Chapter  Fourteen

Carefully Trent made his way up the path to the front door. Blessedly it was left open after Gage had gone in. Careful not make too much noise, Trent made his way to the back door where Travette and Walker were waiting with a handful of uniformed police officers His heart broke with every step that he took. He could hear the beating going on upstairs. He wanted so much to help his friends, but he knew that there was no way he could do it alone.

The lawmen carefully made their way into the house. The uniformed police covered all the exits on the first floor, while Walker, Travette and Trent made their way up the stairs.
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"Carlos," Tommy said walking into Gage's room. Carlos lay unmoving in a heap on the floor. Gage sat at Carlos' side, blood running down the side of his face and dripping onto the collar of his shirt. Gage gingerly pressed his fingers into Carlos' neck just below his jaw while Biggins hovered over them.

"Tommy," Gage said as quietly as he could. Careful as he could Tommy moved to Carlos' side. Kneeling down he placed his fingers on the side of his friend's neck, he had to feel the blood rushing through the vein for himself, and pressed in. A weak smiled played across the youth's face when the pulse he found was steady and strong. Satisfied Tommy turned his attention to Gage.

"You all right?" he asked softly. Gage nodded.

"Awe, isn't this just cute," Biggins said from behind Tommy. Closing his eyes Tommy wished that he were somewhere else. He could feel that Biggins had moved closer to him.  "Get up," he said to Gage, snaking his arm around Tommy's mid section.

"Give it up, Taylor," he said, carefully rising to his feet. "They have to be here by now. Carlos may be many things, but dumb isn't one of them. People knew where he was, and they'll come for him."

"Well, they can have him." He backed toward the door. "Let's go."

"All right." He started out the door. He was in mid stride when he saw Trent and Walker coming up the last couple of steps. He quickly shook his head no in an attempt to warn them to go back. At first neither understood his meaning until Biggins stepped out of the room holding a hostage close to his chest.

Realization struck Trent like a hot iron. "Tommy!" he shouted attempting to jump over the rail.

Walker immediately shot his arm out to stop him. "No," he said sharply. His grip was sure and tight.

"Walker," Biggins said producing a gun from behind his back, and aiming it at the men in front of him. "Nice to see you again." He smiled broadly at them. "Surprise, Trent."

"It's over," Walker said aiming his weapon at the large man. "Let them go."

"I don't think so." He gave Gage a small shove. "We're leaving. I'll let the boy go once I know that we've not been followed."

Gage locked eyes with Walker. He was begging him for trust, and the allowance to finish things with Biggins once and for all; even if it meant allowing them to leave a potentially controllable situation. Though Walker despised the idea of permitting the three of them to leave the premises, he knew that there was no other choice. Gage would finish it whether or not the three of
them walked out the front door.

He slowly ushered Trent and Travette back down the stairs. Gage followed behind them. Biggins brought up the rear with Tommy in tow. Trent watched helplessly as Gage, Tommy and Biggins walked out the front door. He moved quickly to follow them. As he ran, his legs almost would not carry him down the front walk to his car. His normally nimble fingers shook, and fumbled with his keys. Finally able to get his body under control, he followed the car that was being driven by Gage.
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"Where're we going?" Gage's voice was way cooler than he had wanted it to be. His hawk like blue eyes glanced across the bench seat to Biggins in the passenger seat. Biggins kept Tommy between himself and Gage so as to make Gage think twice before attempting anything heroic.

"North," Biggins said keeping an arm draped over Tommy.

It was going to work this time, it had to. There was no reason why everything should not go as he had planned it. Just him Gage and the boy together forever. Though that may change. It mattered not. He just wanted the satisfaction of having gotten away with what he had. The lives of Gage and Tommy were really no concern of his. They were merely pawns in his game with fate. He had to prove that he could beat fate. Fate had taken Gage from him once, and now he wanted to shove that in fates face. He wanted to say to fate that he had beaten her, and that Gage's life was over now because of that.  The boy was just to say that fate had no control where he was concerned. She was just a bitch with nothing over his head except who she sent him. And she had sent Gage to him, shining, gleaming like the brightest star in the night sky, wearing a big fluffy bow. He was a neat little package sent on over by fate just asking to be opened with all the vengeance of a betrayed lover.

Gage glanced over at Tommy, the kid did not appear to be afraid. In fact he seemed to know what Gage was going to do.

"Put your seatbelt on," he told the younger man in the seat next to him. Without question Tommy did as he was told and fastened the seatbelt.

Pushing the car faster Gage turned the wheel sharply causing the car to veer off the road. The right front corner clipped a tree, slowing the momentum. The car was turned sharply to the left from the initial impact, causing it to hit another tree. The impact was hard, sending jitters through the steel of the chassis. With a few last grunts of complaint from the engine the car stopped moving, nearly taking the tree with it. Gage's head rested against the steering wheel, Tommy was slumped against his back, and Biggins lay against the dash blood spilling from a cut on his head.