Lethal

Chapter 16-Plea

Charlie POV

"Charlie, please don't be dead. I need you. Please, my love. Please find me. Please." I woke up with a shot. I see that I am in a hospital bed and I have tubes snaking around my arms and chest. "DA Phoenix." I hear a man say. I look and see its my father in law. "What happened?" I asked. "Riley was taken by Vince. Police are looking right now. You were shot in the chest. You were very lucky to have worn that Kevlar vest." I groaned and sat right up. "I need to find her. Please, get me out of these fucking tubes." My father in law, David, says, "No, Charlie! You need to recuperate. Please just stay here." "No, David! You don't understand. He'll kill her! Please, help me out. That officer there, Franklin. Call him over." David goes to fetch my man, Franklin. Franklin and I have known each other for 3 years. He has been my informant if there are any criminals back in the street. Franklin comes to me and says, "What's up, man?" I sigh heavily and say, "Riley is in trouble. I need you to get me a fucking gun, find them and tell me where they're  at so I can fucking kill this no good son-of-a-bitch!" Franklin simply smiled and said, "I was waiting for you to say something. Now, hold still." He pulled the tubes and handed me my clothes. Franklin asked me to be placed in a wheelchair so that I could escape quicker. David, Franklin, and I quickly rushed to the elevator. David hit the button on the first floor. Franklin calls a taxi and as the elevator hits the bottom floor. We race out the door and immediately get into the car. David tells the driver to head back to my home. As we were passing through one of the streets, we saw an elderly couple waving their hands. I tell the driver to pull over. Franklin gets down and asks, "Is there anything wrong?". The elderly couple looks at him and says, "My name is Horace and this is my wife, Minerva. We were away on vacation with my son's family. We came back today and saw that our neighbor never came to the house and that someone else entered. They ate our food, used all the appliances and as soon as we arrived, he ran away. He was tallish, black hair with shaggy clothing, and he was Asian." I hear everything that the couple is saying. I pull my phone out to show the couple a pic of Vince. I stagger out of the car and ask, "Did the man look like this?" Minerva placed her glasses on and said, "Yes, that's him! He ran through those woods!" Franklin says, "Charlie, we're one block away from your place. We'll come back as soon as we collect your things. I can't just provide you with a gun." I look at him and say, "I hate to threaten you, Frank but if you don't hand me that fucking assault rifle that I know that you fucking have in that goddamn trunk, so help me God, I will personally see that you will be a fucking Walmart security guard!" Franklin had no choice. He popped open the trunk and said, "Be careful Charlie. He can just as well kill you." I snatch the rifle away from him and say, "Thank you, Franklin. I'll return this to you." David pats me on the back and says, "Save her, please." I nod at him and walk away. As I heading to the woods, I can clearly remember someone whispering to me before I woke up. Riley was calling me. She needs me and I will save her.