"Where is this goddamn place?" Graham spun the wheel as they hit another hole, jerking them sideways.
Guy looked around at the unfamiliar area. He hadn't been back since he'd been a boy. It didn't resemble anything he remembered. Everything was massive, wild and overgrown. They suddenly burst out of the trees into an open field.
"Stop!"
As he closed his eyes, he went back in time to the day he'd gone exploring. He was having a hard time though shutting out the memory of Geoff. Not just the beating but how much of a monster he'd been that day.
He wandered around the gardens for a while but got bored. Besides the gardener was following him around, making sure he didn't touch any of his prize flowers. Then he found a narrow, dirt path that took him into the forest. He followed it, weaving back and forth for hours. Finally, he came out into a clearing. Not wanting to go in the trees again, he crossed the open space. He stopped and picked some flowers for his Grandmother. Ones he hadn't seen in her gardens. When he was about half way he could see the top of a house peeking above the trees. He went to explore.
"That way." He pointed straight across the open stretch in front of them. As he let go of the last vestiges of his memory, he found it ironic that he'd been lost for hours but after Geoffrey had beaten him, he'd found his way home in record time.
"The police are coming, right?"
"Bean said they're on their way. Of course he wanted me to put it in blood that I wasn't yanking his chain." They bounced over the rough terrain but Graham didn't slow down.
Guy stared eagerly ahead but there was no sign of any building. As they approached a large cluster of massive trees he reached out and grabbed Graham's arm. He hit the brakes immediately. They climbed out and moved silently through the grass, entering the grove. They walked for a few minutes when Guy paused to listen and look around. Frowning, he looked over the dense area.
"It's here. I know it. We should have found it already. But I don't see it. Where the hell do you hide a shack?"
"Let's split up. I'll go a hundred and fifty feet that way," Graham pointed off to his left. "You walk towards me and then we'll zigzag back and forth as we go forward."
They moved off.
I'll kill you Geoff. I will kill you.
Slowly and methodically, Guy and Graham searched the area. They had been walking about four minutes when Graham gave his crow sound. Guy didn't think there was anything that could make him smile at a time like this but Graham's bird call - a cross between a choking chicken and a dying crow - helped him to realize that he needed to keep focused on saving Bailey and not on wanting to do away with Geoff. He needed his wits about him. He moved toward Graham and it wasn't until he'd almost reached him that he realized that the thick dense area they'd passed could actually have a house, overgrown and camouflaged by plants. Although, it looked like a place that had been swallowed by the undergrowth, Guy's gut told him that it was Geoffrey's doing. He'd set it up to look like that. He was in there.
Not sure what they'd find, they stuck together and stealthily walked around the perimeter. After circling the area, they realized they must have missed some clues. They couldn't find any opening. And because they hadn't been paying attention they'd trampled any evidence that might have helped them find where Geoff had entered the building.
"Shit! I know they're in there. The question is how did they get there? We may have to just start pulling boards until we find one that will come off." Frustrated after the second lap around, Guy kicked the ground. The fern that looked like it had grown over fluttered and moved. He bent over and pulled on one of the fronds. It came away in his hand. Crab walking forward he kept grabbing and moving the fake plants had covered what looked to be a path. Suddenly there was a wall in front of him, he carefully yanked and pulled aside the vines. There was a big man sized trap door. Two boards had been removed and were standing off to the side, hidden by dense undergrowth.
"You bastard?"
Bailey's voice was muffled but distinct. He grabbed and ripped at the wall until Graham reached past him and stuck his hand in a hidden hole, grabbed the handle and pulled. All they saw was long brown hair and trickles of blood running down along a bra strap, down over bare skin. Reaching in, Guy grabbed the back of the waistband and jerked the person out. Fighting for all she was worth, her left arm came back just as she cleared the door and connected with his jaw. Losing his footing, they fell sideways. Her fists pummeled him as she scrambled to get away from him.
"Bailey. Bailey! It's me. I'm here to help you. Stop! We have to get out of here. Where's Geoff?"
The sound of a gunshot gave Guy the leverage he needed. He grabbed her wrists and pulled her into the bushes behind him. Her eyes were wild and unfocused, peeking at him through her mane of tangled hair. He pulled her close, hugging her until he felt some of the tension leave her body. He wanted to say so much to her but now wasn't the time. He did what he hoped would convey what he couldn't say. He kissed her hard. At first there was no response but then she returned his passion in full, holding him tight. She was clinging to him as though she never wanted to let him go. It was the sound of more shots that pulled him back to the present. He gently pushed her away, giving her one more quick kiss before thrusting her at Graham.
"Take her. I have to get Geoff." He moved past them and snuck back to the opening. Geoffrey was standing in the middle of the floor, his head thrown back, his body shaking with laughter. It was deep and guttural and sent a cold arrow right to Guy's core.
What did you do to her, you bastard?
All his life he'd wanted the opportunity to beat the man to a pulp. It had been an obsession, a need. He'd trained. He'd sweated. He'd waited. And now the moment was on him. Only he couldn't make himself go in and do anything. He had enough reason, if not for what he'd done to him all his life, for what he'd done to Bailey.
Geoff raised his arms to the ceiling and shouted, "Come and get me, you bastard. Come and get me. I've served you well."
The sirens howled in the distance.
Graham stepped out of the thick foliage, supporting Bailey. "Guy, we have to get out of here. He's planted explosives. They're set to go off at any minute."
Guy glanced at them and then at the scene playing out inside the house. Geoff seemed to be in another world, unaware of what was going on around him. "Go. I'll be right there." He climbed through the hole. His uncle had to have heard him but didn't acknowledge him.
"Geoff, we have to leave."
"Who the hell do you think you are?" He swung around, aiming the gun at Guy. His finger stroked the trigger. A smile of revenge lit up his face. "Brave Guy, saving the damsel in distress. How sweet. Always the little suck up. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha."
"We need to get out of here. This place is going to explode."
"You think I'm stupid, boy. I set the damn dynamite. I know how they were set. I know when they were set. This isn't the way I planned on going out but getting to take you along will be a bonus I hadn't planned on. Dorothea will be devastated at losing her little pet."
"Why do you hate her so much? She did everything for you."
"Yeah, except come from the lineage of bastard. She was the golden one, the one from the right side. The one with the true blue blood." Spittle flew from his mouth as he yelled, "Mine's just as good dammit. Mine's just as good." The black, dead center of his eye was all Guy could see over the muzzle of the gun.
There was no doubt Geoff would shoot him and there was no way Guy could save both of them, so he took the only choice he had. He dove through the hole, behind him. He jumped to his feet and ran, like he had the time Geoff had beaten him as a kid and threatened his life if he ever came near that old house again. Shots pinged around him as he wove his way out of there. His arm felt like it was on fire but he didn't stop to see why. He burst out into the open field, thrilled to see the Hummer. He jumped in through the open back door. Graham hit the gas and spun the wheel at the same time. They whipped around and bounced and jerked their way over the grassy fi
eld. They were about halfway when the explosion rocked their world. Not only was the sound deafening but the force shoved the Hummer like there was a bulldozer behind them on full throttle. They fishtailed sideways but Graham corrected their course and fought to keep the vehicle moving forward. Once the power of the explosion abated, they slowed, looking back, jaws slack. "Holy Christ!" Flames shot skyward in every direction. Chunks of wood, tree branches and unknown items flew through the air, some landing within spitting distance of them.
"Get out of here, Graham." The words were barely out of Guy's mouth before they were on the move again maneuvering around the debris that had fallen all around. They didn't slow down until they'd reached the cobbled sidewalk. They drove past Emilio, who had a look of horror on his face, not because a building had blown up and was landing all over the place but because of the damage done to his beautiful gardens.
"Did you call the fire department?"
"Yup, they're on their way as well. I called Bean to let him know what was going down. I think we'll let him sweat a bit about whether or not we got out. I think this lady needs to get to the hospital." Graham indicated Bailey who was strapped into the passenger seat. She was slumped against the door. A tourniquet was tied around her calf.
"What happened?"
"He shot her in the leg. Cut her up a bit. Physically, she'll be fine."
As they approached the gate, Guy called ahead. "Open the gate, Jim. We're on the way to the hospital. The fire department and the police are on the way." When they reached it a few seconds later, it was open and Jim gave them a thumbs up.
"Looks like you could use the hospital too?"
"Huh?" Until that moment Guy hadn't felt the pain. Now there was a burning fire radiating out from his shoulder. Moving his arm from where he cradled it against his chest, he pulled his shirt up and over his head, groaning only slightly as everything went black for a split second. He wrapped it tightly around the wound where the blood was running freely. He had no idea if he'd been shot or if it was the result of his dive to ground. He just knew it hurt like a bugger.
"Did you learn anything from that son of a bitch?"
"Yeah. He was and always will be a bastard."
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN