The hot water felt good on her skin, but no amount of water or soap could clean the grime she felt after having Horton lay with her. She cringed when she recalled each time he touched her. Her skin crawled when the memory of him being inside her came to the front of her mind. Being in the shower did bring back the memories of the first time he took her, but the difference was she refused to allow it to emotionally incapacitate her. She had one chance to finish this monster, so she couldn’t allow her emotional side to win out.
Stepping out of the steaming shower, she was surprised to see him standing in the mist.
“You scared me,” she said.
“Sorry,” he replied. He had walked in there deliberately so as to do just what he did. His sole purpose now was to torture her; what he didn’t realize was that she was ready for the mental combat. “I’ve arranged for a nice dinner tonight. My chef is preparing a beautiful pork loin in a truffle glaze.”
“Sounds great.”
“Seven tonight, feel free to walk freely. I’ve let the guards know you’re safe to roam.”
“Really?”
“Yes, of course. Why would you leave? You just came back.”
Sensing a moment to capitalize on, she stepped up to him. Water still dripped from her legs and fell on to his polished leather boots. “I didn’t tell you, but thank you for letting me come back with no questions asked.” She leaned in and kissed him.
He returned her kiss and said, “You have a good day. We’ll discuss everything tonight.” He turned and exited, but neglected to close the door. Just outside was one of his guards; he whispered in his ear and gave her a wink.
Before this would have frightened her, but she now felt she had the upper hand. She walked to the door, stuck her head out and said, “I’m such an airhead, have a great day too.” She closed and locked the door.
She approached the steamed mirror and with a swipe of the thick towel wiped it clear. She disrobed and looked at her body. Her hand caressed the obvious baby bump that now protruded slightly. “Good morning, baby, how are you?” she softly said. “Momma loves you.”
This baby was her world right now, and if she wanted it born into a world where it could have a chance, she had to complete the task ahead.
She leaned closer to the mirror until her face was inches away. “Lori, you can do this. You WILL do this,” she said. This was an old mantra she’d use just before she’d have a meeting with clients. Before the outbreak she had taken self-help courses. She attributed the lessons in those classes to her professional success; however she routinely faltered when it came to her personal life. For whatever reason, her personal life was always complicated; she often told herself it was the cross she bore.
With her self-improvement incantations complete, she whisked herself from the bathroom to the bedroom and dressed herself. As she put on each article of clothing, she did so with greater care and focus. This too was an old ritual.
Back in the bathroom she finished getting ready for the day. Each time the brush coursed through her hair she pressed down ever so slightly so it would massage her scalp. Taking advantage of the fact she didn’t have to hurry, she enjoyed the primping.
As she was putting the brush and detangling spray back in the medicine cabinet, she saw her bottle of red nail polish.
She smiled and picked up the bottle. On the back was the price tag from CVS, which took her back to that day she’d bought it. She was returning home after meeting her lover, the Denver councilman, for the first time. Needing to pick up her refill of her birth control, she made a quick pit stop. As she stood waiting for the prescription, she saw the cosmetics. Glancing through the various assortments of eyeliner, blush and lipsticks, she had found this bottle. On a whim she picked it up and purchased it. She wasn’t one to wear nail polish, but for some unknown reason she felt she needed it. Sitting in the car outside the pharmacy, she applied it. Seeing her nails glistening with the ruby red color made her feel sexy; it was a departure from her stale life with David. Painting her nails was one way she could tell the world she felt sexy again. That affair radically changed her life; its effects still rippled. If she had not made the decision and violated David’s trust, he would not have fled the DIA so quickly or may have fought for her to be with him at Camp Sierra. Wanting to mark another pivotal day, she exited the bathroom and walked into the den with its cozy leather chairs.
“This will be perfect,” she said, looking at the oversized chair and ottoman. She placed the nail polish down on the table but didn’t sit. “A drink sounds good right now,” she said out loud.
She walked into his study and went right for the far cabinet. She opened the doors, and there sat Horton’s collection of alcohol, all perfectly organized in different-size decanters. She lifted the lid from his favorite whiskey, and in the palm of her other hand was the small vial of polonium-210. She pulled the plug and dumped the entire contents inside. She swished it and replaced the top. She grabbed a glass, then took a bottle of tonic and filled her glass with ice from the small ice freezer.
Turning around, she raised her glass, took a sip and looked directly at the security camera for a second.
“God, I wish this had vodka in it,” she said, and then headed back to the den to apply the nail polish.
Charleston, South Carolina
Tess’s brutality towards the two men had made Devin a bit cautious in how he treated her. He wasn’t fearful for his own life but wanted to ensure he didn’t upset her.
As they were coming back from a patrol of the area, he made only pleasant conversation and agreed to anything she proposed. It did help that she was right a lot, but where he might have had a slight disagreement, he decided to just let it go.
The patrol gave them a good sense of the area. They had also found two small boats that could take them across the creek to the southern perimeter and bring them and the teens back.
They discussed their options and again openly talked about the risk factor. The risk was there for anything they did, but they would make an attempt. However, they did give themselves permission to call the operation off without any judgment.
They drew closer to the Humvee and could hear a slight moan coming from Morgan.
“Sshh, you hear that?” Tess asked and put out her arm to stop Devin.
He cocked his head and pointed his best ear forward.
Another moan came from the other side of the Humvee. It was definitely Morgan.
“The son of a bitch is still alive,” Tess said, a sadistic smile on her face.
“You think that’s funny?”
“Kinda.”
“Wow, remind me never to piss you off.”
“That looks like a good rock,” Tess said. She squatted down and picked up a flat smooth gray rock. As her fingers ran over the stone, she imagined skipping it across the creek.
Devin hadn’t stopped; he continued on. He cornered the Humvee and jumped back at what he saw. “Oh shit.” He raised his rifle, and his right thumb flipped the selector switch.
In front of him were two feral hogs. Blood covered their faces, and they grunted as they devoured parts of a half-conscious Morgan.
Tess jogged up when she saw Devin’s reaction.
“Holy fuck!” she exclaimed as she pulled her Glock 17 from her shoulder holster.
“Should we shoot them?” Devin asked.
Tess had heard that pigs and hogs ate people, but to see it was something straight out of a horror movie. “Don’t shoot unless they charge us.”
“Poor bastard,” Devin commented.
“He’s had a bad day for sure,” Tess said, taking a couple steps back. “Walk back. They’re so focused on eating him they don’t know we’re here.”
Devin slowly placed one foot behind the other. Before long he and Tess were on the opposite side of the Humvee.
“Are we just going to let them eat him? The guy’s still alive,” Devin said.
“He probably doesn’t feel anything because of the multiple
snake bites.”
“Tess, c’mon, stop the hardcore stuff. That’s just screwed up. We need to put the guy out of his misery,” Devin implored.
She chewed her lip and rolled her eyes. The idea of allowing him not to suffer ran contradictory to how she felt. For her, Morgan was paying the price for the crimes her foster father had committed against her. While Morgan had pleaded innocence from molesting or raping any of the teens or children, she just didn’t believe it. Anyone who ran with such a barbaric group of people was guilty.
“Think of something,” Devin said. He kept looking over his shoulder for fear one of the hogs might come looking for dessert and he would be on the menu.
Tess pushed past him and opened the driver’s side rear door. She removed the seat bottom and pulled out a long black cylinder approximately six inches in length and an inch and a half in diameter. On one end was a small threaded stub.
Devin had never seen it before and asked, “What’s that?”
She placed her Glock in her left hand and stuck the threaded stub into the barrel and turned clockwise.
“I got this Glock from one of those Turner Raiders back in Reed. The silencer here, well, I found that digging through the Hummer one day a couple weeks ago. Now it’s coming in handy.” She turned it till it stopped, gripped the pistol back in her right hand, and put a foot on the driver’s rear tire. With her left hand, she grabbed the long exhaust line that extended up and pulled herself on top of the Humvee.
The hogs were still oblivious.
Carefully she aimed and squeezed off the first shot. The hog to the left let out a grunt and fell to the ground dead. Her sights now turned to the hog on the right. Sight alignment, trigger control and squeeze. Second shot hit the pig in the top of its head; it collapsed in place.
Devin moved around the Humvee and saw the carnage.
Tess leaped like a superhero from the top of the Humvee, pistol still in hand.
Morgan mumbled something neither could understand.
Blood, flesh and guts were everywhere.
To Devin it looked like a slaughterhouse.
Tess leveled the pistol at Morgan’s head and squeezed the third and final shot. It hit him in the head.
“There, happy?” Tess asked and walked away.
“It was the decent thing to do,” he replied as he followed her back to the driver’s side.
A few quick turns and the silencer popped off.
“Nice to know we have one of those,” Devin remarked. “It’s louder than I thought they’d be.”
She finished storing it and said, “I thought the same thing when I first shot it.”
“When was that?” he asked.
“Just then.”
“I’d say pork was on the menu, but after seeing what’s in their diet, I think I’ll pass.”
She turned around and tossed an MRE at him. “My exact thoughts.”
“Never thought one of these would sound more appealing.”
“Let’s move this. I don’t want to be smelling that later,” she said, pointing to the other side.
They moved the Humvee closer to the small boat docks about a quarter mile away. The air quality was better but not enough to make up for the loss of concealment.
Tess chuckled every time she watched Devin eat an MRE.
He’d pull each packet from the tan sleeve and arrange it on the ground or table in order of how he’d eat it. On the left the entrée, snack in the middle and dessert on the right. He’d delicately pull the main entrée from the box and knead the package. With steady care he’d take his knife and cut it open horizontally. This way he could eat it easier than the traditional vertical position.
“I think I have an idea of how we can get in and out,” Tess said, her eyes still enjoying the MRE show he was starring in.
“And what’s the master plan?”
“A diversion, just like Reed.”
“I don’t know. It might have worked in Reed, but if I have to take on a flash mob of pissed-off pirates, I would say no.”
“No one’s asking you to.”
“I’m all ears,” he said, taking a large heaping spoonful of his meal and stuffing it in his mouth.
“Just a few blocks east of the main gate I saw a petrochemical facility. I say we strap on a bit of C-4 and blow it. The explosion should be immense, and there’s no doubt they’ll have all eyes that way. We’ll get to the boats, cruise over, cut our way in and make for the ship, all under the cover of night.”
“It’s better than what I had in mind.”
“Oh yeah, what was that?”
“Trust me, yours is better.”
Finished with her entrée, she tossed the packet on the ground.
“I’m going to be the devil’s advocate. Say this all works, we get on the ship with zero issues. How do you want to conduct the search?”
“Easy, find the berthing spaces and state rooms first. If I were a dirty pirate, I’d keep my sex slaves where I sleep.”
“I’d imagine the sleeping quarters are all in the same place.”
“Probably not, officers will be on the high decks. I’d normally say we split up, but it’s not advisable.”
“I agree,” Devin said, still maintaining his agreeable attitude.
“Score,” she cheered, holding up a bag of M&Ms.
“Oh, that, I got one too. Must be the newer cases have them.”
Tess tore open the wrapper and poured a few of the multicolored hard-shelled candies in her hand.
“Now I suppose we wait?” Devin asked.
Her mouth full as she chomped away on the candies, she replied, “More time to skip rocks.”
Denver International Airport
Lori admired her nails; the bright red color now symbolized hope for her. Not only had she done her fingers but she painted her toes too. As she wiggled them, her memory catapulted her back to a time when she had just met David.
He was bright, enthusiastic but lacked charm. What she liked most about him then was he was stable. Then she believed he would be going places. He had just received his master’s degree in American History, but what excited her was that a book he had written on Abraham Lincoln was selling and selling big. She imagined herself a wife of a writer, traveling, cocktail parties and the like. She had only started working in her field, and it was tough. Her creative suggestions weren’t getting the traction she had hoped, and dealing with her overbearing boss was painful. A life full of nice things, a big house and expensive car filled her dreams then, so she hitched herself to a man she loved but now realized she wasn’t passionate about. When the books sales dropped and his second book flopped, David gave up writing and pursued a career as a teacher. For her she respected it, but it wasn’t the glamorous life. By then it was too late to reconsider. They were married, but she was also pregnant with Eric.
Not wanting to sit and ponder the past, she stood and walked over to the row of pictures Horton had on a shelf. These were the same photographs that had piqued her curiosity and skepticism of what was really happening at the DIA and around the country. She picked each framed photo up and studied it. All the photos had one common theme; they showed Horton with the men of the Order. She looked at each man’s face in hopes of seeing the magistrate.
The dead bolt on the front door clacked followed by the door opening.
Feeling like a child that has been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, she almost dropped the picture as she placed it back on the shelf. Almost tripping over the coffee table, she plopped down on the couch and picked up the tablet she had been reading a book on.
Horton walked in a moment later.
To her, he looked a bit happier than he had when he left this morning.
Normally he was one who hid his emotions well, but Horton didn’t mind letting her see how happy he was. “Good afternoon, evening, whatever it is.”
“Hi.”
“So what you been up to today?”
“Relaxing, reading and I did my nai
ls,” she said, holding out her hand.
“Red, very nice. Say, I’ve got some guests coming over for dinner in an hour. I’m going to freshen up; you might want to put on something sexier.”
“Funny, I don’t have anything here that I’d call sexy in the closet.”
The doorbell chimed.
“Now you do,” he said, a devilish grin on his face. Taking this as his queue, he walked into the bedroom.
Lori made her way to the door, a bit freaked out by how well timed that was. She opened the door, and there was a man she’d never met, holding a dress she’d never seen.
“Here you go, ma’am,” the man said, holding out the dress and a small bag.
“What’s in there?”
“Lingerie and shoes.”
“Thank you,” she said and took the items. Holding them as if she was holding a dead mouse, she went to the bedroom to change.
The dress fit perfectly. She hated to admit it, but she liked it. Standing in front of the long mirror, she turned side to side, admiring how good it looked on her. Running her hands down her hips, she turned around and craned her head back to see her butt. The pink on the soles of the shoes was the thing she loved the most; she didn’t want to walk on the hardwood floors for fear of scuffing them up.
“The table is set. Hurry, we have special guests coming,” Horton hollered from the hall.
She rushed out of the bedroom. The aroma of the pork loin hit her, causing her mouth to water. In the dining room, the table was set for four. In the corner Horton was standing, a glass of whiskey in his hand. The sight of the glass and its contents excited her. Is he drinking the one I poisoned? she asked herself.
“Our guests should be arriving soon. Let’s go into the den and wait for them.”
He took her hand and walked her into the den. No sooner had they sat down than they heard a knock on the door.
Horton looked at his watch and said, “Looks like our special guests are early.” He jumped up and swaggered to the door.
Lori took the time to look at herself in the hall mirror one last time.
Horton walked back into the den, flanked by the last people she expected to see, David and Eric.
The Death: The Complete Trilogy Page 42