Distance of the Heart

by Agnes H Hagadus

  “But what no one knows, I was actually paid to do it. So I was able to recoup some of the money that way.” Lena was now making her way towards Tabby. It was like watching a predator slowly stalk its prey. For that’s what this was becoming. Lena was the huntress. Tabby was to be feasted on. But first, there was the slow dance. There was the slow torture. It was getting the adrenaline pumping in both women, but for exact opposite reasons.

  “But money is only a means. For me, life is what matters. Revenge is what matters.” Lena tossed the Taser up and down a few times. Tabby couldn’t help but watch as the weapon moved up and down. Or from side to side as the cook began tossing it back and forth between her hands. It was as if Lena was attempting to hypnotize her. Sadly, it was working. Before Tabby knew what was happening, she was being straddled by the madwoman.

  “Helen wouldn’t commit to me because she thought there was still a chance with you.” Tabby couldn’t help the scream that escaped her as the Taser made contact with her neck. The fact she was sweating profusely only increased the electric shock. Thankfully, the first treatment only lasted a few moments, though she knew each time they would increase in length of time. And knowing the madwoman, probably strength as well.

  “Glad you aren’t one to contain the pain. If I were to torture Sam or Abby, I’m certain neither would scream. Even if they were watching the other tortured, they wouldn’t.” Lena leaned so that she was only inches from Tabby’s face. “But you aren’t like them. There aren’t many that are like them. Helen thought she was. We’d had some interesting lovemaking sessions. But none of that had prepared her for what I did to her. And she did attempt to scream. It was priceless when she couldn’t. But with you, I want you to make as much noise as humanly possible.”

  The thought of what Lena would do to make her scream caused Tabby to shudder. “Gods, you are turning me on.” The madwoman shifted. Tabby could feel the moisture from Lena’s womanhood soaking through. It was unreal. The only one she ever wanted to feel was Emily. But now she was tainted. Even if Lena were to stop now, which was unlikely, she was forever stained by another woman.

  From somewhere deep within her, Tabby managed to gather strength. Was it from thinking of how tainted she had become? Was it merely the thought of Emily? Was it the thought of her son and how she’d be no good to him dead? Wherever it came from, Tabby remember one move that Sam had taught her. It was something she’d actually seen in an old comedy movie. And yet, it was an important move for any young woman to know how to defend themselves.

  It seemed Lena was stunned that her prisoner would even think about fighting back. The heal of the hand was slammed into her nose before she could even react. While she had been beaten a few times and gone too far when having a tryst, those had been expected. This was not what she had thought would happen when she had begun to torture the little blonde bitch.

  Though the blood was pouring down her face and into her mouth, Lena managed to react. She grabbed a hold of long, blonde tresses. She pulled with all her might. Tabby was sent flying. Luckily for the petite woman, she landed on the bed. Unfortunately for Tabby, she landed on her stomach. It left her in the most vulnerable position she could have ended up in. Instantly, tears were streaming down her face. It was fear. Plain and simple, she was more terrified than she had ever been in her life.

  Even when Tabby had been kidnapped before, she had been with her soulmate. Yes, she had similar thoughts about leaving Nicky alone. But she had had Emily’s support and love. She had been able to lean on the woman who meant the most to her in her entire life. Meant the most? Without Emily in her life, she had been going through the motions. She’d been half a woman. And now they were separated again. She couldn’t allow Emily to be left alone. But what could she do?

  That was when Tabby felt it. It was the most intense pain she had ever experienced in her life and she’d given birth. The Taser had been pressed to the back of her neck. It had remained there for a few moments so that the terror could build. The electric shock sent her eyes closed and yet she could still see as if lightning was flashing directly before her eyes. It wasn’t long before the pain went away. Instead, a dark abyss took over. And Tabby was all alone.

  Chapter 15

  The figure in black made its way to the RV. There were only a few security measures in place. Apparently no one knew there was a possibility the location was known. Over confidence played into the equation. Still, the figure knew to be cautious. That looks could be deceiving. It was a fact the figure was counting on.

  There was no noise coming from inside the RV. That could be both positive and negative. There was only minimal lighting. The figure used the fact to blend into the shadows. When the guard stepped out of the shadows, the figure produced a needle. With the leather clad left hand covering the mouth, the right jabbed the needle into the neck of the male guard.

  It took only a few seconds for the guard to be lowered to the ground. The needle was dropped to the ground next to the prone body. The dark figure continued to make its way towards the RV. The noise caused the figure to shrink back into the shadows. The black kitten startled the figure by beginning to rub its ankles. Though it was probably not a wise decision, the kitten was in the figure’s arms.

  Instantly, the kitten began to purr. It knew it had found safety in the warmth of the strong arms. There was love surrounding it. While it was starving, sometimes affection was needed as much as sustenance. And warmth. While it was warm during the day, nights could be cool near the ocean. It was no place for a kitten. It was no place for the figure in black or the woman inside.

  The kitten was slipped through the tarp covering the back window of the RV. There were some howls at first. Then there was the sound of purring. The figure hoped it meant the kitten had discovered the reason for the journey here. And that the reason was still alive and breathing. The figure slowly made its way to the door that was already open. It was unlike any security the figure could even think existed.

  The moment the figure stepped into the RV, the lights were temporarily blinding. When finally the hidden eyes were able to adjust, a prone figure on the bed materialized. The rags adorning the body were sweat and blood stained. The black kitten was sitting as if in a protective manner in front of the badly abused figure. If it weren’t for the dirty blonde locks, it would be difficult to tell if the person on the bed was male or female. “I wasn’t expecting only one person.”

  Lena stepped out of the front of the RV. She cautiously made her way to the figure in black. “To be honest, I remember you being taller. And I thought you had a broader build. But then again all I truly remember is the gun you had aimed at me.” Lena reached out to take the mask from the figure only to have her hand slapped away. “Come, now. This will be easier on you if you allow for things to happen smoothly. That means allowing me to continue my fun with Tabby. We can work something out, Mitch. After all, this isn’t your bitch of a niece.”

  The figure merely remained standing, arms across its chest. The only sound permeating the night were the low, cute growls of the black kitten and the occasional moan by the prone figure on the bed. It was clear the pain Tabby continued to suffer. And yet, the stalemate continued. The figure never flinched a muscle, though deep inside it was killing the figure not to be able to comfort the woman on the bed.

  “I see you’re a man of few words.” Lena made her way so that she was blocking the view of the prize. For now, that someone had come to rescue Tabby, it was how she deemed the nurse. Before, she had merely been a playmate. Someone to take out her frustrations on and need for vengeance. The kitten attempted to swat at the madwoman. Lena merely shook her head. “What is it about you, Tabby, that even a sweet, harmless thing like this kitten would risk everything? Just for you?”

  The feminine voice startled Lena. “Because she’s amazing. She’s selfless. I could go on, but what’s the point. You would never understand. Someone like you, your heart died a long time ago. And I think you were born without a soul.
” The figure, female, had moved into a fighting stance. Whoever this was intrigued and pissed off the madwoman at the same time.

  “Oh I had a soul. Once. But things happen. Parents die. A twelve-year-old winds up in the system. Doing things most people couldn’t even conceive of to survive.” Lena pulled the gun from the small of her back. She wasn’t taking any chances with whoever this was. Mitch she had been prepared for. Or as prepared for as you can be when one is ex-military. The female before her was an unknown.

  One thing Lena was certain of; it wasn’t Sam or Abby. Her associates assured her both were preoccupied. There were many dangerous women connected in one way or another with Tabby. There was Sierra, but the woman had returned to the dark side, or so it appeared. There was the Fed woman, Max. But the woman standing before her was nothing like what she had intel on Max.

  While the figure before her was relatively tall, again she wasn’t quite as broad-shouldered as Max. The eyes were hidden beneath silver sunglasses, even though it was the dark of the night. The entire body was covered in black cotton cloth, including a ski mask. There was nothing defining about the woman standing before her. It caused Lena’s unease to grow by the second.

  “And since then, I’ve done even worse things.” Lena motioned towards the door. The figure slowly made her way back out the way she had come. It was too easy. Even with a gun pointed at her, someone who had the guts to come alone shouldn’t have given up that easily. “But that’s the past. This is the present we are talking about. The fact I’ve been torturing the slut in there for the past two days. How does it make you feel?”

  There was a shifting of weight. If Lena hadn’t been studying the figure, she would have missed it. While there had been some connection, if only monetary, to Tabby, the shifting informed the madwoman the connection was deeper than the figure would ever allow to shine through. “I see you don’t like it one bit. Perhaps I should kill her in front of you?”

  “You could try. But I really don’t think you’ll be in any position to even move, let alone demand anything, in about thirty seconds.” The figure remained stoic in her stance. And yet, there was something about her that was familiar to Lena. She knew she’d seen it before. But it couldn’t be. Could it? There was no way Emily would have come on her own. After all, the bitch was supposed to be rotting in jail. The voice would be familiar, if it was the spoiled, rotten heiress.

  Before Lena could allow the burst of laughter to come forth, her enemy moved with a speed she didn’t even know a human could possess. The gun was dislodged from her hand with a high kick. Her cheek was struck by a closed fist. Lena was pinned to the ground by two strong knees, looking at her own reflection in the mirrored sunglasses. “I should just kill you. It would rid the world of another soulless, tyrant.”

  The needle was jabbed into Lena’s neck as the free hand removed the mirrored sunglasses. The azure eyes were a giveaway. There was no mistaking who was hidden beneath the dark fabric. The timid woman she had met only a short time ago could not possibly be the woman before her. Yet, as Lena struggled to remain conscious, the mask was removed revealing shoulder-length blonde locks. There was no mistaking the face. “You?”

  “Let’s just say because of you and friends of yours, I’ve found an inner strength I never knew existed.” Emily slowly placed pressure on the plunger of the needle sending the clear substance inside of Lena. With each drop that entered the madwoman’s system, slowly she lost her fight with consciousness. “But I hope that people like you never force me to fully become what I’m capable of.”

  The confusion was apparent on Lena’s face. It was partially from the sedative that Emily had administered. It was more so from the fact the madwoman couldn’t understand. That deep within us all, there is a part of us. When awakened, one can do anything to protect the one we loved. Abby had learned that lesson the hard way. And the therapist knew it still haunted her. She wondered how her best friend managed to live each moment with the haunting of such images.

  Finally, Lena’s eyes closed. Since they were already outside of the RV, Emily decided to leave the prone body where it was. Not an expert in guns, the therapist managed to remove the bullets. She tossed them as far as she could before tossing the gun in the opposite direction. There was little sound, thankfully, as there were more guards somewhere out there. Hopefully there weren’t too many as she’d run out of sedative.

  That wasn’t exactly true. Emily hastily reentered the RV. The black kitten was now cleaning Tabby’s face. It was causing the nurse to stir. Before Emily made her way to her soulmate, she made certain all the windows and doors were secured. She knew they wouldn’t hold against a well-placed kick. And definitely wouldn’t hold up to bullets. Still, it would slow whoever down.

  Emily gently eased the kitten away from her soulmate. The kitten protested with the cutest of meows before beginning to wash herself. The cuteness was beyond measure. But what was necessary now was seeing how badly injured Tabby was. The nurse inside of Emily came to the surface. There were bruises. There was blood from her nose and some small cuts. But what caught Emily’s eyes were the numerous electrical burn marks nearly everywhere on her soulmate’s body.

  While she had seen nearly everything in her time in the ER, Emily had to struggle with not losing the contents of her stomach. It was her soulmate who had been so horribly abused. As the old saying goes, it’s different when it’s personal. Whether that entailed practicing medicine or dealing with someone threatening you, it made all the difference in the world when it was indeed someone you loved.

  “I’d love to be able to clean you up better, but we need to get out of here.” Since none of the wounds were life-threatening, Emily decided it was best to hit the road. She wrapped her soulmate in a blanket before making her way behind the wheel. The therapist had been prepared to hotwire the vehicle, but was surprised to find the keys in the ignition. When she turned the key, the RV roared to life. “Great. Less than half a tank. But it’ll get us a little distance away from here before having to stop to top it off.”

  There was a pounding on the door. Emily wondered if it was Lena. And if it was Lena, how the madwoman had already managed consciousness. There was enough sedative to take down a five-hundred-pound human being. And the petite woman couldn’t weigh more than one twenty at best. Still, stranger things had happened. After all, look at all Sam and Abby had been through. Some of the things they had survived. Some of them seemed humanly impossible.

  The pounding grew as Emily managed to shift the huge vehicle into gear. The tires squealed on the pavement. There was a thumping sound before there was nothing but the roar of the RV, the purring of the kitten and the soft moans emanating from her soulmate. Emily knew she had to drive as far as she could. But there was a part of her that wanted to stop at the nearest hospital so that Tabby could receive proper treatment.

  It seemed like forever that Emily drove. The entire time she was practically staring at the gas gage. Part of her hoping to run out so she could check on her soulmate. Part of her hoping it would last longer so that more distance would be between Lena and whoever was working for the madwoman and them. Both scenarios had their benefits. If she admitted to herself, the one that mattered the most was distancing themselves.

  Finally, the annoying sound of the warning for low fuel alerted her that she needed to stop. Where to stop? A small, out of the way gas station or one that was busy like a big truck stop. Emily remembered something Sam had said. It was odd, but in one of the defense training sessions, the former SVU detective had informed her sometimes the best defense was to be somewhere crowded. To be somewhere that would make it difficult for whoever to attempt something.

  When the beacon of donuts, gas and vehicle maintenance flashed before her, Emily knew it was the right one. Slowly, she eased the RV into the exit lane, cautious of the vehicles surrounding her. It wasn’t long before she was at the pumps, readying to fill the big beast. She was grateful that Melissa had loaned her money. She didn’t wan
t to take any out of her bank accounts or use her credit or debit cards. It was not wise to have left Middletown, but there was nothing keeping her from rescuing her soulmate.

  Emily checked on Tabby and the kitten. She was tempted to name her Midnight. Of course the blackness of her fur was one reason. The reason she wanted to name the kitten Midnight was because it was the time when she had begun her rescue mission. It was the first time she had laid eyes upon the adorable furball. And instantly, Midnight had taken to Tabby. It had clinched her decision to at least temporarily adopt the young animal.

  As she stroked the kitten’s soft fur, Emily knew this, like what she had with Tabby, was far from a temporary affair. She smirked at the thought. It always went back to their first encounter. And how to some it would seem like a one-night stand. And it was understandable. If one didn’t know the connection the two women shared, it could seem like it. It could only be classified as The Fates working overtime.

  Though not trained extensively, Emily was cautious of her surroundings. It came with being a woman. Slowly, after having locked the RV up tight, she made her way inside the truck stop. It was one of the drawbacks of paying cash. One had to prepay. As she stood in line, she couldn’t help but sense eyes upon her. She wondered how much was paranoia and how much was the truth.

  After all, Emily remained dressed entirely in black. For a moment, she was amused by the reactions she imagined if she had been wearing her ski mask to complete the look. Not certain how much would be needed, she gave the clerk a hundred-dollar bill. When the clerk didn’t bat an eye, Emily knew she had, hopefully, estimated correctly. “All set.” The therapist nodded and hastily made her way back to the RV.

  The sensation the eyes were upon her remained. Emily wondered if the RV was stolen. She hoped not. It might attract attention. Unwanted attention at this point and time. While she respected anyone in law enforcement, being arrested would not help her cause. Even if the judge now was under the impression she had been coerced into admitting guilt, she didn’t want any other brushes with the law.