You Can Always Go Home

by Rogers, Desiree

  The tears she’d been trying so hard to keep back poured out, streaming down her cheeks. So fearful of being alone, she’d shut everyone out to keep from being hurt, unable to bear the pain of being left alone again. Yet, here she was, still hurt and still alone. Another sob slipped out and she let it, a hand pressed to her mouth; she wanted a life with kids and a husband and enough love to fill the house. Looking back at the cabin, Alexina knew Luc was willing and surprise, he was still around.

  It was freeing to admit that she loved him, had in fact always loved him. It had never gone away, only buried beneath all the fear and loneliness and guilt. Maybe, just maybe, she could take a chance. What was the worst that could happen? She’d been through it and she could get through it again. Standing, she smoothed out her pants, and prepared herself as if she were going into battle.

  Walking around the front of the cabin, she noted several strange cars. A frisson of fear swept through her, something striking her as off about the whole situation. Was it the FBI? If so, why hadn’t Luc come out to get her and let her know? She walked in, her heart stopping at the sight just on the other side of the door.

  “Hey there Alexina.” Jake greeted her, as if he weren’t pointing a gun at Luc’s head, a frightening smile across his face.

  Blood oozing from a cut on his head, Luc looked up, his eyes trying to focus on her. “Run!”

  She couldn’t just leave him here with Jake. Not with that gun pointed at him, but she had to get help. Pivoting on her feet, she turned to flee, but Morgan and two burly, sour-faced thugs were already at the door.

  “Going somewhere?” An evil smirk on his face, he pushed her back towards Jake.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The two thugs Jake and Morgan had with them took turns pummeling Luc, sadistic glee distorting their brutish faces. With his hands cuffed behind him, Luc was defenseless to stop them. Morgan held onto Alexina, forcing her to watch in a tight hold as the bigger of the two men held him upright while his partner punched Luc. Every time his fist connected with Luc’s body, Alexina whimpered, biting her bottom lip until it bled. There was nothing she could do and it was killing her. She should have never gotten Luc involved in this.

  They were punching Luc in his stomach now, moans of pain filling the cabin. She struggled against Morgan’s grip, desperate to get to Luc and stop the torture, but his hands only tightened on her arms, yanking her back against him.

  “I would hate to put you in his seat. Now STOP!” he snarled in her ear, rattling her so violently, her teeth shook in her mouth.

  Now the smaller thug, greasy hair pulled back in a ponytail, mean looking brass knuckles on his hands took his turn. He gave Luciano a right cross to the jaw, blood and spit flying in the air.

  Jake stopped them, a hand braced on the man’s shoulder. “Kevin, I said I wanted him to scream. Don’t break his jaw. Go for the stomach and kidneys instead.” His tone was so cheerful and friendly, as if he were making a suggestion for wine at dinner, Alexina felt bile rise in her throat.

  Kevin grinned, balling up his fist up and plowing it into Luc’s stomach. All Alexina could hear was the breath escaping Luc as the punishment continued. How much longer was this going to go on? If felt like it had been hours, with the two thick necked thugs taking turns on Luc’s abused body. Finally, Jake stopped them, stooping down in front of Luc’s slumped body.

  “You can stop all of this. All I want is the disk and the journal.” He smiled, as if they were best friends, talking about the weather. Her throat clenched as Luc’s head came up wearily, eyes half closed.

  “Screw you.”

  Jake sneered, standing and backhanding Luc across the face.

  Turning, he strode to where she was standing, the malicious gleam in Jake’s eyes sending shivers down her spine. “Alexina, do you really want me to kill him?”

  “Don’t say a word Lexi.” Luc rasped out. One of the thugs slammed his fist into his rib cage, making him grunt in pain.

  “Tell me where it is and I’ll let you both go.” He held his hands out in front of him, the false pretense of amicability disgusting. She wanted to spit on him, but she was scared of what they do to Luc if she did. She watched him warily as he continued advancing on her.

  Luc scoffed at his statement, his head still down. “Oh, you mean like Donald?” The same thug as before rammed the butt of his pistol into Luc’s injured rib, laughing at Luc coughed up some blood.

  Jake barely threw him a glance over his shoulder. “If you’re smart, you’ll shut up.”

  Lexi bared her teeth at Jake, rage boiling in her blood. “Why Donald? He trusted you.”

  Jake had the audacity to laugh at her question, as if it were so simple. “Why not him? He found out what we were doing and was going to turn us in. Who else would it be?” they all laughed at her, as if she were the one who was crazy, someone that didn’t get the joke. Red swam before her eyes, her pulse quickening with adrenaline.

  “Bastard!” she lunged, only to be backhanded so hard by Jake, she actually saw stars. She staggered a bit from the blow, before falling to her knees.

  “Keep your hands off her!” Luc struggled against his restraints, rage deepening his voice.

  Jake laughed at Luciano’s antics, before he knelt beside her, his hand forcing her chin up. “Donald was so self-righteous, such a damn do-gooder. You really want to end up like him?”

  Sighing when she didn’t respond, only stared back at with all the rage and hatred she felt at that moment, he stood. “Mr. C. and Mr. Mathusa should be here in a few minutes. You can talk to them. They won’t be so nice.” He stared down at her, before heading into the kitchen.

  Morgan followed behind, laughing as Alexina crawled to Luciano’s chair. “I hope you got something good to eat here.” He waved the black 9mm in his hand at them menacingly, before shooting a look at the two thugs watching them.

  “Luc, are you okay?” Alexina reached up, running a hand over his swollen cheek. She had to think of a way out of this. Luc wasn’t going to be able to handle much more.

  Luciano looked at her, struggling to focus on her face. “Yeah, though I could use a cigarette.”

  Alexina giggled, the tension in her spine starting to beat its way of her system. “I’ll get you a carton when...when we get out of this.” She didn’t know if there was a possibility of them getting out. She closed her eyes, praying for something.

  ~***~

  Twenty minutes later, night had fallen. At the slamming of car doors, Alexina jerked her head up, waking from the slight doze she’d fallen into. Mr. Cunningham walked through the door, followed by a slim, older man with piercing grey-green eyes and short, wispy, strawberry-blonde hair graying around the edges. She could only assume it was Mr. Mathusa by the way Jake straightened away from the kitchen counter, tossing his sandwich into the trash hurriedly. Behind him was a full entourage of ugly, mean looking thugs.

  Mr. Cunningham’s flickered over Luciano, before resting on Alexina’s face. Shivering at the cold stare, she clung to Luc. She never would have suspected this sweet old man, who had danced with her at her wedding, was such a cold-blooded monster. She wanted to crawl into a hole, anything to escape the way he seemed to look through her, as she weren’t there.

  “Jake, how are things?” Mr. Cunningham sank into the couch, indicating to the rest of his entourage to take positions by the front door and back door. Crossing his legs, he leaned back, straightening his French cuff shirt, diamonds sparkling in the light.

  “Things are under control.” Jake shook Mr. Mathusa’s hand as he walked past, giving a small bow.

  Alexina was going to scream; or go crazy. They were acting as if this were all normal, something they did everyday. Luc groaned and she turned her attention back to him, running a worried hand over his face.

  “I thought there was only one person to deal with? Why are there two?” Mr. Mathusa sat at the other end of the couch, hands resting on a jeweled cane. The displeasure in his voice had the whole r
oom going silent with trepidation.

  “Yes Jake, what is going on?” Mr. Cunningham inquired, well-manicured nails drumming on the arm of the sofa.

  “She’s important.” He shrugged, waving a hand in Luciano’s general way. “He’s just in the way.”

  Leaning forward, Mr. Mathusa peered at her, his eyes turning a brilliant green. “Do you have the documents yet?”

  “They haven’t said a word. I was waiting for you to tell me what to do.” Jake pulled out his gun, the silver glinting in the light of the cabin. His attitude had shifted, a sick anticipation humming around him.

  Alexina gulped, moving closer to Luc’s sagging body. She didn’t like the way Mr. Cunningham and Mr. Mathusa were looking at each other and then her, as if debating on whether to let her live or die. This could not be happening to her. What would happen to her father and her sister? Would they go after them next? Scared, she bit back a sob, nails digging into Luc’s biceps.

  “Take care of it.” Mr. Mathusa sneered, standing up to wave his hand in an indifferent gesture towards them.

  Now she whimpered, legs shaking. Oh god, they were going to kill her! She hid her face in Luc’s body, body braced for what was about to come. A sound coming from the back of the cabin caught her attention and she turned her head around sharply to see what it was. It had sounded suspiciously like a twig snapping beneath someone’s foot. Mr. Cunningham must have heard it also, rising to his feet.

  “Go find out what that was!” he barked at two of the burly men. Signaling to his partner, Kevin and another man went to the back to investigate.

  The room fell silent as all attention turned back to Alexina and Luc. Walking over to them Jake drew his pistol from his waistband, movements excruciatingly slow as he pulled the slide back, two clicks echoing through the room as a bullet was loaded in the chamber. Lips curled up at the corners in a sinister leer, he pointed the barrel at Alexina.

  Tears falling, she tried to hide behind Luc’s arms, weeping silently.

  “Darling, it’s been nice, but it’s time.” Jake pulled the trigger, but at the last moment, Luciano rocked his chair, falling in front of her.

  She screamed as blood squirted from where the bullet had penetrated his left shoulder. “Luc!”

  At that moment, the glass in the front window shattered as a small white canister came through the window, the back door splintering open at the same time. A loud, deafening bang rang out as the room filled with a brilliant, bright flash. Alexina fell to the ground, squeezing Luc tight to her chest.

  “Oh God Luc, please...please...” panicking and sobbing, she held on tight, unsure of what was happening. Everyone in the room was scrabbling and inching about the walls like prey, trying to escape. She felt like she was in a movie, everything happening around her.

  Morgan dropped his gun and fell to the ground. Groping about the floor, he was searching desperately for something to support him.

  “Get out and start the damn car!” Mr. Cunningham yelled at his men, rubbing his eyes and stumbling towards the front door.

  “Kevin you idiot, get in here and help me!” Mr. Mathusa screamed, arms stretched before him trying to keep his balance.

  Jake was feverishly rubbing his eyes, trying to see what was going on. “What the fuck is going? Morgan, where are you?” gun still in his hand, he waved it about, trying to find Alexina and Luc in the confusion.

  Amid all the chaos, Alexina heard the front door crashing open, standing there were two large and obscure figures.

  “Put your weapons down. Lie face down on the ground.” The figure on the right spoke, the voice sounding like it was coming from the bottom of a barrel.

  Mr. Cunningham and Mr. Mathusa dropped to the floor, hands splayed out before them. Morgan sank back down to the floor, finding his gun as he did so. Grabbing it, he pulled it towards him, tucking it beneath his body.

  Jake flung around to the sounds, gun still in his hands as he turned.

  “GUN!!” the figure on the left yelled, signaling to his comrade.

  Five shots rang out from the two giants in the door, bringing Jake to knees. His lifeless body fell flat, blood pooling and spreading like spilled milk. Alexina buried her face in Luc’s neck, unable to bear looking at the lifeless eyes staring back at her.

  Morgan threw the gun away from him, blubbering like a baby. “Please don’t shoot me, I give up.”

  From his position on the floor, Mr. Cunningham looked up at the two giants, hands held up in supplication. “This is all a misunderstanding! We are being held against our will!”

  “Shut your mouth before he shut it for you!” Mr. Mathusa growled, face contorted with rage.

  Her senses starting to clear, she could see that they weren’t giants at all, but two large figures dressed in black with metal helmets and shaded goggles, the letters FBI emblazoned across their chest and back. Swarming behind them came others, dressed much the same, guns at the ready.

  Most of them rushed to secure Mr. Cunningham and the rest of his group, cuffing them and yanking them to their feet. The two who had come in the door hurried to where she was crouched, a first aid kit in hand.

  “Ma’am, are you okay?” One of them asked, kind brown eyes scanning her features.

  “I’m fine...he’s...they shot him!” Alexina looked down, dismayed to find his eyes closed, chest barely moving as he took shallow breaths.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The next several hours passed in a haze, with people in black swarming the cabin, her and Luc medivaced to the closest hospital. There’d barely been time to press a kiss to Luc’s bruised cheek before the surgeon had whisked him off to surgery. He’d lost so much blood...she shivered at the thought.

  At the sound of footsteps, she looked up to see Agent Stephens step into her curtained cubicle. He looked as haggard and worn as she felt.

  “How are you feeling?” he watched her, sorrow etched on his face.

  “I’m...okay. I just-I feel like I got hit by a bus and then run over by an eighteen wheeler.” She tried to smile, but all she felt were tears burning at the back of her eyes, her bottom lip trembling from the effort.

  “I’m sorry. We tried to get to you sooner, but...we picked up their trail in Killeen and followed them to the cabin. We-I wanted to wait until Mr. Mathusa and Mr. Cunningham showed up.”

  He moved to stand next to her, a hand on her shoulder, trying to bring comfort. “We were about to make our move when we heard a shot. I couldn’t-wait so we came in.”

  Pulling his hand away, he gave a small smile, “I must say you two are very lucky to still be living.”

  After he left, the doctor came in, a young man with dark hair and thick glasses. His nametag said Silas. She stifled a sigh, concluding that she was never going to get out there. Glancing over her chart, he smiled at her, before pulling up a stool and rolling over to the bed she was sitting on.

  “Well, everything seems fine.” He patted her knee fatherly, before looking back at her chart. “The quick tests that we ran showed nothing abnormal. Just some cuts and bruises. You might be sore in the morning, but it’s nothing that some rest and few Tylenol can’t fix. Just let me know if you start to spot.”

  That had her pausing. What was he talking about? “Why would I spot?” she could only stare at him, confused, though something was starting to leak through, her body shaking as a few pieces started to fall into place.

  “That means the baby is in distress.” He pulled off his glasses, about to leave, but he must have seen the shock on her face when he happened to glance up at her. “You didn’t know?”

  That was a stupid question. Of course, she hadn’t known. But...“How...how far along am I?” she could scarcely get the words out.

  “Judging by the hormone levels, I would say about a month.”

  Stunned, Alexina could only stare at him, her brain having shut down. How had this happened? When? She thought back to the night at her father’s house, when Luc had made love to her and every time a
fter that. She couldn’t decide if she was happy or angry at the turn of events. She’d wanted children, wanted to build a family and now here she was, pregnant by the only man she’d ever really loved. That settled it, she was happy. As soon as the doctor was done with her, she was going to tell Luc everything.

  After making a vague promise to come back, she slid off the bed, her mind a fog. How was she going to tell him? She couldn’t very well just spring on it him. Things like this had to be handled slowly. Maybe she could start off with the scene at the cabin and work up. Gathering her things, she headed off towards Luc’s room. A nurse had come by earlier to tell her that he’d come out of surgery and now, she was eager to see him

  Walking to his door, she pushed it open slowly, dismayed to find his family in the room. Unable to handle what she was sure would be accusing stares, she smiled weakly, backing out of the room. Before she took two steps, Luc’s mother had come from around the bed, her arms open.

  “Oh Lexi! Are you okay?” pulled into a tight embrace, she let the comfort wash over her, easing some of the pain in her heart. The weight of Luc’s gray eyes was on her and she had to shut her eyes against the emotions swirling in her.

  His sister and brother came over next, hugging her close, tears in his sister’s eyes running down her cheeks.

  “We’re so glad you’re okay.” Jayne chocked out, her small hand caressing Alexina’s face.

  There was nothing she could say, so overwhelmed by the acceptance she felt from them. They didn’t blame her for any of this and she felt as weight lifted from her chest. She tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t form, her mouth working soundlessly.

  Looking back at her son, she tilted her head towards the door, motioning her children to follow her. “We’ll leave you two alone.”