I don't own anything.
~~~
Til the End
Prologue
Somewhere over the Atlantic
March 23, 2010
From thousands of feet up the world looked so peaceful, but she knew different. In her twenty-six years Chloe Lane Black had seen a lot of things, some of them good, but most were bad. She shook off the bad memories that began to descend and tried to focus on the positive.
She was a successful opera star, with family and friends. The latter part being the reason she was on the Lear Jet speeding toward Salem. In two days Mackenzie Red Wolf would celebrate her 30th birthday, and Chloe and the rest of her family would help her celebrate, after all this year Mac would need all the help she could get to get through the this week.
Mac's Dojo
Mac was tired, but she keeps going, the bag wouldn't break if she stopped, and she wanted the bag broken.
So she continued, punch after punch and kick after kick, the gloves on her hands had given up long ago, but she keep going.
Stopping made her think of it, and she couldn't. In 29 years she had seen many die, most at her own hands, but his death plagued her mind constantly.
With a tiny pop the bag breaks open letting loose the sand and gravel packed inside, and she was forced to stop, at least until she got another bag up, and that at least would take five minutes the replacement bags were in the cellar. Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge by desk she makes her way toward the cellar door. She grabbed another heavy bag, and made a mental note to reorder another gross, before she ran out.
She was setting it up when the plaque caught her eye, and the bag just dropped to the ground.
Flashback March 27, 2006Mac's SUV
BEEP! BEEP!
Mac looked at the car phone and saw the display light up. She takes her hand off the steering wheel and hits the send button on the phone.
"Red Wolf."
"O'Neil." Mac doesn't even try to hide the smile that lights her face when the caller's identity is revealed.
"I'm on my way, keep your pants on."
"Do you mean till we meet there, or the whole night?"
"Let's say till I get there, and what do you mean when we mean there, aren't you at the flat?" Mac knew that O'Neil disliked being late more then she did, and couldn't imagine what would make him late.
"I had an errand to run, and it ran late, but I am three minutes away, how bout you?"
"I'm about ten, they was traffic on Main."
" Cool, I'll be waiting, I love you."
"Ditto."
O'Neil laughter filled the car from the speaker. " One day you are going to say it."
"Maybe."
"Watch one day you'll…" The sound of his voice was cut off by a loud noise that sounded like crunching metal, and screams of pain.
"Patrick… PATRICK… PATRICK!!!!!" Mac pulled over to the side of the road, cuts the engine, and picks up the phone. "PATRICK, GOD DAMN IT ONEIL ANSWER ME!!!"
Flashback Over
She called for several minutes, but he never answered her, because dead men don't talk. Mac ignores the searing pain in her foot from the heavy hag, walks to the plaque, and gently touches it with her finger.
The gold plated plaque was simple like O'Neil himself was. A simple shamrock like Patrick's tattoo, was centered in the middle of the small square, right above the his name.
Patrick Michael O'Neil
1978-2006
Hero Til The End.
"I love you too." As the familiar pain begins to settle over her heart, Mac forgets her thoughts of continuing her training, and starts for the stairs. She doesn't even bother to turn off the lights or lock up; sleep is the only thing will help.