El Corazon (10/10)
El Corazon (10/10)
Author: Amy
Pairing: Orlibean
Rating: PG-13
Warning: CHARACTER DEATH and it’s rather a not-nice way to go in my opinion.
Disclaimer: Never happened. This has been adapted from the movie Romancing the Stone - it does not belong to me no harm is meant and no money is being made.
Beta: The lovely giselleslash all remaining mistakes are mine.
Summary: Romance writer Orlando Bloom travels to Colombia to save his sister who has been kidnapped.
Previous Parts: Here Summer Movie Challenge. The movie I chose was Romancing the Stone.
Note 2: The journey’s almost done just the epilogue remaining. Hopefully the ride has been a good one for you guys it certainly has been for me.
Note 3: This part crossed the 11,000 word mark. I probably should have just broken it into two separate chapters but I am loathed to do it so…I apologize for the length.
Thanks to cammissbloom for my lovely banner and icon!
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Orlando watched the water taxi disappear into the darkness and tried desperately to ignore the nerves that were bubbling up in his stomach. He knew he was on a rocky ledge with them and that at any second they could overtake him and he’d be lost. He shook his head and reminded himself what was at stake. Who was at stake. With Samantha in his head it made it easier to force those nerves down and to turn and walk across the open courtyard towards the crumbling fort that occupied most of the small rocky island he had landed on.
He moved cautiously. He was walking in almost pitch black darkness, there was a bright full moon that evening but it moved in and out of cloud cover without much warning. He was thankful to see the dull glow of security lights emanating throughout out the ruins. The water taxi captain had told Orlando that while there were no hours of operation on the island, and it was always open to visitors, the treacherous waterway you had to cross to get to it, and the large population of alligators that had taken up residence on it, made it a less than popular destination even in the daylight hours. It was only after Orlando had backed up his insistence that he really needed to go there with a hefty sized tip that the captain had agreed to take him.
He stumbled slightly on a rock as the moon dipped behind a cloud and he could make out a splash somewhere to his right which sent his heart skittering in his chest but he kept moving. He reminded himself again that it was almost over. Just a little bit longer and he’d have Sam back and they could head home and he could go back to his quiet life and forget that any of this had ever happened. That would be the best thing for everyone. He just hoped that the last little bit of the adventure would go a lot smoother than anything else had. Thankfully the last few hours had gone better than he had anticipated.
He had been lucky. A half hour after reluctantly leaving the side of the river he’d stumbled upon two researchers from Glasgow and their vast array of equipment. He’d only intended on offering to pay them for a little bit of food and water but they’d taken one look at him and bundled him into the back of their jeep and headed off towards Cartagena. They’d claimed that they’d intended on heading there within the next few days to restock some of their supplies but Orlando had doubted that was really the case. He hadn’t questioned it out loud however. He desperately needed the ride and Gerard and Billy had seemed friendly and safe enough to take them up on the offer rather than wait and take his chances when he got to the road.
Exactly what they were in Colombia researching, Orlando had never been able to decipher. Once they got going on any sort of conversation that involved the both of them their accents got so thick and muddy that he was lucky if he understood every third word. In the end it didn’t really matter. He was just content to sit in the back seat with his eyes closed, listening to the lilt of their garbled conversation. He’d even managed to get in a few catnaps along the way.
The trip to Cartagena had been blissfully uneventful. They’d dropped him off in front of the hotel in the early evening hours scoffing at any attempt he made to pay them for their help. If they’d been curious as to why he’d been traipsing around Colombia on foot, or disappointed that he hadn’t invited them to hang out with him for the evening, they hadn’t commented on it. They’d just left him with Gerard’s cell phone number and Billy’s email address and made him promise to drop them a line if he ever needed, or just wanted, to. All in all the whole encounter had left him with the feeling that there was more to them than there seemed to be on the surface. He was beginning to see that as the running motif of this whole trip.
Once he’d found himself alone again the nerves had started to return, but he hadn’t let them. While he’d been walking before running into the two men he’d made himself a solemn promise. When he was safely back in New York he could have the most massive breakdown that he’d ever had, but until then he’d just have to put those sort of feelings away because giving into them would just put Samantha in more danger. To facilitate that he’d made a mental list of everything he needed to do once he got to Cartagena.
The first thing on that list was going into the hotel to see if the registration, or at least the mobile phone, was still there waiting for him. To his relief both were still active. Once he’d gotten into his much nicer than expected room he’d turned the phone on as he’d been instructed and waited. He didn’t have to wait very long. Five minutes later it rang and he was verbally attacked by the now familiar Irish voice for taking so long.
Considering everything that Orlando had gone through to get to Cartagena he’d found himself snapping back and demanding to talk to Samantha before progressing any further. They’d only been allowed five minutes but it was enough to reassure him that she was still alive and that had helped ease some of the tension that had built up inside him.
After he’d been given the location for the exchange he’d used the phone to call Elijah to verify that the money was available to be wired to him if he needed it. He didn’t think he was going to need it, but the knowledge that there was that amount of money waiting for him should he need it definitely helped ease some more of the tension. Orlando hadn’t volunteered any reason why he wasn’t going to need it immediately as planned and Elijah, for his part, hadn’t pressed for an explanation. When the call was finished he’d taken a shower, ordered some room service and only when he’d finished both and had curled up on the bed to get a couple of hours of rest before the two a.m meeting did he finally allow himself to think about Sean.
He tried not to, really tried not to, but in the end it was a losing battle. When there was no longer anything left to worry about or distract him the memory of Sean standing on the other side of the river came back to Orlando full force. His promise to meet Orlando in Cartagena echoed through his head. He wanted to believe that Sean wouldn’t just disappear after everything they’d been through together but he couldn’t afford to think otherwise. Both for Samantha’s sake and for his own.
He knew the scruffy man with the gun had been deliberately trying to plant seeds of doubt between them. Orlando had seen through the attempt plain as day but he still couldn’t stop himself from having the doubts anyway. They were the same thoughts and questions that still lingered in the back of Orlando’s mind. Sean had really wanted the treasure, he’d needed it, and now he had it. There were no ties between them and no reason for Sean to risk himself further to help Orlando. Orlando knew better than to think that he was worth it.
He refused to make more of it then it was. No, when he allowed himself in the future to think back on the time he spent with Sean he would remember it only as a grand adventure and a fabulous night spent in each other’s arms. It was a one night stand and there was absolutely nothing wrong with that. Normal people had them on occasion, Elijah had had more than his fair share and wasn’t any worse for wear. Orlando wouldn’t be either.
Real life didn’t turn out the way things did in romance novels, with the hero appearing on a white stead in the final chapter, so there was no use in holding onto false hope for what might have been.
Once he’d pretended to make peace with the way things with Sean had ended he’d managed to drift off to sleep for the few hours until his wake up call. The trip from the hotel to the dock had been thankfully uneventful, he didn’t think he could have handled anything going wrong at that point he was concentrating too hard on getting one foot in front of the next. That strategy worked well enough to get him to where he was at that moment, walking across a dark and deserted island with no clear idea of what lie ahead of him except that he had to remain calm if he wanted to get himself and Samantha out of this alive.
Orlando tried not to notice the alligators resting in the small pools that lined the courtyard outside of the ruins. One let out a dangerous sounding hiss as he stepped too close to it and he wisely gave the rest of them a wide berth as he walked past. He was relieved when he entered the crumbling structure although it was darker inside than out. He picked up the pace, but he didn’t know how long it had taken him to get there from the hotel since he’d given his watch to Sean days ago. He stumbled slightly as Sean’s face flashed in front of his eyes and he swallowed hard and forced it away. That was the last thing he needed at the moment. He needed to concentrate on what he was doing and nothing else.
He paused as he came to a small open area where light from a nearby fixture illuminated the space. He could see two openings from where he was standing set a bit apart and the path he was on disappeared around a sharp corner not far beyond them. The kidnapper had said they’d meet at a crossroads inside the ruins. This seemed to be the place but there was no kidnapper and no Samantha to be seen.
“Hel…hello?” he called wincing as his voice cracked.
“So you finally made it,” the Irish voice echoed around the cavernous space.
“It’s not liked I planned to take this long,” Orlando snapped back in irritation, unable to stop himself despite the seriousness of the situation. “Can we…please…just do this?” he continued after a moment in a much more placating voice.
“Do you have the map?” the kidnapper asked, his voice sounding more annoyed than ever.
“Yes,” Orlando answered quickly, fumbling with his pack so that it was hanging over his chest and he could get to the latches.
“Let me see it,” the voice demanded.
The cockiness of the voice grated on Orlando’s last raw nerve. This greedy stranger was the reason he’d gone through everything he had to get here. He felt entitled to doing a little bit of demanding of his own. “Let me see my sister first.”
There was muttering from one of the side corridors but a moment later Samantha was thrust into the open area. She looked worn ragged, her hair was limp and ratty and she was accompanied by two armed men. The relief that swelled up inside Orlando at finally seeing her alive and in decent condition was tempered by the sight of the two men, he should have known better than to think that the kidnapper was working alone. The stakes were too high.
“Orlando!” Samantha said in a relieved sounding voice but the expression on her face was one of annoyance mixed with anger, whether it was at him, the kidnapper or the situation in general Orlando couldn’t tell.
“Sam,” Orlando asked in a voice that matched hers. “Are you okay?”
“You two can do your little reunion after I see the map,” the kidnapper interrupted before Samantha could answer.
Orlando nodded his head unsure whether the kidnapper could see him or not, but his two men could, they grabbed Samantha and dragged her back a few steps. He pulled the map out of the protective plastic, unfolded it and held it up so it was clear in the light. He told himself that there was no signal on the map that would go off when the treasure was no longer where it was supposed to be. The kidnapper wasn’t going to know unless he was told. And he and Samantha would be on the first flight back to the US the second they were away from this place and when they got there Orlando would let Elijah call whoever he wanted to about the situation.
A man appeared from the same side section that Samantha and the men did. He was scruffy with messy hair and wild eyes, and he walked with a swagger and a cocky glint in his eyes. Orlando was momentarily taken aback at his appearance, this was far from what he’d been expecting for a ruthless kidnapper. He was tempted to think that something was going on but when the man spoke it was with the same accent that Orlando was now familiar with.
“If this is a fake…or you’ve doubled crossed me in anyway…” he said menacingly.
He snatched the map from Orlando’s grasp and examined every inch of it. Orlando shifted uncomfortably and out of the corner of his eye he noticed Samantha stand up a bit straighter and pin him with a stern stare. Orlando glanced quickly away so he wouldn’t make a face that might give him away. He should have known that she would realize that something was up. Samantha knew him well enough to know when something was up and she knew with just one glance that something was not right. He schooled his face into the mildly interested expression he’d honed for conversations with his neighbor, Mrs. Wiensten, about her cat’s bowel movements and focused instead on intently examining a nearby stone wall while the kidnapper looked over the map.
His attention shifted back to the man as he folded up the map. The kidnapper was looking at him with an unreadable expression. “You and your sister…” he said, his voice menacing, and Orlando stiffened and waited for a blow. “Are free to go!” he crowed laughing at the stricken expression on Orlando’s face before gesturing to the men to release Samantha.
She rushed over to Orlando throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. “Orli!” she said in pure relief pulling back to futz with his hair. “I was so worried…what took you so long!”
Orland grimaced and pulled out of the hug while sending a quick glance to the kidnapper who was regarding them with a smirk. “Let’s get out of here…I’ll explain everything later…”
“That…” Samantha said, sending an annoyed look back over her shoulder towards the kidnapper as she started pushing at Orlando’s chest trying to get him to move towards the exit. “Sounds like a good plan.”
Orlando was relieved that she seemed to want to get out of there as quickly as he did. That would seem like a normal response after being kidnapped but Sam could be extremely confrontational when she set her mind to it no matter the situation. Not wanting to give her too much chance to think about it and change her mind, Orlando turned to lead them out of there as quickly as possible.
They’d gone only a few steps when they were stopped in their tracks by a stream of bullets that came dangerously close to Orlando’s feet. Samantha yelped in surprise as she stumbled into Orlando’s back when he stopped. Orlando moved quickly, pushing her backwards into a small nook in the stone wall and shielding her with his body. He turned to glare at the kidnapper thinking the man had changed his mind but he only had to take one look at the confused and worried look on the man’s face to know he wasn’t behind the gunfire.
Movement drew Orlando’s attention back to the corridor they’d been heading down. His mouth dropped open as Sean appeared from around the corner. He looked even better than the picture Orlando had stored in his memory. His white suit was now mud stained and tattered and there was a strained look on his face but he was there and that was more than enough for Orlando. The surprise appearance was almost enough to make Orlando forget that he’d just been shot at. Almost.
“You’re late,” he said, irritation coloring his voice to the deepest level.
He felt Samantha clutch at his shirt like she was trying to get him to shut up and he put a hand backwards in an attempt to calm her. But then he took a good long look at Sean and didn’t feel so calm, something seemed to be off in his stance, granted Orlando didn’t know him very well, but it didn’t seem like he was comfortable. Sean shook his head just the slightest bit, an expression flitting across his face that sent a chill down Orlando’s spine in response. He stepped backwards pressing Sam more tightly against the wall. This wasn’t going to be a happy reunion.
“I missed you at the hotel,” Sean said in a strange strained voice.
He took a step forward revealing the gun being aimed at his back by two men, and these men weren’t scruffy like the kidnapper’s helpers, they were clean cut and decked out in what could only be SP uniforms. Sean raised his hands awkwardly as they stepped into the clearing, the gun pushing even more tightly against his back. Orlando’s eyes swung around wildly and he caught sight of the kidnapper who seemed to realize at the same instant what was going on and started panicking.
“You idiot,” he snapped in a terrified voice. “You led them right to us!”
He turned towards the nearest hallway, apparently ready to make a break for it despite the new arrivals and their guns, but before he could take so much as a step a man appeared out of the corridor on the opposite side. Orlando felt his mouth go dry and his heart pick up speed as he registered just who it was.
Viggo had finally caught up to him and Orlando had a feeling with just one look at the expression on the man’s face that he was going to be made to pay for the chase he’d led him on.
Viggo let his cold gaze linger on Orlando and then turned his attention back to the kidnapper. He strolled leisurely across the room towards the other man. As he advanced the kidnapper sank away from him, moving backwards until he ran into his own men. Viggo laughed coldly and snatched the map from the man’s shaking fingers. He held it loosely between two fingers, examining it for a moment, and then he produced a cigarette lighter from his pocked and set the map on fire, dropping it to the ground without a second glance.
“Hey!” the kidnapper squawked, making a dive towards the flaming map. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Viggo smirked as the kidnapper tried to use his hands and anything else he could to put the flames out knowing it was a loosing battle. “The map is worthless,” he said coldly. “They already have the stone.”
More men in uniforms entered the enclosure. They were dragging a man with them and deposited him roughly on the ground near the kidnapper. Orlando winced as he recognized the man that had held the gun on them in the cave, his face bloody and battered. The man turned his attention towards the kidnapper, his face contorting in pain as he tried to lift himself up off the ground to address the other man.
“I had it in my hands Colin,” he said in a raspy voice. “Hands that are going to kill you…” he lunged towards the other kidnapper but was stopped by a swift kick into his side. He landed back on his butt, moaning in agony, but his glare still focused on his partner. “Maybe later,” he mumbled finally, sagging tiredly to the ground.
It felt like ice water sliding through Orlando’s veins when Viggo turned his cold blue gaze back onto him. He strolled almost causally across the room towards Orlando, his voice drawling out slowly as he moved. “So that leaves me one very important question,” he said, stopping in front of Orlando. “Where’s the stone?”
Orlando forced himself to meet Viggo’s gaze and not to give into the urge to glance over at Sean. He could sense how tense Sean was, and like in the cave, the last thing he wanted Sean to do was do something incredibly stupid that might get himself killed. Best not to draw Viggo’s attention over there and it helped that he wouldn’t have to lie.
“I don’t know,” he answered levelly.
“Somehow,” Viggo said lifting his finger to brush against Orlando’s cheek, he smirked as both Orlando and Sean stiffened at the touch. “I don’t quite buy that. Where…is…it,” he tightened his grip on Orlando’s chin, forcing him to keep looking him in the eye.
“I…don’t…know…” Orlando said tightly. It was the truth and he hoped that was written on his face more than anything else.
Viggo stared at him for what seemed like hours, his fingers digging painfully into Orlando’s skin. Orlando struggled to not so much as wince knowing that giving Viggo the satisfaction of that, even so small a thing, would feed the man’s power. It didn’t seem to work; Viggo chuckled and loosed his grip until it was almost a caress. Orlando thought that was worse than the painful grip.
“Such a strong boy,” he said in a soft, silky voice. “But even the strongest walls crumble…I will take pleasure in breaking you.”
Orlando shuddered as the meaning of Viggo’s words brushed against him. He itched to fight back when Viggo grabbed him by the arm and pushed him towards one of the exits, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t do anything until he had time to think things through a bit. It wasn’t just him in this, it was Samantha and Sean, and anything that he did would flow over onto them.
So he let Viggo drag him off into the unknown.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Viggo didn’t take him very far. The whole group was led out into a clearing a short distance away from the ruins. It was brightly lit and when Orlando saw just where Viggo had brought him he gave up on the idea of not struggling, they were heading straight towards a large rocky pool filled with alligators. He dug in his heels and tried to stop Viggo but it was useless, Viggo was stronger than he was and just pulled him along with a laugh.
“Now…let’s see how strong you are, Orlando,” Viggo said in a silky voice. “Where is the stone?”
“I…” Orlando said, fear bubbling up as they got closer to the edge of the jagged embankment that led down to the pool. “I don’t know where it is,” he insisted again.
“Of course you do,” Viggo said coming to a stop a few steps away from the edge. “You were there with the stone when it was dug up and when it was last seen.” Orlando shook his head though he knew that the falseness of the move was probably written on his face. “Where is it…where is El Corazon?”
“I’ve already told you,” Orlando said tightly. “I don’t know where it is!”
“Yes you have already told me,” Viggo said coolly, producing a knife. “It’s a very good story but I don’t believe it.”
“It’s the truth…” Orlando insisted struggling as the knife appeared. “Really I don’t know anything about where it is now.”
“Let’s see how strong you really are,” Viggo said with a lazy smile.
He jerked Orlando’s hand hard and revealed the smooth skin of his underarm. Orlando hissed as the knife sliced against his skin but the pain wasn’t anything like he was expecting especially given how much blood swelled to the surface of the wound. There was a momentarily flare of pain as Viggo brushed a finger against the wound causing more blood to well up. Orlando watched with horrified wide eyes as Viggo lifted the blood covered finger to his lips and licked it.
“Such a waste,” Viggo drawled lazily in his ear. “The masterpieces I could create with your blood. Perhaps I’ll create them with your lover’s blood instead…or your sister’s…”
Viggo was trying to get a reaction from him, Orlando knew this and struggled not to give him one. The threat was a strange one but a threat nonetheless. But Orlando knew that both Sean and Samantha would probably kill him themselves if he gave into Viggo now. Even if he wanted to give in he couldn’t. He didn’t know where Sean had put the stone since they’d separated. He could have already sold it for all Orlando knew. Knowing it was playing with fire he turned and pinned Viggo with a steady, level gaze.
He knew his look had hit his mark as he watched Viggo’s face twist with rage for a split second before the mask slipped back in place. “Play time is over, little one,” he growled. “Now we begin.”
Pain sliced through his arm as Viggo dragged him forward by it. For a moment Orlando was lost in confusion and then he realized just what Viggo had in store for him. He struggled to pull his arm back from Viggo’s grasp as the other man held it over the pool and gave it a vicious squeeze so that the blood welled up and over the arm and was continued to be pulled downwards by gravity. He watched in horror as his blood hit the water. Within seconds the alligators in it started to slide closer to their end and some began to thrash about. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from whimpering out loud but knew that it was probably going to be a loosing battle to try and continue to be unaffected by what could be his own death.
“Let’s try this again, shall we?” Viggo asked as he pressed his fingers against Orlando’s wound, seeming to relish the small hiss of pain that Orlando allowed to slip out, he rubbed his fingers in the blood and let the droplets fall into the pool below causing the gators to thrash about a bit more. “Where…is…El Corazon?”
“Please…” Orlando said, no longer able to keep the desperation out of his voice. “I really don’t know…”
Viggo smirked, trailing the bloody finger briefly against Orlando’s cheek. “You’re so much stronger than I would have guessed. Such a pity…” he said, lowering his voice to brush silkily against Orlando’s ear. “I would have enjoyed breaking you.”
He half pushed Orlando forward, sending him so close to the edge that if Viggo were to let go it would be a simple act of gravity to pull him downwards into the water. Despite the danger Orlando struggled like a wild cat but Viggo’s grip was like a vice and there seemed to be no escape, but Orlando continued to struggle. He knew that if he was pushed into the pool he would die and it would be a painful death.
“Stop!” Sean’s voice called out from behind them. It sounded scared and strained, like he’d been holding himself back from calling out sooner. “Leave him alone! He doesn’t know were it is…I have it.”
Orlando yelped as Viggo whirled them around and he found himself pressed against the other man’s chest with the knife digging into his neck. Sean was across the open space standing between two well armed uniformed men. Samantha stood a short distance away, guarded by one of Viggo's men, while the kidnappers and their men were surrounded by four more.
“Where is it?” Viggo demanded, digging the knife into Orlando’s skin enough to draw blood to prove that he was serious.
Orlando’s eyes met Sean’s and he gave as slight a shake of his head as he could. He was desperate that Sean not give away the location of the stone. Sean’s brow creased, showing that he’d understood what Orlando was trying to tell him but seemed confused, or torn, about it. They’d gotten out of other situations over the past few days that were just as crazy and dangerous as this one and Orlando didn’t rule out the idea that just maybe they could get out of this one. But regardless, Orlando knew that even if he got the stone Viggo wasn’t going to let him go and Orlando wanted his death to be over with quickly. He was sure whatever Viggo had planned for him would be anything but fast.
When Sean finally spoke it was clear that if he didn’t understand what Orlando was thinking he was at least willing to play along for a little while. “It’s in a safe place,” he said coolly.
Tense silence descended over the group after that proclamation as they waited for a reaction. Orlando felt Viggo nod and watched in horror as one of the guards took a step in Sean’s direction. He was about to cry out that Sean was lying when the guard acted, lashing out with his gun, the butt of it connecting solidly between Sean’s legs. Just about every male present winced but Sean’s only reaction was to lean forward and let out a soft pained breath of air. It was hardly a reaction to such a vicious direct hit.
Sean slowly brought himself back up to an upright position, looking surprisingly okay given what had just happened to him. Or at least it seemed that way until his leg started twitching strangely. Something then appeared to dislodge itself and they watched with confusion as a strange lump slowly made its way down his leg, eventually stopping on the top of his shoe. He shifted slightly and the lump cleared the bottom of his pant leg revealing itself to be the large green stone. It glittered almost playfully in the overhead lights. Everyone knew instantly what it was even though only three of them had actually seen it before.
“The stone,” the kidnapper said, lunging forward only to be brought to his knee by his guards.
“El Corazon,” Viggo said in a hushed voice, his grip loosening on Orlando ever so slightly. “Give it to me!” he demanded taking a step away from Orlando towards Sean.
“You want it so badly,” Sean said his eyes narrowing as he watched Viggo move. “Then go fetch it!”
Then Sean kicked out with his leg. The action caused the stone on his foot to go sailing across the opening in a wide arch towards the pool, flashing in the lights as it moved through the air. Orlando’s heart squeezed for more than one reason as he realized that Sean had been so readily willing to get rid of the stone to save him. If the stone landed in the pool with the alligators it would most likely be lost for good.
It didn’t make it into the pool. Viggo made an impossibly quick movement with his hand and snatched it cleanly out of the air with his left hand. “Thank you,” he said with a smirk in Sean’s direction.
There was no gratitude in his tone as he stared at the stone. He started to bring his hand back in but before he could truly enjoy the moment there was a loud splash from the pool below. One of the alligators, it seemed, had grown tired of waiting for something to come down to them and had launched itself from the water and clamped its jaws around Viggo’s hand.
There was a moment of stunned silence that was interrupted when Viggo let out an agonized yell of pain that was accompanied by the sickening crunch of bones. Orlando jerked away from him both because the moment of escape had presented itself but also because he was afraid that Viggo would fall backwards and he would be dragged down with him. The alligator was the one that found itself back in the water but it had taken Viggo’s hand, and the stone, with it.
Viggo half collapsed to the ground letting out a muffled noise of pure agony, but other than those two brief moments he was silent as a grave and that was a more chilling reveal into what sort of person he was than any words he could have said. Orlando spotted the knife which Viggo had dropped when the alligator had grabbed him. It had landed with the blade in the ground at Orlando’s feet. Cautiously he crouched down and grabbed it keeping his eyes on Viggo’s back as he moved. He felt much better when he had it in his hands.
Silence and confusion had descended over the group after the horrifying thing they had just witnessed. The main kidnapper, sensing his moment had arrived, called out in garbled Spanish and a rag tag group of well armed men appeared on top of a nearby wall. They paused for a moment and then started shooting, the SP immediately started shoot back and chaos ensued.
“Go get the boat,” the main kidnapper yelled during a lull in the shooting. “And give me some cover!”
A couple of the men on the wall above disappeared as the rest started shooting again. In the resulting chaos the main kidnapper managed to slip away down one of the hallways leading back into the ruins. He was followed a short time later by his associate who limped up the hallway after him. When the shooting had started Sean had made a grab for Samantha and the both of them were now huddled behind a protective pile of ruins and were staring out across the open area towards him.
As suddenly as the round of gunfire started it stopped again. Unsure how long this lull was going to last Orlando didn’t allow himself to think about what he had to do. He just took a deep breath and dashed across the opening, miraculously he didn’t get shot at. The kidnapper’s men and the SP seemed much more interested in shooting at each other than at any of them. As he neared the spot where Sean and Samantha were hiding Sean lunged out, grabbed him and hauled him back behind the ruins. He’d made it just in the knick of time, one of the SP shouted something and another firefight began.
“Are you okay?” Sean asked as he grabbed Orland’s arm and wrapped a length of fabric tightly over the wound. It appeared to have come from his shirt as there was a huge chunk of fabric missing from it.
“I’m fine…are you?” Orlando reassured and asked back.
He received a grunt as his only answer as Sean continued to fuss over his arm andthat was a good enough answer for him. He turned his attention to his sister reaching out for her. She scooted over towards him as quickly as she could and clung to him in a tight hug.
“I’m so sorry I got you into this Orli,” she whispered.
“Stop that,” he said pulling back to pin her with an annoyed grin. “You would have come for me if the roles were reversed.”
“When have you ever gotten into this kind of trouble?” she asked with a shake of her head.
“Pretty much never,” he said back with a slight smirk. “Guess you’ll owe me one.” She nodded her head and Orlando turned his attention back to the firefight going on outside. “We need to get out of here.”
“You think?” Sean asked dryly and Orlando pinned him with a dirty look in response. “The question is how. The boat I came over on is more likely to shoot at us than give us a ride back to the mainland.”
“There was another boat,” Samantha supplied helpfully. “On the other side of the island towards the ocean.”
“I doubt the kidnappers would be any more willing to give us a ride than the SP would,” Sean said with a shake of his head.
“It’s not theirs,” she explained. “I saw it at the docks when they brought me over earlier. I don’t know if it works or not but if it does I’m sure I can hotwire it.”
“Oh really?” Sean said with a bemused expression on his face. “Well then let’s get out of here.”
Orlando was all for getting out of there as quickly as possible, but he saw a movement near the pool of water that changed his mind. “Sean look,” he said quickly pointing towards the pool where one of the alligators had climbed up the embankment and was heading down a side path that led towards the ocean.
“It’s okay Orlando,” Sean hurried to reassure him as he misunderstood Orlando’s meaning. “It’s not going to hurt us.”
“No,” Orlando said with a shake of his head. “Look at the jaws…I think that’s blood,” he explained as he pointed out the dull glitter around the mouth of the alligator. “I think that’s the one that took Viggo’s hand…and the stone.”
“And probably will get a bad case of indigestion from eating a piece of Viggo…” Sean said with a smirk.
Orlando rolled his eyes but he had other things on his mind. “We should go after it.”
“Why?” Sean asked in complete confusion.
“Because we could get the stone back…it’s right there and maybe it’s possible to get it back if we just…”
“No,” Sean said quickly interrupting Orlando. “Absolutely not, we need to get you out of here…”
“But…” Orlando tried as his eyes slipped back to the pool where Viggo was still half crumpled on the ground.
“No,” Sean said again in a firm voice. “Viggo’s down and hurt but he’s not out. He’s always been too focused on you, now with the stone out of the equation, he’s going to be after you even more.
“He’s right Orlando,” Samantha interjected softly. “We need to get you out of here. You’re in danger if you stay.”
“I don’t need you two to tell me that I’m in danger.” Orlando snapped in irritation. “I’ve been in danger for the past 3 days!”
“Orlando…” Sean said in a soothing tone. “No one is…”
“I just thought...” Orlando said with a frown. “This whole mess has been because of that stone and its right there at our finger tips. We can get it…we deserve it…after everything we’ve been through. I’m going to go after that stone, Sean.”
“Orlando…” Sean tried again to talk him out of the idea.
“No…” Orlando said coolly. “You can’t tell me what to do and you can’t stop me.”
It was a bluff and Orlando knew it. If Sean wanted to physically stop him from going after it he could do so easily. Orlando just hoped that Sean would be unwilling to call him on it. He knew that Sean wanted the stone just as much as Orlando now did. It was touching that Sean was willing to let it go to keep him safe but Orlando didn’t want them to let it go, not after everything he’d been through, he meant it when he said he thought they deserved it.
“Fine,” Sean said with an exasperated sigh, Orlando grinned and started to stand up but found himself stopped by a strong hand on his arm. “But we’re going to do this my way or not at all,” Sean continued in a voice that made it clear he wasn’t going to allow any arguments this time. “You two will go get the boat going...”
“But…” Orlando argued.
“Will you let me finish,” Sean said with a huff. “You two will go get the boat and I will go after the stone while you bring it around to pick me up. If we can’t get the stone within a half an hour we leave.”
Orlando thought about arguing but decided against it. They didn’t have time for it and he had a feeling that if he kept pushing Sean too hard on this Sean would change his mind and would simply throw him over his shoulder and go for the boat and then all hope of getting the stone would be gone.
“Okay,” he agreed with a nod. “You go after the stone and we’ll come for you.”
“If you guys haven’t shown up in fifteen minutes I’m going to come looking for you,” Sean said, rubbing his hands against his pants. “That’ll mean you either couldn’t get the boat to start or you’re in trouble. If you can’t get the boat to start just stay there…we’ll figure something else out…but don’t come back across the island looking for me. It’s too dangerous.”
“Okay, Sean,” Orlando said with a roll of his eyes. “I promise not to do anything stupid. Trust me…I don’t want to get hurt…I just want that stone…and I know you do too…don’t try to lie and say you’re not as hopeful about this as I am…”
Sean didn’t say anything, he just leaned forward and brushed a kiss against Orlando’s forehead. “Be careful,” he said softly.
“You too,” Orlando answered back seriously, brushing his hand through Sean’s hair.
Sean stood and slipped away from them. He stayed close to the ruins, only stopping to grab a gun from one of the men that had fallen in the firefights. He disappeared down the same path the alligator had taken a short time earlier. Orlando watched him until he was gone and then turned his attention back to his sister who raised an eyebrow at him.
“When we get out of here, you’ve got some serious explaining to do,” she said with a grin.
“Yeah, yeah,” Orlando muttered, blushing slightly at his sisters knowing grin. “Let’s go, we don’t have much time.”
Samantha nodded her head and then together they rushed towards the nearest entrance into the ruins. Orlando hoped it would be a simple case of cutting straight through it to the docks on the other side of the island where Samantha said the boat was, but he had a feeling deep in his gut that it wasn’t going to be easy. Nothing else over the past few days had been easy, why should this be any different?
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This had to be split into to sections due to it's length. Click *HERE* to be taken to the second section.
Author: Amy
Pairing: Orlibean
Rating: PG-13
Warning: CHARACTER DEATH and it’s rather a not-nice way to go in my opinion.
Disclaimer: Never happened. This has been adapted from the movie Romancing the Stone - it does not belong to me no harm is meant and no money is being made.
Beta: The lovely giselleslash all remaining mistakes are mine.
Summary: Romance writer Orlando Bloom travels to Colombia to save his sister who has been kidnapped.
Previous Parts: Here Summer Movie Challenge. The movie I chose was Romancing the Stone.
Note 2: The journey’s almost done just the epilogue remaining. Hopefully the ride has been a good one for you guys it certainly has been for me.
Note 3: This part crossed the 11,000 word mark. I probably should have just broken it into two separate chapters but I am loathed to do it so…I apologize for the length.
Thanks to cammissbloom for my lovely banner and icon!
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Orlando watched the water taxi disappear into the darkness and tried desperately to ignore the nerves that were bubbling up in his stomach. He knew he was on a rocky ledge with them and that at any second they could overtake him and he’d be lost. He shook his head and reminded himself what was at stake. Who was at stake. With Samantha in his head it made it easier to force those nerves down and to turn and walk across the open courtyard towards the crumbling fort that occupied most of the small rocky island he had landed on.
He moved cautiously. He was walking in almost pitch black darkness, there was a bright full moon that evening but it moved in and out of cloud cover without much warning. He was thankful to see the dull glow of security lights emanating throughout out the ruins. The water taxi captain had told Orlando that while there were no hours of operation on the island, and it was always open to visitors, the treacherous waterway you had to cross to get to it, and the large population of alligators that had taken up residence on it, made it a less than popular destination even in the daylight hours. It was only after Orlando had backed up his insistence that he really needed to go there with a hefty sized tip that the captain had agreed to take him.
He stumbled slightly on a rock as the moon dipped behind a cloud and he could make out a splash somewhere to his right which sent his heart skittering in his chest but he kept moving. He reminded himself again that it was almost over. Just a little bit longer and he’d have Sam back and they could head home and he could go back to his quiet life and forget that any of this had ever happened. That would be the best thing for everyone. He just hoped that the last little bit of the adventure would go a lot smoother than anything else had. Thankfully the last few hours had gone better than he had anticipated.
He had been lucky. A half hour after reluctantly leaving the side of the river he’d stumbled upon two researchers from Glasgow and their vast array of equipment. He’d only intended on offering to pay them for a little bit of food and water but they’d taken one look at him and bundled him into the back of their jeep and headed off towards Cartagena. They’d claimed that they’d intended on heading there within the next few days to restock some of their supplies but Orlando had doubted that was really the case. He hadn’t questioned it out loud however. He desperately needed the ride and Gerard and Billy had seemed friendly and safe enough to take them up on the offer rather than wait and take his chances when he got to the road.
Exactly what they were in Colombia researching, Orlando had never been able to decipher. Once they got going on any sort of conversation that involved the both of them their accents got so thick and muddy that he was lucky if he understood every third word. In the end it didn’t really matter. He was just content to sit in the back seat with his eyes closed, listening to the lilt of their garbled conversation. He’d even managed to get in a few catnaps along the way.
The trip to Cartagena had been blissfully uneventful. They’d dropped him off in front of the hotel in the early evening hours scoffing at any attempt he made to pay them for their help. If they’d been curious as to why he’d been traipsing around Colombia on foot, or disappointed that he hadn’t invited them to hang out with him for the evening, they hadn’t commented on it. They’d just left him with Gerard’s cell phone number and Billy’s email address and made him promise to drop them a line if he ever needed, or just wanted, to. All in all the whole encounter had left him with the feeling that there was more to them than there seemed to be on the surface. He was beginning to see that as the running motif of this whole trip.
Once he’d found himself alone again the nerves had started to return, but he hadn’t let them. While he’d been walking before running into the two men he’d made himself a solemn promise. When he was safely back in New York he could have the most massive breakdown that he’d ever had, but until then he’d just have to put those sort of feelings away because giving into them would just put Samantha in more danger. To facilitate that he’d made a mental list of everything he needed to do once he got to Cartagena.
The first thing on that list was going into the hotel to see if the registration, or at least the mobile phone, was still there waiting for him. To his relief both were still active. Once he’d gotten into his much nicer than expected room he’d turned the phone on as he’d been instructed and waited. He didn’t have to wait very long. Five minutes later it rang and he was verbally attacked by the now familiar Irish voice for taking so long.
Considering everything that Orlando had gone through to get to Cartagena he’d found himself snapping back and demanding to talk to Samantha before progressing any further. They’d only been allowed five minutes but it was enough to reassure him that she was still alive and that had helped ease some of the tension that had built up inside him.
After he’d been given the location for the exchange he’d used the phone to call Elijah to verify that the money was available to be wired to him if he needed it. He didn’t think he was going to need it, but the knowledge that there was that amount of money waiting for him should he need it definitely helped ease some more of the tension. Orlando hadn’t volunteered any reason why he wasn’t going to need it immediately as planned and Elijah, for his part, hadn’t pressed for an explanation. When the call was finished he’d taken a shower, ordered some room service and only when he’d finished both and had curled up on the bed to get a couple of hours of rest before the two a.m meeting did he finally allow himself to think about Sean.
He tried not to, really tried not to, but in the end it was a losing battle. When there was no longer anything left to worry about or distract him the memory of Sean standing on the other side of the river came back to Orlando full force. His promise to meet Orlando in Cartagena echoed through his head. He wanted to believe that Sean wouldn’t just disappear after everything they’d been through together but he couldn’t afford to think otherwise. Both for Samantha’s sake and for his own.
He knew the scruffy man with the gun had been deliberately trying to plant seeds of doubt between them. Orlando had seen through the attempt plain as day but he still couldn’t stop himself from having the doubts anyway. They were the same thoughts and questions that still lingered in the back of Orlando’s mind. Sean had really wanted the treasure, he’d needed it, and now he had it. There were no ties between them and no reason for Sean to risk himself further to help Orlando. Orlando knew better than to think that he was worth it.
He refused to make more of it then it was. No, when he allowed himself in the future to think back on the time he spent with Sean he would remember it only as a grand adventure and a fabulous night spent in each other’s arms. It was a one night stand and there was absolutely nothing wrong with that. Normal people had them on occasion, Elijah had had more than his fair share and wasn’t any worse for wear. Orlando wouldn’t be either.
Real life didn’t turn out the way things did in romance novels, with the hero appearing on a white stead in the final chapter, so there was no use in holding onto false hope for what might have been.
Once he’d pretended to make peace with the way things with Sean had ended he’d managed to drift off to sleep for the few hours until his wake up call. The trip from the hotel to the dock had been thankfully uneventful, he didn’t think he could have handled anything going wrong at that point he was concentrating too hard on getting one foot in front of the next. That strategy worked well enough to get him to where he was at that moment, walking across a dark and deserted island with no clear idea of what lie ahead of him except that he had to remain calm if he wanted to get himself and Samantha out of this alive.
Orlando tried not to notice the alligators resting in the small pools that lined the courtyard outside of the ruins. One let out a dangerous sounding hiss as he stepped too close to it and he wisely gave the rest of them a wide berth as he walked past. He was relieved when he entered the crumbling structure although it was darker inside than out. He picked up the pace, but he didn’t know how long it had taken him to get there from the hotel since he’d given his watch to Sean days ago. He stumbled slightly as Sean’s face flashed in front of his eyes and he swallowed hard and forced it away. That was the last thing he needed at the moment. He needed to concentrate on what he was doing and nothing else.
He paused as he came to a small open area where light from a nearby fixture illuminated the space. He could see two openings from where he was standing set a bit apart and the path he was on disappeared around a sharp corner not far beyond them. The kidnapper had said they’d meet at a crossroads inside the ruins. This seemed to be the place but there was no kidnapper and no Samantha to be seen.
“Hel…hello?” he called wincing as his voice cracked.
“So you finally made it,” the Irish voice echoed around the cavernous space.
“It’s not liked I planned to take this long,” Orlando snapped back in irritation, unable to stop himself despite the seriousness of the situation. “Can we…please…just do this?” he continued after a moment in a much more placating voice.
“Do you have the map?” the kidnapper asked, his voice sounding more annoyed than ever.
“Yes,” Orlando answered quickly, fumbling with his pack so that it was hanging over his chest and he could get to the latches.
“Let me see it,” the voice demanded.
The cockiness of the voice grated on Orlando’s last raw nerve. This greedy stranger was the reason he’d gone through everything he had to get here. He felt entitled to doing a little bit of demanding of his own. “Let me see my sister first.”
There was muttering from one of the side corridors but a moment later Samantha was thrust into the open area. She looked worn ragged, her hair was limp and ratty and she was accompanied by two armed men. The relief that swelled up inside Orlando at finally seeing her alive and in decent condition was tempered by the sight of the two men, he should have known better than to think that the kidnapper was working alone. The stakes were too high.
“Orlando!” Samantha said in a relieved sounding voice but the expression on her face was one of annoyance mixed with anger, whether it was at him, the kidnapper or the situation in general Orlando couldn’t tell.
“Sam,” Orlando asked in a voice that matched hers. “Are you okay?”
“You two can do your little reunion after I see the map,” the kidnapper interrupted before Samantha could answer.
Orlando nodded his head unsure whether the kidnapper could see him or not, but his two men could, they grabbed Samantha and dragged her back a few steps. He pulled the map out of the protective plastic, unfolded it and held it up so it was clear in the light. He told himself that there was no signal on the map that would go off when the treasure was no longer where it was supposed to be. The kidnapper wasn’t going to know unless he was told. And he and Samantha would be on the first flight back to the US the second they were away from this place and when they got there Orlando would let Elijah call whoever he wanted to about the situation.
A man appeared from the same side section that Samantha and the men did. He was scruffy with messy hair and wild eyes, and he walked with a swagger and a cocky glint in his eyes. Orlando was momentarily taken aback at his appearance, this was far from what he’d been expecting for a ruthless kidnapper. He was tempted to think that something was going on but when the man spoke it was with the same accent that Orlando was now familiar with.
“If this is a fake…or you’ve doubled crossed me in anyway…” he said menacingly.
He snatched the map from Orlando’s grasp and examined every inch of it. Orlando shifted uncomfortably and out of the corner of his eye he noticed Samantha stand up a bit straighter and pin him with a stern stare. Orlando glanced quickly away so he wouldn’t make a face that might give him away. He should have known that she would realize that something was up. Samantha knew him well enough to know when something was up and she knew with just one glance that something was not right. He schooled his face into the mildly interested expression he’d honed for conversations with his neighbor, Mrs. Wiensten, about her cat’s bowel movements and focused instead on intently examining a nearby stone wall while the kidnapper looked over the map.
His attention shifted back to the man as he folded up the map. The kidnapper was looking at him with an unreadable expression. “You and your sister…” he said, his voice menacing, and Orlando stiffened and waited for a blow. “Are free to go!” he crowed laughing at the stricken expression on Orlando’s face before gesturing to the men to release Samantha.
She rushed over to Orlando throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. “Orli!” she said in pure relief pulling back to futz with his hair. “I was so worried…what took you so long!”
Orland grimaced and pulled out of the hug while sending a quick glance to the kidnapper who was regarding them with a smirk. “Let’s get out of here…I’ll explain everything later…”
“That…” Samantha said, sending an annoyed look back over her shoulder towards the kidnapper as she started pushing at Orlando’s chest trying to get him to move towards the exit. “Sounds like a good plan.”
Orlando was relieved that she seemed to want to get out of there as quickly as he did. That would seem like a normal response after being kidnapped but Sam could be extremely confrontational when she set her mind to it no matter the situation. Not wanting to give her too much chance to think about it and change her mind, Orlando turned to lead them out of there as quickly as possible.
They’d gone only a few steps when they were stopped in their tracks by a stream of bullets that came dangerously close to Orlando’s feet. Samantha yelped in surprise as she stumbled into Orlando’s back when he stopped. Orlando moved quickly, pushing her backwards into a small nook in the stone wall and shielding her with his body. He turned to glare at the kidnapper thinking the man had changed his mind but he only had to take one look at the confused and worried look on the man’s face to know he wasn’t behind the gunfire.
Movement drew Orlando’s attention back to the corridor they’d been heading down. His mouth dropped open as Sean appeared from around the corner. He looked even better than the picture Orlando had stored in his memory. His white suit was now mud stained and tattered and there was a strained look on his face but he was there and that was more than enough for Orlando. The surprise appearance was almost enough to make Orlando forget that he’d just been shot at. Almost.
“You’re late,” he said, irritation coloring his voice to the deepest level.
He felt Samantha clutch at his shirt like she was trying to get him to shut up and he put a hand backwards in an attempt to calm her. But then he took a good long look at Sean and didn’t feel so calm, something seemed to be off in his stance, granted Orlando didn’t know him very well, but it didn’t seem like he was comfortable. Sean shook his head just the slightest bit, an expression flitting across his face that sent a chill down Orlando’s spine in response. He stepped backwards pressing Sam more tightly against the wall. This wasn’t going to be a happy reunion.
“I missed you at the hotel,” Sean said in a strange strained voice.
He took a step forward revealing the gun being aimed at his back by two men, and these men weren’t scruffy like the kidnapper’s helpers, they were clean cut and decked out in what could only be SP uniforms. Sean raised his hands awkwardly as they stepped into the clearing, the gun pushing even more tightly against his back. Orlando’s eyes swung around wildly and he caught sight of the kidnapper who seemed to realize at the same instant what was going on and started panicking.
“You idiot,” he snapped in a terrified voice. “You led them right to us!”
He turned towards the nearest hallway, apparently ready to make a break for it despite the new arrivals and their guns, but before he could take so much as a step a man appeared out of the corridor on the opposite side. Orlando felt his mouth go dry and his heart pick up speed as he registered just who it was.
Viggo had finally caught up to him and Orlando had a feeling with just one look at the expression on the man’s face that he was going to be made to pay for the chase he’d led him on.
Viggo let his cold gaze linger on Orlando and then turned his attention back to the kidnapper. He strolled leisurely across the room towards the other man. As he advanced the kidnapper sank away from him, moving backwards until he ran into his own men. Viggo laughed coldly and snatched the map from the man’s shaking fingers. He held it loosely between two fingers, examining it for a moment, and then he produced a cigarette lighter from his pocked and set the map on fire, dropping it to the ground without a second glance.
“Hey!” the kidnapper squawked, making a dive towards the flaming map. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Viggo smirked as the kidnapper tried to use his hands and anything else he could to put the flames out knowing it was a loosing battle. “The map is worthless,” he said coldly. “They already have the stone.”
More men in uniforms entered the enclosure. They were dragging a man with them and deposited him roughly on the ground near the kidnapper. Orlando winced as he recognized the man that had held the gun on them in the cave, his face bloody and battered. The man turned his attention towards the kidnapper, his face contorting in pain as he tried to lift himself up off the ground to address the other man.
“I had it in my hands Colin,” he said in a raspy voice. “Hands that are going to kill you…” he lunged towards the other kidnapper but was stopped by a swift kick into his side. He landed back on his butt, moaning in agony, but his glare still focused on his partner. “Maybe later,” he mumbled finally, sagging tiredly to the ground.
It felt like ice water sliding through Orlando’s veins when Viggo turned his cold blue gaze back onto him. He strolled almost causally across the room towards Orlando, his voice drawling out slowly as he moved. “So that leaves me one very important question,” he said, stopping in front of Orlando. “Where’s the stone?”
Orlando forced himself to meet Viggo’s gaze and not to give into the urge to glance over at Sean. He could sense how tense Sean was, and like in the cave, the last thing he wanted Sean to do was do something incredibly stupid that might get himself killed. Best not to draw Viggo’s attention over there and it helped that he wouldn’t have to lie.
“I don’t know,” he answered levelly.
“Somehow,” Viggo said lifting his finger to brush against Orlando’s cheek, he smirked as both Orlando and Sean stiffened at the touch. “I don’t quite buy that. Where…is…it,” he tightened his grip on Orlando’s chin, forcing him to keep looking him in the eye.
“I…don’t…know…” Orlando said tightly. It was the truth and he hoped that was written on his face more than anything else.
Viggo stared at him for what seemed like hours, his fingers digging painfully into Orlando’s skin. Orlando struggled to not so much as wince knowing that giving Viggo the satisfaction of that, even so small a thing, would feed the man’s power. It didn’t seem to work; Viggo chuckled and loosed his grip until it was almost a caress. Orlando thought that was worse than the painful grip.
“Such a strong boy,” he said in a soft, silky voice. “But even the strongest walls crumble…I will take pleasure in breaking you.”
Orlando shuddered as the meaning of Viggo’s words brushed against him. He itched to fight back when Viggo grabbed him by the arm and pushed him towards one of the exits, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t do anything until he had time to think things through a bit. It wasn’t just him in this, it was Samantha and Sean, and anything that he did would flow over onto them.
So he let Viggo drag him off into the unknown.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Viggo didn’t take him very far. The whole group was led out into a clearing a short distance away from the ruins. It was brightly lit and when Orlando saw just where Viggo had brought him he gave up on the idea of not struggling, they were heading straight towards a large rocky pool filled with alligators. He dug in his heels and tried to stop Viggo but it was useless, Viggo was stronger than he was and just pulled him along with a laugh.
“Now…let’s see how strong you are, Orlando,” Viggo said in a silky voice. “Where is the stone?”
“I…” Orlando said, fear bubbling up as they got closer to the edge of the jagged embankment that led down to the pool. “I don’t know where it is,” he insisted again.
“Of course you do,” Viggo said coming to a stop a few steps away from the edge. “You were there with the stone when it was dug up and when it was last seen.” Orlando shook his head though he knew that the falseness of the move was probably written on his face. “Where is it…where is El Corazon?”
“I’ve already told you,” Orlando said tightly. “I don’t know where it is!”
“Yes you have already told me,” Viggo said coolly, producing a knife. “It’s a very good story but I don’t believe it.”
“It’s the truth…” Orlando insisted struggling as the knife appeared. “Really I don’t know anything about where it is now.”
“Let’s see how strong you really are,” Viggo said with a lazy smile.
He jerked Orlando’s hand hard and revealed the smooth skin of his underarm. Orlando hissed as the knife sliced against his skin but the pain wasn’t anything like he was expecting especially given how much blood swelled to the surface of the wound. There was a momentarily flare of pain as Viggo brushed a finger against the wound causing more blood to well up. Orlando watched with horrified wide eyes as Viggo lifted the blood covered finger to his lips and licked it.
“Such a waste,” Viggo drawled lazily in his ear. “The masterpieces I could create with your blood. Perhaps I’ll create them with your lover’s blood instead…or your sister’s…”
Viggo was trying to get a reaction from him, Orlando knew this and struggled not to give him one. The threat was a strange one but a threat nonetheless. But Orlando knew that both Sean and Samantha would probably kill him themselves if he gave into Viggo now. Even if he wanted to give in he couldn’t. He didn’t know where Sean had put the stone since they’d separated. He could have already sold it for all Orlando knew. Knowing it was playing with fire he turned and pinned Viggo with a steady, level gaze.
He knew his look had hit his mark as he watched Viggo’s face twist with rage for a split second before the mask slipped back in place. “Play time is over, little one,” he growled. “Now we begin.”
Pain sliced through his arm as Viggo dragged him forward by it. For a moment Orlando was lost in confusion and then he realized just what Viggo had in store for him. He struggled to pull his arm back from Viggo’s grasp as the other man held it over the pool and gave it a vicious squeeze so that the blood welled up and over the arm and was continued to be pulled downwards by gravity. He watched in horror as his blood hit the water. Within seconds the alligators in it started to slide closer to their end and some began to thrash about. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from whimpering out loud but knew that it was probably going to be a loosing battle to try and continue to be unaffected by what could be his own death.
“Let’s try this again, shall we?” Viggo asked as he pressed his fingers against Orlando’s wound, seeming to relish the small hiss of pain that Orlando allowed to slip out, he rubbed his fingers in the blood and let the droplets fall into the pool below causing the gators to thrash about a bit more. “Where…is…El Corazon?”
“Please…” Orlando said, no longer able to keep the desperation out of his voice. “I really don’t know…”
Viggo smirked, trailing the bloody finger briefly against Orlando’s cheek. “You’re so much stronger than I would have guessed. Such a pity…” he said, lowering his voice to brush silkily against Orlando’s ear. “I would have enjoyed breaking you.”
He half pushed Orlando forward, sending him so close to the edge that if Viggo were to let go it would be a simple act of gravity to pull him downwards into the water. Despite the danger Orlando struggled like a wild cat but Viggo’s grip was like a vice and there seemed to be no escape, but Orlando continued to struggle. He knew that if he was pushed into the pool he would die and it would be a painful death.
“Stop!” Sean’s voice called out from behind them. It sounded scared and strained, like he’d been holding himself back from calling out sooner. “Leave him alone! He doesn’t know were it is…I have it.”
Orlando yelped as Viggo whirled them around and he found himself pressed against the other man’s chest with the knife digging into his neck. Sean was across the open space standing between two well armed uniformed men. Samantha stood a short distance away, guarded by one of Viggo's men, while the kidnappers and their men were surrounded by four more.
“Where is it?” Viggo demanded, digging the knife into Orlando’s skin enough to draw blood to prove that he was serious.
Orlando’s eyes met Sean’s and he gave as slight a shake of his head as he could. He was desperate that Sean not give away the location of the stone. Sean’s brow creased, showing that he’d understood what Orlando was trying to tell him but seemed confused, or torn, about it. They’d gotten out of other situations over the past few days that were just as crazy and dangerous as this one and Orlando didn’t rule out the idea that just maybe they could get out of this one. But regardless, Orlando knew that even if he got the stone Viggo wasn’t going to let him go and Orlando wanted his death to be over with quickly. He was sure whatever Viggo had planned for him would be anything but fast.
When Sean finally spoke it was clear that if he didn’t understand what Orlando was thinking he was at least willing to play along for a little while. “It’s in a safe place,” he said coolly.
Tense silence descended over the group after that proclamation as they waited for a reaction. Orlando felt Viggo nod and watched in horror as one of the guards took a step in Sean’s direction. He was about to cry out that Sean was lying when the guard acted, lashing out with his gun, the butt of it connecting solidly between Sean’s legs. Just about every male present winced but Sean’s only reaction was to lean forward and let out a soft pained breath of air. It was hardly a reaction to such a vicious direct hit.
Sean slowly brought himself back up to an upright position, looking surprisingly okay given what had just happened to him. Or at least it seemed that way until his leg started twitching strangely. Something then appeared to dislodge itself and they watched with confusion as a strange lump slowly made its way down his leg, eventually stopping on the top of his shoe. He shifted slightly and the lump cleared the bottom of his pant leg revealing itself to be the large green stone. It glittered almost playfully in the overhead lights. Everyone knew instantly what it was even though only three of them had actually seen it before.
“The stone,” the kidnapper said, lunging forward only to be brought to his knee by his guards.
“El Corazon,” Viggo said in a hushed voice, his grip loosening on Orlando ever so slightly. “Give it to me!” he demanded taking a step away from Orlando towards Sean.
“You want it so badly,” Sean said his eyes narrowing as he watched Viggo move. “Then go fetch it!”
Then Sean kicked out with his leg. The action caused the stone on his foot to go sailing across the opening in a wide arch towards the pool, flashing in the lights as it moved through the air. Orlando’s heart squeezed for more than one reason as he realized that Sean had been so readily willing to get rid of the stone to save him. If the stone landed in the pool with the alligators it would most likely be lost for good.
It didn’t make it into the pool. Viggo made an impossibly quick movement with his hand and snatched it cleanly out of the air with his left hand. “Thank you,” he said with a smirk in Sean’s direction.
There was no gratitude in his tone as he stared at the stone. He started to bring his hand back in but before he could truly enjoy the moment there was a loud splash from the pool below. One of the alligators, it seemed, had grown tired of waiting for something to come down to them and had launched itself from the water and clamped its jaws around Viggo’s hand.
There was a moment of stunned silence that was interrupted when Viggo let out an agonized yell of pain that was accompanied by the sickening crunch of bones. Orlando jerked away from him both because the moment of escape had presented itself but also because he was afraid that Viggo would fall backwards and he would be dragged down with him. The alligator was the one that found itself back in the water but it had taken Viggo’s hand, and the stone, with it.
Viggo half collapsed to the ground letting out a muffled noise of pure agony, but other than those two brief moments he was silent as a grave and that was a more chilling reveal into what sort of person he was than any words he could have said. Orlando spotted the knife which Viggo had dropped when the alligator had grabbed him. It had landed with the blade in the ground at Orlando’s feet. Cautiously he crouched down and grabbed it keeping his eyes on Viggo’s back as he moved. He felt much better when he had it in his hands.
Silence and confusion had descended over the group after the horrifying thing they had just witnessed. The main kidnapper, sensing his moment had arrived, called out in garbled Spanish and a rag tag group of well armed men appeared on top of a nearby wall. They paused for a moment and then started shooting, the SP immediately started shoot back and chaos ensued.
“Go get the boat,” the main kidnapper yelled during a lull in the shooting. “And give me some cover!”
A couple of the men on the wall above disappeared as the rest started shooting again. In the resulting chaos the main kidnapper managed to slip away down one of the hallways leading back into the ruins. He was followed a short time later by his associate who limped up the hallway after him. When the shooting had started Sean had made a grab for Samantha and the both of them were now huddled behind a protective pile of ruins and were staring out across the open area towards him.
As suddenly as the round of gunfire started it stopped again. Unsure how long this lull was going to last Orlando didn’t allow himself to think about what he had to do. He just took a deep breath and dashed across the opening, miraculously he didn’t get shot at. The kidnapper’s men and the SP seemed much more interested in shooting at each other than at any of them. As he neared the spot where Sean and Samantha were hiding Sean lunged out, grabbed him and hauled him back behind the ruins. He’d made it just in the knick of time, one of the SP shouted something and another firefight began.
“Are you okay?” Sean asked as he grabbed Orland’s arm and wrapped a length of fabric tightly over the wound. It appeared to have come from his shirt as there was a huge chunk of fabric missing from it.
“I’m fine…are you?” Orlando reassured and asked back.
He received a grunt as his only answer as Sean continued to fuss over his arm andthat was a good enough answer for him. He turned his attention to his sister reaching out for her. She scooted over towards him as quickly as she could and clung to him in a tight hug.
“I’m so sorry I got you into this Orli,” she whispered.
“Stop that,” he said pulling back to pin her with an annoyed grin. “You would have come for me if the roles were reversed.”
“When have you ever gotten into this kind of trouble?” she asked with a shake of her head.
“Pretty much never,” he said back with a slight smirk. “Guess you’ll owe me one.” She nodded her head and Orlando turned his attention back to the firefight going on outside. “We need to get out of here.”
“You think?” Sean asked dryly and Orlando pinned him with a dirty look in response. “The question is how. The boat I came over on is more likely to shoot at us than give us a ride back to the mainland.”
“There was another boat,” Samantha supplied helpfully. “On the other side of the island towards the ocean.”
“I doubt the kidnappers would be any more willing to give us a ride than the SP would,” Sean said with a shake of his head.
“It’s not theirs,” she explained. “I saw it at the docks when they brought me over earlier. I don’t know if it works or not but if it does I’m sure I can hotwire it.”
“Oh really?” Sean said with a bemused expression on his face. “Well then let’s get out of here.”
Orlando was all for getting out of there as quickly as possible, but he saw a movement near the pool of water that changed his mind. “Sean look,” he said quickly pointing towards the pool where one of the alligators had climbed up the embankment and was heading down a side path that led towards the ocean.
“It’s okay Orlando,” Sean hurried to reassure him as he misunderstood Orlando’s meaning. “It’s not going to hurt us.”
“No,” Orlando said with a shake of his head. “Look at the jaws…I think that’s blood,” he explained as he pointed out the dull glitter around the mouth of the alligator. “I think that’s the one that took Viggo’s hand…and the stone.”
“And probably will get a bad case of indigestion from eating a piece of Viggo…” Sean said with a smirk.
Orlando rolled his eyes but he had other things on his mind. “We should go after it.”
“Why?” Sean asked in complete confusion.
“Because we could get the stone back…it’s right there and maybe it’s possible to get it back if we just…”
“No,” Sean said quickly interrupting Orlando. “Absolutely not, we need to get you out of here…”
“But…” Orlando tried as his eyes slipped back to the pool where Viggo was still half crumpled on the ground.
“No,” Sean said again in a firm voice. “Viggo’s down and hurt but he’s not out. He’s always been too focused on you, now with the stone out of the equation, he’s going to be after you even more.
“He’s right Orlando,” Samantha interjected softly. “We need to get you out of here. You’re in danger if you stay.”
“I don’t need you two to tell me that I’m in danger.” Orlando snapped in irritation. “I’ve been in danger for the past 3 days!”
“Orlando…” Sean said in a soothing tone. “No one is…”
“I just thought...” Orlando said with a frown. “This whole mess has been because of that stone and its right there at our finger tips. We can get it…we deserve it…after everything we’ve been through. I’m going to go after that stone, Sean.”
“Orlando…” Sean tried again to talk him out of the idea.
“No…” Orlando said coolly. “You can’t tell me what to do and you can’t stop me.”
It was a bluff and Orlando knew it. If Sean wanted to physically stop him from going after it he could do so easily. Orlando just hoped that Sean would be unwilling to call him on it. He knew that Sean wanted the stone just as much as Orlando now did. It was touching that Sean was willing to let it go to keep him safe but Orlando didn’t want them to let it go, not after everything he’d been through, he meant it when he said he thought they deserved it.
“Fine,” Sean said with an exasperated sigh, Orlando grinned and started to stand up but found himself stopped by a strong hand on his arm. “But we’re going to do this my way or not at all,” Sean continued in a voice that made it clear he wasn’t going to allow any arguments this time. “You two will go get the boat going...”
“But…” Orlando argued.
“Will you let me finish,” Sean said with a huff. “You two will go get the boat and I will go after the stone while you bring it around to pick me up. If we can’t get the stone within a half an hour we leave.”
Orlando thought about arguing but decided against it. They didn’t have time for it and he had a feeling that if he kept pushing Sean too hard on this Sean would change his mind and would simply throw him over his shoulder and go for the boat and then all hope of getting the stone would be gone.
“Okay,” he agreed with a nod. “You go after the stone and we’ll come for you.”
“If you guys haven’t shown up in fifteen minutes I’m going to come looking for you,” Sean said, rubbing his hands against his pants. “That’ll mean you either couldn’t get the boat to start or you’re in trouble. If you can’t get the boat to start just stay there…we’ll figure something else out…but don’t come back across the island looking for me. It’s too dangerous.”
“Okay, Sean,” Orlando said with a roll of his eyes. “I promise not to do anything stupid. Trust me…I don’t want to get hurt…I just want that stone…and I know you do too…don’t try to lie and say you’re not as hopeful about this as I am…”
Sean didn’t say anything, he just leaned forward and brushed a kiss against Orlando’s forehead. “Be careful,” he said softly.
“You too,” Orlando answered back seriously, brushing his hand through Sean’s hair.
Sean stood and slipped away from them. He stayed close to the ruins, only stopping to grab a gun from one of the men that had fallen in the firefights. He disappeared down the same path the alligator had taken a short time earlier. Orlando watched him until he was gone and then turned his attention back to his sister who raised an eyebrow at him.
“When we get out of here, you’ve got some serious explaining to do,” she said with a grin.
“Yeah, yeah,” Orlando muttered, blushing slightly at his sisters knowing grin. “Let’s go, we don’t have much time.”
Samantha nodded her head and then together they rushed towards the nearest entrance into the ruins. Orlando hoped it would be a simple case of cutting straight through it to the docks on the other side of the island where Samantha said the boat was, but he had a feeling deep in his gut that it wasn’t going to be easy. Nothing else over the past few days had been easy, why should this be any different?
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This had to be split into to sections due to it's length. Click *HERE* to be taken to the second section.