Kathleen Tailer - Perilous Pursuit

Mackenzie tried to scream, but her captor quickly put his hand over her mouth and squeezed. His other arm was around her waist, and he pulled her roughly against him. She was sure his tight grip would leave a bruise, and his pungent body odor made the situation even worse. “Shut up, sweetheart, or you’ll never speak again.”

She stopped screaming but didn’t stop struggling until he used the hand still clasped over her mouth to pull her head at such an awkward angle that it hurt to even move. The man was much larger than her, and even though she couldn’t see his face, she could feel his polluted breath prickling the skin on her neck. When he spoke, his voice was gravelly and cruel. “Now you’re learning.” He pulled her head again, and she whimpered in pain. “Don’t try anything stupid. Got it?”

The second man took a step forward so he was clearly in Mackenzie’s line of sight. He was a large, burly man with a shock of dark hair and thick, beefy forearms. His hands were the biggest ones she’d ever seen. Even his eyebrows were bushy and accented the fierce expression on his face. He was truly formidable. “Your name is Weaver, right?” His voice was deep and menacing.

Her captor removed his hand from her face, but she didn’t answer until he jerked her head once again by yanking her hair.

She whimpered in pain. “Yes.”

“You make movies, right?”

“Yes.”

“Where do you keep the copies?”

“Copies of what?”

The hairy man shook his head as if he was reasoning with a small child and took a step closer. “Are you trying to make me mad?” He pulled a pistol from his belt and put it under her chin. She could feel the cold metal biting against her skin. “I don’t play games. Got it? Answer my question.”

“I’m not trying to be difficult,” she said softly, hoping to calm him down so she could figure out what he wanted. She was so scared it was hard to think, but she kept talking anyway. “I just don’t understand what you want. I’ve made lots of movies, and I have all sorts of copies and edited versions of various scenes. If you tell me more about what you’re looking for, I might be able to help.” She glanced at her desk, which was behind the man, and he followed her eyes. He instantly turned and started searching through the drawers and filing cabinet. Papers were soon strewn about, and books and other items were thrown into disarray throughout her home office space. What were they looking for? Which of her projects had garnered their attention? None of this made any sense to her, but her confusion did little to ameliorate her fear.

Suddenly, there was a noise at the front door. “Deputy US marshal. Drop your weapons and come out with your hands up!”

The hairy man quickly looked behind her to the thug who held her captive, and then they both started backing away from the living room, pulling Mackenzie with them and using her body as a shield. They headed toward the balcony, the only other exit from her apartment.

She glanced toward the door and hope surged within her as she noticed a man with a gun quickly look around the doorjamb. He instantly took cover behind the door again, but he had to be law enforcement, just as he’d announced. She’d only gotten a quick look at him, but he had the law enforcement look—short dark hair and strong military features. There was also something vaguely familiar about him, but her mind still seemed frozen and she couldn’t place him. Maybe she wasn’t going to die today after all. Still, there was only one of him, and two men were holding her captive, both with loaded weapons. Anxiety formed a hard knot in her stomach, and she stumbled as the man holding her continued to pull her backward.

She was being held at such an awkward angle that she couldn’t catch herself. Her abductor lost his grip, and she ended up on the floor. She expected the man to reach down and pull her up again, but instead, he left her sprawled on the tile and then turned and followed his companion out through the sliding glass door that led to the balcony. She still didn’t get a look at the face of the man who’d held her but did notice dark brown hair, blue jeans and a red plaid shirt. She also saw that the hairy man had grabbed her laptop on the way out. A protest formed on her lips, but she stayed silent as she watched the two disappear by jumping off her second-floor balcony. She could buy another laptop. At this point, she was just relieved to still be alive.

* * *

Jake Riley heard the sliding door open and took another quick look. He was off duty and didn’t have any backup, so he was less concerned with capturing the men with the guns than with keeping their victim safe. Seeing no one but the woman, he entered the apartment, his gun drawn.

“Stay down,” he said softly as he approached, motioning with his hand. “Is there anybody else in the apartment?”

“No,” she answered, “I don’t think so, anyway. There were two guys that grabbed me when I came into my apartment, but they just escaped out the balcony.”

Jake carefully approached the sliding door with his gun still drawn and ready. He cautiously stepped outside and quickly spotted the two suspects running through the parking lot on foot. A moment later, a black Buick four-door sedan sped away, but not before Jake was able to catch two of the numbers off the license plate. He holstered his weapon and blew out a breath. He had already called in the incident when he’d heard the gunshots, so his next move was to go to the side of the woman, who was still cowering on the floor. She had pulled herself up to a sitting position and was now leaning against her couch, hugging her legs. Jake noticed her hands were shaking as she pushed some of her long brown hair behind her ear.

“Are you hurt?”

It took a moment for her to look at him, and he imagined she was trying to compose herself. He didn’t blame her. It probably wasn’t every day that someone broke into her home and threatened her at gunpoint. She had to be terrified.

Finally, she glanced up at him, and his heartbeat fluttered. She had pale blue eyes, and her long brown hair framed her heart-shaped face perfectly. Her lips were a vibrant pink, and with her smooth and fresh skin she looked like a porcelain doll. He sucked in a breath. She was one of the prettiest women he had ever seen, but there was something about her... He made a conscious effort not to stare at her and was relieved that she didn’t seem to notice his bad manners.

“No, I’m not hurt. Not permanently, at least.” She winced as she tilted her head. “I’m a bit sore, but you arrived just in time.” She looked him directly in the eye, and suddenly, recognition spread across her features. “Jake Riley?”

He raised his eyebrows, his brain frantically searching for the woman’s identity. He could only remember one person with eyes that particular color of blue, but the woman before him looked very different from what he remembered. He hazarded a guess.

“Mackenzie? Mackenzie Weaver? Is it you?”

She smiled. Yet the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, and she was quick to look away.

“Yes, it’s been a few years.”

Jake was floored. Mackenzie was the little sister of his best friend, Jonathan Weaver, who had been killed by a land mine in Afghanistan over four years ago. He and Jonathan had been boon companions all through high school and college, but then Jonathan had joined the army and died shortly thereafter. Mackenzie was four years younger than Jonathan and had followed the boys around like a puppy during most of their friendship. She had always wanted to be included in their escapades, but Jake and Jonathan had spent a great deal of time trying to break away from her constant pursuit. Jake had even thought that Mackenzie had a crush on him for a time when she was in high school and he was in college, but he had never been interested. Of course, the girl he remembered was nothing like the lovely woman before him. She had truly blossomed.