Chapter Ten
While they hatched their plan, the rain pelted the city as if the world was ending. But by the time CIRO, Benny and two officers from KORPS started off toward the location where Crash was being held, the rain had stopped.
Barbie prayed they hadn’t moved him. After all, she’d escaped, right? They had to be expecting her to come back. Another reason this raid was making her worry. There was no way they wouldn’t assume she’d get reinforcements. Then again, victims of these kinds of people rarely ever spoke out. Perhaps they thought she would be too afraid to do anything about it. Barbie was counting on that mentality. She wanted them to underestimate her.
It would be their downfall.
She tugged at the straps holding her helmet on before scratching her neck where her facemask sat.
“We’ll get him back,” Pitbull said. “You have an army at your disposal. Try not to worry so much.”
“It’s not that easy.” Barbie managed. “I love him. It feels like I’m never going to get to say them to him. He deserved to know how I feel. But instead I sat on them..”
“Don’t say that,” Pitbull said. “We’re getting Crash back. You have to trust us.”
“I trust you guys—with my life. But what if he’s already gone and I don’t love him enough to feel that?”
“That’s not how it works,” Zero explained. “I’m going to tell you the same thing I told Beast. Love is not telepathy. This is not a movie. Now, get your game face on—or stay in the transport.”
Barbie nodded. She could always count on her guys to give her tough love when that was what was needed. She knew once the crisis was over and done with, they’d gather around and hug her until she groaned. She chewed on her bottom lip and inhaled deeply.
“We’re here.” Mouth leaned over to get her attention. “No matter what. We. Are. Here. We’re CIRO.”
“And CIRO never walks alone.” Barbie nodded.
“Bingo.” Mouth smirked.
“Ten minutes out.” Beast called from the front seat beside Poitr, one of the Netherlands Special forces guys.
Barbie held her breath as if she was about to take a shot. It still bothered her that she couldn’t go in with them. Still, they had a plan and if she trusted these guys with her life, she had to do her part to ensure Crash walked away from this. Once the truck slowed, she pulled her mask up over her mouth, gripped the bag with her Steyr AUG A3 and shifted toward the door. Zero and Pitbull opened it for her and she nodded and alighted in the darkness.
Once her feet hit the ground, she jogged to keep from falling over before glancing both ways then dipping off into the woods. The terrain was wet, slippery, but the combat boots she wore, gripped as best it could to keep Barbie on her feet. With her rifle strapped to her back, she paused for a second to get her directional bearings. She had one and a half minute to get to where she was supposed to be. Then another two and a half to get her rifle ready for action.
Though she wasn’t familiar with the area, they’d gone over aerial photos and maps of the place courtesy of Tex. She’d been in many areas like this before—foreign to her. Barbie shoved that thought to the back of her mind, and kept up a steady pace through the woods until she made it to the outcropping Crash had mentioned to her before he’d been taken. She quickly fell to her knees, unzipped the bag and began fitting her weapon together. Once done, she positioned herself on her stomach, aimed toward the building through some bushes and peered through the scope.
The night was silent around her. There was something to be said for not hearing crickets chirping or the scurry of creatures across the forest floor. There weren’t any hoots of owls, cries of night birds or voices of people speaking in the distance. It was good that way, to hear the direction the breeze was blowing and if anyone was sneaking up on her. She was pretty much hidden by trees and bushes, but she still had to be careful.
“Tex.” Barbie whispered after pressing the small button against her wrist.
“I’m here.”
“Do you have eyes on the inside yet?”
“Come now, Doll.” Tex scoffed. “You should know better. Using their own cameras to spy on them—the irony does not escape me.”
Barbie grunted.
“But I don’t have eyes on Crash. Most of the rooms are dark except the monitor room and the outer halls.”
“Shit.”
“My thoughts exactly. I’ll keep lookin’. Tex, out.”
Come on, Crash. Give me a sign.
The backyard was dimly lit and she managed to use the little light there to find a few leaves above the house for reading the wind’s direction. Usually, they would have set up a flag but she was trained not to depend on that. Sometimes they didn’t get to put anything up so she had to find something else—anything else. Contrary to popular belief, she couldn’t lick her finger and hold it up to the air—that told her nothing. A sniper not knowing the direction of the wind and the speed could cause things to go very—very wrong.
Something moved to the right of the backyard and she shifted to get a better look. The figure was massive—Pitbull. Barbie kept her eyes on him through her scope, following him until another caught her attention from the other side. She checked that out as well—the movement was foreign to her but when the figure signaled to Pitbull, she realized it must be Benny. Barbie swallowed the lump in her throat.
She figured the others were probably at the front of the building. With her heart racing, she watched Pitbull hunch down at the door and after a few seconds, both he and Benny turned their faces away. There was a slight puff of white smoke before Pitbull eased his shoulder into the surface. Both he and Benny then disappeared into the dimly lit interior. Barbie lost sight of them then and she had to force herself to remain calm. There was no sense getting worked up. When this was all over, she would climb under the shower and have a good cry but for now, she had to keep it together.
This is a takedown like any other.
She forced herself to breathe normally and kept her eyes glued to her scope.
Crash had spent the better part of twenty minutes feeling along the wall trying to find a light switch. But they’d been clever. Whoever their captors were had removed all of them. He frowned. He went back into his cage and pulled the latch in place. He had to contemplate his next move. No matter what he came up with, when they came for him again, he was going to make his move. He wasn’t about to wait for them to see that he was useless and kill him.
As a plan began formulating inside his head, the familiar sound of a flashbang caught Crash’s attention. He quickly scrambled from this cage and felt his way toward the direction where Eden was. “Eden?” He whispered.
“Did you hear that?” Eden asked.
“Yes. I have to get you out of here. Keep talking so I can find you.”
“Um—what should I say?”
“I don’t know—what are you looking forward to when you get out of here?”
Eden giggled. “Anya.”
“Well, aside from Anya.”
“Ice-cream.”
Crash couldn’t help smiling but that mirth was quickly replaced by pain as he stepped on something and went flying. Irritated, he felt against the floor to a cool object. He traced it with his hand and realized it had been a baseball bat.
“Well, that certainly is convenient.”
“What is it?” Eden asked.
“A weapon.”
It didn’t take much longer to reach Eden’s caged. He all but tripped over the damn thing. He shook the door until it sprung open then reached in for Eden. She clamored out and when he tried getting her to stand, her legs wouldn’t work. For the next few moments, he tried getting her to walk a little. He had one arm wrapped around her should and one clutching the bat.
Another flashbang went off and he knew what was happening. Barbie had probably brought the Calvary. Either way, he had to get Eden out of that room. A flashbang was torture on an adult and he could only imagine how it would feel to a child. He pulled her to his back and rose to his full height.
“Hang on tight.” He advised her. “Close your eyes. It will be bright in the halls.
She pressed her face into his neck and Crash opened the door and poked his head out. The light was glaring but he fought through it and made his way along the corridor toward the back of the house. The first person to reach him was one of the kidnappers—the same man who’d caught him in the woods. Crash swung for his head like a fastball and winced at the he sound it made as the bat crashed into the man’s skull. He hit the ground hard. Instead of checking his pulse, Crash stepped over him and continued along the corridor. From somewhere in the house, someone screamed in pain but it wasn’t Eden so he had to keep moving.
He’d made his way to the backdoor before anyone else found him. Footsteps were dropping through the house through corridors and over hardwood but he had to focus on the man behind him. He swirled around, putting his body between this new person and Eden. He backed up, pressing her into the door, to alleviate some of the weight against his lower back. His attacker didn’t care and swung at Crash who ducked causing the man to slam his fist into the door. While he yowled in pain and backed off, Crash aimed the bat.
“Eden, try opening the door,” Crash said.
She released him with one hand and Crash could hear her fumbling with the latch as he sent the large part of the bat into the man’s gut. This time when the attacker backed up, he pulled a gun.
“Eden?” Crash called.
“Almost!”
“Step away from the door!” The man barked.
But his order came too late. Cool breeze from the outside bathed the back of his neck. Knowing Eden could barely walk, he slipped to the floor on his knees. “Eden, this is going to hurt, okay? But you’ll know what to do.”
“Caleb…”
Without warning, he jerked his body backward and Eden went flying outside. She screamed for him but Crash had to focus on the gun that was now aiming at his head.
“Drop the bat,” the man said.
Crash swallowed the lump in his throat and placed the bat on the floor beside him before using his foot to roll it away. He could hear footsteps outside and though he wanted to look who it had been, he was otherwise detained.
The man with the gun stepped forward, his face bloodied as he breathed hard. “You’re a pretty one.” He tilted his head to get a better look at Crash. With a smirk, the man dragged a callous finger across Crash’s chin. “I’m very sure you would fetch a great price in certain markets.”
“I take it you like pretty things…” Crash snarled, trying not to inhale the man’s breath. It smelled like a mixture of rotten eggs and raw sewage.
“Only since I became an adult.” The man gripped Crash’ chin and jerked it to one side as if inspecting him. “When I was a kid I hated pretty things. I used to bite the heads off my sister’s Barbie dolls.”
A hint of light reflected off something behind the man and Crash smiled.
“You know how they say Karma’s a bitch?” Crash asked.
“They say that?” The man gripped Crash by the collar and pulled him to his feet then shoved him back into the house. “Must be an American thing.”
“Right. An American thing.” Crash turned to face the man while backing further into the room. “I have a Barbie myself. And this one bites back—most often than not, you don’t even see it coming.”
The man smiled. It was obvious what he thought Crash meant, wasn’t the truth. Grinning, Crash stepped into a doorway close to him. The moment he did, there was a sickening sucking sound before a bullet lodged itself in the wall across from him. He stared, wide-eyed as the wall was spattered with blood and brain matter that slowly began dripping to the floor.
Holding his breath, he peered out to see the man lying face down on the floor.
Crash smiled. “Barbie.”
“Caleb!” Eden screamed.
Without thinking Crash took off running. He jumped over the dead body, stopping only to grab the baseball bat and the fallen attacker’s gun. He skidded to a stop outside and lifted the weapon as he saw someone holding Eden.
“Crash,” the man called. “It’s me, put down the gun.”
But Crash wasn’t ready. The adrenaline pulsing through him blinded him to the face of the person holding onto Eden. “Let her go.” Crash growled.
You know that voice, Crash. Focus!
But Crash couldn’t get his body to corporate with his mind. The man instantly released her and Eden ran to wrap her arms around his hips. She pressed her face into his stomach and he dropped the bat to hang on to her.
This man is someone you love. Put the gun down, Crash.
“Come on, buddy.” The man said, peeling the mask from his face.
“Benny?” He panted. The gun slipped from Crash’s hand and he slumped to his knees.
“I’m here.” Benny walked over to hug him. “CIRO is here. They’re inside clearing the house. There are so many compartments and hidden rooms—they want to make sure no one else is in there.”
Crash fell against Benny’s chest, panting, body hurting—it was as if he was suddenly feeling all the pain from the last few hours.
“Barbie—where’s Barbie?” Crash managed.
“She’s around here somewhere,” Benny said. “But she has to stay hidden until her guys are out. But I know she wants to be here with you right now.”
“I need my Barbie…” Crash whispered before darkness took him.