Thou Shalt Not Kill
With his hands shaking so hard, it was nearly impossible to make the call, but Steve waited, listening to the rings before his brother-in-law finally picked up and answered his phone. He would look around him, expecting someone to walk by rather than be treated to the silence. If it weren’t for the seagulls that flew overhead, he almost felt like there was no one within miles of him. As far as she could see, the pier was deserted that day. They had all left him too.
“Detective Brady speaking.”
“Bo? It’s Steve!”
“Hey man? Where’ve you been? I called the office and no one’s answering. I thought you were going to be in today.”
“Bo listen to me, there is serious trouble going on?” Pacing up and down, Steve just couldn’t shake the coldness that filled him, that threatened to chill his heart until he could no longer feel. All he could think about was his wife and daughter, of how he could protect them, how he would kill for them.
“Trouble? What kind of…?”
“The Gabriel’s are here… they are all here… and they want the Discs!”
“What the hell are you talk… wait a minute!” Bo sat up at his chair, understanding hitting him squarely in the eyes. “The AA’s are… damn, are you sure?”
“The second Gabriel and I just had a… meeting and he’s threatened Kayla’s and Stephanie’s lives. I need those discs… do you hear me? You need to contact the ISA and get those discs!” He knew he sounded frantic, but he alone was aware of what could happen if he couldn’t get what they wanted.
“Wait a minute! What about my sister and Stephanie? Are they all right?”
Truthfully, Steve didn’t know where either one of them were, he could only hope and pray it was miles away from the Gabriel’s. “Kayla went in to work this morning and I called her a little while ago to stay at the hospital another hour, maybe go in for another prenatal checkup, until I could come home. Stephanie… she’s been with Benjy practically all week. I hope to God she’s with him today.”
“Well find out for sure!” Bo yelled back at him. “Look… I’ll try to call my contact and found out how soon we could get the discs back… but I’m not sure we can get them…”
“Bo! Just get them! This is bad… really bad! The Gabriel’s love to kill off ISA agents. They use them for target practice. If they ever want a chance to get them… all of them… this is it! They’re here, just waiting for a fight!”
“All right, all right… I’m calling right now. But make sure Kay and Stephanie are okay and get back to me!”
“You do the same! Damn! Look Bo… I don’t know how long we can hold them off. They are really getting desperate… and… we just can’t trust them.” Steve wanted to tell him, he wanted to say how much of a danger the second Gabriel was, but he could make himself say the words. It was just lodged in his throat, refusing to come out and be heard and it scared him more.
What was it, he thought to himself. There was just some unfinished business between the two of them and he couldn’t make himself remember. All he knew was how it felt, the same cold fear, gripping him, making things distant, less secure. For the longest moment, Steve remained as he was, as though expecting the answer to be whispered in his ear. The day was still warm, though the afternoon sun had started it’s descent, and more shadows were at his feet in a myriad pattern of dark grays and blacks.
He watched them, his memories slowly unfolding as images danced across his thoughts, poking at him, whispering little words as he tried hard to listen, to pinpoint a single voice, but they refused to be separated. It was like before and yet different. There was no pain or sharpness. This time, they walked to him, presenting themselves in a more orderly fashion, waiting for recognition. There were only a few more faces this time, a few more hidden lies to be revealed, a few more doors to open.
He stared mindlessly at his feet, watching, but not seeing, knowing he was to remember some things no one should ever have to know. It was a strong dread of past sins that was coming for him. Not all his own, but some he could not escape. Steve had thought the satisfaction of knowing he never killed anyone would be enough to save him, preserve his peace of mind. Portia had told him that and he took it at face value, that he was innocent for never taking a life. Yet his innocence was tarnished, not wholly clear from blame or evil. He may not have killed, but he also, never saved.
Closing his eye at his own guilt, he could still feel his phone, held tightly in his grasp as he glanced down to look. For an instance, it seemed that he held his gun instead, the gun he had been forced to train with and kill with. The two images blurred together as he struggled to gain control of what was left for him to finish. It was all laid before him, the path he needed to take, the rules he could follow and disallow, the course of his fate that called to him to make a stand and choice. It all came down to this; to save his family, to save his life, he had to kill. It was no longer a question of why, but a matter of when and the when was now. It was finally here.
Each time Kayla tried Stephanie’s phone, it was the same message of being unable to reach the receiving party because their phone wasn’t in service and she panicked some more. The image of Gabriel – 2’s face would not leave her. She could feel the blackness round him, the penetrating evil that lived off his skin. He was not a man to be looked over lightly or given any receding ground. It pained her to know Steve had to endure years with him, unwittingly a witness and companion to his atrocities.
She had tried calling her husband too, several times now, but his voice message would pick up immediately alerting her to the fact that he had probably turned his phone off. When she had calmed down from the second Gabriel’s visit, Kayla had remained at the hospital rather than going home. For a moment she even contemplated going down to the PI office and letting him know what had happened, but she remained as she was and just tried to call. It had been a useless effort that she gave up after leaving at least four messages.
The fear that he and the second Gabriel were now meeting increased the stress she was feeling as Kayla took at seat on the couch, placing a protective hand at her belly. Trying to relax, she took several deep breaths while rubbing her stomach, hoping to send comforting thoughts to her baby, while still retaining her composure. I’ve just got to relax and think rationally, she told herself, while breathing in deeply. She knew as soon as her husband came home, he would explain and ease her fears.
His message to her was a bit strange when she first heard it, leading her to think he knew what had happened earlier. But the remark about being examined again was something he was always saying anywhere from two to three times a week. It brought a level of normalcy to this current situation that helped her to calm down, if only for a short while. Not knowing where or how Stephanie was only increased her worry again. Glancing over her shoulder at the room clock, she expected him home now as he had promised to return within the hour.
Hearing his car pull up, Kayla nearly sighed in relief but
she also felt the rush of fear return, leaving her badly shaken and pale that
when she open the door to meet her husband, she immediately told him about
their daughter.
”Steve! I can’t get a hold of Stephanie… I’m so
worried!” It wasn’t how she wanted to have him find her, but the
panic came back ten fold and it was all she could do not to fall apart just
then.
Steve wasn’t surprised when Kayla met him at the door. Some days that she was home before him usually ended with a big welcome for him. This time, her face was far from happy and he could see the lines of worry sending his own fears back up. How was he going to tell her about the threat made to their daughter, he thought to himself. “Baby? What about Stephanie? Did something happen?”
“I haven’t been able to reach her for the last few hours. She told me she and Abby were going shopping today, but Abby’s been home since their lunch date. She can’t get a hold of her either… and she has no idea where she is.”
No! The single voice screamed in his head. No. He hasn’t touched his girl! If he had, Gabriel – 2 would have boasted about his conquest, he would have cherished telling him in grisly detail, his foul work. The man would have shown him proof that he had her. There was another reason Stephanie couldn’t be reached, Steve was sure of it. There had to be because the alternative would just kill him. When he looked at his wife’s face, he saw the terror there and he knew who placed it.
“It’s not him, baby! He doesn’t have our girl!” The loudness of his voice made her look at him in fear too and he regretted speaking that way. “He would have… said… if he did.” The final words barely came from him while the color drained entirely from Kayla’s face
She hadn’t been sure, she was hoping her daughter just forgot to re-charge her batteries or was too far to get good reception. But Steve bringing up him, that man, that monster made all her doubts re-surface and she just felt she knew there was something up. Why else would he name him from the start. “He… he just said he wanted to talk to you.” Kayla told him. Steve must know that man made a point of seeing her, even threatening, hoping to scare her, she thought. “I knew who he was when I saw him again… I recognized him from Lansing’s pictures.”
“Kayla? What are you talking about?” He asked her, taking her arms in his and pulling her closer to him. Her face had turned from him, looking off to the side in fear, wondering what was happening to her sweet girl. “Kayla... look at me!” He demanded of her. “How do you know him? How?”
When she looked at him, her eyes seem to lose their brightness and her voice sounded drained and weak. “A few days ago… he came to the hospital with an injury… said it was work related, he said…and I bandaged him up. His expression was so hostile, as though he held a grudge against me and I couldn’t figure out why. It made me worried, then and I called security, but he left by the time we got back.”
“Sweetness… why didn’t you say something. My God! He’s been watching us all this time!”
“He came back today… there were two others with him.” The memory of that meeting was still clear in her mind as Kayla tried to tell him how the man changed in his demeanor towards her, how he become almost cheerful, but for her, the change only made her blood grow cold, and sent off warning bells. “It was like a different man, he was acting so happy, almost excited and it made me scared… and angry. He said that… he wanted me to tell you that he was here… that they all were.”
Kayla narrowed her eyes at her husband then and knew the second Gabriel had also spoken with him. There was anger in his eye that the man had been able to get to her, but relief followed seeing he had not harmed her. “You know what type of man he is… don’t you? When he was hostile and angry looking, I felt confused but in control … but when he smiled… I felt ill and worried.”
Taking a few deep breaths, Steve tried to give an answer he hoped wouldn’t frighten her more than she must already be. There really wasn’t anyway to explain how sick and twisted the man was, the he was the opposite of what could be deemed human. When he greeted you with smiles instead of anger, that was the time to worry, to fear because the man only smiled and looked happy when he was inflicting pain.
“He’s an animal, baby! I’m so sorry you had to see him, that he was able to get to you.”
“He told me… he said it was so easy to kill… just by breaking my neck.” She said it matter of fact while her husband’s face reddened and his lips pressed tightly together until there was nothing but a solid white line.
“Sweetness… he’ll pay for hurting you. I swear to God, he’ll pay.” The determined look on his face didn’t seem all that comforting. It made Kayla want to cry, feeling how out of control they were on what was happening. It still didn’t explain where Stephanie was either, that she couldn’t reach her now, after they both had been visited by the angel from hell.
“What about our daughter… what if he’s done…” She just couldn’t say the words, she averted her eyes looking elsewhere but at his face as he pulled her into his embrace and the worst thoughts imaginable went through her mind.
“Baby no! He wouldn’t hurt her.”
Pulling herself free, she faced him again and senses something else he hasn’t spoke of yet. “What aren’t you telling me? Why wouldn’t… how do you know he hasn’t?”
“Because he wouldn’t get what he wanted if he tried anything.”
“He wants something? What? What does he want from you?”
“Those discs we took from Lansing, the ones that the ISA have and are trying to break the codes on… the Gabriel’s want them back… and they want me to get them.”
Her eyes had already grown watery but so far, Kayla held the tears in, not letting a single drop fall. Is she had known, she would have done what? She had no answers, she knew that. The need to have done something, to have known it would end like this was so strong that she wanted to scream at the frustration she felt.
“You don’t know that!” She yelled back at her husband. “You don’t know that he hasn’t taken our daughter and… she could be hurt… he could have hurt her!
“No! He wouldn’t…!” He wouldn’t believe that anything could have happened to his baby girl. Steve knew he would feel in his heart if something had happened, but he admitted, he was worried, deathly worried.
“How do you know? Do you trust him? Can that man be trusted?” She yelled again, her anger rising. “My baby could be hurt or worse… and I don’t know where she is! Do you understand? I don’t know where our daughter is. I don’t know… I don’t know…”
The rush of tears just burst out and Kayla sobbed in his arms as he stared straight ahead, staring off into nothing. Steve held her until her anger was spent and she grew weak in his arms, pressing herself against his chest. A part of him did feel the blame that Kayla hadn’t directly placed at him. It was her hurt, her worry and anger speaking for her, but he did feel at fault for something he had failed to do long ago.
It was there, buried deep in the recesses of his mind, something he had failed at and wasn’t punished for until now. Steve knew the consequences of his act resulted in this. There was more to it than any of them realized, but it came down to one moment where his decision had been wrong and the end result was the domino effect that brought Gabriel – 2 back in his life. The chance to end it all was given to him before and it slipped through his fingers. Once again, a second chance was offered and this time, he had to choose correctly. He needed to, because he didn’t have any other answers.
“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you. I know you’re not the one I should be blaming.” Taking a shaky breath, Kayla let out the tension she was feeling her face giving way to the uncertainty and hopelessness. It wasn’t in her nature to fall apart like that, especially not now if her daughter was in trouble. “I more overly emotional now, but I can’t help it… and I shouldn’t be. It doesn’t help.”
“I’ll call Bo and see if he can put an APB on her. I don’t trust Gabriel – 2… no one can, but he knows… he knows I won’t help him if he does anything.” As soon he said the words, Steve felt all the more how wrong they sounded. The man couldn’t be trusted at all. If he didn’t have Stephanie when they spoke, there was no way to know if he didn’t go after her when they finished. For now, he had to give Kayla hope for her sake and the baby’s.
**********
When Stephanie called his office, his secretary told her Elliot was planning to leave in a few days for England. She felt an instance of pain hearing of his plans and that he had not told her any of it. They had grown closer, at least, she believed they had, so this news was unexpected and upsetting. After lunch with Abby, she spent a good hour tracking down his whereabouts, finally getting some promising lead from his personal assistant about Elliot’s need to take care of his mother’s things. As far as anyone knew, he had only entered her house once since he died. This change in him was confusing and mysterious. She had wanted to talk with him ever since Ben suggested the holiday in Italy. The longer she thought about the trip, the more detached she became, almost viewing it as an outside than a future participant. She liked the idea and yet she didn’t. There was an eagerness about it she almost couldn’t contain but there also came an emptiness that just left her hollow inside.
Since returning to Salem, neither one had brought up the kiss they shared, practically sweeping it under the rug. But Stephanie couldn’t forget and she spent a good deal of time reliving the moment, enjoying how she felt when Elliot kissed her. Now she was here, at his mother’s house, ready to confront him and get him to open up on how he felt.
She pulled up along side his car, then walked up to the front door. Raising her hand to knock, she saw that the door was slightly ajar as she timidly entered and called out.
“Hello? Elliot?” Taking a few steps in, Stephanie walked just to the doorway of the main living room and peering into the darkened room, saw no movement of any kind. “Hello?” She called louder, than stopped to listen. There were a few creaks along the floorboards, but nothing out of the ordinary as she rechecked the hallway and looked down one darkened corridor.
Stephanie knew she wasn’t alone, she could sense Elliot was somewhere, but she had no idea where to start looking, as the house was much large than she expected. Scrutinizing her surrounds, she took a quick glance up towards the staircase and back at the nearest darkened hall when the soft thump was heard. Her eyes finally adjusting to the dimness, she took tentative steps, walking past several closed doors before finding one open. Taking hold of the doorknob, she pushed it open and stepped into a small, empty room. It was beautifully furnished, but had the slight decayed look of something that had been closed off and long forgotten until now.
The sound came again, a thump and she could just make out the frame of a doorway behind a curtain. As Stephanie got closer, his strong masculine voice sounded just inside and she quickly opened the door to find Elliot sitting on his knees on the floor, looking at her with lost eyes. They focused on her, but there was no light in them and he was as far away from her as he could possibly be. Moving to stand before him, Stephanie saw his eyes stayed glued to the doorway, waiting, watching for someone to arrive who died years ago.
Elliot had been surprised
when his father asked that he keep the boy company while he attended to some
business. They had arrived late last night and he heard them ushered down the
hall to some rooms. Making an attempt to peek at them, he quietly opened his
door but only caught the quick glimpse of a dark haired man. It lasted for just
a second, but his curiosity was now caught. At breakfast, the boy took a seat
opposite him and stared back. Elliot had just filled his plate with eggs and
ham from the sideboard when he entered the dining room. The other man wasn’t
around, but his father had already asked him to play host to their visitor.
They ate in silence until
breakfast was cleared away and the housekeeper suggested they stay outdoors,
enjoying the fine, warm sunny day. The boy said very little but tagged along,
while looking back every few minutes at the windows that lead to his
father’s study. It was there Elliot saw the same man, from last night
with his father, arguing with him as the two young ones watched from afar.
“Is he your
father?” Elliot asked him, but the boy merely shook his head. “You
don’t look like him at all.”
Frowning at him, the boy
gave him an annoyed look before starting to walk off. Running a little to catch
up, Elliot knew they would be watched and he was tempted to show him where his
father’s men practiced and trained. “My father trains men here.
Over there on that lawn… you’ll probably see one of them.
He’s always there, every single day.”
“That sounds
boring.” He finally answered.
“It’s
not… this one’s different. I’ve watched the other one
before… but this man’s not like him.”
“Why? What’s
so special about him?”
“He’s only got
one eye.”
He had stopped walking
when Elliot told him and gave him a look of disbelief. “You’re
making that up.”
“No. It’s
true. He lost one and wears a patch over his left eye. Just wait, you’ll
probably see him sometime today.”
“How did he lose his
eye?” Suddenly the man seemed more interesting now.
“My father never
said. He showed up with the patch.”
The boy gave him a strange
look before jumping over one of the stone benches, falling down on the grass.
Elliot didn’t think he would make the jump, but he leaped up pretty high.
“Have you ever tried asking him?”
“Asking who? My
father?”
“No… that
man… about his…” He told him pointing to his own eye.
Elliot remained standing
just on the other side of the bench and the boy leaped over it again. “He
doesn’t talk to anyone. He doesn’t like talking… to
anybody.”
Already bored, the boy
turned his back to him and gave a quick glance back to the house before moving.
“So… it’s there anything to do around here?”
“We could play
cricket?” Elliot suggested as the boy frowned again
“I don’t know
how?”
“What about
horses?”
“What about
them?”
“Do you ride?”
“No.”
Frowning a bit himself, he
hadn’t realized how difficult it would be to play host to someone he
didn’t know. They had been ushered out of the house, which meant to him
at least, that Greyson wanted them to stay clear of his work for the time
being. Obviously, he had important business that he didn’t want disturbed
by any means. Trying to think of what else they could do outdoors, Elliot
finally suggested the only other place he enjoyed going to when he was allowed
out doors.
“I have a tree
house… do you want to go there?”
Shrugging his shoulders at
him, Elliot pointed it out within the clump of trees in the distance. It was a
pretty good walk from where they stood, but the boy suddenly ran off towards it
as Elliot ran behind him, racing along side until they arrived out of breath
minutes later at the tree trunk. His chest heaving, the boy looked up and gave
a small appraising smile before climbing up the steps. He pulled himself up by
his skinny arms and looked pleased at what he saw. The house was very nicely built, as far
as tree houses go and he started to wish he could have one too.
Of course as soon as the
thought entered his mind, it quickly left. He just couldn’t imagine that
the man would allow him to have one. Elliot showed up several seconds later and
saw the boy looked out the window back towards the open field.
“I’ve got some toys and books over here in the chest… if you
feel like doing something?”
“You won’t
have anything in there as good as this.” He told him, while lifting up
the sweatshirt he wore and Elliot saw a gun strap against his chest. Unclasping
it from the holder, the boy palmed it almost reverently in his hand as the
large weapon dwarfed his fingers. “She’s a beauty…
isn’t she?”
“Where did you get
that?” Elliot’s eyes went wide like large saucers, watching
nervously while the boy passed it from one hand to the other.
“I borrowed
it.”
“It’s
his… that man you came here with.”
“So. He left it in
his room… he won’t even notice it’s gone… he’s
too busy talking with your father.”
It seemed to mesmerize him
too as Elliot took a step closer and slowly reached out his hand to touch the
gun. The boy quickly snatched it away, grinning at him. “Hey… I
didn’t say you could touch it.”
“My father has a gun
collection too.”
“Sure he
does.” He replied cynically before undoing the safety and aiming it out
the window.
“You shouldn’t
be doing that. Someone could see you.”
“What are you scared
or something…you act like you are.”
“I’ve handled
guns before.” Elliot boasted at him. “And that one’s not even
yours.”
“Hey, I said I was
borrowing it… didn’t it?”
Elliot just stood next to
him, watching as he used both hands to hold it, feeling the shape at his
fingertips. His own hands yearned to hold the gun but the boy kept it just out
of his grasp, not allowing him even to touch it once. It wasn’t until he
heard the voices below that Elliot grabbed at it, wrapping his fingers tightly
at one end while the boy struggled against him. “Someone’s down
there…” He screeched at him. “They’ll see the
gun… give it to me so I can hide it.”
“Get off… let
go…” The boy told him through gritted teeth, pulling hard to
wrestle Elliot’s grasp from the barrel.
“They’ll see
it… they’ll see…!” The sound of his voice already
reached the arrivals below when the loud boom startled everyone into stunned
silence.
Elliot heard the loud
sound at his ears but it was the pain in his chest where all his attention was
focused. He tried to take a strong breath and found how painful the simple act
suddenly became. The boy remained standing near him, his mouth agape, his eyes
wide with fear, looking right at the forming red circle at his chest. Looking
down on himself, he saw the crimson red spread then drip down to the floorboard
as his body slumped forward then fell with a loud thud to the floor.
It was strange but he
could still see and hear what was happening around him, though he lost the
ability to speak. The pain in his chest would grown and then diminish, and all
Elliot wanted to was for someone to hear him. “I’m hurt. Please
tell my father… I’m hurt…” The words repeated in his
head but all that the boy saw were the drops of blood that fell from
Elliot’s lips and pooled at the floor where he lay.
When the large blonde man
entered the room, the boy was shaking and trembling, pleading with his eyes for
him to help. “The gun went off… I don’t know what to do.
Please help him!”
“What did you
do?” He thundered, seeing Lansing’s son dying at their feet.
“You killed him!”
“It was an
accident…” The child yelled, nearly hysterical as the second
Gabriel slapped the gun from his hands and lifted him up by the arms in the
air. “Help me…” The boy whimpered, his face washed over in
tears as the man shook him harshly.
“You murder…
you’ve killed him!”
The crying only incensed
the man more as Elliot looked up at them with unfocused eyes, Gabriel - 2 reached around with his hand to hold
the small head while the child cried out louder, struggling against the death
grip. Just as quickly as the gun went off earlier, the snap of his neck sounded
in the small room as his body slumped against the man’s chest and his
arms fell limp to his sides. The madness in the man’s eyes was the last
thing the boy saw before his ten years ended in one single act.
Elliot saw but could not
move, he could not speak but was forced to watch the child murdered then
carelessly thrown from the window. A second scream sounded in the air and he
recognized that voice too. It was a scream of anguish as the other man howled
his pain at the dead child below. The second Gabriel bent down on one knee and
saw just the flicker of movement, the slight grimace in his face as he pulled a
phone from his belt and called for help. Placing two fingers at Elliot’s
neck, he found a weak but steady pulse and let out a huge sigh then smiled down
at him.
“So he didn’t kill you… I guess I was wrong.” He told him, before the world turn black.
Stephanie approached him warily, stopping just a foot away as she places her hand on his shoulder and he turns to her. At first he thinks he must be imagining that she is here with and all Elliot could do was look knowing he was just dreaming her. But as the seconds tick by, she remains with him, at his side, the smell of her perfume tickling his nose and the soft glow of her eyes staring intently at him.
“Stephanie?” The question lingers on his tongue while her name rolls from his lips and fills that space that separates them.
Nodding her head at him, she moves even closer and gently cups one cheek. “What happened? Did you fall and hurt yourself?”
His first reaction was to smile at the innocence of her question. Standing there in the dimly lit room, she seemed to glow, the radiance of her youth lighting the darkness that had controlled the room. How could he tell her what he remembered, that he lived through a nightmare only to wake and discover it was still inside of him.
“Can you stand?” She asked again, pulling at his arms to help him up. Getting to his feet, he let her take him over to the bed, his bed as they sat down side by side and she touched her hand to his face again, warming him, letting him feel a life outside his own. “Please tell me what happened? Let me help you.”
The swift change in his eyes nearly made her gasp aloud, for within the deep depths, she found a sadness so consuming, it brought tears to her heart. “This room… this room was mine when I first came to live here. I didn’t remember that… until today.”
She couldn’t understand why he would be so affected in recalling that. There was nothing significant about the bedchamber and apart from the metal, framed bed they sat on, it was as nice and inviting as a bedroom could be. “It’s a nice room, but… why would you feel strange about remembering it.”
“It’s not the room.” He told her, as the memories still played inside him, this time with his mother here, telling him to forget for now, making him forget. “I was brought here when I was twelve… to recover from an accident.”
“I’m sorry… I didn’t know. What kind of accident?”
He didn’t face her, he didn’t want to see the look on her face when she would learn that in order for him to live, someone had to die. “I was shot, here…” He said, placing a hand over his heart. “…And I needed to have a new heart because mine was dying.”
“Oh my God! Someone tried to kill you?” Her face grew deathly white and he felt her move a little away from him, making a larger gap of space between them.
“No. It was an accident, he was playing with the gun and it went off.”
“Who Elliot? Who was he?”
Glancing down at the floor first, he saw a thick coating of dust just at the feet. Several smudges were on his trousers too, marking the area around his knees especially in white, cloudy patches. For a moment, he almost said the boy’s name then realized, he was too afraid to say it.
Stephanie softly touched a hand to his, as he turned to her. “Elliot? Who shot you?”
“He was John Black’s son.”
Her lips parted, the surprise and shock rampant on her face. For a long moment she just stared at him, unwilling to believe what he told her. Stephanie knew the man was searching for his son, that he had even gone to England to find his whereabouts and now Elliot tells her this. She didn’t want to believe, but she saw the truth in his eyes and it frightened her more.
“What was… why was he with you? I don’t understand… how did you end up being with him? Does John know his son almost killed you? Where is he then? Still in England? You have to tell John… you have to let him know where to find his son.”
“He’s dead Stephanie… he died that same day.”
“What! What are you saying… you just said he shot you… and now he’s dead?”
“I was twelve when he showed up at my home. Father wanted me to watch him for a few hours… keep him company while he attended to some business. We had gone to the tree house and he showed me something he had taken from… it was a gun he had hidden under his shirt.”
“Wait… how did he get to your home?”
Wrinkling his brow, Elliot thinks back on the man his father had been arguing with in his study. It was the same man in the picture that her Uncle Jack had found later. The boy looked to be about the same age in the picture as when he showed up at his home. When they were in London a month ago, he saw the man again, with lacerations around his neck, his face a mixture of blue and gray in pallor. Drew Donovan was found dead in his prison cell by the time John Black had arrived to speak with him. All he could do then was identify the body.
“It was Drew Donovan, he brought him there.”
“Drew? Are you sure?”
“Yes! I saw his corpse again in London last month. Your father identified his body too.”
Getting to her feet she took a few steps away from him, her back to his front as she looked away, trying to take in all that he was telling her. Elliot could feel her distancing herself from him and he made no attempt to stop her.
“He had wanted to show off the gun he… borrowed, but we started fighting over it when I heard someone coming. I didn’t want to get caught. Before I knew it the gun went off and I fell to the floor, a hole in my chest.”
“But what happened to him? How did he die?”
The face of the second
Gabriel filled his thought and he closed his eyes against him. The image
stayed, taking root, letting him relive the helpless screams again and again as
he closed his hand against his eyes, pushing hard to stop seeing his memory.
“Elliot?”
“It was his heart Stephanie! It was his heart that was given to me!” He stood up and roughly pulled at his shirt with several button flying revealing the long thin scar on his chest, dulled and healed by time and age. “This is his heart… this is his…”
He couldn’t go on, the lump at his throat nearly threatened to cut off the air he was desperately trying to breathe in. Stephanie hesitated only a brief moment before running to him and wrapping her arms around his neck, drawing him closer to her. At first he let her hold him, his arms hanging loosely at his sides, but the feel of her, the smell, the warmth she offered was too much to resist and he placed his own arms about her waist and back, keeping her secure in his embrace.
They stayed that way, nearly motionless for several long minutes. Neither spoke, unwilling to break the quiet, but content to just be present, enjoying the closeness between them. When Stephanie moved her cheek against his, Elliot nearly pulled away, not expecting the subtle gesture. Her skin was soft and gentle and he felt himself tremble slightly at her nearness. She turned some more until her lips just brushed at his. Holding his breath, he saw that hers was paused and waiting as he slowly moved towards her and took her mouth in a soft, yearning kiss.
His lips were feathery light at first then grew more insistent. Getting on tiptoes, Stephanie leaned further into his embrace as their lips met again and she thrilled to the sensation of losing herself within his arms. She tightened her arms around his neck while he bent lower, fitting her against his hard length, pressing his arms against her lower back, while using his other hand to hold her head steady. Elliot was lost to all other thoughts and feelings other than having the woman in his arms, who was making his heartbeat out of control. He found that he didn’t want to stop kissing her, he couldn’t, as Stephanie softly sighed and he crushed her to him.
**********
While Kayla sat worried on the couch, Steve finally got a hold of Bo and Roman asking them to post a look out for Stephanie’s whereabouts. “Just do it.” He told them. “We’re not really sure if she’s in any kind of trouble… but it would ease Kayla’s worries.”
Bo didn’t like hearing the news at all but readily agreed while Roman made the call. “Steve, man, if he’s threatened Kay…”
“He won’t touch them… yet…” As soon as he said the words, he regretted it instantly as Kayla stood and walked over to him. Steve had seen how her eyes widened when he said the word, yet.
“You better be right about this! If he’s as crazy as you say he is… he might have taken her?”
“Bo… “ He cut his brother-in-law off. “…If he had her when we talked… he would have shown me some proof. But I don’t doubt he won’t stop from trying to get at her if he can’t get his way.
“All right. Now you’re sure the last time anyone saw Stephanie was after lunch? What’s that around one?
“Abby said Stephanie dropped her off about half past one, maybe a little later.”
“Okay… that only about 3 hours. We’ll get right on it….” Before he could continue, the sound of Roman’s voice in the background interrupted them. “…Look Steve, some thing has come up here and I’ve got to go?”
“What? Is it about Stephanie?”
“No! It’s another body… another prostitute over at the mall. This one was placed in a dumpster. Looks like our killer has struck again.”
“Well look who decided to show up here? What? Finally going to join me in some fun.” The man laughed wildly as the beaten woman turned her battered face towards him, he cracked, bloody lips gesturing a plea for help. Gabriel – 2 had her pinned down, her small limbs nearly black and blue from the hits he had given early. She was already dying as he continued to have his way with her.
“Hello? Steve. Are you still there?” Bo’s loud voice brought him back as Kayla stared at him hard seeing his face whiten and grow ashen.
“What’s the matter? Did Bo say something about Stephanie?”
Steve forced a twisted smile on his face as he shook his head. “No baby! It’s about a murder case we’re working on.” His answer was swift, hoping to deflect her interest, while she nodded and turned to sit back down. Placing the phone back at his ear, Steve could still hear Bo calling for him.
“Steve! Steve!”
“Sorry, I’m here.”
“Look… Roman wants me over there now, so I’ve got to go… but I’ll call you as soon as we get word about Stephanie…”
“Bo!” He said, interrupting him again. The memory replayed itself while he gripped the phone tightly and turned his head, not wanting Kayla to see the tears in his eye. The sounds of her screams pounded against him, threatening to burst out, threatening to pull him in so he could see her torment again. “I know who the murderer is.”
“Huh? What the hell are you saying, man?”
Saying the words as calmly as he could, Steve spoke in such a solid monotone voice, it was as though all his emotions had left him. “It’s Gabriel – 2.”
“Look… Steve if this is some kind of joke…”
“I know it’s him Bo. It fits… the time frame and the MO?”
“Wait a minute… you know he’s done this before?”
“I remember… now.” Now. Now. Now. The single word kept repeating itself as the memory came rushing back at him and he looked around the room trying to find something else to see but the images that were forming in his thoughts. She was everywhere, dying, yelling, suffering at his hands, while he did nothing to save her. Save Her. I didn’t save her. “When he’s dead… the killings will stop.”
“You just leave that for the ISA… you hear me. I’ve already contacted them and they’re on their way here. Shouldn’t take more than a few more hours, then we can get that son of a…”
“I’ve got to go Bo… Kayla wants… needs me right now…” He kept up the false speech and looked over to where his wife sat. The expression he wore on his face was calm and collected, but inside, he saw the nightmare tearing all his emotions apart as he stood at the side just watching. Watching.
“Right! You take care of my sister and I’ll call you when I get some word.”
When he hung up the phone, Steve remained standing, but swayed at his fit, nearly losing his balance that he had to reach for the table to hold himself steady. He had been fortunate that Kayla saw now of it when she stood and mentioned getting some tea.
“That sounds good, Sweetness.” Offering her another forced smile, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before disappearing into the kitchen. His head twisted around quickly as the sharpest memory caught him by surprise and launched a full pledged attack. As though it had been holding back, it could no longer keep still and struck at him, it’s cries, it’s torments, it’s plea’s all forcing Steve to take them in and see what he made himself forget. They had languished in silence long enough, they had wallowed in pain long enough.
When he came upon the group, the three had holed up in one of the stone rooms. The looks they came him instantly made him worry for they eyed him daringly, inciting a response they knew he would follow up on. The cries were broken and weak, sounding far away that he almost dismissed them. The two at the door gave each other a quick look while he rushed passed them and saw the battering of her body, the torment inflicting of her by him. It made his blood boil, the anger swiftly rising that he threw caution away and made a move to stop him. The hands that held him back did, so, not to save her, but to save him.
“Well… look who decided to show up here. What? Finally going to join me in some fun.”
He laughed wildly as he
pinned the small woman beneath him. Her face was no longer recognizable as he
inflicted the brute force of his strength on her helpless body. The bruises at
her cheek, now darkening while dried blood darkened her lips and fresh drops
still dropped from the opening at her nose. There was no strength left in her
limbs as they lay useless and broken at her sides. Her head had been turned
towards him, her eyes glassy and unfocused while Gabriel – 2 took his
pleasure from her, unmindful that she no longer fought him or felt the pain he
was giving.
All he could see was the
slight movement at her mouth, there, the flesh torn and bloody from the strikes
she received earlier could not conceal the plea the last effort she made to
him. “Help me.” The words formed soundlessly and he stood,
transfixed watching her life slowly leave her body as she was turned over and
abused again. He thought he could feel her pain from where he stood, he could
practically taste it on his skin., But when he turned, it was to find one of
the other men, gripping his arm fiercely, preventing him from moving and
stopping her murder.
“He’ll kill
you if you try and stop him.” The dark voice just barely whispered the
words and he looked back in horror at what they had asked of him.
“He’s killing
her!” He screamed at them, his mouth stretched out and pulled taunt.
“She’s already
dead… Gabriel – 3. She
died the minute he found her.” They tried pushing him out the door as he
fell slightly and twisted himself around, getting back to his feet. He heard
her again, crying one last time followed by his hollow laugh. Gabriel- 3
couldn’t make himself move, to try again to pass the other two. They
stood as sentries at the doorway, choosing to save his life rather than hers.
“Don’t you
care? Don’t you care about her? That he’s killing her?”
One of them just turned
his head, looking away, dismissing him in one single act. The other stood and
looked him squarely in the face, almost pitying him for his rant. “Would
it matter if I did?”
“It would… if
you had a heart left.”
The man merely smiled back
and shook his head at him. “You worry over inconsequential matters.
It’s best you consider yourself… you won’t survive if you
keep losing your focus… and goals.”
“My goals! Of
what?” He nearly laughed himself and took a few steps until he was just a
foot away. “…Becoming like you… like him?”
“Of staying
alive… Gabriel. That’s all we’re supposed to do… just
stay alive.”
“You’re not
alive when you’re dead inside…, when you’re nothing, no
one.”
“We’re angels
Gabriel… we’re avenging angels.”
“No… no, we’re not.” For a moment he thought he heard her again, but it was only his harsh laughter. In that moment he felt his heart start to turn to stone, to become as deathly cold and still as theirs and he stopped it before it could go any further. He fought against them, he fought against their blackness. “I’m not like you. I’m still alive… I’m still human.”