Shaking Off the Dust (37 page)

He let go of my jaw, crawling over me, moving his gun until it was against the side of my head. He used his other hand to push up my tee shirt, ripping off the wires and tape from the heart monitor, before taking my breast roughly into his hand and squeezing hard.

I watched a shadow rise above him. I closed my eyes, afraid of what I might see. Vincent grunted, falling on top of me. The gun clattered against the headboard, but not before it hit my head.

Takeshi jerked him off of me and his eyes were so angry, it made me flinch. He’d hit him in the head with a leather bound book, with enough force that its impact made a loud squishing sound. He did it again for good measure then grabbed me out of the bed.

“Brodie,” I whispered.

Brodie appeared, taking in the unconscious man in my bed.

“Go check on Hector. If he’s all right come back and tell us where he is, then go right back and try to warn him. There are intruders in and outside the house.”

Takeshi had found his belt and tied up Vincent. He tore up the pillowcase, using it as rope. He had him gagged and tied with hands and legs bound together in a very short time.

“Get your shoes on. We need to move out of the room,” he insisted.

I did as I was told, trembling. I put on my shoes and a bra. I went over to where Takeshi was stuffing Vincent into the closet. He used a chair to jam the door shut, came back to the bed and picked up the gun.

“He was going to kill you.” My hands shook.

“He was going to rape you. He’s lucky I didn’t kill him. I may come back to castrate him later.” Takeshi voice throbbed with anger.

Brodie appeared again, excited. “They’ve got Hector tied up downstairs in the kitchen along with the housekeeper.”

I told Takeshi. “Tom,” I whispered.

Tom materialized, but seemed put out. “They are using me now. This better be good.”

“Vincent tried to kill Takeshi and groped me. He fired a gun where Takeshi was sleeping,” I whispered harshly. “That good enough to keep your attention?”

“He was going to rape you, Hannah,” Takeshi growled.

“Where is he?” Tom asked.

“Out cold and tied up in the closet, but there are others. They have Hector and the housekeeper tied up in the kitchen and we believe there may be more men outside doing something to those guards. Vincent was bragging about it. Tell Enrique to get some help here now.”

Takeshi went through the drawers searching for something.

I wanted to shout, but I kept my voice in a whisper. “What now?”

“We need to find someplace to hide you until help arrives.” Takeshi put on jeans. “Brodie, you lead, we follow. You check outside the door. Find us a place to hide Hannah. First we get out of this room. I’m sure they are giving Vincent time to amuse himself with you. Eventually they’ll wonder what’s taking so long.”

Brodie disappeared and reappeared a few minutes later. I spent the time pacing, my mouth so dry I drank a little water straight from the sink faucet.

“They are getting jumpy. They’re surprised they haven’t heard you screaming or the bed moving up here. I’m afraid they’ll come to check on you soon.” Brodie talked fast, as if there was no time to spare.

I shook my head and let out a loud, “No, stop it, get off of me.” I screamed again long and loudly. I hoped that would be enough. I got up on the bed and jumped on it a few times.

Takeshi grabbed me off the bed and sat me down in a chair across from him. He went to the foot of the bed, pressed his good leg against it, and began to rock it until the headboard hit the wall. “Brodie, find that hiding place now.”

“How do you know all this stuff? How did you hear him?” I asked Takeshi in a whisper.

“From the time I was four years old, I spent six days a week training in a martial arts dojo that shared space with my mothers dance studio. After my parents died, my uncle Myamoto entered me in martial arts competitions. He felt it was a way for me to express my anger and frustration over my personal loss.” He continued to push the bed against the wall rhythmically, but he looked around. “Where is Brodie? We’ve been here too long, we have to get you out of this room.”

“If you can do martial arts, why use a book on Vincent?” I came to stand near Takeshi, needing to touch him.

Anger flashed behind his eyes. “Because, I wanted to kill him with my bare hands. If I let myself go into my training I would. I think he still has information for Enrique and Bill. A broken neck would impede

further interrogation.”

Brodie appeared. “Hurry down the stairs. They’re clear right now, but I’ll run ahead first. Go to the left, at the stairs. There’s a hidden room inside the front closet. It took me a while to see the button that controls it.”

Tom appeared. “Enrique’s trying to get untangled from Tomas. Mateo, Bill and Jack are on their way, as well as reinforcements. Enrique says there is a hidden room inside the front closet. The third hook on the left controls the door.”

I repeated everything to Takeshi in a whisper. He motioned me to go on ahead as his rhythmic bed pushing increased. “Go, I’ll follow soon. Have Brodie let me know when you reach the closet. I don’t want them heading up here until you are safe.”

“Takeshi, they won’t kill me if they find me. They will you. I need to wait for you.”

“Hannah, you will obey me on this. I can protect myself better if I know you are safe. I have training.

Your job is to protect you and our babies. Now go. Vincent can’t last much longer,” he pointed at the bed.

Brodie stuck his head through the door. “Now, Hannah, hurry!”

I walked down the stairs so carefully that I got a cramp in my foot. Brodie kept urging me forward. We reached the closet without incident. I closed it slowly, praying it was well oiled. Like everything in Enrique’s life, it was. Once the door to the closet closed, it was dark inside. My hand flailed up and down until I found the hooks and counted to the third one, trying first to turn it, but in the end I pulled it down and the side of the closet slid open.

A dim light illuminated a room the size of a bathroom. There was a long table against a wall of monitors showing every room except the bedroom Takeshi and I shared. One monitor was off. I pressed the button in front of it and it came to life.

“Brodie tell Takeshi I am here. Stay with him. You help him for me please,” I pleaded.

Brodie disappeared as I sat down in front of the console of monitors. I watched Takeshi push the bed in one final shove and glide out of the room like some deadly ninja. He got to the bottom of the stairs but instead of heading to the closet, to me, he went into the dining room outside the kitchen. My ninja hid behind a buffet table obscured in shadows.

“Brodie,” I called softly.

“Hannah,” he grumped. “You told me to stay with the doctor.”

“Tell him to get his ass in here.”

“That’s what Tom told him, but he needed to make sure Hector and the housekeeper were all right. Say, that’s so cool, all those TVs. There’s even headphones to hear what’s going on.”

I’d been so concerned about Takeshi I hadn’t noticed they were hitting Hector about the face. He was bloody and looked unconscious. Yes, Takeshi was right. That had to stop.

Tom appeared saying, “Put the headset on and flip the flashing red switch. It’s a phone connection to Mateo and Bill.” He was gone in a blink.

I did as I was told. “Hello,” I whispered.

“Hannah?”

“Yes,” I answered.

“Thank God, it’s Bill. Let me talk to Takeshi.”

“He’s not here.” I tried not to cry.

“I’m sorry, Hannah. Is he captured or hurt?”

“No, he’s fine right now. He told Tom he had to help Hector and the housekeeper. They’re tied up in the kitchen. Bill, they’ve been hitting Hector, a lot.”

“Tell me everything you see in each room. How many are inside the house?”

“Takeshi took care of Vincent in the bedroom. He’s tied up and in the closet. He jammed the door so he can’t get out, but he hit him a couple of time with a book. A big, thick hard cover. He was very angry.”

“Was he the only one in your room?” Bill sounded skeptical.

“Vincent made a deal with the others to have time alone with me. He was going to rape me,” I stated matter-of-factly. “Shimodo stopped him. I screamed and pretended he was attacking me, so they would hear what they expected and wouldn’t come up for a while.”

“Hannah, are you all right?” he asked softly.

“He stopped him, Bill. I’m fine. Takeshi’s in the living room, waiting for some of them to go upstairs to check it out. At least that is what I think he plans. When they do, he’ll sneak into the kitchen to rescue Hector and the housekeeper. There are five men in the kitchen. They all have guns, it looks like automatics.”

“Damn. We think we’ve taken out all of the men they had outside the house. We are doing a final check.

Have Takeshi unlock the back door, if he can get to it at any point. We’ll have people at the door, ready to move Hector and the housekeeper out to waiting medical help. Takeshi can get out that way too. We won’t be coming for you until we are sure we’ve cleared the house. Can you tell him that?”

“Tom can.” Tom appeared next to me. I told him what to tell Takeshi and he was gone just as suddenly.

Brodie showed up again, looking very excited. “Tom had me stay in the kitchen with Hector. He told me to put my hand in the chest of the guard who hit Hector. It did stop him. I heard one of the guards laughing. He said they would not be able to get a plane out of Madrid after tomorrow. He bragged there wouldn’t be much left of the airport considering the amount of explosives his boss had sold. Hector called for Tom, but his tattoo is almost gone, so I don’t think Tom heard him. I let him know I was there.

He can’t say anything, but I’m very sure he wanted me to tell you.”

“Oh shit,” I cried.

“What is it, Hannah? What’s happened?” Bill asked, worry evident in his voice.

I repeated what Brodie told me and I got dead silence from Bill. It was several minutes before he clicked back.

“Hannah, I’ve told Mateo and he’s passed on the information to his government. Jack is notifying our people. I expect they will divert some of the agents here to the airport. Enrique arrived on scene and he’ll be taking over. Have Tom tell Takeshi what’s going on. We need all those men alive to debrief. We need details and soon. If we just burst in, there will be too many dead people. That was my favorite option before the bomb threat. That just changed.”

“Hannah?” Enrique’s cultured voice was in my ear.

“Yes.”

“Bill and Mateo have filled me in on everything they know. To help us you must watch the monitors and tell me if anyone moves position.”

“Okay, no big.” I stayed calm.

Brodie came back, ready to burst. “They are talking about taking turns with you, one at a time as soon as Vincent comes down. The biggest one”—he pointed to the screen—“says maybe Vincent is not done.

They were impressed on how long he lasted. This one”—he pointed to the smallest of the men on the screen—“says Sanchez will be here in a very short time, so they’d better hurry if they all want a turn.” He gave me a sheepish look before saying, “They all want a turn.”

“Go tell Tom and let him tell Takeshi as gently as possible. I’ll let Enrique know.” I watched him blink away.

“Tell me what, Hannah?”

“Enrique, we have new information on our current group of bad guys. Is Bill there?”

“No, he’s busy elsewhere.”

“Did he mention that Vincent attempted to rape and pillage?”

“In passing. He told me that Takeshi stopped him, and you pretended it was occurring. Were you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine. Brodie has been staying in the kitchen listening in on the men. They were so impressed with our show they are discussing taking turns upstairs with…well you understand. One of them said they only have a short while before Sanchez gets here.”

One of the monitors caught my attention as a figure appeared. “Enrique someone else just came into the bedroom window.”

“It’s Bill. Jack is right behind him. Let Vincent’s friends come up and Bill and Jack will deal with them.

I’ll update them now.”

Brodie came back. “Three of the men from the kitchen are on their way up.”

“Tell Takeshi that Bill and Jack are upstairs in the bedroom.”

“Three are on their way,” I informed Enrique.

I saw the three come out of the kitchen. The last of them paused at the door talking to the remaining two in the kitchen. The other two were on the stairs. As the door closed to the kitchen, the armed man walked forward and Takeshi came behind him like a shadow, jumped, kicked out his foot, and hit him on the side of the head. The man fell forward and Takeshi caught him and his weapon before he hit the ground.

“Takeshi took out the third one in the living room.” I was in awe.

“I hope it was on camera.” Enrique chuckled. “I’d like to see it. His files show sixteen years of martial arts training. I don’t know if you ever lose that training. I’m letting Bill know there’re two now.”

Takeshi dragged the man out of sight, using the cord from a lamp to tie him. He stuffed paper in his mouth and secured it with a curtain rope.

The two would-be rapists were knocking on the bedroom door a couple of times then kicked it in. The bathroom door opened and I could even see water running in the sink and hands being washed. The bed was tousled, like someone lay under the covers. The two men went straight to the bed and pulled off the blankets to find pillows.

Bill and Jack stepped out of the bathroom and fired on them. I was horrified until I saw the darts sticking out of their necks. They pulled handcuffs out of their pockets and duct taped their mouths and legs together.

“Tell Takeshi they’re on their way down. I don’t want him hurting them,” Enrique added.

“Tom?”

“Yes.” He stood next to me.

“Bill and Jack are on their way down.”

“Got it.”

Takeshi moved to the bottom of the stairs, inclining his head at Bill and Jack. They spoke, then Bill and Jack headed into the dining room, outside the kitchen door.