“She’s just a little girl. Leave her alone. She’s sleeping off the affects of Benadryl for a bee sting on her arm.”
“Well, this complicates things. But as I’ve learned on these excursions, go with the flow. We’ll just re-position Sleeping Beauty so I can have her seat.” He moved toward the seat.
“Don’t you touch her!” The lioness in me surprised even me.
His eyes blinked wide at the protectiveness he heard in my voice and smiled. “You’d have made a fine little mother, shame that’s not going to happen now. If you don’t want me mauling her, than you’d better move her yourself. Put her on the couch so I can see both of you while you drive.”
“It’s not safe for her to travel there without being belted in.” I wasn’t going to mention that for the first hour of this trip that’s where she had been, sans belt.
“Sweetheart, that’s the least of your problems. Whether she even survives the next few days is going to be totally up to you. But I will tell you this, once we get to where we’re going, she cannot stay with us. I have amazing plans for you and she’s not included—not even as a spectator.”
The gleam in his eyes was maniacal. This was a broken and desperate man, there was no telling what he had in mind this time.
“Let me just leave her here.” I looked out the window. “On that bench by the window there. She hadn’t seen you, doesn’t even know who you are.”
“I’m tempted. But I don’t trust you. And I can hardly hold a gun to your back out there.” He waved the gun and he was so careless with it that I thought it could easily go off.
“I swear, I’ll just put her down and come back.”
He looked at me, peered with bloodshot eyes into mine and sneered, “Nah. We’ll take her. I figure she’s leverage. There are things I might get you to do just so I won’t do them to her.”
His laugh was high-pitched, definitely that of a man not himself. I had to wonder why, what had set him off like this, made him sloppy in his dress, unruly in his grooming. His unshaved jaw was hinged differently, when he had laughed I had seen the glean of silver and remembered one of the twins had cracked his jawbone and it had been wired. He reeked of sour whiskey so I knew he had been drinking.
I wasn’t about to argue as I suspected he was high on something else too, painkillers most likely as I knew his injuries had been severe and for all his overt manliness, he’d always been a baby about pain. He was one that alcohol and drugs made a dangerous combination for, I remembered a violent episode one Christmas when he’d taken codeine for a cough with eggnog for a late night celebration. I’d had to lock myself in our bathroom all night when he started throwing the cutlery at me. He was a bad drunk and I could only imagine alcohol and painkillers would make him a holy terror.
“Okay, I’ll move her to the sofa, just put that gun away.”
He stepped out of the way so I could get Jillie, tuck her arm around my neck and slide her backward, her feet dragging on the carpet, until I could get her to the sofa. I laid her down then dug behind her back for the safety belts I knew were down in the crevasse. I did the best I could buckling her in, then stood and scowled at Jared. “Where are we going?” I demanded.
“You’ll know when we get there, for now just get back on 5, heading south.”
I stomped up to the driver’s seat, cranked the engine and pulled out, a tad faster than prudent, almost hitting a car that was backing up.
“If we hit anything, she’s the first thing I’m going to take care of.” He turned aimed the gun and mimicked shooting her. I immediately slowed down and focused on my driving.
“Who is she anyway? Unless I was comatose for quite a few years while I was in the hospital, she can’t be the love child you had with that cop.”
I debated what I should tell him. He knew who Brick was; they’d had some major altercations over the past few months and it would be just like Jared to take vengeance out on Brick’s helpless little sister. If I lied about her and he found out, or if he already knew who she was, that could also spell trouble. I went for half and half. “Her name is Jillie and she was taken from her family over four years ago.”
“Just like the other one, huh? What do you do, trip over these runaways?”
“They are not runaways, they were abducted.”
“And suddenly it’s your job to find them and return them instead of being at home taking care of me?”
“Jared, there is no more home for us. And there never will be.”
My phone rang at that precise moment, and I had a good idea who it was. It was about time he checked in, but sadly, I was not in a position to answer the phone now. Jared fished in the tote bag that was on the floor in front of the console, found the phone, slid open the window screen and holding it with two fingers, made a flourish as he dropped it. I heard it clatter against something under the RV and then saw a glimpse of it in the rearview TV monitor as it bounced and shattered on the pavement behind us.
I saw him grimace in pain from the amount of effort it took him to close the screen then the window. His injuries were varied and severe; I knew he hadn’t had sufficient time to heal from them. The way he was holding his side it looked like he was still dealing with bruised or broken ribs. He saw me glancing over and shot me an angry look.
“This is all your fault! And you’re going to fucking pay for it!”
There was a low moan from Jillie. Jared’s harsh voice had woken her. “Wh-hat? Whatzz goin’ on?”
“Jillie, we have company honey, and he’s not the friendly type, so please be good and don’t do anything to make him mad.” I picked up the tote bag and slung it back to her. “There’s crackers and some water in there. Drink as much water as you can so you don’t get dehydrated.”
Jared intercepted the bag and pulled it back. “Just wait a minute. I want to see what’s in this before you give it to her.”
“Really Jared? You think I’d give her a gun so she could shoot you for me?” I couldn’t temper the sarcasm, but I should have made an attempt because I saw his face redden. He jumped up and pulled my head back by the ponytail and I screamed, “Jared, I’m driving!”
He didn’t seem to care and I tried to lower my eyes just enough to catch the gray ribbon of the road ahead so I could stay on it.
“Next time you smart mouth me, I’ll going to stick my cock in it. And if you do anything but suck it or lick it, I’ll blow your fuckin’ brains out.”
As a negotiator might say, we were escalating here. And it was mostly my fault; I was not using the playbook. I had to stop ticking him off and find a way to appease him before Jillie got hurt. In my mind, it was already a given that I was going to be hurt. I needed to concentrate and do what would be best for Jillie in the long run, no matter what it might mean for me in the short run.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so sarcastic. Now let my hair go before we all get killed.” That seemed to jar something in his memory for he abruptly let go and my head bounced as it snapped back with a jerk. I had to correct the over steer that caused the RV to jolt and beeline for the side of the road. Luckily, we were the only ones on this stretch of highway and I was able to pull it back safely. I was sweating big time though, for a few moments I thought it was going to roll. The odd thing was, that he hadn’t seemed to really care. It was as if he had a death wish and he’d come to pick me up for the ride. Well I had news for him. I wasn’t going on that one-way trip to hell with him. And neither was Jillie.
“There’s nothing in the tote bag, check it out for yourself. And if you wouldn’t mind, I could use some of the water, too.” My new plan was to keep him occupied until I could figure out what to do. Now I was hoping Robert Brynes had manned up and had the police issue an Amber Alert. With a vehicle as high profile as this it would be a matter of just a few highway exits before some cop recognized the RV and tried to pull us over. Scratch that idea, I told myself. Jared would never let me pull over and soon we’d have cop cars chasing us all over California
—just like in the movies.
Jared took a bottle of water from the bag and put it into one of the cup holders on the console and then tossed the bag back to a wild-eyed Jillie.
“Jenny, I want to go home,” she whimpered. I didn’t ask her which one. I’m not really sure she even knew.
“I know sweetheart, I know. Drink some water and eat something, you missed lunch, you need something on your tummy, okay?”
“I’ll try,” she whispered, then I heard her rummaging around in the bag. I heard her tear open the package and munch on some cheese crackers.
“Where are we going Jared, what’s your plan for us. I can’t drive forever, in fact, I’m beginning to get a bit tired. I’ve been driving all afternoon.”
“Just be patient.”
When we got just south of Mount Shasta, he pointed to an exit and said, “Take it.”
A mile later I turned onto Route 60 heading southeast. It became apparent very quickly that we were heading into the wilderness. The road snaked and turned and there were fewer signs and less traffic. My heart sank; we were not likely to be chased down by state troopers out here. If intuition had any play in this, I was betting we were going to be roughing it, maybe even ditching the RV, boondocking at best, even with no chance of hookups sounded infinitely better. An hour later 89 became 44 and the state road meandered around until we were driving through huge thickets of trees. I had seen a sign for Lassen Volcanic national park about half an hour ago, but now, other than knowing we were heading south due to the angle of the sun, I had absolutely no idea where we were. I doubted this place was on the map.
Jared sat up, his attention now focused as he told me exactly where to turn. He instructed me to drive on the opposite side of a trail to avoid a mile of the low-hanging branches. Nearly half an hour after we’d left the main road for this one, he talked me through two tight curves and then over an earthen dam I would never have taken the Dolphin over if I hadn’t been forced to.
Finally he pointed to a clearing up ahead and said, “Park.”
I didn’t bother with the jacks or the slide, if an opportunity came that I could get out I didn’t want anything to slow me down.
Thankfully Jared didn’t know enough about RVs to mention it.
“I know you have plenty of gas, but let’s not use the generator. We could be here for a long time.”
I sighed. Not the news I wanted to hear.
“Before it gets dark I should make something for us to eat.” Maybe I could get a knife from the drawer, I thought.
“Nah, let’s just order pizza,” he said, and then laughed heartily.
Jillie and I didn’t see the humor in it and just stared at each other, she with a dazed deer-in-the-headlights look, me with wild fury blazing in mine.
“I need to use the bathroom,” I said.
“Go ahead, but don’t close the door.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope. We’re husband and wife, I’ve seen everything you’ve got.”
“You haven’t seen it peeing!”
“A new thrill for me,” he said as he opened the refrigerator and took out a beer. The lone beer I had left from when Brick was with me. I wished I had a keg so that he could get blotto with it.
He pulled off the cap and tilted the bottle and drank down half, then gestured with the bottle for me to go ahead and use the facilities. I sneered at him as I lowered my pants and went to the bathroom. He alternated between staring at me and staring at Jillie. I hoped to God she didn’t have to use the bathroom anytime soon. A man like Jared leering at her while she exposed her privates out of necessity could seriously traumatize a little girl for life. As if her life was trauma-free to this point, I thought—having been kidnapped twice, told her whole family had died, and now this nut job who I didn’t doubt would seriously hurt her if she got in his way.
I wiped and flushed, then shimmied my shorts up over my hips. He didn’t miss a single movement and even raised his eyebrow as if in appreciation of my performance.
“Fix some sandwiches and then we’re all going to get some sleep. While I sleep you get to be tied up, and not in the way you used to like,” he said with a smug leer.
“I never liked being tied up by you.”
“Oh, do you like being tied up by others now?”
“What kind of sandwich do you want,” I snapped.
“Something with meat.”
I fixed three ham sandwiches and poured Jillie and I some milk. Jared hadn’t asked for anything to drink with it and I wasn’t about to offer him anything.
After he was finished eating, we were told to lie down on the bed and then he tied my hands and feet together using the clothesline he made me get from one of the basement storage compartments. Jillie got similar treatment and then he rolled us together until there was room for him beside us.
I had a gun in the nightstand, but he was on that side, and while kind enough to have tied my hands in front of me to a rope around my waist, he had tied the knots tight and looped them several times. As soon as I was sure he was asleep, I whispered words of encouragement to Jillie, and told her that her brother and his army of agents would be sure to find us very soon. I told her amusing stories about how Brick and I had met, and I told her all about Angelina, and Daniel and Julia. Then I told her about Connor and Diana. And finally she fell asleep.
It was a long time before I could get to sleep though. I was scared, worried about Jillie, and uncomfortable. Jared was snoring and grinding his teeth. I was busy trying to figure out how I could kill my husband.
Chapter Thirty-three
For two days we dry camped while Jared planned what his next move would be. He watched us continually and I know that Jillie being there was the only reason he wasn’t beating me. I suspected he was thinking of ways to get rid of her and that worried me too.
I tried to find ways to keep her busy and quiet. I finally got Jared to agree to let her play games on my computer. After a heated argument he finally relented just to shut me up.
“Why would I do that?” he’d asked.
“There’s no harm in it Jared, it’s not like there’s Wi-Fi here in the woods. We’re miles from anywhere.”
“And you don’t have a Wi-Fi card?”
“No. I’m not even sure what that is.”
It was the first and only time in my life I’ve lied and gotten away with it.
“Okay then. But in a few days, we’re moving on and she’s not coming, so get used to that idea.”
I knew we couldn’t stay here forever. There didn’t seem to be anything on the two TV stations we were able to get about a manhunt for him, and since he didn’t even know I’d stolen Jillie and could be wanted myself, there was no reason not to get on to his final destination, which he had yet to inform me of. He kept saying it was warm and sunny and we’d have everything we wanted just like at home—said he had piles of money in a secure place. I had a feeling he was talking about someplace in Mexico. Some villa in an out of the way place where I could be his “kept” woman again. And as Jillie definitely wasn’t invited, I didn’t want to rush him.
While he was watching the evening news, I sat next to Jillie and watched her play Spider for a while, then I touched her shoulder, put my fingers to my lips and turned the computer toward me. I slid the Wi-Fi card from the compartment in the computer case sitting on the table and inserted it into the slot and clicked on my email program. There were numerous messages, several from Brick. I clicked on the first one.
Jenny Darlin, where are ya? If you don’t reply soon I’m going to have to come looking for you and I can tell you right now that my bosses are not too pleased with me in regard to you. They’re calling you Calamity Jen. Call me. Now.
I didn’t have time to answer, didn’t know how I would have anyway as Jared would have heard me typing. I had just heard him yawn, stretch, and stand up. I knew I had to distract him long enough to allow Jillie to get the card back out before he saw it. We might have
the chance later to email someone wherever we were. I patted her on the thigh and she nodded letting me know she understood what she was supposed to do, then I stood up and walked over to where Jared stood, the ever-ready gun in his hand.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Fire away.” He slumped down into the nook, his back against the wall, his feet hanging over the bottom edge of the bench. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jillie palm the card.
“Jillie, this is private, can you go in the bedroom? Is she allowed to go in there so we can talk?”
I turned and looked at Jillie. Her eyes were wide as she took in every word. I knew she was scared, bless her heart, but she was trying not to show it. She had a lot of Brick in her. I reached back to pat her hand.
He looked at Jillie, looked over at me and simply nodded. Jillie got up and took the computer with her. He waited a few seconds and then told her to bring it back to leave it on the table. I had to bite my tongue to stifle my frustration. That had almost worked.
“So, what’s the question?” he asked when Jillie was behind the closed door.
I slid into the booth opposite him stalling, and hoping he’d get the feeling of camaraderie and let his guard down. I kept hoping he’d give me some privacy in the bathroom so I’d have the opportunity to get my own gun from the nightstand drawer. If he’d only let me pull the bathroom door to. But he wouldn’t. He was either paranoid or he pervertedly wanted to watch.
Until I could come up with something, I had to be civil and act interested in him and his needs without giving him any ideas. I didn’t think I needed to worry about him wanting sex right now, none of us had bathed in days, and Jared was fastidious about not having sex unless we were freshly showered or at least fairly clean. For now I just needed to get him talking. “The question is: how did you find me?”
He tilted his head as if pondering what I was asking then said, “I guess it won’t hurt to tell you since this is the absolute last time I’m going to need to track you down.” There was an ominous sound to the glee in his voice. But I’d known from the beginning of this little jaunt that this was a make it or break it, no do-overs kind of capture. He would die with this, or I would, no one would be walking away without having sacrificed the other if we didn’t end up as he wanted us—happily married again, at least to his way of thinking.
Running Into A Brick Wall Page 17