I love writing about Mac and Dick. If you are reading my fluff story Surprise, then I do plan to finish it as well. I just want to wrap this story up first.
Another special thanks to Bondopoulos who helped me get through my writer's block.
Chapter 21
Mac slid the key in the lock and opened the door. That's when she felt the hand cover her mouth as another gripped her arm. The person behind her pushed her into the guesthouse and shut the door with their foot.
She is thrown against a stack of boxes and lands hard on her left side. Before Mac has a chance to move her hair is pulled hard causing her head to lift off the ground. She feels someone's face near her ear.
"Where's the list and videos Mac?"
Her eyes widen when she recognizes the voice. "Jarian."
"Who else were you expecting?"
Twenty minutes, Dick said he'd be gone for twenty minutes at the most. Mac calculated that she sat at the counter drinking her coffee for at least five minutes after Dick left. She just needed to stall him for fifteen more minutes. "I don't know, one of the hitmen that the members of The Castle sent after me. They almost killed me in Italy, you know. But don't worry, because I'm sure they are after you now."
Jarian rolls Mac onto her back and places a hand on her throat. "I'm not playing around Mac. I want to destroy Jake Kane. He ruined my life when he fired me. No one would hire me. Hell, no one would even give me an interview. We lost our house and then my wife left me and took my son. I have to ruin Kane's life and I need those videos to do it."
She gripped at his wrist trying to pull his hand off of her throat with both her hands. Mac realized something about Jarian was reminding her of the night she was attacked in the alley. The way his hand felt as it had covered her mouth. She gasped. "It was you."
"Yes, I'm the one who released the videos." He rolled his eyes. "I know you already figured that out when you traced my IP address."
She felt tears come to her eyes. "No. It was you who attacked me in the alley." Mac felt her fight or flight instincts overrun her need to stall. She knew she couldn't just run because he had her held down, so she had to fight back.
Mac looked for a way to get out from under Jarian. He was only holding her by her throat, which left her arms and legs free. She pulled her right hand away from his wrist and threw a quick jab directly in his nose.
Jarian's hand released her has he cradled his face. Mac jumped up and pushed the boxes down on top of him as she tried to get around him and to the door. She was just feet from the door when a hand grabbed her ankle pulling her down. Mac slammed her left elbow into the ground as she hit the hardwood floor.
Dick was able to get in and out of his office in less than ten minutes, so he walked to the bagel shop a few doors down to pick up some breakfast before heading home. He found himself whistling as he walked down the street. Dick couldn't remember a time when he was this happy with his life. Granted the last couple of weeks were an emotional rollercoaster, but he had finally found something that made him happy.
After picking up several different types of bagels along with smear and hummus, Dick made his way back to his car. If he hurried than he will be back to the house and it will have been less than fifteen minutes since he left.
Mac began kicking her legs back trying to free herself for Jarian's grasp while ignoring the throbbing of her elbow. She felt his hand tighten on her ankle and slammed the heel of boot on her other foot into his fingers.
Jarian yelled in pain as he let go of her foot and lunged at her before she was able to stand up. "You fucking bitch!" He straddled her and sat on top of her hips while he held Mac's arms over her head with his hands on her wrists, which made her gasp in pain.
"Why did you attack me that night?" Mac chocked out in a raspy voice. She felt tears building in her eyes.
"Because you were getting all the credit for what I was doing. I hated that Zach wanted you to have all the glory, so I felt you needed to be brought down a few pegs."
Mac quit wiggling underneath him and started to save her energy. "I didn't want credit. I didn't want any part of it." A few tears released from her eyes.
"Well too bad. Travis told me that you were the one that had all the videos. I want them. When I saw you get into a cab last night, I followed you here. Now give me the flashdrives."
"I don't have them." Mac was being honest because they were hidden in her lock box at her parents home.
"Bullshit!" Jarian crossed her wrists above her head so he could hold them down with one hand. He then gripped her face from under Mac's chin and pushed her cheeks in with his thumb and index finger.
"I'm not lying they aren't here. You can search everything." She looked at the clock on the wall and guessed that Dick had been gone for almost fifteen minutes now. Mac prayed that he would be home soon.
Jarian's hand let go of her face and reached under her sweater to touch her bare skin. "Where are they Mac?" His hand moved up to the under portion of her bra. "You know, I saw you last night on the balcony with pretty boy."
"Please don't." Mac began to cry and let the tears flow freely. She had only ever had two close female friends and both were victims of sexual assault. Mac was terrified of being one too. "Stop!" She felt the beginnings of a panic attack.
Dick walked into the house and sat the food on the kitchen counter. "Mac! I'm back!" He called out, but when he didn't hear a reply he figured that she must still be in the guesthouse going through the boxes.
He made his way out to the patio and crossed to the door to the guesthouse. When he opened it the light was turned off and he switched it on to find Mac on the ground with some guy pinning her down as she screamed stop. Dick didn't even register Mac's tears before he ripped the guy off of her and slammed him into the ground.
Mac pushed herself away from the men who were fighting and found a phone in the kitchen area. She picked it up and called Veronica to let her know that Jarian was at Dick's and to hurry there as she watched Dick and Jarian fight. Mac told Veronica to call Weidman and bring him too.
When Mac hung up the phone she noticed that Jarian wasn't fighting back anymore and Dick threw another punch.
"Dick. He's out. You can stop." Mac stood next to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. She noticed a small cut over his left eye.
Dick was breathing heavily and stood up from the ground. He looked Mac over. "Are you okay?"
Mac felt her lip quiver and nodded. "I am now." She felt new tears fill her eyes. While she was normally a woman who could control her emotions, something about talking to Dick made her emotions rise to the surface.
Dick noticed Mac's tears and pulled her into his chest as he wrapper his arms around her. "I'm so sorry I left you alone." He wanted to protect her and felt like it was his fault that she was attacked in his home.
Mac pulled back to look at him. "I should have gone with you. I should have known Jarian would come looking for me. I'm lucky he didn't attack me last night. Apparently he followed me here."
"Are you hurt?" Dick pulled back to look at her more closely. He wanted to exam ever inch of her for any bruises.
"Mostly, I slammed my elbow into the floor when I fell." She didn't want to point out that her left hip was hurting from where Jarian threw her into the boxes. Mac felt a new wave of tears come to her eyes. "He…he was the one who…" Mac buried her face into his chest.
Dick kissed the top of her head. "He was the one who was selling the videos of Castle members." It was more of a statement than a question.
"Yes, but he was also the one who…" Mac took a deep breath and let it out. "He attacked me that night in the alley. I didn't realize it was him until he attacked me today."
Dick was torn between wanting to comfort Mac and wanting to beat the life out of Jarian. He held Mac tighter to his chest.
Jarian groaned from the floor and Dick let go of Mac while he punched him one last time to knock him unconscious.
Mac noticed a box marked exercise. She walked over to the box and opened it with one hand since it hurt to move her other arm. "Pick him up and put him in a chair. I think we should tie him up to be safe." Mac pulled out several yoga bands and held them up.
While Dick was tying Jarian up to Mac's computer chair, she sat down on her couch that was sitting in the middle of the room and looked at where her elbow was bruised and swelling. "So did you pick up breakfast, because I'm starving?"
Dick laughed as he finished making a knot around one of Jarian's ankles. "Yes. I got bagels and they're in the kitchen."
Mac stood up and walked to the door. "I'll grab them."
"Um…babe. He's on wheels. Why don't we all just go in there?" Dick raised an eyebrow at her.
She turned around and pointed at him. "Better idea." Mac held the door open for Dick to push the unconscious Jarian through, She felt mentally and physically exhausted.
When Veronica and Logan arrived at the house, they found Mac and Dick settling down at the kitchen counter to eat while Mac' elbow was resting on an ice pack and Dick was holding one against his eye. Jarian was tied to a computer chair nearby and unconscious.
"Are you guys okay?" Veronica asked with concern as she came to exam Mac's arm. The elbow was badly bruised and swollen.
"OUCH!" Mac pulled her arm away from Veronica and turned so she couldn't see Logan. Even in pain, she was still embarrassed about what happened earlier that morning. "I was better before you extended my elbow."
"Sorry. You need to go to the hospital." Veronica hugged Mac. She was worried that Mac had broken her elbow and wanted to get it checked out immediately.
Mac let out a sigh. "I know." She picked up a bagel and took a bite.
A knock sounded at the door and Logan walked to the door where he opened it and found Weidman.
"Mr. Echolls. I believe you have someone here that I've been looking for."
Logan made a grand sweeping gesture allowing him to come in. "He's a little tied up at the moment, but I'll take you to him." He led Weidman towards the kitchen and stopped next to Jarian who was still passed out and tied to the chair.
Weidman tilted Jarian's face up by his chin. "Who roughed him up?"
Dick raised his hand as he was sipping his orange juice.
"Dick showed up while he was attacking me." Mac chimed in.
Weidman walked over to Mac. He checked her face for bruises and then her arm. "Veronica should take you to the hospital. Tell them you tripped on the wet floor in the kitchen while the two of you were baking."
"I know the drill." Mac nodded and stood up. "Let's go V."
Dick stood up. "I'm coming with you."
Mac turned. "Um…no you aren't."
"Uh, yes I am." Dick was hurt that she wouldn't want him to come with her to the hospital.
Mac looked at the ground and mumbled.
"What?" Dick came closer to her and raised her chin to look at him.
She sighed. "They will question me thinking you did it. I'm pretty sure I bruised my hip too when I fell. If Veronica goes, then it will be easier to get them to believe it was an accident. I have a history of 'accidents.'" Mac made quotations with the fingers of one hand. "After the last big one, they don't really believe me too easily."
Dick was taken back and hurt that anyone could think he would lay a hand on Mac.
Weidman was untying Jarian from the chair. "You have a bruise and cut over your eye. It would give the appearance that you had a fight. Bringing in your girlfriend covered in bruises and with a broken arm would raise some red flags."
Veronica and Mac came back to the beach house almost five hours later. Mac was woozy from the painkillers they gave her at the hospital before putting her whole arm in a cast because of her broken elbow. Veronica blew the car horn to alert the guys that they were back before getting out of the car and walking around to the passenger side to help Mac out.
Dick quickly rushed out of the house. "Hey! How'd it go?"
Veronica turned around and smiled at Dick. "Well her elbow is broken and she's as high as a kite." She moved out of the way to show Mac relaxed in the passenger seat where she was having trouble holding her head up. "We had to get a medical assistant to put her in the car."
Dick leaned into Veronica's SUV. "You ready to go inside?" He placed a hand on Mac's cheek.
She giggled as she nodded her head and fought to keep her eyes open.
Dick lifted her from the vehicle and carried her towards the house. He noticed she rested her head against his chest and fell asleep before they were even inside. "I'm going to take her upstairs and put her to bed."
Veronica followed him up the stairs. "I have the instructions from the hospital and her pain pills. She can take another dose at three o'clock." She noticed how careful Dick was with Mac as he laid her on the bed and removed her shoes. "Logan and I are going to head out now. I feel confident she's in good hands."
Dick smiled up at Veronica. "Thanks for taking care of her."
"I should thank you for that." She smiled back at him. "I'm happy to see you the two of you together." Veronica went to the balcony door and looked out.
"Is everything okay?" Dick got worried.
"I was just looking for the flying pigs." She laughed and headed out of the bedroom. "I was sure that there must have been pigs flying for me to be happy seeing you and Mac together. Ah well, maybe tomorrow." Veronica winked at him as she closed the bedroom door.
Dick removed Mac's jeans and pulled the covers over her. He then stripped down to his boxer briefs and slid in to bed spooning her from behind. After the events of the day, he felt the need for a nap.
The story is coming to a close, but there is still one more chapter after this. Please review and let me know what you think.