A/N Thank you so much for the response to the last 2 chapters. I was very excited to see all the reviews and new readers too! I've kiddos down with the flu right now and so I've been up lots at night and not able to be at work too and so I might even have another double update for you between helping my son and binging Cobra Kai and Prison Break with him laying on my lap he's doing slightly better now but I still can't risk people at work getting sick.
Watch for another chapter or more this weekend. Hoping for more ideas for the other story too. Off work while kids recover.
So enjoy the extra writing.. Always eager for your thoughts..
Roman's POV
I didn't want to leave her. At all.
It was the middle of the night and who knew where the prisoners all were. Sure, some of them I could hear on the beach and had seen a fire out that way before the rain drowned it out but that did not mean they were ALL there.
I hoped Brock thought we had drowned. That would be the safest Sara would be from that psycho.
I turned back while buttoning up my shirt, watching her walk backwards away from me too and saw she didn't want me to leave anymore that I did. She was heading toward the cave where we had tucked Dean in.
Her eyes had not left mine that were locked on her too as we got further and further apart. I wanted to just run back to her and stay in our tree knowing then that she was safe with me. How were any of us safe at all right now especially if we were not together?
Randy put his hand on my shoulder and swiped his forehead with his other hand, pulling my gaze away from Sara to focus on him. His face was grave and the worry he wore looked exhausting. He gave me a half smile as he patted my back.
"Thank you," he spoke up, his expression soft toward me yet hard in determination to find his friend. "I would never forgive myself if something happened to Becky."
I nodded at him, clapping him on the back too. It felt nice to be respected and not just talked down to and belittled like the guards had done all month. Or to have to pretend to be tough and fierce like I had been in order to blend in with Seth after his heartbreaking betrayal. Him and Dolph acting like they never did anything to Dean and me and practically pretending like Seth didn't even know us.
I hated being the boss to the rest of the team to take down the plane too and how much that was not me either. The missions were wearing on me. There had been too much pain and loss and death.
So right now, it felt good to help with something, to be free of chains and bars surrounding me. This man looked like he viewed me with respect, as an equal, an ally and not a prisoner or a danger to him, at least anymore.
"We will find her Randy," I nodded again in affirmation of my words as I gave him a terse smile. We walked side by side through the trees with mostly silence between us, but it felt like he trusted me or that we were a sort of team. I liked having someone else on our side.
The pilot pushed his way through the lower hanging branches of the trees we passed and pulled his hood up on the hoodie he was wearing. It was monogrammed with the airports logo like the ones he gave us, and Becky was wearing too.
It had stopped raining a while ago already and I was glad I left Sara with the leather jacket to keep her warm. I felt a chill as the wind whipped through my thin still damp long sleeved button up.
He spoke again, breaking the silence. "She is my wife's best friend Roman. Charlotte and Becky have been friends since they were kids. She is our son's godmother. Her husband and her have been friends with us for years."
I stopped and turned to him to give him my full attention as I heard his voice shaking. I put my hands on his shoulders as he sniffled and fought tears in his eyes. "Becky lost her husband to cancer only a couple months ago. Finn was so young, and it was so hard on her to just watch the strong man she loved become such a hollow shell of himself, getting weaker and thinner every day. She threw herself into her work in order to stay sane after his death and she has taken every flight job she could to not stop and stay still in that empty house. She has not spent one night alone in their house since he died. Which I know isn't healthy but at least she is working and not in bed depressed and she is just living with us."
I frowned sadly at him and squeezed his shoulder. "I'm so sorry," I mumbled not knowing really what to say. Losing someone like that would have been devastating.
Randy scraped the back of his hand over his face again hiding tears that I could see wanted to be let free. "She has been through so much in her life already. Finn was her physical therapist after she was attacked one night about 5 years ago and almost raped on university grounds. She was just walking to her dorm when some creep grabbed her, beat her up and she barely got away, screaming so loud that people came running. Her clothes were torn, she had a broken leg and arm and had bruises and cuts everywhere. The bastard pulled a knife and almost had dragged her away to his van before she could get away."
I sucked in my breath, at first not knowing why he was telling me all this but now I knew the reason he was so desperate to find her and let me in on her past. We were on an island with convicted rapists and murderers and that was what she had already lived through? Shit!
"She wanted to give up. Char and I were there for her, but she just pulled away from everyone who loved her. She met Finn during her recovery, and he pushed her to start walking again and fight the depression and the fear. He was her rock and they fell in love and got married that same year."
I nodded again, feeling more determined than ever that I would not rest till she was back safe with us. I could not imagine what she had been through.
"If any of those creeps get their hands on her...I don't think she would survive it," Randy whispered as a tear slipped down his cheek.
"Okay, okay. I get it man. My God I can't imagine, but we will not let that happen. Okay?" I shook him slightly, my eyes hard on his. "Are you with me man? We will get her back."
I knew that Sara had some kind of dark pain too and I had felt it the first time we met but I had no idea the young co-pilot too had been through so much so young.
"Let's go as close to where the inmates are and then circle back. That way if she just wandered off or got captured by one of them, we can corner them before they take her back to the group." I thought it was a good idea and smiled when Randy nodded his agreement.
"Thank you Roman." The pilot gave me a shaky smile. "You are different than the rest of them, aren't you?"
I drew in a deep breath thinking I could tell him too about my affiliation with the CIA. That I was very different.
But before I could answer he spoke up again. "I mean the way you were protecting the doctor. You love her, don't you?"
I smiled as I nodded to him. That I could tell him. Maybe I would share about the CIA yet but right now we needed to focus on Becky and then getting myself back in Sara's arms.
"I do. I would do anything for her. Hell, I have barely known her a month already and I want forever with her. I can't even imagine being with anyone else. She is it for me." I closed my eyes a moment just imagining her face, the taste of her kisses and I literally ached for her.
Randy smiled at me; his expression looked genuine. "Well judging by how close she was with you on the plane and your witty banter back and forth...you two and forever is not a stretch."
I laughed remembering how stubborn we both were when she was checking me for more injuries. I felt so relaxed with her and didn't think about what I was going to say first. She made me feel safe and warm and real when my job was none of those things. She felt like an anchor in the storm that was my life right now.
"Thanks man," I managed to mumble to him feeling more emotion in my voice just thinking of Sara and all she meant to me. Just the thought of forever sounded so crazy especially with me still being a prisoner and an agent. What kind of life could I offer her?
Randy cleared his throat and I saw him looking back at me again and his head down seeing the chain on my wrist still. "But when we get rescued then you will go back to jail right? I mean...I can testify on your behalf that you saved Sara's life and protected her and us and put your life at risk for us but..."
I shook my head. "It's okay man. Don't worry about me. Let's just find your friend before someone else does." He nodded in agreement, and we turned away from each other and headed closer and closer to the dim light of the campfire that the cons had on the beach. With the dense trees we were in it was my only frame of reference right then to know where we were headed.
I just breathed a silent prayer that no one else had found her. Her past sounded like hell already.
We needed a way off this damn island and away from these psychos. All of us.
Becky's POV
Yep, I was certain of it now. I was lost. Damn it!
At least it wasn't raining. I cursed myself for going out to pee without telling Randy where I was going. I should have woken him, but he had looked so peaceful, and I knew from all we had been through already that he deserved the sleep. He had been awake and held me so many nights after Finn died. I loved him like a brother and the fact that we got to work together was just a bonus.
So, I saw him curled up against the wall outside of the cave, huddled under a blanket and I just didn't have the heart to wake him. I was just going to go a few feet away to use the bathroom and be right back so I would be fine by myself.
I had not even walked very far away to find a tree to lean against to relieve myself. The flashlight I had brought with me lit up enough of the ground ahead to so I didn't trip on anything, and I thought that the light was enough to make sure I could find my way back to him.
But the darkness of the night did not help. There were barely any stars in the sky that I could see through the trees above me, and an animal made a sound way to close to where I was. It startled me and I dropped the flashlight.
Feeling around in the darkness for my only source of light, my hands found it and flicked the switch, but it didn't turn back on. Shoot that was not good.
I stood up and looked around but there was nothing but blackness in every direction. I flicked the switch a couple more times, but nothing changed, and the darkness felt like it was closing in on me. There had to be a way to figure out which direction to go.
"Randy! Where are you?" I rubbed my arms back and forth to stay warm as I hissed out. There was no reply. I spun around again and walked further thinking I was sure I knew which way I had come from. "Randy!" I tried again. Damn it!
I walked a little further not even knowing how long I stumbled in the darkness till there were less trees and I walked toward the slight clearing. I could see more of the stars above from there, but I could still not tell which way to go.
I kept going even further that same direction and cried out in pain as I felt a branch just tear at my leg. My legs were bare, the stupid copilot uniform dress shirt and skirt I had on giving me no real protection from anything in the darkness. And since I thought I would only be gone a minute, I left the sweater Randy gave me in the tiny cave.
I bent down and examined the scrape. It wasn't too serious but was bleeding somewhat but I had nothing here to help that at all. My arm hurt enough as it was from the bullet grazing it before. I did not need more injuries out here.
When I had woken up, I had checked my arm and removed the thin almost sheer shirt that the woman doctor had given me. It had stopped bleeding and looked like the bullet just barely grazed the side of my arm.
Another sound in the air had me pressing my back into the nearest tree as my head whipped around to see where the sound came from.
Just then something with wings flew by me and I just leaned my head back fast to avoid it. It was just an owl, I thought or some kind of bird. I closed my eyes and curled into the tree trunk behind me. I needed to stay calm and figure out which way to go.
My fingers reached under the hem on my blouse for the ring looped on the chain around my neck. I ran my thumb over it just remembering slipping the gold band around Finn's finger on our wedding day. I wished he was here. I was scared all alone and I missed him so much. The emptiness in my heart was still so raw and it was times like this when I was scared in the dark that I would always want his arms around me.
"Finn, please help me," I whimpered. "I need your strength right now." I tucked the necklace back under my blouse and pushed myself back off the tree.
But the next second I felt a hand around my mouth as an arm snaked around my waist pulling me back against a hard body!
Roman's POV
The beach wasn't far, and I could see the faint flickering from the fire they must have gotten restarted by the shore that told us we were headed in the right direction. Hopefully she had just gotten lost and not been captured but I had no idea. There were at least a dozen creeps wandering free on the island and now knowing her history I was more determined than ever to find her.
We were almost to the beach when I heard voices louder. Low laughs and whistling sounds pierced my ear drums as we knelt down in the bushes just a few feet away from the group of cons that were whooping and cheering about something. Randy and I exchanged worried glances and before I could lean closer to whisper to him, I heard the unmistakable sound of a woman's higher pitched voice. The woman was crying.
No! They could not have gotten to her so quickly! She was just supposed to be lost in the dark and that was it.
I blinked, adjusting my eyes to the darkness more. I could barely make out shadows of the men around the fire but not near enough to tell who was who. I saw one of the shadows gripping another shadows arms as they appeared from between the trees at the end of the beach and threw the person to the ground. Another muffled sob echoed around in the night air.
Randy was literally shaking me frantically and I knew how desperate he must be feeling. Becky had nearly been raped and now was reliving that and more in this nightmarish situation!
I turned back to him. "I know!" I hissed out knowing that we were completely outnumbered. How could we possibly get her away from that many violent criminals?!
"Look what I found!" a voice rang out as the man dragged her up from the ground and toward the group of men down further by the water around the fire. It was Brock! I would recognize the sick sound of his voice anywhere, even without him calling me 'Pretty'.
"We thought you had all had drowned sweet thing." I saw him haul her to her knees and he just held her by the back of her neck, her head pressed against the side of his thigh. "Where are the rest of them? Did they make it out too?" He bent down beside her, and I saw her fighting him as he held her hands in his with one hand, his other hand still clutching a handful of her hair to hold her tight.
Oh no! Now he was thinking that we hadn't drowned! Shit!
I saw him lean in and bury his head in her hair and as he backed up again, he made a sour face that shone in the moonlight. "No, you are not who I want. I'll spare you if you help me find her…" Brock said slowly looking like he was moving in slow motion as he held her. He was bare chested, the sleeves of his orange jumpsuit tied around his waist.
"Roman! We have to get over there! I can't let them hurt her!" Randy whispered and turned to sneak closer before I could say anything. He was gone and headed away down around the perimeter of the beach leaving me no time to argue with him. Shit. What the hell. He was going to get us both caught!
I cursed more under my breath and looked around before I followed after him, staying behind the bushes and trees before I raced to hide behind a huge rock on the edge of the beach.
I could hear them more clearly now too and see them better as well. She was blindfolded with what looked to be a man's tank top, likely the reason Brock was not wearing one and she had a gag over her mouth too. Her long hair looked tangled up in the tank top too like she had been manhandled more than just the last few minutes.
He ripped the gag from her mouth and shook her. "Tell me bitch! Where is Sara? Where is the Doc?" Her hands were free, and she was fighting Brocks's grip on her head before he back handed her and she landed on the sand in a heap, holding her cheek.
Dear God, no! He was NOT going to EVER get his hands on the woman I loved again! I sucked in a deep breath just flashing to the possibility of Sara being found and this happening to her. I felt sick at the thought and my heart was racing in my chest.
I wished I hadn't shot him now, his rage at both of us. It probably made it worse. Actually, I was positive it had.
But back then he was still handcuffed, had ankle shackles on, with armed guards all around him and was on the way to never being in any of our lives ever again. He was going to jail for the rest of his life, serving 5 consecutive life sentences. I knew I did it to warn him to stay away from us. But I never in my wildest dreams imagined that he would be walking around free a mere few hours later!
Randy was looking more undone every second that he was crouched down beside me. He looked like he was seconds away from just running up to everyone and getting himself killed trying to save her!
But even if the two of us did just jump out and attack and take out how many? I started counting shadows as I crouched down behind the rock. There was more than 12 and that might not even be right. There was no way we could overpower that many. We would be dead or captured and tortured within minutes and God knows then what Brock would do to me or Randy to get to Sara.
No, I could not risk leaving her unprotected. But then how could we help Becky? My head was pounding trying desperately to think of some kind of plan. The men had started moving around more and had formed a sort of circle around Brock and her, making it even harder to get to her if we tried. I could still see her just curled up in a ball on the ground and her whimpers carried through the air toward us. Fuck what could we do?!
Randy told me he didn't even have any weapons so what good were two unarmed men against...yeah there was no way. Shit! There had to be something?
I heard her scream again as Brock pulled her up by her hair and threw her back away from him. She landed hard against a man standing behind her as Brock's hand went around her throat and she choked and cried out in pain, her head flailing around and her hands fighting his grip on her neck.
"Yes, fight me! I want to hear you scream." He let go and she was gasping for air as she slipped to the ground sobbing and holding her throat. Randy was shaking me harder now, but I still had no fucking clue how we could get her away from the literal lynch mob that had formed around her.
"You don't tell me where Sara is, and I will just let all of them at you darling." I heard him yell at her as he was glaring at her in impatience.
"Please," she begged, and she cried out again as Brock grabbed a handful of her hair again. "I don't know who you are talking about," I heard her whimper.
That made no sense. She knew who Sara was. Was she lying to protect us, even with what Brock had threatened her with?
Randy suddenly grabbed me by the shirt collar, and I turned to face him. "It's not..."
He sounded like he was trying so hard to catch his breath and could barely get a word out.
I turned back to her, hearing her choking on her sobs, she must be so scared.
Brock looked ready to kick her and she reeled back. "Please, don't hurt my baby," she cried out as she fell to her knees and her hands went around her belly.
Baby?!
I whirled back to Randy, and he nodded back to me. "It's...not her."
Relief flooded his face, and I looked back and realized he was right. It was the stewardess that they had tortured to get Dean to give up where Sara and I were hiding before! They looked so similar with the longer hair and were both wearing airline blouses and skirts and had such similar body types.
I realized at that moment that I had no idea what had happened to that woman, Liv I remembered her name was. I had been focused on just getting Sara out of the back of the plane and to safety before and the last thing I remembered of this woman was her being tossed in Brock's lap as the rest of the men searched through the cargo for us as Sara and I had waded through the water away from them. So how had she even gotten away from them then?
Damn we needed to get her to safety somehow too.
I breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn't Becky.
But if this wasn't Becky...then where the hell was, she?
