FALL

by K NILSSON

He clucked his tongue and said, “I didn’t know you had this wildcat inside you, Eileen. I think I like it.”

  Mother’s face was enraged. It’s the face she wore when she and daddy had words, only this time, she was going-to-kick-his-ass mad.

  He grabbed the hand that slapped him and bent it back, forcing my mom to fall on her knees.

  “Bad girl!” His lips peeled back, to bare his teeth. He looked like a rabid dog.

  Momentarily stunned, Mother spat nails, cursed, and cried out in pain.

  “Let go. You’re hurting my hand, you ignorant bastard.” Her voice emphasized the word "ignorant."

  “Oh-ho. IGNORANT, am I?“

  With that, Donal grabbed her wrist with one hand, and in a quick, practiced motion, twisted her arm behind her back. He pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his cassock. What kind of priests carry handcuffs in their pocket? The sound of the clinking links brought terror to my heart, and I could see the same terror in her eyes.

  They struggled some more because mom wasn’t going to give in. She was fighting for our lives. If Donal bound her hands, I think she’d give up. But mom rallied, pushing back as the pain in her arm had to be excruciating.

  She was screamed the whole time she drove her back against his chest while he tried to regain his balance and control.

  In a surprise move, Mom grabbed a kitchen knife that must have been on the counter. Donal grabbed her left arm, and she pivoted to stab him in the bicep, but she only nicked him. He cursed, then slapper her face hard enough to stun her. Donal's hit me harder, so I knew she wasn't knocked out. He could grab the knife without difficulty, now.

  “Jesus Eileen, you’re such a pain in the ass!”

  Not missing a beat, my mother retorted, “And you are an asshole.”

  “What were you going to do with this knife, huh? You’re going to hurt yourself.” He said this while holding it against her throat.

  He didn’t know what to do with her yet. While still holding the knife against her throat, he pushed her against the wall with chains. My stomach dropped with fear for her.

  “You are going to regret this Donal,” warned my mother, who tried to keep herself calm, but failing.

  “Why, Eileen? Things are going as planned, just faster than anticipated. But I’m ready. I followed every letter of the six Ps.”

  Donal had that loony-bin look on his face as he wrapped the chain around her neck and padlocked it.

  “I’m not going to bind your hands. You can’t get out of those chains unless your head or the padlock’s cut off.”

  The words were chilling. We were doomed.

  He cut off her linen shell with the knife, and one bra strap, the one that held her cell phone. Ever since I could remember, she always tucked that phone in her bra. I guess it was out of habit, but, it could have been genius today.

  The phone had a geo-tracker, and it was on this whole time.

  Donal began a maniacal chant about sending daddy some photos of mom that daddy could never Un-see.

  “I’ll see his face soon enough, and it will be epic.” He said gleefully.

  “You’re a monster.”

  “So was Declan. Admit it; you fell in love with a monster.”

  Donal left via the door he used to bring mom here.

  She finally looked at me…really looked at me. “Are you all right honey?”

  “Yes, mom…you were doing good there for a while,” I said encouragingly.

  “Keep focused, honey. If you see an opening, a chance to escape, take it. Daddy will find us.”

  Mom didn’t sound all that convincing. I wonder why she was so sure.

  I looked at her questioningly, “The phone?”

  She nodded.

  Just then the fuckwit ambled in, confident that he had us locked-down, and now, we were fucking locked-down.

  He was holding a placard with magic-marker writing on it.

  “If you kick me, I’ll hurt Carrie,” he warned.

  Mom dropped her chin in assent. He waited until he was sure she wouldn’t move, then, attached the poster to her chain on her neck with clothespins. The poster was a like a dunce-cap, a mark of disgrace.

  Donal had a plan. He’d brought in a tripod with a holder for her phone and set it up. It was clear he was going to memorialize the moment.

  “It’s so nice of you not to password protect your phone, Eileen.”

  He fluffed up her hair, pulled lipstick out of his pocket and applied it. She twisted her head as much as she could considering how tightly he chained her to the wall, it was no easy feat. The lipstick ended up smeared all over her lips, and he smeared it some more, outside her lip line, to show her mouth was well-used.

  “That look is enticing Eileen. Lipstick-smeared, a freshly fucked mouth. You know what the name of this lipstick is? Whore red.” He sniggered.

  “Do you know what the placard says? Your whore, no more.”

  Then he snapped photos. “Smile Eileen. It will go easier for Carrie.”

  Mom shot a look at me, and I shook my head, no. She smiled anyway.

  Chapter Twenty

  Eileen

  When Donal removed the chain from my neck, his threat to hurt Carrie reminded me to be careful about making a move.

  "When I saw your daughter, all grown up and ripe for the picking, it wasn't her I wanted"—he pointed at her with the knife, “all I saw was you, always you, and so I took her.”

  He was a pathetic, enraged old man, dangerously horny and lethal in his anger. I was afraid for my daughter, the young woman who was a substitute for me, someone he was obsessed with for years. I shuddered. Now we were both at his mercy. Carrie's eyes pooled with tears as she looked at me. I saw her sadness, felt it like a heavy cloak on a hot summer day.

  I slapped Devil-Donal so quickly; he was stunned for a moment.

  “It’s either you or her."

  Naturally, I hesitated, but not because I was willing to let Carrie suffer some more, but because I wasn’t going to let him control me, degrade me, be vulnerable in the most profound way. Is this what my poor baby went through? I can’t think about this now. I need to find an opening to get out of his clutches, take Carrie, and go. Though things don’t look so easy right now.

  “It’s time for you to fall on your knees, Eileen."

  Donal grabbed me by the back of the neck as if I were a puppy that had misbehaved; then he shoved me down on my knees.

  His tight grip stunned me, no one's ever grabbed me like that except for Declan, and then, under amorous circumstances. It felt like my hair was getting pulled out by the root and I yelped in pain.

  "No! Stop!" yelled Carrie. "Leave her alone."

  I could see indecision in her eyes. She struggled with the desire to help me and the horror of submitting to this monster again.

  "Let me... let me..." she whimpered, so softly, I could barely hear her.

  Donal turned his head so fast toward her; I heard his neck crack.

  "NO! Carrie!" I sputtered.

  He shook my head back and forth as if stirring the contents of a gallon of milk. It momentarily stunned me.

  "You'll get your chance. I spoiled you for any other man. No... let’s give your mother, a turn. Hopefully, my new whore will be my forever whore.”

  Suddenly, mother's phone vibrated in Donal's pocket.

  “It’s Declan!” he said with a maniacal laugh.

  Carrie’s was muttering please repeatedly under her breath.

  “Eileen! What the fuck are you doing there?”

  I almost laughed. I’m kneeling in front of his crazy brother, about to get … I can’t even say it, and my husband is scolding me.

  “Sorry Declan, she can’t talk right now. Her mouth is busy. I’ll have her call you when I’m done.”

  Donal used my hair as a leash and dragged me to the kitchen table where his computer sat idle. He tapped it awake and pulled up surveillance cameras in front of the house and parking lot. The coast was clear. Carrie was stunned. Hell, I
was stunned. Declan should be standing here holding a gun on Donal right now. My mind went blank, and I allowed him to take over…briefly.

  Donal was one step ahead of me. He had the kitchen knife again and held it against my throat. Would he really cut me? The stakes were high. I tried to look at Carrie to see if she was able to get away, but his grip on me was tight, and I felt a burn where the knife touched the skin.

  “Take out my cock.”

  My mind was racing like a hamster fun land. His cock was hard, thick, and heavily veined. If I could just stall long enough for Declan to get here, we will be okay.

  “Can I use my hands without you cutting me?” I asked, staring at the one-eyed snake.

  “No. Just use your mouth for something other than words, Eileen.”

  I … just couldn’t do it.

  Donal shook my head again and nudged his dick against me, but my lips remained tightly closed.

  “If you don’t take me in your mouth, I will cut you. If you bite me, I will cut you." He emphasized his point with the blade, and I felt another burn.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Carrie’s eyes widen. Her flushed face was a deep shade of red. She was experiencing this oral rape with me.

  “Mom! Mom! Don’t think about what he’s doing.

  I opened my mouth slightly.

  “Yes, that’s it,” he purred. “I’ve dreamed about those big blue eyes resting on mine while I fed you my cock.”

  “Think about something else.” She cried.

  “Shut up Carrie, or I’ll cut you!” He snarled.

  I took a leap of faith that I was going to do or die, so I bit him; clenched down on my jaw, hard. He slammed his fist into the side of my face and held his dick with the other. The knife clattered to the floor amidst the struggle. I had the presence of mind to grab it and turn the tables.

  “You bitch!”

  He was holding his bleeding cock in anguish and then let out a primal scream.

  Do or die, do, or die, do, or die. It was that mantra that propelled me to take the knife and stab him in the groin. Blood gushed. I must have hit an artery.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Carrie

  I watched their struggle with silent tears in my eyes until I saw Mom snag the knife. He stood over her, and with one hand grabbed her throat. I thought she was going down, but she took both of us by surprise when she mercilessly stabbed him as hard as she could in the groin.

  I watched him fall, curling into himself like a fetus, his face scarlet with pain. His screams were chilling. For all he’d done to me, I still would have called 9-1-1. It was in my nature, and that is how he kidnapped me.

  He was going to die right before our eyes.

  “Forgive me," the monster pleaded to-no-one-in-particular.

  As I watched Lucifer fall, I silently asked God for forgiveness because I wanted Donal to die. And I wasn’t sorry about it.

  “I don’t forgive you,” said Mother as she leaned over his face and watched him curiously as if he were a big fish caught on a hook.

  “Mom?”

  She scrambled toward me with the knife and cut the ropes around my hands, though I was still chained to the floor. I expected a hug, kisses, relief in seeing I was safe, but she was in shock.

  I shook her. “Mom! Mom!”

  She shuffled over to the monster and put her hand in front of his nostrils, gauging his breath. “He’s not breathing. You’re safe, sweetheart.”

  The door was kicked open, and my guardian angel arrived with my father. Saint reached me first and hugged me tightly. Saint picked me up and gently rubbed the rope burns on my wrists before he hugged me hard. He gave the best hugs. I could feel them in my soul. I had no words because he whispered them in my ears, sweet words I’d never thought I’d hear, precious, love, take care of you, mine forever and ever.

  Dad knelt by my mother. "Eileen!" He touched her all over, trying to find signs of wounds. Are you all right?"

  She still had a stunned look on her face. Dad surveyed the crime scene and checked Donal’s pulse for signs of life,

  He came over to me, kissed my head and held me tight. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded, still speechless at the turn of events. A few minutes ago, my mother was almost killed. Now, we are free. I am free.

  “You’re going to be all right Carrie. Everything will be all right. You’re safe now.”

  Saint held me as I cried.

  Daddy went back to mom, looked her over and sighed with relief.

  “I see you took matters into your own hands.”

  Mom gave him that look that was all too familiar, the one where she’s about to get wound up.

  “Okay, honey. What happened.” Asked Daddy in a kinder tone.

  "I redeemed myself," she said, looking at me.

  "But the blood…"

  "Your brother's."

  For a moment, Daddy was silent. I’d expected him to be shocked, but his face gave away nothing. "Come on; I'm taking you and Carrie to the hospital."

  "But I'm fine!" she said.

  "No, you are not," declared Dad.

  "Get the fuck out," Mom said.

  And the Bickersons have returned.

  "Well, you’re arguing with me. That's a good sign." Dad grinned as he engulfed her in his arms.

  A group of men in fatigues toting guns came down the stairs and addressed my father.

  “The coast is clear, sir.”

  "Let's go." Said, dad.

  When we got up to leave, Saint regarded the room with its blood-spattered walls. “What the hell happened, princess?”

  “All hell broke loose.”

  Epilogue

  Saint

  Indeed, all hell broke loose, but Declan Drazen pulled a few strings to save the family public scrutiny and criminal investigation. It was a cloak-and-dagger operation.

  The police weren't called to the crime scene. Donal Drazen’s body, as well as all his personal effects, disappeared. Christ the Redeemer Church didn’t report the missing priest to the authorities; they disclosed his mysterious disappearance it to the archbishop.

  Declan insisted Eileen attend a wellness retreat in Switzerland, accompanied by a bodyguard.

  Carrie left to spend a couple of days with Dr. Jane at an undisclosed location. Of course, Max managed to piggyback a geo tracker onto Dr. Jane. Don’t ask me how, why, or where, because I didn’t want to know. Max had his agenda.

  I believed Carrie’s physical exhaustion would be short-lived, but I had no clue what mental damage she’d suffered. Concerns about my princess after her rescue led me to set up an appointment to seek advice from Dr. Jane on how to help Carrie with her recovery. I didn’t want to trigger a bad memory accidentally.

  “Carrie suffers from post-traumatic stress. It’s unclear how long it will take her to function normally again. She has to take it one day at a time,” said Dr. Jane. “But if her past is an indicator of how it will go, you’ll be together in no time.”

  She had faith in Carrie, and now, so did I. Lord knew she was stronger than anyone I’d ever met. She’d survived abuse at the hands of a maniac as a young girl and tried to change the effects it had on her sexual behavior. Just when she was about to make a breakthrough and hook up with me, he kidnapped her and almost killed her.

  I no longer had the stomach for entrapping cheating wives and lovers, so Max agreed to take over Private Dick indefinitely. I went on a sabbatical.

  My cell phone had been on twenty-four-seven ever since Carrie left to stay with Dr. Jane. Every time it vibrated, it was my princess.

  Carrie: I saw a peppermint candy in a toddler’s hand today, and I didn’t flinch.

  Saint: ❤

  Carrie: Dr. Jane said I should give her a break from my company go out for pizza. Can we do it Friday if I feel up to it? Want to?