Echoes in Eternity - Ransom

Part One - Captive

by

Reagan Kavanagh

This work of adult fiction, loosely based on characters portrayed by Russell Crowe, includes adult language and experiences; you have been warned.  This specific work includes references to sexually predatory criminals and their behaviours, and may be difficult going for some readers.  No copyright infringement on the original work is intended.  © Reagan Kavanagh 2006.

Author’s Note:  Please note that I do NOT speak French fluently – aside from that required for cooking and making love – and am dependent on the various online translators.  If you speak French, I apologise now for the errors and inaccuracies contained in this document.  I did a version of this without the French inserts and it lost a great deal ‘in translation.’  Reagan

REAGAN

We stood at the security check-through gate in the American Airlines pod; his laptop was already on the belt for scanning, and the few people behind him in the queue for this early morning flight were becoming impatient.  I couldn’t seem to let go of his hand today.  We’d done airport goodbyes before – more times than I could recall - and I knew I was being foolish, yet something deep inside me was anxious; I did not want him to make this trip.  God, it seemed we’d only been home from Cairo for a few weeks.  I ran my hand through his hair, pushing it off his forehead; I’d intended to cut it before he left today and hadn’t gotten round to it.  He’d let it grow whilst we were in Cairo, saying that as he didn’t have to be in the office and in meetings day in and day out, he wanted to relax …part of that so-called relaxation meant not submitting to having his hair cut.  I liked it a bit longer, as did he, and we’d just kept putting off the trim.  He recognised my pushing his hair off his forehead as the nervousness it was, and Maximus being Maximus and reading me so well, sought to allay my concerns; his voice was low and comforting.

“Cara, I will return in ten days.  This is a simple renegotiation of an existing contract and meetings with potential new clients.  Your fatigue and stress from wedding preparations make you needlessly upset.”  He was likely correct with that observation.  Realistically speaking, Maximus would probably get more rest on this trip to Damascus than he’d had at home the last month.  Wedding preparations were now in lock-down mode.  There was an endless parade of vendors in and out of the house, ongoing phone calls from friends and extended family members – I may have no siblings and both parents are deceased, but I do have a boatload of cousins - and the usual insanity that accompanies a wedding.  I wasn’t sleeping well, and as a result, neither was he.  It’s difficult to rest when the other person in the bed is flipping about like a whirling dervish.  Had it not been for Maximus, Dee, Terry, and even Dino and their combined efforts at keeping me relatively calm, I’d probably have fallen on Maximus’ gladius weeks ago.  Now my primary stabilising force was leaving for a week-and-a-half.  Maximus was on his way to Damascus, and I couldn’t tamp down a rising sense of unease that was bordering on panic at his departure.  If I could have thought of a single rational reason for him not to go, I’d have offered it …but I couldn’t.  All I had was intuition, and that wasn’t going to get me anywhere but the loony bin.

I kissed him goodbye and stepped back when he released me, smiled, and waved until he disappeared from my sight; Maximus had once said I’d have been an ‘exemplary Army wife.’  I’d countered with the fact that I’d been in the Army and a wife at the same time, and he’d laughed.  We’re both good at word games.  At least I had something aside from the insanity of wedding plans to keep me occupied whilst he was gone.  I’d originally planned to take the summer off from teaching so I wouldn’t take the stress of wedding preparations out on my students; that had changed shortly after we got home from Cairo.  One of my colleagues was pregnant and having a difficult time of it.  Her doctor had ordered her to bed for the duration at the start of her sixth month.  It’s difficult to find people to teach summer sessions, so I’d offered to take her class.  At least my mornings would be relatively sane.

MAXIMUS

I awoke slowly, as if drugged, struggling to orient myself to time and place.  My head ached, and my searching hand found the lump – still tender and swollen - at the back of my head.  I was in darkness, though whether that was due to its being night or the darkness of a room without light was not immediately apparent.  I was lying on a cot; the only audible sound that of my own now-quickened breath on awakening.  I was alone.  The nightmare most feared by any operative in the ransom trade was now visited upon me.  My thong with the claw was gone - proof of life.  I had been abducted and was now held hostage.

31^st July

TERRY

I looked at the photocopy in my hand before passing it to Dino.  The original note had been in an envelope taped to the door of the suite when I arrived.  Having some arsehole tack a note to the office door in the aftermath of the night I’d had was the last bloody straw.  When I saw it, I’d clenched my jaw but had walked to my office, pulling on a pair of rubber gloves from the box I keep in my desk prior to removing the envelope from the door.  Sitting at the desk, I took a deep breath and slit it open; a single sheet of paper fell out …a leather thong with a bear claw attached was included with the letter.  I turned to the credenza and put the paper in the scanner/copier there and made two copies, returning the original to the envelope.  I left the thong on my blotter and reread the missive.

I’d heard Dino arrive, whistling as he walked down the hall and stopped at my door, poking his head inside after looking down the hall.  Max was due to have returned from Damascus a couple of hours ago, and as Reags was teaching this morning, he’d planned on coming straight to the office to brief Dino and me before taking the remainder of the day off and going home to her when she got home from class.

“Where’s Max?”  I nodded to the thong on my desk.

“You tell me, Mate.”  He swore when he realised what he was seeing.  His eyebrows shot up as he spoke.

“Jesus-fucking-Christ!”

“I don’t think He’s in on this one, Dino.” 

“Does Reags know?”  I shook my head as I stood and looked out the window at the early morning traffic below.  “You called anyone yet?” 

“Haven’t had time …I’ve been in less than ten minutes.  I’ll call Luthan …Jim Wesley’s still there, and he’s good; I’ll ask he be assigned.  Need to call Ackerman, as well.  Stillwell from SAS is in the Middle East.  I’ll track him down.  You need to call Parker …that’s his name, right?  Your mate from RECON?”  He nodded as I handed him his copy of the letter, and he took off for his office.  I sat, sorting through what must be done first.  Put in the call to Stillwell.  He had boots on the ground and his finger on the pulse in the Middle East.  If anyone could ferret out where Max was, it was Stillwell.  Twenty minutes later I had talked to him and was dialling the private number for Ian Havery’s office at Luthan.  I smiled when Genevieve answered the ring.

“Ian Havery’s office.  How may I assist you?”

“Gen …it’s Terry Thorne.”

“Terry, you adorable bastard!  How are you?”

“I’ve been better, Love.  One of my operatives has been abducted.”

“Terry, no!  Not Dino ….”

“No, it’s Max Espan.  Look Gen, I’d love to chat, but I need to speak with Ian immediately.”

“Of course.  He’s on a call, but I’ll buzz you through.  He can get back to that one later.”

No one in this industry self-insures or handles negotiations when one of their own is the hostage.  Doing so would be foolish in the extreme, as you can’t be logical when the hostage is someone close to you.  Our K&R coverage was through Luthan Risk …who else?  I might have difficulties with their managerial style, but aside from TEO as a response-only firm, and CRG as an insure-and-respond group, Luthan was the best out there. 

“Havery here.  Terry …what’s up?”

“I need your help, Ian.  One of my operatives – Max Espan – has been nicked in Syria.  I spoke with him at seven-thirty yesterday morning, my time, and just received the note; whoever has him, got to him after we spoke.”

“Fax me the letter.”

“It’s already on the way, and Ian, I want Wesley on this one.”

“You’ve got it, Terry.  He’ll be on the next flight to Dallas.”

“Thanks, Mate.”

*

Reagan …how is the name of Christ was I going to tell her?  I looked at my watch.  She’d be in class now.  Even if she was in her office I couldn’t tell her on the phone; this had to be done face to face.  I walked down the hall to Dino’s office and stuck my head in the door.

“Just talked to Ian.  Wesley will be on the next flight from London.  I’ve talked to Stillwell, and he’s in.  I’m going to tell Reags and take her home.”  There was no offer from Dino to accompany me; he knew one of us had to stay at the office in case the bastards made another contact.  One of the three of us – Dino, Sooze, or me – would be in the office or connected by telephone and computer 24/7 until Max was safely home.  I was on my way out the door when Sooze bustled in.  She took one look at me, and her eyes narrowed.

“What’s wrong, Terry?”

“Talk to Dino.”  I was out the door.

*

Half-an-hour later I was walking down the hall to the classroom where Reagan taught her morning class.  I stopped outside the door, took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked inside.  She was writing something on the white erase board at the front of the room, speaking as she wrote, and neither saw nor heard me arrive.  I walked to the front of the room and turned to face her students.

“Class is dismissed.  Now get the hell out of here.”  They didn’t dally, scrambling to shove notebooks and pens into their packs and bolting for the door.  Reagan turned toward me as I turned back to look at her.  Her eyes dilated, and her face went white; she reached for the podium to steady herself but missed it because her hand was shaking so hard.  She shook her head at me, willing it not to be true.  When she spoke, her voice was a long, low, guttural cry that ripped at my heart.

“Terry, please, nooooooo ….”  Her knees buckled and if I’d not caught her, she’d have gone straight to the floor.  They were to have been married in two-and-a-half months. 

*

I’d called Diana from the car on my way to the Uni, and she was enroute to Reags’ and Max’s place as I drove Reags home.  Reags hadn’t cried, but her silence was more disturbing than sobs would have been.  I reached across the console and took her hand in mine.  It was cold as ice.

“Reags, he’s not dead.  He’s been kidnapped.  This isn’t about vendetta; it’s about money.  I’ve already spoken with Ian Havery and activated the policy; Jim Wesley will be on the first flight out of London to Dallas.  He’ll be here this afternoon.  I’ve also spoken with your buddy, Ackerman,” I looked at the clock on the dash, “and he’ll be in at 1420.  I’ve arranged a car for him at the airport.  He’ll wait for Wesley, and they’ll come to the house straight away.”  She nodded, making no sound.  “Dino’s in touch with his mate, Parker, from RECON, and Stillwell – my old SAS mate - is on the ground in Syria …Reags, we’ve got the best people available on this.  We’ll find him.  Our insurance will pay the ransom, and we’ll make the exchange.  I’ll tell you what I’ve told every family on every case I’ve ever worked.  This isn’t about heroics; it’s about getting Max home as quickly as possible, and that’s how we’ll play this.  You have to trust me …you have to trust us to do our jobs.”  I pulled into their drive; Diana opened the front door as I helped Reags out of the car.  She was as pale as Reags, not that I found that surprising.  She loves Max as she would a brother.  She walked toward us and stopped, putting one arm round Reags and walking her into the house as I followed.  She reached back with her free hand, almost as if she was reaching for me.  I didn’t know if she was or not; last night had shown me that I didn’t know her at all.  I shoved my hands into my pockets, and followed them into the house.

MAXIMUS

I was sure they had received the initial demand by now; Terry would be waiting on a second contact in order to begin negotiations.  Thus far I had not seen my captors’ faces.  They wore balaclavas and gloves, covering as much skin as possible.  They had not spoken to me, only gave me a copy of the note they had sent Terry and Dino when they brought me food and drink several hours earlier.  They had allowed me to keep my wristwatch, thus I was aware of both the date and amount of time that had passed since my abduction; everything else of a personal nature had been taken from me before I awakened.  They seemed disinclined to harm me physically at this point, though I realised that status could change at any moment.

I believe they were unaware of my facility in Arabic else they would not have spoken within my hearing.  When I asked – in French – why they had taken me, the two who brought me food and drink had listened politely, but said nothing.  From what I could see round their eyes and lips, they had fair skin, thus I believed them to be of the lighter skinned Arabian nationals.  They could have been Lebanese, Syrian, Jordanian, Iranian, or Iraqi.  Whilst many Saudi Arabians are light skinned, with the exception of Osama bin Laden and those of his ilk, kidnapping is out of character for most Saudis; the majority of them are deeply religious and would not stoop to such behaviour as it is a prostitution of their faith. 

In listening to my guards’ conversation as they spoke on the opposite side of the door, I learnt positively that they had now contacted Terry and Dino.  I knew Terry would tell Cassandra, as they have grown quite close.  I did not envy him that task; I would not wish to be the man telling Diana that Terry had been abducted.  I tried to imagine how Cassandra must feel at this time, what she must be thinking; her unease on my departure was now validated.  All I could reasonably imagine was how I would feel were our positions reversed; I would be wild with rage and sick with fear.  I thanked the gods that she had Terry, Diana, and Dino to comfort her in this time.  I moved away from the door and lay again on the cot, thinking back to the moment I was taken. 

REAGAN

Terry’s arm round my waist had kept me on my feet.  As I turned after hearing him dismiss my class, there was a sickening rush inside me; it felt as though everything from my skin inward had turned to water, and I felt my knees go weak.  There could be only one reason Terry would have dismissed my class; Maximus was either dead or had been kidnapped.  The next 45 minutes were a blur.  I dimly recall Terry’s getting me to his car and inside; he would have someone collect my car from the faculty car park later.  He said Dee was on her way to the house, and that he had called Ian Havery and Ted Ackerman.  Someone from Luthan would be in Dallas before nightfall to act as negotiator, and friends of Terry and Dino’s from their SAS and RECON days would be on the ground in Damascus by now.

Damascus.  It was my favourite of all the cities I had visited whilst living in the Middle East and is the oldest city in the world.  The walls that surrounded it during the time of Christ are still standing.  I’ve stood at the location where St. Paul was lowered in a basket to get him out of the city.  Until this morning, my memories of that ancient city were nothing but good.  I would never be able to think of it in the same way again.

MAXIMUS

I was returning to my hotel after an early evening meeting; I had not taken my dinner with the client, preferring to do so in my room where I might make a surprise call to Cassandra.  I would be leaving for home in a few hours and would not have time to speak with her again until after going to the office on arriving in Dallas and then going home.  The evening was clear, and the temperature most comfortable; I had determined to walk rather than hail a cab.  My hotel was in the most recently renovated part of the city, and foolishly, I had felt safe.  Of all men, I should have known better.  I was standing at a corner waiting for the traffic signal to change before crossing the street and heard steps behind me.  I had started to turn when I felt a blow to my head, and everything went black.

I looked again at my watch and saw that it was now morning, though the room was still dark.  The only light was that coming in under the door.  I heard a key in the lock and sat up, looking away from the door to get an idea of my surroundings when the light entered the room.  I was confined in a room roughly eight by ten feet, as I had approximated from having paced it off during the night.  There were two windows, high on the wall …twelve foot ceilings.  The windows were painted black to keep out the light.  Clearly, they wished to keep me in darkness, as darkness breeds despair; had they wished to disorient me relative to day and night, they would have taken my wristwatch.  If I could manage to stand the bed on end and get to the top of it without my captors hearing me, I could likely break out one of the windows and escape if the glass was not reinforced with metallic threads and I was not many floors above the street.  I assumed it would be so in both instances; they would have been foolish in the extreme not to have taken that into consideration.  I turned back to look at the door as a man entered.

His face was covered with a guthra, only his eyes visible.  He spoke, and his voice was precise and well modulated, that of an educated man rather than a common street thug.

“Calam Arabie?”  (Do you speak Arabic?)  I looked at him as if I did not understand.  He switched to French, the second language of educated Middle Eastern peoples.

“Parlez-vous Français?”  (Do you speak French?)

“Vous savez que je, aussi bien que l'Espagnol.”  (You know that I do, as well as Spanish.)

“Très bon.  J'ai des questionnes pour vous.”  (Very good.  I have questions for you.)  I made a civil smile and nodded once.

“De même que je, pour vous.”  (As do I, for you.)

“Vôtre pour moi sera répondu à temps.  Le mien pour vous peut sauver votre vie.”  (Yours for me will be answered in time.  Mine for you may save your life.)  I nodded my understanding.  It was my wish to survive this captivity.  It could not be worse than what I had endured in my first life.

“Posez vos questionnes.  Je répondrai à ce que je peux.”  (Ask your questions.  I will answer what I can.)

“Quel est votre nom, votre nationalité?”  (What is your name, your nationality?)

“Pourquoi perdez votre temps posant les questionnes auxquelles vous avez des réponses?  Vous avez mon passeport.”  (Why waste your time asking questions to which you have answers?  You have my passport.)

“Je souhaite entendre les mots de vos lèvres.”  (I wish to hear the words from your lips.)

“Mon nom est Max David Espan.  Je suis né en Espagne, mais voyage sur un passeport Britannique.”  (My name is Max David Espan.  I was born in Spain, but travel on a British passport.)

“Et qui est ceci?  Est-elle votre femme?”  (And who is this?  Is she your woman?)  He held out the photograph of Cassandra which I carry in my wallet.  I felt the rage flare within me.  It was only by a supreme effort of will that I managed to answer him.  There was no point in lying …he had my wallet, all my documents, and she was my emergency contact.  He knew she was either my wife or someone very dear to me.

“Elle est mon fiancée.  Nous devons être mariés en automne.”   (She is my fiancée.  We are to be married in the fall.)  He smiled.  Though I could not see the lower half of his face, the muscles in his face caused his guthra to move upward. 

“Elle est très belle …vous sont un homme chanceux.”  (She is very beautiful …you are a fortunate man.)  I nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

“Oui, le plus chanceux.”  (Yes, most fortunate.)  He stood there for a moment, looking at me steadily before speaking. 

“Ne craignez pas pour elle, Monsieur …nous ne sommes pas des animaux.  Demain que vous serez déplacé à une salle avec la lumière du soleil.  Vous serez autorisé pour vous exercer, si vous souhaitez.  Il n'est pas notre intention de vous nuire  …à moins que vous la rendiez nécessaire.”   (Do not fear for her, Sir …we are not animals.  Tomorrow you will be moved to a room with sunlight.  You will be permitted to exercise, if you wish.  It is not our intention to harm you …unless you make it necessary.)  He extended his hand to me …her photograph was in it.  “Prenez-le …pour quelque confort il puisse vous offrir.”  (Take it …for whatever comfort it may offer you.)  I took it, though my blood now ran cold.  His pleasantness frightened me more than abuse would have done.  Still, one must play the game.

“Merci.  J'apprécie votre considération.”  (Thank you.  I appreciate your consideration.)  He turned and walked from the room, closing the door and leaving me in darkness.  I pressed her photo to my heart before tucking it into the pocket of my shirt.  I was left alone but for my memories of her …as long as my memories survived, I would never be alone again. 

TERRY

Dino had stayed at the office overnight in case there was another contact.  Sooze would take the next night shift, and we’d alternate, with me taking the night after Sooze.  Whilst all our office phone lines were forwarded to our cells, I wanted a physical presence in the office in case someone dropped off a second note.  We were coming up on 24 hours since I’d found the ransom note, which meant Max had likely been a hostage for upwards of 48 hours.  Ted Ackerman had arrived in mid-afternoon the day before.  I’d liked him immediately on meeting him last fall …straight-up bloke and obviously loved Reagan like a sister.  Before meeting Ted, I’d assumed they were about the same age, but he was likely eight to ten years her senior.  I knew he would be standing in for her dad at the wedding, giving her to Max as her dad would have done were he alive.  From what little she’s said to me of her dad, she’d likely prefer having Ted stand in even if the old man was still around.  Given that both Reags and Diana had less than loving fathers, that’s likely one of their bonds; they both knew what a cold and uncaring parent can do to a child.

Jim Wesley had arrived about an hour after Ackerman; Ted waited for him at the airport as I’d let both know when the other was due to arrive in Dallas.  This had been my first opportunity to observe Diana in crisis mode - rationally, I knew she’d been in crisis mode in Cyprus, but I wasn’t able to appreciate it at the time - and she made me proud.  She was a rock for Reags, simultaneously managing to take over the hostess duties Reags would normally have assumed with strangers in her home without missing a beat.  She’d called a rental agency and got single beds brought in for Ted and Jim; the lounge was now a men’s dormitory.  Diana spent last night in Reags’ guest room.  I’d been in the room with Reags; I’d held her until she’d cried herself to sleep.

There was a sleeper-sofa in Reags’ home office, and Dino would bunk there on the nights I spent at the office.  ‘Crisis Central’ was Reags home office …that’s where we had the recorders and phone taps set up for when the first call came in, along with fax machines, computers, and the like.  I’d got a multi-port cable modem dropped – called in a favour and had it in within two hours - so we could uplink our laptops to the secure server at the office.  Diana called Reags’ doctor and got a prescription for tranquilisers called to the closest chemist’s and had it delivered.  Reags had refused to take them thus far, but at least they were available if she started doing it hard.  Diana had even had the presence of mind to call the Uni and talk to Reags’ department chair, told him what had gone down, and got it sorted for someone to take her class until further notice.  I should have been the one thinking of that …her chair is a mate of mine. 

Diana’s ability to deal with me now is amazing, particularly as she’d tossed me out the night before we’d learnt Max had been kidnapped.  Looking at us from the outside, most would never think anything was amiss, though if Reags weren’t so preoccupied with Max, she’d have us sussed in a heartbeat.  Dino’s going to be the difficult one over time.  It may take him a while because we’re all in work mode at present, but once we get our feet under us, he’ll sort it out pretty fast.  He’ll be the first to note that our interactions have changed.  At least I have a couple of days to work things through; he’s not scheduled to spend the night here until the day after tomorrow.  By the time we get to that point, he’ll have seen us during the day and will likely be asking questions.  Given that I don’t plan on leaving here until we know something more definitive about Max, I’ll have to bunk with him on the sofa-bed in Reags’ office as I don’t see Diana letting me in the guest room with her.  But for now, I can watch her …my Diana.  No, not mine any longer.  She loved me for a time, and how I got so lucky as to have her love me as long as she did, I’ve no fucking clue.

DIANA

You’ve heard of people dropping the telephone in shock?  I always thought that was Hollywood; that day, I learned it wasn’t.  I’d just stepped out of the shower when the phone rang and picked it up, hearing Terry’s voice before I even got the handset to my ear.

“Diana?  DIANA!”

“I’m here, Terry, Jesus!  Stop shouting …who died?”  Talk about a poor choice of words.

“Well, he’s not dead so far as I know, but Max has been abducted.  You need to get over to Reags’ house and wait for us.  I’m on my way to the Uni to tell her and bring her home.”  Now the term nerveless comes to mind …I didn’t even feel the phone as it slipped out of my fingers and hit the floor, bouncing as it landed on the carpet.  I scrambled to catch it, shoving it back against my ear.  Terry was still talking.

“ …ley and Ackerman are on their way in …should be here late afternoon.  Stillwell and Parker have boots on the ground in the Middle East and are on their way to Damascus.  Be sure you’re at Reags’ by the time we get there.”  That was the second time it hit me that what Terry, Max, and Dino do is truly deadly …any one of them could be taken from us in a heartbeat.  Terry had disconnected; I managed to make it to the toilet before throwing up.  Once past that, it took me precisely three minutes to brush my teeth, get dressed, grab my go bag, and get to the truck.  I called Nancy as I drove, asking her to feed the dogs and horses until further notice because I had a personal emergency and couldn’t talk right now.  She told me not to worry; she’d take care of everything.  As much time as she’s spent taking care of my herd and the dogs this year, I need to get her something REALLY nice for Christmas.

TED ACKERMAN

The unit secretary walked into the conference room and over to me, bending down to whisper in my ear.

“You have an urgent call, Ted …Terry Thorne in Dallas.  He’s calling about Reagan Kavanagh.”  I bolted out of my chair without telling the rest of the attendees what was going on.  Hell, at that point, I didn’t know what was going on, but if Thorne was on the horn about Reags, I needed to take the call.  Down the hall and into my office, and I picked up the phone.

“Ackerman …what’s happened to Reagan?”

“This is Terry Thorne …we met in DC last October.  If you recall, her fiancé – Max Espan – is one of my partners.  He’s been kidnapped in Damascus.  I - we – need your help.  Can you come to Dallas?  We'll be at Reags’ place; you can call me there.  The number is ….”  I cut him off.

“I have it.  I’ll call as soon as I have flight information.”  I disconnected and hit the American Airlines speed dial button on my phone.  I called Thorne back ten minutes later with arrival time.  He said one of his former colleagues from Luthan Risk in London would be arriving an hour after my flight and asked if I’d wait for him.  I walked down the hall to Jack Marshall’s office and gave him the bullet; he said ‘go.’  Terry’d said he’d reserved a car in my name at the Hertz desk.  I’d get the car and pull it around to the front of the arrivals terminal and leave it just outside the door while I went back into the terminal to wait for Wesley.  A windshield sticker with FBI on it works wonders for letting you park any fucking place you like, and no one has balls big enough to tow a car with that decal in the window.

*

I was at the arrivals gate, holding an eight-by-ten piece of paper with JIM WESLEY written on it in black magic marker when Wesley came into the terminal.  He walked up and stuck out his hand as I met it with mine.

“Ted Ackerman?”

“Guilty.  Let’s get the fuck out of here.”  I didn’t ask if he had check-through baggage.  People like us have everything we need in our carry-ons.  As we pulled away from the terminal, he looked at me.

“Ian Havery said one of Terry’s operatives – Max Espan - has been taken.  Luthan is their K&R responder, but you know that…what can you add?”

“I’ve only met Max briefly, but Reagan – his fiancé – and I worked together when she was still at the Bureau.  She was one of our profilers; I was usually her lead investigative agent.  Reags is the closest I’ll ever have to a sister.  I don’t know shit about K&R – at least not from your perspective – but I suspect Thorne called me because I’m the closest Reags has to family these days as much as for my investigative skills.  What’s your story?”

“Terry and I had a two-year overlap at Luthan …worked a couple of operations together my first year.  He’s as straight-up a man as I’ve ever met.  Showed me a few tricks …I owe him a lot.  I’d go a long way to help a mate like him.”  I nodded.  That was about as much as either of us could divulge without breaching security.  We’d talk more when we got to know each other better and had a handle on the other’s security level and specific clearances.  I pulled the map I’d downloaded from Map Quest for getting from the airport to Reags’ place from my pocket and handed it to him. 

“You’re the navigator.”

“Right.”  But for directions, I think that was the last word either of us spoke until we got to Reagan’s place.

DINO

Anyone in this industry knows they can be grabbed at any time; that’s a daily reality for us.  Max wasn’t the first person I knew this had happened to, but he was the first one I knew this well …the first time it really had a personal impact on me.  Sooze had walked in as Terry was leaving; I heard her ask what was wrong, and his terse ‘Talk to Dino’ reply.  She was in my office two seconds later.

“What the Hell is going on, Dino?”  I’d been looking out the window toward the campus where Reags teaches and turned in my chair. 

“You’d better sit down, Sooze.”  She sat.  “Max has been grabbed in Damascus.” 

“Fuck!”  Sooze is a woman of few words, and occasionally, those words are pithy.  “Has Reags been told?”  I shook my head.

“Terry’s on his way to tell her now.”  She nodded.

“Whatever you two – or Reags – need me to do, you know I’m there.”  She stood and left the office.  Less than a minute later I heard her on the phone to Dolores’ nanny, telling Sarah that she didn’t know when she’d be home.  Tio said it best …Sooze is the best office manager in Dallas.  She’s also one you want on your team in a fight.  Reaching into my upper right desk drawer, I pulled a lighter and a pack of cigarettes from the back corner, tamped the pack, and opened it.  Putting one in my mouth and lighting it, I inhaled deeply.  It was the first time I’d smoked in almost five years.  I reached into the drawer again and withdrew a box, stood, and walked down the hall to Sooze’s desk; she smelled the acrid smoke and looked up as I approached.  I laid the box on her desk, and she opened it.  Without a word, she picked up the Glock and checked the clip.  I knew she had her own sidearm at home, but I also knew she didn’t carry it on a daily basis.  I wanted her protected now.

“I want you packing every minute of every day, and I’m putting an armed security detail on your house to watch Dolores and Sarah.”

“Thanks, Dino.”

*

The return call from Jethro Parker came in at eleven-thirty.

“Dino!  Haven’t heard from you since DC last year.  What’s shaking?”  Jethro and I had been in RECON together, and I’d hoped he’d join us when he got out.  No such luck.  He speaks Arabic and had been carrying a Jones for the Middle East as long as I’d known him; since Max was our Middle East operative, we didn’t have a place for him.  He’d gone freelance, often doing private security for the American businessmen living there with their families.  I was hoping he was between gigs right now.

“You working or slumming these days.”  He laughed.

“Slumming at the moment …why?”  He’d been in Amman, Jordan, when I’d left a voicemail on his cell this morning and returned my call as soon as he checked messages.  He said he could drive to Damascus faster than he could get a flight; he’d start at the Semiramus, the hotel where Max had been staying.  I knew if there was anything in Max’s room that would offer a clue, Jethro and Stillwell would find it.  I called Terry with the update.

*

“How’s she holding up?”  Terry’s momentary silence told me he wasn’t happy, not that I'd expected him to be.

“For all outward appearances, she’s good.  Quiet, chain-smoking, and she’s gone through three pots of coffee on her own.  It’s a good job Max has been as forthcoming with her about his work as he has.  She’s also given me insights to his personal life that may be helpful …habits, preferences, things you and I wouldn’t have known.  She’s been e-mailing copies of lectures to her chair for passing on to whomever is going to replace her for the next while.  That’s kept her occupied – going over them and updating before she sends them off – that sort of thing.  Busy work.  Diana’s trying not to hover.  Reags seems calm for now, but when the dam breaks, it won’t be pretty.”  No, it wouldn’t.  Women like Reags and Dee hold things inside because they’re strong and accustomed to being in control of their lives.  Problem is, when they break, no one knows where to look for all the pieces.

“I’ll take the overnight here and spell you there tomorrow.  Sooze is carrying and I’ve put a detail on her house to watch Dolores and Sarah.  When are Wesley and Ackerman due in?”

“This afternoon.  I’ll call when they arrive.”

“Thanks, Buddy.  Later.”  I hung up.  All we could do now was wait.  We’re good at that. 

TERRY

Ackerman and Wesley arrived at Reags’ place about four; she ran into Ted’s arms and he held her like an older brother would but seemed to have no idea what to say to her.  I knew how he felt.  All I’d been able to do thus far was spout the usual platitudes about Max being okay, that we’d find him, that we’d get him safely home to her.  In truth and to a very large degree, I’d retreated behind my own masque.  It’s one thing to be calm and dispassionate when the victim is someone you’ve never met.  It’s an entirely different matter when he’s a man you love as you do your own brother, when his fiancé and the woman you love are best mates.

We’d all jumped each time the phone rang, but thus far, it had been the usual round of solicitations and people calling for various, unimportant reasons.  We’d let the answerphone get the calls coming in on the house line.  I’d had additional phone lines dropped, an extension of the office number and a new dedicated line for use by the kidnappers once we’d heard from them.  Once we had a contact from them, I’d give them the dedicated line number so we’d be assured that we received any contact from them with no wurries.  I only hoped we’d get that call soon.

About ten that night, Reags stood and said she was going to bed.  The dogs followed her down the hallway, and she closed the door to the bedroom she and Max shared.  Those of us in the lounge looked at each other.  We knew the dam was about to break.  I figured I’d be up most of the night with Ted and Jim and had changed into jeans and a flannie sometime in the afternoon.  The day had been warm – it was summer in Texas – but all of us were in long sleeves; we were all of us a bit cool.  Tension does that to you.  After Reags went to bed, I checked the thermy and bumped it up a couple of degrees; the weatherman was predicting a drop in temperature from the unseasonable cool front that had blown across North Texas that afternoon, dropping the temp into the 70s overnight.  Seemed even the weather knew something was amiss.  I’d walked back to the lounge and was about to sit when Diana stood and walked down the hallway toward Reags room, then turned back to me and motioned me over.  She put her finger to her lips and shoved me toward the door; I could hear the sound of weeping.

“Terry, go to her.  Stay with her tonight.  She needs you.”  Tears were streaming down her face.

“Wouldn’t Ted be the better choice?  She’s known him years longer than me.”  She shook her head.

“No …you’re Max’s closest friend, and she needs to be with someone who loves him like a brother.  Tonight – and for however long this takes – the closest she can be to him, is you.”  I put my arm round her and pulled her close.  It takes a good woman to say something like that to the man she used to love; telling the man you once cared for to spend the night with another woman – even if that woman is her best mate – takes courage.  We’d been down that road.  I nodded, kissed the top of her head, opened the door, and walked into Reags’ bedroom, closing the door behind me.

*

She was curled into foetal position on the bed, the dogs up there with her, as close as they could get.  I sat on the side of the bed and put my hand on her shoulder.  A tic later she was in my arms, and I was holding her like a child.  The sounds coming from her were the most gut-wrenching thing I’d ever heard.  Each sob sounded and felt as if it would rip out her throat.  I didn’t know a human being could make a sound like that.  I’d never in my life been witness to such devastating personal pain.  I’d been fortunate.

I’d never stayed at the house with a victim’s family until now …never been there in the darkness of the night, never felt the palpability of their fear as I was doing now with Reags.  I’d been the man who was at the door at eight each morning, shaved, showered, and dressed sharply, ready to take any calls or contacts and field them appropriately.  I was there to talk the family members out of agreeing to pay the first request for ransom, the so-called ‘down payment.’  I was the one with the custom made smile on my face …never jovial, but just enough to be comforting.  I was the one to reassure everyone that the chance of their loved one being killed or injured was minimal, that kidnapping is a business – literally a growth industry – and that killing or maiming the hostage simply wasn’t ‘good business.’  I was quoting statistics, but I’d had no fucking clue what I was saying, what it meant to those families.  I suppose you never do, until it hits home.

I held Reags in my arms, rocking her back and forth as she cried.  For the first time in my life, I didn’t know what to say …perhaps because at that point, there is nothing to say.  Perhaps Reags’ letting out some of her pain would take some of mine with it. 

MAXIMUS

“Et qui est ceci?  Est-elle votre femme?  Elle est très belle …vous sont un homme chanceux.  (And who is this?  Is she your wife?  She is very beautiful …you are a lucky man.)

The more I thought back on his words, the casual manner in which he spoke them, the more fearful I became for Cassandra.  I was helpless to warn her, to warn Terry or Dino to watch her, to never allow her out of their sight, and my rage returned.  I realised my captors saw her as a means of insuring my compliance.  I had been foolish to offer the information that we were soon to marry, though I suppose it did not matter.  Had she been my sister, she would have been equally valuable as a tool for gaining my acquiescence in bowing to their wishes.  What man would not do whatever was asked of him in order to protect those he loved?  I was lying on my cot and opened my eyes, staring into the darkness.  I looked at my watch …two hours until sunrise.  Would they follow through with the promise made me last night?  Would I be moved to a room with windows this day, so that I might see the sun?

During the night I had realised it was unlikely that they would harm me.  Had that been their motive, they would not have been so accommodating thus far.  The food I had been brought had been of good quality; there had been wine with my dinner the previous evening, though I did not drink it.  I had been asked if I wished a cigar after my meal; I had declined the offer.  They wanted something of me, but what that might be, I had yet to determine.  I closed my eyes again and willed myself to sleep.  I felt sure the coming day would reveal my captors’ intentions.

TERRY

Dawn.  It’s always darkest before the dawn, or so I’ve always heard.  Reags was lying on her side, hugging Max’s pillow to her body.  As the light began to filter into the room, I could see the streaks of tears on her face and felt my own gather in my eyes and rubbed them away.  I wouldn’t be much use to her if I went soft.  I moved quietly off the bed, patting it when I stood, and Bear hopped up to take my place, putting one large paw on Reags’ hip as he lay beside her and looked at me.  I stepped over Bailey and Pandora and slipped from the room, silently closing the door.

Diana was in the kitchen, standing in front of the coffee pot, seemingly fascinated with watching the coffee drip.  I leant against the counter beside her, arms crossed over my chest as she smiled up at me.

“How is she?”

“Exhausted.  Wrung out.  Asleep for the moment.  She finally cried herself out a couple of hours ago.”  She nodded.  Last night was the second I’d spent in Reags’ bed, holding her, trying to comfort her, and letting her alternately talk and cry.  The first night had been the worst.

“I heard her a couple of times, though it wasn’t as bad as the first night. I don’t ever want to hear anything that heartbreaking again.”  I nodded; again, there was nothing to be said.  She stood looking at me for a tic before speaking.

“Boomer?  How are you holding up?  You look like hammered shit.”  I took a deep breath.

“In this case, appearances are not deceiving.  This is the first time I’ve ever actually been in the house with the family on a full-time basis.  Always stayed in a hotel and came to the house first thing each morning.”  I looked her full in the eyes.  “I want you to know that I never spent a single night in Alice Bowman’s house; I would not have done that to Peter.  She came to my hotel.  I’ve no excuse for what I did, but it didn’t happen in Peter’s house or in his bed.”  I don’t know why it was important to me for Diana to know that now, but it was.   

“It doesn’t matter, Terry.  It was a long time ago, and their marriage was in trouble long before you came on the scene.”

“Still ….”  Her fingers went over my lips.

“It no longer matters.  Coffee’s ready.”  I got cups, and we took our coffee out onto the deck, trying not to wake Wesley and Ackerman who were still asleep on the cots in the lounge. 

I’d originally told Dino that we’d swap nights here but had changed my mind.  Whilst Reags and Dino are good mates, she and I have a closer bond – likely because of Diana – so he and Sooze were alternating nights at the office.  I hadn’t been farther from Reags’ house than my car since bringing her home on …when?  Tuesday?  Today was Thursday.  So far, we’d not had another contact, not that I’d expected anything this soon, but I’d hoped for it.  Anything, any word indicating that Max was alive would have been welcome because whilst Reags was holding it together, I had no idea how long she’d continue to do so.  As it ultimately turned out and despite her tears, she’d had it together more than all the rest of us combined.

Dino had come out yesterday and stayed for a couple of hours before going back to town.  He’d called Jethro Parker whilst here, and Jethro had nothing to report at that time.  I’d spoken with Stillwell and got the same.  They’d torn Max’s room at the Semiramus apart …there was nothing there to give any clue as to who might have taken him.  Room service had been checked, and most of Max’s meals had been taken in his room; he’d had breakfast in one of the hotel’s dining rooms the first morning he was there.  Since then, both breakfast and dinner had been delivered to his room until that last evening; he’d called down earlier in the day and ordered his dinner, requesting it be sent up at eight the night he went missing.  As he’d been out of the hotel most of each day, they assumed he’d eaten lunch somewhere but had no idea where.  We’d have that data when his company credit card statement arrived.  It wasn’t due until next week, but I’d called AmEx yesterday, and they’d be faxing all charges they had from Damascus to me at the house this morning.

At eight the night he’d gone missing, the waiter had taken Max’s dinner to his room and knocked on the door.  There was no answer.  He’d taken the meal back to the kitchen and called the room, leaving a message asking Max to call when he was ready, and they’d bring it up again; he never called.  With no word from Max and he’d not checked out by 2300 to catch his flight home after stopping at the desk that morning and requesting his bill be ready by 2230, the room service clerk and concierge had been concerned and called the hotel’s security chief.  Max had stayed at the Semiramus on a number of occasions, and the staff knew his behaviour; when he deviated from what they’d come to expect, they’d noted it immediately.  Security opened the room and went inside.  The room was unchanged, no sign of an intruder.  Max’s toiletries were in the bathroom, clothes in the closet, and the framed photo of Reags that he carried when he travelled was on the bedside table.  They even found the small bottle of Tabasco sauce he’d begun carrying with him to go on his eggs at breakfast; Reags had made another convert.  I’d smiled when I heard that last bit.  It’s always the little things that tug at your heart.

Diana and I drank our coffee in silence, and I stood, stretching, when I’d finished.  I looked down at her, taking what was now the liberty of running my fingers down her cheek.  Her skin is so soft.  She looked me full in the eyes as she stood.

“As soon as this settles down some, we can finish that conversation we started Monday night.”  I returned her gaze and nodded, opened the door, and followed her into the house. 

DIANA

I missed having Terry in bed with me but didn’t begrudge Reags’ need at this point.  I couldn’t even imagine what she must be feeling.  I also knew that if our situations were reversed, Max would be right there with me, all night every night, and for as long as I needed him to be, just like Terry was for Reags. 

I’d been awake much of the past two nights.  The air-conditioning ducts from Reags’ room connect to her guest room where I was sleeping.  I could hear her sobs and those horrible gut-wrenching moans that sounded like a dying animal.  I’d lain there in the darkness, trying not to cry out my own pain and fear for Max, and been soothed by the low tones of Terry’s voice as he tried to comfort Reags.  I couldn’t hear what he said, but the tone of his voice was unmistakable.  I’ve never heard so much pain and compassion in a man’s voice.  I don’t know how he did it because I’d have been a total wreck.  Hell, I was anyway, and he was carrying the brunt of her pain.

At one point that first night, I’d awakened cold – probably from stress – and realized that if I was cold, Terry and Reags likely were, too.  I couldn’t hear a sound from her room, so had tiptoed through the lounge and quietly opened the door and stepped in.  Reags was on her side on Max’s side of the bed with Terry curled up behind her.  He’d pulled the bedspread up around her and was holding her, but both of them were shivering.  They seemed to be asleep.  I tiptoed to the closet and pulled a blanket from the shelf and shook it out, returning to the bedroom to put it over them.  I got it over Reags and was just pulling it up over Terry when his hand caught mine.  I looked down at his face as he brought my hand to his lips and kissed my fingers.  I tucked him in and went back to bed.

MAXIMUS

“Nous vous souhaitons pour nous faire un logement.”  (We wish you to make us an accommodation.)

NOTES

To be Continued

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