Alexander Ward collapsed boneless on the floor of his study. Erica heard the thump and came running.
"Alex. Oh goodness! Are you alright?" She rushed over to her husband. Her hands flew to his pallid face, turning him to look into his eyes.
He stared at her, not registering. The only thought running through his mind; my son, my son. Erica shook him.
"I'm calling Dr. Frey. Can you talk to me?" Erica sat on her knees beside him on the parquet floor. She rubbed his cold hands between her own. "Honey?"
Alexander caught her hands, pulling her to his chest. "The jet crashed somewhere in the Atlantic." he spoke just above a whisper.
Erica frowned. "What?"
"They don't expect any survivors."
Erica shoved him away from her. "What are you saying?" She shook her head, not believing what she heard.
"They think our son might be dead." His face crumpled. Alexander's body shook with racking sobs.
Erica watched in shock as her husband fe
"Help! Can anyone hear us?" Christine shouted, her hands cupping her mouth. Only the birds in the palm trees flew up in response. She turned to stare at the waves gently lapping at the shore. No sign of any other survivors. Christine sat on the sandy beach, hugging her knees to her body. Chase walked over to her and sat beside her. "You okay?" he asked. She nodded. "I guess." He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. She placed her head on his shoulder. He wished he could kiss her and tell her everything would be okay, but there were no guarantees. "We need to keep it together, Christine." Gently he drew her face towards him, "No panicking, okay. If you feel anxious I've got your meds." He handed her the Ziploc bag which he kept inside his jacket. She took if from him, her brow lifted. "I don't know what to say." She gave him a tear filled smile. "I'll be fine." She reached up to touch the side of his face. The cu
She watched as Chase made a lean-to. He abandoned his shirt and Christine couldn't help admiring his sweat slicked body while he worked. To her utter amazement she discovered he had a tattoo of an eagle on his back. It seemed to be flying as his back muscles moved."If you're done eye fucking me, could you please gather some of those palm leaves?" he said, mildly.Christine's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe her ears. "I did not - Ugh. I can't believe you just said that." She stomped off to get what he asked.He chuckled to himself. "Aww, c'mon I literally felt your eyes on me, Christine."She threw the leaves and branches at him. "Oh, shut up. I admired your tattoo. Wouldn't have figured you for someone who would like tats." She fanned herself with one of the leaves, cursing internally her ability to blush so easily. Why the hell must he be so damn hot? Gods, an eagle of all things. She shrugged, actually she gets the meaning. Legal Eagle.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Ward, but I am not going to put your lives and that of my crew in danger. We'll have to wait until the weather clears." Alexander wanted to hit something, anything. Or anybody. Damn this fickle weather. Damn everything. Erica touched his arm, trying to calm him. "Alright, Jack." he growled. "I'll give it two more days. After that I don't give a shit. If you don't take us I'll find someone else who will. It's been almost a week. Time is running out." Jack Nolan nodded. "I understand your frustration, Mr. Ward. As soon as the storm passes we'll ship out." "Thank you, Jack. This has been so hard for all of us." Erica said, "The authorities don't seem to care as it is a private plane and not that many lives at stake. At least it feels that way for us." Richard and Claire Morrison stood in the captain's quarters looking crestfallen and tired. Richard had his arm around his wife's shoulders. Her face looked bloated from crying. Alexa
Christine stood shivering in the lean-to, hugging her wet clothes to her body. He kissed her. On the lips. Not like the last time. It was soft and sweet and she wanted to reciprocate. Instead, she ran away. "What the hell is wrong with us? I can't do this. I can't fall for him." She wanted nothing more than to fling herself into his arms and forget about everything. But it felt wrong. Was Mason right? Could he just be using her to get back at Mason? It would kill her. Chase filled the entrance, still only clothed in his briefs, his body glistening from the rain. He carried something in his shirt. He gave her a tentative smile. "I've found something to eat. It's safe." He sat cross-legged on the ground, spreading his shirt in front of him. There were yellow and red berries Christine did not recognize. "Are you sure?" she eyed the fruit cautiously.
"Goddammit Chase!" Can you believe this man? Christine threw her hands up in the air. She shook her head in disbelief. "Your acting like a child, Chase." she shouted after him. But he had disappeared in the thicket. What was she supposed to do? Just fall into his arms like a ripe fruit because he wants her? No way.Hands on her hips she stood there, waiting for him to come back to her. In reality she was afraid to go further by herself . God knows what creepy crawlies there were in the bushes. It didn't seem to bother him. Of course not. He was like freaking Bear freaking Grylls!"Fuck it." she needed to pee. Mustering her courage she decided to go behind a tree. While squatting and searching around her, a movement caught her eye. A rusting sound in the dense grasses a few feet from her had her frozen."Chase?"she managed to whisper, her mouth cotton dry.No answer.She stood up slowly, drawing up her pants. The rustling began again and a low growl
Two years ago...Chase hurried home from the firm. Eager to see Amanda. He knew she would be angry because he missed the appointment with the wedding planner. Their wedding would take place in a fortnight and there were still a lot to do. Truthfully, such frivolous things were unimportant to him. If it were up to him they would get married tomorrow at the Justice of the Peace."Weddings are more for family and friends." His mother said those words to him when he complained about it. "And your girl has probably been dreaming about this since she was five. So don't be a selfish ass."Of course, Ma was always right. At least there was the honeymoon to look forward too. He grinned like a cat. She would love where they were going, he thought. The Cayman Islands for a blissful three weeks. No court, no idiots to defend and definitely no Mason Pritchard.Chase loved Mason, but lately he's been around
Present Day“And now you see, we hate each other equally.” Chase said, a bitter expression on his face.Christine put her hand on his knee. “Chase, I don’t know what to say.” She felt shocked, she didn’t perceive Mason as being so underhanded. But do we really have control over who we love? She couldn’t judge him for it.“I don’t handle betrayal well.” Chase said. “I value trust and loyalty more than anything.”“I get that. I really do.” Christine searched his face, she needed to know that if she fell for him, he won’t hurt her. But looking at him, seeing the hurt in his face, the vulnerability plain to see, she knew he would never do that.This Chase was the real man, not the cut-throat attorney of Ward and Associates. This man with the pain in his eyes. She leaned closer to him. Placing her hand on his cheek, she said: “I wouldn’t do that to you.
“CHASE!” Christine shook his limp shoulders. His head lolled to the side. “Oh, please, please wake up,” she cried. The rain lashed down on her bowed back, driven by the howling wind. But she was impervious to it, her focus on the unconscious man.He was unresponsive and Christine feared the worst. Her breath became erratic and her heart threatened to jump out of her throat. She grabbed onto Chase to try and steady herself. The world was slowly spinning.No, no, no! I can’t get a panic attack now.She willed herself to breathe, in and out, steadily. Gradually her heartrate slowed and she exhaled deeply. Chase let out a pained groan. His eyes fluttered open. He tried to sit up, but fell back with a muted cry. The debris from the fallen trees pinned him securely.“Christine…” he moaned, “Get out of here. Go to higher ground.” He tried to move his legs, but they wouldn’t budge.