Chapter 30

Clarice sped down the road as fast as she could, and she dialed Ardelia's number. It was risky to call, but there was no time to waste.

Agent Mapp glanced at her buzzing phone. She walked behind a vehicle and answered in a mumble, "Girl you must be crazy to call me now. I am surrounded by agents what the fuck just hap-"

"He has Hannibal Dee!"

"What?! Who?"

"Our mystery man hired a gunman and this whole scene was staged, but where ever Hannibal is, he is injured. I took care of the sniper Dee and I have his phone with the number to our guy on it. We can get him. We have to get him now."

Ardelia shook her head, "Fuck! Ok, ok. Look I will leave now but we will have to make this quick. Where are we supposed to meet?"

"Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue. Meet me there in fifteen Dee or I am leaving without you."

"I'll be there."

Ardelia walked to her car and started to get in, but she was stopped short when Pearsall grabbed the door.

"Where in the hell do you think you are going?"

"To the hospital, they need someone there to guard Lecter and watch him. Don't want him pulling another great escape right boss?"

Pearsall glared at her, "You call me when you get there. I will be checking."

"Fine."

Ardelia slammed the car door shut and drove off in a hurry. Clarice of course had beat her to the meeting spot. Ardelia parked her car at the gas station, grabbed her gun, and then got into Clarice's car. Clarice handed the suspect's phone over to Ardelia.

"Here it is, get it figured out and I will drive. I was thinking the boys back at the office could trace it back to our guy, it still has the SIM card in it. What's the last number he called or texted?"

"Only one number. Jesus girl you are lucky you got this before he disposed of it. Let me call John, he can get me an answer."

Ardelia pulled out her phone and dialed John's cell phone personally instead of his office line. He always had a crush on Ardelia so she knew he wouldn't question her reasoning too much.

"John! It's Dee. I have a number I need you to look up for me, anything you got, anything."

"Ardelia! What are you working on?"

"A case with a shooter. I managed to get his cell phone."

"You got it, give me the number and just a few short minutes."

The knife sunk deep into Hannibal and yet he barely made a sound. Just a little huff of air was all that could be heard.

"Now that is no fun Lecter. I would like to hear you scream before we finish this. Can you scream for me? Or perhaps you are incapable of feeling such. I wonder…if I were to check on that lovely wife of yours…would you scream for me to stop?"

Hannibal's eyes lit up like sparks of fire were burning in them.

"There! That's it, that's what I wanted! Maybe I should consume those fires eyes first….no, no that wouldn't do. Then you couldn't see her suffer. Let me think, let me think."

He pulled out the knife and tapped it against his chin as if seriously contemplating this ridiculous scenario in his head, "Aha, I got it! Perhaps I could take just one eye for now. That will do."

He leaned closer and smiled, "Let's get to work, shall well?"

Patrick leaned across the table and Hannibal jerked forward teeth bared, and Patrick jumped back and fell. He stood up in a fit of rage and brought the knife up above his head, ready to drive it in to Hannibal's eye.

Much to his surprise, Hannibal reached up and grasped Patrick's arm, squeezing tight. Hannibal then brought his other arm around and slashed Patrick's chest. He fell to the floor in pain.

"Aaahhhh, how…how…did you get out? You were in restraints!"

Hannibal waved a scalpel in the air, "A good doctor should always do an inventory check after an operation. Cheap doctors are cheap for a reason."

"What?"

"An inventory check Patrick. It's what a doctor should do after an operation. Think of it as counting all your utensils so you don't accidentally sew up a patient with something still left inside. Doctor…Franz was it? Left this far too long by my side. He didn't notice when I slipped it away quietly. Probably shouldn't completely blame him though. Most likely he thought I was unconscious the whole time anyway."

"F…fuck you….you will die here! By my hands!"

Hannibal smiled, "Threaten me all you want, but those hands will never touch Clarice."

Hannibal stepped forward and Patrick charged him, but Hannibal parried to the side and sliced across Patrick's face.

"Aaahhh!!! Oh God, help me."

"God cannot hear you here while you are in my care. No, the only relief you will get from me is when you finally open your eyes and see the Devil. Because it is only in the Devil's arms that you will find peace from me."

"Claire! John got us a location. The address is some abandoned warehouse not too far from here. We could be there in about 20 minutes."

Clarice smiled, "Good, I knew he couldn't go far with the condition Hannibal was in. But we need to hurry."

Clarice and Ardelia sped down the road and arrived at their location in about 14 minutes. They both got out, guns at the ready. They heard screams coming from the above floors and they ran to them.

"Is that Hannibal screaming Claire?"

"No, it isn't."

They busted through the door and were met with the image of Hannibal covered in blood standing above a mutilated body. At first sight you would say the man laying on the ground was dead, but he was still gasping and clinging for air. Hannibal turned and smiled, "Ladies, how nice of you to join us."

The body on the floor gagged on blood and struggled to speak, "Y..yyy..you and I came…from the same….so…why…"

"We share a similar history yes, but we are far from the same."

Clarice could tell by the tone in Hannibal's voice that he was fading. She also knew that some of the blood he was covered in was his own. She walked over to him and hugged him. She felt like crying but knew she couldn't. She pointed her gun at the almost lifeless body on the floor and pulled the trigger. At the same time Patrick Vince drew his last breath, Hannibal collapsed on the ground.

Clarice knelt by his side and placed her hand on his neck checking for a pulse, it was faint, "Hannibal, please can you open your eyes or talk to me please. I need to know you are going to be ok."

Ardelia ran over and checked his body for wounds, "Shit Claire, by the looks of this, he has lost a lot of blood. The wound in his chest reopened and there is a fresh wound here."

Clarice placed his head in her lap. Ardelia looked to Clarice, "C, he isn't going to survive like this, where can we take him?"

Clarice ran through all the possibilities, "I know someone. But we need to get him to the car. I saw a stretcher in the hall. Help me Dee."

Alexander Wright sat on his couch watching the local news and was baffled when he saw the news of Hannibal's abduction. It was on every channel. Then there was a knock at his door. He glanced at the door, then glanced at his dog Max, "I could almost bet money on who that is, eh boy?"

Max perked up immediately and ran to the door sniffing, tail wagging, and whining.

"Oh yes, there is only one person you get that excited about, traitor."

He opened the door and was greeted with the sight of a half conscious Dr. Lecter leaning against Ardelia and Clarice.

Doctor Lecter spoke in short breaths, "Hello….dear…friend…I need…one more…..favor…"

Wright reached out and wrapped Hannibal's arm around his shoulder and carried him to the living room, "One day Hannibal. I would appreciate it if you would come to visit me in one piece."

Hannibal chuckled, "Me too."

Once he got Hannibal to the couch he left the room to grab his medical bag. Clarice stroked the side of Hannibal's face, "I just now got you back, so please, don't go anywhere. "

"I am not going anywhere Clarice."

Ardelia leaned against the door frame smiling at the two of them. She glanced at the news and saw Hannibal and Clarice's faces on the screen. She immediately frowned, "Damnit, they are going to be on us and fast. It is gonna be really difficult for you two to get out of the country."

Clarice spoke up, "We aren't getting out of the country, not with him in this condition."

"You two will have to hide. It's just not gonna be safe anywhere."

Alexander Wright came back in the room with his medical case. Max was laying in the floor beside the couch Hannibal was on, "Don't look so down Max, Hannibal will be up in no time."

Meanwhile in an office at the FBI facility a man sat in front of a computer with headphones in listening intently. The microphone chip Will Graham had placed on Max the dog had finally come through. Since Will planted that chip on Dr. Wright's dog, Pearsall had placed a few men in charge of listening to the recordings to see if he had any connection with Starling or Lecter. Tonight was Tony's shift, and as soon as he heard the name Hannibal, he phoned Pearsall.

"Hey boss, you aren't going to believe what we just heard."

"What?"

"That Doctor Wright guy has Lecter at his place. I just heard him say it. Want me to call it in?

"No! I'm on my way to his house now. I want to finish this myself. Just you and your men should do. We will get the job done, tonight."

"Yes sir."

A/N: In case you skimmed over it, in Chapter 17 of my story Will plants a microphone chip in the dog Max's collar. Next chapter is going to start a new part in my story. So get ready. Please review it always encourages me to write more. Much love!