by D. L. Wu
She had been so relentless about everything that she’d fed into his weakness. She was an innocent temptress, if there was such a thing. Yet, she had protected him once when she could have brought him down hard and fast. Was it just a ruse to delay things so that she could have the pleasure of bringing him down even harder?
He felt used, manipulated. She had won the game. But how did it happen? She was just a little school girl. She couldn't possibly be that cunning. She couldn't have beaten him at his own game. Why was she making him so angry, so crazy?
With irritation, he realized, he was thinking about her so very much. How he was going to get to California now, he wasn't so sure. Never-the-less, he walked purposefully through the pouring rain in hopes of getting as far away from her as possible. He didn't want to be indebted to her in any way and had left the car behind for her.
Yet now he felt adrift. He didn't want to go through it all over again with another person. What if that person fought back? What if things didn't go as smoothly? He'd add another round of kidnapping to his steadily growing list of offenses that now included statutory rape. Deep inside, he knew he couldn't do it.
Jaime had been an easy target. She’d also been comfortable with him. He couldn't bear the thought of doing it all over again. Jaime was too naïve to be playing with his head, he rationalized. What had happened wasn't really her fault. She was young and immature and quite helpless.
He’d walked about a mile or so from the motel when he began to realize what he was doing was pretty inexcusable. He was the sole reason she was over seven hundred miles away from her home. He was the reason she was miserable and unhappy and probably very frightened at that moment. She didn't force him to fuck her. He could have stopped himself from doing so at any given time. He just hadn’t wanted to.
How could I just desert her? he wondered.
“I'm more of a gentleman than that, I think,” he whispered aloud and stopped within his tracks, the rain beating down on his already soaked body.
Even if he didn't take her all the way to California with him, even if he didn't give her the love she wanted in return, the least he could do was to take responsibility for her and send her back home. He slowly headed back to the motel, the guilt of having abandoned her proving too difficult for him to bear.
When he got back to the room, he found that the door was locked. He had no means of getting inside either as he’d left the key with her. He remained standing in the pouring rain and gently knocked upon the door. His heart raced with trepidation as the minutes passed. Had she left?
Jaime sat upon the bed, fully dressed. Hiccups jerked her entire body as she sat there brooding. The impatient knock drew her attention and she slowly made her way toward the window to pull a portion of the curtain aside and peer out.
Evan stood in front of the door, pressed against it as he sought to escape the pouring rain. His clothes were firmly plastered against his skin. He looked so pitifully melancholy that it tugged at her heart strings. Relief flooded her, although she still felt angry with him.
Part of her wanted to open the door and let him in. Another part of her wanted to leave him exactly where he was now. He deserved it, after all. A perverse sense of satisfaction in making him suffer a bit for what he had accused her of filled her as she waited.
“Jaime!” he roared irritably as she ignored his knocking. “Please let me in!”
At first, she didn't respond, even though she desperately wanted to. This only succeeded in making him even more impatient.
“Jaime, please!”
There was still no answer. She let go of the curtain as her breathing became labored.
“Alright! I'll say it if you want me to. I'm sorry!” he relented, irate.
She released a shaky sigh, but held her ground. She wasn’t sure what she would do if she were to give in and let him in, then and there.
“What do you want me to say, then?”
“Just go away!” she cried. “I don't need you anymore!”
“Oh, I see!” he yelled as the rain and wind whipped at him. “You got what you wanted from me this morning and now you're casting me aside. Is that it? Sounds a bit familiar, wouldn't you say? Leaving me on the side of the road, are you?”
She took offense to his words. “I got what I wanted? Are you telling me you took no pleasure in it, either? You just went through the motions for my sake, is that it?”
“Open the damn door, Jaime!”
“Why should I?”
“Because I said so, that's why!”
“You're a fuckin' idiot!” she screamed.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “I realize that completely now, but let me in anyhow. It's fuckin' cold and wet out here.”
She relented, albeit a tad angrily. She turned away from him as soon as she opened the door. He walked inside, slamming the door behind him. He yanked off his wet leather jacket, threw his gun and holster on the table, and set about in hunting for dry clothes. He dug through the plastic bag they were using as luggage and pulled out what he needed.
She sat down upon her bed, holding her beloved backpack across her lap. She soon held it close against her chest. She didn't want to watch what he was doing as she was still angry with him. Yet she found herself doing so, never-the-less.
Uncaring as to whether he’d offend her, he pulled off his wet clothes and let them fall to the floor. It was a moot point by now anyway as they’d seen one another completely naked earlier. He quickly pulled on dry underwear, trousers, and tee shirt, and then replaced his holster and jacket.
“Get in the damn car!” he ordered once he was done.
“Where are we going?” she replied with insolence.
“Away from here!”
“You're not in charge of me!” she shouted.
“Thankfully, no, but get in the damn car anyway!”
He didn't hesitate then. He grasped her arm and yanked her to her feet with more force than he’d intended. She cried out with pain, shock invading her every limb. He forcefully pushed her out the door and toward the car. Her heart pounded as she realized that he was acting like a real kidnapper now. He’d become mean and violent and it was all because of her.
CHAPTER 22
Evan took to the roads again, driving erratically through the pouring rain. He was having difficulty in seeing through the windshield even with the wipers running as fast as they were able. The torrential downpour did nothing to mar his driving. He sped along, driving like a maniac at well over sixty miles-an-hour. He no longer cared as to whether they skidded horrifically across the slick highway. He felt as if he would soon reach his breaking point anyway, so what did it really matter?
Jaime felt both fear and resentment. The fear stemmed not only from the reckless way Evan was driving, but also because of the way he was acting. She had never seen this particular side of him during the entire time they’d spent together. He was irrationally angry and she knew that could be a scary thing within a man. Her beloved father had been jovial and kind to her, most of the time, but she mournfully remembered a few occasions where his temper had blown a fuse and he had actually struck her.
The worried anticipation that it might happen now with Evan was sending her into a panic. Yet, at the same time, she felt such utter resentment at his displaced anger. He had no right to blame her for what happened between them that morning. If anything, they were equally at fault. No one had forced the other to do it. No one had been abused or raped.
Both of them had wanted it. Even him, she thought. He had loved it while it was happening, she could tell by his moans and groans. He had absolutely no cause to lay the blame entirely on her. Granted, she had lied to him about her age, but there was no reason to blame her for everything that had occurred between them.
The atmosphere inside of the car was heavy and suffocating as they sat in silence. She began to wonder if the end was near. The passing minutes and the silence itself were torturous and agonizing. She didn't think she could suffer much longer. Ov
er an hour had passed when she finally broke the cavernous and deathly silence that lay between them.
“Stop the car!” she ordered.
“What?” he asked with annoyance.
“You heard me! Stop now!”
“Not likely!”
“If you don't, I'll jump out!”
“I'm going almost seventy bloody miles-an-hour! How can you possibly jump out?”
“You don't think I would do it?” she goaded.
He stared at her with wide eyes. She was testing him. That much was obvious. The look upon her face was downright inflammatory.
“No, I don't think you . . .”
Before he finished his sentence, she wildly threw the door open. He slammed on the brakes in a panic, causing the car to skid across the slick two-lane road. Another car coming in the opposite direction honked its horn at them in alarm. Evan managed to turn the car's skid back towards the road’s shoulder. Even so, the car whipped about to face the wrong way as it finally came to a stop.
“What the hell was that about?” Evan cried with anger, breathing heavily as he glared back at her. “What are you trying to prove?”
“That you're an asshole!” she shot back. “But you've proven it just fine by yourself, anyway, so I guess it was unnecessary, after all!”
She jumped out of the car and grabbed her backpack. She started walking away, oblivious of the falling rain. She no longer wanted to be near him. His mere presence upset her as did the injustice of the entire situation she now found herself in.
Evan sighed with exasperation and climbed out of the car. He sprinted after her in hopes of catching up. “Where do you think you'll go exactly . . . on foot, in the rain, and in the middle of this podunk shitsville?”
“Anywhere,” she cried. “Anywhere that doesn’t include you!”
“Amazing!” he shouted. “Just this morning, you loved me and now you want to leave me?”
“I was really stupid to say I loved you. I admit it now,” she screamed back at him. She gained momentum and continued on, well aware of the fact that he was starting to catch up to her. “I never meant it!”
“Jaime, stop being a bloomin' idiot!”
“Sorry, but you've completely cornered that market!”
“Stop it now!” he demanded as he latched on to her upper arm.
“Let go of me! Or I'll scream!” she cried, struggling within his grasp, pushing against his chest with her free hand.
He struggled to subdue her. “Why are you doing this to me?”
“You're hurting my arm!” she whined, still trying to free herself.
“Why are you screwing me like this?”
“Because you screwed me then threw me aside like I was a piece of trash, just like all the other girls you’ve screwed!” She violently slapped her hand against his face, startling them both by what she’d done. “I won't stand to be treated like that!” she said a tad more calmly.
Shock and disbelief were written across every inch of his face. Her handprint marred his cheek, a red welt forming across his perfect skin. He looked a little hurt that she would do such a thing. Before they had a chance to say another word, the sound of a police siren caused them to gasp in fear. They stood frozen in place, their hearts pounding within their chests.
“Christ!” Evan whispered with defeat and quickly let go of Jaime's arm.
Jaime stared at him miserably, dread, worry, and fear filling her heart to overflowing. If Evan was taken away now, it would be her fault, she knew.
The police car made a U-turn and pulled up to the Acura, the cars’ noses almost touching. The blue light of the vehicle swirled across the dreary, rainy horizon. Evan realized that they stood a chance of getting through things scot-free. The Acura’s Pennsylvania license plate was hidden from the state trooper’s view and he prayed that he wouldn't run a check on it.
A big brawny man wearing a trooper's hat and uniform came toward them. “What's the problem here?” he asked pointedly.
Both Evan and Jaime were silent for a moment, briefly glancing at one another as if deciding which one of them was the saner one to speak to the officer. To Evan's horror, Jaime spoke first.
“There’s no problem, Sir. We had a little spin out because of the rain. I was kinda yelling at my boyfriend because he was driving a little too fast in the rain. I wanted him to let me drive, you see, but he wouldn’t let me. It's sorta a lover's spat, that's all.”
“This isn't the best place for a spat, young lady. Not on this side of a busy highway. I suggest you do your quarrelling in a safer spot and well out of the rain. Don't you agree?” the policeman gently berated.
“Absolutely, Sir!”
The officer looked hard at Evan. Evan stared back at him nervously, his heart speeding up exponentially.
“Let her drive,” the man demanded.
With relief, Evan nodded. “Yes, Sir.”
“What happened to your face?” he inquired, noticing Evan’s bruised nose and his cut forehead.
“Um . . .” Evan gulped, carefully touching his aching nose. “I got beat up.”
“Not by her, I hope?”
Evan shook his head. “No. A bar fight, is all.”
“Well, on your way now,” the officer urged. “And drive safely.”
“Thank you, Officer,” Jaime replied with a grateful smile.
She grasped Evan's hand and tugged him towards the car. At the same time, she pried the car keys free of his fingers. She dangled them in front of her and grinned for the policeman's benefit. Hopping inside, she started the car and sped off, her heart racing with apprehension as Evan glared in her direction.
CHAPTER 23
Jaime grasped the steering wheel tightly between her fingers as she pulled back onto the freeway. Her palms were sweating as she nervously glanced into the rear-view mirror, fervently praying that the state trooper wouldn’t think of turning around in order to follow them. She sighed with relief once the coast was clear.
“Saved your ass from the cops once again!” she stated arrogantly.
Evan sighed with defeat. “Yeah, well I wouldn't have needed my ass saved again if it weren't for the asinine and childish little stunt you pulled back there. Seriously, threatening to take a flying leap from the God-damn car? What were you thinking? If you think I’m grateful, you’ve got another thing coming!”
“Even so, I could've laid you bare again very easily.”
“But you didn't! Congratulations, you're my savior! May I kiss your feet now, my love?” he sneered sarcastically.
A flush of color stained her cheeks as she felt embarrassed. “You're mocking me!”
“No,” he said with wide-eyed derision. “I would never!”
“No one seems to realize I've been kidnapped,” she mused offhandedly.
“Yeah, how lucky am I?” he mumbled.
Jaime lifted one hand from the steering wheel and shot him the middle finger. Amusement filled him as he watched her from where he sat. He snorted slightly and rolled his eyes. She did her best to ignore him as she drove along, her anger rising as the minutes passed. At that moment, she couldn’t wait until she was back at home, safe and sound, and far away from him. However, deep inside, her ambivalence played havoc with her emotions.
CHAPTER 24
The sky began to clear late in the afternoon just as the sun was beginning to set. She’d been driving for over four hours when she decided to pull into a Denny's she had come across. She was hungry and looking forward to have a bite to eat.
Evan found the restaurant appalling, which made it all the more appealing to her. She jumped out of the car and strode toward the restaurant’s doors. Not once did she look back in his direction.
A frustrated sigh escaped Evan, but he begrudgingly got out of the car and followed her inside. He appeared at the booth to find her seated with a waitress standing nearby taking her order. He gave them both a cocky grin and sat down.
The waitress smiled at him with confusion before turning
her attention back toward Jaime. “Thought you said you were alone?”
Jaime stared at Evan with an air of indifference. “I am,” she said innocently.
The woman nodded as clarity sank in. She grabbed another menu and handed it to Evan. “Oh, I see. You two have been at each other's throats. Too much time on the road together?” she prodded.
“Way too much,” Evan agreed.
“What would you like to drink, then?”
“I'd like a beer, please,” Jaime blurted out.
“Oh, no, she wouldn't,” Evan interjected. “Since she informed me just this morning that she's only seventeen-years-old, she'll have a Coke and I'll have the beer.”
The waitress eyed them with amusement. She jotted down their drink orders and told them she’d return soon. Jaime glared in Evan’s direction, fury shining within her eyes.
“You're an asshole, you know that?” she stated loud enough for other patrons to glance at them.
“Yeah, I know,” Evan sighed, sinking down into his seat. “You've made that abundantly clear.”
She bubbled with resentment. “I was mistakenly starting to think I was falling in love with you,” she said hotly, causing Evan a bit of embarrassment as people continued to look their way. “But since you fucked the hell out of me, you've changed!”
Evan’s eyes narrowed to half-slits as he leaned toward her. “Whilst you're at it, why don't you advertise to everyone here that I kidnapped you?” he whispered angrily.
“I should, shouldn't I?” she replied bitterly as the waitress returned with their drinks, thus forcing them to lean back against their seats.
“Hey, kids,” the waitress replied cheerfully, attempting to be the peacemaker between them. She placed the beer in front of Evan and the Coke before Jaime. “Please, don’t fight. Life's too short to be arguing with your sweetheart.”