| Chapter 21 She was weightless in his arms as he laid her on the lounge sofa in his own safehouse. Here they would be protected from Faison, protected from his father’s horrific revenge. Anders had no doubt Faison would try to come after them. Not that he would succeed, but Emily would never know that. Her incoherent state when they escaped Faison’s clutches would work very well to his advantage. Even now, she slept restlessly, her grief over Lucky’s supposed death so pronounced she couldn’t even rest. Anders pulled a cover over the young woman. His hand brushed her luxurious brown hair as he sat next to her. Waiting for her to awaken gave him a chance to touch her soft skin, to imagine what it would be like for them to lay together, to give themselves to each other. Anders ached to explore the depths of Emily’s soul, to feel himself riding beneath her to heights of ecstacy. Her wanted to bury his face in her breasts and feel her closeness. Instead he curtailed his baser urges, waiting patiently while she dreamed her restless dreams. It was Lucky who haunted Emily. Lucky, saving her from Faison’s deadly hand, Lucky being tortured time and again by the Danish Madman, Lucky, his face empty in death, his futile battle for life finally done. “Emily, Em…” Lucky’s voice called from some far away place she couldn’t reach. Her hands reached out to the empty air, only to be grasped in a gentle embrace. Emily opened her eyes to see Anders sitting with her. He was all she had, she realized. Anders was her savior, and Lucky was no more. “Emily?” Anders started cautiously. “You awake?” “Anders,” Em’s soft voice replied. She looked around the room. It was furnished comfortably with the blue lounge sofa, a plush light blue carpet, a maple table with 4 chairs to match and a television set. The kitchen was set off to the right side of the room and a bedroom was off to the left. It was warm and bright with the windows letting in the late afternoon sun. “Where are we?” she asked in wonder. “We’re free? We got away?” “We’re free, Emily. My father will never hurt you again. I promise.” “But, we were too late,” Emily started. Anders placed his finger on Emily’s mouth. “Shhh,” He whispered. “I’m sorry about Lucky. Truly I am. I wish I could make it up to you.” His weak blue eyes seemed to grow stronger in Emily’s eyes. Anders appeared so sincere in his empathy. Emily shivered just the same. Anders pulled the blanket over her. “You’re cold,’ He told her. “come into the bedroom, and you can rest there. You’ve had a tremendous shock.” Emily didn’t object as Anders picked her up again. She put his arms around his neck, and leaned her head against his shoulder as they went into the bedroom. The sun swept into the west window, lighting the room naturally. Anders pulled back the patchwork quilt, and laid Emily gently on the bed. As he drew back, she grabbed at his arm. “Don’t go!” She begged. “Please don’t go.” “Em, I can’t stay. It’s too hard,” Anders replied. His eyes ravished Emily in a second. She blushed as her eyes met his. She couldn’t help but know what he wanted. She patted the bed next to her. She was so delectable, so beautiful. Anders couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Please, Anders, don’t go.” * * * * * The car was smoldering along the roadside. Inside the driver’s compartment, a body moved slowly, moaning in pain. Her head rested against the steering wheel, her body stuck by the position of the seat. It was so damned uncomfortable. She wished she could honk the horn, but her hands couldn’t get to the horn. For once in her life, she needed to draw attention to herself, and she couldn’t. It was galling. For a minute, Gia tried to remember what had happened to get her in this position. Nikolas had told her to go straight to Wyndemere. Instead, she had decided to go back to the cottage to take a shower and change. She had been turning down the road that led to the isolated cottage when the steering wheel locked. She tried to slam on the brakes, but that only caused the car to skid and fly off the road down an embankment. Her terror had let itself out in a high pitched scream as the Jag hit a tree, and came to an abrupt halt with a sickening crunch of metal. After the darkness passed, she woke to find herself pinned. She had been here, alone for hours. She was getting more and more tired, and now she was afraid she might even die, all alone. “Stop it, Gia. Nikolas would tell you, you were being a hysterical female. Don’t be stupid. You are not going to die. You are going to get out of this stupid Jag and…and…” Gia had difficulty putting the thought together, much less verbalizing it. She had a lot of pain in her left side. It was getting worse. Gia wondered if anyone would find her. Surely, Nikolas was looking for her by now. Her brown braids hung over the wheel, her body still and motionless when a man on a hike walked by. He froze when he saw the smoke coming up from the crumbled front end of the Jag. What a pity to destroy such a beautiful car. Hesitantly, he walked over to the car. He saw what appeared to be a body in the car. Hastily, he walked away to the nearest phone. Gia never saw him. She was concentrating on staying awake, concentrating on herself. The sound of sirens alerted her to the fact she had been found. Found at last. She breathed a sigh of relief as the sirens grew closer, and someone’s hand stuck itself to her neck. “Hey!” She cried. The person’s hand was abruptly pulled away. “We’ve got a live one here,” the paramedic cried incredulously. “Hurry up.” “A live one,” Gia muttered. “I’m more than that. I’m a person.” Whether she spoke the words out loud or not she didn’t know. “The door’s jammed. We’re going to need the jaws of life. You’d better hurry. She’s bad.” “I’m not bad. I’m not,” Gia said again. But no one heard her. The man brushed Gia’s braids back from the steering wheel of the car. He saw that her eyes were open. “Miss? Can you hear me? What’s your name? Can you talk to me?” “Gia,” came the weak response. Her voice was far away. The paramedic wondered how long Gia had been in the car. Two fire fighters raced to the car with the Jaws. “Gia, we’re going to get you out of here, okay? It’s going to be kind of noisy. Can you stand it?” “Out!” Gia cried anxiously. “Get me out!” Her voice was stronger, and the paramedic grinned. He placed an oxygen mask close to her face beneath the steering wheel. It wasn’t a perfect fit, but it was better than nothing. “Take some deep breaths’ He yelled at Gia as the Jaws was turned on. The whirring sound was grating to Gia. The cutting of the metal was so close, she thought she would be hurt by the blades. She took deep breaths as instructed just to keep her anxieties under control. After about twenty minutes, the roof of the car was pulled off. The firemen took another fifteen minutes to get the driver’s seat pulled back enough to extricate Gia from the car. She screamed in pain as a backboard was put between her and the seat. “What the H*ll!” She yelled. Now the paramedic really smiled. “Keep it up, Gia. As long as you’re screaming, you’ll make it.” They used the back board to get Gia out of the car. Gently they laid her on a stretcher. Gia’s blood pressure was taken. The oxygen mask was fitted over her face. Gia’s eyes closed as her body was strapped to the board. She was so tired. “Gia?” the paramedic asked. “Gia, can you tell me what happened?” “What do you think?” she countered more weakly now. “Anyone else hurt?” came the next question. Gia shook her head. The paramedic palpated Gia’s abdomen. He touched her left side and she cried out again. The pain was overwhelmingly sharp. The side was rigid. He bent down and talked to Gia again. “Anyone you want us to call, Gia? We’re going to take you to GH. Someone can meet you there.” “Nikolas,” Gia said. She gave the paramedic Nikolas’ cell-phone number. Then, as her blood pressure finally plummeted, she lost consciousness. “BP is 60/40. Let’s go Folks. She’s bleeding out!” the paramedic cried. They scooped and ran with Gia to the ambulance. The paramedics were so busy working over Gia, they couldn’t call Nikolas. The sirens on the ambulance wailed and the ambulance drove at breakneck speed to the hospital. They were there in record time. Gia was rushed into the ER. Racing through the pneumatic doors, they were greeted by Dr. Eve Lambert and Dr. Ian Thornhart. “This is a young woman who was in a single MVA. Age unknown. She was pinned between the steering wheel and the driver’s seat for an unknown period of time. She was belted in. Left side is rigid and extremely tender. BP is 56/38. Pulse is 140. BP’s been falling. She was alert and oriented when we got to her. She lost consciousness about ten minutes ago.” “Damn,” Ian returned. “Any family or someone to sign a consent.” “She gave us a phone number. We haven’t had a chance to call yet.” “Call it, but we can’t wait. She’s going to need surgery immediately. Start an IV of Lactated Ringers at 125cc/hr. Call the surgeon on call now! Let’s get an abdominal x-ray stat. Raise her legs. That might help to keep the blood circulating to her upper body. We need a CBC, Chem 7, Urinalysis, and Sed Rate, stat. Get a tox screen. Move it!” Ian barked. Eve started a large bore IV. “Get me two units of O Neg blood,” She ordered a nurse. “Where is that surgeon?” She exchanged glances with Ian who did a neuro check on Gia. Gia moaned as he pressed her side again. There was no doubt in Ian’s mind. Gia had probably ruptured her spleen. If they didn’t get that spleen out, she would bleed to death in short order, and she’d never wake up. Ian knew Gia. He wasn’t that fond of her, but he wasn’t about to lose her. “Where’s that damn x-ray machine?” He yelled. * * * * * Nikolas Cassidine was standing in the foyer at the Quartermaines when his Cell-phone went off. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered it quietly. He went close to the front door to hear. “Yes,” He answered. “Nikolas? Is this Nikolas?” Came a strange voice on the other end. “Yes? Who is this?” “This is Dan Halls. I’m a paramedic with the PC Fire Department. Do you know someone named Gia?” “Yes. What happened? Where is she?” Nikolas’ voice raised a notch. Stavros appeared from out of no where. He listened to his son, seeing the worry on his voice. A Cassidine who wore his emotions on his face was not good. “Ms. Campbell was in a car accident. She’s at General Hospital. She asked us to call you.” “Then she’s okay?” Nikolas asked, almost breathing a sigh of relief. “I’m only a paramedic. I can’t say, but you might want to get down here pretty quick. It’s serious.” Dan told Nikolas. Nikolas slammed the phone into his pocket. He raced out the door with Stavros after him. “Nikolas! Where are you going?” Stavros called after his son. “To General Hospital, where else?” Nikolas retorted, not realizing Stavros had no idea what was going on. Nikolas jumped into Stavros’ limousine. The driver refused to budge until Stavros got into the car. “Would you tell the driver to move it?” Nikolas demanded. “I don’t have time. Gia’s been hurt.” “Hmm. Gia? Nikolas, really, you should control your emotions,” Stavros told his son. Nikolas got into Stavros’ face. “Either the driver drives or I drive, but we’re moving, now!” Stavros rather admired his son’s demanding attitude. He nodded to the driver who shut the door after them. Stavros sat back in the seat as the limousine took off and Nikolas stared in anxiety out the window. “You show promise, Nikolas,” He said quietly. “Maybe you’ll make a good prince after all.” Nikolas didn’t dignify the comment with a response. His thoughts were on Gia. What the H*ll had happened. How could she have gotten into an accident? Was it her fault or worse, was it someone else’s, another person attempting to hurt someone he loved. He could only hope and pray not. He could only hope and pray Gia lived. If she didn’t, whoever hurt her was going to pay. He was a Cassidine and Nikolas knew when he wanted revenge. Right now, he wanted revenge, for Lucky, for Emily, for Gia. It was too much. It was all too much. * * * * * Emily’s hand patted the bed next to her. Anders Faison couldn’t believe her blatant invitation. Dressed in the white nightgown his father insisted she wear, she was truly an angel to behold. He sat softly next to her, his hand touching hers, then stroking her cheek. Emily leaned into his hand. “Emily,” Anders’ voice cracked with his need. “I want you. Are you sure?” In answer, Emily’s lips caressed his. He tasted their sweetness, his tongue searching for hers. Pulling his strong body towards her, Emily felt only the strength of a man, the love she so craved in the darkness that surrounded her. Her hands slipped under his shirt, feeling the hardened muscles of his chest. She leaned against him, breathing in the ecstasy of delight that seemed to suddenly surround her. “I’m sure,” She whispered. “I need love, Anders. Love me. Please.” Her voice begged him so enticingly. He could not contain himself. Gently, Anders helped Emily undress, lifting her nightgown over her shoulders to reveal an exquisite body. She was everything he had hoped, young, nubile, perfection. His touch caused Emily to groan in anticipation. She was so sensitive, so needy. He was lifting her above the horror of the past few days. Emily brushed Ander’s open shirt back and pulled it off him. In a second, Anders had undressed himself, till he too was ready for Emily’s pleasure. Once more she caressed his chest, kissing him ardently, her hands clawing at his back while he relished her love. “Anders, please,” Emily moaned. She was so delicate. He brushed her hair back, kissing her cheeks, her lips, her neck. “You are delicious. I want to cherish you,” his husky voice whispered to her while he nibbled on an ear. She smiled at the way he so carefully touched her. He wasn’t evil. He was kind and good. He was helping her, caring for her, keeping her close to him. Anders couldn’t believe how the world was exploding around him, the power he felt as he made love to this angel. She was giving herself to him innocently, heartfully. “You are everything I dreamed of, Em. I love you, Emily,” Anders cried in his passion. Emily smiled while Anders loved her. She lay back as he fell to the bed beside her. She looked into his face. Anders stroked her cheek, then pulled her to him. She fell asleep against his bare chest. He kissed her woes away while she slept. And poor Emily didn’t know that she had just given her soul to the devil himself. * * * * * Faison smiled in a devilish grin. The video of Anders actively making love to Emily was something he could only have hoped for. Trust Anders to go to one of Faison's safehouses. Trust Anders to be stupid enough to not check for a video camera. Faison’s luck hadn’t run out with his son’s cruel betrayal. He turned to the young man who sat, bound and gagged in a leather chair. The leather straps on the thin arms cut in deeply, causing the captive untold pain. Faison took off the gag. His hand rested on the young man’s shoulder as they watched the scene unfolding in front of them. Faison’s captive shook his head in disbelief, in horror, in abject pain. Not Emily and Anders. It couldn’t be. “Do you see, Lucky? Emily believes you are dead. But even if she didn’t, she didn’t give herself her to you. She gave herself to Anders. She was a virgin, you can tell,” Faison said. “Anders was very gentle with her. He may be a fool, but he apparently knows how to handle a fragile colt like Emily. You aren’t good enough to wipe her shoes, Lucky. You are dirt, nothing more than the dirt we step on.” A tear slipped down Lucky’s face. As Emily fell asleep in Anders’ arms, Lucky felt his heart constrict in terror. Anders words didn't give him any more comfort than Faison’s. “I’ll never let you go now, Emily. You are mine, now and for always. You’ve given yourself to me, and I will hold you to me forever.” The cold demonic monster within Anders came out as he looked directly at the Video camera and realized he had been taped making love to the Angel he so desired. The realization of his dream had been seen by others, probably his father. With a howl of rage, Anders jumped up and pulled the video to the ground. The picture in Faison’s room went blank, but Lucky had seen enough. He closed his eyes in defeat. They were lost he and Emily. He couldn’t save her now. Nothing could. Faison who had nothing to do now, but exact his revenge on Lucky. He turned to the young man who had already been tortured practically to death. He bent down and looked Lucky in the eyes. His gaze was even more horrifying than Anders. “Now is the time to let yourself go, Lucky. Now is the time to give in. You could have died when my guard shot you, but the bullet was only filled with my particular brand of poison. It made you look as though you had died to Emily and Anders. But still you are here. You will languish forever with me here to obliterate the real Lucky Spencer. If I cannot be free, than neither can you, and I will spend the rest of my life torturing you until either you or I die. Curiously, I wonder who will give in first.” Lucky sagged in the chair. He prayed for death, for any release. None came. He screamed in agony. And no one came. |