by Amy Rachiele
Bill drove with Jake next to him. Behind them sat Derek and Jen, both staring out of dark, opposite windows. After about an hour, Bill stopped at a gas station. We piled out to use the bathroom. There was only one. Jen and I found ourselves alone, waiting for Derek to come out.
“What was that all about back there?” I asked her.
“Oh, please,” she grunted. “I can’t believe he shows up in my life again. He made my childhood a living hell.” She tossed her hands up in disgust.
“What did he do?” I spoke quietly, hoping Derek couldn’t hear us through the door.
“Where do you want me to start?” she asked exasperated. “Let’s see.” She pretended to think hard. “Frogs between my sheets, Jell-O in my shoes, shaving my cat, scary noises outside my window...stealing my gum!” With each pronouncement, Jen became more agitated. I laughed hard at the stealing-gum part. Jake appeared behind Jen.
“I didn’t totally shave your cat. I just took some fur off his back side.” I think he was trying to be funny, but Jen regarded him with loathing.
Derek came out of the bathroom and dialed his phone again.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, taking one look at Jen, the phone to his ear while he was talking to us.
“Nothing,” Jen said, quietly cursing and shoving past him through the restroom door.
“What’s wrong with her?” he asked me. I shrugged. “Damn it!” he swore under his breath and tapped his phone off.
Jake stood next to me, silent and confused.
*****
The sun was rising in the distance. We really hadn’t come to a conclusion about what we were going to do. Jake and Bill spoke quietly up front while Will slept. I hoped they were coming up with a plan to end this huge mess. Not that I was in a hurry to get back to classes and my life. I hadn’t realized how boring my life was until I met Will. I always did the “safe” thing. I kept myself at a distance from everyone. But now...I couldn’t imagine my life without Will. It would be empty and sad. That said, being on Tommy’s most-wanted list wasn’t any fun.
I lifted my head from where it was tucked under Will’s arm, soaking in his features. His face was perfect. The bruises and swelling had gone away. I brushed my hand through his hair. He opened one eye, pulling my face to his, and he kissed me. I tried to pull away, embarrassed with all the people in the car, but he held firm, deepening the kiss. Once again, I was lost.
“Can you guys give us a break?” Jen chirped, not moving from her reclined position.
Strawberries pale in comparison to the red I turned. Jake snuck a look to the back of the van, then to Jen. I could see Bill’s eyes in the rearview mirror. Derek was the only one who didn’t move.
We pulled away from each other. Will rubbed my arm and smiled at me. He mouthed, “My angel,” to me. I smiled back shyly.
Bill called from the driver’s seat, “We’re almost there.”
“Thank God,” Jen said. “I hope this place has a shower.”
“Yeah, it does,” he replied. “And we can lay low until we figure this out.”
I didn’t want to spend another night in my jeans again. I thought back to that first night with Will and blushed. I was shocked when he had walked out of the bathroom in just his underwear. I giggled to myself, and Will caught me.
“What’s so funny?” he whispered.
“I was thinking about you coming out of the bathroom that first night on the run in only your boxers.” He tugged on me and laughed. “You were right...sleeping in jeans sucks,” I told him.
“No. Sleeping without you sucks,” he countered and kissed my cheek, saying softly in my ear “I can’t get enough of you.”
Passion flamed in my chest. I wished we weren’t shoved in this van full of people. Will brushed his hand across my hip, and making circles with his fingers on my stomach.
Bill took a left, and we coasted down a dirt path, similar to the one Will and I had traveled when we were in Maine.
“Where are we?” Jen asked.
“We’re in upstate New York,” Bill responded.
We drove down the path surrounded by thick trees. I heard some branches scrape the side of the van as we bounced down the narrow trail. At the end, we emerged to see a large, white farm house. The grass grew tall around the foundation. The view screamed haunted house, not safe house.
“What the hell? Couldn’t we have just gone to a hotel?” Jen complained bitterly, exasperated at the site of the looming, ominous structure.
“This one has fallen off the radar. The government doesn’t maintain it anymore.”
“So it just sits here?” Jen asked.
“Yeah, cut backs.” Jake responded.
Jen snorted in disgust.
Bill brought the vehicle to a stop right up at the front door. Derek slid the van door open, and we filed out onto the dirt and grass. The driveway had given way to dry grass that crunched under our feet. The boards of the porch creaked with each step.
Derek searched for a key hidden under the rickety porch. Will looked in the windows while we waited. Jen followed him. I stood at the threshold observing Jake as he carried Jen’s bag. He watched her closely as she talked with Will. Bill and Derek got the door open.
The house obviously hasn’t been used in a while. Thick layers of dust had settled on the surfaces of the furniture. The floors were hardwood and dirty with varied discolorations in the wood where rugs had been scattered.
“I’ll check upstairs,” Jake offered.
“I’ll go with you,” Derek said as he followed.
Bill, Jen, and I headed into the living room.
“I’ll check the kitchen,” Will called out as he walked towards the back of the house.
It appeared no one had been here in forever. The house had that lonely, abandoned feeling houses seem to get when the hustle and bustle of people become a distant memory.
Bill searched for the thermostat, then went to the cellar to fire up the hot water heater. It was cold and dank in the house. Even the air smelled old. Footsteps on the stairs announced Jake and Derek’s arrival back to the living room.
“All set upstairs,” Derek said. “There are four bedrooms and one bathroom.”
“One bathroom and a very sparsely stocked kitchen back here...some canned goods. Everything else is trash,” Will said as he came into the living room.
“Can I shower?” Jen whined. “I feel so gross.”
“Sure,” Jake spoke up. “I’ll take you upstairs and show you.”
“I think I can find it.” Jen walked passed him annoyed. It didn’t matter – Jake followed her anyway.
“You might want to wait for the water to heat up!” Bill called out to Jen from the bottom of the stairs as he emerged from the basement.
“Whatever!” she called back.
Bill shrugged his shoulders and stood with Will and me in the living room. Derek hung out in the hallway, distractedly watching the stairs Jake and Jen climbed.
“Understanding Matthew’s next move is the key if we’re going to figure out what to do,” Bill suggested.
“I think that I should go back by myself,” Derek said matter-of-factly as he came into the room.
“That’s crazy!” Will hollered. “We’re in this together!”
“I know, but someone needs to get some Intel. We shouldn’t walk in there blind. We need the facts.”
Derek was hiding something. I could sense it in his words and tone of voice. Will was irritated and worried. I felt that too. The whole situation was just plain dangerous, and the stakes were very high.
I dropped myself into a dusty chair, totally exhausted. I braced my head in my hands and balanced my elbows on my knees. As soon as the tips of my fingers rested on my forehead, the yelling started.
“Get the hell away from me!” Jen screamed. Jake tumbles down a couple of steps as a high-heeled shoe thunked on the landing at the bottom of the stairs.
“What is your problem?” Jake asked in a rumbling chuckle, w
ith one hand supporting himself on the railing.
“You! You are my problem!” Jen shrieked. Jake looked down at the shoe that missed him by mere inches.
“You took spiked heels with you? I don’t think those shoes are very sensible for being on the run.”
“Arrh!” Jen screeched a final time, and the second shoe bounced off Jake’s shoulder and crashed down on the steps.
Bill, Derek, and Will all turned to me. I rolled my eyes and released a long sigh.
Chapter 11
Kara:
Kara has no idea what time it is, but she assumes it is getting close to midnight. They always put her gag on at night. Tommy doesn’t want to hear her yelling for freedom or crying.
Kara hears giggling, female giggling. Her hopes soar thinking that just maybe she is being rescued or these people could help her. They are getting closer, and she can hear their voices coming towards the doorway.
“Whoops...I’m a little high!” one of them slurs.
Two girls stagger in from the “wherever” that is beyond this room. Kara doesn’t know anything about this old warehouse. She’s only seen where they keep her locked up...and the bathroom.
Mouse is leading the stumbling and laughing girls, encouraging them forward. Kara gets a good look at the girls, and, not only are they high, but they look as though they live on the streets.
Each girl is wearing a miniskirt that has seen better days with torn pantyhose. They look unwashed and tough underneath their tipsy and flirty exteriors.
The second girl stops short when she sees Kara, bound and gagged.
“What’s up with her?”
She waves her finger in Kara’s direction and wobbles as she walks forward. Mouse grabs her under the arm and leads her away towards the door on the back wall. Kara never sees anyone go in or out of that door.
“Ignore her. She’s into kinky shit,” he deadpans.
The first girl continues her trademark giggle. Kara takes the opportunity to struggle and pull at her bindings. She wants to shout on the top of her lungs, Liar! And then punch Mouse in the mouth.
“You got any more?” girl number one asks Mouse.
“Of course, ladies, follow me,” Mouse answers in a sickly sweet enticing voice.
The three of them exit through the mysterious door. It is made of metal, and it rattles and thuds as it closes.
*****
Joy:
Everyone decided it would be best to get a good night’s sleep, even though it was early morning. So we were going to nap and revisit this mess afterwards.
Will grasped my hand, pulling me to a standing position. He swung the backpack over his shoulder and led me up the stairs. We both carefully stepped over the shoes.
In a bedroom down the hall, Will opened the door and tugged me inside. He spun me around, kissing me long and hard.
“I’ve been wanting to do that...” he mumbled with heavy-lidded eyes.
“Didn’t you kiss me about thirty minutes ago?” I asked.
“Way to long...I want to kiss you all the time,” he smiled as he stepped away.
I looked in the closet for some clothes, reaching in to grab a long T-shirt, which I immediately hung back up. It smelled musty; the smell that fabric gets when it sits too long in an enclosed space. Everything here needed washing. Will wrinkled his nose as he pulled back the comforter on the bed.
“I think these sheets can walk by themselves,” he said in jest. He opened the backpack and pulled out the sleeping bag, unzipping it. He laid it over the stale sheets. Then he laid the blanket out over it.
“I’m going to go see if Jen brought anything I can sleep in.” I reach for the door handle.
“You don’t need anything,” Will says and waggles his eyebrows at me. “I’ll keep you warm.”
I flush at his statement, and continued to leave. I needed to use the bathroom and check on Jen.
The hallway was occupied by Jake who solemnly faced Jen’s door. In one hand, he held a pair of high-heeled shoes, and his other hand was lifted to knock. He turned towards me and shrugged his shoulders. I shook my head at him, letting him know I had no clue what her problem was. It dawned on me as I passed him.
“Maybe you should apologize...She seemed pretty upset about the cat.”
“I’ve tried,” he whispered. “She won’t listen to me.”
I decided to take the bull by the horns. And she could be a pretty tough bull. I knocked.
“Jen, it’s me. You okay? Open up,” I called to her.
The rusted door hinges creaked as Jen slowly opened her door. I put my face in her line of sight.
“Hi,” I said.
She visibly relaxed and opened the door wider for me. Jake popped his head around. Jen tried to slam the door, but I wedged my foot in it.
“Wait,” he said. “Just hear me out.”
“Traitor!” she yelled at me.
I walked away and headed for the bathroom. My work was done. I could hear the two of them arguing. Well, at least it’s a start...
I washed my face with the bar soap I found in a small cabinet behind the toilet. I ran the water until it got hot, which took forever. The soap was some cheap crap that was going to totally dry my face. It was the only thing I had, though, so I guess it was better than nothing.
I cupped my hands and splashed the warm water up over my cheeks. It felt glorious. I lathered up my hands and rubbed them over my face, scrubbing. I spattered my face with more water to rinse the soap off when the bathroom door opened.
“What’s taking you so long?” Will asked me. He was shirtless and barefoot, wearing only jeans.
I dried my face with a stale towel. “I had some things to stick my nose into.”
He tried to suppress a smile. Obviously, he was hiding some sick joke in response to my excuse of what was taking so long. I pursed my lips in disapproval.
“I’m learning how that mind works, Mr. Harrison,” I chastised.
“Really? You think you have me figured out?” he questioned as he stalked behind me.
I could see us both in the mirror. His eyes were heated and mischievous. He shocked me by running his hand along my side where my ribs met my bra. He squeezed me seductively. It sent a zing to my nether regions. He watched my reaction in our reflection. His lips dipped to my neck, and he gently bit. Passion flared in me, and I closed my eyes.
Before I realized it, we were halfway down the hallway to our room. The yelling from Jen’s room had quieted.
Will picked me up and placed me on the bed. He lay on top of me, supporting himself with his arms.
He ran his tongue along a sensitive part of my neck and chest, teasing and going really slow. My eyes fluttered shut, and I savored it.
He moved my shirt aside, stretching it to reveal my bra. He nipped me gently, and I bucked off the bed. He smiled at my reaction. I wasn’t sure if it made me want to punch him or ask him to do it again. My body was telling me to ask him to do it again.
I cradled his head and moved it back to encourage him. He got the picture...lusciously. He nipped and nuzzled me again and again. I shamefully enjoyed every minute of it. I reached my hand down and grasped his hard length. Suddenly, he was the one writhing and bucking. It was a powerful feeling. The power of our combined touching was enough to make me forget my name. This strange house could have fallen down around us, and I couldn’t have cared less.
Chapter 12
Derek:
Derek can’t stand it anymore. How can a father allow his child to swim around in the same water with sharks? He knows exactly what lurks at the high school!
He needs to find her and fast. Little did he know that, while he was messing around trying to save Joy and Jen, his beloved Kara was being abducted. His friend was beaten bloody and his own hands helped. He let his guard down, and now Kara is paying the price. There is an unwritten rule...never go for the boss’s daughter, especially, the crooked boss’s daughter.
Derek should have known something was
wrong. He hadn’t talked to her. But that wasn't unusual. They would go days without seeing each other or talking. It's just the way things had to be. He hated it, but he couldn't risk Kara. Now, it doesn't matter because now she is in the worst situation that he could ever imagine.
*****
Joy:
My eyes snapped open. Will and I fell asleep sandwiched together, and he was breathing next to my ear. I could hear the floorboards creaking, a person moving slowly outside our door, making my heart race. I got up to see who it was.
I opened the door a crack to peek out. Derek descended the stairs one at a time. He moved gingerly, trying not to make a sound. He turned and saw me, and his eyes casted a distant and desperate look. He held his finger to his mouth in the universal “be quiet” motion. I shook my head in question. I stepped forward towards him; he ignored me and continued his descent to the first floor. I followed.
“Go back to bed, Joy,” he ordered.
“Where are you going?” I whispered.
He tossed his bag onto the table and unzipped it. He walked to the kitchen and came back with a few small boxes, threw them in his bag and zipped it back up.
“What are you doing?” I entreated. He didn’t look at me, his eyes stayed fixated on packing up his stuff.
“Go back upstairs,” he commanded. “And don’t tell Will.” Derek meant business and was in complete Special-Secret-Agent-mode.
“Dude!” Will stood in the middle of the steps. He must have heard us. “Don’t tell me what?”
Derek ignored him and swung his bag over his shoulder as he took quick strides to the front door. Will jumped down the remaining steps to catch up with him.
“Stop,” Will called out. “What’s going on? Where are you going?”
“I’m leaving,” Derek responded callously.
Will placed his hand on the top of the door, attempting to keep it closed.