Chapter 19
“Mr. Whelan, I must say you are living up to your reputation. Mr. Larabee certainly seems to be suffering from your ministrations.”
“Thank you, Mr. Woodbury. I was wondering if perhaps we could change a small part of your plans for Mr. Tanner.”
“What changes?” Woodbury asked worriedly.
“Tomorrow is day four in the torture process for Mr. Larabee. I’ve been trying to convince him that Mr. Tanner is the one causing all of this to happen to him.”
“I know that,” Woodbury smiled as he passed the other man his Bourbon.
“I would like to deliver this next tape to Mr. Tanner so that he views it alone. I know you didn’t want him here until the final day but I think you’ll find it even more
satisfying if Mr. Tanner were forced to watch what is going to happen to Mr. Larabee as it happens instead of on tape. I think it would go a long way to making Mr.
Larabee believe that Mr. Tanner really is behind everything that’s happening to him.”
Woodbury’s eyes glowed with anger as he thought of Vin Tanner. He knew what it would do to him if he were to watch as Chris Larabee was taken from him both
physically and mentally. He smiled as he thought of his hated friend and what he’d suffered because of Vin Tanner’s broken promise. “I think that’s a wonderful idea,
Mr. Whelan, but you must make sure no harm comes to Vin Tanner until Chris Larabee is out of the equation.”
“Of course, Mr. Woodbury, that’s what I get paid for. The tape will be delivered to Mr. Tanner and I’m sure we’ll be receiving a visit from him by tomorrow night.”
“How can you be sure he won’t involve the others?”
“He won’t unless he wants his friend’s suffering to be even more painful than it has been. I can assure you that Mr. Tanner will be reunited with his friend tomorrow
night.”
“Will Mr. Larabee live for the final three days? He does seem to be in a lot of pain.”
“Isn’t that what you paid for. I assure you that he will be alive on the sixth day and that Mr. Tanner will watch as his friend’s life is finally snuffed out.”
“Perfect. I’ll be there to put the finishing touches on Vin Tanner’s sorry existence.”
Chapter 20
‘Why, Vin, why are you letting him do this to me? God it hurts,’ he thought as the trembling from another spasm subsided leaving him weak, shaken, and wide
awake to every painful injury inflicted on his body. He trembled as the pain from his fingers, hands, broken wrist and neck all grew to become one massive agony. He
recognized the man named Davey as he replaced the bag of IV fluids over his shoulder. “Please, let me go,” he begged weakly as the man checked to make sure it
was flowing properly.
“Sorry, buddy, can’t do that. You know I’m really glad I’m not you. Mr. Whelan has a lot more planned for you.”
“Davey!” Whelan’s angry voice made the camera man jump. “That’s enough! I told you not to speak with him.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Whelan, I was just answering his question,” Davey’s voice trembled fearfully.
“You’re not paid to answer questions. You’re paid to do as I tell you. Now get your things and get out of here,” Whelan ordered as he angrily shoved the man away
from the blond.
“But...”
“No buts. You’re fired and if I see you around here again I’ll have you killed,” Whelan snapped as he watched the man turn and leave the room. “Kill him,” he
ordered another man standing in the shadows.
“Yes, Sir,” the second man answered and hurried off to do as he was told.
“Jake, you’re in charge of the camera. Turn it on.” Whelan ordered a third man and turned back to the blond. “Hello, Chris, did you miss me?” he asked as he knelt
in front of his victim.
Chris didn’t answer as he focused his eyes on a spot just to the right of his tormentor. He watched as the shadows from the lights flickered off the darkened walls.
His mind began to conjure up monsters of all shapes and sizes but none compared to the monster who knelt before him.
“Not feeling very talkative tonight?” Whelan asked. “That’s ok you can listen while I talk. I wondered if you would enlighten me on how and why you killed your wife
and son.”
Chris’s eyes shot open and focused on the man in front of him. “Didn’t kill them,” he said as tears came to his eyes. Tears of sorrow and pain for his lost loved ones.
“Oh, but you did, Chris. Sarah and Adam died at your hands don’t you remember?”
Chris Larabee shook his head as far as the collar around his neck would allow. “No! I didn’t kill them,” his angry voice sounded unsure.
“Are you denying your guilt in this, Chris? The evidence shows that you set the fire that killed Sarah and Adam. Why did you do it? Was it the insurance money? Did
you think you could get away with it just because you work for a government agency?”
The tortured man listened to the man before him and the guilt that he’d lived with since Sarah and Adam died began to fester and become real in his troubled mind.
Whelan’s words were having the desired effect and Chris Larabee began to believe that he had indeed murdered the two people he’d loved most in the world. The
drug conjured up images and he watched as his hands lit the fire that consumed his wife and son. “No!” he screamed as his body trembled with the onset of another
spasm and the guilt he felt over his family’s deaths.
Whelan smiled as his victim’s body and mind went through the anguish and pain of the drug induced hallucinations. He could see the terror on Chris Larabee’s face
as he stared at his own hands. “You’re seeing it now aren’t you, Chris? You can see your own hands starting the fire that will consume their bodies. Can’t you?”
“Yes,” the blond cried. “I did it. I killed them. Oh, God, I killed them. I didn’t mean to. Sarah! Adam! I’m so sorry!” he screamed as he watched the fire raging in
front of him.
“Are you, Chris? Are you really sorry?” Whelan droned in a monotone voice, smiling at the anguish on his victim’s face.
“Sorry, so sorry, please forgive me,” the blond cried as the spasms left his body drained. Soft sobs filled the air as he cried over the loss of his wife and son. He
knew he was giving Whelan what he wanted but he didn’t care anymore. Whelan had confirmed something he’d always denied. “I killed them. I killed them. Oh,
God I killed them,” he sobbed.
“Yes, Chris, you did kill them but it was all Vin Tanner’s fault. He’s the one who made you do it,” Whelan said.
Chris shook his head slowly, “Didn’t know Vin then. He couldn’t have made me do it,” he muttered.
“Do you think that really matters? Vin Tanner has known about you for years. He’s a jealous, vindictive man and he wanted Sarah for himself,” Whelan said.
“No, no, no. Not Vin he’s my best friend. He wouldn’t do that,” his voice was barely above a whisper as he listened to Whelan’s constant litany of the things Vin
Tanner had done.
“Yes, Chris, it’s time you faced the truth. Vin Tanner is and always has been your worst enemy. He’s always wanted what you have. He’s even ingratiated himself
with your other friends. Why do you think they haven’t come to your rescue? They don’t care about you anymore because Vin Tanner has told them they don’t need
a man who murdered his own family in their lives.”
“Buck wouldn’t believe that. He was there when I married Sarah. He wouldn’t believe Vin,” the blond cried.
“Oh you’re wrong about that. You just admitted to murdering your wife and son so why wouldn’t Buck and the others believe Mr. Tanner?”
Chris sat quietly in the chair, his body a mass of pain, his mind a jumble of confused thoughts and memories. He couldn’t sort out which memories were real and
which were false. He knew Whelan was messing with his mind and he knew whatever drug he was using was heightening his senses to Whelan’s almost hypnotic
suggestions. ‘Fight it, Larabee, Vin’s your best friend. He isn’t doing this to you. Keep focused and don’t let Whelan get to you,’ he thought. ‘Oh, God, Vin,
you’d better get here soon. I don’t know how much more I can take. I killed Sarah and Adam, Vin, I killed them and if you stay around I’ll kill you too,
just like I kill everything that means anything to me,’ he thought as tears escaped from his tightly closed eyes.
“What are you thinking about, Chris?”
“Vin,” the blond answered softly. “He’ll help me.”
“Will he?” Whelan asked as he injected a small amount of the drug into the IV. ‘You’ve got to be one of the strongest men I’ve ever subjected to this drug but
that won’t continue much longer,’ he thought as he watched the blond try to fight the drug as it entered his system.
As soon as the drug was injected Chris was subjected to the worst spasms he’d suffered so far. He screamed as his body contorted against the restraints, fresh
blood flowing from the wounds in his hands and around his neck as the force of his struggles slammed him painfully around in the limited confines of the chair.
“Perfect,” Whelan said as he watched his victim. “By now Mr. Tanner you’ll be wondering why this tape was sent only for your viewing pleasure. Our mutual
acquaintance would like to request the pleasure of your company for the final rounds of Mr. Larabee’s suffering. I must warn you that you are to come alone or Mr.
Larabee will, shall we say suffer even more for your mistakes. Keep your cell phone turned on and I will contact you with instructions on how to find us. Make sure
you come alone, Mr. Tanner. To ensure that you know I’m serious about how much Mr. Larabee’s suffering depends on how well you adhere to instructions I have
decided a small demonstration is needed. Have you ever seen the movie Misery? I can’t remember the nurse’s name but I did love how she kept the author from
escaping. I think she called it hobbling,” Whelan said as he once more pulled the nail gun from the table by the chair. “Well since I don’t want to release Mr.
Larabee’s legs yet I figure the best bet would be to hobble him in another way,” he explained as he checked to make sure the gun was loaded.
Chris watched as the nail gun was placed in front of his face again. He cringed as he remembered the exquisite agony of the nails embedding into the fleshy part of his
hand. Somehow he knew this would be just as bad.
“You see a nail placed at just the right spot can cause a lot of pain. I think the knee would be a perfect place for this demonstration,” Whelan said as he placed the
gun at his victim’s bare right knee and quickly depressed the trigger.
The scream that tore from the blond’s throat as the nail shattered the kneecap and buried itself deeply in his flesh sent shudders through the man at the camera.
‘Glad that’s not me,’ Jake thought as he watched the blood slowly well up around the nail in Larabee’s knee.
“I think that should be enough of a demonstration, Mr. Tanner. Make sure your cell phone is turned on when I call. Turn off the camera, Jake,” Whelan ordered as
he placed the nail gun back on the table. “See, Chris, Vin is the cause of all your pain.”
“No more,” the blond begged as the new pain joined the others. He desperately wanted to lose himself to unconsciousness but he knew the drug would not allow
that. It insured that he would feel every agonizing moment of torture this man planned for him. ‘Please just let me die,’ he thought as he watched Jake take the video
tape out of the camera.
Chapter 21
Vin opened the door to his jeep and picked up the tiny package on the front seat. Unlike the others this one was specifically addressed to him with the words for
your eyes only outlined in red marker. He pushed the package across the seat and rapidly drove to his ranch.
Two hours later Vin stood amidst the destruction and chaos of his living room. He’d watched the video of his friend’s continuing torture and his anger had finally
gotten to him. Anything movable and within reaching distance was quickly lifted and thrown around the room. Blood streamed from the wound on his hand as his
activities broke open the stitches Dr. Stacey Midland had so carefully sewn.
He stood by the door, his cell phone glued to his uninjured hand, shaking in anger and frustration at his own helplessness. ‘Chris, I’ll get you out of this and I’ll kill
the sick son of a bitch who’s doing this to you,’ he vowed.
Vin knew his phone could ring at any time and he’d have to hurry if he wanted to leave a message for the others. He’d listened to Whelan’s warnings and knew he
was not supposed to involve the other members but he knew Chris needed more help than he could give alone. He needed the help of the rest of The Firm’s Elite
group if they were going to get Chris out of this alive. ‘If you could only see me now, Chris, you’d never believe that I’m not gonna run off half cocked,’ he
thought as he wrote a note explaining what was happening and what he planned to do.
Vin opened the small box he’d kept locked in his safe and took out the item inside. The tiny tracking device, shaped like a mole, would be undetectable and would
give the team’s long range sensors easy readouts of his location. He placed the mole behind his right ear, just under the hairline. He couldn’t chance using his phone
and informing the others of his plans because whoever had Chris would probably have bugged his phone. He taped the encrypted note to the fridge and waited for
his phone to ring.
Chapter 22
“How are you doing, Chris?”
“H...hurts.”
“I bet it does but don’t worry it’ll all be over in a couple of days,” Whelan told him. “Vin Tanner will be joining us shortly and you can tell him just what you think of
him.”
Chris’s glazed eyes stared at the man before him. “Vin’s m...my b...best friend,” he mumbled as he found the strength to fight the effects of the drug.
“Oh, Chris, are we back to that again? Don’t you remember me telling you he’s the one paying me to do this to you?”
Chris shook his head, drawing fresh blood from the wound around his neck. “I...I don’t believe y...you!”
“That’s alright because you’ll see for yourself soon. I’m sending a car to pick him up now. He requested to be present for the next series of demonstrations.”
“Vin’s c...coming here?” Larabee asked, his eyes filling with newfound hope.
“Yes. He’s coming to watch what I do to you. He may even decide to add a few marks of his own.”
“No,” the blond cried softly.
“Believe what you will for the truth will be revealed soon. Jake, get the car and go pick up our client and make sure Mr. Tanner is comfortable. After all he’s paying
me well for my services,” Whelan said as he picked up a phone and pressed a single number.
Larabee listened to the one sided conversation. Fear and pain, his constant companion since this ordeal began, intensified as he listened to his tormentor speak with
Vin Tanner. He heard Whelan tell Vin that everything was going as planned and that he’d be very happy with the results so far. ‘No, Vin, it can’t be true. You can’t
be doing this to me,’ he thought. “You’ll never make me believe Vin Tanner is doing this to me,” he grated out through clenched teeth.
“Yes, Mr. Tanner, I’ll make sure he gets your message,” Whelan grinned as he placed the phone on the table and turned to the man in the chair. “He says you need a
little more persuasion,” Whelan said as he used his fists to deliver three quick well placed blows to the blond’s right side.
Chris cried out as he felt a couple of his ribs give way to the sharp powerful blows Whelan delivered. The pain of broken ribs now added to the ongoing pains in the
other areas of his body and his mind gave in to the words Whelan was saying.
“That’s Mr. Tanner’s personal message to you. He says to enjoy the broken ribs until he gets here,” Whelan laughed as he picked up the phone. “Yes, Mr. Tanner,
the car will be there for you shortly.”
‘Why, Vin? Why are you doing this to me? I thought we were friends, brothers,’ Larabee thought as he fought to breath against the pain that now dominated his
chest. ‘Oh, God, please make it stop,’ he thought as his breath came in shallow painful gasps.
Whelan smiled as he walked away from his victim, making sure he was out of earshot as he spoke into the still activated cell phone. “I trust you heard all that, Mr.
Tanner?” he asked.
“I’ll kill you with my bare hands you sick, twisted son of a bitch,” Tanner’s soft voice was icy as it reached across the connection.
“I’m sure you’d like to try, Mr. Tanner, but for now I have other business with you. I want you to take your jeep and drive ten miles north of your location. There’s a
rest stop on the right hand side and you’ll be met there by one of my associates. Make sure you come alone and unarmed and don’t try anything foolish or Mr.
Larabee will pay for your mistakes. You have half an hour.”
“I’ll be there,” Tanner said as the connection was terminated. He grabbed his keys and hurried out the door. Shoving the keys into the ignition of his jeep he turned
the jeep and sped down the driveway and onto the highway. ‘I’m coming, Cowboy, just hang on for me,’ he thought as the blond’s screams played over and over
in his mind.
Chapter 23
“Mr. Tanner will soon be here, Chris. I’m sure he’s looking forward to your continued suffering as much as I am,” Whelan said as he once more knelt in front of his
victim.
“Vin’ll help me,” Larabee’s voice was muffled with both pain and dehydration.
“You don’t really believe that do you, Chris?”
“I don’t k...know what to believe anymore,” the blond answered sadly.
“Do you trust me, Chris? Have I lied to you at any time about what I was going to do to you?”
“No. D...don’t trust y...you. Hurt m...me.”
“But I told you I was going to hurt you. I didn’t lie to you and tell you I was your friend like Mr. Tanner did,” Whelan smiled as the lines of confusion once more
showed on his captive’s face. “He’s lied to you from the very beginning, Chris. Telling you he was your friend all the while he was waiting to take your loved ones
away from you.”
Chris shook his head as he listened to the man tell him about Vin Tanner’s betrayal of their friendship. He didn’t want to believe Whelan but his mind was a jumble of
mental as well as physical pain and he was beginning to wonder why his friends didn’t come to rescue him. “I can’t. I don’t know what to b...believe anymore,” he
said, not realizing he was speaking his thoughts aloud. “I need you, Vin, I need you to help me,” he sobbed as his tortured mind and body began to surrender to the
pull of death.