{Author's note: Starts getting a little a bit violent during this chapter...Nothing too extreme, but I thought I'd give everyone fair warning.}
A relieved Anna, with an ambulance crew in her wake, rushed over to David and Greenlee, as they appeared at the bottom of the trail. Unlike the deserted place it had been before, there were now a couple of ambulances and some squad cars in the parking lot. Silently, David turned over Trey's body to the medical crew, while Greenlee gave Leora to Anna. The chief of police hugged her child tightly.
"Oh, my angel!" Anna said, "I'm so glad you are all right! I was so nervous when I heard the gunfire. Where's Leo?"
"He's still with Vanessa." Greenlee reported, choking back tears.
"Chief!" One of the cops said, after running over frantically, "Our choppers are reporting that there's another person on the cliff!"
"What?" Anna exclaimed, "Do we have an ID?"
"Tentative." the cop replied, "It's Marius Wolfe, ma'am."
"Unfortunately," Anna sighed, putting a hand to her forehead, "it was a body double that I killed on the day of your wedding. The real one has been in hiding ever since as far as we know."
"Damn it." David swore quietly, "He tried to kill Leo last time he was in town."
"Looks like he's about to get another chance." Anna sighed.
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"It has been too long, monsieur." Wolfe greeted, walking over to Leo.
"But, how can you…" Leo started, before Wolfe rammed him in the stomach with his gun. As Leo doubled over in pain, the older man brought the weapon swiftly down on the back of his head. As her son fell to the ground motionless, Vanessa's face went white with terror.
"Leo." she said concerned, as Wolfe turned to her.
"Your son will be fine." Marius assured, "That was just enough to send Leo to la-la land for awhile. Not that I'm buying the kindly mother act, mind you."
"What do you want, Marius?" Vanessa sighed.
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"The hospital just confirmed that Trey was dead upon arrival." Anna announced somberly, as she walked over to Leo's car where David and Greenlee had been waiting, "Our helicopter crew is reporting that Leo has been knocked unconscious for the moment. Wolfe seems to be discussing something with Vanessa."
"Anna," David begged, "isn't there anything the helicopter crew can do?"
"I'm afraid not." Anna sighed, putting a hand on Greenlee's shoulder, "If we fire at Wolfe now, we run the risk of hitting Vanessa and/or Leo as well. There's also the concern that Wolfe might attack them if we do anything to provoke him. Don't worry, David. We are doing, and will continue to do, everything in our power to make sure that Leo is all right."
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"Tsk…tsk…tsk…holding your own flesh and blood for ransom?" Wolfe taunted, shaking his head, "Vanessa, Vanessa, Vanessa! Not even I could stoop that low."
Angrily, Vanessa aimed her rifle at Wolfe, who responded by pointing his at Leo. Upon seeing this, the former Proteus threw down her weapon immediately.
"Protective of him, aren't you?" Wolfe chuckled, before stepping firmly on Leo's arm, which had slowly been reaching towards his dropped pistol, "Awake already, sleepyhead? Your mother and I were just talking about you."
"I kind of heard." Leo replied, getting up slowly.
"Hmm." Wolfe smirked, before driving the gun's butt into Leo's stomach again. Vanessa clasped a hand over her mouth, as Leo sank to his knees and coughed up blood. She tried to go to her son, but Wolfe calmly grabbed her arm to restrain her.
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"Erica!" Jack called from the other room, "Kendall! Bianca! Get in here!"
"Jack!" Erica said, as the three women rushed into the room "What's going on? What's wrong?"
"There's another incident at Miller's Falls." Jack reported, "Apparently, there's a couple people being held hostage there. They said that Leo is one of them."
"Oh no, Leo!" Bianca gasped, before Erica hugged her tightly.
"He'll be all right, sweetie." Erica assured.
"Well, what about Greenlee?" Kendall asked.
"She's fine." Jack said, "She's apparently with the police at the bottom."
"We've just gotten word," the newscaster on TV said, getting the group's attention, "that a body was brought down earlier from the cliff. We're still awaiting official confirmation, but our sources are telling us that it was that of Ben Shepherd, also known as Trey Kenyon..."
"No!" Kendall gasped in disbelief, "No! It can't be!"
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"You bastard." Leo said, slowly standing up again. His stomach region was throbbing with pain, but Leo was trying to ignore it for the time being.
"Hmm." Wolfe commented with a smile, "I would have thought that a better term to describe you, my boy. After all, I was not the one born out of wedlock."
"You're going to have to do better if you want to hurt me, Wolfe." Leo replied, shaking his head, "That didn't even faze me!"
"All right then." Wolfe said with a slight chuckle, "How about the real story behind your birth? Does that faze you, monsieur?"
"What are you talking about?" Leo asked perplexed.
"Marius!" Vanessa exclaimed, "Leo doesn't need to know that! It would destroy him!"
To be Continued.......
A relieved Anna, with an ambulance crew in her wake, rushed over to David and Greenlee, as they appeared at the bottom of the trail. Unlike the deserted place it had been before, there were now a couple of ambulances and some squad cars in the parking lot. Silently, David turned over Trey's body to the medical crew, while Greenlee gave Leora to Anna. The chief of police hugged her child tightly.
"Oh, my angel!" Anna said, "I'm so glad you are all right! I was so nervous when I heard the gunfire. Where's Leo?"
"He's still with Vanessa." Greenlee reported, choking back tears.
"Chief!" One of the cops said, after running over frantically, "Our choppers are reporting that there's another person on the cliff!"
"What?" Anna exclaimed, "Do we have an ID?"
"Tentative." the cop replied, "It's Marius Wolfe, ma'am."
"Unfortunately," Anna sighed, putting a hand to her forehead, "it was a body double that I killed on the day of your wedding. The real one has been in hiding ever since as far as we know."
"Damn it." David swore quietly, "He tried to kill Leo last time he was in town."
"Looks like he's about to get another chance." Anna sighed.
------------------------------------------------------------------
"It has been too long, monsieur." Wolfe greeted, walking over to Leo.
"But, how can you…" Leo started, before Wolfe rammed him in the stomach with his gun. As Leo doubled over in pain, the older man brought the weapon swiftly down on the back of his head. As her son fell to the ground motionless, Vanessa's face went white with terror.
"Leo." she said concerned, as Wolfe turned to her.
"Your son will be fine." Marius assured, "That was just enough to send Leo to la-la land for awhile. Not that I'm buying the kindly mother act, mind you."
"What do you want, Marius?" Vanessa sighed.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"The hospital just confirmed that Trey was dead upon arrival." Anna announced somberly, as she walked over to Leo's car where David and Greenlee had been waiting, "Our helicopter crew is reporting that Leo has been knocked unconscious for the moment. Wolfe seems to be discussing something with Vanessa."
"Anna," David begged, "isn't there anything the helicopter crew can do?"
"I'm afraid not." Anna sighed, putting a hand on Greenlee's shoulder, "If we fire at Wolfe now, we run the risk of hitting Vanessa and/or Leo as well. There's also the concern that Wolfe might attack them if we do anything to provoke him. Don't worry, David. We are doing, and will continue to do, everything in our power to make sure that Leo is all right."
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"Tsk…tsk…tsk…holding your own flesh and blood for ransom?" Wolfe taunted, shaking his head, "Vanessa, Vanessa, Vanessa! Not even I could stoop that low."
Angrily, Vanessa aimed her rifle at Wolfe, who responded by pointing his at Leo. Upon seeing this, the former Proteus threw down her weapon immediately.
"Protective of him, aren't you?" Wolfe chuckled, before stepping firmly on Leo's arm, which had slowly been reaching towards his dropped pistol, "Awake already, sleepyhead? Your mother and I were just talking about you."
"I kind of heard." Leo replied, getting up slowly.
"Hmm." Wolfe smirked, before driving the gun's butt into Leo's stomach again. Vanessa clasped a hand over her mouth, as Leo sank to his knees and coughed up blood. She tried to go to her son, but Wolfe calmly grabbed her arm to restrain her.
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"Erica!" Jack called from the other room, "Kendall! Bianca! Get in here!"
"Jack!" Erica said, as the three women rushed into the room "What's going on? What's wrong?"
"There's another incident at Miller's Falls." Jack reported, "Apparently, there's a couple people being held hostage there. They said that Leo is one of them."
"Oh no, Leo!" Bianca gasped, before Erica hugged her tightly.
"He'll be all right, sweetie." Erica assured.
"Well, what about Greenlee?" Kendall asked.
"She's fine." Jack said, "She's apparently with the police at the bottom."
"We've just gotten word," the newscaster on TV said, getting the group's attention, "that a body was brought down earlier from the cliff. We're still awaiting official confirmation, but our sources are telling us that it was that of Ben Shepherd, also known as Trey Kenyon..."
"No!" Kendall gasped in disbelief, "No! It can't be!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"You bastard." Leo said, slowly standing up again. His stomach region was throbbing with pain, but Leo was trying to ignore it for the time being.
"Hmm." Wolfe commented with a smile, "I would have thought that a better term to describe you, my boy. After all, I was not the one born out of wedlock."
"You're going to have to do better if you want to hurt me, Wolfe." Leo replied, shaking his head, "That didn't even faze me!"
"All right then." Wolfe said with a slight chuckle, "How about the real story behind your birth? Does that faze you, monsieur?"
"What are you talking about?" Leo asked perplexed.
"Marius!" Vanessa exclaimed, "Leo doesn't need to know that! It would destroy him!"
To be Continued.......