The Burden of Love: The Blizzard
by tarskeewee08
Evangeline watched the snowy landscape pass by her window as they headed up the interstate to Galena. She was worried sick about Cletus and what condition they would find him in. If they found him at all. Listening to the radio talk about the snow storm barreling down from northern Illinois she frowned. "John do you think we will be okay….I mean this storm sounds bad."
John looked over at her so deep in his own thoughts he barely heard a word she said "What storm?"
"The radio, it said there was an advisory warning for a snowstorm. It's coming from northern Illinois."
John returned his attention to the road slowing down some taking note of the large flakes that were beginning to come with a fierce intensity. "I think we'll be okay. It's still early so if we can just get there within the next few hours we should be okay"
Evangeline
reached down for her Prada bag and retrieved her cell phone. Opening
it she saw she had no bars for a signal. "Dammit"
"Who were
you going to call?" he said looking at her curious.
"Marbel, I
promised I would update her…"
"Well hold off on that just
yet. We don't know if or how we will find Cletus" he said merging
to a slower lane to let the big eighteen wheeler ridding his bumper
pass him.
"Okay…..I just got this sinking feeling that we
may be too late."
John nodded "The storm may work to our
advantage. Maybe they have him held up in the cabin and are waiting
it out."
"Yeah maybe…." She mumbled.
"We'll
find him…"
"John you don't know that. My god he's just
sixteen, why on earth would Barnaby involve him in the first
place?"
"I wish I knew sweetie…"
"I wish none of this
never happened. I just don't know how much more I can take" she
said shaking her head and blowing out a frustrated breath.
John
looked at her "This has been one interesting reunion."
She
leaned back in her seat fixing the vent so the heat could blow
directly on her. "I can't believe the path we took to get to
where we are now."
She thought about the fights, the love, the heartache and the friendship. She'd never experienced so many wonderful yet painful emotions with anyone. Looking back out her window she wondered what they'd do once the dust settled. Do they just ride off into the sunset? Do they have kids and a life together? Marriage wasn't an option as far as she was concerned and she was pretty sure he felt the same way. What they had didn't need that type of labeling.
"What are you thinking about?"
She
smiled and looked back at him "Just how much I love you"
"Ditto"
They drove the rest of the way in a comfortable silence both of them trying to puzzle out the mystery of Barnaby and his murder spree. John recalled the friendship his father had with Barnaby as a child and could remember no hostilities between the men.
Evangeline thought about Cletus's missions to track cops and learn their routines. Why those cops? What made them expendable? "John, the murder of your father happened at your home right?"
John nodded "I was inside the house only for a few minutes after arriving home from school when I heard the gunshots. I ran out side to see him on the ground"
"Did you see the car?"
"I
was so traumatized by the fact that he was shot I just couldn't
recall any details."
Evangeline touched his knee "Baby that
had to be so hard for you. I can't imagine what seeing him like
that did to you."
John's face darkened and he tried to keep
it in perspective. The memory of his dad's death always gave him a
suffocating feeling of hopelessness, even with her at his side. "It
was hard but it was beyond my control"
"That's right,
you were only nine"
"Yeah nine…" he said softly his voice
trailing off.
Evangeline saw the storm was intensifying they barely had any visibility. Her Mercedes navigation system let them know they were headed in the right direction but she was worried that they were heading toward trouble.
Turning off the expressway Evangeline relaxed and trusted that with him they'd conquer all. John reached for her hand while driving the icy road and she squeezed his ready for what was to come next.
"So have you spoken to Barnaby?" Jason asked eating cereal and watching his show. Matt a young officer in his late twenties with a shaved head and cocoa colored skin paced back and forth going to the window. "He hasn't called because the lines are down. It's that damn storm!"
"Would you stop pacing….he said that we were to wait" Jason said looking back at the Magnum P.I. rerun he was watching. Jason was large man standing over six foot five and weighing close to 300 pounds. He Hispanic and had a very bad case of acne that left severe scaring across his face.
"Relax? It's a fucking blizzard. I don't want to be stuck out here with this shit. I'm sick of this man, I just needed some extra dough but this is getting way out of hand." Matt said holding his gun pacing.
He and Jason had been partners for four years. They did petty shake downs of drug dealers in the projects but never anything this heavy. That was until two years ago when Jacob Barnaby invited them on a fishing trip with a select few of other officers. There they met Ryan O'Reilly and were introduced into a brotherhood that would have them retiring before they reach forty.
Then it all went to shit. Now it's was just them left, even Ryan O'Reilly was dead and Matt had the sinking feeling that none of it was an accident. "I say we kill the kid and head back before the storm traps us in"
Jason slurped the milk from the bowl turning it up, once done he tossed the empty dish to the table and burped. "Fuck that! I want my money. Barnaby is coming here and he wants to deal with the kid. We wait until we hear from him."
Matt plopped down in the chair across from him. "I'm sick of this man. Everyone's dead! Pete, Tommy, Henry, Alton all dead now and I'm telling you it's not an accident. "
"So what if it isn't? Tommy was flaking out and you know that the others were turning on Barnaby; we stay loyal and get the payday. Two years of this shit we deserve it." Jason said angrily
Hearing a thud in the back room Matt jumped turning around. Jason laughed at his reaction and rose from the sofa "Sounds like our delinquent is causing trouble. I think I will head back there and discipline him."
Matt rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "Whatever"
John and Evangeline pulled up the winding road seeing the cabin that off the road surrounded by dense forests. The navigation system said they arrived at their destination and Evangeline looked at him anxious. "Now what?"
The windshield wipers swiped through the downpour making a swishing noise and John turned off the radio. Leaning up in his seat he could make out what he thought to be a police cruiser in the drive way. "I need to get inside, looks like we were right."
Evangeline looked toward the cabin. "You
can't very well go knock on the door. Somehow we need to lure them
out. Let me do it."
"No.."
"John.."
"No…"
She sucked her teeth "Listen to me please…I can go up the driveway and tell them my car stalled. Get at least one or both of them to come back out here to the road. You can wait for us over there" she said pointing at the forest on the right. I won't even go inside"
John stared at the cabin and thought about it. In all his haste to get here he never had a real plan to deal with these goons. Now with the snow falling like it was he just couldn't figure out a way to make this happen without involving her. "Do you have your gun?"
"Yes….I will keep it in my pocket. We're running
out of time….we need to act now."
"Fine…"
Evangeline slipped on her gloves and worked her arms back into the sleeves of her jacket. Reaching for the door handle to brave the storm outside of the car John grabbed her arm. "Hey wait….if they try to talk you into coming inside refuse. If I see it getting out of hand I'm coming for you."
Evangeline smiled, leaning over she kissed him softly on the lips. "I love you baby. It will be okay I promise." Turning she opened the door and raced out into the storm. John got out of his side of the car to see her running up the driveway. Pulling his gun he went to the other side of the car to the wooded area for cover.
Hearing the kid screaming in the back Matt cut his eyes. He just wanted it all over. This was getting out of hand and these deaths made him sick to his stomach. Chewing on his bottom lip he actually considered just rushing out of the door and jumping in the cruiser leaving Jason behind.
KNOCKKNOCK
The sudden knock surprised him; he stared at the door confused at first. It had to be Barnaby in this storm and he was relieved that he was already here. Rising from the sofa he went to the door and opened it to see an attractive black woman standing on the porch her hair crowned with snowflakes. They were even stuck to her long lashes. She flashed him a sexy smile "I'm sorry for disturbing you, but I saw your police cruiser and thought you could help me."
Matt looked her and up and down. She
looked familiar somehow but he couldn't place her face. Looking
past her he saw up the driveway her car on the edge of the road.
"What seems to be the problem?"
Evangeline turned and pointed
back. "My car….can you take a look?"
"What's wrong with
you car?"
"I don't know it slowed then cut off. The lights
are on but nothing happens when I try to turn it over"
The
wind from the storm blew over Matt and he shook off the frost. "Come
inside"
"Please….just come and check for me. I really am
desperate."
Jason came from back and saw Matt at the door. "Who
is it?"
"Someone said their car stalled." Matt called over
his shoulder.
Jason walked toward the door. Cletus was out cold now and wouldn't make a noise. He saw the woman standing there smiling and smiled back. "Let me help you" he said grabbing his police bubble jacket. Matt turned and frowned "Help her what? It's a storm out there, what could you do?"
Jason flashed Matt and angry look "We can't very well have company now can we?" he hissed.
Evangeline watched the exchange between the two. Her hand was in her coat pocket fingering the heavy gun that John gave her. She recognized the man that opened the door immediately. He was a responding officer to one of her cases and she'd had him on the stand before. She was more than nervous that he would know who she was. For the moment he didn't.
Matt walked away from the door aggravated while the other officer came out the door. She stepped back into the storm allowing him room to close the door. "What's your name pretty lady?"
Evangeline looked at
him and smiled slyly. "Charlotte…"
"Well Charlotte let's
see what we can do" he said grinning.
She nodded walking off the porch back into the storm. Matt watched them go into the go up the driveway toward the road. The car was partially shielded by the forest that lined the property so when the turned onto the street he could no longer see them. He couldn't shake the feeling that he knew her from somewhere. But where?
Jason eyed the back of her under her coat. He found her tasty and wondered why she was out here on this desolate end of the road. Walking ahead of him Evangeline scanned the forest for John. The cold was almost paralyzing and she hated that she didn't have a hat. "So what's the problem with the car" she heard him call out behind her.
She looked over
her shoulder. "Won't start."
Jason nodded "Then that may
mean you hang back with us" he chuckled looking up at the car.
Evangeline stopped and smiled at him and Jason frowned. The car was
running. "What the fuck?"
"Don't move…" John said coming up from behind him.
Jason turned to see John surprised. He reached for his gun and John yelled to Evangeline to get down for cover. Evangeline dove to the side of the car hearing the gunshots before landing in the snow. She rolled over and fumbled for her gun in the pocket of her jacket screaming at the thought that John was shot.
Rising to her hands and knees she crawled over to the edge of the car and looked up to see the officer in the snow bleeding and John standing over him with the gun. "John!" she screamed rising to her feet and racing to him. He opened his arms to her and she raced into them. The snow falling harder now had them both covered in it. She clung to him crying. "Oh god I thought he shot you"
"No baby but I'm sure the other one heard the shots……come on…" he said grabbing her hand and pulling her into the forest.
Matt watched them reach the end of the drive and then turn to the street where the car was. In that moment it came to him. It was her, that black attorney that put him on the stand and humiliated him. She was the lawyer for that kid in the back. "Oh shit!" he said turning to run toward the room where the kid was. Before taking three steps he heard gunshots. Grabbing his gun he went straight into the room.
Cletus was tied up and badly beaten. He jumped and looked at Matt fearful when he entered the room. Matt held the gun on him. "You will do what I say or you won't be leaving here alive I promise you that."
Cletus nodded fearfully. He just wanted to escape the hell he was trapped in.
Arriving on the porch John let go of her hand "I
want you to stay here"
"No…" she said shivering.
John
looked at her and could kill himself for bringing her out here. The
storm was now blowing at them making it hard to breathe through it.
"Baby….please"
"If you don't come back out in five
minutes John I'm coming in." she said and he could see the
determined look on her face.
"Give me 10…." He replied kissing her forehead then going to the door. Evangeline stepped back and watched as he kicked the door in racing inside with his gun drawn.
John came in to see Matt standing with the gun to Cletus head "Drop the fucking gun or I'll kill him."
Keeping
the gun trained on him he smiled slightly "You kill him then you're
right behind him."
"I'm not playing man….drop the gun!"
"Why are you going to loose it all for Barnaby? This is his
doing right?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
Matt hissed
"Sure you don't, which is why you are held up in a
blizzard in his cabin"
"Cut the shit just drop the gun!"
Matt yelled.
Cletus was barely standing and John could see his
pain. Thinking of Evangeline outside of the door he had to neutralize
the situation. Raising the gun above his head he nodded "Okay….I'm
letting go of my piece"
Lowering the gun to the floor Matt held on tightly to Cletus. As soon as John backed away from his gun he dropped Cletus who fell in a heap to the floor. John looked at the kid and saw he was in bad shape. He glared at Matt. "What the hell is this about? Why the hell did you have to torture a child?"
"Trust me that ain't no child. He's as guilty as I am." Matt said going to the floor and getting the gun "Now where is that attorney?"
John looked over his shoulder "She was shot
along with your partner."
Matt looked at him suspiciously "Shot
hunh?"
"Yeah….."
"Close the door." Matt said
keeping the gun on him.
John walked over to the door and closed it. He prayed that Evangeline waited it out a little longer but the snow storm outside would bring her inside soon. He really fucked this up.
"Now sit down while I think" Matt said and John could see the nervous hold he had on the gun. Going to Cletus he helped the boy off the ground. Cletus looked up at him confused as to who he was but allowed him to help him to the sofa. The way he cradled his left side and the blood in his mouth led him to believe he had some cracked ribs among other things. They needed to get him to a hospital. Matt watched them closely pacing.
John
looked back "We need to get him to a hospital"
"Are you
kidding me? I can give a shit about either of you….I need to get
out of here"
"How far do you think you will get?"
Matt
began to pace and John saw he wasn't as confident as he claimed to
be. Maybe he could use that to his advantage.
Evangeline looked into the window watching the entire thing unfold. When John closed the door her heart sunk. It would be up to her. She had to get them out of this. Cletus looked hurt really bad and she was so afraid of what would happen next. Hearing a car she turned around confused.
Coming up the road was the rumbling of an engine above the howl of the wind that whipped at her body. Ducking to the left she stepped to the side of the cabin just as the car came into view. She prayed that whoever was in it didn't see her. Holding the gun with snow coming down on her she tried to keep a handle on her nerves. Their lives depended on it.
Hearing the door open and close she looked around the corner to see Barnaby. He hadn't seen her and was coming up the sidewalk. He stopped on the steps and looked back toward the car and scene he had to pass when he came up the road. Pulling his gun from the inside of his jacket he opened the door to the cabin and stepped inside.
Evangeline leaned back on the side of the cabin. Shivering in the snow she tried to think. How in the hell could she fix this? What should she do now?
