Hostile Contact

by Tamala Callaway

  His phone rang, it was Faye calling. “Trevor what's going on? Where's Symóne?”

  “She's been abducted! I can't talk right now, just keep an eye out and call if you hear from her!” he said as he ended the call. He was getting another call from Blake.

  “What do you have?”

  “The guy we were just discussing—Donovan…well he quit the Tech Support Company a year ago. He took a job with the CIA as an Electronics Technical Transferable Consultant and Adviser. This explains how he's able to skip past all of the cyber loopholes we've been setting up for him. Also, he has unlimited use to governmental access to anyone's personal business. He's been watching her for a while and now you're at risk as well…” he was interrupted.

  “I get all of that, but right now all I care about is finding Symóne! Find a way to track that damn van and get me to her! Right now, damn it!” he was panicking.

  “We are getting information on that as we speak. I have a guy contacting the CIA to get information on the van now. Stand by for a moment, I'm getting a message through GPS,” he said as he saw a map of Texas with three different vehicles. One was of his own vehicle and the other two were the van and Trevor's car.

  “Trevor, you are twenty miles behind him. Keep west on I-10, I'm right behind you,” Blake told him.

  “I want to know every move he makes. Call the State Troopers and see if they can head him off,” Trevor demanded.

  “Already did. They have two in route toward him,” Blake relayed. By this time, Trevor had set his phone in the caddy, hooked to the internal speaker of his car by bluetooth, waiting on more information.

  An hour had gone by and Trevor was becoming more worried and impatient. He asked Blake had the Troopers spotted the van yet.

  “They are pursuing him, but he refuses to pull over. He's driving right at 100 miles per hour. It's becoming extremely dangerous. If he wrecks at that speed, he and Symóne are sure to be seriously injured or may even be killed,” said Blake.

  “Tell them to back off then! As a matter of fact, see if they can get an officer in an unmarked car to meet up with the van and follow them discreetly,” Trevor suggested. He was now more than a hour behind them, but continued on as long as he was on the right path.

  “Okay, it seems that he's stopped somewhere near Fort Stockton, maybe to fuel up. How are you on fuel?” Blake asked Trevor.

  “I'm running pretty low. I'll need to stop and refuel too,” he said. He was pulling off at the next exit to a truck stop and swiped his card to fuel. He filled up his tank and was off again.

  “Blake, are they still on I-10?” asked Trevor.

  “They haven't moved yet. It's strange, because it shouldn't be taking this long to fuel.”

  “I'm headed that way,” he said, seeing that Blake was directly behind him now. There seemed to be several other cars keeping pace with them, but one sped ahead of the convoy.

  “Who was that?” Trevor asked.

  “CIA. They're going after him as well. They've discovered his use of their equipment and are out for their own pursuit as well,” Blake explained.

  “Well they'd better not cause harm to Symóne trying to catch this asshole!” he yelled.

  Trevor was frustrated, worried, angry, and panicked all at the same time. He was pushing eighty miles an hour and was fast approaching Fort Stockton.

  “Is the van still there?” asked Trevor.

  “Yes. No one is in it. Just got word, an attendant at the service station said she saw them get into a dark blue pick up truck. She also said the truck had been parked there since early yesterday morning,” Blake relayed more information. “Okay, an agent is there reviewing the video footage to see if they can get plates on the truck,” said Blake.

  After Trevor, Blake, and the others in the convoy entered the service station, they pulled up beside the black van. Blake and Trevor ran inside to catch a glimpse of the video, hopefully able to see confirmation that Symóne was okay. The others were investigating the van, looking for clues that might lead them to the next location.

  “That's him! Look at how he's handling her!” Trevor snarled.

  Donovan was yanking her around and the next action set up a rage inside of Trevor that was sure to send him off on a hunt to kill. Symóne had snatched away from her abductor, attempting to run, but he tased her, then struck her jaw with his fist. He yanked her from the ground and slung her into the truck, pushing her against the passenger side door. He sped out of the parking lot and that's when they saw the tag.

  The CIA was calling it in, but it was coming up as a ninety-three Honda Accord. He'd switched plates with another car. They did a satellite search for the vehicle the tag really belonged to and zoomed in on it. It was the truck. They'd found it, headed back in the opposite direction toward Austin. They all rushed back to their vehicles and started pursuit. Blake had gotten one of the agents from a car where they were doubled up and asked him to drive his car back, he needed to ride with Trevor to keep him calm. He pulled his government grade GPS from his vehicle and attached it to Trevor's car and kept watch of where the truck was headed. They drove for what seemed like five hours, but wasn't quite that long. The truck had stopped and this really began to worry all of them. It was on the side of the interstate, partially at the tree line.

  They closed in on the location and when they reached the truck, the driver's side door was open. The Agents, along with the Troopers and Blake, drew their weapons, cautiously pursuing the area in search of Donovan and Symóne. It was all Blake could do to keep Trevor from pushing his way through everyone to find his fiancé.

  As they closed in the distance, they heard whimpering. Silent sobs from behind an object that muffled her voice. Suddenly she began to scream from behind whatever was covering her mouth. The Agents moved in faster. They saw Symóne, laying spread eagle on the ground. Her arms were tied to nearby trees and her legs were tied as well. Her body was naked, her face bruised, and Donovan was stripped from the waist down. He was making his way over her, and as he realized that his time was up, he forwarded his advance.

  Trevor screamed out, “No!!!!!”

  He took Blake's weapon and fired it toward Donovan, hitting him in the base of his head. His body fell limp on top of Symóne's—blood splattered all over her face and the ground. She was screaming in terror, crying mercilessly. They all rushed them, the agents pulling Donovan's lifeless body from Symóne's. Trevor took off his shirt to cover her, while the others cut the ropes from her limbs. He tried to gently pull the duct tape from her mouth, but she yanked her head in a swift motion pulling it off faster. Once she was freed, he picked her up from the ground, embracing her long and hard.

  “Trevor…” her voice broken by gusts of air escaping her lungs. “He…almost…” she gagged and turned to puke on the ground.

  Another agent was approaching with a blanket from their car to wrap around Symóne. Trevor pulled her back into an embrace when she was finished emptying her stomach, and started back to his car with her, while the CIA set up a crime scene and had called out the coroner for Donovan.

  Blake walked with Trevor and Symóne back to his car to help get Symóne's statement of what all was said and done while she was with him. It took a long time to get it all out, as she couldn't stop crying, but she eventually got through it. They'd found out that the guy in jail, was in fact Donovan's accomplice. He was being paid to do the things he did, and was promised a healthy bonus for taking the wrap for all of it. When Donovan reneged on his promise to get him out of prison, his accomplice—Harper, promised to blow the whistle on Donovan's conspiracy. He had no choice but to execute his plan to take Symóne before coming up with a more calculated strategy. She almost vomited again when she explained that he had told her that he wanted a life with her. That if he couldn't have her, no one would.

  “Well, our jailbird will rot in prison for his part, and Donovan will never be able to hurt you again, Symóne,” Blake promised. He then looked at Trevor, “And you…where did
you learn to shoot like that?” he asked.

  Trevor inhaled an unsteady breath of air, “His head looked like a blown up target at the range. It's all I saw, and I aimed and pulled the trigger,” he said, sighing with relief.

  “Well, I'll drive you guys home. Symóne, I think we should get you to the hospital and let them do a full examination on you. Those are some pretty nasty looking bruises on your head and face, and also…um…” he hesitated, looking at Trevor, then took a deep breath before asking what he knew to be a painful question.

  “What, Blake?” Trevor demanded.

  “Symóne…did he ever, you know…penetrate you?” he jumped at the swift jerking motion of Trevor pulling Symóne closer to him.

  “No. If you guys hadn't gotten there when you did, he might have…” she was gagging again.

  She pulled away from Trevor, leaning out of the door on her side of the car, dry heaving again. When she was done, all she could do was lay against Trevor, who instinctively held her in a protective manner.

  Blake turned around and started the car. An hour and a half later, they pulled up at the emergency room. Symóne had fallen asleep and when the car came to a stop, she jolted upright, screeching in terror. Trevor held her, shushing her while rubbing her shoulders. She began to cry again and Trevor promised her that he would never let anyone hurt her ever again.

  She let him walk her into the emergency room, and after waiting for only a few minutes, she was seen by a doctor. He ran all the necessary tests and checked her for a concussion.

  “Miss Lassetter, when was your last period?” he asked.

  “Six weeks ago.”

  The doctor massaged his temples. “Okay, it seems that you are spotting now, and your test shows traces of hormones that suggests pregnancy. I'm going to order an ultrasound for you and see what's going on here. Are you aware that you may be pregnant?” he asked.

  She and Trevor gave each other a look. One that was full of hopefulness and worry. Symóne sighed. “We didn't know that it had happened yet, but we were letting things happen on their own,” she said.

  “Okay, well sit tight, and try to relax. I'll be right back,” he said as he left the room.

  The ultrasound machine was wheeled in and the doctor returned with a packet in his hand. He placed it on the counter behind himself and started the ultrasound.

  “Okay, so you are in fact pregnant, but I am worried about the distress of the fetus,” he continued to work the wand around her belly. “Have you ever been pregnant before?” he asked.

  “Just once, it ended in a miscarriage,” Trevor answered first.

  “Hmm…okay, I thought that I might need this. I'm going to give you a tiny dose of steroids to boost the baby's heartbeat, and we're going to keep you here overnight for observation. I'll have an orderly take you upstairs to the maternity ward and a nurse will be in to get you hooked up to monitors so that we can keep an eye on the two of you,” he said while wiping her stomach clean. He gave them both a hopeful look, then left out of the room.

  Trevor took Symóne's hand in his and held it to his heart. “I really want you and this baby to be okay, Symóne. I love you and I want this,” he assured her.

  She nodded and the orderly came in with a wheelchair to take her up to her room for the night. Trevor followed and when they got Symóne cleaned up and dressed in a fresh gown, he used the phone at her bedside to call Faye.

  “What took you guys so long? Did you find her? Is she okay?” Faye was frantic. She had closed up the store for the night and was waiting at hers and Alex's apartment to hear from them.

  “She's okay now. I need a favor from you, Faye,” he started.

  “Okay, what is it?”

  “I need you and Alex to come stay with Symóne for a couple of hours…”

  “No! Don't leave me Trevor! Please—” Symóne began to cry again. Faye heard her pleas through the phone and decided it was time she saw her best friend face to face.

  “Where are you guys?” asked Faye.

  “We're at the hospital. Symóne's been admitted and we're on the fifth floor, the maternity ward, room 508.” he said then ended the call. He knew that she was on her way, but he also knew that he couldn't leave Symóne either.

  “Babe, I just want to make sure that everything has been handled as far as that…that…ugh! I just want to make sure they find out as much about his obsession with you, and if there is anything else to be worried about,” he explained as he wiped away her tears.

  “Please Trevor. Let Blake and the others worry about that. I just don't want you to leave me right now. I can't deal with that. I need you…to stay,” she pulled at him.

  Wanting her to keep calm so that she doesn't stress the baby any further, he sat beside her on the bed, leaning toward her and placed his arm around her. “I won't leave, I promise.”

  She looked at him with skepticism, but he gave her a look of sincerity. He would never break a promise to her and he meant it. He used the room phone again to call Blake and got him to do a full investigation of Donovan's place of residence, work, and hangouts. He wanted to make sure they left no stone un-turned, and to make sure there was no one else involved. He wasn't taking risks where Symóne was concerned.

  They had a wedding coming up soon, Symóne had a new business to tend to, and Trevor was a busy Attorney as well. They wanted their lives back, and wanted peace.

  Chapter 16

  Three months later, and two weeks after the wedding, it was a late Sunday morning after returning from their honeymoon. Faye and Alex had come over to Symóne and Trevor's new home for a visit.

  “So, where is she? Symóne can not possibly still be asleep at eleven o'clock?” Faye demanded.

  “I'm afraid so. She had a late night and she is taking full advantage of being able to sleep in,” Trevor shook his head with a smile.

  Then Faye started up the grand stairwell, headed toward the master bedroom, Trevor led Alex to the family room to watch television and chat.

  Faye knocked lightly on the door frame of Symóne's bedroom door as she invited herself in.

  “Knock, knock, sleepy head. Time to get up,” she chimed. Symóne only turned over and hugged her pillow, stretched diagonally across the bed. Faye went to pull the covers off of her in an attempt to get her to fully wake up.

  “Faye! It's too early…” she whined.

  “It's freaking eleven, fifty, Symóne! Almost lunch,” Faye complained. “I need you to get your bum ass out of this bed right now!” Faye demanded.

  Symóne growled with irritation and turned to sit up. She took her pillow and threw it at Faye, who ducked and caught it at the same time.

  “You missed me, ha!” she boasted.

  Symóne got up, dressed in a tiny tank tee and boy shorts, and started aggressively toward Faye.

  “Oh my God! Look at your belly! You have a baby bulge!” Faye screeched and ran toward her. She pressed her palms all over Symóne's belly and cooed over her. Symóne's head dropped and she began to giggle.

  Symóne moved Faye's hands, “Move, I have to pee!” she rushed off to the bathroom. When she was through with her morning rituals, she freshened up and went into her massive designer closet with Faye following behind. While Symóne picked through a row of summer dresses, Faye had a look of excitement on her face.

  “Okay, what's that look for?” asked Symóne.

  Faye held out her hand and dangled her fingers in front of her. Symóne gasped, and stepped close to her. She took Faye's hand and inspected her ring and began to squeal loudly. She was bouncing up and down as she hugged her best friend.

  Hearing her screams, Trevor stood to go check on her.

  “Wait, Faye's probably showing her ring to Symóne,” Alex grinned.

  “So you popped the question finally?” Trevor raised his brows and Alex nodded as though he'd accomplished a great feat. Trevor smacked him on his back hard with approval.

  “Congratulations man. I guess the two of you will be house hunting
next then?”

  “Yeah, Faye wants to be somewhere near this area. She doesn't like being so far away from her bestie you know,” Alex chuckled at the thought. If it were up to his income, they wouldn't be able to afford anything within a ten mile radius of the Harrison's, but Symóne offering Faye a third part ownership of her business, put Faye in the league of upscale, but not as grand as her best friend.

  “Great! Symóne will be ecstatic,” Trevor smiled.

  Some time after Symóne had gotten dressed, the guys heard the girls talking on their way down the stairs and Trevor went to greet his wife and palm her belly.

  “Good morning babe,” he smiled at her.

  “It's not even morning anymore. Don't pacify this lazy chick,” Faye teased.

  She pulled at Symóne to go into the kitchen so that she could make her something to eat. “What do you have a taste for little momma?” Faye requested as she looked into the fridge for something quick and easy.

  “I think I'll just have a bowl of oatmeal. I'm not that hungry yet,” Symóne replied.

  Trevor chuckled, “She's more like a gremlin. Devouring food after midnight, so she's good for another couple of hours.”

  Symóne stuck her tongue out at him and came to sit beside him on the sofa. Faye chopped up a banana and a few strawberries to put in Symóne's oatmeal, then stirred them in and brought the bowl to her.