“If we’re going to risk a trip to a store, I think we should go soon,” she said at dinner that night. “Our stores are getting low and we can’t live on meat and fish alone.”
Another issue had been worrying her. Biting her lip, she looked at her brother. “Benji, do you need a refill on your asthma prescription?”
He looked startled, then shook his head. “I haven’t used my inhaler since you arrived. It’s still almost full.”
“That’s great, bug.” And a huge relief. She’d had no idea how she was going to get a prescription filled without alerting anyone as to their location.
“The supplements you have been taking may have helped,” T’chok said. “They encourage the body’s natural resistance.”
“Amazing.” She shook her head and smiled at Benji before returning to the point of the discussion. “What do you think about making the trip? It’s been getting colder all week; I’m afraid there is another storm coming.”
“I agree. There are building supplies I wish to purchase as well.”
She wrinkled her brow as his words sank in and she remembered their circumstances. “Oops, I wasn’t thinking about that. We don’t have much money, do we?” Judy had slipped $40 into the pocket of the coat she’d given her but that was the sum total of her wealth.
“I have some money,” Benji said hesitantly.
“You do?”
He looked shamefaced, but he met her eyes. “Yes. I stole it from Tom.”
“Oh, Benji.” Unsure what to say, she looked at T’chok. He was studying her brother’s face with a grave expression.
“I know it’s not right,” Benji continued. “But he said being my step-dad gave him the right to whip me. I decided it also gave me the right to get an allowance.”
While she was trying to decide how to respond, T’chok spoke. “A warrior does not steal, B’nji.”
Benji dropped his head, but Rachel saw the tears spring to his eyes. Before she could jump in and comfort him, T’chok continued. “However, when one is in enemy territory, it is sometimes necessary to take actions that would not otherwise be acceptable. In this case, you did the correct thing.”
“Really?”
“Yes. But you must always consider your honor when contemplating a course of action that you know to be wrong.”
“Like you running away with my sister?”
“Yes. She is mine to protect and I would not allow us to be separated, even though it meant leaving my duties behind. Even then, I communicated with my commanding officer and made sure that the remaining females would be cared for. Do you understand the difference?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Then let us evaluate the funds and prepare a list.”
The next morning, they used the logging road to drive out of the park and towards the nearest small town. Rachel was a nervous wreck at first, but by the time they pulled into the supermarket parking lot, she had begun to relax.
When she pushed her door open, an invisible hand opened the other as well.
“What are you doing?” she hissed. “Someone could have noticed that.”
“I scanned for observers first.”
“Well, close it again. You can’t come in.”
“You are not going without me,” he growled.
“T’chok, please. The parking lot is almost full. It’s going to be crowded in there and you won’t be able to avoid everyone. It’s a small-town grocery store. I’ll be safe.”
Since he was veiled, she couldn't read his expression, but she heard him sigh.
“Very well. You may go without me. I will wait here and B’nji may come for me if there are issues.”
She reached out and touched his invisible shoulder, sliding her hand down until she could wrap his hand in hers. “I'll be careful.”
“Do not linger. I am already anxious.”
“I won’t.” One more quick squeeze of his hand, and she climbed out of the truck. Benji followed her.
“We should split the list. That will make it faster.”
“Good thinking, bug.” She ruffled his hair, then tore the list in half. “Get your own cart and then we can combine everything at the end.”
They split up at the store entrance and he went off to start on his part of the list. As she worked her way down her portion of the list, she began to get an uncomfortable feeling. Looking around, she noticed an older man dressed in camouflage at the far end of the aisle. He could have been any one of the hunters typical in a small town but something about him made her uncomfortable. She gave him a weak smile when he nodded to her and hastened on to the next item on her list.
Two aisles later, she looked up and he was there again. This time he smiled and came closer. Up close, he wasn't a bad looking man, maybe in his early fifties with short-cropped sandy hair and a tanned, weathered face. He was broad shouldered with a husky build, and back before she’d been taken away, she would have found him attractive, if a little old for her.
“Excuse me, ma’am. I was wondering if you could help me.” He had a pleasant voice as well; with a slow drawl she should have found pleasing. Instead, the hairs on the back of her neck stood to attention.
“Yes?” she asked cautiously.
“Well, it looks like you’re stocking up.” He gestured at the large-scale supplies in her cart. “I need to supply my hunting cabin for the winter, and I was hoping you could tell me what to get.”
“You don’t know?”
“I’ve never had to do it before. My wife, may she rest in peace, always used to do this type of thing.” A sad look washed over his face and she knew that she should feel sympathetic but something about him just seemed wrong.
“I’m sorry. I don't think I can help. I’m just going off a list that my… friend gave me.”
“Maybe you could show me the list?” He was closer now, standing between her and the rest of the aisle, and she began to feel trapped, even though he still had a calm, patient look on his face.
“I don’t think it would—”
“Hey, Rach,” Benji called from behind her. A brief flash of rage crossed the man’s face, but he backed away as her brother appeared.
“Did you want white or brown sugar?” Benji continued, giving the man a curious look.
“Brown, I think. Let’s go see what the options are.” She pushed her cart out into the aisle, trying to ignore the stranger.
“You’re too old to be her son,” the man said, running his eyes down her body in a way that made her skin crawl before turning to Benji. “I’m guessing you’re what? Her brother?” Apparently, he was determined to continue the conversation.
Benji scowled at him. “Why do you care?”
“Just asking your sister for help, that’s all.” The man responded with an easy smile showing a lot of white teeth, but Benji didn’t return it.
“We don’t have time.” Benji turned to her, deliberately ignoring the stranger. “We gotta get going.”
Normally, she would have been appalled by his rudeness, but she was glad for the excuse to get away. With a half-smile in the man’s direction, she followed Benji down the aisle, aware that his gaze was following her.
“What did he want?” her brother demanded, as soon as they turned the corner.
“He said he needed help picking out supplies, but I don’t know. He was kind of creepy.”
“You want me to get T’chok? He’d take care of him.”
A sudden vision of T’chok sending the man flying into the meat counter made her grin. “I’m sure he would but we’re trying not to get noticed, remember? Let’s just finish the list and get out of here.”
In mutual agreement to stay together, they shopped for the remaining items. Rachel still felt like she was being watched but she never actually saw the man again. Once they paid for their groceries and left the store, her shoulders finally relaxed. They loaded the groceries into the truck bed before getting in.
Sliding into the truck, she relished T’chok’s warm
th against her side as he immediately gathered her close. She couldn’t see him, but she could envision his scowl as he spoke. “I do not like this. I should have been with you.”
“It was just a grocery store. Nothing to worry about.”
“Except the creepy guy,” Benji interjected, and she closed her eyes in exasperation.
“What creepy guy?” T’chok growled.
“Just someone asking for help. He said his wife used to do the shopping, but she died.” Rachel tried to sound matter of fact, but she didn’t sound convincing, even to herself. T’chok growled again but, somewhat to her surprise, he let it drop.
“Do you still wish to procure the building supplies?”
“Of course. We have to get Benji his bedroom.” She grinned at her brother, ignoring the weirdness of knowing that an invisible T’chok was between them.
“You betcha,” Benji agreed. “Let's go.”
The trip to the hardware store took less time since there were fewer things to purchase. The owner, a nice elderly man, helped them to carry the supplies out to the truck. Praying that T’chok recognized that the man was too old to be anything but harmless, she thanked him quickly and sent him on his way. As she turned to get back in the truck, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up again. She paused with her hand on the handle, surveying the street. All she saw was a sleepy town with a few people going about their daily business. Shaking her head, she climbed in.
“Let’s go home.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
The feeling of unease followed her most of the way home but she gradually relaxed as they entered the forest and the familiar trees surrounded them. By the time they bumped their way up the track to the cabin, she decided that she had been overreacting.
“What shall we have for dinner tonight?” she asked as they unloaded their supplies. More accurately, T’chok and Benji unloaded while she was sent into the cabin. She didn’t protest, knowing how much it had cost T’chok to sit unseen in the truck while she had loaded them.
“Pizza!” Benji yelled. They had agreed to one extravagance each and pizza had been his.
“You don’t want to wait?” she teased.
“No.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “You promised.”
“Okay, bug. But we’re having salad with it.”
He groaned but made no other protest and she suspected that he might be looking forward to some fresh vegetables as much as she was. As she turned to start figuring out how to cook pizza on the wood stove, the well-stocked shelves caught her eye. With enough supplies, her baby brother close at hand, and T’chok to keep her warm, winter in the mountains might not be so bad after all.
Even though the air was cold, the next morning Rachel decided to take advantage of the sunshine. She washed all of their bedding in the wash tub, wishing T’chok was there to help as she tried to wring the sheets dry enough to hang outside. When they were as dry as she could get them, she carried them outside and hung them on the line T’chok had put up. She finished the last one and stepped back, admiring the line of washing and hoping that they would be dry enough to sleep on that night.
As she turned to go back to the house, something cold and sharp pressed against her neck. A hand slapped over her mouth as she opened it to scream and she was forced back against a large male body.
“Just hush now. Unless you want your brother to join our little party?”
Her skin crawled as she recognized the voice of the stranger from the grocery store. Fear for Benji filled her and she tried frantically to shake her head, causing the knife at her throat to bite into her skin.
“Good, good. I like ‘em young but he’s a little too young for me. As long as you satisfy me, we can just keep this between us. You got me, girlie?”
Bile filled her throat, but she managed to nod.
“Good. Now, I’m going to take my hand away but you’re going to be quiet as a mouse, right?”
Without waiting for her to nod, he withdrew his hand. Mind racing, she tried to consider her options. Benji was at the lake and probably wouldn’t hear her scream but she couldn’t take the chance. T’chok had been going to check a trap line. She wasn’t sure how long he would be gone but the sun was high overhead so he should be returning home for lunch soon. Praying that Benji wouldn’t arrive first, her only hope was to play for time.
While her mind raced, her captor had used his free hand to wrench her arm behind her back. Once he had her secured, he lifted the knife away, putting it in a holster at his belt, and pulling her tight against his body, grinding his erection against her ass.
“Oh, yeah. I’m gonna have some fun with you. Has anyone else even been inside this tight little body?”
“Yes,” she spat between clenched lips. “And he’s better than you’ll ever be.”
He yanked her arm up higher, laughing when she couldn’t help crying out.
“So you’re just a slut after all? You’d better be tight enough to make this worth my while. ‘Cause if you’re not, there’s still your brother. I’m sure his asshole will be nice and tight.”
Horror choked her. “You can’t.”
“Damn straight I can. Who’s going to stop me?” He started dragging her across the clearing. She resisted as much as she could without putting up an open fight, letting her feet scuff across the ground.
“My… husband will be back soon,” she said as they got closer to the cabin.
He laughed again, pushing her forward hard enough that she stumbled, causing more strain on her wrenched shoulder.
“Don’t lie to me, girlie. Ain’t no ring on that finger. And I watched the road. No one’s been in or out since you got back from town and the only vehicle you got here is that truck.”
“You followed me?”
“Yep. Told you I was up here to do a little hunting. I just didn’t mention what I was hunting for.”
They had reached the steps now and he paused to take a look around. “Not a bad little setup you got here. Lots of privacy. I might just stay a while.”
“You said you’d leave.”
“No, I said you’d better satisfy me.” He leaned forward and dragged a wet tongue up her neck, causing her to shudder with disgust. “I always wanted a nice little squaw.” He grabbed her breasts, pinching her nipple with cruel fingers. “Tits are a little small, but you can’t have everything. Now, get inside unless you want this happening right here.”
Wanting to fight but afraid to linger outside, she let him force her up the steps. As soon as they were inside, he sent her sprawling across the floor, scraping her knee in the process. She twisted around so she could watch him and scuttled back toward the fireplace. If she could get her hands on the poker…
“Don’t be gettin’ any ideas, now.” He patted his hip and she realized that in addition to the knife, he had a pistol holstered on his belt. Dismissing her, he looked around the cabin, smiling broadly.
“This could definitely work. All the comforts of home.” His smile faded as his gaze reached the table, already set for three. “Still don’t believe you have a husband, but maybe you weren’t lying about havin’ a friend. When’s he getting back?”
“Soon. He’ll be back soon.”
She hoped that her words might frighten him off but instead he rubbed his crotch and smiled at her. The broad white smile was even creepier now that she knew the depraved mind behind it.
“In that case, we’ll have to wait a little while. I’ll just keep watch.” He gestured to one of the kitchen chairs. “Have a seat.”
When she hesitated, he put his hand on the knife. “You don’t wanna mess with me, girlie. I don’t care if you’re bleeding when I fuck you. As a matter of fact, I kinda like it. So get in that chair—unless you’re intending to put that mouth to better use.”
Biting back her response, she climbed to her feet, wincing as her knee straightened out. She hobbled over to the chair, glaring at him as he took up a position to one side of the half-opened door.
“Don’t you have a home to go to? Isn’t someone going to start looking for you?” Maybe if she got him talking, it would distract him from anyone approaching the cabin. She longed for T’chok to return but the pistol scared her. While she had no doubt T’chok could easily defeat the stranger in hand to hand combat, he had no defense against a gun.
“Nope. My friends know I always take a month off to go hunting. Hell, I might just ask ‘em to come join me, once I got you trained good.”
She fought back a shudder of disgust, refusing to show him how sickened she felt.
“You can just take a month off?” She tried to sound admiring.
“Hell, yeah.” He relaxed back against the door frame and hooked his thumb in the belt.
“What do you do?”
“Gotta chain of used car places—Carl’s Cars.”
“Are you Carl?”
He frowned, then shrugged. “Yeah, I’m Carl.”
The fact that he was willing to give her his name sent a chill up her spine. He obviously never intended to give her the opportunity to tell anyone else. She chanced a glance out the window and saw T’chok emerging from the woods. Her first impulse was to scream for help but that would alert her captor as well—and he had the gun. Desperately, she tried to think of a way to draw his attention away from the clearing.
“Sounds like you’re a pretty important man,” she said, trying to sound admiring. “Maybe this will work out after all.”
Unfortunately, her attempt sounded as hollow as she felt. He narrowed his eyes.
“You're comin’ around awful fast. What are you up to, girlie?”
“Nothing.” Avoiding the desire to take another look out the window, she dropped to her knees. “I just know when I’m licked.” She deliberately ran her tongue over her lips with the words. His eyes fastened on her mouth and his hand went down to cup his crotch.
“Oh, yeah?”
“Just please, please don’t hurt my brother.” She didn’t have to fake her sincerity this time.
Alien Prisoner Page 24