Thanks for the great reviews yet again. They definitely help motivate me to write. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It is not as well written as I would have liked but I wanted to get it posted before I left on vacation. I am not sure when I will get a chance to post again. It may be a few weeks. Please bear with me. I will be finishing this story but because of the holidays coming up, it will be a slow process. As always thanks for your great support. Let me know what you think of this chapter.
Chapter 25
He watched as the Denali pulled up to the curb, his heart slamming in his chest in excited anticipation. The passenger door opened quickly and she stepped out into the heat of the night. He felt his lips curl into a smile. She was here just as he planned. He had known that the other CSIs' were out on other assignments. He knew when he had killed those 3 girls that Grissom would have no other choice but to send Sara and her insignificant coworker.
He watched as she moved to the back of the SUV to get her kit. Her beautiful face was set in a mask of seriousness. The hot breeze stirred the dark waves of her hair and she impatiently pushed them out of her face. She looked absolutely breathtaking as she readied herself to do her job.
A surge of revulsion rushed through his body when he saw her turn her head to smile at the inferior Nick Stokes. His hate filled eyes settled on the irritating man for a moment taking in his handsome face, muscular frame and his annoying air of superiority. He was just like the last bastard she had dated in San Francisco. And where was he now? In a hole in the ground just like Nick Stokes soon would be.
He watched as Nick's eyes slowly scanned the sea of curious on-lookers, searching valiantly for the unseen danger. He almost laughed out loud when the self-righteous bastard looked right at him, but his dark eyes did not stop, they kept searching. He was in plain sight, right under their smart-ass noses and yet they couldn't see him. Stupid fools!
His eyes quickly diverted back to Sara as she made her way toward him. She passed him by without a word of acknowledgement. Fury filled him. How dare she not remember him! By the time he was finished with her, she would remember him. Her last living thought would be of him and only him. He watched her for a moment as she bent over to examine the first body. It was time to set the rest of his plan into motion. He faded back into the crowd, a ravenous wolf among a flock of naive sheep.
Sara worked methodically collecting what little evidence she could off of the body. She felt another wave of unease settle heavily in her stomach. She stopped again to let her eyes scan the crowd of spectators. Something had jarred an unsettling memory when she had first arrived on the scene. But as quickly as it had come, it had vanished and was now out of her reach. In its wake was a strong feeling of apprehension.
Sara glanced over at Nick and saw him watching her. "Are you okay?" he questioned worriedly. She nodded and stood up slowly stretching her stiff body. She walked over to where he was examining the second body.
"You have anything?" she asked. He shook his head no and stood up beside her, fighting the urge to take her in his arms and make her tell him what was bothering her.
Brass made his way over to the couple. "Glad to see you two out and about. Our victims were all at the bar across the street. Witnesses say they left together around 12:30. Soon after someone heard 3 gunshots and these 3 were found with a bullet a piece in their heads. We've got ids on all three of them, so were contacting their families. Seems that they were college roommates, were regulars at the bar and lots of the men seemed to know them. I've got my guys taking statements. What have you got?" Brass asked.
"Not much. All three were shot in the back of the head at close range. We haven't found any shell casings and it doesn't look like the suspect got close enough to touch any of them. We'll have to widen our search area. Their purses are in tack so it doesn't appear that robbery was a motive." Nick replied grimly. Brass nodded. "I'll check back in a while," he said as he walked away.
Nick's eyes traveled back to Sara and he watched as she scanned the crowd yet again. "Sara?" he said softly. She turned and gave him a small smile. "I'm just more nervous then I thought I'd be. I'm fine Nick really." she said unconvincingly. "I've got your back Sara," Nick said with heated intensity. She gave him a teasing grin and waggled her eyebrows and said, "And maybe later you can have my front too."
Nick laughed at her playfulness and said, "Just stay close." "I promise I like being in smelling distance of that sexy aftershave you wear." she grinned. Suddenly it hit her. She knew what had been bothering her: the distinct smell of cologne that she did not like, the cologne she had smelled on the man who had attacked her. Her eyes went wide with shock. He was here and he was close, close enough for her to smell. Her cry of alarm was cut off when a loud explosion detonated somewhere too close. She felt the intense heat blast by her and the force of the blow sent her to the ground.
The smoke was thick and heavy in the air and she felt it filling her lungs. She couldn't see anything around her. She could only here the screams of those people who had been too close. She tried to call out to Nick but the vile smoke filled her mouth and she choked on her words. She had just made it to her feet on shaky legs when another explosion blew somewhere to her left. The night filled with more horrific screams and cries of distress. Out of the thick smoke rushed a group of frantic people. Someone slammed into her and knocked her onto her back. She cried out in pain when someone tripped over her legs. She scrambled backwards trying desperately to stay out of the way of fleeing people.
Suddenly a pair of hands gripped her under the arms and yanked her to her feet. "Nick thank god," she gasped. She felt his hand clamp around her wrist and pull her urgently away from the chaotic scene. She followed blindly struggling to see anything through the thick smoke. Within moments they were away from the deadly smoke and she shuttered at the gruesome scene behind her. It looked like two cars that were parked on the street had been blown up and from the sounds of the agonizing screams some of the on-lookers had been caught in their destructive wake. She couldn't understand why someone would want to hurt so many people.
Sara took a couple of deep breaths trying to clear out her burning lungs. "Are you all right?" she asked turning to look at Nick for the first time. Sara's heart stopped beating for a moment and her mouth filled with bile when she saw who it was standing beside her, tightly holding her wrist. He smiled at her through tight lips and his beady eyes stared at her intently as he said, "I'm fine Sara. Thanks for asking."
Her eyes widened in terror as she desperately tried to pulled her wrist free of his hurtful grasp. "I wouldn't do that if I were you Sara," he said menacingly as he pulled out a 9 MM and held it to her throat. Sara's eyes closed in defeat. God she was a fool. Why had she thought he wouldn't come after her, that he was finished with her?
Sara opened her eyes and met his dark dangerous ones. She took in his appearance from his dark crew cut hair to his strong facial features. He was fairly attractive but he was not someone she would ever look twice at in a crowd. His most striking feature was his height. He was over 6 feet tall and he appeared to be well built.
She could feel his intense gaze on her face as she studied him. There was something familiar about him but she could not place her finger on it. Suddenly his mouth curled into a cruel smile and she gasped with she saw his teeth. He had a gap just like hers. Her eyes flew to his and she knew immediately who he was. It all came crashing back to her at once. San Francisco.
He saw the recognition flash through her scared brown eyes. He violently yanked her up against him and angrily growled, "It's a little late for a heartfelt reunion bitch!" Just then she heard her name being called and she quickly pulled out of his grasp to turn and face a very worried Nick. She heard the gun cock and felt it being pressed roughly into her spine. "Oh go no," her mind screamed. She turned back toward him, her eyes pleading with his cold heartless ones. It was then that she realized he was wearing a LVPD uniform. Nick had no idea that this monster standing behind her was bad guy and that at any given moment he was also going to be her executioner and his as well.
It had taken Nick a moment to get his bearing after the first explosion. The force of the blow had sent him stumbling backward and he had tripped over the body he had been examining, landing hard on his back. By the time he managed to get to his feet again, the air and ground shook with another explosion. The air was thick and heavy with smoke as he choked out Sara's name. He moved his hands frantically trying to clear the air so he could see. He was hit from behind when a mob of frightened people came racing by trying to get as far away from the explosions as possible. He heard Sara's cry of pain from somewhere to his right. "Sara," he choked out.
His eyes were beginning to sting and tear from the acidy fumes that clogged the night air. The heat was almost unbearable. He closed his eyes and tried to move in the direction he thought he heard Sara's cry. "Sara," he called. Nothing. "Sara," he called again louder. Still nothing. Where the hell was she?
The smoke was slowly lifting and through squinted eyes he hurriedly searched the area where he thought she should be. She wasn't there. He could feel his heart begin to pound anxiously in his chest. He scanned the area, quickly accessing that someone had set off two car bombs. There were now more then 3 bodies scattered across the ground. He swore silently. He turned frantically searching for her, sighing with relief when he finally found her.
She was standing across the street by a squad car with a police officer. Thank god she was alright. He hurried toward her through the mist of remaining smoke, calling out her name. He watched as she swung around to look at him. His steps faltered slightly when he saw a distraught look on her face. His eyes quickly traveled to the man who was standing much too close to her. He was a tall man, standing easily over 6 feet and he was powerfully built.
Nick recognized him as someone he had met before either at a crime scene or at the police station, but he couldn't recall his name. He noticed that the officer had his hand tightly wrapped around Sara's wrist. His other hand was somewhere behind her back. His eyes jerked back up to Sara's frightened face and he knew instantly that this was the guy.
Nick halted his steps about 10 feet away from them and withdrew his gun quickly. "Let her go now!" he commanded. "I don't think so Sir Nicholas the fool. She and I have some unfinished business," he laughed viciously. "Let her go!" Nick repeated. "She's mine now, to have and to hold from this day forward until DEATH DO US PART," he spat venomously. Nick watched Sara wince at his meaningful words and his stomach dropped to his knees.
Sara was trying desperately to think of some way to escape from his grasp but his hand held her wrist in a vice-like grip. She tried to move but his hand tightened its hold and she flinched in pain. He removed the gun from behind her back and pulled her securely against his chest. He brought the gun up to her chest and began to run it back and forth across her breasts. She shuttered at the revolting sensation.
Sara watched as rage filled Nick's face and he took a few steps closer. She felt a sinking sensation in her stomach when she realized what the bastard was doing. He was baiting Nick to come closer. "Nick please stay where you are!" she begged. She heard the madman laugh triumphantly in her ear.
Nick hesitated for a moment at her words. He watched in fury as the SOB stroked her again with his gun. He heard his name and his eyes shot to Sara's. His heart constricted in sorrow when he saw her mouth the words, "I love you." He knew she was about to do something foolish. "Sara No!" he screamed as watched her attempt to head butt the monster, but he had been ready for her. In a blink of an eye, the bastard stepped away from her moving head. In a rage, he took her wrist and twisted it backwards. Nick could hear the sound of her bone breaking as she cried out in agony. She fell to her knees in pain.
Nick's eyes were riveted on Sara when he heard, "It's time to say goodbye Sir Nicholas the fool!" His eyes shot to the madman and he realized it was too late for him to do anything. He felt 1,2,3,4 rounds slam into his chest. The impact was so great he felt his body being lifted right off the ground. He heard the sound of Sara screaming his name in panic. His last thought was that he had broken his promise. He hadn't protected her at all.
Sara's world came crashing down around her when she saw Nick's body struck over and over again with the bullets. She screamed in agony as she watched his body fly through the air and land on the ground with a sickening thud. The tears fell in torrents down her face as she begged him to get up. She cried she needed him and that she loved him over and over again. She heard her tormenter laugh cruelly behind her as he yanked her viciously to her feet. She shuttered in fear knowing it would soon be her turn to die.
She heard him call out Warrick's name and her tear filled eyes focused in on her friend standing near Nick's body. When she heard the words "say goodbye", she lashed out in desperation at her attacker. But it was too late. Another bomb detonated and Warrick was gone. She hit him over and over again hysterically as he laughed. With a single hand, he grabbed her around the neck and began to squeeze. Sara clawed at his hand but to no avail. She felt her life giving air leave her. She slumped over into his arms unconscious.
He picked her up without grace and threw her violently into the backseat of the squad car. He figured she's be out for at least a couple of hours. Enough time for him to get to where he needed to be and then he'd have all the time in the world to make sure Sara Sidle never forgot his face. He would be the last person she saw before she died.
Grissom, Catherine and Warrick jumped out of the Denali and stared at the shocking scene before them. "Oh my god," Catherine cried out when she spotted Brass sitting on the ground with a deep gash on his hand. Catherine rushed over to him with Warrick and Grissom right on her heels. "Are you all right?" she questioned as pulled out a tissue from her pocket and placed it gently against his wound. The sounds of sirens could be heard in the distance and they knew help was on its way.
Brass winced and nodded as he said, "Some asshole set off 2 car bombs." Grissom interrupted him and demanded, "Where are Sara and Nick?" Brass shook his head slowly and said, "They were over there on the sidewalk collecting evidence." He pointed to his left, "I haven't seen them since I talked them about 5 minutes ago."
Warrick hastily scanned the area, finally finding them across the street with a police officer. "There they…" he stopped mid-sentence and growled, "Shit!" as he took off running. Catherine quickly stood and watched as Warrick tried to make his way to his friends, but burning debris, bodies and crying people slowed his mission. She felt Grissom grip her arm and her eyes focused in on what Warrick had seen.
A man held Sara in his arms and he had a gun pointed at Sara. Nick stood a few feet away from them and had his gun pointed at the man. Catherine and Grissom watched the dreadful scene play out like it was in slow motion. They watched as Sara tried to escape but her captor quickly brought her to her knees. The sound of her pain filled cry echoed across the street.
Both Grissom and Catherine were in motion when they realized what was going to happen next. Catherine's eyes shot back to Warrick as she watched him draw his gun. She knew he was not going to make it in time; he was still to far away. Catherine could hear her own scream resounding in her ears, as Nick's body was slammed by the bullets and the force of the impact sent his body flying into the air. Beside her she could hear Grissom's strangled cry of rage.
Out of the darkness of the night came the heartbreaking sound of Sara screaming Nick's name mixed with Warrick's cry of distress. Suddenly the night lit up and the air vibrated again as another car bomb went off. The explosion brought Catherine and Grissom to their knees.
Warrick watched in horror as his friend was shot over and over again in the chest. He heard himself screaming, "NOOOOO!" He took aim at the bastard who had shot his friend. The smug SOB just smiled at him as he calmly pointed his gun at Sara's sobbing head. Warrick froze. There was no doubt in his mind that the madman would kill Sara without hesitation.
Warrick watched helplessly as the bastard yanked Sara roughly to her feet. Sara was beside herself with grief. She didn't even see him standing there. He could hear her saying, "Please get up Nick. I need you. Don't leave me. I love you", over and over again. Warrick heard his name being called and he locked eyes with the devil. "Say goodbye," he laughed triumphantly. In the next instant another bomb detonated and Warrick was blown off his feet.
The thick acidy smoke choked in Catherine's throat as she tried to stand up. Grissom grabbed her hand and pulled her back down to the ground. "The air is easier to breath down here," he said simply. She met his worried eyes and hers filled with tears. "Warrick," she sputtered, "He was standing near the car." "It's all right Catherine," he said gently taking her in his arms. "But Nicky, he shot him over and over again." she sobbed into Grissom's neck. He pulled away from her slowly and touched her cheek. "They're fine Catherine. Let's go help our friends." He pulled her to her feet and they stumbled through the slowly lifting smoke.
Their steps faltered when they saw the still form of Warrick on the ground and a few feet away from him lay the unmoving body of Nick. Catherine felt her knees give out as she sobbed, "Oh god Gil." Grissom griped her arm tightly trying to hold her up as he frantically searched the area where Sara had been moments ago. She was gone along with the police car.
He closed his eyes in defeat. He had lost her. He shook his head trying to figure out how everything had gotten so out of control. Grissom looked down at his fallen friends and then up into the smoke blackened sky. He felt the heat of the night slowly and thoroughly consuming him. He then did something he swore he would never do. Gil Grissom began to pray.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry to leave you with such a cliffhanger. I'm leaving for sunny Florida so I will not be posting for a few weeks. SORRY!!! I'm hoping this vacation will motivate me to write a fabulous conclusion. I'm not sure which way I want to go: happy or angsty. Let me know if you have a preference. Please review. I'll be looking forward to reading them when I get back. Thanks again for your support.