Blinded

Chapter 25

When Jack awoke, hours must have passed. Nightfall was upon them again, and Sue had been moved, just out of his reach, her blindfold on again. As his eyes refocused, his heart stopped, as Sue looked deathly still, blood matted against the side of her face, her head lulled to the side. There was blood smeared along the floor. Her blood.

"No…" he whispered, realizing they had removed the gag from his mouth. "No…" he cried.

He had failed her. His heart sank. They mind as well just kill him now. He didn't want to survive this. He stopped straining against his restraints, his muscles aching in relief from the additional exertion. He heard one of the doors open and Pete walked in, noticing Jack was conscious again.

"There's no point, you know." He taunted. Jack remained silent; his eyes fixed on Sue. "Trying to escape. Look what your antics did to her. Nothing is going to stop me. My vengeance is almost complete." Jack didn't react. What did it matter. Pete won.

Years and years of seeking justice and it took one man and his accomplice for Jack to realize there was no justice in this world. For the many he had fought hard to protect, where was his protect, and more so, where was Sue's?

"No fight left in you?" Pete mocked Jack. Jack just ignored him. "Good. Don't worry Jack Hudson, your end will come quickly, but not before I make her suffer one last time. Enjoy your last night alive. I have one more thing to take care of, before I take care of the two of you." Jack glanced at Pete.

That's when he heard her soft moan. She wasn't dead. Jack felt his heart race and he wanted to vomit. He couldn't let go; he couldn't stop fighting until he did everything he could to protect her. She was his reason. She was worth it.

As Pete moved to leave, realizing he wasn't getting any reaction, he heard Jack quiet voice.

"They will find you Pete." Jack threatened. "You will pay for all you've done. To Sandra and Missy. To Marty and Gayle. To Sue. I will make sure of it." Pete sneered at him and moved back towards him.

"You think you're in control? You think your team will find you before I end you? Think again. You've been trailing behind me for weeks. Surveillance. Ha. No one knew I was watching her – from the day I got out, I would watch the shadows of her naked body in her apartment and touch myself knowing my revenge would be the perfect satisfaction. How did Sammy manage to slip her the note at the crime scene? For all those pictures and emails that got through without a trace? That I could walk into a hotel and kidnap a former ADA without any hesitation. I own you, Jack Hudson. And I own her. We will watch the life drain out of her together, then I will put you out of your misery. Contemplate that." He punched Jack again, leaving him dazed as he heard the heavy metal door slam closed.

-STFBE-

It was the early hours of Saturday morning. The sun had not yet risen, and there was a soft din in the war room. Most of the agents were asleep on their cots, a few having just awoken, watching their screens with bleary, tired eyes.

Tara was one of them, sitting at her computer, watching for the trace on Pete Hadley's internet activity. She prayed for just one more communication. Something that would make the GPS ping and show his location.

The BOLO thus far had turned up nothing. She knew there were many on the case, looking frantically for her friends, but also sensed Pete would be smart to know that after Jack's abduction and the witnesses that may have seen the car, to lay low and not use it. However, Pete had also been abnormally bold in all his actions thus far. They just needed one more slip up.

She wondered whether he would communicate to them. After initial threats, with all his other victims, he only communicated with dead bodies. Would they find Sue and Jack next? It was going on four days since he had grabbed Sue, two since Jack.

Tara had spoken on the phone to Lucy earlier that day. Lucy had called hoping for updates. D had asked her to speak with her friend, knowing that after days of little, she would be increasingly discouraged. Lucy sounded distant, not like her usual jovial self.

"She's dead." She said despondently.

"Lucy, don't think that – we don't know that…". Tara tried to comfort her, though wondering the same in her mind.

"Yet…" Lucy responded quietly. "I heard about Levi. Myles told me." Tara nodded, her eyes watering.

"When this is all over, we should do something for him. They are holding on to him for now, knowing that Sue may want to see him and say goodbye."

"If she's alive." Lucy said again flatly. Tara remained silent. This behaviour was so unlike Lucy.

"D has been debating whether to call Sue and Jack's families…" Tara shared. She felt compelled to still share what she could to Lucy. While D had made the right call to let her stay with her mom while everything was unfolding, she knew Lucy well enough that she wouldn't want information kept from her either.

"He should." Lucy responded firmly. "They should be aware so they can grieve."

"Or pray." Tara responded softly, trying to redirect her friend again. "Lucy, don't give up hope."

"I'm sorry Tara. I don't know how to hope anymore." Tara expressed she understood as she listened to Lucy sob on the phone. Bobby had come over and sat next to her, again putting his arm around her shoulders. With the phone to one ear, she leaned her head against his shoulder and just let Lucy have the space she needed to cry while taking whatever strength she could from Bobby.

The two eventually hung up, but Bobby and Tara remained sitting there together, feeling the weight of their own grief.

"You know," Bobby said to her after several moments. "Even if we do find them, nothing is going to be the same again, is it?" Tara quietly responded.

"No… I'm not sure how either will be able to come back from this."

Those thoughts and memories lingered in Tara's mind as she sipped her morning coffee. She heard a phone ring and Greg stir and get up from his cot, grabbing the phone at the desk. Within a moment he looked wide alert and loudly was speaking back into the receiver.

"HOLD HIM THERE!" He cried out, waking the others in the room who some turned over lazily, others like Bobby jolted upright and moved directly to where Greg was standing. Tara's heart pounded as she too got up and moved towards the desk.

A whole group gathered around Greg who had a tired, small smile on his face as he hung up the phone.

"We have him."