Sabrina realized there was no way out of this. Nothing she could do would change this fate. She had never dreamed her life would end this way – not even when locked in MeChelle’s horrible prison. There, she would have simply wasted away with Alec by her side. Here, she would die alone and suffering.
The worst of it – she was so close to achieving her dreams with Alec. She had hoped they would grow old together, sitting on the wonderful porch at his home. Holding hands, gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes. She had hoped for children, maybe a boy and a girl. Both with Alec’s crystal blue eyes. Eyes that she loved. Eyes as blue as the Caribbean Sea. Eyes that missed very little. Oh, if he were here now… but she stopped herself. He wasn’t. She was alone and she must face this alone.
These dreams were just within reach, but now, everything was snatched away. Like her mother. Like Alec. Like her college plans. Like the family home and her father. Like so much in her life. Poof! Just gone.
She’d been left to make the most of what was left behind. And she had. She’d picked up the pieces time and again trusting that things would get better. And now, just when she thought the trials were over, that she could live a happy life with Alec and his family, here she was facing another horrible injustice.
But, she would not give in to this monster. She would not go out without a fight. She would die before she allowed him to take what he wanted. She wouldn’t wallow in self-pity for what life had dumped at her door. Sabrina sucked in a deep breath refortifying her resolve and tranquility.
“If you’re going to kill me anyway, why should I? I will not hurt others to save myself when it is pointless. I understand that you won’t let me live. I know your faces, your names,” Sabrina said. She felt calmer now, more self-possessed. It was obvious she was sad, but once she made that decision, she felt serene. “You underestimate me if you think it so easy. I will not give you what you want. I will not allow you to destroy my peace of mind or the clients who have trusted me.”
“Yes you will.” The reply was cold and measured, arrogant and sure. “When I get started, you’ll tell me anything and everything I want to know.”
Chapter 29
Randy began slowly. Each nick from the blade was shallow, but painful. Sabrina, silenced with a strip of duct tape as a makeshift gag, remained stubborn. Minutes stretched into hours. The more she refused to give in, the more it wound Randy up and the more brutal he became.
He couldn’t believe that she could resist his torture methods. They had always worked on criminals and war-hardened men. She was only a woman, but she simply would not bend to his will. Her resistance infuriated him. He had never encountered a woman, or man for that matter, more obstinate or immovable.
“Tell me!” he ordered again and again, stopping the cruelty only long enough to get a reply.
She remained silent. Pain etched on her feature, but unwilling, refusing to relent.
“I’ll stop as soon as you tell me what I want to know. One quick slice will end it all. Give me what I want! Damn you!”
Sabrina shook her head.
Her repeated refusals set him on fire. Now, he really wanted to hurt her… almost more than he wanted answers.
Natasha couldn’t watch. She was familiar with his tortuous methods but he had always stopped before inflicting too much damage to her. With her, Randy restrained his natural desires so she could continue to work.
With Sabrina, he had no such moderation or self-control. No reason to withhold. She was only an obstacle standing between him and what he desired. Randy wanted the information to impress his own boss – and he was hell-bent on getting it.
“Please, Sabrina,” Natasha intervened. “Tell him what he wants to know. Please, my God, are you insane?”
Sabrina watched the clock. It was now eight the next morning. She thought about sharing lunch with Cassidy; she thought about Catalina’s joyous homecoming. Her realtor would be arriving in an hour or so. He had an appointment to show the place at nine-thirty. If she could just hold on, he might interrupt this madness. He would call the police. Then, another thought occurred to her, what if Randy killed him. He couldn’t afford to have any witnesses and she couldn’t afford to be the cause of another’s death.
Sabrina choked on the acidic bile rising in her throat. Natasha mercifully removed the tape from her mouth, but Randy screamed at her, “What are you doing? Put that back!”
“She’s choking. She’ll die if she can’t breathe. Let me keep it off, please. She might talk to me.”
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!” Randy ranted. “Fuck, shit, piss-hell! Bunch of fucking bleeding hearts. She won’t talk out of some honor code and you want to sit and chat with her. This is a disaster. It was your fucking idea, Natasha!”
“No. You took my complaints and came up with this idea on your own. I never wanted this to go so far.”
“You lying bitch. You knew I couldn’t let her live.”
“I never dreamed you would do this! That you would go so far! I never dreamed the little girl had such strength or that she would resist you for so many hours.”
Sabrina’s eyes spoke her gratitude. She was too weak, too badly hurt to scream or fight anymore. She could barely speak. She was hanging by a thread and the strand was frayed.
She wondered why she didn’t let go. It was easy. Just let go. It would end this horrible suffering. But she knew why, she knew the truth – somehow, she still had hope that she’d come through this to the other side. That she’d still find a way to be with Alec.
She saw a man standing beside her. His eyes were as blue as Alec’s. Even though she’d never met him, she knew he was Alec’s grandfather, Martin Saguache. He smiled at her and tenderly said, “Let go, Sabrina. Alec is still in Mobile – too far away to rescue you. He wouldn’t want you to suffer this way. You don’t have to hold on any longer. It’s time to let go and find peace.”
Natasha, now beside her on the floor, whispered as she reached to take her hand. Sabrina didn’t even have the strength to resist her or pull away. She wondered why her enemy was now her friend, trying to offer comfort in these last few moments. “I’m sorry, Sabrina. I’ve blamed you for every sorry thing in my life. Truth is that my life was already horrible before I ever met Henry or you.”
Sabrina’s last thoughts were of Alec. She regretted only one thing: that they had not had more time to love each other. She whispered his name, “Alec, my love. I’m so sorry to leave you.”
“What did she say?” Randy called out. “Did she finally tell us?”
Natasha bent low to hear her mutterings. “She calls for Alec, the boyfriend.”
Impatient, Randy yelled, “Yes, yes. I know of Alec Winters. What else?”
“She says she loves him…She says you will be sorry when Alec finds you, when he finds me. She says he will punish us. He will seek retribution.”
“Alec Winters is the least of our worries. Fucking, crazy bitch! Who the hell gives their life to protect a bunch of rich asshole clients?”
Sabrina looked again at Martin Saguache, and then, she took his advice. She let go of all that she held onto – all that kept her bound to her body. It was that simple. Like letting go of someone’s hand or the string on a balloon. She was free. Relieved, she took Martin’s hand.
Natasha startled. Sabrina was no longer breathing. “She’s dead, Randy.” Her voice was quiet and thoughtful. The experience of watching Sabrina suffer and die had changed her more than everything else in her miserable life had. She felt shame for her part in it.
“Now, I have to leave here empty handed!” Randy fumed.
Natasha ignored his irritation. She gazed at Sabrina, feeling sad and hopeless. However, she wasn’t so sure that Randy was right when he suggested that they didn’t need to worry about Alec Winters. She didn’t try to correct him. She hoped Sabrina was right. She hoped her boyfriend would seek retribution. She knew that Alec was ex-military. He would seek revenge for Sabrina. Maybe he was strong enough to punish Randy Petrov.
Perhaps, Randy would finally get what he deserved. Natasha knew he would come – the Goddess of Light had that effect on men. Natasha could see it very clearly now. Sabrina was like Joan of Arc or some other great woman – if necessary, the men in her life would die for her.
Sneak Peek at Harbor City
By one o’clock the next day, Cassidy began to worry about Sabrina. Wanting to check on Catalina’s homecoming progress, Sabrina had promised to come by for lunch. It wasn’t like her to be late. They normally ate at noon, but Cassidy had postponed the meal to wait for her. Sabrina’s phone went straight to voicemail. By two, Sabrina still didn’t arrive. Catalina was fine with the delay, she returned to her room to sketch. However, Cassidy felt very uneasy, certain that something was wrong. She could feel it in her quivering gut.
At three o’clock, Cassidy heard Cat’s high-pitched scream only seconds before her daughter skittered down the stairs, “Mama, it’s Sabrina, something terrible has happened.”
“What do you mean, Cat?” Cassidy asked with a dreadful sinking feeling.
“She’s gone, mama. She’s gone!”
Only a few moments later, before Cassidy could react or question her daughter further, a loud knock sounded on their door. When Cassidy answered it, she could see that Vivien Simon had arrived in a squad car. That alone indicated that the visit was official business and not a social call. Cassidy’s heart thumped violently in her chest.
“Ms. Winters, may I speak to Alec?”
“Why? What is this about?”
“If he’s here, I really need to see him. Please, just trust me. There’s something I have to tell him…and it won’t be easy to hear.”
“He’s not here, Vivien. He’s in Mobile. He’s been gone a few days, but should return tomorrow. What is this about?”
“I’m afraid you’ll want to call him home sooner…this news can’t wait.” Vivien hesitated briefly, “Hello, you must be Catalina.” She had spied the childlike girl standing behind her mother. “I’m Vivien, a friend of your brother’s, a friend of the family.”
“Hello,” Cat shyly replied. “It’s about Sabrina isn’t it? Someone hurt her and now she’s gone.”
“Yes, someone hurt her very badly. I’m sorry that you had to find out this way. But you already knew, didn’t you? How did you know about Sabrina, Cat?”
“Sabrina told me. I love Sabrina. She came to tell me goodbye, but at first, she was a little confused and lost. Now, she’s ok.”
“Did she tell you anything else? Did she say who did this to her?” Vivien questioned even though she felt foolish asking such questions.
“No silly. Now, she doesn’t care about that sort of thing. She’s a being of light. Now, she’s only filled with love. Don’t worry, Alec will…” but Cassidy quickly interrupted her.
“Go inside, Cat. We need to contact your brother. Will you wait for me inside? We’ll make the call together, all right?”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Alec will what?” Vivien called after her, but Catalina had already disappeared. Vivien wanted to follow her; she tried to push past Cassidy.
“No! Stop!” Cassidy ordered as she held her arms wide, blocking the doorway. “You will not interrogate my daughter. Thank you for letting us know, but please, you must leave now. Sabrina was family and we must let Alec know that the only woman he has ever loved is dead.” Her voice broke at the end. She didn’t know how to tell her son this dreadful news, but she had to make the call anyway.
“Wait,” Vivien began, but Cassidy had already closed the door.
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About the Author
Chariss K Walker, M. Msc, an award-winning author, writes fiction and nonfiction books with a metaphysical message. All of her books are sold in soft-cover and eBook format worldwide, many are in large print. To find out more about this author, visit her web site at www.chariss.com.
Dark Fiction books:
An Alec Winter Series:
Prelude
Crescent City
Port City
Harbor City
Serena McKay Novels:
Purple Kitty
Yellow Scarf
Blue Cadillac
my name is tookie
Fiction Books:
The Vision Chronicles:
Kaleidoscope, Book 1
Spyglass, Book 2
Window’s Pane, Book 3
Windows All Around, Book 4
Open Spaces, Book 5
Stream of Light, Book 6
Lamp’s Light, Book 7
Clear Glass, Book 8
The Retreat
The Journey
Nonfiction books:
Make a Joyful Noise: Searching for a Spiritual Path in a Material World
Make a Joyful Noise Study Guide
Chakra Basics: Fundamentals of Spiritual Growth
The Spiritual Gifts: Understanding for the Great Shift and Beyond
Abundance: Allowing the Universe to Manifest Your Desires
Many Paths to Healing
Keep the Faith
How to Find us on Facebook
Love & Sex: A Personal Journey (co-authored with David A Britner)
Port City (An Alec Winters Series Book 3) Page 13