Hostile Vengeance

by Tamala Callaway

  Symóne also looked at them for a response.

  “Yes, we'll be staying,” Faye assured the nurse and Symóne.

  “Okay, well if you need anything, just press the call button on your remote and I'll come see about you,” she said and left the room.

  “I have to say…I do feel a little more confident from your words about Trevor, Alex. It's true that he does what he says he will do. He's a man of his word and he promised to always be here for me. Nothing will ever keep him from being my husband, is what he promised me on our wedding day,” Symóne breathed.

  “That's right,” Faye agreed. “So stop worrying. Trevor Harrison will walk on water for you girl. He has to love you beyond anything imaginable to go through the hell he went through just to get you to say hello,” she giggled and Symóne cracked up.

  “You are so wrong for that! But it's true,” she said then took a deep breath. “I just don't know how I would handle things if he had to be unfaithful just to survive and come back home. Could I deal with that, or will I always worry that he still has feelings for his Ex? Especially when he finds out that she bore his first born and not me,” she said solemnly.

  “You know what kind of man Trevor is, Symóne. He is honorable and trustworthy. He may feel hurt and sadness for not ever knowing a child that he created and lost, but his heart and commitment will always remain with you,” said Faye. “Do you remember the case that was similar to what you're going through now? Where that woman had a baby with a man and didn't tell him about it until the child was thirteen years old, and she wanted child support? He had gotten married and had two other children and the case almost destroyed his marriage?” she checked Symóne's memory of the case.

  “I do remember that. Trevor blasted her for not telling the father in the first place, then becoming jealous of his current relationship and family and setting out to cause problems. She was denied back child support, but was awarded up to date and future support payments. He also got the father joint custody, but started out with visitation until he and his daughter got to know each other better. She was also charged with criminal activity—kidnapping, I think they called it?” Symóne smiled at the thought of how Trevor always worked things out in the favor of his clients. He would research and create additional charges against the opposition. The woman was sorry she had even opened her mouth in the first place.

  “So, you see…Trevor will find a way to escape without doing unimaginable things that will cause future problems to your relationship,” Faye smiled with raised shoulders.

  Chapter 6

  The sound of crickets, tree frogs, and other critters of nature began to play a natural melody to Trevor. Dare he move and cause a disturbance of the unseen? It was enough that something very small was biting his arms, causing him to scratch at it as his ears tuned into the small bubble popping noises that were coming from the lake.

  Off in the distance, the steady cadence of propeller blades chopping the air was approaching. It was the helicopter returning for another search. Trevor knew it was for him, and they had to know he was there, but something was keeping them from coming in on ground level. He waited for the helicopter to get almost directly over him with it's blinking lights and turned his flashlight up at it and began to switch it off and on in very small spurts.

  “Look down there, in the woods! Did you guys see that?” asked Vince.

  The friend that was flying the helicopter turned where they could see better, and descended just a little closer to make sure it wasn't just a reflection of a shiny object.

  Trevor flashed the light a couple more times, this time making it obvious that it was him. He held the switch on for four seconds, swirling it in a circle motion then turning it off.

  “That has to be him! Give me your phone!” he demanded of the agent with him. He took it and dropped it where it would fall near him and hoped that it wouldn't break upon impact. The agent's phone was encased in an armored case, so they were about to find out just how durable it really was.

  A brief moment later, they could see the glow of the LED light, but it disappeared. He must have turned it where it couldn't be seen.

  However, the helicopter was at a stand still way too long and Lori became suspicious. She stood, peering into the darkness of the trees, waiting only seconds before she left the porch running toward that direction. She had a flashlight in her hand as well.

  By this time, Trevor had called Vince, seeing that the phone belonged to an agent they both used, and made the connection.

  “Trevor! Is that you?” Vince asked.

  “Yes! I have to run, call you back!” he ended the call and stuck the phone in his pocket.

  He took off running toward a deeper part of the woods, tripping over the roots of trees and bushes in the darkness. Trevor's athletic agility got him through most of the thick foliage unscathed. He trekked further out, almost circling the entire lake. He stayed just inside the tree line where he could see out over the lake using the light from the moon as a guide, hopefully able to spot Lori if she got close. That's when he heard scuffling, a low growl in the distance. It sounded like an animal, not large, but big enough to be a threat. Now feeling that he was running from two predators, he heaved himself into second gear, hoisting over mounds of rocks, only seeing them just as he reached them. It was if he were running track, leaping over the hurdles with smooth stealth. He was almost back at the cabin, a few hundred yards away, easy distance for someone that runs fifteen, sometimes twenty miles a day.

  At the moment, all he could hear were his own breaths—in through the nose, out of the mouth. He silenced himself, listening, when something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Across the lake, the glow of a flashlight shown off toward the far end. Lori had long stopped running, but searching by sight and sound.

  Trevor stopped, holding still, working to slow his breathing to keep it as quiet as possible. He wondered if the animal that made the low growling noises was actually an animal. Nothing seemed to be pursuing him, maybe it was his imagination, creating things for the atmosphere he was in.

  Lori still moved about in the distance. She gave up on her forward search, possibly too afraid of the darkness that loomed around her. The glowing light beamed back toward the cabin, quickly and unsteadily. She was going back, and now that she was distracted he could think things through.

  He carefully pulled the phone from his pocket, turning it where it faced the opposite direction where the glow of the LED light wouldn't give away his location, and began to call Vince again.

  Suddenly, he heard a loud scream, then a cry for help. It was Lori.

  He looked in her direction, the light, the flashlight, was on the ground. He waited, taking a couple of careful deep breaths, then she screamed again. It was blood curdling and he couldn't ignore it.

  “Damn it!” he grunted to himself.

  He worried that she might be seriously hurt, then again it could be a trick. His instincts were telling him that she really was hurt.

  He dropped his shoulders with a sigh. He started with a slow trot, taking the shortest distance, going toward the cabin and heaved himself back into a sprint toward the sounds of her whimpers. She began begging for him to help her, her voice shaky and tearful.

  “Lori!” he called out. “Where are you?” he continued towards her.

  She panted and whined some more. He was getting closer to the sounds when he heard her speak.

  “Watch out Trevor! They're still around here somewhere,” she gasped through her words.

  He turned on his flashlight and shined it toward her voice. She was laying on the ground, scared to move. She was surrounded by them…a rhumba of Rattlesnakes. She had disturbed a mating session and had been bitten twice.

  Trevor pulled his gun from his back and aimed at the snake that was about to strike her and fired a shot. He hit it in the head and the others jumped at the vibration of the shot. They swarmed around her and he opened fire on them all, hitting all but one that
slithered off in the opposite direction.

  From the helicopter, Vince and the others heard the shots and saw sparks from the area of the sound. They had no idea if Trevor was doing the shooting or was it Lori? He called in law enforcement and gave them a quick run down of the situation and the location. They dispatched units to the property, and a helicopter of their own also headed in their direction.

  “Does this thing have a spot light?” Vince asked his buddy, referring to the helicopter.

  “Yes,” he said as he turned it on and aimed it in the direction where the sounds of gunfire came from. They still couldn't see them through the thick umbrella of trees.

  Trevor had returned the gun to his back and stuck the flashlight in his pocket and reached for Lori. She reached her arm around his neck and began to shiver.

  “Lori? Stay with me,” he told her. “How many times were you bitten?” he asked.

  “Twice,” she sighed. “It hurts.”

  “Just stay with me. I'll get you to the hospital,” he promised as he headed towards her jeep. “Where are the keys?” he asked her. She only sighed in response.

  “Damn it Lori! Where are the keys?”

  “I can't tell you. You'll just leave me here,” she whispered.

  “If I were going to leave you, I would have left you to die among the snakes. Now, you're the one who needs medical attention, and I'm not sure how long it takes for the snake venom to become fatal, but you are just going to have to trust me,” he told her.

  “They're in my right front pocket,” she whispered.

  She began coughing and wheezing as though she couldn't catch her breath.

  He sat her in the front passenger seat and dug for the keys. Finding them, he took them and rushed around to the driver side and got in and started the engine.

  “How do I get out of here?” he asked her, but she had closed her eyes. “Lori! Lori! Damn!” he growled.

  He paused a moment and thought of when he was inside the cabin, what direction had she gone in? Taking a deep breath, he backed away from the cabin and started toward the lake, then went to the left around it. Just as he approached two very large trees, he saw that there was a narrow path between them. It was just big enough for the jeep to fit through smoothly for a driver with steady hands. He continued through and the gravel and dirt covered road appeared.

  Trevor drove until he came to a dead end. He stopped and looked around for a place to back and turn around, but then he saw flashing blue lights ahead through the trees. The police were out there looking for the entrance, and that's when he suddenly saw what looked to be a makeshift gate just as they spotted the headlights to the jeep. Trevor blew the horn several times, then got out and rushed up to the branches and brush pile and started pulling them away.

  “That's him!” one of the officers announced.

  “Hey! I need help! She's been bitten by Rattlers—twice,” said Trevor.

  “Is that her in the car?” one asked as he pointed his flashlight toward the windshield.

  “Yes. It's been ten minutes and I'm trying to get her to the hospital,” he told them.

  “Follow me!” the officer said as he got in his cruiser and pulled off with his lights still flashing and sirens blaring. Trevor followed, full speed and once they were on the straight away, he took out the phone in his pocket and called Vince back.

  “Hey, it's me. I'm in the jeep between the police cruisers. She's been bitten by Rattlesnakes and we're headed to the hospital,” he relayed.

  “So you're okay?”

  “Yes. But I'll be better when I can get home to Symóne,” he breathed.

  “You'll see her sooner than you think,” said Vince. “Okay, we'll meet you there,” he ended the call and asked his buddy to put them out on top of the hospital.

  Once they landed, Vince and the agent got out and headed down to the emergency room to find Trevor. When they saw him walking with the gurney they put Lori on, Vince went up to him and embraced him, relieved to see him alive and well. He then pulled at him to go in another direction.

  “Where are we going?” Trevor asked. He wanted to make sure that Lori was okay, but taken into custody as well. She was messed up mentally and he didn't want her accidentally freed where she could cause problems for him and his family.

  “Your wife is here,” said Vince.

  “Already?”

  “She's been here for four hours,” said Vince. “Just so you'll know, she knows about Lori and her situation, and she became highly upset. She's here because she was cramping and they had to sedate her.

  Trevor picked up his pace, then turned to Vince. “I don't trust the police to keep her contained. Can you make sure our guys keep an eye on her?” he spoke of Lori.

  “Sure thing. I'll be right there as soon as I make sure Lori is secured,” Vince promised.

  Trevor headed up to the maternity ward and asked the receptionist for Symóne Harrison.

  “And you are?” she questioned him. His appearance was dirty, musty, and sweaty. Nothing like the suave, well dressed attorney he truly was.

  “I'm her husband, Trevor Harrison,” he replied.

  The way she looked him up and down, wrinkling her nose at him, made Trevor give himself a once over. He was nasty, and he suddenly began to feel icky, thinking of how Lori had been all over him, then he'd trekked through the woods and could have insects and parasites all over him. He didn't want to contaminate Symóne with such filth, and asked was there something he could change into and a place he could shower before checking on his wife.

  “Yes we have a shower right there, second door on the right. However…all we can give you are a couple of hospital gowns and a pair of booties,” she told him.

  “Anything will do.”

  He waited while she went to a cart in the hallway and grabbed two gowns and a pair of booties, then handed him a new bar of soap, a bottle of shampoo, and a towel and wash cloth.

  Trevor rushed to the shower, throwing his clothes in the trash can and gave himself an extensive, scalding hot scrub down from head to toe. He then turned off the water and dried himself. After putting on the gowns, one in the front and one in the back, he headed to Symóne's room.

  When he entered, Symóne almost yanked the cords from the monitoring machines to get to him. He rushed toward her and embraced her long, then started kissing her.

  “Um…Trevor, we're happy as hell to see you alive and well, but what are you wearing?” asked Alex.

  Symóne moved to let him sit next to her and he put his arm around her and pulled her close.

  “I was a bit messy when we got here, so I took a shower and this was all they had for me to change into. I didn't want to contaminate my beautiful wife,” he smiled at Symóne, then leaned in to kiss her again. He'd thought that he might never see her again, and this reunion was so surreal for him.

  “We?” asked Faye.

  “Yes. Me, Lori, and the Police. She was bitten by snakes when she chased me in the woods. That's how I was able to escape. We brought her here and Vince is making sure she doesn't escape once they get her better,” he shook his head.

  He hoped that this would be the end of her tirade against him.

  “Trevor? What happened out there?” asked Symóne, sadness in her voice. He could tell what she was worried about and wanted to ease her mind.

  “We can leave the two of you to talk,” said Faye, as she went to the other side of Symóne and leaned in to embrace her. She took Alex's hand and they started out of the hospital room.

  “Wait…Faye, Alex…thank you. It was easier for me to work to escape knowing that the two of you would look after my wife. I took great comfort knowing what great friends you were and knew that you would come to be by her side in this situation. I owe you guys big time,” he smiled at the both of them.

  “Of course Trevor. I didn't waste all that time trying to get this girl to make it happen with you for nothing. Sheesh! I need a damn vacation now,” she chuckled and drug Alex out of the
room and headed home so they could both shower and spend some time together.

  Trevor turned to lay where he faced Symóne and sighed. He started from the beginning and almost skipped the part where Lori had put her mouth on him in an attempt to get what she wanted, but he promised to always be truthful with her.

  Symóne's eyes closed dramatically and she sighed. A tear fell and she felt violated. She didn't want to feel this way, but she couldn't help it. This woman, his ex-girlfriend was completely naked in front of him. She put her naked body on top of his, with only underwear between them. She tried to pleasure him orally, and he struggled to not react. Did he want to? Was she that attractive or does he still have feelings for her? She thought to herself.

  “Babe? I can see your mind wondering. You have nothing to be concerned about as far as Lori and I are concerned. Yes, I did care a lot about her when we were in high school. She was my first and last before you came along. But I don't hold any real feelings for her. That was a long time ago and there is nothing there but sorrow for what she'd been through alone,” Trevor tried to explain things as honest as he could.

  He didn't have romantic feelings for Lori. He only felt compassion for what she's struggling through now. His only thoughts were, if he had known about the baby, he would have been there for her. He just didn't know what would have become of his life at this moment.

  “How messed up is she?” Symóne questioned. Her voice still quiet.

  “Very. She's completely delusional and dangerous. She is nothing like the person I knew in high school. I think what happened to her, she's feeling guilty for, and it's eating away at her emotionally. She's desperate to turn back the clock and do things differently. I told her that I couldn't give her what she wanted and she should just move forward and start fresh, but she can't see anything else but what she's lost,” Trevor explained his take on things.

  Symóne curled up into his arms and rested her head against his chest. He held her close and whispered, “I love you Symóne Harrison. I'll never let you down, and our son or daughter will grow up in a happy home, I promise.”