Well I want say another big Thank you to Spitfire47... You are just a wonderful and amazing Beta reader, you've help me so much with my writing. I am bless to have found you.
Also, this will be a chapter sent out to all my Julianne/Lloyd Shippers... Keeping the OTP alive!
Chapter sixteen
Who remains
Elizabeth kept perfectly still, her wrist stung, she could feel Derrick hugging her, his hand playing into her hair and his face nuzzling her shoulder. Part of Elizabeth wanted to die, inside she felt numb, and outside she looked dead. "You know you shouldn't of made me mad," He whispered softly, "Lizzie, I don't want to hurt you, but you know you can't be calling people when you're with me." He kept talking to her, but she wasn't listening, he could tell from her eyes. "Elizabeth!" Derrick finally snapped.
She stared at him, but she feels sick, she wanted to be sick, but held it in. "I'm sorry," Her words a whispered, her eyes focused on his, "Please let me go…" Finally a tear rolled down her cheek.
Derrick caught the tear, his finger burned her face, she hated him this close, hated his touch. Derrick didn't understand, but Elizabeth wanted it to be over. "Lizzie, Liz," He spoke sweetly to her, his fingers twirling her hair, "Why do you want to leave me?" He sounded so upset, he moved his hand deeper into her hair, "Why don't you want to stay with me?"
Elizabeth swallowed a dry lump in her throat, her eyes closed for a second thinking over everything, and then she felt a tug on her hair. Not stopping herself from letting out her scream of pain. "I want to go home!" She shouted out loudly.
"Home," Derrick loosened his grip, "Home, is that where that man is?" His voice darker, he kept watching Elizabeth, "While I was in prison, you were cheating on me, with that man on the phone!" He pulled her hair again, he listened to her whimpering, "Don't lie to me Elizabeth," He hissed into her ear, "You know what happens when you lie…"
Elizabeth winched at the pain, "Derrick," Her words rough, her throat was killing her as her eyes slowly looked over his face, "I promise, I promise, I am not with that man, I work with him, we work together. That is it!"
Derrick let go, he brushed her hair flat, but most of Elizabeth's hair was fluffed up, her face puffy from tears, he went back to stroking her hair and face softly, "Well, I hope that you are telling the truth," He leant in kissing her, "But I need to start making plans for us to go Mexico, so I need you to be calm, stay here." He moved off the bed he'd tied Elizabeth to now, he straightened himself out, then leant down to kiss her again. "Be good." Now placing a piece of duck tape over her mouth, "Be nice and quiet."
For the first time since the phone call, Julianne was alone; she'd never really spent time in the interrogation room, well not alone feeling the way she felt. Closing the blinds she went to sit down, but sitting down felt wrong, standing up felt wrong. Everything felt wrong, and most of all she felt was complete hopelessness.
Deep down she knew it wasn't her fault; she couldn't stop the guilt, but it wasn't going to change the facts. She wanted to be alone, she was sick of Shea and Erica's faces looking sorry for her, she hated Ray hovering around her like she was a china doll ready to break into a million pieces, but most of all, Lloyd. Lloyd didn't hover, but sat looking for more things on the laptop; Julianne didn't want Lloyd to see her sister that way. Like the victims of cases before this one, like she was something to be dissected and studied intensely.
Feeling her frustration building, Julianne kicked the table; it budged a little, but made a loud squeak while she screamed in anger. "Fuck!" Julianne let the curse word out; she wasn't much for swearing as she fell onto the chair running her hands over her face.
The soft knock caught her off guard trying to neaten herself standing up again; she glanced to Lloyd poking his head inside the room, "Are you alright?" He spoke carefully, his face worried, Julianne still looked like death.
"Seriously Lloyd," Julianne replied rubbing her eyes quickly, "Did you really just ask me if I'm alright?"
"Well, I can clearly see you're not alright, I was." Lloyd stopped talking stepping into the room closing the door behind him. "Julianne, you want to talk about it?"
"No," Julianne replied rapidly, "I don't want to talk about, I don't want to even think about it!" Her voice raised, "I am far from alright, and I need them stupid idiots at the Marshals to have a location."
Lloyd kept still, watching as Julianne paced before him, with each back and forth motion her face got redder, he'd never seen her this worked up, taking a brave move he stopped her momentum by holding her still. "Julianne, Charlie and Ray are doing everything they can."
"Well it's not enough Lloyd!" Julianne spat out, "It's not enough, she's my sister, and they are not doing enough!" Her eyes were welling up again. "Lloyd, she's my little sister," She bit her lip hard, "When I was eight, every weekend she'd jump into my bed with me, and tell me all about her dreams. She made me eat her make believe food, and we'd go to the park and feed the ducks, even if I was scared of ducks, she was there with me, holding my hand." Julianne brushed her hand under her eyes, "Lloyd, she was there when I had my nervous break down, she missed three weeks of classes to just lay in bed with me, and just be there." Her head bowed, her eyes staring at her feet feeling the tears fall, "When something was wrong, she was always there, I never had to say anything, she was just there." Her hands fell loose from Lloyd's grip, "And I never knew this about her, I wasn't there to protect her like I..."
Lloyd now pulled her face up, his eyes looking deep into honey brown, "You couldn't of known," He whispered softly, "Elizabeth, she hid it not just from you, but herself."
"But I should of known Lloyd, I should have said something!" Her voice breaking up, her tears rolling down her cheeks.
Lloyd brought a hand up to her face, he lightly brushed his thumb collecting a stream of tears, "Jules," He spoke, "I know you're upset, but when we find Elizabeth and we will," He rested his forehead against hers, "You'll be able to be there for her, like she's been there for you." He watched her eyes, the tears slowing down, "I promise, you will be able to be there."
Julianne blinked the last tears away, feeling her heart starting to race inside her chest, she wondered if Lloyd could hear it, his hands cupping her cheeks, she could feel her breath catch in her throat, his eyes intense, feeling his breath warm on her lips, in instinct she tilted her chin towards him, feeling his lips softly brush on her own, the second she started the kiss, Julianne felt her hands moving up his arms, holding onto him to steady herself, she gave into him. Letting him take lead, her chest against his, his hands working around the nap of her neck, playing with the soft baby hair, she felt shivered running down her spine, her fingers now gripping onto him tighter, lightly parting her lips, he didn't rush her, simply playing his lips over her bottom lip, he kept everything simple.
Four months ago if someone told Lloyd he'd be kissing Julianne Simms, he would have called their bluff, but standing in the interrogation room, holding onto Julianne, feeling her, he now carefully pulled away, "I can't do this." He kept calm. "I shouldn't be taking advantage of you," Stepping back he looked over Julianne's face, "I'm, I am so sorry." He quickly opened the door walking out, he stood there a few second before glancing back into the room seeing Julianne looking lost, her hand now coming up to brush against her lips.
"Hey Lloyd, Charlie just got the," Ray spoke walking towards Lloyd, he froze for a second looking into the interrogation room, back to Lloyd, "Did I miss something?"
Lloyd rolled on the balls of his feet, "No, I just talked to her, you know calm the storm," He held his breathe, "I gotta go." Now rushing away.
Ray was confused for a second, opening the door wider stepping in to look over Julianne who still looked dazed.
Julianne couldn't believe she kissed him, and then he left her alone, she wasn't just confused, she was completely caught off guard when Ray started to speak. "Hey Jules, we got a location, we're going to check it out now." He scanned her over, "Are you okay?"
"I wish people would stop asking that," Julianne rubbed a hand over her face, "Just get Elizabeth safe, that is all I want right now." Her eyes still wide, she felt the tingle still over her bottom lip looking out to the others, "I'll be fine alone."
"You sure?" Ray kept watching from Julianne's face to where Lloyd went, he knew something had happened between them, a part of him wanted to laugh, but he was just hoping Lloyd didn't mess this up.
Julianne nodded, "I'll be fine, it's best I stay here, just," She cleared her throat, "Just let me know when you've got her." Now turning back to the table Julianne brushed her fingertips against her lips once more, closing her eyes and remembering the kiss all over again.
Ray inhaled, "Okay," He moved closer to her, but stepped back awkwardly tapping her shoulder, "I'll let you know right away." He turned leaving her, seeing everyone getting ready.
Charlie straightening himself out, "Right, we're going to do this right, no mess ups, no rushing in half hat." His eyes focused on Shea, "This is a hostage situation, so Lloyd we're going to need you as our middle ground, talk to Florey, try and get him to turn himself in."
"I don't know if I can."
"Lloyd, we need you to do this, you've read up on him, you could play to his weakness," Charlie said cutting Lloyd off in his moment of self-doubt. "We can do this."
Erica held a hand up, "I can't," She now inhaled slowly, "I'll be a big liability cos I get my hands on him, I'll kill him."
"I think Erica has a point," Shea nodded, "Cos I don't play nice with rapist scum!"
"I don't care for them much myself, but I need all hands on deck," Charlie turned to the interrogation room, Julianne sitting at the desk playing with her fingers.
"So we've got to remember," Ray turned to Charlie, "Me Erica and Shea on the outside, you and Lloyd will be going in."
"Our first aim is the safety of hostage, then the capture of Florey." Charlie exhaled, "Lets go," he pointed to the elevator leaving the building in silence.
Elizabeth inhaled, she felt her wrists burning, but she wasn't going to give up, her eyes kept focused on the door. Her heart beating violently inside her chest, it seemed every movement she heard, debating if it was in her head, but she knew she had to keep trying. Pulling a little harder, she let out a frustrated mumble behind the duck tape, the pain was too much, and it hurt feeling the ropes burning against her skin making it raw. That second she felt a pop, part of her hoping she'd not just dislocated her wrist. Pulling her wrist to her eyes, she glanced over her fingers, twitching and feeling she was happy enough, but glanced to the sores. "Fuck…" She screamed after ripping the Duck tape off her mouth, reaching now to her other arm. With what little she could do, she managed to loosen the ropes, finally going to free her feet. Hearing the sound of doors, she knew it wasn't her mind this time, inhaling she glanced around for something, anything that could be a weapon. Picking up the chair she was originally tied on, she watched the door in complete silence.
Charlie opened the front door, it was an abandoned home estate, it reminded him of the collector, his stomach sinking, he held his gun out turning to Lloyd lagging behind, "Come on!" He hissed under his breath, but Lloyd still kept back.
"Look, I know that you see me as the talk down kinda guy, but," He tried to calm himself, "I am on the idea that there is nothing to talk him out of it." He glanced to a locked door, he glanced to Charlie, "Everything here is a little too quiet." He whispered slowly.
Charlie nodded, "Well I've got this," He studied the chub lock on the door, cheap, easy for him to whack open with the butt of his gun.
When she heard the thud of the lock being open, Elizabeth charged as the door slowly swung opened, with the chair as tight as she could hold it, ran full throttle without hesitation.
Charlie quick to put his gun down, he stepped out of the way before Elizabeth could hit him, her screams as she charged passed were louder than he thought he could possible image, but she ran right into Lloyd.
It didn't take Lloyd long to grab the chair before it crashed into his face, he looked over the pain in Elizabeth's eyes, the panic over her soft features, "No!" she screamed, no," the fear had taken over, Lloyd knew her adrenaline was going over time as he held her quickly to try and calm her.
"Shh," He ignored the state of her clothes, her long t-shirt was all she was wearing, her long hair a mass of matted frizz, "It's okay, you're going to be okay." Lloyd felt her body trembling, he glanced to look up at Charlie inhaling, and the anger still on his face seeing the scene of the tiny room Elizabeth was kept in. "Liz," Lloyd spoke as calmly as he could, now Elizabeth was holding onto him for dear life, "We're going to take you to the hospital."
"No, no hospital, no he'll find me, please, no, please…" Elizabeth whimpered, her fingers digging into Lloyd's shirt, for a moment she was hoping this wasn't a dream.
"Okay, no hospitals now, but when we catch him," He didn't want to say Derrick's name and upset her more, "You'll need to see a doctor," He brushed her hair back, "Do you trust me to take you out of here?"
Elizabeth nodded her head quickly, Charlie was standing still looking in the room, anything to say where Derrick would be, "Ray," Now on his cell phone, "How is the perimeter?"
Ray inhaled, "Nothing, what's going on in there?" Ray glanced to Shea standing in the yard, back to Erica keeping close to the car, she wasn't joking about the killing Derrick, Ray could see it in her eyes.
Charlie looked to Lloyd getting to his feet; he was lifting Elizabeth up, but not with much result. "Found Liz, she's pretty beaten up, but she's refusing a hospital, we can have Lloyd watch her until the ambulance get to the office, we'll find Florey."
"Mexico," Elizabeth spoke, her voice rough, her eyes watched Charlie, standing only with the support of Lloyd, "big chance he's at the docks, looking for a boat." Her eyes kept on Charlie, "He's been gone for fifteen minutes."
Lloyd watching Elizabeth, "Charlie," He felt bad, but he had to say it, "We really need a Doctor to look over her, she need medical help, as well as psychological."
"I know, but right now, we still have a con on the lose," Charlie quickly watching Elizabeth, "Do you mind if I?" He didn't want to just pick her up, she was still in visible shock, but she gave him a short nod, so he quickly lifted her into his arms. "We'll find him, I promise." He now walked her to the car.
Erica was quick to Charlie's side, Shea taking a peek into the house, "Not there?"
"No," Charlie snapped while Lloyd opened the back door of the car.
Erica quickly slipped in, looking out to Charlie, "Here, I think she'll trust me," Her voice soothing, watching Charlie carefully putting Elizabeth on the back seat. "Come here," Erica wrapped an arm around her. Erica watched as Lloyd went to the boot of the car, he took out a blanket quick to pass to Erica. She could see Lloyd slow to get into the seat, while she wrapped the blanket around Elizabeth, rubbing her arms avoiding her injured wrist. Lloyd half attempt not to stare at Elizabeth, or upset her in any more than she already was.
"I want a picture sent to every shipping yard, coast, if there is a boat, I want Florey's face there!" Charlie snapped into his cell phone, looking to Ray in the passenger seat, it was late, and he wasn't going to let the sun rise with that animal still loose.