Chapter
12, TRACES AND TRACKING
With
the F.B.I. interrogation completed, Chip offered to take Kyle home. However his
cell phone interrupted that plan. While waving goodbye to the two agents and
AOI associate, Tom Spicer, he answered and listened intently to the caller. He
nodded silently several times and ended the call with, “Yes, Sir. I’ll see you
ASAP.”
“Guys,
I’ve got to get to AOI. Looks like I’m going to join the team working on this
kidnapping and I’ve got to get over to headquarters. Um, Kyle, I hate to
impose…ah, is there any way that you could bunk Brad for the evening? I don’t
have time to take him home.” Chip looked anxiously at Kyle and his brother.
“Th…that’s
not a problem,” Kyle replied with mixed emotions. “In fact, I think I’d really
appreciate the company. We could stay at Dex’s place.”
“You’re
sure it’s not a problem?” Brad asked. “I mean I could take a cab or something.”
“Naw,
it’s good. I’m going to call my boss and tell him what’s happened. He won’t have
any problem with me taking the day off. Chip, let me give you my card so you
can call as soon as you know anything. It has all my contact numbers including
the cell. Okay?” Kyle reached to his rear pocket, fished out his wallet and
found a card.
“Cool.
Can I give you guys a lift? I’ve got to ‘haul ass’,” Chip replied.
“We’re
just a few blocks from the apartment. It’s only a little after ten and I think
the walk would do me good. That okay with you, Brad?”
“You
lead the way and we’ll let big brother do his thing,” Brad said with a chuckle.
“The fresh air and quiet would be great after what happened.”
“I’ll
call whenever I get anything to pass on. My gut tells me that they’re going to
be found and in good health. Tate’s reputation from his F.B.I. days is that
he’s considered one of the best in our business.” Chip took Kyle in his arms
and gave the taller man a tight, long hug. He next put his arm around Brad and
kissed his brother on the cheek. “Later, guys.” Chip nodded and waved as he
briskly walked out the coffee shop/bookstore and got into his car.
As
he headed over to the beltway and Fairfax, Chip reviewed what he knew from
meeting with the guys and his conversations with the AOI ops chief. This was
clearly a highly organized kidnapping and Geoff’s high profile status meant
that it would be difficult to keep it quiet…for long. He figured that he’d get
to the operations center by 10:30 p.m. – 3:30 a.m. in London.
10:25
was stamped on sheet when he signed in with the AOI night security station.
Chip didn’t bother going to his workspace cubicle. Instead, he entered a vacant
elevator and pressed his thumb on a security pad recessed into the wall of the
elevator cab. Immediately, the elevator sealed shut and descended to the second
sub-level of the AOI building. When the doors parted, he entered the spartan
foyer that offered nothing more than a steel door and another security pad.
This time, however, he pressed the thumb and forefinger to gain entry. Quietly,
a green light flashed, the door slid back and Chip was allowed entry through
the two-foot wide walls. He had been told that this sub-level had been designed
to withstand a nearby nuclear attack. Before walking into the operations
center, he paused a moment and clipped his I.D. to his shirt collar.
“Mr.
Lewinthal, thanks for coming in so soon.” The ops chief was at a long table,
surrounded by eight other people: six men and two women. He nodded at Tom
Spicer as he sat down. Behind an enclosed glass wall was a massive console with
several TV monitors and a large GPS screen manned by two engineers.
“No
problem, Chief. Tom Spicer has probably filled you in on the meeting we had
with the witnesses and F.B.I.”
“Yes,
as a matter of fact. How are your brother and Kyle faring?”
“Toughing
it out. Kyle took my brother over to Dex’s apartment. They’re going to stay the
night and be available should we need them further.”
“Good.
Let’s proceed with what we know.” For the next few minutes the ops chief gave a
detailed summation. Everyone took notes when the chief touched on a point or
detail to be looked into after the meeting.
“So,
we aren’t exactly sure where the men are?” Tom Spicer asked.
“The
kidnappers – at least six that we know about – were very devious in their
escape. We knew that our Range Rover had been ditched when we started getting
signals from a tracking device that Dex activated. That, as you are aware, led
us out to a pasture and lake in the countryside in Prince George’s County. The
only thing we have to show for it is an empty van. About an hour ago we
received a short 20-second blip on the GPS. Chip, I’d like you to work with the
engineers to verify that it is a valid signal and not some aberration. We need
to know for sure that this is Tate and Timmons’ latest location. We’ve already
passed on this tentative find to the bureau.”
“Right,
Chief. Where, may I ask, does this signal place them?”
“Back
in D.C. on a street off Embassy Row.”
“I’ll
get right on it.” Chip excused himself, walked around the glass wall and
introduced himself to the engineers at the console.
“We’ve
gone over the tape of the signal several times. It appears genuine. For some
reason, the signal abruptly ceased transmission.” One man got up and offered
his chair to Chip. “We are having difficulty pinpointing the exact location.
“Let
me get onto the keyboard and review your analysis.” Chip sat down and started
rapidly typing commands. His eyes were on constant scan with the GPS and TV
monitors as he keyed in the links to analyze the data. Occasionally, Chip would
look up at the two engineers and smile. He was pleased that they were receptive
to his methods. ‘They probably haven’t seen anyone work at this speed,’ he
thought without arrogance. Screens flashed forward and backwards as Chip
reviewed his findings.
“For
Christ’s sake, you’re going to blow the circuits if you don’t slow down,” one
of the engineers said with a laugh.
“Just
about finished.” Chip hit ‘save’ and ‘print’. “Just verified the excellent work
you did. I was able to identify the address. It’s two streets over from the
original estimations. I think we know exactly where our guys are. Thanks for
allowing me to work with you.”
“Our
pleasure, Sir.”
“Please,
the name is Chip and I have one suggestion. I noticed that we have an infrared
drone over the area. Whose is it?”
“The
F.B.I. launched it just before you arrived.”
“Good,”
Chip replied. “Please give them the exact coordinates and address so we can
determine the number of humans in the house.”
“Right
away.”
Chip
grabbed the printout, shook their hands and returned to the table.
“Chip,
have you been able to verify our initial estimation of the location?”
“Yes,
Sir. I was able to zero in on the exact location.” Chip handed the printout to
the chief. “They are in a residence at 2705 Sycamore Drive, N.W. Just off the
Rock Creek Park near Georgetown. The men at the console are contacting F.B.I.
ops with the information so that we can zero in with the infrared imaging. We
need to evaluate the residence and see where the kidnappers and victims are
holed up in the building.”
“Alright.
Tom, contact the bureau agents who are investigating and give them an update.
We’re going to be working closely with them throughout this ordeal.”
“Right
away. I’ll be right back.” Tom took the printout and made a quick exit.
“Any
thoughts about the short transmission and abrupt cutoff?”
“There
are a few possibilities. Least likely is that the device malfunctioned. My best
guess is that it was destroyed.” Chip paused to allow the effect of his
statement to sink in. “If it was found by the kidnappers, we’ve got a serious
situation on our hands. They would immediately flee and set up shop elsewhere.
I’m anxious to see what the infrared drone comes up with.”
“Right.
Let me review what’s happening in London. The managing director of AOI’s U.K.
operations contacted Sir Geoffrey about an hour ago and briefed him in person
at the Timmons estate in Buckinghamshire. We didn’t want to risk
Timmons’ telephone lines being monitored by whoever has perpetrated this crime.
There is a security detail with Timmons as we speak and technicians to monitor
any calls. If he is contacted, we will know immediately.”
~~~~~
“What
a helluva thing to experience while you’re vacationing,” Kyle said as Brad and
he entered Dex’s apartment. He breathed in the clean ‘Dex-smell’ once the door
was closed.
“Hey,
it’s your buddy, um…partner, that was taken. You’ve got a big emotional
investment in this – don’t be concerned about me.” Brad looked at Kyle and
smiled softly. “I can take care of myself and maybe be available for you…if ya
need me. I’m pretty good at doing the ‘brother thing’.”
“Thanks,
I appreciate that. Tonight I can really use a brotherly buddy. If you want a
drink, there’s beer or Coke in the fridge. Help yourself while I call my boss.
I’ll take a Coke.” Kyle watched as Brad went to the kitchen before he took the
phone and dialed Phil’s home phone with his cell. He knew that Phil would pick
up when caller I.D. identified him.
“This
better be important, Mr. Blakesfield,” a sleepy Phil answered.
“Pretty
serious.” For the next few minutes,
Kyle gave Phil a complete rundown of the evening’s assault and abduction. He
included that he was with the younger brother of one of Dex’s associates and
wanted to be excused from work.
“I
understand completely. Getting Dex and the banker back safely is the most
important thing to consider. If you don’t mind, I want to give Mac the rundown.
A few inquiries from the White House wouldn’t hurt.”
“That’s
a great idea. Let Mac know that I would appreciate any help. From the looks of
it, however, the F.B.I. and AOI seem to be working closely.”
“Consider
it done,” Phil said with finality. “You take care of Brad and we’ll touch base
in the morning. Bye.”
“Bye,
bye.” Kyle set down his cell and took the cold can of Coke that Brad had placed
on the coffee table. “Problem number one solved. I don’t have to go to work in
the morning. Number two is sleeping arrangements. I’ll take the couch and you
can sleep in the bedroom. I think it wise that we stay together in case something
happens, rather than me going across the street to my place.”
“Ah,
I don’t see any problem with us sharing a bed. I mean, um, you’re in a
relationship and I respect that. I guess I’m being a baby but I’d rather not be
alone tonight,” Brad said with a soft, pleading expression.
“Me
neither. And after the shit we went through, you’re hardly being a baby. I’d
really enjoy the company.”
“Then
company it is.”
“It’s almost eleven. You wanna use the
facilities? I think I’ll watch the local news.”
“Actually,
a hot shower sounds good.”
“Let
me break out some towels for you. Maybe I’ll do the same thing after the news.”
Kyle got up and walked into the hallway. He opened the linen closet and gave
Brad some towels and a washcloth. “You can hang your clothes in the bedroom
closet.”
“Thanks.
Will do,” Brad smiled, leaned in and gave Kyle a gentle kiss on the forehead.
“I may be younger but I’ve got broad shoulders to lean on. The idea of having
another big brother is pretty neat.”
“That’s
the best offer I’ve had today. I’ll try hard to hold up my end of the brother
deal.” Kyle squeezed Brad’s firm, muscular arm and winked before returning to
the living room. He was not only impressed by the younger man’s emotional
maturity but decided that Brad was definitely all man. ‘This guy is going to be
a keeper for some lucky guy,’ Kyle decided as he clicked on the TV and
absentmindedly selected NBC4. He eased onto the couch and turned up the volume.
Half way through the lead story, his cell rang.
“Blakesfield,
here.”
“Kyle,
this is Tom Spicer. I’ve got some good news to share.”
“Wow,
whazzup?”
“Through
our equipment and Chip’s amazing talents, we’ve identified the address where
Dex and Timmons are being held.”
“Fantastic.
So, when do I get to see Dex?”
“Uh,
it’s not so simple. We’ve found them. The problem is how to get them out
without the guys being hurt.” There was caution in Spicer’s voice.
“You
mean…”
“This
is going to be a precision operation that requires patience. Please bear with
me and be assured that I’ll give you updates as soon as there is something to
report.”
“I
guess I’ll really say my prayers tonight…for all of you,” Kyle replied.
“Do that and throw in a few ‘Hail Marys’. Try
to get some rest, buddy. I gotta run.”
“Thanks,
Tom. Bye.” Kyle shuddered a little at the broken connection as he leaned back
and stared at the screen. The weather guy was finishing the seven-day forecast
when Brad entered the living room. Kyle looked up at his new friend …wearing
only a pair of white CK briefs that left little to the imagination. The image
verified his earlier assumptions: this hot, young stud was, indeed, all man.
“The
shower was just what I needed. I found a new toothbrush and figured it was okay
to use it?”
“Part
of bachelor pad furnishings, 101. I’ll do my thing if you’re finished.” Kyle
got up and reached for the remote.
“Okay
if I watch Leno or Letterman for a while?”
“Dex’s
casa; su casa. You want a robe? There’s one in the closet,” Kyle said from the
hallway.
“Naw,
I’ll just lounge in my briefs if ya don’t mind.”
“Cool.
Give me a chance to clean up and I’ll join you.” Kyle silently chuckled to
himself as he took off his clothes in the bedroom. ‘Mind?’ he thought. ‘With
eye candy like that?’ He grabbed a clean pair of Dex’s boxer briefs and headed
for the bathroom. The water adjusted within seconds and he got in the tub and
stood under the water. He reasoned that the shower was more calming and
therapeutic than just getting clean.
As
he soaped up, Kyle thought about Dex, their meeting and the emotional
courtship. His memories focused on the happiness – once the initial problem of
Dex’s identity had been resolved – that the two men offered each other. He
closed his eyes and started rubbing the glans of his very alert cock with his
thumb. He felt an additional slipperiness as his natural lubricant slowly oozed
out. With his back to the shower, he spread the pre-cum around his hardon and
started to work his hand back and forth.
Dex’s
smiling face and twinkling eyes looked at him as the stroking became more
determined. With his free hand and a little soap, Kyle started fingering his
anus. He tentatively probed the entrance and cautiously moved his index finger
inside.
“Oh,
yes, Hon. Do it,” Dex’s warm voice commanded. “I love you.”
“I
love you too.” Kyle sped up his masturbatory movements and matched with
synchronized precision his invading finger.
“Think
of me in you.”
“The
two of us as one,” Kyle eagerly dug into his prostate as his retreating balls
signaled the start of a messy conclusion.
“I’m
with you. Shoot it all over me.” Dex was grinning at Kyle with a lustful
expression.
“Uh,
ohhh…I, fuuuck,” Kyle yelled. His body stiffened and his sphincter muscle
clamped around the greedy finger as the first volley of cum erupted from his
urethra. He shivered and reacted to several smaller orgasmic ejaculations. ‘Oh,
Christ, what the hell…’ Kyle thought as he slowly opened his eyes, backed into
the shower and eased his finger out of his stretched anus. The brightness of
the room and seeing the recently spent cum splattered on the bath tiles brought
him back to reality.
“Kyle,
are you okay in there?” Brad asked urgently from the other side of the bathroom
door.
“It’s,
um, okay. I just was having a little, ah, fantasy moment,” Kyle replied with a
chuckle.
“Sounded
like a pretty good fantasy. We’ll, um, have to compare notes sometime cuz I’m a
master at solo moments.” Brad snickered and continued, “See you in the bedroom.
I’m ready to call it a night.”
“Gottcha.
Be there in a few minutes.” Kyle continued with a conventional shower and
smiled at his imaginary moments with Dex. ‘It’ll have to do until he gets
back,’ he decided. He also thought that his recent actions would defuse any
randy thoughts that might ‘pop up’ when he shared the bed with Brad.
~~~~~
“We’ve
been notified that the London cell of the kidnappers have just contacted Sir
Geoffrey,” came a voice over the intercom speaker on the conference table at
AOI’s operations center. At this point, only the ops chief, his assistant and
Chip were seated.
“What
have you got? It’s just after 4:30 a.m. in London.”
“Just
a brief telephone call to the residence. The voice was distorted and told Sir
Geoffrey that his son had been abducted in America. He was instructed to stand
by the telephone for further instructions at 5:00 a.m. We have all of our
equipment up at the estate and the signal is now being forwarded to ops via
satellite.”
“How’s
the transmission quality from the satellite?” the ops chief asked.
“Excellent.
We’re linked with one of Uncle Sam’s latest.”
“Good.”
The ops chief turned to Chip and continued, “I suggest that you rejoin the guys
at the console. As soon as we get the signal, see if you can determine the
location of the London conspirators with our team over there. Also, find out how
the F.B.I. is coming along positioning the infrared thermography drone.”
“Yes,
Sir.” Chip excused himself and walked around the glass wall to the console.
“Well,
the terror of the keyboard has returned,” one of the engineers said in a joking
manner. “Seriously, I’ll work with you, anytime.”
“Same
goes with me.” The other engineer stood and said, “Take my seat. When this goes
down in 25 minutes, as they say downtown…you da man.”
“Thanks,
guys.” Chip logged in again and checked the satellite links. Just as he was
satisfied that the London feed was active, he noticed activity on the TV screen
that was reserved for the infrared drone relay. He punched a few buttons and
the picture was transferred to the large center screen. He studied the images
from the thermography and was satisfied that the F.B.I. had focused the drone
on the Sycamore Drive residence. He pushed a red button.
“What
do you have?” came the ops chief’s voice over a speaker.
“Sir,
we have the imaging coming in from the targeted D.C. house. I can make out
several human forms. Several are clustered in one part of the building and two
more are lying in a horizontal position in the back. I suspect that the two
horizontal forms are Dex and Timmons.”
“Horizontal?”
“They
must be lying on the floor or a bed. The good news is that they’re still in one
location. My guess is that they aren’t aware of the damaged tracking device.
“Excellent.
I’ll be right in.”
Chip
turned slightly and saw the chief stand with the phone receiver in his hand.
Movement from the screen caught his eye. One of the clustered humans separated
from the group and moved towards the two horizontal forms.
~~~~~
Dex
figured that they had been in darkness for less than an hour when he heard the
lock of the door disengage and the door swing open. He looked over at Geoff and
saw that his eyes were wide-awake when light from the hallway washed the
bedroom with a shadowy glow. Dex looked straight ahead and could only make out
a dark silhouette of one short man.
“Well,
Mr. Timmons and Mr. Fletcher, I see you’ve made yourself comfortable. I’m just
checking in to make sure you haven’t done anything foolish.”
“You
said you were going to let us know what’s going to become of us. I demand that
you…”
“Demands
don’t count, Timmons. You will be told all when the right time approaches,” the
standing man replied.
“You
won’t tell us anything?” Dex asked. He recognized the voice of the man as the
leader.
“I
will say that someone will be contacting Timmons’ father in a half-hour. If he
does what he is told, you two will be released. If he hesitates, well…”
“You’ll
kill us?” Dex decided to push the envelope as far as he could to gain
information.
“Let’s
say that it would be very wise for Sir Geoffrey to heed to our instructions.”
“But…”
Geoff started to say.
“But,
nothing. No more information will be given. Try to get some rest. Ha.” The
captor slammed the door and turned the lock.
Dex
could hear the laughter fade as the leader walked away. His mind was working
rapidly in several directions. ‘Did they get the transmission from my second
tracking device?’ he wondered.
“Dex,
what are your thoughts?” Geoff whispered.
“Um,
Mr. Timmons, I suspect that we will find out what this is all about very
shortly. I’m sure that these people will give your father a proper amount of
time to react to their demands. Other than that, I can’t say anything else.”
Dex hoped that Geoff understood why he was being vague and abrupt.
“I
understand, Dex.” Geoff took Dex’s hand and squeezed it. “When we get out of
this mess, we must sit down for a glass of champagne and a McDonald’s
quarter-pounder.”
“Agreed.
But hold the cheese,” Dex replied with a low chuckle.
“Speaking
of cheese. I’m really looking forward to the shower.”
“Ewww…who
said Englishmen don’t have a wicked sense of humor.”
“You’re
the one who’s circumcised, Mate.”
“Only
because the religious whackos in America years ago thought it would eliminate a
boy’s urge to masturbate under the guise of hygiene. Little did they know how
wrong they were.” Dex let out a long sigh and snorted a laugh.
“So
I understand. Thanks, Mr., um, Fletcher for adding a little levity to the
situation. Good night.”
“We’re
going to be just fine, Sir.” Dex squeezed Geoff’s hand and left it in place.
‘Need all the energy and teamwork we can muster before this evening is over,’
he decided. Dex closed his eyes and thought about Kyle and their new
relationship. He was very determined to make sure this partnership had a long
life. ‘Those fuckers will rue the day they screwed around with me.’
______________________
TO BE CONTINUED