Somewhere inside the Warehouse .
"Oh, baby! Get a load of the broad the Boss is gonna be
bangin'
tonight, Joey."
The guard in question leaned forward, adjusting the contrast on
the
video monitors, then zoomed in for a close up. "Long legs
and nice
knockers," he laughed. "Twenty bucks says she won't be
struttin' outta
here like that when the Boss is done with her."
"Make it fifty, and it's on," the other guard
challenged.
"Deal."
"What are the both of you doing in here?!" the Lt.
asked sharply. "I
thought you were keeping post outside the Boss' door, Joey?"
"He sent me away when he heard the hooker was here. Can't
say I'd blame
him. I'd wanna spend as much time alone with her as I could, too.
Check her out," as he nodded to the monitor. "She's a
real hottie."
I'm surrounded by sex-starved idiots, the Lt. mused. From where
he was
standing though, he had to admit the guys were right--the broad
had a
killer set of legs. Curiosity getting the best of him, he decided
to
see if the rest of her was as fine. Motioning for the guard to
get up,
he gingerly sipped at his fresh cup of coffee as he took a seat
and
began to fiddle with the zoom functions. Hmm small waist, nice
curves.
Ooh, those ta-tas? Real nice. When the camera panned upwards, the
Lt.
nearly upended his piping hot cup of brew all over the console.
"I don't
friggin' BELIEVE this! It CAN'T be," he replied, incredulous.
Leaning
forward, the Lt. zoomed in for a tight close up. "Holy sh--"
"What's up?" the guard asked, his antennae up as he
watched the Lt.
slowly rise from his chair.
"Get Moreno." the Lt. replied, his eyes never once
leaving the monitor.
"NOW!"
~*~
"I really like what your boss has done with the place,"
Dara cracked.
"Early Bombed-out Beirut. It's nice."
"Cute--real cute," the driver replied, clearly as tired
of Dara's
presence as she was of his. He finished patting down her upper
body
then moved to her hips, making his way down her legs. "Spread
'em."
"Fine. We got much further to go? My feet are killin' me,"
Dara
groaned, still in character, while taking in every detail of her
surroundings.
"Like it matters," the driver snorted. "It ain't
like you're gonna be
on your FEET all night." Dara was about to reply when the
guard
recoiled his hand in horror from between her thighs. "What
in the--?"
as he held up the object.
"It's a tampon. Whatsa matter, you never seen one up close?
Hey, hey!"
as she watched him fiddle with the plastic wrapper. "Don't
open it. I
might need it later." The driver shot her a perplexed look.
"My
"little friend" is in town? I'm on the rag?" The
driver still looked
on, dumbfounded. "I GOT MY PERIOD."
"Oh," he managed. Suddenly realizing he was still
holding the tampon,
the driver's face contorted into a mask of disgust as he reared
back to
pitch the offending object.
"Ah-ah-ah! Don't do that! I might need it for later,"
Dara replied, as
she retrieved the tampon. She shot the driver a bemused look.
"You act
like you were holding a USED one, jeez." She slid the tampon
back
inside the band of the thigh-high stockings then fell in behind
the
driver, whose face still registered his revulsion at having to
touch the
thing.
"You actually turn tricks when you're messed up like that?"
the driver
inquired, incredulous.
"As a rule, no. But your boss offered to triple my fee--so I
was like,
if HE don't mind, then neither do I!"
The driver was about to contemplate who was sicker, the hooker or
his
boss, when the sound of his cell phone interrupted his thoughts.
"Hold
up, I gotta take this call." The entire time he was on the
phone, the
guard kept his eyes on Dara who was busy returning the offending
object
to the folds of her thigh-high hose. "Say again? We got a
bad
connection, I think my battery's low. Uh-huh," he nodded.
"Got it."
His right hand resting lightly on his piece, the driver clicked
off,
then motioned for Dara to follow him towards the elevator. As
they
waited for the elevator in silence, the guard allowed his eyes to
roam
Dara's body. She was about to ask him what held his interest when
she
was suddenly overcome by excruciating pain. Now doubled over,
staggering backwards, she clutched her right ear--more in an
effort to
stop the throbbing than the flow of blood that was spewing forth
from
her earlobe. She looked up to see the driver toss the
bloodstained
earring to the ground, then grind it beneath his shoe.
"Damn. Did that hurt?" he sneered. "It sure looked
painful--Agent
Jensen." The driver's gun was now drawn, and pointed at Dara.
"On your
feet. NOW."
~*~
"One down ," as Rinaldo watched the guard crumple to
the ground.
"No telling how many more to go," Jason finished.
Taking his position
in the brush behind the warehouse, Jason strained to get a good
visual
of the top floor of the warehouse through the state of the art
night
vision binoculars.
"You got a beat on her, Jason?" Rinaldo asked. Crouched
down as far as
he could go, he tried to make himself comfortable amidst the
brush, yet
still maintain a grip on the high-powered rifle.
"Yeah," Jason replied, as he adjusted his earpiece.
"She's in, but I
can't tell where. The windows are all painted black."
Suddenly, Jason
jerked his head back violently, ripping the earpiece from his ear---the
high-pitched sound waves nearly causing his ears to ring. Moments
later, his radio was giving off nothing but static. "Damn!"
as he threw
the radio to the ground. "She's been made," Jason
replied grimly.
"Aww, hell! It's too soon--we're flying blind out here!"
Rinaldo
muttered, shaking his head. "We have no IDEA where she is in
there, and
we can't reach the other guys. Sonofabitch!" as he smashed
the now
useless radio. He looked to Jason, who was quickly weighing his
options--few that there were. "Whatever call you make, I got
your
back."
"Let's go get her."
~*~
Surveillance room, the Warehouse .
"Well, well, well!" Moreno marveled. "If it isn't
Daralee."
"You know if she's here, Morgan and his men can't be far
behind," the
Lt. replied. His reply fell on deaf ears, as Moreno was still
transfixed by the sight of Dara, now on her knees in front of the
driver. "Boss---you listening? I think it's safe to guess
she didn't
come here without any backup. Boss?"
Moreno was about to reply, when he caught sight of something that
made
blood run cold. "No, no, no, no, no!" he whispered.
"Boss?" The Lt. looked over at Moreno who was now
frantically trying to
operate the PA system. "We don't have audio, only video. You
wanna
tell me what the hell you're so worked up about?"
"You IDIOT!" Moreno yelled at the image of the driver
on the monitor.
"Get him on his cell phone--NOW!"
~*~
"I said on your feet!" The driver saw Dara's hand dart
beneath her
skirt. "Hey, hey--put your hands where I can see 'em."
"You already patted me down, you know I'm not packin',"
she grimaced.
She was now on her knees, both hands clutched to her ear. "Look,
you
made a real mess when you ripped that earring out of my ear. In
case
you haven't noticed, I'm bleeding like a stuck pig over here. Now
I know
your boss is into some freaky things, but I don't think
necrophelia is
one of 'em," she snorted. Slowly rising to her feet, she
held the
driver's gaze. "Tell me, you ever seen him angry--ever see
him lose
it?
I hear it's NOT a pretty sight--and believe me, he's gonna lose
it BIG
TIME if you drop me off to him to weak to stand 'cause I've lost
too
much blood. He may want me dead, but HE wants to be the one to do
the
job. So if you know what's good for you, you'll get over here and
help
me stop this bleeding!"
"Fine. Take off your top--you can use it as a tourniquet"
"No," Dara groaned. "It's LEATHER, you idiot. I
need something
absorbent, like cloth or cotton. The tampon--use IT. It's tucked
the
band of my hose, left thigh." The driver looked at her as if
she had sprouted horns. "Look, the bleeding is getting worse!
The
longer you take, the closer you are to a beat down from your boss."
That last comment was all it took to convince the driver. Slowly,
as if
her were trying to disarm a bomb, he retrieved the tampon, then
handed
it to Dara, who shook her head. "You'll have to open it---my
hands are
too slippery from the blood." Dara ignored the driver's
incredulous
expression. "You act like I'm asking you to put it in me,"
she
snapped.
"Look, it's really simple--rip the plastic cover open, then
pull the
string. Think a big tough guy like you can handle that?"
~*~
"I don't get an answer," the Lt. replied. "His
battery's dead."
Moreno began swearing. "Get the guards on the radio--tell
'em to keep
their heads up for even the slightest thing."
The Lt. stared daggers at Moreno's back. "Would love to--just
one
problem: When you realized Jensen was wearing a bug, you had me
scramble the transmission signal so Morgan couldn't communicate
with his
men. Guess you forgot OUR men also were using radios, too, huh?!"
"DAMN IT!!" Moreno exploded, as he upended his chair.
"Why are you so worked up about what's going on down there
between
Jensen and the driver?" one of the guards asked. "I
don't see--"
Moreno silenced the clueless guard with a stare.
"You want me to keep trying his cell phone?" the Lt.
inquired. Before
Moreno could reply, the Lt.'s gaze drifted to the monitor. "What
the
hell--? This is getting more weird by the minute. Is that a
tampon?!"
he laughed.
"Not in the hands of Daralee," Moreno replied sullenly.
Moreno looked
on, as the driver began to unwrap the "tampon"---all
the while oblivious
to Dara, who was now crouched down, slowly scurrying away.
"I don't follow."
"See this?" Moreno zoomed the lens in on the plastic
applicator. "See
that little cotton string? If you look really close, you'll see--"
"A wire," the Lt. finished.
"A wire made of titanium which will serve as the detonator."
Moreno
slumped into the nearby chair, his eyes now riveted to the scene
unfolding before him on the monitor. It was like watching a train
wreck
in progress---you knew the outcome, still you couldn't tear your
eyes
away.
"Holy sh--"
The Lt.'s words were cut short as the video monitor went blank.
~*~
"What the hell was THAT?" Rinaldo yelled, trying to
keep his footing as
they headed down the hill.
Jason looked towards the warehouse. "Dara."
~*~
Inside the warehouse .
Having been rocked by the explosion, the surveillance room looked
like a
cross between a gutted bomb shelter and a disco--windows were
shattered,
monitors and furniture strewn everywhere, lights flashing, alarms
signaling. And in the middle of it all, Moreno stood, barking
orders
like what had happened was a minor blip on the radar screen.
"Get outside. Check the grounds. You see a face you don't
know? Shoot
and keep going. And if any of you run across Daralee, I want her
ALIVE.
You know where to find me," as he turned to leave the room.
The Lt. grabbed Moreno by the arm. "Tell me you're heading
upstairs to
grab the money and then we're gonna bail, right?" Moreno
blank stare
gave him the answer he was NOT looking for. "Look," the
Lt. implored,
dragging Moreno to the corner of the room. "I don't know
WHAT type of
explosive that was she used, but we need to bail---or have you
forgotten
you've got a few loads of C-4 stored in this place?! If that
blast she
caused starts triggering OTHER explosions, this place is gonna be
blown
so sky high there won't be enough left of any of us to use as
fish
food!"
Moreno, his face still, blank, cast his eyes down at the Lt.'s
hand,
which was now gripping his arm. "I repeat, if you run across
Daralee, I
want her alive. I'll be in my room." The tone of Moreno's
voice,
combined with his steely glare, told the Lt. the situation was
not up
for discussion.
"I didn't sign up for this!" the Lt. fumed, turning
away from Moreno and
heading for the door. "I'm outta--"
The remaining guards watched in stunned silence as the Lt.
dropped to
the floor, Moreno having pumped two bullets in the back of his
head.
"Anyone ELSE got a problem with my orders?" The guards
all shook their
heads emphatically. "Didn't think so."
~*~
Once Jason and Rinaldo were inside the warehouse, they split up;
Rinaldo
taking the bottom half of the floors, Jason the top half. Both
men had
already picked off a couple of Moreno's men, but were still no
closer to
finding either Moreno or Dara than they were before the explosion.
Meanwhile, a bloodied and dazed Dara was trying to make her way
out of
the maze-like warehouse when she was grabbed behind by one of
Moreno's
guards. Though she tried her best to fight back, with a sprained
hand,
and her equilibrium all but shot from having banged her head
during the
explosion, she was no match for Moreno's man.
"You're a real handful, ain't ya, Sugar?" the guard
leered. He had Dara
in a choke hold, his switchblade drawn. "Now, VERY SLOWLY,
you and me
are gonna make our way over to those elevators. There's somebody
who
wants to see you, Sugar. REAL BAD," the guard taunted.
"You're better off taking the stairs," Dara replied,
her words strangled
due to the force of the guard's choke hold.
"Did I ask for your input?" he snapped.
"No," she croaked. "But I imagine an elevator
ISN'T the safest form of
transportation after an explosion." Unfazed, the guard
continued to
direct her towards the elevators. "Now that I think of it, I
can pretty
much imagine what your boss has in store for me upstairs.
Actually
you'd be doing me a favor if we took the elevator. It wouldn't be
a
painless death--falling a couple floors down--but it would be a
lot
quicker than what HE plans to do to me." The entire time she
was
talking, Dara's kept her eyes on the panel above the elevator
doors.
Someone was heading down to their floor. She could only hope and
pray
that the face on the other side of the doors was a friendly one.
As the
doors opened, her prayer was answered.
"Drop the blade." Rinaldo stood less than three feet
away, his gun
aimed directly at the guard's head.
"No, YOU drop the gun!" Loosening his hold around
Dara's throat, the
guard tilted her head slightly to left, then pressed the blade
against
her neck. "You ever seen what one of these things can do, up
close?" he
challenged.
Rinaldo stepped from the elevator, his gaze still fixed on the
guard who
was slowly backing up with Dara. "You're not gonna hurt her.
Your boss
wouldn't like that. Neither would I."
"I'll say it one more time," the guard replied evenly.
"Drop the gun."
To show he meant business, he increased the pressure of the blade
against Dara's throat, just a hair--but enough to break the skin
and
draw blood. "I'll cut her from ear to ear!"
His eyes still on the guard, Rinaldo replied, "Whaddya
think, Dara. One
or two?"
"Hey, man! I'm talking to you! Oh, you think I'm bluffin,
huh?"
Dara quickly cut her eyes over at Rinaldo, and saw his index
finger was
poised to pull the trigger. Wincing as she felt the blade break
the
skin just a bit more, she closed her eyes. "One."
Before the guard
even had time to make another threat, he dropped to the ground, a
single
bullet from Rinaldo's 9mm having pierced the right side of his
skull.
Moments later, Dara followed.
"Hey, you okay?!" Rinaldo rushed over, helping Dara to
her feet, his
hand immediately darting to her throat. "Damn," he
hissed. "That looks
nasty," referring to the cut.
"It looks worse than it feels. Where's Jason?"
"Upstairs. C'mon, let's get you out of here."
"We gotta get Jason!"
"No," as he dragged her away. "The deal was,
whichever of us found you
first was to get you out of here and wait for the other out back---if
the other doesn't show by the top of the hour, whoever had you
was to
leave."
"What time is it now?"
"Bottom of the hour." Rinaldo kept towards the exit,
Dara struggling
every bit of the way.
"We've still got time, Rinaldo," she pleaded.
"Look, Jensen, don't fight me on this. Jase gave the order
and I told
him I'd back him on it."
"Well, he didn't give ME any order!" as she broke free.
Just as Dara
was about to try and make a run for it, shots rang out. As she
dove for
cover, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rinaldo sprawling
backwards. "RINALDO!"
Upstairs, Jason had just taken out another of Moreno's men and
was
pinned down by a hail of bullets. As he heard the guards
reloading,
taking his moment, he dove across the hall into a nearby room.
When he
rose to his feet, he couldn't believe what he saw.
"Oh, man!" he muttered. His eyes darting around the
room, he quickly
searched for a means of escape---any means. Just as his eyes came
to
rest on the panel overhead, the door was bolted shut behind him.
Moments later, he heard the unmistakable voice of Moreno.
"Well, well, Morgan. It appears you've gotten yourself in a
bit of a
tight spot, huh?" he laughed. "Do you know you're
keeping company with
enough C-4 to level a place three times the size of the Harbor
View
Towers? Speaking of which, I'll make sure that when I'm done with
DaraLee, I'll stop over at your Penthouse and have a lil' fun
with your
ladies. You got yourself a nice little setup over there, you
know?
C'mon, it's just us guys here--tell me, you doing 'em all? Hey,
since
we're on the subject of doing broads, that got me to thinking--which
one
of YOURS should I do first? Lavery's little girl? I couldn't
really DO
her, I mean, with her "condition" and all," he
taunted. "But I COULD
have a really good time teaching her the finer points of pleasure
and
pain. Then there's the blonde with the kid. She looks like she's
a
real tiger in the sack-. Or maybe Corinthos' ex? I know a freak
when I
see one--- betcha she's not afraid of the rough stuff, huh
Morgan?" he
smiled. "Or maybe the Cassadine dame. She carries herself
like a
queen---I'll have a GOOD time taking her down a notch or two bet
I could
make her beg; I like it when they beg. Then there's that sweet
lil'
social worker, your lawyer's cousin? C'mon, just between you and
me
Morgan--is the juice REALLY sweeter when the cherry, uh, I mean
the
berry's darker? Ooh, speaking of cherries, does your little
sister
still have hers---that other sweet young thing, too?
Jason took in Moreno's demented discourse without so much as
batting an
eye--even when he'd mentioned Robin. But when he brought up
Emily's
name, Jason lost it. "YOU'RE A DEAD MAN, MORENO!" as he
pounded the
door with his fists. "You hear, me?"
"Uh-oh," Moreno cackled. "Sounds like I struck a
nerve! You know, it's
a pity you won't be around to find out just WHAT I do to your ex-junkie
of a little sister. Hmm that's a thought. Maybe I can turn her on
to
some horse, eh, Morgan? Get her all laid back and relaxed before
I do
her? Give her a little chiva and she'd probably love what I'd do
to
her... you know what they say get 'em young and train them right.
I
think I might actually keep her alive as a souvenier of all the
trouble
you have caused me."
"You're not gonna touch Emily or anyone ELSE from my house."
The calm of
Jason's voice belied the rage in his eyes. If Moreno were face to
face
with him at that moment, it's quite possible he might have
dropped dead
from fear. "Only one of us is leaving this place alive,
Moreno. If YOU
wanna be that man, I suggest you come in here and kill me now---'cause
that's the only way you're leaving this place: over my dead body!"
~*~
With shots still ringing out, Dara crouched over behind a stack
of
crates. "Rinaldo?!" she called out.
"Yeah" he groaned.
"I can't get over there--they've got me pinned down!"
"You carrying?" The silence gave him his answer.
Seconds later, a gun
was slid across the way.
Braving the hail of bullets which were still flying, Dara darted
out and
grabbed the gun. She was about to ask Rinaldo if the gun was his
spare,
when she saw two bodies topple from the catwalk above. She looked
across the way to find Rinaldo slumped against the wall,
clutching his
shoulder. Taking a peek at the wound, Dara winced. The bullet had
gone
straight through, but he was losing an awful lot of blood.
Stealing a
quick glance at her watch, she saw it was 20 minutes 'til the top
of the
hour. "Think you can make it outside without my help?"
"Something tells me I don't have a choice," he grunted,
as Dara helped
him to his feet.
"Something tells you right. Dammit why didn't you have a
hunch about
today, Macho jerk?"
~*~
Inside the room full of C-4, Jason was perched atop a table that
looked
as if it would give way at any moment. And no sooner had he moved
the
panel aside, the table did just that. Using all his upper body
strength, Jason finally managed to pull himself up into the shaft.
He had no idea where he was going, but he knew he had to get
there fast.
~*~
Dara made her way down the hall, gingerly cupping her right hand
to her
chest, Rinaldo's gun in her left. She didn't think it was broken,
but
it was throbbing like crazy. Although the blast from her
guerrilla-styled bomb wasn't incredibly powerful, it packed
enough of a
punch to knock her across the room--and just like last time,
she'd
broken the fall with her hand. Her right hand. While she was
ambidextrous when it came to shooting, the fact remained she was
a far
better shot with her right hand than her left. At the approaching
sounds of footsteps, she darted into a nearby alcove. After a few
seconds, when the steps became nothing more than a distant echo,
she
stepped from the alcove, heading off in the opposite direction.
As she
bent the corner, Dara stopped short---there was someone behind
her. She
turned to find one of Moreno's guards, the laser of his gun
trained in
the center of her chest.
"Drop it!" the guard ordered.
"Sorry," Dara smiled. "Can't do that," as she
slowly raised the
weapon. "See we both know, you're not gonna shoot me. Your
boss wants
me alive---so he can do whatever it is his twisted little mind
likes to
do to women who challenge him. And I'm in no mood to be raped and
tortured, which I'm sure is just a prelude to what he REALLY has
in
store for me." Gingerly, she eased her finger around the
trigger.
"With that in mind, there's only two ways you're getting me
out of this
room: Dead or unconscious---and seeing how you're way over there,
my
guess is you're gonna have a hard time achieving the latter."
Still
staring the guard down, Dara noticed his eyes widen in surprise.
Nice
try, buddy, but I ain't falling for that one--I look over my
shoulder
and you fire off a shot? She was about to tell the guard that
very
thing when she noticed the laser was no longer trained on her
chest. In
that instant, her blood ran cold. Seconds later, it was lights
out, as
she was sent sprawling to the ground.
"Good save--" The guard's words were cut short as three
rounds were
pumped squarely in the center of his chest.
Without missing a beat, Moreno turned and hoisted Dara's limp
body over
his shoulder, then turnee too. You want me to go in after her?"
"NO!" Rinaldo barked. "It's bad enough we still
got two people in there
running around blind looking for each other we don't need three.
ARGH!" Rinaldo slumped back in the seat as he applied
pressure to the
gunshot wound, in an effort to stop the bleeding.
"You're looking bad, Rinaldo. Let me have Mario take you
back to the
Penthouse--get you checked out. I'll wait here with one of the
other
guys for Jason and Miss Jensen."
"No way," Rinaldo replied through clenched teeth.
"I'm not moving 'till
they come out." As he attempted to make himself as
comfortable as
possible, given his current state, Rinaldo muttered under his
breath,
"You guys better come out soon!"
~*~
Dara came to and found herself being strapped to some thing that
at
best, could be described as an exam chair.
"I see you're awake, Daralee." Moreno leaned in, his
face but inches
from Dara's. "Love the outfit, by the way. Gonna love
getting you OUT
of it even more!" Gently, he allowed his finger to graze
Dara's right
earlobe which was now matted with blood. "Sorry about what
happened
earlier." His gentle touch gave way to a rough squeeze as he
held
Dara's earlobe between his thumb and index finger. Dara remained
silent. After 30 seconds, he increased the pressure, causing her
to
finally allow a strangled groan to escape. "I'm very
impressed,
Daralee. I didn't know you had such a tolerance for pain."
Cupping her
face in his hands, Moreno covered Dara's mouth with his for a
hard kiss,
his tongue forcing his way past her pursed lips. Dara tried to
turn her
face, to shake her head, but it felt as if her head weighed a ton
"Feeling a little sluggish, are you?" Moreno laughed,
as he drew back.
"I gave you a little something to help you relax."
Running his fingers
around the contours of her lips, he smiled. "It wouldn't do
to have you
all tense when we get started, now would it?"
"Where's Jase?" she mumbled.
"He's a little detained, you might say. He's locked in a
room full of
C-4 and on the other side of the door, I left a little "package"--one
that's set to go off," as Moreno glanced at his watch,
"in about, say,
30 minutes? Yeah, in about that time he's gonna be spread out all
over
this countryside--and you, too, Daralee."
"JAAAASON!!" Dara was screaming at the top of her
lungs, an act which
amused Moreno to no end.
"It's a shame, too. I was hoping to be able to take my time
with you."
"Like you did with that teenage hooker you crippled?!"
she spat.
"Well, it seems my little secret was found out," he
laughed. "They
never could connect me to it--I made sure of that. In fact, there
were
some folks upstairs that wanted me to stay on---they thought
there was a
need for my "talents" you might say. But, then the Do
Good Squad got
wind of it and sent me packing. Still, you know what they say,
you
can't keep a good man down! There's ALWAYS somebody in the bunch
looking to cut a corner, bend the rules---make a fast buck, you
know?"
"And nothing turns a faster buck than dope, right Moreno?"
"You always were a quick study, Daralee. You don't remember
me, but I
remember you when you'd just arrived at the Bureau for training.
What
was that song they used to tease you with back then? Oh, yeah.
Now I
remember: 'Nobody doesn't like Daralee!'" he replied in a
sing-song
voice. The gaiety in his voice was quickly replaced by menace.
"Of
course, the joke was everyone DID like you, 'cause you were so
good.
Perfect every time---every "i" dotted, every "t"
crossed. Little Miss
By The Book," he sneered. "I had a REAL good thing
going, 'til you
decided you had to play by the rules."
"Forgive me---but I'm kinda funny that way," she
replied sarcastically.
"It appears so. But not "funny" enough that you
didn't think twice
about taking up with Morgan. I mean, so what if he's a big player
in
organized crime--but he's not pimping, or dealing, so that makes
him
a-okay, right?"
"You two are in the same line of work, but as far as I'm
concerned,
that's where the similarities end. There's a WORLD of difference
between men like you and men like Jason."
"Such a passionate defense of your new man, Daralee!"
He leaned down
and secured her other ankle. "How sweet! What happened to
fighting the
good fight, pressing forward for the greater good and all that
crap?" he
scoffed. "I tell ya, I never thought I'd see the day when
you were in
bed with the likes of Morgan." He paused. "Figuratively
speaking, of
course. I mean, you being so by the book and all, I just KNOW you
haven't mixed business with pleasure--we both know how disastrous
things
turned out the last time that happened, don't we?" he winked.
"How is
ol' Jacks, by the way? Oops. You two aren't on speaking terms,
are
you?" he sneered. "Damn. I don't know about you but I
just hate it
when I sleep--"
"YOU SHUT UP!!" Dara roared as she struggled against
the restraints.
Moreno merely stared up at her, his smug smile firmly in place.
"There,
there, now, Daralee," as he returned her to the chair.
"I didn't mean
to get you so worked up. You know you really shouldn't make any
sudden
moves. That drug I gave you? The effect only intensifies when
you're
worked up, baby."
"JAAAASON!!"
"Call him all you like, baby," as he secured her other
wrist. "He can't
help you."
~*~
After a bit of trial and error, Jason had finally managed to find
a
panel that opened up to reveal something other than a wall. As he
lowered himself from the ceiling, Jason glanced about the room,
trying
to determine just where in the maze of a warehouse he was. The
microphones and video monitors made it clear he was in a
surveillance
room of some sort. On his way out of the room, he came across the
body
of Moreno's Lt. Just as he was about to bend the corner, he
stopped
short. Not even two seconds later, a bullet whizzed by his head.
Having lost his gun crawling through the ducts, he was not only
lost,
but without a weapon as well. Quickly, he patted down the Lt.'s
body
and found, like most soldiers, he carried a spare piece. Just as
Jason
retrieved the gun, a voice from behind commanded him to rise to
his
feet.
"Nice and slow--hands in the air," the gunman commanded.
Assuming the position, Jason laced his fingers behind his head,
standing
with his legs spread. "Where's the woman?" Jason
inquired, his voice
even. No response. "You can tell me willingly, or I can beat
it out
of you."
"You got a lot of mouth for someone with a gun pointed at
him," as he
continued to pat Jason down. "Uh-oh," as his hands came
to rest on the
gun tucked in the waist of Jason's jeans. "Lookee what I
found!"
Jason knew the guard keep his gun trained on him and maintain eye
contact while removing the gun. The instant the guard began to
remove
the gun, Jason made his move. Bringing his forearm down hard
across the
guard's head, Jason knocked him backwards, causing him to drop
the gun
he was trying to retrieve. But the guard had good reflexes and
had soon
regained his footing, charging at Jason. As both men tussled over
the
gun, slowly it was lowered until it was pressed between both
their
bodies. Seconds later, a gunshot rang out, and the guard slumped
to the
floor.
Roughly, Jason grabbed the man by the collar. "Look, that's
a big hole
in your gut. The wound is mortal--that means you're gonna die.
But you
have a choice as to HOW you die: Slow and painful," as Jason
pressed
the nuzzle of the gun near the area of the wound, causing the man
to let
lose with a tortured wail. "Or, quick and painless," as
Jason presse
"What did you say? I don't think I heard you correctly."
"I only saw her once--here in the room on those monitors."
Shaking
violently, the man could barely get his words out over the
chattering of
his teeth. "Moreno mentioned that when we found her to bring
her to his
room."
"Go on. Where's the room?"
"B-b-b-basement level. That's all I know, man. That's all I
know!"
Doubled over, the man clutched his gut as Jason released his
collar then
stood and headed for the doorway. "Hey! Please, man--don't
leave me
here like this! Do like you said."
Jason paused in the doorway. "Head or gut?"
Making the sign of the cross, the man closed his eyes. "Head."
Jason fired two shots, then left the room.
~*~
"JAAAASON!"
"Will you shut up, already?!" Moreno was unbuckling his
belt as he
crossed the room. Ignoring him, Dara continued to scream. Having
had
enough of her incessant wailing for Jason, Moreno stopped at the
nearby
table and retrieved an object about six inches in length, with a
blade
that at best could be described as a cross between a scalpel and
a
sickle. "You make another sound, and I'm gonna slit your
lovely little
throat!"
As she locked eyes with Moreno, Dara paused, a placid smile
forming at
the corners of her mouth. She then let lose at the top of her
lungs
with "JAAAASON!"
Moreno raised his hand to bring the blade down, but stopped short
as he
caught sight of Dara's smile. "Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't
you,
Daralee--for me to kill you quick, to put you out of your misery?
Sorry, baby. It ain't gonna happen," as he put the blade
away. Again,
he glanced at his watch. "I don't have much time to spend
with you, but
what little I do, it'll be enough to make you BEG me to kill you!"
All the while Moreno was talking, gloating about his plans for
Dara, she
was busy dislocating her left wrist, so as to allow herself to
free her
hands. The right wrist was no problem, it was fractured, and with
a
good clean jerk, she could have her hand out the restraint. Of
course,
HOW she was going to do all of this and still remain undetected
by
Moreno, she hadn't a clue. Just as she resumed her attempt to
free her
wrists, of the corner of her eye she saw Jason in the doorway. So
did
Moreno.
~*~
Struggling to maintain consciousness and get free of her
restraints,
Dara could hear the sounds of Moreno and Jason's struggle.
Although his back was to the door, Moreno had seen Jason creeping
up via
his peripheral vision; thus, Moreno had managed to get the drop
on Jason
while he was in the doorway, firing off a shot. Jason dove for
cover,
getting off a shot that hit Moreno in the shoulder. Still, Moreno
charged after him, right on his heels. And while Jason was
younger and
faster, Moreno had the advantage of size--and years of training
as WSB
Agent.
As Jason and Moreno went from floor, to wall, then back again,
throwing
punches and kicks, Dara had finally managed to free her hands and
was in
the process of undoing her legs. The sound of a gun being knocked
to
the floor, then going off gave her all the more incentive to
hurry.
Still able to hear both Jason and Moreno, she reasoned that
whichever of
the two had been shot - if either - if it was Jason, the gunshot
wasn't
serious enough to have slowed him down from exchanging blows with
Moreno. Finally getting her legs free, she stood, and immediately
felt
the effects of having been inclined at a 45 degree angle. As she
crumpled to the ground, she crawled in the direction she'd seen
the gun
slide across the floor. Her vision somewhat blurry, head
pounding, and
right hand throbbing, she prayed that SHE wouldn't be called upon
to
take a shot.
Turning to face Jason and Moreno, she realized her prayer would
go
unanswered.
~*~
"Drop the gun, Daralee," Moreno hissed.
Slowly, Dara got to her feet. "Let him go, Moreno. It's over."
"You're a good shot, but not good enough to get off TWO
rounds--'cause
that's what it's gonna take to drop me, baby. Or maybe, you will
get
off two shots---and the second will become a stray and hit Morgan
here.
That is if MY bullet doesn't blow out what's left of his brains,"
as he
pressed the nuzzle of the gun to Jason's temple.
Dara's gun was trained on Moreno, but her eyes on Jason. When she
spoke, her voice was even, tinged with warning. "IF you
leave this
room, it's gonna be either in a body bag or cuffs. Personally,
I'd much
rather the former, but something tells me you're not as stupid as
you
look, so you might actually surrender." With her right hand
curled into
a fist, using it as a base, Dara's left index finger was poised
on the
trigger of the gun.
"You got a big set of balls for a broad, Daralee,"
Moreno laughed. "You
sure talk a good game. Hell--I almost believe you can back it up!
It's
gonna be a shame to have to kill you."
Jason's eyes never left Dara's the entire time. "Can you
take the
shot?" It wasn't a question. It was a command.
"With my eyes closed," Dara replied, never more certain
of anything in
her life. "Last chance, Moreno. Don't worry, I'll make sure
none of
the fellas in the Pen know you let a WOMAN get the drop on you."
"Say goodnight to your boss, Dara--"
One shot, center of the forehead, dropped Moreno like brick.
~*~
Jason bent down to retrieve Moreno's gun--just in time to see
Dara
crumple to the floor once again. "You don't do well in
heels, do you?"
he cracked.
As Dara looked up, her eyes glassy, all she could do was bury her
head
against Jason's chest. "You're welcome," she laughed.
"Oh, yeah. Thanks," as he swept her up in his arms.
"I can walk," she protested.
"Yeah, I know you can," as Jason glanced at his watch.
"But you can't
RUN in the shape you're in!" He'd overheard Moreno gloating
to Dara how
the place was gonna blow, with her and him still inside.
According to
his watch, they had less than five minutes before Moreno's threat
became
a fact.
~*~
"That's it!" Johnny said to Rinaldo. "You're
heading back to the
Penthouse. Look at you--you're barely conscious. Who knows how
much
blood you've lost!"
"We don't leave until Jase gets back, Johnny."
"What if he doesn't COME back?"
"We'll worry about that, IF and when it happens. Understand?"
The tone
of Rinaldo's voice let his friend know the subject was no longer
up for
discussion.
Just as Rinaldo was about to try and step out of the limo, he was
thrown
back as the ground began to shift underneath.
"It's a friggin' earthquake!" Mario yelled.
"This is New York, not California!" Johnny snapped, as
he struggled to
get to his feet. The instant he regained his footing, he was
knocked to
the ground again as another explosion occurred.
All the men looked towards the warehouse---what was once the
warehouse,
and saw a ball of fire dancing in the sky.
"I sure hope Jason wasn't still in there," Johnny
muttered.
"If he was, what are we gonna tell Carly?" Mario
inquired, turning
white as a sheet at the mere thought of having to break such news
to
Carly---not to mention the REST of the women at the penthouse.
"Tell her we're heading home."
At the sound of the voice, the men turned to see Jason, as banged
up and
weary as the rest of them, making his way down the hillside with
an
equally bruised and battered Dara in his arms.
They were indeed a sight for sore eyes.