Chapter 24: Ari & Brently

Arabella blew off the vision she thought she saw as just being in a fearful moment. Her mind playing games on her. Yeah that was it she made herself believe as it could have been easily true. When they arrived at the cabin she couldn't even remember anything in between the drive up there, which worked well with what the guys had planned and what they were doing. Xavier felt a little off thinking it was just way to easy all the way to this point. "ARI!" She heard him shout to her as he stood in front of her now. "Sorry Vinny what?" Looking at her concerned now. "I asked you if you were ok. You don't look so good. You want to go lie down?" He asked her as the rest of the guys looking around the place.

"It just feels a little off right now." She said looking around outside. "Off how?" He asked her putting his hands in his coat pocket relaxing in front of her. He had been there plenty of times. He was more than comfortable and knew were everything was. "Well I don't know it doesn't feel the same. Something just isn't right." She said looking around. "Well you know you haven't been here since you spread his ashes right? Maybe. Maybe now you could feel more of his absence in a way?" Vincent said as stuttered most of it out. "No it's not that. I was already at peace with most of that. I just feel like this place isn't as empty as we think it is." She said looking around through the trees before walking into the house.

"Should we unpack?" Ryder asked. "No!" Ari practically shouted. The men all stopped to stare at her with a jump. "It's just I think it would be smarter to leave our things in there so we know just how much we can actually pack and take with us right? There is only so much room in these rentals and there's only so much we can ship and take with us on the plane I think it would be smarter to just leave everything in the cars." The men just looked around at each other. "Sure Ari, we can do that love bug." Liam said with a smile. They all decided to just let it go it made small sense and it also made her feel more at ease she is the one most effected by this place especially from the way last trip ended so they were all gong to go by her wishes.

"So let's divide and conquer eh gentlemen?" Preston said clapping his hands and rubbing them together. Alright I'll take Ace and we will go through those two back rooms. Liam and Ari take the other side of the house. Vincent and Ryder take the attic. Nix, Dylan and Holden how about you guys take the basement? Is that ok?" They all nodded in agreement and went on their own ways. The point was just looking for anything now. Although Nix, Xavier and Dylan already knew where to go and what to grab. He thought it would be better to still search around to see if there was anything else really useful down there.

After two hours of searching Preston came down with Arabella. "Hey guys come on were going to go into town for dinner then come back and keep at it. What is that?" She asked as she finally noticed a secret door in the wall wide open. "Yeah we found it neat huh? Only thing is it's surrounded by a code to get in. We have to wait an hour before we try again." Dylan said as they were all coming around her now showing her the way upstairs. "It's key locked or keypad locked?" She asked him. "Like a keyboard you can type it out." Nix told her sweetly. "How many tries do you get before it locks you out again. It gives you five apparently it's pretty generous." Xavier told her as he guided her to the car. "I want to give a try when we get back." She told him with her finger more as a warning making him nod and smile kissing her the tip of her finger.

After a good dinner they came pulling up and parked a ways from the cabin as per Arabella's request. It was starting to get weird now you could literally see the hair standing on the back of her neck. "I'm sorry you guys probably think I am nuts she said as she was getting close to the boulder. "NO! One thing my mama taught me was you never second guess a woman's intuition you guys are the only source that can bare life you females so naturally you are more connected spiritually with everything around you just not all people tap into that source." Ryder told her as firm believer. "Thank you Ryder." She smiled and then stopped listening to everything around her.

"What's wrong Arabella?" Vincent asked. "Its quiet." She said softly. "Ya it's the forest." Ace said with a small chuckle. "EXACTLY!" She said in a more anger kind of tone. "It's the forest no sounds of birds, wind even crickets. No twigs snapping from small animals nothing. From when we first came here right?" Everyone's eyes grew wide. "What's that smell?" She asked them." "Smells like-" Before Dylan could finish his thought they push away by the force of the explosion. As they stood up that's when they saw two men start to run. Nix and Dylan stumbled at first by the were quick to chase after them with the help of Liam, Ace and Vincent they were able to catch up to them. Xavier lifted up his head around looking for Arabella. Preston was on the phone trying to hear them with the ringing in his ear.

The cabin was half gone and Arabella was on her knees with her hands on her face crying. Looking down at the area where the evidence was supposed to be he noticed it was completly gone everything was incinerated whatever they needed they weren't going to get it now. Coming up to Ari who was now slumped over while her shoulders were shaking he went down to hug her only to get pushed out of the way hard. "Xavier don't! She's seizing. She's in shock." Preston told him bringing his attention even harder to his girlfriend who was indeed in need of his medical help.

 "LIAM!!" He yelled out catching his attention rushing to his friends. "What happened? What do you need?" "Get the others to stand down by that area and tell them Ari's down when they get her and we will need med flight immediately when they get here the hospitals here won't have what we need. She needs scan and surgery she has taken in some things into her abdomen but I can't tell just what or how much it's enough to make her bleed like this." He said doing everything he could to slow it down. Combining belts and towels they still kept in the car. Xavier realized one of his dreams were coming true.

Holding his head tight he began to get a head ache and before he knew it he blacked out. Opening his eyes he was coming in and out of consciousness as he noticed they were on a helicopter but he couldn't see Ari. "Where's my wife?" He asked through the oxygen mask to his friends who were looking at him with worry. "Xavier it's ok were almost there man just keep calm. You need to relax Ari is in the chopper ahead of us and those assholes are with the cops behind us right there. He pointed as he saw them behind Nix. No one could hardly anything but Xavier was thankful to hear that before he gave back into the darkness.

"He will wake any minute now." He heard as he opened his eyes to see Preston and his parents in his room looking at him. "Easy man you are fine. You just had to much built up and couldn't take it also you got cut in your right side and lost a little blood too don't worry you got a few stitches and you will be fine. You can get dressed and discharged." Preston told him as he looked in his eyes and felt his face and the rest of his body. "Your labs look decent you are clear." Preston told him writing some things down. "Where is she?" "She is in the room down the hall. She hasn't woken up yet she was in surgery for four hours getting metal and glass taken out of her stomach and side she lost a lot of blood. The stress and trauma of it all was a little much her heart stopped for a few minutes but it quickly started again. She is in recovery and will make a full one." Taking a huge sigh.

"Xavier you been out for over 12 hours. She just barely got out of the woods. It was harder for her because she was the closest to the scene of the explosion." Preston added. "We have been watching over her with her parents. She is a strong one that girl you should feel proud son." His dad told him. "I need to see her." He said moving around. "Easy son. She aint going anywhere anytime soon. Get your discharge papers first. Clean yourself up a bit and then well go with you. It's just her parents in their right now and I think that lawyer guy is coming back soon. I think its best if we give them some time too son. "I haven't seen my girlfriend since I watched her seize uncontrollably Infront me bleeding every which way. Why the hell would I step back some time for her ex before me?" Xavier all but growled lowly.

"GIRLFRIEND? Since when?" Ellie asked him in shock as she quickly stepped up to his bedside. "Recently mama like the day before I was last in here with y'all." He said rubbing his head his mother slapped him behind. "Leave the boy alone he already hurt honey." Dante told her sweetly. "Did you know?" She asked pointing her finger to him. "Nope. I didn't know a thing honey. You are right. Get him." He said quickly. "Damn dad you throwing me under the us so hard you could win the prize." Xavier told him as he got up quickly to step back from his mama. "Do her parents know yet?" Ellie demanded.

"I don't know but if you just let me get dressed we can go find out together." He said with his hands raised in a defensive motion. "Make it quick. I aint done with you about this either. You just wait." Ellie told him as Dante helped her outside as she was mumbling to his dad probably cursing him out. He got dressed quickly. Going down the hall he was nervous about what he would see when he walked in Taking a deep breath and letting it go he opened the door his face fell as he and his parents who followed behind them came into the room with nothing but the sound of beeping filling the room.

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'Where the hell am I?' Walking around the room. Looking around the cabin she was just at. 'This isn't right.' Thinking to herself looking to where she heard a noise head snapping in the direction. She saw him. Brently was moving a box down to the basement. She followed him. "Brently! Brent! Wait." Rushing to hug him from the back she fell forward in front of him. Picking herself up she was nervous now. Taking her hand and trying to touch his shoulder as he walked up the secret door Xavier had found before the cabin blew up. Her heart was now racing.

'That's right this place doesn't exist anymore what the hell am I in some type of dream or flash back I can't remember any of this.' Watching and keeping close to him she realized no matter how hard she tried he couldn't hear her or feel her. She just followed him now and paid close attention. He acme up into the bunker and she watched the way his hands moved on the way to open it. Coming up he put the box down she noticed he had already a box full. He closed it and she saw the packaging label. He went to the other side of the table and put the new box down. He put some things also in it. She saw him take a special weather damage safety box and watched him use the same code he used to get in the bunker to open the box. She watch him put some things in it then securely lock it placing it the box with the same sending label. Her heart was in her throat when she saw where it was going. The complete address of Xavier Holden.

The room was silent listening to the beeping. Gabby and Callan head snapped up as they saw who entered. Gabby the first one up to hug Xavier and check him over. "It's so good to see you are safe and sound. How are you feeling? How's your side." "Gabby. I am fine thank you. How is she?" Xavier asked her in a hopeful yet scared voice. "She is better believe it or not she should be waking up anytime now. I made them take her off work until further notice." Gabby said as she hugged on Ellie. Nodding his head to her he came up to her side and sat on it with her Callan being right next to them on the chair. "You know son, I can't seem to remember a time when you flew with my daughter where you two didn't come back to the hospital." Callan said in an eerily tone.

"Yeah. I'm catching on to that… I got nothing Cal." Xavier told him in a sad tone. Both just nodding at each other. "Did you wake up rushing to your wife again?" Callan asked hi arms were crossed as he was relaxed in his chair. "Nope. Not this time I was rushing to my girlfriend." He said as it was as simple as the sky being blue. Callan and Gabby both looked at him. "Seriously?" Gabby asked him. Xavier just nodded his head his eyes not leaving Arabella.

This will forever be horrifically burnt into his head. Ari face covered in bruises she was swollen in every way possible. Cuts and scrapes all over her randomly. Her arms and face God only knows where else he didn't even lift the blanket although he desperately wanted to see her sides for the stitches and her abdomen. It killed him seeing her like this. He wanted to hurt everyone involved. "How is everyone else?" Xavier asked them. "They all were fine minus some bruising, cuts and ringing in their ears for a while. They all bounced back quickly Ari was the only to take the damage. Besides you too I mean." Gabby told him as the parents went to take a seat in the surrounding chairs. 

Arabella shot straight up taking in a deep breathe scaring everyone in the room where they jumped in their chairs. "Ari." "Calm down baby." Callan and Xavier both told her quickly at her side. Xavier had one hand rubbing her head one hand calmly on top of right one. Looking at him calming her breathing down she cried when she caw Callan like the true daddy's girl she was as he came above her and hugged her tightly to him. "It's ok kid. We're all here. You're safe now. It's going to be alright now." He told her in the only voice Callan say that put comfort in everyone who heard it around him.

"Is this a bad time?" Vincent asked looking at her in worry and shock. "I don't really see any other time being any better please come join the party." Ari told him looking down at the bag in his hand. "What is that?" She continued. "Well for starters." He pulled out Blue and black roses. "Your favorite. Hoping you a quick, safe, healthy recovery. Second I wanted you to see you did not go through all this for nothing. I wanted to bring you what I found." He told them catching everyone's attention. "What the hell could you possibly find that would make it meaningful for my daughter to go through this?" Callan snapped pointing at Arabella. "Calm down Cal." Gabby snapped standing next to him now.

"This." Vincent said pulling the small weather safety box she just saw in her dream. "Vinny." She whispered out as Xavier mouth dropped realizing what it was immediately. "How the hell did you get this?" Xavier wasted no time questioning. "While we waiting to get you guys out I had to take a step back to stop my ears and nose from bleeding and I found myself resting a big ass boulder. Next thing I knew I looked down there was you know the big gap in the ground so I hopped down and looked in it. There was so many destroyed boxes but this sat on a busted down table. So I took it and hopped back after seeing nothing salvageable left. There is something inside it. It's can't be all that much is loosely flowing around and it's not all that heavy." Vincent said to Xavier handing it to him.

"Ari?" He asked looking at her as she was in a trance looking at it. Slowly taking it from him she stared down at it for a moment then without realizing what she was doing she mindlessly put in the ode as she saw Brently do inn her head the same time her memory was going almost as if Brently was controlling her fingers. *Click* Was all they heard as the light was green and the door opened a little. "Uh. Can I ask the parents to leave for a moment." "The hell you can." Callan snapped at him. "Daddy. I need a minute with Vinny and Xav please. It's more of a legal issue." Ari finally spoke. "We'll come back tomorrow honey. Or just call us please and let us know you're alright." Gabby said as they all four kissed her forehead. "You call if you need anything. I MEAN IT NOW! Anything at I don't care if it's a damn snow cone you call me. Understand?" Ellie told her pointing her finger to her as she smiled and nodded. "You better take care of her or I'll deal with you myself." Dante warned his son. "Thank you." Ari waved them off.

Looking inside the box Ari slowly took some papers out. Xavier and Vincent sitting with her on each side of her bed reading them all together. After about fifteen papers later she finally pulled out a flash drive. Xavier knew right what it was. "I think it's best if you kept that Xavier. I think we both know what else we could possibly find." Vincent said. Xavier nodded to him. "I also think it's about time to get your lawyer over here. This is more then enough of what we need to snag this son of a bitch." After a happy sigh. "Finally. We got him. I will work out something out with your lawyer and then I will have to have a special consultation with Eric and hopefully the judge will just cake walk him in jail. Ari is there anything I can do for you guys?" Vincent asked looking at both of them.

"You finishing off everything Brently couldn't is already more then I could ever ask for Vinny thank you." She said putting her hand on his with a soft smiling. "I am so sorry you guys had to go through all of this." Vincent told them and Xavier knew he meant it. Vincent was a great guy soon he would become a person in his permanent circle he was already more than ok with it. It was just going to be a bit uncomfortable for them for a bit. "Thanks for the offer man I appreciate it. We're good for the most part though man. I'll have Kane get ahold of you for sure or Lincoln. Vinent got up after hugging Arabella on the bed and left.

"Are you ok baby?" Xavier asked her sweetly putting a piece of hair behind her ear. "It's so surreal. I mean it's finally going to happen that fucking monster is finally going to have to pay for his actions. I mean there's no way he can pin this on someone else now right?" "No honey. We got him by the balls now. There maybe a password on this flash drive though baby you might have to help me with it." Xavier told her putting it in his pocket. Nodding to him straightening her self up a bit. "I need to go grab a drink and make a call to Kane the lawyer is there something you want me to grab you from the vending machine?" Shaking her head. Getting up and walking to the door. "Xav. Did I get a head scan? I think I'm going crazy?" "Baby you just had surgery and lots of anesthesia. You're not crazy I promise you." "I saw him Xav." "Saw who baby?" "Brently."