Gibbs turned to him but didn’t say anything. He had a confident look on his face. Perhaps because he had more experience in these types of situations, but this gave way as soon as Kyle Gibbs came running out of the restaurant.

  Green opened his door before the FBI man did and jumped out of the car.

  “She’s gone,” said an exasperated Kyle.

  “What?” asked Green.

  “One minute she was there and the next she wasn’t.”

  “Did you go out the back?” asked the elder Gibbs.

  “I did. A dishwasher told me three men carried her out, said she was sick.”

  “Was she unconscious?” asked Green.

  “Appears so. I’m sorry guys.”

  “Okay. We’re going with our backup plan. Let’s move out,” ordered Gibbs.

  Green’s muscles tightened as Gibbs tore out of the parking lot. This was the last thing he wanted to do, but it was their only option. They needed better leverage against Dauber than pictures. Either the man was stupid to think Stormy was working alone or he was gambling they could use her to give up her co-conspirators. Either way, Mister Dauber was about to find out just how dangerous they were.

  Gibbs pointed the car to the Palisades area of town. A wealthy residential area for Washington’s elite. It was where Dauber lived and where they would find his wife and two teenaged daughters. They were going to have to use them as a bargaining chip.

  Green remembered his mother warning him that at some point, they’d have to get their hands dirty. Holding children hostage seemed about as dirty as you could get.

  Gibbs took a left onto Nebraska Ave NW. Kyle was right behind him following in the car Stormy had driven. The FBI man had scoped out where Dauber lived and what the neighborhood looked like earlier today. He’d take no chances and had prepared his son for such an occasion.

  Gibbs pulled over and opened the trunk of his car. He pulled out a pizza delivery car topper. He threw it on top of Kyle’s car and handed him the plug. The sign lit up in all its glory. After giving his son a pizza delivery bag with an empty box inside it, he jumped back into his car and threw it in drive.

  They pulled onto Dauber’s street and parked a few houses down. They exited the car and started walking toward the house as Kyle came in behind them and pulled into the driveway of the two-story brick colonial home.

  Green gave his M9 a reassuring pat before putting on a black ski mask and black gloves. His alertness kicked into high gear as he padded across a manicured lawn before coming through some evergreen trees. He pressed his back against the side of the house and kept hidden in the shadows of the shrubbery by the door as Kyle came up the walkway and rang the doorbell.

  Gibbs turned to Green. “We can’t afford to play nice. The faster we get the situation under the control the better.”

  Green gave him a nod just as an exterior light came on and the door opened.

  “Evening,” said Kyle. “Got your pizza.”

  “Mom! Did you order pizza?” yelled a fifteen-year-old girl. “Mom!”

  A moment later, Mrs. Dauber came to the door. “We didn’t order any pizza.”

  “Isn’t this 415?”

  “No, that’s across the street.”

  Kyle turned his head giving the signal. His father bolted to the door as Kyle grabbed the screen door and yanked it open.

  “Don’t scream and you’ll not get hurt,” ordered Gibbs pointing a gun at the mother.

  The daughter’s eyes were bulging out of her head as Green flew inside the house. He had his gun aimed at the ceiling not wanting to point it at her.

  “Please don’t hurt us. Take what you want,” pleaded Mrs. Dauber.

  “We’re not here to rob you or hurt you. We just need your cooperation, and then we’ll be out of here,” said Gibbs. “Where’s your other daughter?”

  “She’s not here?”

  Gibbs had interrogated many criminals in his career and knew when someone was lying. He took his gun and pointed it at her face. “Don’t test me.”

  “She’s upstairs,” she said as tears began to run down her cheeks.

  Kyle ran up the stairs taking the steps two at a time. A yelp was shouted out as he busted through the girl’s bedroom door.

  Green shut the front door and closed the curtains as Kyle brought the other daughter down the stairs. Gibbs ordered them into the living room and sat them down on the couch.

  The mom put her arms around the crying girls giving them reassuring pats on the back. Green agonized at having to do this but reminded himself why they were forced to do this.

  “What do you want?”

  Gibbs put his gun away and grabbed a chair. He placed it in front of them and sat down. He took a few moments before answering her.

  “Your husband kidnapped a friend of ours, and we want her back.”

  “Kidnapped? Alex wouldn’t do something like that.”

  “I can assure you, he did. The last thing I wanted to do tonight was to come here and barge into your home.”

  “But what can I do?”

  “You’re going to call him.”

  “But what if he doesn’t answer? He doesn’t always answer. He’s a very busy man.”

  “He’ll answer. Where’s your phone?”

  “In the kitchen.”

  Kyle went into the kitchen and grabbed the cordless phone. He handed it to her and watched her dial her husband's number. Her fingers shook as she punched the numbers and had to hang up to try again.

  “Take your time,” Gibbs reassured her.

  She shifted in her seat before trying again. It started to ring, so she put it on the speaker.

  Chapter 25

  Dauber unlocked the door of the empty office and pushed it open. He flipped on a light switch and moved out of the way as the two bodyguards dragged Stormy inside. Dauber then tossed the red wig over on a table.

  “Bring her into the garage,” he ordered.

  The office was situated in a small warehouse area with high ceilings where contractors stored their trucks and used the space as their office. The garage had a variety of garden tools leaning against the wall.

  One of the thugs, who didn’t appear to have a neck, held Stormy’s limp body up while the other tied her wrist with ropes, which were already hanging down from the steel beams. This wasn’t the first time this place was used to torture, someone. Blood stained the concrete, and the place reeked of urine.

  The ropes were tightened enough to stand her up on her bare feet.

  “Fill that bucket up with water,” ordered Dauber.

  He walked over to her and grabbed the back of her hair. He pulled on the hair until it raised her head. He admired her beauty and said, “Pity we’re gonna have to kill her.”

  “We can still have some fun with her,” said No-neck.

  “Yes we can,” said Dauber.

  “She's a looker that's for sure,” said the other thug whose nose had been broken a few times. It was larger than it should be and crooked.

  “Hell, we got all night,” said No-neck.

  Crooked Nose carried the bucket of water over splashing some of it onto the floor. He stepped back and emptied a portion of the bucket at Stormy. The cold water splashed right into her face drenching her hair and dress.

  She opened her eyes halfway. Crooked nose then dumped the rest of the water on top of her head.

  The water dripped down her face while she attempted to make sense of what was happening. Her head pounded like someone was using a hammer on it. She was cognizant of one thing, she was a prisoner, and her senses were hazy. She was confused but instinctively knew what to do. She’d been knocked out before in the ring and needed another moment to gather her thoughts. More cold water would help, so she pretended to pass out again.

  “Fill that bucket up again,” ordered Dauber.

  Stormy silently thanked the man. She could hear the bucket being refilled and used the time to think about what happened. The last thing she remembered was the two suits getting up from the table. They must have been the ones who walloped her.

  So, Dauber had a couple of bodyguards, which Gibbs should have known about but oh well. Gibbs had a backup plan and was by now putting it into action. The first thing she wanted to know was, how long had she been unconscious? She'd have to take a quick glance at her watch.

  “Who gets to hit on her first?” asked No-neck.

  “I get first dips,” said Dauber.

  Stormy rolled her closed eyes. “So, they want to hit this huh? Of course, they do.”

  Dauber moved over to her and started rubbing her breasts. “At least they’re small like I like ‘em.”

  Stormy fought to control her emotions. She thought it was bad enough when the cop felt her up, but this pig was even worse. This pig liked little girls, which made him a disgusting human being. The one good outcome of his repulsive touch was it increased her adrenaline, which was helping to clear her thinking.

  The faucet turned off, and Stormy braced herself for the onslaught of water. She waited for the right moment and lifted her head just as Crooked nose threw it on her. The cold water did the trick of clearing the rest of the fog away. Her head still pounded but she could at least think now. She needed to remain calm and stay in control.

  The water dripped down her face, and she turned her head back and forth to get it away from her eyes. While doing so, she took a quick glance at her watch. It had been almost an hour since she entered the restaurant. Her conversation with Dauber lasted approximately fifteen minutes before they knocked her out. This meant Gibbs was well on his way to securing the Dauber family. She just needed to hold out for his phone to ring. If it didn’t ring soon, she’d suggest for him to call his wife.

  “Wakey, wakey,” said Dauber approaching her again. “You comfortable?”

  “Am I comfortable? Are you stupid or something?” asked Stormy.

  Dauber’s eyes grew wide, and he wound up to slap her.

  Stormy turned her head deflecting the blow away from her face.

  “Do you like hitting the little girls when you’re raping them? Is that your thing?”

  “I don’t need to hit them.”

  “Oh. So, I guess you drug them before you rape them huh?”

  “You’re pretty mouthy for someone who's tied up and about to be raped herself.”

  Stormy heard a cell phone start to vibrate inside Dauber’s jacket and figured it was his wife who would be in hysterics right about now. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen.”

  Dauber started laughing and put his hands on the shoulder straps of her dress. He was about to rip them down when Stormy interrupted him.

  “Before you do that, you might want to answer your phone. It’s your wife.”

  Dauber stopped moving and stared daggers at her. He backed away before pulling the phone out. His hand started to tremble when he discovered he missed a call from her.

  “How did you know it was my wife?”

  “You really are an idiot. You think we’re stupid enough not to have a backup plan?”

  “But I…”

  “Call her back,” ordered Stormy in a firm tone.

  Dauber pushed on the screen and put the phone to his ear. It took only one ring before she answered.

  “Alex, there are some men here,” cried his wife. “They’ve got guns pointed at our daughter’s head. What’s happening? Are you holding a woman hostage?”

  “It’s alright dear, everything’s going to be alright,” said Dauber as he stared at Stormy.

  “He wants to talk to you,” she cried.

  “Who is this?” demanded Dauber. “Don’t you dare hurt my family.”

  “Listen, asshole,” said Green. “You do I say, and your family will not be harmed. Now, let me talk to my friend.”

  Dauber held the phone up to Stormy.

  “Hey, it’s me. You alright?” asked Green.

  “I’ve been better, but yeah, besides being tied up, and this idiot copping a feel to get me ready for my impending rape, I’m good.”

  “Can you drive?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good. You know what to do. Put him back on the phone.”

  “Yes,” pleaded Dauber.

  “This is how it’s going down. You’re going to let her go and then you're going to play ball with us and broadcast those recordings.”

  “I will. I swear I will.”

  “Untie her and give her your car keys.”

  Dauber snapped his fingers at No-neck to untie her. The big man hesitated and then looked at Crooked-nose who didn’t look like he wanted to allow this to happen.

  Dauber yelled, telling him they have guns pointed at his family. This didn’t have the desired effect as both men still hesitated.

  This was making Stormy uneasy making her think something was wrong. Was Dauber not in charge of these men? She didn’t like the way this was going down and looked at him. “Don’t you know how to untie a knot?”

  A frustrated Dauber approached her and started to untie her. Just as he'd freed one hand, No-neck came toward them. He placed a hand on Dauber’s shoulder and told him they couldn’t let her go.

  Chapter 26

  Jackson Michigan

  Meeks had the windows down on the police cruiser as he drove Scar and Amber in the police cruiser back into Jackson. He kept his speed to a minimum while enjoying the air blowing through the car. It had been a hot afternoon, and it hadn't cooled down much. Using the air conditioning would have eaten up more precious fuel than they could afford to use. Most of it had been given to Nordell so he could get the girls to Ohio. Bassett and Burns would have to fend for themselves by siphoning what they could find in Detroit.

  The goal tonight was to gather up more supplies left behind, scout for any more prisoners being secretly held and hopefully kill some Jijis who hadn't joined their brethren in Grosse Pointe.

  “So, which tall building should we climb up tonight?” asked Meeks.

  “City Hall would be good,” said Scar.

  “Speaking of,” said Amber, “What happened to Mayor Simpson?”

  Scar turned in his seat. “I've not heard anything.”

  “The poor old guy probably had a heart attack,” said Meeks.

  “It wouldn't surprise me,” said Scar. “The last time I saw him was with Reese, and he looked like he was ready to collapse at any moment.”

  “Well, we should check his office then,” suggested Amber.

  “It's on the way up,” said Meeks as he turned right onto Francis Street.

  Meeks parked at the same house they had used when they came to rescue Nordell and his men. It was well hidden and gave them easy access to the downtown area.

  Everyone grabbed their gear and hustled through the quiet streets. The air smelled of the charred remains of buildings, some of which were still smoldering. At times, the air was so putrid it would sting their noses. The streets were so quiet that the only sounds you could hear were their footsteps and the rustling of clothes.

  Meeks was leading the way as he turned onto Michigan Avenue from Jackson. City Hall was around the corner, and there wasn't a soul in sight.

  After finding the mayor's office empty, Scar found a couple of the coffee packets he had given the mayor and shoved them into his backpack. They then began the arduous climb to the top of the building. The hot, humid air in the stairwell tested their stamina as perspiration poured down their faces and the back of their necks soaking their shirts. Thankfully, they had brought plenty of water and had to take a couple of breaks to rehydrate. Finally reaching the top the mild breeze was a welcome respite.

  “Damn good thing we're in shape,” said Meeks holding his arms out like cooling fins for the breeze.

  “No doubt,” said Amber imitating him.

  “We sure as hell couldn't have done that a few months ago,” finished Meeks.

  Scar walked to the west end and raised the Night Optics binoculars to his eyes. The thirteen story building gave him a full view of the town. He was searching for any kind of movement be it people or vehicles moving through the streets.

  Finding nothing, he walked to the north side and patiently swept from one side to the other. He stopped when he noticed a few bodies lying in the middle of a street. They appeared to be older people and Scar thought perhaps they had been assassinated. Why else would they be in the middle of the road?

  For the next hour, they took turns scanning the town while also calling out on the radio for any of their friends. Without any luck, they were getting discouraged when Amber finally called out. “I got something.”

  Scar and Meeks hustled over to her.

  “I see some headlights reflecting in the trees over there,” she said pointing north. “They're coming south.”

  “What street is that?” asked Scar.

  “It's probably Business 127. Straight shot from the interstate,” said Meeks.

  Scar squinted his eyes trying to get a fix on it but still couldn't find it.

  “Here it comes,” announced Amber.

  “Definitely Business 127,” said Meeks.

  Amber handed the glasses to Scar who grabbed them and hustled to the west end of the building as the car continued through the Michigan Ave intersection. The lights disappeared, but the glow was still visible.

  “It stopped moving. It's turning, probably into a driveway. They're off. It went three or four blocks.”

  They turned and headed to the door not wanting to waste a single moment. Based on what they'd seen so far with the Jijis, they had no doubt it involved females, who were probably young and easy to control. They picked out of the way places and kept their presence hidden from their comrades. Like Omar had said last night, Mordulfah and the cops had taken the best girls for themselves, and they only got the leftovers.

  Chapter 27

  Washington DC

  After being taken a prisoner, a dripping wet Stormy was moments away from being free when Dauber’s bodyguard told him they needed permission. Dauber turned to him and held up his phone.

 

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