Country Secrets

by Caz May

  "But it's knock off."

  “Yes, but this was an urgent case."

  I’m confused and worried that Savannah had not actually left my house willingly. Nothing is making sense at all.

  “Well, I have an urgent matter to report as well."

  "Yes?"

  "A missing person."

  She taps her fingers against the computer keys and looks straight through me.

  "Missing persons name?"

  "Savannah Galison Or Trinity Haslett."

  I cringe saying her real name. It definitely doesn't sound right.

  "What are you saying Hunter?" She was here like an hour ago talking to Quentin."

  "What?" I gasp at her in shock. I’m angry now. My head is spinning.

  This doesn't make sense.

  "Tell me where she is Gail or I'll.."

  “Hunter, dearest, please calm down. I can't discuss case details with you."

  I literally feel like tearing my hair out. I need to know where she is. I can't let her go, not now, not ever.

  "Gail you will tell me where she is or I'll...seriously I just need to know. I fucking love her!"

  Yes, that’s it!Appeal to the old biddies sensitive side.

  She sighs. “Ok she has gone to the motel the town over. Something about meeting someone there."

  "Thank you Gail,” I call back, already half out the door.

  I kick the tyre of the Quad bike, cursing at it. There’s no way it’s going to make it another five kilometres, let alone another forty to the next town away from Ridgehope.

  I know I could get arrested for what I’m about to do, but the keys are in the ignition so it isn't really like I’m stealing it per se. I smile at the trust of a country town at its best.

  Jumping in the drivers seat of the V6 patrol car I reverse it out at full speed.

  In the rear view mirror I get a glimpse of Gail running behind me waving her fists in the air.

  Sorry Gail this is a matter of life and death.

  There’s something about being behind the wheel of a powerful car that makes you feel invincible. The speed limit out here is a hundred an hour but if I want to get to Savannah I need to gun it hard and fast. Pushing my foot to the floor the engine roars, the speedo climbing until I reach a hundred and thirty. Opening the window a little I let the breeze blow in, to try and calm my nerves and deflate the anger in my chest.

  Pulling up to the motel there’s a number of other patrol cars, and a few police officers including Quentin surrounding the area with their guns cocked ready to shoot.

  Standing in the doorway of one of the motel rooms are two people.

  One with a gun to the others head.

  When my eyes focus on them my heart falls to the ground.

  (40) Dante

  Hearing the old Ute rumble up to the carpark I’m at first worried she hasn't keep her promise. Worried that she'd opened her big mouth and had told the cops where I am or brought him with her. I don't even know him and I fucking hate him. He cannot have her. If I can't have her, no one damn well can.

  She walks casually up to the motel room door, after staying in the car for a minute longer than I think she'd needed to.

  It looked like she was sending a text message and I hope to God it isn't to him.

  She wraps her fingers in a knock on the door and opening it I pull her inside, checking the surroundings before shutting it behind us.

  Pulling her into a tight embrace I whisper in her ear, "I should have known you wouldn't die."

  She shrinks back from me, cringing slightly and her eyes are expressionless.

  "I needed to come back to you,” she muses softly, taunting me.

  I can't tell if she’s sincere or is just playing with me. She'd always been feisty and a tease.

  I want her so fucking bad.

  The plan of killing her hadn't been my wisest choice. I know now I should have gone after him instead, so she'd have been forced to come back to me and the pain of losing him would have been far worse than any I inflicted on her.

  "I missed you baby. I'm sorry,” I say to her, trying to seem sincere, even though I’m not.

  I’m not sorry either for what I’d done but I need her to think that she's made the right choice coming back. I press a kiss to her mouth and much to my delight she responds back, eagerly biting my lip. She still knows how to drive me wild with lust for her. I’m going to miss that if I do end up trying to take her life for a second time.

  Deepening the kiss I edge her closer to the bed, her legs crashing into as she falls against it. I lift my shirt over my head, ready to undress myself and devour her again, glad she isn't resisting me like last time.

  But that's when I hear the sirens and the voices.

  There are cops outside the motel and they’re saying my name, urging me to surrender myself on multiple warrants.

  Arson, rape and attempted murder.

  Raking my hands through my hair I try desperately to quell my anger.

  "Did you call them Trinity?" I yell.

  She hesitates, breathing in deeply.

  “Yes, I did."

  “Seriously, Trinity. You really are a fucking idiot."

  "I had to."

  “No, you didn't! I was going to change things, make everything better for us. But you can't let things be."

  "I..I.."

  "Fuck up,” I spit at her, opening the bedside drawer and rummaging around until I feel the cold metal in my grasp.

  Holding it in my hands I have all the power, even more so than I'd had before.

  This is truly goodbye.

  I put it to the side of her head, pressing the cold metal against her temple and she cowers in terror again, just like the day I had the knife against her throat. It’s so thrilling having this power over her.

  "You're going to go to the door and tell the cops to rack off or the last thing you'll hear is me blowing your brains out."

  She mutters something that I can't hear but slowly stands up and walks to the door.

  Opening it, still with the gun pressed against the side of her head I yank her closer to me with my other arm, a grip on her so tight she can't move an inch.

  "If you fuckers come any closer I'll shoot her,” I seethe loudly at the cops.

  That's when I see him arrive ,getting out of the car and looking straight at us.

  A look of absolute terror and shock crosses his face and he seems stuck in his tracks seeing Trinity with the gun to her head like it’s going to be the death of him.

  Little does he know what his arrival has triggered in me. I’m beyond angry now. There is a better way to end this than to shoot Trinity.

  "What's he doing here?" I seethe in Trinity's ear.

  "I don't know,” she answers meekly.

  "Don't fucking lie to me Trinity."

  "Ok, I love him,” she declares, “But I didn’t know he was going to be here.”

  Her words cut me like a knife. And she’s lying to me. I fucking know she’s lying. Her words are like vipers biting me.

  Before I can even think a second, as though time has stopped with Trinity's words he’s running towards me yelling, “NO! Please don't shoot her!"

  I’m not going to shoot Trinity now. She needs to suffer and experience true pain.

  I turn the gun towards him, the man Trinity declared she loves moments ago. Pulling the trigger I snarl into Trinity's ear, "Then say goodbye to him baby. I told you know one else could have you."

  The sound of the shot ringing out from the gun is like nothing I’ve ever heard before. It’s absolutely thrilling.

  I watch, sniggering as the bullet hits him in the lower chest and he collapses to the ground in agony. Trinity is squirming in my arms, muttering a wretched ‘NO, NO'.

  I loosen my grip on her, calling back, "Go watch him die baby," as she runs to his side.

  (41) Savannah

  As soon as Dante frees me from his grip after the shot rang out from the gun he’d held against my temple, I r
ush to Hunter's side.

  It’s all a blur.

  I can't focus on anything but getting to Hunter as time had stopped the minute Dante pulled the trigger of the gun.

  His words in my ear to say goodbye to Hunter are the most painful words I've ever heard in my entire life.

  I can't lose Hunter now, like this, not at the hands of Dante.

  I’d not told Hunter I love him; not had the chance to express to him without words how much I love him.

  Dante knew that after I confessed loving Hunter that nothing would hurt more than losing him and I hate him more than ever for that.

  At Hunter's side, I press my hands against his chest to quell the blood that’s spilling out below his heart. Frantically I search nearby for the bullet but it’s nowhere to be found. I don't know if that’s good or bad, the fact the bullet is still inside his chest, or even if it isn’t and I can’t see it nearby.

  Maybe that means his blood loss will be less with no exit of the bullet, but honestly I have no idea about gun shot wounds.

  He’s in absolutely agony though, trying to not wince from the pain and it breaks my heart seeing him enduring so much pain, as this pain is far worse than any I’ve ever been through.

  "It's ok. I'm here Hunter."

  He mumbles something softly that I can't understand. The pain evident on his face is breaking my heart so much.

  I need to tell him the words I should have said months ago, because if this is goodbye I want those words to be the last thing he hears.

  "I'm sorry Hunter. I love you."

  I press a soft kiss to his lips and can't help but grin when he smiles back at me with his adorable dimples.

  His smile whilst he’s in pain and after telling him I love him makes my heart swell. He starts mumbling again, not able to form any coherent words because of the pain.

  "It's ok. You don't need to say anything,” I muse, brushing my other hand against his cheek.

  He lifts his head up a little to look right at me and breathe in as deeply as he can with the pain in his chest to focus on what he wants to say.

  ”I love you too."

  My heart pounds in my chest, finally hearing him officially say he loves me too. I don't want this to be our last moment together.

  More than anything I want to be able to tell him over and over again that I love him.

  He's turned my whole world upside down, made me feel alive and made me feel that I deserve happiness and without him I will never truly be happy again.

  Silence has seemed to envelope us but in the distance I hear a police officer report into his radio 'yes man down. Shooting. Ambulance.'

  Pressing a kiss to Hunter's forehead and squeezing his hand in mine I urge him, "Hold on, please baby, hold on. The ambulance is coming. Don't say goodbye. Please don't say goodbye Hunter."

  (42) Quentin

  My heart is pounding after hearing my brother scream out to not shoot Savannah.

  He shouldn’t have even been here, let alone have been in the crossfire of a deranged man like Dante Haslett. Hearing the shot ring out from the gun Dante had a grip on made time stop and seeing my older brother collapse in pain was my worst nightmare, a flash of the past crossing my mind.

  If he died it would be entirely my fault.

  I would have failed him as a little brother and failed in my duties as a police officer, all because I'd let Addison effect my better judgement.

  Loving her unrequited has always gotten me in hot water, even during our high school days.

  A memory surfaces in my head of a time I snuck into Hunter's room when she was staying over and creepily watched her sleeping half naked.

  She woke up to find me jerking off in the chair by the bedside, moaning her name.

  She cursed at me, and told me to get out or she'd tell Hunter.

  I kissed her cheek as I left and she slapped my cheek softly in warning.

  Granted Hunter didn't find out but Addison never let me live it down and I'd always felt guilty for thinking that way about my brothers girlfriend.

  Now my brother is lying on the concrete with Savannah at his side, quite possibly taking his last breaths. Time is in slow motion and I can barely focus on my job, the task at hand, a deranged idiot with a gun cocked and loaded, pointing it towards the police officers surrounding the area.

  Sirens are now approaching, so evidently an ambulance has been called, but no ambulance would be able to help tie up this scene if we can't get Dante to stand down and arrest him on the outstanding warrants.

  He’s up for Arson, rape and attempted murder and once in custody he'll be given a long sentence of jail time. He honestly deserves to rot in hell for what he’d done.

  He doesn't deserve to live honestly but shoot to kill isn't an option, even though I desperately want to pull the trigger of my gun, aiming at him like he'd deliberately done minutes ago when aiming the gun towards Hunter.

  Glancing over at my brother the pain he’s in is clear and it warms my heart a little seeing Savannah whispering to him. She’s trying to keep him calm with her hand pressed against his chest to quell the bleeding.

  The look in her eyes, the tears that have stained her cheeks are evidence that she has fallen in love with my brother and the thought of losing him would break her heart. I can’t let Dante win this.

  If his careless action of shooting my brother to get back at Savannah causes Hunter to die he'd be up on a murder charge too.

  It’s all to much, too overwhelming for a little town like ours to deal with.

  It has to end now, before the ambulance and no doubt the press arrive to create more panic at the scene.

  Urging my colleagues forward I yell out to Dante, "Put the gun down! And your hands up!"

  Starting to walk closer I cock my gun towards him, my finger teetering on the trigger. I've never had to actually fire my gun at someone.

  I'd only ever shot targets in practice and animals when out beating around the bush as kids.

  I know I’m a good shot but in the circumstance I don't think I'd even be able to actually go through with it. My colleagues are closer now, tentatively walking towards Dante, afraid he'll pull the trigger of his gun on them at any moment.

  They have handcuffs ready to make the arrest and I shut my eyes for a moment, hearing the ambulance pull up behind us.

  Their voices are panicky, but methodical as they grab the needed equipment out to help Hunter.

  Opening my eyes, I hope it isn't to late. My eyes blur as I open them though, not believing the very sight emerging right in front of me.

  Dante now has the gun to the side of his head, his eyes darting towards us and to the ambulance.

  His plan of killing Hunter most likely now has failed and he'll never have Savannah back.

  The reality of what he'd done and the consequences of his actions that will most likely see him spending the rest of his life behind bars are probably spinning in his head.

  In that final moment, I wish my eyes were closed again as the image of him depressing the trigger of his gun into the side of his head, the bullet coming out the other side and the blood that spatters everywhere as he falls to the ground is a sight I will never be able to erase from my mind.

  Silence envelopes the scene as the other officers run to check if he’s dead.

  It would be a fucking miracle if he was alive after that brutal shot to the head.

  I can't focus on that though. I need to get away from the whole scene and be with my brother, just in case I'm not going to see him again. The thought of losing him is to scary to think about.

  Sarge is surveying the scene, and making notes to tell the press who are now arriving at the scene. I’m hesitant to ask him if I can leave as it isn't protocol to leave a crime scene, but I don’t want to be there at all when my brothers life is on the line.

  “Sarge, can the others tie up the scene? I'd like to go with Hunter to the hospital."

  He pats me on be back and his tone is almost fatherly, "Go
Quentin. I wouldn't expect you to be anywhere else than with your brother."

  Racing over to the ambulance I climb in the back with Savannah as they hoist the stretcher with Hunter strapped on it into the back.

  It’s a little cramped with myself, Savannah and the ambulance officer in the back with the stretcher between us. Mark closes the door before getting in to drive away.

  Ridgehope is the closest hospital, forty kilometres away, so in the hopes of getting there quicker I tap on the barrier cage to alert Mark.

  “Gun it Mark! Do one forty mate."

  He nods, slowly depressing his foot on the accelerator as we edge onto the highway.

  The officer in the back is attempting to calm Hunter down. There’s nothing they can give him for the pain at this point and even with the oxygen mask on his breathing is shallow.

  Savannah appears to be in another world, not believing what’s really happening. It must be truly heartbreaking to finally be able to be with the person you love and have the possibility of losing them looming.

  She’s clutching Hunter's hand in hers, afraid to let go.

  I lightly touch her arm in comfort and when she looks up at me with tears in her eyes I soothe, "Savannah he's gonna be ok."

  "I hope so. I can't lose him."

  "You won't Savannah."

  I grab my brothers hand in mine. “Please big bro, hold on yeah, I'm sorry I failed you."

  He winces in pain, looking across at me. He tries to speak but with the pain and the oxygen mask he can't form the words. He squeezes the hand I’m holding and that’s enough to comfort me as we pull into the Ridgehope hospital emergency bay.

  He's made it here and I can only hope that we've gotten him here in time.Losing my brother in this hospital would be my own literal hell on earth.

  (43) Addison

  The absolute worst part of being a doctor, especially in a small town is the possibility of having to work in other departments of the hospital when short staffed. The worst department being emergency.