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Chapter 30
Travis
Cold water splashed on my face, pulling me from my nightmare again. Groaning in pain, I looked into the eyes of death. Dean stood over me, a water bottle in hand, grinning down at me. Sitting back on his haunches, he looked me over, as if he were deciding on lunch. His fingers stroked his chin with a sigh.
"You should have stayed out of it, McKennan. I had almost forgotten everything you did to me." Getting to his feet, Dean used the toe of his boot to nudge me right in the ribs. It hurt like hell but I won't give him the satisfaction of knowing that. "Cassie preoccupied me with her mischief making. I plum forgot about the way you ruined my career. Fortunately for you, getting involved reminded me."
He smiled, a poker from a fireplace rested against the log next to him. "She does make it easy, doesn't she? Tell me, old friend, did she allow you into her bed as easily as she did me, or did you have to press the matter?"
The rage awakened my adrenaline. Seeing the man who had hurt Cassie, boasting about her torture, only forced me to fight against the darkness. "Bastard! I'll make you pay for what you've done!" I'm too weak to struggle.
My hands are tied over my head and around the tree, while my feet are tied together, attached to a dead stump. Even wiggling on the ground hurts. The broken branches and leaves stick and bite into my back as I move. Dean places his foot on my shoulder, grinding his heel into the wound. I bite back a scream of pain.
I take a deep breath and try to focus my attention on my anger. I was trained to deal with torture, what to do, what information to give. I was trained to shut off my emotions. I need to use that training now.
"I know what you're doing, McKennan, but you see, I still have the upper hand." Dean smiles, drawing a design in the dirt with the tip of the poker. "You see, the Colonel never trained you how to watch the woman you love die in front of your eyes." His evil grin deepened, as he sat down to enjoy the moment. "You were one of the best, McKennan. I do have to say, out of all the men I went up against, you were one of the toughest to beat. Your downfall was that you let her get to you. She got under your skin and now you have to watch her beg for her life."
"Anthony?" The female voice boomed through the trees. "Where are you?" Her voice was breathless as she pushed her way through the brush toward the clearing.
Anthony smiled at the sound of his mother's voice. "Here, mother," He responded, turning on his flashlight. "Don't get any idea's boys. She's fully armed and will kill anyone in her path. I trained her myself." Anthony proudly called out to the trees. He spotted the troops who surrounded the clearing.
"Don't know who you're yelling at, darlin'." Carol spoke coyly as she stepped into the clearing. "I've already taken care of the four boys that were watching you. It always amazes me how women are taken for granted. It was so simple, honey. You would have enjoyed watching it."
Carol moved to her son and kissed his cheek.
"It's good to see you." Glancing down at me, she raised her eyebrows. "Got in your way, huh?"
"Let me introduce you." Dean pleasantly smiled as if we were at a social event. "This is Travis McKennan, Mama. McKennan, this is Carol Hastings, my mother."
I watched Dean with interest. My eyes are hazy, but I can see the obvious affection he has for his mother. The woman isn't a warm person. She is cold, callous even. The way she moves, shaking off the violence that is happening doesn't disturb her. Carol leans over, getting face to face with me. My eyes are blurring, but I see the crazy in her eyes.
"Nasty wound, son." Carol straightens up, smiling at her son. "You've got one hell of an aim. I'm so proud of you. You could have just killed him. Make it a lot easier getting what you came for."
Dean shakes his head. "I've got plans for him, Mother. He's still useful." Dean heaves a pack onto his shoulder as he begins to make his way out of the clearing. "I will thank you, McKennan. And the Colonel, of course. Had it not been for his enlisting your help, I may not have been able to end the vendetta I had with you. I have to admit, Cassie did a good job hiding. Too bad dear ol' daddy found her. She was safe until he went snooping around. The old man never has been good with control. Don't worry, friend. I'll be back to finish you off, that is, if you don't die before I get back."
His laugh echoed through the ravine as I struggled harder to get loose. The sound of the wind through the trees got louder as if a tornado or a forceful wind was blowing through them.
I heard it then, the sound of the blades, whipping the air as it got closer to a clearing. The Colonel must have called in the troops. It won't be long now. I heard the sound of the helo as it dropped down to jump level.
The approaching footsteps surrounded me. I couldn't pay attention to them. The face looking at me, I don't recognize.
"They aren't coming for you, Travis." Earl whispered as he knelt next to me. "They're coming for Dean." Trying to sit up, I only overexerted myself and fell back again. "Take it easy, son. I'll get you taken care of. Just relax, you're gonna be just fine."
Pulling on my restraints I stretch where the bullet wound was, causing dizziness and nausea to increase. "Cassie?" I moaned as Earl worked on getting me untied. I murmured her name once more before all went black and my memory disappeared.
I didn't feel the loosening of the ropes or the way my body was jerked and lifted from the ground. The pain I would have expected to feel was non-existent. I didn't notice that I was being dragged from the spot I had spent what felt like hours tied up like a hunting trophy.
"Cassie's fine, so's the boy. Her daddy made sure of it." Earl assured me. "You just take it easy, son. We'll fix you up. Then you can get back out there and kill the bastard." Earl muttered, moving them out of the clearing.
I'm a limp mess. Earl groans, taking on the brunt of my weight. Getting out of the forest and away from the men who were hunting around them, will be harder with the slow pace. Precaution and safety will have to be taken to get them out alive.
It's better I'm unconscious. It's better not knowing what is happening or where I'm being taken. I'm too weak and in sorry shape. The amount of blood loss is enough to knock me out. I need medical care.
We waited and listened. We could hear the footsteps, soft against the hard ground, as the troop spread out. Dean is on the run. Earl carried me carefully through the rough terrain, over fallen trees and around brush.
I was in and out of consciousness, hung over Earl's shoulders in a fireman's hold. Earl may be old, but he is a solid oak of a man. S.E.A.L. training got him in the best shape of his life and was a reminder to stay in shape.
My body swayed with his movement, but with no hope of moving for myself I relied on the old man. My body was heavy and felt like I was floating in the darkness. If I could just find the light. If I could just swim out of the sea of blackness, I could get back to Cassie.
She is all that matters now. The thought of her waiting for me, safe at home with her son, was the only thought I clung to. At least the Colonel is protecting them. Everything will be fine.
I caught a brief glimpse of Mel at the tree line just a mile from Cassie's property line. The redhead quickly moved to help get me to safety. They lowered me to an ironing board and used bungee cords to keep me from falling off. The two were able to drag me toward the old bunkhouse that Mel calls home. It is the closest place to nurse me back to health and out of the line of fire.
The soft rays of yellow, orange, and purple begin to light up the sky. Time and place are gone from my head. The sound of the footsteps have long been a memory. My body is heavy and numb. I can't feel my hands. I tried to wiggle my toes and felt nothing there as well. I've lost too much blood. My mind must be playing tricks on me. I hear voices talking around me but my eyes won't open. For a moment, I thought I heard Cassie, but the heavy southern drawl made me realize it's Mel.
"Is he gonna be okay?" Mel asked as she opened the front door.
"Let's hope so." Earl whispered out of breath. They lowered me to something soft, lumpy but warm. "Get a fire going, Mel. Where'd you put my bag? We're gonna have to do this here. He doesn't have much time."
Mel must have grabbed what he asked for. Everything faded again. In and out of the abyss I caught words here and there. "Loss of blood... out of time... hurry... Travis? ... don't you die..." Nothing made sense.
"What's your blood type, Mel?" Earl questions with a harsh tone. He torn open the bloody shirt to examine the entry wound.
"O negative, why?" Mel already knew the answer. Her blood is needed.
"You're a match." Earl announced, tossing her a large rubber band. "Tie your arm, honey. You've got to give the boy some blood."
"I don't like needles." She said under her breath. "You know I pass out when I have to take a blood test?"
"Shake it off, girl." Earl ordered. "Travis needs you. Think about his life, not your fears."
Mel sat in the chair next to the couch and tied the band around her arm. I'll die without her help. It's possible I'll die no matter what they do.
This isn't real. I'm still on the forest floor. I heard the helo, help is on the way. My only hope is that the troops find me soon. My time is short. I want at least another human being with me to relay to Cassie that, in the end, my thoughts were of her. I need her to know I love her.
The prick on my arm I write off as a bug, eating my skin. The voices I believe are the wind. Those in the forest around me don't know I'm dying. The darkness is closing in.
She didn't pass out. She managed to give her blood without incident. It soothed knowing she had been able to help without making things worse. Now it's her duty to keep a vigil eye on the patient. She just hopes her efforts weren't in vain.
Mel
Travis is weak, soaked with fever and unconscious. It's for the best he was out the whole time Doc Earl worked on him. The wound was nasty and had to be cleaned before Doc could dig out the bullet that was lodged in Travis' shoulder. He moaned and shivered a couple of times during the surgery, but he never regained consciousness.
I soaked a cloth and ran the cool rag over his face. The poor man had been through so much tonight. "Keep him down as best you can, Mel." Doc Earl emerges from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dishcloth. "He's going to be disoriented and probably want to go chasing after Cassie. He can't. No matter what he does, no matter what he says. He has to stay put. He needs to heal."
Mel didn't understand, Travis was going to be fine. That's what Doc said. He isn't the bad guy. He was the injured one, he was only protecting Cassie and Jacob. Why did he have to stay clear of Cassie?
"Doc, Travis has feelings for Cassie. She is falling for him. I know it. I saw it when they were together."
"I know, darlin'. It's not my call." Doc sadly states as he remembered his friend's plea. "The Colonel wants it this way. It's orders."
Mel knew what that meant for a Marine. Orders were never questioned. They were followed to the exact intent. Doc Earl patted her on the shoulder as he grabbed his sweater. "I'll be by in the morning to check on him. You need anything, you call me." He closes the door softly behind him.
Mel heard the click of the door closing and the sound of the lock engaging. She shook her head and frowned. "This is so wrong." She whispered, brushing my hair from my forehead. It's all completely wrong.
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