Morris had also given her an old Timex watch that morning, so she could keep track of what time it was.
Nearly two hours had already passed, since he left. All she had time for, was reflection.
Each time Morris had visited her, he opened like a flower waking to the morning sun. He told her about his childhood. He confided in her about the many difficulties he managed to survive through, what his dreams were, and how much he hated being involved in her abduction. He told her, where she was being held, and that it was closed for renovations. Morris vowed he did not know from the beginning, what Corbat had been planning, and she believed him.
Before her left her earlier, Jessica told him where her gun was hidden. She knew in her heart, that the boy’s life was in danger. More so, than hers. He was a victim, just like she was. She wanted him to be able to protect himself in case Corbat turned on him. She had told him she was certain it would happen.
Morris knew what kind of man Corbat was. He listened intently, when Jessica had told him, that men like Corbat, wouldn’t leave any evidence behind, that tied him to her abduction.
Morris hadn’t argued that point. The poor kid was scared out of his wits. And, so was she. She just couldn’t show how much she was. She had to be strong for the two of them.
She also knew that Corbat had something else up his sleeve, by the snide remarks he had made, after her call with Bryan ended. She just didn’t know, what it was.
After Morris left, she fell back into the routine, she had created for herself, so she wouldn’t go stir crazy. She cleared more stones as best she could from the area, where she stretched out to sleep. It took her the longest time to do even that, being so constricted with her hands and ankles bound. Her fingertips were sore from digging. Her fingernails were broken. It kept her busy though and helped to pass the time.
She took a break often and attempted to move about. It was difficult, because the surface was uneven and wearing one-inch heels, didn’t make it any easier. She lost her balance many times and fell on her hands and knees. The palms of her hands were cut and bleeding. Her pants were torn and her knees were scraped.
She pushed herself though to keep busy. The small area she managed to clear doubled as a tiny exercise course, where she shuffled slowly, back and forth rather than paced. There was nothing much else she could do to occupy her time. Everywhere she looked, the terrain was impossible to traverse with her ankles cuffed together.
Morris told her she was far away from the attraction areas the visitors toured and where the renovations were taking place. She wondered, if, after she was rescued, whether she’d want to ever come back to this place and take a tour herself.
She chuckled.
“Heck, why not? I always wanted to.” She laughed again. “God, now I’m having a conversation with myself.”
She shook it off. Just from what she could see of the chamber she was in; it was pretty, magnificent looking.
She learned from Morris, the formations, she looked at constantly were made of limestone. He had pointed out the difference between what was called stalactites and stalagmites. He explained to her, how they were formed, during one of their long talks. She could tell, he loved these caves, and learned everything about them over the years he worked them. Just the excitement and wonder in his voice, wanted her to witness them firsthand, despite being held captive in this place.
She would ask Bryan, to come back with her. She knew that touring the cave, would help her see them in a different light, maybe even help her put this whole nightmare behind her.
---
Jessica’s rumbling stomach woke her from a fitful sleep. When she checked the time on the wristwatch she had been given, it was nearly nine-thirty in the evening. Every inch of her body ached from sleeping on a hard surface so long, that was riddled with jagged stones. The muscles in her arms hurt terribly, as she used them to try and pillow her head. But her constant turning and tossing, as her bindings pulled and raked her skin raw, made it impossible to get comfortable. Her ankles were bleeding now from the cuffs and she was afraid of an infection setting in. As much as she rinsed them with the water Morris brought frequently, it was hard to keep them constantly clean of dirt.
She was bone tired too. Her eyes were gritty and red from lack of sleep. If it wasn’t the sounds of water dripping that kept her awake, it was the bats overhead, the unrecognizable noises of whatever else scurried over the rocks, or her brain, that refused to shut down.
She forced herself into a sitting position, and wondered why she hadn’t seen Morris by now. He did not stop by to bring her something for lunch, or dinner. Something was terribly wrong. She just knew it.
It wasn’t hard to guess that Corbat would be showing up soon and she felt a wave of nausea rise in her chest. This was it. She was either going to walk away from this unscathed, or it may prove her demise. She didn’t have to wait long. She could hear someone approaching.
She forced herself to look and confirm it was Corbat and not Morris coming to get her.
“Get up on your feet!” He barked.
She reached out to lean against the large boulder at her side for leverage. Slowly, she managed and wobbled a little, until she righted herself.
Corbat untied the bindings on her hands, and roughly pulled them behind her back and bind them. He squatted down to unlock the cuffs, and slipped them in his pocket.
She gazed over her shoulder and asked.
“Where are you taking me? Will Bryan be there?”
He took a rag from his other pocket and forced it into her mouth, clasped a hold of her bindings tightly, and shoved her forward.
“Walk, bitch.”
She stumbled often, but this time he did not allow her to fall. He took his time with her. When they entered the elevator, she noticed a washcloth and bottle of water on the floor. He leaned over, uncapped the bottle, and poured the liquid over the washcloth. He rose and his touch was surprisingly tender, as he wiped the dirt from her neck, face, and forehead.
The elevator doors slid open and the bright moonlight shining in through the wide glass doors were blinding and hurt her eyes. She stopped abruptly, and leaned over to shield them.
He huffed loudly behind her in exasperation, but did not force her forward quite yet. He gave her eyes a moment to adjust, before pushing her forward.
She noticed that the parking lot in front of her was empty. She quickly gazed to the right, and then the left. There wasn’t a sign of anyone else in the area. She almost guffawed, from her stupidity.
Bryan wouldn’t have parked in the open. He’d be covert somewhere, watching, waiting for the right moment to strike. At least, she silently hoped he was.
The more she looked about, she realized, that they had exited the back of the building. Corbat steered her to the left. There in the distance, was a large u-shaped building. The light that shone from the moon above made it easy for her to decipher this was a motel. She remembered then, that Morris had told her lodging was available at the Caverns.
Was there someone waiting in one of those rooms for her? Did he ransom her off to a sex trafficker instead? Was that where Bryan was waiting for her?
Oh, God, no!
Her voice screamed inside her head. She stopped dead, refusing to move. Pushing back against him, and could not help, but whimper.
He punched her square between her shoulder blades, just hard enough to force her forward. His laughter was demonic and her skin began to prickle with fear.
“Got a surprise for you, princess.” He cackled like the Wicked Witch on the Wizard of Oz.
She couldn’t stop the tears that began to flow from her eyes. This didn’t feel right. Even though he told Bryan to bring his money for her, she knew, that Bryan would have met her the minute she came off that elevator. He would have ended it there.
He stopped her in front of room two-eighteen, turned the doorknob, and pushed her inside. The room was dark and empty. He flipped the switch on the wall to the right, and the ro
om filled with light from a muted bulb. He kicked the door closed behind him and pushed her forward hard, and she fell face down on the bed.
Something inside her kicked into gear, and she flipped herself around, quicker than she thought she could. She remembered her self-defense trainer had told her it would happen. Her defense mode, would flip that switch inside her to protect herself. The moment he got close enough, she mustered every ounce of strength inside of her, and turned her legs into deadly weapons.
Her movements took him totally by surprise, hitting home with striking force.
“You fucking, bitch!” He screamed, as he fell backwards from a well-directed kick to the gut.
Jessica scooted quickly off the bed, balancing herself, ready to strike once more.
Corbat rolled to his side, coughing, and gasping air into his lungs.
His body was sprawled in a way, it blocked her in. She knew, if she moved to the left, he was close enough to reach out and grab her ankle. If she tried shuffling to the right, he could use this thick legs to kick out at her. She waited … waited for him to lift himself up just enough, she’d turn her hip out, side kick out, and have her heel slam him to the side of his head.
The wall clock in the room began to chime the hour, and her head snapped up to note the time … it was ten o’clock,
The door to the room flew open and Jessica’s eyes grew wide with horror.
Hal! Dear god, no!
Her eyes would not, could not, revert from his gaze. She watched as his eyes quickly absorbed the situation, reflecting the anger that filled him over what was transpiring in front of him. They scanned over her like an x-ray and his disgust at her appearance was evident.
Without hesitation, without asking what was going on, he slipped his hand inside his breast pocket. He was impeccably dressed in a well-tailored, light grey silk suit. Quickly, he removed a revolver, aimed, and shot Sy Corbat, point blank in the back of his head.
Blood and brain matter splattered on her pant legs and his. She looked down in horror and started to hyperventilate. Her loud moans were muted by the rag still in her mouth. She staggered backward and caught herself.
Hal looked down at the blood stains, and his rage increased. He shot two more bullets into the dead man’s body, to vent his anger. Slowly, his gaze traveled the length of her.
Her eyes widened in shocked disbelief.
He shrugged, as though his actions meant nothing and his tone conveyed his discontent.
“This is not the meeting I had planned for us, sweetheart.”
She shot him a look filled with loathing.
He stepped forward, reached for the cloth gagging her mouth, and snapped it out. He held it between his fingers like it was a dirty diaper and let it fall to the floor. He grabbed Corbat’s ankles, pulling him off to the side to clear her path.
Jessica reacted immediately, threw herself sideways, rolling across to the other side of the bed. There was plenty of room for her to take a stance. He had to come toward her, and she would take him down, just like she did Corbat.
She looked at the gun in his hand and he sneered. She wasn’t stupid. This was a challenge for him. She knew, that as sure as she was standing there, he wouldn’t use the gun on her. He wanted her. She was game. He was a hunter. The fun for him, would be disarming her. The look in his eyes told her so. She had to be careful with her words. Her defiance titillated him.
“I won’t give up so easily. Not this time, Hal. I’m not the scared, little mouse I was before.”
“Ah, yes. I see,” he nodded approvingly. “I rather like you this way.” He reached down and touched himself, running his palm over the bulge, that she noticed began to grow inside his pants. “See what you do to me, Jessica. Seeing you like this, all defensive, ready to fight for your virtue, gets me hard.”
“You are one, sick, bastard, Hal Wilton. If you’re really smart, though, you’ll just turn around and leave. Bryan knows where I am. The phone I have tucked inside my bra, has a follow me app loaded into it.”
There was doubt reflected there in his eyes. She gave him good reason to leave and walk away. He had a lot at stake. If, he got caught, he would lose everything it took him his whole life to build. His reputation would be destroyed. Spending the rest of his life behind bars, would kill him.
A small smile began to grace to his lips. She didn’t let up.
“Ah. Ah. Ah,” she shook her head in warning. “You’d be a fool to doubt me. You’ve been outsmarted. Leave now, while you’ve still got time.”
There was movement behind him, that caught her attention, and Jessica tried not to react.
Morris quietly stepped over the threshold, stood quietly in the doorway, with a look of hatred marring his features, she never expected to ever see there. His arm was extended and his hand was holding her gun. It was pointed directly at Hal’s back.
She willed him to shoot, before Hal noticed, but, his hesitation proved a deadly one.
She quickly realized, she was standing before an opened area with a double bathroom vanity behind her. She knew Hal saw his reflection in the mirror behind her. She also knew, that he saw Morris standing there behind him, a gun pointed at his back.
A slow, evil, grin graced Hal’s lips.
Jessica never had the chance to scream out a warning.
Hal spun about and fired.
It was as though everything, that happened, moved in slow motion, as she watched Morris’ body fly backwards.
She screamed, like a woman possessed, as she bolted forward, slamming her body into the bastard, with everything she had within her.
It was like some demonic being took control of her body. She wasn’t Jessica Wilton anymore; she was someone else.
Hal went down hard. The wind knocked from his lungs.
She flipped over onto her back, pounding the heels of her feet into him with every ounce of strength imaginable. The adrenalin pumping through her veins, gave her the courage and strength she needed to continue.
She was fixated on killing him, as her heels contacted with his throat, his chest, his stomach, the side of his head, leaving ghastly puncture wounds. She could not stop herself. She did not want to. Everything he put her through, the child she lost, her kidnapping, being held prisoner in the cave for days, spurred her on.
She was turned into some one, she did not recognize.
She never saw, or heard Ayden and Bryan enter. Never heard him call out her name. Never felt his arms wrap tightly about her and drag her away from Hal’s lifeless body. She never knew, when everything finally went black and the silence engulfed her completely.
TWENTY-FOUR
Jessica didn’t want to open her eyes. The dream was too real. The mattress beneath her was so comfortable and the coverlet tucked around her body, was thick and warm.
Please, she begged silently. Let me dream for just a little while longer.
There were consistent noises, starting to penetrate deep into her subconscious, trying desperately to rouse her.
Go away. Please, just go away.
The voice calling to her though was inviting and familiar. It tugged at her heart, made her want to listen.
“Jessica, please, sweetheart … open your eyes. You’re safe, honey. Please, just open your eyes.”
She heard him.
Or, did she, really, her inner voice questioned?
She whimpered in her sleep. She could see his face.
Why can’t you find me?
Something warm caressed her cheek, and the touch made her want to open her eyes. Slowly, her eyelids slid open. There was light again. This time, it didn’t hurt her eyes. She heard the voice again. She knew it was his. It was Bryan, and his name slipped from her lips in a soft whisper.
“Hey, you, sleepy head.”
A smile caressed her lips, when her eyes focused, and those gorgeous blue orbs of his greeted her.
He leaned in close, touched his lips to hers, to let her know it was no longer a dream, but something beau
tifully real.
She was fully awake now and aware that others were in the room. She looked about and a puzzled look was on her face.
Her Aunt stepped forward, and clasped Jessica’s hand tenderly in her own.
“Hello, sweet girl.”
Jessica smiled softly.
“You’re in a private room, dear, at Cobleskill Regional Hospital. When the doctor tells us you’re your strong enough to travel, we’ll fly you home.”
Her voice was weak, but audible as she replied, “I’m strong enough.”
Soft laughter filled the air, and her Aunt’s broad smile, made her smile again too.
“Want to sit up, dear?”
Jessica nodded and Bryan assisted her.
She gazed at him lovingly and a gush of emotion escaped her.
“You saved me.”
He sat upon the edge of her bed, and drew her into his arms. She couldn’t stop the tears that slipped from her eyes, or the sobs shaking her shoulders. She was overwhelmed with relief, and sadness that Morris had died, trying to save her too. She clung to Bryan desperately, wanting to make sure this truly wasn’t a dream, that she was free of the cave, free of her tormentor, and free from Hal.
It felt splendorous to feel the strength of his arms about her, to smell the scent of his cologne fill her nostrils, the warmth of his cheek against her, and his lips, those beautiful, exquisite lips, grazing her skin. It was over. It was over. The nightmare and horror was over.
The whizz of a motor and wheels crossing the tile floor of her hospital room caught her attention, and Jessica opened her eyes.
“Morris!” She bellowed happily. “Morris, you’re alive!”
“I sure is, mam. Happy to be too.”
She released Bryan, and outstretched her arms, her fingers waving invitingly for him to move closer.
Morris obliged, and Bryan moved off the bed, so he could get closer. He lifted his hands, and Jessica clasped onto them, as if for dear life.
A Pawn for Malice Page 17