Kidnapped
By: Moon Baby
Rating: PG
E-mail: Moonbabygirl16yahoo.com
Author's Note: I am so sorry it has taken me so long. My computer crashed and I lost everything on it. Including, over 2000 pic and over 400 wonderful stories from very talented writers. I'm gonna try and get most of them back but it will be hard 'cause I don't remember all the web sites I got them from. But if you have any sites that have pics or stories you think I might enjoy or want a list of the titles of the stories I lost your help would be greatly appreciated. And thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews. I do enjoy reading them. Well enough about my pitiful life and computer. On with the story. LOL
When Serena opened her eyes again the gray light of a cloudy down was filtering into the cave. She was curled up on her side with her head on Darien's thigh. With a slight gasp she lifted her head up. "It's okay," he said rubbing his hand up and down her back. "We're safe."
'He sounded completely alert. I doubt he slept at all last night. Had he sat here guarding me all night?' She cleared her throat as she sat and straightened, at least tried to straightened her tangled hair. "I'm sorry. I don't know how I wound up--."
"I put you like that," he said matter of factly. Darien shifted his weight, indicating he got a little cramped serving as her pillow. She gave him a puzzled look. "You fell asleep and looked uncomfortable, so I shifted you a little. No big deal." He sounded so casual in his explanation.
"Did you get any rest?"
He shrugged, "Sitting still for a long while was good enough."
'Maybe our trek had had been as hard on him as it had for me. Maybe he was hiding how hard it was. Why would he do that? I'll never figure him out. But for some reason I want to. Strange.' Now that it was day light Serena decided to look at her feet. Crossing her legs she turned her feet so she could see the bottom of them; her once white socks were ripped and black from dirt and dried blood, with gaping holes revealing the bruised and shredded skin beneath the sock. She grimaced at the awful sight. She didn't even think about removing the sock yet, but when the time came it would be very painful.
Still leaning against the wall, Darien looked at her feet. "Haven't walked around barefoot much, have you?'
"No. When I was about eight, I stepped on a nail. It tore into my foot and I had to have a tetanus shot. I was so traumatized I refused to go barefoot. I never got into the habit of it. Even at home I ware slippers," she admitted with another grimace.
"That explains your delicate feet. The walk last night must have been torture for you."
"It wasn't easy but if you could do it so could I. How did you do it anyway? Are you in the habit of going barefoot outdoors?" She raised her eyebrows.
He shrugged his shoulder. "I almost never wore shoes as a kid; I was a typical redneck, wild, barefoot kid."
She found it hard to believe that the quiet, sophisticated man who arrived on her doorstep; the man who just returned from Venice, Andrew Falcon's best friend and trusted confidant, describe himself as a wild barefoot "redneck".
"So, I guess that means you spent a lot of time in the woods?" She smiled at him.
"A fair amount of it, why?" He looked at her suspiciously.
"I was hoping you'd know how to scavenge for food." She patted her hand on her stomach.
"I don't, sorry. I usually brought supplies when I spent the day in the woods." He looked at her regretful.
She sighed. "Oh well, I guess I could diet for a few days."
He looked at her up and down, "You don't need to diet."
She looked at the cave entrance to hide a blush that covered her cheeks. "I'm really thirsty again. I might risk another drink of water from the stream before we go."
Whatever Darien said was lost in the loud crash of thunder. It startled Serena, proving she was still a little on the edge, she reached over and unknowingly grabbed Darien's hand. "It sounds like it's going to rain," she said and gave Darien's hand a squeeze.
Suddenly the sound of hard rain filled the cave. A gust of wind pushed mist inside. "It just might rain," he said sarcastically.
"Great," she murmured.
"It's not so bad. Any tracks we might have made will be gone."
She tried to see something positive about their circumstance, and she knew he was trying to put a positive spin on it for her, but it wasn't working. She appreciated his effort, though. "What are we going to do now?" she asked with her hand still holding his as more thunder sounded.
"We'll have to wait till it stops. We wouldn't get very far out there in that." He gave her hand a squeeze.
"And when the rain stops?"
He let go of her hand and looped his arms around his knees, and looked at the rain. "We move on."
She stretched out her legs keeping her poor feet as still as possible. The thought of hiking again wasn't a real pleasant one. The cave was dry and well hidden, both of which made Serena reluctant to leave, but they couldn't wait here to be rescued. For one, no one was looking for, them except their kidnappers. "Do you think we'll be able to find away out, before they find us?" She looked at him.
"We're going to be real careful about who finds us. Our biggest problem is figuring out which direction to go in when we leave the cave. Most likely we are in the middle of several thousand acres of forest. If we go deeper into the forest, further away from people it could be days before we find anyone, though I hate to risk going long without food." He was still looking outside at the rain.
"And if we go back the way we came, we could run into the kidnappers?" She shook her head.
"Exactly. I'm almost positive they're looking for us, and might have brought back up." He looked at her.
"So?" She gave him a questioned look.
He shrugged his shoulders. "We do our best. I'll make some guesses, and we'll hope for a little luck." Darien smiled at her.
"Are you usually lucky?" Serena raised her eyebrow at him. It was nothing but a joke to keep him smiling. It had the opposite effect. He stopped smiling and turned to look back out at the rain. After a couple of awkward moments, Serena tried to him to talk some more. The weather was always a safe topic. "It sounds as though the rain has decided to stay for awhile," she said turning to look at the entrance of the cave.
He nodded, "It's coming down hard."
Serena hugged her light jean shirt closer to her body. (AN: I don't know if I said this or not but when she got her purse she grabbed a light jean shirt.) "It's getting colder."
"Not really. It's just the air blowing in is damp and that makes it feel colder." He kept staring at the rain.
"At least the cave is on high ground so water isn't getting in."
He grunted.
She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. She didn't even get a monosyllabic reply that time. He grunted. 'We might as well have been back in the car, except I don't even have passing scenery to entertain me. This could be a long morning,' she thought leaning back against the cave. 'At least we're dry and safe, for the moment. I have to think positive. Just remember that and I'll survive' Serena was never really good at judging the time by the sun. She was sitting close to the opening watching the rain fall for what seemed for a long when she finally broke the silence, "I wonder what time it is?"
Darien seemed to come back from deep thought at the sound of her voice. "I'd guess its mid-morning. Ten, ten-thirty, some time around there."
She nodded her head hoping he was right and started thinking about her sister. "I really hope Mina hasn't heard about us being kidnapped," her voice was filled with concern for her sister. "She'd be frantic if she finds out what happened." Remembering the morning of the day she left and how Mina tried to talk her out of going.
"I guess that all depends on whether Andrew tells her or not. My prediction is he won't tell anyone till he gets more information."
So you think Andrew has been contacted by the kidnappers?" She turned to look at him. Her hair fell over her eyes.
"Probably. I expect that's what the other two guys were doing while they were gone." He continued to look at the rain.
Serena put the strands behind her ear. "You've known Andrew a lot longer then I have, what do you think he'll do? Has he contacted the police? My sister?"
Darien thought for a moment, sighed and answered. "He hasn't called the police. He won't want take the chance of a media leak, so he probably hasn't called your sister."
"So what is he doing?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Looking for us. He has contacts; they'll probably be on our trail faster than the police or a rescue team."
She was quiet for a moment then remembered something he said when they were in the room. "What was it you learned when that man got us water yesterday? When he left the room you said you knew what was going on."
Darien's response surprised her, "I recognized him," he said quietly.
Shocked she moved around to face him. "You know him? Who is he? How do you know him? Do you know why he took us?"
"I didn't say I knew him. I said I recognized him. Meaning I've seen him before. I don't think he knew I'd seen him before." He looked into her eyes.
"So you've seen him before but was never introduced. Do I have it right?" She searched his blues eyes.
"Right. I saw him leaving an office I was entering. It was a couple weeks ago in New York. He probably never saw me -- if he did I doubt he knew I recognized him."
"How sis you recognized him?" she raised an eyebrow.
He shrugged and answered, "I have a good memory for faces." He broke their eye contact and looked pass her, and out of the cave.
"You sure it's the same man?"
"Yes."
"He was in New York," she shook her head. "Do you know who he works for? Or do you think him and his flunkies cooked up this scheme on their own?"
Darien shook his head. "No, they had someone telling them what to do. I'd bet the CEO of the company Andrew's been trying to take over had something to do with this. It's been a hostile take over, but everything was in place, all the details ironed out. That's why Andrew and I were surprised by the last minute bugs that popped up which kept him in New York so long. They're annoying and time-consuming and a pain in the ass, but they wouldn't have stopped the takeover."
"You think Andrew was deliberately kept in New York so we could be taken?" She tilted her head to the side.
"It seems a little to coincidental not to have been deliberate."
"So do you think the condition of our release is for Andrew to stop the takeover?"
"No, nothing like that. I imagine its straightforward ransom. Swift has been complaining that he didn't get enough money for his company shares, even though he got what he deserved, probably a bit more, if you ask me. Looks like he wanted more." He shock his head.
Light bulb came on in Serena's head. "Swift, that's the CEO you mentioned before?"
Darien nodded and closed his eyes.
"And he's the type who would try something like this?"
"He's a crook. He got his company by swindling someone else out of it. He almost drained it dry by the time Andrew tried to take it over. Swift's name has been connected to several crimes. Mail fraud, embezzlement, that sort of thing, but there's never been enough evidence to charge him. Yeah, he's the type to do this."
"Do you --"
He opened his eyes and looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Do I what?"
"Do you think they ever intended to let us go?" He could hear the quiver in her voice. He held her eyes for along while then had to look away. 'He never lied to me,' Serena mused, ' he simply didn't answer some of my questions. Maybe that's for the best.' She still felt the need to ask one more question. "Do you think Andrew will find us?"
He looked her in the eyes and answered without hesitation. "He'll find us."
"You seem very confident about that and in him." Their gazes were still locked.
"I am," he answered simply.
"I hope you're right," she muttered as she turned back to sitting next to him and looked out the cave.
After a few minutes of listening and looking at the rain Darien asked, "How are your feet?"
"Numb. I can't really feel them anymore." She chuckled.
"Are you still thirsty?"
"Not enough to go out in the rain to get a drink." She smiled at the thought.
"I'd go get you some water but I don't have anything to carry it in for you."
'He is so determined to take care of me.' A bit wistfully, she found herself wondering if he was only like that because he thought it was his job. "That's okay."
"I wish I had something to give you to eat. I guess we could eat some acorns or something like that."
That made her laugh out loud. "No thanks. I'm not that hungry." She smiled and looked at him as he turned to look at her.
"You have a nice laugh and smile," he muttered as he looked at the smile on her lips.
She stopped smiling and looked away.
Darien looked away. "Uh...Andrew thinks so, too. He mentioned that when he first told me about you."
Andrew. The name slid between them like an invisible wall.
'Funny, I can hardly remember what he looked like at this moment.' She chuckled.
The rain slowed then stopped. Serena inched to the north of the cave to look out again. Water dripped off the leaves of trees that obscured their hideout. Swollen by the rain the stream was high on the bank and ran more swiftly downstream. A deer and her fawn drank from the stream then turned and disappeared gracefully in the forest. The sky was still gray, but the rain seem to have ended for a while. Under different circumstances Serena would have enjoyed the unspoiled nature. She wasn't at all surprised when Darien suggested, "We should get moving. Before it starts raining again."
'It won't be easy,' she nodded. "I'm ready."
"You sure you can walk?" Concern shone in his eyes.
She looked at him and brought her chin up. "I can walk," she stated firmly.
"It's going to be wet and slippery in some places."
"I'll be careful." She nodded to emphasis that she meant it.
He put his hand on her arm when she started to get up. "Serena, I'm real sorry this happened to you. You don't deserve this."
"Neither do you. So let's get going." She put her hand on his.
He tried not to smile. "Right behind you, General."
His rare show of humor surprised her. He took his hand off her arm and pushed her a little back so he could step out of the cave and put his hand in and helped her out of the cave. Resisting the urge to curse out in pain when her feet hit the ground. He started walking and she fell into step beside him.
'Ten steps at a time,' she told herself. She would make it, just ten steps at a time.
Cold waves of anger poured over the blonde hair man sitting behind the desk in his office. The temperature in the room dropped a good ten degrees. Andrew Falcon didn't lose his temper very often but when he did people usually duck and cover.
Greg Colby didn't duck or cover, but he kept his voice as soothing as possible as he completed his report, "We had a possible sighting last night of the van the witness said was hanging around the diner at the time Darien and Serena were taken. It was reported speeding in north-central Arkansas by a state trooper. Unfortunately he lost sight the van after it to several sharp turns on twisted side roads. That's around the area that we tracked the ransom call, too. There are dozen hunting cabins and isolated rural buildings where they could be hiding in. That's if they haven't moved on, of course."
Andrew studied his chief of security through narrow midnight blue eyes. "We're assuming they haven't. It wouldn't be easy to take Darien down in the first place, much less keep moving him, so concentrate on searching in that area."
"The St. Frances National Forest is about a million acres. I think we can narrow it down. I've marked off several grids, and I already have teams out there."
"I want them found, Greg." There was no room left for question in his voice.
"Yes sir." He nodded.
"In the meantime, I'll stall the callers. They're suppose to call me tomorrow. I asked them for twenty-four hours to get the ransom together without arousing the media."
Greg frowned. "They didn't argue with you about that?"
"The guy made some noise and threatened to hurt them but yeah, he gave it to me."
"That's interesting." Greg rubbed his chin with his right hand.
"That's what I thought. Why was he so willing to delay?" Andrew raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe there's problems on their end," Greg suggested.
"Maybe," Andrew agreed as he turned in his chair and looked out the window.
Greg cleared his throat and tried to phrase his next question carefully. "Maybe they're willing to stall because something happened with their hostages?"
Andrew whirled around and faced Greg. The only change in his expression was a muscle jump in his jaw. "Just keep looking." His face shone with fury.
Because Greg knew Andrew forever he recognized the genuine pain behind his stern and controlled face. Greg nodded and quickly rose to his feet. "We will find them, Andrew."
Andrew stared at Greg without really seeing him standing there. "Yes, we'll find them." 'I won't accept any other possibility.'
The rain didn't hold off for very long. They were walking for almost an hour before the down pour started again. They found shelter under a jutting bluff but it provided little protection and they both got pretty wet. Serena tried to hide her shivering from Darien, but she guessed he suspected he knew she was freezing. He didn't mention it because there was nothing he could have done about it, except keep her moving. Which he did as soon as the rain stopped again.
She was thirsty again, her stomach rumbled almost as loud as the thunder, and her head felt like it got run over by truck. 'I want a nice cold glass of water, long hot shower, a hot meal and a soft bed. In that order, of course. (AN: Of course, who wouldn't in her shoes, or in this case feet.) And a toothbrush.' She ran her tongue over her teeth. She did her best to rinse her mouth with her finger at the stream they were following, but she wanted a toothbrush with her favorite mint-flavored toothpaste.
In an attempt to distract herself from her discomfort she tried to concentrate on the beauty of nature. Which meant she had to ignore the heavy gray sky crowding around them. If there had been more sunshine, the spring leaves would have been a soft green, the hills and steep valleys would have been dotted with dogwoods and redbuds in full bloom. She saw an occasional bird or squirrel, but most of the wild life seemed to be holed up from the dismal weather.
She'd taken her eyes off her feet while she surveyed the area. (AN: In case you didn't know they were walking through the woods again.) She tripped over a thick vine, and for once Darien wasn't there to catch her. She went down hard, landing on her on her hands and knees.
He was instantly at her side. "Are you okay?"
Embarrassed, she straightened to sit on her knees and brushed the mud and the wet leaves from her hands. "I'm fine."
"Let me see your hands." He took her hands in his, turned her palms up, and examined them. Fortunately, the ground was soft from the rain and only her pride was injured.
Though he was still a mystery to her she was getting to know him better. 'Well enough to know he is blaming himself for my fall. Typical Darien.' She smiled and chuckled.
Still holding her hands he frowned down at her. "Can you walk?"
"Of course I can walk." Serena rolled her eyes. "I just tripped on a vine, Darien, not fall down a well. I'm fine, really."
His face was his usual rock-hard mask he wore to cover his emotions, but she saw the spark of anger in his eyes. "You shouldn't be going through this," he muttered. "When we get out of this and I get my hands on the people behind this..."
She squeezed his hands. "We'll get out of this." She looked into his icy blue eyes. "Then you can take the steps necessary to get justice for this. Legally of course." She gave him a lopsided smile.
She didn't catch his growl response, but she had a feeling he didn't care about the legality of the revenge he was planning.
"Let's keep walking. I'll be more careful."
He pulled her to her feet and they moved onward. This time, however, Darien was never more than an arms length away. Serena was both annoyed and amused by his obvious assumption that she couldn't take care of herself. She noticed his steps were slowing and he was limping almost as much as she was. She took no pleasure in his discomfort but she focused on remembering that if he could keep going then she could, too.
She looked up at the sky, noting that it looked like it could start raining any minute. As if to make her point, a fat drop fell on her cheek and down her chin. "How long do you think it's been since we left the cave?"
He looked up at the sky then back to where he was walking. "I don't know. Maybe four or five hours. We have a few more hours till it gets dark."
"We've walked for so long, wouldn't we have come across some sign of civilization by now?"
"Didn't you read about the little girl that was lost in a forest in Northern Arkansas a year or so ago? She just wondered away from her parents and it took hundreds of searchers three or four days to find her. Even after she was found it took them another six or so hours to get her out of the forest and back to her family. The forest is big and dense and the terrain is so rough it's easy to get lost but hard to be found."
She swallowed hard. For once, Darien told her more than she wanted to know. She took time to remember that the little girl was unharmed even after several days and nights with no food.
She dropped her head and kept moving, looking only at her feet. She wouldn't fall again. There was nothing except trees and bluffs ahead. Occasionally, Darien would help her up a steep incline, over a log it across a large, mossy, bolder. For the most part, though, they traveled in silence.
They were walking along for almost a half hour in a single line though a narrow ridge when Darien came to an abrupt stop which caused her to barrel into him. "What? What is it?" she asked standing on her tiptoes to look over his shoulder.
"A cabin," he stated mater-of-fatly.
It's finally finished. This chapter at least. I am so sorry that it took so long to update. I had some trouble with this story. I hit a little writer's block. Plus my computer must not have liked my story as much as you guys do 'cause it wouldn't save it. Well, thanks to everyone who reviewed and told me what you thought. I enjoyed reading them all. "Halloween Love" will be updated as soon as I get over my writer's block. Please, if you have any ideas for a chapter let me know. I would greatly appreciate your suggestions. Thanks again. Moon Baby.
By: Moon Baby
Rating: PG
E-mail: Moonbabygirl16yahoo.com
Author's Note: I am so sorry it has taken me so long. My computer crashed and I lost everything on it. Including, over 2000 pic and over 400 wonderful stories from very talented writers. I'm gonna try and get most of them back but it will be hard 'cause I don't remember all the web sites I got them from. But if you have any sites that have pics or stories you think I might enjoy or want a list of the titles of the stories I lost your help would be greatly appreciated. And thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews. I do enjoy reading them. Well enough about my pitiful life and computer. On with the story. LOL
When Serena opened her eyes again the gray light of a cloudy down was filtering into the cave. She was curled up on her side with her head on Darien's thigh. With a slight gasp she lifted her head up. "It's okay," he said rubbing his hand up and down her back. "We're safe."
'He sounded completely alert. I doubt he slept at all last night. Had he sat here guarding me all night?' She cleared her throat as she sat and straightened, at least tried to straightened her tangled hair. "I'm sorry. I don't know how I wound up--."
"I put you like that," he said matter of factly. Darien shifted his weight, indicating he got a little cramped serving as her pillow. She gave him a puzzled look. "You fell asleep and looked uncomfortable, so I shifted you a little. No big deal." He sounded so casual in his explanation.
"Did you get any rest?"
He shrugged, "Sitting still for a long while was good enough."
'Maybe our trek had had been as hard on him as it had for me. Maybe he was hiding how hard it was. Why would he do that? I'll never figure him out. But for some reason I want to. Strange.' Now that it was day light Serena decided to look at her feet. Crossing her legs she turned her feet so she could see the bottom of them; her once white socks were ripped and black from dirt and dried blood, with gaping holes revealing the bruised and shredded skin beneath the sock. She grimaced at the awful sight. She didn't even think about removing the sock yet, but when the time came it would be very painful.
Still leaning against the wall, Darien looked at her feet. "Haven't walked around barefoot much, have you?'
"No. When I was about eight, I stepped on a nail. It tore into my foot and I had to have a tetanus shot. I was so traumatized I refused to go barefoot. I never got into the habit of it. Even at home I ware slippers," she admitted with another grimace.
"That explains your delicate feet. The walk last night must have been torture for you."
"It wasn't easy but if you could do it so could I. How did you do it anyway? Are you in the habit of going barefoot outdoors?" She raised her eyebrows.
He shrugged his shoulder. "I almost never wore shoes as a kid; I was a typical redneck, wild, barefoot kid."
She found it hard to believe that the quiet, sophisticated man who arrived on her doorstep; the man who just returned from Venice, Andrew Falcon's best friend and trusted confidant, describe himself as a wild barefoot "redneck".
"So, I guess that means you spent a lot of time in the woods?" She smiled at him.
"A fair amount of it, why?" He looked at her suspiciously.
"I was hoping you'd know how to scavenge for food." She patted her hand on her stomach.
"I don't, sorry. I usually brought supplies when I spent the day in the woods." He looked at her regretful.
She sighed. "Oh well, I guess I could diet for a few days."
He looked at her up and down, "You don't need to diet."
She looked at the cave entrance to hide a blush that covered her cheeks. "I'm really thirsty again. I might risk another drink of water from the stream before we go."
Whatever Darien said was lost in the loud crash of thunder. It startled Serena, proving she was still a little on the edge, she reached over and unknowingly grabbed Darien's hand. "It sounds like it's going to rain," she said and gave Darien's hand a squeeze.
Suddenly the sound of hard rain filled the cave. A gust of wind pushed mist inside. "It just might rain," he said sarcastically.
"Great," she murmured.
"It's not so bad. Any tracks we might have made will be gone."
She tried to see something positive about their circumstance, and she knew he was trying to put a positive spin on it for her, but it wasn't working. She appreciated his effort, though. "What are we going to do now?" she asked with her hand still holding his as more thunder sounded.
"We'll have to wait till it stops. We wouldn't get very far out there in that." He gave her hand a squeeze.
"And when the rain stops?"
He let go of her hand and looped his arms around his knees, and looked at the rain. "We move on."
She stretched out her legs keeping her poor feet as still as possible. The thought of hiking again wasn't a real pleasant one. The cave was dry and well hidden, both of which made Serena reluctant to leave, but they couldn't wait here to be rescued. For one, no one was looking for, them except their kidnappers. "Do you think we'll be able to find away out, before they find us?" She looked at him.
"We're going to be real careful about who finds us. Our biggest problem is figuring out which direction to go in when we leave the cave. Most likely we are in the middle of several thousand acres of forest. If we go deeper into the forest, further away from people it could be days before we find anyone, though I hate to risk going long without food." He was still looking outside at the rain.
"And if we go back the way we came, we could run into the kidnappers?" She shook her head.
"Exactly. I'm almost positive they're looking for us, and might have brought back up." He looked at her.
"So?" She gave him a questioned look.
He shrugged his shoulders. "We do our best. I'll make some guesses, and we'll hope for a little luck." Darien smiled at her.
"Are you usually lucky?" Serena raised her eyebrow at him. It was nothing but a joke to keep him smiling. It had the opposite effect. He stopped smiling and turned to look back out at the rain. After a couple of awkward moments, Serena tried to him to talk some more. The weather was always a safe topic. "It sounds as though the rain has decided to stay for awhile," she said turning to look at the entrance of the cave.
He nodded, "It's coming down hard."
Serena hugged her light jean shirt closer to her body. (AN: I don't know if I said this or not but when she got her purse she grabbed a light jean shirt.) "It's getting colder."
"Not really. It's just the air blowing in is damp and that makes it feel colder." He kept staring at the rain.
"At least the cave is on high ground so water isn't getting in."
He grunted.
She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. She didn't even get a monosyllabic reply that time. He grunted. 'We might as well have been back in the car, except I don't even have passing scenery to entertain me. This could be a long morning,' she thought leaning back against the cave. 'At least we're dry and safe, for the moment. I have to think positive. Just remember that and I'll survive' Serena was never really good at judging the time by the sun. She was sitting close to the opening watching the rain fall for what seemed for a long when she finally broke the silence, "I wonder what time it is?"
Darien seemed to come back from deep thought at the sound of her voice. "I'd guess its mid-morning. Ten, ten-thirty, some time around there."
She nodded her head hoping he was right and started thinking about her sister. "I really hope Mina hasn't heard about us being kidnapped," her voice was filled with concern for her sister. "She'd be frantic if she finds out what happened." Remembering the morning of the day she left and how Mina tried to talk her out of going.
"I guess that all depends on whether Andrew tells her or not. My prediction is he won't tell anyone till he gets more information."
So you think Andrew has been contacted by the kidnappers?" She turned to look at him. Her hair fell over her eyes.
"Probably. I expect that's what the other two guys were doing while they were gone." He continued to look at the rain.
Serena put the strands behind her ear. "You've known Andrew a lot longer then I have, what do you think he'll do? Has he contacted the police? My sister?"
Darien thought for a moment, sighed and answered. "He hasn't called the police. He won't want take the chance of a media leak, so he probably hasn't called your sister."
"So what is he doing?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Looking for us. He has contacts; they'll probably be on our trail faster than the police or a rescue team."
She was quiet for a moment then remembered something he said when they were in the room. "What was it you learned when that man got us water yesterday? When he left the room you said you knew what was going on."
Darien's response surprised her, "I recognized him," he said quietly.
Shocked she moved around to face him. "You know him? Who is he? How do you know him? Do you know why he took us?"
"I didn't say I knew him. I said I recognized him. Meaning I've seen him before. I don't think he knew I'd seen him before." He looked into her eyes.
"So you've seen him before but was never introduced. Do I have it right?" She searched his blues eyes.
"Right. I saw him leaving an office I was entering. It was a couple weeks ago in New York. He probably never saw me -- if he did I doubt he knew I recognized him."
"How sis you recognized him?" she raised an eyebrow.
He shrugged and answered, "I have a good memory for faces." He broke their eye contact and looked pass her, and out of the cave.
"You sure it's the same man?"
"Yes."
"He was in New York," she shook her head. "Do you know who he works for? Or do you think him and his flunkies cooked up this scheme on their own?"
Darien shook his head. "No, they had someone telling them what to do. I'd bet the CEO of the company Andrew's been trying to take over had something to do with this. It's been a hostile take over, but everything was in place, all the details ironed out. That's why Andrew and I were surprised by the last minute bugs that popped up which kept him in New York so long. They're annoying and time-consuming and a pain in the ass, but they wouldn't have stopped the takeover."
"You think Andrew was deliberately kept in New York so we could be taken?" She tilted her head to the side.
"It seems a little to coincidental not to have been deliberate."
"So do you think the condition of our release is for Andrew to stop the takeover?"
"No, nothing like that. I imagine its straightforward ransom. Swift has been complaining that he didn't get enough money for his company shares, even though he got what he deserved, probably a bit more, if you ask me. Looks like he wanted more." He shock his head.
Light bulb came on in Serena's head. "Swift, that's the CEO you mentioned before?"
Darien nodded and closed his eyes.
"And he's the type who would try something like this?"
"He's a crook. He got his company by swindling someone else out of it. He almost drained it dry by the time Andrew tried to take it over. Swift's name has been connected to several crimes. Mail fraud, embezzlement, that sort of thing, but there's never been enough evidence to charge him. Yeah, he's the type to do this."
"Do you --"
He opened his eyes and looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Do I what?"
"Do you think they ever intended to let us go?" He could hear the quiver in her voice. He held her eyes for along while then had to look away. 'He never lied to me,' Serena mused, ' he simply didn't answer some of my questions. Maybe that's for the best.' She still felt the need to ask one more question. "Do you think Andrew will find us?"
He looked her in the eyes and answered without hesitation. "He'll find us."
"You seem very confident about that and in him." Their gazes were still locked.
"I am," he answered simply.
"I hope you're right," she muttered as she turned back to sitting next to him and looked out the cave.
After a few minutes of listening and looking at the rain Darien asked, "How are your feet?"
"Numb. I can't really feel them anymore." She chuckled.
"Are you still thirsty?"
"Not enough to go out in the rain to get a drink." She smiled at the thought.
"I'd go get you some water but I don't have anything to carry it in for you."
'He is so determined to take care of me.' A bit wistfully, she found herself wondering if he was only like that because he thought it was his job. "That's okay."
"I wish I had something to give you to eat. I guess we could eat some acorns or something like that."
That made her laugh out loud. "No thanks. I'm not that hungry." She smiled and looked at him as he turned to look at her.
"You have a nice laugh and smile," he muttered as he looked at the smile on her lips.
She stopped smiling and looked away.
Darien looked away. "Uh...Andrew thinks so, too. He mentioned that when he first told me about you."
Andrew. The name slid between them like an invisible wall.
'Funny, I can hardly remember what he looked like at this moment.' She chuckled.
The rain slowed then stopped. Serena inched to the north of the cave to look out again. Water dripped off the leaves of trees that obscured their hideout. Swollen by the rain the stream was high on the bank and ran more swiftly downstream. A deer and her fawn drank from the stream then turned and disappeared gracefully in the forest. The sky was still gray, but the rain seem to have ended for a while. Under different circumstances Serena would have enjoyed the unspoiled nature. She wasn't at all surprised when Darien suggested, "We should get moving. Before it starts raining again."
'It won't be easy,' she nodded. "I'm ready."
"You sure you can walk?" Concern shone in his eyes.
She looked at him and brought her chin up. "I can walk," she stated firmly.
"It's going to be wet and slippery in some places."
"I'll be careful." She nodded to emphasis that she meant it.
He put his hand on her arm when she started to get up. "Serena, I'm real sorry this happened to you. You don't deserve this."
"Neither do you. So let's get going." She put her hand on his.
He tried not to smile. "Right behind you, General."
His rare show of humor surprised her. He took his hand off her arm and pushed her a little back so he could step out of the cave and put his hand in and helped her out of the cave. Resisting the urge to curse out in pain when her feet hit the ground. He started walking and she fell into step beside him.
'Ten steps at a time,' she told herself. She would make it, just ten steps at a time.
Cold waves of anger poured over the blonde hair man sitting behind the desk in his office. The temperature in the room dropped a good ten degrees. Andrew Falcon didn't lose his temper very often but when he did people usually duck and cover.
Greg Colby didn't duck or cover, but he kept his voice as soothing as possible as he completed his report, "We had a possible sighting last night of the van the witness said was hanging around the diner at the time Darien and Serena were taken. It was reported speeding in north-central Arkansas by a state trooper. Unfortunately he lost sight the van after it to several sharp turns on twisted side roads. That's around the area that we tracked the ransom call, too. There are dozen hunting cabins and isolated rural buildings where they could be hiding in. That's if they haven't moved on, of course."
Andrew studied his chief of security through narrow midnight blue eyes. "We're assuming they haven't. It wouldn't be easy to take Darien down in the first place, much less keep moving him, so concentrate on searching in that area."
"The St. Frances National Forest is about a million acres. I think we can narrow it down. I've marked off several grids, and I already have teams out there."
"I want them found, Greg." There was no room left for question in his voice.
"Yes sir." He nodded.
"In the meantime, I'll stall the callers. They're suppose to call me tomorrow. I asked them for twenty-four hours to get the ransom together without arousing the media."
Greg frowned. "They didn't argue with you about that?"
"The guy made some noise and threatened to hurt them but yeah, he gave it to me."
"That's interesting." Greg rubbed his chin with his right hand.
"That's what I thought. Why was he so willing to delay?" Andrew raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe there's problems on their end," Greg suggested.
"Maybe," Andrew agreed as he turned in his chair and looked out the window.
Greg cleared his throat and tried to phrase his next question carefully. "Maybe they're willing to stall because something happened with their hostages?"
Andrew whirled around and faced Greg. The only change in his expression was a muscle jump in his jaw. "Just keep looking." His face shone with fury.
Because Greg knew Andrew forever he recognized the genuine pain behind his stern and controlled face. Greg nodded and quickly rose to his feet. "We will find them, Andrew."
Andrew stared at Greg without really seeing him standing there. "Yes, we'll find them." 'I won't accept any other possibility.'
The rain didn't hold off for very long. They were walking for almost an hour before the down pour started again. They found shelter under a jutting bluff but it provided little protection and they both got pretty wet. Serena tried to hide her shivering from Darien, but she guessed he suspected he knew she was freezing. He didn't mention it because there was nothing he could have done about it, except keep her moving. Which he did as soon as the rain stopped again.
She was thirsty again, her stomach rumbled almost as loud as the thunder, and her head felt like it got run over by truck. 'I want a nice cold glass of water, long hot shower, a hot meal and a soft bed. In that order, of course. (AN: Of course, who wouldn't in her shoes, or in this case feet.) And a toothbrush.' She ran her tongue over her teeth. She did her best to rinse her mouth with her finger at the stream they were following, but she wanted a toothbrush with her favorite mint-flavored toothpaste.
In an attempt to distract herself from her discomfort she tried to concentrate on the beauty of nature. Which meant she had to ignore the heavy gray sky crowding around them. If there had been more sunshine, the spring leaves would have been a soft green, the hills and steep valleys would have been dotted with dogwoods and redbuds in full bloom. She saw an occasional bird or squirrel, but most of the wild life seemed to be holed up from the dismal weather.
She'd taken her eyes off her feet while she surveyed the area. (AN: In case you didn't know they were walking through the woods again.) She tripped over a thick vine, and for once Darien wasn't there to catch her. She went down hard, landing on her on her hands and knees.
He was instantly at her side. "Are you okay?"
Embarrassed, she straightened to sit on her knees and brushed the mud and the wet leaves from her hands. "I'm fine."
"Let me see your hands." He took her hands in his, turned her palms up, and examined them. Fortunately, the ground was soft from the rain and only her pride was injured.
Though he was still a mystery to her she was getting to know him better. 'Well enough to know he is blaming himself for my fall. Typical Darien.' She smiled and chuckled.
Still holding her hands he frowned down at her. "Can you walk?"
"Of course I can walk." Serena rolled her eyes. "I just tripped on a vine, Darien, not fall down a well. I'm fine, really."
His face was his usual rock-hard mask he wore to cover his emotions, but she saw the spark of anger in his eyes. "You shouldn't be going through this," he muttered. "When we get out of this and I get my hands on the people behind this..."
She squeezed his hands. "We'll get out of this." She looked into his icy blue eyes. "Then you can take the steps necessary to get justice for this. Legally of course." She gave him a lopsided smile.
She didn't catch his growl response, but she had a feeling he didn't care about the legality of the revenge he was planning.
"Let's keep walking. I'll be more careful."
He pulled her to her feet and they moved onward. This time, however, Darien was never more than an arms length away. Serena was both annoyed and amused by his obvious assumption that she couldn't take care of herself. She noticed his steps were slowing and he was limping almost as much as she was. She took no pleasure in his discomfort but she focused on remembering that if he could keep going then she could, too.
She looked up at the sky, noting that it looked like it could start raining any minute. As if to make her point, a fat drop fell on her cheek and down her chin. "How long do you think it's been since we left the cave?"
He looked up at the sky then back to where he was walking. "I don't know. Maybe four or five hours. We have a few more hours till it gets dark."
"We've walked for so long, wouldn't we have come across some sign of civilization by now?"
"Didn't you read about the little girl that was lost in a forest in Northern Arkansas a year or so ago? She just wondered away from her parents and it took hundreds of searchers three or four days to find her. Even after she was found it took them another six or so hours to get her out of the forest and back to her family. The forest is big and dense and the terrain is so rough it's easy to get lost but hard to be found."
She swallowed hard. For once, Darien told her more than she wanted to know. She took time to remember that the little girl was unharmed even after several days and nights with no food.
She dropped her head and kept moving, looking only at her feet. She wouldn't fall again. There was nothing except trees and bluffs ahead. Occasionally, Darien would help her up a steep incline, over a log it across a large, mossy, bolder. For the most part, though, they traveled in silence.
They were walking along for almost a half hour in a single line though a narrow ridge when Darien came to an abrupt stop which caused her to barrel into him. "What? What is it?" she asked standing on her tiptoes to look over his shoulder.
"A cabin," he stated mater-of-fatly.
It's finally finished. This chapter at least. I am so sorry that it took so long to update. I had some trouble with this story. I hit a little writer's block. Plus my computer must not have liked my story as much as you guys do 'cause it wouldn't save it. Well, thanks to everyone who reviewed and told me what you thought. I enjoyed reading them all. "Halloween Love" will be updated as soon as I get over my writer's block. Please, if you have any ideas for a chapter let me know. I would greatly appreciate your suggestions. Thanks again. Moon Baby.