o
Til Death Do Us Part
Chapter 5
The phone connects, but Santana is only greeted by Rachel's cheery voice on her voicemail. Santana quickly disconnects the call and redials her fiancée's number, her heart beating with every ring of the phone.
"Hey babe" Rachel finally greets, earning a sigh of relief from Santana.
"Rachel, thank god. Where are you?"
"I'm at the grocery store, I wanted to make Pad Thai for dinner, but we didn't have any rice noodles."
"I need you to stay there okay. Which store are you at? I'm coming to get you."
"I'm on the one on 48th street. Santana, what's going on?" Rachel asks concern evident in her voice.
"I'll explain when I see you. Just stay in the store, don't leave and make sure you stay close to other people. I'll be there as soon as I can. Just stay safe."
Santana pockets her cell phone and grabs a jacket off the coat rack; it had a deep inside pocket perfect for hiding her gun. She turns on the safety and places the weapon in its hiding place where it's secure and hopefully unnoticeable.
She decides that she doesn't need anything else so she grabs her car keys and heads out of the door. It takes Santana fifteen minutes to get to the grocery store. As she arrives she finds Rachel waiting for her outside near the door. Santana quickly exits her car and makes a beeline for her fiancée.
"I thought I told you to stay inside."
"I know but I had already paid and I didn't want to get in the way. I stayed close to the door, near lots of people and near the security guard. His name is Bruce, we had a lovely talk. I know when you're serious Santana and I made sure I kept myself safe."
"I'm sorry, I was just worried. Come on, let's get in the car."
Santana takes Rachel's hand, making sure she keeps close to her side. She walks her over to the car and helps Rachel get into the passenger seat before making her way to the drivers seat.
"Has anyone approached you today?" Santana asks as she locks the door.
"No one except my work colleagues, customers and an over helpful store clerk."
"You haven't seen anyone following you or acting suspicious."
"Santana please tell me what is going on. You're staring to scare me."
"I'm sorry; I didn't meant to scare you. Patrick Byrne knows that you're in Lima."
"What? How?"
"He came into the station today because we needed to ask him some questions about a case we're working on. As he was leaving he saw the photograph of us on my desk."
"Still that doesn't mean he knows where I am."
"When I came home tonight the apartment had been broken into. They had gone through everything; the whole apartment was a mess. The photo we took at Dobb's anniversary party was missing. That's why I sounded panicked when I called you earlier; I was so scared when you weren't there. I thought he had done something to you."
"Hey, you don't need to think about that anymore. I'm right here and I'm okay" Rachel says cupping Santana's face. She leans in and places a gentle kiss on her fiancée's lips.
"So what happens now?"
"I'm not sure. I'm just trying to find us somewhere safe, we can't go back to the apartment. Maybe we should just drive for a while and get as far away from Lima as we can. If we come across a motel somewhere we can stay there for the night. That'll give me a chance to figure everything out."
As they drive Rachel can see the mix of worry and concentration on Santana's face so she decides to try and distract her fiancée.
"Two police officers came into the diner today, one was a man and the other was a woman. The male officer asked for a doughnut and it reminded me of the first time I met you. You came into the diner with Neil and ordered a strong coffee and a slice of cherry pie. Neil asked if we sold doughnuts and you made a joke about how not all were cops were stereotypical and liked doughnuts. You made me laugh a lot that day; I kept finding excuses to come over to your table."
"I kept trying to find ways to get you to come back too; I drank so much coffee that day because of all the refills. You know after that day I kept making up reasons so I could go back to the diner every week. Dobbs soon worked out why and he wouldn't stop teasing me about having a crush on the waitress."
"I used to look forward to the next time you came in. I was so surprised when you finally asked me out on a date."
"Why were you surprised?"
"You're a very good looking woman that also happens to be a detective and I was just some waitress at a diner."
"That's not true, well I mean the part about me being good looking cop is" Santana says with a smirk, causing Rachel to laugh.
"You're not just a waitress; your job doesn't define who you are. You're beautiful inside and out, you're also strong. You've been through so much in your life, but you haven't let anything get to you and I admire that about you."
"You're also very charming, no wonder I fell for you" Rachel says.
The tension from earlier had been lifted and that was all Rachel wanted, she knows that Santana deals with situations like this as a police officer, but sometimes Santana's heart tends to rule her head when people she loves are involved.
She just wanted Santana to relax a little and that way she can focus better. She also wanted to distress a little too, she had been at the diner since five o'clock this morning and had to cover the shift of her friend Amy who couldn't find a baby sitter, and so she had been working for over twelve hours straight.
An hour and a half later Santana notices that Rachel is falling asleep in the seat next to her. Santana feels the tiredness creeping up on her too, it had been a long day for both of them. She decides that she'll pull up at the next motel she sees, they haven't been driving very long, but at lest they should be away from where Byrne could find them.
About a mile up the road Santana can see the lights of a motel, she pulls into the parking lot and thankfully the place looks decent enough for them to sleep the night. Noticing that Rachel has fallen asleep Santana leaves her fiancée in the car as she checks them into a room for the night.
The man on reception is a cheery elderly man that doesn't give Santana a bad vibe so she happily hands over cash and accepts the room key. Santana returns to the car and gently opens the passenger door so not to startled Rachel awake.
"Rachel, wake up" Santana whispers as she strokes Rachel's face.
Rachel slowly opens her eyes and smiles when she sees Santana standing in front of her.
"We're at a motel, I got us a room for the night" Santana explains as she helps the sleepy girl out of the car.
They didn't have any luggage with them since Santana exited the house so quickly when she thought Rachel was in danger so they walk hand in hand towards their room. When they reach the door Rachel opens it to reveal a dimply lit room.
"I'm sorry it's not much" Santana says as Rachel looks around the room.
"Don't worry; you can just make it up to me with the hotel for our honeymoon."
"Oh yeah and where will this hotel be located?" Santana asks as she removes her jacket and throws it on the chair in the corner.
She takes her gun from the back of her jeans and puts it on the bedside table. She then sits on the bed, with her feet up and her back against the headboard.
"I'm thinking Tahiti" Rachel replies as she joins Santana on the bed, resting her head on the other girl's chest.
"I work my ass off to buy your engagement ring and now you want me to take you to Tahiti?" Santana jokes as she wraps her arm around Rachel's waist.
"The Bahamas would suffice."
"Okay, I can work with that. So is it just our honeymoon you've been thinking about or have you started planning our wedding too?"
"Santana you proposed just a week ago."
"So you haven't thought about it?" Santana asks.
"Of course I have! I want a relatively small wedding with just family and friends. I'm excited to plan our wedding. When I married Patrick, I didn't get to plan anything. His mother did it all, we married in Ireland so all the guests were his family and friends, my parents weren't even there."
"Well don't worry, you can plan every single detail of our wedding and of course your parents will be there to walk you down the aisle."
"Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky to have met you."
"I think the same thing too" Santana smiles and kisses Rachel on the lips.
"I'm glad that I have you here to protect me" Rachel says, feeling safe and secure wrapped in Santana's tight embrace.
"I'll never let anything happen to you" Santana promises.
"Have you thought more about what we're going to do?"
"I can try and call the witness protection services again and see what they can do. I need the information though so I'm going to call Dobbs."
Santana retrieves her cell phone from her pocket and dials her partner's number.
"Hello" Dobbs answers groggily. Santana hopes that she didn't disturb him sleeping.
"Hey Dobbs, I'm sorry it's late."
"It doesn't matter. It must be important if you called."
"Someone broke into my apartment, they trashed everything. I think Patrick Byrne found out where we live."
"I would suggest that it could be a coincidence, but I trust your instincts."
"A photograph of Rachel and I was stolen, who else would take something like that? I went on those instincts and I found Rachel and got us away from Lima."
"Where are you?"
"At a motel in Vinton"
"I'll come to you."
"You don't have to do that Dobbs. I just need the information for the witness protection people."
"I'll get you the information but the office won't be open until the morning. I'm still going to come and meet you. If Byrne is out there, I'd feel a lot better knowing you have some extra protection. God knows the crazy people he has working for him."
"Okay, thanks Dobbs. We're at the College Hill Motel."
"I'll be there as soon as I can, be safe partner."
Once the line goes dead, Santana locks her phone and puts it on the bedside table next to her gun. She wraps her arms back around Rachel and holds her close. She would do everything she can to protect the girl in her arms.
Santana is woken by a knocking on the door. They must have fallen asleep wrapped in the comfort of each others arms. Santana checks the clock on the bed side table, it's a little after eleven at night.
"That'll be Dobbs" Santana says untangling herself from a stirring Rachel and getting off the bed.
She walks over to the door and checks the peephole as a precaution, there standing on the other side was her friend and partner Dobbs. She unlocks the door and takes off the security chain before opening the door fully to let Dobbs in.
He quickly slips into the room allowing Santana to close and re lock the door behind him.
"How're you holding up?" Dobbs asks.
"We're okay under the circumstances I suppose Neil" Rachel replies as she gets off the bed.
"Thanks for coming Dobbs. I'm sorry you had to drive all the way out here at this time."
"Don't worry about it. We're partners, we always have each other's back remember."
"We really so appreciate it" Rachel says.
"Have you called anyone else?"
"No. I just wanted to get Rachel out of Lima as soon as possible. Someone broke into the apartment only hours after Byrne was at the station."
"He works quickly."
"How did he know where I live? I know some people think he has connections in the police force but we're a small squad here in Lima."
"It might have been easy for him to ask about you, you're well known around Lima. I think you should call Captain Matthews he might be able to get you some protection."
"Santana, I think someone is here. I heard a car door and so I thought I'd take a look and I saw three men exit a car" Rachel says.
"Do you recognize any of them?" Dobbs asks.
"Yes, one. I've met him a few times. His name is Donald Bennett, he's Patrick's best friend. He's the short one with dark hair."
Santana walks over to the window and peers carefully out of the blinds. She see's two men standing by the side of the car. There's a tall red headed male with a thick beard, he's leaning against the diver's side door while the shorter man with near black hair starts to walk away from the car and in the direction of the reception.
"How did they know we where here?" Santana says as she moves away from the window.
Realization flashes across Santana's faces and she reaches for her gun and holds it out, pointing at her partner.
"Santana" Rachel gasps.
"You're the only person I called" Santana says to Dobbs, hand firmly clutched on the gun pointing at his chest.
"Do you really think I'd do that to you?"
"How else could they know where we are?"
"They could have hacked your phone or put a tracker on your car, maybe they followed you from your apartment. I don't know but it wasn't me, I would never do that to you. Santana, I promise you..."
Dobbs' sentence is cut short when he feels a sharp pain in his back. Santana watches as her friend stumbles to the floor as a blood pool forms around a small bullet hole just below his shoulder blade.
"Dobbs!" Santana yells rushing over to her partner and bending down next to him. Santana looks towards the window and see's the small bullet hole that has pierced the glass.
"You need to go" Dobbs says gaining Santana's attention. She can tell that he's in a lot of pain
"I can't leave you."
"You have to. Take my keys, just in case they did put a tracker on your car" Dobbs says reaching into his pocket, pulling out his car keys and handing them to Santana.
"Dobbs..."
"Just go. Keep yourself and your girl alive."
"Thank you. Rachel let's go."
"Santana, we can't just leave him."
"We have to, come on this way" Santana says grabbing Rachel's hand and pulling her over to the bathroom.
Santana opens the window in the bathroom and quickly climbs through it. It was only a short drop, she had requested a ground floor room for this very purpose; the need for a quick exit.
When her feet are firmly on the ground, she opens up her arms and reaches for Rachel so she can help her girlfriend climb safely out of the window. Santana take Rachel's hand once more and pulls her close to her side. They were at the back of the motel and Dobbs had parked his car on the parking lot at the side of the building.
"We need to move quickly but quietly, okay?" Santana whispers, earning a nod from Rachel in reply.
They follow the wall of the motel until it comes to an end. Santana carefully peers around the wall so she can survey her surroundings. She spots Dobbs' car parked in the lot and luckily or by some great planning from her partner, it was close to the back of the motel.
She can't see Byrne's men, they must have focused their attention on the motel room. Santana knows they must hurry, the more time they take, the more chance Byrne's men have at getting to Dobbs.
"Are you ready to run?"
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"Just head straight to the passenger door and get in as quickly as possible. Okay, let's go."
Santana runs towards Dobbs' silver Mercedes as fast as she can, unlocking it with the transponder key. She throws open the driver's door and jumps in the car, slamming the door behind her. Rachel isn't far behind her, Santana is shoving the key into the ignition as Rachel shuts the passenger door.
Santana backs out of the parking space and drives towards the road, she rolls down the window and makes sure to rev the engine a few times, gaining the attention of Byrne's men outside of the motel.
She gives them a cold look when they turn their heads to look at the car, they keep eye contact for a few seconds before Santana puts her foot on the gas and drives out of the parking lot.
"What was that about?" Rachel asks.
"I wanted them to know that we weren't in the motel room. I didn't want them to find Dobbs in there."
"We shouldn't have left him."
"I know it seemed heartless, but Dobbs and I have been partners for years. We know each other and we always have each other's back. We made a pact to keep each other safe and I knew that when he told me to leave then that's what I should do. I would have done the same in his situation."
"I just hope he's okay."
Santana doesn't respond to Rachel's comment, she's too focused on the car that is following behind them. It seems to be gaining speed, she's hoping that it's just some idiot that likes to speed down desolate roads so she keeps her speed normal, allowing the car to overtake them if it wanted.
The car behind increases it's speed and gets closer. It goes to over take Santana, but instead of driving past it drives along the side of her. Santana turns to look out of her window and comes face to face with a smirking Patrick Byrne.
Santana slams her foot on the gas. She's a train police officer, she knows how to handle a car chase, however, usually she's the one doing the chasing, not the other way around. She manages to put a bit of distance between the two cars, but it doesn't last long as Byrne gains on them again.
Dobb's car jolts forward as it feels the impact from behind. Santana watches through the rear view mirror as Byrne falls behind for a few seconds before gaining speed and ramming into the car again.
"Santana he's going to run us of the road."
"Don't worry, okay. I got this."
Santana hopes that her words came out as confidant as she wanted them too, she doesn't want Rachel to panic because she needs to concentrate and she can't do that if Rachel's panicking.
There's a turn ahead up on the road, hopefully this can be a chance to lose Byrne. Santana steps on the gas and accelerates, as the turn gets nearer she prepares herself for the move she's going to have to pull off.
They approach the turn at full speed, Santana waits until the last minute before turning the steering wheel. As the car turns Byrne takes this as an opportunity to run them off the road. He plows at full speed into the tail of Dobbs' car.
The force of the impact causes both cars to skid on the road, Byrne's travels a few feet before rolling into the ditch at the side of the road. Santana can't keep control on the wheel as the car skids, the force of the hit was so great that the car does a three sixty roll across the road before finally landing back on it's wheels.