S.W.A.T. Headquarters – Evening
“Hondo is in trouble!”
Hicks had no idea what Deacon was talking about; it was late, he was tired and all that was on his mind was a hot shower and a stiff drink.
“Slow down, what are you talking about?”
“Arthur Novak was released from jail and there’s a good chance he’s headed here.”
“Wait, wait, wait, Arthur he’s the guy Hondo had the run in with in Mexico, am I right?”
“That’s him.”
“With all the charges against him how in the hell did he get released?”
“According to Hondo, he had the police chief in his back pocket. I’m sure he was just waiting for Hondo to cross the border before he let him go.”
“Damn! Where’s Hondo now?”
“He was headed home about an hour ago.”
“Call him, if Novak is planning revenge, he’s probably already here.”
Unknown location –
They thought he was dead. He thought he was dead and for the moment all Red could do was lay still in his own blood. He could hear them beating and taunting Hondo mercilessly. This was his fault, and he felt like a traitor but what could he have done different? How could he help Hondo now?
“You got nothing to say, Harrelson, eh?”
Arthur watched the man struggling to get to his feet but with no success.
“You’re a dead man, Novak!” Hondo mumbled.
Another blow landed against his head, then his stomach sending him crashing face-first on the cement floor.
“What did you think would happen? Did you think I’d let you live after what you did?”
Hondo lifted his head slightly and stared at Arthur. He regretted not killing him in Mexico. He was foolish to think that the law would insist on justice and that Arthur would spend the rest of his life in jail.
He was wrong.
“Bring him!”
Two of the men grabbed Hondo and began dragging him toward the door.
“What about the other one?”
Arthur stopped for a moment before looking at Red’s still body.
“Leave him, he’s served his purpose.”
Home of Police Commissioner Edward Stallings –
It had been a trying six months. The year had ended with the LAPD dealing with an embarrassing internal problem. One of his officers had decided to wage a personal war against the force and it had made him look bad. The mayor, and the city council had insisted he handle things and to make the problem disappear, but three months into the new year, the problem was still lingering. Sergeant Daniel Harrelson was a thorn in his side, he’d aired the force’s dirty laundry, he’d managed to get rid of the man sent to replace him and he’d regained leadership of 20 David. The man had to go, and it didn’t matter how, so when an old friend contacted him about a little incident in Mexico, Commissioner Stallings was more than willing to help.
His cell phone rang; he took a long sip of his drink and inhaled before answering.
“Good evening my friend!”
“Arthur, I trust that things went well?”
“Yes indeed. That tip led me right to Hondo’s snitch. He was more than willing to help us out.”
“Well, you’ve always had the gift of persuasion.”
“That I have, Ed, that I have.”
“Oh, uh, did you take care of that other little business?”
“Yes, and it was well worth the money too.”
“Thank you, my friend. I can take my wife on that vacation she’s been nagging me about.”
“Good, send my regards to Evelyn and enjoy your trip.”
Edward ended the call. He smiled as he drained his glass and felt a sense of relief wash over him. He’d won and with any luck, the next time Hondo Harrelson’s name appeared in the news, it would be in the Obituaries.
S.W.A.T. Headquarters –
Deacon had not been able to reach Hondo and so Hicks called the team in. Now all of them were huddled in the command center trying to find a way to help Hondo.
“Deacon hasn’t been able to reach Hondo.” Hicks began.
“What do we know about this Arthur Novak,” Luca asked.
“He’s a businessman, no one seems to know where’s he’s from, but according to Interpol, he’s wanted in Ireland, New Zealand and several other countries in Europe and South America,” Deacon added.
“So, if he has Hondo how do we find him? I haven’t found him in any of my searches so far. There’s no property in his name, no leases, no family, nothing,” Tan noted.
“Well, he’s here and he knew how to get his hands on Hondo, which means somebody knows this guy and somebody helped him.” Hicks insisted.
“What do we do? How do we help Hondo? He could be anywhere,” said Chris.
Unknown location-
Red waited; he wasn’t a patient man but, in that moment, he understood the importance of patience. Arthur Novak had come to his neighborhood and snatched him out of his bed and then putting a gun to his head, made him participate in his plans to hurt Hondo. Red had had his share of run ins with the cop, but Hondo had saved his life and if it had not been for him, Red would be in jail. He owed Hondo his life and his freedom.
Red heard a large engine roar to a start. Several voices then doors slamming shut made him feel confident enough to move. He had been brought here in a van, so he assumed that they were leaving in that same van with his friend. His body ached and he was still bleeding, it was up to him to get himself out of there and find help for Hondo.
Grimacing in pain, Red pulled his phone from his pocket. It was getting cold, and his body began to shiver.
“Come on man, you can do this! Hondo needs you.”
Three numbers, that’s all he needed to dial just three numbers and the send button. Red moaned against the pain, dialing the numbers, and waiting for an answer.
“9-1-1, how may I help you?”
S.W.A.T. Headquarters –
“Okay, I just talked to Charro, the police officer that helped Hondo in Mexico,” Luca began.
“What did he have to say?” Hicks asked.
“Apparently, Arthur Novak was seen leaving Mexico 2 days ago. He has a friend that’s a customs officer at the border. He remembers seeing Novak and several men crossing into San Diego.”
“That answers that. Let’s find out what he was driving and if he shows up on any traffic cams in the city. We need to find him and fast!”
The team continued to search for clues of Hondo’s whereabouts. Finding Arthur Novak was like finding a needle in a stack of needles and Hondo was running out of time. Suddenly, Cmdr. Hicks’ phone rang.
“Yes, this is Cmdr. Hicks.”
He looked up surprised at the caller.
“Quiet down everybody! A call is being patched through from the 9-1-1- operator.” then he went back to his caller. “You’re on speaker.”
“My…my name is Red and I’m…I’m a friend of Hondo.”
The large van had driven about thirty minutes before pulling onto a dirt road. Even in the back of the van, Hondo knew that they were in an area that would be hard to find and perhaps that was the point of moving him from the old warehouse to here. Arthur Novak was a cold and calculated man, and he hadn’t been able to elude the law this long by being careless.
The van doors swung open, and Arthur watched as Hondo was roughly pulled from the van. Two men rushed toward the house and unlocked the doors and turned on the lights. The house was small, and it was obvious that no one had been here in a very long time. Hondo was pulled through the house and down a steep flight of stairs to the basement where he was dropped on the floor.
“Welcome home, “Arthur teased.
“Why are you going through all of this. If you’re going to kill me, just go ahead and get it over with.”
“Losing my son was the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life. Have you ever lost someone you love, Mr. Harrelson?”
“I’m not going to play your games Arthur.”
Arthur paced around the small musty basement. It had no windows, no furniture, and no way of escape. He’d chosen the remote place because it was perfect for what he had planned for Sgt. Hondo Harrelson. He’ dreamt of this day, the day that he’d take his time and make him pay, make him feel the pain of loss like he had the day he had put a bullet in his son’s head.
Hondo pulled himself to a sitting position leaning his back against the wall. He had no idea what Arthur had in store for him, but he knew it was going to be bad. No one knew where he was and so he was at the mercy of a man that had no intentions of showing him mercy.
The door at the top of the stairs opened, and their attention was pulled toward the sound of footsteps. Hondo looked up, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, and his heart stopped.
She was terrified, she didn’t see them coming. She had been the last to leave the community center; they’d grabbed her as she walked to her car. The men had been rough and silent refusing to answer her questions.
She was relieved to see him, and she couldn’t help but notice that he was hurt. What was happening, why was it happening.
“You sick son-of-a-bitch!” He growled.
He could hear Arthur laughing, mocking him and her. Then he saw the terror in her eyes as the man released his grip on her arm. She ran toward him, dropping to her knees next to him.
“Nechelle! Nechelle what are you doing here?”
“I told you I was going to kill you, but I’m going to kill her first.”
To be continued…
*We do not own S.W.A.T. or its characters. We are not affiliated with the show or its creators. We have created our original characters that will come out to play from time-to-time*
Photo Credit: Shemar Moore-Facebook page
The Book of Hondo 