CHAPTER 52
At the villa in Northern Italy Beth struggled to keep herself together. It was tough enough surviving day after day without seeing Cassie, but Rick's continued presence was grating on her. He never missed an opportunity to mention just how close he'd become to her sister, or to insinuate that if she didn't do as they wished harm could come to Rayna.
"I've sent her a ticket to meet me in Paris next week." He'd told Beth over dinner the night before when Garrett had insisted she join them. "She thinks I have a lead on your whereabouts." He'd laughed. "Oh if she only knew."
"Why don't you just leave her alone?" Beth had asked. "It's not like you care about her. What difference would it make for either of you if you just ended the relationship?"
She felt Garrett's hand on her thigh, urging her to remain calm, and it was all she could do not to knock it away.
"She amuses me." He'd replied. "Not in the way that you obviously amuse my friend Garrett, but she's never boring . unless you count all the times she's gone on and on about how sick and lonely your father has become since you left. God if I have to hear any more of it I think I'll just go and put the poor bastard out of his misery myself."
Garrett jumped to his feet just as Beth choked out an expletive. "That's enough."
In one quick motion Rick not only stood, but whipped out his blade and placed it against Garrett's throat. "You forget yourself." He warned.
"I haven't forgotten anything." Garrett responded, surprising Beth when he put his hand on the blade and ignored how it sliced into his fingers as he pushed it away. "But you go too far. You've done a lot for me, and I am grateful, but don't expect me to just sit back while you torture the woman I love."
Beth gasped. "You what?"
"My dear have you always been this slow?" Rick turned his attention to her. "Why do you think he's gone to such extremes? But then again why would I expect you to know something he didn't know himself until recently, or are you still trying to convince yourself this was all about your friend's daughter?" he laughed, turning back to Garrett who appeared to be at a loss for words as he wrapped his hand in a linen napkin to wait for it to heal.
Beth couldn't even think about this now. She was far more concerned about her sister and what Rick had just said about her father. "Please, could I call my family? I won't say anything that would give away where I am . just please . God Garrett my mother died the last time I was taken from them. Do you know what knowing my father isn't well is doing to me?"
Garrett appeared to sympathize, but when he looked up at Rick, Beth knew what he would say.
"Don't even think about it." He said to Garrett. "If you don't want this perfect little world you are constructing to fall down on your head . remember, Pierson had friends . friends that would gladly seek revenge on the both of us. If you trust her not to get a message to them, you are indeed a fool."
Garrett nodded he understood, and Beth felt her heart sink. She was completely powerless over every aspect of her life, and now Rick not only was threatening Rayna . even Garrett appeared to be only a hair's breath away from his anger. As much as she hated Garrett, the thought of being at the mercy of Rick alone was even more frightening. "I've got to do something." She said to herself "Garrett is showing at least some protective tendencies toward me . what if?" Beth's eyes filled with tears as she tried to push the thought from her mind.
Rick looked over at her and a grin spread across his face. "Awwww is something wrong my dear?"
He moved closer to her, his sword still in hand, which prompted Garrett to slip beside her and wrap his arm around her shoulder. Beth steeled herself and did not move away, but turned and buried her face in the crook of his neck as she cried harder.
"Just back off man." Garrett said as he gingerly wrapped his arms around her shaking body. "You've had your fun for tonight. Just leave her alone."
To Beth's surprise, Rick simply let out a sarcastic laugh and walked out, letting the outside door slam behind him.
"Are you all right?" Garrett asked, lifting Beth's chin to look into her eyes.
Beth shook her head. "How can I be all right? Did you hear him? God Garrett he's insane." She began, letting as much fear show on her face as possible. She gripped the fabric of his shirt tightly in her fingers and looked directly into his face. "You've got to watch him Garrett. I thought he was going to kill you tonight. You've can't let him do that, you can't."
Garrett was surprised by the sincerity of her words. "I thought you wanted me dead." He stated flatly.
Beth pushed away from his embrace but didn't move far. "Who else do I have Garrett? Rick already killed Adam. He's not coming for the grand rescue I'd been dreaming up. I'm on the other side of the world from my family . and something tells me this was more his idea than yours, and now he's not only threatening my sister, but practically took your head off for disagreeing with him." Her chest heaved up and down forcefully as her emotions became more worked up with every word. "You are all I have Garrett. You are all that stands between Cassie and me and that cruel man." She let her words soften to almost a whisper as she stared at him.
"I won't let him hurt you or Cassie." Garrett promised, hesitating a second before easing her back into his arms. "I will do what I promised before. I'll protect you and Cassie." He lightly buried his face in her hair and inhaled, enjoying everything about having her this close.
Beth's tears soaked his shirt, but if he thought they were born of her fear or even relief at hearing his pledge, he would be wrong. Beth wept because she felt herself betraying the love she had for a man she knew in her heart was very much alive. Even if she was only doing this to manipulate Garrett into letting her see Cassie, or to try and keep Rick from hurting Rayna, or to eventually gain more freedom so she could somehow get word to Adam or their friends, it still felt wrong to let another man hold her this way.
"God I don't know if I can do this." She didn't realize she'd whispered the words aloud until Garrett asked her what she meant.
"I feel like I'm losing my mind. I'm afraid that if Rick keeps terrorizing me the way he has that I'll lose the little bit of control I've managed to keep. And I'm so afraid my father will die of a broken heart the same way my mother did ." She covered, biting her lip as she realized she had to be more careful.
"Shhhh . Don't worry Beth. I won't let him keep doing this to you. I'll make sure it gets better." He promised as he held her tighter. "And if you want to send a letter to your father, I'll see that he gets it. Just remember your promise not to reveal where we are."
Outside Rick looked through the window and saw what appeared to be a tender scene. "What did I tell you boy? Didn't I tell you she'd be clinging to you like a honeysuckle vine if you stuck to my plan?" he walked away congratulating himself. Garrett hadn't deviated from the script they'd worked out ahead of time and now he had what he wanted . or at least was well on his way. "Yes, things are working out nicely not only here, but for my plans in Munich as well."
"The games are just beginning MacLeod ." Rick said to himself as he got into his car and drove to his hotel in the village.
At the villa in Northern Italy Beth struggled to keep herself together. It was tough enough surviving day after day without seeing Cassie, but Rick's continued presence was grating on her. He never missed an opportunity to mention just how close he'd become to her sister, or to insinuate that if she didn't do as they wished harm could come to Rayna.
"I've sent her a ticket to meet me in Paris next week." He'd told Beth over dinner the night before when Garrett had insisted she join them. "She thinks I have a lead on your whereabouts." He'd laughed. "Oh if she only knew."
"Why don't you just leave her alone?" Beth had asked. "It's not like you care about her. What difference would it make for either of you if you just ended the relationship?"
She felt Garrett's hand on her thigh, urging her to remain calm, and it was all she could do not to knock it away.
"She amuses me." He'd replied. "Not in the way that you obviously amuse my friend Garrett, but she's never boring . unless you count all the times she's gone on and on about how sick and lonely your father has become since you left. God if I have to hear any more of it I think I'll just go and put the poor bastard out of his misery myself."
Garrett jumped to his feet just as Beth choked out an expletive. "That's enough."
In one quick motion Rick not only stood, but whipped out his blade and placed it against Garrett's throat. "You forget yourself." He warned.
"I haven't forgotten anything." Garrett responded, surprising Beth when he put his hand on the blade and ignored how it sliced into his fingers as he pushed it away. "But you go too far. You've done a lot for me, and I am grateful, but don't expect me to just sit back while you torture the woman I love."
Beth gasped. "You what?"
"My dear have you always been this slow?" Rick turned his attention to her. "Why do you think he's gone to such extremes? But then again why would I expect you to know something he didn't know himself until recently, or are you still trying to convince yourself this was all about your friend's daughter?" he laughed, turning back to Garrett who appeared to be at a loss for words as he wrapped his hand in a linen napkin to wait for it to heal.
Beth couldn't even think about this now. She was far more concerned about her sister and what Rick had just said about her father. "Please, could I call my family? I won't say anything that would give away where I am . just please . God Garrett my mother died the last time I was taken from them. Do you know what knowing my father isn't well is doing to me?"
Garrett appeared to sympathize, but when he looked up at Rick, Beth knew what he would say.
"Don't even think about it." He said to Garrett. "If you don't want this perfect little world you are constructing to fall down on your head . remember, Pierson had friends . friends that would gladly seek revenge on the both of us. If you trust her not to get a message to them, you are indeed a fool."
Garrett nodded he understood, and Beth felt her heart sink. She was completely powerless over every aspect of her life, and now Rick not only was threatening Rayna . even Garrett appeared to be only a hair's breath away from his anger. As much as she hated Garrett, the thought of being at the mercy of Rick alone was even more frightening. "I've got to do something." She said to herself "Garrett is showing at least some protective tendencies toward me . what if?" Beth's eyes filled with tears as she tried to push the thought from her mind.
Rick looked over at her and a grin spread across his face. "Awwww is something wrong my dear?"
He moved closer to her, his sword still in hand, which prompted Garrett to slip beside her and wrap his arm around her shoulder. Beth steeled herself and did not move away, but turned and buried her face in the crook of his neck as she cried harder.
"Just back off man." Garrett said as he gingerly wrapped his arms around her shaking body. "You've had your fun for tonight. Just leave her alone."
To Beth's surprise, Rick simply let out a sarcastic laugh and walked out, letting the outside door slam behind him.
"Are you all right?" Garrett asked, lifting Beth's chin to look into her eyes.
Beth shook her head. "How can I be all right? Did you hear him? God Garrett he's insane." She began, letting as much fear show on her face as possible. She gripped the fabric of his shirt tightly in her fingers and looked directly into his face. "You've got to watch him Garrett. I thought he was going to kill you tonight. You've can't let him do that, you can't."
Garrett was surprised by the sincerity of her words. "I thought you wanted me dead." He stated flatly.
Beth pushed away from his embrace but didn't move far. "Who else do I have Garrett? Rick already killed Adam. He's not coming for the grand rescue I'd been dreaming up. I'm on the other side of the world from my family . and something tells me this was more his idea than yours, and now he's not only threatening my sister, but practically took your head off for disagreeing with him." Her chest heaved up and down forcefully as her emotions became more worked up with every word. "You are all I have Garrett. You are all that stands between Cassie and me and that cruel man." She let her words soften to almost a whisper as she stared at him.
"I won't let him hurt you or Cassie." Garrett promised, hesitating a second before easing her back into his arms. "I will do what I promised before. I'll protect you and Cassie." He lightly buried his face in her hair and inhaled, enjoying everything about having her this close.
Beth's tears soaked his shirt, but if he thought they were born of her fear or even relief at hearing his pledge, he would be wrong. Beth wept because she felt herself betraying the love she had for a man she knew in her heart was very much alive. Even if she was only doing this to manipulate Garrett into letting her see Cassie, or to try and keep Rick from hurting Rayna, or to eventually gain more freedom so she could somehow get word to Adam or their friends, it still felt wrong to let another man hold her this way.
"God I don't know if I can do this." She didn't realize she'd whispered the words aloud until Garrett asked her what she meant.
"I feel like I'm losing my mind. I'm afraid that if Rick keeps terrorizing me the way he has that I'll lose the little bit of control I've managed to keep. And I'm so afraid my father will die of a broken heart the same way my mother did ." She covered, biting her lip as she realized she had to be more careful.
"Shhhh . Don't worry Beth. I won't let him keep doing this to you. I'll make sure it gets better." He promised as he held her tighter. "And if you want to send a letter to your father, I'll see that he gets it. Just remember your promise not to reveal where we are."
Outside Rick looked through the window and saw what appeared to be a tender scene. "What did I tell you boy? Didn't I tell you she'd be clinging to you like a honeysuckle vine if you stuck to my plan?" he walked away congratulating himself. Garrett hadn't deviated from the script they'd worked out ahead of time and now he had what he wanted . or at least was well on his way. "Yes, things are working out nicely not only here, but for my plans in Munich as well."
"The games are just beginning MacLeod ." Rick said to himself as he got into his car and drove to his hotel in the village.