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Denise had to admit to herself that it was probably a good thing that Victor had talked her into going out to dinner. If she had not gone out, she would have gone straight home and slipped into bed forgetting all about eating. And she always skipped breakfast, too, so she would have been a mess in no time. Tomorrow promised to be just as stressful and busy a day as today.
"So how about you? What made you decide to get into this line of work?"
"I guess you could say it was in my blood. My father and my grandfather were both policemen. I never thought about doing anything else. I just wanted to be a cop."
"Mmm-hmmm, go on.” He said, giving her his complete attention.
"So I knew what I wanted to do and majored in Criminal Justice in college. I worked as a lifeguard until I could apply to be a police officer. I never dreamed that I would be an agent for the FBI, but here I am, and I love it. I love the adrenaline and the rush I get. I love the way your day changes everyday and some days you can really make a difference in someone's life."
"That's true."
"Not to mention that there is nothing more satisfying than taking a jerk to jail that needs to go."
"I like how you think, Denise.” His laughter spilled out and warmed her from the inside out. Why was his smile so irresistible? When he smiled at her like that, it felt like he melted her insides. She loved his laugh, and the way it tickled her own stomach with a warm fluttering.
"Thank you, Victor.” She didn't say just how much she liked him back, but her wide smile and the shameful flush to her cheeks probably gave away her impetuously shocking thoughts.
Chapter Three
The call came in the middle of the night, 3:36 A.M. A vehicle and a man matching the suspect's description had come by earlier that evening and stopped for gas. The gas attendant saw the news and recognized the man.
He had already been questioned and the videotape was examined. Denise spent the morning on the road with no shower, she was barely awake enough to throw on her clothes and begin the drive out to Big Pine National Forest. Victor had her called and her hostage negotiation skills were an added benefit. No one knew where or when they would find this man, volunteers were combing the area, but when they did, they hoped they would find Elizabeth alive and healthy. That hope had never died for Denise.
Denise arranged to have a private plane fly up to the Big Pine area, saving her the driving time. There would be a rental car waiting for her when she got there. The noise of the engine nearly drowned out her thoughts. She sipped on the cup of coffee she managed to grab before leaving Cincinnati. Praising the coffee gods for her steaming hot cup of coffee, she reviewed what she knew about Brock Hall mentally. He had spent time in jail, being evaluated by psychologists and counselors.
He was considered dangerous, and a pathological liar. Outside of prison, he had been a regular drug user with cocaine but preferred meth when he could get it. He drank alcohol regularly. The man couldn't be trusted. He would be desperate and was likely to do something stupid.
In fact, she fully expected him to be drunk and wallowing in his own self pity, justifying his actions and working his courage up to a point with the alcohol where he could kill the girl. The knowledge did nothing to ease her fears.
The sun was rising, spreading a warm glow of colors over the land, by the time the land was dominated by pine trees. The mountains were looming in the distance. Ordinarily, Denise would enjoy a flight like this, paying more attention to the beauty of the world than the dark thoughts that dominated her mind.
But today all she could do was concentrate on Elizabeth and hope they wouldn't be digging her up out of a shallow grave, when they finally found her.
* * * *
The emergency command post seemed disorganized and thrown together haphazardly. It felt uncontrolled with various people wandering through it, ranging from civilian search and rescue volunteers to the local police force. The sheriff, FBI agents, and the detective that had been assigned to the case originally in Virginia were also there. It was a jumble of people and equipment, but it would do in a pinch and the press had yet to find it. Yet they would be here soon enough.
Denise honed in on her boss right away. After telling her to go home and get some sleep, the man was here before she was, and unlike her, he looked like he had slept. She was disheveled and looked like she just woke up. Some stray brown hairs slipped out of her ponytail and curled onto the nape of her neck.
Denise gave him a mock salute before saying, “Reporting for duty, sir."
"Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, I see?” he said, shading his eyes from the afternoon sun.
"Hey, don't make fun of the bushy hair. I am here, aren't I? I have had my coffee. I will be fine.” Truth was with the adrenaline she was feeling, it would be a while before she could wind down enough to sleep again. They were close to wrapping this up. They knew the suspect was here in the area. All they needed was a break.
She waited patiently as he filled her in on the day's agenda, what had happened so far and what would hopefully transpire. Three people were trained in hostage negotiations. It was whoever was closest that would be dealing with Brock Hall. She could very well be in on that, and it gave her satisfaction to feel needed in that way.
The forest rangers were going over maps with the search team, to spend today searching the campgrounds and the less public areas, following the dirt roads that wove through the mountain.
A helicopter drowned out all conversation as its blades cut through the air, louder and louder until it suddenly rose into the air. The passengers were part of the search and rescue team, dressed in climbing gear, and ready for any possible situation. Now that it was daylight, the odds of spotting the kidnapper or his car were much higher.
Denise watched the helicopter take off. Her hand covered her eyes as she watched it move out of sight into the afternoon sun. It cut across low disappearing into the horizon and finally behind a hill.
Suddenly she jumped as she felt Victor's hand intimately on the small of her back. He removed it immediately as she spun around to face him. “I really need your whole attention here, Denise."
So he had not just made a move on her? Why was she so jumpy around him? Quickly, she attempted to calm herself. Nervously she cupped her hands and returned her attention to the map of the mountain that he had just opened. “Yes, sir."
* * * *
The whirling of the blades was deafening as the helicopter hovered above the dirt road. Following the winding trail until it came upon a dusty vehicle, matching the suspect's description.
The pilot adjusted his microphone before speaking to the co-pilot. “I think we got him."
"Yeah, that's probably him,” the copilot answered, using his binoculars to get a better look. The driver was male, but he couldn't see anyone else in the van. There was no way to tell if little Elizabeth was alive or dead.
The pilot brought the police walkie-talkie to his mouth to let the other people on the search and rescue team know. “Eagle One to command post. Do you copy?"
He waited a moment to be acknowledged. Victor answered, his voice mixed with static. “This is base. Go ahead."
The pilot smiled wide under his black sunglasses. Everyone was going to be happy to hear this good news. “We found a vehicle matching the suspect's description, following him Northbound on a dirt trail, about twenty miles from the command post. I'll give you the GPS coordinates when you are ready."
* * * *
Victor was admiring Denise's ass as she bent over the hood of his car examining a map of the area. She had a round, plump ass that he would enjoy fucking. Sexy legs that were nicely accentuated by her heels. The kind of woman you would enjoy watching as you came into the back of her. Sometimes he had feelings about people, and he felt she would love to be bound by him.
She should be wearing sensible clothes, but Denise always the professional,
wore her business suit, her skin tight skirt hugging her hips. Denise was exactly the kind of girl he would love to tie up sometime and do nothing but play with one weekend. She was the type of girl that hid that secret part of her away. The type of girl you just wanted to tie up and spank. But now was not the time or the place. Regretfully, he shook his head to clear his thoughts and waited for the approaching vehicle.
Victor took his place next to Denise, aiming his handgun at the approaching vehicle. Denise took her cue from Victor and did the same, preparing for the worst. The van was bearing down on the roadblock. A trail of dust marking his path behind him. Any normal person would have given up, or turned around, but with the chasing cop cars and the helicopter overhead, the van sped up even faster barreling into the one car that wasn't government owned. Denise's rental car.
The sound of twisting metal and breaking glass filled the air on impact. The van lodged against some rocks and between the cars. Its wheels spinning faster as the man hit the accelerator. Dirt and small rocks flew up into the air and hit the body of the van.
"Get out of the car and put your hands in the air now!” one of the officers commanded using a bullhorn.
The dark-haired man in the minivan answered by raising a handgun and pointing it back at the police barricade. Shots fired on the van, killing the man before he had a chance to return fire. The man slumped against the steering wheel motionless, the gun dropped from his hands. The police and the FBI swarmed the vehicle, keeping their guns pointed on the man who had just tried to kill them. One of the men opened the front door. When the suspect still didn't move he felt for a pulse.
"He's dead."
An officer opened the sliding door of the van and cursed when he saw the little girl's body tied up on the floor. They opened fire when he still had the girl? They could have killed her. He felt a rush of adrenaline as he heard the girl whimper, tears falling down her cheeks.
He picked her up, cradling her in his arms. She was trembling, unable to stop her body from shaking. Slowly he removed the duct tape on her mouth. He didn't want to cause her anymore pain than he had to. Elizabeth had been through enough of an ordeal over the last few days.
