Starting Over (Starting Over 1

by Kathy O'Rourke

  Then it happens. The branch breaks, my feet slip, and I lose my grip on the trunk. I end up on my ass about ten feet from one the Car Guys. “Shit.”

  “There you are. Ain’t you a pretty little thing.” He pulls me up off the ground and wipes some of the ants off my arms.

  “Let me go.” I try to twist and get away, but he has a firm hold of my arm.

  “Sorry, sweetheart, you need to come with me.”

  “Get your hands off me, Asshole.” I sneer and try again to jerk my arm out of his hands. He’s too strong. Next, I kick at the bulge in the front of his jeans, but he’s quick and moves out of the way.

  “Listen, you need to stop it. I ain’t gonna hurt you.” He shouts out, “I found her,” and starts pulling me toward the gate.

  “Please, leave me alone. I don’t want to go with you. Please.” I dig my feet into the ground, but it does me no good.

  “Sorry, but you have to. Our boss said to bring him any women we find.”

  “Why?”

  He chuckles as he pushes me forward. “What are you dumb or something? You know why.”

  A burly guy with a beer belly so big his pants ride down under it, comes into the yard. His breathing is labored, and he’s covered in sweat. I guess he doesn’t like running. He gives me a devilish smile. “Well, well, will you look at her.” He runs his dirty hands down my side and pinches my ass.

  I spit in his face. “Get your filthy hands off me.”

  He raises his fist but the guy holding my arms pulls me away before the big guy can take a swing. “Thomas, fucking stop it. You know Marco said not to touch the woman. You got a death wish or something?”

  Thomas wipes my spittle off his face. “It’s not fair, Eddie. Why does Marco get the woman?”

  “Cause he’s the boss. And cause, he’ll kill us if we disobey.” Eddie answers him.

  They drag me to their car, secure my hands and legs with zip ties and throw me in the trunk. Once on my back, Thomas runs his hands over my breasts and squeezes my nipples through my shirt. “Maybe Marco will share her after he’s done.”

  “Yeah, right” Eddie snickers back at him. “Dream on.”

  Thomas sneers at me as he closes the trunk. “Might want to rest up, pretty lady. You’re gonna need your strength.”

  I maintain a tough face for the two idiots but once the lid closes and I’m alone, it’s crying time. Yeah, I know I blew it getting caught, but I don’t regret my decision to save the kids and Mala. I whisper a prayer. “Please God, don’t let anything happen to the others.”

  They drive like they’re in a damn race. The brakes squeal as they round corners and the muffler rattles underneath me. I guess they want to get me back to their place as soon as possible. Impress the boss. Stay alive. Stupid bastards. I feel like a pinball in a bumper game. My head smacks the hood every time the car bounces and the exhaust fumes leaking into the trunk are horrible. I hope I don’t die before we get there.

  I know what’s gonna happen to me. I’m no idiot. Marco already told me what he wants me for. Sure, I’m not a virgin but I’ve never be forced before. Sex has always been consensual. But with Marco? He’s gonna take what he wants. Should I fight him? If I do, he’ll hurt me, smack me around and still take what he wants. I won’t be able to escape if I’m hurt too badly. I should just let him take me. Just lay there like a log and let him do his thing. I’ll bide my time and look for a way to escape.

  “I can do this. I will do this.”

  But if he tries to share me with his crew? I’ll fight.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Hank

  Up on the Garcia’s roof, Gus, Leo and I are busy making a sniper’s hide out of sandbags when our walkie talkies go off. “They made good time.”

  “This is Five. Bologna. Salami,” It’s Michael and Cindy’s crying in the background.

  We stop what we’re doing and listen.

  Michael continues. “Not at Boardwalk. Number one is gone. Six, Seven and Eight with me. Over.”

  “He sounds scared,” Gus says as he adds a sandbag on top of the others.

  “Yeah, he does. But what’s he saying?” I reach in my pocket for our code list.

  “I know what he’s saying.” Leo snaps. “They’re in trouble and need help. They’re not at Mala’s yet and Shelley is gone. Everyone else is together.”

  Michael says it again, this time we hear him sobbing. “Number one is gone. I repeat. One is gone. Over.”

  Oh no, not Shelley. How? Why? I click my walkie talkie. “What happened to number one? Over.”

  “The CGs. Over.”

  The car guys!!! “Fuck, this wasn’t supposed to happen.” I sink to my knees. This is my fault. What a huge tactical mistake thinking the Car Guys would be at their base and not out on the road. “Fuck!”

  That Marco guy has my Shelley. My mind fills with pictures of the nasty things he’s gonna do to her. I punch the sandbag pile shoving them out of line. “If he hurts her, I’ll kill him.”

  “And I’ll help you, brother.” Gus puts his hand on my shoulder.

  “Me too, Hank, but first we need to save Mala and the children.” Leo adds.

  Gus hands me a bottle of water. “Hank, we need to find out where Mala and the kids are.”

  Leo grabs the walkie talkie out of my hand. “I’ll find out.” He keys the mike, “Number Five, where are you? Over.”

  “Wait a minute. Over.” Michael tells us.

  “I’m sure Michael is being fed what to say by Mala.”

  Gus interrupts Leo. “Smart. Not putting Mala on the line. The Car Guys won’t know there’s another woman. Real smart.”

  Leo finishes his thought. “I bet Mala’s trying to figure out how to tell us where they are in code.”

  After a few minutes, Michael comes back on the line. “We’re eating donuts near the Clown restaurant. Over.”

  “Hold, number five. Give us a minute. Over.” Leo tells him.

  Gus beams a smile. “I bet the clown restaurant is McDonalds.”

  I need to get my head back in the game. I force myself to pay attention and participate. “I agree. They’re at a donut shop near a McDonalds. But what street? Which one?”

  Leo keys the mike. “Number five, are you close to Boardwalk? Over.”

  There’s another pause that seems a hell of a lot longer than the first one. “Number 7 says it’s on the way to Boardwalk. Take R. Over.”

  Leo gives us a thumbs-up. “I’ve got it. They’re at a donut shop near McDonalds off Roscoe Blvd on the way to Mala’s house.”

  Gus and I both nod in agreement.

  I grab my walkie talkie back. “Need another minute, number five. Hold. Over.”

  There’s only three of us, how are we doing to handle this? Then I offer the only idea I have. “Gus, will you find them and drive them to Mala’s house. You can’t stay there though, we’re gonna need you back here.”

  Gus shakes his head in a negative way. “Sure, I can go get them, but can we trust Mala with the kids? We don’t know her that well.”

  Leo looks pissed and sneers at Gus. “She’s good people. The kids will be just fine.”

  “Okay, okay. I was just checking.” Gus concedes.

  I key the mike. “Number four will join you. Save him a chocolate one. Over.”

  Leo nudges the pile of sandbags back into a straight line. “Just to be safe, don’t drive all the way back here. Park several blocks away and sneak in.”

  “Let’s send extra supplies. We don’t know if the bastards took theirs.” I move to the ladder and start to climb down. “Gus, get a case of water. Leo get dog food. I’ll get food and clothes for the kids.”

  After we’ve put the new supplies in the van, Gus leaves.

  Leo and I watch him drive down the street. Leo tells me, “Don’t worry about Mala. She’ll take care of the kids.”

  “I know. The kids will be fine with her and they’re safer away from here. It’s Shelley I’m worried about.” I turn and head
for the house. “Let’s go load extra magazines.”

  “I’ll collect the ammo from the other houses and meet you inside.”

  The house feels hollow. I used to like being alone, but I’ve grown used to the noise of a full house.

  Opening the fridge, I take out most of the ammo and empty magazines and get to work. I’m on my third one when Leo comes through the door, sits down and starts loading.

  Leo is an enigma. He pretends to be uneducated and just a good old boy but he’s much more than that. “Level with me, Leo, tell me how you know about codes, guns, and military procedure.”

  “Why do you think I know more?” he responds like a jack ass.

  “Don’t fuck with me. There’s more to your story than you’ve told us.”

  “Why are you asking me now?”

  “Cause, I need help figuring out how to get Shelley back. I need someone who can help me plan.”

  He doesn’t answer just plugs cartridges in magazines, but I can almost see his brain working. Finally, he takes a big breath and says, “I don’t share this with many people, but I’ll level with you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “My father was a Marine Brigadier General. I attended military boarding schools from the age of eight on. He wanted me to be an officer just like him, carry on the family name. I went to The Citadel and majored in Intelligence and Securities.”

  “Wow, The Citadel… that’s the best military college in the country.”

  “Yeah it is. I worked hard, went to school year-round and graduated at twenty-one. After graduating I begged my father for a break, a little time to let down my hair. He allowed me the summer off before joining the Marines.” He snickers and shakes his head. “Well, I went overboard. I drank too much, screwed too much and bought a Harley my father didn’t know about.”

  “Sounds like a great summer.”

  “It was until I had an accident that left me with a brain injury, a metal plate in my head and a DUI. I failed the military physical. It pissed my father off and he hasn’t spoken to me since.”

  “Wow. I get it now. He never forgave you?”

  “Nope, but I’ve been lucky. I had my MC family and now I have this family.” He hesitates, then adds, “I’ll do whatever’s necessary to get Shelley back to us.”

  “I know you will. And thanks for trusting me with your story.”

  My walkie talkie squawks. “This is number four. I’m enjoying my chocolate donut. Over.”

  “Excellent. Over.”

  “On our way to Boardwalk. ETA is twenty. Over.”

  Leo keys his mike. “Call again when you arrive. Over.”

  “Will do. Four out. Over.”

  Leo stands. “Getting a water. Want one?”

  “I’d rather a shot of whiskey.”

  “Whiskey it is.” Leo chuckles as he goes to the kitchen and get the bottle of Jameson’s down from above the refrigerator. “With a water chaser.” He brings the bottle, two shot glasses and two waters over to the table. “I think it would be wise to only have one shot, we need our wits about us.”

  “Agreed.” I pour the shots and hold up my glass. “To getting the bastards.”

  “I’ll drink to that.” Leo says as he clinks my glass.

  After chugging my shot, I tell him, “I thought about taking a prisoner tonight and making a hostage exchange, but that won’t work. Marco doesn’t value his men; he’d never trade Shelley back.”

  “I agree. But, I have another idea. It’s risky but it should work.”

  “What.”

  “I go undercover. Let them find me and recruit me. Then I work from the inside on an escape plan.”

  “I like the idea, but it should be me going undercover, not you.” I tell him as I pour us each another shot.

  Leo laughs and downs it. “No. Not you.” He gets serious and looks me in the eye. “We both know what he wants her for. We can’t get there in time to stop it from happening and it will take time to work out an escape plan. Can you honestly say, you could sit there and watch him use her?”

  Damn, he’s right. “You’re right it will be damn hard but what can we do? You’re too hurt to go undercover, and we can’t wait. It has to be me.”

  He puts his hand on my shoulder. “Brother, I can still go undercover even if I’m hurt.”

  “No. Chances are they’ll think you’re too hurt or weak and just kill you. It has to be me.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Shelley

  I thought I was ready for them pulling me out of the trunk.

  I was wrong.

  When the car finally stops, and the engine turns off, I know it’s only minutes before I’ll be in front of Marco. The car shakes as the doors open and it takes everything inside me not to scream.

  The trunk pops open and Thomas leers down at me. “Girlie, girlie. You are one hot woman.” He gives a devilish laugh and grabs my crotch, rubbing his fingers against me hard. “Time to give this to Marco, sweet meat.”

  “Fucking stop it, Thomas. Leave her the hell alone.” Eddie pushes him away from me. “Idiot! What makes you think she won’t tell Marco you groped her? You got a death wish?”

  “Maybe, but if I got to do her first, I could die a happy man.” Thomas quips as he sticks his tongue out at me and wiggles it in a disgusting way.

  “You really are an ass.” Eddie tells him as he lifts me out of the trunk and throws me over his shoulder.

  I can’t see anything except the ground and Eddie’s pants as he climbs the steps into a building. His foots steps sound loud on the travertine tile floor. After a few steps, he puts me down and props me up in a chair. “Stay put.”

  “Like I can go anywhere with my legs and arms zip-tied.”

  Eddie puts his fingers to his lips and ordered me to shush.

  I’m in a foyer, a grand one, with what looks like a twenty-foot domed ceiling and a massive crystal chandelier hanging in the middle. There’s also a rounded staircase that reminds me of Gone With The Wind and a large opening leading to a parlor of some kind. Looks like the Car Guys took the gilded route; they confiscated some dead millionaire’s mansion. But, where are we? We didn’t travel long enough to go over the hill to Beverly Hills. I assume we’re someplace south of Ventura Boulevard, the rich section of the valley.

  Thomas throws me a kiss and runs up the stairs. “I’ll get Marco.”

  Eddie looks around before speaking to me. “Listen, if you play your cards right, Marco will be good to you. Do yourself a favor and play nice.”

  “What happens if I don’t?”

  “He won’t kill you, but he’ll make your life miserable and take what he wants anyway. Be smart.”

  “Thanks for the advice.”

  Thomas appears at the top of the stairs with another man. And from the smile on his face, it must be Marco. His thin angular face sports a full mustache and beard and his reddish-brown hair is pulled back in a ponytail. He’s a good-looking man but looks can be deceiving.

  “Well, well, if it isn’t my friend, Shelley. Nice of you to come visit me.”

  Wait, I never told them my name; maybe I can fool them into thinking I’m someone else. “My name’s Tammy not Shelley.”

  He laughs and then tsk, tsks me. “Oh Shelley, I know better than that.” He holds up my driver’s license and reads from it. “Shelley Browning. The picture isn’t too bad for a driver’s license.” He sticks it in his pocket and grabs my chin digging his fingers in hard. “Do. Not. Lie. To. Me. Again.”

  “Okay, I won’t.” I lie to him. Of course, I will.

  “Untie her.” He points at Eddie.

  Eddie takes a knife out of his boot and cuts the zip ties off my arms and legs.

  “Stand up, Princesa. I want to get a good look at you.” Marco makes his first demand.

  I say a silent prayer. “God, give the courage to do this, please,” then I stand. My knees wobble but I pull it together and stand straight and proud. I will not let him see me weak.

  He
takes my arm and leads me to the middle of the foyer. “Stand here, please.”

  My back straight, my hands in white-knuckled fists at my sides, I look stiffly ahead as he walks around me, inspecting me like I’m a race horse he wants to buy.

  From behind me, he says, “Very nice ass,” and runs his hand from my waist down over my butt cheeks. He touches my hair. “Too short for my liking, but it will grow.” He moves to my front and runs his fingers lightly over my lips. “I bet these will feel mighty good on me.” He grabs his crotch in a Michael Jackson impersonation. My breasts are next, he cups them. “Gonna loves sucking on these.” He leans in and whispers in my ear. “I’ll wait till we’re alone to do the rest.”

  He laughs and smacks Thomas and Eddie on their backs. “You did real good. You will be rewarded. Thank you.”

  Marco grabs my hand and pulls me toward the stairs. “Come along, Princesa, we have important things to do.”

  Upstairs, he turns right and takes me down a long hall, opening the last door on the left. It’s a huge bedroom suite with its own sitting room that has built-in bookshelves and a fireplace. It would be a beautiful room if the smell of urine and feces didn’t fill it. The pig has obviously been using the toilet without putting water down it.

  I put my hand over my nose and almost gag.

  Marco laughs at my reaction. “You’ll get used to it.”

  I can’t help myself, I snap at him. “Why don’t you carry buckets of pool water up here and use it to flush?”

  He looks angry for a second, then laughs. “Now why didn’t any of us think of that?” He walks out of the room and shouts down the hall. “Somebody bring me a couple of buckets of water.”

  “Sit down.” He points at the couch in the sitting room. His face softens, and he smiles. “Please.”

  Please? He seems different somehow, almost polite.

  He sits on the coffee table right in front of me; his knees touch mine. “It’s only fair that the Boss gets the woman. You belong to me now and as long as you show me respect, I will treat you well.” He pets my hair. “You are beautiful.”

  I pull my head away from his hand. “But, I have my own life. I don’t want to be here.”