Butterfly and Flame - Alina and Evan

Road Trip

Leo and Luis had been on the road less than a half hour when they saw the road block up ahead. Both men turned to each other with worried expressions as they were stopped by the highway patrol. Leo explained the nature of the situation but the patrolman refused to let them pass saying that it was their protocol to ensure that public safety was enforced with the road closure. Luis tried to explain the situation by showing them the FBI cars that they had received earlier when they had met at Leos home. Again the patrol suggested that they regroup with the FBI and come up with a new. For now the road was not open to civilians for any reason. They had thought that they still had a chance to get to the cabin before the roads were closed down but that all changed when the storm turned and made its way directly at them. Frustration was getting the better of Leonas her cursed the ineffectiveness of public servants. The patrolman looked at Leo saying "I understand that you are under stress and worried about your sister. I would suggest that you pull of the road make the necessary calls and have them contact us. As of right now. The way it is. No one is getting up this road or coming down for that matter. Leo placed a call to Michael and his security detail informing them of the road conditions. Michael who had been traveling behind them had off road vehicles prepared and ready to make the drive but also saw how  they too were not allowed to cross the CHP road block. Every second the ticked by felt like an eternity for Leo and he could only sit and stare ahead as the storm turned into a blanket of white.

Christian had hung back at the house with Elliot, Sophie and Miranda. He had been placing calls all over to get a flight out and try and approach the cabin by way of Mariposa or Mammoth at the back side of the mountain range. It took a lot of calls and connections but a friend finally came through. He spoke to the group and told them he had a way in but that he couldn't wait for the others to make their way back. He was going alone. Sophie immediately said she was going too but Elliot reminded her of what Leo had asked of her and decided against it. Miranda then told Christian "I would appreciate it if you allowed me to come with you. I'm not sure how much you are aware of but I have been down this road with Alina and she needed therapy and friends to get her through. She could probably use a friendly face when you get there". Christian had watched the quiet young woman all morning as they talked about what had happened and what they intended to do. She was poised and confidant but not aggressive in the sort of way that Sophie carried herself. That was probably more to do with maturity than anything else. He hadn't just noticed her for her polished demeanor he had noticed her because she was drop dead gorgeous. She was average in height not tall and not short. She was slender but curvy in all the right places. Her eyes were a striking green or hazel it really depended on how the light hit her. Her lashes were long and he could see that she wore no makeup whatsoever. She stood in front of him in a black leotard and pink ballet skirt with Ugg's on. He admired her determination but he was going alone. "I'm sorry Miranda but I'm not taking anyone with me. Besides if what you said was true about Alina and Evan then I think she'll be in good hands." In another situation he would have loved to talk with her more but this was not the time or place. She walked up closer to him and said "She's like my sister and she would do the same for me. Please. I won't be in your way and I might even be able to help". He smiled and wondered what this gorgeous slip of a girl could possibly help him with. She could see that he was measuring her up and found her just a girl. Typical male behavior. She stood tall and squared her shoulders and confidently said "I'm an expert shot. My father was an ex marine and taught me how to snipe and kill a man with a knife. I can take care of myself." She looked him over top to bottom and said, "and you too." He felt as though she had found him wanting in some masculine way. He bristled at her suggestion, surprised that she had so much confidence and wasn't afraid to show it. "Listen. I'm not changing my mind. And I'll have you know that I'm trained in Jujitsu and I'm an experienced shot as well. So you don't need to worry. I can drop a deer from 250 yards and if I needed to, a man as well". She looked directly into his eyes and then said "I didn't expect Armani to be out trudging around in the backcountry hunting for deer but since you don't know this area you'll need someone who does . And thats me." She wasn't giving up. He looked down at her long and hard and refused to let her goad him into making a stupid decision. Now it was his turn to step into her personal space. He did so while putting his hands on his hips putting on his game face that he saved for brokers and art dealers. "Your not coming. I don't care if you can snipe at a thousand feet or drop a man with a knife. I'm going alone! And that's final". He stared at her unblinking green eyes that were on fire and her full pink lips and for just a moment wondered what it would be like to kiss them. "Malek, if you had any sense you would be thankful for my help. We have all hiked in those mountains and skied those slopes and hills all of our lives. I know how long it takes to go through Bishop, Mammoth or Mariposa and what roads not to take. If your relying on GPS or navigation your the one who will need rescuing." She was furious and had now put her hand on her own hips as well. Not backing down an inch. In less than five minutes time he had gone from being a civil friendly guy, to an utterly irritated caveman that wanted to show this little she devil who the boss was: but she had a point. He was thinking quickly and was also was actually checking her out. He was completely thrown off by her and that never happened. He was always cool and collected. Never angry and never at a loss for words until now. "Well. Am I coming with you or not. Time is ticking". She was irritating, but she was right. He scowled at her and bit his lower lip and nodded briefly. "Great. We need to go to my house first. Lets go". She stalked off in front of him and he followed without saying one word.

Kyle has fallen asleep in his car. He had driven to a park where he got lost in the sea of cars and people enjoying the late autumn sunshine in the morning. He was thinking. Thinking about what his next move would be. He was pretty sure Alina had never gone home but he had no idea where she could have gone. He would need to figure out a way to find that out before he could plan his next move. He had plenty of money to get another place, but he was sure that people were looking for him so he decided to leave the city. He would drive north at least a hundred miles away or so to get out of the radius he surmised that the FBI would set up. Finding out what his brother was up to would be the easiest way to figure this out. He knew most of his brothers habits, passwords and private numbers. He needed to think like Michael right now in order to determine what was going on. He knew that his brother had found out about his breaking out of the sanitarium. That was a given now. He was here in Ash because to warn Alina and her family. Idiot. But they had all left the house except for Alina. That meant she wasn't there. A few people he had never seen had come and gone and now the only ones at the home were the old man and her sister. The told him that they were looking for her but where?. Michael had arrived with a security detail and the Sheriffs deputy was there. That was it. He would contact the deputy to find out some information acting as if though he were Michael. He felt it deep inside of him that he would get the answers he needed.

Christian and Miranda were well on there way out of Ash on a private jet. Miranda did her best not to be impressed with the beauty of the plane but it was clearly on her face that she had never traveled this way before. He decided to let it go because he knew if he commented on it she would become defensive and he just didn't want to waste his energy trying to be one step ahead of her. She was smart and intuitive and right now that's deadly combination was making him agitated. He had dated numerous women with impeccable pedigrees, intelligent and self made women, artistic and independent thinkers, and bold, aggressive business women that didn't care for a relationship and were content with being "friends with benefits". He had never dated a woman outside of his social sphere. Not because he was a snob. He might be in the sense that he enjoyed the very best of everything and didn't apologize for it but not because he felt he was better than someone else. It was simply because he never looked for women, they just happened to him. Even now. He wasn't looking to make a connection with her, but damn if he didn't feel a spark between them. It probably was that fact that she wanted to use him as target practice rather than anything romantic on her end. To be fair, he had to acknowledge that she was pretty brave to do this when she could have left it up to her brother and Leo but something told her that this woman was loyal to the bone and determined to accomplish what she set out to do. That alone intrigued him and the fact that she looked like a model for Maxim didn't hurt one bit. They would be landing at a small private landing strip outside of Bishop, front here they would be traveling be car until they got up to the Ranger station and from their by helicopter. They had communicated all of this to Michael and Leo and would be in touch with the others as soon as they could meet up with Alina and Evan. Christian closed his eyes. It had been an exhausting 48 hours and he had no idea what new problems lay around he corner.
Miranda watched Christian out of the corner of her eye. He was overbearing, overconfident and so amazingly good looking. Just looking at him stretched out on the chair opposite her on the other aisle made her self conscious. She had gone out with her share of good looking and confidant guys but this man was off the charts. Devilishly handsome, built and sophisticated he was way out of her league but she couldn't help feeling attracted to him. She had been staring at him for a while trying to figure out what it was about him that made her think of someone she knew. It was weird. She had never met him or seen him and yet she could have sworn she had. Almost as if though she had seen a picture of him somewhere. Evan was a pretty famous photographer, and it was obvious that they were uber wealthy that maybe he was in the tabloids or in business magazines. Whatever it was kept her wondering and staring. As she perused his chided good looks and perfectly manicured hands he opened his eyes and caught her staring at him. She flushed and instead of turning away she said "cat nap time is over, we have begun to descend". He didn't take his eyes off of her which finally made her look down and blush a little. He got some satisfaction finally. Score one for him.

Alina and made Evan take a hot shower until his body temperature felt normal again. She told him that she would do the same when he was done. They had to share a bathroom but she wanted him to go first. He had been out int he cold longer and he had been knocked out for who knew how long. She said that she would make them some hot chocolate and they could sit and talk for a while before hitting the sack. Evan needed to talk to her but he was worn out and needed to just relax a bit and think before he told her what he had learned. He checked all the doors and windows before getting in the shower and told her he would meet her downstairs in a few. She smiled at him sweetly from across the hall and shooed him into the bathroom.