They waited for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the sounds of splashing diminished, leaving only the far-off shouts and the gurgle of the river. The light was beginning to change above them. Dusk was starting to fall.
"Liv, are you hungry?"
Elliot's ankle was throbbing. She had to notice his grimace. He closed his eyes and settled back on the ground. Steak. Potatoes. French fries. A greasy cheeseburger with extra onions and mustard. One of those big pretzels from the street vendors. God, he'd even eat one of Olivia's disgusting protein bars at this point. Anything sounded good.
Olivia shifted until she was lying beside him. The back of her hand brushed his. "I could go for Wendy's Big Bacon Classic right now. Three would work. A Frosty, too," she muttered. "Is your ankle any better?"
"No," he said honestly.
"Think we can stay here for the night?"
He sat up, wincing as his swollen ankle rubbed across the gravel. The brambles surrounding them were so thick, it was hard to see in any direction. "Yeah, I think we're good. Wish I had some of those blackberries," Elliot sighed. Olivia got the point, grunted and got up. She walked slightly stooped, like an old woman. Broken ribs, Elliot thought, watching her move towards the berries. She stuffed a monstrous amount of them in her mouth before bringing Elliot his share.
"You know, when we get back, Munch is toast for not accepting this case. I'm going to kick his ass seven ways to Sunday," Elliot said, through a mouthful.
Olivia just smiled. There was nothing else she could do. Everything had been so intense since that morning in the office. Funny what can be decided with the toss of a coin.
Twelve Hours Earlier
"Child prostitution ring. Or East Side rapist. Flip you for it, Elliot," Munch said, leaning on Olivia's desk.
"We'll be dead meat if Cragen finds out about this. Heads, you get the East Side case," said Elliot, folding his arms expectantly. "Liv flips."
Olivia grabbed the quarter, threw it up in the air and caught it neatly. She looked into his palm and shrugged. "Guess we've got a week of chasing down hillbillys ahead," she said. Elliot rolled his eyes and grabbed his jacket, following her out the door.
"Hey! I want my quarter back!" Munch yelled, but they were out of earshot.
The warm summer air felt good. The precinct was air conditioned in a clinical sort of way. Elliot referred to it as Santa's Workshop, especially when they'd all be wearing sweaters in the middle of July. The mild outdoor air embraced both of them and buffeted the sounds of the honking taxis and the garbage trucks.
"So, how's things?"
He looked at her in the passenger seat. Olivia's face was all concern. "Things are getting back on an even keel, I guess. Just trying to keep my head above water," he replied.
"Oh."
She pulled a protein bar out of her bag and noisily unwrapped it. Elliot watched her, laughing to himself. It looked like a dog treat. The bar was so hard she could hardly chew it.
"Do you need some help?" he asked, trying not to look too amused. Olivia didn't answer and instead turned to look out the window. He liked her hair, the way the light caught it.
"This is the address, El. You almost drove right past it."
They parked and stared up at the rickety building. A panel truck was parked in front of it. Elliot knocked while Olivia peeked in the window. "Smells bad here. Not like a summer New York smell, either," she said. He sniffed the air and his stomach flip-flopped.
With a creak, the door opened a crack. A woman with her hair in a bandana stuck her head out. She had about three teeth.
"Who are you?" she asked in rough drawl. They held up their badges. The smell was obviously stronger behind the door and it was making Elliot's eyes water.
"Carl! Get over here! Some people want to see you!" the lady shouted, and opened the door wider. Olivia groaned. Elliot felt his breakfast bubble up his esophagus. The smell was so bad you could almost see it, like a blue haze. So when they walked into the dim room, both Elliot and Olivia were slightly disoriented, which was a bad thing. First there was a shove, then the cold sting of blue steel against bare skin.
"If y'all keep your mouth shut, nothing will happen," said a scruffy man. Elliot looked desperatly in what he believed was Olivia's direction. "If you don't keep your mouth shut, I'll kill you first and she'll watch you die."
As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, Elliot saw a dozen little dirty faces peering at him from a doorway. Children...none older than ten. He struggled miserably, but stopped when Olivia cried out in pain.
"Don't hurt her!"
"Then stop thrashing around. Doris, do you have the stuff?" the man asked over his shoulder. There came the sound of a tremendous struggle, that ended with a body hitting the floor like a sack of apples. The woman who opened the door approached Elliot with a bottle and a rag. He struggled in the man's grip, but couldn't escape the rag that covered his face. The world began to spin, and then it went very dark.
"Doris, let's get them in the truck. I need to make another pick-up today."
.
Elliot woke up first. They were in the back of a panel truck that was bumping its way down the road. He was woozy. His hands were bound. Olivia was lying on hr stomach, still out like a light.
"Wake up Liv. We're in a mess here."
She groaned and tried to sit up. "Oh God, where are we?"
"On the road. I don't know how long we've been out..can you look at my watch?"
He moved in front of her and she leaned over as best she could. "It's three. So we got to that house at what, nine in the morning? We've been in here for hours, I guess," Olivia said, leaning back against the side of the truck. Light spilled in through a crack between the cargo doors.
"When we come to a stop, I'm going to kick those doors open. Then we're going to run like hell. Oh, shit," he said suddenly.
"What?"
"My wallet, phone and gun are gone."
"So are mine!"
The truck hit an enormous bump, sending the two of them flying. Somehow, the knots on Olivia's hands came loose by sheer force. She was able to wriggle out and then untie Elliot. He flexed his fingers and the knuckles cracked.
They rode along for another hour. Elliot was wide awake, but Olivia was dozing again, leaning against him for comfort. Her quiet breathing soothed him. But when the truck stopped, she jerked awake. There was a sound of many voices, young and old, and dogs howling.
"Olivia, we wait for a door to shut...then we'll bolt, okay? Just stay right behind me," Elliot whispered into the cup of her ear. He felt her shiver slightly. They sat quietly for what seemed like an eternity until the noise quieted.
Elliot stood up and examined the door. It wasn't padlocked or chained. "Liv, stay behind me. I'll go on a three count..."
"I'm right here...just..."
"One...two, three!"
Elliot kicked harder than he ever had in his entire life. His ankle twisted slightly at the contact, but the adrenaline surging through his body overshadowed the pain. The doors swung open and they jumped out into the bright sunlight.
Bits of moonshine making equipment covered the scruffy yard. The house was ramshackle, like something from a cartoon. Chickens ran around all over the place. An outhouse leaned off the the left.
"Run!" Olivia said, breaking his daze at the sight. They dashed into the weeds and down a steep grade. An open field stood before them. "Be careful," she cautioned, before bolting across it. Elliot followed gamely. He heard dogs barking and shouts from the top of the hill.
On the other side of the field a river flowed. They ran in, splashing through the shallows.
"Are you sleeping?" Elliot asked. The moonlight had turned her form into a shadow. Olivia's eyes shimmered as she stared up at the sky.
"No, I'm not. I was hoping you were, though. El, you need to rest."
He yawned and said, "I was thinking..."
"About what?"
"We've talked more today than we have in months. I kind of missed you."
"I missed you too," she sighed. The wind rustled her hair slightly. "Virginia."
"Virginia?"
"I think that's where we are. That's the Shenandoah," she said. "It runs south to north."
They were quiet for a long time. Elliot loved Virginia because his parents used to bring him down to check out the battlefields. It was one thing he and his father could agree on. They'd stay in Manassas at the Holiday Inn and spend days walking around, looking at the historical markers. He wanted to tell Olivia about it, but she was sound asleep. Elloit moved next to her and pulled her into his arms, so she could use his body as a pillow.
They had to eat tomorrow. They had to untangle themselves from this mess. They had to get help, get those children in New York and see a doctor. He was as worried about his ankle as he was about her ribs.
Olivia yawned and cuddled next to Elliot. He watched her for a long time before he fell asleep, too.
