Friday, September 24, 2010

Bait and Switch

written by Russell Pinkston

The bullet struck the last remaining piece of glass in the SUV. The glass showered down upon Scott's head. Bullets thudded off the door that he currently ducked behind. It was Sunday afternoon and had better things to do besides this shit. He was suppose to pick up his little girl from his ex's and take her to the park and maybe they would have seen a movie later. But noooo. He was here dodging bullets instead. Fucking terrorists! They had no respect for other people's lives.
This was an important case. One he has been working on and that had consumed his life for the better part of the past year. They had received a tip that the leader of the terrorist group and his merry band of misfits was holed up in this abandoned warehouse that they currently had surrounded. This group was armed and dangerous. They had some serious firepower and wasn't afraid to use it. His company isssued Suburban currently looked like swiss cheese. Good thing the door that was currently protecting his ass had inch thick metal reinforced plates in it.
The shooting had stop and he stuck up his head to catch a quick glempse. There was some guy waving a white hankerchef. About fucking time they gave up. His superior was on the bullhorn ordering for the guy to get down. The guy yelled back, "Scott Douglas come on down" Scott thought "Hey that was his name". The terrorist scum continued, "I got a present for you." Hey Scott like presents. Scott stood up. His boss yelled at him and told him to get back down. Scott didn't like his boss very much so he ignored the order. Scott didn't always do what he was told. He stood there staring at the terrorist. Scott reconised the guy from one of his photos they had in the file on these assholes. It was Jimbo "not so" Sharp. The number three guy in the group. Indeed this was a good catch and looking to be a great day. "How you doing?", Jimbo asked Scott. "Better than you asshole", Scott replied. "Really...we'll see if we can do anything about that", Jimbo responded. A girl was shoved out the door. Scott could see her blond hair. Jimbo grabbed her by the neck and turned her so Scott could see her face. The girl had something strapped to her chest but Scott didn't notice... It was his girl. He was suppose to spend the day with her and here she was. Scott felt sick...and he mad. Scott stepped out from behind the door and took a couple steps toward them. His partner and friend grabbed his arm. Scott shot her an angry stare. Jen said, "Don't that's what they want. They want you to lose your cool". "No they really don't", Scott told her. "Let the negotiators handle it", she said to him. Yeah like the negotiators haven't fucked anything up and sometimes someone died. Not today, not his little girl. Scott pulled away from Jen and took another step. "Let her go...NOW!" "I like her. She's pretty, like her mom. Well her mom was pretty." Jimbo sneared. Scott raised his Glock and aimed it at Jimbo's face. "I said LET HER GO!" Jimbo smiled and said, "She's our insurance policy, she's our Get Out of Jail Free card." "Take me instead", Scott suggested. "She has nothing to do with this, she's just a girl. "She's your girl. How about I gut her and watch you watch her die?" Scott flips on his laser sight and puts the red dot on Jimbo's head. "She dies, she goes to Heaven, you go to Hell." The moment is tense. Jimbo ducks behind his daughter. Chicken shit. "Enough!", someone shouted from behind Jimbo. Another guy stepped out. Holy crap. Paydirt. It was the leader of the group. They had been looking for him for a very long time. The leader walked up to Jimbo and his daughter and moved the hair out of her face. She spit in his face. That's his girl. The leader wiped his face. "We'll take that trade." Scott's boss started to object but the look Scott gave him changed his mind. "Send her over", Scott told them. "How about you guys meet halfway? That's fair...right?" But don't try anything stupid because she's wired with enough explosives to level downtown". For the first time Scott notice the green light and explosives that was strapped to his girl.
Scott turned back to Jen. They were partners but there also seemed like there was something more. She was pretty and smart. But neither one acted anything but professional. Maybe eventually it would have led to something more but now who knows? Jen really got along with his girl too. His girl had asked just the other day when he was gonna ask Jen out? He didn't know. He knew he had to get his girl safe. That was main thing. They could do whatever to him but not his little girl. "Thanks for everything. You don't know how much you mean to me", he told Jen. "Yeah I do", she told him back. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and whispered in his ear, "We'll find you." "You better". He shook his other partner Dave's hand. "It's been fun". This sure felt like a goodbye.
He looked around at the other faces. Was he ever gonna see any of these people again?
He turned back and stepped toward his girl and she started the long walk toward him. Halfway he bent down and picked up his girl. "I love you princess." "I know daddy, I love you too." "You gonna go and kick some bad guy's butts?" Seven years old and so grown up. "Yeah, daddy's got some butt kicking to do." "When you get back are you gonna finally ask Jen out?" Scott looked back to where Jen was standing by the SUV. "Yeah I've got some things to do first but when I get back I will. Will you tell her how much I like her?". "I have dad. We talk all the time. You know girl stuff". Scott started to tear up. "Well remind her anyways for me. Be a big girl for me. I love you and I always will." "Me too daddy." He hugged her again and sat her back down. The bomb squad guys waited for her. Scott walk on and stopped in front of Jimbo was smirking at him. "That was so touching...I almost got weepy." Scott struck so fast that Jimbo didn't have time to react. It was a straight right to his jaw and Scott could feel some teeth give and Jimbo's jaw snapped back and he crumpled to the ground. Scott turned to the leader who was holding the radio control. "You got something to say?" "Yeah he was an asshole and deserved that." Scott felt a sting in his shoulder. Jimbo had stuck him with a needle. The lights dimmed and went out.
When he woke up he was in a bright room. There was bright lights shining down on him. He tried to move but he was strapped down to some stainless steel table. That didn't bother as much as the wires coming off the electrodes attach to his head, chest and groin. This wasn't gonna be fun. Jimbo walked up to the table and smiled at Scott. Well if you could call that a smile. His face was a mess. His lips were blue and red. You could see where a couple of his teeth had cut through his top lip. He was missing a couple of his front teeth. "Nice smile, you from Arkansas?", he asked Jimbo. "Laugh it up, funny man. We'll see who's laughing in a minute. The boss is gonna let me do the interigation", Jimbo mumbled though his broken face. "Did the boss let you shave my balls too? Bet you like that. You didn't play with them did you?" Jimbo's smile disappeared and he punched Scott in the face. "That's it? That's all you got? My seven year old daughter hits harder than that." Jimbo drew back his arm to strike again but the boss stopped him as he stepped into the room. "That's enough." To Scott, "We want to find out how much you know about us." "I know you guys are assholes". "Well are we gonna get this party started? My balls are getting a little chilly." "Well lets warm them up shall we", Jimbo said as he pulled the switch.
Downstars at the front desk the lights flicker and dimmed. Two thugs with automatic assault rifles smile at each other. "Someone's having fun." A faint far off scream pierces the quiet calm night.

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