by K C West
“There you go. Chill out. You’ll understand if I don’t touch you, won’t you?” Using her foot, she jabbed at my ribs until I rolled onto my back, groaning. “And you were always so particular about cleanliness.” She paused a moment to close her eyes and press her thumb and middle finger against her lids. “Now look at you. Disgusting. Just the sight of you gives me a headache.”
“Then don’t look,” I said between painful breaths. “Walk away.”
“Oh, you’d like that wouldn’t you? That would simplify everything.” She backed away from me and moved the folding chair into the darkest corner of the kiva. With a huge sigh, she settled onto it and folded her arms across her chest. “Okay, bitch, you’re free to go. There’s nothing I’d like better than to see you try. Of course, you might have trouble negotiating the ladder.” Her mocking laughter sent icy chills through my body.
“I was toying with the idea of having a quickie with you again,” she said, continuing to humiliate me with sexual references. “But I can’t stand the sight or the smell of you now. I doubt your precious PJ would come anywhere near you, either.”
She leaned forward on her seat. “But you never can tell. So I’ll sit here awhile longer and keep you company. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
I stared at Terry through eyes burning with hatred. I’d already shed my human self and was now a cornered animal. I’d ignore her baiting. I’d focus on my own private thoughts. Something comforting and genuine like PJ and the love we shared. I concentrated so hard, I could swear I heard PJ’s voice. It was faint at first, but grew stronger and clearer.
Chapter 22
I left the Jeep in the deserted parking area for Pueblo del Arroyo. An old truck with a battered shell covering the back end was parked so far off the track, it appeared to have been abandoned.
From the lot, it was a twisting hike to the steep outer wall of the site. One hundred and twenty-five rooms and five kivas sounded like an impossibly wide search area, but a lot of it was in ruin. Scattered blocks of rock lay amidst overgrown vegetation and windblown mounds of sand. After scanning the map, I’d already decided that the partially ruined kivas could, with some added reinforcement, serve as hiding places. I’d check them first.
“Better get started,” I mumbled under my breath.
According to the diagram, Una Vida was shaped roughly like a D. Three kivas rimmed one side of the rounded edge, one large kiva was centered inside the compound, and the fifth was on the upper edge, bracketed on two sides by a protective wall of stone. If I were holding someone hostage, that would be the most likely spot.
As I walked carefully in and around larger rocks, I tried to fathom why Terry had acted so strangely. Was she working alone, or had she had help snatching Kim from the ranch? Apparently money wasn’t her motive. She’d never demanded a ransom. I’d gladly have given her everything I had to get Kim back. Terry had some other reason. What? It was hard to believe that she, or anyone, would go to such lengths because of a failed love affair - one that she had caused by cheating on Kim.
I slipped between two outcroppings to check out the depths of the crack in the earth, but found it was too shallow. As I searched, I wondered if Kim had been here in this arid and remote location for the entire time she was missing. Had she been forced along this path or that? Was she injured or hungry at the time? Terry couldn’t have convinced her to remain voluntarily. What kind of situation would I find when I located her? Terry could be playing some kind of cruel mind game with me, just to get my hopes up. Maybe Kim wasn’t really here at all. No matter. Terry had sent me the note, and I’d obey it to the letter.
Not surprisingly, the four prominent kivas were empty. That left the most remote and secluded one. As I climbed over rocky paths between walled outcroppings, I imagined that on stormy nights, the wind would howl and shriek through the fractures in the masonry, mimicking a witch’s laugh. With little difficulty, I felt silent eyes watching me from behind ancient ceremonial masks as soft drums pounded a cadence that imitated my own heartbeat.
The air was perfectly calm. My nerves were anything but. I shivered, though I wasn’t cold.
As I rounded the edge of one wall and climbed through the doorway, I located the fifth and most remote kiva. I saw warnings posted about unsafe structures and was about to back off, when the sight of an aluminum ladder poking up through the hole in the kiva’s roof sent my pulse racing. Were my prayers of the past two weeks about to be answered? Would Kim be strong enough to climb that ladder? If she was, why hadn’t she done it by now? Oh, God, she must be injured or securely bound. I didn’t dare allow myself to believe any worse fate had befallen her. My legs were shaky enough as it was.
I approached the opening and peered downward into the gloom. Careful. This could be a trap.
A small movement drew my attention. I thought I saw a body stretched out on the dirt floor. Was it Kim? Was she alive? Please God, let her be alive. The form moved again and, ignoring all caution, I scrambled downward.
The aluminum ladder creaked and a shadow filled the roof entrance, blotting out the sunlight.
“No! PJ, go away. Terry’s here. Get the hell away.” I thought I was shouting, but my voice was little more than a whisper. “Please God. Someone. Anyone. Get her out of here.”
PJ gave a startled cry and fell to her knees beside me, caressing my face and checking my wounds. She spoke to me, said my name, but I was too concerned about the trap she’d fallen into to hear what she was saying. I cursed my weakness, my inability to protect her.
*
“Kim! Oh God, what happened to you?” Her face was bruised, streaked with dirt and dried blood, and her neck bled freely from several puncture wounds. I gagged at the stench of sweat and urine coming from her body and soiled clothing. She’d been brutally treated and tortured. When I tried to comfort her, she twitched and shrank from my touch.
“Go… PJ… No… Please go.” Her voice was so weak.
I touched her face with trembling hands and kissed her forehead, not realizing I was crying until my tears dripped onto her nose and cheeks. Her eyes glistened with tears. I took her hand and gently kissed her scraped knuckles, wincing at the sight of her cracked and broken fingernails. How much pain could one woman endure? Her skin was coated with tan, gritty dirt and her body was a patchwork of painful looking bruises and lacerations.
“You’re alive. Thank God.” I pulled the chain with both medallions from my neck and eased it over Kim’s head. “There. The shaman says they’ll make you stronger.” Her expression puzzled me. It was a mixture of love and panic. “I’m so glad I found you. You’re the most beautiful sight in the world, but you can’t stay here another second in this filth. We’ve got to get you to a hospital. And we’ll patch you up with some first aid supplies to make you more comfortable before that.” I braced my arms under her shoulders, kept her head pillowed against my chest, and tried to boost her up. She pushed me away, muttering something about Terry.
“Don’t try to talk. I can’t understand what you’re saying anyway. You’re kind of heavy, honey, so we’ll have to take it slowly, but we’ll manage. I’m not leaving without you.”
“Oh, you’ve got that right.” The voice came from behind me. “Neither of you will be leaving here. Now put her down and stand up.”
Still struggling with Kim, I glanced over my shoulder and saw Terry emerge from the shadows. Even with a different hair color and cut, there was no mistaking her voice. She leveled a gun at me.
I lowered Kim to the ground and stared at Terry, feeling more fury than fear. “Are you insane, woman? You’ve nearly killed her. What do you want from us? Name your price. I’ll pay you anything, but we have to get her medical attention.” I continued to stroke Kim’s forehead, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. She moaned and shifted to her side.
“I don’t want your lousy money,” Terry said, rubbing her temple. “You rich bitches are all alike. You think you can order people around. Make them do wha
t you want. See this gun? This time I do the ordering. I’ve killed once already, twice if you count your wolf dog. You two are next on my list. So, get up and come over here.”
“This isn’t a game, Terry. All that crazy talk about killing isn’t funny. You may have shot our dog, but he didn’t die. Just let me get Kim to a hospital.”
Her arm snaked around my neck and yanked me upward, choking me until I couldn’t breathe. She pushed the gun into my lower back and dragged me to a pilaster where arm and leg manacles were bolted firmly into the stone work. I understood, belatedly, where Kim had been imprisoned for the past two weeks.
“You won’t get away with this.” My breath came in puffs and black spots floated before my eyes. My legs weakened.
Terry pulled the gun from my back and slammed me against the wall, strapping a leather collar around my neck before I could regain my balance. I turned to resist, but sharp metal points jabbed my neck. I gasped in pain, and she quickly had my wrists and ankles secured so that I was hugging the pilaster, unable to turn my head more than an inch or two in any direction.
So this is what turned Kim’s neck into raw meat. Jesus.
Sweat dampened my forehead, neck and chest, sending stinging reminders of my precarious predicament.
Although I couldn’t see what was happening behind me, I now had an intimate view of the exquisite stone masonry before me. At our conference, we were told that some of the walls in Chaco Canyon had begun to decay over the years. Unfortunately for me, this wall appeared to be as rigid as the day it was built.
Terry’s fingers probed the pockets of my shirt and shorts. I heard Kim shifting restlessly, cursing. I prayed she wouldn’t provoke our tormentor further. Kim wouldn’t survive another round of torture. I couldn’t imagine how she’d managed to last as long as she had in this painful Machiavellian set-up. If I could keep Terry away from her and focused on me for a while longer, maybe Karen would get help to us in time.
“You’re in control, Terry. If you don’t want money, what do you want? How can we resolve this situation to everyone’s satisfaction?”
“What are you? Chief negotiator now?” She tugged a set of keys from my left hip pocket. “For starters, I’ll take your shiny red Jeep. I’ve been admiring that little number since you got it. I like how you zip over the roads to and from your ranch with the top down. The truck I’ve got isn’t made for these roads. A nice four wheel drive get-away vehicle will come in handy, don’t you think?”
“It’s yours. Take it and get out of here before anyone else gets hurt.”
Her shrill laughter sent fearful tremors along my spine. “Oh, you poor, clueless bitch. You’re just now catching on. You’ll get hurt all right.”
I felt the end of her gun move upward along my spine, stopping just below the collar.
She patted my right hip pocket. “And what do we have here? A weapon?”
“A Swiss Army knife. I don’t have a gun, if that’s what you’re thinking. Firearms aren’t allowed in the canyon.”
“Oops!” Terry chortled and slid the cold metal gun barrel across my cheek. “Guess I’ll get a few demerits for packing this little baby, huh?”
“It’s not too late to walk away. Please, just leave the keys to the cuffs and take the Jeep. Kim needs a doctor.” My throat tightened without any help from the collar.
Terry removed the gun, ignored my pleas, and fiddled with the knife. I could hear her opening and closing the various blades just beyond my line of sight.
“This’ll do nicely,” she said, gripping the back of my shirt. “I have great plans for you, you little slut. We were rudely interrupted a year ago in Wales, and recently, when we were together in the same room, you were busy showing your audience all those treasures from Greece.”
Oh God. The University of New Mexico lecture and the lady in the back who’d looked familiar.
A shudder coursed through my body.
“Don’t you think you owe me a bit of loving before you die?”
“Please Terry. Don’t do this.”
“Oh, sweetheart, it’ll be fun. For me anyway. You smell much better than Kim, and I’m sure she won’t mind watching us. Might even turn her on.”
I heard the fabric rip down the middle of my back. My bra fastener was next to go. Cool air hit my bare, sweat-soaked skin.
“There. Isn’t that better?” She stroked my back and slid her hands around to squeeze my breasts. “Such fun.”
I yelped and quickly changed my tactics. “If I do this with you, will you let Kim go?”
Terry pressed herself against my back. “I don’t think you’re in any position to call the shots right now,” she whispered into my ear. “In fact, your willing participation isn’t an issue. I’ll do whatever I want with you.”
Somewhere behind us, Kim growled, but Terry ignored her. She rubbed her palms down my sides and over my butt. “You know, I never did see that shamrock tattoo on your tight little ass.” She tugged at the waistband of my shorts and then hesitated. “Remember how we talked about pleasure and pain when we were last together?”
“What?” I wanted to keep her talking, but her thought pattern was too erratic. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
“Let me show you how a little pain helps to heighten sexual pleasure.” She giggled. “Don’t go away. I need to get something first.”
I heard nothing for a moment or two and then a swish of rapidly moving air, followed by a loud snap. Still pondering the mysterious sound, I was unprepared for the harsh crack of what must have been a whip across my back and the searing bum that accompanied it.
I gritted my teeth, but couldn’t keep from whimpering.
Sweet Jesus. The pain radiated through my muscles. She was enjoying herself too much to stop at one. She was going to keep at it until I passed out.
Sweat coated my back, making the wound sting and burn. Shit. I had underestimated her mental state. She’s nuts. Completely crazy. Kim and I had figured Terry was out of our lives forever, and neither of us worried about security at the ranch. If only I’d been more cautious in coming here, thinking I could reason with Terry on my own. Kim and I will pay for that mistake with our lives. I closed my eyes and braced for the next blow.
It never came.
Instead, I heard scuffling and grunting from two struggling bodies. Terror tightened around my chest like another manacle.
“Oh, Kim.” I shivered, barely able to speak. “Be careful.” Terry had the gun. She was strong. Kim had no weapon and was so weak. “Please. Oh, God. Please.”
A shot rang out, deafening me.
I screamed and the collar’s sharp teeth stabbed my neck.
An eerie silence followed.
Chapter 23
When I saw Terry retrieve a bull whip from the corner, hatred boiled inside me like volcanic lava about to erupt. Menacingly, she unfurled the weapon, making it crack and swish in a slow-motion arc before lashing it across PJ’s exposed back. When PJ moaned, I experienced her pain as if it were my own.
The medallions throbbed against my neck, sending Shockwaves of energy to my chest, arms, and down both legs. With the added power fueling my rage, I summoned all my strength, staggered to my feet, and snagged the end of the whip as Terry drew it back. The action threw her off balance. With a quick motion, I yanked her closer to me.
She reached one hand into her waistband for the gun, and I slammed my head against hers, nearly knocking myself out with the blow. Terry dropped to her knees, but was up instantly, throwing a punch to the side of my head.
I felt no pain. I was beyond pain, feeling only rage. She’d reduced me to an animal, so I battled like one.
My grip on her slackened. We fought for control of the gun. She whirled away, but I pounced after her, hurling against her chest, squeezing the fingers wrapped around the gun, desperately trying to keep the weapon aimed at the floor. A bullet hitting a wall could ricochet and take out any of us.
I clung to her with all my strength, but
I was weakening. If she shot me, I intended to take her with me. And PJ won’t be alone if I die. She’ll have Pup.
The gun’s barrel slid through our fingers, twisting upward. When the weapon fired, the noise slammed my eardrums and echoed around the walls of the kiva. I thought my head had exploded. The smell of warm blood filled my nostrils and for several seconds, time stood still.
So this is what it’s like to die.
Numbness spread through every part of my body. Terry’s surprised expression changed to fear. Her muscles relaxed and she slithered to the floor, clawing and tugging at my hips. Blood spurted from a wound in her abdomen. The weight of her body pulled me to my knees. Dazed, I stared at my bloodstained hands and the still-smoking gun. The gurgling sound in Terry’s throat was the last sound she made. Her body lay still in the ever-widening pool of blood.
I don’t know how much time had elapsed before I realized PJ was calling my name. I dropped the gun, fumbled through Terry’s pockets for the keys, and crawled toward the pilaster.
“I’m here.”
“Thank God,” PJ managed to say before bursting into tears.
I patted her leg and tried to push the key into one of the ankle locks, but my hands shook too much. After several fumbling attempts, I got the key into the lock and freed PJ’s legs.
“It’s all right,” I said, gagging on the words.
It wasn’t all right. Something had gone terribly wrong. Terry was dead and I’d killed her. Despite what she’d become, she was a human being, a woman I’d once loved. I turned again to PJ and with what little energy I had left, I tried but couldn’t unlock the cuffs on her wrists.
She was sobbing, still chained to the wall, and unable to move. I wanted to free her but I was too weak, too shaky, to help her. That’s when I saw it. The broken jar of corpse powder. Terry and I must have smashed it during our scuffle. The contents were scattered over the dirt floor. I felt light-headed, but I knew I had to keep it together for PJ’s sake. Using what little strength I had left, I fought to stay conscious, though I didn’t feel connected to my body. I felt paralyzed and unable to control what happened to me.