8:18:46 PM

It all happened so quickly. Before Jason could level his weapon at Marcos, the criminal swatted it out of his hands and sent it flying across the room. His backswing cracked against Jason’s jaw and sent him flying in the other direction.

The blow had momentarily knocked the Bauer out of Jason, and in the next moment he was howling as Marcos was on him, his knee on the small of Jason’s back as he bound the boy’s wrists with plastic zip ties. Let the kid piss himself, no way he’s getting loose again.

Next, Marcos covered Jason’s head with a burlap bag. He heaved the boy into a small room, turned off the lights, closed and locked the door.

Jason lay bound and hooded, listening as Victor was pistol whipped on the other side of the door for stupidity.

Then everything fell silent. Jason shivered. He could sense the seconds ticking away, but couldn’t hear a clock anywhere. Was a silent clock counting him out?

Jason tensed every muscle in his body. Gut check time, Bauer, he thought.