Last Chapter Synopsis: Darcy goes public with the information regarding Gianna's case; a surprise caller reveals a possible location for Wickham and Lizzy.
Chapter 46: Foe
The boat rocked slowly back and forth in the water; as sunset slowly turned to night, bringing with it the now familiar and gnawing fear at what Wickham might truly be planning, Lizzy still could not push Will Darcy far from her thoughts.
The trick was to look at his eyes. No matter how impenetrable the rest of his face could be, if you looked only at his eyes, you could see everything you needed to know about Will Darcy. After watching the interview, Lizzy knew one thing, and one thing only: Will Darcy had no idea where he currently stood with her.
And she couldn't really blame him.
She had left England in a heap of ambiguity and even more confusion. The spot on her cheek where he had so gently kissed her now burning in her memory; his uncertainty of where to take things, and her hesitancy to reveal to him the full extent of her emotions, leaving them neither here nor there. A decision they had unintentionally made together, almost expecting another chance – a future that would not have taken long to come, but now might never arrive.
And then, the perfect spark to add fire to all of that uncertainty - Wickham's deviousness. The interview had made it clear that whatever he had sent to Darcy was just enough to make Will question everything that had come before. But really, what had there been? Mild flirtation that had almost always left Lizzy feeling more distant than secure; a kiss in a cave that ended in white hot anger and regret; a drunken night never consummated; a romance never quite pursued past a simple friendship.
Of course, add to that already disastrous recipe a man insistent on making Will's life a living hell, and doing a damn good job of it. A man who seemed unwilling to stop just to make sure Will Darcy ended up the loser. A man who had shown no concern for her sister's well-being, or risk of being captured, and who now held her completely hostage and vulnerable to whatever vile plans he had in store. Who knew what crazy and dangerous ideas he had in his sick mind? I have to get to safety…I have to get to Will.
Lizzy once again railed against her restraints with every ounce of strength left, hoping beyond hope that she could finally overcome them. Although she felt them dig deeper into her wrists than they ever had before, she was shocked to feel them finally give, a clear and distinct snap signaling the end of her captivity.
The noise seemed as loud as a firecracker, and Lizzy waited breathless for the footsteps she expected to come furiously pounding down the steps at any moment, but they never came. Reaching down, she quickly undid the ties at her ankles, then yanked the silver tape from her mouth. Her heart pounded; every creak and groan of the wood in the rocking boat seemed as loud as sirens. Slowly lifting herself off of the noisy tarp and onto the floor, Lizzy crept to the bottom of the stairs and looked up.
He was there, at the far end of the hull, smoking a cigarette and looking calmly out at what she assumed was the water. Every so often, he would take the lit cigarette and press it against the inside of his left bicep, muttering unintelligibly to himself. Returning the cigarette to his mouth, he would then take a long drag and breathe the wispy smoke up to the ink-black sky.
Lizzy quietly gasped as she backed away slowly from the steps. She had never seen it before; he carried himself so well, but it was always there…on the edges. He's insane. He's just…completely lost it…and he's going to take me with him if I'm not careful.
Creeping back to the mattress, Lizzy grabbed the remnants of her restraints, hid them quietly beneath the tarp, and settled herself down. She needed a plan, and until she had one, she wasn't going anywhere.
Will Darcy had never realized how inherently creepy Mobile Homes were, until now.
Stacked tightly row upon row with each other like a cockroach infestation, the mostly dilapidated and eerily similar structures were the only greeting he received as he pulled his car into the Liberty Harbor complex. He couldn't shake the chill that came over him as he contemplated that many looked abandoned; Lizzy had been at the whims of Wickham in a place where there might have been no one to come to her aid, or even hear her screams. Of course, the idea of her even needing to scream twisted his stomach sharply, and only a deep breath and a razor sharp focus on his task allowed him to proceed calmly.
Eventually, the infuriating quantity of mobile homes began to decrease as he approached the waterfront area. He had turned his headlights off before even entering the park; he now parked his vehicle to the side of a mobile home, got out, and began to walk the rest of the way. He couldn't afford to be seen until he was ready to make his move.
As he approached the water, Will noticed a boat docked in the distance at the far end of the harbor, rocking gently in the evening tide. A lone silhouette stood in the back of the boat, a smoky mist enveloping the dark, ominous figure. It was uncanny how Will could sense Greg's presence; he didn't have to be close to know the figure was exactly whom he had come for.
Assessing the situation, Will realized that if he simply took a small leap from the pier next to where the boat was docked, he would clear the port wall of the deck with ease. The only issue was that, unless Wickham finished that blasted cigarette quickly and decided to go below deck, he would be forced to engage Wickham immediately; there was simply no way to enter the boat unnoticed. It wasn't the circumstances he had hoped for, but it didn't matter. He had no idea what condition Lizzy was in, and time was already up.
Will made his approach slowly…meticulously…taking cover by walking behind the low row of structures that separated the pier from the RV parking lot. As he approached the area where Wickhams' boat was situated, Will maneuvered carefully between what appeared to be two scrapped motorboat engines to once again reach the pier, now standing within 5 yards of the boat, and Wickhams' back.
Will braced himself for the sprint that would send him onto the boat ready to combat Wickham, but a simple question stopped him dead in his tracks.
He could hear the menace in every word of the succinctly stated inquisition; "What in bloody hell took you so long, Will?"
"Where's Elizabeth?"
The welcome sound of Will's voice jolted Lizzy right out of the plan she had been masterminding in regards to how to escape Wickham's clutches. She had only gotten as far as using the tarp to set up some kind of distracting booby trap for Wickham in the hopes that it would delay him long enough for her to run. However, leaving the boat with Will was definitely the much better plan. Carefully, so as not to make any noise, Lizzy crept up the stairs leading to the deck so that she could see what she could. Wickham still stood there, cigarette still lit, the tip now a burning, tiny ball of orange fire against the navy sky. She couldn't see Will, but she didn't need to; she could never forget his voice. She already knew that she was going to run for it….she just had to wait for the right moment.
"Inquiring minds want to know…is that it, Will? She's where she needs to be – out of your reach." He let out a twisted chuckle. "On the bottom of this river, actually. You're welcome to go diving for her."
She could hear the subtle strain in Will's voice, "Give this up Greg. The police are on their way."
"I'm sure they are, but they won't get here in time." Lizzy then watched breathless as Wickham reached into his pocket and removed the same semi-automatic he had threatened herself and her sister with in the park. He pointed the gun at the voice in the dark. "Do you know how easy it would be for me to end you Darcy…right here…right now? To finally be rid of you? To make sure that, for once and for all, Greg Wickham got the upper hand?"
The muscles in her arms and legs twitched with adrenaline. There was no way she was going to let that happen. Her breath hitched and the hair on her neck stood on end as she realized what she was about to do…what she had to do.
There was no pause in Will's terse, yet unfazed reply. "Do it, then. Just let Lizzy go first. Unharmed."
Wickham licked his lips in manic, nervous fashion as his shaking, extended arm told her that she had no time left. With no second thought, Lizzy launched herself up the last few steps and landed the flying leap onto Wickham's back. Her only focus was to knock the gun from his hand, or at least to cover his eyes so that he could have no accurate shot. Even in the winter air, the sweat emanating from both of their bodies seemed to cling them together as she struggled to grab the gun, her nails digging into his chest to prevent him from throwing her off him.
Although she had carefully planned the onslaught during the last sixty seconds, there was one thing she hadn't prepared for: the furious, unearthly shriek that escaped her mouth as she clawed furiously at his arms and head was completely unintentional.
Before Lizzy had made her daredevil move, Will had been doing his best to stall Greg while keeping his peripheral vision on the red and blue lights approaching in the distance.
The fleeting thoughts of both, 'That's my girl' and, 'So she's not a captive?' only briefly passed through his mind before leaping onto the boat and making a reach for the gun that Lizzy was furiously swatting at from behind Wickham's back. He wasn't sure whose hands had ultimately been successful, but a heavy metallic clunk on the wooden floor signaled that the gun had been dropped.
Wickham, however, was not finished. With a surprising twist of his body and a rush backwards, Greg slammed Lizzy into the side of the upper deck to the boat. Lizzy immediately crumpled to the ground, moaning.
Shaking his arms and stretching his neck from side to side, he immediately returned his attention to Will. "Let's have at it then, shall we, Godbrother?"
It was back, the blinding rage that he had experienced at Ella Lounge, and also after her accusations in the cave; it was back in exquisite force. The fibers in his muscles coiled in red hot anger towards his foe. Lunging his shoulder forward, Will ran full force into Greg's torso, forcing him back towards the front of the ship.
Wickham maintained his balance, swinging and landing a brutal punch to Will's ribs. Will immediately returned with a vicious kick to Wickham's knee and grabbing Greg's shoulders in an attempt to wrangle him down to the ground.
Greg responded with a vice grip on Will's arms, his eyes cold and lifeless. Both men were locked in a dead heat of strength, grasping angrily at the very existence of each other, wrestling in a battle of both bodies and wills. Wickham's breath was hot on his face, even as it misted in the frigid air. "One of us is not making it out of this alive, you know that, don't you?"
Will scanned the surroundings. The gun was on the floor somewhere in the back of the boat, and Lizzy was still lying in a heap at the side, possibly unconscious. He and Greg had wrestled themselves towards the front side of the ship; the view of the bow demonstrated the usual cleats and little else. He dug deeper and once again attempted to wrestle Greg to the ground using only pure strength, but to no avail. Will could feel the bruises on his body forming as each man literally tried to incapacitate the other with a crushing grip.
"Freeze! Don't Move!"
Will breathed a deep sigh of relief at the signal that help had finally arrived. However, instead of letting go, Greg gripped even tighter, placing his glaring eyes inches from Will's. "Ready?" he deviously asked.
Before Will could respond, a sudden push from Wickham sent both men falling over the railing into the strikingly cold, ink-black water below.
I am so truly sorry for the too long to be believed wait. I have no excuse except that life happens. My goal was to have the story finished entirely before posting again, but I fear I have already taken too much of a hiatus. It really is close to done and I'm doing my best. I so hope that you all enjoy - this was a fun chapter to piece together. Thank you again for all of your support!