Beauty Can Be Deadly

Chapter 13

As Savannah prepared to pull the trigger completely back, the door to the room flew open and Divinity Aldridge stood framed in the doorway.  "Savannah, there are police cars out front.  What should we do?"

Savannah pulled her finger off the trigger and slid off the bed.  "Get the boys, we are going to have to leave.  I need them to come get Steve ready."

Steve released the breath he had been holding.  He had known they would find him.  He observed Savannah and Divinity as they left the room and wondered what new plan she was hatching in her warped mind.

~~****~~

As they neared the house, Mark could see the patrol cars that had already set up outside the house.  He said a silent prayer for the safety not only of his son but of all the other officers that had responded.  As Cheryl stopped the car and they got out, he was not surprised to see all of the detectives that worked in Steve's squad were at the scene.  It was a testament to their respect for his son.  He moved briskly to keep pace with the rapidly moving Cheryl.  Mark had noticed the perceptible build in tension as they had neared their destination.  He had not been surprised when she had practically run from the car when they had arrived on the scene.  Even with all that was going on, he had noticed her reactions and wondered if there was more between his son and Cheryl than either was willing to admit.  He was pulled from these thoughts as Cheryl began talking.

"What have you got so far?" she asked Darrin Josephs, the detective in charge.

"Lots of peeking out of the windows but not much else.  Have you got the search warrant?" Detective Josephs asked.

"Yes, I do.  You ready to go knock on the door?" Cheryl inquired.

"Let's do it," Josephs responded.

Cheryl motioned to a couple more officers and they all geared up in flak jackets.  As they moved towards the house, Cheryl became aware of a figure that was shadowing her every move.  She stopped abruptly.  "Dr. Sloan, Steve would kill me if anything happened to you.  Please go back behind the patrol cars and wait," she instructed gently.

"But, Cheryl, he may need me," Mark stated.

~~****~~

Steve didn't have to wait long.  The next time the door opened it was filled to overflow capacity with the Aldridge brothers.  They moved towards the bed and much to his dismay produced his handcuffs and his gun.

"Come on pretty boy," Spencer ordered.  "For some reason Savannah has her heart set on you and we won't see her disappointed. Christian, untie his hands first and let me handcuff him and then you can untie his legs.  Andrew, as a little incentive for pretty boy to behave himself aim that gun of his right at his head."

Steve wondered at his chances of getting free but the three brothers worked almost in unison to perform their tasks.  As his hands were untied Spencer roughly grabbed him and laid him on his side enough to drag both arms behind him and cuff him.  Christian then untied his legs and he found his arms grabbed and he was yanked to his feet.  The pressure caused the cuffs to bite into his wrists and he had to suppress a grimace.  His legs were somewhat wobbly from their forced inactivity and he stumbled as they walked towards the door.  He was rewarded for his clumsiness by a punch to the kidneys that almost succeeded in bringing him to his knees. 

"We don't have to keep you pretty anymore," Spencer whispered in his ear.  "Once we get you back to South Carolina, we can give you time to heal before the wedding."

With that he raised a beefy fist and plowed it into Steve's mouth.  That time he did go down as his world tilted and his knees buckled.  His first thought as he was yanked back to his feet was that the blood now running from his split lip was ruining his powder blue tuxedo.  He didn't have time to think about it for long as Spencer landed another punch.  This one was aimed for his already abused ribs and Steve felt at least one rib crack under the latest assault.  He bit back the yelp that threatened to escape his lips and struggled to remain on his feet.

~~****~~

Cheryl looked at the worried face in front of her.  Letting him go to the door with them violated all kinds of rules but at least if she had him with her she didn't have to worry about him sneaking around and getting into some other kind of mischief.  Shaking her head and smiling at him she instructed one of the other officers to get another flak jacket.  While helping Mark put it on she explained to him what they were going to do.  "Dr. Sloan, we are going to knock on the door and try and get into the house that way.  I need you to stay behind us and away from the doors and windows.  If things should go badly, I want you to drop to the ground and crawl to safety.  Do you understand?"

Mark nodded his understanding and fell into step behind the officers as they moved towards the door. 

~~****~~

"You know, if you could lay off the punches I could probably walk without your help," Steve informed the brothers.  His response came in the form of another punch.  This one caught him in the left temple and he felt the skin break and saw stars.  Once again, he made the trip towards the floor.  The same rough hands propelled him to his feet and they continued their journey through to the front of the house.  As they entered the living room Steve took note that the entire family was assembled as if they were preparing for a family portrait. 

~~****~~

"This is the police, we have a warrant to search the premises, please open the door," Cheryl called.

Steve smiled in relief but it was short lived as every member of the family proceeded to raise a gun and aim it towards the door.

"CHERYL, RUN!" Steve screamed.  He was rewarded for his warning by the butt of a gun slamming into his head and as he dropped to the floor, he heard the sound of gunfire.  "Cheryl," he muttered as he lost consciousness.

~~****~~

As she waited for a response, Cheryl was reaching to turn the doorknob when a voice screamed from the other side of the door.  "CHERYL, RUN!"

She immediately recognized the voice of her partner.  As she turned and screamed for the officers to run she leaped off the porch and hooking Mark under the arm she dove for cover just as the gunfire erupted.  As they hit the ground she became aware of return fire coming from the officers on the street.  Vaulting to her feet she barked an order.  "Hold your fire!"  Her legs were then yanked out from under her as Mark pulled her back towards the ground.  She turned to glare at him before it dawned on her just how stupid she had been.  Her expression changed and she offered him a smile.  "Thanks," she said simply.

"You're welcome," was Mark's response.  "What now?"

Cheryl surveyed the area for a moment before responding.  "Stay as low as you can and move towards that house to the left.  We can circle around it and get back to the street."

"Ok, I'm ready," Mark responded.

"Let's go," Cheryl instructed.  Keeping a hand under Mark's elbow she guided him around the house and back out to the street.

~~****~~

As Steve regained consciousness he became aware of three things.  The horrible ache in his head, the smell of guns being discharged and the scent of blood.  After a brief moment, he opened his eyes to check out the room.  Three of the Aldridges lay on the floor unmoving.  Two others appeared to be wounded and the other three were tending to them.  Steve blinked to try and focus his eyes.  Momma, Divinity and Christian were the three who weren't moving.  Savannah, Daddy and Spencer were trying to help Andrew and Ashley.  He moved in an attempt to sit up which drew the attention of Spencer.  Steve was amazed that someone so big could move so quickly.  As Spencer drew near, he pulled back his foot and buried it in Steve's side.  Steve felt the already cracked rib give and felt a searing pain in his chest.  He gasped for breath as Spencer drew his foot back for another kick.  Steve managed to roll slightly so that the kick hit him in the back and his already bruised kidneys screamed their anger at the latest assault.  He tensed in preparation for the next kick but it was interrupted by the sound of the voice coming through a bullhorn.

"I am going to call you on the phone, please answer it," Cheryl instructed. 

At that moment the phone rang and the three uninjured Aldridges looked at each other briefly before Savannah moved towards the phone.

"Hello,' she drawled.

Steve couldn't hear what Cheryl was saying.  He hoped that by watching Savannah's expressions he could figure out what was being said.  He was having difficulty concentrating because it was taking all his efforts to not gasp for breath.  The phone call was a brief one.

"Alright, we need to talk about it," Savannah responded.

As she hung up the phone her gaze briefly rested on Steve before she turned her attention to Spencer and Daddy.  "They want us to send him out and then come out with our hands up."

Spencer looked at Steve before he responded.  "Ok, let's send him out."

The look that had been thrown his way was less than reassuring.  He was sure it was not going to be that easy.  He closed his eyes to try and calm both his emotions and his breathing.  When he felt a hand on his arm his eyes snapped open.  He was propelled to his feet and felt a sharp pain as the ragged rib bone scrapped against tender flesh.  His breathing became even more labored and he fought to not pass out.

"Come on, pretty boy, they want you outside," Spencer informed him as he drug him towards the door.

Steve knew that it was over.  He felt sure Spencer would not let him walk away.  Their progress towards the door was halted by Savannah.

"We could have been so good together; instead you are responsible for the destruction of my family.  I could never marry you now," she informed him sadly.  "Spencer, take care of it."

"My pleasure, Savannah, maybe now you'll do what I've always asked and marry someone from back home," Spencer responded.

Steve felt himself moving towards the door again.  He struggled to stay on his feet and think of a plan.  He knew without a doubt that he was destined for a bullet in the back as soon as he walked through the door.  His only hope was to drop to the ground and hope that Spencer was not a good shot.

~~****~~

The scene outside the house was extremely tense.  All eyes and guns were riveted on the front door.  Mark found himself staring intently at the house.  His fear for his son was overwhelming.  As the door began to open, Mark held his breath.  He felt the officers around him prepare for action and he said another silent prayer.

~~****~~        

Steve felt the fresh air brush his face as he was moved into the doorway.  He surveyed the army of police in front of the house as he scanned the area looking for the familiar faces of his father and Cheryl.  His perusal was interrupted by a shove in his back that sent him out onto the porch.  He tensed as he heard the sound of soft laughter behind him.

"Goodbye pretty boy, I'll try and make it a clean shot.  I've always been a compassionate hunter," Spencer promised.

Steve knew his wish that Spencer was a poor shot was not going to come true.  He only had one chance and he hoped that his body would hold up to allow him that chance.  As he started down the steps, Steve listened intently to the sounds behind him.  He heard a slight rustling as Spencer shifted positions and then the familiar sound of a gun being cocked.  As quickly as his aching head and body would allow, Steve jumped from the remaining steps and dropped to his knees and threw his body to one side.  His thought as he heard the gunshot was of his father.  He was sure he was out there watching.  Please don't let me die in front of my father.