Author's Note-I apologize to everyone who was reading this story and was reminded that I left it unfinished. My muse seemed to have taken an extended vacation, but I will not allow that to happen again…..thanks and again I am so sorry…..Winnie
High above the wreckage Alana Morris' face was clouded with darkness as she stared down at the carnage below.
"Dammit!" she cursed as she heard the rain hitting her car. She had seen Carman and Alexander when she passed the car, but her anger intensified when she caught up with the vehicle and Steve Sloan stared at her form the back seat. She knew she should go down and check on them, but right now the terrain was far too unstable because of the storm.
Alana knew she had time and made her way back to her car. She climbed into the driver's seat and turned the car back toward her home. Once the rain stopped she would come back and check on her victims. If they were dead then she would simply start a new chapter in her life, but if Steve Sloan was alive, she would make damn sure he understood what his betrayal meant to her.
DMDMDMDMDM
Jesse glanced at the man in the passenger seat and knew he hadn't slept very well. As soon as he'd finished his shower, Mark insisted they drive out to Alana Morris' home. He'd called Carver to let him know their plans and wasn't surprised when the cop told him they needed to be careful.
The highway was pretty clear, but the rain continued to fall and he returned his full attention to the road. Was Steve at the Morris house? If so how would they get him out of there without a police escort? Was Morris there and if so did she have any employees who would get in their way?
"Jesse, you should wait in the car while I speak with Miss Morris," Mark suggested tiredly.
"We're in this together," Jesse told him.
"The turnoff should be on your right," Mark told him and knew there was no point in arguing with the younger man. Jesse would never agree to let him face the woman alone no matter what he said. He looked out the window as rain continued to fall as if mirroring his own emotional turmoil.
DMDMDMDMDM
Carmen Raul opened her eyes and sobbed when she looked at the man beside her. Alexander Raul had been her first and only love and now he was dead. She shifted her legs, and reached for the handle of her door, painfully aware that she had not escaped uninjured.
Carmen cried out as the door swung open with a creaking noise that spoke of the damage cause by the unexpected trip into the ravine. She managed to get her legs out and used the door to pull herself into a standing position. She looked around, blinking the rain from her eyes as she fought to remember what had happened.
She looked up toward the road and hoped Alana Morris had left while she'd been unconscious and knew she had to get help for Steve Sloan. It didn't matter what happened to her anymore, she was alone now and wanted to be with her husband. She pulled herself along the body of the car and dropped to her hands and knees as a wave of nauseating dizziness washed over her.
Carmen knew she could simply lie down and die, and if it was just her she would do just that, but a man's life depended on her. She could not allow Steve Sloan to die while she still had life in her body. She grabbed onto whatever she could and prayed it would hold her weight as she climbed. Several times she slipped backward, sending dagger like pain through her body.
DMDMDMDMDM
Mark had no idea what they would find when they reached Alana Morris' home, but no matter what happened he would get answers. If Steve was there he would make damn sure they got him away from the house. He kept his eyes open and watched for the house, but he knew they still had a ways to go.
A flash of lightening brightened up the windswept terrain and he thought he saw something as Jesse drove along the road. He glanced into the rear-view mirror, but there was nothing to account for his reaction as he turned back to the younger man. "Jesse, we need to go back."
"What? I thought we were going to check on Alana Morris?"
"We were…we will, but I thought I saw something back there," Mark told him, relieved when Travis slowed down and searched for a place to turn around.
"What did you see?"
"I don't know…it's probably nothing, but I want to make sure," the older man explained as Jesse found a clearing just large enough to turn the vehicle around. He watched the road for any sign of what had caught his eye, but there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary until Jesse slammed on the brakes and began to back up. "What's wrong?"
"I thought…there, Mark…someone's trying to climb onto the road," Travis said and stopped the car near the spot where he'd saw the flash of a hand.
Both men opened their doors and raced to the edge of the road. Jess grabbed for the body that was slipping backward and latched onto the sweater as Mark managed to do the same. They began pulling her onto the road and finally managed to lay her on her back.
"Please…help…"
"We're going to help you," Mark said as Jesse pulled out his cell and called John Carver. "Were you in a car accident or did you fall?"
"Car…she…she hit us…"
"Who hit you?" Mark asked as Jesse quickly explained what was happening to the cop.
"She did…please he's dead…"
"Who's dead?" Mark asked.
"She kill…she killed him…help…"
"We will help you. Is there anyone else down there?"
"Dead…Steve…"
"Steve," Mark whispered as a lump rose in his throat. He stared down into the ravine and knew he had to get down there. "Jesse, stay with her!"
"Mark, be careful," Jesse ordered and knew there was no point in trying to stop his friend. He wanted to go with him, but the woman needed his attention. He'd heard what she said about Steve, and silently prayed she was wrong because it would devastate Mark.
Mark had never been much of a mountain climber or shown any interest in rock climbing, but anyone who saw him move down the slope would have thought he was a professional. He managed to stay on his feet in spite of sliding several feet at a time and reached the car. He could see someone in the driver's seat and swallowed convulsively before moving to get a better view.
The man's eyes were wide and staring, but those eyes did not belong to his son. He quickly checked the back seat, but it was open and the passenger door was missing.
"Steve!" Mark called above the howling wind.
DMDMDMDMDM
The wind howled as the rain battered his body, but there was something else, something wonderfully comforting in the sound that dragged him from the dark void he'd resided in. Steve opened his eyes and cried out when he tried to move. Every part of him hurt and there was no way to differentiate between the signals raging through his body.
"STEVE!"
There it was again, and he tried to speak, but the sound was lost as the wind rustled the branches and whipped the rain in a near circular motion. He needed to figure out a way to lift his head or his hands and signal his positions, but it felt like an impossible task.
"STEVE!"
"Dad…" Steve called, but the sound was more of a groan then anything and it surprised him when he heard someone nearby, and a familiar figure knelt beside him.
"Thank God," Mark said when his son's eyes focused on him.
"Da…how…"
"I'll explain later. Right now I need to let Jesse know I found you," Mark told him and looked up to see Jesse Travis at the edge of the embankment.
"Mark, I'm coming down!"
"No, Jesse, it's dangerous!" the elder Sloan shouted. "Is help on the way?"
"Carver's sending a couple of cars and an ambulance!"
"Dad…the Rauls?"
"Who?"
"Couple he…helped me."
"The man is dead, Son, but the woman made it to the top. She's the reason we found you," Sloan answered and looked around in frustration. "Steve, I'm going to check the car for a first aid kit."
"…k…" Steve closed his eyes and swallowed convulsively as he fought to stay awake. He knew he had to warn his father about Alana Morris, but he understood the man would not leave without him.
"Steve, I need to see how bad things are," Mark said upon returning form the car.
"Ne…need to be careful. She's out there."
"Who? Alana Morris?"
"Yes…drove us off…off the road," Steve answered.
"She's not here right now and Captain Carver is sending help and I'll make sure he knows about the woman," Mark told him and glanced up as he heard movement coming from above. It didn't surprise him when Jesse reached him carrying a first aid kit. "I thought I told you to stay up there?"
"Did you? Sorry, I couldn't hear anything above the wind," Jesse lied and shook his head when he looked at the injured man. "I thought you were taking the easy way home?"
"This wasn't the easy w…way?" Steve asked and heard his father laugh softly.
"Jesse, we need to immobilize his leg," Mark said and knew there wasn't a whole lot they could do with the meager supplies they had. It would take an hour or more for help to arrive, until then they would have to make do with what they had.
DMDMDMDMDM
Alana Morris poured a glass of Chablis and looked at the flames flickering in the fireplace before making her way to the window. The rain continued to beat against the glass as lightening streaked across the sky and thunder reverberated through the hills. Anger raged through her as she thought about Steve Sloan and the betrayal by Alexander and Carmen Raul.
Alana hoped the couple was dead, but she would not be able to check until the weather cleared. She would need help bringing Sloan back here, if he was alive. Bennett would be useless, but Rider would do as she told him and maybe it was time to get rid of Bennett anyway.
Morris finished the Chablis and refilled her glass as she thought about the virile man who had shared her bed for such a short time. What was it about Steve Sloan that made her body tingle with excitement? Why did she react so strongly to his presence when she could have any man she wanted?
Alana knew she should kill him if he was still alive, but she could not forget the warmth that spread through her when she stretched out beside him. She wanted him helpless and at her beck and call, and it didn't matter whether he wanted her anymore. Drugs were wonderful if you knew how to use them and she'd perfected her techniques over the years.
"I will have what I want, Steve, no matter what it takes," Morris vowed and sat in front of the fireplace. The house was quiet, and she would miss the solitude, but once she had what she wanted, she would take a few things and leave with Rider. Buenos Aires had an abundance of nightlife and Rider would supply her with everything she needed to control Steve Sloan.
DMDMDMDMDM
Mark knew there was nothing else they could do until help arrived. He glanced at his watch and back at his unconscious son. Jesse had found a blanket and an old tarp in the back of the wreckage and they'd fashioned a tent to keep the rain off Steve. Jesse had told him the woman had died and he wondered what role she'd played in Steve's kidnapping.
"Mark," Jesse reached out and touched the older man's shoulder. "I think help has arrived."
"What?" Sloan asked and looked up as headlights heralded the arrival of several vehicles. He silently prayed one of them was an ambulance because Steve's stillness seemed so unnatural.
"I'm going to help them guide the stretcher down," Jesse explained.
"Okay…we'll need a backboard too and…"
"I'll have them send down a full kit," Jesse assured him.
Mark nodded and returned his attention to his son. He forced back the feelings that threatened to overwhelm him, and embraced the years of knowledge that went with his medical training. His son needed him, but he needed him as a doctor, not as a worried father right now.
It didn't take long for Jesse to return with the basket stretcher and a paramedic. The young woman showed no fear, and he wondered how much she'd seen since taking this job.
"Dr. Sloan, my name is Deanna and I'm here to help you," the woman said, relieved that the storm seemed to have passed. "What are we dealing with?"
"His right leg is broken in two places," Jesse answered and continued to list what they'd found. Between them they transferred Steve's inert body onto the backboard and didn't miss the cry of pain that escaped as they laid him on his back and strapped him to the board.
"Easy, Son," Mark said as Jesse helped the medic start an IV. Steve's eyes opened, but there was panic in them as he tried to focus.
"Dad…she's going to come b…back," Steve managed.
"Carver is sending officers to her house, Steve, so just relax and we'll get you out of here," Mark explained. God, he hoped they could get a medevac chopper out here because the small town would not have the facilities they'd need to treat his son.
"Dr. Sloan, I took the liberty of calling for a medevac chopper when the storm stopped. Their ETA is 15 minutes," Deanna told him.
"We need to get him into the basket and ready for transport," Jesse said and looked at the injured man. "Steve, we are going to move you so we can get you topside."
"…k…" Steve managed and fought the nausea churning through his gut as they lifted him and strapped him into the basket gurney that would be used to pull him up to the road. He kept his eyes closed as he listened to the trio talk about the best way to do this and heard the click as a carabiner was snapped in place.
"Captain, we're ready to bring him up," Deanna said and nodded her head when Carver answered over the receiver she carried. "They're ready. Jesse, would you take that side and keep it steady. Dr. Sloan, you're on the right while I take the rear."
"Mark, are you sure you're up to this?" Jesse asked.
"I can do it," the elder Sloan answered as they began the slippery trek up the slope. He knew Carver was using a winch to pull the basket slowly up the embankment, but it would be up to the three of them to make sure it didn't get snagged on anything.
Steve clenched his fists at his sides as he was bounced around in the basket. He knew they were doing their best to keep it steady, but the rough terrain and the downpour was causing havoc for all of them.
"We're almost there, Son," Mark said and knew Steve was in pain. As soon as they were topside he was going to see what the paramedic had in her kit and give him something to ease the agony evident on his face.
Steve couldn't summon the energy to acknowledge his father's words as he concentrated on keeping his rebellious stomach under control. He felt the basket tip slightly, but it was quickly right as they continued upward. He had no idea how long it took, but it felt like an eternity before he was placed on the ground.
"I need to give him something for pain," Mark told the paramedic and waited for her to show him what he had. "Steve, I'm going to give you a shot of morphine so just hold on a minute."
"Trying," the injured man said and soon felt his father at the IV line. He knew it wouldn't take long for the medication to take effect and closed his eyes as a car drove past their position.
DMDMDMDMDM
Alana Morris cursed as she drove past the area where she'd forced Alexander Raul off the road and down into the ravine. There were several police cars and an ambulance present and she knew there was no way for her to get to him right now. She would call Rider and make sure he understood what she wanted.
She glanced in the rear-view mirror just as the basket was pulled over the edge and knew instinctively that it was Steve Sloan.
"We're not done yet, Steve…the fun has only just begun," she vowed and drove toward the highway.
TBC
