Attempting to make as little sound as possible, Fiona gradually raised her upper body placing most her weight on her forearms and elbows. The sight before her sent an awful chill racing through her body. Tied spread-eagle to the bed lay Lorraine, naked and abused. “Oh, dear God,” Fiona whispered. Assuring herself they were the only two in the shack, Fiona got to her feet and rushed to Lorraine’s side.
Lorraine was unconscious, her breathing severely labored, her beautiful body beaten and showing signs of other forms of torture. Fiona knelt beside the cot, brushing filthy matted hair off Lorraine’s brow. She was burning up with fever. “Lorraine?” Fiona whispered. She didn’t want to frighten her. “Lorraine, open your eyes. I need you to look at me.”
An eternity ticked by before Lorraine lifted one swollen eyelid. In spite of the horrid pain she must be suffering, Lorraine smiled, causing her split and chapped lips to bleed. “Handsome,” Lorraine said, her breath coming out in a wheeze. “Fancy you here.” Not considering the condition of her shirt, Fiona impulsively tugged the sleeve down, and used the wet cuff to blot at the trickles of blood.
Fiona fought back the tears. Sonofabitch, what Lorraine must’ve suffered—still was suffering. “I never expected this could happen to you.”
“You had nothing to do with it.”
“Who did this to you?” Fiona asked. Anger and bile rose simultaneously. She swallowed both down.
“You know who.” Lorraine tried to shift.
The action made Fiona aware of how little movement Lorraine was allowed with her bindings. “Yeah, I guess I do,” Fiona said. She untied Lorraine, wincing at Lorraine’s whimpers of pain as the blood flow returned to restrained limbs. Fiona glanced around the room hoping for something to cover the poor woman. Tossed in the corner of the shack, Fiona noticed a torn dress and a wool blanket, which had seen some better days. Fiona slid an arm beneath her shoulders when Lorraine was free from her bindings. As carefully as possible, Fiona raised her to a sitting position. She stilled her motions as a cry of pain tore itself from Lorraine’s bloodied lips. “I am so sorry. But I need to get you out of here, Lorraine.”
“Oh, no.” Lorraine looked at her with shock-filled eyes. “If they find you with me, they’ll hurt you. Or worse.”
Gritting her teeth, Fiona said, “Jimmy’s busy.” She pointed to her head and the wound from the bullet’s grazing. “So far, he thinks I’m dead. At least, I hope he does. That gives us a little time to work. I’ve gotta get you to a hospital.” Careful not to cause any harm to her swollen, cut face, Fiona cupped Lorraine’s cheek and gazed into her eyes. “Do you think you can move, maybe stand?”
“If it means getting out of here,” Lorraine said. “I’ll do my damnedest.”
“I know this is going to hurt in the worst way, but I can’t carry you the whole way. You’ll need to put as much weight on me as you can, until I can at least get us to some transportation. Wait, gimme a sec.” Fiona released the hold on Lorraine and went to the room’s main door. She peered out and realized, from this angle, they were too close to Jimmy and the others. Unfamiliar vehicles were driving up and down the road. Escape out the front door would be noticeable. She returned to Lorraine. Her options were limited. She couldn’t escape out the front, and in Lorraine’s condition, she didn’t think to exit the way she entered was a viable option. “I dunno Lorraine. It might be best for me to go get help and come back for you. You’re in no condition to travel.”
“Don’t leave me here, Finn,” Lorraine pleaded. Fear clouded her eyes, and her body began to shake violently. “You have no idea—”
“Shush. Calm down,” Fiona said, moving to sit beside her, and gently hugging her. Unfortunately, she had many ideas of what had happened to this woman during her confinement. The sight of Lorraine confirmed just how heinous Jimmy could be. “I don’t want to leave you here. I also don’t want to inflict more pain on you, which will happen if we make an escape.”
Tears fell unrestrained down Lorraine’s cheeks, giving a grizzly appearance as it combined with her blood. “I’d rather die to escape with you than die in here alone—or because they find me unbound. That would beg questions I’m in no shape to answer.”
“But Lorraine—”
“Hush. I’m dying, Finn. Don’t make it happen here.”
“Don’t say that.” Sobs caught in Fiona’s throat. No one deserved what Lorraine had gone through. No one deserved to die here in the shack, either. Fiona didn’t know how she’d do it, but Jimmy would pay for this atrocity. She nodded. “Okay, but you need to tell me when the pain is unbearable.” Fiona bit her lip and shook her head. “Stupid, huh? Pain’s unbearable already. Let me know when to stop, okay?”
Lorraine gave a weak smile. “Okay.”
“Right, stay put,” Fiona said. Lorraine snorted weakly. “Sorry, I’m scared, and talking dumb.” The throbbing headache wasn’t helping, either.
“You’re doing fine,” Lorraine whispered weakly.
Fiona prayed Lorraine was wrong about dying. Her appearance confirmed the self-diagnosis. She needed to get Lorraine to the hospital. “We’re leaving the way I came in. First, I need to check that it’s safe. We’ll be in the ocean. It’s cold but it’ll be easier to move while in the water than across land. What I want to do is take a car and get you to the hospital. Understand?” Lorraine nodded faintly. “I’m telling you this, not only so you understand the plan, but because any part of that could go wrong. And, if it goes right, the ride to the hospital could be just as painful, hun.”
“You won’t leave me?” Lorraine asked, soft tone pleading.
“Not while I’m still breathing. Promise.”
“If I do stop breathing?”
Fiona inhaled deeply. “I don’t want that to happen, Lorraine.”
“Don’t always get—” Lorraine cried out in agony, clutching at her stomach. Amidst the damage to her face, Lorraine paled.
“Let’s do this.” Fiona hurried to the trap door and opened it, her upper body hanging out through the hatch. The way appeared clear. Returning to Lorraine, Fiona knelt in front of her. “Ready?” Lorraine nodded. “I’m going to carry you to the opening, and then put you down. Once I’m on the ladder, get on my back and hold on tight.”
“Wait. You can’t carry me, Finn. You’re—”
“Stronger than I look. Here we go.” She carried Lorraine to the trapdoor and lowered her so Lorraine’s feet dangled through the opening closest to the ladder. Fiona took a few steps down until hers and Lorraine’s shoulders were level. “Climb aboard,” Fiona said. “Hold on for as long as you can.”
Mindful of the moss and dampness of the rungs, Fiona made slow, deliberate progress. Lorraine’s grip remained, but Fiona sensed her strength weaken. Submerged up to her waist, Fiona walked backward until the water reached her chest, Lorraine’s legs bobbing at her waist. The moon hid behind a few clouds. She hoped the moonlight would remain hidden as to further shadow them from prying eyes. Using the water to buoy Lorraine, Fiona began the slow trek back the way she had come. Fiona stopped about 200-feet from the cove and its dock. Voices drifted into the night, and from the resonance, Fiona suspected the men were finishing the loading of the trucks. Her heartbeat quickened when she noted a car sat away from the activity, just ahead of where she stood in the ocean. Please let it be empty.
Twisting her upper torso, Fiona reached around and gripped Lorraine by the waist, and pulled her across the water and into her arms. The water suspended most of Lorraine’s body, but Fiona held her close, cradling her like a child. Lorraine, although barely conscious, met Fiona’s gaze, but where Fiona was worried, Lorraine seemed resigned. Fiona placed her lips close to Lorraine’s ear, “How you holding up?”
“Cold.”
Fiona kissed her forehead. “Me, too, but hang in there. I have to leave you for a moment.” Lorraine’s body tensed in her arms. “Shush. I’m going to swim us over to some brush, were no one will find you.” She nodded her head toward the road. “The
re’s a car just a few feet ahead. I’m going to check out the area, make sure it’s safe enough for me to get you in the car. Okay?”
“Please be careful, Finn.”
She nodded. “I’m getting you out of this, Lorraine.”
Once she had Lorraine hidden in a patch of three-foot beach grass, Fiona belly-crawled her way to the car until she lay a couple feet away from the trunk. She paused long enough to catch her breath, listen for any indication she wasn’t alone, before making her way around the passenger side of the vehicle. Bit by bit, Fiona raised herself to peek into the window. No one was inside. A fedora and a jacket lay tossed on the passenger seat. In the backseat, a folded blanket behind the driver’s seat, a thermos resting on top. She looked through the front window and her suspicions were confirmed. The loading of the alcohol shipment was nearly completed. Jimmy stood off to the side, talking to the stranger from the boat, beside him Owen in his shirtsleeves with hands shoved in his pockets. This was Owen’s car. From the fervor of the body language among the three, Fiona imagined their argument might occupy them for a while.
Fiona sent a silent prayer to the heavens. Thank you, but please keep the good luck coming.
Chapter Twenty-eight
FIONA SETTLED LORRAINE across the back seat of the car as gently as possible. She tossed the thermos on the floor, draped the blanket over Lorraine, and scrunched up the jacket to pillow Lorraine’s head. She heard voices advancing on their location. Her heart beat rapidly. Please, God, I beg you, let me get Lorraine to safety.
“Bottom right drawer, false bottoms,” Lorraine whispered.
“What?” Fiona asked, not certain she heard correctly.
“Jimmy hides the real books in the desks.”
From her previous office visit to Fisher’s Net, Fiona knew doctored accounts existed. Lorraine was confirming her observation. “Okay, sweetie, hang tight.”
“Use information against Jimmy.” Lorraine’s eyes closed.
Fiona gave a quick peck to the top of Lorraine’s forehead. “Hold on and you can use it yourself.” She silently closed the car door.
She brushed her back flush with the car while walking from a squat position, then slid in behind the steering wheel. No sooner had she eased the driver door closed, the engaging click sounding exceptionally loud, a truck approached. The truck’s headlights illuminated the car’s interior like a fireball. Fiona threw herself onto the seat, hoping the truck’s occupants hadn’t noticed her and Lorraine. Using the noise from the truck, Fiona popped up, started the car, and followed it.
There was a shout, but it didn’t appear anyone pursued—yet. She reached her right hand to the side, clutched the fedora, and plopped it on her head. Owen had a huge head. The hat slipped down nearly covering her ears; she tipped it back to uncover her eyes, hoping they’d assume Owen was driving. As soon as Fiona reached a place in the road safe to do so, she pressed hard on the accelerator until she shot pass the truck ahead of her.
Fiona drove as fast as the road conditions and basic safety dictated, not driving too quickly, as she feared to be pulled over by law enforcement. How would she explain the severely injured woman in the back of a stolen car? Plus, Fiona needed to be able to watch for Jimmy or his cohorts in case they managed to follow. Still, she needed to hurry to get Lorraine to the hospital.
From the rearview mirror, even in the haphazard lighting from businesses and the occasional moonlight, Fiona couldn’t miss the death-like pallor to Lorraine’s skin, the trickle of blood from her lips. Worst of all, the fact that Lorraine was now hemorrhaging between her legs, the stain of blood noticeable when she’d twisted in another bout of pain and dislodged the blanket.
Her head throbbed from the gash at her forehead, her eyes burned from salt water and exhaustion. Fiona had about given up hope of arriving at the hospital in time when she sighted it just up ahead. She slammed the car to a halt under the awning of the emergency room entrance, and set the brake. Yanking open the back door, Fiona half-climbed inside, pulling Lorraine into her arms with as much gentleness as she could, cradling Lorraine close to her chest.
Just short of the doors, a male nurse caught sight of them, tossed his cigarette to the ground, and rushed toward them. “Here, let me carry her.” Fiona gratefully allowed the transfer, shuddering at the sharp cry from Lorraine, who then appeared to have passed out. She noticed his nametag read Perry.
“What happened?” Perry asked, placing Lorraine on an empty gurney.
“Found her like this,” Fiona said, trying to stick as close to the truth as possible. It was easier to remember later. “Out by the docks and found her hurt like this.” As she explained, two female nurses came forward and assisted Perry, inspecting Lorraine, taking vitals, and cutting off clothing stiffening from the drying of the salt water. They efficiently assessed the damage.
“Is Dr. Matthews available tonight?” Fiona asked.
One of the women turned a suspicious glare at her. “How do you know this woman?”
“I work for her fiancé. Um, about Dr. Matthews?”
With a head nod from the first nurse, the second nurse left the area. “What’s her name?”
Fiona felt a modicum of relief at the nurse’s departure, believing she would bring the doctor posthaste. “Lorraine Mills. Is she gonna be okay?”
“Who are you?” Perry asked.
“Finn, Finn Cavanaugh, and I work for Eldon Graham.” Fiona felt herself start to panic. Granted they were preoccupied with helping a severely injured woman, but they weren’t answering her questions. She considered leaving the room to ask someone about Edward, but couldn’t leave Lorraine alone. What if she woke up and found herself surrounded by all these strangers? Lorraine would need a friendly face. Right now, that was her.
After what seemed an eternity, in reality only a few minutes, the second nurse returned with two large men, one slightly shorter than the other. Both tall, husky, buzz cut heads of brown hair, and with sour expressions, stating roughing up a kid would be welcomed activity to their evening. The female nurse returned to Lorraine and the two men approached Fiona. “We need you to come with us,” one man said.
“No, I won’t leave her,” Fiona said, taking a step backward and hitting the wall, which effectively halted her movement. “Oomph.”
“Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
The shorter man said, “We just have some questions for you. Outside. Let these fine folks do their jobs to help this poor woman.” He grabbed her by the arm, just above the elbow, his grip stronger than necessary, fingers biting into her flesh. The other men followed suit. Without effort, they dragged her from the room. Fiona didn’t put up a fight at first, not wanting to interfere with Lorraine’s care. When she realized they were dragging her toward an empty room, panic set in fast. She struggled, managing to land a kick to one groin, before the other man twisted and pressed the side of her face into a wall. “Hold still, you little bastard. The cops are on their way.”
The head wound was already painful, and the drying salt from the ocean water made her skin feel pinched, but the pressure on the side of Fiona’s face was nearly her undoing. She couldn’t fight them, and they all knew it. “Please,” Fiona begged. “Don’t let her be alone.” She let herself stop struggling, though Fiona knew going to jail would end badly for her. She squeezed her eyes shut trying to resign herself to her fate.
“Finn?” a voice called out. Fiona recognized the voice but couldn’t place it. “What the hell is going on?”
She opened her eyes to see Fred striding angrily in her direction.
“We’re holding this hooligan—”
“Shut up, and release this boy,” Fred demanded. He put a hand on Fiona’s shoulder and turned her to face him with a hand to her chin. “Damn kid, your dad hit you again?”
Fiona started to shake her head in denial but realized he’d provided her the perfect excuse for the current situation. “Yeah, so I ran away
to the docks. Found Miss Lorraine—”
A bloodcurdling scream of panic rent the air. Just then, one of the female nurses opened the door and glanced frantically up and down the hallway until her gaze landed on Fiona. “Bring that boy back in here.”
Fiona didn’t waste another moment. She sprinted toward the nurse, brushing by her a little rougher than etiquette warranted, and entered the room.
Lorraine was hysterically struggling with the male and female nurses in an effort to get up from the gurney. They had replaced her clothing with one of those awful hospital gowns, which did little to cover her, more so with her struggles. Fiona could see the horrible toll her action was taking. Rushing to the bed, Fiona grasped one of Lorraine’s thrashing arms, and then clasped their hands. “I’m here, Lorraine,” she said cupping a hand to Lorraine’s cheek. She was burning up, her eyes glazed in fever and pain.
“Finn? Thought you left me.” Lorraine stopped struggling.
“I’m here now,” she said softly. “You need to lie back and let the folks take care of you.”
There was a slight pressure in Lorraine’s grip, and Fiona recognized the return squeeze to be of reassurance. “Don’t leave me, Finn. I don’t want to die alone.”
Fiona felt the first onslaught of tears race down her cheeks. Much as she wanted to deny that event would happen, based on the grave looks from the hospital staff, Lorraine’s death was inevitable. But, they hadn’t tried everything yet, had they? Couldn’t the doctors operate?
There was a commotion at the door. Fiona glanced up in time to see Fred slide into the shadows of a corner and Perry hold the door open for Dr. Matthews, who entered with purposeful steps while absorbing every detail of the room. He pushed his glasses up his nose, and rubbed at his mustache. “Nurse, morphine, please. The rest of you go about your business. You may stay for a little longer, officer.” He stood by the bed now, placing his left hand on Lorraine’s shoulder and his right on her forehead. Edward grinned across to Fiona. “Young man, if this is your attempt to keep me so busy I can’t retire soon, I must say it’s having the opposite effect.” The nurse returned with the syringe, which she inserted into Lorraine’s arm just below where Edward held Lorraine’s shoulder. Edward didn’t do more than shift so the nurse had access, as if he wanted Lorraine to know he was here for her exclusively. “You can leave us, Nurse.”
Speakeasy, Speak Love Page 19