Page 130 of Skin In the Game (The BlackWater)

She sat up flinching away as she heard their approach. Someone yanked her by her hair through the sack and half threw her across the ground. She groaned as her body slammed down onto the concrete.

“It’ll all be a lot easier if you just start talking.” The man said and she gritted her teeth.

“I already told you. I don’t know what the codes are.” She replied.

He laughed before kicking her and she curled up panting, her breathing coming hard already though she tried to control it.

“Maybe the pain doesn’t work for you but I’ve got something that will.” He said and she shut her eyes even though they couldn’t see it.

Someone grabbed her arm, wrenching it round and she fought back, kicking, punching with her free one.

“Relax Maddison, don’t fight it.” He said and something about the way he said it sent fear through her. He stuck the needle in her arm and she cried out somehow knowing exactly what he was doing, knowing what he was putting in her body.

She felt it sweeping over her, filling up her veins, taking over her body. Her eyes rolled back as her body went limp and everything started to shift, everything started to move.

He asked her a question and she muttered something back. He shook his head, kicking her, and she rolled away.

It didn’t matter, she thought, none of it mattered.

Cole watched from the Incident Room. He’d had a stand up row with Brandon in his office about it, about how this wasn’t just a normal operation, about how he wasn’t just going to stand and watch, that he wanted to be there on the ground, but here he was at BlackWater HQ anyways just like his cousin wanted.

Brandon stood beside him, his eyes focused on the screen, as the agents moved into position.

Becky was there, biting her nails, waiting to see if the code she thought she’d cracked was actually correct or not. They’d given her a chair to sit on because of her leg and she hunched over the balustrade eyes fixed on the screens, barely blinking.

“Send them in.” Brandon said and the agents on screen moved almost immediately.

They’d sent a full tactical team, all armed, all in bullet proof vests and Kevlar. They weren’t taking any chances.

The street had been cornered off, the official story was it was a gas leak and they’d positioned the vans so that no one would be able to fully make out what was really going on.

Cole watched the lead agent as he smashed the door in and made his way down the steps. Their hiding place had been ingenious, they’d been there, right under their noses and if it hadn’t been for Maddie’s clue they’d never have guessed it.

Shots fired almost immediately.

The BlackWater team shot back neutralising them. More shots rang out and the team shot back. Suddenly it became a shootout but the BlackWater agents had one key advantage, they had protective gear.

“Fuck.” Brandon muttered as they watched it unfolding and saw one by one as the targets dropped.

“Get a fucking medic ready.” He ordered.

The agents moved on, clearing through the station, it was dark, someone had cut the lights and they switched the camera to night vision to make it easier to see.

They split off, five going one way and five the other. Cole kept his eyes flitting from one of the leads to the other as bit by bit they cleared it.

“She’s not there.” Becky said and Cole glanced at her frowning before looking back at the screen.

“They’ve not searched everywhere yet.” Brandon replied as they watched them yanking open doors and searching what looked like old offices, old cupboards, old storage rooms, all empty and devoid of life.

“Agent found.” The voice crackled over the radio and Cole scanned his eyes over each screen trying to see which one had spoken.

She was there, suddenly on camera.

The agent pulled the sack off her head and she was visible, clearly unconscious, wearing nothing but some underwear, curled up in a ball, in the same way she had been back at the hospital all those months ago.

The Agent got on his knees checking for a pulse and confirmed it before someone passed over a jacket to cover her up.

“Get a medic in there now.” Brandon ordered and they waited seeing as the man came into view and started checking her vitals, shining a light in her eyes and then opening her mouth.

He muttered something frowning and Cole heard the word ‘drugged’.

“Get her to the hospital. We’ll meet them there.” Cole said walking out because he couldn’t stand waiting any longer, couldn’t stand there just doing nothing any longer.

Brandon turned watching him go and sighed before giving the order.

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