Everything was going according to Swarrid's plan. That was until the phone rang. They weren't supposed to call him. He was supposed to call them. Swarrid ran through what had happened since he got here. He started with the water, putting a rag over Don's mouth a pouring water in to give the illusion of drowning. Then he went to something a little more barbaric, but useful for keeping injuries hidden: soap in a pillow case. Yes, it was an old school trick, but it was one of his favorites. The bruises didn't show up for a couple days. He had been about to start with the jagged knives. (He'd already used the nice smooth ones.) Swarrid tried not to show it, but Don saw that the phone had messed him up and he smiled past the pain. "Better answer it."
Swarrid shot Don a menacing look and picked up the phone. "Colby Granger, how nice of you to call."
"Why thank you, I was thinking the same." Colby replied. If it was a battle of sarcasm he wanted, it was a battle of sarcasm he would get.
"Well, Agent, you know I'm not stupid enough to stay on the line while you trace this call. So what do you want? Make it quick."
"I'd like to talk to Don." Colby replied.
"Aren't I fun enough to talk to?" Swarrid asked with a fake pouting tone.
"Sorry, Nattie, but I'd like to speak to Donnie." Colby hoped Don never heard this conversation.
There was silence for a moment and Colby thought Swarrid had hung up. "You better watch your back, Granger." He growled.
Suzie signaled to Colby for 45 more seconds.
Colby nodded then said, "I've been threatened before. You're not going to scare me."
"Here's your precious Eppes." Swarrid growled. He held the phone beside Don's ear. He was too angry to care how long he'd been on the phone.
"Colby?" Don asked.
"Hey, Don, you alright?"
Don heard the concern in his voice and smiled. "Ya, Colb. Been better though." He wouldn't admit to the tremendous pain burning across his abdomen.
Colby knew what 'been better' meant though. "Hang in there, Don. We'll be there as soon as we can."
"I know." Don glanced from Swarrid to the phone and back, worried that he was going to pull it away as he asked, "How's Robin?"
"Fine-" was all Don could hear before Swarrid clicked the phone shut, suddenly realizing his mistake.
Colby clicked his own phone shut. "Did we get it?" he asked.
"We got it narrowed down to a 3 block by 3 block area." Liz said. "I'm sending the area over to your phone."
Colby waited a couple seconds and watched as the GPS showed up. He shifted gear and hit the gas. They were close.
Swarrid knew he had pushed his luck. Until now he had stuck to things he knew Don could handle so he would last for a longer time. Now it was time to press on and avenge his brother before the feds showed up. He walked over to a stereo and turned the volume up the whole way. Music blared out of the box and Don realized what it was for. It was so the neighbors didn't hear what was really going on. Don clamped his jaw tight together. He wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. Don squeezed his eyes shut. He was never going to be able to listen to Bob Seger ever again.
Only a mere 10 minutes later, Colby squealed to a stop on the corner of 16th Street. "Liz, how long 'till you get here?" Colby asked impatiently.
"6 minutes!" Liz said back.
"Too long." Colby muttered. He knew when it came to torture that a lot could happen in 6 minutes. They still had to find the right house too.
"We can go." Suzie whispered.
"You up to it?" Colby asked.
"Of course I am." Suzie replied. "Just wishin' that the fighting could stay overseas."
"That's the truth." Colby agreed. They both quietly stepped out of the car and were suddenly aware of a faint playing of the 70s.
On a hunch Colby headed toward the direction of the music. Suzie followed and drew her weapon when Colby did.
House 241 was the source of the music. All the lights were off, which was odd. As they got closer Colby saw that there were lights in what appeared to be a below ground garage. Colby used hand motions to signal for Suzie to wait for him there. He was going to look through the window. Colby crept up as silent as a shadow. He took one quick look in and his suspicions were confirmed. The image of Don strapped to the chair burned itself into his memory. Swarrid had been attaching something to Don's chest…
Colby jogged back over. "Go for the back. Clear the rooms." he instructed. "Liz, we're going in." he said into his earpiece. He hoped she could hear him over the loud music. He tried the door knob on the front door and was surprised when it opened. He swung it open fast and raised his weapon. He cleared the dark living room. He moved to the kitchen that was connected to it and cleared every inch of that room too. He moved into what appeared to be the laundry room. It was clear too. He walked back out and met Suzie in the kitchen. "My rooms are clear." She said just loud enough that Colby could hear.
He nodded. "Upstairs?" he asked.
She shook her head. "Didn't check." Colby nodded and motioned for her to follow him. He headed to where Suzie had just left. There was just a bathroom and a set of steps leading up. Something was suspicious. If there was a below ground garage how did you get to it? Colby pushed on the wall where usually a utility closet door was. He felt a slight give and pushed harder. The wall (actually a door) swung open silently and the music got way louder. Steps led down to a basement. Colby held his hand up and motioned for Suzie to follow him. Colby got a faint whiff of burning flesh and ran down the steps yelling, "FBI! Put your hands where I can see them!" Suzie yelled the same thing in her own variation.
The brightly lit area was a change from the dark upstairs and the light stung for a second, but they kept their guns at chest height.
Swarrid was standing above Don holding a burning hot piece of metal to the tender skin on his side. There was a sick sizzling noise and the tension in Don's jaw showed how much pain the man was in.
"Only two?" Swarrid asked disappointedly. They had to read his lips because the music overpowered his voice.
Suzie's "psychic" powers started tingling. He wanted as many feds dead as he could and he had drawn them here with Don. Something else was bound to happen now that they were here.
"Put the rod down!" Colby yelled to be heard.
Swarrid reached behind him and turned the stereo off. "Let's have a civilized conversation, shall we?"
Don almost sighed when the rod was taken off, but kept it back. Now that the rod had stopped that meant the shocking was on its way. He then noticed the music being turned off. Why had Swarrid stopped? Then he heard Colby and smiled against his control.
"Look, Swarrid, the building's surrounded." Colby bluffed. "You're not going anywhere."
Suzie followed two wires connected to Don's bare chest back to a machine that was very close to Swarrid. Other than the slightly burns on Don's side and what appeared to be some knife cuts he didn't look in that bad of shape. The goofy smile on Don's face suggested drugs.
"Colby, we're here! Where are you?" Liz asked in Colby and Suzie's ear.
"I'm not going to give up that easily." Swarrid said. "I still haven't had my fun."
Suzie and Colby tensed, ready to fire.
"Colby?" Liz demanded.
"Look, Swarrid, can't we talk about this?" Colby asked. Liz got the message. Can't talk.
Suzie was watching Swarrid carefully.
"No." Swarrid replied and shot his hand out like lightning. He hit a button on the machine Don was hooked up to and the two agents were momentarily distracted as Don cried out in pain and started jerking violently as electricity coursed through his body.
Swarrid dove for something that Suzie instantly recognized. "BOMB!" she yelled.
Colby dove for Don and Suzie squeezed off a round. The round tore through Swarrid's heart just as he hit the detonator. As Colby ripped the wires of Don's chest and he stopped jerking there was a massive rumbling and the ground shook. The floor above them collapsed.
Dun dun dun. Oh and Bob Seger just so happened to be what was playing when I wrote this. So I apologize if you absolutely adore him like I do. :) And I love the fact that reviewers are asking for Don whump. XD I love writing Don whump. I won't be getting too far into it at the moment. Maybe there will be room for flashbacks in an epilogue? *nudge nudge wink wink*