by Bliss Carter
Now to find something to use as a weapon. She looked around and saw the axe, some chain, oars and heavy lawn care equipment. She almost picked up the axe, but thought better of it. She would be able to cut him, but probably not immobilize him if she needed to. She picked up an oar off the floor. It had been broken obviously and had a jagged edge to the end. She could hold it better this way than if it were whole. The wide oar part could be used to maybe stun Smith enough to get Walker's attention. Maybe. Grace sighed inwardly. This was all day dreaming if she couldn’t get out of the storage room silently and sneak up on him.
Grace looked around and her gaze quickly came back to another window that had been hidden in front of her until now. Propped up kayaks had partially blocked it from her view. It pointed in the direction that Smith was looking. Grace peeked out the glass as best as she could. It showed a larger expanse of the shore and inland. She could actually see faint lights of the reception building. And there! She could see some pin points of light bouncing around, as if they were being walked and waved around over the expanse of the grounds. Flashlights! They were flashlights. And if she were a betting woman, she would say those flashlights were being held by a couple of gruff, handsome men.
Grace was so happy she could cry. Someone was coming to save her. Oh crap! Those saviors were about to get their butts fired upon by Smith unless they knew ahead of time or Smith couldn’t act out. Grace grabbed the broken oar and the axe, just in case. You never know! She slid out of the side door, without making noise at all. She could be a slick little monkey when she needed to. She didn’t have much light to help her find a good path to walk, but she was able to come around to the other side of the building where Sloan Smith was. She winced as her feet encountered glass or sharp pebbles. The bottoms of her feet felt like they were being shredded.
Grace could see Smith as he crouched behind the barrels, waiting in the darkness for an opportunity to open fire. Nope, not on her watch! Kidnap me and tie me up in a stinky boat storage shed and think you can get away with it? You can bet your ass you’re not Sloan Smith!
Grace crept closer to where he was hidden, trying to figure out if she should go for his head with the oar from the left or the right. Well, if she did it from the right, he’d collapse to the left and into the building, maybe hitting his head there. If she did it from the left, he’d keel over to the right and land on top of his own guns. So, hitting from the right-hand side is the winner. The closer she got to Smith, the harder her heart beat in her chest. The slower her breaths got until she didn’t even think she was breathing anymore. She was almost on top of him when he shifted just a little, reaching for his automatic rifle to prop up on one of the barrels.
Grace lay the axe down at her feet silently and lifted the oar up in both hands, using it like she would a golf club, she swung it from right to left across the back of Smith’s head. He fell to his left against the building, seemingly stunned with what just happened. Grace could see that his eyes were closed, body laying in an unnatural position. She backed up a few steps, thinking he was unconscious. She was wrong.
Smith's eyes opened abruptly and through a haze of hatred and anger, he lunged for Grace. She was unprepared for him to be alert so quickly, but she was already picking up the axe when he tried catching her around her waist. Grace was able to side step him for a second and she screamed bloody murder. She turned around with the intent of running towards those bobbing lights in the distance, but she didn't get far. Smith found his footing and obviously his police training kicked in. He tackled Grace to the ground, laying on top of her and knocking the wind out of her for a few moments.
In those moments, he was able to harshly and painfully turn her to her back, straddling her hips and stomach with his legs. His hands were around her throat, his face mottled red with exertion and anger. Grace would never forget the manic look in his eyes, the dilated pupils, the glazed look of pure evil. He could have passed for an actual demon Grace thought, detached from the reality of what was happening to her. His fingers gripped her throat, becoming tighter and tighter. He held her down with one hand and reached into his pocket with the other. She saw the reflection of moonlight off the knife blade. The same knife that probably slit the throat of Fiona. The same knife that killed countless other women. The knife that could have easily killed Gertie or Kresley. But it wasn't going to kill her. Damned if she was going to let him take her out like that, away from her son, away from Walker, away from her sisters.
Grace found some strength within her and took one of her hands off of where she gripped his, trying to get him to loosen his hold on her throat. She took her two first fingers and brought them up to his eyes. She dug as far deep as she could into his eye sockets with her nails, trying to at least gain leverage to get away from him. She must have hit her mark because his hold on her throat lessened so she could draw in breath again and he backed off her a little bit, crying out in pain. She could see blood running down both of his cheeks. She took the opportunity and kicked at his stomach as hard as she could with her now freed leg and foot. He skidded back a few feet from her, still upright, but not being able to open his eyes confused him on direction. Grace let out another blood curdling scream to get someone's attention, all the while trying to run as far from Smith as she could. He grabbed at where he thought her legs were, and Grace was able to dodge him, but she wasn't looking where she was going and tripped over something in the grass. She turned from her stomach and noticed Smith's knife in the dirt. She grabbed it as she felt his evil hands take hold of her waist. He flipped her again to her back, put his knee on top of her chest.
Smith's eyes were open, blood still running down. "You bitch! You'll pay for that."
Grace screamed again and as he leaned down towards her, Grace could see the intent in his eyes. He was about to end her life. She knew it. She took the knife she had in her hand and plunged it towards Smith's head and face. He looked up a moment too late and the blade landed in his throat near his jugular. He tried to latch onto the knife with his hand to take control of it, but Grace tried to twist the blade at the last moment and saw the pain come across his face. In the same breath, Grace heard a gunshot and looked up at Smith. It all happened as if she were viewing things outside her body. One minute she was fighting for her life, the next Smith was trying to take control of the knife. And the next a bullet hole had been created in Smith's forehead. Blood sprayed across Grace's face as she watched the impact of the bullet enter the front and exit the back of his skull. Smith's face went from rage to nothing in the space of a heart beat. His eyes open, staring blankly, he slumped over on top of Grace, laying on her and pushing her into the dirt and grass. She struggled to get him off of her. He was too heavy and she was too weak from shock by this point. She screamed again for help. The sobs began at this point. She couldn't stop them. She wanted Walker!
She began crying hard at the reality of all that had just happened to her. A man was laying on top of her, dead. A man who deserved it. She pushed harder against Smith's dead body. If she didn't move him soon she was going to vomit.
She looked around and saw lights coming fast towards her. Grace had one thought and that was to get to Walker, wherever he was. She started screaming at the top of her lungs, “Walker! Walker! Please, God, help me. Please Walker." Abruptly, she was freed of Smith's weight and she was yanked up by strong arms. She felt them wrap around her and then she knew nothing else as black stillness took her mind away.
∞∞∞
Cade and Boomer had been walking around with other officers for a good while, weapons drawn and at the ready. But in the dark, at an unfamiliar location, everything seemed to be a target to be suspicious. After several areas had been canvased Cade had suggested that they walk towards the storage shed that was down from the barn. No one had checked it out yet. Boomer, Cade and Captain Phillips were almost to the shed when they heard a female screaming into the night.
Boomer knew who that voice belonged to. He knew! “Grace”, he gas
ped to the men and then took off running, with Cade shouting at him from behind to use caution, but was quickly hot on his heels as they ran across the grass. Boomer couldn’t use his training in this moment, not when his heart was on the brink of breaking, not when she was screaming and could be hurt or was being hurt. He rounded a bend in the trees and his flashlight shone on a man, straddling a body laying in the grass, blue gown shining in the light. Blonde curls lay against the dark ground like a halo. His Grace.
He could make out Smith's face, blood running down from his eyes. He had evil intent as he looked down at Grace. Boomer could see that his hand was on her throat, squeezing. Heard him call her a bitch and saw Grace's hand come up, with what appeared to be a knife in her hand. Boomer raised his gun and aimed towards Smith at the same time he watched the knife she held plunge into Smith's neck. Boomer, his aim true, shot a bullet into Smith's forehead, taking him out quickly. He saw blood spray from the bullet entering his forehead and heard Grace scream. Smith's body slumped on top of hers and he heard Grace start screaming louder. His name. She was screaming his name over and over. His heart stopped.
“Grace! Gracie, baby”. Cade caught up to Boomer and they both ran over to where Grace lay on the wet grass. Smith's body lay on top of hers, unmoving. Boomer used little strength and tossed Smith's body unceremoniously away from hers, off the side on the grass. He cared about nothing other than Grace. He saw her pale face, eyes open, but unseeing. Heard her sobs, saying his name. He didn't think twice, but pulled her up and wrapped her in his arms. At that, Grace fainted. He pushed her hair away from her face, trying to see her in the dark. Moonlight caressed her beautiful features. But they were covered in a splatter of Smith's blood. Boomer's hatred for the man only grew more.
At Cade's urging, Boomer lay Grace back down to look her over for injuries. He tapped her cheek and gently called her name. She abruptly opened her eyes and looked up at him, as if she were seeing a ghost.
“Walker? Are you really here? Am I safe? Is he dead? Walker, please, get me the hell out of here. Please Walker. All I wanted to see was you and Jaxson. Please, help me. I killed him Walker. I killed the bastard. Well I guess I helped kill him along with that bullet. And I can’t stop crying.” Grace babbled non-stop, shock setting in and keeping her from making rational statements. Boomer smoothed her hair over and over and just let her talk, making hushing noises with his mouth. He couldn't really come up with more than that at the moment.
Cade knelt down next to Grace, as Boomer held her, and leaned over her, checking her out from head to toe. "Hey there Gracie. Let me take a look at you. Do you hurt anywhere?" Grace looked up at him like he was some sort of foreign object she didn't recognize.
Boomer finally shook himself from his shock and placed a hand on either side of her face, gripping her firmly, but gently. “Baby, try to calm down. You’re rambling. Cade and I need to know where you’re hurt. I can’t move you until I know for sure I can. Are you hurt baby?”
When Grace kept crying and sobbing loudly, Walker took a different approach with her. “Grace Evelyn Puckett! You need to stop crying and calm your ass down. Now. Can you do that?” Boomer knew what would happen if he took that tone with her. And yep, it did its job.
Grace gasped and looked like she wanted to light him on fire. “You think I’m going to lay here and let you talk to me in that tone of voice? No way in hell am I going to….oh wait, I know what you’re doing. Okay, I’m drying up the tears. Fine. I won’t cry anymore.” She took large breaths to calm her down and focused everything on Walker’s face. Finally, she was calm enough to talk to them with no tears and less words and volume. “Okay, I’m better. Ask your questions.”
Cade cleared his throat and looked down at her, seeing how exhausted she was and that her pupils were still dilated from some type of drug Smith must have used to knock her out. “Grace, are you hurt?” He saw where she held up her hand and he saw a deep cut on the side of her palm, but it didn’t look like it was bleeding anymore. “Is that the only place you’re hurt? He didn’t hurt you in any way? Rape you? Cut you?”
“No, Sloan Smith didn’t rape me or cut me. I cut myself when I used a sharp axe to cut through the ropes on my hands.” Grace stated, her eyes not leaving Walker’s, not once. "I think my feet may be cut up from either sharp rock or glass when I snuck out of the shed, trying to sneak up on Smith with an oar. I hit him in the head, but didn't knock him out like I thought I would. That's when he attacked me."
Walker looked at Grace with astonishment. She stated all of that like it was a typical stroll through the park. He kept a tight grip on her head and stroked her hair back from her face. He looked over at Cade, who had begun to look at Grace's feet. “Baby, we’ll get your hand and feet looked at and the rest of you checked out at the ER soon. Don’t worry about anything. I’ll take care of it.” Boomer saw the moment Cade found something hidden behind the barrels nearby. "What is it Cade?"
"The bastard has several guns back here, including an automatic. He was going to ambush us and take us out one by one." The anger in Cade's voice was lethal.
Grace looked up at Walker for a moment before grabbing his hand in a vice like grip. “Oh my gosh! Jaxson, who has Jaxson? Tell me. Is he okay? Does he know I’m missing?”
“Grace, he’s fine. He’s with the girls and coloring on a notepad the last time I saw him. He’s good. I swear.” Boomer saw Grace relax at that.
Captain Phillips ran over towards them, gun drawn and began assessing the scene. He cursed loudly and demanded details of what went down. Cade explained to Gunnar what he had witnessed. Soon other officers arrived around them, checking on Grace and asking questions. She told them all that she knew since encountering Smith outside the ladies’ room. EMTs showed up as well and Grace was put on a gurney where her feet were checked out with flashlights shining on the bottoms. No cuts, just redness from walking over sharp gravel.
With Boomer right beside her, she was rolled up to the barn, where she could see Kresley and Francie waiting outside anxiously. Kres was still in her wedding gown, but her hair was undone, flowing down her back in curls. Grace could also see Ash standing beside Francie, his hands in his pockets, looking toward Cade and Boomer.
“Don’t you scare me like that again, you hear me Grace Evelyn! I’ve been sick with worry and not knowing what to do or what to say to Jaxson. It’s been so scary, the thought of losing you!” Kresley shouted, but it quickly turned into sobbing, with tears running down her face. Cade immediately went to her, hugging her close to his body, murmuring words of comfort in her hair.
Somehow Grace had found her sass. None of them needed to see her be a mess any more tonight. “I’m sorry Kres. It wasn’t my choice to be kidnapped, that’s for sure. Listen guys, I know you're EMTs and want me to go to the ER to get checked out to be sure, but honestly, I’m okay. You said yourself the cut on my hand isn’t that deep and could be sealed with liquid adhesive or with butterfly bandages. So that’s what I’ll do. If I need to sign an AMA form, then I will. I can’t let my son know that his mama was kidnapped or hurting. I don’t want to freak him out. So, I’m going to get in someone’s vehicle and be driven to my house and put my son into bed and tuck him in. I am NOT going to the hospital. End of story.” Grace looked over at Walker during this speech, making sure he understood that he wasn’t going to boss her around on this. She then looked at Cade, knowing he was going to protest heavily. Next was Kres, then Francie. Poor Ash just stood there and grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at her spunk.
Everyone had opened their mouths to protest, except Walker, Grace noticed. “Okay Grace, that’s fine. I get it. We don’t want Jaxson traumatized. But tomorrow if you act or feel differently, I expect you to be at the doctor or ER. Got me?” Boomer stated softly.
“I got you. Okay, so can I get up now? I need to go check on Jaxson before the police try to talk to me again.”
Grace was unbuckled and let up from the gurney. After making sure she could stand on her own wi
thout falling flat on her face, Grace looked down at her dress and gasped. "Walker! Why didn't you tell me my dress was still down around my waist. Lord, everyone take a look over here at Gracie's boobs!" Grace, severely flustered, yanked up her dress so it was put back in place and covered everything.
"I didn't know Grace. It was dark and the colors are kind of similar. Do you really think I'd let another man look at your breasts on purpose? That would be a hell no," Walker stated with heat in his voice.
Grace ignored him for the moment. "Do either of you have any clothes I can change into? If Jaxson sees me like this, he’s going to know something bad happened”, Grace said, looking at Kresley and Francie. Francie stated she had something and would bring it to the bathroom in the barn.
Grace began walking towards the other side of the reception barn, not wanting to go in where Jaxson could see her. Walker kept pace with her, holding on to her waist so she wouldn’t fall if she felt woozy. Little did he know that holding on to her waist and being so sweet was making her so weak in the knees that she was afraid she was going to turn into Gumby.
She made it to the bathroom and Francie met her with a change of clothes. Grace scrubbed with wet paper towels until she could see no splattered blood on her face, neck or chest. She washed her hands and arms with soap and water. She ended by pulling her hair into a pony tail and dressing with Francie's clothes. She tried to hide the bandage on her hand by putting it in her pocket. She walked out of the bathroom and straight to Walker's side. He led her back into the barn to find her son. She could feel Walker near, silent and guarding her. Her protector.
Jaxson looked up from coloring. “Mama! Where have you been? Did you fall in the toilet?” Jaxson laughingly asked. He looked at her and said, “You changed your clothes. But why? I wanted to and you told me no. And now I’ve been sitting here coloring in this stupid outfit.”