Chapter Four

Meanwhile as they were waiting two of the suspects came out they decided to follow them. Forty five minutes later as it had started to rain as Mick’s tire blew. “Oh fucking great!” he exclaimed. He pulled over to the side. “Well this is just great.” He said again.

“You already said that.” She said dryly.                                                                                

“I know but what I have to tell you you’re not going to like.” He said.

 “Okay what is it?” she asked nervously.

 “Well there’s a storm coming as you can see, but the bad thing is I can’t change the tire.” He said awkwardly.

“Why the hell not!” she asked annoyed.

“Well this is a dirt road sweet heart so the jack will just sink into it, that’s why.” He shot back.

 “Oh Crap!” she just shook her head in despair. “So now what are we going to do, just sit here?” she asked sarcasticly.

“Well we could but I don’t think a lot of cars come down this road. Or we could jog back a ways where I saw what looked like another dirt road and follow that and see where that leads. If you’re up to it that is?” he asked her smirking.

She blew out a breath and looked out of the car as it started to pour. You got to be kidding me she thought. They could sit here and be cold in the car or hopefully find someone to let them in and call for help. “Fine let’s go it beats sitting here and freezing to death.” They got out of the car and started jogging down the road. After about three miles down they found the other dirt road and started down that.

 Mick looked at Mary and asked “Are you okay?”

“Yeah so far.” She told him breathing a little hard.

 “It shouldn’t be much further alright.” She shook her head yes. She was shivering so she was eager to find shelter. It took about another five miles down but they finally came across a cabin. Mick took Mary’s hand and they went to the front of the porch. Mick started to knock on the door. “Hello, hello is anyone home?” he kept knocking and yelling out.

Mary was looking into the windows. “Mick I can’t see anything or anyone in there.”

“Okay stay here I’m going to go around back and try the back door.” He said. She looked at the front door which looked like it was solid oak so there was no way they could get though that, and she didn’t have her tools with her to pick a lock. Then all of a sudden she saw movement by the window and then heard noise coming from the door.

It finally open and Mick was standing there smiling, “Well are you coming in or do you want to stay out there all night.”

“Very funny.” She said as she walked passed him into the cabin. “How did you get in?” she asked.

 “Easy I broke one of the little glass planes of the back door and unlocked it.” He told her.

 “So we broke in.” she asked him standing there shaking her head in annoyance.

 “Basically yes. Well did you want to freeze to death or what? It has a fire place so we can light a fire to get warm. So I’ll get some wood. But we have no electricity and no water either. But we’ll look around as soon as I get the wood and the fire started. You go ahead and get undressed okay I’ll be right back.” He told her as he started to leave.

 “Excuse me!” she yelped out.

 “What?” He asked as he turned around.

“What the hell did you say?” she asked as if she thought she was hearing things.

“About what?” he really didn’t know what was wrong at that particular minute.

 “Getting undressed that’s what.” She told him indignantly.

 “That’s right, how else are our clothes going to get dry.” He asked her smiling.

 “Oh, okay right.” As she thought about it.

 “Good.” He said with a sly smile.

While Mick went out to the shed to get the wood, Mary went into the bedroom to see if there were any clothes that she could put on while hers were drying. Unfortunately the closets and the drawers were empty. “Shit! Shit! Shit!” She grabbed two sheets off the bed and she stripped off her clothes and wrapped herself in one of the sheets and went back out to the living room where Mick had started the fire. “Hey you got it going, great.” She said.

 Mick turned around and saw Mary wrapped up in the sheet and nearly fell over. “Yeah is that for me?” he asked trying not to choke.

“Yeah the closets are bare no extra clothes so the sheets off the beds are the best I could do.” She told him seriously.

“No that’s fine. Thanks.” He said trying to hold his delight.

She laid out her clothes so the fire could dry them and Mick started to undress.

“Hey what the hell are you doing!” she asked him trying not to look.

“Taking off my clothes sweet heart.” He told her as he started to strip.

 “First of all don’t call me sweet heart and second of all there’s a bedroom or a bath room you can use.” She told him.

 “Why use them when I’m coming right back here anyway. And if it bothers you just close your eyes. But if you want to peak be my guest.” He told her as he also gave her a quick wink. She quickly turned around as he started to take his pants off. “You know you are really a pain in my ass.” He told her as he was finishing up.

  “I’d rather take care of your ass” She gritted her teeth but reframed from answering.

“Okay you can turn around now it’s safe.” He told her.

She did “Thank you.”

 “Look I’m going to look around and see if I can find anything to eat or drink. You stay by the fire your still shivering.” Mick told her concerned.

“No I can help.” She said as she was shivering really badly.

“No I mean it. Stay and get warm, I don’t need your brothers getting mad at me because you got pneumonia.” He told her. Mick went in search as Mary sat and tried to get warm but she felt an inner chill and just couldn’t seem to get warm. It was about five minutes or so and Mick returned with a handle full of things. “Hey look at what I found.” He sat down beside her and speaded everything out. “I got some bottles of wine, crackers, beef jerky, and I even found some wine glasses how about that.”

As he started out pouring the wine he noticed that she was still shivering. “You’re still shivering?” he asked concerned.

“Yeah but it’s no big deal. I’ll be fine.” she said shaking.

Handing her a glass of wine. “Oh I really don’t drink.”

 “Well it will help with the shivers; it keeps the body temp warm so drink it. And scoot over to me.” He told her.

 “Why?”

 “Why do you always have to ask the stupid questions when you damn well know the answers. You’re going to get sick and I need to bring your body temp back to normal so get over here so I can keep you warm. I don’t bite.” He knew he had to get her body temp back to normal or she was really going to get sick on him. But it also wasn’t going to kill him if he had to hold her either. Well she really didn’t care at the moment because she was shaking uncontrollably. She scooted over to him and he wrapped her in his arms and she laid back against his chest. “Mary it would be better if you pull down the sheet. Skin on skin creates more heat than through the sheet.” He said trying not to sound like a sex manic.

“Oh God, really?” she asked nervously.

“Look right now I’m really not trying to hit on you. I’m more concern with just getting you well. Okay?” he said seriously.

 “Okay.” She said as she let the sheet slip from her shoulders down to her waist. Then Mick took his sheet and wrapped them both up in that. He kept giving her some wine slowly but just enough so it would warm her insides.

 “What do you want to eat? The jerky or the crackers.” He asked her.

 “The crackers please.” She didn’t like the jerky.

“You got it.” The storm outside was getting worst and the thunder and lightning was really bad. Every time that it hit she jumped. “Hey are you afraid of thunder and lightning?” he asked.

“Nooo.  I just don’t like it that’s all.” She told him not really wanting to seem weak.

“Well it’s okay I’m here.” He said as he tightens his arms around her. Luckily her shivering covered up the fact that her nerves were starting to take over also seeing she was sitting there naked under the sheets. There would be no explaining to Jon if they were found like this. She finally drifted off to sleep in Mick’s arms. He looked down at her and thought to himself at how cute she looked at how the glow of the fire bounced off her face. He bent down and kissed the top of her head.

Mick had drifted off to sleep also but it wasn’t long that he had woken up. He looked down at his watch which read four forty eight a.m. and the fire was starting to get low. He slowly moved her off him to the floor to the pillow he had placed as to not wake her up and checked his pants to see if they were dry. He put them on and went to get more wood out in the shed. It was only a light mist out now so he was only a little wet when he came back in. He stoked the fire and Mary started to come to. “Well hello there how are you feeling? Any better?” Mick asked.

 “I think so except for being hungry yeah. What time is?” she asked yawning.

 “It’s four fifty-eight in the morning. So go back to sleep.” He told her he wanted her to get her rest.

“Is it still raining out?” she wanted to know.

 “Just a little, drizzling really but muddy as hell. I checked down by the road, it looks like it could be knee deep.” He told her.

 “Great so what are we supposed to do now?” she wanted to know she knew her brothers were probably getting really worried by now seeing that they haven’t heard from them all night.

 “Well I’ll see if I can get the electricity on and if that doesn’t work I doubt the telephones will work either. When Joe and your brothers realize we didn’t come home last night I’m sure they’ll send out a search party looking for us. Hopefully the cops will do an aerial and find the rental and trace it back here to the cabin. If they’re really as good as you say they are they’ll figure we made it back here for shelter.” Mick explained to her.

 “Well they are that good so they will find us so our clothes better be dry or we’re both dead meat if were found here with just the sheets around us.” She said concerned.

“I think they’ll understand why we were in the sheets sweet heart.” He said to annoy her.

“I said not to call me…” but he jumped in.

 “Sweet heart! Right. Look it’s still early so why don’t you try and get some more sleep. I’ll keep the fire going and I’ll wake you around eight okay?” he told her really concerned for her.

 “Fine but I’m going to get dressed first you know just in case.” She told him she was really just paranoid.

“Why? You look so cute the way you are. Besides nobody else is here so what are you worried about?” he asked confused.

 “What if the so called search party gets here while I’m still in this sheet? Then what the hell are we going to do UM?” she asked him.

“Well while you’re explaining I’ll just sneak out the back and run like hell.” Mick said with a sly grin on his face.

“You think this is funny! It’s not; my brothers will kill you Mick.” She tried to explain to him seriously.

“Don’t you think you’re exaggerating a little bit? You’re a grown woman for crying out loud. Don’t they know that you date or even God forbid have sex? I mean you do have a boyfriend right?” he asked her.

“Well yeah but I don’t think that they think about that. Plus my Mom tells them to back off.” She said.

 “Well see they’re big boys. Now get some sleep because I’m going to need you at your best.” He said smiling. She didn’t know what she was going to do with him or she did but didn’t want to admit it to herself.

As eight O’clock came around, Mick was done looking around the property as the rain had finish coming down. He bent down to wake Mary up, he gently started to shake her then he decided to bend down and he caressed his lips across hers. She started to respond to him and he slowly let his tongue guide into her mouth to dance with hers. Before she knew it her hand moved up into the back of his head grabbing his hair as his move to her back as he started to gently lie on top of her. His other hand started to move the sheet down so he could cup her left breast when she realized where she was and that it wasn’t Jon she was with but in fact that it was Mick. For a brief minute she didn’t know what she wanted. Did she want this with Mick? Was she really having feelings for him? Did she really still loved Jon? Oh God she was truly confused now and if she did make love with Mick it was just going to add to the confusion. She had to be truthful to him. She finally grabbed Mick’s hand to stop him from going any further. He stopped kissing her and took his hand off of her and rolled to his side disappointed.

“Is this about your boyfriend?” Mick asked disappointed.

“Yes and no. I’m just really confused Mick. I don’t know how else to explain it?” She said sadly.

“You know I’m really attracted to you? And I’m here he’s not.” Mick told her lightly rubbing her arm.

 “Mick he’s not here because he’s on tour. Plus he asked me to join him when this investigation is over with. He loves me.” She told him as she looked down.

“Do you love him?” he asked her even thou he thought he knew the answer to that question.

She looked at Mick and her heart felt heavy “I thought so, until you came along. Can you love two people at once?” she asked.

“Sorry can’t, you do need to choose though. You can’t string either of us along.” He told her outright.

 “I’m not! Jesus Mick, you have me so confused right now. It’s actually your fault.” She said raising her voice.

 “My fault! Why the hell is it my fault!” Mick asked annoyed now.

 “Because you’re the one that’s been all over me.” She told him upset now.

“Okay I’ll give you that but you sure as hell didn’t seem to mind.” He said cocky.

“Bullshit! I’ve been telling you to leave me alone from day one. Okay first I’m getting dressed then don’t talk to me.” She said as she picked up her clothes and headed off to the bedroom to change. Mick just shook his head and smiled at her aggravation.

As she came out of the bedroom she was just about to yell at Mick when they heard a truck pull up to the cabin. “Well I guess I changed just in time because I do believe I just heard Rick’s truck pull up.” She said as went to open the door.

 Mick went to stop her but it was too late. “Mary don’t open that door….” He yelled. But as she opened the door she expected to see her brothers but instead two men came crashing in knocking her down with their guns drawn.

The first man looked at Mick and said “Don’t do it!” as Mick went to grab the fire pick. Mick stopped short and straighten up. Mary went to move but the other guy had stopped her. “Don’t do it sweet heart. In fact get up and move over to your boyfriend.” Mary just made a face, got up and walked over to Mick.

Mick spoke up first. “What the hell do you want with us?”

 “Yeah right. You two were asking a lot of questions about us the other day. There was one more of you, where is he?” the thug asked.

 “He’s not here. She and I came up here for a quiet date. You know three’s a crowd.” Mick said. Mary just looked at Mick and played along so she grabbed his hand.

 The thug turned to his buddy and said “Go take a look around and see if he’s telling the truth. They we’re scouting the hotel yesterday and they must of followed us too.”

Mick didn’t want to try anything with Mary there afraid of getting her hurt. So he decided to wait them out. The other guy came back and confirmed Mick’s statement. “Yeah they’re alone, nobody else is here.”

 “Well bad for you guys isn’t.” the thug said.

 “Look just let my girlfriend go okay. She really doesn’t know anything; she just came along for the ride, that’s all.” Mick said.

“Sorry but she can identify us.” He said. And with that the second thug hit Mick in the back of the head.

“MICK! What the hell!” Mary yelled.

“Tie her up and throw her in the bedroom. Then tie him up next and throw him in there to.” He said.

He bent Mary over the couch as he tied her hands and legs, then put her in the bedroom. Next came an unconscious Mick. Then she could hear a lot of banging out in the living room. But what really started to scare her was the smell of gasoline. ‘Oh Shit! They’re going to burn down the cabin.’ She said to herself. She wiggled over to where Mick lied and started to poke and jab him to try and wake him but to no avail. Then she heard the front door close and she could smell smoke. She started to panic because this was not the way she had planned to go.

As the thugs got out of the cabin they started down the road on foot. Because their truck had gotten stuck in the mud just sitting there for the little time they were in the cabin. So they stayed close to the side where there was grass, sticks, and leaves as not to leave too big of footprints. While they were coming down the road the Simons and Town were pulling over were Mick’s car was. As they got out A.J. was the first to reach it. He opened the door.

 “It’s unlocked.” A.J. yelled. As he got in he started going through the car to see if he could find any signs of either a struggle or a note to where they could be.

When the rest got to the car Rick asked. “Did you find anything?”

“No nothing. Maybe they went for help. They couldn’t change the tire not in this mud.” A.J. said.

“Well I don’t see any footprints the storm last night must have washed them out. But I did see a road a few miles back; do you think they tried for that?” Town asked.

“Well it wouldn’t hurt to check.” Rick said. They got back in their vehicles and headed back to the dirt road. Once they got there they all got ready to hike down the road when these two men came out. When the two tugs saw the group they turned around and ran back towards the cabin.  But the men ran after them and about half a mile down were able to apprehend them.

The first thug starts to yell “It wasn’t my idea. It wasn’t my idea.”

“What the hell is he talking about?” Rick asked.

Joe looked up and gasped. “I think that. That’s smoke.” He said pointing in the direction of the cabin.

They had put the cuffs on them and started to run towards the cabin as Town took the men to his car and to call the Fire Department. As they got to the cabin they could see it was engulfed in flames. The brothers told Joe to stay put.

“Look if my brother is in there I’m going in there too!” he yelled.

“Look we don’t need all of us getting hurt. You stay here and let Town know what’s going on in case we don’t come out.” Rick demanded.

 Joe wasn’t too keen on staying put but he knew Rick was right. The brothers put their handkerchiefs around their faces, opened the door and went into the fire burning cabin. They quickly scanned the living room but had a hard time seeing as the smoke was so thick. A.J. scoured the living room for his sister. Outside Town met up with Joe.

 “Where are the Simon’s?” Town asked the youngest Barrett.

 “In there.” As Joe pointed to the burning cabin.              

“Oh good God. Well the Fire Department is on the way.” And just as he said that a helicopter with water flew overhead and dumped water on top of the cabin. “Joe let’s move back or we’re going to get soaked.” Town said.

Back in side Rick looked in to the back bedrooms and was able to see two forms lying on the beds. Just then they both heard something hit the roof of the cabin. That got A.J.’s attention and went to where Rick was waving him down. As they entered the room they could see their sister and Mick lying unconscious on the bed. Rick grabbed Mick and put him over his shoulder while A.J. picked up his sister. It was starting to get a little dicey in there now, so it was now or never to make a break for it. All of a sudden Town and Joe saw the Simon’s coming out with Mick and Mary. They quickly went over to where they were away from the cabin just as the fire trucks were coming up the road. Behind the trucks was a news crew from the local area which Town was dating the local reporter Temple Hill. Temple got out of the news truck and came over to where they were all standing.

 “Oh my goodness is Mary alright?” Temple asked.

“We don’t know yet Temp.” Town said.

“Do we know what started the fire?” Temple asked.

 Town looked at her and said “Temp not now okay. I’ll give you and everyone a statement later but right I can’t until the Fire Marshall makes it official. Now can we just concentrate on Mary and Mick please?” Town said a little too heatedly.

“Fine with me Lt. Brown!” and Temple stormed off to report on the fire.

“You were a little curt with her weren’t you?” A.J. asked.

“You know how Temple gets when she’s on a story I just can’t deal with it right now, especially with Mary hurt.” He told A.J.

 “I can understand that.” A.J. said a little relieved.

The EMT’s were working on both Mary and Mick as they both came around. They were couching their heads off mostly. The EMT told Rick and A.J. that they both had smoke inhalation and should be transferred the hospital. A.J. looked at Rick and said “I called Mom the last time so it’s your turn.”

 “Gee thanks!” Rick muttered.