Author's notes: Thanks to Jane Doe51, MissDonnie, thommo75 for being kind enough to review , you're support is very welcome. and to everyone else who's reading it. I hope you enjoy this chapter, a mention of torture at the beginning.
Jane awakes to an explosion of pain and a piercing scream. Tears fill his eyes as he struggles for control, his body is in excruciating pain, he throws his head back trying to escape it. He's gasping, fighting for each breath that his distress denies him. He bows his head, closing his eyes and blows through his mouth, a loud, insistent voice in his head telling him to calm, to gain control. Slowly the pain becomes more controllable. As the blood rushing in his ears calms he can hear laughter. He opens his eyes and looks up at his captor, who bends down and gets close in to Jane's face, he rears back as far as he can. The man has a cruel smile on his lips.
"Wakey, wakey. I hope you enjoyed your nap. It'll be your last. Did you like my wake up call?"
Jane grits his teeth and shakes his head. With the passing of time, the pain is settling on the left upper side of his body.
"Really? Grown tired of the nail gun have you. Then perhaps something else in my repertoire will please you."
The man reaches out and touches Jane at the source of the pain. Jane can now identify it as his collar-bone. The man runs his finger along it, almost as a caress.
"The nail has shattered the collar-bone, just here below your shoulder. I imagine it's very painful, especially with your arms held back behind the chair."
Jane feels sickened at the man's touch and swallows the bile that threatens, fighting down the urge to throw up.
The man moves away and sits down on his chair.
"Today I'm through toying with you, the real work begins. You will live this day in agony, and the next and maybe the next, I haven't quite decided when I will kill you. I guess it depends on how much amusement you give me."
Jane watches as the man places the nail gun on the floor and picks up the drill that's lain there all night. Fear takes a tight hold of his stomach. Panic threatens to rid him of his senses, he has to fight hard to remember the plan he formulated.
"What was she like...your wife?"
His captor looks up from the drill he'd been inspecting.
"My wife?"
Jane nods, then wishes he hadn't, as it sends a pain shooting through his body. He struggles to stop himself from crying out. He watches the man carefully, knowing his future depends on his reaction to the question. He feels some hope as there's no tension in the man, he watches him look down at the drill and softly stroke it. Jane ventures words to encourage him to speak.
"You obviously loved her very much, she must have been a wonderful person."
His captor looks up at him, his eyes shine with unshed tears.
"She was beautiful. She lived down the street when I was growing up. We travelled on the same bus to school. She was always so kind to me. Many of the kids at school were mean and nasty, but not her. She would smile at me and sometimes would sit next to me on the bus."
Jane grits his teeth and nods encouragingly, successfully hiding the pain it caused him.
"She was an Angel. Such a beautiful smile, it made people feel warm inside. Every day was better when I saw that smile. Her eyes would crinkle up and they were kind and I knew she wasn't laughing at me. She never laughed at me.
Cho pulls the vehicle to a stop, a couple of houses down from their intended target. It's a rundown neighbourhood, and the house they want is run down more than most. He joins Abbott and Lisbon who parked behind him, they're in conversation with the leader of the swat team they brought along. Abbott is barking out orders.
"Cho, around the back, Kim, you come behind us and head down the basement. Lisbon and I will take the front and then upstairs."
"Boss I want the basement, if Jane's here that's where he'll be."
"Just follow my orders agent. Let's go!"
Jane's fighting hard to keep his concentration, any movement, even breathing, is causing terrible pain. His captor's stopped talking, and is lost in thought. Jane needs to bring him back.
"Where did you go on your first date?"
The man snaps back and looks almost surprised to see him.
"What?"
"After loving her for so long from afar, your first date must have been a special occasion, where did you go?"
Jane attempts a smile, causing all sorts of pain in his face.
"I bet it was somewhere special. You got all dressed up."
His captor nods his head.
"Yes, my best suit. I knew roses were her favourite flowers so I bought some pink ones, she always wore pink. I spent the afternoon washing my car, polished it up real good. It sparkled."
"Of course, nothing but the best for your first date. Sounds like you did everything right."
Lisbon hears every room being declared clear through her ear plug, as she did the same in the hallway, stairs, bathroom and bedrooms. Her heart sinks as she hears the same thing from Kim, he's not here.
Wiley sits down at the small kitchen table, there's a laptop laying there closed. He lifts up the lid and it springs to life when he touches the pad. He smiles to himself when there's no password, As he searches the items on the desktop screen he notices a camera logo, it says it's active. He clicks it on and a picture appears sending his blood cold.
She walks slowly down the stairs, Cho appears and the look on his face sends her stomach plummeting.
"Wiley's found something."
Jane wants, needs, to shift position, his muscles are screaming at him, but he knows it won't bring relief. For one, his movement's so severely restricted that his muscles wouldn't register it and his collar bone would protest painfully. He wants to forget all about control, and let out a loud, guttural scream that would express his pain, his anger, his frustration, his humiliation, his desperation. Instead he looks his captor in the eye and says:
"I bet she looks amazing when she answered the door."
His captor shakes his head but a wistful smile plays on his lips.
"I didn't pick her up from her house. I had free period on Thursday afternoons, it gave me time to get everything ready and then I picked her up after her debate class. She was standing at the bus stop, in her jeans and delicate pink blouse, so soft it laid gently on her form, just showing the promise of her perfect curves beneath, and I felt excitement within me knowing she was waiting just for me."
Abbott and Lisbon follow Cho into the kitchen, it's a mess, Lisbon resists the temptation to hold her nose at the smell of rancid food attacks her nostrils. Wiley's sits at a small kitchen table, a laptop open in front of him. Abbott addresses him:
"What have you found Wiley?"
Wiley looks up, his face a little green, his eyes, full of concern and horror, the same look she'd seen on Cho's face.
"Jane."