Animal grinned, leaned toward her, and licked the side of her face. She grimaced as his tongue lapped up her chin, across her cheeks, then over her lips, pausing at her nose. She felt her revulsion rise, fought the urge to gag and push him away. Animal's teeth nipped the tip of her nose playfully, like a lover. "Mmm. Tastes good. Never tried ripping a chick's nose off with my teeth before."
Tim laughed. "Remember… you fuck up, Animal will do it next time we get together."
"I won't fuck up," Lisa said, slightly defiant as Animal moved away from her and began inspecting his looks in the vanity mirror.
"Do you need both parties to sign to take money out of your account?" Tim asked.
"No." Lisa wiped Animal's saliva off her face with her palm in disgust and wiped her hands off on her jeans.
"Good. You are very lucky, my friend. Very lucky. What about your IRAs?"
"'They're individual IRAs, from our own separate retirement accounts," she said, reaching for her purse, checking to see if she had everything in place.
"'then what you're going to do is go to the teller and withdraw the money from your savings account, then you're going to tell them you want to cash out your IRA. They'll probably have you fill out a bunch of forms and shit, so that may take a while. Make sure you get everything you can out of the IRA; don't have them take any taxes out of it. You can eat that later. Just take your cash out of your savings account, fill out whatever forms you need for the IRA, get the money, and get the fuck back out here. How much is in your IRA?"
"Thirty grand."
"They'll probably hold back a few grand for penalties and shit. That only leaves us with eighty-five grand or so. What about your ring?"
Lisa looked at her wedding ring and began to pull it off her finger. It was a five-carat diamond ring, the stone set in a nice gold band. It had cost Brad almost six thousand dollars when he bought it for her three years ago, and she later had diamond studs embedded in the gold band. She pointed this out to Tim as she handed the ring to him. You could probably get ten grand for it if you sold it on consignment'
"Or half that if I just outright sold it to a jeweler." Tim inspected the ring, then pocketed it. "If you come out with the cash, well call it even. How's that sound?"
Tine." What else could she say? Especially when it was her and her unborn baby's life at stake?
"I expect you out of there in twenty minutes," Tim said. if you aren't back by then, I'll know there's trouble and then I'm gone. If-"
"But wait! What if-" Lisa protested, feeling her nerves rise.
"Don't interrupt me," Tim said, glancing at Animal. "If there's a big line, Animal will give me a ring on my cell phone." He tapped his index finger on a small cellular phone in his breast pocket. "He'll do that within a minute of the two of you walking in. But if I see anything funny going on, I'm gone, you understand me? I ain't waitin' around for Animal. He knows the protocol should he get picked up by the cops; he'll be clean."
Lisa listened in dread as Tim continued. He extracted his cellular phone from his shirt pocket. "Animal's got one of these babies." Animal grinned and patted his jeans pocket, indicating the bulk of a small cell phone. Animal knows that we're to be out of here in twenty minutes. If it looks like things are legitimately going to take longer, Animal will call me at the nineteen-minute mark to tell me that. If I don't get that phone call, you and your family are dog meat, you got me?"
Lisa nodded, swallowing a dry lump. "I got you."
"Just be cool, don't tip off the teller, pass her a note that you've been kidnapped, or any of that shit. You do, and Animal will know and he's out of there. You might not want to admit it, but having Animal by your side for the next thirty minutes is going to be very beneficial to you. Because you know what will happen if I see him come out of that bank and you aren't with him?"
"I know," Lisa said.
"Say it "
Lisa glared at Tim, her stomach churning. "Me and my family will be dog meat."
Tim chuckled. "Not just dog meat. Movie stars!" He laughed sickly. Lisa trembled at the sound of his laugh. It was the laugh of a man with no conscience.
"Okay!" Tim clapped his hands together. "Let's get this show on the road.*
Animal slid open the door of the van and Lisa followed him out, her heart accelerating as she tried to appear normal while at the same time trying to seek an avenue of escape that wouldn't end disastrously.
Fifteen
When they walked through the double glass doors into the cool interior of the Bank of America on Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach, Lisa felt her gut clench when she saw that the line to the tellers wasn't very long. Tim's threats weren't really getting to her now; if she had still been tied up, she might have been scared. Being untied and walking around was beginning to work on her selfesteem and at chiseling the fear away. Fuck Tim and his idle threats! So what if Animal ditched her and they left! So what if they had her address. She and Brad could go into hiding; she could identify all three of them; she could funnel money into getting an investigation started. She could have them caught quickly, she was sure of it. And just to play it safe, she would use her own connections in the legal profession to have her and Brad's identities changed. Nobody would find them. They would be safe.
When they entered the bank, Animal surveyed the interior then reached for his cell phone. He pressed a speed-dial button and said," twenty minutes tops! Then he hung up. He replaced the phone in his pocket. They walked together to the line that fed to the bank tellers, her mind working on overdrive. She knew exactly what she was going to do now. Forget the heroics. She was going to stand calmly with Animal in line. And when it was their turn, she was going to walk calmly to the next teller and tell him or her point blank that the man she was with had kidnapped her and was robbing her and please, would you press that silent alarm button now! Animal would probably fake a look of surprise-Whatever are you talking about, dear? And Lisa was going to let her instinct take over. She knew the teller would be able to see what was happening was the real deal, that this wasn't a joke. And then Animal would probably make a dash for the door and maybe security would stop him, maybe the police would arrive quickly and they'd get Tim and then-
They were the next customers up, and Lisa felt a sudden rush of adrenaline pour through her. This was going to work. She was sure of it. Everything was going to be fine. She allowed herself one small glimmer of courage, and then she felt the blade of a knife in her back as Animal put his arm around her from behind.
"Let me give you a friendly warning," he whispered casually in her ear. "I won't have this knife on you the entire time we're in this bank, but I will be at your side like the ever-faithful husband. And at the slightest sign of you making a break for it or calling for help, this knife comes out and I sever your spinal cord " She felt the blade pierce through her skin and she winced at the pain, feeling warm blood run down her back from the wound. She felt Animal's lips on her earlobe, his warm breath on her cheek. "And then I'm out of here before your body even hits the floor. And if you live, I'll know. And then the next time we see each other, we'll both be on Al's set and I'll be jamming this knife up your cunt. Do we have an understanding?"
Lisa nodded, trembling. She heard the female teller call her over, and then suddenly the blade was gone and she was walking toward the teller, Animal at her side and slightly behind her, his arm around her shoulders casually, a smile on his pensive, handsome features.
"How can I help you?" The teller was a small woman, maybe five feet one with delicate porcelain features, shoulder-length black hair and big brown eyes. She smiled at Lisa. The name on the badge pinned to her blouse identified her as Trish Lynn.
*I'd like to make two withdrawals, please," Lisa said, pushing the withdrawal slip she had filled out a moment before to the teller. Her voice sounded like it was coming from another dimension. "One from my savings account, the other from my IRA."
The teller looked at the withdrawal slip and her slim fingers danced o
n the keyboard of a computer terminal at her station. The teller's fingernails were impeccable; it looked like she'd had a manicure recently.
"You wish to close out your account with us at this time, Mrs. Miller?" the teller asked.
Lisa started; her mind was in a funk. The small of her back still stung from the knife wound, and she could feel the back of her shirt and her panties grow sticky with blood. She looked at the teller and blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Would you like to close out your account with us, Mrs. Miller?"'Ihe teller frowned slightly.
"Yes," Lisa said, trying to smile. "Yes, I would."
She felt a hand enfold hers and saw that it was Animal's; he was smiling at the bank teller. "We're both a little nervous about this, Ms. Lynn. My wife and I are relocating back east, and we plan to bank back there!
Mish nodded, seemingly indifferent. "You wanted to withdraw funds from your IRA as well?"
"Yes," Lisa said, forcing herself not to let her voice tremble. "Yes, I would."
"Do you have the account number?"
"Right here." Lisa fumbled for her purse and, with Animal's help, she presented Trish with the appropriate account number.
"You'll have to fill out some paperwork," 7Yish said, looking at her computer screen, then back at Lisa and Animal. "I can close your savings account here, then I'll have to direct you to our special accounts person for the IRA withdrawal. In fact, if you like, I can direct you to Mr. Walsh now. He'll help you fill out the appropriate paperwork, and when you're finished with him he can walk you back up here and I'll close out your accounts."
Lisa nodded aslYish stepped around to join them in line, leading them to the Special Accounts Desk. It seemed that the room was spinning as she was introduced to George Walsh, the special accounts person, and then she was sitting down at his desk, listening to him give his spiel regarding the early-withdrawal penalties that were incurred when you withdrew your money from an IRA too early. She nodded and told him she understood, then after asking her a few more questions he pushed some forms toward them, and she gave Animal a quick glance before she turned to fill out the forms. Animal smiled and gave her an encouraging nod. Playing the ever-faithful husband.
She filled out three different forms as Animal called Tim again to give him an EI'A, declined to have federal and state income taxes withheld, signed the forms, and handed them back to George Walsh, who looked them over quickly and tore copies out for her. "Right this way, Mr. and Mrs. Miller," he said.
They followed George Walsh back to 'Dish's window and waited while Trish finished tending to a customer. When the customer left, George nodded. 'they're ready," he told her.
Trish smiled. "Great' Lisa and Animal approached her window again while the teller consulted the paperwork George gave her, and Lisa's original withdrawal slip. "Will you excuse me for a moment?" she asked, leaving her post before Lisa could respond.
She's going to call the police! Lisa thought, her heart hammering wildly. She sensed something and she's going to call the police, they're going to catch Animal and Tim and this nightmare will be over and then-
Trish returned with another woman, this one in her late forties, probably a bank manager. She stood by as Trish reached into her cash drawer. "What denominations would you like your money in, Mrs. Miller?'
Lisa opened her mouth to answer, stunned that they still hadn't caught on. She tried to tell the woman how she wanted the money, but she couldn't. Then she heard Animal beside her, saying, "I think we'll take hundreds, Ms. Lynn."
And as Trish Lynn began counting out her and Brad's life savings and her entire IRA contribution minus penalties into Lisa's hands, the whole experience was becoming more and more like some strange nightmare that wouldn't go away.
Lisa didn't remember much of the ride to North Hollywood. She spent the first thirty minutes or so crying as she sat in the back of the van and Tim piloted them along the 405 Freeway, heading north. Animal sat across from her, eyeing her occasionally as he counted the money. He counted the money twice before transferring it to a small duffel bag that Tim had produced from the front seat. All Lisa could think about was a lifetime of work that had just been pissed away, a lifetime of work that she had handed to these two monsters because she'd been stupid enough to-
She wasn't going to go down that train of thought. She sniffed, ran her hand across her face, brushing the tears off her cheek.'IYaffic was already getting heavy as people began to get off work. Tim turned the radio to a classic rock station; Kansas blasted from the radio, followed by Journey and Boston. Tim turned the dial and found an oldies station specializing in R&B. Al Green's smooth tenor crooned from the speakers and Animal smiled, humming along. "Al Green… what a beautiful voice that man has," he said.
Lisa looked at him.'ihe idea that Animal found beauty in something was mind-boggling to her. She couldn't understand it-he was moved by the music of Al Green, thought it was beautiful, yet he was anticipating raping, torturing, and murdering a woman and her infant daughter. What was wrong here?
The drive to North Hollywood took close to an hour, but it felt like four. Through it all, Lisa thought about what could soothe the savage beast that lay within Animal's soul (Jeff, she thought, his name is Jeff), and possibly Tim's. She also tried to think of a way to stave off the inevitable: the abduction of Alicia and Mandy.
'!kinking of a way to save them fared no better than her plans to foil Tim and Animal at the bank. She still couldn't come up with anything plausible. There was still the possibility they wouldn't find Alicia. If that happened, Lisa was fighting tooth and nail to escape and stay alive. In fact, if they didn't find Alicia at the restaurant or along the street she claimed to have parked her car to sleep in, she was going to make a break for it. Come to think of it, why even go that far? Tim and Animal had no idea where Alicia was; they were depending on her to lead them to her. She could lead them to some other restaurant and then, as they circled the parking lot looking for her, she would take that opportunity to make a run for it.
Animal was watching her from the other side of the van, his green eyes studying her. Lisa refused to meet his gaze; it felt penetrating, as if he could see what she was thinking. It's probabty written all over my face, she thought.
One of her scenarios had her telling them where Alicia was, then finding her, then screaming bloody murder as she accompanied whomever it was she was going to be helping lure Alicia to the van. She saw Alicia make a run for it, carrying her baby as Lisa ran after her, urging her to run, goddamn it, run! She saw them being chased and then either a) Animal and Tim catching her and taking her down, but not before being rescued by bystanders, thus spoiling their murderous plans, or b) having Animal and Tim turn tail and run back to the van, escaping back to Al. In both cases, she saw them trying to carry out Al's earlier threat of tracking her down, but she already had plans for that. She and Brad were going to change their identities as she had planned back at the bank. That was the ticket.
She tried to stay calm as 79m reached Interstate 5. She was just going to have to play this one by ear. But she was damned if she was going to let them take Alicia and Mandy without a fight. "You said Burbank Boulevard near the IKEA, right?" Tim asked.
Lisa knew she couldn't lie; she had already told them where she and Brad had run into Alicia. Part of her had hoped Tim had forgotten this. "Yes," she said, with a sinking sense of dread.
"We'll be there in fifteen minutes," 71m said.
They were silent during the remaining fifteen minutes of the drive. Lisa felt her body go leaden as they approached the exit, felt the dread solidify and become a hot, squirming thing in her gut as they exited Burbank Boulevard and headed west. Animal was looking out the windshield, and he pointed ahead of them. "Coco's is on the right," he said. Tim nodded and merged to the right lane, slowing down to enter the restaurant's parking lot. Lisa felt her heartbeat speed up, felt her face grow flush with adrenaline as they cruised through the parking lot. She was trying to look out the windshield to se
e if she could catch a glimpse of Alicia, but she couldn't be sure. There were people all over the place; the restaurant was housed in a busy strip mall that also included a supermarket, a drugstore, and several smaller businesses. Tim drove the car to the rear of the restaurant and slid into a parking space. He killed the engine. "I thought I saw a woman standing near the restaurant who looked like the woman we're looking for," he said. "I'm going to back up and cruise by slowly so you can get a look at her. If that's the chick, tell me. And don't lie to me, 'cause I'll know. Shit, I don't even know why I'm telling you to ID her for me. She'll probably have her kid with her."
Lisa didn't say anything. Her mind was racing a mile a minute. It's going to be now. It's going to happen now, and I'm going to have to put up the fight of my life.
Tim motioned to Animal. "I want you to go with her. And we'll do what we talked about, okay?"
Animal nodded, his face showing no emotion.
Tim turned back to Lisa. "You and Animal are going to go out to see if the chick I saw standing outside the restaurant is Alicia. If it is, Animal will know-she'll most likely have her kid with her. If it's her, you and Animal are going to go up to her and this is what you're going to tell her." He told her, and Lisa felt nervous. It sounded so perfect, a plan masking altruism at its best. She held her emotions in and nodded as Tim regarded her. "We'll take care of the rest. Got it?"
Lisa nodded. She looked out the windshield. "And what if the woman isn't Alicia?"
"We'll drive around," Tim said. "We'll drive down that street you mentioned, then we'll hit the YWCA. If we don't find them at either place, it's over." He smiled at her. "The game ends!
Lisa heard what he was saying but didn't feel the implications. She understood them-they would take her back to that lonely mountain cabin by force and kill her slowly in front of the camera-but she didn't let their threats affect her. She had gone beyond that. She had gone beyond feeling scared.
Survivor Page 12