Greg stepped through the door, calling out for his fiancée and friend. "Beth? Grissom? Are you guys here?" He reached out to flick the light switch. When it didn't turn on the first time, he flicked it again. The room remained in darkness, but it suddenly felt very cold. He took a deep breath to try and steady himself. He was nervous for Beth's and Grissom's safety. He called out again, louder this time, but there was still no answer. He cautiously walked further into the house. Upon entering the living room, his heart skipped a beat. He found Beth struggling on the floor, bound and gagged, with tears in her eyes. Next to her was Grissom. He appeared to be unconscious. Greg prayed a silent prayer that he was okay. He took a step towards Beth, until he noticed that she was jerking her head towards something that was behind him. He turned around slowly to find a man sitting on the stairs with a gun aimed at his head. The man was tall, muscular, and appeared to be in his thirties.
The man stood slowly, and walked towards his captives. "Hello Greg. Why don't you have a seat?" Greg was startled by the fact that this man knew his name. He ignored the command and thought for a moment. Ideas flew though his mind as he tried to find a way to diffuse the situation. Greg decided that he would try talking to the man.
He tried to void his voice of all emotions as he spoke. "Who are you? And what do you want with us?"
The man smirked. "My name is Rayford Steele and you three took something from me that meant more than the world to me. You convicted my little brother of a crime that he didn't commit. You had him sent to death row!" As Steele spoke, his manner ranged from cool and collected to psychopathic and dangerous. He was now seething, and still aiming the gun at Greg's head. Greg did not like the way the situation was headed. He thought about the name Steele, and it came to him. The case had been open and closed. It was a double homicide and there had been DNA evidence linking Steven Steele, Rayford's 23 year-old-brother, to the murders. His stomach turned when he realized that he and Beth had been the lab technicians that had analyzed the evidence, and that Grissom had been the one to present the evidence in court. "You had my little brother killed, and there was nothing I could do about it." Greg looked at Steele's face and saw animal-like eyes peering out at him.
Steven's case had been closed over three years ago, and he had been on death row for less than a month before his life ended via lethal injection. This had left Steele plenty of time to plan his revenge. "I've been watching you three very closely for a few years now, waiting for the perfect moment. It finally came. The proposal and engagement party…What could be a more exciting time? And since you three took something so dear to me, I plan on taking something dear to you. Now Greg, I suggest you sit down."
Greg had no option but to obey. He sat beside Beth and did his best to be strong. Steele headed over to where Greg had sat down, and a thought formed in Greg's mind. He knew that Steele needed to put down the gun if he was to tie his hands, so he waited until he felt the rope touch his skin. As soon as it did, he turned and lunged at Steele. Greg managed to get one swift blow to the man's jaw before the gun was returned to the equation. Steele picked up the gun and shot Greg without hesitation.
Greg fell to the ground holding his left shoulder. The pain was excruciating. He looked at his wound and started to panic when he realized how heavily he was bleeding. The bullet had apparently pierced the left subclavian artery. He put as much pressure as he could on his wound, hoping that he could slow, if not stop, the bleeding. He tried his best to keep his breathing steady but it was harder than it seemed. He tried to focus on something, anything, other than his shoulder, but the pain was just too much. He could only lie on the floor, helpless.
The scene happened in slow motion. Beth had listened to Steele, and as she listened, she remembered the case of which he spoke. She remembered Steven and the DNA evidence that had convicted him. As Steele's unstable state of mind became more and more apparent, fear overwhelmed her. She wanted to be back at Greg's house with all of her friends. She wanted Greg and Grissom to be by her side as they all ate Greg's wonderful cooking. Motion caught her eye, and she realized that Greg had sat on the floor beside her. She watched as Steele approached Greg in order to tie his hands. As soon as the man had put his gun down, Greg turned and hit him. The struggle was brief, ending with the piercing sound of a gunshot. Beth tried to scream as Greg fell to the floor, but again, there was no sound. The bullet had been a through-and-through, lodging itself in the wall behind Greg. She cried fresh tears as she saw the crimson stain on his shirt grow larger and larger with each precious second. Beth watched helplessly as Greg lay on the floor, trying to slow the bleeding.
She struggled furiously against her ropes, trying desperately to free herself so that she could help her friend. She had forgotten about Steele. After the struggle, he had remained on the floor, nursing his jaw. Finally, he stood. He walked over to a chair on the opposite side of the room, passing Greg in the process. As he walked by the bleeding man, he kicked him in the stomach.
Stars sparkled across Greg's vision when Steele kicked him. The air rushed out of his lungs, and the pain intensified. He didn't know how much longer he could hold out. He tried to focus on Beth and how much he loved her. They still had their whole lives ahead of them. They were supposed to get married. They were supposed to start a family. They were supposed to get a dog. He had to live. These thoughts kept him alive as he continued to bleed.