The Christmas Gift

Chapter 9

by Alias

e-mail: [email protected]

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Disclaimer: Already covered that.

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Sarah cautiously watched the two men who had literally dragged her off

the street. It had been at least six hours, and she had no idea where

they were taking her. At first, she had assumed that Cates had hired

them, and that they would take her to him, but they weren't going in

the right direction. She had asked them, but hadn't gotten an answer.

So now, here she was, just sitting near the small fire, wishing that it

could provide more warmth, as they sat a few feet away, talking

quietly. After a while, she realize that she was the topic of

discussion.

"Ain't gonna make no difference, boss is gonna pay you, no matter what

condition she's in."

"Damaged goods aren't worth as much, Blaine."

She felt the one called Blaine's eyes examining her body, and couldn't

stop her face from turning crimson, or stop the cold fear that suddenly

gripped her.

"What he don't know Ain't gonna hurt him." He said, rising. The other

man laid a restraining hand on his shoulder, but it was shrugged off as

he advanced towards Sarah.

She quickly rose to her feet and began to back up, but he reached her

before she could get very far and grabbed her arm.

"Let go of me!" she cried out as she struggled to free her arm. All

it got her, however, was to be savagely pulled into his arms and have

cruel lips press down on her own. Unlike Chris' kiss, Blaine's

disgusted her, and it was all she could do to keep from throwing up.

She settled for biting his lip hard enough to draw blood.. He pulled

back with a vicious curse and hit her hard enough to send her sprawling

to the ground.

"Shit Blaine!" "

What's wrong with you? Ain't like she didn't deserve it."

"You don't go around hitting women, it Ain't right."

"And kidnaping them is?" Blaine sneered at his companion. "Besides,

Ain't like she hasn't put out for that gunman of hers, if that lil

display in town meant anything."

"Actually," A hard, new voice interjected. "She hasn't."

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Chris put a bullet into the man's left kneecap less than a second after

he made hastened Kyle's expression known, as Kyle watched the other man,

who hadn't moved, except to raise his hands.

Without thinking, Chris rushed to Sarah's side, kicking Blaine's gun

away from his straining fingers as he scooped Sarah up and carried her

over to the fire, where he could look at her better. She was

shivering, and he shrugged out of his jacket and wrapped it around her,

even though he knew that it wasn't the cold that was making her shiver.

"Are you all right?" She nodded hesitantly. "Did they I mean, did

he"

"No. No, you got here in time." Thank god. When he had seen her on

the ground like that, with that bastard looming over her he hadn't

known if he was only now trying to rape her, or if but it didn't matter

now, she was safe.

"Come on." He said as comfortingly as he could, "Let's get you"

"Get down!!" Something hit him from behind, knocking him into Sarah

and both of them over at the same moment a gunshot went off from the

direction of the man Chris had wounded.

He automatically shielded Sarah and fired off a bullet of his own.

Glancing up, he realized that the wounded man had gotten a gun from

somewhere and most likely his boot and had shot at Chris. His own bullet

had connected a gut shot.

The other man had started from his spot, but then stopped.

And Kyle

"Dear Lord in heaven." Chris shoved his gun into Sarah's hand,

muttering something about watching the two men, as he pulled her into a

sitting position and scrambled as quickly as he childhood bothering to

get up to where Kyle had fallen, just a few feet away. A brief glance

told him that it was a gut shot.

"Kyle"

"Yeah boy, I know. So, you gonna take care of this for me?"

"What?"

"Don't let me die like this boy. You have no idea how goddamn much it

hurts."

"I......I can't."

"Why the hell not? Kyle almost shouted, pain wracking his face.

"You're my" Chris didn't know how to finish the sentence. Friend

wasn't enough could never be enough for what Kyle was to him. And

partner, well, what they had had never been a partnership.

"I'M your what boy? Your father?" He laughed at Chris's shocked

expression. It was the word he'd been looking for, but it was also a

word he hated.

"It's truth boy. Neither of us expected it. We sure as hell didn't want

it, but it happened. Guess that's the way love works." Chris followed

Kyle's gaze to Sarah. "So I'm asking you boy, as your father, finish

it."

Chris rose and went back to Sarah. She had gotten the uninjured man to

move to beside his partner, who was moaning in pain.

Chris knelt down beside her and gently closed one of his hands over her

own, taking the gun with the other.

"That that's a gut shot, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"And it will take a long time for him to die, won't it?"

"Yes, it will."

"What what about Kyle?"

"Same." He pointed to the rocks behind which he and Kyle had left

their horses. "Horses are over there, go and wait for me."

"What are you going to do?"

"Take care of things."

"How?"

"Go." She didn't move. "I promise, I won't let him die like that."

She glanced at the man who had shot Kyle. "Don't worry about him, go."

Reluctantly, casting glances over her shoulder the whole way, she

went, and Chris went back to Kyle.

"Listen, I need you to do something for me, boy."

"Anything."

"Give my little girl her toys. And tell her tell her that, even though

she can't see me, that her daddy's there. Always. And tell her tell

her I love her."

"I will."

"Ellieà"

"I know." Chris put his gun to KyleÆs temple. "Goodbyeàfather." And

he pulled the trigger. After a moment, he realized that KyleÆs green

eyes were still open, and closed them. The next thing he realized was

that the wetness on his face was his own tears.

He steeled himself, and rose to face Sarah's kidnappers. The uninjured

man quickly rose and backed away.

"Listen Mister, I never wanted none of this. Didn't wanna hurt the

lady tried to stop Blaine, but he wouldn't listen. And that I never

would of"

"Shut up. Just shut up." The man instantly complied. "Who hired

you?"

"C-Cates."

"Good. You go back to your boss, and you tell him you tell him that

Chris Larabee is coming, and that if I have to, I'll hunt him to the

ends of the Earth. You tell him that."

The man started to go, but stopped and glanced at his companion, who

was lucid enough to realize he was being abandoned, and was reaching

his hand towards his partner. Chris cocked his gun, and the man left.

Chris waited a moment, and then crossed over to the dying man, picking

up the gun that had shot Kyle, and began to take the bullets out.

"No please promise her"

Chris spun the chamber and set the gun down a full foot from the man's

reach.

"One bullet left. Use it, if you can."

And then he left to cover his father's body.