Unforeseen Dives – 16a – Hostage

<< IIIb – A Hole in the Wall

“I don’t know who you are, red-head, but you’re getting me out of here.”
The handcuffs’ chain dug into the skin of my neck, forcing me against the felon’s chest. Both FBI agents faced us, at the ready. Rebecca stood in the doorway. Nadina and I weren’t getting out the building. She tightened her grip around my neck.
“Fuck!” The word slithered through her teeth before she could hold it back.
“I’m not a telepath. Sorry to mess up your plan.”
She yanked once, crushing my throat for a second. Maybe now wasn’t such a good time to practice that new “speaking my mind” skill of mine.
“Just because I can’t fill your pretty head with bloodcurdling images doesn’t mean I can’t hurt you, darling.” Dutifully noted, bitch. Rebecca registered the threat too. The fury rippled through her muscles. All her will went to avoid doing something that could worsen the situation. She wanted to smack the hell out of my captor.
“This is a federal building, Miss Perez.” Agent Jackson inched closer. Nadina strangled me. He stopped. Once sure he wouldn’t move, she loosened her hold and air filled my lung. It all lasted about a second but I swear time was stretching itself to fuel my stress. “You won’t get out. If you release Agent Parker right now, we will not hold this incident against you.”
She laughed so hard it rumbled down my spine. She moved toward the exit, dragging me along. Rebecca squared herself in the doorway. The women exchanged a look, beside my head. The concentration in Rebecca’s face attested of her efforts to comprehend what she read in Nadina’s mind. Unfortunately, she couldn’t understand Arabic. Only I could and I was in no position to translate. We had lost our usual edge on non-readers.
Tired of waiting for Rebecca to move, Nadina tightened her grip around my neck, efficiently depriving me of air. The first seconds weren’t so bad. I forced myself steady. It wasn’t worst than holding my breath. Then, too many seconds passed. Though I knew it to be vain, my reflexes had me hit her stomach with my elbows. My heel stomped her foot and banged her tibia, all to no avail. My partner and my captor were still glaring at each other. The FBI agents remained wisely silent during the will wrestling.
Panic overflowed my senses as my body weakened. The Ocean blurred my vision and I saw Rebecca step aside a few seconds before she actually did. I breathed again.
“Don’t test me. If she can’t get me out of here, she’s useless anyway.”
Rebecca’s muscles were all contracted, waiting for an opportunity to unleash their violence. Her anger lent savagery to her expression but she had just been shown she didn’t have the upper hand.
“Go stand by the guys. Now!”
Rebecca moved forward, her steps weighed down by a silent menace and her army-trained reflexes sharp. Should the criminal give her one fraction of a chance, all hell would break loose. Until then, she circled Nadina with the slow pace of a predator in cage. As soon as she reached Ryan’s side, Nadina pushed me into the hallway.
“Would you be kind enough to pull the fire alarm, darling?”
For a moment, I thought she was crazy.
“Don’t over think it.”
She tightened her grip around my neck and I obeyed. The screeching filled the building. She covered my eyes with her hands.
“Now walk. I’ll steer you.”
I didn’t dare to disagree and risk her gauging my eyes out. She pushed me forward and around a few corners. I tried to keep track but I lost it pretty soon. I hoped I thought enough information for Rebecca to follow us.
“Open the door!”
I fumbled for the knob and pulled the door open. Nadina spun us and backed in the room asking me to shut the door. She sandwiched me between her body and the door.
“You make a sound; I kill you. Cause and consequence,” she murmured in my ear, barely audible over the alarm.
I didn’t know where we were. If she pressed herself against me like that, it must be a tight space. A janitor closet or something? There seemed to be light filtering through her fingers on my eyes, though. I couldn’t smell any cleaning products either. Maybe she was just trying to fool me and we weren’t in a tight space at all. Damn, I couldn’t guide Rebecca efficiently.
“You’re more comfortable than I thought,” the criminal whispered. “You look like a skinny breakable thing but there’re actually lean muscles under that suit.”
“What are you? A professional trainer and blowing up people is just a hobby?”
“Now, now. That’s no way to respond to a compliment.”
I chose not to react to that. I wished I could sic Becky on her but I needed to assess my location first.
“We’re good to go now.”
I stepped into the hallway. Nadina steered me to another door. She released my face and went back to encircling my neck to force my cooperation. We were in a staircase. How the hell did we managed to get this far?
“All the way down, darling.”
We descended awkwardly and didn’t meet anyone. This was probably a secondary stair. Our wait had allowed the few people using it to get out. Nadina was either a pro at escapes or incredibly lucky. Or a psychic had her memorize the perfect escape plan. Crap. Let’s hope I was a big enough monkey wrench.
“Now’s your time to shine, darling.” She might have not used that phrase if she knew how much I hated to shine. We had reached the bottom of the stairs.  “There’ll be guns aplenty on the other side of this door, thanks to surveillance cameras. You’re going to take the bullets for me.” Yeah, I definitely hated shining.
I prayed the fact she couldn’t clutter my mind with “bloodcurdling images” would be enough to save my life. With a lot of luck, the information I had provided would alter the FBI tactic.
“Here we go,” I thought toward Rebecca.

16b – Hostage >>