Dark Days

Rescue

     ©JRF2016

   I woke up to my darkened cell. I thought I'd feel that cold loneliness that I had felt when Tony held me captive but instead I was wrapped in a blanket of warmth. I looked up to see Reid lying next to me and his arms wrapped tightly around me. The last thing I remembered was collapsing into his arms outside the prison. I stared at his face for a while. It felt great having him hold me like this but then this wave of guilt washed over me. Conner was alive and stuck with that evil bastard, who knows what he is doing to Conner for helping me escape. Reid finally blinks his eyes open and smiles at me. "You're awake." I barely hear him from the loud thoughts in my head but eventually I nod and ask him, "How long have I been sleeping?"

"Three days," he sighs, "I was starting to think you weren't coming back at all." He hugs me tight and kisses the top of my head. I half-heartedly smile and rest my head on his chest, "I'm back."

"Something wrong, you don't really seem glad to be back?" Reid asks but before I can answer Darrick walks to the door and clears his throat.

"I see your girl's awake now. Did you two kiss and make up?" We all laugh as I glance up at Reid and he looks down at me. "Did you ask her?" I looked back and forth between the two of them.

"Ask me what?"

"Do you know who did this to you?" Reid asks taking my hand in his as I sit up in bed. I shake my head.

"A guy named Tony. That's all I know, well that and they are set up over in this little town called Saint Joe, they have walls built up around it now. Oh, and he's a pretty evil bastard. I mean look what he did to me and he doesn't even know me." I looked from Reid to Darrick and back again. "I thought we were done with him." Reid puts his face in his hands.

"So you guys know this guy?"

They nodded, "Yeah, we know him." Reid said pinching the bridge of his nose now.

"Darrick, your brother helped me get out of there. He was going to come back with me but this guy's goons got a hold of him." Darrick started pacing back and forth biting his thumbnail.

"Conner's there?" I swallow really hard and nod. Darrick was getting excited and anxious. I was too, to be honest, I wanted Conner back. I missed him but then I want Reid now too, maybe having Conner back won't be such a good thing. I can't leave him there though. "We gotta go git 'im! I gotta git my brother!" I noticed his accent comes out thicker when he is excited as I look at him with a sympathetic gaze.

"When do you want to go?"

Reid stood up, "No way. You're not going back there, you got away from him once he's going to be out for blood now. You need time to heal anyway." I stand up looking into Reid's blue eyes.

"I'll be fine. You and Darrick won't let anything happen to me. Besides, I owe it to Conner. If it weren't for him I'd still be stuck in that chair or I'd be dead." Reid wasn't happy about it but he finally agreed and he only agreed because we promised to wait another day or two for me to heal up some more. Reid was getting closer to me in the two days before we left and even Charlie was starting to warm up to me, but I couldn't quite get there. I was feeling guilty about Conner. It felt like cheating whenever Reid kissed me.

       We were loading all our gear to face off with Tony. "Are you sure you're up for this?" Reid asks as he places a hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm sure." I reassure him with a smile.

"If you two lovebirds are ready, we need to go." We rode in silence to our confrontation with Tony. Darrick was anxious to get his brother back, Reid was worried about me, and all I could think of was what I was going to do about the two men when we get back. How are we going to make this work, who am I going to choose? I love Conner, have for a long time, but I really am starting to have some deep feelings for Reid too. I glance over at him every now and then and I couldn't help but notice how adorable he was when he was worried. I felt a blush start to rise in my face and I quickly turned to look out the window. I was hoping Reid wouldn't notice but I heard his soft, concerned voice speak up, "Rachel," he whispered as he placed his right hand on my knee. I could really feel the heat rising in my face now as I answered, "Hmmm."

"Are you absolutely sure you're okay with this. We can take you back, you don't have to come along."

I placed my hand on top of his, "I told you I'm fine. I need to do this." I look back out the window and finish the rest of that thought in my head. 'No matter how hard it is going to be living with both of you once Conner is back.'

       We stopped a couple miles up the road and we walked the rest of the way to Saint Joe. We found a way in through the back side and quickly found where he was keeping Conner. He was pretty beat up but unguarded. We snuck in and freed him with no problems. On our way out is when we come face to face with Tony. "Well, if it's not my old pal Reid," he smirked, "And his little crew. You know I just wanted you to get me into that prison but bringing him here to me is actually better. Home field advantage and all that." He reached out to brush my cheek and I pull back. "I thought we had something special," he laughs and I see Reid's face turn an angry shade of red.

He grabs Tony's hand and pushes it aside, "Don't touch her!" This causes him to laugh even harder. "Guess you got over Lucy." I was staring at him wondering how he knew Reid's now deceased wife when one of his men grabs me and sticks a gun to my head. Reid holds his hands up, "Let her go and let's talk this out like men." Tony turns to talk to Reid when Darrick grabs him and sticks his knife to Tony's throat. We were in an old style Mexican standoff and neither side was going to back off easily.