Sob. Sob. I can only apologise. I know it's been –forever- since I last updated, but I promise I will finish this. I've had so much on lately, but I'm going to try make time to write. That's the plan anyway. XP
Chapter Eight – Losing Him
Travis leaped up from the bed and nearly made it out of the room, but I grabbed his collar and hauled him back.
"Calm down. Right now." I still clung to his shirt, not trusting him to stay.
"Beck…" Marianna whispered.
"Don't panic. Sit down. We'll sort this." I took hold of Travis' elbow and lead him to the bed, where he sat and immediately dropped his head in his hands. Marianna sat on a chair, her fingers skipping over her legs.
"We'll sort this." I repeated. A plan was already forming in my mind. I knew how Billy worked; I had worked with him for a long time after all. He attacked peoples' weaknesses. My weaknesses were Travis and Marianna. He would go after them – either Marianna and ransom her for his son, or go for Travis directly. I took a deep breath. We'd have to leave this place. We were cornered – so far away from real civilisation. I couldn't leave Marianna behind, it would be too dangerous, but how could I just tell her to leave her home and come with us? We wouldn't even know where we'd go and Billy had proved that he would follow wherever we went. I suddenly felt so stupid coming to Brazil. How could I have put Marianna in such danger? My chin dropped to my chest.
"I have to go to him, alone." Travis stated quietly, his eyes void of any emotion.
"Are you crazy?" I demanded.
He looked up at me, staring directly in my eyes. He had figured out what I had been thinking - we were a threat to Marianna and her home and the only way to get out of it was to give himself up.
"I have to. You know it's the only way."
"There are always choices. Option A. Option B."
Travis smiled weakly and dropped his gaze to the floor once more.
"I say we take 'em." Marianna said, standing, a new sense of confidence evident in her presence and tone.
"Are you crazy?" Travis and I both yelped at her.
"No. Beck, we did it before with 'Atcher."
I swallowed and stared at her. A groan left Travis lips.
"I know that look. You're thinking. Marianna give him a painkiller."
An eyebrow rose as I glared at Travis.
"Shut up."
I ran through the list of options we had and Marianna's suggestion seemed to make the most sense. If we stopped them, then Travis, Marianna and I were all free from Billy's wrath.
"I don't like guns." I complained.
"We're taking them out!" Travis asked exasperated. Marianna placed a hand on both our shoulders.
"We're taking them out."
It was late evening when everything had been planned out. We had decided to remain in Marianna's bar, the only shelter we had. I had no doubt Billy knew where we were. There was a cool breeze that made the 'Closed' sign sway gently and knock against the wood of the bar opening.
"I think we should have a drink." Travis said nervously. "Marianna, a shot of….whatever the hell that stuff is." He pointed to bottle of golden-bronze liquid.
"Travis." She warned, running fingers through her thick shiny locks.
"What? I just think some Jack Daniels could possibly stop me from peeing my pants and crying myself into a coma."
I shook my head and tightened my hold on my gun. Glancing at my watch, I swallowed, sensing that they were coming.
"Get ready. You two know what you need to do. Keep behind me always and any chance you get knock out some guys, but, Travis, don't be a hero."
He laughed a little. "I'll keep your ass safe, Beck, don't you worry, I'll watch your back."
"Oh, that's reassuring." I muttered.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing."
"No, seriously, what did you say?"
I rolled my eyes and knew Travis could start an argument in an empty house. I was about to answer back anyway, just to keep up the banter, keep the nerves from making hands tremble, when the sound of jeeps speeding along the grit and dirt, screeched to a halt.
"We can do this." I said, but my voice sounded quieter and weaker than I wanted it to.
"We'll make it home for Christmas." Travis whispered and ducked out of sight. Marianna hid behind the bar and I tucked myself out of view beside the front door. Rough voices were heard, slamming of doors and cocking of guns. I inhaled deeply and watched the back of a guy's head as he sauntered through the bar. The place was silent and a puzzled look dawned on his face as he scratched his big, melon head. His guard was down, now or never.
I hit him on the back of the head with the gun just as four other men burst through the door. My guy fell to the ground with a sickening thud and I dropped to the floor, dodging the trail of bullets. Marianna jumped up with a scream and bullets fired from her gun. One guy went down, bullet embedded in his shoulder. Travis threw himself across the ground and tackled a man to the floor with him. He straddled him and bet him senseless. I shot the last two, just as reinforcement came through. Another three men and then I heard the banging of the back door. God, there were more men trying to get in the back. I felt a wave of dread and foolishness that we ever held the hope of beating them.
"Travis, Mariana! The back door!"
"On it!" Travis left the unconscious man and bolted through the back room. One of the men reached over the bar and grabbed Marianna by her hair. She let out a holler of pain as she was mercilessly pulled over the counter. He backhanded her and she rocked back on her heels, but recovered quick enough to give a swift kick to his groin, where he fell to his knees, heaving. I punched another man hard on the face and kicked the other in the stomach. I needed to help Travis, who knew how many were in the back. I heard guns been fired as I hit both men across the head with a chair. They went down cold. There were bodies of men scattered over the bar, some groaning, wriggling around like worms in rain, others completely knocked out, bloodlines trickling down from their heads.
"Travis!" I clamoured. I dived into the back and saw one man on top of him, beating his head with his fists. Two other men were either dead or badly injured, but I could only concentrate on helping Travis.
Grabbing the man's shoulder and jerking him off the kid, I flung myself over Travis as the enemy grabbed a gun. I shut my eyes, expecting to meet death, when a lone shot went off, but not from the man, from Marianna. She had saved us both.
"They've gone. The men in the bar crawled back to the jeeps. They are leaving Beck."
"We did it!" Travis cried, but there was something deep down that told me that it had been too easy. No way would Billy just finish it there. I climbed to my feet and pulled Travis up too.
"We did it!" He yelled again. Marianna went back to the bar and sat on a stool, overcome with the adrenaline rush and nerves. She leaned heavily on the counter and dabbed at a cut on her forehead.
"Now can we have a Jack Daniels?" Travis panted, his hands trembling and blood running down his forearm and cheek.
"Is it over? Really over?" I wondered aloud. I couldn't believe it. I just had a sinking feeling.
"It's over." Travis slapped my back and grinned. "I knew you could do it. You saved me, Beck."
I blinked at him and smiled warmly. "Let's get those drinks."
"I'll just get rid of these." He jerked his thumb behind him and indicated the bodies.
"I'll go check Marianna and come back and help you."
Heading through the bar, I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and kissed her forehead.
"Are you ok?"
"Beck." She gripped on to my arms. "It just happened so fast. I feel so tired."
"I know, but we're safe now. We're safe." I closed my eyes for a minute or two, feeling comfort in the embrace, when my senses picked up a gasp and the shutting of the back door. I figured it was Travis moving the guys, but instantly adrenaline pumped through me again and I reached for the gun. Walking slowly I pulled back a stray piece of cloth hanging over the back room. There, my blood ran ice cold in my veins.
"Travis?" My voice squeaked and my throat went dry. "Travis?" The room was silent and my eyes noticed a fresh pool of blood at my feet.
"Travis!" A bloodcurdling roar escaped my mouth. I then realised there were only two bodies in the room.
"Oh, God." I cursed and dropped my gun in utter despair. They had taken him. In the last second, Billy had Travis back. 'You saved me, Beck' swirled in my head and I swallowed down bile, I had just condemned him to death. I had lost Travis. I fell to my knees, feeling the complete effects of failure and loss. They'd taken him and my promise to keep Travis safe was broken, just like my very soul. It was over and I had failed the one person who had needed me most.