Given a Second Chance

Putting the phone back into its cradle, she got up to walk out to the front door and lock it. While standing there for a moment, she found herself thinking about her reaction to Karen’s comment. Unaware of the ultimate danger that lurked in the darkness of the showroom, without so much as a sound, suddenly a strong pair of hands came out of nowhere and covered her mouth and shoulders. “Mmmm...!” she attempted to scream, while trying to fight off her attacker. However, to her misgivings, all attempts were muffled out by his overpowering hands, when he sneered deep into her ear, “That’s it, lady,” he laughed, tearing at her sweater, “fight all you want. You aren’t going anywhere,” he continued, while dragging her back into her office. Fortunately, a man was just passing the shop, when he saw what was going on inside, and ran off to call the police. Meanwhile, back at Jarred’s, he and his uncle were talking over what they were planning to do with the news of Delgado’s recent actions, when the call came over his radio. “We have a code 211 in progress at Jodi’s Antiques. Address, 777 North Haven Road. I repeat,” the dispatcher said, “we have a code 211 in progress at Jodi’s Antiques. Address, 777 North Haven Road.” “Alex...” Jarred turned in horror at hearing the name and address. “I know,” he returned, heading for the door. “Just stay here and I’ll take care of it.” “Like hell I will!” he yelled, grabbing for his motorcycle helmet, as he ran out past him, heading for his garage, where his bike was parked. Attempting to stop him, Alex went out the door after him. “Jarred...!” he yelled. “I can’t, Alex!” Catching up to him at the garage, he grabbed his nephew’s arm to pull him away from his bike. “Just what do you think you’re going to do by putting yourself out there in the open? You know Delgado will just try to shoot you again. Only this time he just might not fail.” “I know that, Alex, but I have to go to her!” he informed him, while pulling away sharply to put on his helmet. “No you’re not, damn it! We’ll take care of her. Just stay here!” “You’ll take care of her? Alex, you were to have a man on her at all times. Just what the hell happened to that?” “I don’t know, but I will find out. Just stay put!” “Alex, normally I would listen to you, but not this time, and not when it concerns Jodi. Now, you can either go with me, or get the hell out of my way, ‘cause I’m out of here.” Hopping onto his motorcycle, he started it up and looked one last time at his uncle, before peeling out of his driveway, sending rocks flying out behind him. “Damn you, Jarred...!” Alex growled, running for his Blazer to go after him. “Should we follow?” Baker asked, while he and Marcose stood back to see the rocks fly. “Possibly,” he replied, pulling out his radio to call Alex. Getting the word, the two Detectives ran for their vehicles to follow. Meanwhile, back at the antique shop, Jodi was still putting up a struggle with her attacker. “What do you want with me...?” she cried, feeling his icy cold hands through her thin sweater, as his fingertips bit into her flesh. “It isn’t you I want. It’s your boyfriend, and his partner that I want.” “But why...?” “Oh, let’s just say that they owe me.” “But what do I have to do with it?” “Oh, come now, you aren’t that stupid!” he scowled, while dragging her over to her sofa that sat up against the far corner of her office, near the cabinet that held the coffee maker. “Let’s just say after I get through with you, your Detective Stanton won’t want to stay in hiding much longer.” “No...” she screamed out in horror at what was about to take place, when feeling his cold hand slid up beneath her sweater. While trying to push him off her, she continued to scream, but just as she did, he pinned her hands together behind her back, as she tried to get off the sofa. “Oh, no you don’t,” he growled, coming down on her even more with his weight, while finding the bottom of her sweater once again. “Let’s just see what you have here, huh!” “Oh… God, please help me...!” she cried, feeling his hand coming up even closer to capturing one of her breasts. Just then, her prayer was answered, when hearing sirens off in the distance, as they vastly approached her shop. Hearing this, her attacker looked back toward the door. “Damn...!” he swore, less than thrilled that his time there was soon to be cut short, as he went to bring his hand back up to cover her mouth. “Don’t think that this is the last you’ll see of me, lady. I’ll be back. Tell your boyfriend that, too!” Before he could do anything else, they both heard the back door being kicked in. “Jodi...!” a man’s’ familiar voice called out, making his way through the dark back room. “Jodi...!” “Mmmm...!” she muffled out a cry from beneath her attacker’s clinched hand. Just then, biting down on it, while trying even harder than before to get free, it caused him to rear back in pain. “Jarred...!” she screamed even harder. “In here...! I’m in here…” she cried, while jumping up, as he and his uncle rushed into her office to attempt to apprehend her attacker. Unfortunately, he had slipped away in the confusion, while pushing Jodi into Jarred’s arms, as he rushed passed Alex in the doorway. “Go after him, Alex...!” Jarred yelled, turning back to look Jodi over. “Are you all right?” “Oh, Jarred...!” she cried frightfully. “How...” she started, when he pulled her up into his arms to hold her. “Alex was at the house, when the call came through. I couldn’t just stand by, knowing you were in trouble.” Feeling his warmth radiating through her, she buried her face into his shoulder, while continuing to cry. “Jodi,” he whispered softly, while pulling back a little to look down into her face, “you know this goes both ways.” “What do you mean…?” she asked, studying his angered expression. “He could have killed you, and then how the hell do you think I would have felt, knowing that you were dead?” he asked, with his expression coming across so cold and so very hard, when he suddenly went to claim her lips, as they parted to answer him. As the time passed, his lips became even more gentler, when he felt her arms coming up around his neck. “Oh, Jarred, I’m so sorry!” she whispered, just as they heard Alex clearing his throat from the doorway. “Sorry for the interruption, folks,” he couldn’t help but grin, “but we have a much more pressing matter here than we could have imagined.” Looking up at his uncle, he saw the concerned look coming back over his face. “What is it?” he asked worriedly, while turning to drop one arm from around her waist. “That wasn’t just any ordinary attacker, but I think you already know that,” he stated, while looking deeper into Jodi’s eyes, now that he had gotten a better look at her. “Then who was it?” he asked, looking from his uncle to Jodi puzzledly. “It isn’t good,” he shook his head. “After seeing his truck, I ran his plates through the B.M.V. It turns out that Vince Delgado has decided to go after your friend here after all!” “Why her though? Why not just come after me if he knows that I’m still alive?” he asked, looking down into her frightened eyes. “Are you saying that, that was…” “Yes, the guy who tried to kill me a month ago.” “But why…?” “We put him away for drug smuggling two years ago.” “And again just recently,” Alex added. “He said he was going after your partner next!” she exclaimed, looking back at Alex, who had a look of deep anger in his icy blue eyes. “Did he tell you that?” Alex asked, looking hard into her eyes. “Yes!” Taking in a breath, Jarred looked down at her, then back to his uncle. “It was also something she had heard in a dream she had.” “Oh, no, the dream you were telling me about? Not again!" he groaned.