Trinity Ch. 05

“Vanessa, he’s getting away!” Sabrina called out.

Vanessa’s gaze snapped forward again in time to see Joshua taking off down the tunnel. Damn it!

“Stay here and take care of Alec. I’ll be right back!” She called over to Sabrina.

Vanessa took off into the darkened tunnel. She was barely able to make out Joshua in the distance. Vanessa pushed herself as hard as she could and her leg muscles burned with the exertion. She was slowly gaining ground, but it just wasn’t enough. Vanessa pulled out her gun and aimed off to Joshua’s left. She didn’t want to hit him at that point, but hopefully she would catch him off guard enough to stop him. She needed answers to what was going on and by God she was going to get them.

She squeezed off a quick shot and the slug slammed into a crate. The gunshot made Joshua stumble and pitch towards the ground. He was back up on his feet in a second, but it was just enough of a pause for Vanessa to gain the ground she needed. She continued her charge and stepped up on a nearby box. Vanessa leapt through the air in an impressive kick. Her foot stuck Joshua in his back and he once again fell to the floor.

It was almost like her sparring with Alec because as Joshua hit the ground he rolled forward and sprang right back to his feet. The two of them circled each other for a few moments. Different punches and kicks were traded between the pair, but everything was blocked with a practiced ease by both of them.

“I’m going to make you pay for what you did to Alec.” Vanessa growled at him.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Joshua demanded. “Alec’s a big boy, Vanessa, and you can’t pick who he decides to sleep with. Besides, I’m not even really married.”

“Are you insane?” Vanessa looked at him in shock. “I’m talking about you bashing him with a crowbar and then tying him up.”

“I’ll ask you again,” Joshua’s voice sounded confused. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Don’t play games with me.” Vanessa snapped at him. “Next you’re going to tell me that you didn’t know Paige was dead either.”

“What?” Joshua asked.

He had stopped moving and his hands even fell to his side. Vanessa paused for a moment taking in the complete look of shock that covered his face. He was really good Vanessa decided. If there was ever a performance that was Oscar worthy, it was definitely the one she was seeing right now. There was no way Vanessa was going to fall for it.

Vanessa quickly stepped forward and grabbed Joshua by the front of his shirt. She turned her body and expertly flipped the stunned man to the ground. Joshua was a bit heavier than she expected and as she tossed him his shirt ripped down the front. Joshua’s body slammed into the ground knocking the wind out of him. Vanessa drew her gun again and pointed it at his chest.

“Get up you worthless piece of shit.” Vanessa spat at him.

Joshua took a moment to catch his breath and then slowly got to his feet. He must have hit his head because he was swaying a bit and looked a bit out of it. Joshua surprised Vanessa by raising his arms over his head in a gesture of surrender.

“Why?” Vanessa demanded.

“Why what?” Joshua’s voice was thick with emotion. “You keep asking me questions that I don’t know the answers to.”

“I can understand you killing Paige, Joshua, but why did you try to hurt Alec?” Vanessa asked.

“I did NOT try to hurt Alec. I would never hurt someone that I l…” Joshua’s voice broke and paused and took a breath. “Why do you keep saying Paige is dead?”

“Because we found her body at your waterfall tonight. The same waterfall that you told Alec to meet you at.” Vanessa took a step closer to him.

“Paige is dead?” Joshua’s face turned white. “Wait a second, I never told Alec to meet me at the falls. I haven’t seen him since we had that night together. I…”

“Just shut the fuck up!” Vanessa yelled at him. “I’m not falling for your games, Dreamcatcher. You killed Paige, you tried to kill my brother, and let’s not forget that you betrayed the Covenant. You are the lowest human being I have ever met in my life, but I’m about to do the world a favor and take care of you. Right here, right now.”

“Wait a minute!” Joshua yelled as he saw her finger begin to pull the trigger. “What did you just call me?”

“Dreamcatcher.” Vanessa sighed and glared at him. “You didn’t think we knew about that did you? Anything else before I kill you?”

Joshua’s eyes widened at her words. Vanessa was prepared to fire before he even answered but as his body shifted the light in the tunnel bounced across his chest and was reflected back. Her eyes glanced down only for a moment to see what caused the flash, and her breath caught in her throat. Vanessa’s eyes locked on the pendant that hung from his neck. She stepped forward and grabbed the pendant in her hand.

“Where the hell did you get this?” She demanded.

“It’s mine, Vanessa.” Joshua replied.

“No, it’s not.” Vanessa said as she looked at the pendant. She locked eyes with Joshua and her stomached knotted up. She saw something there she hadn’t expected to see; the truth. “Oh fuck. This isn’t Sabrina’s. That means that you’re…” Her voice trailed off.

“I’m Backdraft.” Joshua said completing her sentence. “Did you say Sabrina said this was hers?”

Vanessa dropped her arm that was holding the gun as the two of them stared at each other. The reality of their situation dawned on them at the same time as they heard Alec’s voice scream out in pain echo through the tunnel.

“Alec!” They cried out in unison.

* * *

Alec had watched as his sister ran off after Joshua. His heart was torn in two because he wanted her to be safe, but he wanted Joshua to be safe as well. The effects of the drugs were finally wearing off and his eyesight finally returned to normal. He groaned as he felt the pain in the back of his head throb, and he could feel the blood that was drying on his scalp. Alec tried to move but the ropes that were holding his hands and feet together were too tight. Alec had first thought it was Joshua that stood over him in the kitchen, but on his way back to the main island he drifted in and out of consciousness. During one of his more lucid moments he remembered hearing a woman’s voice.

“Sabrina, help me get these ropes off.” Alec requested. He waited a moment and then glanced up to see Sabrina sitting off to the side looking in the direction that Vanessa had gone. “Sabrina, I need help untying these ropes.”

Sabrina snapped out of her daze and finally looked over at Alec. She shook her head for a moment and gave him a warm smile. Sabrina stood up and moved over to help him.

“Let’s get you into a sitting position.” She said as she walked behind him. “It will be easier to cut the ropes that way.”

Alec groaned in pain as she gently helped him into a sitting position. He felt a massive migraine starting and the back and side of his head throbbed in agony. It took him a moment to regain his concentration from the intense pain. When his head cleared again he realized that his hands were still tied behind his back, and it was in that moment he remembered whose voice he heard; it was Sabrina’s.

“What are you doing, Sabrina? Cut the damn ropes already.” Alec snapped.

“Now, now, now, Alec. You’re going to have to be nice, young man. You wouldn’t want to upset me right now.” Sabrina cooed in his ear. Alec stiffened as he felt Sabrina’s arms wrap around his body. Her hands grabbed and groped their way over his chest. “Do you have any idea how much you turn me on?” She breathed into his ear.

Alec mentally groaned and couldn’t believe the timing Sabrina had. It definitely was not the best time for her overactive imagination and sex drive to kick in on him. He tried to move away from her, but her arms tightened around him effectively holding him in place. Alec would have been able to take Sabrina in a New York minute before, but between the pain coursing through his head, and the fact that he was tied up gave her the upper hand. His body shook in disgust as he felt Sabrina’s tongue snake around his earlobe.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Alec demanded. He couldn’t stop the scream of pain as Sabrina yanked back on his head. Her hand pulled on the hair that surrounded the spot where he was struck earlier that night. “Why are you doing this?”

“Sorry, Alec, but it’s not show and tell time.” Sabrina laughed wickedly in his ear. “The only thing you need to know is that you’re going to die, and it’s going to be really soon.” Sabrina ran her fingertips under Alec’s top and he shuddered at her touch. Her fingers pulled his pendant over his head and she put it around her own neck. “You won’t be needing this anymore, stud. I think I’ll keep it as a memento.”

Alec and Sabrina could hear footsteps running through the tunnel. Sabrina quickly stood up and tried to pull Alec to his feet. He was too heavy for her to lift without any help. She quickly pulled out her gun and pressed it to his temple.

“Get up now!” Sabrina yelled at him. Alec could hear the footsteps getting closer and realized that there was more than one person coming. Was it possible that Vanessa and Joshua figured out what was going on? The fact that both of them were alive gave him the strength to get to his feet. Just as he stood up Sabrina stepped partially behind him and pressed the gun to his temple. “Make these last few moments with Vanessa last, Alec, because your time is just about up.”

Alec’s thoughts were confirmed as he saw Vanessa and Joshua running towards them. They both looked like shit, and he figured that Joshua must be one hell of a fighter to have kept Vanessa from killing him. Vanessa and Joshua stopped a few feet from them as they saw the gun that was pressed against his head. Vanessa was giving Sabrina a look that would have made even the world’s toughest person empty their bladder immediately. Joshua’s gaze was focused on him though.

His eyes burned into Alec’s and it was almost as if a thousand things were said at once. Alec kept his face void of any emotion because he still didn’t know exactly what was going on. As Alec looked blankly back at Joshua he thought he saw tears well up in the man’s eyes.

“I knew I should have killed you when I had the chance, Sabrina.” Vanessa’s voice was cold as ice. “Or maybe I should call you Dreamcatcher?”

“What?” Alec exclaimed.

“Well, I can see that someone wasn’t doing their job properly, Miss Vanessa.” Sabrina replied. “Otherwise you would have killed Joshua instead of having a little chit chat with him. I have to say that I’m very disappointed in you. Maybe you really are as stupid as I first thought you were.” Sabrina reached into her pocket and withdrew two pairs of handcuffs. She threw them over to Vanessa and Joshua. “I want you back to back on the ground and handcuffed together. You have thirty seconds to do it or Alec here dies sooner than planned.”

“I thought you had broken your arm, Sabrina.” Vanessa calmly said as she noticed the arm Sabrina threw the cuffs with. “Too bad it’s not true because now I’m going to have to break it for you.”

“Shut the fuck up, bitch!” Sabrina spat. “You have twenty seconds.”

Joshua and Vanessa exchanged a look with each other. They weren’t very sure of each other, but they had a common goal now. They were both willing to protect Alec at any cost. Joshua stepped carefully in front of Vanessa to pick up the handcuffs. He carefully bent down and picked up the cuffs. As he stood up his body blocked Vanessa enough to give her the opportunity to partially roll up the sleeves of her shirt.

“Ten seconds!” Sabrina’s voice called out.

Joshua stepped back and turned towards Vanessa. Their eyes locked as she took a pair of cuffs from him. She took the lead and snapped one of the cuffs around her wrist making sure it was secured above the rolled material. Vanessa glanced at her wrist and back up at Joshua. His face didn’t change at all, but his eyes conveyed his understanding. They sat down back to back as Sabrina ordered and snapped the other cuffs into place. Though it was difficult, they were able to complete their task with a few seconds to spare.

Sabrina grinned maniacally at the trio in triumph. She kicked Alec in the back of the knees knocking him to the ground. The air rushed out of Alec’s lungs as his chest slammed into the ground. Joshua growled and tried to move forward to break his fall but being handcuffed to Vanessa made that impossible. Sabrina leaned down and pushed Alec’s body over until it rested just by the other two.

“Just lay there or I’ll kill you.” Sabrina’s voice was cold. As she stood up Alec’s pendant swung a bit from her neck. Vanessa’s eyes locked on to it immediately.

“What are you doing with that?” Vanessa demanded.

“You mean this?” Sabrina asked as she palmed the pendant and tucked it under her shirt. “Alec was kind enough to give it to me. He’s so sweet.”

“You better enjoy it now you fucking bitch because I’ll be taking it back in about sixty seconds.” Joshua’s voice definitely inspired fear.

“How brave of you! It’s so romantic to see a man defend the person he loves.” Sabrina cooed as she stood in front of Joshua. The color drained slightly from his face at her words. “Didn’t think I heard you talking to yourself in your office? I just don’t understand how you could think you loved someone after one quick fuck?”

“It would be pointless for me to explain something like emotions to a heartless bitch like you.” Joshua snarled at her.

“Complimenting me won’t be saving anyone’s life tonight, Joshua.” Sabrina’s cold laugh echoed in the tunnel. She retrieved a small black box from her pants pocket. “All I have to do is press one little button and this tunnel is going to disappear in one very large explosion. I hope the three of you can swim.”

“You aren’t enough of a bad ass to just shoot us?” Alec groaned as he rolled into a sitting position. “You didn’t seem to mind killing Paige.”

“I didn’t kill Paige.” Sabrina’s voice hardened as she trained her gun on him. “Sit up against your friends, stud. It’s just about time to die.”

Alec slid into place with his back against Joshua and Vanessa. His body tingled from the connection with Joshua. He felt a hand grip both of his hands. Alec realized that Vanessa and Joshua think alike because they each grabbed one of his hands. He couldn’t tell though whose grip was firmer because it felt like both of his hands were going to break from the pressure on them. Alec felt one of the hands shift and felt an arm brush against his palm.

He wrapped his hand around the arm and felt a roll of material. Alec kept his smile to himself. Leave it to Vanessa to figure a quick way out of her cuffs. Alec took his time to unroll the material because he didn’t want to make too much movement. Sabrina circled the three of them and was watching them intently.

“You’re lying about Paige.” Joshua’s sexy baritone voice broke the silence. “I didn’t kill her and I know Alec and Vanessa didn’t. So that just leaves you.”

“I told you that I didn’t kill Paige!” Sabrina screamed at him. Her pacing stopped and she stood facing the group. Alec’s back was to her, but he could sense the rage in Sabrina.

“You’re so full of shit. You killed her and now you think you’re going to take care of us.” Alec growled at her. Alec’s body tensed as he heard Joshua grunt in pain.

“Keep it up, smart ass, and you’re going to watch your man die very slowly in front of you.” Sabrina exclaimed.

“I’ll kill you right now, bitch!” Alec yelled. He struggled to get up when he felt Joshua grip his hand even harder.

“I’m okay, Alec. It was just a punch to the jaw.” Joshua’s voice calmed him done slightly. “She’s just like an annoying fly buzzing around. It’s almost time to swat her.”

“I still don’t understand why you killed Paige.” Vanessa’s voice echoed in the tunnel drawing the attention to her. “Something must have happened for you to get mad enough to kill your partner. She must have been the brains of the operation. You don’t strike me as intelligent enough to work on your own.”

Sabrina lashed out and hit Vanessa in the back of the head. Vanessa allowed her body to rock forward from the hit. Alec had been able to unroll the material on one of her arms and the pressure of her body moving forward was enough to almost pull her hand free from the cuff. Luckily she hadn’t locked the cuff as tight as Sabrina thought, and she would have that cuff off in seconds.

“I’m sick of repeating myself.” Sabrina’s voice had started to sound a bit hysterical. “I did NOT kill Paige.”

“Then whose body did I find at the falls?” Alec demanded. “We know that Joshua didn’t do it. You can’t work your way out of this one, Dreamcatcher.”

“Did I hear someone mention my name?” A voice echoed from the tunnel’s darkness.

All of their gazes snapped in the direction of the new voice. A figured emerged from the shadows behind a stack of crates. Alec’s breath caught in his throat as his eyes widened in shock.

“I’m glad I’m not late for the party.” Paige’s voice was sweeter than honey. Her smile widened as she saw the shocked look on everyone’s face. “Now what’s all this talk about me being dead?”