AN: I forgot in previous posts to actually point out that I used a lot of actually locations and landmarks from Alabama. It just kind of worked out that way. Didn't mean for it to but once I got started with the cave theme I discovered not ever state has one. Grumble grumble.
So Alabama was picked for this purpose and well the state did produce the Tuskegee Airmen, there are several old relics or were anchored at the gulf. Fun to poke at Dom just a little, will have to explore that later. Not to mention the Talladega Speedway and Desoto Caverns are nearby.
The deal with the other caves, they aren't that far apart. I mean they are, but an adventurous soul could hit them in a day. Would like to point out in favor of Russell Cave they do actually boast species of scorpions found nowhere else in the world. Makes me so not want to go there anymore. Lol
Would also like to talk a little about Sequoyah Caverns, sadly I discover they are closing this fall, kind of heartbreaking for a community I would have to say. September Labor day I believe is what my source said.
Would also like to say best my knowledge the cave does have looking glass waters, but they really aren't that deep, just a little fiction.
And I suppose last is Desoto Park also located in Alabama. They have a lot of falls as I understand and swimming holes. Would also like to say apparently you can fly fish here. It just seems like something Saint John would do, so I included it.
I think Caitlin would feel more at home here, as the southern people in this region just seem to have a friendly attitude that she would understand and could relate too. I will put it to you like this; think of her momma multiplied into all these people. They would scold her putting herself in danger, but in the same instance they would encourage her.
Okay well if you've made it past all my babbling to here. Thank you for reading, reviewing and just tagging along.
There is one more chapter possibly two if I need to do the epilogue separate. Depends on how the next chapter decides it wants to unfold.
Caitlin stepped from the front office after speaking with some of the locals. The frail old man shook his head. "No hun, no one's seen that woman since." His smile grew. Caitlin felt her face flush. He leaned a little further forward over the counter, letting his voice drop to a harsh whisper. "Since that little spit fire strawberry blonde unleashed a bad case whoop ass on that jack as- er. Pardon language ma'am. I mean since that owl drunk idiot went grabbed that sweet little lady."
Caitlin turned away even more flushed, well either the old fellow finally realized she'd been the one in the fight or he remembered his Southern manners. She sighed she was going to miss this place and the southernism. She kind of thought Saint John might actually miss it too. He'd suddenly spent a lot of time fly fishing at the Desoto State Park. Most of it was to avoid Velma but she had to wonder for just an instant if it had anything to do with some of the locals.
She shrugged her shoulders heading back to the shared rooms and wondered now if Sin Jin had figured it out. She should have known. But she was she to blind to see it or naïve. What of Michael and Marella. Now she was smart. She probably already knew. It embarrassed her just to think about it now.
It took her actually having to read a few pages of the book to get it. No it took a longer than that. It had to sink in. She felt like such a fool. She really needed someone to talk to right now. Dom would perfect, but she really didn't want the rest of them to know how foolish she'd been, buying into Velma's sob story Remy had run off with her precious emerald ring.
The entire time Velma had been using them, all of them to work up another book. Melva Hoaders indeed. It was simply Velma Rhoades rearranged. So she's an author, but she had to use real people in her erotic tales. Nothing ever transpired with Remy anyway and if she wrote one about her sister. There would be hell to pay.
Come to think of it, she'd only let Remy, kiss- kiss her what twice? Nope there had never, ever been any sensual love affairs with him.
Caitlin unlocked her door stepping into a nearly dark room. Flipping a light on, she called out to Saint John. The only response she received was dust molts dancing about the room.
Moving to the dividing door she called out to Saint John again giving it a tap for good measure. She thought she heard something. Without thinking she swung the door open.
She was too stunned to react at first. It took Saint John to provoke her to action.
"Caitlin.. Damn do something."
"Yeah Cait –lynn do something. Wanta join in?" Velma slipped from beside the bed, after checking Saint John's cuff one last time.
He jerked against it straining taunt muscles not only in his arm but across his bare chest as well.
"We were just going play slap and tickle." Velma purred.
A very flushed Caitlin glanced at Saint John. He shook his head. It gave her some assurance that it wasn't what it was meant to look like.
Velma eyed Caitlin then flicked her gaze back to Saint John. "Well you know if you can't get the one you want. There's a brother trussed up. So maybe the substitution will as equally gratifying. I was just about to find out. Care to join me?"
Caitlin let her eyes go to slits as she watched Velma go for Saint John's belt buckle.
"Get out." Caitlin warned. It was softly spoken almost like she was afraid to respond.
Velma ignored her.
Saint John struggled with the cuff. He wasn't a willing participant in this. He tried to push Velma away with his free hand. This only thrilled Velma that much more.
Things came to a sudden halt at the sound of a gun slide chambering a round. "Get the hell out." Caitlin stood with her service weapon out and tipped up.
"Cait-lynn." Velma whined.
"Now." Caitlin growled. Not letting her glare waver from Velma.
When the door clicked shut behind Velma. Caitlin finally let the breath out she'd been holding.
"Got to tell you Caitlin." Saint John rattled the cuff still trying to wiggle out of it. "I was a little more than worried."
Saint John let the borrowed jeep easily bounce over another turf row gone back to nature. He let his eyes only slide briefly to Caitlin who apparently was still distraught over him having been trussed up as Velma liked to put it.
She turned looking at him. He could see her fist balled so tight the knuckles were white. "Sin Jin, I'm sorry. I didn't think about her…." She let her words trail off as he shook his head. Her inwards were just churning into knots. She couldn't believe she'd screwed one simply task up. She had let Saint John be put in danger.
He brought the jeep to a stop hoping Michael or String would radio again. He even flicked a menacing glare at the old two-way but he felt the radio didn't notice or care.
To Caitlin he offered up a smile. "Hey it's not your fault. I made mistake, I let my guard down. So she duped us both."
Caitlin nodded , before she spoke. "But I should have never agreed to come of this harebrained trip I put you in a serious danger."
"Hey." Saint John cut her off before her blush got any redder or he figure could his. "It's alright. We got out of it all okay."
He let the old jeep start rolling again edging toward a tree line to what was supposed to be an open field before coming to a swimming gorge. He just hoped that local had known what she was talking about when she told him there would be about a 10 acre clearing before coming to the gorge.
Just as the nose of the jeep broke from the tree line he heard the thwack of rotor blades and the old radio cracked to life.
"There's her truck." Caitlin pointed towards the pick-up.
Saint John keyed the mic as he eased fully into the clearing seeing and hearing both Air Wolf and Archangel's helicopter.
"If that isn't the most beautiful sight." Sin Jin spoke into the mic.
"Flattery will only get you so far." Dominic teased back.
Michael responded as well. "A ride home, if you have good news."
But it was Stringfellow Hawke who put Saint John back on high alert.
"Sin Jin …. Cait near …the gorge."
"What?" Sin Jin keyed the mic again.
The receiving ability of the old two way was terrible.
"String, I don't think he go all of that." Dom said.
Dom stole one more quick glance at the monitor showing a frocking Velma and Masters in the water below, apparently helicopters arriving hadn't interrupted her ambition. And though Masters appeared somewhat disturbed it wasn't enough for him to try hard enough to stop Velma.
"Caitlin does not need to catch sight of any of that. She might actually do something she will regret."
String glanced back over his shoulder at Dom and was about to respond when Michael radioed them. That comment would have to wait.
"Hawke can you make signal with them? I can't get through to Saint John."
"No we'll just have to go PA."
The jeep was just rolling to a stop next to the truck as both helicopters swung around looking for safe landing areas.
String flicked the open air speaker on. "Sin Jin, keep her there, don't let Caitlin.." He let his words die middle sentence as he watched helpless.
"Damn too late." Dom swore.
Caitlin had realized Velma wasn't in the truck and neither was Remy. She had been played again. Large hot angry tears stung her eyes then her cheeks.
She snapped her buckle loose. She was headed straight to the gorge through the high grass, holes, small wild shrubs, poison oak, and all.
"Do something." It was Michael's voice over their headsets.
"Damn it, Michael I am trying but I can't exactly sit this Lady any damn where I please. And laying down fire isn't an option, that's Caitlin down there."
Michael knew in an instant he was right. He just didn't want to see Caitlin hurt. She had after all grown on him to the point where he'd have taken her under his protection in a heartbeat if not for the other three men in her life.
"Damn." Michael muttered as Marella swung around the same as Hawke had done, to where they would all have a front row seat to what was about to unfold.
"Sin Jin, do something." Hawke called out over the PA as the Lady touched down settling now comfortably against the old abandon farmers field.
Saint John was doing something as he snatched his seat buckle loose. He was praying he could get her stopped before she got to the edge. He from near personal experience knew what Velma was all about.
He heard Dom's voice as his feet hit the ground. "Don't let her near the gorge."
He muttered to himself, how easy that sounded but they weren't the one's having to give chase across an old abandoned field growing back up weeds, briars, tress, and poison sumac. He could already feel the imaginary welts forming, but he knew he'd be alright as long as he didn't handle any of the sumac trees.
Luckily for him because he tall and long legged he was gaining on Caitlin. In fact he was close enough to grab her, and then she stumbled. He had just caught hold of her. He felt her going down and gravity being what it was it took him along too. Saint John just pulled Caitlin into a covering embrace the best he could as the both went down.
For those watching it was all in slow motion.
His knee hit first followed by his side and back. He groaned, as her body impacted against his. It wasn't that she was heavy, it was just the sudden force, it also didn't help that she was flailing around trying her level best to get loose from him.
"Caitlin." Her name was spoken so sharply for a moment she could have sworn it was String speaking to her when he was at his wits end. For a fleeting second she wondered.
"Calm down, these rocks hurt." Saint John grabbed a wrist before she whacked him.
Someone grabbed her up from behind untangling her from Saint John who was struggling to get to his feet.
String pulled Caitlin against himself. He noted her breath heaving her chest up and down, her fight clearly far from being gone. Saint John stood favoring a knee. He groaned mentally swearing he was retiring. He was getting too old for this.
"Caitlin hon'." Saint John's own breaths coming in bursts. "You really don't want to do this. Let's just walk away now. Okay?"
"Sin Jin's right." String added. "Come on lets go. Dom has done nothing but worried me to death since you have been gone."
"No." Caitlin snapped pulling loose from Strings embrace."
Already Saint John was stepping closer to block Caitlin, when Michael, Marella, and Dom finally arrived.
"Exactly what did I teach you two boys, that you suddenly forgot?" Dominic sounded pissed.
Dom eyed them. He was serious. He wasn't just soothing Caitlin's hurt feelings. "Man handling, a girl. Sin Jin you know better."
String and Saint John had both let Caitlin go, they had this conversation once before with Dom. They both stole a glance at the other letting something silently passing between each other.
Caitlin tipped her head up looking at all of them. Defiance had clearly taken the sweet innocent Cait, they knew away.
"Velma started this, now I am gonna finish it."