by T. R. Ragan
“I don’t like it. Let’s do this together.”
“I think it’s sweet that you want to protect me, Jared, but I’m a big girl. We’re running out of time. I’ll call you when I get there. You do the same.”
He sighed, then glanced at his watch. “I’ll take Sullivan. I have his address. You take Gilman. What car is Jessica driving?”
“Her mother’s Honda Civic. Silver.”
“If you see her car, call me. I’ll do the same.”
She nodded.
“Don’t do anything crazy.”
They stepped outside and Jared waited for her to finish locking the doors before he surprised her with a kiss, a brief but warm brush of his lips against hers. She hadn’t had time to think about what had happened last night between them, and what it meant, if anything. “What was that for?”
“Tell me you won’t knock on any doors or barge inside if you see something you don’t like.”
She nodded.
He waited.
“What is wrong with you?” She lifted a brow when he didn’t answer. “Okay,” she said. “I promise. I’ll be a good girl and call you if I see anything suspicious.”
Saturday, February 20, 2010 7:36 PM
Jessica pulled up to the curb outside Gilman’s house and shut off the engine. She glanced at her cell phone on the seat. If the battery hadn’t died, she could have called a towing service. Instead she’d been forced to change the tire herself. No wonder Lizzy hadn’t returned her call—a dead battery tended to make it difficult for people to get through.
Jessica shut the car door, shoved her hands into her pockets, and walked toward the creeper’s house. The wind whistled through the trees. Dark clouds curled around the moon while her fingers curled around her mother’s Kel-tec P3AT snug within her front pocket. She accidentally discovered the gun eighteen months ago. She hadn’t given the gun another thought...until today.
The walkway leading to the front door was cracked. The hedges needed trimming. Branches scratched against the house and leaves danced at her feet. The wind caused a flag to flap against the flagpole. Once she reached the door, she realized she probably should have gone to Lizzy’s apartment instead of coming here alone. She’d never been the patient sort, though. When she got an idea in her head, it was impossible for her to sit around and wait. She was an act-now-regret-it-later sort of person.
She looked over her shoulder, scanned the street. All was quiet. A light was on in the house across the street. Having no idea what she would say or do if someone answered, she raised a hand and rapped her knuckles against the door. After a few seconds, she knocked again. Then she shoved her hand into her pocket and wrapped her fingers around the gun. She’d never fired a gun before. How hard could it be?
Chapter 31
Saturday, February 20, 2010 7:55 PM
Lizzy looked inside the front window of the Honda. She recognized the bag on the passenger seat as Jessica’s. She also noticed the cell phone with all the glittery bling. Jessica’s phone. Damn. She jogged across the lawn and peeked through the kitchen window. Except for a sliver of light coming through a door at the end of the hallway, the house was dark. But she heard music.
There was no sign of Jessica. She reached into her pocket and realized in her haste, she’d left her cell phone in the car. About to turn back, a crash sounded from inside the house. Shouts sounded followed by a couple of loud thumps.
“Jessica!” she shouted as she ran back to the window. The door down the hallway opened and a naked man appeared. He looked like he was heading toward the front door, but then he disappeared inside another room. Following close behind, Lizzy spotted Jessica.
“Jessica!” she cried. What the hell was she doing in there? Nobody could hear Lizzy over the loud music. Shit! She yanked her gun from her holster and ran back to the door. She knocked hard, and then rang the doorbell. No use. She ran to the side gate, flipped open the latch and ran past a row of garbage cans toward the backyard. A sliding glass door leading into the house had been left wide open.
Saturday, February 20, 2010 8:01 PM
The snakes had arrived yesterday. Six in all. Two Eastern Diamondback rattlesnakes, three Mohave rattlers and his all-time favorite, one Puff Adder with a very bad disposition. He put his face close to the glass aquarium and instinctively sprang back when the snake struck at him with amazing force.
He held a hand to his chest and even found himself needing to take a seat. Anger and resentment bubbled inside of him. He had a tremendous urge to toss all of the snakes into the bedroom where the bitch was tied up and watch her die a slow death. But then a voice told him he needed to keep his wits and stick to the plan. His anger subsided. He hadn’t meant to kill Sophie so early in the game, but the girl had literally bored him to death.
He needed to keep Hayley alive for now. The thought of Lizzy being forced to watch him torture the girl excited him beyond words. He closed his eyes and let the blissful images renew him with the strength he needed to stay the course.
Lizzy needed to be taught a lesson once and for all. An intensely sharp pain gnawed at his shoulder and side, keeping him from enjoying the moment. He had cleaned his wounds last night after tying the girl to the bedpost. He stitched himself up using sewing thread, alcohol, and a sharp needle. But he’d run out of antibiotics, and he didn’t want to show up at the office looking pale and sick. The nurses were nosy as hell and they never missed a thing, or so they thought. Not even his partner knew that he was working side by side with a seeker of justice, a real-life hero. Most people were pathetically unobservant. All these years and nothing had changed. Sad, but true.
Standing in front of a mirror, he unbuttoned his shirt and took a look at his wound. The cut was long and deep. Too deep. He might even be forced to visit the hospital. He could tell the emergency doctor that he’d been mugged. The area around the wound was red and swollen, foul-smelling with purulent drainage.
Annoyed by what the bitch had done to him, he stood and went to where the diamondback snakes were kept. He slid on a handling glove, reached into the aquarium, and grabbed the largest snake. One bite wouldn’t kill her, but it sure as hell might make him feel better.
Saturday, February 20, 2010 8:03 PM
Jessica didn’t bother running after the naked man. Instead, she entered the bedroom and looked at the king-sized bed. The room was hazy with smoke and reeked of marijuana. The music was deafening and the scene before her was surreal. It took her a moment to take it all in, especially the person tied to the bed, wrists and ankles all tied to separate bedposts. Despite amazingly long lashes and the flowing red hair layered around high cheekbones, the woman tied to the bed was actually a man. The feathering of dark hair disappearing beneath a leopard Speedo was a tell-tale sign. His mouth was gagged and his eyes were round with fear.
She had no idea what exactly she’d interrupted, but whatever it was, it wasn’t right. The loud music made it difficult to concentrate. The man was trying to say something, but his words were muffled within the gag. There were three men when she opened the door. Where was the third guy?
She raised her gun. Her hand shook as she moved toward the closet where heavy metal music blared from a six-foot speaker on the floor. There was a video camera perched on a tripod inside the closet. The camera was still filming. A red light flashed.
What the hell was going on in here?
At closer view she could see that the man tied to the bed had bruises, and he was bleeding. She bent down to shut the music off and that’s when she saw the third man—shirtless and low to the ground as he snaked his way across the floor toward the half-open window. “Stop!” she shouted.
He turned and fired.
Psss.
The gunshot sounded like a leaky gasket. She would have shot first and asked questions later if she thought he was carrying a gun.
The gun dropped from Jessica’s hand as she sank back against the wall. A mind-numbing sting swept through her left side, then quickly became a searing hot bur
n. “Where’s Mary?” she asked the man on the bed.
He shook his head, his eyes wider than before—like big round moons with a black speck in the middle. His hair was so red it made his face appear as white as a ghost. She wanted to help him, wanted to pull the gag from his mouth, but her legs wouldn’t cooperate. His image became distorted and blurred around the edges. The shooter escaped through the window. Nothing she could do about that now. She drew her fingers away from her side. Blood stained her fingertips. Images of Mary kept popping into her mind’s eye.
Was she dying?
The room spun out of control. Jessica’s legs gave out first and the rest of her body quickly followed suit.
Saturday, February 20, 2010 10:30 PM
Brittany was in the middle of downloading a song from iTunes when she saw a message pop up from i2Hotti.
Finally.
She was beginning to think he’d forgotten about her. Feeling reckless and bold she started typing.
Brit35: what took you so long?
i2Hotti: what do u mean?
Brit35: I haven’t talked to you for a million years
i2Hotti: 3 days
Brit35: too long
i2Hotti: sorry been busy
Brit35: doing what?
i2Hotti: things
Brit35: what’s wrong? u seem different
i2Hotti: i need to see u
Brittany’s heart went pitter-patter, and she smiled with relief.
Brit35: i was worried u didn’t like me any longer
i2Hotti: u joking? i think i have fallen madly in love w/u
Brit35: stop teasing
i2Hotti: serious
Brit35: i need to see u too
i2Hotti: i thought u might never ask
Brit35: how? Mom is watching me 24/7 cuz of stupid killer and house is being watched
i2Hotti: tell her u have broken wire and need to go to ortho
Brit35: good idea...and then what?
i2Hotti: get out of school early on Monday I will pick u up
Brit35: car?
i2Hotti: black BMW
Wow, Brittany thought, he must have rich parents or a really good job. She felt like the luckiest girl in the world.
i2Hotti: r u there?
Brit35: yes...i am excited to finally meet face to face
i2Hotti: not as excited as me
Brit35: mom coming gotta go
i2Hotti: see u soon
Brit35: not soon enough
i2Hotti: ♥ u
Sunday, February 21, 2010 12:55 AM
Lizzy paced the hospital waiting room, back and forth, hoping the doctor would appear and let her know if Jessica was going to be all right. The main door opened. A rush of cold air came inside followed by Jared.
“You’re okay,” he said, relieved.
“I meant to call earlier,” she said, “but everything got crazy fast. I have no idea where my phone is and—”
“You’re okay.” He put his arms around her and held her close. “That’s all that matters.” Jared pulled away and said, “Coach Sullivan is clean as far as I can tell. He moved here after a bad divorce. He didn’t mind letting me have a look around. What happened at Gilman’s?”
“Gilman, it turns out, is not only Brittany’s math tutor, but he’s in the porn business. Apparently his films are unique in that he invites strange men to his home. Once he has his new guest neatly tied to the bed, his buddy comes out of the closet and they play dress up with their victim. They doll up their man to look like a transvestite, and then proceed to perform all sorts of acts on his body. They call their videos Shameless Shemales. The poor man they were working on when Jessica appeared was scared to death. He’s here at the hospital on the fifth floor. He’s in shock.”
“Where’s Jessica?”
“Gilman’s partner shot her before escaping through the window.”
The doctor came through the door. “You can see her now,” he said, “but only for a few minutes. We want her to get some rest.”
“How bad is it?” Jared asked.
“It was a low velocity gunshot wound to her left side. She was lucky in that no major arteries were hit. The bullet was removed and she’s been given a sedative.”
Lizzy’s shoulders relaxed. “How long will she need to stay in the hospital?”
“A few days at least. We’ll know more tomorrow after we see how she does tonight.”
They entered Jessica’s room. A nurse was adjusting the IV. Lizzy went to the side of the bed and took Jessica’s limp hand in hers. The poor girl was pale and she had a tube in her nose.
“I’m sorry,” Jessica said weakly. “My phone died.”
“Don’t worry about any of that,” Lizzy told her. “You need to focus on getting better.”
“I don’t suppose Gilman is our man?”
Lizzy shook her head. “No. But he’s certainly not innocent either.” More than anything, she wanted to lecture Jessica, tell her she never should have gone into that house alone. And the gun, where had she gotten hold of a gun? What the hell was Jessica thinking? She could have been killed.
The door opened and a young man walked in. His eyes were bloodshot.
“My brother, Scott,” Jessica said as the young man approached her bedside.
Scott frowned. “What the hell were you doing at that guy’s house? I told you he was a weirdo, didn’t I?”
Jessica licked her lips. “He was on our list of suspects. I wanted to find Mary.”
Scott’s face turned a deep shade of red. “Mary’s dead. If she were alive she would have come back to us. How many times do we have to go over this? Look at you.” He raised his hands and dragged them across his face in utter frustration. “I can’t believe you would do this to me. Mary disappears. Dad abandons us. Mom drinks herself into oblivion. And now you’re running into stranger’s homes wielding a gun, trying to get yourself killed.”
Lizzy was about to cut in when Jessica raised a hand to stop her from saying anything.
“We’ll give you two some privacy,” Lizzy told Jessica. “I’ll be back in the morning to check on you, okay?”
Jessica nodded.
Scott’s shoulders slumped as he shook his head. Lizzy wanted to tell Jessica and Scott about their sister Mary, give them some closure, but Jessica looked too fragile to handle another blow tonight. It would have to wait.
Sunday, February 21, 2010 3:03 AM
Something wet and heavy slithered over her legs.
Hayley’s head snapped up. She’d fallen asleep. Apparently, the bastard had waited for her to fall asleep so he could let loose another one of his pets.
Her heart pounded. The room was dark. Pitch black. She’d been struggling to get her wrists loose for two days with no luck, but this time when she yanked her arm downward her right hand came free.
She reached for the thick-bodied snake crawling over her thighs. A hiss sounded right before the snake struck, sinking its fangs into her leg. She grimaced, sucking in a painful breath as she got a firm stronghold around the snake’s body and then heaved it across the room. The snake’s heavy body slid across the floor and hit the wall with a thud.
Frantic, she reached her free arm upward and began working on releasing her other hand. The wire seemed never-ending as she scrambled to find the end of it so she could unwind it from her other wrist. When the wire was off, she got to her knees and used her mouth to rip the duct tape off. Her arm came free, but the pain was excruciating. Adrenaline combined with determination kept her moving. Using her right hand, she felt around in her own stench in search of the knife she’d been sitting on for over 48 hours. Panic threatened to consume her until her fingertips connected with the knife’s handle. She sat down on the floor, unfolded the blade, and quickly pulled her knees to her chest so she could cut the wire and the duct tape around her ankles.
Ripping the last remnants of tape away, she then set the knife on the bed and used her good arm to push herself to her feet. Her legs wobbled, threatening
to buckle as she grabbed the knife and headed for the door. She nearly slipped to the ground as she went, her arm stretched out in front of her. She couldn’t see a thing.
But she was free.
She had taken so much for granted before now. She could move her arms and she could walk. She would never return home to be abused by her mother’s druggy friends. She would leave her mother’s home and she would never look back. Never again would she allow anyone to touch her.
It took her another three steps before her fingertips touched a wall. She felt around, sidestepping until she felt the doorknob. Her fingers curled around the cold metal. Her heart thumped against her ribs. She turned the knob. Nothing. Locked. Bastard.
The window. She needed to find the window.
Using the wall as guidance, she moved slowly, inches at a time, careful not to make any noise as she went. If the window was locked, she would find something to break the glass.
She’d broken windows before. She would take the sheet from the bed and curl it around her good hand, then shove her fist right through the glass. Then she would run for her life.
She could do this.
She could escape. Just like Lizzy Gardner.
For the first time in her life, she felt as if she had purpose. She had to escape. She wanted to go to college. She wanted to live.
Her knee knocked into a chair. Damn. She held still for a moment, praying he hadn’t heard the noise. She maneuvered around the chair in the dark and inched onward. Her barefoot touched the snake’s body and she kicked it out of the way. Gross.
She used her right hand to guide her. Stay calm. Don’t make any noise. Don’t wake the monster up. If he knew she’d gotten loose, he’d make her pay. She still didn’t understand his anger toward her and the other girls, but he’d made it clear he expected her to follow his rules. Escaping was not obeying. If he found out she’d tried to leave him, it would only give him an excuse to torture her further. The room wasn’t that big. Where the hell was the window? She knew there was a lamp on the table near the window. She would have to be careful when—