Undercover Crisis

CHAPTER 11 - END

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The leader collapsed as he and Clancy reached the garage and the area where Clancy's team had corralled their five prisoners. The five were bound and several were nursing broken fingers and other injuries. Ben, one of Clancy's men with paramedic training, was handing out painkillers to men who wanted them. The five took in the sight of their leader bleeding and moaning in pain.

"What the hell did you do to him?" One of the five fixed Clancy with a stare full of challenge. Clancy glanced at him and shrugged.

"You guys weren't invited," he told the belligerent man. "What did you expect?"

The leader managed to straighten out enough to sit on the floor. He hands were bound in front of him so he could tend to his broken nose with a clean cloth Ben handed to him. The blood stopped flowing but he needed another dampened cloth to clear it from his lips and chin.

"You better let us go," he said in a calm tone peering up at Clancy.

"Oh, why is that?"

"Can't tell you. But it would be in your best interests." The leader was speaking around his pain with gritted teeth but in a reasonable manner.

"Who are you?" Clancy dropped to his haunches and looked directly into the leader's eyes.

"Just said, I can't tell you."

"In that case, we'll be calling either the local cops, the OPP or the RCMP. Haven't decided but, know one thing, you are all ending up in jail cells."

Clancy rose as Omar and Alicia led their two prisoners from the truck where they had hidden from the attackers. As Omar pulled the bodyguard along, the man saw the six attackers who had been captured.

"Jesus, don't put us with them," he pleaded.

The technician took in the scene and began pulling against Alicia's hold on his arms. She was much stronger than the short, thin, young man. She kept pulling him toward the large group.

"We're not with them," the bodyguard told Clancy as he went to Omar and Alicia with their charges.

"Well, who are you with," Clancy asked. "Tell us or you will all be sharing the same cell."

"We can't tell you anything, man," the bodyguard interjected. "It doesn't matter what you do. Just don't put us with those bastards."

"This is ridiculous," Clancy said to Alicia. She laughed and tightened her grip on the techie.

"Maybe Malcolm here would like to tell you something," she said, shaking her prisoner like a dog with a stuffed doll.

"Oh god," the technician muttered.

Clancy nodded his head and Alicia began hauling Malcolm in the direction he indicated.

"Hey," the bodyguard yelled, "You can't do that. Bring him back." But Alicia kept pulling and Clancy followed her and Malcolm to an area some distance from the rest. Omar stayed where he was and told the bodyguard to sit on the floor. When he objected, Omar kicked his legs from under him and the bodyguard landed with a thump on the concrete.

The leader of the attackers turned and began whispering to the man nearest to him. Ben took a roll of surgical tape out of a bag he was carrying. He unrolled some of the tape, ripped it off the roll and pressed it, without a word, over the leader's mouth and around his neck. Ben held the tape up for the others to see. None of them spoke again.

Clancy and Alicia sat the technician on the running board of a truck parked well away from the others people in the garage. "Now," said Clancy. "Talk."