A/N Sorry for the delay on this chapter. life got a little complicated for awhile. As always, man many thanks for the truly amazing reviews. And many many thanks to piccolina789 for the fantastic beta, and encouragement. This journey wouldn't have possible without your continued support. :D
Sara tried to shift into a more comfortable position, which was difficult due to the way her hands were handcuffed together above her head.
After sitting in the same position for hours, her knees were becoming numb and her arms and shoulders were starting to ache. By now, she knew that Gil would know she was missing and would be frantically trying to find her. Her heart ached at the thought of causing him such heartache. She should never have talked Ecklie into allowing her to process the crime scene. If she hadn't, she wouldn't now be the pawn in the demise of the man she loved with all her heart.
Her head throbbed in time with the ache in her cheek where Garrett had struck her. She could still taste the blood in her mouth from her torn lip when he'd slapped her hard across the face. Added to her growing discomfort was the feeling of nausea as hunger gnawed at her stomach. It had been several hours since she'd last eaten and her concerns for the baby were increasing as the hours of her captivity passed by.
Not for the first time, Sara tugged uselessly at the restraints on her wrists as her frustration grew. Her vain attempts to free herself increased as she heard Garrett's footsteps approach from the corridor outside of the office he was holding her in.
She tensed as Garrett entered the office, his smile chilling her, as she struggled against the handcuffs again.
He knelt down so he could face her. He reached out and caressed her bruised cheek. Sara pulled back, defiance blazing in her eyes. Garrett, his smile turning colder, grabbed her hair and pulled it viciously, yanking her head painfully. His grin widened and his eyes sparkled as she cried out.
"Why make it so much harder on yourself, bitch?" Garrett said, still grasping a handful of her hair. "If you make me angry and I have to punish you again, by the time Lover Boy gets here, you'll be barely recognizable. And then I'll have to think about how much more he'll have to suffer before you watch him die. How he dies is up to you; slow and painful or quick and almost painless."
With another painful yank of her head, he released her before roughly tying a gag around her mouth. He pinched her bruised cheek, hard, enjoying the look of pain in her eyes.
"I want no heroics or attempts to warn him. Otherwise..." he tailed off, his cold eyes shifting to her bump and the cold smile faded, sending a chill down Sara's spine. Garrett's implication was clear.
Rising to his feet, he left the room, leaving her alone once more.
Grissom stared tensely at the road ahead, gripping the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles were white. As he approached the street he was to turn on, he flicked on the red and blue lights on top of the police car, but didn't bother to hit his turn signal. Several car horns blared, in irritation, but Grissom ignored them.
A knot of nauseated fear sat in the pit of his stomach as he pressed the accelerator harder, making the police-issued Tahoe's engine growl and leap forward. Sweat beaded his forehead, his breathing jagged, as his apprehension for Sara's safety increased by the second. He glanced briefly at the rear view mirror, swallowing his nervous tension and blowing out a relieved, shaky sigh that he wasn't being followed.
Sweat dripped into his eyes. With a trembling hand and an irritated hiss, he wiped it away. His eye caught the yellow-gold band around his finger and his grip tightened around the steering wheel. He stepped harder on the accelerator, pushing the Tahoe to its limits, as the arid and desolate desert landscape passed by in a blur.
He glanced nervously out the corner of his eye at Mitch, who was sitting in the passenger seat, clinging on for dear life to the dashboard. Mitch had always had a soft spot for Sara, which had only increased the day that Mike Garrett had literally barreled into their lives. Back in the interrogation room, Mitch had agreed to let Grissom go, on the condition that he didn't chase after Garrett alone. So there they were, the two of them, driving toward the unknown.
"If this doesn't work out..." Grissom began.
"It will, Dr. Grissom," Mitch said, turning to face Gil. "You have to trust me. I've dealt with Garrett in the past. I couldn't let you face this alone, without some kind of backup. I'm sorry this has happened to you and Sara, you don't deserve any of it."
Catherine looked up as Ecklie and Brass returned to the A/V lab, once again looking over the dash cam footage. They didn't seem to have any more developments.
"Well? Who was the inside man?" Catherine demanded.
"It was the sheriff and he's not talking."
Catherine's face showed her shock, but her expression quickly changed to determination.
"Where is he?" she wanted to know as she headed toward the door. "Garrett is going to kill them both!"
Brass shook his head as he grabbed Catherine by the arm, stopping her from leaving.
"He's not going to cooperate," he replied quietly. "We have to stick together and figure this out. We know Garrett took US-93 South. If we concentrate our search efforts towards Boulder City, we'll be a little closer to finding them."
Brass released her arm.
"Right now, Gil and Sara have to be our main priority, finding them safe and unharmed. As much as I hate to say this, Rory Dunbar is the least of our worries, just now."
Catherine took a moment to think over what Jim had said. She nodded, realizing he was right. Their main concern had to be Gil and Sara.
"Wait a minute," Archie broke in, typing furiously on his keyboard.
The footage on the main screen changed to a map with a pulsing red circle hovering over a spot just to the top of the screen. Archie turned to face the three of them.
"That's the GPS signal in Officer Mitchell's phone. It just came online and it's coming from just outside of Nelson in Searchlight. The only thing out there is an abandoned mine."
Brass wasted no time in reaching for his radio.
"Dispatch, this is Captain Brass, I need back up and EMT's to Eldorado Canyon, ASAP."
Brass hesitated a moment as he glanced at each of them in turn. Brass' own concern for their friends was mirrored on each of their pale faces. Catherine gave a little reassuring nod as Brass turned and quickly headed out the door.
They each couldn't help but wonder, would they make it in time?
Arriving at the mine, Grissom pulled up next to Sara's Tahoe. He jumped out of the car with his gun drawn, cautiously approaching the vehicle. It was empty, and he noted that the windshield was cracked.
Grissom glanced around at the scattered, wooden-panelled buildings that were nestled in a valley surrounded on three sides by mountains. The place was isolated and desolate, despite being only a forty-five minute drive from Las Vegas.
Garrett had picked the perfect spot. Grissom had no doubt that if things went wrong, his and Sara's bodies wouldn't be discovered for weeks, if ever. His grip tightened on his gun. He only hoped that Sara and their unborn baby would stand a better chance of surviving this than he did.
"We need to split up," Mitch advised in an urgent whisper, as he glanced around at the numerous buildings. "It's the best chance we have of finding Sara."
He reached into the back pocket of his trousers, passing Grissom a walkie talkie.
"Since you left your phone behind, this is the next best thing to stay in contact."
Mitch paused and then gave a brief nod in the direction of the three storage sheds.
"Best of luck, Dr. Grissom."
Grissom nodded back and Mitch set off quickly to the left, his gun raised in readiness. When he reached the first storage shed, he paused and looked back to check Grissom's position. The two men nodded at each other once more.
Stealthily, Grissom headed toward the second largest wooden building. Its red paint had faded and peeled over the years. On the top floor were several broken windows and one frame hung askew, the panes of glass long gone.
Grissom stopped in front of the first door he came to, which sported a new padlock. Garrett had clearly been prepared. The second door he found was locked too, but Grissom had better luck with the third door. After checking over his shoulder to make sure the area was clear, Grissom stepped into the unknown.
From the outside, the building looked small, but once Grissom stepped inside, the space was large. The ground floor was covered in debris and litter that had collected over the years.
Some of the flooring looked unsound and dangerous. Somewhere in front of him, something dropped with a heavy thud, startling Grissom and making his heart rate soar. Sweat beaded his forehead, and glistened on his top lip.
Making his way through the ground floor, navigating around debris, he found a set of stairs to his right. He cautiously made his way upstairs, his gun at the ready.
A gunshot echoed from outside and Grissom froze, holding his breath and pressing his body instinctively against the wall. He peered out the broken window, but could see nothing amiss. He paused to catch his breath before raising the walkie talkie to his mouth.
"Mitch?" he asked in a low voice.
He listened to static for a few seconds before trying again, hoping that Mitch would answer. But the heavy feeling of dread in his stomach was the only answer he received. He closed his eyes for a second, before trying to reach Mitch one more time. Once more, he was only answered with static.
Time was running out. Grissom was sure that Garrett knew he hadn't come alone and things would only get worse if he couldn't find Sara in time.
Grissom checked every room on the second floor. Finding all of them empty, he crept up another staircase. He was just about to check the sixth room on the third floor when he heard a noise coming from the door to his left.
Grissom carefully made his way over to the door, trying to calm his ragged breathing, his pulse racing. He pressed an ear to the door and the sound came again. It was the sound of metal scraping against metal.
With a deep breath, he grasped the handle and gently eased the door open.
Relief washed over him as he saw Sara, tugging uselessly at the handcuffs that bound her arms above her head. Throwing caution to the wind, he rushed to her side, wincing at the sight of her badly bruised cheekbone and eye and her torn and bloody lip.
Tears of relief welled in Sara's eyes at the sight of him.
"Thank God you're okay," he said, putting the Glock on the floor and kneeling next to Sara. "It's okay, sweetheart."
His breath hitched slightly as he gently pulled the gag from her mouth with trembling hands.
"I'm going to get you out of here, and then take care of Garrett."
"Gil," she breathed, her voice sounding hoarse after he removed the gag. "Garrett could come back any second and he's armed. He's vowed to kill you, be careful."
Seeing the worry and trepidation in her eyes, Grissom swallowed back his own misgivings. Despite the urgency, he reached out and gently brushed his fingers over her bruised cheek before leaning forward slightly and kissing her forehead.
When Mitch had un-cuffed Grissom in the interrogation room, Grissom had pocketed the keys. Thank God he did. He fumbled around in his pocket for them, anxious to get Sara to safety.
In his haste, he dropped the keys and as he reached over to pick them up, he heard the creak of a floorboard come from behind him. He tried to reach for his gun, but froze when he felt a gun against the back of his head.
"I said to come alone, and now your piggy friend is dead," came a voice.
Behind Grissom, Garrett stood with a delighted smirk on his face.
"Lucky for you, killing him has put me in the mood for some fun… though I'm not too sure you'll enjoy it."
"Gil, look out!"
Sara's warning came too late. Grissom had begun to turn and face Garrett, but not before a fist connected hard and fast with the side of his head and eye. His head exploded with light as he fell backward, momentarily dazed.
Grissom shook his head groggily, spots of brightness illuminating the edges of his vision. He could feel his eye already start to swell shut.
"Shut your mouth, bitch!" Garrett snarled as he slapped Sara savagely across the face with the back of his hand.
Sara's cry of pain penetrated the fog in Grissom's head and he rose unsteadily to his feet, his nostrils flaring as his rage grew. A cold glint darkened his eyes and his fingers clenched into tight fists, his knuckles white. His fingernails dug into his palms.
Garrett raised his hand to strike Sara again. But with a speed Garrett hadn't expected, Grissom raced forward, lowering his head and body as he ran into Garrett, tackling him in a way any linebacker would have been proud of.
Brass led the cavalry of police cars that were speeding toward Searchlight, Nevada. As he approached the exit for Highway 165 East, he shut off his lights and sirens. He got on his radio to order the other cars to do the same.
As the police cars and ambulance raced toward the mine in silence, Brass could only hope and pray that they would get there in time.
Grissom could feel nothing but pain as Garrett delivered blow after blow to Grissom's face. The hits were savage and came quickly, not giving Grissom time to recover.
Blood flew from his mouth and nose and dripped onto the dusty floor as his head snapped to the right after yet another hit. Still groggy, Grissom fought back as best he could. He managed to squirm backward, kicking his legs viciously at Garrett's face. His booted foot connected solidly with Garrett's nose. Grissom heard the cringe-worthy sound of bones crushing as Garrett cried out in enraged pain.
Both of them were now bleeding profusely. Garrett crawled after Grissom, blood pouring from his nose. They both paused as they both spotted Garrett's gun at the same time.
Grissom managed to gain his footing first, but Garrett's hand clamped around his left ankle and pulled him backwards. Grissom landed heavily on his other leg and pain shot through his calf.
Garrett used the opportunity to get to his feet. He kicked Grissom savagely in the ribs, once, twice, a third time. Grissom inhaled sharply, trying to stifle his cry of pain as Garrett's final kick broke his ribs.
Grissom covered his head with his arms in an attempt to protect himself, all the time aware that if Garrett reached the gun, then it would be all over.
As Garrett delivered a fourth kick to Grissom's stomach, Grissom grabbed Garrett's foot and twisted it. The move caught Garrett by surprise and threw him off-balance. Grissom winced as pain lanced through his ribs, his breathing labored. He scrambled for the gun, expecting Garrett's foot to come stamping down on his hand at any second.
He got to it just in time. Grissom grabbed the gun and rolled onto his back, prepared for Garrett to continue the fight. But Garrett had gone.
Grissom took a second to catch his breath as relief and dizziness washed over him. The fight had carried them out of the room where Sara was being held and into the corridor. But he was there alone. Where had Garrett gone? Grissom realized with a rush of terror that he might have left Garrett alone with Sara.
Using the wall as leverage, he clamored to his feet and started to make his way back to Sara.
Out of nowhere, a shot rang out, missing Grissom by inches. He aimed the gun and returned fire, but the swelling around his eye caused him to miss his mark by a mile. Grissom cursed as Garrett disappeared around the corner, his mocking laughter echoing in Grissom's ears.
Grissom's breathing was labored and he grimaced as pain lanced through his leg as he limped after Garrett. His broken ribs throbbed with every breath he took. With his back to the wall, he took a second to catch his breath, his face contorted with pain. He closed his eyes, and tried to calm his jagged breathing and gather his racing thoughts. Sara and the baby's lives depended on him staying focused. Grissom peered around the corner to make sure it was clear and continued forward.
But Garrett knew the building better than Grissom, and while Grissom had paused to collect himself, Garrett had circled around and crept up behind him. Grissom was completely unprepared for Garrett's next move, so Garrett was easily able to loop a cord around his neck and pull tight.
The cord drew tighter and tighter and Grissom struggled to remain conscious, his arms waving blindly behind him. His vision was becoming blurry, but his hands continued to try to find a grip on Garrett.
Garrett pulled the cord even tighter, sensing his victory. Grissom gasped for air as the edges of his vision darkened. His arm reached out blindly behind him again. He was able to find Garrett's wrist before all his remaining strength slipped away and his hands fell limply to his side.
A shot rang out and Grissom slumped forward, the cord loosening around his neck. He gasped in great lungfuls of air. His body was a mass of pain, the worst of it concentrated around his throat and ribs.
His body tensed and he flinched when he felt a hand touch him, but he immediately relaxed when he heard Brass's voice.
"It's okay, Gil. It's over. Garrett's dead and you and Sara are safe."