Redemption

Chapter Seventy-Two

Dessa's man had given up willingly, allowing himself to be handcuffed and taken away; given the amount of agents that had surrounded him, he didn't exactly have a choice in the matter, anyhow. The barrier of the building had been breached and was secure, but that only left the epicenter, where the beast was lurking. Hopefully, he hadn't been alerted to their presence and the element of surprise could be brought down.

Bobby's heart was pounding in his chest, beads of sweat trickling down his back as he led the team inside. The plans had been changed when DeMarco had been thrust out to them, yet it could have been for the better, he wasn't exactly certain, yet. He wanted to be on the ground when Dessa was taken care of and he wanted to witness his downfall, that's how wildly his anger was racing through him. He wouldn't let it get the better of him, though; he couldn't. Lives were at stake and he would take care of his personal feelings at a later time, no matter how difficult it would be to see the woman he loved being tortured… or worse.

A loud sigh escaped him as he rested is back against the wall and took a deep breath. He'd seen it once before and he'd almost lost it, seeing it again would probably push him over the edge. Luckily, he'd taught her a few maneuvers in self-defense she hadn't known before and he hoped they would come in handy.

He felt Myles give him a comforting pat on the back as if asking if he was all right to continue leading, so he gave a nod and blew out another breath. He could do this and everyone would be alive at the end, he was sure of it. And, after this was over, he was going to marry Danni; not just because he loved her—though that was the main reason—but because he needed a vacation. All of the stress was getting to him and two whole, wonderful weeks away with his soon-to-be-wife would be just what the doctor ordered.

Shaking his head to clear it and the sweat from his eyes, he motioned for Myles to scope out in front of him while he covered the Harvard-grad. He saw Myles poke his way around the corner, his gun aimed high as he made sure the hallway was clear. Bobby needed to clear his thoughts, that's why he'd sent Myles ahead or else he would have done the maneuver himself.

The bomb was still in play and that was what stressed him out most, though from closer inspection of the charges, they would be set off by remote, which would be on Dessa's person, he was sure. They would have to get the detonator from his grasp before even trying to dismantle the explosives. One wrong snip of the wires and he could blow them all up. He wasn't willing to take that risk and the bomb squad had been called and would be on the scene once the device was in their control.

The surveillance unit had been moved once all of the charges had been discovered, Tara and Max both a safe distance away just in case the explosives were detonated. It was only a precaution and all for naught, but if anyone needed to make it out alive, they needed to. They had all the evidence to capture and convict Dessa on multiple counts at their fingertips. If the computers inside the vans were destroyed, all of the evidence could be destroyed. Luckily, Tara had been smart enough to think of a backup plan. She'd made copies of everything and sent them in an e-mail to herself just in case the equipment was to get damaged. D knew he called her a genius for a reason and she'd reminded him many times during this ordeal.

Coming back from his reverie as Myles signaled them to move forward, newly-found determination had been found within the Aussie. Victory was just out of his reach and he needed to maintain his sense of mind to finish what had begun. Another sigh escaped him as he watched D progress around him and move ahead. He pushed against the wall and followed suit, members of the other teams following close behind. The beginning of the end was here.

"Don't look so tense, Special Agent," Dessa said as he motioned for Jack to sit on a chair that had been placed behind him, though the agent wasn't quite sure when that had happened. "I believe you need to learn to relax more." A deep chuckle emitted from the man's lips as he took a seat in his own chair, a content sigh escaping him as he relaxed his tense muscles.

Where the second had come from, Jack was just as clueless as when the first one suddenly appeared. While wary of the kind offering, his legs were beginning to feel weak. Tentatively, he lowered himself onto the chair, his eyes never leaving the man in front of him. The glint that sparkled in the man's eye was just enough to make his blood run cold and wish he still had his weapon.

His gun had been taken from him and had been tucked in the waistband of Adit's—the bodyguard—pants, which he could easily grab if he was quick enough. He wouldn't even dare to make the attempt, though, despite the urge to try. There were too many other high-powered guns surrounding him and no way to escape. That was an instant death sentence if he'd ever seen one.

"I won't relax until you keep up your end of the bargain. Let her go." He simply motioned with his head toward Danni, but didn't look at her. Looking in her direction would only show the pity he felt and he knew that wouldn't help her any. Focusing on what was right in front of him was, surprisingly, the safe road, even if it didn't seem that way.

"We've already discussed that and my men thank you for the offering, but there is one more thing you need to do for me, Agent Hudson."

"Never," Jack spat, his eyes glowering as his anger continued to rise. He didn't care what the project entailed; he wasn't going to do him any favors if he refused to release his hostage.

"I think you'll change your mind, once you find out what you could be protecting." He snapped his fingers and two more men emerged from a closed-off hallway, a woman in their clutches as they stalked toward their leader.

Jack could see her feet dragging as her resolve had crumbled, letting them do whatever they wished if she complied. His blood began to boil as her blond locks reflected in his dark brown eyes as her head hung low. If one of them had hurt her in any way, he would make sure to have their head.

By the way she was being carried, he thought she'd fainted, yet she was just refusing to look up. When they stopped a few feet away from his chair and threw her to the ground, her head lifted as her arms supported her weight. Her hazel eyes were filled with both tears and fear as they rested upon his, reflecting the love that was surging through his heart at that very moment. His breath hitched as he felt her fear transfer to him and settle into his own heart. "Sue," he breathed. He felt like he'd just been punched in the gut again and, though the first one hurt, this one left a lingering ache.

He tried to get up to move to her side, but a heavy hand upon his shoulder told him that that movement wouldn't be wise. Tears stung the back of his eyes as he let them caress her still silky-smooth skin; a place where his hand had been only an hour ago. His fingers tingled from the memory and knew he had to comply for Sue's sake.

Exhaling heavily, he closed his eyes as he turned to Dessa. Letting his brown pools linger on her beautiful face for longer than necessary would cause the inhibited Jack to release his anger and focus it on those around him. That would kill all three of them, he was sure. "What do you want?" he asked, receiving a bad taste in his mouth as the words exited him.

A corner of the terrorist's lips ascended, which meant the man was very happy with the response as he leaned back in his chair. "I thought you'd see it my way."

Sue's surprised yelp brought Bobby to attention. He stood on one side of the corridor, while Myles stood on the other, each examining a different side of the warehouse. They watched as Sue was pulled to her feet, Jack struggling to get to her in the process, only to end up back on the floor with another hit to the gut. The Aussie couldn't help but wince as he felt his friend's pain.

Turning away, he looked to Myles for advice of what to do. The Bostonian looked as clueless as he, but the echo of Sue's sounds of protest got their blood pumping and their brains thinking.

They would split up, half going with Myles and half going with Bobby. The two men nodded toward one another once the plan was passed along, making sure to emphasize to protect the hostages at all costs. Once they were sure that their teams understood, they counted to three before moving in.

"Freeze, FBI!" they shouted as they charged in.