Chapter 2
A Cave, A Gun, and Love
Disclaimer stands.
++++
A terrified scream woke Rick a few hours later. He jumped out of bed and grabbed the gun he kept on the nightstand. He knew that scream.
It was Evelyn.
He met Jonathon on the way, and they nodded at each other.
Bursting through her door, he saw only the outline of a man with a knife hoist Evelyn over his shoulder and jump out the window. Evelyn screamed again.
"Rick!"
"Shit," he muttered, running to the window. He couldn't get a clean shot: he'd hit Evelyn.
Then they were gone.
"Shit," he swore again. Adrenaline pumping through every vein in his body, he ran to his room, and grabbed his shirt, another gun, and his pouch full of ammunition. Jonathon followed him.
"I say, O'Connell-"
"I'm going after her." Then he sprinted back to her room and jumped out the window, searching for a trail. There had to be some sort of tracks.
Finding none, he climbed back into her room, meeting Jonathon, who now wore a shirt as well. "I'm going too," Jonathon announced.
"Fine. Help me look."
"What for, mate?"
"A clue. Some sort of sign as to where they. . ."
"O'Connell?"
Rick picked up the note he found on her bed, and noticed the signature. His face paled. "Oh, damnit. Damn, damn, damn."
"Um-"
"Let's go." He handed Jonathon the note, who followed him out the door, reading at the same time.
O'Connell~
In three hours, the broad will die.
You know where to find me.
~Griffin
++++
"Who's this Griffin chap?" Jonathon asked as they sped through Cairo in a car that Rick had 'borrowed.'
"Old friend of mine."
"Friend?"
"Sorta. He kinda wants to kill me."
"I beg your pardon?"
"I killed his brother."
"Come again?"
"I was a security guard for a while at the museum. He tried to steal something, so I shot him."
"And now the old fellow wants revenge, eh?"
"Yep," Rick replied in true O'Connell fashion.
"You seem awfully casual about this whole ordeal."
"Yeah, well, I'd rather not panic. And he's not the only guy who's got a little grudge against me."
"I'd really rather not know."
"Good, 'cuz I probably wouldn't tell ya."
++++
An hour and a half later, they arrived at some small desert caves right outside the city. There were already some cars parked outside. Rick and Jonathon jumped out of the car, Rick pulling out a gun for Jonathon and one for himself.
Torches danced shadows across the walls as they snuck quietly into the inner caves. Quietly, until Jonathon knocked over a brass jar, alerting all the occupants of the caves to their presence.
Throwing caution to the winds, Rick sprinted to the furthest inner cave. There, he saw a sight that made his blood run cold.
Griffin was holding Evelyn's back to his chest. He had a knife pressed to her throat. She was crying silently. "Rick," she whimpered.
"It's ok, Ev, I'm here. It'll be ok," he soothed. His mind raced. He couldn't find a way out of this one.
"Oh, what a touching reunion," Griffin snorted. The slimy Englishman laughed softly. "You know what I want, O'Connell." He pressed the knife harder against Evelyn's throat. She cried out, and Rick saw a trickle of blood run down her neck and chest, onto her nightgown. He could have sworn he had stopped breathing.
"Don't move. I know it hurts, but don't move, you'll only make it worse," Rick instructed, heart beating faster than ever before. She nodded slightly, still crying.
"She smells very good," breathed Griffin, smelling her hair. She trembled. "I might just want to keep her for myself. . ."
"NO! No, your fight is with me. Let her go. Take me instead," Rick offered.
"Rick, no," cried Evelyn.
He ignored her. Griffin smiled. "Take me instead. But you have to let her go first," Rick demanded.
"Fine." He pushed Evelyn away from him, toward Rick. Rick pushed her to Jonathon and handed him his gun.
"Jonathon, promise me. Promise me you'll get her outa here. Don't come back." The two men looked at each other, understanding. Jonathon nodded once, and pulled Evelyn away.
"NO! Rick! NO!"
Evelyn watched the men grab at Rick and hit him hard on the back of the head. He fell to his knees. He didn't struggle, and kept his eyes on hers in a silent goodbye until she was gone.
++++
"Jonathon, let me go!"
He said nothing, just kept pulling her toward the night, and away from Rick.
She struggled as hard as she could. "Jonathon! Jonathon, let go!"
Finally, she kicked him in the shins, hard as she could, and he let go of her, cursing. She grabbed one of the guns he held and sprinted back towards Rick.
++++
Rick knelt of the hard stone floor, praying with all his heart that Evelyn and Jonathon would make it back to Cairo safely. Griffin pointed the gun he held and the back of Rick's head.
Rick closed his eyes, holding a picture of Evelyn firmly in his mind. She was the last thing he wanted to see. He remembered the smell of her hair, the shape of her body, how it fit so well in his arms, her cute accent. Her blushes.
He heard a gunshot, and waited to die.
When he didn't, he looked up. Evelyn was standing at the entrance to the cave, holding, with a shaking arm, Rick's gun. He turned around. There, Griffin lay dead on the floor. Blood was spreading from a gunshot wound in his chest. His cronies were staring at him, not quite believing he was dead.
Rick took that opportunity to pull himself to his feet and sprint toward the door, pulling Evelyn out with him.
Jonathon, thinking ahead, had started the car. Rick threw Evelyn in the back seat and jumped in after her. "Drive!" he yelled.
When Griffin's men came out of the caves, all they could see of Rick and Evelyn were the taillights glinting in the distance.
++++
As the car speed toward Cairo, Rick looked at Evelyn. "Are you ok?" he asked. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," she protested, as he looked her over, convincing himself she was alright. "Are you ok?" she inquired softly.
"I'm fine," he dismissed, anger beginning to surface. "You are the most reckless woman I have ever met!"
"I-"
"Don't you ever do that again!"
"Ri-"
"What made you to do a stupid thing like that anyway?!" He glared at her expectantly.
"Because I need you," she replied, smiling.
His glare wavered, then died. He couldn't understand why she made him such a softie. "I need you too, Ev." They kissed softly, and he understood. It was because he loved her.
"Ugh," the man in the front seat said in disgust.
Rick pulled away long enough to say, "Shove it, Jonathon."
Jonathon smiled to himself.
A few minutes later, when Evelyn broke the kiss, Rick looked at her. "Promise me you'll never do anything so stupid again."
She just smiled at him.
"Well, I couldn't have you missing for our wedding. What would the guests- "
"YOUR WHAT?!" shouted Jonathon.
++++
A Cave, A Gun, and Love
Disclaimer stands.
++++
A terrified scream woke Rick a few hours later. He jumped out of bed and grabbed the gun he kept on the nightstand. He knew that scream.
It was Evelyn.
He met Jonathon on the way, and they nodded at each other.
Bursting through her door, he saw only the outline of a man with a knife hoist Evelyn over his shoulder and jump out the window. Evelyn screamed again.
"Rick!"
"Shit," he muttered, running to the window. He couldn't get a clean shot: he'd hit Evelyn.
Then they were gone.
"Shit," he swore again. Adrenaline pumping through every vein in his body, he ran to his room, and grabbed his shirt, another gun, and his pouch full of ammunition. Jonathon followed him.
"I say, O'Connell-"
"I'm going after her." Then he sprinted back to her room and jumped out the window, searching for a trail. There had to be some sort of tracks.
Finding none, he climbed back into her room, meeting Jonathon, who now wore a shirt as well. "I'm going too," Jonathon announced.
"Fine. Help me look."
"What for, mate?"
"A clue. Some sort of sign as to where they. . ."
"O'Connell?"
Rick picked up the note he found on her bed, and noticed the signature. His face paled. "Oh, damnit. Damn, damn, damn."
"Um-"
"Let's go." He handed Jonathon the note, who followed him out the door, reading at the same time.
O'Connell~
In three hours, the broad will die.
You know where to find me.
~Griffin
++++
"Who's this Griffin chap?" Jonathon asked as they sped through Cairo in a car that Rick had 'borrowed.'
"Old friend of mine."
"Friend?"
"Sorta. He kinda wants to kill me."
"I beg your pardon?"
"I killed his brother."
"Come again?"
"I was a security guard for a while at the museum. He tried to steal something, so I shot him."
"And now the old fellow wants revenge, eh?"
"Yep," Rick replied in true O'Connell fashion.
"You seem awfully casual about this whole ordeal."
"Yeah, well, I'd rather not panic. And he's not the only guy who's got a little grudge against me."
"I'd really rather not know."
"Good, 'cuz I probably wouldn't tell ya."
++++
An hour and a half later, they arrived at some small desert caves right outside the city. There were already some cars parked outside. Rick and Jonathon jumped out of the car, Rick pulling out a gun for Jonathon and one for himself.
Torches danced shadows across the walls as they snuck quietly into the inner caves. Quietly, until Jonathon knocked over a brass jar, alerting all the occupants of the caves to their presence.
Throwing caution to the winds, Rick sprinted to the furthest inner cave. There, he saw a sight that made his blood run cold.
Griffin was holding Evelyn's back to his chest. He had a knife pressed to her throat. She was crying silently. "Rick," she whimpered.
"It's ok, Ev, I'm here. It'll be ok," he soothed. His mind raced. He couldn't find a way out of this one.
"Oh, what a touching reunion," Griffin snorted. The slimy Englishman laughed softly. "You know what I want, O'Connell." He pressed the knife harder against Evelyn's throat. She cried out, and Rick saw a trickle of blood run down her neck and chest, onto her nightgown. He could have sworn he had stopped breathing.
"Don't move. I know it hurts, but don't move, you'll only make it worse," Rick instructed, heart beating faster than ever before. She nodded slightly, still crying.
"She smells very good," breathed Griffin, smelling her hair. She trembled. "I might just want to keep her for myself. . ."
"NO! No, your fight is with me. Let her go. Take me instead," Rick offered.
"Rick, no," cried Evelyn.
He ignored her. Griffin smiled. "Take me instead. But you have to let her go first," Rick demanded.
"Fine." He pushed Evelyn away from him, toward Rick. Rick pushed her to Jonathon and handed him his gun.
"Jonathon, promise me. Promise me you'll get her outa here. Don't come back." The two men looked at each other, understanding. Jonathon nodded once, and pulled Evelyn away.
"NO! Rick! NO!"
Evelyn watched the men grab at Rick and hit him hard on the back of the head. He fell to his knees. He didn't struggle, and kept his eyes on hers in a silent goodbye until she was gone.
++++
"Jonathon, let me go!"
He said nothing, just kept pulling her toward the night, and away from Rick.
She struggled as hard as she could. "Jonathon! Jonathon, let go!"
Finally, she kicked him in the shins, hard as she could, and he let go of her, cursing. She grabbed one of the guns he held and sprinted back towards Rick.
++++
Rick knelt of the hard stone floor, praying with all his heart that Evelyn and Jonathon would make it back to Cairo safely. Griffin pointed the gun he held and the back of Rick's head.
Rick closed his eyes, holding a picture of Evelyn firmly in his mind. She was the last thing he wanted to see. He remembered the smell of her hair, the shape of her body, how it fit so well in his arms, her cute accent. Her blushes.
He heard a gunshot, and waited to die.
When he didn't, he looked up. Evelyn was standing at the entrance to the cave, holding, with a shaking arm, Rick's gun. He turned around. There, Griffin lay dead on the floor. Blood was spreading from a gunshot wound in his chest. His cronies were staring at him, not quite believing he was dead.
Rick took that opportunity to pull himself to his feet and sprint toward the door, pulling Evelyn out with him.
Jonathon, thinking ahead, had started the car. Rick threw Evelyn in the back seat and jumped in after her. "Drive!" he yelled.
When Griffin's men came out of the caves, all they could see of Rick and Evelyn were the taillights glinting in the distance.
++++
As the car speed toward Cairo, Rick looked at Evelyn. "Are you ok?" he asked. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," she protested, as he looked her over, convincing himself she was alright. "Are you ok?" she inquired softly.
"I'm fine," he dismissed, anger beginning to surface. "You are the most reckless woman I have ever met!"
"I-"
"Don't you ever do that again!"
"Ri-"
"What made you to do a stupid thing like that anyway?!" He glared at her expectantly.
"Because I need you," she replied, smiling.
His glare wavered, then died. He couldn't understand why she made him such a softie. "I need you too, Ev." They kissed softly, and he understood. It was because he loved her.
"Ugh," the man in the front seat said in disgust.
Rick pulled away long enough to say, "Shove it, Jonathon."
Jonathon smiled to himself.
A few minutes later, when Evelyn broke the kiss, Rick looked at her. "Promise me you'll never do anything so stupid again."
She just smiled at him.
"Well, I couldn't have you missing for our wedding. What would the guests- "
"YOUR WHAT?!" shouted Jonathon.
++++