by Zoey Parker
“And this is where he’ll be now? You know it?”
“He doesn’t use any other place. That’s it. Out of the way, not a lotta people there. He can do what he wants.”
Flash and I looked at each other. “It’s as good a shot as any,” he said.
I didn’t need to think about it. It was about a half hour up the interstate. I was sure I could make it in less time than that.
“Get everybody together, I want them all there.”
Flash nodded, and I took off. I didn’t look at Rae when I did—I might have run her down. She wasn’t even a person to me anymore.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jamie
The ride to the motel was the longest half hour of my life. I was terrified that I wouldn’t get there in time to help Gigi. God, if he let anybody hurt her…! How many people were there? What were they doing to her? I felt sick just thinking about it.
I couldn’t think that way. I told myself not to. She would be just fine. I would get to her in time, and she would be all right. I would find a way.
How, though? How would I get her away? What did I have that he would take? Money? Sure, I would give him money. Every last cent I had, and that was saying something. My parents had left me fairly well-off. I’d hand over the keys to my house, even. Anything it took to get her away from him.
But even then, was that a guarantee that he’d let her go? No. It was a sobering reality to come to. I couldn’t be sure he’d keep his word.
Then what? I glanced at my bag, wondering if I should call Lance. I wanted to, but was afraid he’d go to the motel and cause an even bigger problem. What if The Scarecrow saw him coming and killed Gigi because I went against his orders? What if he killed us both? Me, I wouldn’t care about, but I couldn’t put Gigi’s life in danger. She was already in enough trouble.
Calling Lance was out, then. I couldn’t worry too much about it. The man probably only wanted money. He was a businessman, just like Lance had said earlier.
Why did I leave her? Why? Who was stupid enough to let her go? I would have died before I let anybody take her. It didn’t make sense, all those people at the clubhouse and not one of them could stop a little girl from being kidnapped? I doubted he’d come in with an army—I didn’t think drug dealers exactly traveled in packs.
So who was it? Which member of the club let her go? I didn’t want to consider that any of them could be part of it. No way. The guys loved Lance, and I saw the way they acted around Gigi. They treated her like gold. There had to be something else happening. Maybe he’d been watching, waiting for the right moment. He’d seen Lance leave, I guessed. He knew she would be less heavily guarded. Heck, he might even have seen me leave, too.
The right moment wouldn’t have come for him if I hadn’t been sitting around my house in my bathrobe.
I screamed in frustration, wishing I could take it all back. That I could turn back time and not make such a huge, selfish mistake. To think, I wanted to take care of that little girl. I told myself I was best for her. Had I made the best decision in the moment? No. I’d only thought about myself. I wasn’t fit to take care of anyone.
I had to make it up to her. My foot lowered nearly to the floor as I sped up, racing for the motel. Praying I’d get there before anybody hurt Gigi.
I turned into the parking lot, relieved at finally arriving. The asphalt was cracked, filled with potholes and weeds. It didn’t look like anybody used the place, but there were a few cars here and there in the parking lot, and a few lights. Still, out of the dozens of rooms, only three or four were taken. I wondered at the seediness of it, trying not to imagine the sort of things that went on there. A whole other world, like Lance had talked about in his office. What did you do when you learned there was another world out there, one you didn’t even know about? Had I been driving past the motel at any other time, I wouldn’t have glanced in its direction, much less considered the lives of the people staying there. Or just passing through. How many stories like mine were playing out at that moment? I shivered at the thought.
Room two thirteen, he’d said. I looked for it in the dim light coming from the only working fixture in the parking lot. It was also the only room with a light in the window on the first level. I parked the car, my heart pounding. I felt sick to my stomach, the cereal I’d eaten threatening to come back up. I couldn’t sit staring at the room forever, but I dreaded going in. I dreaded what I would see.
There was no avoiding it. I pulled my purse out with me and slammed the car door shut. Might as well announce my presence.
I couldn’t help thinking about something similar. When I’d approached the door to the clubhouse, looking for Jamie. Had that really only been four days earlier? To think, I thought they were the threat to her. I’d had no idea. How naïve could a person be? It seemed unthinkable that I didn’t know how much evil there was in my town.
“You can do this,” I whispered, raising my hand to knock on the door. I pounded with the side of my fist, acting braver than I felt.
Movement behind the door. I held my breath. Please let her be okay. Please don’t let him hurt her. Please let her be okay. The door swung open.
“So. You’re the great Jamie.” His voice dripped condescension.
“Yeah, that’s me.” I couldn’t get a good look at him, backlit as he was by the lamp inside the room. “And you’re The Scarecrow.”
“You got it.” We stood there for a moment, looking at each other. I saw his eyes. His dark, angry eyes. Then my eyes shifted, and over his shoulder, I saw a bed. And Gigi. She was dressed, thank God.
“Let me have her,” I muttered, fists at my sides. “I’ll give you what you want, but I want her first.”
“You don’t make the rules,” he said. He almost whispered the words.
“So, what, you do? I don’t think so.”
“Think what you want,” he whispered. “I’m not here to bargain with you. Do you want her? You’re gonna do as I say.” In a flash, he took my arm and pulled me into the room, slamming the door. Locking it. With his other hand, he wrenched the purse from over my shoulder.
“You won’t need this,” he said, tossing the bag aside.
“Hey!” I shoved him, and he took me by the arms. My heart pounded, blood rushing in my ears. His hands were like vices, squeezing me with no mercy. I could feel his fingers digging into me, and I yelped before I could stop myself.
“Stop! Stop! Don’t hurt her!” Gigi cried out from the bed.
I shook and fought against him until he let go, laughing at me.
“Sweetie.” I rushed to her before The Scarecrow could reach for me again, throwing my arms around her. I could have wept with joy. She didn’t look hurt, but there was no way of knowing just by looking.
“Did he hurt you?” I whispered, looking her over.
“He grabbed my arm, and that hurt.”
“Anything else?” I searched her face, willing her to tell me the truth.
“I don’t touch the merchandise, if that’s what you’re asking her,” he snarled from behind me.
“What’s that mean?” she asked.
“Never mind, sweetie.” I turned her until she faced me. I didn’t want her even to see him if she didn’t have to. “Just look at me, okay?”
“Okay.” Her chin wobbled.
I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight against me. I glared up at our captor. He looked just like I would imagine a drug dealer to look. Scratch that—he was worse than a dealer. He peddled human beings. I wondered what else he was capable of, with his grungy clothes and dirty hands. His nails were filthy. What the heck did he do with himself?
“Don’t you ever bathe?” I shot him a withering look.
“Sometimes you gotta blend in, bitch. When I’m doing business, I gotta look like other people in the business. I don’t wanna stand out.”
“Right.” I rolled my eyes, patting Gigi’s head. She shivered, and I heard her crying softly.
“It’s okay,
sweetheart. I’m here with you. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.” I didn’t believe a word coming out of my mouth, but I had to comfort her in any way I could.
When she looked up at me, her eyes were huge, haunted. “He killed Erica,” she whimpered.
“What?” I brushed her hair back from her face. “What are you saying?” I looked at him, then back at her.
“Shut up,” he commanded. His voice reminded me of a snake’s hiss.
I glared at him. “Don’t tell us what to do.”
“I’ll tell you whatever I wanna tell you, bitch. And you’ll do it.”
I held Gigi closer. “No, I won’t. We’re going to leave.”
He stared at me, then started laughing. He closed his eyes, head thrown back, and roared like he’d heard the funniest joke ever. “You’re hilarious,” he said, wiping his eyes. “You really think it’s that easy. Like this is some kind of movie where you’re the hero. Right? You’re the hero teacher, and now you’re gonna be the hero who saves the little girl from the big, bad man. Right?”
He crouched down beside me, and I felt his sour breath on my face. He repulsed me with his nasty, jagged teeth and pitted skin. His eyes burned into me as he glared. I held Gigi away from him, putting myself between them.
When he spoke, his words were clear, sharp. “You don’t leave. Not now. Not until I tell you it’s time to leave.”
“What are you holding us for? I’ve told you already, I’ll give you whatever you want.”
“Yeah, you will.” He reached for me with one hand, gently stroking my hair. I shuddered and flinched away, still shielding Gigi with my body. “You’ll give me everything I want. You’ll be worth a lot of money.”
I swallowed back the bile that threatened to bubble up out of my mouth. “Right. Like I said, whatever you want.”
The Scarecrow snickered. “You don’t get it, bitch. The money’s not coming from the ATM—although,” he glanced at my purse, “I want your cards and PINs. That’s a good idea. But you won’t be using them. I will. You’ll be long gone.”
My insides froze. “Where am I going?”
“Wherever my man wants to take you. Once I hand you over, you’re his. And trust me.” He leaned even closer. I willed myself not to flinch away again. “He’s not gonna be as nice to you as I am.”
I gulped, doing everything in my power to avoid showing him how terrified I was. I stared willfully into his eyes, telling myself he couldn’t break me down. He had to know he wasn’t dealing with the average woman. I wouldn’t break down in front of him.
He chuckled nastily, glancing at Gigi before standing.
“That’s your plan for her, too?” I gasped, squeezing her in my arms. I would let him kill me before I’d let him take her away for some pervert.
“Yeah. That’s the plan. Now I know why you’re a teacher. It’s ’cause you’re so smart.”
I looked down at her. There was no way for her to understand what we were talking about. She was too young. But she’d understand all too soon if I didn’t do something about it.
“What are they gonna do to me, Jamie?” she whispered.
“Don’t worry about it, sweetie.” I kissed the top of her head, then climbed up onto the bed with her in my arms. “He won’t touch you.”
It was a promise I didn’t think I could keep, and it terrified me.
The Scarecrow left the room, stepping outside. I heard him talking on the phone and strained my ears to hear what he said. Nothing was clear. He watched us through the window, so there was no way to get to my phone. I was afraid to make a move.
I looked around for a weapon. Something, anything. There wasn’t even an antenna on the ancient TV. I leaned over Gigi, one eye on the door, to open the nightstand drawer. A Bible—ironic, but nothing that could help me fight him. I had nothing. Only my fists and my feet. I would use them.
Gigi was shaking, crying. “Honey, it’s gonna be okay. Don’t you worry about it. You have to be brave now.”
“But Erica. He killed her.” She laid her head on my shoulder and wept.
“Why do you say that, sweetie?”
“He hit her. She had blood all over.”
I closed my eyes, gritting my teeth. “What happened?” I whispered.
“We were playing checkers, just her and me, and he came in.”
“Nobody else was around?”
“No. Traci went home. Everybody else was playing cards in the other room, with the door closed. Erica told them to close the door ’cause they were using bad words.”
“Then what happened?”
“She jumped up and screamed, and he hit her. She punched him and kicked at him, and she told me to run away and get help. He hit her again, and she was bleeding. I didn’t wanna leave her.” She wept, almost convulsing with the strain of her grief.
“It’s okay. It’s okay.” I rocked her, trying to soothe her. “She might have been knocked out, you know? That’s all. I don’t think she was killed.”
“Then he took me. I tried to scream, but he had his hand over my mouth. He put me in his car and I screamed and screamed, but nobody heard me.”
“Oh, honey. I’m so sorry. I should’ve been there with you.” And what had I been doing? Eating cereal with my feet on the coffee table. Wondering if I ever had to go back there at all. Meanwhile, Erica was fighting tooth and nail to keep Gigi safe, and it still didn’t matter. He might very well have killed her for all I knew. And I was watching TV. I’d never forgive myself for not being there.
I fought the tears that threatened to overwhelm me, telling myself she couldn’t see me cry. I didn’t want her to see me fall apart like that. I had to be strong for her.
“What’s he gonna do?” she whispered.
“I don’t know,” I answered, lying. I thought she could tell I was lying, but she was too good a kid to call me on it. She always thought of other people’s feelings, the poor thing. I couldn’t let it all go down like it was. I had to think of a way out. She needed a chance in life. I couldn’t let her become just another lost little girl.
The door opened, and The Scarecrow leered at us. His nearly yellow hair stuck up in all directions, reminding me of straw. I wondered if that was where he got his name, or if he styled himself to fit his branding. I almost laughed, it was all so surreal.
“I wouldn’t smile if I was you,” he sneered.
I scowled instead. “Better?”
“Yeah, better, wiseass bitch.”
“Could you not use language like that in front of her, please.” I held her tighter still, my hand over her ear.
He laughed. “She’s gonna hear a lot worse than that soon.”
I shuddered. Her little heart raced so fast. Her body trembled.
“My man is an hour away, maybe more. Held up on some other job. He’s on his way, though.”
My heart leaped, a spark of hope kindling there. More than an hour. That was more than enough time for Lance to find us. He would. He had to. That was the only solution.
I eyed The Scarecrow up. He was a big man—not as big as Lance, but big enough to overpower me in an instant. I didn’t have to think hard to remember the strength of his hands, seeing as how I could feel the soreness in my muscles. I was sure there would be bruises left behind. I would have to try to fight him if I could, if it came down to that. Otherwise, Lance was our only hope.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Lance
It was the longest half hour of my life. More like twenty minutes at the speed I was keeping. It could have been a year for all I knew. It stretched out forever. Every minute that passed was one more minute when Gigi could’ve been taken away. When Jamie could’ve been taken away. I couldn’t go fast enough. I had to go faster.
For some reason, the face I thought of when I rode wasn’t Jamie’s, or Gigi’s. It was my foster mother’s. Shit, when was the last time I thought about her? Years. Probably not since right after I left that terrible place. She was a religious woman. She always wor
e a cross around her neck, always went to church. I remembered walking past her bedroom door sometimes at night, before bed. It would be open, and she’d be kneeling at the side of it. Saying prayers. That was after she knelt next to me at my bed. She taught me all the prayers and even talked about getting me baptized since I never was.
She would always pray for her husband. I remembered that especially clearly. She’d pray for his soul. At first I wondered why she did it. Then he hit me for the first time, after beating her. Then I would wonder why she prayed for him instead of leaving him. She would never leave him. She wasn’t the kind of woman who did that. All she did was kneel by the side of her bed or go to church. She didn’t do anything to stop him from hurting her or me.