A/N: Well it seems my writing mood is back. Yay. Chapters for my other two stories should be following soon too :)
It really can be a challenge to try and work your brain into three stories, lol.
Thank you so much for your continued support and reviews on this story. We are almost at the end. I always had a way this story was going to finish and even though I am trying to talk myself out of it, I'm not going to. It was meant to be the way it will...
Evil hat says I can't change my mind.
Thank you so much to PrintDust for the rockin beta and tips! Even if she keeps calling me evil, lmao.
Please let me know your thoughts.
Chapter 22
They reached the sofa and Sara softly placed her hands on his shoulders. With gentle pressure she urged him down. "Sit..." she whispered.
He did so, slumping onto the seat.
Sara sat beside him, reaching a hand to his face. "Keep still," she urged as her fingers nipped the bridge of his nose.
Grissom winced, closing his eyes as she inspected his injury. A few tears of pain fell down his cheeks - he couldn't help it. His body just reacted to the stinging shooting through his head.
Frowning deeply, Sara worked her hands around the bone and cartilage, then pulled back to inspect his eyes; the skin surrounding them had definitely darkened, forming bruises under his eyes.
"I think it's broken," she sighed.
Groaning, his eyes opened. "Terrific," he muttered.
She shuffled, moving in closer to him. "I..." Sara held a hand to his cheek, "...should try and click it back in. It will be more painful if we leave it."
He swallowed hard but offered her a nod.
"It's going to hurt," she said.
"I know." Grissom held no illusion that snapping a broken bone back into place would be a walk in the park. "Just...do what you need to do..."
Puffing out a breath, Sara nodded. "Keep still," she whispered, shifting one hand back to grip his nose, right in the middle this time while she slipped the other to the back of his head to keep him still.
He scrunched his eyes closed as he felt her grasp firmly onto his injured flesh, his fingers gliding across the sofa to clench around a cushion.
"Take a breath," she urged.
He did and without wasting any time, Sara quickly but with a great deal of pressure, twisted his nose upwards and it cracked.
Grissom didn't shout out but his teeth gritted harshly and a large groan escaped his lips.
Sara tenderly cupped his face in her hands, her eyes waiting for his to open.
"I think...I got it," she said tenderly.
His eyes watered again and he gave a nod of confirmation.
She took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You okay?" The concern for her husband was very evident in her tone.
Slowly his eyes opened and he quickly attempted to wipe away the tears. He swallowed hard and then timidly nodded. "Just a little...dizzy," he admitted.
Sara grabbed a cushion and placed it behind his head. "Sit back," she insisted. "Just...try and relax."
He gave her an unconvincing look.
"Please, Gil..." She placed her hands on his shoulders again and urged him back. "What else are you going to do right now?"
Sighing, he allowed her to push him back onto the cushion, guiding his head to rest upon it. Instantly, he felt blood dribbling down the back of his throat, no doubt from the realignment. It was unpleasant and bitter and he coughed.
Slowly she placed her lips against his ear. "Close your eyes," she whispered.
He enjoyed the feeling of her breath on his skin, even if it wasn't the most appropriate time to be having such feelings. Reluctantly, he closed his eyes and he felt as she softly kissed him on the cheek.
"Try and rest for a while..."
"What about you?" he mumbled.
She placed her head on his shoulder and snuggled up as closely as she could without hurting him. "I'll be right here..."
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Ryan returned some ten minutes later donned in clean but a little baggy looking clothing. At least he didn't look like a zombie from Night of the living dead anymore. Well, his clothes didn't at least.
A smirk appeared on his face as he approached the sofa to see the couple closely cuddled together, both with their eyes closed. He looked them over for a minute before he came to the conclusion they were sleeping.
"Peace at last," he muttered to himself before sidestepping to check on the cop.
"He dead yet?" Jay asked, still trying to get dry by the fire.
Reaching his fingers to the unconscious man's neck, Ryan checked his pulse. "Not quite," he replied, noting Danny still had a heartbeat.
Moving to the window, Ryan opened the drapes a touch and looked outside. "The weather doesn't seem as bad." He checked his watch again and then licked his lips. "It's time..." He turned back to this brother. "I'm going to try and call..."
Jay nodded moving away from the fire. "You remember the number?" he asked, pulling Grissom's cell from his pocket.
"No," Ryan said, reaching out to take the phone from his brother. "I thought I'd just keep dialling random numbers and see what happens..."
"Very funny," Jay griped.
Taking the phone with a grin, Ryan punched in the numbers. He held up the phone. "Damn it. Still not getting a signal here..."
Jay pointed across the room. "Try the kitchen, it's more open, bigger window..."
Dropping a nod, Ryan moved towards the kitchen and Jay followed him.
They disappeared into the kitchen and the second the door closed, Sara's eyes popped open. She wasn't sleeping at all. Carefully, she lifted her head from her husband's shoulder. He had passed out a short while ago, through either pain or exhaustion. She wasn't sure which.
She stood, being careful not to wake him and quietly approached the kitchen. Once she reached the door, she placed her ear to it and listened. She couldn't really hear anything through the hard wood apart from mumbling, so, she took a breath and cautiously pushed the door open a touch. Just enough so she could hear what they were saying.
"You got anything?" Jay asked. Watching as his brother held the cell up by the window.
"One bar, but it keeps coming and going." He switched positions, trying a different area. "I need to wait until it's stable or I'll lose the call."
Leaning against the kitchen sink, Jay folded his arms across his chest. "So once we get final instructions, then what?"
Ryan looked to him with a frown. "What do you mean?"
Shrugging, Jay continued. "Well for one, you said they'd cut the price. Are we gonna live with that?"
Working his jaw, Ryan's frown deepened. "I told you I'm not happy about it but what can we do?" He glared at the phone as it still struggled to keep any form of balanced communication to the outside world.
Sara listened on...
"They are dicking with us Ryan, you know that."
Ryan sighed. "So..."
"So..." Jay licked his lips. "How about we screw them? Take their money and the diamonds back. We can find another buyer somewhere."
Ryan shot him a serious look.
"Come on..." Jay pushed from the counter. "It's not like we're not Wanted men now, is it? Let's get the cash, get rid of the buyers and then shoot to Mexico. We will easily be able to sell the goods down there."
Ryan dropped his arm for a second. "And what about the people we owe money to?"
"What about them? They ain't gonna come to Mexico now, are they? They won't have a clue where we are. I say fuck 'em."
Ryan held up the phone again. "Interesting proposal," he surmised.
"So...what do you say?"
"I say..." Ryan continued, "...we wait and see exactly what we are up against when we get to the buyer. It all depends on their fire power. If we can take them, okay, let's do it. If they have an arsenal, I'd rather leave with my head and balls attached." He glanced to his brother. "Don't you agree?"
Jay nodded. "Okay."
Now Ryan smiled.
"So...what about them?" Jay added in quickly.
Sara's ears perked up.
Scratching the back of his head with his free hand Ryan noticed the signal was getting better. "Who?"
"You know who," the younger brother accused. "Look, Ryan..." Jay's tone softened, "...I get you kind of like her..."
Now Ryan gave his brother his full and undivided attention and it wasn't a look of love he was offering.
Jay held up his hands. "Hold on...Just hear me out."
Ryan remained silent.
"Take her...Yes, a hostage is good. But...we don't need him. He's just getting in the way and he's just constantly causing us trouble. Just imagine what he's going to be like once were back on the road."
Ryan's frown returned.
"You know I'm right, Bro. He is excesses baggage and we don't need that now we are this close."
Sara's hand gripped tightly onto the door frame as she awaited an outcome to this conversation. She had the feeling it wasn't going to end well.
"So what do you propose?" Ryan asked.
Jay thought for just a moment. "You know we've got to kill him. He just knows too much about us now."
Sara felt her heart catch in her throat and her legs suddenly felt like jelly.
"I can take care of it," Jay added. "If you want me to."
Ryan sighed; he knew his brother was right. "Okay..." he mumbled.
Now Sara's heart strummed a million beats a minute. They were going to kill him...
…Oh God...
Her breathing became shallow and she felt sick again but as she was about to tear herself away from the door she stopped as Ryan spoke again.
"I got a signal," he said.
Quickly, he hit call again and the connection rang through.
"Yes?" the male on the other end answered.
"It's me," Ryan replied.
CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI
Catherine, Brass, Nick and Greg all ran into the AV lab once Archie put out the immediate word that Grissom's cell had been activated.
The lab rat was tapping frantically at his keyboard when they surrounded him.
"What have you got?" Catherine asked.
Archie nodded towards his monitor. "Someone's on Grissom's cell..."
"Can you pin point it?" Brass cut in, leaning over the desk, his eyes fixed to the screen.
"I'm trying..." Archie continued to tap buttons. The small red triangle on the monitor flashed as the chequered grid around it got smaller and smaller. "Definitely not in Vegas...not Henderson..."
Nick and Greg exchanged a look as Greg nibbled on his finger nails.
"Just a little longer..." Archie mumbled in hope. "Come on...come on..."
Everyone waited, all holding their breaths that the call would hold out long enough to get the trace.
"Got it!" Archie declared, hitting one final button.
"Well come on..." Catherine flapped. "Where are they?"
Archie wrote the address on a piece of paper, "Just outside Boulder City. Not far from the Lake Mead area..."
Brass snatched the paper from him and hot footed it out the door, pulling out his radio. Catherine looked to her team and all three were quick to chase after him.
CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI
"Ah...Mr Murphy. At last we speak again. Managing to keep yourself under the radar I presume?"
"I'm talking to you right now aren't I?" Ryan countered trying to keep his cool.
The man laughed. "I guess you are. I suppose I should give you a little credit. Not everyone can get themselves out of such sticky situations as you found yourself in." He paused for a moment. "But, I will be brief as I fear that credit is about to die."
Ryan's frown returned. "What do you mean?"
"I mean...you're an idiot!" the man shouted now.
Taking a step back, Ryan pulled the cell from his ear in surprise and glared at it. He took a breath before returning to the call. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
The man cleared his throat. "Please enlighten me as to whose cell phone you are calling me on. It's not your number and isn't a number that I recognise."
Looking to his brother, Ryan worked his jaw. "Um...it's...We...took it from one of the hostages. It's the only phone we have."
"And which hostage might that be?"
Ryan's nerves pinched. "He's a CSI."
"Ah..." There was a moments silence before the buyer continued. "Listen and listen very quickly, Mr Murphy. If you intend for this sale to ever take place, I suggest you get your dumb, little, ass, away from wherever it is you are and find a landline. Call me from that."
Ryan shook his head. "I don't...understand."
The man sighed. "You are being traced you fucking...imbecile!"
Ryan's eyes widened. "Oh shit..."
"Yeah...You get it now? Using law enforcements hardware you...Do you ever think? I'd say you're lucky if you've got twenty minutes before they find you."
"Okay...okay..." Ryan looked around, noticing the keys to the house owner's truck were on the sideboard. He quickly snatched them up. "I'll call you when I get to another line."
The man sighed again. "You have one hour and one hour only. Then we never speak again." He cut the connection.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Ryan shouted.
"What?" Jay questioned quickly. "What's going on?"
Ryan threw the phone across the room and it shattered against the wall. He pointed to the debris. "They'll be fucking tracing his cell!"
"Ah shit, we didn't think about that..."
"No we didn't, did we?"
"Hey..." Jay held up his hands, "...it's not my fault."
Ryan growled. "We don't have time to argue, we need to get going before they get here and find us."
Sara took that as her cue although she had absolutely no idea what they were going to do. She bolted from the door, running back to the sofa as quickly as her exhaustion would allow.
She leaned over her husband and gripped his upper arms. "Gil..." She shook him.
His eyes shot open as he startled himself awake and he sprang forward. A little too quickly causing him to become dizzy again and Sara had to keep a grip on him in order to stop him slumping backwards once more.
"Gil...we need to move...hide..." Sara said panicked.
He looked at her, still feeling out of it and he frowned.
"We need to hide," she repeated, looking over her shoulder.
Blinking hard, he finally focused. "What? I don't understand..."
She pulled on his hand, trying to get him up. "They are going to kill you," she whimpered.
Looking around frantically upon hearing her words, Grissom noted they were alone. She managed to pull him up and once he was on his feet, she cupped his face in her hands. "Listen to me. I heard them. They used your phone. They know it's going to be traced...help will be coming for us..." she swallowed hard. "They are leaving...and they are not taking you with them."
His breathing sped up and his eyes spiralled in lost circles. She pulled on his hand. "It's time we fight, Gil. I am not letting them take you from me. We just need to hold out until help gets here."
"But..."
She shook her head. "No but. We fight or I lose you." Her hand squeezed tightly into his. "I'm, not prepared to let that happen."
CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI
Ryan threw the keys to the truck to his brother. "Get the truck around the front. I'll deal with...them."
"Are you sure?" Jay asked his brother with uncertainty.
The eldest brother nodded, looking to the door to the lounge. "Best this comes from me I think. Sara's not going to be easy to handle..."
"Fair enough." Jay scrunched the keys in his hand. "Better be quick though, huh?"
"Yeah." Ryan nodded. "Three minutes tops, and I'll be out."
Jay didn't argue, turned on his heels and exited the back door.
Ryan took a breath, pulled out his gun with a purpose and marched back towards where his captives were.
Or so he thought.
Upon exiting the kitchen he stopped dead outside the door. "Shit!" he snapped, running towards the now empty sofa. He spun around, his armed hand aiming in all directions.
"She's one step ahead of you this time..."
Ryan aimed his weapon at the cop, who had obviously woken, flicking back the safety.
Danny grimaced but couldn't hold in the bloody cough that followed. He tipped his head back with a groan. "Wouldn't waste your ammo on me, my friend," he advised. "Be lucky if I last another half hour," he laughed to himself even though it wasn't really in jest.
"Where the fuck did they go?" Ryan demanded.
Danny attempted to smile. "Honestly..." He coughed again, "...can't say I was paying that much attention." Slowly, his eyes closed and he slipped back into unconsciousness.
"AGH!" Ryan shouted. "Sara! Get the hell out here, NOW!" His eyes scanned around as no reply came. The front door was locked. He'd made sure of that after the cops. All the windows were still closed... They were still in the house.
He walked around, his mind on the lack of time at hand. "I don't have time for this!" he bellowed. "Get out here before I really lose my temper!"
Still nothing.
"Fine! Then I'll come get you..."
A/N: Oh dear. I think it's all about to come to a head... *Bites nails*. Review please...