Ӝ
David couldn’t breathe. The smoke was stinging his eyes and filling his lungs. The woman had escaped but left her kid behind. He never would have abandoned Thomas like that. Although he hadn’t realized he’d nearly killed the boy, they were now both choking on smoke. As it began to clear, he could see the officers still pointing their guns in his direction. He shoved the boy to the floor under his feet and pulled the trigger.
Ӝ
“Hold your fire!” Ryan yelled.
The officers froze and the remaining smoke billowed out of the car. Ryan stepped toward the car, gun at the ready.
“He’s down!” Chuck hollered.
Ryan and Chuck yanked the back doors open simultaneously to find the boy on the floor with the gunman bleeding out all over the seat. Ryan knelt down, afraid the boy had been hit. He rested his hand on the boy’s back and the child whimpered. Relief flooded Ryan as he holstered his weapon and pulled the boy out of the car. He was wet and crying, but that was to be expected. The mother snatched him from Ryan’s arms before he could make sure the child hadn’t been shot. She collapsed to the pavement, clutching her child so tightly he couldn’t breathe.
Emergency medical personnel arrived and took the boy. The woman was so exhausted from the emotional hurricane she’d endured over the last couple of hours that she no longer had the strength to stand on her own. Ryan helped her to her feet and walked her to the ambulance where her son was being looked over. Once the ambulance left with the woman and child for the hospital, Ryan turned back to the dead man, hoping his shift would end quickly.
The Value of a Life
Sobs filled the room as Jacqueline walked into the viewing area. She could’t believe he was gone. Her big bother. She had just talked to him last week. Now here she was, in a crowded room of crying and moaning people. She saw her parents standing next to his closed casket and walked up to them, memories of her now dead brother flooding her mind.
She hugged her mother and looked to her father. That’s when the tears came. He looked so empty, so lost. She looked around at the various photographs and saw a TV set up with a DVD of her brother playing. As she walked up, the DVD began again and she saw pictures of her pregnant mother, then a hospital photo of her parents and their new baby boy. Various photos of his baby years, his first day of school, and his fifth birthday.
Then a video came on. Her brother was giggling while covering his eyes and trying not to peek. Her father could be heard behind the camera. Mom walked in with a pink blanket in her arms and told Daniel he could look now. A look of pure happiness was shown on his face as he looked at his new baby sister.
The video faded to a photo of him in a little tux for his first school dance. A family day at the beach. A trip to the mountains. Daniel and dad fishing. The day he got his driver’s permit. Daniel’s junior prom. Daniel's high school graduation. His first day of college when they helped him move in to his dorm. Daniel’s wedding. The day he landed his dream job after years of study and the family had gone out to celebrate. Many photographs of a happy man who led a good and honest life. And now he was gone. Taken too early from this life by a drunk driver. His wife couldn’t even attend his funeral because she was stuck in the hospital.
Poor Crystal. She’s been in a coma since the accident. She doesn’t even know yet. She’s going to be devastated. Jacqueline closed her eyes as more memories took over her mind. Things just kept getting worse for this family. Daniel and Crystal had been trying to have kids for years, but just when they finally had some success, the accident happened. Daniel was gone, the baby was gone, and Crystal would have to use a wheelchair for the rest of her life. If she even woke up.
“Excuse me,” a man said behind Jacqueline. “Please take a seat. We are about to begin the service.”
Jacqueline nodded and took a seat next to her mother and grasped her hand. The ceremony went on for what seemed like forever but it was over in less than an hour. Jacqueline stood and said goodbyes to her parents and various other family members and made her way out the door. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, wanting a drink.
“Hey, beautiful.” Jacqueline opened her eyes to see her cousin Arthur walking towards her. “You look like you could use a drink. I’d offer to buy you one, but I know you’re working on remaining sober. Want to get some coffee?”
“Hell no,” Jacqueline said. “I’ll take the damn tequila.”
Arthur just smiled and led her to his car. He opened the door for her and she slid into the seat. They remained silent all the way to the bar.
Ӝ
Jacqueline didn’t know how much she drank and didn’t care. What she did care about was why she woke up naked in a dimly lit unfamiliar bedroom. She tried to get up but still felt dizzy from the liquor. What the Hell, Jac?
She heard voices in another room and slipped to the floor, crawling around in search of her dress. She banged her head on the foot board of the bed and cursed. She stood up and grabbed the comforter off the bed, wrapped it around herself and stumbled her way to the door. It opened before she got there and two figures stood before her.
The light came on and Arthur stood there looking concerned. “You shouldn’t be up and about yet. You drank too much and threw up on yourself. You should lay back down.”
He guided Jacqueline back to the bed and laid her down.
“Who’s that?” Jacqueline asked.
“Hm? Oh, he’s a good friend of mine. He’s going to help me take good care of you, Jac.”
Jacqueline didn’t know why, but the way the friend was grinning gave her the creeps. Her current state didn’t feel like she’d had too much to drink. She’s been drunk dozens of times. Her brother had always bailed her out when she did. He was gone now. In fact, he was the reason she got drunk in the first place after being sober for eight months. It had been awhile, but something didn't feel right.
Arthur’s friend came over to the bed and tried to help remove the blanket and lay Jacqueline down. She resisted and wound up vomiting over the side of the bed.
“I’ll get the restraints,” the other man said.
As she passed out, she wondered what they meant about restraints and if she was going to be tied up to the bed.
Ӝ
Jacqueline awoke to heavy breathing. As she became more aware of herself, she came to realize someone was on top of her. Inside her. She tried to scream but something was in her mouth. She tried to move but she had been tied to the headboard. She couldn’t see anything, so instead she tried to calm down and figure things out.
“She feels real good, Arthur. How much did ya give her?” the man asked as he squeezed her breasts.
“Oh, not much. About a single dose, I think.”
The man laughed. “You said she’s your cousin, right? Don’t ya feel guilty for sellin’ her out?” he said as he slid a hand down between her legs, attempting to lead her into an orgasm. He pumped her while he kept his other hand squeezed on her breast so hard it would leave a bruise.
“Not really.” Jacqueline heard Arthur say. “She’s turned me down dozens of times just because we’re related by marriage. I had my fun with her when we got back from the bar. Figured you could do the same from the way you were looking at her at the funeral tonight.”
Jac couldn’t believe it. Arthur raped her and now he was standing there while letting his friend do the same! I’m going to kill them if they don’t kill me first!
“What if she wakes up? What are you gonna do then?” the man on top of her asked.
“What do you mean what am I going to do?” Arthur replied. “I’ve been in love with her since high school and she’s dated nothing but scum. Do you have any idea how many times she’s gotten drunk and went home with strangers or wound up in jail and Daniel had to go get her? Hell, as many times as she’s turned me down, I deserve a few days with her.”
The other man laughed as she came at the same time he did and she passed out once more.
Ӝ
; Jac awoke still tied to the bed, but her mouth was free. Dry, but at least she wasn’t gagged anymore. “Arthur!” she cried out. She pulled on the restraints but they didn’t budge. She was still naked and her brain felt like a train wreck.
“Arthur, I don’t know what you slipped me, but I don’t appreciate being raped!” she wanted to glare at him, but she was still blindfolded. “Arthur! What the hell did you give me!” she was snarling.
“Just a bit of opium. Nothing too serious,” he replied as she heard the soft footfalls of him approaching the bed. “Did you enjoy your little ride? I saw you wake up while Devon was inside of you. You enjoyed it, didn’t you? He said you came many times while he pleasured you.” Arthur smiled as he removed one of his suit ties from her eyes.
Jacqueline glared at him as hard as she could, hoping he felt the fiery flames of hatred coming from her eyes. He laughed and said, “There will be plenty more pleasure in the days to come, Jac. Be a good girl and I’ll make sure you’ll stay in Heaven. I invited some more friends over tonight to play with you. So why don’t we take a nice hot bath and get you all dolled up before they get here?”
Jacqueline wished she had the energy to fight back. Once Arthur released her from the restraints, that had been her chance. Yet the drugs slowed her down and Arthur was able to grab her fist before it made contact with his face. He laughed at her and carried her to his bathroom. He may have cleaned her up, but she felt filthy.
After all these years, Arthur had been the only one she relied on other than her big brother, and now he had gotten her into this situation. It was bad enough to know that he had raped her and stood by while letting a friend get his rocks off, too, but to know he had invited others to do the same sent a chill down her spine. It was too much to hope that someone would save her. This was life, not a movie. All she could do was wait for her chance to escape.
Ӝ
“Jac? Jac, are you home?” Ryan called out. No answer. Guess she isn’t home from Daniel’s funeral yet. I guess it’s just me and a frozen TV dinner tonight.
Ryan sighed as he opened the freezer to choose which cardboard meal would fill his stomach tonight. Jac was the chef. He just burned everything or somehow made food inedible. Ryan cringed at the memory of the Valentine’s Day dinner he had tried to prepare for her a couple weeks ago. Somehow, the only thing he hadn’t screwed up was the salad and the wine. Still, though, Jac had laughed it off and thanked him for his efforts, and quite the thank you she gave that night.
He smiled as he picked up a fried something or other and tossed it in the microwave. After a sixteen hour shift full of questions, a robbery, a murder and an intense high speed chase at gunpoint, at least the hostages were safe at the hospital.
Ryan had personally visited the mother and her toddler to insure they were alright. The woman had a mild concussion and the boy was perfectly fine. Her car was a complete mess though. That’s a memory that will never go away, no matter how many times she gets that seat deep cleaned.
Ryan plopped down on the couch with his somewhat edible meal and chose a good comedy flick to wind him down before bed. He hoped Jac would be home soon. They hadn’t had a good romp in a while.
Ӝ
Ryan was worried about Jac and hadn’t slept well for the past week. Jac hadn’t been seen or heard from since Daniel’s funeral. She hadn’t been home or to work. Where could she possibly be? If she killed herself over her brother’s death, I’ll bring her back and slap the shit out of her! Or so he thought. Truthfully, he hoped she was alive somewhere.
“Hey, Ryan!”
Ryan hopped up out of his seat. “Oh, hey, Chuck. What’s up?”
“We just got an anonymous call about some suspicious activity. We found Jac,” he replied.
“Is she okay? What did the caller say?!” Ryan asked as he grabbed up his keys.
“I’ll tell you on the way, but the Chief says you gotta leave your gun here. Don’t want you flying off the handle since your personal life is involved.”
Ryan slammed his pistol onto his desk. “Tell me right now! Is she alive?”
“Yeah, she’s alive, but she’s not lookin’ so good. A couple of officers are already there and you don’t want to know how they found her,” Chuck said.
“Tell me everything you know,” Ryan answered.
Ӝ
Jacqueline awoke to an annoying beeping sound. She opened her eyes to a dimly lit white room and turned her head toward the sound only to see the monitor. I’m in a hospital, but how? The last thing she remembered was one of Arthur’s friends beating the shit out of her. A groan behind her made her nearly jump out of her skin. She turned her head only to find her wonderful fiance of a cop sleeping in the most uncomfortable chair known to man. Well, maybe only the second most uncomfortable, after those metal folding chairs.
She smiled as she watched him sleep, knowing he’d probably been there since they let him in the room. The door creaked and Jacqueline looked over to see a nurse walk in.
“Oh, you’re awake. Good for you,” she said softly with a smile. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I was hit by train,” Jacqueline replied with a cracked voice.
The nurse chuckled and fussed with the various objects that Jacqueline was hooked up to. “There. That should help.” She glanced over to Ryan and back at Jacqueline. “You know, you’ve been asleep for nearly two days now and he hasn’t left this room. Not once. You’ve caught a good one,” she said with a wink and left. Jacqueline turned to look back at her fiance and drifted off to sleep wondering just how angry he had been at seeing her in the state she’d been.
Ӝ
“Jac? Jac, wake up. I’m right here. You’re safe now. Everything is going to be okay, Jac.”
Jacqueline heard Ryan calling her name softly, as if he were afraid he’d startle her awake. She slowly opened her eyes to see Ryan leaning over her and resting his hand on her head. She gave him the best smile she could work up. “Hey, copper. What’d I do this time?”
Ryan smiled back, but his eyes were full of worry and exhaustion. “You were having a bad dream, blondie. Thought I could be your hero and pull you out of it.”
Jac just stared at him with complete adoration and wondered how she indeed got so lucky to have her own knight in shining armor. Or, in his case, a sexy uniform with a nice shiny badge and a belt full of toys.
“I want to know what happened, but I know it’ll have to wait. You just focus on getting out of here, alright?”
“Oh, you know me,” she answered with a forced laugh. “I’m as tough as they come. Getting my ass handed to me ain’t nothing new.”
Ryan chuckled as he ran his hand through her blonde hair. She didn’t realize just how close he came to losing her. “I’m on temporary leave right now, so I can stay right here until they release you. You have a couple of fractured ribs, a split lip, multiple bruises, a cracked molar, a few cuts and scrapes, and a concussion.” Jac winced as he listed her injuries. He rushed on, “Doctors say you are healing well though, since most of the swelling has gone down. And no major damage to anything internal.”
Jac closed her eyes and thought about what a sight she must be, considering her injuries and all the hospital stuff she was hooked up to. Ryan continued to rub her head and squeeze her hand as he said, “Chief told me to stay away from the precinct so I don’t kill Arthur.”
Jacqueline froze at the mention of the man that had put her in this situation. Foggy memories of what she’d been through rushed through her mind. She blinked them away and looked up at Ryan, hazel eyes full of angry tears. “Don’t kill him. That bastard deserves whatever punishment the court decides that the law will allow. Focus on being happy, Ryan. I’m alive. That’s what matters. When this is over, what do you say we take a little vacation? Getting married on a beach in Florida sounds nice, don’t you think?” she said as she fluttered her eyelashes at him.
He laughed and kissed her forehead. “Jac, honey, after what you’ve been through, I�
�ll do anything you want.”
Jacqueline’s wiggled her eyebrows. “Oh, really, copper? Hmm, well my foot itches and I’m too sore to reach for it. Think you can handle that for me?”
Ryan laughed again as he walked towards her feet. Tickling one foot he asked, “This one? Or is it this one?”
Jacqueline began to giggle and wiggle. “Alright! Enough! Haha! You can stop!”
Ryan began to massage her feet as their laughter died down. “You know,” she began. “I could use a massage a little higher up.”
Ryan moved his hands up to her calves. “Here?”
Lotus: Dark Lotus Chronicles One Page 2
