Chapter Fifteen
Michael sat quietly in the car, dressed in his new suit. He glanced over at Dawn who was in a white wedding dress, with lace and silk and all the trimmings. She sat there unaware of anything happening. She was drifting in and out of sleep. In a couple of hours she would be coming down off the drugs, but by that time she would be his wife. “I'll give you the satisfaction of knowing you're my wife, then I'll control you for the rest of your life,” he told her.
Captain Hernandez saw Michael's car approaching and looked around at this officers who were ready. The car slowly drove up and stopped. Opening the door and looking around, Tim got out allowing Michael to expose himself to the crowd.
Chris had maneuvered himself closer, laying on a flat part of the hill with his rifle. Looking through the scope, he saw Dawn emerge from the car. His heart began beating faster and he felt a swell of emotions wash over him. For a brief second, he closed his eyes and felt that he'd done everything for nothing. He didn't want to believe that Dawn wanted to marry him. She didn't have on any restraints, nor did she struggle to get free. Looking more closely, he could see that she wasn't walking under her own accord. He realized that she must be drugged.
The priest took his place on the platform and waited for Michael and Dawn to arrive. Tony and another man walked up the steps with them and stood there. Some of the people of Cora cheered, while others booed as the bride stumbled up to the platform. Tim held her close ensuring that she didn't fall. Chris placed his finger on the trigger and placed his target in his sights.
“Hurry up! I haven't all day,” Michael said now that he was holding Dawn by her arm. She opened her eyes now seeing blurred visions and heard distant voices. She knew that something was wrong, but couldn't remember what. She tried to look around for Chris as her legs shook from being so weak and she couldn't keep herself awake or snap out of it, even though she desperately tried to.
“Michael Rodriguez, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
“Yes.”
“Do you take this man...”
“She does,” Michael interrupted.
“Now it's tie for the placing of the rings.”
Michael took the first ring from Tony and placed it on Dawn's finger. A plain gold band with crusted diamonds. Tony, then handed Michael his ring. After putting it on, he looked at Dawn's sleepy face and smiled wryly. Michael had his plan ready to go. After the wedding, he planned to drive off and let his men have their fun. He wanted all of the men dead and the women brought to him. For his men, their reward would be to have their own personal sex slaves. Cora would become the center of his drug cartel and he would from then on control the other cartels. Michael Rodriguez would be the most powerful man in South America.
“With the exchanging of rings, I now pronounce you man and...”
The priest stood absolutely still. Blood trickled down from a small wound on his forehead, before he fell backwards off the platform. Chris stood up and raised his rifle in the air.
Marguerite and some of her men rushed down the hill while the others amongst the crowd began shooting as the people of Cora scrambled to get out of the line of fire.
Michael grabbed Dawn, taking down off the platform and into the crowd. She could barely run because of the drugs and was mostly dragged by him. Chris tossed the rifle to one of Marguerite's men and pulled out his handgun giving chase. Chris made it into the crowd mindful to keep his eye on Michael and Dawn. Tim spotted Chris and pointed his gun directly at his back ready to shoot, but was hit and fell to the ground. Marguerite smiled and ran off.
Chris spotted Michael taking Dawn into a building and followed. He slammed himself against the brick wall by the doorway. He knew that as long as Michael had a clear route, Dawn would be safe. After waving his hand in front of the entrance, he was comfortable in knowing it was clear. Chris rushed into the building and looked down the hall at two rows of doors. He could hear the gun fire from outside and the sound of people shouting and screaming. Michael could be hiding behind anyone of the doors and every door seemed suspicious and deadly making him alert to every sound.
Dawn finally opened her eyes and felt weak, but was now aware of where she was at. She looked at the wedding dress she was wearing and couldn't remember how she got in it. Michael pushed up against the wall with one hand while holding his gun in the other. “Let me go, Michael!”
“Shut up!”
Dawn screamed and Chris looked down the hall, then took off running down the hall to the staircase. Gun shots hit the steps as Chris leaned against the wall, but climbed the steps. His only thought was getting to Dawn and making sure that she was safe. He could now hear her muffled screams as he got closer to the top floor. He reached the top of the steps and looked around.
Michael drug Dawn through a doorway, which led into a empty room. There was another doorway that led out to the balcony. “Damn!” He quickly spun around facing the door way and held Dawn in front of him.
“Give it up, Michael! You've got nowhere to go! Nowhere to run!,” Chris shouted.
Dawn thought it couldn't be Chris. She knew that he was dead. Still, the voice was so familiar.
“No!,” Michael shouted back. “If I don't get out of here, she's dead!”
Chris leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He couldn't lose her now, not after coming so far, but he had to do something “Alright, Michael. You win,” Chris said.
“Now toss your gun to me and show yourself!,” Michael ordered. “Slowly!”
Chris stood in the doorway and walked slowly into the room. He held his hands up in the air and tossed his gun towards Michael. Dawn's eyes were now tear soaked in seeing the man that she loved. He wasn't dead and he was there to get her.
“Who are you?,” Michael curiously asked. “Chris Westbrook. The federal agent.”
“It figured. Antonio could never do anything right.”
“Let her go. You don't need her, Michael. This is between you and me,” he told him.
Placing his gun's barrel to Dawn's temple, he knew that he would never have her. If he couldn't, then no one would. “You don't understand, she's my ticket out of here. It's you that I don't need.” Clicking back the hammer, Michael smiled.
Chris stared at Dawn's tear soaked eyes. “Don't worry, Dawn,” he said in a calm tone. “I won't lose you again.” His only hope was to get the other gun from the back waist of his pants.
“Don't worry about that, Fed. She'll lose you. For real this time!,” Michael said quickly firing two shots. Dawn screamed as Chris was hit with one shot and fell to the floor. She saw Chris laying there, blood soaking into his shirt. Michael laughed and let her rush to his side.
Dawn gently cradled his head on her lap as she stroked his face. “Please, Chris. You can't leave me now. You can't die. I don't want to lose you again.”
Suddenly, a gun shot rang out startling Dawn as Michael stood still. His gun was pointed at her and she knew if he pulled the trigger, or if he didn't, she would no longer be his victim. She hated him with all she had and wouldn't care what happened to him. Another gun shot rang out and Michael slowly turned around after giving a grunt. He staggered out onto the balcony and pointed his gun into the air, continuously pulling the trigger.
Marguerite stood up on the roof from across the balcony. She stared at the man who killed her husband. She viewed the memories of her husband, their life together before it was taken away. A tear ran down from her eye, but she refused to wipe it away. “This is for Victor, you bastard!,” she said pulling the trigger.
Michael grunted as he fell over the rail. His scream could be heard as he plunged to his death landing on a parked jeep. Blood ran from his mouth and nose. His open eyes stared up blindly at the sky.
Tony was peeking out from the side of a building when he saw Michael fall to his death. He wanted to go see if he was still alive, but a few men spotted him and he had to run. He ran into the thick brush and the men lost him.
“Don't leave me, Chris. Damn it! I need you!,” Dawn cried.
Chris opened his eyes and smiled at her. “I know...you wouldn't marry him,” he said softly. “Oh my, God, Chris, hold on!”
“Dawn, remember that I'll always...love you.” His eyes closed and his body went limp.
“No!,” Dawn shouted as two men rushed into the room. They pushed her aside and began working on him.
“Oh, God. Don't let him die. I can't live without him,” she cried.
#
Chris opened his eyes feeling nothing, but a shooting pain through his body. He looked around the small tent until his gaze fell on Dawn's smiling face. He returned her smile as he held his hand.
“How do you feel?,” she asked with her voice sounding so sweet and gentle. “Like getting hit by a truck carrying a lot of trucks,” he said with a chuckle.
“Chris, that was stupid, what you did back there. I thought I lost you again,” she told him. “I had a plan, but as long as you're safe, I guess my assignment is completed.”
Dawn frowned her face. “You don't mean that. Do you?”
“No,” he said warmly.
“They will be sending us home soon,” she mentioned.
“I know you'll be glad to get back home to your husband and parents, I know they're worried to death about you,” he told her Dawn paused a second and contemplated the thought of telling him about her divorce. “It'll be good to get back home, instead of being some drug kingpin's wife,” she said with a smile.
Chris held her hand. “We wouldn't have been there if it wasn't for your maid.” Dawn sighed and smiled. “She made it. I'm so happy for her.”
“It was fun while it lasted.”
Gently stroking his face, she felt her love for him growing even more, taking her heart completely. Freely. It was a shame that it took for everything to happen the way that it did for her to change. Now it seemed as though the lesson and all that she'd been through to reap no reward for her. “Chris, no matter what you may think of me, now and in the future, always know that I love you. That it will never change. No matter what happens.”
Before Chris could respond, Marguerite walked in. She gave Dawn a warm smile and knelt down beside Chris. “I'll leave you two alone to talk,” Dawn said getting up and leaving.
“How are you feeling?,” Marguerite asked. “As well as expected.”
“I see that she really does love you, Chris. She's a lucky woman.”
“So are you, Marguerite,” he said.
“Yes. We have our town back. Thanks to you,” she said. “It'll take us a while to get things back together. They made me their new Mayor, so I've got a lot of work a head of me.”
“Well you deserve it, Marguerite you'll make a fine leader,” he told her.
“Oh, I need to tell you that Tony got away, but we're looking for him. He probably went to Michael's father. We can't go there.”
“Why?”
“His father is more ruthless then Michael ever was. He has too many men.”
“Won't he come after you and your people?”
“I doubt it. We're pretty safe. Micheal has been on his father's bad side for years and we did him a favor,” she said standing up. “Well, I've got to get going, but remember. If it doesn't work out, I'll be here.”
“We've got to keep in touch.”
“We will,” she said. Marguerite looked at him and held his face in her hand. She leaned over and kissed him deeply, then stood up and smiled before leaving. She walked outside and saw Dawn hugging the young maid and an older man. She walked over and interrupted them by giving Dawn a hug and whispered in her ear, “Take good care of him.” Dawn smiled and said, “I promise.”
Chris made himself comfortable and wondered how he could leave her behind. He knew that Dawn would be going back to her husband. To the man that loved her and that would leave him with no one. Still, Chris couldn't help, but to think about what the F.B.I. would do to him. He expected a nice long jail sentence for the thing he'd done. He stole a plane and started a revolution. Two men came into the tent, placing a blanket over him. “We're taking you out on the chopper,” one of the men told him.
“As long as I can have a window seat,” Chris laughed as they carried him out.