"She wouldn't." Trey dismissed, "She's crazy, but she wouldn't kill one of her own children, especially not Leo."
"You really think that that's true, Trey dear?" Vanessa asked calmly.
"No!" Leo shouted, noticing the rifle move.
Suddenly, the sound of a gun firing overpowered the sound of the waterfall nearby. As Leora started to cry, Trey sank to the ground instantly as smoke floated from the barrel of Vanessa's rifle. It had been a direct hit to the head!
"Trey!" Greenlee screamed as David quickly knelt next to his baby brother. After checking for a non-existent pulse on the younger man, David slowly got back to his feet. Curious as to what had happened, Leo turned slowly around to look. Upon seeing Trey's still form, Leo turned to look into David's eyes, which had a sad, yet angry look to them. Words were not needed to confirm Leo's fears.
"Trey." Leo said, taking a step towards the still form. Instantly, he could feel Vanessa grab his wrist tightly and turn him, so that he faced her once again.
"So, Leo darling," Vanessa asked calmly, "are you going to come with me, or do I need to kill another person to prove my point?"
"Leo, no." Greenlee said quietly as David went to her side, "She wants to use him to get ransom money from Count du Pres."
"What?" David said shocked.
Glancing back at the still form of Trey, Leo sighed before looking to both the ground and the sky for some form of answer. Defeated, he looked back at Vanessa.
"Let the rest of them go safely," Leo said slowly, "and I'll come with you willingly."
"No, Leo!" Greenlee screamed as David put a restraining hand on her shoulder.
"Do we have a deal?" Leo asked quietly, ignoring his wife's protest.
"Of course." Vanessa said, her face glowing with victory.
"Can I go say goodbye?" Leo asked sadly.
"Make it quick." was Vanessa's only response.
Nodding, Leo turned and walked over to David. After Leo handed Leora to Greenlee for a moment, David enveloped his younger brother in a tight bear hug.
"I'm counting on you to get Greenlee out of here safely." Leo said, "Don't worry about me. I'll find some way out of this and back to all of you."
"Just take care of yourself, little bro." David instructed, taking Leo's pistol from his coat pocket and secretly putting it in Leo's back pocket.
"Will do." Leo replied, with a smile. He realized quickly what David had put in his back pocket. After the two brothers let go of each other, Leo turned to his wife. "Greenlee."
"You can't go!" Greenlee protested, after handing Leora to David, "I won't let her take you away from me again!"
"There's nothing we can do, babe." Leo sighed, putting his jacket around her; "I'm going to need you to be strong for me, okay?"
"But Leo…" Greenlee sobbed, as Leo pulled her to him.
"No buts, Greens." Leo said softly, "Just know that no matter what happens after this, I'll always love you, Greenlee, with all of my heart and soul."
"I'll always love you with all of my heart and soul too, Leo." Greenlee promised, looking into his eyes.
As the two lovers kissed passionately, David looked over at his mother, who was watching Leo and Greenlee with a look of revulsion on her face. Staring at her in anger, David promised himself that he would make her pay for everything she had done to hurt him and his two brothers if it was the last thing he ever did.
As she slowly let go of him, Greenlee stared into Leo's eyes one last time. To her surprise, she saw a look of reassurance and strength that had previously been lacking. Leo smiled at her, before turning back to David, who nodded at him. Silently and slowly, Greenlee walked over to her brother-in-law. Handing Leora over to Greenlee, David picked up Trey's lifeless body and started walking. He hadn't gone far before he noticed that Greenlee wasn't with him.
"Greenlee." David pleaded, noticing Greenlee hadn't moved an inch.
"Greens." Leo said firmly.
"God damn you, Vanessa." Greenlee said quietly before turning and walking away. After hearing the sounds of David and Greenlee's footsteps die away, Leo made his way back over to Vanessa's side.
"That takes care of that." Vanessa remarked, staring at the trail as Leo reached into the back of his pants, "Thank God we'll never have to deal with that Greenlee again. You know, darling, I've always said that you could do so much better than her."
Feeling the barrel of a gun against her own head, Vanessa gasped.
"Leo?" she stammered as she noticed Leo holding his pistol to her head, "What are you..."
"Did you really think that I would give her up that easily?" Leo asked, with his finger just barely on the trigger, "It's time to say goodbye, mother."
The sound of a gun firing broke through the night again. As a bullet grazed Leo's arm just above the elbow, he let out a cry of pain and dropped his pistol. Putting a hand to the injury, Leo could feel the warmth of his own blood as it started to trickle out. Carrying a smoking rifle, a white-haired man emerged from the same shrubs that Vanessa had hidden in at the beginning. His eyes were focused on Leo, and his long, black trench coat flapped around as he walked over.
"I could have shot the whole arm off if I had wanted to." the man said as Vanessa stepped back in fear, "Feel fortunate that I didn't."
"It can't be." Leo whispered, realizing that he had seen this man somewhere before, "Wolfie?"
To be Continued.....
"You really think that that's true, Trey dear?" Vanessa asked calmly.
"No!" Leo shouted, noticing the rifle move.
Suddenly, the sound of a gun firing overpowered the sound of the waterfall nearby. As Leora started to cry, Trey sank to the ground instantly as smoke floated from the barrel of Vanessa's rifle. It had been a direct hit to the head!
"Trey!" Greenlee screamed as David quickly knelt next to his baby brother. After checking for a non-existent pulse on the younger man, David slowly got back to his feet. Curious as to what had happened, Leo turned slowly around to look. Upon seeing Trey's still form, Leo turned to look into David's eyes, which had a sad, yet angry look to them. Words were not needed to confirm Leo's fears.
"Trey." Leo said, taking a step towards the still form. Instantly, he could feel Vanessa grab his wrist tightly and turn him, so that he faced her once again.
"So, Leo darling," Vanessa asked calmly, "are you going to come with me, or do I need to kill another person to prove my point?"
"Leo, no." Greenlee said quietly as David went to her side, "She wants to use him to get ransom money from Count du Pres."
"What?" David said shocked.
Glancing back at the still form of Trey, Leo sighed before looking to both the ground and the sky for some form of answer. Defeated, he looked back at Vanessa.
"Let the rest of them go safely," Leo said slowly, "and I'll come with you willingly."
"No, Leo!" Greenlee screamed as David put a restraining hand on her shoulder.
"Do we have a deal?" Leo asked quietly, ignoring his wife's protest.
"Of course." Vanessa said, her face glowing with victory.
"Can I go say goodbye?" Leo asked sadly.
"Make it quick." was Vanessa's only response.
Nodding, Leo turned and walked over to David. After Leo handed Leora to Greenlee for a moment, David enveloped his younger brother in a tight bear hug.
"I'm counting on you to get Greenlee out of here safely." Leo said, "Don't worry about me. I'll find some way out of this and back to all of you."
"Just take care of yourself, little bro." David instructed, taking Leo's pistol from his coat pocket and secretly putting it in Leo's back pocket.
"Will do." Leo replied, with a smile. He realized quickly what David had put in his back pocket. After the two brothers let go of each other, Leo turned to his wife. "Greenlee."
"You can't go!" Greenlee protested, after handing Leora to David, "I won't let her take you away from me again!"
"There's nothing we can do, babe." Leo sighed, putting his jacket around her; "I'm going to need you to be strong for me, okay?"
"But Leo…" Greenlee sobbed, as Leo pulled her to him.
"No buts, Greens." Leo said softly, "Just know that no matter what happens after this, I'll always love you, Greenlee, with all of my heart and soul."
"I'll always love you with all of my heart and soul too, Leo." Greenlee promised, looking into his eyes.
As the two lovers kissed passionately, David looked over at his mother, who was watching Leo and Greenlee with a look of revulsion on her face. Staring at her in anger, David promised himself that he would make her pay for everything she had done to hurt him and his two brothers if it was the last thing he ever did.
As she slowly let go of him, Greenlee stared into Leo's eyes one last time. To her surprise, she saw a look of reassurance and strength that had previously been lacking. Leo smiled at her, before turning back to David, who nodded at him. Silently and slowly, Greenlee walked over to her brother-in-law. Handing Leora over to Greenlee, David picked up Trey's lifeless body and started walking. He hadn't gone far before he noticed that Greenlee wasn't with him.
"Greenlee." David pleaded, noticing Greenlee hadn't moved an inch.
"Greens." Leo said firmly.
"God damn you, Vanessa." Greenlee said quietly before turning and walking away. After hearing the sounds of David and Greenlee's footsteps die away, Leo made his way back over to Vanessa's side.
"That takes care of that." Vanessa remarked, staring at the trail as Leo reached into the back of his pants, "Thank God we'll never have to deal with that Greenlee again. You know, darling, I've always said that you could do so much better than her."
Feeling the barrel of a gun against her own head, Vanessa gasped.
"Leo?" she stammered as she noticed Leo holding his pistol to her head, "What are you..."
"Did you really think that I would give her up that easily?" Leo asked, with his finger just barely on the trigger, "It's time to say goodbye, mother."
The sound of a gun firing broke through the night again. As a bullet grazed Leo's arm just above the elbow, he let out a cry of pain and dropped his pistol. Putting a hand to the injury, Leo could feel the warmth of his own blood as it started to trickle out. Carrying a smoking rifle, a white-haired man emerged from the same shrubs that Vanessa had hidden in at the beginning. His eyes were focused on Leo, and his long, black trench coat flapped around as he walked over.
"I could have shot the whole arm off if I had wanted to." the man said as Vanessa stepped back in fear, "Feel fortunate that I didn't."
"It can't be." Leo whispered, realizing that he had seen this man somewhere before, "Wolfie?"
To be Continued.....