I Will Fight No More Forever

by E B Corbin

  “I know it must be frustrating to be completely immobile.” The blonde seemed to enjoy talking without getting any response. “This is a new serum I recently acquired in Hong Kong. I didn’t know if it would work or not.” She laughed. “I still don’t know if the antidote will work. I guess we’ll soon find out.”

  Sam tried to fight off the hopeless feeling and wished she could get the antidote now. But she knew that was wishful thinking. The woman, this Kat, as she said her name was, came across as cool, calm, and collected. Nothing short of Sam getting all her dexterity back, would allow her to overcome this stranger.

  “I guess you’re wondering who I am and how I became interested in you. But I suspect you already know that I found out about the reward on the dark web. Actually, I found out about it from Big John when the idiot came to me for truth serum. I tried to tell him I didn’t have that kind of shit. None of it is reliable, anyway, even though the Russians have something they call SP-117, which they claim works well with no side effects and the person has no recollection of what he said.” Kat paused in her monologue and turned pensive. “I haven’t tried it yet. I should reach out to my supplier.”

  Sam tried to ignore her rambling. She didn’t care about Russians or truth serum or the dark web. She needed to figure out how to get away from this woman.

  Kat kept talking, blind to Sam’s indifference. “But then he told me about you and how he’d split half the reward with me if I helped him out. I decided what the hell. I wasn’t going to give him this new formula. No way he could handle it. I gave him some slightly enhanced ketamine and charged him for the new stuff.”

  Sam perked up when Kat mentioned the drug. She’d never heard of any anesthesia capable of doing what she was experiencing, and she wanted to know as much about it as possible. It wouldn’t hurt to learn what Kat knew about the reward, either. Sam turned her attention to Kat’s words, but she had a hard time concentrating.

  “From what he told me, it worked but it didn’t last too long.” Kat laughed to herself. “The idiot never suspected I didn’t give him the real deal.”

  Kat turned off the highway at the first exit after they crossed the Willamette River. “And then I read where Big John was in the hospital under arrest. I started thinking, Why should I settle for half when I can have the whole thing? It didn’t take long for me to find the notice on the web and contact the person looking for you. I’m sure I didn’t get a real name, but then they don’t know my real name, either.”

  Sam’s mind began to drift during Kat’s long explanation. She knew who posted the reward. She didn’t care to hear more about it. She thought about the pinch she felt in her neck when she and Henry were in the Apple store a few weeks ago. Henry had the presence of mind to grab the first taxi he saw and follow the two men who had taken her.

  White Cloud happened to be the taxi driver, and he’d been a godsend ever since. She never showed Henry how much she appreciated the things he did for her. She couldn’t remember thanking White Cloud, either. When did she turn into such a heartless person?

  Not wanting to think about her callous shortcomings, she watched with unblinking eyes as they came into a business section of town. She’d never been in this area of Portland before and had no idea where they were headed. She noticed they passed through a section that had to be Portland’s Chinatown, but they didn’t stop.

  A short time later, she thought she saw signs indicating they were in the Pearl District. Unable to turn her head, she only caught glimpses of what they passed.

  “We’re almost there,” Kat said.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Henry and White Cloud sped along Route 26 looking for a silver Mercedes, but they saw nothing except pickup trucks, SUVs, and old sedans. Henry glanced into every vehicle they passed just in case they were wrong in their assumption about Sam’s abductor and the vehicle.

  He saw families, old men with cowboy hats, young men with baseball caps, and women with and without kids in the rear seats. He saw no one who looked like Sam.

  White Cloud never took his eyes from the road as he concentrated on making up as much time as possible while avoiding a speeding ticket. They crossed the Ross Island Bridge and merged onto the Pacific Highway before he pulled off to the side at the first place he found. “I do not know whether they went north or south from here.”

  “Take a guess. I don’t know this area at all.”

  “I would guess north since that leads to downtown. But it’s really just an assumption.” White Cloud turned to Henry. “I am sorry we lost Sam. It is my fault.”

  “No, I know Sam. When she sets her mind to something, there’s no changing it.”

  “I should have stayed with her.”

  “Someone had to keep an eye on those goons in the Hummer.” Henry carried enough guilt for both of them.

  “I have an idea,” White Cloud said.

  At this point, Henry was open to any suggestions. He arched an eyebrow. “That’s more than I have.”

  “Do you remember the other day, when I was dropping you and Sam at the hotel and a yellow-haired woman came out and jumped in my cab?”

  “Yeah, it was the same day we found that maid cleaning our room.”

  White Cloud nodded. “I think that woman was the one who convinced the maid to let her into your suite, and I think it is the same one we saw following us this morning.”

  “Even if it was, what good does it do us now? She could have taken Sam anywhere.”

  “I dropped her off in the Pearl District on a nice residential street lined with row houses.”

  Henry perked up. “You think you can find the place again?”

  “I can find the street, but I cannot guarantee what house she entered. I remember she stood on the sidewalk and waited for me to pull away. She was still standing in the same spot as I turned the corner.”

  Henry thought it over. “Well, it’s not ideal, but I say we head to the Pearl District.”

  White Cloud swung the Firebird into a U-turn and sped along Pacific Highway. It was coming into rush hour, and they fought traffic the whole way. Henry fidgeted in his seat and drummed his fingers on his thighs. “This blonde you dropped off—are you sure she was the one you saw in the car this morning?”

  “I am not sure. I did not get a good look inside the car.”

  Henry shrugged. “Well, it’s all we got. We might as well give it a try. Maybe we’ll get lucky and spot the Mercedes on the street.”

  “If you had a Mercedes, would you not rent space in a parking lot for it?”

  “Maybe, maybe not.” Henry never had a Mercedes, nor did he want one. Too many other things in life to be concerned about than some expensive car when a Ford will get you where you’re going just as well.

  They’d been stuck in unmoving traffic for the past few minutes. Henry craned his neck to see ahead. “What the hell is going on?”

  White Cloud was used to Portland traffic. “Nothing. There is a bridge up ahead, and traffic backs up trying to get across.”

  Henry slowed his breathing. He knew the taxi driver would get there as soon as possible. It did no good to get tense and angry. The buzzing in his head had remained steady for the past thirty minutes, neither growing louder nor diminishing. He’d just have to trust his “spirit guide” as White Cloud liked to call the noise.

  They finally moved through the light and proceeded with only the usual traffic. Fifteen minutes later, the Firebird slowed and turned a corner. The street was lined with trees and remodeled red brick row houses. Every one looked virtually the same with a few exceptions—some front windows were large single pane, some large ones had muntins to make them appear older, and some had sets of smaller windows in place of the larger openings. One had a table and a blue sun umbrella on the front patio. Henry wondered why anyone needed a sun umbrella in a city that had more rain than sunshine, especially at this time of year.

  “This is where I dropped her off.” White Cloud slowed the car in the middle of the
block.

  Henry searched up and down the street for a silver Mercedes, but saw nothing except a Prius, several Hyundai SUVs, and a few minivans. “I don’t see any Mercedes.”

  “It would not be parked on the street.”

  “I haven’t seen any parking garages close by, either.” Henry rubbed a hand over his face. “Okay, okay. We’re going to have to knock on some doors—see if anyone knows a blonde who drives a Mercedes. If they don’t know her, they might have at least noticed the car.

  Henry started on one side of the street; White Cloud took the other.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  They traveled down a residential street, with Sam still unable to see much except a few parked cars in a blur. Kat pulled up to the only driveway on the block and stopped at a black wrought-iron gate. She pushed a button on her dashboard. The gate swung open then swung shut as soon as they were through.

  They were in a parklike setting with a tudor-style building on the left. A driveway continued past the house to a two-car detached garage, which matched the architecture of the house. Kat hit another button and the garage door lifted. A small nondescript silver sedan sat in the second space with what appeared to be a folding partition in front of them.

  Kat sighed. “Home sweet home. It’s always a pleasure to come back here.”

  Sam wasn’t so sure of that. She tried one more time to move her arms and legs. Nothing.

  Kat got out and pushed a button on the side wall. The partition slid back to reveal another area across the width of the garage. Bright light lit the space, and Sam shivered at the sight of it: a sink with shelves above it and an aluminum table along the wall that looked too much like those used in a morgue, as well as a dentist-type chair with metal wrist and ankle bands.

  “Well, I guess I didn’t think this through very well.” Kat came around to the passenger door. “I should have picked up a wheelchair, but so far I’ve not used anything my mentor left me. This isn’t usually my style. I prefer my assignments to look like accidents or heart attacks. Can’t say I’ve ever needed to get information from them before I completed the task.”

  Sam sensed rather than saw Kat shrug. Any hope she had of escaping was dwindling fast. This place was a fortress right in the middle of Portland. And this woman seemed to know what she was doing. There was no getting away from her like Sam managed with the others who’d wanted the reward. Her only hope lay in getting the antidote and possibly overpowering Kat. Of course, she still had to find a way out of the ten-foot fence surrounding the property, but she would concentrate on one thing at a time.

  Kat stepped closer so that Sam could see the malicious smile on her face. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”

  Sam wanted to knock the grin off the bitch’s face but was trapped. She was beginning to accept her fate—she’d never tell this woman where the money was. She counted on Henry to continue her self-appointed crusade to return the money to the rightful owners. She realized she’d never shown him how to access the funds, yet she had confidence that with the information in her laptop, he could figure it out.

  There were so many things she wished she’d done differently. If only she hadn’t worried so much about retaining her authority. Henry was a good person; he would never take advantage of her. And White Cloud had no reason to be so committed to their cause. She should have told them how important they were to her instead of being focused on her father’s money and being the boss. What a fool she’d been!

  Kat stepped back into Sam’s peripheral view with a roll of duct tape in her hands.

  Sam watched her take both hands and wrap the tape around them several times. She saw, though never felt, the woman do the same with her ankles. Sam wondered how tying up her hands and legs was supposed to help move her from the car.

  “Okay,” Kat said. “That will do.”

  Sam watched Kat walk into the space at the back of the garage. She dug through a cabinet and came out with a vial of clear liquid and a syringe. She filled the needle and returned to the car with the antidote. Sam didn’t feel the prick, but she felt a burning sensation crawl along her arm. It spread to her hand and to her shoulder before it crawled along her neck and started down the other arm. Tears filled Sam’s eyes as the pain spread throughout her body. She was sure she was dying, bit by bit. Her brain screamed, but she could not open her mouth.

  Kat stood back and scrutinized her handiwork. She waited for Sam to move and when nothing happened, she grabbed Sam by the shoulders. “Come on, come on. Don’t do this to me!”

  Sam closed her eyes and sank into the passenger seat even as Kat tried to hold her up. She was so thankful to be able to close her eyelids, she never wanted to open them again—all cognizance left her mind. She said her last goodbye to Henry and White Cloud; sorry she’s been such an ass.

  She came back to reality with Kat gripping her shoulder and shaking her. The realization that she could feel Kat’s hands remained uppermost in her mind. She opened her eyes to see Kat’s face inches from hers. “That’s it. Wake up. You need to give me some details.”

  Sam opened her mouth and was able to mumble, “I’m not telling you anything.”

  “Oh, I think you will. You don’t want to remain motionless the rest of your life, do you?”

  That thought sent a shiver through Sam. She felt as if she’d run a twenty-four-hour marathon. Every muscle in her body hurt. It even hurt to move her lips. Weakness made it hard to hold her head up, but she managed to look Kat in the eye. “I will not give you the information. You can do anything you want, but you’ll never find the money.”

  Kat gazed at Sam, her expression thoughtful. “I didn’t realize you would be so helpless after I gave you the antidote. I don’t think we need this tape on your ankles. Without it, you can walk to the chair. Well, maybe not walk, at least shuffle. I might be able to carry you, but I’d rather not.”

  She pulled Sam from the passenger seat, nearly causing both of them to fall. Then she managed to swing her arm over Sam’s shoulder and guide her to the chair in the garage. She snapped the metal belts in place around Sam’s ankles, then cut the tape from her wrists. First the right hand, then the left, were latched to the arms of the chair.

  Little by little, Sam felt her control rebounding, but with her wrists and ankles secured, it hardly mattered. Besides, she was so tired she could hardly stay awake even though she knew she was in grave danger. She didn’t care. She only wanted to sleep.

  Kat slapped Sam’s cheeks. “C’mon, Sam. Don’t fall asleep now. The goddamn cat didn’t fall asleep when I tested this on her—didn’t realize the result would be so different on humans.” Kat stepped away, analyzing Sam’s reaction. “Maybe I should give you some time to sleep it off.”

  Sam didn’t care what Kat had planned. She accepted she was going to die at the hands of this crazy bitch, but she couldn’t summon the strength to do anything about it. In her mind, she told Henry she was sorry for leaving him with her incomplete tasks. At least he would have White Cloud to help him accomplish the goals.

  Kat turned off the overhead lights and pushed the button to close the partition. She gave Sam a small wave as the panels slid closed.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  No one answered at the first two doors Henry knocked on, but at the third door, a thirtysomething guy told him he’d noticed a silver Mercedes pull into the driveway at the mansion on the next block over. He’d remembered it because it was the kind of vehicle he wanted but couldn’t afford with the cost of housing in Portland. The guy was more than willing to chat about his dream car and he described the house with the tall wrought-iron fence around it in detail. It had a large yard with a lot of old trees, kind of like a small park. And, he told Henry, the blonde living there was pretty hot.

  Henry thanked him, trying to get away as quickly as possible without being rude to the only lead he’d uncovered. He backed away from the guy’s door, nodding at whatever the man was saying, not really hearing him. He needed to find White Cl
oud but couldn’t locate him on the other side of the street. Finally, he caught a glimpse of movement near the end of the block.

  “I need to catch up with my friend.” Henry waved and jogged down the steps while the guy stuttered and stopped his chatter.

  White Cloud spotted Henry’s signal and joined him halfway down the block. “You have learned something?”

  “Possibly. I think we’re on the wrong block.”

  White Cloud nodded. “I am not surprised she deliberately misled me. She is not likely the kind to take chances.”

  “That makes her all the more dangerous.” Henry glanced around. “Let’s walk over to the next block. See what’s there.”

  They had no trouble recognizing the house when they rounded the corner and spotted the oak trees behind the fence. The place was twice as big as every other house on the street and the only one with a driveway and yard in front. No lights showed in the windows of the main house, but Henry thought he saw a glimmer of light coming from the garage in back. He blinked, and the garage was dark again. “Did you see that?”

  “A light went out in the garage.”

  Henry grimaced. “I think this is the place.”

  “We have not seen the Mercedes. How can you be sure?”

  Henry grinned. This time, he was the one believing in his spirit guide. “My spirit guide told me.”

  White Cloud raised an eyebrow.

  The two men stood across the street and stared at the dark yard surrounding the house. Large trees in the front yard blocked the ancillary glow from the streetlights, making Henry wish for the night-vision goggles he’d used while in the SEALs. His vision was excellent, but he couldn’t see a thing.

  A lamp went on in the house, casting a soft beam in the rear yard.

  “Someone is home,” White Cloud whispered.

  A few minutes later, the front door opened and a blond woman stepped out.

  “It’s her.” Henry grabbed White Cloud’s arm and stepped into the shadow of an alley.