Rating: PG-13
Author's Notes: Thanks to Sweatergirl for betaing, and D and the rest of Maple Street for the incredible encouragement! You guys rock so much!
The car pulled swiftly in front of her. She recognized the familiar faces. The other cars and trucks came to a halt. Vivian reached her first.
"Marie! We're here, what happened?" Vivian put her hand on the woman's shoulder.
"These men dropped me off a ways from here, they took the girls and Jack."
"How did you make it to the campsite?" Martin asked his eyes narrowing in on bullet holes in one of the tents.
"The trail I was on led me here." Marie's voice shook.
"Do you know where Jack and the girls are?" Vivian asked.
Marie shook her head. "Samantha is looking for them now."
Danny spun around, "You've seen Samantha?"
"Is she okay?' Martin asked.
"She's not wonderful. Some park ranger named Addison, according to her, is behind all this. He threw away her pain pills."
Martin and Danny exchanged a look.
Marie continued, "Samantha found me and helped me to get near here. I sent her to find Jack and the girls."
"Does she have any idea where they are?" Danny asked.
"No. We had an interesting conversation." Marie looked into Vivian's eyes.
"Guys, set up the rangers, I want this whole area swept. They have to be in walking distance of the campsite." Vivian turned back to Marie.
"We're on it," Danny started turning towards the park rangers. "Okay, guys, lets look at that map and see where you will be searching."
Marie rubbed her eyes. "How long have you known Vivian?"
"About the affair?"
Marie nodded.
"Before it began really."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Vivian sighed. "Telling you wouldn't have done any good. It would have served just to hurt you.'
"I'm already hurt."
Vivian moved and sat beside her on the log that was Marie's chair. "They didn't do it out of malice, Marie."
"They are in love, aren't they?"
"Yes."
"I could tell. Samantha speaks of Jack like he's the best thing in the world."
"The affair didn't happen because Jack was lonely, Marie. I think he just finally realized he had feelings for Sam."
"He wants to be with her." The sadness filled Marie's voice so that it sounded deeper than usual.
"He chose to come back to you."
"That wasn't out of love but his sense of loyalty."
Vivian crossed her arms. "What are you going to do about your marriage?"
"I don't know. I really don't." The tears swam again. "What is most important now is getting them back safe."
"I agree. I need to help coordinate the search. I'm still here if you need me." Vivian rose.
"Thank you," Marie said, "I have a lot to think about."
Sam quickly camouflaged herself in some brush. Addison was dragging Kate who was weeping softly. His eyes were a blaze with anger. He noticed the tree and Marie's absence from it.
"The bitch! Goddamn bitch got away!" He pulled Kate closer to his face. "Did you hear me? Your mother is gone!"
Kate's tears became louder.
Samantha clenched her fist. He would pay for this, for hurting Kate.
"It was a perfect plan, perfect!" Addison still held Kate, his eyes wild. "What press there would have been. Yellowstone killing spree. Murderer at large. Then your little shit of a sister, had to see Don and Clay killing one of the tourists. Your daddy made a phone call and that blonde chick came here to save you all."
Kate's eyes widened. "Samantha."
I'm here, Sam thought. Just give me a chance, once he puts that gun down.
"I would have been famous. Twenty-five tourists killed in a week. And they never would have never caught me. But because of your sister and father, my plan was ruined! Now the authorities will be swarming all over here. They'll find the bodies before I can bury them." The gun swayed in his hand. "They'll figure out that I did it. These people would have just disappeared, gone missing. Who did the crime? No one would have ever known. Then your sister saw it happening. Now everything is destroyed."
Kate swallowed.
"I'm going to make your sister suffer. You know that. Suffer!"
"Kate!" a young voice yelled. Hanna was running out of the woods, Jack just a step behind.
"Hanna, no!" Jack was yelling.
Addison turned letting go of Kate. He pointed his gun straight at Hanna.
Ignoring all the pain she was feeling, Sam launched her self out of the brush. She ran full steam even though her leg had sharp pains riding through it.
"You're the little shit…" Addison started.
Hanna stopped.
Sam continued coming at him.
Jack threw himself on top of Hanna, pushing her to the ground.
The gun went off.
Sam reached Addison and threw her weight at him. He fell forward but grabbed her arm in the process landing her on the ground.
Kate screamed.
Addison turned; gun in hand, squeezing the trigger.
Kate's eyes filled with horror.
"Kate!" Jack yelled.
And in the one moment before the bullet made it's way to Kate, Samantha threw herself in front of the girl, in front of the bullet. The pain gripped through like she was on fire just had it had felt when she had been shot at the bookstore.
To be continued…
