Christine was still chatting with both Nells when Maddie called Christine's cell. "A guy with a gun just took Mitchell. He threatened to kill me if Mitchell didn't go with him. We have to call the police.""Where are you?" demanded Christine. "Can you come around to the door by the shoe department? We'll let you in.""Yes, I'm almost there. Hang up and call 911. Have somebody let me in. I'm at the door now." cried Maddie."Hailey. Go open that door for Maddie. I have to call the police. Some guy with a gun just threatened to shoot Maddie and made Mitchell leave with him."The police began streaming into the parking lot within minutes. Nell Daniels quickly called her news director and once again set up her equipment to broadcast. Her cameraman had left hours earlier, so she was on her own.The police questioned Maddie and soon put out a bulletin for the dark colored sedan. They combed the parking lot for any possible clues as Maddie repeated her story to investigators that arrived
Christine's resolve was going to be tested far more than she could have dreamed. The weather turned bad with a blizzard blowing through the mountains to the north. It was bad enough to drop eight inches of snow in Highland and make travel difficult. Sunday wore on with no word from the police. By Sunday night, the Leonard were too weary to stay awake, so they went to bed hoping for better news the next morning.School was cancelled because of the snow-covered roads, so Christine spent the day with her family again, waiting for the police to call with news. Governor O'Leary called around noon to speak with Christine and promised that every asset of the state would be pressed into service to find Mitchell. By afternoon, the roads were cleared, and Melissa's parents arrived to offer their support.The Leonards’ with Donna's family and Christine's grandparents, were seated in the living room quietly talking when the phone rang. Melissa was sitting near it and answered. She listened for
Ten minutes later, Brad came back into the living room. "I called in a few favors to get this information. They found body parts all over the wreckage, but none were Mitchell's. They did find blood on some of the wreckage that was Mitchell's. They feel it's possible that he's alive and on foot i Yellowstone National Forest. Nell's dad tried to send the National Guard in with helicopters and other equipment but couldn't because there's another blizzard bearing down on the area right now. They can't risk more lives, so they must wait it out. They think it'll be clear by the weekend, or maybe Friday and they'll go in then.""Mitchell's been through one blizzard and he has to go through another one?" asked Christine incredulously. "This is not acceptable. I'll go up there myself and look for him. I have good boots and a warm coat. I can take a backpack and...""You're not going up there, Christine, but I sure as hell admire your spirit and determination. This is extremely dangerous. I s
Mitchell had been taken totally by surprise when the gunman appeared from behind the car. He cursed himself for being so careless, and for endangering Maddie. Her fear was obvious, but it forced Mitchell to remain calm. The situation was tense, and he knew that he needed to remove Maddie from danger.As soon as he realized that he was the man's real focus, Mitchell decided that he'd go with him if Maddie were allowed to leave unharmed. Mitchell was also certain that if Maddie was hurt in any way, he would find some way to wreak vengeance on the gunman.As the man secured his hands, Maddie was allowed to slip away. Mitchell was under no illusions about what was facing him, but with Maddie safe, he would be able to face it without concern for her.They drove a couple miles with his hands strapped to the car door. Then the gunman turned into a driveway as the garage door opened. He pulled alongside an SUV, shut the motor off, and closed the garage door. Mitchell's abductor then walked
Mitchell was concerned with his situation. He had struggled to get the door where he wanted it because his chest hurt with every move he made. His vision was limited to a small area with his right eye. His left eye was swollen completely shut. His back ached and his ass hurt. Running his hands over his backside, he discovered a piece of metal embedded in his upper leg, near his butt. He briefly attempted to remove it, but the pain that created was more than he cared to endure.It occurred to him that pulling the metal from his body could cause him to bleed a great deal. It didn't appear to be bleeding at all now. That surprised Mitchell until he concluded that it must have been so hot that it cauterized his flesh as it entered, thus preventing serious bleeding.It was snowing extremely hard, and the wind was beginning to whip the flakes around in all directions. For the first time, Mitchell realized that it was also very cold. He would need shelter and heat before long or he'd peris
They were not looking for a body. They searched likely areas where a man in distress would look for shelter during a storm. They looked for caves in the hillside, smoke in the air, tracks in the snow, and deadfalls where downed trees could offer some protection from the elements. By Friday afternoon, they were tired and discouraged, but in agreement that they would not end their search until they found Mitchell. Neither brother wanted to return home from this mission they had undertaken empty handed. It was far easier to face the weather than the women waiting for and depending on them.The storm had finally dissipated, and the sun was breaking out when Jason suddenly stopped in his tracks. He sniffed the air and then called to his brother."I smell smoke. The wind is coming from the east, so let's head that way, and hurry."So it was that the Hunter brothers came upon Mitchell's little cavern in the rocks. They feared he was dead when they first crawled into the shelter. The fire
"You should tell them that Brad and Jason Hunter--two of West Point's finest--went into the mountains in a raging storm, searched tirelessly for three days in arctic like conditions and found Mitchell, then brought him back to the hospital," responded Christine. "Please don't mention that he's in pretty bad shape and we're really worried about him. We want to emphasize the positive right now. Thanks, Nell, for being a real friend and a great reporter."Nell left the room to file a report as the rest settled in to wait. After about an hour, Jason and Brad entered the room. They were clean shaven and showered after their most recent excursion."We just had to get cleaned up. Wearing the same clothes, you've sweated in for three days is no way to greet ladies," offered Brad as he hugged Nell O'Leary while Maddie found herself in Jason's strong arms."You know how much I appreciate what you guys did for Mitchell, which means you did it for me as well," began Christine. "What can you te
Maddie looked to Christine in surprise and quickly stood and followed Laura out of the room. Christine felt everyone in the room look at her as she struggled to determine the meaning in this turn of events. Unable to reach a logical conclusion, she decided to simply keep her faith in Mitchell and wait."Mitchell, it's my fault that you've been hurt so bad," cried Maddie as she neared the bed and saw Mitchell's bandaged face."That's why I wanted to see you, Maddie," croaked Mitchell. "I need you to help me get well. Will you do that for me?""Of course, Mitchell. What can I do to help?" Maddie asked."I'm trying to get that bastard out of my head. He tried to take something from us, and I'm worried that he may have succeeded. I heard Jason and Brad talking on the chopper ride back. They didn't know I was conscious. I heard that you're wracked with guilt and now I see it's true."Maddie, you know that I love you, but I doubt that you know how much. We'll never be lovers, but that
"If Christine gets cold feet, or her conscience won't let her go through with it, I'd be willing to trade with her, just because that's the kind of friend I am," volunteered Jordan. "Thank you, Jordan. Christine, you're so lucky to have friends like Jordan," stated Melissa sarcastically. "She's willing to take a bullet for you, if the need arises." "Gee, thanks. I don't think I'll need any help, however. I have all the protection necessary, so those 'bullets' will not be hitting the intended target. There's really no need to worry about me. I'll make sure that the gun is empty by morning." "That's how class valedictorians talk these days?" demanded Hailey. "A few months ago, she hadn't ever been on a date and now she's talking about single handedly unloading a dangerous weapon." "I never said anything about using my hands, at least not tonight." laughed Christine, as Hailey was the one to blush this time. "If I may change the subject once again, we're invited to a costume party t
"Look. It's the Eiffel Tower," exclaimed Willow as she pointed out the window of the shuttle van. "Everybody get lots of pictures and we'll share them all when we get home. I have to thank you again, Christine, for making me part of this great adventure. I'm lucky to be your cousin." "You're lucky to be so pretty and shapely. You're lucky to have such understanding parents. You're lucky that Mitchell, for whatever reason, decided to take a chance on me that day at the mall. We're all lucky that Highland won that first football game. I'm lucky I'm not in tears right now because I'm so happy," Christine said. "We're all happy, Sis, but you've got more reason to be happy than the rest of us girls. Tonight, you're going to go to bed a girl and waking up a woman," stated Hailey with genuine happiness for her sister. "Spring Break in Paris with your hunky boyfriend. I don't think it can get much better than that." "It would get better if everyone left my personal life out of their discus
"Are you kidding," shrieked Hailey. "I'm going to Paris on Spring Break. This is way too cool. I can't believe it. I have to go shopping for some new clothes. We should get one of those CD's that teaches you how to speak French in three days. I'm going to call Willow." "Just a minute, Hailey," interrupted her father. "I can't go since we have to work. It's the busy time of year for those of us in accounting. I expect all of you to obey Melissa and Donna without question or dissent. That goes for you, too, Mitchell. You're a very mature young man, but Melissa and Donna are the adults on this trip. I want all of you to have a great time but be safe. Mitchell, I'll rely on you to keep them all safe. You seem to have assumed that duty already. No one wanders off alone and always be sure that Melissa and Donna know where you are. That's my speech on this trip." Later, as Christine was standing on the porch with Mitchell, she mentioned what she knew had to be on his mind. "I made sure tha
Mitchell lifted his overnight bag and went to Jordan's room and knocked. She quickly opened it with her suitcase in hand and tears running down her cheeks. She stepped into the hall and slammed the door behind her. "Let's get out of here. I watched the news while I was packing. They had a clip of you carrying me half naked, but with my tits blurred out. Then they bleeped the bad parts of my brilliant speech about you bleeping me with your big bleep. I've probably destroyed both our careers and lost Christine's friendship. I hope she doesn't believe that we did anything. I don't know how I'm going to be able to face her." Jordan said. Mitchell had called for a cab to take them to LAX. When he and Jordan entered the lobby from the elevator, several photographers began snapping pictures of them and calling out questions. Mitchell calmly led a teary-eyed Jordan out the door to the waiting cab without making any comment. It was dusk when Mitchell pulled into the Leonard driveway "I can'
"You're right, Sweetheart. This relationship, this love that you two have isn't like anything I've ever seen. You aren't normal or average. Your capacity and ability are exceptional. Don't let me discourage you. I admire and respect your confidence in each other, as well as the Acep love you share. It's very rare and extremely special," Mitchell finished speaking with Christine and went to check on Jordan. She had managed to push the covers down, so she was on her side with her amazing breasts on display. Shaking his head, Mitchell covered her back up and went and stretched out as well as he could on a stuffed chair in the corner.He was awaited some time later by an unfamiliar sound and sat up to listen. Unable to identify it, he stood and walked toward it. He found Jordan huddled in the fetal position on the floor of the bathroom, sobbing uncontrollably. He gently picked her up, carried her back into the room, and sat back down in his chair while Jordan cried and clung to him. Mitc
Mitchell remained silent as he carried Jordan to the door while everyone watched. Before leaving, he gently placed Jordan on a chair, unbuttoned his shirt, took it off, placed it over her, and buttoned it up. More than a few of the watchers noticed the way Mitchell's biceps filled out the sleeves of his undershirt as he easily lifted Jordan and left the suite.By the time the elevator reached the bottom floor, Jordan was making no sense at all. She had her arms wrapped around Mitchell's neck and her head buried in his shoulder. Mitchell turned to his left and exited the hotel through a side door. He crossed the street as quickly as he could, entered his hotel from a side street, and hurried to the elevators. Jordan's room was next to his, but when he reached it, he realized that she didn't have her card key. All she had was a thong and the shirt Mitchell had placed over her nakedness.Mitchell had no choice but to take her to his room. As he kicked the door closed, Jordan began maki
Dwayne called Mitchell later in the day. "You and Jordan are going to perform on your big hit on 'American Singer' on their season finale. That's Thursday and they'll have a huge audience because that's when they name their season winner. The show's supplying two round trip tickets, two hotel rooms, and paying each of you ten grand for the day's work. If you want that directed to the hospital fund, I'll see that it happens. I have it set up for the two of you to fly out to LA Thursday. You'll do the show that night, stay in a good hotel and fly home the next morning.""That sounds great. That show's huge and millions of people watch it, especially the season finale," pointed out Christine when Mitchell told her about Dwayne's call. "You'll promote your song and make money for the hospital fund. I'm not upset about not being included. We're going to be apart a lot in the future, and we have to deal with it. You can bet I'll be watching the show and wishing you and Jordan the best."T
"This campaign has been an unbelievable success, and that's mostly the result of everything you two have done to make this work. We have almost three months left, so we should be able to build the total even higher. It would be great if we had a million dollars by graduation. I know that isn't likely, but it would be a tremendous pleasure to announce that total in front of all the parents. But whatever the total, it'll be a wonderful moment for all of us.""Do you want to tell Ms. Metzger, or shall I?" asked Christine, as she watched for Mitchell to nod at her. "Dwayne Burton called last night. He's roughly edited those TV shows we shot in LA, but ABC has already been pushing very hard to buy them. He told us that the network offered a huge sum. It would guarantee at least a million dollars for the hospital fund. Dwayne told them it wasn't enough. He said we'd agree if ABC would ante up another million just to buy an option to hire us to tape two more shows. If they decide to enforce
"She said her news director heard the rumor that Hardy clashed with us this morning and was escorted from the hotel. The local station was disappointed that it didn't have more coverage of Saturday night. They told Nell that she'd be traveling with us when we went to any significant events from now on. Her interview tomorrow will be replayed, at least in part, on the network's morning show. She's going to meet us at school a little early. She thought it would be a good backdrop while she asked us questions,” Christine stated."She wants Hailey, Jordan, and us to be available for the interview. She's going to ask about that encounter you had with that Chechen, so be ready for that. I'll probably tell her about our invitation to Paris, unless you have an objection, Mitchell.""I'm going to be on TV. What should I wear? What will she ask me? What if I sound stupid? Mom, you have to record it for me," insisted Hailey."Go ahead and tell her about Paris. She'll be excited about that tri