The Truth Will Set You Free (closed)

[zydrate]

Over 3 months of investigating and travelling halfway around the world and Sarah was not going to lose this information.

She should have sent the information sooner but there hadn't been time.

She thought she'd have more time!

News waited for no one. If a story was developing, she needed to get to the bottom of it quickly. Before someone else did.

Downstairs she heard the first of the gunshots and she did her best not to cry out in surprise as she moved the information from her flashdrive over to a backup.... just 30 more seconds...

"Come on...come on..." she muttered, her heart pounding and hands trembling.

More gunshots. The download was complete. Yes, some might call it old fashion but in this country, it was high tech.

She had reported near the front line before but when one knew the bullets were meant for you, well, they had a whole different meaning.

Shouting in the hall and feet pounding up the stairs...

Sarah quickly set her phone up to record, "I know you don't want to hear from me, but I need your help..." it was her last form of communication before she was tackled from behind and the video got blurry and the picture got muddled as Sarah tried to fight off her attackers as she fought for her life to hit send...

Someone grabbed the phone from her hands and tossed it to a corner of the room before shooting it with his weapon... Sarah fought as they dragged her back down the stairs. At this point, she didn't know what was going to happen to her, but at least, she had time to hide what she had found.

Now, making it out alive to get it back... that was another story.

 

[BeachBum25]

Bryce was sitting in an Irish pub outside of DC with a few members of his team. They had just returned from a mission of babysitting a senator who served on the Armed Forces Commission as he travelled to several different areas of the world to visit some of the troops. It wasn't a dangerous mission. Hell, the senator was nowhere near any fighting. It was just the senator putting on a show for the television cameras.

They were not officially members of the armed forces.. not anymore. Bryce and his team were all former Special Forces; some had been SEALS, there were a couple Green Berets, Airborne, and Special Recon. At some point, they had all become tired of working for officers who were clueless, and had found one another to form the team. Bryce didn't put the team together, but eventually he had become the Team Leader, chosen by the members of the team.

Most of the work by The Team, as they had become known although they never thought it was necessary to give themselves a name, was private contract work. Once in a while they did private work for the government. It was always outside the command structure of the military. Most of the time the military brass did not even know The Team was on the mission. They had actually escorted the president on a Middle East visit. The only person they communicated with in the government was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

As they sat around the table drinking and joking about the babysitting assignment and how much The Team had been paid to babysit, Bryce's phone vibrated. He ignored it for a few minutes as they were ordering one last round of drinks.

Taking the phone out of his pocket, Bryce looked at the video message that came through. "FUCK ME," he shouted. The entire pub went silent. Everyone looked in his direction. Team members sat quietly. They knew it wasn't good if Bryce reacted that way. He was usually the calm, collected one of the group.

Quietly Bryce talked to his comrades after the patrons went back to their conversations. "I have to go. It seems that Sarah has been able to get herself involved in more shit. I am not sure what she is up to, but it is not good." He looked around at each of the members who was there. "I may need your help with this. It would be on a volunteer basis as a personal favor to me. No pressure. I will let you know what I find out and what I need."

The Team knew about Bryce and Sarah. They knew what had happened between them. They also knew that Bryce would do anything for Sarah.

As he left the pub, Bryce called Sarah's sister to see what she knew about what Sarah was working on. Her sister had no clue; hadn't talked to her in about a month. Bryce then called a guy that Sarah had worked with in the past. He didn't know what Sarah was working on either. "I need you to find out for me. I think she might be having a problem, so, I need to know where she might be and what she was trying to uncover."

Bryce then went back to his hotel room, took out his laptop and started to research stories that Sarah had been reporting on. What came up didn't seem too dangerous, but none of the stories were recent. "You just can't be happy doing the easy stuff. You always have to get yourself into fucked-up situations. Can't just stay home and be safe."

 

[zydrate]

In a not so lady like fashion, Sarah was being dragged out of the house being carried over one man’s shoulder while one held her feet and the other held her hands. It was amazing how much energy a person had when trying to fend off their attackers. Yet, deep down, she knew they wouldn’t hurt her…yet.

Sarah was unceremoniously thrown in the back seat of an SUV and one guy flanked her on both sides. One had his rifle pointed into her side to keep her in her place as they drove off from the abandoned house she had found refuge in. It was a tense ride, mostly for her of course. They were heading away from the city and that made her nervous…. OK, this is what she wanted… right?

It was also very awkward to have a guy on either side of her, staring at her as if she was going to do some badass move and disarm them…

Looking down at the barrel of the gun, she followed it to the hands of the guy holding it against her. It was then she spoke up, still looking at the gun barrel, “Hey, is that the new AK747-82?” The man looked at her confused.

“No, no… that’s too old of a model… AR2914.5?”

He pushed the gun harder into her side and she winced, “OK, ok… geez…”

She was quiet for the rest of the ride, but she was looking at where they were going, making sure to take in markers they passed.

Once they reached the small compound, Sarah was dragged to an empty room in the small mansion… Coriz’s mansion.

She was in! She wasn’t sure whether to be giddy or scared.

All this time of writing about the Coriz family and their criminal activities between Mexico City and the US border got her warnings from her editors and of course, her partner, Justin. So, naturally, she didn’t tell him what she was up to. Instead, she had decided to take an impromptu vacation to Mexico City and from there… who knew?

Was it her fault she ended up where she did?

Yes.

Was she sorry…? Well… she didn’t know yet.

The room was empty, and the windows were boarded shut. Well… that sucked… She had time to think, that was for sure. She thought of her message she had sent to Bryce.

Would he receive it? Hopefully.

What if he just ignored her message? Well, that was a possibility, but Sarah knew he wouldn’t.

Was he still upset with her for always getting in trouble because of her job? Yes. She knew that but, she couldn’t help it…well, maybe she could help it…

***
Justin West was working late again. As he always did. He had been holding down the fort since Sarah left for her vacation. Hell, he knew better that she wasn’t on vacation… He didn’t know where she was but, just as he was about to sign off the for the night, he got an email notification.

It was from Sarah.

Coincidence? Since her boyfriend was looking for her… was she in trou—fuck, there was no question about it, she had to be in trouble… He began to open the email and found it encrypted.

He knew the key to break the encryption, Sarah had told him. He had thought when she told him, she was just being over dramatic… making the work she did seem more outlandish than it really was. Hell, all he wrote about were the idiots on capitol hill…

Yeah…she was in trouble, Justin didn’t know who this Coriz guy was or if he did hear the name, he didn’t pay attention.

Looking through is phone history, he found the number from that Bryce guy and redialed it. It was answered almost immediately and so Justin let him know about the email he just received from Sarah…

 

[BeachBum25]

Bryce started contacting people in the media that he thought would know what Sarah was up to or working on. Everyone seemed to be clueless. He did not share too much information with them; only that she had asked him to get in touch with her, but her cell phone was off.

His frustration was rising. It was just like Sarah to go somewhere and not tell anyone about it. It was part of the reason she was so good at what she did. It was a major reason why Bryce had stopped seeing Sarah. She would never listen to him and always took risks that he considered to be too dangerous.

"I wonder if you will listen to me now, Sarah," he said out loud to nobody as he sat in his hotel room in the dark.

When his phone ring he answered it immediately without looking to see who it was. "Yea?" When he heard Justin talking on the other end, he needed to slow him down. "What message? What encryption? You mean to tell me that she had an encryption code that she shared with you? Forward the email to me. When I get it, I will give you another email code to send the encryption code to. You don't say anything about this to anybody, understand?" Bryce was getting pissed even more. Sarah had given an encryption code to her partner but hadn't shared it with Bryce. Why wouldn't she give it to him, especially since she knew she would contact Bryce to save her fine ass.

He didn't know Justin well, and Justin didn't know him. "Listen to me. Do not do anything that will put her in danger. I am serious about this. If you do anything that makes things worse for her, you will pay..... dearly." He disconnected his phone and opened up his email. The forwarded email was there. Then he went to the other email address to wait for the code.

Once he had the code and applied it to the email, he sat quietly for a few minutes trying to use breathing techniques to help him calm down. "Are you fucking serious Sarah? This is really what you are working on, and you are doing it alone. You have to be fucking kidding me."

He picked up his phone. "Okay Alpha, I have some information. Let's meet at our back up meeting location, since this is a volunteer mission. I will give out the information I have and then everyone can decide if they want to be a part. There will be no pressure. If everyone decides they want out of it, I will go it alone."

After disconnecting the call, Bryce got up and started getting ready for the meeting. "Sarah, we are having a serious fucking talk after this."

 

[zydrate]

On her knees, Sarah bent close to the floor in order to look under the door to see if she could see anything... nothing... She did know that the door was guarded by one person.

Why? She couldn't hurt anyone. Was she plotting to get out? No, of course not. Where would she go?

It was nearing 48 hours since she brought here.. how did she know? They didn't take her watch but they did destroy her phone. "Gonna bill you for that Coriz..." she said as she sat in the corner of the room and sighed as her stomach rumbled. The least they could do was feed her.

About 20 minutes later, Sarah curled up on the floor, trying to sleep. She was just about to slip into a dreamless sleep when the doors burst open and two men stepped into the room, grabbed her and yanking her up before pulling her out of the room.

"Wow, here I thought you forgot about me." She said, not helping to say what she did. She thought they were ignoring her when one them spoke in Spanish, saying "This bitch is so dead... you think Coriz will let us have a turn with her?" The other just laughed.

"Oh please, you probably couldn't even get it up." Sarah said in Spanish. That earned her a hard slap across the face.

They brought her to an office library and threw her in a chair that faced a big oak desk. On the desk was her flash drive. It had additional information on it she hadn't sent to Justin... damn, she thought she hid it better than that. She was wiping up her nose which was bleeding from the hit when Hugo Coriz walked in. He saw she was bleeding and immediately asked what happened. The two guys looked at each other and Sarah just shrugged, "I fell."

All Hugo had to do was look at the other men and one finally confessed to hitting her. Hugo then looked at Sarah, "Is this true?"

"Yeah.. well, I might have said someth--"

A gunshot sounded, making Sarah scream from both the sudden sound and then the body of the guy that hit her falling to the floor with a bullet hole in his head.

"Now, you see... we don't play around here."

Sarah tried to remain calm and trying her best to take her eyes of the dead body next to her as she fiddled with her watch... something she would do when things weren't going her way, "I...I see that.."

"So, you are Sarah Morris... aka Sarah Hartford... daughter of Senator Allan Hartford."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I am Sarah Morris, yes.. I'm not sure who this Hartford guy is."

"Why do you lie...?" he brushed her off and stood, grabbing the flash drive. "What's on this?"

She shrugged, "Just... some games and a few pictures, nothing important."

"if it's not important, then--"

There was some yelling outside and Coriz told the other man to go and find out what was going on. With Coriz distracted, Sarah saw he put the flash drive down... she jumped for it and immediately felt his arms wrap around her shoulders as the two struggled for dominance over the little piece of plastic. Sarah was younger but Coriz had strength. She pushed against him and they fell into the bookshelf where she pushed against him again...and again...

 

[BeachBum25]

Everyone on The Team showed up at the back up meeting location. Bryce explained that it appeared that Sarah was at it again and this time she got herself in deep shit. Everyone on the team knew about Sara. Bryce had shared some of her previous stunts with them. Never before, however, had she gotten herself into a situation like this. In the past, Bryce had to take care of getting her ass out of trouble. This time, however, he needed help.

Mexico. At least it was Mexico. If he had to choose a country to have to go into, Mexico would have been his choice. It was pretty much a lawless country. The government was fighting a war against several different cartels, and if they were able to make progress against one, there were several others waiting to step in and take its place.

"I need intel on somebody named Coriz. That is who she was down there investigating. At least, that is who I think it is. I need to know about him, his family, his friends. his business, his mistresses, his ban accounts... everything. I want to know what time he goes to bed and what time he wakes up. I want to know when he takes a piss, and when he shits. EVERYTHING. I am sorry guys, but this is personal. So, if you don't want in, I understand. I will not hold that against you."

Not a single member left. They respected Bryce too much. He had brought them together and kept them together.

"Back here tomorrow, same time. I want us to be able to have a plan to put in place tomorrow. Oh and fellas...... thank you. I appreciate all of you."

Their meeting the next day went on for hours. They put a plan together that involved multiple angles. One was to go right at Coriz. The other had a team going into the town that Coriz grew up in and meeting up with family members that Coriz still had there.. .including his mother and his youngest sister.

"We leave at 0200 tomorrow. Get some rest. I'll see you at the airport."

Bryce went back to the hotel. He never did make it back home. Well, that would happen after he had a come to jesus meeting with Sarah. For now he needed some sleep.

 

[zydrate]

How the hell was Sarah still alive and not a scratch on her…? Well, unless you counted the bloody nose she had received earlier and the scuffle she had with Hugo… she felt nothing.

The rest of her work she had on that drive was gone. It wasn’t devastating, but it was heartbreaking. She’d have to regather the information she had gotten. The interviews… the evidence… again, not a lot but still, it would take some work to get them back.

Seems Hugo had a reason for not killing her just yet… he was going to use her as a bargaining chip to get her father to lift security at the border so Coriz could have an easier time moving his shit between both the US and Mexico. What Hugo didn’t know was that her father was nothing. He had no real power… he was controlled by puppets.

She was getting tired. She knew her father wouldn’t do anything. They had a falling out when Sarah was just 16… the time she had decided she wanted to major in journalism. No, he wanted her to follow in his footsteps and become a politician or some such. Sarah had said no and walked away from him, never looking back. She had gone to live with an aunt and started to use her aunt’s last name as her own.

“Heeelllllllooooo?!” She yelled and kicked at the door. Her spirit wasn’t exactly dead yet. "Jerks."

She had given up on Bryce also. Why would he come for her? Why would he even bother? She knew she was a problem, but she couldn’t help it. She had to make noise in order to be heard. It was always how it had been in the past. Did that cost her friends? Yes. Did that cost her family? Yes.

It was a good thing there was a private bathroom adjoining the room she was locked in. Although the windows in that room were also boarded up. She still had no idea why.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she saw that she looked like shit. Her blonde hair with purple tips was a mess. Her nose had a small bruise beside it. Again, her fault. There were dark circles under eyes and that made her wince. She was exhausted, that was all.

She was tired but she wasn’t going to give up. From what she had gathered, they were about 20 miles outside of the city but it was 20 miles of mountainous roads… ugh… she leaned against the wall by the door and slide down to the floor. “This fucking sucks…” she said to herself.

 

[BeachBum25]

The Team assembled at the private aviation hangar at the airport. Inside was a jet black 737 with no markings on it except while the gray tail letters on it. The plane was registered to a dummy corporation in Sioux City, SD. It had been one of the first purchases The Team had made after completing a big mission in the Ukraine.

At exactly 0200 the plane took off. The pilots, all ex-Air Force had filed a flight plan for Mexico City. Well, they would get close. During the flight, The Team went over the final details of the plan. They were being divided into 3 squads. Each squad had a specific duty. Bryce's squad was the smallest. In fact, because of his emotional attachment to this mission, Bryce had ceded command of his squad to Jake Driscoll.... Alpha. They never used their real names on a mission. They always used nicknames. This way there was less risk of personal information about one of them getting out there.

When the plane landed it was still dark, but the sun would be coming up shortly. Timing was important with this mission. All of the preparations in Mexico were made and executed. There were 3 choppers waiting for them when they landed. The Team disembarked from the plane and each team member did what they needed to do. There was no talk. They just took care of what they were responsible for.

In 15 minutes the choppers were taking off. It was GO TIME.

The first chopper headed to a small village about 20 miles from Coriz' compound. It landed as the sun was coming up; waking the people in the village who had no idea what was going on. Some of the people, though, just figured it was Coriz coming to visit his mother and his little sister.

The second chopper stayed airborne. It was there to provide reinforcements to whichever squad, if any, needed it.

The third chopper headed to Coriz' compound. It circled the compound at a safe enough distance that they were not seen or heard... yet.

Squad 1 landed and made their way directly to the nicest house in the village. Yes, Coriz took care of his mom and baby sister, since his mother refused to join him at his compound. She knew what he did and did not want to be around it.

When Squad 1 made entry to the mother and daughter's house, Squad 3 (the squad Bryce was on) landed out in front of the compound. It was at that time that Coriz' phone was ringing. It was his mother calling. Coriz was not happy to be awakened so early, especially since he had two young women naked in bed with him.

He jumped out of bed and threw on a robe. He started yelling, "If any of you motherfuckers fires a single shot at them, I will kill you myself."

Making his way down the grand staircase, Coriz continued to yell. Then he saw his number 2 man come running toward him. "There are Americanos at the front. Let them in. Nobody fires a shot. They have my mother and baby sister."

Coriz went to his office and sat behind the desk. Bryce and the rest of the squad were led to the office. Everyone stayed just outside the office, except Bryce. This is where the personal part of the mission took over.

Walking into the office, Bryce looked at Coriz who was trying to portray a tough persona even while sitting there in a bathrobe. Bryce looked around. "It is my intention that no blood is shed, and that everyone, including your mother and sister will be unharmed at the conclusion of our meeting. But......" Bryce didn't finish the sentence. He didn't have to.

Coriz stared at Bryce. "You are here for the woman, aren't you." Bryce remained straight-faced. "Unfortunately, yes I am. Trust me, I am doing you a favor taking her off your hands. Now, have her brought here now."

Less than 5 minutes later, Sarah was pushed into the room. She started to make her way to Bryce. He turned to her, "Get on the chopper."

Turning back to Coriz, "Once we are airborne, we will let the squad at your mother's house know to leave your mother and sister alone and to make their way back. Don't take that as a cue that you can come after us. You have no idea what they are leaving behind. It is strong enough to take out the whole village."

Bryce turned around and left Coriz' office. Less than a minute later he was on the chopper and they were headed back to the airfield. He didn't even look at Sarah. If he had, he may have gone off on her. No, he would save that for later.

Once they were back at the airfield, the entire Team loaded the plane and they were heading back home. Sarah was relegated to a seat in the last row. A seat that was normally used for prisoners if The Team had to take any. Bryce was up front; thanking everyone for their participation, and complimenting on executing the plan to perfection. "First time we have had a mission where there was not a single shot fired."

He sat down and closed his eyes. He thought about the look on Coriz' face. He would not let it go lightly.

 

[zydrate]

Once on the plane, Sarah did relax a little. No one was talking to her, and she didn’t talk to anyone. Bryce was definitely not talking to her as he was no where near her on the plane.

She did have a lot of questions and knew no one would answer her if she asked, so, she did something out of character for her, she stayed quiet. Although she was quiet, she was observing and in her mind, making plans of what she needed to do once she was on her own again… which, to be honest, she assumed Bryce would just toss her off at the airport and leave her to own resources on how to get home… or, no… she knew he would probably take her directly to her home, making sure she didn’t get on a plane directly back to Mexico to keep going with her research for her story.

Sarah was pretty down that she’d have to start over in some places but perhaps it was all for the best... it would just mean she’d be able to write better and do her research more thoroughly.

She knew where she went wrong so now, she’d just be more careful and not get caught.

Sarah was getting tired of sitting so she stood up and walked to the back of the plane… then back to where she was sitting. She wasn’t paying attention to anyone or caring if some seemed irritated with what she was doing. She was deep in thought as she paced.

Once they landed, Sarah had devised a plan of what she was going to do next. She’d have to go travel back to Mexico. Not to Mexico City, but to Juarez. First, she’d have to go home and get her back up IDs and credit cards. Then pack a few clothes. She looked at her watch, if she estimated the time right, she could take a flight to El Paso and from there, cross the border into Juarez by 11PM tonight.

 

[BeachBum25]

When the plane landed, Bryce got up out of his seat and went toward the back as they taxied to the hangar. He approached Sarah. "You get off last.... understand?"

He turned back around and went to the exit door. Once the engines were shut down and the stairs were in place, Bryce opened the door and shook the hand of every team member as they got off; thanking them for their help on the private mission.

After everyone else was off, including the pilots. Bryce looked to the back of the plane. "Now you can get off." He waited by the door and let Sarah get off first. He followed her down the stairs. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Bryce said in a low, calm voice, "get in the back seat of the SUV." Despite the calm voice, it wasn't a request, it was an order.

Bryce got in the front passenger seat and one of the team members drove them to his hotel. He turned around and looked at Sarah. "This is where we get out." He shook the driver's hand and got out of the SUV. He took Sarah's hand, in a controling way not in an affectionate way, and led her through the lobby to the elevator. He did not say a word to her until they were in his room.

He closed the door and put the deadbolt on. Turning back to her, "did you see all of those men that got off the plane before you? Everyone of them put their life on the line today. You know what they got out od it? NOT A FUCKING THING." He stared at Sarah as his anger began to build.

"Everyone of them volunteered to go down there after you. They got nothing for it. They did it for me. I owe them.. Big Time."

He took a couple of deep breaths. He was trying not to totally go totally off the rails on her. He did not want the people in the rooms next to him to call the front desk about a disturbance.

"You go down there and put yourself at risk knowing that I will come bail you out if things get too crazy. You send me a video asking for help and showing your phone getting smashed, and then you have your boy toy call me with an encrypted email you sent him. What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you not understand that you put other people in danger when you do this stupid shit? We were fortunate we were able to get great intel on Coriz. If you go back there, and I know that you are planning to do it, Coriz is not going to have his family so susceptible, and he will make you pay for how things went down today."

He walked over to the mini bar and grabbed a beer out of it. "I don't know why I keep coming to your aid Sarah." A minute went by... "well, yes I do, but you make it harder every time. You are not going back there. I don't care if I have to handcuff you to me."

 

[zydrate]

The humid air hit Sarah like a ton of bricks. After a few weeks in the hot, dry air, she forgot she hated the humidity. She didn’t say anything as she walked down the steps from the plane. With a sigh, she did as Bryce demanded…for now? Perhaps.

On the way to wherever it was they were going; she kept an eye on the time. She hoped she wasn’t being too obvious about but deep down, she knew Bryce noticed. Since he was saying thanks to everyone, she couldn’t help but say the same to the guy who drove them. Although she had only gotten the word out when she was yanked into the hotel. Sarah tried several times to pull her hand away from Bryce’s grip, but he wasn’t having it. With an audible sigh, she relented.

“I sent a video message asking for YOUR help... it’s not my problem that you brought your little group with you BUT I am appreciative for what they did. And Justin is not my boy toy. He’s a very good friend and work colleague. I know he’s not going to steal my work which is why I sent him what I did. I didn’t send it to you because of…well, this... “ she waved at him and how he was acting.

How did he know she was going to go back?

Oh, yeah, that’s right. Because it was her nature and that was why he was good at what he did. He could read a person like a fucking book.

“Look, I’m sorry for calling you. If it makes you feel any better, I won’t call you anymore if I get in trouble. If it’s a money issue for having your group come out, then let me know how much I owe or whatever.”

She sat on the bed and crossed her arms across her chest as they were both quiet for a moment, “Listen, I know what I did wrong before,” she jumped up to face him, “I just need to start at a different angle this time. I’ll be more careful. If I---” she could tell he wasn’t having it, “What?”

 

[BeachBum25]

"Listen, I know you. I know how committed to a story you are. This is a story you need to let go." I watched her closely. He knew it would take more than just him talking to her to get her to let it go.

Her attempts to justify staying on the story pissed him off. Just as he was starting to settle down, his anger went through the roof.

"How is it that you don't fucking get it. After all of the shit you have been through.. after where we just came to get you from, you think that approaching a story from a different angle is going to make things different.. make things safer? Sarah, you are not dumb. You can't really think that Coriz is going to give a shit about what angle you take."

The truth of the matter was that he still cared about Sarah. He had never stopped caring. Bryce just got tired of her constantly putting herself into bad situations. Sometimes he felt like Sarah did that because she knew that Bryce could, and would, save her ass from whatever she got herself into. There were also times where Bryce wondered if Sarah was just testing him, to see how far he would go for her. The truth was that he would go very far for her. He just got tired of it.

"I know you wanted ME to come and save your ass. The truth is, I do not gamble the way you do. That is why I took the team, and that is why you are sitting here in my hotel room.. safe. When I go out on a mission, everything is calculated.. everything is planned out for success. When you go out, you fly by the seat of your pants. You just take things as they come and react. Well, unfortunately, your reactions do not always produce positive results."

Bryce finished off your beer. "You are not going back to Mexico Sarah. If I know you the way I think I know you, you were planning on heading right back down there once I let you go." He saw the look on her face despite the fact she tried to remain expressionless.

"You and I are going to spend some time together." He saw the shock on her face. "Don't worry. It won't be like we were before. I will let you sleep in the bed. I will sleep in the chair."

Bryce got up and took Sarah's hand. He led her over to the bed and sat her on the edge of it. Then, he zip tied her wrist to the headboard of the bed. "Just a little precaution to make sure you don't try to sneak out while I am asleep.

Bruce winked at her and moved over to the chair. He kicked off his shoes, sat down and closed his eyes. He was tired and needed sleep.

 

[zydrate]

To say Sarah was surprised when she was zip-tied to the bed, was an understatement. She was shocked. Of course, she could protest but Bryce ignored her. And he would continue to do so.

“Jerk…” she said as he closed his eyes.

With a huge sigh, she let it go. He wasn’t going to give in…

***
Sarah didn’t sleep well, although she was tired, she couldn’t get comfortable… several times throughout the night, she did find herself jerking awake from what she had just been through. The thought of the guy killed right next to her… Fuck, she thought. She brought a pillow over her head to drown out the dark.

It was no use, the small digital clock on the stand read 4:55AM and decided to just wake up. The TV remote was barely within reach and was able to turn the TV on once she grabbed it. She stared blankly at the early news as she continued to process ways to get to see if she could finish this story without having to go to Mexico.

Were there ways to do? In a perfect world, yes. But the world wasn’t perfect, and she needed more…

Yes, she could kill the story but that wasn’t in her nature. She was not going to go back to doing fluff pieces about fashion and art…and whatever else they wanted to dump on her.

“Bryce…” she said, “I give up. You win. I won’t go back to Mexico… can you please just let me go now? I want to go home… I want to shower and change. I need to check in at work…” She had wanted to say she was also starving but decided not to.

“Listen, like I said, I won’t go back and I’ll drop it… I’ll drop this whole thing with Coriz.”

 

[BeachBum25]

Bryce slept well despite the fact that he was sitting in the chair. He heard the television go on, but was able to block it out and go back to sleep.

Sarah calling to him woke him up. He didn't move. He simply opened his eyes and looked in her direction. When Sarah said she needed to check in with work, Bryce tossed his cell phone onto the bed next to her. He knew her phone was gone, and he knew she was using that as a way to try and have her cut the zip tie off.

He snickered when she said that she wouldn't go back to Mexico and that she would drop the whole thing with Coriz. "Sarah, you act like I don't know you. You are not going to give up that easy. Hell, the fact that he held you captive only serves as more motivation for you to go back and dig up even more dirt on him. That means I will get another call asking me to save your ass, and the next time I would have to go alone, because I couldn't ask The Team to do it again."

He shook his head as he looked at her. "Sarah, I would let you get a shower, but the problem is, you don't have any clothes to put on. You left Mexico with nothing except what you are wearing. Obviously, I know you are aware of that, so, I think you just want me to untie you so that you have a way of trying to escape me. So, no shower. That is, unless you want to wear the extra pair of gym shorts and the 1 clean t-shirt I have left."

Bryce closed his eyes again. Although he had Sarah contained for the moment, he could not keep her there forever. He had to check out of the hotel today and make his way back home. What was he going to do with Sarah then? He couldn't keep her prisoner for the rest of her life.

He had always expected things to be different between them. Bryce never expected the relationship between the two to be so antagonistic. In fact, he saw himself settled down on a nice piece of land with Sarah. He had envisioned Sarah still working, but doing investigative reporting that was much less dangerous than she was doing now. In fact, it was the type of reporting that Sarah was doing that drove them apart. Bryce was tired of spending every day worrying about her, and wondering when the call would come in for him to help her out of a sticky situation. Since there was no Sarah to settle down with, Bryce kept working. He had more money than he knew what to do with. The Team didn't work cheap, and very often had clients throwing huge amounts of money at them when Bryce told them The Team was busy on another assignment.

Bryce decided to torment Sarah. He got up from the chair, and went into the bathroom. He turned on the shower and while waiting for the water to come up to temperature, he undressed. Stepping into the shower, he took his time. Although he was really trying to piss Sarah off, he had to admit the hot shower felt awesome. After about 20 minutes, he turned off the shower, toweled off and wrapped the towel around his waist. He walked out to his bag and grabbed a change of clothes. Then, he pretended like he was going to take off the towel and get dressed right there in front of Sarah. "Oh, no, sorry. I can't do that anymore."

He went back into the bathroom with his clothes and got dressed; coming out a few minutes later feeling refreshed. "That was a great idea Sarah. I am glad you thought about a shower. It felt great." Yes, he knew he was being an asshole, but it didn't bother him. He was still mad at her.

After packing up his things, and making a phone call to check on his flight home, Bryce sat on the edge of the bed next to Sarah. "I have to check out today. I have been here several days longer than I was expecting to be... thanks to you. I am going to be going home, and I can't force you to go with me. Obviously I can't keep you tied to the bed. As angry as I get with what you do, I know that no matter what I do, you are going to keep doing it. I wish I could change your thinking, but I realized a while back that I can't. So, here is the deal. I am going to untie you. You can have the clean shorts and t-shirt that I have to put on if you want a shower. I am leaving in 45 minutes. We will leave the room at the same time. If you want to go back with me, you can. I have an extra seat on the flight and it is in your name. Of course, you can go your own way and head back to Mexico. I am sure it will be long after you were expecting to get back there, but you will make up for it, I'm sure."

Bryce got up from the bed, grabbed the shorts and t for Sarah, walked back to the bed and dropped the clothes on the bed, and then cut the zip ties; freeing Sarah. Bryce turned around and walked to the window and looked out. He was really expecting Sarah to head for the door and leave.

 

[zydrate]

Sarah had tuned out Bryce halfway through his little speech. Repeating what he thought of her didn’t help and counterproductive for her. She heard what he was saying and understood it 100% but why couldn’t he understand that they were the same…right? He put himself in danger all the time…. Even though he had a plan on how to get out of it… OK, yes, they weren’t the same. But since they weren’t together anymore, all she had was her career.

The shower sounded and Sarah did her best to make some calls with one hand. She logged into her contacts through her email and started getting busy while Bryce showered. She could have cared less he was taking his time. It just gave her more time to put her plan in partial action.

She contacted Justin… poor thing didn’t want to answer the phone but when he finally did, Sarah could hear the relief in his voice when he realized it was her. She had asked of Percy was still mad at her for leaving the way she did. And of course, Justin said yes, he was. Knowing she’d have to bite the bullet no matter what, she had Justin transfer her to Percy’s line.

That was a mistake. Percy blew up at Sarah for all the shit she put him threw and had wanted her to kill the story. To put him at ease, Sarah told him she would… then he asked her to come back to work as they had other things she could report on and not get in trouble with. She had requested to put off any new assignments only because she was unable to get home and would call him a couple of days to let him know her status.

He wasn’t happy but agreed. Giving her 3 days to bury the story, come back and do other pieces. Or she could find another job elsewhere.

She almost threw the phone in frustration but stopped just short, only to remember that it wasn’t her phone.

Sarah stared blankly at the TV as Bryce came out and talked to her. She looked at him… God, he looked so good in a towel… flashes of their nights together made her a little sad… despite his being a jerk at times (probably only to her) he needed better in his life. He wanted someone calm and demure… and that wasn’t her. Yes, they had some great nights in bed… some consecutive but their personalities where like fire and water…

“You can’t make me go with you?! After keeping me here all night…tied up!?” She grabbed his clothes he was letting her borrow and got up, “You’re so generous.” Before walking to the bathroom to shower and clean up. Unlike him, she cleaned up as quick as she could, only because she was just wanting to get clean. Her tattoos showed and that would get attention from others. According to her aunt, she had too many and men wouldn’t find them attractive. As Sarah dried off, she looked down at the cherry blossom branch that wrapped around her left ankle, up her leg…diagonally on her back and continued to wrap around her right arm. She had wanted to add to it for several months but hadn’t had time. The pink cherry blossoms matched her pink tipped blonde hair.

Sarah didn’t let her attire bother her. Sure, the boxers were baggy but so was the shirt, at least she was clean. She had wanted to put her hair up but couldn’t… beachy waves were still a thing, right?

Bryce wasn’t look at her as she finished up trashing her clothes and sitting on the bed, putting on her shoes.

She was quiet for a bit before speaking up, “Fine, I’ll go with you.”

 

[BeachBum25]

To say that Bryce was shocked by Sarah's response would be an understatement. He fully expected her to just walk out and go on doing what she always did. Of course, that didn't mean she wasn't still going to do that. This was probably just a way for Sarah to figure out the best way to go back to Mexico and continue doing what she was doing before everything had gone to hell.

"Listen Sarah, don't do this just because you think it is what I want to hear, or because it is a way of convincing me you are not going back, and then you are going to return from there. I am sure you were on your emails and checking other things out while I was in the shower." He saw her reaction. "No, I did not check my phone. I don't need to. You forget how well I know you."

He threw the few remaining items in his bag and they headed to the airport. During the ride, Bryce told Sarah that she could leave when they got to the airport. "I am not making you do this Sarah. I had the extra seat for you just in case you wanted it. Once again, you don't have to go with me. If you would rather, I could take you to a store, buy you some real clothes and let you go on your way."

Bryce knew that her mind was racing. He knew she was planning something. He also knew that she was probably confused by the way that he was reacting and what he was offering. Bryce had a way of keeping people off balance. If they are wondering what he is doing, they are spending more time trying to come up with alternatives.

Looking over at Sarah, he let his eyes wander down her leg to the start of her cherry blossom tattoo. "So, how far does your cherry blossom extend now?" He looked over at her arm and saw that it was on her arm; something he hadn't noticed before. He had been focused on saving her at first, and then yelling at her after that. "Does it go all the way across your back. Is the part on your arm and your leg connected?"

He had decided that it was time to stop harping on her about her decisions. Maybe talking about something personal would help the two of them to relax and not to be so antagonistic toward each other. Maybe it would work. Of course, even if it did, it probably wouldn't last long.

Without a response yet from Sarah on going shopping or going to the airport, Bryce just let the driver continue to the airport. They pulled into the General Aviation hangar where the private jet was awaiting their arrival. He saw the look from Sarah, who thought they were going to be flying commercial. "At least this way, your outfit won't draw that much attention."

The flight home was uneventful. When they got off the plane Bryce started walking to his SUV that was parked just outside the hangar. He turned to Sarah. "Are you going to come home with me, or is there someplace you want me to drop you?

 

[zydrate]

“I have nothing to hide….” That was an understatement of the year. Sarah didn’t think of how crazy that sounded until she had said it. Oh, she had plenty to hide with her work, mostly because she knew there were others out there who wanted to know how she got her sources to talk. Most like to say she sleep with anyone and everyone to get her information. How stupid that was.

“You’re not making me do this?! You had me tied up to the bed all night… you say I’m the ass but sometimes, you are in close running with me. And I’m not doing this because of what you were saying earlier. I need a break… and apparently, my editor thinks the same thing.”

She ignored his comment about the store and her tattoo. Her tattoo was personal and maybe, in time, she’d share it with him.

The ride wasn’t tense… it was just another flight. She was tired. Too tired to fight now, both mentally and verbally. He had something about her outfit, and she looked down at what she was wearing, “Well, I’m sure if you had it completely your way, you’d have me naked.”

“You’re so… odd. First you tell me that I’m not going back to Mexico now you’re chickening out and feeling sorry by saying I can be dropped off some place?! Make up your mind…” she practically threw her hands in the air and turned on her heel, “Don’t worry about dropping me off. I’m sure I can get a ride!” She started to walk away, utterly frustrated by his actions… or maybe she was more frustrated that she was being told what not to do. “And don’t worry about me calling you again! I’ll find my way home!!!” she yelled as she got farther away from him. God, he was so infuriating at times. Always hard on his word in the beginning and then softening up later on…

Perfect…. She thought as walked away, fucking perfect. Her mind started to plan on what to do next. Once she’d reach town, she could call Justin and he could wire her some money and from there.. well, from there, she was sort of stuck.

 

[BeachBum25]

"No Sarah, I would not have you completely naked. The time for that is past. Yes, there were times I wanted that, and enjoyed that, but those times are in the past... they are history."

Bryce listened as Sarah ranted about him making up his mind. He had to admit it; she was his Kryptonite. She was the one that could break him down. Bryce could go toe-to-toe with world leaders, drug lords, and any other powerful person, but when it came to Sarah, he always found himself starting off with the tough guy routine, and then breaking down. Come to think of it, his inability to stay strong with her was probably why she took so many chances; she knew that he would not do anything to stop her, and then he would come and get her when she was in trouble.

He did it again. He walked to his SUV and he let Sarah walk away. Despite what she said about needing a break and her editor thinking she needed a break, Bryce knew different. Sarah didn't take breaks until she had everything wrapped up. Her editor, that was a joke. That guy couldn't make Sarah do anything she didn't want to do. He knew he couldn't afford to lose her, and telling her to do something that she didn't want to do would only make Nicole sell her stories somewhere else, and there were plenty of people that would pay her good money for her stories.

Driving home, Bryce wondered how long it would be before Sarah was on a plane and heading back to Mexico. Then, he chuckled a little bit. "I wonder how long it will be before she calls me for help again." Despite what she said about not calling him again, Bryce knew that she would. Sarah knew that Bryce had a special set of skills that he would utilize to help her, and that he could cross borders to get her; something that anyone affiliated with the government would not be able to do.. at least not as quickly as Bryce could.

Bryce pulled the SUV into the garage and went into the house. He dropped his bag in the laundry room and walked into the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, he saw that all the leftovers were moldy and the bags of salad were well beyond edible. He threw everything away; containers and all. He grabbed a protein bar out of the cabinet and walked into his office and turned on his computer. He wasn't necessarily looking for work, and he knew The Team could use a break, but it had been a while since he checked to see if anyone was reaching out to him.

There was nothing pressing in his inbox. That was a good thing. He wondered if he would have enough time off to go get Sarah again. It was only a matter of time.

While he sat there, he heard a ding on his computer. He looked and saw that it was a message from the Secretary of State. "What the fuck does he want?" Bryce read the email that said that his presence was requested at a meeting with the Secretary to discuss recent events. "Well Mr. Secretary, you obviously don't know me very well, but I don't discuss my recent events or the events of The Team, so, I guess this will be a very short meeting."

Bryce's response was short. "Where and when?" The response came back that the Secretary was in the area and would meet with him at a coffee shop in the village. Bryce acknowledged it.

When Bryce showed up at the coffee shop, he was surprised to find that the coffeeshop had been cleared of customers and that there was security both inside and out. This was rather odd. Bryce had anticipated a quiet, discreet meeting. This guy was obviously trying to send a message to Bryce, and the people around the area that he was really important. Bryce had never met the Secretary of State. He had no reason to. The work he did through the government was always through the DOD, so this guy would not be involved. He had seen him on television, and he looked like a real db. He was showing it here too.

Bryce walked up to the entrance and one of the security people said that he had to pat Bryce down. "You can pat me down all you want boss, but I am not giving up the weapons I am carrying, and if the Secretary has a problem with that, I guess the meeting is off." Bryce was not going to play this guy's games. He didn't care how powerful he was. The security guy said something into a microphone on his wrist and listened to the response in his earpiece.

The Secretary was seated at a booth in the back. Bryce walked back to him and sat down in the booth across from him. "What can I do for you Mr. Secretary?" The man explained that he had received a call from his counterpart in Mexico who told a story of a group of soldiers going into a village and holding a woman and her daughter prisoner before leaving the village by helicopter. The woman was so scared she moved out of the village. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you Mr. Taylor?"

Bryce looked the Secretary dead in the eyes. "I have to tell you Mr. Secretary that I have no idea why you would bring me here and ask me that question." The Secretary of State responded that he knew what Bryce did for a living. "Mr. Secretary, with all due respect, if you know what I do for a living, then you would know that I would not have any idea about what goes on in Mexico. So, whatever you may have heard about what I do is purely rumors spread by people that don't know their ass from a hole in their head."

They sat quietly for a moment. It was obvious that the Secretary of State knew he was not going to get anything from Bryce. "Well, Mr. Taylor, if you find yourself thinking of going to Mexico again, you might want to think twice about it." Bryce kept a straight face, showing no emotion, and got up from the booth and walked out. As he got outside he said to the security detail, "Why don't you people wrap this little dog and pony show up and let the real people get their coffee."

Driving back home Bryce was thinking about the meeting. "So, Coriz has somebody in the government wrapped around his finger." Then he started to wonder about Sarah, and the story she was working on. Was that the angle she was working on? He was going to call Sarah to ask her, but then remembered she didn't have a phone. Well, it wouldn't have mattered; she wouldn't answer his question anyway.

 

[zydrate]

**** 3 weeks later ****
**** Sunrise Kitchen, Deming, New Mexico ****

Sarah sat a small table near the back of the small restaurant, waiting... already on her second cup of coffee as she waited… she had obtained a picture of Coriz’s mother, who was rumored to now be living just outside of Deming, New Mexico. Apparently, this was her favorite place to treat herself to some breakfast on Sunday mornings after church. It took a lot of non-discreet ways for Sarah to find this woman. She had to talk to her since Coriz was off limits for now.

Although she did her best to not think about Bryce, sometimes he would pop up in her thoughts. Especially when he said those times were history. Sarah didn't like that. But she knew she had messed things up way back when... maybe--maybe when this story was done, she would try to reconcile things with him... at least get rid of the tension between them, and not talking about the sexual tension but just the tension in general... it would be good to at least be on speaking terms again.

It was either the anticipation or perhaps the caffeine from the second cup of coffee, but Sarah’s nerves were high. It wasn’t the fact that what she was doing could get her killed, it was more of the fact that Ana was also a hard woman to break. So, this meeting was either going to be good… or very bad.

Sarah hoped for the good part. She hadn’t gotten to the part of Coriz’s immediate family. She knew he was married and where his wife was, she still had to find out and talk with her.

Looking nervously at her watch, Sarah saw it was already almost 11am. Goddamnit, was she going to be a no show today? She could try again next week…? She’d have no choice since her deadline was looming near… shit!

With a deep breath, Sarah was about to leave some money for the coffee when she saw two people walk by the window and then enter the restaurant…

Holy fuck! Not only was it Ana, but Coriz? Mother and Son?!

What was Coriz doing in the U.S.?

Sarah quickly picked up a menu and brought it up to hide… even if it was just her face. It was a bit corny but hey, it wasn’t like she could hide under the table. She knew Coriz wouldn’t recognize her because as soon as she was able, Sarah had dyed her blonde hair to jet black. She even wore colored contacts to change her blue eyes to brown… but her tattoos? No, she couldn’t hide them, so instead, she had worn a sleeve cover along with a long sleeve top. She kept her head down, pretending she was looking at her phone when she took a quick glance, Coriz and his mother were being seated next to Sarah’s table… perfect!

The waitress, who was annoyed with Sarah after she had only order coffee came to her table, asking her if she wanted to order.

Of course, Sarah didn’t want to seem out of place or draw attention to herself, so she just ordered the first thing on the menu, without even looking at it.

She then started to ‘busy’ herself with her phone.

Instead, she hit record… even if she wasn’t filming, at least the audio would be better than nothing.

Even Coriz and his mother’s conversation was completely in Spanish, Sarah deciphered every bit of it. She didn’t have to ask any questions, just listen…

“I told you not to worry!” Coriz practically hissed at his mother.

“Don’t you tell me what to do! I am stuck in this… shithole of a town because of you!”

“It’s just for a while and then I can find you another place, don’t be angry with me!”

Although the conversation was just about a mother getting after her son, Sarah still knew it would matter in the long run.

It went on a few more minutes… bickering… then Coriz got a call…and Sarah’s food arrived.

As the food was being served, Sarah saw the sad look on Ana’s face. She had wanted to say something but knew it was too risky right now. Instead, she looked down at her plate and did her best not to dry heave… what the fuck did she order? She didn’t mind the other stuff but… there were eggs on the plate…

“You should eat... you’re too skinny,” Ana said, seeing Sarah’s face at the site of the eggs. “Besides, the food here is very good.”

Sarah faked a laughed, “I love the food here it’s just… there’s a lot and I never finish it.”

Just then, Coriz came back, told his mother he had to go, he paid Sarah no mind as she pretended to wipe her nose with a napkin, probably looking like a fool but she didn’t want to make eye contact with Coriz.

Ana was not happy with her son leaving, apparently, he had just arrived that morning and told his mother, he would be back next week, and they would talk more.

He was coming back!

Now, she could talk to Ana alone…

 

[BeachBum25]

Bryce got a call from the Defense Department. They wanted to know if he had been in Mexico. Once again, Bryce denied it. The representative from the Defense Department shared that there were some people in the Mexican government making waves about American troops threatening a village and holding a family hostage. Despite the fact that The Team did a lot of work for the DOD, Bryce admitted to nothing.

If the Mexican government is complaining about this to multiple American government agencies, it proves that Coriz has strong ties to the Mexican government. Sarah had no idea what she was involved in. She might think she knows, but Bryce believed Sarah had no idea how deep Coriz had his fingers in the government, if she knew it at all.

Several times Bryce called Justin since he had no way of getting a hold of Sarah. He was sure that by now she had a new phone, but when he called her, it went straight to voicemail. His calls to Justin went unanswered as well. That was probably because Sarah told Justin not to answer Bryce's calls. Bryce left voicemails for both of them, but heard nothing back.

He decided to call one last time. If she didn't want to talk to him, fine, but she needed to know what she was dealing with. Once again, straight to voicemail. "Sarah, I know you don't want to talk to me, but I need to give you some information that you will find very important in your investigation. Call me. I promise no lecture."

Then he called Justin, and got his voicemail. "Justin, she is in more danger than she knows. You need to call me as soon as you get this. If you don't call me and she gets hurt, I will fucking take it all out on you. Now, grab a set of balls and call me back... SOON."

While waiting for one of them to call, Bryce got an alert. It was a request for The Team to provide security for a British diplomat who was taking a cruise around Africa and was afraid that the private yacht that he would be on would be the target of pirates. "If he is afraid, why the fuck would he go?" They would only be needed for the portion of the cruise along the coast of East Africa. So, it would only be 4 days. Bryce gave the price and there was no negotiation.

In Bryce's mind, the timing could not have been worse. He wouldn't be able to get in touch with Sarah if she reached out to him. He would be out of touch while on the mission. As much as he wanted to say no to the mission, he had to accept it. He couldn't let his personal feelings interfere with his role as leader of The Team. The men wanted to get paid, and this is what they did to get paid.

*******************

The mission was an easy one. The Team members actually enjoyed themselves because they ate the best foods and the cabins were luxurious. There were no issues at all, not even the hint of a threat.

When he returned home, Bryce immediately checked his personal cell phone. Nothing. Bryce decided that he was going to have to hunt down Justin and have a face-to-face conversation.

 

[zydrate]

Sarah knew better as she ignored another call from Bryce. It was always the same thing, call him--he has something important about her investigation.

Yeah right... she thought, he would never divulge anything important to her... it was just his way to get her to call him back but she knew better, he just wanted to bitch her out, tell her she was in over her head. Whatever. After his first few calls earlier in the week, Sarah put his number on ignore, sending each call to voicemail.

Friday morning, Sarah was woken up by a call from Justin. He was frantic. He told Sarah that Bryce was calling him too. It should have registered to Sarah that if Bryce was bugging Justin, then it must be important... but, of course, it didn't.

"Justin...stop... stop! Take a deep breath, OK? Like we had talked about before, you don't know where I'm at. He's not going to hurt you, I promise."

"He said he would and it's scaring me Sarah! What if he kills me!"

"He won't kill you, Justin."

"What if he... wait, what time is it, you sound tired."

"It's..." she looked at her watch under the dim light of the TV in her hotel room, "after 4am and that means it's just after 6am for you, what are you doing up so early?"

"Where are you?"

Without thinking, Sarah stifled a yawn, "Las Cruces, New Mexico."

"But you said you had eyes on Coriz's mom!"

"I do, she's in the next town over."

"Sarah, please--stop this. I mean if this is serious and your Bryce guy is threatening me, you're in over your head."

"The story of my life. Doesn't matter Justin, I'm seeing this through til the end. Ignore Bryce. Call the cops on him if you have to. I'll call you later." With that, Sarah hit END and tossed her phone beside her on the bed.

After a few minutes and tossing and turning, Sarah put a pillow over her face and screamed. She was awake, so she might as well start her day.

 

[BeachBum25]

"Thank you." Bryce was happy when he found out the location of Justin's phone, and, of course, Justin. He had still not heard from Sarah or Justin, so, it was time to pay Justin a visit. Bryce had used technology that is normally only available to law enforcement to ping Justin's phone. Now, he knew where to find him.

As Justin walked out of his house, Bryce was there to meet him. "So, avoiding me, are you? That is not a good decision Justin. When I tell you that Sarah is in danger and you should call me, you should call me. What I am sure you did instead was call Sarah who told you to ignore me. She probably told you not to worry because I wouldn't hurt you. Well..... she probably told you that because she knows I will never hurt her no matter what she does. You, however, are another story. I will have no problem with hurting you."

Justin was too afraid to say anything. That was until Bryce asked, "Where is she and when was the last time you spoke with her?"

******************

Heading to the airport, Justin did searches on his phone while he drove; not a very safe thing to do. "Fucking Las Cruces, and she is trying to meet with Coriz' mom. For fucks sake." He was trying to find out the fastest and easiest way to get to Las Cruces or the neighboring town. That was all Justin had.... Coriz's mother was in the next town.

Bryce arrived at the airport and went to the ticket counter. He had to fly commercial. He couldn't use The Team's plane, because this was personal. Flying commercial also meant no weapons. Always causing problems Sarah. "If only you would just fucking call me."

The price of the ticket was not an issue. The length of the trip was. There were no direct flights to Las Cruces, so, he had to fly somewhere else first. Each place he had to fly to had a layover, before the flight into Las Cruces on a commuter plane. The total time for the trip was going to be almost 8.5 hours. Then, he had to figure out where she was, or if she was really there or had she just told Justin that because she knew he would cave to Bryce.

Justin had told him that Sarah said that Coriz' mom was in the next town over from Las Cruces. Looking at a map and thinking about her words, Bryce had narrowed it down. Coriz' mom wasn't in El Paso, because that would be too big and it would be difficult for Coriz to visit her there.... too many people there and someone may recognize him. Plus, El Paso wasn't over from Las Cruces, it was down. Others may not pick up on that, but Bryce knew that Sarah was a stickler for details.

The first town to the east was Organ, and the first town to the west was Akela. He would have to check both of them out.

******************

When he finally landed in Las Cruces, Bryce was miserable, tired, and hungry. He rented a car, found a drive through fast food place and got on the road. Dealing with being tired would have to come later.

There wasn't much to Organ. Yes, there was a post office, a general store and a few streets. Other than that, there was nothing. Akela was more of the same.

Bryce was exhausted, and becoming more frustrated. He decided to head west to the next small town. He pulled into Deming as the sun was coming up. He needed to get a hotel room and get some rest, but first he needed to get some food. He saw a little restaurant that looked to be perfect for what he was looking for. "Well, it is sunrise, so, I might as well try the Sunrise Kitchen."

 

[zydrate]

"You remind me so much of my daughter."

Sarah did her best to look flattered. In the short time she and Ana had spent together, she and Sarah had become friends. "Oh, that's nice... where is your daughter again?" Sarah asked.

Ana sighed and shrugged, "Hugo sent her to boarding school some place overseas. She calls me once in a while but she's so busy with her new life, but I think she's good, it just means she's out of danger."

In the short time the two women talked, Sarah learned a lot! More than she had anticipated. Yet, she did feel guilty about lying but she kept having to remember, this little family was far from being good people. She had learned that Hugo's wife was hidden in L.A. and once Sarah heard about that, she knew that's where she had to go next.

The two women walked arm in arm to the café where Ana insisted, she would break her rule for not staying home and having a last meal with Sarah after hearing she needed to go out of town for a while. Sarah paid no attention to anyone around as the little café was already crowded but the waitress had saved them a table by the door.

"I know you have to go but I was hoping you'd meet my son."

Trust me, I have... thought Sarah as she just smiled and nodded, "I know but work... I should be back in a couple of weeks." Sarah pulled a small flip phone out and put it on the table near her glass of water, "But remember, you have my number, and you call me anytime." It wasn't her real phone... just a dummy phone she had purchased a few days ago so she could at least give out that number and not her real number.

The two women talked a little more and Sarah looked at her watch. Her flight would be leaving at 5pm from El Paso and even though it was still only 8am, she knew she should get going. There were a lot of things to do, like pack and return her rental car, arranging a ride to the airport because next on her list was Hugo's wife in L.A.

After her departure from the café, Sarah walked to her rental car. It wasn't a fast pace, but she was in a hurry. She needed to get back to her hotel and get some notes down before she forgot it. The whole recording with her phone had worked to a certain point but she kept having to make out phrases as Ana spoke in a small voice, it didn't get captured as well as Sarah had wanted.

At the hotel, Sarah didn't have time for the elevator, so she bounded up the stairs. It was only one flight up. Her heart was racing, and she knew why. She was finally making headway and it felt great. She got her tablet out and started making notes. Her phone, her actual personal phone, rang several times but she ignored it. She needed to get this done and backed up as she wasn't making that mistake again.

 

[BeachBum25]

Bryce had breakfast at the Sunrise Kitchen. There was only one other person in the place when he went in. The waitress was a very friendly older woman. She made some idle conversation with Bryce and told him that he was lucky he came in early, because it got real crowded around 8 am. Bryce actually enjoyed his conversation with Helen. He asked her if there was a decent hotel in town, and she told him there was only one hotel that she would recommend, and she gave him directions.

Bryce thanked her, left her a big tip, and drove to the hotel. He knew that checking in this early in the day was going to cost him extra, but he didn't care. He needed some sleep. He parked the rental car in front of the hotel and was able to get a room on the first floor. He went to the room and in minutes he was asleep.

He only slept for a couple of hours, but that was all he needed. What he really needed was to find Sarah. After waking up, Bryce got a long shower and then packed up. He had paid for early check-in for a full day, but was only using the hotel room for a few hours.

He packed up his backpack and headed out to the lobby to check out. As he approached the desk Bryce saw a woman get into a car in the parking lot. He did a double take. "Holy Shit." He tossed the keycard to the clerk and ran out of the hotel.

He looked to see which way she turned when she left the hotel lot. He didn't see the car she pulled out in.

Running out to the street, Bryce looked both ways and did not see the car. There was traffic in both directions. He had no way of knowing which way she went.

Pissed off, Bryce went back into the hotel lobby and walked over to the reception desk. He apologized to the clerk who accepted his apology and asked if everything was okay. "Yes, I saw someone driving away that is in danger, and I have been trying to find her."

He gave the clerk Sarah's name. "Is she staying here?" The clerk checked the computer but said there was nobody by that name. "Did a woman just check out?" The clerk said she couldn't give him any information about guests. Bryce described Sarah. "I don't need any name. Just tell me if she was here." The clerk confirmed that a woman fitting that description had just checked out.

Bryce thanked the woman and left the hotel. He figured that Sarah was heading to another location if she checked out of the hotel. He headed back to the Las Cruces Airport. Maybe he would catch her there.

 

[zydrate]

The car rental clerk was getting annoyed with Sarah… she could tell. “I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be difficult, but I just don’t see why I can’t return the car to the airport check-in over in El Paso.”

“Again, it’s just our policy. If you really want to know the truth, there are too many cars stolen in El Paso and—”

“I know, I know… fine, I get it. I’m sorry.”

“Like I said, if you want to wait for a commuter flight to El Paso, you can wait. They go nearly everything hours but to be truthful, it’s very expensive.”

Sarah nodded as she signed the credit card receipt, “Money is not an issue, my time is the issue…”

Once she was done, Sarah saw the small walkway from the car rental agency to the airport. It wasn’t that far but, in this heat, she felt like it would take hours to get there. She only had a backpack with her stuff she needed. That was one thing Bryce had taught her, travel light.

Speaking of Bryce, Sarah checked her voicemails; she stopped in her tracks when she saw her voicemail was full--all messages from Bryce. Oh well, she deleted them all, not caring to listen to them. She was so close and there was no way she could wait for a commuter flight so, the decision was made, she arranged for a car service to take her from Las Cruces to the El Paso airport. It was just a little over an hour and she’d still be on time for her flight to LA to see if she could track down Arturo’s wife.

As she waited outside, Sarah pulled up a picture of Mrs. Pamela Coriz. She was young… well, young looking. Having the Coriz fortune could get you excellent facelifts apparently. She should have been more vigilant of her surroundings but no, she felt she was in no immediate danger as she continued scroll her phone with her information.