The Santa Incident
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of LO:SVU or any other show mentioned here. I don't own the rights of the songs either. I'm making no money out of this whatsoever. Don't sue me, I have no money.
A/N: If you think a car crash is bad then let me tell you that it can get worse…
5
"John? Fin?" Don Cragen shouted. "Did you hear something from Olivia and Elliot?"
"No, Sir," Fin replied. "Nothing since they left the pool hall."
"They should be here by now." Cragen sounded worried.
"Don, it's the snow. It's going to be a blizzard. They probably stopped to find shelter." John did his best to sound confident. "Most likely at another precinct."
"In this case they would have called, wouldn't they?"
"They would…" the voice of detective Garrison faded. "If the phones would work." She put the receiver down. "I just lost contact when I called One Police Plaza."
Cragen picked up the phone on Fin's desk. There was nothing to hear, no dial tone.
"Damn."
The storm rattled the windows. They screeched in their frames. Outside snow was blown horizontal down the street.
When Elliot opened his eyes he felt dizzy. His head and chest rested on the airbag. Somehow he felt like he was pressed into it. As he tried to move he recognized that he was stuck between the airbag and the back of the seat. He groped back and along the seat to find the lever to adjust it as well as the button to release the seatbelt.
Icy cold wind blew in from behind when the door was opened. Elliot tried to look over his shoulder and was stopped when a sting of pain pierced both his left thigh and his left side where his gun was in its holster. He heard Olivia moan.
"Liv?" he asked. "You're okay?"
"I guess so."
He could only look to the left side as long as he was trapped between airbag and seat. So he just heard the passenger's door open and Olivia's surprised gasp when strong arms reached in to pull her out of the car. She screamed.
What's happening? Elliot thought. The memory of the jeep came back. They shoved us from the street! Must be Riverside Park we ended in. What are they doing now?
Someone grunted and flesh clapped on flesh. Do they beat Olivia? Frantically Elliot tried to free himself. On his side of the car everything was cramped.
Cold air and blown up snow washed over him. It alerted him as well as Olivia's cry of pain.
"Get him out, too!"
The car bounced when someone climbed in. Seemed to be more than one. Suddenly Elliot felt something touch his head from behind… something hard and cold. He heard the trigger being cocked.
"Freeze," someone hissed.
Now it was Elliot's turn to gasp. Yet, he did not dare to move. They rummaged around and then the back of the seat went loose and was pushed back. As Elliot still was fastened to it with the seatbelt he was dragged back with it. The muzzle left his neck and returned to be pressed under his chin. Someone stabbed the airbag and reached over to get his gun. They tried to remove the seatbelt and the guy crouching in the passenger's seat cut it with his knife when it did not move. He grabbed the detective's arm and pulled him over. Elliot's leg hurt like hell. When he was halfway on the right side of the car, a second man took hold of him and they hauled him backwards out of the car. Snow whirled all around and the wind whistled.
Both men held him in a brutal grip, one hand around his wrist, the other bore through the coat in his upper arm, jerking both limbs backwards. A third man grabbed one of his shoulders and pressed the other hand in his back, just between the shoulder blades. They effectively immobilized him.
Elliot could not see Olivia but there was Cornwell approaching. The detective reared in the clasp between the men. In this instant Cornwell buried his fist into Elliot's stomach and made him writhe with pain as far as the grip allowed. They raised him again and two more times Cornwell punched him hard in the belly. Elliot breathed hard and sank down on his knees when they released him. When he slumped forward his hands sank deep into the snow.
Cornwell did not intend to finish now. He bowed down and grabbed Elliot's chin to force him to look up at him. In the other hand he held the cuffs Elliot had bound him with earlier.
"As these are yours," Cornwell said, "you should wear them." Still the cuffs in hand he smashed his fist into Elliot's face.
Elliot broke down and did not move. Blood mingled with the fresh white snow. Cornwell jerked his hands behind his back and cuffed them.
"Bring him to the van," he commanded. His comrades looked at him in disbelieve. "You have a problem?"
"These are cops," one of the guys said.
"And?" Cornwell laid a hand on the butt of Olivia's gun now put in his belt.
The guys exchanged glances. "Nothing," the second said and went to pick the detective up.