Chapter Three
"Your friends were here," Clara said sweetly. Humming, she pulled the blindfold off. She enjoyed looking into his deep brown eyes too much to leave them covered. The terror and despair were disappointing but eventually he'd learn to love her, of that she was sure.
The criminalist mumbled something into the gag. Panic burned through his entire system, trying to take away any ability to think logically and possibly get him out of this. The cloth of the gag threatened to choke him. Closing his eyes to block out his assailant, Nick concentrated on breathing out of his nose. He could hear the woman prattling on to herself but he blocked that out too in his attempt to keep from suffocating.
"Mr. Grissom is not very nice. He makes me nervous," Clara said. She looked down on her future husband's face. He truly was beautiful with his dark hair and eyes. His broad forehead and square jaw gave him a chiselled appearance. He had wide shoulders, a well formed chest and stomach but narrow hips . His legs in his black jeans appeared to almost be disproportionate to the rest of his body. Curious, Clara turned her attention to that pesky belt again.
Fingers began to grope at Nick anew. Instinct screamed that he should try to get away. Rational thought, however, told him to ignore it, his wrists and ankles burned badly enough all ready. They were sticky with his own blood from the open wounds he'd all ready created.
"Mmmm," Clara murmured. The belt had finally come undone. Grinning happily, she grasped the zipper and pulled it down. Underneath, she could see the blue material of Nick's boxer shorts. The button at the waist band popped off as Clara delved into the treasures beyond.
CSICSI
Long minutes dragged by for Nick as he tried desperately to ignore what the woman was doing. Chemical formulas, lab procedures, criminal codes floated through his conscious mind to distract him. Clara's gingers probed and prodded, caressed and bruised. One particularly brutal probe startled the young criminalist, causing him to gasp. The gag moved further into his mouth. Gagging, he began to choke.
"Oh dear," Clara paused in her ministrations as Nick's chest heaved and his body shook. She caught hold of the man's chin and casually pulled the gag out. Great gasps of air burned down Nick's throat. "Feel any better?"
It took several moments before Nick could recover enough to respond. "Water?" Fibers abraded the delicate lining of his throat and were threatening to make their way into his bronchial passages.
"Certainly." Clara moved over to the corner of the cell where a cooler sat. She opened it and withdrew a bottled water. Unsealing it, she slipped a hand under Nick's head to brace it and then put the bottle to his lips. Drinking greedily, he finished the entire bottle in a few seconds. "Better?"
"Thank you," Nick managed. His throat felt as raw as his ankles and wrists. Suddenly exhausted despite the fear, pain and cold, Nick closed his eyes and gave into oblivion.
CSICSI
It was so much easier when he didn't struggle. Clara pulled Nick's pants down over his hips. She had to pause long enough to unshackle Nick's ankles to pull the black slacks completely off his legs. Her father had all ready taken off his boots to put the shackles on in the first place all she had to do was slip off his socks. The tops of his socks were sticky with blood. The skin on his ankles was torn and deeply cut. Goose bumps stood out as well.
Briefly, Clara debated on what she should do. Nick's legs were thin but still well muscles. She desperately wanted to remove his underwear but a voice in her head wouldn't let her. Sighing in disgust, she replaced the handcuffs, just in case Nick woke up. Then she left the room.
CSICSI
The first think Nick was aware of as he came around was that he'd lost his pants and shoes. The rough blanket covering the mattress chaffed against his skin. The next thing he noticed was that he still had his boxers on. Relief flooded through his mind and body. Slowly, Nick opened his eyes and looked down his body. A blanket was the only thing he could see. That explained why his teeth weren't chattering anymore.
"Would you like more water?" Despite himself, Nick jumped. He hadn't noticed Clara sitting by the door.
As much as he wanted some, Nick really didn't want to deal with the ensuing problem of drinking large quantities of fluid. Mutely, he shook his head no.
"Comfortable?"
Again, a head shake no.
"Hungry?"
Another 'no'. A loud rumble from his stomach said otherwise.
The door opened behind Clara and a man entered that Nick assumed was her father.
"What are you doing?" the father demanded.
"I'm just watching him sleep," Clara responded. "We should undo the handcuffs, he's got cuts. They might get infected."
"You took the blindfold off," Harry stated. The man was staring at him, his dark eyes accusatory. Guilt reared its ugly head. Swallowing bile, Harry pulled the blanket up over Nick's feet to reveal the mangled mess beneath.
"I like his eyes."
"Go get..." Harry paused as the light flickered three times. "Damn it!"
Before he left, Harry forced the gag back into Nick's mouth. It was unnecessary but it made him feel better, more secure.
CSICSI
"Mr. Grissom, what can we do for you?" Harry asked. The CSI was standing on the door step again with Brass and a dark skinned man. Clara stood behind Harry.
"I have a warrant to search these premises."
"You all ready searched for the young boy," Clara stated.
"This is to search for Nick Stokes, CSI."
"Knock yourselves out." Harry took Clara's hand and led her out to his car where they waited.
CSICSI
The CSIs repeated the entire procedure. Grissom took the basement. He checked every inch of the area, checked each and every light switch and examined every wall. Frustrated, feeling like he was letting Nick down, he rested his hand on the rock wall. Grissom was missing something, he was sure of it. Hopefully his counterpart was having more luck. Wearily, he headed up the stairs.
CSICSI
"You still haven't found your associate?" Harry asked as the three men left his daughter's house. His heart was beating crazily but from the outside he looked calm and collected. "Clara told me about your two previous visits."
"No," was all the Grissom would say. Patrol units had found Nick's SUV an hour ago. Katherine was processing it as they spoke. The head CSI didn't really expect that she would find anything but there was always a chance.
"Well, anything we can do to help," Harry offered.
"Thanks," Warwick responded. With a final glance at the house, the three men shouldered their bags and headed towards Brass's vehicle.
"Can I sleep with him?" Clara asked as soon as the men were gone.
"No," Harry growled. He continued two watch until the vehicle had disappeared down the street. "We've got to clean this up."
"They didn't find anything and they never will." Smiling, Clara entered the house.
A/N: Again, thanks for the support. I hope the new chapter was to your liking!