I stared down at my watch, shocked that it was already 1:00 a.m. Knowing I was just a few blocks away from my hotel, I decided to hoof the short distance. I heard Trinity’s and even my mother’s voice like phantoms in my ear, admonishing me for doing something so reckless. I ignored them. I needed to get away from it all, pass out for a while and forget that I had lost everything. I knew that I would have to eventually accept that my life was in tatters, but I didn’t have to do it right then.
The full moon was bright above me, illuminating the sidewalk as I walked. I teetered and almost fell a few times as I moved. The remnants of my beers were still weighing heavily on me. For the most part the alcohol managed to cloud my mind enough that every time a thought about Mom, Trinity or even Dad surfaced, it faded as rapidly as it had come. Unfortunately the mind-numbing side effects of alcohol was also the very thing that prevented me from detecting that danger was near.
As I rounded a corner into a noticeably darker area, I felt a hand grab my arm. In rapid succession, I was tugged back then twirled around. It was too black to really see the man that was holding my arm. His silhouette said he was reed thin, and that he towered over me by several feet. His hair was shaggy, falling to his shoulders in a tangled mat. I clutched my purse a little tighter, more than willing to give him all the money in my wallet if he just let me go.
“Why did you take off so quick?” he asked.
His voice was familiar. I immediately recognized him as the guy I had danced with.
“Look I’m sorry…,” I started to say, but stopped when he came dangerously close. What had felt naughty and a little fun on the dance floor took on a whole new meaning now. Whether it was valid or not, this guy thought I owed him something. His breath was hot on my face. Even his smell, that had been a hint of cologne and fermented beer had shifted. Now he stunk of sweat, stale cigarette smoke, and sour milk. I cringed at the thought that I had actually kissed him.
Without warning he gripped my arms in his spindly fingers, hard enough that it hurt. He shoved me backward. Utter panic brought a scream to my lips.
“Help me.”
I prayed that someone would hear my plea and save me. But gauging from the lack of people I had seen on the street, that didn’t seem likely. Faster than seemed possible, he slapped an icy hand across my mouth. All chances of calling for help were gone. Then I heard another male voice and the dread that had already cloaked me in a blanket of cold, peaked.
“Get her into the alley,” the other guy said.
I couldn’t see where he was but I felt a new set of hands tug my arms back. I tried to kick at the first guy, but he dodged expertly. The person behind me banded an arm across my chest then shoved a wadded piece of cloth into my mouth. It tasted like mud, but it was the last thing I needed to be concerned about. Tears sprang to my eyes, knowing what would come next. They were going to rape me, take my virginity brutally and I couldn’t stop it from happening. I made a whimpering sound in my throat, knowing it wasn’t enough for anyone to hear. The effects of the alcohol evaporated, there was nothing like sheer terror to sober you up. A million regrets lodged in my brain.
Then I was airborne, carried as if I were a doll. The toes of my runners dragged against the concrete as I wiggled my feet frantically, trying to make purchase. It was no use. I had almost no chance against one person, but with two of them, the odds were beyond dismal. My mind screamed to be released, to go back in time, to have never gone to the hospital, or to the bar and especially to have never drank so much that I had lost all sensibility. But I couldn’t change any of the choices that had put me in that moment, no more than I could go back and change the night that Mom had died.
Seconds later we were in the alley. The narrow space between the buildings was shielded from sight on the sidewalk. A naked bulb in a curved metal fixture affixed to a building to my left, brightened the space enough to see a little better. In the murky pool of light that lit the space, the guy that I had danced with came into better view. And the absolute averageness of his face made me feel worse than if he had been a thug. Because people who did these kinds of things, people Mom had always warned me about weren’t supposed to look like this. Rapists were supposed to be like in the movies, tattooed and scarred, not preppy college boys. He wasn’t supposed to look like the boy next door, like someone who would carry the groceries out to your car and…
Stunned by the reality of what was happening, I watched as he undid the gold buckle of his leather belt, then popped the top button of his jeans. I squirmed with every ounce of energy I had left in my reserves. It did nothing to loosen the grip that had me trapped like a bird in a cage. When his jeans fell down his hips, leaving him in just his Calvin Klein underwear, I felt my stomach heave. His erection pushed against the front of his cotton boxer briefs. It was more than disgusting that he was actually aroused by the fact that he was about to rape me.
No, no, no…
“Her tits are small but they’ll do,” he said, reaching for the hem of my t-shirt. His fingers felt glacial against my exposed stomach. I shivered involuntarily. The guy holding me stuck his tongue into my ear and laughed. It was the most spine-chilling sound I had ever heard. My body clenched and I squeezed my eyes shut, accepting the inevitable. In that moment I longed to go to sleep, to not know what was happening to my body. There was nothing left for me to do but pray that it would end soon. Resigned to my fate I went limp in the arms that held me, and it was at that very same moment that all hell broke loose.
15. RANSOM
I read the text message from Dave, relieved that he’d had the balls that I lacked. While I had hightailed it to a bar to get shit-faced, Dave had actually hung around the hospital. He had been a true knight in shining armor, keeping me posted on all that was going down there. His latest text had said that Gab had made it through surgery okay and was in critical but stable condition. The relief that had filled my chest was matched only by the guilt that I felt at not being there at my little brother’s side. I despised my cowardice, but more than that I loathed my father’s blood that ran through my veins.
It made no sense that the very behavior that I hated in Pa, his inability to deal with sickness and hospitals, calamity in general, had rubbed off on me.There was absolutely no excuse for being a no-show when Gabriel needed me the most. I had no reasonable explanation for ducking out other than pure unadulterated terror.
The old saying by Dr. Seuss that I had lived by my whole life was” be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t care, and those who care don’t mind,” summed it up. I knew Dave wouldn’t judge me for taking off, he was one of the few people other than Gabriel who actually got me.
I leaned in against the bar counter, sipping on the beer I didn’t need. I had gone from a little buzzed to mostly toasted a few back. Seeing that things were better, made me want to go back to the hospital. But I had no right carousing back in there like I owned the place when I was drunk. I downed the rest of my beer, finally ready to be freed of the place.
Clancy’s had been deserted when I had sat my ass down at the bar, but was now packed with people. There were a few babes that had caught my attention, but nothing that would have stopped me from sobering up a little so I could hang out at the hospital until I could see Gab. I pushed through the throngs of people who were in various stages of inebriation. Before I hit the door, a tiny brunette who didn’t look old enough to be in the place, shoved me hard enough that I stumbled.
“Hey,” I growled, then broke into laughter.
I was too happy that Gabriel was coming around to be pissed at some broad who had decided to leave her manners at home.
As soon as the fresh air hit me, it had the opposite effect from what I had hoped, leaving me feeling even more drunk than before. Deciding that the hospital was out of the question, for the next little while at least, I went to plan B, an all night diner with loads of coffee. I strode down the sidewalk, scoping for a place that would fit the bill. It wasn’t su
rprising that it took every bit of my will just to walk a straight line. The last thing I needed was to get tossed in the drunk tank for the night.
Away from the piped in music at Clancy’s the night was quiet, so much so that I heard crickets chirping in the strips of grass that separated the sidewalk from the street.
“Help me.”
The voice was high-pitched and distraught. It took my paralyzed senses a few minutes to register where it had come from. As I moved toward the alleyway, my best guess at where the scream had come from, I heard muffled male voices. You didn’t need to be a brain surgeon to know that nothing good was happening in the shadows between the brick buildings.
There were of them. Based on their slick clothes they were college nerds and by the way they were holding the girl against the wall, they didn’t appreciate the word no. The asshole in front of the girl, had his pants down to his knees with his dick already out. In a quick survey I noted that he was a couple of inches taller than me, but like Dave he was skinny as a stick. The bare cheeks of his ass seemed to glow white in the pale moonlight. I wanted to kick him between those naked cheeks until my foot came up through his mouth, probably more than I wanted to draw in my next breath.
Without another thought I barreled forward. Fury, like molten lava bubbled up in my chest. I needed to save her, because no one had the right to treat a woman like that. Rape was a cowards game and in my opinion anyone who violated a woman like that deserved a slow painful death.
I wrapped my arm around the tall guy’s neck, putting him in a headlock. Stunned by my attack he stumbled back against me. Before I had a chance to get in another move, I felt a blow land hard on my temple. A little disoriented by the punch, I released the guy that I had been holding. I shook my head a few times trying to get my bearings. As I swayed, I locked on the other guy who had been holding the girl. This fellow was meatier than his friend, with short spiky blonde hair, and a smooth shaven face that looked like everyone’s favorite varsity football star. Clearly he was the muscle in the duo.
Before I could right myself, he round housed me across the jaw then jabbed me in the guts with a solid punch. My breath came out in a whoosh. A second later I felt an arm clamp around my neck, choking me. The jerk with his pants down had recovered enough to get me in a headlock. Now pinned in place, the jock advanced on me, pummeling my stomach like a boxer on a speed bag. I flexed my abs, something I had learned a long time ago, after I had read an article about Harry Houdini and his gut of steel. The jock was panting with exertion as he continued hammering my stomach. His concentration on pounding the crap out of me, allowed me the time to recover from the initial punch to the head.
“You like that you motherfucker?” Jock dude said as he delivered blow after blow.
“Beat the fucking shit out of him Leif,” the other guy cheered from behind me. Oddly I couldn’t help but hope that the guy who’d had his pants down had bothered to pull them up. The idea of some jerk-offs naked dick against my ass seemed worse than getting the crap beat out of me.
In the midst of the chaos, the brunette, who I had noticed was just a slip of a thing, was screaming like a banshee. With the pipes on her I knew that someone would definitely hear her soon. The guy who had me around the neck must have gotten tired of listening to the girl yelling, because he released his hold on me and backhanded her across the mouth. She slammed hard against the brick wall, sliding down the face of it slowly. Her eyes fluttered like she was going to pass out. A trickle of blood seeped from her nose. Seeing her like that triggered a barrage of memories, so now instead of a stranger there on the ground it was Ma.
A burst of adrenalin flooded my veins and everything came together in high definition. I growled deep in my throat then let the crazy wash over me like a tidal wave. The girl going down had been enough to shift Leif’s attention and it was all the time I needed.
Momentarily free, I spun around to face the guy who had been holding me. His gaze met mine just as I delivered a quick snap to the tender spot just below his right ear. I knew from experience and my keen interest in learning everything I could about martial arts, one hit there, an area where a bundle of nerves made you vulnerable, would be enough to take the guy out of the equation. For a little while at least, and that’s all I needed. It helped that he was a little taller than me, making the trajectory just right. His eyes widened for a fraction of a second then he dropped like a stone to the pavement.
Before I had a chance to scope out Leif’s position, he had already delivered a solid hit to my ribs. It was hard enough to have me wondering if he had cracked a few in the process. Determined to end it before the cops arrived, I swallowed against the pain and threw a round house kick to the left side of his jaw. His block-shaped head snapped to the side and seconds later he had joined his buddy on the ground. With the asshole down for the count, I turned my focus to the girl who was just getting to her feet.
She zigzagged and almost fell back down. I caught her in my arms. Her small hands grasped my biceps much like Gabriel did, and it left me feeling like I wanted to protect her. I hadn’t been able to save Ma or even Gab for that matter, but I could help this girl. I scooped her into my arms. She nuzzled her face against the crook of my neck as if she was made to fit there. It seemed a bit weird having someone I didn’t even know by name do something so intimate, but I wasn’t exactly about to complain. She had just dodged getting raped in an alley by two assholes, allowing her a little comfort wasn’t that far out of the question.
“Mmmm…you smell good,” she said, nuzzling my neck. I chuckled as I stepped out of the alleyway.
“What the hell are you doing with that girl there,” a male voice said from a few feet away from me. I shook my head. It was becoming a habit for me to get in trouble for stuff that I didn’t do. Clearly I had the kind of look that made people think I was up to no good. The fellow who looked to be in his mid-forties had a blonde bimbo swinging off his arm. With his silver-streaked dark hair and round-framed glasses, he had an air of money. He eyed me suspiciously.
“I just saved her from getting attacked by those two jackwads in the alley,” I said. The curvy blond spoke of high-class escort services. She puckered her puffy pink lips in surprise, but didn’t say anything.
“Well if that’s true then you should wait for the police to take a report…” he started to say.
I was already walking away. The last thing I needed was to get brought in for questioning. No matter how much I wanted to believe that I wouldn’t get blamed for what had happened in the alley, I wasn’t certain that they wouldn’t find some way to spin it so it was my fault. Besides, the last thing I could afford was for the press to get hold of information that might smudge our family name. Getting in trouble was one thing, but bringing Gab into it, especially when he was fighting for his life, was not going to happen.
“Hey there, stop,” the guy yelled after me.
I ignored him, picking up my pace until I reached an intersection. I turned right. The girl in my arms groaned, bringing her head up with a quick jerk that caught me square on the chin. A spark of pain exploded in my jaw, forcing me to stop. I had to admit I preferred the cuddling to this.
“Ouch,” she said, rubbing a spot on the top of her head.
She tilted her face to mine as if seeing me for the first time. I glanced down at her, my head was still spinning from everything that had happened, not to mention the most recent hit to the jaw. With her face so close and with the makeup around her turquoise eyes smudged, her peepers looked huge like a Slow Loris monkey.
“My sentiments exactly,” I said, then laughed out loud.
After all that had happened in the past twenty-four hours it felt good to enjoy a little levity. She shot me a puzzled expression then seemed to get her bearings.
“Oh my god you’re carrying me I…you can put me down,” she said.
She touched her hair as if she was trying to put it in place, but then dropped her hand away, obviously deciding there was no poi
nt.
I gingerly lowered her until her runners touched the sidewalk. Even though she waved me off, she was still a bit unsteady on her feet. As if it was an afterthought, she touched at the few drops of blood that marred her pale skin.
“I’m bleeding,” she said, her voice flat.
“Yeah that asshole really clocked you one,” I said.
I dug in my pocket and pulled out a white cloth handkerchief that I always carried, another part of Pa that had rubbed off on me. This time though it had come in handy. I offered it to her.
“For your nose,” I said, motioning to the blood that had reduced to barely a trickle.
“Thanks,” she said, taking it from me. She eyed it.
“Are you sure that it’s okay to use this? I’ll probably stain it,” she said.
“Keep it,” I said.
She dabbed at the blood, then surprise lit her expression.
“Oh my god, I…shit. They…they wanted to rape me and I…”
She stared down at her jeans with the bloody handkerchief clutched in her fist. Both she and I noticed that they had been unbuttoned and the zip was all the way down. The look she gave me was easy to read. The subsequent fear in her eyes had me racing to ease her discomfort.
“They didn’t rape you,” I said, knowing that she needed to hear it as much as I needed to say it. I couldn’t witness her stress over thinking that she had been violated.
She stumbled back. I caught her around the waist, pulling her toward me before she fell backwards over the curb. Once again she gripped my arms, then stared deep into my eyes.
“It was you, you saved me…”
She paused, shaking her head as if it was too much to take in. The wisps of her hair that had broken free from her ponytail bounced with the move.
I shrugged, not sure how to respond to her statement.
Ransom (Holding Ransom # 1) Page 16