Run and Hide

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own anything except for my villains.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews and alerts! :) This chapter ended up shorter than the last one (which, of course, I didn't realize until I uploaded... thought I had uploaded the wrong chapter LOL). It looks much longer in Word. ;) Anyway, here's the next part. Enjoy! :)

Chapter 4

"He went this way!"

Jamie's adrenaline surged. He had been so sure that he had slipped away unnoticed, but realized, with cold dread settling in the pit of his stomach, that he was very wrong. He fumbled for his phone, cursing as he realized there was no signal. His brain whirled frantically, panic clouding his mind. He couldn't run for the path as that would put him right in their line of sight. The beach! If he ran along the beach for a different area of trees, he could take a run at the path from a different direction, and hopefully from farther away.

He didn't even stop to think. Tearing towards the sand, he ran to the right, the direction that he knew would lead him back to the main office. He left his things, knowing he'd have to come back for them later. He stayed on the loose dry sand, hoping his footprints would be harder to see than on the wet sand closer to the water. He tore to the far edge of the beach, disappearing into the thick trees.

~~BB~~

"This is the only campsite that's being used, Jake. This must be his!" a burly man with dark hair and a scruffy face grunted. Jake, a clean shaven man with reddish hair nodded. He was clearly the leader as the other three men seemed to wait for him to speak.

"You're right, Andy, but where is he? He couldn't have gotten away that quickly!"

"Maybe he's trying to hide!" A third man with brown hair snickered, swiping aside the partially open tent door, appearing satisfied with the resounding rip the tearing fabric made. Only a sleeping bag and mat were left inside.

The fourth rummaged through the pack, tossing clothes and food onto the ground. Bored, he kicked it aside. "He doesn't have anything interesting with him." he yawned, running a hand through his sun-bleached hair. "Why are we going after the runt anyway?"

"He saw us shoot someone, Cole. You can be such a moron sometimes!" Jake snapped. "We have to put him away before his verbal diarrhea reaches the police!" The third man snickered again. Jake shot him a murderous look. "What's so funny, Kevin?"

"Verbal diarrhea." Kevin snorted. "It just sounded… funny… nothing's funny, Jake." he mumbled, scrubbing a hand through his hair and cringing away from the glare his partner was throwing at him.

Jake tore his eyes away from Kevin, scanning the trees. "Cole, take Andy and go back to the path. He obviously didn't start there because we didn't see him, but he might show up there. Kevin, come with me. We'll check along the beach."

The three men nodded, separating. Kevin followed Jake, scanning the ground.

"I don't really notice anything, Jake."

"Just keep looking. He didn't vanish into thin air!"

"Hey Jake? These look a little like footprints." Kevin said, stopping to point at a scuff mark in the sand.

"Could be anyone's prints." Jake muttered, uninterested.

"But they look like they were made by someone running."

Jake stopped, his interest peaked. He stared at the scuff marks. "You could be right. And he couldn't have gotten far, the beach is small."

"The trees?"

"Let's check them out." Jake nodded, hurrying towards the edge of the trees.

~~BB~~

Jamie stopped, winded. He listened carefully, hearing nothing. He'd gotten a fair ways in; the trees were thick enough that the darkness closed in around him, making him strain his eyes. He turned to his right, sure that the path was around there somewhere. He walked at a brisk pace, straining his eyes and ears, looking and listening for any sound or sight that the four burly men were catching up to him. He only heard silence.

He stopped suddenly, grabbing the stitch in his side. He tried to breathe through it, ignoring the pain. His side seized defiantly. He groaned quietly, sitting on a fallen trunk. He'd rest for a couple of minutes then get moving again. He stretched carefully, leaning backwards. The cool night air teased his sweaty forehead, sending shivers down his spine. His eyes blurred, but he couldn't risk napping. He had to keep moving. He stood, testing his side. The stitch was mostly gone; only an occasional painful tug remained. He could live with that.

A sound made him freeze. He held his breath, straining his ears. He laughed at himself. It was probably just an animal, and he couldn't hear anything else to indicate otherwise. He shook his head at his jumpiness and continued walking forward.

The light was a bit brighter in front of him. His heart thumped in anticipation, his mind telling him that the path was just in front of him…

There was a shout as he reached the beaten down grass of the path. He turned, arms raised in defense as a dead weight crashed into him, forcing him to the ground. He swung his elbow, catching the scruffy man in the jaw. He cried out, reeling back. Jamie jumped to his feet, taking off down the path, hoping to outrun them.

"Jake!" another man shouted. "We've got him!"

The man who must have been Jake barreled out of the trees with a second man right behind him. Jamie had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that he had been herded without even realizing it.

"Well, go after him Cole! Don't let him get away!" Jake hollered, chasing after Jamie, the other three men on his heels. The burly one who had run into Jamie at the start was trying to nurse his split lip. He glared at the back of Jamie's head.

Jamie put on another burst of speed. His lungs were bursting, his throat tearing from the ragged gasps of dry air, but he couldn't stop or he was dead. The stitch returned in spades, nearly causing him to stumble. His breath hitched, but he forced himself to continue. He could hear footfalls behind him…

"Gotcha, you little bastard!" a voice snarled.

Jamie landed face first on the ground. A fist smashed into the side of his face, causing a burst of light to explode in front of his eyes. He lay stunned, trying to pull air back into his wooden lungs, when a rough pair of hands yanked him to his feet. He whirled, throwing his fist into the nearest face, the same face he'd hit before.

He felt a crack under his fist and knew that he'd broken something. The man howled, clutching his nose, blood leaking from between his fingers. The man turned his wild, angry eyes on Jamie, throwing his own punch. Jamie dodged. Another fist slammed into his stomach, doubling him over. A kick to the back of his legs sent him to his knees. He gasped for air as he found himself surrounded by the four men. Regret filled him… this was it. He was going to die, and he hadn't said goodbye to his family…

He cried out as someone roughly grabbed his hair, forcing his head back. He stared into the angry face of Jake.

"We should just kill him now and be done with it."

"No, Andy."

"Jake, he broke my nose!"

"Like we really care, Andy!" Jake spat, his grip tightening on Jamie's hair. "You'll get patched up when we get home." He turned away from the bleeding man, looking again into Jamie's face. Jamie glared back. If his mouth wasn't so dry, he'd spit at him.

"This one's got spunk." a man snickered.

"You know, Kevin," Jake started, smiling evilly. "For once, I agree with you."

"We should just take him out and leave, Jake." Another man grumbled. "I'm ready to go."

"Cole, we're not going to kill him. Yet." Jake smirked, releasing Jamie's hair and mockingly patting his head. "He looks familiar to me. What's your name?"

Jamie just glared, refusing to answer.

"Spunky, alright." Andy grumbled. "Damn bastard… my nose hurts!"

"Shut up about your nose, Andy! No one cares!" Jake barked. He looked back at Jamie. "Fine." he smiled. "You don't need to say anything right away. I have ways of making you talk, and believe me…" he leaned down next to Jamie's ear. "They always work!" He straightened, giving Jamie a sneer. He grabbed one of his arms. Cole moved up on Jamie's other side, grabbing his other arm. Together, they hauled him to his feet, attempting to drag him down the path.

Jamie's body felt weak with the loss of adrenaline, the exhaustion of his run and the recent fight. He knew however, that if he allowed himself to be taken he'd probably be returned to his family in pieces. His mind spun, his eyes looking for an out.

They reached the end of the path. He could see the small office with the tiny store beside it. He could see his own car in the parking lot. The only other car that was left was a black van parked off to the left. He prayed that someone was looking out the window of the office, but he couldn't see anything besides pale light from a lamp. No silhouettes. No movement. The store looked like it was closed. Fear seized him. He'd have to make a move on his own. If he could just get into the office…

He twisted, breaking free of Cole's loosened grip. He shoved an elbow into Jake's stomach, causing him to let go with a surprised grunt. He took off down the hill towards the office…

A heavy weight grabbed him around the knees, forcing him back onto the ground. He twisted backwards, trying to throw a punch. Andy grabbed his fists, shoving his arms down and pressing a knee into Jamie's stomach, winding him. Jamie grunted, trying to twist free.

"I've had enough of this little punk!" Jake growled, grabbing his gun.

"I thought you said…" Kevin piped up.

"I'm not going to kill him you moron!"

"Then what are you doing?"

Jake ignored him. "Haul him up!"

Cole and Andy grabbed Jamie's arms, forcing him to his knees. Jamie struggled, but his remaining strength was quickly waning. He glared at Jake, his eyes hard. He swallowed thickly, glancing at the gun and back to Jake's face, trying to read his mind.

"You need to learn to listen, punk!" Jake growled into Jamie's face. Jamie's lips thinned.

"Go to hell!" he hissed.

Jake quirked an eyebrow. "You asked for it."

Jamie tried to dodge, but was held firmly by the brutes on either side of him. The handle of the gun swung towards him. He'd barely closed his eyes when the hard metal slammed into the side of this head. He collapsed, his captors having let go as soon as the gun hit him. He tried rolling onto his side, but he could barely move. Lights sparkled in front of his eyes, darkness closing in around the sides of his vision. He heard far away laughter as the darkness grew.

'I tried...' he thought as unconsciousness claimed him. 'I'm sorry…'

~~BB~~

"Now what?" Kevin asked, staring down at the unconscious lump of a man lying at his feet. He kicked him lightly in the ribs. "Should we leave him?"

"No!" Jake sighed, rolling his eyes. "We leave him and that's evidence. Grab him and get him into the van. Quick, before someone looks out the office window!"

Cole and Kevin each grabbed and arm, dragging Jamie towards the van. They tossed him into the back of the van, smirking as he landed like a sack of potatoes.

"Tie him." Jake ordered. "When he wakes up, I don't want him fighting again."

Andy grabbed a rope that was on the floor of the van, proceeding to tie Jamie's hands behind his back. He tied his feet together and, as a final dig at Jamie's pride, he grabbed a roll of tape, sticking a piece over his mouth. "What?" he asked, responding to Cole's inquiring look. "The brat annoys me. I don't want to hear his voice."

Cole nodded, climbing into the back row of seats. The others did the same, leaving Jamie to himself in the back. "He's bleeding, Jake." Cole informed. "That gun did a number on him."

Jake turned, staring back at Jamie, watching a trickle of blood run from his forehead just above his temple. "He'll get over it." he muttered, turning to stare out the windshield.

Cole decided to stay quiet. It did no good to argue with Jake. Jake cared for no one. Other people's injuries didn't bother him. The only one he had cared for was dead.

They drove in silence. They were nearing the edge of New York City when they heard a weak shuffling coming from the back. Cole turned to look over the back of the seat. Jamie had woken up, his half opened eyes unfocused and filled with pain. He was trying to turn over, to get an idea of where he was.

"Keep him silent!" Jake barked from the front.

"He's fine, Jake. He's still out of it." Cole called back, trying to catch Jamie's eyes. Jamie finally looked at him. "Keep still." he muttered to Jamie. Jamie glared, but stopped moving, too weak to continue anyway. Cole shot one last look at him before turning back around.

~~BB~~

Jamie groaned silently. His head throbbed. He was trying to figure out why the blond one looked like he was attempting to warn him, but his brain was too fuzzy to think. Every little movement sent pain stabbing through his head. He closed his eyes again, willing unconsciousness to claim him once again.

~~BB~~

Andy raced inside the building in search of the first aid kit. His nose had stopped bleeding, but it was swollen and purple and it ached so bad he was starting to wish that he could just cut it off. He left the other three to deal with the bastard lying unconscious in the back of the van.

Kevin peered in at the lump. "What do we do with him?"

"Get him inside." Jake ordered. "Put him in the basement room."

Cole reached in, dragging Jamie towards him by the legs. Kevin grabbed him under the arms. They heaved, lifting him out of the van and carried him into the house.

"Kid's heavy." Kevin grunted. He and Cole stumbled to the basement stairs. "I say we just let him roll down on his own."

Cole shook his head. "Steep stone stairs would probably kill him, idiot. Jake doesn't want him dead yet."

Kevin frowned. "Fine." He tugged on Jamie, forcing Cole to keep up. They stumbled down the stairs, nearly falling themselves. Jamie's head bounced off the wall a couple of times as they wobbled unsteadily. Finally, they reached the bottom.

"The room with the lock." Cole ordered, nodding his head towards his right. Kevin grunted in agreement. They entered the room, dropping Jamie unceremoniously onto the floor. Kevin prodded him with his toe.

"He's really out of it."

"Yeah, well, what do you expect? Jake really clocked him."

"Bastard deserved it." Kevin snickered, pushing past Cole and heading back upstairs. Cole glanced around him before quickly leaning over Jamie. At least the kid was still breathing. The gash on the side of his head was clotting; only a few drops of fresh blood remained. Cole gave up his quick examination. Jake would be satisfied that the kid was alive, and less likely to fight back. He stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him. He grabbed the key and locked it, stuffing it into his pocket as he headed back towards the stairs.

~~BB~~

Jamie moaned as he slowly woke for the second time. His arms and hands were numb. He tried feebly to roll off of them onto his stomach instead. Succeeding, he rested his throbbing head on the dingy carpeting beneath his face. Summoning another ounce of strength, he lifted his head, his eyes stinging dryly. He blinked a few times, the dark room coming into focus. It was empty. He could see weak light filtering through the tiny, grungy window high above his head. The room had a stale smell, the carpets dusty and the wall filled with dirt and cigarette smoke. Jamie forced himself onto his side, keeping the injured side of his head away from the floor. There was a door a short distance away from his feet. If only he wasn't tied up!

Jamie agonizingly sat up, pain shooting through his head. He breathed through his nose, trying to get the world to stop spinning. When the world seemed relatively stable, he wiggled around so that the door faced his back. Leaning backwards, he inched towards the door on his backside, using his hands to guide him. After several painful moments, he bumped into the solid wood of the door. Using it as leverage, he inched upwards, finally standing on his own two, albeit tied, feet. He felt around behind him, grabbing the handle with his hands. He twisted the knob.

He let out another moan, this time in frustration. The door was locked. He hopped forwards, the movement jarring his sore head. He collapsed to his knees on the other side of the room, under the window. His dry lungs on fire, he fell sideways, leaning against the wall. He squeezed his eyes shut.

How did he always get into these messes?

~~BB~~

"What have you got there?" Andy mumbled through his bandaged nose. He pointed at an object in Kevin's hand. Kevin kept tapping it against the table.

It was about four in the afternoon on Sunday. The men were bored. Jamie kept on sleeping, but they knew that he had been awake once his position had changed. Unable to wake him themselves, they left him alone until he woke up on his own. He was no fun to deal with while unconscious.

"It's the kid's cellphone." Kevin sneered, holding it up. "I snitched it out of his pocket the last time I was down there."

Andy snatched it from him, turning it on. He skimmed through a few of the menu's, Cole glancing over his shoulder.

"Well, what do you know!" Andy smirked. Kevin snatched the phone back.

"What?" he asked, skimming through it himself. A slow sneer lifted his lips. Jake reached over, grabbing it from his grasp.

"What's got you two so happy?"

Andy and Kevin glanced at each other. "He's a Reagan, Jake." Andy said, puffing himself up for finding the information first. "You know, the same name as Detective Daniel Reagan, the one who put your father in jail several years ago? This kid must be his brother! Look at the background picture."

Jake smirked, staring at the picture. It was a family gathering of the males in the family. His father, an older man who must be his grandfather, the aforementioned Daniel Reagan and, there in the middle, was the kid. They all wore happy smiles.

"You know I hate my father. He's just a drunk loser." Jake sneered. He could care less about what Danny did or didn't do. "This could still work to my advantage, though."

"How's that?" Cole asked cautiously. He didn't like the manic glint in his companion's eyes.

Jake smiled patiently. "Because, Cole, I've remembered exactly who this kid is."

"Who?"

Jake's smile turned ugly. "Jamie Reagan." He was met with blank stares. "Do you idiots not remember just a few nights ago?"

"Oh… whoa, that was this kid? No wonder he broke my nose! He's a cop!" Andy grumbled before glancing at his companion, panic filling his face. "Jake, this is bad, really bad! He's a cop!"

Jake smiled again, his eyes glinting evilly. "Yes, Andy, he is. And he's going to pay dearly for what he has done. He's going to wish he had never been born!"

~~TBC~~