Sorry I left you all on that cliffhanger, ha. BUT ANYWAY, without further ado, because I'm sure you're waiting for this update, here you go!
Tommy, Yeager, and Sara scoured the Island. Everything looked the same. After an hour or so, they finally saw something in the distance. It was immediately clear to Tommy – he could recognize Lindy anywhere. Not just because of the fact that she was constantly plaguing his thoughts, dreams, and worries, but because essentially being hired to watch out for someone constantly made them easy to spot. It was like an instinct.
"Lindy," Sara squealed under her breath, pointing in her sister's direction.
But where was Jake?
They approached slowly at first, but then once she had started running in a random direction, they picked up speed to intercept her. She looked frenzied, like she had been running for her life. Without even realizing it – the adrenaline had taken over – she slammed right into Tommy, eliciting a sharp scream from her.
"Whoa, whoa, Lindy. I got you," Tommy steadied her, grabbing her by the elbows and crouching down to her height.
She was panting.
"Tommy," she whispered in between breaths.
Then she glanced behind him and spotted her baby sister. It was as if she had seen a ghost. She ran to her sister, picking her up and spinning her around.
"I can't believe it. I can't believe it's really you!" Lindy cried in elation, but was still clearly distracted and kept glancing back over her shoulder nervously.
"Lindy. What's going on?" Sara asked, getting straight to the point.
Tommy was grateful that Sara understood the gravity of the situation.
"It's Jake," she explained, shifting her eyes to Tommy then back to Sara.
"Where is he?" Tommy demanded as a fire erupted in him at the mention of Jake's name.
More than anything, he wanted – no, he needed – to keep Lindy safe. And now not just Lindy, but Sara, too.
"We dug the grave, but it was empty. He tried to put me in there. It's him, Tommy, it's really him," Lindy sighed, it was clearly a horrifying memory to recall, but she needed to stay strong for Sara. "But I fought my way out and when he wasn't looking, I hit him with the shovel and he fell in."
Tommy was momentarily impressed, and a feeling of pride washed over him, but it was only fleeting as he remembered the direness of the situation.
"He's over there?" Tommy asked, ready to spring into action.
"Yes, but I don't know how long it'll last," Lindy shook her head.
By the time they were back near the grave site – with Tommy leading the pack – Jake was stirring. Sporting a new cut on his forehead and dusted with mud, he climbed out of the hole. He was a little disoriented at first, but then collected himself.
"Why are you doing this, Lindy?" He asked pathetically, honestly not understanding.
"Why are you?" She choked out in desperation, wondering just what she'd done to deserve this for so long.
"I already told you, Eye Candy. You're perfect. We need to be together. If not in this life, then the next. You passed all my tests, solved all my riddles. Everyone else is out of the way, they never understood you like I do," His response sent a shiver down Tommy's spine while Sara narrowed her eyes at him.
"And you!" Jake's sadness turned to rage as he diverted his attention. "Now you're trying to get in the way, trying to tear Lindy and I apart. She claims she loves you more than me. So you'll have to go."
He started moving toward Sara, but Tommy was already on him, fighting him with every ounce of resentment he had been unintentionally storing up until this moment. He was almost a little taken aback by just how much force he was putting into this. This wasn't any other cop-VS-criminal altercation. Gradually, and without fully realizing it - and completely against Catherine's warnings - he had made it personal.
Jake had fallen, and now Tommy was kicking him as he had with Michael Doll in the basement of the apartment. He didn't go down without a complete fight, though, and landed a decent punch that left Tommy with a cut on his forehead and what he was sure would be a black eye in the morning.
Meanwhile, Yeager had ushered Sara away, and Lindy and Sara stood back, clinging onto each other. Lindy clutched Sara's head to her chest, but refused to look away as Tommy finally put handcuffs on a barely-conscious Jake. Yeager had already called for backup, and the police were waiting to take Jake away.
Lindy and Sara walked with their arms around each others' shoulders. Lindy was determined to keep very little space between them from here on out. She was just happy to have her back, though still clearly shaken by what had just happened.
Tommy caught her eye as he was talking to the other cops, and they shared brief, shy, and (on Lindy's end) grateful smiles. Not too unlike when Tommy had emerged from that ship, but this time more uncertain, since they still weren't positive where they stood with each other.
Once they had arrived back to the car where George and Sophia had been waiting, Sophia ran to Lindy, throwing herself onto her.
"Lindy…do not ever do that again," Sophia wagged a finger in Lindy's face.
Lindy just laughed and hugged her in return. Tommy couldn't help but feel a little left out of the love-fest, but he knew he had no place to expect anything. Also, it was just about Lindy and Sara right now, and he wanted to give them their space. A few days of silence from Lindy was nothing compared to not hearing from her own sister for years (even though sometimes it felt like years to him).
That's all for now! The next few are going to be about this length, but don't worry, because there's about to (finally) be some Tindy and the last chapter is nearly double the size! Come back for more tomorrow and please review :)