Chapter 25

When the two of them had gotten the news, they had debated at first whether or not to let Heath and Barbara know what was happening before deciding to leave a note for them to call Brian's cell before going down the street to get a ride from Bryan up to the mall to find out exactly what was happening.

A barricade was already set up with a crowd of people behind it. The three of them managed to push through, trying to get even the most minor detail about what was happening, only to have their efforts rewarded by being kept back.

"My little girl is in there!" Brian protested. "What the hell are people doing to get her and those other kids out? That maniac is going to end up killing someone!"

"We're doing what we can, sir," the officer said sternly. "You'll have to stay behind the barrier."

"Why won't anyone tell us something?" Steffi asked. "Our baby girl is being held in there, and who knows what is being done to her…."

Brian held her reassuringly, still annoyed about being kept away. "I'm sure Audrey's holding her own in there, baby. I doubt she's taking any of this without some sort of fight."

Meanwhile:

Four girls were being held hostage by two disgruntled men who had lost their jobs earlier that day. It had been simply downsizing, but they had seen it as personal affronts, and initially taken two other employees as hostages before letting them go, grabbing the girls that had come into the store instead.

Audrey had been the fourth girl; she had walked in nonchalantly to browse as she had many times before, only to have something poked into her back and told to keep her eyes forward and walk toward the stock room if she wanted to live. Strartled, she did as she was told.

At present, however, she was angry. People lost their jobs every day; why were these morons taking things out on them? Why not just let them go? Audrey knew her father would throw a fit because it was getting close to five o'clock, she needed to put gas in the car, and now because of these idiots, she was going to be grounded for being late without calling home.

"Hey, blondie," one of the men said, smiling toward her. "My, you're a pretty little thing."

Audrey glared, hoping he wasn't addressing her.

He touched her face, causing her to wince and back away. "Oh come on, honey, be nice. Let's be friends."

"I'm not your friend," Audrey snapped. "Let us go."

"Got ourselves a sassy little blondie here, Ace," he laughed to the other guy. "I think we can have some fun with this one. Maybe you can pick yourself a little lady out of the other three. And we can have a little foursome before coming back for the other two."

"No!" Audrey said firmly, putting up a fight. "Get away from me!"

"Oh, you like it rough, blondie?" the second man asked "Hey, Johnny, you're right; we can some fun with just this one while the other three watch."

He then slapped Audrey. "We've had just enough of having our lives ruined by asshole managers who cast us aside for young sluts like you. Time to get even. Maybe next time people will think twice before crossing guys like us."

Ace then grabbed Audrey by the hair, causing her to cry out. "Come here, you mouthy brat, you're going to get yours. I get you first, then if Johnny here is a good boy, I'll let him play with you for awhile when I'm done. Meanwhile, he can keep an eye on the other three skanks over there while you and I get to know each other better."

Audrey was now afraid, knowing what was about to happen, but refused to show it. She would never show her fear. Her daddy taught her how to fight and to never show fear to your opponent……

Back outside:

The parents of the other three girls had joined Brian and Steffi in the vigil; they had now gotten an update that a negotiator had been talking to one of the men that was barricaded inside. He had three of the girls, they were informed

But Audrey wasn't one of them.

"Where is she?" Brian bellowed. "Where did that other fucking piece of scum take my little girl? So help me, if that sick asshole has done anything to her…."

"Where's Audrey?" Steffi pressed. "Where is our baby?"

No one had an answer, just that "they were searching for the fourth girl."

"This is bullshit," Brian muttered. "Why won't anyone tell us anything?"

"I wish I knew," the man beside him said. "They won't tell us anything about our girl either except that negotiator crap. I should have known better than to let Gina come up here today."

"We got to do something," Bryan said. "We're not doing Audrey or those other girls any good standing here like a couple of morons while being told the same shit over and over."

"You're right, my man," Brian agreed, patting his shoulder. "Come with me. I may have an idea. I think my ring skills may be useful for something else after all."

In another area of the stockroom:

"Please…don't," Audrey begged as Ace lightly touched her breasts.

"You got a nice rack here, blondie. I bet your boyfriend has a good time with these," Ace leered, touching them further.

He then tried to kiss her. "No!" she said firmly, turning her head away. "I'll bite you."

Ace presented a knife, pushing it to her face. "You even think about it, blondie, I'll slice you up so bad, your boyfriend won't even look at you. Now you be a good girl and take off your sweater."

"No."

"Bitch!" he yelled, slapping her, and then pressed the knife to her throat. "Now you listen to me. One way or another, you're not leaving here until I get a good time. We're going to try this again. Take off the sweater. I want to see those tits."

Audrey whimpered, about to undress reluctantly when they were interrupted.

"I think the lady said no," a male voice said behind him.

Audrey looked up, thinking at first perhaps this man's partner had come to his senses, but saw Bryan and her father there instead.

"Bryan," she gasped. "Daddy."

"Well, nice for you gentlemen to join us. I hope you like to watch," Ace grinned. "This pretty lady was about to strip for me."

"That 'pretty lady' is sixteen years old," Brian snapped, "and if you don't want to be choke slammed in the next thirty seconds, you would be smart to let her go."

"Daddy, don't," Audrey begged. "He has a knife."

Ace pulled something else from his pocket. "I have this too," he added, brandishing a gun. "And I won't hesistate using it on any of you if you do anything stupid."

"Promising us a good time?" Bryan asked, calling his bluff as he and Brian closed in on Ace.

"Bryan, don't!" Audrey cried. "Please!"

"Don't worry, baby, I can handle a loser like this guy. And as we all know, your dad here has kicked the asses of people far bigger than he is."

Meanwhile:

"Dad's not picking up his phone," Heath said to his grandmother.

"I guess whatever it was, it either worked itself out or your dad is just busy and his phone's off," Barbara replied

"I left a message anyway," Heath nodded. "Want me to get some dinner?"

"We can just order something since it's the two of us. Lord knows when your parents and Audrey will be back."

"Sounds good to me. Garbage pizza okay?"

"Wonderful," Barbara smiled.

"Yeah, we can have something good since Dad won't be here to yell at us for eating too much junk food. "

Barbara nodded, ordering the food while Heath flipped on the TV for her. He had gone into the bathroom to wash up while she flipped through channels, freezing at the images on the screen when she fell on a station showing news coverage of the mall siege.

"Oh God….." she gasped. "My son!"

"Okay, hands all washed and ready for an evening….." Heath stopped, seeing the look on her face. "Grandma, are you okay?"

"Heath," she said softly, still in shock. "There was a big hostage thing at the mall, and they just showed your dad being taken away by EMS."

Later:

Audrey had been shaken, but was otherwise all right, giving a statement to police in the emergency room between asking if her father was all right. The last thing she had remembered had been Ace pulling the gun before Brian lunged at him and a loud bang, and then the blood. Somehow, she added, her boyfriend had grabbed the knife, tossing it away and cutting his hand in the process.

Audrey had also been relieved the other three girls had made it out unharmed, thanks to the negotiator and Bryan. Ace and Johnny were now in police custody.

Barbara and Heath had arrived shortly before the doctor came in, informing them that the injury Brian had suffered wasn't as bad as it had initially appeared, but he had just come out of surgery and it had warranted a hospital stay for at least a few days.

He was also being hailed as a hero, even though police on the scene hadn't been thrilled with his and Bryan's interference. The important thing, though, was that four girls were going home to their parents that night.