Chapter Fourteen
Hunter pushed past that last tiny bit of rock and broke through into the sunlit afternoon. He felt a rush of exuberance as he let his eyes grow accustomed to the brightness of daylight. They'd done it. They'd gotten the stone, made it out of the cave alive. Now all they had to do was to contact Sebastian...
"I'll take the ruby, if you please, Aaron."
Hunter's eyes flashed open, his pulse, finally slowing after the cave in, stuttered in shock and then rushed to pick up the beat. He saw the swarthy little man, his hand gripping Angel's arm, a pistol at her head.
"Hurt her and I'll kill you slowly and with my bare hands," he growled.
"I have no intentions of hurting the good doctor. If you pass over the stone right now, no harm will come to her." Sebastian smiled slowly, a cruel smirk that bespoke his words. "Give it over to Clyde now Aaron, and let's put this whole mess behind us."
"Next you're going to tell me that we can be friends, aren't you?" Hunter asked, wasting time. Brandon wasn't here. He was nowhere to be seen. That meant, he'd either gotten away or he was dead. He could only pray for the former and figure out his plan of action based on the latter.
"Oh, I do doubt that. You're family has caused mine so much wasted time and energy over the years, and sad to say, mine has caused yours too much pain and death. Friends trust, and there could definitely be no trust between us, Aaron."
"What do you mean, pain and death? Shanna...?" he trailed off as Sebastian slowly shook his head.
"Oh, no, your sister is hale and hearty. She was supposed to be on a plane today, but I've had to cancel those plans. She's quite the delectable little minx. Floyd has been enjoying her company greatly. I was referring to your parents, Aaron." He smiled slowly. "I can't believe I didn't tell you before. So incredibly lax of me. Your parents, they went down into that cave thinking they'd gotten away from my men. They hadn't. Your mother was quite the wildcat from what I've been told. And quite the beauty; not up to my standards, but needless to say, my men found her very entertaining."
Hunter took an involuntary step forward as the rage that was building inside of him struggled to get away. He stopped only when Sebastian pushed the pistol hard against Angel's temple causing her to wince.
"I'm going to kill you, Sebastian. I'm going to rip you apart," he growled, rage flooding through his system in waves of adrenaline.
"No, I wouldn't think that would be a good idea, Aaron. Now, if you don't mind, I'm a busy man. Please, hand the stone to Clyde." Sebastian pulled Angel closer, the pistol pushed into the flesh of her temple.
Angel shivered at the look in Hunter's stormy eyes, seeing rage and hatred unlike anything she'd seen before. She could feel his longing to reach out, to rip the gun from Sebastian's hands and then to tear him into pieces slowly, relishing every bit of his pain. She could also see his pain and his helplessness as he stood there.
"You're despicable," she hissed at the man holding her.
Sebastian just laughed, his fingers digging into her arm a little tighter. "You'll find out just how despicable I can be if your lover doesn't hand over my ruby," he hissed. "You might want to urge him to comply, dear. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll have to kill you."
Hunter reached into his pocket, pulling out the huge red stone and held it up into the light. "Let her go, I'll drop the ruby back into the cave and you can pick it up as soon as we walk away from here."
"No." Sebastian smiled slowly, his eyes going to the fire that burned so deeply inside of the gem. "Hand it to Clyde, now! Or else she dies, Aaron. Do you really want her death on your conscience?"
"He'll kill us anyways," Angel argued, trying to pull from the maniacal man's hands. "As soon as he gets the stone, he'll shoot us, Hunter. Run!"
"I'm not leaving you here with them," Hunter said quietly, his eyes on hers. He held out his hand, letting Clyde take the stone from him without a fight.
Clyde took the huge gem carefully, wrapping it into a scarf of silk and then placing it into a bag before taking it and placing the shoulder strap over his arm. "Got it boss," he said, smiling. "Can I shoot this prick now?"
"Get the car," Sebastian said.
Two more of his men came from off of the trail stopping beside Clyde. They spoke to him softly and then went to stand beside Hunter, their guns trained on him.
In the distance, the roar of a gunshot sounded, followed quickly by another and then there was silence but for the scattered and panicked sounding cry of the birds.
"Your friend, Brandon, wasn't it? I'm afraid he won't be joining you, ever again," Sebastian said, his smile growing over his pale face. "It seems my men are a little on the trigger happy side today."
The growl of a motor interrupted him and he turned, seeing a four-wheel drive jeep making its way carefully through the twisted trail, slowing to a stop next to him. "I'm afraid that this is where we must part ways, Aaron. I truly did appreciate having you as a competitor. You were a fine and worthy opponent. But as with all things, it must come to an end. Don't worry about Angelina. I know the good doctor will be just fine as soon as she and I have a chance to talk." He turned, dragging Angel along behind him before forcing her into the back of the jeep and following her in.
"What you want done with him, boss?" Clyde asked, sitting in the driver seat as the two men outside kept Hunter at bay with their guns.
"Kill him when we are out of sight. I want Angelina to hear the gunshots, though I don't think she needs to watch as he falls into the dirt." Sebastian reached out and stroked Angel's red hair. "It is far better this way, my dear, as you will come to understand in time."
Angel jerked away from him. "No! Don't kill him. I'll do whatever you want, please," she pleaded, willing to beg for the life of the man she loved.
"You'll do it anyway. I'm sorry, Angelina, but if he is left alive he will be a constant thorn in my side. He must die." He dodged her flailing fists, lifting the gun once more and pressing it against her side.
Clyde gave instructions to the men before returning to the jeep and climbing back in. He put the truck into gear, making a three-point turn to face back the way they had come and started down the trail.
Angel screamed inside, wishing with all her might that she could do something. She tried to fling herself out the door but it was locked. She tried to attack Sebastian, but he held the gun pointing toward her. She turned her head, staring out the back of the jeep, seeing Hunter standing where she'd left him, his eyes following her as she slowly disappeared down the trail.
His eyes, those beautiful stormy gray eyes that had held such tenderness, such passion for her, shining with love as he stared down at her, watched her now as she was torn from his side. Her hand reached out to him even as sobs of intense pain wracked her slender form. "No, Hunter," she whispered, unable to do anything else.
When the loud reports of two gunshots broke the quiet, she screamed. She fought them then, scratching and biting at Sebastian until he used the pistol, bringing it down hard upon the side of her head.
Bright white lights glittered in front of her eyes, turning quickly to black spots that seemed to coalesce into darkness, sucking her down and away from her pain. She welcomed the darkness, embraced it, wishing never to return to the pain of knowing he was gone.
* * * *
When she woke, she was strapped down in a small jet, her hands taped behind her, her body lying out full length on a small couch. She could hear Clyde's rough voice and Sebastian's more eloquent one, and cringed as the memory of what had happened surfaced along with the pain.
She moaned, tears starting in her eyes against her bidding, trailing down her ashen cheeks to fall to the soft cushion beneath her. She wanted to sob, to scream out her pain. She wanted to beg Sebastian to kill her also, to let her be with Hunter. Only one thought kept her will alive. Hunter's child.
"My dear, you're awake. Come, come, open your eyes. We'll get you out of that restraining harness and allow you to refresh yourself. You are quite filthy, dear. I almost had you put in the baggage compartment instead of letting your filthy clothes on my seats." Sebastian clapped his hands once before she felt hands on her body, lifting her, cutting the tape from her arms.
She opened her eyes slowly, the pain in her head only minor compared to the one in her heart. Lifting her hand, she probed at the small bump on her head, glaring at Sebastian.
"It's fine, dear. No concussion, just a small bump. You'll be fine." He nodded toward the galley and Clyde turned, returning quickly with a small tray of food and a glass of juice. "You should eat. Starving yourself isn't good for either you or the baby."
"How did..." Angel clamped her mouth closed, refusing to speak to him.
"I'm not some boorish backwoods Texas redneck. I can tell the signs. I would say you conceived during your stay with me or just after. I will hand it to Aaron, he never did give up when it was something he wanted."
"Don't say his name, don't ever speak of him to me again," she growled.
"Ahh, there is that fiery attitude. I was wondering how long it would be before you would find it again. Angelina, there is much we need to discuss. But now is not the time." He looked up as Clyde made some motion behind Angel's back. "We are almost ready to land. Will you behave on the trip home or do we have to resort to more unusual ways of transporting you again?"
