XXEricXX
I moved without thinking, my body and mind seemed to react instinctively. I threw myself forward and grabbed the thin body in front of me, succeeding in tackling them. I used all my weight to push them to the ground with me and our bodies fell like a rock together. We hit the floor hard, but I ignored the pain in my shoulder as I quickly covered their body with my own, protecting them from the glass shards that had sprayed after the impact from the bullet. The shards cut at the skin on my arms and I could hear the beakers of chemicals from the lab table falling and smashing on the floor.
There was pain and what felt like blood, all surrounding my right shoulder. I had landed on it during my fall and it had become partially numb, making it extremely difficult to assess any damage. Even so, I was positive that a bullet had impacted somewhere in that area.
"Eric..." The voice came from underneath me, strained and extremely familiar. But no matter how much I wanted to feel relieved, I couldn't be, because there was something about that voice that didn't sound right. I tried to push back the bad feeling, but somehow it wouldn't leave me.
"Are you okay, Rya...?" My voice trailed off when I looked down at the body underneath me. A lump suddenly rose up in my throat and I felt as though I might throw up. Because that wasn't Ryan under me. I didn't see his soft, chocolate locks or his bright, greeny hazel eyes. When I looked down I saw glowing blonde hair and soft eyes of blue. Dread was building up inside of me, churning at my insides like there was a meat-grinder inside of my body.
I hadn't protected Ryan, I had protected Calleigh.
Where's Ryan?
I pushed myself off of Calleigh as best I could with my still injured arm, almost falling right back on top of her. I ignored the pain that moving brought because if I had been hurt this badly, what about Ryan? My mind kept going back to the image of the younger CSI, pale and motionless on a table in the morgue.
"Eric, your arm." Calleigh was right beside me now, hands poking and prodding at my injury. I felt the overpowering need to smack her hand away and tell her to screw off, but something in the back of my mind was keeping me from doing this. It wasn't her fault, she was just trying to help. She hadn't shot the bullet and she hadn't forced me to protect her. I should just be happy she was safe.
"Eric, you've been shot!" Calleigh sounded panicked and she brushed her fingers over my wound to emphasize her point. I cringed from the pain and moved away from her before she could touch me again. Okay, I knew I had to see a doctor soon, but I couldn't just go when Ryan was still missing. He could be hurt!
"Where is he?" I breathed, leaning my back against the lab table and willing the pain to go away. Why did speaking hurt so much?
"Who?" Calleigh asked dumbly, once again giving me that overpowering need to smack her. I refrained from it, though, telling myself that she was still a little startled from the whole experience of being shot at. Even so, I couldn't hold back the glare that was directed towards her. Who the hell did she think I was talking about? There was only one other person in the lab, the person I had confessed my love to just moments ago.
Don't yell at her, Delko. Juts find Ryan.
Calleigh was grabbing my arm again, immediately going back to surveying my injury even though I had just asked her an important question. What was she not understanding about this situation? Ryan was missing, which meant he was in danger! I had promised that no matter what, I would protect him with my life!
"Ryan!" I called out, succeeding in completely ignoring her. My voice sounded more like a panicked moan and I was too worried about my partner to really care about my pride. I twisted my head in any and every direction I could, hoping to catch just a glimpse of him. I just wanted to see him, to know he was okay, but I couldn't see him anywhere.
"Eric!" I spun around from the new voice that had entered the conversation, recognizing the orange hair and cerulean eyes as the man quickly entered the room. Horatio had his gun drawn and was on high alert, his eyes darting from one side of the room to the other. He briefly took in the smashed beakers around the room, before his eyes landed on Calleigh and I on the floor.
"Eric!" He called to me again, not waiting for my response before he dropped to his knees beside me.
"Hey, H." I managed a short weak smile before my energy seemed to fade. Even smiling was hard and that was never a good sign.
"We called an ambulance, Eric." Horatio assured me and laid his hand on my shoulder in that supportive way that probably made him one of my best friends. I nodded slightly and looked at the floor, willing my mind to block out the pain so I could focus on finding Ryan.
"What happened?" I mumbled, rubbing my tired face as I tried to remember what had lead up to this situation. I remembered the shot going off, but what exactly had happened?
"One of the police officers shot at you." Horatio stated and I stared at him in disbelief. He looked ashamed and angry at the same time and I knew why. Cops weren't supposed to shoot at each other, they were supposed to work together to put criminals in jail. Horatio hated it when cops went against each other, it just wasn't right, and I agreed with him.
"Why?" I managed to choke out, not wanting to believe that someone I work with could have tried to kill us.
Horatio shook his head and looked at the ground for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully, "I don't know, Eric. But we got him and we are going to find out."
I watched Horatio's expression for a moment, still finding it hard to believe what he was saying. But Horatio would never lie, especially with something like this. I just couldn't understand why someone would do that. Why someone would try to kill us for no reason in particular. And in the middle of the lab? Were they insane?
My mind went back to the pictures that had been sent to Ryan's house. Some of them were from inside the lab, which meant someone from the inside had helped. Did that mean cops were getting involved in this?
Dirty cops?
No, I couldn't think like that.
Ryan is missing and if the cops were helping, there's a good chance he's been kidnapped.
Kidnapped? No, he couldn't be gone, he just couldn't. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if they had taken him. It was my fault, I should have protected him better, and it was so stupid to grab Calleigh instead. I had failed him, again. A depressing feeling suddenly came over me and I felt as though the bullet had blown through my chest instead.
They were going to kill him.
And I couldn't stop it.
"Ryan!" I called out, hoping that he may answer me, but there was no response in return. I could feel my heart starting to break every second I thought about the younger man. What had happened to him? The bullet had hit me, so I knew he wasn't injured too badly, but that didn't mean much in this situation. The shooter had to have been there for a reason, a distraction maybe? I felt nauseas when I imagined what exactly the shooter could have been distracting us from.
Ryan.
"You have to find Ryan!" I was almost begging Horatio, grabbing a hold of his shirt like he was Ryan's only hope. He probably was, since I was useless in this situation. It was like I was back to years ago, when I had failed to be there for Ryan and he had been shot in the eye with a nail. That was all my fault, I hadn't protected him, just like I hadn't protected him now. If I had just grabbed him instead of Calleigh, he would be safe and sound in my arms at this very moment.
"When did you last see Mr. Wolfe?" Horatio asked me, pulling me out of my depressing thoughts. I shook my head and tried to clear my head so I could think straight.
"He was here just before we were shot at, but now he's gone." Calleigh answered for me as she started to stand up, the concern evident in not only her face but her voice.
Her words felt like an explosion inside of my body, as though everything inside of me was knotting together and no one else could feel it.
Gone.
Ryan was gone and it was all my fault. I would never see him again.
Shut up, Delko! You know better than that!
That's right, I couldn't give up just yet. This was Ryan Wolfe we were talking about. The man who never gave up on anything. He wasn't going to let in so easily, he wouldn't let them kill him so soon. He was strong, he would fight them off. He was probably fine, somewhere in the lab trying to figure out what the hell happened.
He's okay, just breathe.
Horatio's hand on my good shoulder broke me out of my thoughts and I turned to look at him. He was looking out the glass walls of the lab and I followed his gaze, my heart dropping when I realized what I was looking at. Paramedics, dragging a stretcher behind them. That horrible feeling was back inside of me again and I tried to move away from Horatio. He gripped my shoulder tighter and looked at me with a sad and sympathetic smile.
Did he not understand? I couldn't go to the hospital right now when Ryan was still missing! I needed to find him, to know he was safe and not hurt, then I would go get help. I wouldn't leave Ryan all alone when he could be in trouble.
"I can't..." I breathed and met Horatio's blue eyes, silently begging him not to make me do this. I would never forgive myself if I lost my best friend just because I had been selfish and had wanted the pain to end.
H shook his head in response and patted my shoulder lightly, "You won't be very useful if you have a bullet in your arm. You need to go, Eric. Please."
I stared at him in disbelief and turned back towards the glass doors just in time to see the paramedics throw it open and rush into the room.
"You're going, Eric." Calleigh stated angrily, glaring at me and my stubbornness. I was instantly reminded of Ryan, the way he always got mad at me when I put my life in danger, and I realized that I couldn't win this fight. They were right, I had to go to the hospital or I would be useless to everyone else.
To Ryan.
He's safe, go to the hospital.
I nodded in a silent promise to go to the hospital and Calleigh nodded in return, the smallest smile I've ever seen touched her face. She was obviously worried about Ryan's absence and I empathized with her. If something happened to Ryan, there would be hell to pay. I wasn't afraid to kill anyone who got in my way, that's a promise.
I could feel the paramedics loading me onto the stretcher and touching my injured shoulder, causing me to cry out in pain. The numbness was starting to go away and that only left pain remaining. I never knew my injury was this bad, but now I knew that I needed a doctor for sure. There was blood, so much blood, that I hadn't noticed before. Was it bleeding again, or was it always this bad?
I just wanted them to stop touching me, I just wanted Ryan's soft touch. I couldn't take this pain anymore, it was as though everything in me was turning into stone.
"Ryan." I breathed, looking around again and hoping against everything to see him. But he wasn't there and the realization caused another wave of nausea.
I felt like even though I couldn't see him, I was being taken away from the person that I needed the most right now. I wanted to fight against them, to just jump off this damn stretcher and find my boyfriend, but I was too weak and they had successfully strapped me down. It was as though Ryan was getting farther and farther away from me and the absence of his presence made the pain worsen.
"Ryan!" I called to him again, hoping he would come to me and I wouldn't have to be in the hospital alone again. But he wasn't there. The person following was not Ryan, but Horatio and Calleigh.
Why was this happening? I felt as though I was a prisoner of my own emotions. I just wanted to go to Ryan, just to make sure he was alright. So why did it seem like such an absurd thing?
"Ryan!" I called once more, but Calleigh touched my forehead comfortingly to stop my yelling.
"Its okay, Eric." She told me softly, her eyes so truthful that I immediately believed her, "You'll be okay."
"Ryan." Was my only response.
"We'll find him." Horatio promised me, his eyes just as truthful as hers, "Don't worry."
I focused on the little comfort their words gave me and closed my eyes again, willing away the pain that was vibrating throughout my entire being. He was safe, he just had to be. I couldn't live without him, I needed him with me, always.
It's all my fault.
"If something happens to me, I want you to know it's not your fault."
Ryan.
XXRyanXX
I spun around in surprise, catching a glimpse of the shooter before I threw myself behind one of the lab tables. On the other side of the room, I could see Eric and Calleigh land hard on the ground together and I felt relieved to know that Eric had protected Calleigh. If something happened to either of them, I'm sure I would die.
I spun around again, peering over top of the lab table and caught a second glimpse of the shooter. Was that a uniform on him? Why the hell was a cop shooting at us?
I pushed back the questions when I realized that he had his gun still pointing at Eric and Calleigh. They were still on the ground together and I had this horrible feeling that they were going to get shot. I couldn't let them get shot, I had to stop him. If something happened to them, I don't know what I would do.
Especially if I lost Eric.
I'll protect you, Eric.
I grabbed the edge of the lab table and pulled myself up into a crouch. The shooter didn't seem to notice me and I watched him carefully as I moved closer to the exit. I wish I had my gun on me, this would be a lot easier, but I had been working in the lab at the time of the shooting. I always lock up my gun when I was in the lab, it wasn't safe to be carrying a loaded weapon around the whole building. Then again, now I knew that it was dangerous not to have one.
The shooter was watching Calleigh and Eric carefully and this gave me a chance to finally analyze his face. It was officer Roberts. We used to work on Patrol together, before I had become a CSI. We used to be good friends, what the hell was he doing shooting at us? Didn't he know he was going to get caught? I knew he had a daughter, so why would he risk losing her over something like this?
"Roberts!" I yelled at him, sprinting towards him at full speed. He turned towards me, but not fast enough because I took a swing and smacked his arm. He lost grip of his gun and it flew out of his hand, skittering across the hallway floor before it lost momentum and skidded to a stop. Roberts took one look at me, then suddenly dove for the gun. I jumped on him and grabbed a hold of his arm, spinning him into a painful arm lock.
"What the hell, Wolfe!" He screamed at me as I shoved him against the ground, his face smacking against the hard flooring. He struggled under me, but it was useless. He was a cop, so he knew that he couldn't get out of my grasp. "Get off me!"
"Get off of you?" I growled at him, twisting his arm a little bit more, causing him to cry out from the pain. I felt my blood boiling as I restrained someone who used to be considered one of my friends. "You shot at us!"
He shook his head at me and tried once more to break free, failing once again. "You don't understand." He insisted, the anger starting to leave his body as he admitted defeat, "I had to. They were going to..." He trailed off mid-sentence and I recognized sadness in his eyes.
"Someone made you do this?" I breathed, unconsciously loosening my grip on his arm, "Who?"
"I can't." Roberts whispered and looked away from me with grief in his eyes. I unlocked his arm and just stared at him, trying to figure this whole thing out. He had shot at us because someone had obviously blackmailed him. It wasn't his fault, he needed to know that.
"We can help, Roberts." I insisted and I hoped he would listen to me, to trust me after all these years we've known each other, "We can give you protection, you just have to tell me who made you do this."
"It's not that easy."
My eyes widened in surprise and suddenly he flipped over, causing my body to fall off of his. He threw himself forward, grabbing for his fallen gun. I jumped at him and shoved him aside, reaching for the gun myself. But he was back on top of me and grabbed the front of my shirt, throwing me down to the floor. My back connected with the ground and the air blew out of my lungs. I caught my breath quickly and immediately lunged for him again, desperate to keep him away from that gun.
I was thrown back as his fist flew forward, connecting with my right cheek. I landed on the ground again, but didn't stay there long. I forced myself back up onto my feet, just in time for him to stand up too. He had the gun drawn again, pointing it at my head with the full intention of shooting me.
"Don't do it, Roberts." I warned him and raised my hand to calm him. This only agitated him more and his finger went to the gun's trigger, "Shooting me is a mistake."
"I have to." He insisted.
I shook my head and attempted a comforting smile, anything to calm him down for just a moment, "You have a daughter, remember? She needs you, Roberts. If you shoot me, they'll throw you in jail. Do you really want to be separated from her?"
Roberts hesitated for a moment before he shook his head and pointed the gun back at me again, "You have to die."
"No, I don't." I protested, "I can help you, just let me help you." I was getting desperate as I felt my death close by. One slip of the finger and this guy could easily blow my head off. I just wanted this to end, so I could get him locked up and go to Eric's side, to make sure my boyfriend was okay.
Eric, you better be okay.
"Let me help, Roberts."
I felt my heart drop when he shook his head again, his finger twitching on the trigger indicating he was ready to kill me.
"I'm sorry, Wolfe."
"No, don-" I was cut off abruptly when something came to my mouth. I flinched in return and tried to move away from it, but it was pressed to my mouth so hard that it hurt. There was someone behind me, pulling me into a headlock while they held the cloth up to my mouth. I fought against them, trying to pull their arm away from my neck, but the grip only tightened. I looked up in fear at Roberts, who remained standing in that spot and just watching. I begged him with my eyes to help, but he remained standing there with his gun still aimed at me.
I could smell something on the cloth, something sweet. What was that? Chloroform? Were they trying to kidnap me?
The thought caused panic throughout my body and I started fighting against their grasp. I flailed like a fish out of water, uselessly trying to get myself free. I kicked and screamed, but my screams were too muffled from the cloth that I doubted anyone could hear me. My arms and legs refrained from connecting with their intended target and instead just waved around uselessly.
Everything was starting to spin. My vision blurred and I found myself fighting against my heavy eyelids, trying to stop them from closing over my cloudy eyes. I couldn't lose this battle because if I did, I knew that I was done for. I had to fight, I had to remain conscious. But it was too hard, my limbs felt like weights and my vision was blackening at the edges. Even breathing was getting harder and harder every time.
Eric! I tried to scream his name, but the word was lost on my tongue. It was as though I couldn't speak and that scared me to death. I couldn't lose, I couldn't lose.
My attacker pulled me back slightly, to where I don't know. All I knew was that he was dragging my legs across the floor and things were starting to get darker. I couldn't see anything anymore, my eyelids were too heavy to keep open and I closed them in defeat.
The cloth was pulled away from my mouth and I took a small amount of fresh air into my burning lungs. My whole body felt too weak to keep myself up and I was falling all over my attacker, leaving my body in his complete control. The thought made my skin crawl and I shivered when I imagined what this person could do to me when I was unconscious.
"He's not going to kill you, Hermoso. I'll protect you, just stay with me."
"Eric." I whimpered through my daze, hoping to any and every god, that Eric was somewhere close by. He would come for me, to protect me like he always did. Eric would save me, I just had to stay awake.
"Shhhh." My attacker hushed into my ear, their breathe hot on my neck.
"Eric." I whimpered again, dreading filling my body as I felt the person pull their arms around me and hold me close.
"Don't worry," They whispered and touched my head, running their large hand through my chestnut hair. They leaned in close and I could hear them sniffing, their nose pushing into my head and smelling my hair.
"I've got you now." They pressed kiss to my forehead, a kiss that had my stomach churning, "Daddy's got you."
That's when I finally lost consciousness.
XXEricXX
Bright lights, almost white, blurred my vision. I tried to squint, to see anything else, but all I could see were those damn lights. There were noises I could hear that would probably be loud to other people, but to me they were just background noise. Because the only thing my ears could pick up was my own heartbeat, beeping loudly on the machine next to my bed. There was pain too, a pain in my shoulder that was slightly numbed. Controlled pain, that only meant one thing.
Hospital.
Someone was touching me, their hand warm against mine, squeezing it tightly. There were faces above me, too blurred for me to recognize, saying things that I didn't understand. They were talking to each other, but I just couldn't concentrate on their words to make any sense of it. My eyes were starting to adjust to that white light that was constantly blurring my vision.
I heard someone say my name, but I couldn't figure out what direction it was coming from. The people above me were still speaking, but that didn't matter. Because their faces weren't the one I wanted to see. I couldn't see those familiar green doe eyes, those chocolate brown locks and that soft smile.
I couldn't see Ryan.
"Ry..." My voice sounded coarse and I suddenly realized that my throat was extremely dry. So dry, in fact, that it was starting to hurt like crazy. When had I hurt my throat?
"Eric, don't speak." Their voice was distorted and seemed so far away, but it was loud enough for me to decipher that a female had spoken. And even though it was hard to hear them, I couldn't help the feeling that I knew that voice. But it wasn't Ryan and, to tell the truth, thinking gave me a shooting headache that I doubted would go away any time soon.
And why the hell did my arm hurt so much?
I closed my eyes briefly to try and remember what had happened, ignoring the people around me when they asked if I was alright. I didn't answer because something inside my head was telling me to remember. Remember what, I don't know.
I remembered being beside Ryan and we were fighting...fighting with Calleigh. There was yelling and then...
"I love you too."
"Ryan..." I tried calling to him, but there was no response. Why wasn't he here? He was always there when I needed him, so where was he? He had to be there, I probably just couldn't see him.
I could remember a gunshot, then pain in my arm. Yelling and trying to find Ryan, holding my bloodied shoulder. I remember Horatio beside me and trying to comfort me through the bullet I had taken. Calleigh watching me, the worry evident on her face, as her eyes practically begged for us to find Ryan. But I was in so much pain and I couldn't get up.
Then the paramedics grabbed me and took me away on a stretcher. I tried to struggle, but something had calmed me down.
And I remember how I had hurt my throat now. I had been screaming, screaming for Ryan, because I was in so much pain and I needed him there.
"Ryan." I said again, despite my sore throat. I just needed to hear his voice, to know he was okay, because I refused to believe my partner was anything but fine.
"Eric." I recognized that voice again, the same female. They were in front of me now and I realized why I recognized them.
Calleigh.
I blinked a few times, concentrating on her face, just to make sure I was seeing things right. That was definitely Calleigh, I knew that for sure. She looked so worried, which I couldn't understand since I was perfectly fine. Her hand was holding on to mine in a comforting way and it made the pain lessen even a little.
"Where's Ryan?" I practically croaked and I knew I didn't sound like myself at all.
Calleigh's eyes widened for a moment in surprise, then she suddenly looked away. I watched her expression carefully as it went from surprised to a mix of grief and shame. I hated to see that look on Calleigh, she was always so full of light and happiness. This was such a big change for her that I knew something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong.
"Where is Ryan Wolfe?" I demanded hysterically, "Where's my boyfriend?"
"Eric..." I rubbed my eyes carefully and turned to the new voice on the other side of the bed. It was another woman, much younger, with blonde hair, an angelic faced and the eyes that were so similar to Ryan's. Eyes that were now bright red and filled tears, tears that dripped down her face almost endlessly.
"Jess?" My voice came out as a croak again and to be honest, I couldn't understand why she was so upset. Why everyone was so upset. I was fine, couldn't they see that? I had survived, they didn't need to be scared anymore.
Jessica took a moment to gaze into my eyes, then she suddenly lunged forward. Her face automatically buried into my chest and I allowed her to sob on top of me, still incredibly confused. I used my good arm to softly stroke her hair, the way I had just days ago.
When Ryan had been missing.
My heart suddenly sank into my stomach and I looked back at Calleigh, taking in her upset expression again.
It couldn't be, it just couldn't. I had gone to the hospital because I thought they would find him, that Ryan would be okay. But he wasn't here, and they were acting as though he had died.
No, he didn't die! Ryan can't die!
"Where is Ryan?" I breathed, staring at Calleigh and hoping for an answer. She looked back up at me and when she met my eyes, I could see all her guilt and regret inside her eyes. It wasn't right for her to feel this way, Ryan would never want her this upset. She couldn't blame herself for what happened...well, whatever did happen.
Calleigh took in a shaky breathe before she was able to answer, but her voice cracked in her response, "I don't know."
I sat up suddenly, bringing a wave of pain that felt much too familiar. Calleigh and Jessica both moved to try and push me down, but I ignored their attempts. "What do you mean, you don't know?" I growled, directing my glare at Calleigh and not Jess. I was selfishly blaming Calleigh for Ryan's disappearance, even though deep down I knew it wasn't her fault at all.
"He's gone." She whispered hoarsely, glaring at the ground instead of looking in my direction, "Those monsters took him."
"No," I growled, shaking my head in useless denial, "He can't be. He can't be."
Jess let out a strangled sob and was suddenly back on top of me, crying into my chest. I touched her softly, almost as if in a trance, rubbing her back as it heaved up and down from each rack of sobs. I closed my eyes and tried not to think about Ryan. I tried not to think about what they could be doing to him, at this very moment, while we sat around talking.
"I need to get out of here!" I panicked and pulled myself up, attempting to climb off of the hospital bed. Calleigh moved forward quickly and smacked her hands against my chest, pushing me back down onto the white bed.
"You have to stay here." She ordered angrily, but her eyes showed apology towards making me stay, "The doctors say you can't leave until tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? I can't wait until tomorrow!" I fought back at her, smacking her hands away from my chest, "Ryan needs us and I refuse to just sit around and wait for his body to show up!"
Jessica whimpered at my outburst and covered her face with her hands, making me ashamed of making her feel upset. I should have though before I said it, but I couldn't help it. It was the truth! Ryan could be out there dying somewhere while we were sitting here worrying over me!
Calleigh shook her head and glared at me in return, "I'll see what I can do, Eric, but I can't make any promises."
I nodded at her and pretending I was calm, even though I felt like I might jump out the hospital window if that's what it took to get to the missing CSI. I tried to keep my mind occupied, looking back at Jessica, but regretted it the moment I heard her pained sobs. Without thinking, I reached my hand out slowly and faintly touched her tear streaked face. Her bright green eyes met my dark amber ones and I managed a small smile at her, trying to comfort her in any way possible. She saw right through my smile and instead of smiling back, she just closed her eyes and took in a long breath.
"I'll find him, Jess." I promised her confidently, but even with all the confidence I somehow I couldn't believe myself. If I was just sitting here doing nothing, how was I supposed to find my boyfriend? It just wasn't fair, why the hell did I have to get shot? Why did I have to protect Calleigh instead of Ryan? I was such a horrible person that in the middle of danger, I hadn't even tried to protect my best friend.
"Ryan's strong." Calleigh whispered to me, grabbing my hand again to try and give me even a little comfort, "He'll fight through anything they throw at him."
"I know." I breathed, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. I wouldn't cry, I couldn't be weak when I needed to find Ryan. Strength gave me the upper hand in this situation and as long as I remained strong, I would beat those bastards that took Ryan away.
"We'll find him." She promised me, but her promise lay empty in the air.
Please be okay, Ryan. Just stay safe, I'll come for you.
XXRyanXX
I screamed as loud as I could, hoping someone-anyone- could hear me. I was no longer unconscious, which was a good thing, but now I was in a dark, unlit room instead of the lab. There was a harsh pain twisting continuously in my leg and I desperately needed it to stop. The pain was too much and I was trying to control my screaming so I didn't seem weak.
Stay strong, Wolfe. Just stay alive.
The weapon was pulled from my leg and I bit my lip to stop from screaming, biting it so hard that my lip started to bleed. The chloroform was still moving around in my system and it was making me dizzy. A headache was starting to form behind my eyes and I regretted even opening my eyes.
Through my pounding ears, I could hear a sinister voice whisper in my ear, "You like that, Wolfe?"
I shivered at the closeness of my attacker and even though I couldn't see him, I turned and glared defiantly in his direction. It was too dangerous in this place, too dark and it was uncharted territory. I was at a big disadvantage and I couldn't figure out what to do.
"Do you want your little boyfriend to see you?"
I bit my already cut lip to keep in another scream as the knife dug into part of my knee. My attacker was close, and I could feel his breathe on my face. I would recognize that smell from anywhere, it was some sort of drug. I couldn't identify the specific drug, but I was pretty sure I'd smelled it before. Meth, maybe?
"Turn that camera on!" The man suddenly ordered someone, most likely his accomplice. I flinched from how close to my ear he had yelled. If I didn't have a headache before, I definitely did now. My attacker yelled out once again, "I want them to see this!"
I opened my mouth to protest, to demand what the hell they wanted with me like they did in all the cliché movies, but I was cut off by a loud beeping sound. I fought desperately against my restraints, trying to cover my ears from that damn noise. The handcuffs bit into my wrists and I found myself closing my eyes to fight back the pain. The noise continued for another moment before it suddenly seized altogether.
A bright light replaced the noise, flooding the room and momentarily blinding me. I squinted against the bright light that seemed centred on me, taking the chance to survey the room. I wasn't in the traditional, cliché warehouse that I had imagined. No, instead I was in an apartment. A shady, rundown apartment room, and I was handcuffed to the radiator. Oh, and how ironic it was that I was restrained by my own handcuffs.
I had the sudden urge to scream at my attackers, to tell them to shut that damn light off, but my scream died out in my mouth when I realized what the behind that bright light. A camera? Was that a camera?
"I want them to see this!"
Eric?
"I'm going to have some fun with your little toy here." The man whispered in my ear, way too close for my liking. It was as though he were talking to the camera, giving it a show. What that show consisted of, I was afraid to know any details.
Can you see this, Eric? Please tell me you're watching through that camera. I need you to find me.
The man's hands were on my neck, trailing up and down my pale skin. I flinched away from his touch, an involuntary shudder racking my body, but the hand came back again and I was too restrained to stop his constant stroking and petting. I closed my eyes and tried not to think about the way he touched my head and face, but it was too hard to ignore. And when he leaned in close to me and took a sniff of my hair, I suddenly snapped.
Anger flooded through my veins and it exploded into a loud growl. Before I could even think rationally about what I was doing, I whipped my head towards the hand currently touching my cheek, taking it in my mouth and biting down as hard as possible. The man screamed in response and tried to pull away, but I locked my jaw, just like I had days ago to that damn biker, and stayed locked even when I tasted his salty blood.
"Get off of me!" The man screamed, raising his knife and swinging it blindly my face.
I let go of the man's hand and quickly tried to muffle my cry of pain, pulling at the handcuffs again. I needed my arms to protect myself, to protect my face, but no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't get free. I could feel the knife hit me and I curled in on myself in a sad attempt of protection. The attacks finally stopped and I gritted my teeth together, biting away the pain that the knife had brought me. I could only feel two spots that the knife had connected with, just above my eye and a second across my cheek. I was lucky this time, he didn't get to cut me too deep.
"Damn you, Wolfe!" My attacker growled and stood up, that evil glare on his face. His concealed face. A ski mask, that was always a great sign.
I glared right back at him, being strong and easily hiding my weakness from him. He wouldn't break me, not like this, I was too stubborn for that.
I spoke too soon because he wasn't done yet, he wasn't even close. Before I could even comprehend what was happening, he had thrown his foot at me and was kicking my injured leg repeatedly. Despite my best efforts to keep silent, I couldn't hold back my screams of pain. He wasn't satisfied with my scream because he kept kicking and kicking and I was in so much pain, I figured cutting off my leg would probably be a less painful situation.
"Beg for me to stop!" He commanded, pausing his attack a moment. I took the time for a large intake of air, not knowing when my next breath would come, or if I would ever have another breath again. My breath was dangerously uneven and I cursed myself for getting myself into this situation. I just had to stay alive, at least until Eric found me. Eric would see this video, they would make sure of it, and then he would analyze every detail of this room. He would go over and over it in his head and finally, he would find where I was. I just had to be patient because I knew he would come for me.
Just be alive when he gets here.
"Beg for your life!" He screamed again, so close to my face that I felt his spit hit me.
I fought back the impending OCD attack and willed my gaze upwards, returning the unknown man's gaze.
"Go to hell." I mumbled and a small smile stretching across my face without my intention.
"What did you say?" He leaned his ear in closer and I felt the overpowering need to hurt him.
I narrowed my eyes as his face drew closer to mine and without thought, I suddenly spat at him in return. "Go to hell!" I screamed right into his face.
The man growled almost inhumanly and I flinched away from his sudden explosion of anger, trying and failing to escape the now furious other man. His growl rumbled in the back of his throat and he shot his heel out, sending it straight into my already injured knee. My knee made an audible snap in return and my mouth flew open before I could stop it. I was screaming, screaming so loud that I could almost feel my own ears pop. I was thrashing around in my restraints, pulling at the handcuffs even when they continued to dig into my wrists. I just wanted to break free, to stop that pain in my leg.
So much for not showing your weakness, Wolfe.
My scream died down quickly, but the pain only dulled slightly. It wasn't agonizing, but it was still extremely painful.
"Now that we've calmed down our little hostage." My attacker breathed, leaning in close again to touch my face. The feel of his hand caressing my cheek made me sick and it was a sickness that bubbled deep inside of me. I wanted to just break these damn handcuffs and rip this guy's head off, but how possible was that? Handcuffs didn't break, I knew that for a fact.
"Hello, Eric," The man greeted in a creepy voice, his smile didn't need to be visible because I could hear it in his voice. He was standing up straight now, looking right into the camera. Okay, they were definitely recording this for the lab to see.
You better be there, Eric.
"I believe I have something of yours," The man laughed and moved forward so quickly, I hadn't even noticed. He was in front of me now, grabbing me by the chin and making sure my face was to the camera.
He wants to prove to Eric that it's really me.
What did that mean? He had called me a hostage, so was this really about my father? Or was it more about Eric than anything else?
"Don't be rude," My ski masked attacker scolded and grabbed me by my hair, pulling it up until I was no longer slumped on the ground. He forced my gaze from the floor and in return I sent him a death glare that I usually saved for criminals.
"Say hello." He ordered.
I shook my head in a silent refusal, only causing the grip on my hair to tighten. He pulled it up even harder and I clenched my jaw from the stinging it brought.
"Say your name!" He ordered and pulled again, causing a whimper to fall from my tightly sealed lips. I shook my head again, which resulted in another pull. "Say your name!"
"Ryan Wolfe."
"Louder!"
"Ryan Wolfe!"
He pulled my hair even harder, harder than I thought was even possible, then suddenly let go. I slumped to the ground immediately and could only try to bare the pain of my scalp.
"You bastard." I tried to sound angry, but I my voice came out more like a mumble than anything else. What was supposed to intimidate the larger man had failed and instead it brought a laugh from beneath the ski mask. It was a throaty laugh, extremely unfamiliar, and incredibly creepy. It was safe to say that this guy was a professional torturer.
Torture?
Is that what this was? Torture? That was my father's master plan? To videotape me being tortured and to send it to Eric to watch?
That seems much too unprepared for my father.
It's true, he was much more inventive than that. When I was younger, he hadn't just attacked me. No, he had started out with abuse, then continued to escalate until my young mind was completely destroyed. I had come so far since then, I was a grown man now and no longer as naive as I used to be. I didn't believe in change and I refused to let him bring me back to that state of mind.
"What the hell is my father planning?" I demanded the large man in front of me, hoping that he would just answer. Not knowing was starting to kill me and I hated that my CSI trained mind continued to come up with all the possibilities there were in this situation.
Damn you, CSI training! I know I could die, so why don't you just stop coming up with new ways for me to die!
The man remained silent and refused to answer my question, instead he turned back to me with that familiar glint in his eyes. The look gave me a bad feeling and I unconsciously curled in on myself in my feeble attempt of protection. My captor slowly crouched down beside me and suddenly reached for my shirt. I gasped and fought back as much as I could, knowing exactly what he was thinking when he pulled at my clothes.
No! This can't be happening!
His hand was running up and down my shirt clad chest and I whimpered from how rough he was being. It was a quiet whimper, a whimper I was sure anyone watching this would have trouble hearing, but it was a whimper none the less. I was scared, to say the least, and I knew Eric would be scared after he watched this. Who wouldn't be?
"Eric!" I called out in a sad attempt to get help. It was useless, I knew, there was no way Eric could find me right now. I couldn't be saved, at least not at this very moment, and I had to realize that. Eric couldn't stop those hands that were now unbuttoning my shirt and all I could do was close my eyes and try to drown out the horrible feeling
"Hermoso."
Eric, I know your coming. Don't worry about me, I'll be okay until you come and get me.
"Pathetic!" His blade ran across my now bare chest and it stung almost as badly as my scalp did. Pathetic? Did he just call me pathetic?
I forced out a dry, humourless laugh, but left my eyes closed for a reason I didn't know, "That's all you got?" When I couldn't even open my eyes, the strength in my words was lost.
He wasn't intimidated at the least and I could hear his throaty laugh once more. I tried to close my eyes tighter, to think of something else other than that laugh, but it echoed inside of my head and I doubted I would ever forget it.
"We have a proposal for you, Delko." He was completely ignoring me now, instead more interested in the camera. He was getting down to the whole point of this, which meant that he was most likely almost done using the camera.
"My boss is not an idiot, he knows all about you and Mr. Wolfe over here." The man's disgusting finger was in my face and I couldn't help myself, it was just so close and he deserved it so much. I threw my good leg up at him, aiming for his stomach, but instead once again. He caught my leg mid air and twisted it around, then threw it back down to the floor. I shut my eyes again and effectively blocked the pain my mind.
Okay, I'm done fighting back right now. I need to save my strength, that's all. You can get them back later, Wolfe.
My attacker took a moment to watch me carefully, anticipating anymore outburst, but he quickly realized that my exhaustion. I had given up, for now, and he knew that.
"You see, my boss believes that his opinion should be heard, if you are to date his son," The ski masked man explained and I shivered in response. So it was my father, I was right, and he was just as interested in Eric as he was in me.
"So, we have a challenge for you." The grin was obvious on the man's face, even though it was under the black material, and I hated the tone of his voice. He was having fun with this! This was just some kind of sick game to him!
"You have 42 hours from now to find your little boyfriend here." I could feel his gaze on me and I opened my eyes just in time to send him a death stare. "If you find him before 42 hours, you have his father's consent and you may be together. But, if not..."
He paused for a moment to let out another laugh, a laugh that came out more as a cackle. A captor that cackles?
Amazing company, Wolfe. What have you gotten yourself into now?
He never really answered the last part, just finished with, "You have 42 hours, Eric. Good luck."
"Oh, and a word of advice, hurry up and find him. He is very stubborn and I'm finding it harder and harder not to kill him already."
"Then do it already!" I challenged him and tried not to sound scared, but I'm sure everyone could tell just how scared I really was.
The man turned from me abruptly, walking away and toward the camera. He grabbed something from behind the camera and laughed triumphantly, sending a chill down my spine. When he turned around, my eyes involuntarily widened.
What was that in his hands? Was I crazy, or was he actually using that as a weapon against me?
A golf club.
I was shaking so violently ad I wished it would stop, but I couldn't really remember what calm was anymore. My eyes were so huge and I was too scared to blink, as though if I did that I may never open my eyes again. He couldn't do this to me! This was horrible!
"Eric will find you!" I warned him to try and get him scared, but he didn't seem scared. He looked more satisfied than anything and satisfaction was horrible when it came from a person like him.
"I count on it, Mr. Wolfe."
He lifted his weapon high in the air and I closed my eyes, anticipating the pain. This was going to hurt so badly and I don't think I could handle much more pain.
"Say goodnight, Mr. Wolfe."
And he let it drop on my head.