by Jon Mills
To be on the safe side, he shifted the gear stick into reverse and slowly eased out of the driveway before parking just a few yards away from the mouth of another road.
Cracking the door, he pushed out and pulled the Glock from its holster, and proceeded to head back to the cabin. There was no telling what trouble he was about to encounter.
At the bottom of the staircase, the woman came into view. It was Meghan Palmer. Her wrists were tied with rope to a steel pole in the center of the room. Surrounding her were four small candles. Each flame flickered, providing a small amount of light, enough to see her but keeping the rest of the room shrouded in darkness. He swept the corners with his gun for a second, one last check before moving towards her.
With every step, her eyes grew wider and her cries louder. She was trying to communicate but with her mouth gagged it was impossible for him to make out what she was saying. Instinctively Larson holstered his weapon and crossed the room, crouched down and began untying her binds.
“It’s okay, you’re safe now.”
She was yelling even louder now.
“Don’t move. I’ll get you out.”
She wriggled hard and her eyes kept flaring. Larson’s brow furrowed as he realized she was trying to motion with her head towards the corner of the room. He reached up for her gag so he could make sense but it was too late.
It happened so fast Larson couldn’t even comprehend it.
One second he was untying Meghan — or trying to free her, when all of a sudden he felt a dull smack to the back of his head. He was struck with so much force it knocked him to the floor.
Before he had time to react, he could see Meghan reacting. Fear flashed across her face. As he tried to go for his Glock, he was struck again, this time even harder causing his ear to bleed. His head throbbed and he could taste blood in his mouth.
Behind him, a voice echoed off the walls.
“Oh, I’ve waited a long time for this.”
As Larson tried to get up, he felt a boot force him down. Coming into view from two of the darkened corners were Billy and Dale. He didn’t even need to turn his head to know who was behind him. He recognized the asshole’s voice long before his face loomed over.
“I’ll take that,” Aaron said reaching down and removing his firearm. He then grabbed the handcuffs from his pouch on the side of his duty belt and used them to cuff him. He kicked Larson in the back, pushing him towards the steel pole. “Move it, asshole!”
With her hands released, and all the focus shifted to Larson, Meghan had untied her ankles. In a sudden burst of energy, Meghan shot to her feet and raced towards the staircase. Wincing in pain, Larson watched as Billy rushed towards Meghan and grabbed her by the back of the hair as she tried to escape.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going, bitch?”
Billy lashed out with a hook but she ducked and drove her shoulder into his stomach like an NFL player, driving him to the floor. Vaulting over, she catapulted herself to the staircase and began clambering up, raking each step with her fingers. She managed to make it three steps before Dale grabbed her leg and brought her crashing to the bottom.
“Come here, you whore.”
Even as she hit the floor, she didn’t give up. She didn’t care about the weapon in either of their hands. Survival mode had kicked in and she was going to do everything she could to escape, even if it meant dying in the process.
“For fuck’s sake, grab her!” Aaron said while keeping his revolver against the side of Larson’s temple. All Larson could do was watch and hope.
Dale drove a fist into her gut and she cried out before raking his face with her hands. The punch barely slowed her down. In a flash she was up again crawling on her hands and knees up the stairs, tears falling from her face. Larson took it all in, every second of the violent attack on her. By now Billy was up and cursing and gripping his stomach. As Dale grabbed the back of Meghan, she lashed out with a donkey kick and struck him in the nuts so hard that he doubled over. Billy hurried over and scaled up the stairs as she disappeared out of sight.
The next thing he heard was Meghan screaming hysterically.
“Come here, bitch,” Billy yelled. There was a loud thud, then another and then silence.
A few seconds passed and Billy came back into view, dragging her down the stairs by one leg. Her body bounced off each step. Meghan let out a faint groan, tears dripping from her face.
“Get up,” Aaron said.
He staggered on his knees and fell forward close to Meghan.
“Others are coming,” Larson muttered, hoping to buy himself some time and put a little fear into the three of them.
“Yeah?” Aaron said leaning over him. “Billy, go check outside.”
He hurried away, his boots pounding against the staircase as he went up.
“You dumbasses must be the biggest idiots in West Virginia. The county is crawling with State Police. It’s only a matter of time and you’re going to be locked up with your brother. No getting out this time, asshole.”
Aaron clubbed him across the back of the head with the butt of his gun. “Shut the hell up.”
It didn’t take long for Billy to return.
“Nothing, Aaron. Just his cruiser.”
Aaron let out a chuckle and circled around both of them jabbing the air with his revolver. “I’ve got to say this is sweet. I was going to take your wife but now I have you, it doesn’t really matter, now does it?”
“I can’t wait to see your face when they toss you inside and throw away the key.”
He stopped for a second and crouched down beside Larson. “Well, that’s not going to happen. As you don’t have shit on me.”
“No? Your brother told us everything. Everything,” he spat back.
Aaron spoke through gritted teeth. “You’re lying.”
“Am I?” He smiled. “Then why are officers digging up bodies of women you have killed and buried in Watago State Park?” He let out a laugh. “You are fucked!”
Rage filled Aaron’s face; his breathing became faster before he looked at Meghan.
“Billy, get her out of here. Take her to the river, kill her.”
“How?”
“I don’t care. Just do it.”
Meghan let out a whimper. “No. No. NO!”
Billy got this big grin on his face as he stepped in and untied her. She screamed and tried to fight back but was soon quieted by three sharp jabs to the side of her head with the butt of his gun. He hauled her up and slung her over his shoulder and trudged off up the stairs.
“Listen up, Aaron. You don’t have to do this. She’s done nothing. It’s over.”
“Over?” he chuckled. “It’s not over. It’s just begun.”
With that said, he bounced Larson’s head off the metal pole.
Jack stood in the shadows, his lips forming a tight line as he took it all in. The stranger was lugging her over his shoulder. Gripping her with one arm and holding a handgun in the other. Jack nearly walked right into his line of sight as he came up to the mouth of the driveway. He half expected the guy to see him as he dumped the girl into the back of the truck’s cab, but he didn’t look down the driveway.
The surrounding darkness was punctuated by the faint flicker of stars providing just enough light to make out who he was carrying. It was Meghan.
If that was her, where was the officer? Or had they simply stolen a cruiser? Perhaps Larson hadn’t even made it here. The truck’s engine roared to life, the red taillights glowed like eyes in the night as it began backing up. Where are you taking her? She had no one. No one who could help her. His eyes darted over to the house. What if she was dead? He had to know.
Rounding the thick bush, Jack hurried back to the cruiser, knowing he had to follow, if only to punish whoever had taken her.
Larson felt his ears being crushed from both sides as Aaron’s boot pressed down on the side of his face. The sole cut into his cheek and he was sure that his teeth would break at any
second. Aaron kept tapping the barrel of the gun against his temple.
“Now, what to do with you?”
Larson fell back on his training. Communication was key in extreme situations. Hundreds of people had been talked down from a ledge, coerced into dropping a weapon and giving up through negotiation. But Aaron wasn’t one to negotiate.
His radio crackled, and Aaron tore it off and had Dale stamp on it.
“You won’t be needing that.”
“Aaron, don’t make this any worse than it already is. If you want freedom, go now, but if you kill me you are going to end up in the chair for sure.”
“Stop with that negotiating shit. That won’t work. I don’t care.”
Larson swallowed hard, it tasted like he had vomit in his mouth. Aaron leaned his weight onto the leg that was over Larson. The pain was getting worse and Larson tried to shift but he was pinned so tight, it was impossible. He wasn’t going to plead for his life. Not in front of this guy. He squinted as he looked up at Aaron, trying to get him to listen to reason.
“We are beyond that. You and I know that.”
“So why did you kill them?”
“Because they were whores.”
“That’s it?”
“Do I need a better reason?”
Slowly he released the pressure from his boot and stepped back. “Dale, get him up. Let’s take him upstairs.” Larson struggled as Dale hauled him up and Aaron kept his gun on him. He could have fought back but it wouldn’t have helped. If they were willing to kill women and dump their bodies, they wouldn’t think twice about putting a bullet in him. All he could think about was Kerry and his daughter. He had to stay alive for them. That alone prevented him from taking a risk. Instead, he inwardly berated himself for stepping foot in the cabin in the first place. His need for retribution outweighed common sense.
He was forced into a chair. Dale tied his legs and made sure his hands were locked firmly behind his back before he stepped out of the way and Aaron got close.
Aaron placed his gun down and began rolling up his sleeves.
“I’m going to enjoy this.”
He fired off two gut punches, and a hook to his face causing the whole chair to topple over.
“Get him up,” he commanded Dale as he took a few steps back. Larson coughed hard. Pain coursed through his body as Aaron grabbed him by the throat and unloaded one jab after the next into his face until he had broken his nose. Warm blood coursed down his face.
“What a mess,” Aaron continued speaking. “If you had just minded your own business, this could have been avoided. But oh no, you had to go sticking your nose in where it wasn’t wanted. And just look at what’s happened. Bonnie is dead. So you didn’t save her. And soon you’ll join her.”
He reared back his fist again but this time Larson muttered something as blood dribbled down from his lips.
“What’s that?” Aaron asked, leaning forward. Larson lifted his head flashing him a bloody grin.
“I said… Is that all you’ve got? Pussy!”
Aaron’s eyes went wild with fury before unleashing the next vicious beating. He knew death was coming but he wasn’t going to give that asshole the satisfaction he wanted. Not before, not now, not ever.
Chapter 31
Jack waited until the truck passed by the alcove of trees where he’d parked the cruiser before he stabbed the gas and rolled out behind the truck. He flipped on the flashing blue light. There was no point attempting to follow from a distance as there was no traffic to hide behind on the narrow dirt road that led down to a rushing river. He figured the simple approach would work best — it didn’t. Jack saw the driver of the truck cast a glance over his shoulder. Instead of pulling over to one side, he floored the gas and took off at a high rate of speed.
Did he honestly think he could outrun a police cruiser? These things were custom-built for speed. Jack ground his foot against the accelerator and sank back into the seat as it exploded forward. Quickly, he caught up with the truck and tried to go around him but the truck began swerving erratically.
As the truck tore up the road ahead of him, Jack tried to make a pit maneuver. Cops were notorious for doing it in high-speed chases. It required getting up alongside until the front wheels were in alignment with the rear tires, and then with a sharp jerk of the steering wheel, it would send a vehicle into a spin.
He was fully aware that Meghan was inside and there was a chance it would flip but if he didn’t take drastic action, he might cross onto the surrounding fields and lose him, and cross-country was one thing cruisers weren’t built for. The truck rumbled like a jackhammer, moving side to side to prevent him from pulling up.
A cigarette butt was flicked from the driver’s side out the open window. It hit the road, ashes sparked before the cruiser streaked over it. Again he tried to come up alongside him. Tires screeched, and the cruiser nearly left the road at one point. On either side was nothing but forest, dense, dark and all consuming. The truck was eating up the dirt as Jack roared after him. He slapped the gears into action, maneuvered tightly around turns before feigning to go left. Yes! The cruiser squeezed in scraping the backside of the truck.
As they burst out into a clearing that was heading for a bridge that went over the North Fork River, Jack knew it was now or never. There was no way both of them were going to cross over the bridge side by side. He accelerated hard, and then slammed the brake to adjust to the rear tires before jerking hard to the right, then left. The cruiser crashed into the rear tires, sending the truck spinning like a corkscrew. The driver must have attempted to stop because smoke was coming off the tires. All he could do was watch as it struck the corner of the bridge and flipped over the edge, down the embankment, and into the river.
Jack hit the gas and launched forward like a missile, turning sharply before the bridge and hopping out. He hurried over to the edge and spotted it. It was upside down and taking in water. The guy had managed to get out and was splashing around. His head was barely above the water that was frothing and slapping up against him as he clung to the sinking truck.
“Help! I can’t swim.”
Jack didn’t give a shit about him but Meghan… he vaulted over the small bridge down twenty feet into the frigid waters. He gasped as the cold took his breath. The current was strong, dragging at his legs. He swam over to the truck and dived beneath the surface. Below it was even darker than it appeared from above. It didn’t help that it was disorienting. That’s when he spotted her. She was up against the window banging on it. He tried to point to the other side that was open but she was in a state of panic. He came up for air, and swam around to the other side. He was just about to dive when that asshole latched on to him.
“Help me please.”
He was struggling and making it even harder for Jack to move.
“Get the fuck off!” Jack cracked him on the side of the face with a hook but he didn’t let go. Jack grabbed him by the neck, placed another hand on his head and shoved him under. The man desperately raked at Jack’s skin, his jagged nails cutting in and tearing his shirt. All the while the truck was slowly sinking. He knew if he didn’t act fast, she was going to drown if she hadn’t already.
There was no time to keep him under, he released his grip and pushed away, taking one big deep breath before diving. Jack kicked his legs and swam against the current until he came up alongside the open driver’s side window. He pulled himself inside only to find Meghan no longer struggling. He grabbed a hold of her, yanked her towards him and slipped back out the window while tugging hard. It took every ounce of strength to keep him from being torn away and carried off by the river.
As they breached the surface, he let out a gasp and swallowed more water.
Jack gagged at the taste.
There was no time to drag Meghan back to the embankment while trying to keep her head above the water he began breathing into her mouth. C’mon, c’mon! All the while he could hear the man yelling nearby. That fucker was still not dead
. He ignored his cries for help and kept breathing in. He needed to pump her chest.
He was about to drag her back when she let out a splutter. Water spewed from her mouth, and her eyes went wide.
“You scared the shit out of me. I thought you were gone.”
“Jack?” she asked as she started to come to grips with where she was.
He grinned. “Let’s get you to the edge.”
Jack guided her and had taken just a few arm lengths when he felt a hand grab his back. It happened fast. Meghan let out a scream before his ears were filled with water. One second he was on the surface, the next dragged under. He spun around to find the man trying to clamber on top of his back. Fighting underwater wasn’t easy. It was even harder when dealing with a guy desperate to survive. It also didn’t help that his clothes and the ten-pound police officer’s duty belt were weighing him down. Circling around and around, he tried to pry the man’s herculean grip away. A sudden whoosh of the undercurrent and both of them were swept away towards the truck that was now fully engulfed in water. The current smashed them into the side of the steel as if they were nothing more than loose leaves.
In that moment the man released his grip and Jack watched as the current sucked him away. He’d never forget his eyes — wild, swollen and full of fear.
Jack, however, was pinned against the vehicle, above, he could see the shimmering reflection of the moon on the surface getting farther away. He turned and noticed that his ripped shirt was caught in the twisted metal. It was pulling him under, down into the deep, down into a watery grave.
He tugged at the shirt a few times, but it was no use. It was lodged in tight, caught up and tangled around the metal. It also didn’t help that he’d used most of his strength just trying to fight off the man beneath the water.
His chest started heaving for air.