by Mike Ryan
“Nothing else here,” Cole reported.
“Where’s Davis?” Parker forcefully asked.
“Who?” Favreau replied.
“Listen to me you bitch,” Parker said, grabbing Favreau by the shirt collar and pulling her closer. “You play games with me and I promise you that you’ll regret it.”
“I don’t know anything.”
Parker didn’t take that answer too kindly. She responded with a forearm blow that landed right across Favreau’s nose, blood immediately pouring out.
“You’re gonna start talking and you’re gonna do it now or this is gonna get ugly,” Parker threatened. “I wanna know where Davis is and I wanna know where the man he took from the hotel is. The one that you lured down!”
“I swear I don’t know,” Favreau pleaded.
“Wrong answer.”
Parker made a fist and struck her again, right in the corner of Favreau’s left eye.
“I can do this all day. Can you?” Parker wondered.
“She can, too. I’ve seen it before,” Cole calmly stated.
“OK,” Favreau finally relented. “I don’t know where Davis is right now. But I do know where he’s taking Turner.”
“Where?” Parker eagerly asked.
“He’s taking him to some farm house. The address is on a piece of paper on the desk over there, next to the computer.”
“Keep talking.”
“Davis is bringing the other guy there as he waits for a plane I think. Maybe a helicopter, I don’t know. He’s only going to stay there for about half an hour. He should be there in about ten minutes.”
“Fine. We need to get moving then,” Parker said.
“What do you wanna do with her?” Cole asked.
“Tie her up and throw her in a closet.”
“You can’t do that,” Favreau pleaded.
“And why is that?” Parker wondered.
“Because once he arrives at that house he’s going to call here to make sure I’m still here. If I don’t answer he’s going to assume I’ve been compromised and that you’re on to him.”
Parker sighed and rolled her eyes, not liking the situation. She walked over to the desk and picked up the paper with the address on it.
“I don’t like this,” Cole said.
“Neither do I but we don’t seem to have much of a choice. I’ll go get Ryan. You stay here with the bimbo.”
“Really?” Favreau replied, insulted.
“Shut up,” Parker shouted, giving her a left jab in the other eye.
“I don’t think splitting up’s a good idea,” Cole cautioned. “Something’s funny about this.”
“Well what else can we do? She needs to be here to answer the phone so he’s not alerted. And we can’t both go and assume she won’t tell him we’re coming,” Parker responded.
“I know. I just don’t like it though.”
“I don’t like it either but we don’t have any other choice. There’s not enough time to call Burnett for some backup.”
“Fine. You don’t do anything stupid though. No heroic stuff,” Cole warned her. “I mean it.”
“I got it.”
“Soon as that call’s made I’m on my way there. All you need to do is hold them off long enough for me to get there. You don’t need to be Rambo.”
“I know.”
They agreed that it was the best course of action though neither of them were that comfortable with it. Parker then left, leaving Cole alone with Favreau. He led her over to a chair and sat her down in it. It was going to feel like an extremely long ten minutes.
“So how’d you hook up with Davis anyway?” Cole wondered.
“We just bumped into each other at a coffee shop. Started talking.”
“Heath Davis doesn’t just bump into anybody. He targeted you. Why?”
“I don’t know. That’s a question you’ll have to ask him,” she replied.
“Don’t worry. I will.”
The pair sat in an uncomfortable silence for the next several minutes. Cole checked his watch a few times, anxious for the call to come through. He still wasn’t sure about the entire situation though. He couldn’t put his finger on it but something just didn’t sit right with him. Maybe it was how easy everything seemed to be coming. He thought it a little strange that Davis would use someone who didn’t seem to have much experience in the trade, even though it didn’t really seem like a big assignment. Cole kept watching her, a little amazed at how calm and collected she seemed to be considering the predicament she was in. She didn’t seem nervous at all.
“So you know what Davis’ plans are? Where he’s heading next?” Cole asked.
“I have no idea about that. The only thing he asked me to do was make the call at the hotel and come back here to wait for further instructions. I have no knowledge of anything else he’s planning.”
“How long ago did you meet him?”
“Few months ago maybe. We kept in touch,” Favreau told him.
“Well isn’t that nice.”
Cole looked at his watch once again. “Two more minutes. You say anything that indicates I’m here, or Parker’s on her way to that farm, and I will end you. Understand? I haven’t fired my gun in a while and my trigger finger’s starting to get a little itchy.”
Favreau nodded her head. “You won’t have to wait that long though.”
“What? Why not?” a confused Cole asked.
Favreau didn’t answer and simply looked at him with a grin. She looked at him like she just one-upped him at a hand of poker or had the cards stacked against him. Cole got an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach and stood up. His eyes started glancing around the room, and he turned his head, as if he was trying to hear something in the background.
“What’d you do?” Cole asked.
Favreau shook her head. “I didn’t do anything.”
Cole knew something was up and readied his weapon. He heard something by the front door and looked in that direction, slowly making his way there. Favreau quickly got up and sprinted into the kitchen, diving behind the counter. Cole turned around to get a shot at her but couldn’t line her up in time. The front door was forcefully kicked open. Cole took aim but saw no one in his sights. Three men rushed in from the back door, taking cover in the kitchen. Cole heard something but by the time he turned around he had no shot. He suddenly felt something sharp in the back of his neck and immediately started feeling groggy. He brought his hand up behind his neck and felt a needle or dart sticking out of it. He then felt another sharp pain in the back of his shoulder as he got shot with another dart. His gun dropped out of his hand and he then fell to the floor, unconscious.
Favreau’s phone started ringing and she picked it up. “Yeah. We got him.”
“Excellent,” Davis told her. “One down and one to go.”
Parker had just arrived at the farmhouse and took up position near a tree, ably giving her enough cover to hide her presence. She saw no cars so she assumed that Davis hadn’t gotten there yet. Though she desperately wanted to rush into the house and kill everyone in it, she knew she didn’t have to take that risk yet. If Favreau was correct, Davis would eventually come out when his plane was ready. She was a little displeased that she only had her hand guns with her. She’d be in a much better position and feel better if she had a rifle with a scope on it. Then she could pick off whoever walked out the door. Or, if someone pulled up in a car she could hit them once they were clear of their car before they got to the door of the house. But she had no idea she’d need it when they went for Favreau. She’d just have to make do with what she had.
After a few minutes of waiting she started to wonder if they’d been made already and Davis scrapped his plans. Parker tried calling Cole to see if the call came in yet but he didn’t pick up. She thought it was weird that he wouldn’t answer. There was no reason she could think of that he wouldn’t unless he was in some kind of trouble. She started to think that maybe Favreau played them for suckers. She lo
oked toward the house again to see if she could spot anything before she tried calling again. She had a bad feeling something was going on. Though she didn’t want to rush the house for fear of being spotted and blowing the plan to Hell, she couldn’t just sit there much longer without doing anything. She called Cole again, once again without an answer. Parker looked up to the sky and closed her eyes, now convinced Cole was in trouble. She figured she’d wait ten more minutes in case Davis was running late and then she’d check the house. If there was still no sign of Davis she’d head back to Favreau’s apartment.
Seven minutes had passed and Parker was getting antsy. She wasn’t even going to bother waiting the extra couple minutes. She’d had enough and was getting ready to go in. As she was getting ready to move, her head snapped to attention, hearing something in the distance. She noticed a black car pulling up to the house. The windows were tinted so she couldn’t quite make out who was inside. After a minute of idling, the engine shut off. Parker anxiously waited for someone to make an appearance. A few seconds later the driver side door opened. A man in a suit stepped out of the car, holding what looked like a bag or a briefcase in his hand. A younger man, he appeared to be in his early thirties.
“Parker! Alex Parker,” the man shouted as he looked around.
Parker knew she was about to get delivered some bad news. Though she didn’t want to reveal herself she knew she had to go over there. She kept her arm ready in case she needed to use her weapon in a hurry. She slowly walked over, keeping a gun pointed at the man, while still keeping her head on a swivel in case she got ambushed.
“I’m unarmed,” the man told her. He lifted up his suit jacket and slowly turned around so she could see he had no hidden weapons.
She was satisfied that he was telling her the truth and had no tricks up his sleeve. “What do you want?” she asked, moving to within a few feet of him.
“Have something for you,” he said, holding the small briefcase in front of him.
“What’s inside?” Parker asked, not really eager to see what it was.
“I really don’t know the contents. All I’m supposed to do is give you the package and leave.”
Parker uneasily took the bag from him, who then turned around and got back in his car. He spun the car around and left the premises, Parker watching as he drove away. Considering the way the other guy carried it, she assumed that it wasn’t a bomb or some kind of explosive device. She noticed a stone wall near her and placed the bag on top of it. She slowly unzipped the bag and looked inside, taking out a laptop. She was almost afraid to see what was on it. She powered it on and waited for the screen to be ready. She assumed something would pop up or she’d see something to click on the screen. The smiling face of Davis immediately came on.
“Ah, there you are,” Davis excitedly said.
“What do you want?”
“What? No hi, how are you? No how’s it going? No long time, no see?”
“Skip the crap,” Parker told him, not in the mood for games. “What do you want?”
“Let me show you,” Davis said.
A split screen then appeared, Cole on the left, Turner on the right. Both were tied to a chair, hands behind their backs, with blindfolds on. Neither appeared to be moving. Parker looked at the picture in horror. Rage quickly flowed through her system. Their pictures disappeared, with Davis coming back on the screen.
“Are they…,” Parker started, unable to finish her question.
“Dead? No. They’ve merely been incapacitated with some highly questionable drugs. No, they’ll awaken in a few minutes. I just didn’t want our chance encounter interrupted.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“There’s a multitude of reasons. First and foremost is you.”
“Why? Because I wouldn’t run away with you?” she asked.
“Partially. I don’t understand how I couldn’t give you what you wanted, yet you’re willing to throw it all away for Ryan,” Davis stated.
“Because Ryan is everything that you’re not. Kind, caring, passionate, intelligent…I can go on and on.”
Davis chuckled. “Yes. I’m sure you could.”
“I swear if you hurt them.”
“Then what?” Davis interrupted.
“I will hunt you down.”
“Now, now, Alex…they’ll be no need for that. I’ll tell you exactly where I’ll be. In about ten minutes I’ll be at the Charles de Gaulle Airport. Terminal 1. My flight will leave soon after.”
“Why would you tell me that?” Parker asked.
“Because you have a choice to make. Your newfound hatred of me…or the love of your friends. Or boyfriend I should say,” he smiled. “You’ve been through this before, haven’t you? Seems like…oh yes, now I remember. You do, right? That little girl that you let blow up into a million pieces.”
Parker knew exactly what he was saying and she couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t believe that all these years later she was staring at the same exact situation again.
“You like to think that you’ve changed since that fateful day right? That you’ve evolved, grown as a person and an agent? Well, let’s see if you really have.”
“Why?”
“Why what?” Davis asked.
“Why are you doing this? Why are you involving innocent people that have nothing to do with anything?” Parker asked, her eyes getting teary. “If you have a problem with me, if you want me, then fine, come and get me. Or I’ll come to you. But don’t do this to people who’ve done nothing to you. They don’t deserve to be put in this situation.”
“They willingly stand by your side. Unfortunately, they’ll have to accept the consequences and repercussions that comes along with that,” Davis answered.
“You sick, sick, evil son of a bitch,” Parker angrily told him.
“You’re so sexy when you’re angry,” Davis replied.
“I swear I am going to kill you.”
“You know I really believe you mean it this time. But, I think our time is just about up.”
“Please don’t. I’m begging you. Let them go and I’ll leave with you,” she offered.
“Why? So you could murder me in my sleep or something? No, that ship has sailed.”
“Fine. Take me. Kill me. Whatever you want. Just let them go and I’ll offer myself up instead.”
“That’s…so noble of you. Really, it is,” Davis said, faking being impressed by the offer. “My heart is warmed by your generosity. I’m afraid I’ll have to decline though. You see, I have no interest in killing you. I don’t want you dead. I just want you to be miserable. To suffer and wallow in self pity that you can never ever be truly happy.”
Parker had nothing else to say to him. She knew there wasn’t a thing she could say or do that would change his mind or the situation. Whatever his rules were, she had to go along with it.
“So I guess I need to tell you your options huh?” Davis said. “Well, your first option is me. I’ll be where I said I was. Meet me here and you can kill me, take me in, whatever it is you wish to do. I think you might not take that option though,” he teased. “I dunno. Perhaps you’ll prove me wrong. Your second option is Cole. He’s still at Favreau’s apartment. You’re familiar with how to get there, no? There is an explosive device rigged to go off in thirty minutes. If you’re not there to save him I’m afraid he’ll be immortalized for his courageous service.”
Davis stopped for a minute, pretending to forget about the last option.
“And Ryan?” Parker asked.
“Oh yes,” he laughed. “How could I forget? My dear, dear college roommate. He’ll be in a car stationed outside a studio apartment, roughly thirty minutes away from Cole and also the airport. The address will appear on the screen after I’m done. I think you kind of know where I’m going with this. If you’re not there…the car goes boom. Now, as you might have guessed, you don’t have time to save both of them and come after me. You’ve only got enough time for one. And there’s not eno
ugh time for you to call it in and get a backup team in here. I’m anxious to see which one you’ll pick, though I have my suspicions,” he said, smiling.
Parker was dead silent with what seemed like a thousand scenarios running through her mind. Her heart was racing. It was beating so hard she thought it might explode out of her chest. She basically had to make a choice between her partner and her boyfriend. She had to decide which one would die.
“Any last minute questions?” Davis wondered.
“No,” she tersely said.
“You have that old Alex look right now. Maybe you do still have it in you. That old Parker spark. I guess we’ll see,” he said, looking at his watch. “Hmm….would you look at that. Time’s up.”
His image disappeared from the screen and the address that Turner was being held at briefly appeared. Parker quickly remembered it and then ran to her car which was tucked away behind some trees to conceal her presence. Now she wished she hadn’t parked so far away. She immediately started driving and called Burnett. Parker apprised her of the situation and asked for any help that she could give if possible. She didn’t really care about getting Davis at the moment. Her only concern was getting Turner and Cole. She knew she could get to Turner in time but there was no way she could save Cole too. Burnett told her she’d call the authorities to meet Davis at the airport and apprehend him. Unfortunately there was nobody nearby for Cole. She could call the local police but there was no guarantee they could get there in time either. Especially if there were explosives involved, the police weren’t likely to rush into a situation that they hadn’t carefully planned for.
Parker drove fast, weaving in and out of traffic, and around slower cars when possible. She was breathing hard, panicking that she wouldn’t get there in time. She was making pretty good time, and was confident she’d make it. Thoughts of Cole entered her mind though. She was upset that she wouldn’t have time to get him too. She quickly tried to block her sadness out of her head in fear of losing focus of saving Ryan. As tough as it’d be to lose one of them, losing both would drive her over the edge.
