Jane could still feel the eyes of Thaddeus on her back as she wandered further into the room trying to purvey confidence and lack of fear. Jane was being cautious though to listen out for any movements from Thaddeus. Jane knew that he had access to a taser and the last thing she wanted was to find herself being caught of guard. Jane had her sidearm so at any point she could shoot him and it would be over. But to shoot an unarmed man even one as dangerous as Thaddeus would be frowned upon. And the fact that Jane had come alone to apprehend him would only mean they could construe it as seeking an end to a personal vendetta, because of Thaddeus and her past. Jane could only fathom how crazy the rest of her team were going back at the station about where she had gone. But at the time she believed it to be the best thing to keep them all safe. Now she was unsure how this was all going to play out. But Jane believed in her people she knew that they were smart enough to find her. They had once when she was at the hands of Thaddeus. Now all she had to do was waste Thaddeus time to give her team the chance they needed to find her.
“So what is with the star constellation and Greek mythology then Thaddeus?”
“Well after the lovely time we spent together last Andromeda, the chained woman, seemed very fitting. And well the Greek mythology story behind the name is gruesome and horrifying enough to amuse me.”
“Ah yes I can see why you would think it was fitting but more for you than me really. I mean I have sent you to prison what twice now in chains. And well after today that will be a third. So I seem to count that you have been in chains more because of me than I have at your hands Thaddeus.”
Thaddeus came clambering at Jane in a fit of rage. He did not like to be reminded how many times Jane had bested him. As much as Thaddeus was moving at quite a pace Jane remained calm. She fired one bullet from her clip at his feet making Thaddeus stop dead in his tracks.
“Ah, Ah, Ah I prefer this talking distance thank you Thaddeus. Next bullet will be in your leg if you go to move again. Ok?”
Thaddeus rapid breathing and the pucid colour of his face showed Jane that he was completely full of rage but clearly understood the situation. As much as the adrenaline was cursing through Jane’s veins she tried to show no emotion. She did not want to give Thaddeus any hint of exposure into her psyche. She wanted to keep absolute control.
“I warned you Detective Jane Sparrow do not antagonise me. You are only going to make it worse for yourself. It is a dangerous thing playing with fire.”
“I can see that from the scorch marks on the flesh to your hands. It’s harder to burn a body than what people think. I’m surprised you took the time to do it I didn’t think you had the patience and you obviously don’t have the skill by the state of your hands. But anyhow a normal wood fire doesn’t burn hot enough to ignite human flesh so an accelerant has to be used. But like you say it’s dangerous to play with fire. Looks like you got burned yourself.”
“Yes very good Detective. I did get burned but nowhere near as bad as Lucy Wilson. I roasted her good. And you let it happen. Everything I done is on you Detective. How are you ever going to live with yourself?”
Jane knew that Thaddeus was just trying to get into her mind to play on her guilt factor but not this time. Jane knew this wasn’t her fault.
“Rather easily actually. See those were your actions Thaddeus not mine. You made the decision to hang Helen Moore, to burn Lucy Wilson at the stake and to carve up PC Jack Collins and send his liver to his girlfriend. You did the entirety of that not me. You are responsible for your own choices and actions. You could of chose to come after me at any point; you even had the Superintendent helping you. But you didn’t you chose the cowardice way to kidnap and murder innocent people. Because you couldn’t face me again, because you know you will loose. You want to best me Thaddeus. Face it you cant. You’re not brave enough. You’re just a low life piece of scum that I trod in years ago.”
The next bit happened way too fast for Jane to react. Jane should have been more prepared for the cause her words would have on Thaddeus. He launched himself at Jane and she did not have time to fire her sidearm like she had threatened before. Thaddeus had no taser in hand but he did not need it. His entire brute force and weight came crashing into Jane. Forcing her to fall backwards taking him down with her. They grappled on the floor each trying to get the upper hand but Thaddeus bested Jane with his sheer out weight in strength. Thaddeus struck Jane in the face with a blow that knocked the air out of her lungs. Jane could feel the sting and the burn in her cheek from Thaddeus slap. The sting in her cheek outlining each of Thaddeus fingers as they had swept across her face. The jolt of such a hard blow had obviously caused her jaw to move as there was an ache spreading through all her face not just the cheek that he had hit. The pain was tremendous. Thaddeus had Jane pinned at her arms so tightly it would surely leave bruises for all to tell.
“I told you. You were only making it worse for yourself.”
Thaddeus lifted Jane by the shoulders and slammed her upper body and head back down into the ground. It was such a brute force attack that Jane could feel her brain shake around in her skull. Jane fought her bodies urge to black out but she couldn’t control it the hit to her head was too hard. Jane was out for the count.
Jane awoke not knowing how much time had elapsed. Not knowing how much longer she was going to have to hold out until her team arrived. Unsurprisingly she awoke to find that Thaddeus had stripped her of all of her clothing leaving only her underwear and chained her to the blasted rock. Jane scanned the room and found Thaddeus sitting of to her right on a chair watching her.
“Ok Thaddeus you win you have made me a chained woman again on a blasted rock no doubt. But let me ask you this what’s your plan? Andromeda was stripped, chained to a rock and then Poseidon called forth a sea monster Cetus to sacrifice her to. But you see Cetus doesn’t really exist and you’re certainly not the Greek god Poseidon. So why am I chained to a rock?”
“Be careful now Detective I am catching a hint of a mocking tone in your voice.”
“My deepest sincerest apologies sir but my brain seems to have been rather scrambled to the point of losing my polite function. So are you going to answer my question?”
“Fine but only because I feel it might teach you a thing called respect. I am fully aware of the fact that Cetus does not exist. I am not a moron. And no I am not the long lost Greek god Poseidon, a god maybe but not that one. But you are going to be eaten alive. I am very surprised you haven’t heard any noises from my plan. Off in several of these rooms are starving hungry, driven insane, ravenous dogs. So when I open up your flesh the hungry dogs will catch your scent of your blood and they will come and rip your flesh to shreds. You will be devoured alive. You will no longer be the antagonistic bitch who thinks she is better than me. You will be dead; I will have bested you and won. Your soul will eternally be mine.”
“Wow I knew you were delusional and well rather obsessed with me but this is a whole brand new level of creepy. You want my soul. Well guess what Thaddeus you can’t have it. Even if you kill me my soul will never be yours. So do your worst Thaddeus. You will never win. You will never get what you want.”
Jane should have thought better at being so confrontational there was nothing she could do about the next attack she was chained to a rock. Thaddeus came charging at her. Jane had antagonised him for the last time. With his knife wielded and in a fit of rage he drove the blade deep into the pit of Jane’s abdomen. Jane tried to lurch forward and clench into the pain but the restraints held her too tightly back. Jane struggled at the restraints but the metal chains just pushed deeper into her wrists clanging against her wrist bones. Jane could feel the aching and swelling raising in them as well as the blood pouring out of her abdomen and beginning to puddle at her side. Jane could see and feel Thaddeus hands rummaging in her stomach soaking in the blood letting it run through his fingers. She tried once more to struggle forward against her lashes but found the pain excruciating.
“I
told you I would have your blood running through my hands. I can see you fading Jane that soul of yours will be mine.”
Jane was once again fighting the urge to stay conscious. In her drifting in and out Jane could hear the barks of the hungry dogs but she did not have the strength to be scared.
“Keep your eyes open Jane I want to see that soul of yours becoming mine.”
This was it; this was the moment that Jane was going to die. Well least it had ended quicker for her than some of Thaddeus other victims.
Jane thought she heard gunshots and shouting but she could not focus her brain. She thought she heard an angel calling her name telling her to wake up but it didn’t sound right the voice was too angry. And then she realised it was Perry and she relaxed. The pressure that was being applied to her stomach should have caused her to be in agonising pain but it wasn’t. It was causing a lovely sensation of warmth and comfort and once again Jane allowed herself to drift.
Jane was unconscious once more.
Chapter 20
Jane came round and once again found herself lying in a hospital bed. Any time spent near Thaddeus always led to her ending up in hospital. Jane had an oxygen mask on and a machine next to her that did the constant beeping to let everyone know she was alive. Jane found as she tried to twist and turn to look around her that every fibre in her body hurt not just in the places she expected pain. Jane was searching for Perry and the trying to move was starting to take its toll. Jane found him sitting at her side watching over her. Jane went to pull the oxygen mask away from her face so that she could speak. Perry came over and took her gently by the hand.
“Jane?”
“Perry I’m so sorry. At the time it felt like the best thing to do to keep you all safe. He had already killed Jack and all he wanted was I. I thought I could handle it but when I got in there my whole plan went out the window. It was such a mess and it went so wrong I’m so sorry.”
“So you should be. How could you be so stupid? It’s not a risk for any of us. We want to help. We want to keep you safe. Especially me I love you Jane. You have been unconscious for three days Jane. You have a fractured skull. And you lost a serious amount of blood from the stab wound to the stomach. You scared the life out of me. I thought I had lost you. And the fact that you run off to find him by yourself raises serious questions about your self-preservation. Or lack of it.”
“I know I am so sorry. Fractured skull must be from when he slammed my head into the ground. I woke up chained to that rock. What happened with Thaddeus and the dogs that were at the scene?”
“I’m sorry Jane I know your not going to like it but the police had to shoot all the dogs on site. They tried to attack two officers. They were too badly damaged. Thaddeus had been beating them and starving them. They had suffered enough Thaddeus had driven them insane. Thaddeus was shot on sight as well in the pursuit of his arrest. He died on his way to the hospital. It’s finally over Jane.”
“It’s over?”
Jane couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. Jane knew she should be morally conflicted about being happy at the death of another human being. But Thaddeus had sacrificed his right to humanity when he committed all the horrendous crimes that he did. Jane couldn’t help but have a feeling of being elated.
“Yes Jane there is nothing else to worry about. You can just relax and concentrate on getting better. The Superintendent and his wife and Layla and her family are being let out of protective custody. Everything is going back to as normal as possible.”
“Good. How long have I got to stay in here for?”
“I can answer that. I don’t know if you will remember me from the last time you stayed with us here. I am Doctor Ericson and this is Nurse Keller.”
“Yes of course I remember you both. You will have to forgive me if I don’t say it’s a pleasure to see you both again under the current circumstances.”
“Of course Jane glad to see your sense of humour hasn’t been affected. Now your abdomen wound didn’t actually cause too much damage. He missed all your internal organs so the stomach wound should heal nicely as it is. It will take time and plenty of rest I might add. You did however loose quite a lot of blood from the wound so we have had to give you two blood transfusions. The bruising to your face and arms will be sore but unfortunately will just fade with time. You did manage to cause some chipping to your wrists, struggling against restraints will do that. But again time will heal. What we are more concerned about is the skull injury. You have a fracture to the occipital region that has caused some swelling of the brain. It is why you were unconscious for the most part of three days. We would like to keep you in at least for the next forty-eight hours to do more scans and monitor the swelling. As long as it continues to come down we will allow you to go home. You will suffer with headaches for quite some time. So plenty of rest is going to be needed.”
“Thank you Doctor.”
“Jane the pain relief is on a drip. You just push the button and the correct dose will be administered. Don’t worry about over dosing you cant with this device. Get plenty of rest.”
“Thank you Nurse Keller.”
“Jane someone will be along in the next hour so we can do another brain scan and then we will sort you out some fluids and some food. I’ll see you shortly.”
With that the Doctor and Nurse left with a reassuring nod and once again Perry and Jane were left on their own.
“So now that it is all over and I am going to be back of work for a while to get plenty of rest. We are going to have a lot of time to discuss all those future plans.”
“Yes we will. Where you want to live? Whether you want to try for children? Where and if you want to get married? We have it all to discuss with time my dear sweet little skirt. But for now get some rest.”
“I want to live in a house. I would like to try for a child; we don’t want to leave Parker as an only child now do we. I’d love to get married especially at that lovely hotel we stayed at last.”
“Well we have less to discuss than I thought you seem to have got a lot worked out already babe. So now do as the doctor ordered and get some rest. I’ll still be here when you wake up. We have forever now Jane.”
“Forever.”
With that Jane drifted off to sleep with a brand new sense of peace and hope. Now it was over. Jane could relax. Perry and herself can go back to enjoying the rest of their lives. Starting now…
Epilogue
As he sat and watched through the hospital window from afar, he could still see their carefree exchange of words and their contented faces. The bile of fury was bubbling through his veins cursing through his entire body. They both sat there thinking that they had caught the monster of their nightmares. That they had nothing else to fear or worry about. How wrong and naive they were. Perry must pay for the slight he has caused on their community. He must pay for all the lifestyle secrets and people he has spilled and gave up for that wretched bitch of a cop. I will make sure that he will suffer. He wanted to make a better life for himself. But he did not want to sacrifice the money that he could make. The company and business ties that he has made that he has been trying to make stand, as a reputable law abiding firm is a joke. It will crumble at his feet. He gave up my name to the police because he wants me off the streets. Well he can’t. The reign of Perry Fierce is over. This is my town now. And my boys and me wont let anything or anyone stand in our way. Perry trod on the backs of the people that have helped him on his way. And now he has a cheek to stand at the top and pretend he is something better than the people that put him there. He needs a strong reminder of who he is and where he comes from. He has squatted down and taken a giant shit in all our faces and he will pay. No mater that wretched bitch of a cop I have something that he has never got over. The disappointment he felt for his spawns mum. I have her. I have Charlene. She has never forgiven him for making her carry his baby full term and trying to make her into a mother. She didn’t want that life and she didn’t want that baby. Her f
ury and my wrath, they wont know what has hit them. They wont stand a chance.
Hell is coming and it’s coming for Perry. And for anyone that stands in our way and at his side.
Are you ready?
The Escape (Detective Jane Sparrow Book 2) Page 20