Vanguard Security

by S. J. Bishop

  “Well, he’s just looking at it.”

  “I bet I know what he wants to do with it…”

  “Et tu, Brute?” he asked.

  “Oh no, he won’t stab me in the back. He’s going for my throat. He’s declared war, remember? But why is he walking into a gunfight with a knife?” I thought aloud.

  God, why hadn’t I just killed him ten years ago? Why had I thought it’d be better for him to rot in jail?

  “To make a statement?” Ned suggested.

  “Shut up. Get in a car, and find him. The second you see him, shoot him. Don’t even bother asking questions.”

  “But… I’ve never used a gun before.”

  “Well, you’re about to learn.”

  “I…”

  “Go… now.”

  24

  Lauren

  Tick, tick, tick.

  The noise, now that I was aware of it, was slowly driving me insane. Each time I heard that tick, it was like a hammer being driven into the side of my head. For a few minutes, I tried to find it, but the noise was echoing, making it seem like it was everywhere at once.

  Besides, even if I did find the bomb, I had no idea how to diffuse one. I would probably do more harm than good. My best shot was to escape. That way, I could warn people to evacuate. Even if I couldn’t save my son…

  The thought of my son, alone and afraid with a monster, broke my heart. But there was nothing I could do. I needed to focus on the here and now, and pray that Franklin had chosen to save him and not me.

  Again, I tried the windows, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get them to open. I couldn’t even break the glass. I was just wasting my time. There had to be another way. A secret door. An entrance to the attic I just wasn’t seeing.

  Something.

  It was then that I noticed the fireplace. For some reason, there were bricks covering up the mouth of it. One of them seemed to be loose.

  I pushed on it, and it fell to the other side, creating a small hole. From there, it was easy to dislodge the surrounding bricks until the hole became larger and larger. Soon, it was big enough for me to crawl through.

  Inside, I was met with a pile of soot that flew up at my disturbance. I sneezed, disturbing the ashes even further. It was hard to breathe and nearly impossible to see. Still, I craned my head, peering at the chimney’s long and narrow tunnel. In the distance, I could see a tiny pinprick of light.

  It was my only chance.

  I placed my hands on the walls and tried to climb. At first, all I did was slip and scrape my palms. I had never done anything like this in my entire life. I had no idea what I was doing, but it had to be done.

  So I kept trying. I tried various methods before finally finding one that worked. Inch by inch, I crawled up the chimney, using every ounce of strength I had. My muscles ached in protest, but still, I continued, driven by the desperate hope that maybe, just maybe, I could get out of this alive.

  Once I got to the top, I was dismayed to find that the mouth of the chimney had been covered as well. The sunlight filtered in through a tiny hole. I lifted one hand off the wall but doing so severely offset my balance, nearly sending me tumbling down the chute.

  I took a deep breath and tried again, this time focusing all my strength into my legs so they could keep me up as I tore at the hole, making it bigger. Just before my legs could give out, I grabbed onto the ledge and hoisted myself onto the roof. There, I allowed myself a moment of rest before getting up again.

  Below me, unsuspecting civilians were going about their day.

  I stepped closer to the edge, prepared to shout out my warning. Only, before I could so, my fear of heights decided to kick in. The ground, which couldn’t have been more than ten or fifteen feet away, now looked like it was miles and miles down. I gulped and backed away, my heart tightening to the point of pain. I struggled to breathe properly as my body shut down with fear.

  Desperately, I tried to overcome that fear, knowing that the lives of hundreds depended on me.

  Just then, a car came speeding down the road.

  Franklin!

  He parked in front of the apartment and was about to rush inside.

  “Wait!” I screamed, crawling ever so slowly to the edge. “I’m up here!”

  I wanted to ask him why he had come to save me when he should have saved the baby, but I couldn’t figure out how to make my mouth work that way.

  “Lauren?” He looked surprised.

  “There’s a bomb!”

  “I know!”

  “We have to find it.”

  “And we will.” Somehow, despite everything that was happening, his voice was calm. “But you need to jump. I’ll catch you.”

  He held out his arms.

  “I can’t…” I shook my head and backed away from the edge.

  “You have to, Lauren. Please!” he pleaded with me.

  “I can’t!” I said once more. “I’m scared.”

  “Trust me. I love you, Lauren, but you’ve got to trust me.”

  What had he just said?

  “Please! I can’t lose my son and the woman I love on the same day. I need you.”

  I managed to get to my feet, looking down at him. Our eyes locked for a moment. “Do you really mean that?”

  “Yes! God, yes! But now isn’t the time, Lauren.”

  He was right. Taking a deep breath, I took the leap of faith.

  The world seemed to go into slow motion as I flew toward the ground. I closed my eyes as tightly as possible, preparing myself for the worst.

  And then, I crashed.

  For a second, I thought I had died. I opened my eyes ever so slowly, expecting white lights and angels, but all I saw was Franklin’s face, inches away from mine.

  “I told you I’d catch you.”

  25

  Franklin

  I held her close for a moment, glad that she was still alive. I took her face in my hands and looked into her eyes. They were full of fear, but there was something more. I didn’t quite know what it was, but it made me want to protect her, to do whatever it took to make sure we made it out of this nightmare.

  “Come on, we have to find that bomb.”

  We scrambled to our feet, running up the stairs to the third floor. The door, of course, was locked. I stepped back to the very edge of the landing before I charged forward, ramming my shoulder into the door. It splintered apart and jabbed into my skin, drawing blood, but I didn’t care.

  The ticking of the bomb was deafening. It filled my ears and echoed through my mind.

  Tick, tick, tick.

  “Do you have any idea where it is?”

  Lauren shook her head. “I tried to find it, but I couldn’t figure out where the noise was coming from… I figured that if I managed to escape, I’d be able to warn people to evacuate.”

  “That was never going work – at least not completely. The police would’ve arrested you, and they would’ve taken their sweet time assembling a bomb squad. The only way we can stop this is by finding the bomb and defusing it ourselves.”

  “Do you know how to do that?” she asked, her voice shaking.

  “It’s been a long, long time since I’ve touched one, but in theory, yes.”

  “I don’t really like the sound of that.”

  “Well, it’s the only shot we’ve got. Now, come on, start looking. A bomb is big. It’ll need space.”

  Lauren nodded. Soon, we were scouring the place, trying to find the source of the ticking, but it seemed that no matter how hard we looked, we just couldn’t find it.

  Where had he hidden it?

  I tore the place apart, pulling off chunks of the drywall in some places.

  Ring! Ring! Ring!

  My phone’s ringing nearly gave me a heart attack.

  I fished it out of my pocket and answered.

  “Good news. I have Frankie.”

  I sighed in relief. “No sign of Dean?”

  “No… or of a bomb. I got some of the dogs co
ming out here to check, but from what I can tell… this is just a regular old barn.”

  “How’s Frankie?”

  “He seems fine. I’m bringing him home now. What about you? Did you find Lauren?”

  “Yes… she’s here with me. But we have a problem. There’s a bomb, but we can’t find it… if it blows… part of London will go along with it.”

  “Well, you’ve got to find it. Think like Dean. Where would he hide it?”

  Suddenly, it dawned on me.

  “What is it?” Lauren asked, running after me.

  “Frankie is okay,” I told her, knowing that was what she wanted to hear.

  “But, how…?”

  “I sent Cruz to go get him. He was safe and sound.”

  Lauren started to cry, relieved that her baby was safe. “Thank God…” she whispered to herself before looking up at me. “What about us?”

  “We’re going to make it through this. We have to.” I said, pulling out an old computer from the closet. I wedged off the side paneling, expecting to find a bomb on the inside, but all I found was a Bluetooth speaker playing the constant loop of ticking noise we had heard this whole time. “I can’t believe it…” I exclaimed, turning it off.

  “So… there was never a bomb? It was all a trick? What for? Why did he just put us through hell?”

  “Because… it was a trap… a way to lure me out…” Slowly, I turned around, and there he was.

  He started to clap, a grin plastered on his face.

  My rage got the best of me as I charged forward, determined to make him pay for everything he had done.

  At the very last second, he closed the door, letting it slam into my body. I crashed into it, head-first, causing stars to circle around my vision. I stumbled back, disoriented.

  Before I could compose myself, Dean reappeared, holding a smartphone in his hand. He tapped the screen and suddenly, a red dot appeared on Lauren’s forehead. “Don’t you dare…”

  “You know, I would consider my next move very carefully if I were you. If my finger leaves the screen, then the gun goes off, and your girlfriend’s brains get to decorate the wall.”

  “You’ll have to get through me first,” I said, standing in front of her.

  “I was hoping you’d say that.” He moved his finger slightly to the left before removing it from the screen.

  My heart stopped as the deafening bang of a gunshot rang out. The bullet whizzed past my ear and disappeared into the wall behind me.

  “You can’t win this time, Franklin. I have you exactly where I want you, but let me prove to you that I’m not as bad as you think I am.” He stepped forward, his eyes burning with hatred. “I threatened your baby, yes, but I didn’t actually hurt him. I know he’s safe and sound with your boss. I expected you would try to outsmart me. Now, I’ll give you the opportunity to save your girlfriend. I’ll let her walk out of here unscathed if you get down on your knees and surrender.”

  “Don’t do it!” Lauren protested, grabbing hold of my arms. “You can’t…”

  Dean just laughed.

  I just shook my head. There was no other choice. Dean had won.

  Slowly, I dropped to my knees before him.

  “That’s it. Now, put your hands behind your head.”

  I did as I was told, swallowing my pride for the sake of Lauren’s life. Frankie needed a mother, and I would be damned if I took that away from him.

  26

  Lauren

  I couldn’t believe it. Why was he surrendering to this man? “Franklin… You can’t do this…” I was about to step forward when he suddenly sprang into action.

  In the blink of an eye, he had his arms wrapped around Dean’s legs, yanking him to the ground.

  He fell with a loud thud, his phone slipping from his hand and sliding along the floor. Knowing it was the source of his power, I quickly grabbed it, holding it tightly in my hand. I tried to tinker with it, but there was a six-digit code to unlock the phone. Thinking it would be better if it was just turned off, I held down the power button.

  Before it could shut off properly, the two men rolled right into me. I lost my balance, falling into a nearby chair. I hit my head on the edge of it, the phone dropping from my hand and landing underneath the desk.

  Dean tried to grab it, but Franklin stopped him, jerking his arm behind his back, threatening to dislocate it. Dean groaned in pain before he snapped his head back.

  Crack!

  Blood flowed from Franklin’s now crooked nose. He blinked, looking disoriented.

  Dean once again reached for the phone, but this time, I stomped my foot into his hand. This only angered him. He grabbed me by the ankle, pulling me to the ground. Once I was close enough, his arm snuck around my throat, choking me.

  I gasped for air, desperately clawing at his face, trying to free myself. He just held on tighter and tighter. I feared he would crush my windpipe.

  “Franklin…” I whispered.

  To my relief, he heard my cry for help, swooping in and kicking Dean’s head.

  He immediately let go of me. I sputtered, trying to suck in much-needed air. My body was spasming.

  I felt Franklin reach out for my hand. “Are you okay?” he asked, quickly looking me over for injuries. “You need to get out of here… I’ll take care of Dean.”

  Click.

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood on edge at the sound. Slowly, I turned my head and saw Dean standing there, gun in hand.

  “Don’t move, either of you, or I swear I’ll kill you both. I tried to be nice, but obviously, you two don’t want to listen to me when I’m nice. Now, both of you, down on your knees,” he growled, already pressing the gun to my head.

  I whimpered, feeling the barrel against my skin. “Please… you don’t have to do this.”

  “No, you’re right. I don’t have to – I want to. I want to see the two of you suffer.” He spat the last word, his teeth barred like some sort of a rabid dog. “Now, on your knees!” he shouted.

  With no other choice, we both kneeled before him. I could tell that Franklin was planning something. I could see it in his eyes. For now, it was best to just play along.

  Dean started to circle us, the gun still pointed in my direction. “Now, which one of you should I kill first?” he mused.

  “Let us go, Dean, and I’ll make sure that this is all forgotten.”

  In a flash and with a blur of gray steel, Dean slammed the butt of the gun against Franklin’s forehead. The blow was so strong that Franklin toppled over, blood spilling from the gash.

  “What have you done?” I cried out, rushing to Franklin's side. Even as I shook him, he wouldn’t respond.

  Was he dead?

  Dean started to laugh. “I didn’t expect him to go down so easily. I should’ve known how weak he really was.” With these words, he grabbed me by the elbow, yanking me to my feet. “Come on, I think I’m going to have some fun with you.” He grinned, his lips leaning toward the side of my neck.

  With all of my might, I tried to get away, but his hold was like that of a steel vice. He just laughed like a madman as I pounded my fists into his chest.

  “You killed him!” I screamed, tears flowing down my cheeks. I was hysterical, trying to avenge Franklin’s death, but no matter what I did, this man wouldn’t so much as flinch.

  He continued to laugh, his eyes painted with hues of insanity. “Oh, you’re going to be fun to break,” he snickered, roughly grabbing me by the chin.

  I jerked my head, but he held on tight, his lips approaching mine.

  “Stop it!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, but he still advanced. My stomach churned with disgust. This couldn’t be happening. This had to be some sort of a cruel nightmare. Why wouldn’t I wake up?

  “You’ll learn to love it…” he whispered. “Trust me.”

  All of a sudden, we were both tackled into the nearby wall. Franklin had risen from the dead. He grabbed Dean by the hair, pulling him away from me. Punch after pu
nch flew in his direction. The gun went off, exploding into the ceiling. The two men wrestled for it, like two bears fighting in the forest.

  I watched in horror, trying to think of a way to help. In that moment, I felt so useless.

  All of a sudden, Dean managed to hit Franklin with an uppercut. The blow was meant to stun him.

  Before anyone could stop him, he flew through the door. His footsteps thundered through the apartment as he made his getaway.

  I was so stunned that I could not move.

  Franklin, however, was quick to spring into action. He took my hand and started to run. We bolted down the stairs, going so fast that I nearly lost my footing. Outside, Dean was already getting into a car.

  He peeled away from the sidewalk before we could reach ours.

  “Get in!” Franklin yelled, already rounding to the driver’s seat. “I’m not letting him get away this time.”

  27

  Franklin

  As soon as Lauren was inside the car, I sped off in pursuit.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to follow him to the ends of the Earth if I need to.” I grabbed my phone from my pocket. How it hadn’t fallen out during the fight was beyond me, but I was glad for it. I needed it now more than ever. “Here, dial Cruz’s number. Put it on speaker.”

  “What’s your passcode?”

  “0425,” I answered.

  “That’s the day I moved into the house…” she whispered, looking at me.

  “Now’s not the time to get sentimental. Please. Dial his number. I’m going to need all the help I can get. This little car won’t be able to keep up with him once we’re on the highway.”

  She nodded, going through my contacts until she found Cruz. “Putting him on speaker,” she announced, holding out the phone so that it would be easier to hear.

  Ring… ring… ring…

  The air inside the car grew tense. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, my eyes still locked on the black Mercedes in front of me. Pedestrians jumped out of the way, but some were not so lucky. I regretted all of the lives that would be endangered by our recklessness, but this was something that needed to be done. I couldn’t let this man get away. Allowing him to would be much, much worse.