Chapter 23

Authors Note: This story is progressing again, yay. It's been awhile since I've had anything to add to this. This might actually get finished this time!

"Surprised to see me," he taunted. "It's been awhile, beg pardon that I don't remember your name."

"How the fuck do you know her?" Sands had navigated his way down the rest of the stairs.

"Oh, we go way back, don't we, baby."

"He ransomed me back to my parents before he killed them," she said never taking her eyes from him.

"What can I say? It was a job well done, your folks paid and got you back just as I said they would."

"Why. Why did you come after them?" she asked.

Sands could hear the rage in her voice and followed the sound to stand by her side. It was an all time low of Arnoldo to have done this to her. He hadn't been testing Sands, it was Sable the entire time to see if she could handle the memories.

"I knew you'd grow up and come find me," he smirked, "And boy oh boy, you grew up well Not damaged goods, after all."

Had Sands not known that Sable was a virgin the first time they were together he would have torn Kight apart with his bare hands. The threat held no merit and this was Sable's battle.

"The only reason I didn't fuck you then was because I knew it would be better to wait. And here you are, ready if not willing."

"Like hell," ahe snapped. "Touch me and I'll kill you."

"Is that so," he snapped his fingers and three men stepped out of the room next to them. Sands couldn't see the guns, but he felt the tension in the air and smelled the cologne on the men.

"Come with me or I kill him."

"Fuck you." Sands laughed, "you wait all this time for her and you expect that I just let you walk out of this room? I don't think so, Jeff. It's a shame we both share that name, I'd actually rather liked it."

"Pity, but after tonight only one of us will have need of it."

"Yeah, but people usually just call me Sands."

"You think she was the only one I waited for? I kept tabs on the other girls, the rest I didn't kill." He laughed mirthlessly, "I've taken them all, one by one, she's the only one that was left."

"You killed them?" Sable asked quietly.

"Yeah, after I had some fun with them, that is."

"And, what, no more kids? There aren't any stashed around here?"

"Aw, what the hell, I don't plan on letting you live. No, there aren't any children here. Just you. What need would I have for them? I don't violate children, I use them, cut them up, but I have you here to fuck."

"Perfect timing." Sable replied, "I'm not just going to shoot you for me then, I'll do it for all of them."

Sands' head whirled where pain escalated from where his eyes were. Sable snarled low in her throat when she saw the damage one of his lackeys inflicted on Sands. A bruise was already forming on the healing part under his eyes. How dare they hurt him.

Sands had gone completely still, he was either reeling and not letting it show, or he was gathering his strength to take down the three men. She didn't know how he would accomplish it, the men had guns and could shoot him before he fired one bullet.

"Not the wisest decision you could have made, baby." Jeff tsked and took advantage of her preoccupation with Sands, "you're mine."

He dragged her struggling into one of the adjoining rooms. She fought him, gun lost as he hauled her across the floor. Sable had managed to scour bloody lines down his arms, he stayed too far out of reach for her to do anything else.

"You just got your toy broken, what a shame."

"Fuck off," she snarled and managed to break his hold. "Sands? Sands!"

She didn't hear anything coming from the other room, if anything had happened to him Kight wouldn't just die. He'd die a slow, painful, excruciating death.

"Am I not good enough for you? You're screwing Jack-o-lantern over there, c'mon I'm better than him, give me some of what you gave him." He grabbed her by the back of her head and forced his tongue into her mouth.

She couldn't breathe and he was gagging her as surely if he had his hands around her throat. Who did he think he was, she wasn't some two cent whore to be used and discarded as he saw fit! She bit down hard and brought the heel of her hand to collide with his nose.

He stumbled backwards and glared at her. She smiled coldly, her maneuver had worked. Blood poured steadily from his nose, which was broken in at least two places. He put a white handkerchief to try and staunch the bleeding

Sands regained consciousness to a throbbing pain that echoed throughout his head. His line of balance was off and if he tried to stand he would only end up back on the ground again. He heard coughing and the sound of someone drawing in ragged breaths.

An enraged scream had him crouched on one knee oblivious to the dizziness that threatened to turn his world upside down. He knew that voice, it was Sable. She wasn't far, Kight obviously hadn't deemed it necessary to take her far, she was still somewhere within a relatively close proximity to where he lay.

Jeffrey now had a rope having grabbed it from over a railing. He had tried to strangle her with it when he realized she wouldn't acquiesce to his demands. Yet instead of reaching towards her throat as he expected her too she whirled around to face him. She didn't care that the sudden tightening of the rope cut off her oxygen.

"You like it rough? So do I, babe," he snickered. It had been too easy, he'd dislocated one of her shoulders, tied the rope around her neck while she'd fought to free herself. The rope tied around her throat like a choke collar, he could render her unconscious and crush her vocal chords all at the same time.

Jeffrey laughed in glee, one agent blind and the other mute, it would be hilarious.

Sands half fell, half stumbled into the room. He was almost glad he couldn't see, from the roller-coaster like feeling in his stomach he knew his sight would have been blurred. As it was, his hearing was sensitized to compensate, something he wouldnt have had to his advantage were he to have his eyes.

"Sands," Sable choked feeling the darkness creep closer, "gun."

Instinct had him turning to face her, he did what she asked as best he could. He only hoped his aim was good enough. With the rope getting tighter threatening to snap her neck she called upon the last vestiges of strength and brought her knee up.

"Smoke him. Smoke the fucker, send him straight to fucking broadway." Sands said as he listened to the sounds of the fray.

Kight's grip loosened as he doubled over holding his stomach. He lashed out backhanding her across the face. Sable roared in rage grabbing at his coat pulling him closer to her. She ignored the dizziness, ignored that she couldn't breathe.

This would be a fight to the death. She leaned into him, he stepped backwards wary of her motives. Sable used that moment to ram her forehead into his, he stumbled back another few steps. The rope moved higher on her neck, it was right under her throat, she had no time left.

Sable dove to the floor hoping he wouldn't wrench the rope backwards. He could snap her neck. Kight doubled the rope pulling it taught, he'd drag the bitch across the room, away from the gun. He doubted she'd be able to stay conscious.

It was too late. She grasped the handle of the weapon as she used her other arm to grasp the knot behind her head. It was too tight, she couldn't untie it, nor did she have a knife with which to cut it.

What were her options? He knew she had the gun. Her position on the floor didn't give her a clear shot, she wouldn't waste bullets by shooting over her shoulder. Sable gagged, she had to get air.

She screamed throwing her body into a crab-walk, her shoulder protested the movement burning and throbbing. All she had to do was get to her feet. She ignored the spots that swam in front of her eyes, she couldn't let him win, the bastard who had murdered her parents. She'd die trying.

Sands had been following the sounds in the room, he retrieved a small gun from the lining in his pants. Every sense was on edge, he could feel sweat dripping down his face. He pulled the trigger. Had he hit his target?

He heard Kight shout, hit the floor, it hadn't been a fatal wound. Sable grabbed the rope twining it around her neck again as she surged to her feet. Sands had shot him in the leg, given her time. She faced Kight. The look in his eyes, he was scared. All of his schemes had been for nothing.

Her eyes didn't flicker once as she changed barrels and emptied six bullets into his writhing form. All of the chambers were empty except for one.

"You like it rough do you," she spat holstering the gun in an empty sheath.

Sable collapsed to the floor forcing herself to breathe slowly. The room had shrunk, it was the size of a pea, the rest of it was obscurred by darkness. She rested knowing her life was in danger, but if she tried to get up she was afraid she'd pass out.

"Get'em all?" Sands asked.

"No." Sable pushed the hair out of her face watching her hands shake, "I only got one, you finished the rest."

"Well c'mere, are you alright," Sands listened to her breathing even out, he cursed himself for his inability to help.

"I don't know," she replied much as he had that long ago day in Mexico. He was propped up against the wall much like he had stood the first time she'd seen him.

Sable took a deep breath and got to her feet. The world spun, but the danger had passed. One foot in front of the other, keep moving, deep breaths, focus on the task at hand. As she stepped over the body she reached down and picked up the black sunglasses.

"You don't really need these, you know? You don't have to keep wearing them."

"Risk pissing of Dawes," Sands raised an eyebrow mockingly. "No way."

Sable had caught the slight hesitation, but she wouldn't bring the subject up again. They were his shield against life, no one saw his vulnerability and when people first noticed, their reaction often bought him time to act.

He had saved her life, another minute and her throat would have been crushed. Agent Sheldon Jeffrey Sands, sociopath of the CIA, had given her his gun, he had stayed around to save her.

"Alright, Arnoldo had better have one hell of an explanation for this." She felt him stand and let him wrap an arm around her waist. What a way to banish bad memories, she felt numb, cold, it wasn't the time for emotion yet.

"Sands, do you have a knife on you?"

"Yeah," he said pulling one out of his boot. Sable cut the rope still tied around her neck. Her shoulder hurt like a bitch, but there'd be time to fix that later. So long as she didn't fall or hit a wall the pain wouldn't get any worse.

As the door to the room was about to close Sable cocked the gun and shot Kight once more. One final gasp of breath escaped his lungs as the door shut behind them. They made it to the car where several gallons of gasoline and a fire-starter were stored. Their job was done, mission completed.

"Wanna talk? Say something?" Sands asked while she watched the building burn to the ground. Made of mostly wood and sheetrock it had been no match for the fire and then the grenades they threw to hurry along the process.

She still felt nothing, no pain, no sense of closure. Her throat hurt, her eyes were tearing from the heat, but her mind remained blissfully numb,

"I can't believe it's finally over." Sable said quietly, "all those years I thought he was dead and he was out there all that time. Arnoldo lied to me, he said that he had been taken care of."

"The file wasn't complete, it said Kight only took male children."

"When are the files ever right?" Sable scoffed, "I should have known the minute I heard his name."

"Did you even know his name?" Sands wasn't about to let her take all the blame for the murders. He knew what it was like to kill, he wasn't one to worry about guilt or let it rule his life. Once the person was killed there was no looking back.

"It was enough, I failed him."

"Him?"

Sands kept pushing wanting to hear some sort of emotion in her voice. He couldn't see her, was her skin pale? Were her eyes empty? Was she going into shock? The only way he could evaluate those things were to keep her talking, push the right buttons and hope she'd step back from the edge.

"My father." Sable reiterated. "if you walked through the door and saw... my mother was laying on the floor as if she'd tried to get to him even though she was dying. My father lay with one arm stretched out to where she was. If I had been there..."

"He would have killed you," Sands turned her to face him, "and he'd still be out there."

"Can we go home," she asked watching the black smoke disturb the white clouds. "Let's get away from here."

"Wait," Sands stopped her from turning away. She bit her lip as he wrenched her shoulder back into place.

"You son of a bitch!"

"You think I couldn't tell? The way you were walking, you winced when I touched that arm. You can't drive like that."

"That... hurt!" She laughed to keep from crying, what a childish thing to have said. Sands, she noticed, wasn't joining her laughter. He stood quietly, head tipped to the side, an unreadable expression on his face.

She turned her back on him and opened the car door. She didn't want comfort, she wanted to be left alone.

There were no tears this time, she wouldn't cry now that he was finally dead. Kight was gone and her parents were at peace. She had lied, there was one emotion that refused to be ignored. Rage, Arnoldo had a hell of a lot of explaining to do.

As she revved the engine and the car left the burning building behind she didn't let her eyes wander to the rearview mirror. It was over with, done, and she never had to look back.