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Chapter 14
The four men got out of the black SUV. Going to the back of the cab, they pulled out their supplies and headed into the woods. After twenty minutes of hiking through the mud and trees, they finally made it to their destination.
Kevin led the way to an area that would conceal them from other onlookers. Plopping down among the trees and bushes he gave out his orders. Neal stayed with Kevin as the other two men went further along.
Kevin pulled out his night vision goggles and scanned the area. So far, there was no one around. Pulling them back off, he got out his sniper rifle, and checked it to make sure the silencer and the red laser were attached and working. Satisfied that they were, he put the goggles back on and waited.
“So, where do you expect them to come from?” asked Neil.
“Over there, from the southeast section. The main road is in that direction,” replied Kevin, as he pointed to the section.
Neil gave him a puzzled look. “Why wouldn’t they come from the north? That’s where the driveway is located.”
Kevin glared at him. “How dumb are you? That would be the last place they would come from. It’s too obvious. They would be sitting ducks. Coming from the southeast is the best bet. They can park the car on the side of the road, make their way through the woods, and hide among those cluster of trees.”
“Oh.”
Kevin shook his head. In his earpiece, he heard the other men come across the line. “Sir, we’re set up and ready to go on your command.”
“Good.” Kevin looked out in the distance. He smiled to himself as he saw the four people emerge from the southeast. He smacked Neil on the arm, getting his attention. “Get ready,” he whispered to the men and Neil.
“They’re here. Where are they?” asked Neil.
“There over there, Baby Huey.” Kevin replied, pointing to the section. Talking into the microphone attached to his jacket he said, “Remember, don’t do anything yet. We have to make sure they go in. Stick to the plan.”
After waiting twenty minutes, Kevin watched as Broots, Miss Parker, Mr. Lyle, and a dark headed stranger made their way to Raines’ house. “Men, get your rifles ready,” Kevin commanded, as he watched the living room lights flicker on, making the target easier to see.
XXXXXXXXX
“...the kidnapper is...” Raines didn’t have a chance to finish, as his head suddenly flipped back from the impact of a bullet piercing his throat.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Jarod turned his gaze towards Miss Parker. Disbelief was written on her face, eyes wide with shock. There was blood splattered all over her face and clothes. He could see her starting to tremble, going into shock. “Miss Parker...” he didn’t finish his sentence as he saw something dancing on her back. It was a small red dot. Turning his gaze towards the window, he knew what it was. They were taking aim at her now. “Everyone get down!” he yelled as he tackled Miss Parker to the ground.
Jarod covered her body with his. He winced as the barrage of bullets broke the windows, sending shards of glass everywhere around them. He placed his arms and hands over her head, trying to protect her.
Even though the shooting only lasted fifteen seconds, it felt like an eternity. When the shooting stopped, Jarod slowly lifted his head, and looked down at Miss Parker. “Miss Parker, are you okay?” Concern evident in his voice.
With her eyes still close, she nodded her head up and down, letting him know she was okay. She brought her hand up to her eyes, trying to rub the tears away, but it didn’t work as a few made their way down her cheeks.
Jarod’s heart went out to her. This last stunt truly frightened her. “Don’t hold back your tears, Miss Parker. No one here will think less of you if you did. Don’t be ashamed. You’re only human, just like the rest of us,” he said light heartedly, trying to ease the tension within her.
Jarod’s words were like a catalyst for Miss Parker as more tears ran down her cheeks. She held her hand over her eyes, refusing to let Jarod see her cry. She didn’t want his pity.
Jarod wanted to comfort her so much, but would she allow it? He reached out a hesitant hand, wiping the tears away from her face. He watched in wonder, as his hand seemed to have a mind of its own. He pushed the hair out of her face and took hold of the hand covering her eyes. Jarod watched with saddened eyes as she turned her face away from him, still keeping her eyes closed.
Turning away from her face, he looked at the small, fragile hand that was still held in his large, masculine one. ‘I might get a punch in the face, but its well worth it,’ he thought to himself. Turning her hand over, he placed a sweet, gentle kiss in the palm of her hand. When he looked back at her face, more tears came down. It killed him seeing her in this much pain. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, letting her know in some way, that someone was here for her, no matter what.
With reluctance, he let go of her hand, letting it rest on top of her heart. He was surprised when she brought her other hand up, covering his. She opened her eyes, never breaking contact with his line of vision.
Taking a shaky breath she said, “Thank you, Jarod.” Giving his hand a gentle squeeze, she eased both of their hands away. “Now, if you don’t mind. Could you get off of me,” she said with a tinge of humor in her voice.
Jarod smiled at her as he eased away from her. “Sorry.” Sitting on the floor, he whispered out, “Is everyone okay?”
Broots turned his head to the side, looking over at Jarod. “I’m fine,” he whispered out. Lifting himself on his hands and knees, he crawled over to Miss Parker and Jarod. Looking at Miss Parker, he was taken back by the sight of her. Blood always made him feel uneasy. “Are you two alright?” he asked with worry.
“We’re fine,” said Jarod. “Where’s Lyle at?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t look around. When I heard your voice, I just instantly crawled over here,” replied Broots.
All three remained silent when they heard a soft moan come through the air.
Miss Parker grabbed her gun and crawled out between Jarod and Broots. She almost made it past them, but Jarod grabbed her, forcing her to stop. “No, I’m letting you go out there. They were trying to shoot you. They’re most likely still out there. Stay back and let me go.”
“Jarod, I’m not some damsel in distress. I know what I’m doing. Now let go of me,” she whispered to him.
Broots felt uncomfortable sitting there, as they continued to stare at each other, neither one budging. “Um, Jarod, you might want to let her do it. She always gets her way,” Broots said softly.
Jarod looked at Broots then back to Miss Parker. He didn’t like this one bit. Letting out a deep sigh he said, “Alright, just be careful.” Before letting her go he added, “Remember, we’ve got your back.”
“Well, there’s a comforting thought,” she replied jokingly, flashing a weak smile. Before Jarod could say anything else, she crawled out.
Miss Parker crawled out behind the couch. Bringing her gun out in front of her, she prepared herself for whatever laid on the other side. Taking a deep breath and counting to three, she finally moved. When she rounded the corner, there was no one there except Raines and Lyle.
She crawled by Raines and paused. He was dead to the world. His head hung limply on his shoulders, as blood trickled its way down his body, creating a pool of blood at his feet. She still couldn’t believe how close that bullet came to hitting her. Shaking the unpleasant thought from her head, she headed towards Lyle.
“Lyle, wake up. Are you alright?” she asked, lightly patting him on the cheeks.
Lyle slowly opened his eyes. “What’s going on?” he asked drowsily. When he went to move his left arm, he winced. Resting his right hand on top of his left bicep, he felt something wet, likely blood. “I think I’ve been shot.”
“Lyle, do you think you can move on your own?”
“Yeah, I think so,” he replied. With the help of Miss Parker, he slowly sat up, grimacing in pain.
“Are you ready?” Miss Parker asked.
“Yes.”
“Okay, let’s go then.”
Lyle and Miss Parker made it back without any problems. “Jarod, Lyle’s been shot,” said Miss Parker.
Lyle held his left arm as he sat against the wall, sitting under the windows. Broots dug into his pocket, bringing out his handy flashlight. He aimed the light at Lyle’s shoulder, while Jarod looked at the wound. Miss Parker continued to stand guard as the two men tended to Lyle.
“How bad is it?” asked Miss Parker.
“Its nothing more than a graze. I think he’ll live,” Jarod said sarcastically. “We need to clean it up.”
“I’ll go look in the bathroom to see if there’s a first aid kit there,” replied Miss Parker. Before Jarod could stop her she was gone.
Keeping low to the ground Miss Parker made her way to the bathroom. Seeing that there was no window in there, she closed the door and turned on the light. Laying the gun down on the counter, she grabbed a towel hanging from the rack and ran it under some water. Taking the towel, she wiped Raines’ blood from her hair, face, an arms. There was nothing she could do about her clothes. Throwing the towel down on the floor, she knelt down, going through the drawers and cabinets underneath the sink. With her attention focused on the task at hand, she didn’t hear the door open behind her.
When she found the first aid kit, she quickly stood back up. When she looked in the mirror, she jumped from the image that was reflected back to her.
“Well, if it isn’t the dearly departed, Miss Parker,” Kevin commented sarcastically.
Miss Parker eyed the gun on the counter, but she wouldn’t have enough time to get to it before a bullet was put into her own head. Clutching the first aid kit to her chest, she slowly turned around. “Hasn’t anyone told you it’s rude to point a gun at a lady,” she stated calmly.
Kevin let out a soft chuckle. “Well, when I see one I’ll let you know.” Keeping the handgun pointed at Miss Parker he said, “Move.”
When Miss Parker opened the bathroom door, she realized this was the only opportunity she had. Holding the kit more tightly, she abruptly swung around, knocking the small metal box into Kevin’s head. Dropping the box, she ran as fast as she could to the stairs.
“Shit!” spat out Kevin, as he fell to the ground, holding the left side of his head. Grabbing the microphone on his shirt he told his men to get Miss Parker. Standing back up, he grabbed Miss Parker’s and his handguns, and went after her.
The stairs felt like they were a million miles away as she ran towards them. ‘Come on, Parker. Almost there,’ she thought to herself. Taking a quick glance over her shoulder, she saw the boyish man slowly getting up. She had to hurry. When she turned back around, she ran smack dab into a brick wall. She fell to the ground instantly. When she looked up, she saw a large, muscle bound man standing before her, pointing his rifle at her.
“For once, you did something good, Neil,” said Kevin, as he came running up seconds later, smiling at the defeated woman. His enjoyment was short lived as he heard voices and movement coming from downstairs. Yanking Miss Parker off the floor by her hair, he held her in front of him, using her body as a shield as he kept the gun pointed at her. Bending his head down by her ear he whispered, “Now, just follow my lead. Try anything stupid and the girl dies, got it?”
“Yeah, I got it,” she responded back through clenched teeth.
“Miss Parker, is everything okay up there?” yelled Jarod from the foot of the stairs.
Miss Parker’s heart started beating faster and faster.
“Answer him,” Kevin growled out, squeezing her neck tighter. “Tell him everything is fine and you’ll be down shortly.”
Miss Parker closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Everything’s fine, sweetie. I’ll just be a couple of minutes,” she yelled back. She just hoped Jarod picked up on the hint.
“Sweetie?” Jarod said to himself. He looked over at Broots, who also had a strange look on his face. It then dawned on him, something was wrong. “Broots, get a gun handy. I have a feeling we have unwanted company upstairs.” With that, Jarod held his gun out in front of him as he slowly edged his way upstairs.
When Jarod reached the landing it was empty. He crept down the hallway, looking in the rooms, but there was no one there. When he reached the end of the hallway, there were two doors left. One to the left, and one to the right. Holding the gun chest level with both hands, he went to the right door and swung it open. He immediately stepped aside, expecting bullets to come flying through the air. However, nothing happened. Letting out a small sigh of relief, he looked at the door across the hall. The last one left unchecked.
He gingerly walked over to the door and stood to the side. Instead of opening the door by the way of the doorknob, he decided to kick it in. Again, he stood to the side, an again nothing happened. Using the wall as protection, he peeked his head to look inside. The room appeared to be empty also, but the difference between this one and the others was that one of the bedroom windows was opened.
Jarod ran to the window and looked outside. Down on the ground, he found Miss Parker being taken away by two other men. “Stop!” Jarod yelled out. The only response he got back was gunfire. He dove on the floor and crawled to the door. Once he was in the hallway, he got up and ran to the stairs. When he reached the bottom, he bolted to the door.
“Jarod, what’s wrong?” Broots asked with panic.
“They’ve got Miss Parker!” he yelled over his shoulder.
Taking the flashlight and gun, Broots followed after Jarod.
Jarod ran down the lawn at full speed, ignoring the shots being fired at him. He only had eyes on one person and that was Miss Parker, who was now slung over the shoulders of one of the men. He needed to do something before they reached the woods. If they made it, he would lose them. Hiding among the trees, he took aim and fired. He smiled to himself as the man with Miss Parker fell to the ground, grabbing the back of his leg. “Miss Parker, over here!” he shouted out.
With his back to the house, he froze when he heard the sound of leaves and twigs crunching behind him. He instantly turned around, pointing the gun at whoever was behind him.
“Don’t shoot. It’s me, Broots.” Broots instantly put his hands up in defense.
Jarod let out a deep breath and turned back around. Getting up from his position, he went after Miss Parker. He almost made it when a gunshot rang through the air, stopping him in his tracks. Jarod could hear Broots behind him, due to his deviated septum. He looked over at Miss Parker, who was also frozen in place. Jarod watched as the younger man came out from the shadows.
The man appeared to be in his mid to early twenties, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Jarod would never expect someone like this to be associated with the Centre, but then again, looks can be deceiving. What frightened Jarod the most were his eyes. He had the face of an angel, but the eyes of the devil.
Kevin eased his way out of the shadows, keeping his gun trained on the dark haired man. “Drop it, both of you,” he demanded.
Both men instantly dropped their guns and flashlight to the ground. “Please, don’t hurt her,” Jarod pleaded calmly.
Kevin smirked at the man. “Well, do as I say and nothing bad will happen to the pretty little lady.” Taking two quick strides, he grabbed Miss Parker around the neck, bringing the gun to her head. “Now, I want the two of you to turn around and walk back to the house.”
Jarod and Broots didn’t move. Kevin was now starting to get angry. He squeezed Miss Parker’s neck tighter, pressing the gun forcefully into her temple. “Don’t make me ask twice.”
Jarod winced as the man squeezed Miss Parker’s neck. He wanted nothing more than to go over to this man and ring his neck. “You son of a bitch,” he growled out. “Hurt her again and so help me.”
“What are you going to do, Romeo? The way I see it is that you don’t have a choice in this little scenario. See, it’s like this, if Mr. Broots over there wants to see his daughter again, then I’m afraid Miss Parker must come with me. If she doesn’t, say bye-bye to little Miss Debbie,” Kevin said with delight.
Broots instantly stepped forward. “No, please don’t harm my daughter. I’m sorry I lied about Miss Parker. Please, don’t let Miss Parker and Debbie suffer because of my lies,” he begged. “Take me instead.”
Kevin only laughed at the suggestion. “Nice try.” He looked down at Miss Parker. “How about this, it’s your choice, Miss Parker. I could let you go, but I’m afraid my boss won’t be happy and will have to kill the girl. The only little Debbie you’ll see in the future will be at your local supermarket, in the snack cakes aisle. The other choice is that you can come with me, sparing Debbie’s young life. So, what will it be?”
“Let’s go,” she replied evenly without a second thought.
“No,” said Jarod as he took a step forward. “There has to be another way.” He looked into Miss Parker’s eyes, seeing the unshed tears building there. “I...I can’t lose you too,” he said in hushed whisper.
Miss Parker could see the anguish, concern, and love in Jarod’s tear laden eyes as he looked upon her. Afraid she might break down; she turned her head away, escaping the look of despair on Jarod’s face. While still looking away she choked out, “Don’t worry about me.” Getting a little bit of composure she looked back at Jarod. “Please, look out for Broots, he’s going to need you.” Looking back at Kevin she said, “Let’s go.”
Kevin couldn’t help but smile with smugness as the Hallmark moment played out before his eyes. “Now, that’s what I wanted to hear.” As Kevin backed away he added, “In case your wondering, I have some marksmen hidden among the woods. So, don’t try anything funny.” He pulled Miss Parker’s hair, making her move faster. Kevin watched as Romeo took another step forward. “Stop right there, Romeo, or Juliet gets a nice bullet in the spine. I won’t kill her, but I’ll make sure she suffers.” Kevin’s words seemed to work as Jarod backed off.
Kevin was about to turn away when he heard a voice pipe up. “Kevin, what about me? You can’t just leave me here,” said Neil with a painful voice, as he continued to hold his leg.
“You know what, Baby Huey, you’re right, I can’t leave you here.” Taking the gun away from Miss Parker’s head, Kevin shot Neil right between the eyes. He then looked back at Jarod. “Well, as they say, parting is such sweet sorrow.” With that, Miss Parker and Kevin disappeared into the woods.
“No!” Jarod screamed out, falling to his knees. “Miss Parker, please come back! Don’t leave me, too!” It felt as if someone ripped his heart out of his chest. “I let her go. How could I let her go?” he said through the tears as he stared off into the woods.
Broots didn’t know what to say. He walked up to Jarod and gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Jarod. We’ll find them.” Looking back into the woods he repeated, “We’ll find them.” Helping Jarod to his feet, they turned around and walked back to the house, heads hung low from defeat.
To Be Continued...
Chapter 14
The four men got out of the black SUV. Going to the back of the cab, they pulled out their supplies and headed into the woods. After twenty minutes of hiking through the mud and trees, they finally made it to their destination.
Kevin led the way to an area that would conceal them from other onlookers. Plopping down among the trees and bushes he gave out his orders. Neal stayed with Kevin as the other two men went further along.
Kevin pulled out his night vision goggles and scanned the area. So far, there was no one around. Pulling them back off, he got out his sniper rifle, and checked it to make sure the silencer and the red laser were attached and working. Satisfied that they were, he put the goggles back on and waited.
“So, where do you expect them to come from?” asked Neil.
“Over there, from the southeast section. The main road is in that direction,” replied Kevin, as he pointed to the section.
Neil gave him a puzzled look. “Why wouldn’t they come from the north? That’s where the driveway is located.”
Kevin glared at him. “How dumb are you? That would be the last place they would come from. It’s too obvious. They would be sitting ducks. Coming from the southeast is the best bet. They can park the car on the side of the road, make their way through the woods, and hide among those cluster of trees.”
“Oh.”
Kevin shook his head. In his earpiece, he heard the other men come across the line. “Sir, we’re set up and ready to go on your command.”
“Good.” Kevin looked out in the distance. He smiled to himself as he saw the four people emerge from the southeast. He smacked Neil on the arm, getting his attention. “Get ready,” he whispered to the men and Neil.
“They’re here. Where are they?” asked Neil.
“There over there, Baby Huey.” Kevin replied, pointing to the section. Talking into the microphone attached to his jacket he said, “Remember, don’t do anything yet. We have to make sure they go in. Stick to the plan.”
After waiting twenty minutes, Kevin watched as Broots, Miss Parker, Mr. Lyle, and a dark headed stranger made their way to Raines’ house. “Men, get your rifles ready,” Kevin commanded, as he watched the living room lights flicker on, making the target easier to see.
XXXXXXXXX
“...the kidnapper is...” Raines didn’t have a chance to finish, as his head suddenly flipped back from the impact of a bullet piercing his throat.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Jarod turned his gaze towards Miss Parker. Disbelief was written on her face, eyes wide with shock. There was blood splattered all over her face and clothes. He could see her starting to tremble, going into shock. “Miss Parker...” he didn’t finish his sentence as he saw something dancing on her back. It was a small red dot. Turning his gaze towards the window, he knew what it was. They were taking aim at her now. “Everyone get down!” he yelled as he tackled Miss Parker to the ground.
Jarod covered her body with his. He winced as the barrage of bullets broke the windows, sending shards of glass everywhere around them. He placed his arms and hands over her head, trying to protect her.
Even though the shooting only lasted fifteen seconds, it felt like an eternity. When the shooting stopped, Jarod slowly lifted his head, and looked down at Miss Parker. “Miss Parker, are you okay?” Concern evident in his voice.
With her eyes still close, she nodded her head up and down, letting him know she was okay. She brought her hand up to her eyes, trying to rub the tears away, but it didn’t work as a few made their way down her cheeks.
Jarod’s heart went out to her. This last stunt truly frightened her. “Don’t hold back your tears, Miss Parker. No one here will think less of you if you did. Don’t be ashamed. You’re only human, just like the rest of us,” he said light heartedly, trying to ease the tension within her.
Jarod’s words were like a catalyst for Miss Parker as more tears ran down her cheeks. She held her hand over her eyes, refusing to let Jarod see her cry. She didn’t want his pity.
Jarod wanted to comfort her so much, but would she allow it? He reached out a hesitant hand, wiping the tears away from her face. He watched in wonder, as his hand seemed to have a mind of its own. He pushed the hair out of her face and took hold of the hand covering her eyes. Jarod watched with saddened eyes as she turned her face away from him, still keeping her eyes closed.
Turning away from her face, he looked at the small, fragile hand that was still held in his large, masculine one. ‘I might get a punch in the face, but its well worth it,’ he thought to himself. Turning her hand over, he placed a sweet, gentle kiss in the palm of her hand. When he looked back at her face, more tears came down. It killed him seeing her in this much pain. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, letting her know in some way, that someone was here for her, no matter what.
With reluctance, he let go of her hand, letting it rest on top of her heart. He was surprised when she brought her other hand up, covering his. She opened her eyes, never breaking contact with his line of vision.
Taking a shaky breath she said, “Thank you, Jarod.” Giving his hand a gentle squeeze, she eased both of their hands away. “Now, if you don’t mind. Could you get off of me,” she said with a tinge of humor in her voice.
Jarod smiled at her as he eased away from her. “Sorry.” Sitting on the floor, he whispered out, “Is everyone okay?”
Broots turned his head to the side, looking over at Jarod. “I’m fine,” he whispered out. Lifting himself on his hands and knees, he crawled over to Miss Parker and Jarod. Looking at Miss Parker, he was taken back by the sight of her. Blood always made him feel uneasy. “Are you two alright?” he asked with worry.
“We’re fine,” said Jarod. “Where’s Lyle at?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t look around. When I heard your voice, I just instantly crawled over here,” replied Broots.
All three remained silent when they heard a soft moan come through the air.
Miss Parker grabbed her gun and crawled out between Jarod and Broots. She almost made it past them, but Jarod grabbed her, forcing her to stop. “No, I’m letting you go out there. They were trying to shoot you. They’re most likely still out there. Stay back and let me go.”
“Jarod, I’m not some damsel in distress. I know what I’m doing. Now let go of me,” she whispered to him.
Broots felt uncomfortable sitting there, as they continued to stare at each other, neither one budging. “Um, Jarod, you might want to let her do it. She always gets her way,” Broots said softly.
Jarod looked at Broots then back to Miss Parker. He didn’t like this one bit. Letting out a deep sigh he said, “Alright, just be careful.” Before letting her go he added, “Remember, we’ve got your back.”
“Well, there’s a comforting thought,” she replied jokingly, flashing a weak smile. Before Jarod could say anything else, she crawled out.
Miss Parker crawled out behind the couch. Bringing her gun out in front of her, she prepared herself for whatever laid on the other side. Taking a deep breath and counting to three, she finally moved. When she rounded the corner, there was no one there except Raines and Lyle.
She crawled by Raines and paused. He was dead to the world. His head hung limply on his shoulders, as blood trickled its way down his body, creating a pool of blood at his feet. She still couldn’t believe how close that bullet came to hitting her. Shaking the unpleasant thought from her head, she headed towards Lyle.
“Lyle, wake up. Are you alright?” she asked, lightly patting him on the cheeks.
Lyle slowly opened his eyes. “What’s going on?” he asked drowsily. When he went to move his left arm, he winced. Resting his right hand on top of his left bicep, he felt something wet, likely blood. “I think I’ve been shot.”
“Lyle, do you think you can move on your own?”
“Yeah, I think so,” he replied. With the help of Miss Parker, he slowly sat up, grimacing in pain.
“Are you ready?” Miss Parker asked.
“Yes.”
“Okay, let’s go then.”
Lyle and Miss Parker made it back without any problems. “Jarod, Lyle’s been shot,” said Miss Parker.
Lyle held his left arm as he sat against the wall, sitting under the windows. Broots dug into his pocket, bringing out his handy flashlight. He aimed the light at Lyle’s shoulder, while Jarod looked at the wound. Miss Parker continued to stand guard as the two men tended to Lyle.
“How bad is it?” asked Miss Parker.
“Its nothing more than a graze. I think he’ll live,” Jarod said sarcastically. “We need to clean it up.”
“I’ll go look in the bathroom to see if there’s a first aid kit there,” replied Miss Parker. Before Jarod could stop her she was gone.
Keeping low to the ground Miss Parker made her way to the bathroom. Seeing that there was no window in there, she closed the door and turned on the light. Laying the gun down on the counter, she grabbed a towel hanging from the rack and ran it under some water. Taking the towel, she wiped Raines’ blood from her hair, face, an arms. There was nothing she could do about her clothes. Throwing the towel down on the floor, she knelt down, going through the drawers and cabinets underneath the sink. With her attention focused on the task at hand, she didn’t hear the door open behind her.
When she found the first aid kit, she quickly stood back up. When she looked in the mirror, she jumped from the image that was reflected back to her.
“Well, if it isn’t the dearly departed, Miss Parker,” Kevin commented sarcastically.
Miss Parker eyed the gun on the counter, but she wouldn’t have enough time to get to it before a bullet was put into her own head. Clutching the first aid kit to her chest, she slowly turned around. “Hasn’t anyone told you it’s rude to point a gun at a lady,” she stated calmly.
Kevin let out a soft chuckle. “Well, when I see one I’ll let you know.” Keeping the handgun pointed at Miss Parker he said, “Move.”
When Miss Parker opened the bathroom door, she realized this was the only opportunity she had. Holding the kit more tightly, she abruptly swung around, knocking the small metal box into Kevin’s head. Dropping the box, she ran as fast as she could to the stairs.
“Shit!” spat out Kevin, as he fell to the ground, holding the left side of his head. Grabbing the microphone on his shirt he told his men to get Miss Parker. Standing back up, he grabbed Miss Parker’s and his handguns, and went after her.
The stairs felt like they were a million miles away as she ran towards them. ‘Come on, Parker. Almost there,’ she thought to herself. Taking a quick glance over her shoulder, she saw the boyish man slowly getting up. She had to hurry. When she turned back around, she ran smack dab into a brick wall. She fell to the ground instantly. When she looked up, she saw a large, muscle bound man standing before her, pointing his rifle at her.
“For once, you did something good, Neil,” said Kevin, as he came running up seconds later, smiling at the defeated woman. His enjoyment was short lived as he heard voices and movement coming from downstairs. Yanking Miss Parker off the floor by her hair, he held her in front of him, using her body as a shield as he kept the gun pointed at her. Bending his head down by her ear he whispered, “Now, just follow my lead. Try anything stupid and the girl dies, got it?”
“Yeah, I got it,” she responded back through clenched teeth.
“Miss Parker, is everything okay up there?” yelled Jarod from the foot of the stairs.
Miss Parker’s heart started beating faster and faster.
“Answer him,” Kevin growled out, squeezing her neck tighter. “Tell him everything is fine and you’ll be down shortly.”
Miss Parker closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Everything’s fine, sweetie. I’ll just be a couple of minutes,” she yelled back. She just hoped Jarod picked up on the hint.
“Sweetie?” Jarod said to himself. He looked over at Broots, who also had a strange look on his face. It then dawned on him, something was wrong. “Broots, get a gun handy. I have a feeling we have unwanted company upstairs.” With that, Jarod held his gun out in front of him as he slowly edged his way upstairs.
When Jarod reached the landing it was empty. He crept down the hallway, looking in the rooms, but there was no one there. When he reached the end of the hallway, there were two doors left. One to the left, and one to the right. Holding the gun chest level with both hands, he went to the right door and swung it open. He immediately stepped aside, expecting bullets to come flying through the air. However, nothing happened. Letting out a small sigh of relief, he looked at the door across the hall. The last one left unchecked.
He gingerly walked over to the door and stood to the side. Instead of opening the door by the way of the doorknob, he decided to kick it in. Again, he stood to the side, an again nothing happened. Using the wall as protection, he peeked his head to look inside. The room appeared to be empty also, but the difference between this one and the others was that one of the bedroom windows was opened.
Jarod ran to the window and looked outside. Down on the ground, he found Miss Parker being taken away by two other men. “Stop!” Jarod yelled out. The only response he got back was gunfire. He dove on the floor and crawled to the door. Once he was in the hallway, he got up and ran to the stairs. When he reached the bottom, he bolted to the door.
“Jarod, what’s wrong?” Broots asked with panic.
“They’ve got Miss Parker!” he yelled over his shoulder.
Taking the flashlight and gun, Broots followed after Jarod.
Jarod ran down the lawn at full speed, ignoring the shots being fired at him. He only had eyes on one person and that was Miss Parker, who was now slung over the shoulders of one of the men. He needed to do something before they reached the woods. If they made it, he would lose them. Hiding among the trees, he took aim and fired. He smiled to himself as the man with Miss Parker fell to the ground, grabbing the back of his leg. “Miss Parker, over here!” he shouted out.
With his back to the house, he froze when he heard the sound of leaves and twigs crunching behind him. He instantly turned around, pointing the gun at whoever was behind him.
“Don’t shoot. It’s me, Broots.” Broots instantly put his hands up in defense.
Jarod let out a deep breath and turned back around. Getting up from his position, he went after Miss Parker. He almost made it when a gunshot rang through the air, stopping him in his tracks. Jarod could hear Broots behind him, due to his deviated septum. He looked over at Miss Parker, who was also frozen in place. Jarod watched as the younger man came out from the shadows.
The man appeared to be in his mid to early twenties, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Jarod would never expect someone like this to be associated with the Centre, but then again, looks can be deceiving. What frightened Jarod the most were his eyes. He had the face of an angel, but the eyes of the devil.
Kevin eased his way out of the shadows, keeping his gun trained on the dark haired man. “Drop it, both of you,” he demanded.
Both men instantly dropped their guns and flashlight to the ground. “Please, don’t hurt her,” Jarod pleaded calmly.
Kevin smirked at the man. “Well, do as I say and nothing bad will happen to the pretty little lady.” Taking two quick strides, he grabbed Miss Parker around the neck, bringing the gun to her head. “Now, I want the two of you to turn around and walk back to the house.”
Jarod and Broots didn’t move. Kevin was now starting to get angry. He squeezed Miss Parker’s neck tighter, pressing the gun forcefully into her temple. “Don’t make me ask twice.”
Jarod winced as the man squeezed Miss Parker’s neck. He wanted nothing more than to go over to this man and ring his neck. “You son of a bitch,” he growled out. “Hurt her again and so help me.”
“What are you going to do, Romeo? The way I see it is that you don’t have a choice in this little scenario. See, it’s like this, if Mr. Broots over there wants to see his daughter again, then I’m afraid Miss Parker must come with me. If she doesn’t, say bye-bye to little Miss Debbie,” Kevin said with delight.
Broots instantly stepped forward. “No, please don’t harm my daughter. I’m sorry I lied about Miss Parker. Please, don’t let Miss Parker and Debbie suffer because of my lies,” he begged. “Take me instead.”
Kevin only laughed at the suggestion. “Nice try.” He looked down at Miss Parker. “How about this, it’s your choice, Miss Parker. I could let you go, but I’m afraid my boss won’t be happy and will have to kill the girl. The only little Debbie you’ll see in the future will be at your local supermarket, in the snack cakes aisle. The other choice is that you can come with me, sparing Debbie’s young life. So, what will it be?”
“Let’s go,” she replied evenly without a second thought.
“No,” said Jarod as he took a step forward. “There has to be another way.” He looked into Miss Parker’s eyes, seeing the unshed tears building there. “I...I can’t lose you too,” he said in hushed whisper.
Miss Parker could see the anguish, concern, and love in Jarod’s tear laden eyes as he looked upon her. Afraid she might break down; she turned her head away, escaping the look of despair on Jarod’s face. While still looking away she choked out, “Don’t worry about me.” Getting a little bit of composure she looked back at Jarod. “Please, look out for Broots, he’s going to need you.” Looking back at Kevin she said, “Let’s go.”
Kevin couldn’t help but smile with smugness as the Hallmark moment played out before his eyes. “Now, that’s what I wanted to hear.” As Kevin backed away he added, “In case your wondering, I have some marksmen hidden among the woods. So, don’t try anything funny.” He pulled Miss Parker’s hair, making her move faster. Kevin watched as Romeo took another step forward. “Stop right there, Romeo, or Juliet gets a nice bullet in the spine. I won’t kill her, but I’ll make sure she suffers.” Kevin’s words seemed to work as Jarod backed off.
Kevin was about to turn away when he heard a voice pipe up. “Kevin, what about me? You can’t just leave me here,” said Neil with a painful voice, as he continued to hold his leg.
“You know what, Baby Huey, you’re right, I can’t leave you here.” Taking the gun away from Miss Parker’s head, Kevin shot Neil right between the eyes. He then looked back at Jarod. “Well, as they say, parting is such sweet sorrow.” With that, Miss Parker and Kevin disappeared into the woods.
“No!” Jarod screamed out, falling to his knees. “Miss Parker, please come back! Don’t leave me, too!” It felt as if someone ripped his heart out of his chest. “I let her go. How could I let her go?” he said through the tears as he stared off into the woods.
Broots didn’t know what to say. He walked up to Jarod and gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Jarod. We’ll find them.” Looking back into the woods he repeated, “We’ll find them.” Helping Jarod to his feet, they turned around and walked back to the house, heads hung low from defeat.
To Be Continued...
