CHAPTER 6

Tuesday 9:51pm

The road changed from smooth pavement to a deeply rutted and pot-holed back road, and Monica felt every bump rattle through her small frame. She kept her eyes closed and continued praying. She knew that if she opened them she would only see darkness, but keeping them closed made her able to imagine that she would see sunlight.

A sharp curve forced her to slam forward into Alex, and the woman let out a groan. Monica struggled to move off of her but inside she was grateful that Alex was beginning to wake up. She had been afraid that she was seriously hurt and knew that whoever had them wouldn’t be giving them medical attention any time soon.

Another pain filled moan and then Alex was squirming around. “What the… where...?”

“Shut up back there! I already warned your friend!”

Monica was trying to shush the young agent, but Alex was not easily intimidated. “Oh yeah? Pretty tough for someone I can’t see,” she blurted out.

“Oh, you’ll see more of me than you want to, Alex.”

The use of her name made Alex’s heart race. This wasn’t some random kidnapper who would eventually turn careless. She tried to move her arms, and felt the ropes tight around her elbows and wrists. A grunt escaped from between her lips, along with a few choice curses.

“I’m telling you… you don’t want to make me angry this early in the game.”

Alex could feel the tremble that went through Monica’s body and bit her tongue. She had more than herself to be concerned with, and no telling how capable the small woman was going to end up being. She wasn’t sure how long she had been unconscious and she knew that trying to map her current location was pointless, but she still found herself counting slowly to determine how far they were going, and memorizing each turn. It was her training kicking in and it kept her from giving in to her own fears.

Fifteen minutes later and they were still driving, but they had slowed down, and Alex could hear snow crunching under the wheels. They had to be somewhere in Maryland or West Virginia. Tree branches scraped the sides of the van and caused a shiver to run up her spine. It reminded her of Rob running his fingernails down their playroom chalkboard to aggravate her. She wondered how long it would take before Rob knew she was missing. Paul would find out first. Her heart pounded hard. How long would it take him to find them? Too long. She couldn’t count on him to race to her rescue. She had herself. That would have to be enough. With any luck Monica would end up being a help and not a hindrance.

“Looks like we’ve arrived, ladies,” he had turned off the engine and his malevolent voice filled the otherwise still air.

As he exited the car a rush of cold air swept in and straight through the blanket that covered the two captives.  They could hear him moving outside and a second later the back doors were opening and the blanket was being yanked off of them.  Monica was squinting, expecting to see the sun, but she was met by near total darkness once again.  Her still foggy mind remembered that it had been nearly evening when they’d stopped at the townhouse, and she had no idea how long they’d been travelling.

She tried to push herself up, and managed to crane her neck enough to see the man who held them.  He was tall and muscular even through the leather jacket he wore.  His hair was spikey and dyed blonde, but his eyes were dark, nearly black.  He yanked at her ankle to pull her towards the back of the van, and when she yelped in surprise Alex began to struggle.

“Get your hands off her!  Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you’re in?”

He laughed and the sound was so out of place in the situation that it made Monica’s breath catch in her throat.

“Yes, Alex, I know exactly what kind of trouble I’m in… but not for long,” he said, and again the use of her name unnerved the agent.

He pulled on her legs and dragged her to the back of the van as well, then whipped out a knife and sliced through the ropes holding their feet together before they even had time to react.  The knife was tucked back into his boot and Monica let out the breath she had been holding.  An instant later and he had pulled a gun from his waistband.

“All right.  Both of you… on your feet.”

Monica obeyed, wide-eyed, and feeling more uncertain than she had in months.  Alex was more reluctant, but she could see that fighting him at the moment was only going to get her or Monica injured or possibly killed.  She still didn’t have the use of her arms, and running through the still falling snow would just be asking to get shot in the back.

He motioned them to a ramshackle house and barn, and for a second Monica thought he was bringing them into the house, but then he shouted for them to stop and pushed them towards the barn instead.  It was drafty and cold, and so different from the barn she had been at just days before.  There were no friendly horses with their warm muzzles begging to be stroked, and no scent of fresh hay and shavings.  Instead the dirt floor sent the cold right through the thin soles of her shoes, and a musty, abandoned smell filled her nose.

“Welcome to your new home…”

Alex lost her patience and turned to face him.  “What the hell are you talking about?  Let’s just cut the crap!”

Her head snapped back with the force of his blow, and without her arms she couldn’t keep herself from falling straight back onto the ground.  Monica screamed, but Alex just let out a short yelp as she hit the ground.

“I’m through listening to your mouth, Alex.  I have no idea how Paul stands it.  I seem to remember the last one was a lot quieter!” He was shouting as he dragged her to the end of the barn and wrapped a thin chain around her waist and then through an eyebolt screwed into the wall.

“Please!  Why are you doing this?” Monica asked, as she stumbled after them, not wanting to risk being too far from her assignment’s side.

His mouth curled up into a wicked smile and he lunged for her and grabbed her arm, pulling her close.  “I don’t think you need to know that right now,” he hissed as he took another length of chain and secured the angel just beyond Alex’s reach.

He checked the padlocks one more time and then stepped back, arms crossed, a look of intense satisfaction on his face.

“I don’t know who you are or how you know my partner…”

“Oh, you don’t know who I am?  I’m the last person who is ever going to see you alive.  That’s who I am,” Devin’s voice was low and venomous, and without a backward glance he strode out of the barn and within two minutes Monica and Alex could hear the van driving away.

Monica remained silent for a moment, trying with everything in her to swallow the terror that was welling up inside of her. She was shivering and her arms clasped behind her back and against the cold wood of the barn were aching along with her head. But she would gladly abide with all of that to just see Andrew come through the door right about now with a few blankets and a cup of coffee with her name on it.

She had heard his words of reassurance while she had still been in the van and it was a great comfort for her to know that he knew what had happened. If she knew nothing else right now, she knew that God was with her and that Andrew would not stop looking until he found her. But in the meantime, despite the cold and the pain, she still had a job to do and for the moment, she elected to focus on that.

“You work for the FBI.”

Alex looked over at her in surprise as the words were more of a statement than a question, “How did you know that?”

“I know Paul and you mentioned him being your partner. He and I have been friends for awhile now,” She explained softly, trying to find a more comfortable position but movement was limited.

Alex blinked. This was cat woman; the one who had intentionally left four cats with Paul to assure her access back into his life. Damn. If only she weren’t so likable, “I have a feeling this little adventure of ours has something to do with him.”

Monica had a feeling she knew exactly what it was about judging by what the man had said about the last female being more quiet. Add to that the fact that she knew Andrew had a series of difficult assignments and Paul had been upset about some things yesterday and she was fairly certain she had this mystery solved, other than how she and Alex were going to get out of here.

“My cell phone is in my pocket and I can’t even reach it,” Alex grumbled, trying to twist her way out of the ropes that secured her hands and arms and quickly realizing it was a lost cause, “Though I probably can’t get a signal wherever we are. Damn, it’s cold!”

“I’m not certain we are going to get out of here soon,” The little angel murmured as she leaned her head back tiredly.

“Monica, we have to get out of here soon or we’re going to die,” She replied flatly, though she immediately regretted the words when she watched her new friend turn away. She had always been far too honest and sometimes it didn’t always work in her favor, and she forced herself to settle down a little, “We need to find a way out, Monica. This snow isn’t going to stop anytime soon, and the temperatures are low. Who knows if or when he is coming back, which means no food or water. We’re in trouble, Monica and we’re the only ones who can do something about it.”

“We aren’t the only ones, Alex,” Monica said softly, blinking back tears, “There is still God.”

Alex gave a small snort, “Like I said, Monica. You and I are the only ones.”

*****

“We have a lead, small though it is,” Paul stated as he walked into his office where Andrew was waiting. It was nearly three ‘o clock in the morning and neither human nor agent had any plans of sleeping knowing Monica and Alex were out there somewhere.

Andrew looked up hopefully, needing to hear some good news even if it was miniscule. He had heard no more from his best friend and he was also starting to wonder where Tess was and if she knew what had happened.

“The tire tracks left in the snow in the driveway point to a 1979 Ford van. We know it turned right out of the driveway but after that it gets sketchy,” His expression showed his annoyance over the lack of information, “He left no fingerprints at the townhouse, but let’s face it, we know who it was. We have agents searching for any possible leads on Jackson.”

“It’s been seven hours, Paul. They could be anywhere,” Andrew knew he was on edge and it was tainting any optimism he would generally feel. He was worried about Monica and worried about Alex, and even worried about Paul if anything were to happen to either of them. He wished he hadn’t seen what Jackson was capable of but having witnessed it firsthand did nothing to calm his racing heart.

“Every on patrol police officer in Washington, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia are on the lookout, Andrew. Someone is bound to see something.”

“I can’t just sit here and wait, Paul,” He retorted, a hint of anger in his voice, “They are out there somewhere, probably hurt or worse. I’ve seen his work first hand. Alex isn’t an angel and we both know that even angels can get hurt.”

“You aren’t the only one who knows what he is capable of, Andrew,” the agent snapped, “Trust me, I know as well and I am no happier about this than you are!”

“Then let’s do something, Paul! I’ve been sitting here for three hours watching snow fall and praying that they aren’t out in it!” The mere thought caused a pang in his heart as he struggled to control the anger he was feeling out of helplessness. When David had shot her, God had led him right to her side, but now hours had passed with still no word on his being able to go and find her. He didn’t want to see her hurt. He didn’t want to see Alex hurt with Monica witnessing it. It would devastate her, not to mention Paul. He had sat inside once before and waited for her to return and he wasn’t about to do it again. He needed to be actively doing something..anything to help her.

Though angry, Paul understood where the angel’s fury was coming from and he reached over and grabbed Andrew’s coat, tossing it to him, “Then let’s go. We need to make sure we have blankets, flashlights and a first aide kit in the trunk of the car.”

“Where are we going?”

“Back to the townhouse. We’ll turn right out of the driveway and try to assess which streets would be more hazardous to a van in heavy snow. Maybe we’ll find a lead.”

*****

Devin smiled to himself as he emerged from a hot shower the following morning. He had all day to plan his next move as he was unwilling to venture the route to the old house and barn in the daylight. He had to be careful now. Any random killings could only lead Paul to him and he wasn’t about to let that happen.

It was still snowing. No doubt the two damsels would be feeling the chill by now. Good. It would probably serve to work some of the fight out of Alex. He flicked on the television, anxious for a news report. He was doubly pleased to see Paul’s face on the screen of CNN, giving information on the two missing females in answer to questions by the press. He had hit the jackpot. Alex was not only his partner but he knew about the other woman as well; seemed to know her.

Today was his lucky day.