Feeling that Way

 

At the Gregg and Steve’s home four very frightened people waited  and prayed for news.  Herbie  had  called Seattle to inform Gregg’s brother about the situation.  He thought it would be better  for him then to inform their parents.  Gregg’s had always been close to his sibling, and  he accepted Gregg’s lifestyle.  Gregg’s mother and father were a slightly different story. They had accepted that the piano lessons they had provided for their son had led him to rock and roll .  Despite their misgivings they learned to deal with Gregg never being home, the groupies,  and the recreational  drug use that  was common in 60’s rock and roll.  But like Sheriff Rossi, they  did expect that marriage for their son and grandkids for them, would happen sometime in the future. So when the difficult conversation about his relationship with Adrian took place, it destroyed many dreams for them.  However they still loved their son and were certainly praying for his safe return.

Marv and Mary had finally went to bed  in the guest room. The stress of her son’s second abduction was wearing on her,  and she was worried about Gregg as well. As far as she was concerned her son’s lover was  a permanent part of the family now.  “She kept saying I just want my boys back. “ Neal knew her  strong Catholic upbringing  had  ingrained  faith in God in her.  He also knew she had spent most of the evening praying, begging God to save Gregg and Steve.   

When he was finally almost too exhausted to keep his eyes open, Neal had showered and  tried to rest a bit himself.  For some reason he couldn’t quite explain to himself, he had decided to sleep in Greg and Steve’s room. He had told Herbie that he wanted to be near the phone if Rossi called with news.  However Neal knew there was something more to it then that. Even though he couldn’t verbalize it, Neil was terrified that he would never see his two friends again.  He wanted to feel as close to Gregg and Steve as possible. He knew it probably would have sounded very odd to anyone else. But for Neal,  lying in the bed  where the Gregg and Steve  had talked, laughed, made love, and slept happily spooned together, comforted him. Misty had even joined Neal, laying across what she had to know  was Steve’s  pillow. Her owner’s scent seemed to comfort her as well. Now in the early morning hours the guitarist stared at the ceiling, which grew paler each moment with the brightening  sky. Neal’s mind was filled with images of his life, all the way back to  his teenage years, when Gregg used to pick him up from “school” to take him to jam with Santana.  He loved Gregg and Steve both so much, and they deserved to be happy together. Neal couldn’t believe that even for a second he had considered trying to take Steve for himself.

Rossi moved silently towards the door of the beach house. He was heavily armed and wearing his vest.  Two officers backed him up and the swat team waited ready for his command. He told them “ I want to try going in without the tactical team and bring Mark out peacefully. Negotiate if possible and reduce the risk of Steve and Greg  getting hurt or killed.” Rossi reached the front  door and was surprised to find it unlocked. Rossi knew Mark was too organized to have forgotten to lock it and too egotistical to have set a trap. He was sure that he had Steve for his own now and no one would ever intrude on that. The Sherriff  quietly opened the door and gestured to the two officers that accompanied him.

As he stepped into the living room he  heard sound coming from behind a closed door to the side. It was a male crying hysterically, pleading with someone. Even filled with terror Steve’s voice was unmistakable.  Carefully with his gun poised to fire any minute if necessary he silently crossed the floor and touched the  knob. The latch opened easily and the door swung open.  He was greeted by the sight of Steve being held in kneeling position, Mark’s hand tangled brutally in his hair. Mark was forcing Steve to perform oral sex on him and the tiny brunette was alternately  gasping for air and trying to pull away. Whenever  he could break his mouth free he would wail in terror.  Steve was naked and his body was covered with fresh  bruises  in various colors. 

Rossi had a sudden  flash of Matthew’s body lying on the Coroner’s table in the morgue.  And he realized that he was seeing his son’s  last few hours of life played  out in front of him.  He pointed his gun towards Mark and said “It is over Mark let him go.” Mark snickered at him,” No it is over for you all. Steve is mine and he knows it. What I have done to him  has marked him as property, a possession.  I can do anything I want and he just allows it.”

By now Steve had become aware of  Rossi’s presence .  Between sobs he cried out “ Please, he has Gregg here somewhere, please find him. Forget about me, like he said It is over, I don’t  matter. I just want Gregg to be safe. “  That statement brought a hard slap upside Steve’s head.  Steve’s ears rung and he slumped to the floor at Mark’s feet.  It didn’t matter, he thought. He was finished,  he nothing more then an object. Hell the turkeys he used to care for as a young man on the farm were treated with more respect and regard then he was.  All he could hope for was that Mark would tired of him quickly and put him out of his misery with a bullet. But Gregg would still have a chance, he could be happy, with Adrian and the band.  Suddenly Steve felt himself being yanked up by his hair again and this time the feeling of cold steel was at his throat. Steve didn’t even struggle, at this point a slit throat, his life bleeding out of him,  sounded like a blessing he would eagerly claim.

Rossi said “ I don’t want to kill you Mark, I know you must have parents, people who love you. Let him go and there may still be a chance for you, you could get help, find out why you want to hurt people. Aaron loves you, he is waiting for you. He believes in you and when I came to see you at the house yesterday he still wanted to protect you.”

Steve heard Mark’s voice again. “You want to take me in Sheriff? The only help you would want for me was for me to be ripped apart in general population. Ripped apart he said again then his voice changed.   His tone took on the syrupy quality again and he  smiled, “ You know Rossi your son was so sweet, and he was so vunerable and lost when you put him out.  He came to me for help, all those years back even then I was looking out for young men who had no one, who were lonely , desperate. So many  of them. And when you are hungry, cold and scared, and you can’t go home to the people who should have given you unconditional love, well  a  person do anything.  Matthew couldn’t pay his rent , I offered to pay it for him, then  I asked him to spend the night.  I can still see him, standing by bed, so beautiful with that gorgeous olive skin, big dark eyes, wearing nothing but his beautiful long hair hanging around his body. I took him first then my friends joined me. Matthew cried when I took  him, I made it as painful as possible. Then when my friends came and had there turns over and over he screamed. He screamed for his daddy and mommy to rescue him, to stop us from…..

Mark didn’ t get to complete his thought.  The last sound he made was a gurgle, a sound of shock and pain, as a bullet pierced his heart.  

The next thing Steve knew was the knife slipping away from his throat as Mark’s body slumped on top of him. He screamed before Sherriff Rossi  pushed the corpse away from him. “  It is alright S teve,” Rossi pulled the sheet and blanket off the bed and wrapped Steve in it. He held the shaking man close to him and said “ He will never hur t you  or anyone else Steve.”   Steve sobbed over and over “Thank you Thank you.” Then he asked in a shaky voice,” Where is Gregg ? There is another man, Mark gave Gregg to him to …to…  “

Suddenly there was a call on his radio. “Sherriff we have the other victim, he is alive. He is pretty battered right now but he should be alright. And the second perp in the abduction, apparently seen us coming and took out the back door.  We have  officers pursuing him.   We called for two ambulances, anything else you need. Sheriff Rossi looked down at the frightened  man in his arms. “ Greg is fine Steve, we are going to take you both to the hospital and then you will be going home, and you’ll be together.” He spoke back in the radio “ Tell him Steve is safe I am going to bring him in now. “ And I need the Coroner’s  wagon. I shot the kidnapper. He is dead. “ He then said to Steve “ Can you stand ?” Steve nodded “ I think so.”  He gently lifted  Steve to his feet,  and holding him against him,  carefully walked him through the house to where Gregg had been held.

One of the officers had covered Gregg up  with a blanket and was holding a glass of water  for him to drink. He was terribly pale. He looked asleep  but when Steve seen him and cried out his name, his big green eyes popped open.  Steve lurched towards him and almost fell but the Sherriff carefully assisted him onto the bed. Despite  the physical agony they both must have been in, embraced  tightly.  Gregg, who Steve had never seen cry, let loose with sobs and a flood of tears. Steve pushed against him and Gregg looked down in his face. He  said “ I am so sorry, I am so sorry I didn’t believe you. This is my fault. “ I can’t protect you and Mark will just keep coming at us and coming at us.” At this point Rossi touched Gregg ‘s hair , brushing the long thick black curls out of his face. “Look at me son , the only person at fault here is Mark. He was sick and evil. But he will never hurt you again because he is lying dead on the floor. You are free from him forever. “   Gregg’s eyes  were filled with graditude, despite the fact they were still wet with tears.  “He is really gone ?’ “ Yes, “ the sherrif told him.”He is gone because I shot him, and he will never rape another young man. “  Despite the fact it might not have been seen a s professional, he hugged Gregg gently but snuggly.” God these boys had been through so “, he thought. He had one of his rare moments of connection with God. He sent up a prayer  that he would bless the two with peace and enough strength not just to survive, but to heal and live again. He said to them” The ambulance is on it’s way. I will leave you two alone for a few minutes. I will be within hearing distance if you need me.” He gently touched Steve’s arm thinking how much the young man reminded him of his own son.  He then quickly left the room.

Going  back to the bedroom where Mark’s body was being processed, he ran into one of his officers.  He said to Rossi, “ Well that is two less sicko’s in the world.  At the Sherif’s questioning look he said “ The other  perp just stepped off a cliff. The cops had him cornered and  apparently death looked better then an arrest.” “You are sure he is dead?” Rossi asked.  “No one could have survived the fall. His neck is broke, SWAT  already went down the trail to check  on the body. Hopefully the coroner brought extra bags.”

Rossi looked down at man lying on the floor.  Mark had to have wanted to die. He couldn’t have possibly imagined  he would have walked out of there alive. Not  after he admitted to being involved in Matthew’s death.  Well the nightmare was over for Steve and Gregg. Maybe it was for him too.