Author's Note: Sorry for the vomit-y mess. I swear I have split personality disorder. I'm not normally such a disgusting person, like 30% of the time. I'm actually quite capable of carrying on a deep conversation about things that matter…stuff like the time I took a tumble down the stairs and the next thing I know, my big toe nail had been pulled right off the nail bed and the bloody flesh under it was exposed and throbbing.
*pause*
No, you can't unread that story. Bet you all preferred being vomited on, huh?
Well, to each his own, I guess.
A Woman's Worth: Chapter TWENTY FOUR
Damon's POV
"Thanks for coming with me," I said to the sandy-haired man walking beside me. "It's not every day that I carry around fifty thousand dollars in cash, you know?"
My voice was hushed as I cast a furtive look around self-consciously, tightening my hold on the inconspicuous brown bag that contained the price of Anna's freedom.
"Yeah, no shit," Ric exclaimed, his rapt attention on our surroundings like a trained Secret Service agent. "You're taking a huge risk by using your own money, man. This better go according to plan or you're losing a huge chunk of change here."
I nodded along, thinking back to our spur-of-the-moment strategizing while waiting for the money. It was actually rather comical, the way the bank manager's face paled and eyes bulged in shock at my demand to withdraw a large amount of cash from my account. After some insistence, we left him to crack his head to come up with the money as soon as possible while Ric and I brainstormed an acceptable plan in dealing with Alan.
We both agreed that it would be wise to involve Elijah in our last-minute plan, despite knowing the risks involved. At this moment, none of us really knew Anna's whereabouts, not to mention her mortality status. For all we knew, we may have already been too late.
After several attempts, though, we weren't able to get hold of Elijah, which probably meant that he was either in the middle of a court in session or he had finally passed out from the lack of sleep and the accumulated stress.
Either way, Ric and I were left to our own devices, which didn't bode well at all for little Anna.
"Other than Elijah, I don't trust anybody else who will put Anna's safety first," I answered after a lengthy pause. I didn't like the way things were going any more than he did, but what choice did we have?
Ric shot me a sideways glance and I instinctively knew that I wasn't going to like hearing what he was about to say next. "Maybe we should call Officer Bennett," he suggested, referring to the police officer who had been working with Elijah on Anna's case, the one I was yelling at when Elena went missing at the hospital.
"That slow-blinking incompetent fool who couldn't even pass on my simple message to Elena? That officer?" I said in a disgruntled tone as I remembered the panic I had felt when I couldn't find her anywhere at the hospital. Even though I knew that it was Elena's own decision to pull her disappearing act, I still blamed that officer for some reason. That and I didn't like the way he blinked.
"Oh my God, Damon, can you be more petty? You're seriously willing to risk Anna's safety based on a couple of clueless social workers armed only with a bag-load of cash, an iPad and cell phones?!" he hissed under his breath, ever mindful of any eavesdroppers around us as we approached our own cars.
The guy had a point.
Heaving an exasperated sigh, I raked my mind to come up with a better alternative than our amateur detective skills. "Alright, fine. Call Officer Blinky and fill him in, especially the no cops part. Also, please ask him to get Elijah to call me back," I told him as I got into my car, receiving a nod from Ric before he jogged over to his own vehicle.
My thoughts turned to Elena as soon as I was alone, wondering if she was awake and missing me like how I was missing her. Seriously, if it hadn't been for Pearl and Anna, there was nothing in this world that could drag me out of her bed even if the sky was crumbling down on us. Despite the drama of the day, I found myself smiling when I thought about her innocent-looking face, lying next to me. Making her happy was my number one priority right now, and there was nothing I wanted more than to deliver Anna safely and securely to surprise her if things turned out exactly like I hoped it would.
I pulled up to the curb right in front of Pearl's hotel with Ric just a few seconds behind me, parking his own car before we made our way into the building. Noticing the frown on his normally relaxed face, I was quick to question the man who seemed to be in deep thought as we entered an empty elevator.
"I'm sure it's nothing but I'm just thinking about something Officer Blin-Officer Bennett said when I was on the phone with him just now," he said slowly, sounding concerned. "Apparently, Elijah's having a scream-fest with the Chief behind closed doors and the entire station is in an uproar because they've never seen him that upset before."
My own eyes narrowed suspiciously at the news, finding it curious myself. "Elijah? Screaming? At his boss? Yeah, I'd say something's up and we should be worried."
"Mmhmm," Ric agreed with a thoughtful expression. "Maybe that's why he wasn't answering his phone earlier."
By then, we had already arrived in front of Pearl's room, knocking rapidly on her door before it was hastily pulled wide open by the harassed–looking woman. She was holding her phone up to her ear, gesturing wildly and pointing to it with her other hand as I started to pay attention to her ongoing conversation.
"….call the police when you told me not to! Do you really think I'd risk Anna's life by going against your instructions?" she squeaked into the phone as she paced around the room. "Alan, I don't have that kind of cash on me! How do you expect me to come up with fifty grand at the drop of a hat without involving someone – anyone - for help?" There was a pause, and then, "Of course they didn't involve the police! I told them not to. They're just helping me with the money that you asked for," she finished, her eyes wide with panic as she flashed a pleading look at me.
Calmly, I reached out my hand for the phone in her tight grip, indicating that I wanted to talk to him. Instantly, she stuttered into the mouthpiece for him to hold, and then pressed the mute button on her phone. "He called just seconds before you two came in here! He started freaking out that you might have called the cops," she whispered urgently, her hand covering over the mouthpiece unnecessarily.
"He's got eyes on this place," I hissed to Ric, who apparently came to the same conclusion, seeing as he had quickly closed the drapes in front of the windows. "I think he saw us coming in, recognized us and panicked. That means he's nearby, possibly even in the same building as us. He might have been watching you for a while now, Pearl."
At her sudden intake of breath, I snatched her phone out of her fingers and jabbed my finger on the screen, reversing the mute function. "This is Damon Salvatore speaking. Look, I didn't call the police," I began, not exactly lying because it had been Ric who made the call. "Pearl told me what your demands are and I'm just here to help a friend out. I'm sure you remember very well that I care about your daughter way too much to take any risks, so you can be rest assured that all I want is to get her back safely when you get your money."
While I was talking, I saw Ric hurrying into the bathroom with his phone to his ear, no doubt warning Officer Blinky about the latest development. I had to buy some time, or all our planning could go out the window the instant Alan starts to get suspicious if a squad car arrived in front of the building.
"Fine, but now I want a hundred grand instead because nobody else was supposed to be involved in this. Since my ex-wife dragged you guys into this, then I want more money for my inconvenience," the gruff voice on the other line said.
Perfect! Nothing like greed for a man like him to start making mistakes.
"You've got to be kidding me," I pretended to object just for the hell of it. I had a plan up my sleeves and I intended to make sure that he remained none the wiser. "You can't just ask for more money all of a sudden. You made a deal with Pearl; fifty grand in exchange for Anna. There's no way I can raise that much money in such a short time, let alone today!"
"Well it's not like I'm giving you a choice in the matter, am I? A hundred grand in half an hour if you want to see Anna again. Take it or leave it."
Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Ric returning from the bathroom, his inquisitive eyes trained on me as I carried on with my revised plan.
"How do we know if she's even alive? She could already be dead or taken to Mexico by now. Of course, it would be stupid of you to make a run for it with a child slowing you down and attracting unwanted attention, but how do we know that you're going to keep your word after we give you the money?" I threw in as a challenge, playing right into his fear of getting caught. "I want to have some kind of proof that you have Anna alive and well before I hand over the money to you."
An anxious Pearl started nodding her head enthusiastically at my mention of Anna, moving to stand next to me in her eagerness to find out about her daughter. My phone chose that moment to start ringing in my pocket, so I hastily turned the sound off before it roused any alarm. Glancing at the screen, I saw that it was Elijah, returning my calls. I waved at Ric to get his attention, but it was at that point that a soft knock sounded against the door, so he had gotten up to answer it. Torn between wanting to get the latest news from Elijah and negotiating for the safe return of my charge, I had to reluctantly ignore the buzzing in my hand and focus on the man on the other end of the line with me.
"My daughter is not with me right now. I left her in a safe place not far from where we are, actually. But you can be sure that I haven't harmed her and I'll give her back to her mother as soon as I get the money. All I want is my freedom and some cash to make myself scarce. The last thing I need is for a little tag-along kid who cries all the time, whining for her doll," he explained in a clipped tone.
My spirits lifted at the mention of little Anna, asking for her favorite toy that I gave her. It meant that she was still talking and hadn't reverted back to her previous traumatized state. The fact that she was talking was a sign that her condition had not worsened, and it was the first good news we've had of her in days.
Of course, that may change at any given moment. Still, the fact that Alan had mentioned 'we' just now in regards to his current location proved what I had suspected all along. He was somewhere around the hotel which meant that my next part of the plan could very well work. All I had to do now was to reel him in.
In the duration of Alan's explanation, Ric had opened the room door to admit a staff from the hotel, garbed head-to-toe in the hotel's uniform and pushing a cart full of room service orders in. As soon as the door closed behind him, the man had removed his hat and matching jacket, revealing that it was Officer Blinky, sneaking in incognito. I have to say that I was impressed, albeit reluctantly.
Ric pressed a finger to his lips and pointed to me, so I pushed the speaker button so that everyone in the room could now listen in on our conversation. "Look, Alan…you're asking for a lot of money here, double the initial amount that you told Pearl. I'll need to make another run to the bank and it's going to take some time to come up with the cash at the last minute. Give me another hour, at least, and you'll have your money then, but we'll need to do the exchange simultaneously; cash for Anna, in public."
I saw the surprise on Ric and the officer's faces at my words, but I shook my head at them firmly. I pointed at Ric's iPhone and mouthed the words 'GPS', prompting him to quickly work on his part of our plan.
"In fact, I'll tell you what," I went on, baiting my hook and waiting for him to bite, being the greedy moron he was. "I'll give you twenty five grand right now as a sign of good faith. Then you'll go back to wherever you kept Anna, call Pearl again and let us talk to her so that we know she's safe before you bring her back here in time to get the rest of the money. This way, I'll know that you'll keep your end of the bargain. No police involved, and you'll have enough money to disappear for a long time."
I could see Officer Blinky gesturing madly at me, but I ignored him, choosing to pay attention to Ric's raised eyebrow. At times like these, I was grateful to have my best friend with me, knowing that we had the same wavelength. At the very least, he was waiting for me to get off the phone before yelling at me for changing the game plan.
"Alright, so how do we do this?"
Hell-to-the-fuck-yeah.
I scanned the room for ideas, and then the room service cart attracted my attention. "Okay, I'll put the money into a….black suitcase and send a room service waiter out with a cart to the back entrance of the hotel in fifteen minutes. You can go pick it up as soon as he leaves. Then Pearl will be waiting for your call to speak to Anna, after which we'll do the exchange in person in an hour's time at the same place."
The black suitcase was a stroke of inspiration at the last second, but I thought that it provided more hidden compartments than the regular brown paper bag I had arrived with. At this rate, I was almost shivering with anticipation of wrapping my hands around his neck very soon.
"No, I'll pick the location for the exchange. I'll tell you where later," he countered, sounding nervous for the first time since I had been calling the shots so far in the conversation. It didn't matter where it would take place, because I wasn't going to let it get that far anyway.
"Fine," I sighed dramatically, as if I was resigned to cater to his every whim. "We'll be waiting for your call."
As soon as the call disconnected, Ric and the officer were all up in my face in seconds. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" the officer demanded. "You're actually negotiating with a wanted criminal in exchange for the girl? Once he has his hands on the money, what makes you think that he's going to come back with her at all? He could have taken the cash and run with her, or dump her somewhere along the way!"
"Yeah, Damon, what's with the new plan? I thought we'll give him the money, and then that's it? We're supposed to use the phone thing to track him down, right?" Ric spoke up.
"Yes, well about that, he's asking for more money now, and before, we didn't even know if Anna's still with him or not. I'm sorry, Pearl, but it's a very real possibility," I flashed an apologetic look over at the very distraught mother who flinched at my words. "I have more hope than ever but I also have to be realistic. There was nothing stopping him from skipping town immediately after we gave him the fifty grand, anyway. Now, he has more reason to go back to where he's kept her, confirm to us that she's fine, and keep her safe to come back for more money. Why settle for twenty five when he can get the full hundred Gs, right? Only now, when he goes back for her…"
"…we'll be tracking him with the GPS! And, if that fails, at least we'll have another chance to get him when he shows up with Anna," Ric finished for me, a triumphant grin on his face while giving me a fist-pump.
Feeling more confident than I've ever felt since Anna first disappeared from the hospital, I turned to greet Officer Blinky with a broad smile, thinking that we had cracked the whole case wide open for the police, only to be met by a dazed and confused look on his face. Seriously, how hard was it to keep up with the plan?
"Mind filling me in at what was supposed to be my job?" he quipped.
I shot my buddy a dark look and rolled my eyes, prompting him to launch into an explanation of our entire brilliant plan – if I may say so myself – while I set up the iPad, and returned Elijah's call at the same time.
Sometimes, I amaze myself at how efficient I am when it comes to multi-tasking.
"You know how iPhones have this 'Find My iPhone' feature, right? Well basically, we're going to activate it so that it acts like a GPS tracking device and hide it together with the money in the bag. That way, we can track his location using the iPad here and follow him back to wherever he's keeping Anna," Ric explained calmly as he started packing some of the cash I brought into one of Pearl's suitcases, making sure to turn off the sound on his phone and hiding it in one of the zippered compartments. "I know it's not as good as your fancy detective gadgets, but it was the best one we've managed to come up with given the time-frame."
Stony silence greeted him and then a random burst of enthusiastic response that seemed to shocked the rest of us in the room. "That's brilliant!" Officer Blinky replied, quickly moving into action as we watched the formerly useless cop pull out his earpiece and began to bark orders at his team, presumably stationed around the premise, unnoticed by Alan.
Meanwhile, I had been waiting for my call to Elijah to connect, and it took some time before he finally answered. "Damon, where the hell are you?" he growled into my ear, catching me off guard.
"I'm at Pearl's hotel with Ric and one of your guys. I've been trying to get hold of you because we had a lead about Anna but we're handling it right-"
"I know, Bennett already filled me in," he interrupted urgently. "My phone was on my desk when you called while I was with the Chief, but never mind that now. Please tell me that Elena's with you. I can't reach her."
From his tone, I could tell that something serious had gone wrong, and if my instincts were correct, it had something to do with a certain rapist. "No, she's at home," I said slowly, "asleep and safe, I assume….unless you have something you haven't told me?"
"God-dammit!" he swore loudly and then I could hear the sound of the siren on his car, wailing in the background. "Mason was released on bail this morning, but I only found out about it when I came in. I've been yelling at my boss ever since but Lockwood's out. I'm just leaving the station to your house, but Damon…you better get home now!"
To say that I was shocked would be an understatement. I felt as if a freight train had run over me…twice. "But-but how?! He's not allowed to post bail. What the hell happened?"
"The bastard appealed and his attorneys argued that denying bail was excessive because he had no priors and his family members are prominent members of the town. The idiot judge who granted it is a golf buddy of his brother's, Richard Lockwood, who just so happens to be conveniently donating a new hospital wing in the name of charity. It's all about who you know in the legal business these days!" he bit out in disgust. "Lockwood made bail earlier today but was ordered to follow certain conditions, one of which included a restraining order against any and all witnesses."
"Restraining order, my ass!" I roared, startling Ric and Pearl. Everything became crystal clear to me in a matter of seconds. The sudden ransom demand after a whole week of silence, the timing, the fact that Lockwood had visited Alan that one time in prison and finally, the appeal for bail; it all fell into perspective for me when viewed in its entirety.
Anna was simply a distraction.
"I'll start heading home now. You'll probably catch up to me on your way over," I told him and then proceeded to hang up on him.
I whirled around, getting ready to utter a string of apologies to Pearl for taking off at such a crucial moment, but I was stunned when she immediately hugged me close, giving me a reassuring pat on my back. "Don't worry about Anna, Damon. You go take care of your girl and I'll take care of mine. I really need to thank you for all your help. I don't know what I'd do if it wasn't for you."
She gave me a wobbly smile which I returned half-heartedly, my mind occupied with nothing but my brunette who seemed to be in perpetual danger. I murmured a thank you as I rubbed her arms comfortingly and then passed the iPad back to Ric who was watching me silently.
"I can go with you, Damon," he offered. "Officer Bennett can handle things from here anyway. Let me help you."
I shook my head, moving quickly towards the door. "No, I don't trust anyone else with Anna, Ric. I really need you to be here, accompanying Pearl and making sure that things go accordingly, okay? Otherwise, I can't concentrate on Elena if I'm constantly worried about the situation over here. Just let me know when you've got her back safely, okay?"
"Yeah, I will. Good luck, man."
With a heavy heart, I left the hotel room, mentally cursing God, the universe, Lockwood, Alan and the legal system in general for the injustice against innocents like my girls. If the world is filled with so many evil wrongdoers, then Hell must be pretty empty. That or Mystic Falls has literally become Hell on Earth, judging by the number of monsters that reside in it.
I decided to try my luck and dialed Elena's number, cursing when it went straight to voice mail. As I got into my car, I tried twice more, both to no avail. Then, I called my brother's phone, hoping that he was at home and able to check up on her.
"Yellow," he greeted cheerily when the call connected, my spirits lifting a little at the thought that I was probably overreacting yet again.
"Orange ya at home?" I replied back automatically, reminding me of the childhood game we used to play when we were kids.
"Nope, I drove Care Bear to school today but I'm heading back now. What's up?"
And just like that, my heart sank to the deepest recess of my chest and I was left struggling to breathe properly, flooring the accelerator as I sped the rest of the way home. "Lockwood's out."
Two little words. So much fear. No explanations needed.
"Fuck."
My feet hit the gravel of my driveway as soon as my car screeched to a stop, not even bothering to shut off the engine as I ran the rest of the way to my front door. Just before I flung the door wide open, I heard a male voice screaming from within, confirming my suspicions. I burst in, took two steps and froze, my heart clenched in terror as I took in the sight in front of me.
My worst nightmare had come true.
There was Elena, struggling against the very man who had caused so much hurt, so much pain to her, and they seemed to be engaged in a battle of sorts. My eyes immediately zoomed in on their tangled hands between them, noticing that they appeared to be fighting over something.
For a split second, everything seemed to stop when she turned her attention to mine, her shoulders sagging with relief at my presence. Then the next few seconds happened in slow motion, as if one was playing a scratched CD where a scene would move frame by frame in an agonizingly slow speed on a screen. It was like watching a train wreck happening right in front of my very eyes.
A shot rang out, the unexpected sound reverberating throughout the stillness of the house.
All three of us froze, our expressions in varying degrees of shock. I experienced fear and terror in equal measures at that point, unable to fully comprehend the scene before me. I watched a wide-eyed Elena stagger backwards, a weapon dropping to the floor with a loud thud.
Her entire front was covered in blood splatters.
"Elena!" I called out, frightened to the point of pure terror now.
It was at that moment that I spurred into action, my blood running cold at that nagging feeling at the back of my head that told me I was going to lose her. Stifling my rising panic, I reached out for her shaking hands, grabbing her elbows to spin her around to face me as I kicked the weapon away with my foot, making sure that it was nowhere near Lockwood.
"Oh my God, where are you hurt?" I managed to choke out through my tightening throat, my hands frantically feeling around her blood-stained shirt in search for the gunshot wound. When she didn't respond, I looked up at her ashen face, but her gaze was locked on a spot next to me. I cupped her face gently, forcing her to meet my eyes. "Elena, talk to me, dammit! You're bleeding and I can't find th-"
"It's not mine," she whispered all of a sudden, her attention reverting back to the silent man a few steps away.
I followed her gaze, and sure enough, I watched Lockwood looking down at the blood spreading on the front of his shirt in disbelief, and then he crumpled to the floor, clutching at his stomach as he grunted in pain.
I almost wept with relief.
"She really shot me," he gasped out, holding his bloodied fingers in front of his incredulous eyes.
I heard heavy footsteps from the entrance doorway, and then Stefan's voice as he came running. "Woah there, wh-what's happening, Damon? Why is there blood?"
I ignored him for now, because I was still preoccupied with the feeling of intense joy that Elena was unhurt. I clasped her cheeks and pulled her attention back to me, seeing the approaching panic on her face now that the shock was wearing off.
"Hey, hey, listen to me," I said in the calmest voice I could muster. "Did he hurt you?
She stared back at me blankly as if I was speaking a foreign language, but then she blinked before her hands reached down to pat herself all over. "I-I don't think so…n-no. He had a knife-and oh God, Pig!" she exclaimed as her palm covered over her mouth in fear. "He was coming at me, threatening Pig and-and Anna so that I'll drop the case, and then he was choking me! I-I couldn't breathe but then I remembered what you taught me and I got away. I ran upstairs with Pig and I grabbed the g-gun, and then Mason-he said that someone was home and I was so scared! I thought that maybe either of you had come home and I wanted to warn you, so I-I came down and then he started telling me about my parents and asking me to shoot him, but I didn't! I swear I didn't!"
I nodded along encouragingly as she rambled on, all the while keeping part of my attention on my brother who had retrieved a few hand towels from the kitchen and was now bent over the writhing criminal on the floor with one hand pressed against the gushing wound while the other was holding a cell phone to his ear, requesting for medical help. A part of me resented the fact that Lockwood wasn't yet dead, but the rational side of me thought that it was better keeping him alive.
Sometimes, I just hated my rational side.
"I know, I know you didn't, babe," I muttered to Elena, pulling her against me so that her head was resting on my chest. God, for a moment there, I really thought that I was walking into the living nightmare scene that had been my mother's death all over again. Nine and a half years ago, I lost my mother in this very same house at almost the same spot, and today, I really thought that I was reliving the whole thing again, except with the woman I love more than life itself.
If she had been the one who got shot…..
Shaking my head to clear all the negative and depressing thoughts, I just mentally thanked the Lord that I didn't need to finish the end of that sentence. Elena was safe, and that was all that mattered.
"Damon," came her anguished whisper. I pulled back to find her eyes welling up with tears, her lower lip quivering as she struggled to regain control of her emotions. "My parents' car….he was the one who caused the crash that night. If it wasn't for him, I'd still have my parents, my home, and I wouldn't have had to move in with him. A-and he had something to do with Anna, too!"
The tears that were brimming now cascaded down her cheeks, and I quickly brushed them away with my thumbs, caressing her wet and soft skin lovingly as I gazed down at her with sympathy. I couldn't even fathom what she was going through then, knowing that the man she once loved had practically caused her entire world to crash down around her. I remembered very well what I felt the day my mother died at the hands of my father; but at least I didn't have to live with the man after.
"An ambulance is on its way here, and so is Elijah, ETA five to seven minutes," Stefan suddenly piped in, obviously listening in on us while he was busy playing nurse.
"You hear that, Elena? Help is on the way, so I need you to go upstairs with Stef now," I told her quietly while my brother glanced up at me with a puzzled expression on his face. "He'll help you get cleaned up and get the bloodstains out."
"What? What about you?" she asked, her anxious eyes darting between us.
"I'm going to stay here until the ambulance arrives. I'll take care of him," I gestured at the bleeding man, my jaws automatically clenching at the thought of helping someone like him. Sure, my entire career is based on helping people - victims, in particular - but nobody said I had to be perfect.
Stefan then stood up, his brows furrowing at my choice of words in regards to Mister-Not-Even-That-Badly-Wounded. "I'll stay, Damon. My hands are already covered in his blood anyway," he insisted, holding his palms out as proof.
I knew that my brother was concerned, but it was time I had a conversation with Lockwood. "No. I got here to the scene first and it was my gun he was shot with. I have to explain everything to Elijah when he gets here. Now please, Stef. Take Elena upstairs and stay with her. I really don't want her to be alone right now, not after…."
I didn't need to finish my sentence for him to know what I was thinking. This house had been her safe haven, the only place she could stay without having to worry about her safety or being threatened. And then Lockwood somehow managed to break in and ruin her comfort zone, bringing violence and mayhem into the peace she'd once enjoyed. If she suddenly had an emotional breakdown alone upstairs, there was no telling what she might do to herself; she could even convince herself that she was a murderess on top of everything else.
"Damon, what are you going to do?"
My features softened as I returned my gaze to her troubled ones, and I smiled softly in an effort to comfort her. "I'll behave myself, don't worry. I just have to tie up some loose ends, that's all. I'll be fine, okay?" With that, I tucked her hair behind her ears and leaned in to brush my lips against hers, only fleetingly because there were more urgent things to attend to. I stroked her cheek with the back of my fingers one more time before I led her over to Stefan who dutifully wrapped an arm around her slim shoulders, guiding her over to the stairs while flashing a final warning look at me.
I watched them go, still motionless on the exact same spot until I could no longer see their retreating backs. A low moan a few feet away pulled my attention, but I made my way slowly and calmly to the spot I had kicked the gun, lowering myself on my hunches to pick it up. Making my way back to the horizontal figure on the floor, I crouched low over him, finding satisfaction when his eyes widened in fear at the sight of the weapon in my hand.
"Please," he choked out, gasping. "You don't have to do this."
I stared down at him wordlessly, taking in his appearance fully for the first time since I entered the house. His nose seemed to be broken and there was blood everywhere, staining my carpet. I would have killed him just for that alone.
"No, I don't have to do anything, but you come into my house, threatened my family, worked with another criminal to kidnap a little girl, and you expect me to just what…be a good Samaritan and hold your hand while you bleed all over my carpets?" I asked in a chilling tone, seeing his adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed nervously. "No, I protect what's mine and I actually think I'd be doing the world a favor if I just finished the job and end you, right here, right now."
Fear. Uncertainty. Panic.
His features displayed all three emotions clearly as he remained helpless beside me. Hoping to taunt him further, I decided to prolong his agony, seeing as he had no idea what I had in mind for him. "What's with the nose job?"
"E-Elena…"
"She did that, huh?" I asked, my face breaking into a wry smile at the thought of my warrior princess being all badass. Damn if I wasn't proud. "That's my girl! I taught her that, you know?"
"She broke my nose!" he complained. "And I'm bleeding and it hurts like hell. I need help…please."
"Wow, so we've resorted to pleading, haven't we? Didn't I walk in on you screaming for Elena to go ahead and shoot you, or was that simply a ploy to get her to cave to your demands? Probably spoilt your plans when I burst in here and caught you off guard, right? Bet you didn't expect the gun to accidentally go off when it did, did ya?"
Despite my earlier words of 'ending' him, my ingrained first aid training kicked in, and I obligingly pressed a towel directly on his wound and applied more pressure than required on it. I hated every moment I was that close to the monster but somehow, saving his life seemed like the right thing to do.
Didn't mean I had to like it.
"It didn't just 'go off'. She pointed the thing at me and I'm the one with a hole in my gut! If I'm going down for rape, then she's going down for attempted murder," he grumbled defensively, apparently still hadn't yet learnt his lesson that he was in the mercy of an armed and angry guy.
That did it!
"Now you listen to me and you listen carefully," I growled in a low voice as I grabbed him up by his collar, my gun-wielding hand pressing the gun to his temple before making its way down slowly. "If you say or do anything to hurt Elena again, I'll make sure that it's not your gut that's gonna have a hole in it," I threatened, holding the muzzle painfully right against his crotch, "but your dick, you sad, pathetic excuse for a man! Do I need to remind you that you've not only caused Elena to lose her family in a single day, but also her home and then abused and raped her after everything she's been through? Are you really that much of a cold-blooded monster that not only have you robbed her of her life but now you're planning on taking her entire future along with you?"
To my disbelieving eyes, I saw a flicker of doubt and tiny sign of guilt in his eyes, prompting me to press on with my effort to penetrate through his thick skull.
"No matter what you say, you're heading towards a life within a six by six prison cell where there are no windows. You sealed your own fate the moment you stepped foot inside this house and brought a weapon against a witness in an attempt to threaten her. You're already in direct violation of the restraining order imposed just this morning. When the cops get here, you'll tell them that the gun went off accidentally in a struggle. You will not utter Elena's name and a gun in the same sentence or I'll make this seem like a cake walk compared to life behind bars with all those other violent criminals. Let's just say that I know plenty of people on the 'inside' who don't take too kindly to rapists and physical abusers, so you better get your story right or….."
I let the end of that sentence hang, deliberately allowing his mind to conjure up painful images of torture or getting rear-ended by some inmates. I figured that it was illegal for me to kill him, so I'd just let his own mind do the trick.
"Damon! What the hell are you doing?"
At the sound of Elijah's voice, I reluctantly straightened up, picking up a clean towel with one hand and putting my forefinger through the trigger guide of my gun as I raised my hands up in the air. He was flanked by two police officers who were watching me warily followed by a team of EMTs who immediately rushed over to attend to the victim beside me. Belatedly, I realized that I should have heard the sound of the sirens approaching but I supposed that I was too caught up in making threats.
"Nothing, just doing my part as the neighborhood watcher. Caught a burglar," I said sarcastically as I cocked my head at Lockwood. I walked over to the detective and placed the weapon, now wrapped in the towel, in his hand. "Here, the safety's on. Now please get this fucker out of my house and off my property before he ruins my pretty carpets even further."
I saw the tensed expression on Elijah's face as he struggled to make sense of the scene he walked in on. "Where's Elena?"
"Upstairs," I told him distractedly as my attention focused mainly on the medical team now lifting Lockwood onto a stretcher before rushing out to the ambulance. "Any news from Ric yet?"
"Yeah, my boys just picked up Alan and Anna's with Pearl right now. She's unharmed," he quickly added before I could ask. My shoulders sagged with relief at the news, glad that something went right for the first time today.
"That's good, that's really good news. Now if only criminals actually stayed in prison, that'll be a pleasant change, don't you think?"
"Look, Damon," he sighed, approaching me when I still couldn't seem to concentrate. "Hey, this is serious! I've got a gunshot victim and an alleged suspect hiding upstairs. I need to talk to Elena and get her statement."
Well, he had my full attention now.
"What do you mean by a suspect? You don't think that she shot him on purpose, did you?"
He pursed his lips but remained quiet, but his silence spoke volumes about his thought process. I couldn't count on Lockwood to keep Elena out of this mess, so I took matters into my own hands. "It was me," I blurted out of the blue, surprising everyone including myself. All I knew was that she had to be protected and the only way I could do that was by owning up to everything. "I shot the bastard. He had a knife and he lunged at me, so I shot him. Elena had nothing to do with it. She wasn't even anywhere near us when it happened."
For some reason, my false admission seemed to have angered Elijah, judging by his deep scowl. "What the hell are you playing at? Stefan called me and told me-"
"My brother doesn't know squat! He got here after everything was over, just in time to see Lockwood already on the floor with a bullet hole the size of dinner plates in his stomach," I yelled in exasperation. "It's my gun and I had a strong motive for wanting him dead. I'm also an excellent shot. Investigation's over, boys - case closed. I'm turning myself in."
I walked over calmly to the officers, holding my wrists together in preparation for the handcuffs, but Elijah quickly shook his head and held up his hand to stop them. "You just might be the craziest guy alive, you know that? I hope you know what you're doing," he muttered in my ear as he grasped my arm and led me out the door after instructing the two officers to remain behind to case the place for evidence.
I had to agree with him. The things I'd do for this one particular girl.
"Find the damned knife, would ya?" I called out over my shoulder. "And for God's sake, don't break anything!"
I sat on an old two-seater PVC couch in Elijah's office, fidgeting uncomfortably as the material made farting noises every time I moved.
"That was the chair, not me. That has been going on all day," I hurriedly explained to the three silent men standing before me, their scowls and glares focused solely on my slightly sheepish face. Clearing my throat, I squirmed in my seat once more, setting off another bout of suspicious sounds. "Seriously, Elijah, you should get this chair replaced or people will start to talk about your flatulence problem."
I gave a nervous chuckle and then sobered quickly at the cold reception of my ill-timed joke. I pursed my lips and waited for someone to say something but their continued silence and chilly demeanor only made me even more uneasy.
"Not me, though. I'm a strictly SBD kind of guy, you know, silent-but-deadly, but you guys knew that already, right?" I continued to ramble when the atmosphere of the room got too tensed again. "Just be thankful that we are not one of those sea creatures known as crinoids, where their anus is located right next to their mouths. I mean, that's gotta suck, right?"
Nothing. Nada. Zilch.
Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. "Alright, guys. Tell me, how much trouble am I in right now?"
"Huge."
"Massive."
"Potentially catastrophic."
This time, their swift replies didn't comfort me at all, though I was grateful that I no longer had to talk about gas exiting from the anus to fill in the awkward silence. "On a scale of one to ten, how angry is she?"
"Oh, I'd say about a thousand," Stefan leaned in to peer at the other two clowns who flanked him on both sides as they shrugged and then nodded in agreement.
"Give or take five, maybe," Ric chimed in, not at all helpful.
I sighed deeply, sinking back into the lumpy seat as I pinched the bridge of my nose. "So I've got some major sucking-up to do, huh?"
A snort erupted from my brother, as if I've just said the understatement of the century. "Ohhhh, I'd say so. Honestly, I've never heard a lady swear so much and so loudly before. Remind me not to piss her off."
"And she's not your only worry right now," Elijah said, glaring down at me, his arms crossed over his chest. "As usual, we all have to clean up after your mess whenever you come up with some hair-brained plan, no matter how ridiculous it may be, like this whole admission-of-guilt-for-shooting- Lockwood thing! Do you have any idea how much paper work I have to do now just because you decided to be a hero and make a false admission?"
"I'm-I'm sorry," I apologized with a hopeful expression, feeling silly now for the trouble I caused. I should probably use my brain more often before making hasty decisions, like lying to the police. "How the hell was I supposed to know that Lockwood's gonna grow a conscience and start telling the truth all of a sudden? He was threatening to frame Elena for shooting him right before you got there!"
Moments ago, I was as surprised as the rest of my friends when Lockwood finally made his statement to an officer in the hospital where he was now recuperating from a surgery after the events from this morning. According to him, he only showed up at the mansion to "personally apologize to his ex and make amends".
Yeah, right!
Nothing says "I'm sorry" better than attempting to choke a person and threaten her lovingly with a knife. Well, at least he had the decency to exonerate Elena by admitting that the gun going off had been a freak accident that neither of them had intended. Perhaps he should get shot more often.
"Maybe you threatening to blast a few inches off his dick managed to convince him? You'd be amazed what a man would do to protect his prized penis," Elijah quipped, referring to the part where while I had my gun pointed at Lockwood's groin just as he burst in. I had to admit, though; I felt like a badass doing it. "Anyway, Elena confirmed that part of the story when I spoke to her earlier, so with her whole account of what went on at the house and his fingerprints on the knife that we found in the kitchen, the case is quite self-explanatory."
I groaned out loud in objection because the whole point of my stupid but heroic admission was to keep Elena out of it, but the stubborn girl just refused to cooperate. "I didn't want her to be involved in the first place. Elijah, I thought I told you to leave her alone."
"Hey, if it was up to me, I would have thrown you in jail for obstruction of justice by lying to the police, but that woman of yours stormed downstairs when my guys were collecting evidence at your house, so they had to take her statement. She was pretty adamant about it, too," the detective said thoughtfully.
"Yeah, it was actually kinda funny," Stefan chuckled. "One of the officers actually recoiled in fear when she found out that you have taken the blame for the gunshot and let me just say that for her size, she's got quite a set of lungs."
I smiled fondly as I imagined my little firecracker, yelling at unsuspecting guys, probably pinning them down with her wide-eyed glare. Spending the last twelve hours away from her proved to be challenging, especially when I was technically 'in custody', except that I was bored out of my mind sitting in Elijah's office at the station while he popped in and out, busy with the aftermath of my confession.
All I wanted to do was to go home, wrap my arms around Elena, tie us together, grab a quick shower and fall into bed. In that order. "Where is she, anyway?"
"Well, before she kicked me and Stefan out under strict orders to retrieve you - even if we had to stage a prison break and make a run for it," Ric laughed nervously as he slid his eyes sideways at Elijah's grim expression, "she was spending some time with Pearl and Anna at the hospital. That little girl is so attached to her."
Hospital? They were in the hospital?! "Do you mean to tell me that Elena and Lockwood were in the same building at the same time today?" I managed to sputter out through clenched jaws at the thought of it. Jeez, how hard was it to keep the girl away from the bad man who wanted to hurt her?
"Oh, come on! He was unconscious and in surgery and she was way over in the other wing in the pediatrics department. We made sure that they never even crossed paths, okay?" he rolled his eyes at me like I was being a particularly difficult child. "You're being such a big baby about Elena, you know that, right? No wonder she chose to go to bed rather than to bring you home herself!"
Oh. That explained it. She was mad at me for the stunt I pulled earlier and that was why she sent the boys to deal with me. I couldn't help the crestfallen look on my face and the disappointment I felt at her continued absence.
"I can't do it!" lamented Stefan, throwing his hands up in the air as his lower lip quivered, struggling to hold back his laughter. "I mean, look at his face! He reminds me of Pig with that pouty lips and droopy eyes. I tried and I'm sorry but-"
I looked up in surprise when he broke off mid sentence and strode to the door, pulling it wide open to reveal…
"Elena?" I whispered in disbelief as I slowly got to my feet.
There she stood, with her gorgeous brown eyes glowering at me. I didn't expect to see her standing at the entrance to Elijah's office, but what I really didn't see coming was what happened next.
She came straight at me, stopping just a foot away and then with our eyes fiercely locked on each other, she lifted up one of her booted leg and kicked my shin. Hard.
"Owwwww!"
My loud protest was probably heard by the rest of the station, causing several of the staff to sneak a peek through the doorway to snicker at my agony.
Her brow arched and then her lips formed just a single word. "Why?"
Such a loaded question, and so many possible answers that might satisfy her, but I opted for the simple truth. "Because you're worth it."
In the silence that ensued, tears had gathered in her eyes, turning them into murky depths that I lost myself in. And then she launched herself at me, her lips meeting mine in a frenzied attack. There was a collective "Awww" in the room, but my focus was mainly on the woman in my arms and kissing her back with all the love I had for her.
An eternity later, the pressure of her lips eased on mine, and then we were breathing each other in heavily, my eyes still closed.
"Elijah?" I heard her mumble. "Who do I have to yell at in order to bring my boyfriend home right now?"
Boyfriend. She had never used that word in front of me before. I felt all precious.
"Nobody," came the quick reply, sounding slightly scared despite the sweetness of her voice. "We have Mason's statement and the Chief is willing to overlook Damon's temporary insanity because of his assistance on Anna's case, so he's free to go."
"Good."
With that said, her fingers intertwined with mine and I let her lead me out of the station, leaving the three amigos behind to fend for themselves. I just followed along silently, my gaze firmly on her face which was set in determination.
Not seeing her for the past twelve hours seemed like days of starvation to me, so I drank the sight of her in, starting from her hair, straight, silky and much longer than before. Then I noticed the dark shadows under her eyes, and I regretted the worry I had caused her. Her lips were next, remembering how soft and sweet they tasted just moments ago when they were on mine.
Then my attention shifted to her adorable attire, her bare legs that went on for miles before disappearing under a denim skirt, coupled with a dark and tight tee-shirt with a yellow logo emblazoned across her chest.
Oh, how cute, it was the Batman symbol, a familiar sight from my favorite superhero comic book. I wondered if it was new because I hadn't seen her wearing it before. Unless she had gone shopping recently and-
Holy cannoli.
In an instant, my mind drew up a conversation I had with her one night in her room, the very first time I spent the night in her bed.
"How do we know when either of us is ready? How do we tell each other?"
"Maybe we could get one of those bat signals on the roof to announce it. That would actually be super cool!" I had said.
If my gut feeling was right, this was my bat signal. She was telling me that she's ready.
Holy shit.
My twitter: cgsa_cher
Thank you, KRISTI, my professional beta. *kick* XD You're welcome.
Thank you to all my readers and 75 reviewers for the previous chapter alone. There are no words for how much I appreciate and love you all. Having said that… *kicks all of you in the tushie*
Do you feel loved yet?