his head as the memories settled in place. Shit! He turned away from the garage and went into the study for his weapon. He slipped it into his belt along with three spare magazines. His eyes looked briefly toward the ceiling, but he knew he’d work this out. Then he headed toward the garage.
He backed out as he’d done before, but this time his eyes were watching the street for anything that was out of place. He didn’t know why he hadn’t noticed the last time, but three houses away, sitting under a still damp tree, was a gray paneled van with darkened windows. He wasn’t certain, but he thought he could just make out the outline of someone sitting inside the van. Jake continued on as he’d done before, but this time turned the opposite direction at the corner. He drove a hundred feet down the street, then pulled over to the side and parked.
Quickly he slid out of the Toyota, and closing the door softly, made his way across the street, and then staying close to the houses and using the shrubbery for concealment, he made his way part way up the block where he could watch and see what happened. Sure enough, five minutes later, the van started up and moved up the block into his driveway. Two burly men climbed out, and headed toward his front door. He heard the smash as his door broke. He’d waited to be certain it was only these two. He thought he heard Karin scream, then he back-tracked again.
Jake shook off the second set of memories as he stepped off the stairs. As before, he retrieved his weapon, then headed back upstairs, where he alerted Karin to the problem, asking her to stay in the back room with Janna.
“Call the police,” she urged.
“It won’t work,” he said, and explained why. Fortunately Karin had become more understanding of Jake’s approach in the last couple of years, and she knew he wouldn’t over react.
Jake hurried back downstairs and made for the garage. He grabbed a handful of plastic wire ties, and then climbed into his Toyota. He drove away as before, but turned in the next cul-de-sac and sped toward the end of the street. Then he slipped out of his car, and hurriedly went through the gate into the backyard of his neighbor immediately behind his house. Jake ran across the backyard, climbed the fence that separated the houses, and crept alongside the northern side of his own house where he’d be in position to deal with the kidnappers. He needed them in the open. Attempting to deal with two potentially armed men hidden inside the van by himself was a recipe for disaster.
From behind the bush, he saw the van pull into the driveway, and watched as the two men climbed out and made for the front of his house. He didn’t recognize either of them. Neither was carrying a handgun, although the one in the lead had a heavy crowbar. Both were focused on the house, with the shorter one looking back a couple of times to see if anyone in the neighborhood was paying any attention to them. Neither was looking where Jake was hiding.
“That’s far enough,” Jake said sharply as he stepped into view with the Sig leveled and pointed between the two men.
The big one jumped and turned toward him with the crowbar, but stopped his movement when he saw Jake calmly turned the muzzle of the pistol toward him.
“Drop it in the grass,” Jake ordered.
The man hesitated, then shrugged and did as he was told, but dropped it on the concrete where it rang loudly.
Jake had been right. He’d never seen either of these men before.
“Who sent you?” Jake asked.
“I don’t know what you mean,” the big one said. “We got a call for a problem with a washing machine.”
“For that you need stealth and a crowbar?” Jake asked. “Tell me who sent you to kidnap my wife and daughter.”
“We aren’t here to kidnap nobody,” the smaller one said nervously. Jake could tell he was wondering how things had gone so wrong so suddenly.
“Jake, is everything alright?” a voice hollered from behind them.
“Attempted break-in,” he shouted back at his neighbor who had clearly seen the gun he had pointed at the two men. A quick glance showed his neighbor heading back inside. Jake knew he would be calling the police.
Time was now an enemy. Jake wanted information from these two, and the police would be