Jake sat thinking hard. Dan was right, he had to consider where Victoria was going. That way, he could try and save precious time. The worst place was his home, but there was no way Victoria would go there, considering there were always far too many people hanging around. He scrapped that idea. His mind kept drawing blanks, he couldn’t seem to think past his fear. Breathing deeply, he tried to still his thumping heart, but it was hard to calm down when he knew the woman he loved was in terrible danger.
Suddenly they heard Kerry shouting to them from outside. “Hold on guys, we’ll get you out.” There was the sound of the breaks being released and the dumpster was pushed out of the way. Stepping out onto the dimly lit street, Jake saw Kerry and the sheriff roll the dumpster to its original position and set the breaks.
“Any word?” he asked the sheriff.
“Sorry son,” he shook his head regretfully. “You really should have waited for me and my men. This might have been avoided.”
“I can’t see how,” Jake snapped. “She had Laura tied up with a noose around her neck and a knife at her throat. How would you have fared any better than us?”
Kerry stepped between the men, holding up her hands before the sheriff could retaliate. “That hardly matters now. We have to find Laura. Where would Victoria go?”
A thought came into Jakes head, like a gentle breeze, as if someone whispered into his ear. He shivered at the feeling, then froze. “I know where she’s gone!” he cried, taking off towards his truck. Dan followed hot on his heels, with the sheriff yelling behind them and taking up the rear.
Jake called himself every name he could think of. How could he have not thought of his and Kerry’s favourite place? The one he always went to when he needed solace. It contained such special memories for him. If Victoria wanted to hurt him that was the place she would choose.
*****
Laura tried to shift her position in the trunk of the car but it was impossible to move in such a cramped space. She wanted the journey to end so she could stretch out the pains in her body, but then she wanted it to go on until she was found. Laura couldn’t bear to think of what lay at the end of this journey. She had no idea where they were heading, but she hadn’t heard much traffic of the road. Every time she did hear a car go by, she wished there was some way she could communicate with the driver, so they would know something was wrong. It was the worst feeling to hear someone so close that could help her, but they had no idea she was even there.
Tears slipped down her cheeks, despite her best efforts to stop them. She hated to think what a mess she must look right now, but then did it really matter. Breathing had become hard with the pain in both her throat and her ribs. She wondered if Victoria had broken anything when she’d kicked her earlier.
Laura wished she’d been able to talk to Jake before she’d been forced to leave him. She’d wanted to be able to tell him that no matter what happened it wasn’t his fault. She didn’t want him to fall apart, especially as that was what Victoria wanted. She needed Jake to be strong and to live his life to its fullest. She wanted him to always be happy.
She sniffed, wondering if she would ever have the chance for the future she’d been dreaming of with Jake. She shifted as much as she could, trying to touch the ring he’d bought her. More than anything, she’d wanted to marry him. She closed her eyes and dreamed, thinking of the dress she would wear. They would get married on the ranch, she decided. She wanted the horses to be present in the pasture, especially Charger. She could see the beautiful marquee they would have and hear the music they’d play for their first dance. And she could feel their first kiss as husband and wife.
She was jolted out of her fantasy as the car came to an abrupt stop. Fear rose up in her, almost choking her. They’d arrived!
She could hear Victoria getting out of the driver’s side and her heart beat began to race. Would she even have a chance to defend herself? She had to find a way to slow things down, so that maybe someone could find her. Was Jake even free from the shed he’d been imprisoned in? She hoped and prayed that somehow he was coming for her.
The trunk of the car opened and Victoria’s evil face peered in. “We’re here,” she announced cheerfully, as if she’d taken Laura to some wonderful place for a picnic. She grabbed the rope of the noose and gripped Laura under her arm, pulling her up. Laura cried out in pain, her arms feeling as if they were being stuck with knives. She collapsed onto the ground the minute her feet touched the grass. Her legs had no feeling left in them from the cramped position they’d been forced into for so long.
“Get up!” Victoria snarled. “I won’t be delayed. On your feet!” She yanked on the rope. Laura gasped, stumbling to her feet as fast as she could. She tried not to fall again, as her numb legs began to tingle with the blood filling them back up again. Painful needles pricked all over her limbs as she tried to keep up with Victoria.
She looked around her, recognition flowing through her. Jake had brought her here the time he’d wanted to make up with her after their row about Dan. It seemed like another lifetime now. Shadows covered the path they were walking down. She could hear the faint sound of the small waterfall as they approached.
Victoria tugged her along, setting a rapid pace through the trees. Laura wondered if she would ever see another day. She tried not to let defeat overcome her, but she could see no way that she would be able to defend herself. They came out into the clearing she and Jake had sat in together, the serene beauty of the place now seeming isolated. Where it had filled her with such soothing calm before, now it seemed to enclose her like a tomb. Nobody was within hearing distance. It made no difference if she screamed. No one could come.
Victoria led her to the very tree that she and Jake had sat beneath, pushing her down onto her knees in the soft grass and tied the rope end to a low handing branch. Laura closed her eyes wondering how long she had left. “Please,” she begged. “Don’t do this, I beg of you. You know that you’ll be caught don’t you? You won’t get away with this. It’s murder!”
“A life for a life!” Victoria yelled, her voice echoing across the rocky glade and bouncing back at them. “My life was ruined, now it’s his turn. You have to die. I don’t care what happens after that. Knowing he’s broken beyond repair will make it all worth it.”
“What about Walter?” Laura tried again. “You both still have each other right now. If you do this, you probably won’t see him again.”
Victoria turned her back to Laura, gazing out at the water fall. “I’m not stupid. He’ll go to jail if they have caught him. I won’t see him anyway.” She fell silent, as if lost in her own little world.
Suddenly, to Laura’s amazement, the rope around her hands started to slip away. She felt it slither to the ground in a pool across her legs. Her heart missed several beats, as she pulled her arms forward, biting back the groan of pain the movement caused her. Trying to quickly but quietly rub the feeling back into her arms, Laura kept a close eye on Victoria, in case she began to turn back around. How the ropes had come undone, she had no idea and was too grateful right now at her good fortune to really care. Finally she had a shot at saving herself.
She began to work at the noose around her neck with stiff fingers. Surprisingly, the knot worked free quite easily. She tossed the rope from around her neck, contemplating what she should do. Run at Victoria or away from her?
Before she could decide what the better course of action was, Victoria turned around. Catching sight of Laura free from her bonds, she screamed in fury, whipping her knife out from her boot. Laura wasted no time in running for cover, her heart slamming in terror in her chest. She crashed through the trees, but in her panic she realised she’d headed in the wrong direction. Instead of making her way to the parking area and the road, she was heading further into the forest.
She could hear Victoria pounding behind her. Fear gave her feet wings as she darted in and out of the trees, trying to find an escape route. The darkness surrounding her made it hard to see whe
re she was going. Her ribs began to burn from her injuries and breathing became hard. She had to find somewhere she could hide. She ran along the solid rock wall, looking around wildly for salvation. She suddenly spotted a small opening in the rock face ahead of her. She’d nearly missed it entirely, but something had glinted, catching her eye.
Quickly and as quietly as she could, Laura made for the opening, squeezing herself inside. She found herself in a small cave with a low ceiling. Crouching down, she tried to catch her breath, her ribs beginning to really hurt. She put her hand to her side, hoping that she’d shaken Victoria off for good and rescue would be there soon. Her head spun and for a moment she was afraid she was going to faint.
“I will find you little wren,” she heard Victoria shout from outside. Her voice was so close, Laura’s heart tripled its beat. She clamped a hand over her mouth, trying to quiet the sound of her breathing. She was being irrational, she knew. But somehow she couldn’t shake the terror of Victoria hearing her and finding her hiding place.
The sound of twigs snapping outside made her jump. Her body shook so badly, she had to tighten the hand at her mouth to stop her teeth from chattering. Petrified sobs threatened to work their way out of her throat. She swallowed hard, tears spilling down her cheeks. A soft sound brought Laura’s head snapping up.
“Peek-a-boo,” Victoria laughed with bone chilling coldness from the cave entrance. Laura screamed, lunging to the side and narrowly missing the knife that plunged down at her. “Did you really think you could hide away in here? I already knew about this place. It’s not that much of a secret around here.”
Laura backed up, but there was really no place to run in the tiny space. Victoria made sure she stayed between Laura and the exit. Her heart pounding in her chest, Laura kicked out as Victoria lunged for her again. She managed to clip Victoria’s wrist but didn’t manage to loosen her grip on the knife. The blade slid along Laura’s leg, leaving a thin trail of blood in its wake. Victoria crowed in delight, spurred on by the sight of Laura’s injury. She renewed her attack, raising both hands straight down at Laura’s chest, the knife clasped tightly in her grip.
Laura grabbed hold, trying desperately to stop the downward movement that would end her life. Victoria’s strength was terrifying. Laura had no idea how long she could hold the woman, her arms already shaking with the effort. Trying to calm her panic and think, she remembered a move she’d once seen on a movie several years back.
Stepping to one side, she used her hip to knock Victoria off centre, twisting their hands down to bring the knife out of harm’s way. Breaking her hold on Victoria’s wrists, Laura kicked her forcefully in her butt. Screaming with rage, Victoria spun around, lost her footing and fell to the cave floor. There was a sickening sound as she landed, as if she were gargling liquid before silence fell.
Shaken, Laura stood frozen against the side of the cave wall. Victoria didn’t move. She didn’t even twitch. Horrified, Laura inched slowly towards where Victoria lay. Reaching out a shaking hand, she slowly gripped Victoria’s shoulder and rolled her over. She choked back a cry, closing her eyes against the staring, twisted features of the very dead Victoria, a knife sticking out of her chest where she’d landed on it as she fell.
Laura lurched backwards, diving for the entrance of the cave. She stumbled out into the forest, nausea rising swiftly in her stomach. Hunching over, she threw up, retching long after her stomach had emptied its contents. Wiping her mouth with the hem of her top, she wished she had something to rinse her mouth out. She stumbled through the trees with no idea where she was going. She only hoped she’d somehow reach the road or some sign of people.
Over and over again, all she could see in her mind’s eye was Victoria’s dead body. A sob worked its way from deep inside. She hadn’t wanted the woman dead. She had simply wanted to stop Victoria from killing her. Now she had someone’s death on her conscience. She wondered how she was going to be able to cope with living with that memory.
It took several moments before the sound of distant voices calling her name, penetrated her daze. Stopping, she listened her heart pounding. Finally she recognised Jake’s voice. She opened her mouth and screamed his name, wanting nothing more than to be in his arms, safe and sound.
She heard crashing through the trees as he thundered towards her. “Keep shouting to me sweetheart. I need to hear where you are,” came his wonderful heaven sent voice. Laura shouted his name, calling to him over and over again until suddenly he burst from the trees. Running to her, he swept her into his arms, holding her close as she sobbed out her ordeal. She didn’t even notice when Dan and the Sheriff arrived close behind Jake. She simply clung to the man she loved and who she’d thought she’d never see again.
Finally, as she began to calm down, Jake pulled back. He smoothed her hair back from her injured face, gently avoiding her bruises. He checked her over with his gaze. “Where are you hurt?” he asked frantically, running his hands over her body.
“My ribs hurt,” she said quietly. “Victoria went crazy back at the shed and she kicked me in them. I’m not sure if anything is broken. Apart from that, I think I’m just bruised mainly.” She touched her hand to her injured leg. “Oh and she caught me with the knife……” She trailed off, her eyes going vacant.
Jake closed his eyes against the trauma he could see in her expression. “We’ll get you to the hospital and have you checked over,” he promised. She nodded vaguely. He hated to have to ask her in the face of her ordeal, but they had to know. Gulping hard, he braced himself for her reaction.
“Sweetheart, where is Victoria?” he asked her softly, worry colouring his voice.
Laura closed her eyes against the horror of what had happened. She knew she had to tell them. She couldn’t just leave Victoria laying there, unseen to. “She’s in a small cave, somewhere around here,” she whispered at last. “She had a knife and she was trying to kill me. I thought I could hide in there from her, but she found me. We fought and she……….oh God Jake, she’s dead!” she sobbed out, collapsing against his chest.
He held her close, rocking her backwards and forwards as if she was a small child. He glanced at Dan and the Sheriff, shaking his head when the Sheriff looked like he wanted to question Laura further. “Not yet,” he mouthed.
The man nodded acceptance. He took out his radio and called for back-up. They would need to retrieve Victoria’s body as soon as possible. Jake picked Laura up in his arms and carried her swiftly through the forest, heading back to the parking area. She clung to him, her arms holding onto him so tightly she was nearly choking him, but he didn’t care. He knew she needed the comfort and support right now and he was determined to give it to her.
“It’s alright now sweetheart, everything is going to be okay,” Jake crooned to her comfortingly. She continued to cry into his chest, soaking his skin with her tears. He gave a worried glance to Dan who was walking swiftly beside them, texting Kerry to let her know they’d found Laura alive.
They exited the forest at last and climbed into Jake’s truck with Dan driving. Jake held Laura close, closing his eyes and sending up a prayer of thanks that she’d been the one to live through the confrontation. He felt himself shudder at the horror of all they’d been through. He wondered if he’d ever know the truth of why Victoria and Walter had put them through this. He drew his Laura against him, looking at her pale bruised face. He’d almost lost her today. His body began to shake. He wasn’t sure how they’d survived, but he’d thank God for the miracle every day of his life.
*****
Lotta and Flo stood silently above the dead body of Victoria. Sadly, they stood vigil until someone came to take her away.
“Why do some mortals turn so bad Lotta?” Flo asked, her usually jubilant nature very reserved for once.
“It is hard to say. It is different for each person. Sadly Victoria never let herself see the truth of her father or the reason her life really turned so bad. She let her anger and bitterness twist her into someth
ing evil.” Lotta patted Flo comfortingly on the shoulder.
“Didn’t she have a fairy godmother?” Flo asked bewildered. “She seems to have ended up a forgotten child. Was nobody there to watch over her?”
Lotta sighed. “There is only so much a fairy godmother can do, remember. A person has to be receptive to our help. Victoria would have been blessed at birth with a gift and a fairy godmother, but as the years went on, she no longer wanted to find love. Her heart was so filled with hatred, her fairy godmother couldn’t have reached her, no matter how hard she may have tried. We can’t be there for every mortal, when we don’t have a chance of making a difference.”
“It seems so very sad that some mortals doom themselves to a loveless life,” Flo mourned.
“Indeed it does,” Lotta agreed.
“Is there nothing we can do for her?” Flo asked, turning teary eyes to Lotta. “It seems so sad to leave things as they are.”
Lotta smiled suddenly. “I believe now would be the best time to send a spell to Victoria to bless her spirit and soul with the hope of love for the next life she’ll live. That way, there can be a seed for her to make better choices next time.”
Flo smiled, some of her joyous personality surging forward again.
They stood, one on each side of the fallen woman. Raising their wands, they chanted special words of blessing over the body. The chant became a song of life, love and hope. A pure white light came from the ends of their wands, encircling Victoria’s form. Dazzling and bright, the light filled the small cave as the spell was completed, burning in its brilliance.
For a moment, the fairy godmothers could see Victoria’s soul, wrapped in the light. She glanced their way, her eyes filling with tears of gratitude. She bowed her head, allowing peace to fill her heart at last. The image faded, leaving Lotta and Flo comforted in the knowledge their spell had been felt and had worked. Victoria would have the chance to find her own happily ever after one day.
Wild Fire (The Fairy Tale Match Series) Page 33