrong with this scene. They were twenty-something with a small child it was only 5:00 pm something was up.
Dan walks to the house his senses on alert. He knocks on the front door and it opened. Dan draws his gun. "Jamal, its Danny-boy where are you?" Dan whispers. He listens for a time and hears a sob. He moves further into the house. "Jamal, Danny-boy is coming just hold on buddy."
Down in the basement Amanda hears the front door open someone is whispering. She hears footfalls go near the stairs. Good or evil she had to get Jamal help he'd been silent and his breathing was very shallow. Hoping against hope she made a sound she'd meant to speak but it had came out in a moan. She hadn't spoke in hours she knew it was nearing nightfall and their attacker had long gone but he'd told her not to make a sound. After his car had pulled away she'd screamed and screamed but no one came to help. Now her voice had long since given out. The tears returned to her eyes and she wept if she would've waited she would be able to shout now. "Please help us" she cried barely making audible sound.
Dan heard the voice once more and moved quickly but alert towards the voice. It was coming from the basement. "Danny-boy is here J where are you?"
"Please Dan help him" Amanda cried.
Dan reached the bottom of the stairs "Are you three alone?"
New tears welled up in Amanda eyes as she quietly answered him telling him that only she and Jamal were here. Amanda saw Dan's silhouette move toward her. A penlight's beam appeared and she heard Dan's indrawn breath as his light met Jamal. Dan walked away before she could beg for his help the basement light came to life. Amanda had sat in the darkness for so long the light was painful to her eyes. She squeezes them shut. Dan walks to Amanda and unties her; her body unfolds from the strained position quickly. She lies on her stomach facing Jamal watching as Dan tries to wake him. There was blood everywhere the man's kicks to Jamal's head had busted him up pretty bad. Amanda felt so scared and ashamed she'd thrown a book at him. Now he was on the floor of their house in bad shape.
Dan pulls his cell phone. "Hey Captain this is Daniel Rodriguez I need a med team and a crime tech out at Jamal Taylor's house. I think it is connected to the big man's disappearance. Yeah I hear the sirens now I'll keep you posted." Dan closes his cell and walks to Amanda. "Are you sure you'll be ok?"
"Yes" Amanda says as she gets to her feet swaying a little Dan catches her. "I need to find my daughter." The house is soon swarming with crime technicians and Med teams that are working on getting Jamal out of the house.
"Amanda Taylor I need to take your statement." a voice calls to her from the top of the stairs.
Amanda looks up to see their attacker in a full police uniform. They had removed Jamal she touched the cuts on her wrists and then ran a hand down her cheek flinching as her hand made contact with the still open cut. "Yes sir" she quietly said as she caught Dan's eye.
Dan notes the pure fear in her gaze. He stands in front of her as she heads toward the stairs. She slightly shakes her head for him to move. He stands down and slowly follows her to the top of the stairs. Dan had retrieved his weapon and now held it by his side. He could see how much this short trek up the stairs was tearing Amanda apart. At the top of the stairs Strut grabs her and slings her to his partner. "Bobby, take her for questioning."
Dan gets in Strut's face. They stand nose to nose Dan walks Strut backward. "Unlike that woman I don't fear you." Dan points his gun to Strut's head "Now, Strut was this your doing?" Dan's accent showed for the first time in along time. His family was in both worlds some were cops and some where truly not. "Answer me asshole"
Strut raised his hands "I'm not a threat to you I have no weapons. You wouldn't shoot an unarmed man would you?"
"You wanna find out the hard way?" Strut shakes his head no. "You will release the woman. Don't leave town." Dan had more important things to find out like where the seven foot tall NIA guy disappeared too.
Strut not wanting to display his immortal powers just yet complies and releases the woman into Dan's custody. "Bobby let her go." The little black man pushes Amanda toward Dan who catches her with his free hand before she hits the floor. Strut leaves the house and walks to his van where his men are waiting.
Bobby was the first to speak up when they entered the van. "She's gonna pin your ass and there ain't nothing we'll be able to do to get your ass cleared."
"That may not be so I have a plan to which she will never point me out. We still have her child."
Bobby takes an easier breath at the thought. "Yeah she's bound to do exactly what we say." An evil grin spreads across Bobby's face as he thinks of the vast possibilities.
Timothy is still silent as he drives. They reach the police station. "Where the hell is the agent? That bitch told me she filled him with enough shit to kill a fucking army."
Ann Lee slides to the front of the van caressing Timothy's leg. She purrs into his ear. "That bitch was right he was moved. He could not walk away from my work." She points to the larger tire treads. "Now apologize before you join the Agent in death."
"I'm sorry my love" Timothy says as he roughly kisses Ann on the lips. "Forgive my wicked words against you. This day has been very trying."
Ann nods her understanding "If you ever call me out of my given name again I will cut your tongue from you lifeless body, my love." She touches her tongue to her pointer finger, licks it then touches his mouth. "Our business is now done go home to your wife." Ann Lee still could sense the Agent's power he was alive but getting weaker with every moment. Soon her words would ring true.
Starlet saw her chance and tried to get out of the van. She's grabbed from behind and screams her little voice hurts the grown ups ears with her pitch. The one called Bobby had her by the hair and would not let go. "Let me gooo. Mommy help meee!" she wails as she swings wildly.
One of her random swings connects with the side of Bobby's head he shakes his head. This little brat had a mean left. "You do it again I'll kill your parents."
Starlet stopped swinging and resisted little when he tied her up. Tears streamed down her face the bounds where too tight.
At the hospital Dan holds Amanda as she cries against him he'd fed her and she'd told him about their daughter telling him Strut's name in the process, and what he said he'd do to her.
"Danny–boy is gonna take care of all this. You just wait for your husband. When he comes around you tell him that Danny-boy is on his side and will get your kid back." Amanda nods her head as Dan walks from the waiting room. He hoped he could deliver such a tall order. He had two missions finding the little girl and finding a seven foot tall agent. Dan knew in his gut that the two were connected.
The woman the NIA agent called his super in the interview walks up to Dan. "Officer Rodriguez is it?"
"Yeah and you are?"
"My name is Vikki Black but you have already forgotten that I have looked for you to gain information. Where is my employee the man who interviewed you."
"I don't know. I'm trying to find him myself. Hey what are you doing." The woman pins him up against the wall of the hospital a gun pointed to his chest her arm across his throat. "I haven't seen him since you showed up."
"Why do you lie to me? Do you know where he is?" Dan shook his head no. "I require your help in finding him before my boss gets wind of our discussion. Give me you weapon. I won't have a local cop blowing me away at the first chance he gets." She slides her arm from his throat and pulls his weapon free of its holster. "Come now" she says as she guides him to her car her gun still trained on him. She opens her driver's side door Dan gets in she get right in behind him in the backseat still pointing the gun at his head.
Dan makes eye contact with her in the rearview mirror "Lady I don't want any trouble"
"Then you will do as I say without question. Drive I will search for him." Vikki knew she had sent Mark out in a mood and she had to cover her ass. Her contact at the main office told her that he never showed up even at the risk of getting fired. Vikki doubted her words made him quit. Something was up and she was going to get to the bottom of it once and for all.
