Hold On

Chapter 12

The night was warm as usual in Hawaii, a light night breeze was coming off the ocean and thousands of stars were shining on the dark sky. However, TC wasn't admiring the incredible view in front of him. He was just finishing a careful and discreet perimeter check. He tried to be very quiet so as not to alarm Kumu. If she only knew he and Rick went against her wish, he was sure it wouldn't end up well for them. Actually, he felt bad about lying to her in this matter because that's what it really was but he tried to justify it by thinking that all of this was for her own good. Her safety was important to them.

TC let out a deep breath while he slowly approached the lanai. He opened the sliding glass door without making any sound and peered inside. Although there were some spotlights in the garden, the living room remained quite dark. However, he could easily spot Rick who was sleeping on the couch and who was even snoring gently. TC smiled at that. It was half an hour before his shift was to change and Rick never had any problems with taking advantage of the time he had between his shifts back in the army. He had the ability to fall asleep almost instantly no matter where he was. Whereas for TC it was more difficult. When his adrenaline level was high, his mind just couldn't rest. On the one hand, it was useful when he had to take the watch but on the other, when he finally was allowed to take a rest, sometimes he couldn't.

TC tried to shake off those memories and scanned the room. It was quiet as it should be, well except for the snoring sounds his friend was making. Since everything seemed okay, TC slowly backed off, leaving the door slightly open and sat down on the chaise-lounge. He couldn't help it when different thoughts flooded his mind. Obviously thoughts about TM and Higgy, about what was on the security footage and also about what they didn't see there and what must have taken place inside the building as he was sure that his friends didn't go down without fighting. He knew them well. He looked up at all those bright stars and wondered where his friends were right then and if he could do anything to prevent that dreadful event.

The man was sitting with his back to the house and was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice a dark figure moving in the shadows of the room. Suddenly, he heard a faint noise coming from the inside. At first he thought his imagination was playing tricks on him but then it seemed to happen again. It was rather a really quiet click, like the sound coming from the handle being turned to open the door. He instantly stood up and went inside, freezing in the middle of the living room and straining his ears to hear it again. This time it was totally quiet, even Rick stopped snoring for a moment, probably that's why TC had heard that noise in the first place.

He looked around but nothing seemed out of the ordinary so he decided to go to the bedroom and check on Kumu. He didn't want to wake her unnecessarily so he opened the door quietly and looked inside hoping to see her sleeping in her bed but to his great surprise he found the spot empty. After checking the room, he went to the bathroom but she wasn't there either. He wondered where she had vanished.

For a short moment a thought crossed his mind that those kidnappers might have come back and taken her like Magnum and Higgins but that was rather unlikely. He left the bedroom and went to the door. On his way there, he glanced at Rick sleeping soundly, oblivious to what was happening around him and he considered waking his friend but he decided against it and let him rest.

He drew his gun and carefully opened the door. There was no one outside. He looked sideways in case someone was lurking in the darkness but it was quiet. He closed the door behind him and decided to go and check the main building which was the closest one to Kumu's house. While walking there he paid close attention to any potential threats but this whole time he found nothing that would be out of ordinary.

Finally, he reached the place, opened the door with caution and stepped inside. This whole time he had a sense of déjà vu, he felt like he was the main character in 'Groundhog Day'. Once again he was sneaking in the same house with the gun in his hand. Once more it was dark and he made his way to the study, trying to spot any unwanted masked intruders.