Despite taking several deep breaths to regain her composure, Julie's heart pounded and her hands shook as she drove to the hospital. She remembered meeting Drago back at FBI headquarters, but she had no idea of what to expect and she felt helpless and alone without Sean around.
In the hot midday sun of a southern town, car air conditioners were having trouble keeping up; Julie's car was hot and steamy. She opened the window but there was little relief. She wasn't wearing dark glasses and the long stretch of scorching road ahead reflected a blinding light.
Her breath was rapid and shallow; her mind foggy. She found it difficult to keep the car in the lane. The road seemed to get narrower and on either side there appeared to be deep gorges. Suddenly a splitting headache make her head feel like it was in a vise. She lost control of the car.
A weightless and nauseous feeling in her stomach told her the car was now airborne. She was sure that she was falling over a cliff. She stomped on the brakes as she let out a deafening scream; her head hit the steering wheel!
"Come on, get up!" Matt yelled at Sean, soon after hanging up on Julie. He and his friend seemed oblivious to what had just happened. All he could do was smile with satisfaction at the hot exchange on the phone.
Sean said nothing and got up without a struggle. The tight ropes were cutting into his wrists, and his arms were so tightly tied behind his back that his shoulder joints were swollen and painful. But he was calmer now after overhearing Matt's phone conversation with Julie. "Smart lass," he thought. She kept the idiot on the phone at least five minutes, enough time to pinpoint the farm's location. He knew help was on its way, but not for some time. He guessed that Gutierrez wasn't going to get a team over to Wilburn for at least two or three hours. He only feared that Julie would take off on her own again to save him.
"Move now…" yelled Matt, pointing a gun at Sean.
"Lad, could you untie my legs? I can't walk with these tight ropes around my ankles," said Sean.
In answer to his request, Steve hit him hard on the side of the head with the handle of the gun. Blood poured down Sean's head and he fell to the ground.
Only then did Matt untie his feet, revealing red bloody gouges on Sean's ankles.
"Don't get any wise ideas. Don't even think about it. Walk out that door and toward the barn. I'll be right behind you," said Steve.
