A thousand eyes…
A Revolution fic (No blackout Au): Sebastian (Bass) Monroe/Charlotte (Charlie) Matheson; Charloe.
Charlie is used to the limelight… as a daytime TV weather girl, she is used to being sent all over the world, talking about the weather in Chicago and the US while climbing mountains in Canada, snorkelling in the Bahamas, feeding pelicans in Tasmania, bungee jumping in New Zealand or swinging on a trapeze in Venezuela… Unfortunately, somewhere along the way she had acquired an obsessed and obviously very disturbed admirer. Her boss insists on hiring her a bodyguard, turning to the best in the business, her ex boyfriend and former Marine turned private security operative, Sebastian Monroe…
Rating M
Author's note: Thanks so much for reading – and for your lovely comments and reviews, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. There'll be one more after this (just for fun) and I'll hope to see you there… Cheers, Magpie
A thousand eyes
Chapter 9… 'Blood is thicker… '
Connor woke with a jerk to the feeling of being horribly smothered, his mouth stuffed with something disgusting that felt wet and clammy with his own spit and what tasted like blood, his own frantic, snorting breaths sounding loud and muffled in his ears…The smell of dust and old, damp things was suddenly overwhelming and he sneezed several times then realized that there was a thick bag of some sort over his head, thick, damp and heavy. The rough weave let a little mesh of light in but all he could see was a fuzzy dimness when he opened his gritty, sore eyes, blinking to try to clear them… The right side of his head hurt like a bitch and as he moved, trying to see something, anything through the mesh, he felt an aching sting and a warm trickle of something trailed down his scalp and into his ear - blood? It itched liked crazy…
Something was pulled tight between his lips and around the back of his head, holding the awful gag in place, pinching his lips and making his jaw ache… He made himself take slower breaths…trying to slow his heartbeat down to somewhere near normal, trying to concentrate on calming down, working out what he could about where he was, what was happening around him … The faint cry of gulls came somewhere close and the burbling push and pull of water, waves was close too, underneath him… he must be somewhere near the shores of the lake, one of the boathouses… maybe even theirs?
He shifted around, working out how he was tied and how tightly, he tried to pull gently at first, remembering stories that the guys had told him of slip knots tightening the more you struggled… His hands were behind his back, fastened with something tight that went round his forearms too, and his legs were tied at thigh and ankle to the legs of what felt like a wooden chair to his ass and back… The bonds were tight and he couldn't move, he felt helpless and furious at the same time…
He started to work out what had happened… Miles had given him a lift to the mailbox down at the turn off to their private road and he remembered finding it empty - disappointed that the letter from Cannes hadn't arrived yet; then he'd started the long walk back to the house, had got about half way up their road and had heard a sound behind him, then a fast, heavy blow to his head had knocked him to the ground, he remembered shattering pain then hitting the ground, then nothing else until he woke up here…
Suddenly there was the sound of a door off to his right opening with a scraping, squeaking sound and then heavy, deliberate footsteps coming towards him… The steps echoed strangely, with the complaining squeal of old planks, making him think they really were in one of the boatsheds, somewhere where there was a space underneath the floor… He stiffened, going very still, panic threatening to take his breath again, trying to relax, trying to prepare, trying to think what his dad would do, what Miles would do – or Jeremy… they'd know he was gone by now… Then rough hands undid something around his neck and the bag was lifted off his head…
The light seemed glaringly bright after the dark of the hood and for a moment he was dazzled…. He blinked rapidly, trying desperately to get used to it…
'Well, hello there, boy…welcome back…' the voice was smooth and mellow and sounded as though the owner was meeting a good friend for afternoon tea…
The first thing Connor noticed once he could see well enough was the beaming smile, wide and strangely artificial, the teeth straight and very white in the dark face… Then he met the eyes, and that wasn't good at all; they didn't look like anything sane was looking out… and the eyes on top of the smile made fear skitter down his spine like little icicles… The face was strangely familiar though, and something on Connor's face must have signaled that because the awful smile widened and he suddenly realized where he'd seen the face before…
Then in a sudden, bizarre move Tom Neville took up a crouching boxing position in front of him, his thick fists crossing each other in front of Connors face in short jabs, missing him by a hair… and the smile widened even further… The fists moved faster and faster then one of the knuckles grazed Connor's cheek and he knew that his own eyes had gone wide, horrified…and he couldn't help it… he tried to yell through the gag but it came out like a harsh gurgle instead…
The smile became a mocking laugh…'what's the matter, boy…? You can dish it out but you can't take it?' the fists grazed him again, shaving closer this time… nudging his face from one side to the other…
'Dad, stop it… it wasn't him; it was Monroe - and Matheson…' the voice came from behind him then moved around to the front… and then there was the bright flash of a camera…
Connor's eyes were dazzled in the sudden light and he couldn't see who it was but he knew the voice from Charlie's show… Jason, it was Jason Neville, the bastard who wanted her job… there was another flash, then one of Tom Neville's big fists drew back then flashed forward and connected, hard, and he fell backwards into the gray again…
…..
'Ok…so how the fuck did Tom Neville manage to get hold of Connor?' Bass held the note and the bag with the hair clipping in one hand; the other impatiently brushed a few wet strands of his hair back from his face...
Miles ran his tongue over his bottom lip then heaved out a breath…'When we headed back to town, I gave Connor a ride to the corner to check the mail box, he said he was going to walk back to the house…' he frowned…'Neville must have been somewhere in the woods watching us, and went after him as soon as he was on his own…'
'He won't have gone far then,' Bass turned to Jeremy…'we'll need some gear… Jeremy?'
Jeremy lips curved in a tight smile…'be right back…'
Will turned to go with him then swung back…'You going to call the cops, Boss?'
Bass shook his head, his face grim…'The guy's insane and he's got my son, we'll call them as soon as we get Connor out of there…'
Will nodded, a little smile curling his lips, his eyes glinting… 'Yes, sir…' then he followed Jeremy who'd already headed off downstairs…
The phone mounted on the wall by the archway into the lounge room rang and Bass walked across to answer it… he said yes a couple of times, thanked whoever it was then hung up… he shrugged… 'Chicago PD warning us to keep an eye out for their escapee, they're searching at that end, working their way up here, so we've got a shrinking window to get this done…' he came back, unrolling the note as he walked… he shook his head…'Neville's got Connor and he wants Charlie…that's all it says…he doesn't say where or how he wants to do this…'
Miles nodded…'which means he's gonna contact us…'
The phone rang again…
They all looked at the phone… Miles lifted a brow 'ok, wasn't expecting that…'
Bass went back and picked up the handset…'Monroe… oh, hi, Duncan…' He listened…'thanks, but the cops already called…' he listened again…'Are you sure you want her mixed up in this? It could get rough…'
Duncan said something else, her voice loud enough that the others could hear little fragments…
An eyebrow lifted... 'Ok, I guess she can come along… see you soon…' he hung up the phone and came back…'Duncan's on her way, Penny's coming too…' he looked down at Charlie 'did you know Penny was an MMA black belt?'
She shrugged…'Yeah, she competes, does pretty well…' she was sitting on one of the stair risers, putting her socks and boots on… 'I didn't think it was that big a deal, she doesn't go round beating up on people or leaping over buildings or anything like that, she wanted to be in movies, thought it'd help, then she really got into it…' she finished doing up her boots and stood up again, looking him in the eyes…'Bass, I know Duncan hired you as my bodyguard but I'm pretty good at looking after myself as well, I'm not helpless and I've been in some dangerous situations before this…' She turned to Miles then back to Bass, 'and I want to be in on getting Connor back, I want to help' she zipped up her jacket…'alright…?'
Bass looked at her, his eyes very steady…'Neville wants to see you, Charlie, and maybe…' the eyes narrowed…'just maybe we'll need to let him see you so that we can distract him long enough to get Connor out of there if what I'm planning doesn't work out…' He came a step towards her… 'But you've got to remember that this guy has already tried to kill you twice, and now his son's lost his job – and probably his career, and so has his precious Julia, so he's got very little reason to dial back on the crazy…' he shot a glance at Miles, who nodded, his face grim…
He reached out and pulled her against his side, his eyes meeting Miles' over her head… 'So if you want in on this you need to do exactly as we say, ok…?'
She looked up at him and nodded slowly…
He smiled, lips tight…'Good girl… Ok, when we know where they've got Connor I'm going to try to draw Neville's attention to me while the guys go get him and deal with Jason if he happens to be around, which I suspect he will be as he seems be drone guy…. Duncan and Penny are going to try to track Julia down before they come out, but we can't wait for them to arrive…and…' he looked down into her eyes… 'Miles is going to make sure nothing happens to you…'
She turned to Miles and the dark brown eyes were looking at her, full of something… a softness she wasn't used to associating with her badass of an uncle…
He smiled down at her…'You better believe it, kid…'
There was the sound of running feet along the drive and up the steps at the front of the house and a moment later Scanlon came in, carrying another of the little canisters; he passed it to Bass, sounding a little out of breath…'The big drone went over again and dropped this, Jim's tracking it – but it looked like it came from the lake…'
Bass took the canister…'thanks Pete…' he unscrewed it and pulled out what looked like a slim roll of stiff paper with a lighter piece wrapped around it… he unrolled both, looked and went very still, the muscles in his throat working as he swallowed, his jaw tight… Then he handed the thicker roll to Miles without saying a word and bent to read the note that had come with it…
Charlie caught a glimpse as he passed it and her eyes widened in horror, her mouth dropping open…
Miles looked at the print and his eyes narrowed, lips drawing into a tight line… It showed Connor tied up to a wooden chair, head drooping; his face bruised and bloody. Both eyes were swollen nearly shut, a gag secured with a dirty piece of cloth tied tight around his head, his cheeks swelling around it and blood trickling down his face from a cut on his scalp above his ear…
Miles checked the dateline…'This was taken…' he glanced at his watch…'twenty minutes ago give or take…' he took a closer look… 'He's battered and looks pretty out of it but he's alive…' his lips curved a little and he held the photo out…'look at his right hand Bass…'
Bass looked up from the note he was reading and choked off a harsh laugh. Connor's middle finger on his right hand was defiantly giving the photographer the bird… 'That'd be your influence Miles, I taught him to be polite to the paparazzi…'
Miles lifted a brow…'That was years ago Bass, and the photographer was a prick…'
'Maybe…but it was still a waste of good pizza, …' he turned to Scanlon…'call Jim in would you Pete? We move out in five…'
Scanlon went to the door, put his thumb and forefinger to his lips and let out a series of piercing whistles…
Charlie looked at Bass then turned to Miles, almost used to the way they seemed to joke around when things were tense…'Pizza?'
He shrugged…'We were on a job, and it was only the pepperoni…'
She shook her head…'Ok, so that makes total sense…'
He shrugged again…'well I wasn't going to waste the marinara…'
Bass huffed, his lips twitching… 'It happened to be my pepperoni, you moron, you had the marinara….' He went over to the phone table and pulled a black marker from the drawer, wrote something on the edge of the photo, then slid a corner under the bulldog clip at the top of the note pad …
There was a clatter on the stairs behind them and Charlie turned round to see Jeremy and Will half way up the steps carrying armloads of assorted light body armor and weapons… at almost the same moment, Jim appeared at the door, his big frame filling it as he came in, Scanlon just behind him…
A few minutes later, everyone was armored up and loaded for bear, Charlie looking doubtfully down at herself… she'd taken the smallest vest, but it was still large on her, even over her jacket, and it was pretty heavy…
Bass quirked an eyebrow…'It's not meant to be high fashion, Charlie, it's supposed to stop bullets…'
She made a face at him…'it's not that… but I don't think I can do anything but walk in this, what if he's got another grenade launcher and we need to run…'
He leaned down and kissed her, lightly…'I think he'll want to get up close and personal this time, Charlie, especially after Miles and I had our little chat with Junior Neville… but don't worry, we're ready for him this time… I'll take care of Neville and the guys'll go get Connor, so you stay with Miles and do what he says ok?'
Miles grunted…'Yeah…and the first thing I'm going to say is to please stop kissing this jackass in front of everyone…especially me…' he shook his head…'I still can't believe that Duncan thought that calling him in was a good idea; there were plenty of other people she could have called, but oh no, she has to call Mr. fucking irresistible…'
Bass grinned…'and I owe her big time…'
Charlie frowned up at him then at Miles, her eyes glinting… 'Hey… just so you know, Miles; he's not irresistible, I could resist him easily if I wanted to…' the frown vanished and she smirked up at both of them, her sparkling eyes resting on Bass…'I just don't want to…'
Miles stared down at her, his mouth twitching at the corners but his eyes serious…'well, ok then, but if he makes you unhappy I'll have to hurt him, just saying…'
Bass nodded…'and I'll let you…' he cleared his throat…'Come on, lets go get Connor…' but first he reached around, pulled the collar of Charlie's leather jacket out above the vest, bent down and kissed her again, thoroughly this time, both of them flushed and breathing hard when he pulled back…
Miles groaned...'Aand crap… like I really needed to see that…' he turned and headed for the door,
Charlie's lips curved into a grin as she and Bass followed him…
Jim, Will and Scanlon were already on the front steps, Jeremy glancing at the note Bass had left on the table for Duncan on the way out; his eyes hard as he looked at the photo 'So how far are we gonna take this, Boss…?'
Bass clapped him on the shoulder as he went past although his eyes were an icy blue…'As far as we have to, Jer…'
Jeremy followed Miles, Bass and Charlie out the door and pulled it shut behind them, the photo fluttering a little, the words 'Duncan, Boathouse' clearly written along the edge in Bass' strong, masculine script…
…
They reached the gate at the bottom of the garden, Charlie looking quickly at the view she and Bass had admired earlier, it seemed a long time ago now, a lot had happened in a few short hours…
Jim and Scanlon got to the gate first, the others falling into a pattern of move and cover with Charlie in the middle, Bass in front, Miles behind, Jeremy and Will on flank… They were moving quietly but without trying to hide, after all Tom Neville was expecting them…
…
The boathouse lay at the bottom of a steep zigzagging dirt path that led down the bluff, through heavy undergrowth, with occasional steps cut out of the rock on the steeper parts and rocky outcrops, twisted trees and boulders giving handholds as they went. As she clambered down, stepping as lightly as she could in the heavy armored vest, Charlie watched the men around her; they moved easily, economically, smoothly; there were few words – instead using hand signals that started to make more sense to her the more she watched them… Bass moved confidently just in front of her, his shoulders wide and strong in the leather jacket that swung open with each step, every now and then turning to catch her eyes, smiling, the blue of his eyes ever changing with the dappled afternoon light…
She watched him… the way his tight ass flexed as he walked, his legs moving powerfully down over the uneven path, his strong, elegant hands occasionally grasping rocks and tree trunks as he used them for balance, careful not to let them bounce back on her, his steps springy and tireless… She could feel Miles striding a few steps behind her, moving just as easily, reassuringly solid and calm, both of them somehow sharing their confidence and complete certainty that they would get the thing done…She was almost enjoying herself – except for the fact that Connor had been beaten up and was still a prisoner, and Bass had been shot once already…
Jim and Scanlon halted at the edge of the trees and took up positions that would let them cover the others; they both had guns out and had them sighted on the boathouse… Bass held a hand up and the rest of them stopped; Jeremy and Will fading into the trees and Miles coming up beside Charlie, putting a hand on her arm to keep her from going any further into the open ground between them and the beach…
The little bay felt private and secluded, the town right out of sight around a jutting mass of steep rocks and cliff face. At the bottom and snaking around as far as she could see there was a line of light scrub and grasses that framed the curved sandy beach in an elongated S shape with a wooden jetty extending the lower curve out into the water. A rough, beaten earth path edged with stone led from their position to the boathouse, a white wooden building with a red tin roof… It lay at the beach end of the jetty, the building extending out into deeper water on wooden pilings and looked well maintained; it's paint fresh and the framework sturdy… A boat, a nondescript twenty six footer, its dark green and white paintwork peeled and fading was moored at the far end…
Bass whispered back to them 'my boat's in the shed, that one must be how he got here…'
Charlie could feel her heart pounding as Bass slung his rifle off his shoulder, took a step forward into the open, holding the gun up in the air with both hands, then bending over to put it on the ground next to him… He stood back up and held both arms up high, taking another couple of steps out into the open… His voice loud and amplified by the rocks…'Neville? Tom Neville? It's Sebastian Monroe. I got your message, you're holding one of my men prisoner…'
A sturdy man of medium height stepped out of the door of the boathouse onto the wooden planks of the jetty landing, leaving it ajar behind him. He looked as though he hadn't changed his clothes in a couple of days and was dressed in a careless mix of shirt, pants and waistcoat, his dark skin a sharp contrast against the pepper and salt of his hair and scruff, heavy soled boots making his feet look bigger than they should be… He was smiling… the same broad smile that Bass had seen huge on the sides of buses and billboards, but now it was eerily chilling…
Neville took another step towards them, the smile widening even further…'Now, Mr. Monroe, don't take me for a fool…we both know he's your son as well as your employee…' Then the smile slipped into a heavy sneer…'Where's the girl?'
Bass shrugged out of his jacket, letting it fall to the ground beside him, then he held up his arms, turning around to show Neville he was unarmed then slowly reached around to the vest ties at each side and undid them…lifting the vest over his head and dropping it to the ground as well…
Charlie went to move forward, to do something, to stop him, but Miles took her arms, pulling her gently but firmly back against him…
'Shhh, Charlie' his harsh whisper ruffled the hair around her ear… 'He's keeping Neville's attention on him, so let him do his job while the other guys do theirs…'
Tom Neville was watching Bass, the sneer faltering, a curious expression in his eyes, expectant, avid, his tongue flickered out over his bottom lip…'What are you doing, Monroe?'
Bass shrugged, undoing the buttons of his shirt…'I'm the one you want, Tom, not the girl…' he smiled 'it's alright if I call you Tom isn't it? I mean…' he shrugged again… 'I got to know your son Jason so well, hell we're almost family…' he finished the last button, the shirt fluttering in the breeze from the sea, his tightly muscled torso flickering into view as the wind blew the shirt out behind him. He shrugged out of the shirt too, reaching down to put it with the rest… Then he stood back up, rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck to one side then the other…
Neville looked him up and down; his eyes narrowed…then his lips tightened…'what do you mean by that…?'
Bass flexed his arms, and stretched his fingers out then back into fists, the muscles in his chest, back and arms rippling as he did that…'Oh… he just lay down and took it when I found him in my woods…' he laughed… 'He was so scared he pissed himself, Tom, did he tell you that…?'
The other man's eyes went flat, emotionless, his face a mask…
Charlie couldn't take her eyes from Bass; she knew that he meant to make Neville angry enough to forget about everything else but fighting him, maybe angry enough to want to do more than that, and it certainly looked like it was working… Bass looked strong and powerful, and beautiful too, his body was toned and fit, every muscle defined…but Neville had nearly killed a man and her heart was pounding in fear… fear and a dark excitement too; a part of her wanted Bass to pound into Neville after all that he'd done to her, to them, to Connor…
She looked back over her shoulder at Miles, there was a hard excitement in his eyes too and she remembered that he and Bass had been soldiers, had been in real battles; had fought before against people who wanted to hurt them, kill them, had fought and come home…
Miles leaned forwards again, his whisper loud in her ear…'don't worry Charlie, Bass was one of the best hand to hand fighters in our unit, still is… he knows what he's doing…'
Neville laughed, stripping his own shirt off and dropping it on the ground, his chest broad and strong, his torso a column of thick muscle…Then he rolled his own shoulders, curling both fists up into a ready position, stretching one dark skinned arm out, the fingers of his hand moving in a mocking come on…'I think I'll have fun with both of you, Monroe, you first, then the girl, then I'll have a bit more with your son, although I don't think he can take much more, he's not very… strong is he…?'
Bass didn't say anything although his head lowered slightly, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides… Charlie could feel his vibrant, coiling energy and it sang to something deep inside her, her breath came faster and her whole body tensed up as she watched him… Then he shook out his arms and moved forwards, his steps deliberate and slow as he moved towards the other man, testing the footing on the sandy ground as he went… the sand looked firm but had a loose top layer, she could see him testing it, sliding his feet a little with each step to gauge the slip…
When he was almost within reach of Neville, he stopped and the two men did a slow sideways circle, their bodies tense but strangely relaxed… each watching how the other moved, assessing reach, speed, muscle and reflex. Neville was the shorter of the two but he was bulkier, heavier, with more weight behind his fists; Bass had a longer reach, was faster and younger…
And then suddenly, Neville struck, dancing forward and sending several hard, fast blows with both fists almost too fast to see, towards Bass' torso and head…
Bass blocked most of the blows with his forearms, flicking a leg up in a fast kick intended to knock Neville off balance, it did but only partly and he recovered quickly, sending another hard fist out, this one connecting with Bass' forehead…
Charlie sucked in a breath and held it…
Bass shook his head, grinning, and brought an arm up to wipe blood off a split above his eye… then he moved, another kick flashing out towards of Neville's kneecap, at the same time driving a fist hard into the flesh above his spleen…
Neville pulled back for a moment, his breathing harsh… then moved forward again, fists flashing out in a series of punches that all seemed to miss..
Charlie watched, silently urging Bass on as the two men moved fast in a flurry of hits and kicks, each of them taking blows, neither looking to have the advantage… Bass had blood streaming down his face from the cut above his eye, another on his cheekbone, the wound on his bicep from the gunshot at the restaurant had opened up and blood was smeared all the way down that arm and dark bruises were forming on his shoulders and torso… Neville was favoring his right knee, the one that Bass had kicked, the flesh under his left eye was swollen and bloody and he had a split lip as well as a large bruise starting over his ribs…
Suddenly Tom Neville barreled forwards; his left elbow driving into Bass' stomach, right fist connecting with his chin and Bass went down onto his knees, his body arching backwards…
Charlie felt Miles tense up beside her, his gun rising up to take aim at Neville…
Then Bass somehow seemed to bounce up off his ankles back to his feet, spinning around and catching the other man's legs in a fast, hard backwards kick that ended with him on the ground instead, Bass pulling away, breathing hard but moving easily … Neville lay still, winded and gasping…
'Get up Tom…' Bass circled him… 'I'm not finished with you yet…'
Neville levered himself up onto one arm…a grin creasing his face…'It's a damn shame your boy can't fight like his old man…' he pushed himself up to his knees then his feet and he laughed 'I like your style, Monroe…' Then he steadied himself and brought his fists up again, the blood on them bright against his dark skin, he licked a trickle of blood off his lips…'Come on…I haven't enjoyed a fight so much in years…'
Bass' lips curved in a grim smile as he kept moving, Neville turning with him to keep him in view…'Sorry I can't say the same, Tom…' his eyes raked the other man…'You've gotten sloppy; your feet are all over the place and your timing is crap…' he shook his head, slowly…'still I'm not surprised, everybody knows that no real fighters will train with you after that little stunt you pulled…'
Neville went very still… his face strangely blank, then he blinked a couple of times and shook his head…'what? No, that's a lie…it's a lie…' he smiled, his teeth stained with red… then he shook his head again...'that's not true…' his voice was quiet, almost conversational…
Bass watched him, his eyes never leaving the other man's face as he kept slowly walking round him,
Neville turned with him, his eyes following the movement but somehow seeming to be looking somewhere else, not quite connecting, chest heaving and his breath loud and harsh, tiny shudders rippling up and down his arms and across his chest…
Charlie watched, mesmerized, vaguely aware that Miles had brought his gun up again…she didn't know what was going to happen next but it looked like Bass was goading Neville into completely losing it… she wondered whether Jeremy and the others had managed to get to Connor, because then they could finish this…
Suddenly Neville screamed something Charlie couldn't make out then he rushed at Bass, who stepped smoothly out of the way, turning to meet another rush with a fist that sent Neville reeling, his knees buckling…
'That's for what you did to Connor, Tom' Bass' face was quite calm, but his eyes were cold ice…
Neville growled something indistinct and barreled in again, his eyes wild…
Bass threw a punch with his left fist into Tom's solar plexus; then brought his right fist up to meet the other man's jaw as he folded forward over the first hit…'and that's for what you tried to do to Charlie…'
Neville staggered, his legs loose at the knees, hands vaguely moving in front of him… then he slowly crumpled to the ground, landing on his side, chest heaving…
Bass shrugged his shoulders and wiped blood from above his eye again with a careless forearm... then he looked up at them, his lips curved and his eyes bright, his broad chest rising and falling with his panting breaths…
Charlie let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, her eyes full of him… Then she saw movement at the boatshed door - it opened wide and a dripping wet Will, Jim and Scanlon, with Connor close behind them walking slowly but upright, came out into the sunshine followed by a sodden and scowling Jeremy, who went straight over to Neville, checked him over and tied his hands and feet behind his back…
Bass turned and ran quickly over to meet his son…
She turned to Miles…'Can we go down now?' then she noticed that he was holding both arms up in the air, his rifle in one hand, his lips tight, eyes hard and angry…
She looked behind him and there was a very slim, expensively dressed blond woman holding a gun that was pointed almost exactly halfway between Miles and herself, Charlie recognized her… Julia Neville…
'Stay very still, both of you…' Julia's voice was quiet but very clear…'or I will shoot…'
Shit… Charlie lifted her hands up… hoping that Miles would think of something, hoping Bass wouldn't see, she didn't want him coming up to help them, she didn't want him getting shot again, she wasn't afraid for herself though, although she didn't know why… She looked at the gun, it seemed like such a little thing…
She saw movement behind Julia and Jason came out of the trees, a gun in his hand too, although he didn't look entirely confident with it… he looked shocked - his eyes dull… and she almost felt sorry for him, then she remembered the drones and what he'd tried to do…
Julia knew he was there although she didn't take her eyes off Miles and Charlie…'Jason, get the gun from Mr. Matheson…'
Jason held his own gun in one hand and walked around Charlie to come up in front of Miles, reaching up for the rifle…
Miles stared at him, a cold little smile playing around his lips as the gun was taken from his hands… Jason flinched away, moving quickly back to stand next to his mother…
Julia smiled… 'Good boy…' Jason's eyes fell, a red flush staining his cheeks…
Then she looked at Charlie and her face was hard…'this is all your fault… Jason would have got the job if you hadn't turned up out of the blue and sweet-talked your way into it, then none of this would have happened…' her eyes raked Charlie up and down… 'But you had to get these…cowboy's… involved didn't you….' she swept her free hand towards Miles and the men at the boatshed… 'And now, because of you, we have to up and leave everything I've worked so hard to get…' She gestured for them to move forward…'and I would so like to just…shoot all of you…' she shoved the barrel of the gun into Charlie's back, pushing her forward…'especially you…'
Miles stopped moving suddenly, thrusting his elbow back, knocking Julia's arm up and swinging Charlie out of the way behind him with the other…
Just then, out of the trees, a slim figure came flying, knocking Julia off her feet and hard into Jason, a shot ringing out as she fell…
Miles swung round, one arm holding Charlie behind him but he stopped still when he saw what had happened… Jason was swaying on his feet, blood streaming from his right shoulder where the bullet from Julia's gun had caught him… and with his face turning ashen he toppled to the ground…
Julia screamed, falling to her knees next to her son, the gun falling from her hand unnoticed…
Penny jumped back to her feet from where she'd fallen after tackling Julia, a broad smile on her face… 'Hey, how was that… am I awesome or am I awesome….'
Charlie nodded, her heart still pounding, not quite up to smiling yet…'You are totally awesome….'
Penny came round to where Charlie stood, still behind Miles…her grin fading as she looked down at Jason and the frantic Julia…'shit…he's really hurt isn't he…' then she looked around…'so where's Connor, Charlie?'
Charlie turned and pointed at the boathouse 'he's still down there with the others…' she gave Penny a push towards the path…'go on, and say hi for me, Ok?'
Duncan came into sight hurrying down the path through the trees, her dark eyes narrowing as she took in what was happening. A little out of breath, she patted Charlie on the shoulder, slanted a smile at Miles, watched as a speeding Penny reached a waiting Connor and flung herself into his arms, a perfectly shaped eyebrow lifting just a little, dark eyes amused… Then she leaned over to look at Jason… 'I heard the shot and the yelling as we were coming down so I went back to the house and called an ambulance, just in case, I told them I heard a gunshot so I guess the Police will be here soon too…'
Miles looked over at her, his lips twitching at the corners, his eyes appreciative…'You always were the sensible one, Duncan, I knew I liked something about you apart from your ass…'
Duncan gave him the look that had sent grown studio executives running for the hills, but he just grinned and gave the ass a squeeze as reached down and collected his rifle, slinging the strap over his shoulder. Then he picked up both of the other guns, holding them by the barrels, and handed them to her… 'Here, you can look after the evidence...' He looked down at Jason and his lips tightened… 'We need to stop the bleeding now Mrs. Neville, or he's not going to make it to his trial…'
Julia looked up at him, startled…her eyes red… then she nodded, stripping her coat off and using the material to put pressure on the wound… She took a deep breath as she did what she could, then looked up again…'How will we get him up to the house…?'
Jason moaned, his face twisted in pain as she pressed harder… he opened his eyes, looking around until he found Charlie…'I'm sorry, Charlie…I'm sorry…'
Charlie looked down at him… and damn it, she was sorry for him now… she nodded, 'It's ok, Jason, just lie still…'
Bass was suddenly there behind her, still shirtless, his vibrant energy rippling the air around him…his eyes full of questions as he looked around at the others… 'Are you ok, Charlie…?'
She turned to him…'Yeah, I'm fine, thanks to Miles and Penny…' her eyes widened as she saw the bruises and streaks of blood that decorated his torso, his right eye framed by blood from the wound above his brow, a cut on his cheekbone and his knuckles bruised and split… 'Oh, Bass…' she lifted a hand to wipe some of the blood away from his eye… 'You did it, you rescued Connor and caught the bad guys…'
He grinned down at her; still buzzing from the fight…'Never doubted we would, Charlie – and we all did it, all of us…the guys were great, apart from Jeremy having a hissy fit about having to swim' his grin widened out 'but then he never fully appreciated the marine part about being a Marine…'
Charlie frowned as she looked more closely at the injury above his eye…'Duncan called the cops and an ambulance, Bass, they should be here soon, but we have to get back up to the house…'
'Scanlon's coming up with the first aid kit from the boat, he's just seeing to Connor and checking Neville out to make sure he keeps breathing…then he was coming to have a look at me…' he looked down at Jason, his eyes narrowed as he recognized Julia, still holding her jacket against Jason's wound, she glanced around for a moment but didn't meet his eyes, her whole body bunched in defeat… 'But it looks like Neville Junior needs him more… I'll get the guys to bring the stretcher from my boat…'
Charlie ran her hands up the sweat damp chest to his shoulders, careful of the bruises and cuts along the way, she ran her fingers through his scruff and reached up to press a kiss on his lips…'It's over Bass…' she grinned…'Really over this time, so I won't need a bodyguard…' her eyes sparkled up at him and the grin turned wicked… 'But I do have an opening for a boyfriend, if you happen to know of anyone who's interested…?'
His eyes blazed down at her, then he pulled her against him, lifting her chin up with one hand, his other arm holding her hard against him, her breasts crushed against the wonderful muscles of his chest, his lips so close to hers that she could feel his breath; the slick warmth of his skin against hers and the hot male scent of him sending her senses reeling… then he pressed his lips lightly against hers…sweeping them gently round to her ear… 'I'm very interested in the position, any position…' he ran his tongue around the rim of her ear, sending a shiver from her head to her toes… 'You'll always have my full attention and I'll make it my priority to give total satisfaction…'
Charlie laughed up at him, her arms sliding up and around his neck…'I like your approach, Sebastian, but I believe firmly in the principle of mutual satisfaction...'
'Oh, for fuck's sake…' Miles' voice came from behind her…'can't you two wait until you're in a bedroom…? Fuck, I did not just say that…'
….
AN: Thanks so much for reading, you lovely Charloe people you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter – there will be one more after this – with a lot more of Bass and Charlie (just because) so hope to see you there… Then I think I'll be working on an epilogue for 'Throw sadness to the wind, sorrow to the sky' because a couple of sweet people said they'd like to know what happened next for Bass and Charlie on their island…and I have a couple of other ideas coming along too… I also want to re-edit some of my older stories – but that might have to wait a little while…
Anyway, here's to lots more lovely, passionate, moving and amazing Charloe stories – we are so lucky to have some fabulous, generous and hugely talented writers (and readers) in this fandom, they inspire me to always try to do better with my own writing and set my imagination buzzing! And finally, here's to Bass and Charlie (and Miles, Aaron, Nora and all the other great Revo characters brought to life by wonderful actors) who continue to inspire us all Cheers, Magpie