Chapter Two: Number Five
Hero Jenkins --- 4/8/13
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Complete the form at the end of this blog post to subscribe to this blog and receive future chapters automatically.Chapter Two
Brandiss’ muscular six-foot frame filled the doorway, his eyes rapidly scanned the room… it was a mess.Clothing was everywhere as if flung about by a tornado. The TV was face down on the floor and shattered. The mirror had been smashed… furniture overturned. There were at least fifty fist-sized holes punched into the walls. Even the normally unmovable paintings had been ripped down and hurled across the room.Only one of the bedside lamps was intact and it had been torn from the wall and was now dangling by its cord just above the nightstand. The light was partially covered by a woman’s blouse. It swung back and forth slowly as it lit the room with an eerie soft red glow. Its movement shifting the shadows, giving the illusion of motion where there was none. At first the light was not enough for Brandiss to make out everything in that tiny motel room. But as his eyes began to adjust, he began to pick out more and more detail and what he saw sickened him. There had been a desperate battle here… and the rage that had caused all of this damage had to have been loud… yet no one had called the police.Yeah, he thought as despair began to rise in him. It was that kind of motel… why in the hell would Kade check into a place like this?Then he noticed something else; there was a foul stench in the air. A faint odor of decay, as if death itself had visited that room and though gone its stench still lingered. That was when he saw it…There was a body on the bed and it was covered in blood.His heart sank.It was Kade.Brandiss stepped forward… tentatively, just as his hand moved smoothly for the gun in his holster. His eyes continually swept the room. There was still a danger here. He was not expecting this so he had come alone and though someone had fled, there could be someone else in the room.God, he hoped so.His hand found the grip of his pistol and he felt his gun come out of its holster... all things considered, it was a comfortable feeling. He became aware that his back was exposed as long as he stood in that doorway. He stepped into the room and to his right, keeping to the shadows while he listened to the room.He heard a moan… then he saw the body move… she was still alive.Kade lay on her side facing him, her eyes were wide with terror. Her feet and hands were bound and her mouth had been gagged. Her face was covered with blood. There were at least two, deep, slashes that ran the length of her left cheek. Her flesh hung down exposing the bone. There were several other less severe cuts visible on her legs and arms.A strong urge to pursue the bastard who had bolted from the room seized him… he fought back that reflex. Whoever that was he was long gone, besides… Brandiss couldn’t bear to leave Kade alone… not like this.He took another step, this time forward, away from the wall and into the light. Her eyes focused on his face, they showed recognition and she started to cry. Though the sounds were muffled by the gag in her mouth he could see her entire body as it began convulsing with each sob.Brandiss heard a noise like a bang or a bump that could have come from the bathroom. He looked in that direction, the door was closed. Instinctively Brandiss moved across the small motel room, his attention and his gun focused on that bathroom door. It was quiet now perhaps it was only his imagination, but he had to be sure.He stepped to one side and glanced over at Kade. She was straining against her bindings, desperate to see what was going on behind her. He reached for the knob and slowly twisted it. There was no easy way to do this so he just shoved the door open and brought his weapon up and prepared to shoot.There was no one in there. The sounds he had heard must have come from the drunks next door.Brandiss returned to where Kade lay with a small towel from the bathroom. He untied her feet and then her hands. She tried to reach for him but he stopped her.“Lay still,” he said gently as he carefully folded the hanging flesh from her face back into place and pressed the towel to the wound to stop the bleeding.“Hold this here,” he said.He sat down on the bed. She seemed to relax as he gathered her up into his arms. She buried her head into his chest and wrapped her free arm around his waist as she held on tight. Brandiss pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911. Then he kissed her on the top of her head as tears were streaming down his cheeks into her beautiful black hair.***Kade Simmons was involved in something dangerous and she was refusing to let him help. Apparently deciding that whatever the problem was, she needed to handle it alone. This “problem” was going to get her killed; yet she refused to back off, she refused to be careful.She had disappeared and had begun using an alias that he wasn’t supposed to know about. But Brandiss had figured it out and now he had tracked her alias to his motel by following a trail of credit card receipts and ATM withdrawals. Although he had utilized official Task Force resources to find her, what had him lurking about this seedy motel was far from official business. He was still in love with her and he had to be sure that she was safe.Holding her Brandiss realized that it had been months since he had Kade in his arms. They had met and fallen in love in the hospital where Brandiss was being treated for a work related broken leg and ruptured spleen. Kade was recovering from undisclosed injuries resulting from a case that was still classified, which meant that she was not in a position to talk about either.That should have been a clue.Brandiss had no doubts that she worked for the government because only government law enforcement were ever admitted into the wing of the hospital they found themselves in. He suspected that she was a CIA spook or something by the way she carried herself and avoided even the most innocent inquiries as to what she did for Uncle Sam. As it turned out, it didn’t matter what she did. They were just two lonely people and at the time the anonymity was not a stumbling block for the affair.Suddenly it was over and everything changed. She stopped taking his calls. Refusing to even talk to him, sending her father to deliver the message of dismissal. Brandiss wondered at first why she even bothered but her father quickly answered that question.“Your ability to hunt people down is legendary in the Law Enforcement community, Officer Brandiss,” her father had said nervously. “She wants your assurances that you will not try to track her down.”Months had passed, Brandiss kept his word and he had not tried to find her. He assumed that she had moved on even though he had not been able to, Lord knows he had tried.It surprised him, though it shouldn’t have, that the first contact had been made by her father. He needed Brandiss’ help… his daughter had disappeared. When he lost contact with Kade, he had first turned to the police. When they were ineffective, he turned to Brandiss.Brandiss didn’t trust her father. But then he knew little about him… perhaps that was part of the problem. He was a scientist Brandiss had guessed, involved in some sort of research that neither would talk about. But he kept secrets even more so than Kade. His name was Randy or Randall or something like that, which should have been a clue. Every Randy Brandiss had ever known had been sneaky and a compulsive liar. There was no mother in the picture; at least Kade never spoke of her.But now, all of a sudden, Randy needed Brandiss’ help… funny how things work out sometimes. He had begged Brandiss to find her but Brandiss was reluctant. Brandiss had loved Kade and the pain of the separation was still there. At first Brandiss had refused to get involved. However, there was something, perhaps it was the desperation in Randy’s voice that had convinced him to try.Then there was that other thing, call it instincts if you want. Whatever it was, he knew he had to find her quickly. His instincts were telling him that Kade was in far greater danger than either of them realized.But now he had found her and for now she was safe. Perhaps now she would let him in, let him help her.***“Whoo-ee, looks like some party,” the drunk from next door hooted as he deposited himself in the doorway.Brandiss glared up at him and if angry looks were lasers, the drunk would have caught fire and exploded. The drunk got the message and disappeared.The first sign that something was wrong was the pinprick of the needle at the base of his skull. Then his vision started to blur and he felt his grip on reality began slip. The last thing he saw was his darling Kade standing over him holding the syringe and he knew that she had shot him full of tranquilizers or something… but why… it made no sense?***#af-form-1876964738 .af-body .af-textWrap{width:70%;display:block;float:right;} #af-form-1876964738 .af-body .privacyPolicy{color:#000000;font-size:12px;font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;} #af-form-1876964738 .af-body a{color:#094C80;text-decoration:underline;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;} #af-form-1876964738 .af-body input.text, #af-form-1876964738 .af-body textarea{background-color:#FFFFFF;border-color:#919191;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;color:#000000;text-decoration:none;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;font-size:12px;font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;} #af-form-1876964738 .af-body input.text:focus, #af-form-1876964738 .af-body textarea:focus{background-color:#FFFAD6;border-color:#030303;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;} #af-form-1876964738 .af-body 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Complete the form at the end of this blog post to subscribe to this blog and receive future chapters automatically.Chapter Two
Brandiss’ muscular six-foot frame filled the doorway, his eyes rapidly scanned the room… it was a mess.Clothing was everywhere as if flung about by a tornado. The TV was face down on the floor and shattered. The mirror had been smashed… furniture overturned. There were at least fifty fist-sized holes punched into the walls. Even the normally unmovable paintings had been ripped down and hurled across the room.Only one of the bedside lamps was intact and it had been torn from the wall and was now dangling by its cord just above the nightstand. The light was partially covered by a woman’s blouse. It swung back and forth slowly as it lit the room with an eerie soft red glow. Its movement shifting the shadows, giving the illusion of motion where there was none. At first the light was not enough for Brandiss to make out everything in that tiny motel room. But as his eyes began to adjust, he began to pick out more and more detail and what he saw sickened him. There had been a desperate battle here… and the rage that had caused all of this damage had to have been loud… yet no one had called the police.Yeah, he thought as despair began to rise in him. It was that kind of motel… why in the hell would Kade check into a place like this?Then he noticed something else; there was a foul stench in the air. A faint odor of decay, as if death itself had visited that room and though gone its stench still lingered. That was when he saw it…There was a body on the bed and it was covered in blood.His heart sank.It was Kade.Brandiss stepped forward… tentatively, just as his hand moved smoothly for the gun in his holster. His eyes continually swept the room. There was still a danger here. He was not expecting this so he had come alone and though someone had fled, there could be someone else in the room.God, he hoped so.His hand found the grip of his pistol and he felt his gun come out of its holster... all things considered, it was a comfortable feeling. He became aware that his back was exposed as long as he stood in that doorway. He stepped into the room and to his right, keeping to the shadows while he listened to the room.He heard a moan… then he saw the body move… she was still alive.Kade lay on her side facing him, her eyes were wide with terror. Her feet and hands were bound and her mouth had been gagged. Her face was covered with blood. There were at least two, deep, slashes that ran the length of her left cheek. Her flesh hung down exposing the bone. There were several other less severe cuts visible on her legs and arms.A strong urge to pursue the bastard who had bolted from the room seized him… he fought back that reflex. Whoever that was he was long gone, besides… Brandiss couldn’t bear to leave Kade alone… not like this.He took another step, this time forward, away from the wall and into the light. Her eyes focused on his face, they showed recognition and she started to cry. Though the sounds were muffled by the gag in her mouth he could see her entire body as it began convulsing with each sob.Brandiss heard a noise like a bang or a bump that could have come from the bathroom. He looked in that direction, the door was closed. Instinctively Brandiss moved across the small motel room, his attention and his gun focused on that bathroom door. It was quiet now perhaps it was only his imagination, but he had to be sure.He stepped to one side and glanced over at Kade. She was straining against her bindings, desperate to see what was going on behind her. He reached for the knob and slowly twisted it. There was no easy way to do this so he just shoved the door open and brought his weapon up and prepared to shoot.There was no one in there. The sounds he had heard must have come from the drunks next door.Brandiss returned to where Kade lay with a small towel from the bathroom. He untied her feet and then her hands. She tried to reach for him but he stopped her.“Lay still,” he said gently as he carefully folded the hanging flesh from her face back into place and pressed the towel to the wound to stop the bleeding.“Hold this here,” he said.He sat down on the bed. She seemed to relax as he gathered her up into his arms. She buried her head into his chest and wrapped her free arm around his waist as she held on tight. Brandiss pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911. Then he kissed her on the top of her head as tears were streaming down his cheeks into her beautiful black hair.***Kade Simmons was involved in something dangerous and she was refusing to let him help. Apparently deciding that whatever the problem was, she needed to handle it alone. This “problem” was going to get her killed; yet she refused to back off, she refused to be careful.She had disappeared and had begun using an alias that he wasn’t supposed to know about. But Brandiss had figured it out and now he had tracked her alias to his motel by following a trail of credit card receipts and ATM withdrawals. Although he had utilized official Task Force resources to find her, what had him lurking about this seedy motel was far from official business. He was still in love with her and he had to be sure that she was safe.Holding her Brandiss realized that it had been months since he had Kade in his arms. They had met and fallen in love in the hospital where Brandiss was being treated for a work related broken leg and ruptured spleen. Kade was recovering from undisclosed injuries resulting from a case that was still classified, which meant that she was not in a position to talk about either.That should have been a clue.Brandiss had no doubts that she worked for the government because only government law enforcement were ever admitted into the wing of the hospital they found themselves in. He suspected that she was a CIA spook or something by the way she carried herself and avoided even the most innocent inquiries as to what she did for Uncle Sam. As it turned out, it didn’t matter what she did. They were just two lonely people and at the time the anonymity was not a stumbling block for the affair.Suddenly it was over and everything changed. She stopped taking his calls. Refusing to even talk to him, sending her father to deliver the message of dismissal. Brandiss wondered at first why she even bothered but her father quickly answered that question.“Your ability to hunt people down is legendary in the Law Enforcement community, Officer Brandiss,” her father had said nervously. “She wants your assurances that you will not try to track her down.”Months had passed, Brandiss kept his word and he had not tried to find her. He assumed that she had moved on even though he had not been able to, Lord knows he had tried.It surprised him, though it shouldn’t have, that the first contact had been made by her father. He needed Brandiss’ help… his daughter had disappeared. When he lost contact with Kade, he had first turned to the police. When they were ineffective, he turned to Brandiss.Brandiss didn’t trust her father. But then he knew little about him… perhaps that was part of the problem. He was a scientist Brandiss had guessed, involved in some sort of research that neither would talk about. But he kept secrets even more so than Kade. His name was Randy or Randall or something like that, which should have been a clue. Every Randy Brandiss had ever known had been sneaky and a compulsive liar. There was no mother in the picture; at least Kade never spoke of her.But now, all of a sudden, Randy needed Brandiss’ help… funny how things work out sometimes. He had begged Brandiss to find her but Brandiss was reluctant. Brandiss had loved Kade and the pain of the separation was still there. At first Brandiss had refused to get involved. However, there was something, perhaps it was the desperation in Randy’s voice that had convinced him to try.Then there was that other thing, call it instincts if you want. Whatever it was, he knew he had to find her quickly. His instincts were telling him that Kade was in far greater danger than either of them realized.But now he had found her and for now she was safe. Perhaps now she would let him in, let him help her.***“Whoo-ee, looks like some party,” the drunk from next door hooted as he deposited himself in the doorway.Brandiss glared up at him and if angry looks were lasers, the drunk would have caught fire and exploded. The drunk got the message and disappeared.The first sign that something was wrong was the pinprick of the needle at the base of his skull. Then his vision started to blur and he felt his grip on reality began slip. The last thing he saw was his darling Kade standing over him holding the syringe and he knew that she had shot him full of tranquilizers or something… but why… it made no sense?***#af-form-1876964738 .af-body .af-textWrap{width:70%;display:block;float:right;} #af-form-1876964738 .af-body .privacyPolicy{color:#000000;font-size:12px;font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;} #af-form-1876964738 .af-body a{color:#094C80;text-decoration:underline;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;} #af-form-1876964738 .af-body input.text, #af-form-1876964738 .af-body textarea{background-color:#FFFFFF;border-color:#919191;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;color:#000000;text-decoration:none;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;font-size:12px;font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;} #af-form-1876964738 .af-body input.text:focus, #af-form-1876964738 .af-body textarea:focus{background-color:#FFFAD6;border-color:#030303;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;} #af-form-1876964738 .af-body 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