This chapter is quite long as I thought to make my second to last chapter long and action packed with a touch of affection thrown in. Hope you enjoy...
As soon as Alpha Force returned to the hotel, Hex grabbed his palmtop and downloaded the video footage on to it. His friends gathered around and watched as Cho and Young sealed the deal. The screen went blank for a minute and then it showed Amber, being thrown into the back of the white van. Alex winced and Hex glared at the screen, as if that might make Cho release Amber.
Just as Hex was about to shut the palmtop off, a little light flashed in the corner.
'You've got mail,' Li remarked as Hex clicked on the link.
'It's a video,' Hex said as he waited for the palmtop to download the footage. He gasped as the video began to play. Amber was tied to a chair, her face had blood streaked across it and her eyes were wide with panic and fear. Hex gripped the table edge so hard his knuckles turned white. Li put a hand on his shoulder as Paulo squeezed her other hand.
'She had her insulin injection before we went out, right?' Alex asked. Hex nodded but his eyes didn't leave the screen. Cho's voice boomed out of the speakers as he moved to stand behind Amber's chair.
'Hello again. You lot are troublesome aren't you?' He ruffled Amber's short cropped hair and she jerked her head away.
'Don't touch me,' she said through gritted teeth. Cho smiled.
'This message is mostly directed to one of you in particular. Hex, I think that's what Amber said.' He turned to look at Amber. 'Am I right?' Amber didn't react and Cho shrugged. 'Oh well. Names aren't important. Hex, if that's your name, I have a deal for you. I have something you want and you have something I want. We can do a swap. I'll give you Amber if you give me the video you took in the warehouse. Oh yes. Amber told me all about your little escapades.' Amber hung her head. 'So. What do you say? You have an hour to make your mind up. Meet me at the warehouse then and don't bother contacting the police. They have already been informed and it would be a shame if you all happened to lose your lives. I will-' Cho cut off as someone shouted something from off screen. He hurried away and Amber seized her chance. Cho hadn't turned the video camera off and they could still see into the room.
'Don't do it. Don't give him the camera. Find some other way. Whatever happens, don't give up the evidence or-' A bullet flew past Amber's head and embedded itself in the wall behind her. Amber screamed and tried to pull free of the bonds. Cho tutted and then the screen went blank.
Hex jumped up and slammed the palmtop lid shut. He grabbed the camcorder and palmtop and headed towards the door.
'Let's go.' Alex grabbed hold of Hex's arm.
'You do know that Cho isn't going to give Amber to us, even if we do give him the camera,' he pointed out. 'He'll kill us all.' Hex nodded.
'That's why we're going to break her out of there.'
Paulo tapped his fingers on the ground and looked at his watch. Li sighed and placed her hand over her eyes.
'Paulo. For the final time, no matter how many times you look at your watch, it isn't going to make things go quicker.' Paulo grinned at her but glanced at his watch face anyway. Hex and Alex had gone around the other side of the warehouse to check the outbuildings. He felt a vibration in his pocket and pulled his phone out. Paulo read the text message, then put the phone away.
'They think they've found where Amber is being kept. Alex is coming back to help you but Hex will stay and keep an eye on things.' Li nodded as Paulo got ready to crawl back to the car. He was going to be their getaway driver. Li and Alex were going to set the warehouse on fire which would hopefully distract Cho and his men for long enough so that Hex could get Amber out. Paulo paused for a moment and wriggled back to Li.
'Please be careful,' he said affectionately. Li smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
'Aren't I always?' Paulo squeezed her hand and reluctantly crawled away into the darkness.
Hex and Alex crouched behind a jeep. Hex was fidgeting and biting his lip in anxiety and Alex attempted to calm him down.
'Hex.' Hex looked at Alex. 'Chill mate.' Hex let out a gusty breath and wrung his hands together.
'What if we got it wrong? What if Amber's really hurt? What-' Alex clapped a hand over Hex's mouth. Alex felt sorry for him. While all of them were worried about Amber, Hex was particularly edgy. Alex was sure that it was Hex's feelings for Amber that were making him like he was. Alex placed his hand on Hex's arm and gave a squeeze.
Across from their hiding place, a medium sized shed slanted to one side. It didn't look very stable, but it was the only building left, apart from the main warehouse, where Amber could be. For the past five minutes, Hex and Alex had waited for some indication that Amber was inside and finally their patience was rewarded. One of Cho's guards opened the door and strode outside. He clashed the door behind him and locked it, before striding away. Hex and Alex shared a look of triumph mixed with fear. The guard hadn't had the door open for very long, but it had been enough to let them get a look inside. Amber was still tied to her chair, her body looking frail and lifeless. Alex could hear Hex grinding his teeth as he texted Paulo.
'I'm going. Wait for our signal, go and get Amber and meet us back at the car. If you can't get there, text me and we'll pick you up somewhere else. Good luck.' Hex nodded and Alex slipped away.
Li gave a sigh of relief ad Alex dropped to the ground next to her.
'Paulo?' he asked. Li nodded and flicked her hand in the direction of the car.
'Already gone,' she replied. Alex pulled a box of matches out of his pocket with a pang of loss. When they had been captured, Cho had taken his two most precious possessions; his knife and his survival kit. Both were almost always strapped to his belt and the past few days had felt weird without the familiar weight of them. Another reason to make Cho pay.
There was a large pile of boxes on either side of the front side of the warehouse. Li took a handful of matches and Alex took the rest before they ran to their targets. Alex quickly lit a match and put it to the boxes. It caught quickly and Alex lit anther match. He kept going until the fire was starting to become too hot for him to sit near. Li had done the same thing. They ran back to where Paulo had the car hidden; it was to dangerous to try and help Hex and Amber now; already a group of people had swarmed from the building and were frantically trying to put out the flames that were leaping higher and higher. Paulo flinched as a sparks leapt from the boxes and started a smaller fire in another pile of wood. Li finished texting Hex and jigged her leg nervously. Come on guys.
Hex heard the commotion as the guards became alerted to the fire. They all ran around the front to deal with it just as Hex got Li's text. He got up and ran across to the shed where Amber was being held prisoner. He picked the lock all the while muttering under his breath, 'Please let her be ok. Please let her be ok.'
He got the lock open and pushed on the door.
'Amber?' Hex hurried across the room. Amber lay awkwardly in the chair, her face hidden in shadows. 'Amber? Are you ok?' Only when he was standing right next to her could he see the gag. He felt his anger double and quickly untied her. As soon as her arms were free, Amber flung her arms around Hex's neck and gave a fierce hug.
'You have no idea how glad I am to see you,' she whispered. Hex hugged her back, momentarily forgetting the danger they were in. He felt a swell of happiness at her words; maybe she meant more than the fact that he was going to get her out. The yells of the men as they fought the fire dragged him back to reality. He pulled away from Amber and looked her in the eyes.
'Are you ok? Paulo, Alex and Li are waiting with the car so we have to go quickly.' Amber nodded hesitantly. She had a bit of a headache, but felt relatively fine; Cho had at least had the decency to have a guard wipe the blood off her face once he had turned the camera off. Hex was still looking at her so she gave a firmer nod.
'What about you head? You had blood all over your face on the video.' Amber gave a humourless laugh.
'Cho had one of his heavies put pig blood over my face so I would like worse than I actually was. They just knocked me on the head but didn't actually cut me.'
Hex seemed satisfied and they moved towards the door. He pushed it open and peered cautiously around. Alex had sent him a text just before he had finished picking the lock saying that there was no way he and Amber could get out to the front as the whole place was crawling with people. They were coming around the back to pick them up. All they had to do was get out of the warehouse grounds. Hex couldn't suppress a grin. Almost done.
A blow to his stomach sent him reeling backwards. He gasped with pain and bent over double. Amber screamed as two guards loomed out of the darkness. They grabbed her and Hex and dragged them outside. Hex's bruised stomach was in agony. The blow hadn't been that hard, but after the beating he had taken earlier that week, it was enough to put him in serious pain. They guards threw them on the ground and stood in front of them, grinning. Amber crawled over to Hex and put her arms around him. He had been so brave trying to rescue her and now he was paying for it dearly. Hex slipped his arm around Amber's waist and pulled her closer to him as one of the guards got out his gun. Amber whimpered with fear and Hex shook.
'So touching. Even in your last moments, you still love each other. I wonder how strong that love is.' Cho walked casually onto the scene as if he were out for a Sunday stroll, not about to order his guards to shoot two people. He talked in a low voice to one of the guards, who smiled and nodded enthusiastically. The guard came across and pulled Amber away from Hex. He frogmarched her back to Cho who was rubbing his hands excitedly.
'Oh how I love games!' he trilled happily. Amber noticed he was wearing a bullet proof vest. What was going on? The guards had also pulled on a Kevlar vest each and suddenly Amber realised.
'You're sick!' she screamed at Cho. 'You get enjoyment from watching people suffer!' Cho smiled as Amber continued her rant, letting vent to all of the anger, worry and pain she had had to endure since Cho had got hold of them. She ran out of breath and Cho simply nodded.
'You are right. I am sick; sick of you and your pesky friends thinking you are all high and mighty, wanting to play heroes. If you had of just left me alone to go about my business, you would back in your hotel room right now watching TV or whatever else you do. But no. You interfered with my plans, my life, and now you will pay for it. One way or another.' Amber was confused. Why was Cho talking to her? Why didn't he just order the guards to shoot her? And what had he meant when he said "Oh how I love games"? Cho stood to one side as the guard turned her around to face Hex. The guard held out his gun to her and she felt her heart stop. He wouldn't...
'I am giving you a choice, Amber. Either you shoot your little boyfriend or we shoot both of you. If you shoot him, you will go free.' Amber stood in shocked silence. Hex's fear filled eyes stared at her.
'Take your time, Amber. It's a tough decision and you have a right to feel scared. But don't worry. You aren't the first person I have offered this chance to. They have all taken it and shot the people they love. It's a big world out there Amber. You need to learn not to trust anyone; you shouldn't love anyone or you could be faced with heartache. Like now. I wonder Amber. What will you choose? Will you follow the others or take your own path and be the first to resist my offer?' Amber stared at the gun in her hands, then looked at Hex. He had a neutral expression on his face. As she made eye contact with him he smiled at her.
'Whatever you want to do,' he said softly. Cho heard and seemed surprised. Never before had the victim said anything like that. They had always begged and pleaded but in the end were always shot by the person they loved. Amber felt a lump rise in her throat. Hex had always looked out for her first, putting her safety above everyone else's- including his own- and now here he was saying that whatever she wanted to do was alright. She looked at the gun one last time, then threw it on the ground. She ran over to Hex and hugged him, tears pouring down her face. He kissed her forehead and hung onto her tightly. Amber sobbed harder regretting the thoughts that had been going through her head. How had she even thought about killing Hex for even a second? She knew that there was no way she could have pulled the trigger, but even that spilt second thought made her feel terrible. The top of her head felt damp and she realised that Hex was crying too.
Cho watched them with a mixture of anger, amazement and... Admiration. The admiration and amazement quickly died down and the anger welled up. They spoilt the game!
'Stupid girl! You gave up a chance to be free. Why?!' Amber didn't say anything and this seemed to enrage Cho more. Gone was the calm and authoritive man that had run his trafficking business so successfully for so long. In his place was a madman. He grabbed the gun that Amber had thrown on the ground and turned it over in his hands. Hex shoved Amber behind him and glared at Cho.
'Go on then. Make it quick.' Amber frantically tugged at Hex's arm.
'Don't Hex. Please. You're making it worse.' Hex continued to taunt Cho until the trafficker could stand it no longer. With a roar he pointed the gun at Hex.
Paulo parked the just as Hex and Amber were pulled from the building. They watched them huddle together on the ground, but didn't dare intervene when they saw that the guards were armed. Cho had a quick conversation with one of the guards who then went and dragged Amber away from Hex. Li frowned and then her eyes widened when the guard gave Amber the gun.
'Oh my God!' Li gasped. 'He wouldn't make Amber shoot Hex. Would he?' Amber fiddled with the gun and it seemed like she would actually pull the trigger on Hex. Li groaned and Paulo pulled her closer to him. She hid her face against his chest and waited for the gunshot. Paulo gave a sigh of relief.
'It's ok.' Li risked a glance out the window and saw Amber and Hex holding each other close on the ground.
'What happened?' Li asked. Paulo shrugged.
'I did not see. Alex?' Alex frowned.
'Nothing apart from Hex saying something to Amber. She threw down the gun just after.' He fell quiet as Cho snapped. They watched him yelling at Amber and Hex, saw him pick up the gun as Hex pushed Amber behind him and then saw him train it on Hex. Li turned away again. If they barged in now, they would all be shot as well.
Li waited for the shot but heard sirens instead. She jerked upright as police cars roared into the warehouse grounds. Armed police leapt from the cars and pointed their guns at Cho and his guards. Lights from the other side of the warehouse showed that the other members of Cho's team were getting the same treatment. Alex, Paulo and Li jumped out of the car and ran across to Amber and Hex.
A policeman was talking to them and Hex was doing most of the talking. Amber still clung to him like a possum and he had his arm around her waist again. As they walked up, the policeman left. Li squeezed them both in a hug.
'Living on the edge. Don't you love it?' Amber gave her a withering look as Paulo gave her and Hex a huge hug too. Alex smiled and raised his eyebrows.
'Bit close there, huh?' Hex nodded but Amber felt very awkward all of a sudden. It was Alex's comment. "Bit close there" reminded her of how close she was sitting to Hex. She contemplated wriggling out of his grasp, but she realised that she didn't care what her other friends thought any more. Whatever they're thinking is probably true anyway, Amber thought. So she stayed next to Hex until a paramedic came to check them over for injuries. The paramedic left them in the ambulance for a moment while she went to check with her supervisor and Amber suddenly felt awkward again. She shifted in her seat and looked around the ambulance.
'Amber.' Hex sounded a bit nervous. 'I just wanted to thank you. For not shooting me.' For some strange reason Amber found this funny. Hex looked deadly serious though, so she fought her giggles down.
'You didn't really think I'd shoot you, Hex.' She paused. 'I couldn't.' Hex opened his mouth to ask her what she meant, but the paramedic came back and said that they were free to go. Outside, Hex didn't feel comfortable asking Amber what she had meant and the quickly made their way over to Paulo, Li and Alex.
'We have to go and give statements,' Alex announced as they came within earshot. Hex nodded but Amber seemed off in her own little world. They drove to the police station and after they gave their statements, Hex showed the officers the video footage they had managed to get. After many awkward questions, Alpha Force were allowed to go. They drove back to the hotel and collapsed into bed, each of them with their own thoughts spinning over in their heads.
The next chapter will be my last. Should be up quite soon so keep a look out. Once this story is done, I will be concentrating on Dear Diary.