InnocenceForSale.com/Jane (Innocence For Sale Book 3)

by Ada Scott

  His leg refused to snap, but he yelled out in pain, stumbling back a couple steps. It wasn’t much. It wasn’t enough. But it was all I had. I scrambled to my feet again and lurched to a run.

  When my right hand swung in front of me I saw that my phone was, miraculously, still there. I didn’t dare look behind me, didn’t dare see how much my kick had slowed him down, because I wasn’t exactly at top speed anymore either.

  If I could just get inside, get to my mom. I could save us. I could save us…

  My mom’s wheelchair was on the front porch, but she wasn’t in it. It sat uselessly on its side like a car wreck in a post-apocalyptic world, and my mom was nowhere to be seen.

  I didn’t even realize I’d slowed down until Daniel tackled me from behind at full speed, powering his shoulder into the middle of my back. My head whipped backwards, straining my neck enough to send lightning shooting down my arms painfully and my breath was knocked out of my body for the second time in less than a minute.

  This time, when I hit the ground, Daniel’s full weight landed on top of me. I swore I felt my bones grinding inside my body, but I still tried to look in the direction of the porch. What had he done to my mom?

  Amy

  “What have you done to her?” I yelled.

  I pulled at the ropes binding me to the chair, but I was no match for them. Now that I was secure again, Daniel broke his stony silence.

  “I’ve got no use for that wrinkly old fuck.”

  “What have you done with her?”

  “None of your fuckin’ business. I didn’t want that cripple bitch sitting around runnin’ her mouth like you so I took care of it. You’re lucky I’ve got a couple uses for that mouth of yours or you’d be fucking dead already. Now shut the fuck up while I make a phone call.”

  Daniel pulled my phone out of his pocket, tapped at it, and then cursed under his breath. He held the phone near my hand. “Unlock it.”

  “No.”

  Crack!

  He slapped me so hard across the face that my head snapped to the side and my vision blurred for a second. Grabbing me by the jaw and digging his dirty fingernails in hard enough to make me whimper, he brought my head back to face him. I could barely hear him over the ringing in my ears.

  “Unlock it.”

  I wanted to say no again, but my lips simply trembled instead. Daniel grabbed for my hand, but I bunched it up into a fist, making him spend a frustrating few seconds prying a finger out. Instead of pressing it against the fingerprint reader on my phone, it wrenched it backwards and I felt the snap in my finger as the bone broke.

  I screamed wordlessly and felt a hot flush followed by cold sweat on my forehead as the pain radiated up my arm. Only then did he use my limp and broken finger to unlock my phone.

  Ignoring me for the time being, he held up my phone and flicked through it for a while before holding it up to his ear. My head slumped down and I concentrated on trying to breathe through the pain.

  How could this be happening? Fifteen minutes ago, I was walking on sunshine. Now, I was walking through hell.

  I was in love, I had purpose and meaning in my life. Now, would I ever hear those three little words again? Would I ever say them again? Was my mom dead? Dead?

  I couldn’t bear to think about it, but a lifetime of thoughts stampeded their way through my mind anyway, all while Daniel held my phone to his ear. I never knew the person my dad was, just the idea of him, but I knew my mom. I knew her inside and out, and she knew me.

  How does somebody like her change from a person to a memory? All the hugs and kisses, all the advice and understanding, the unconditional love… what was I supposed to do without that?

  She spent my whole life in her wheelchair, which was now tipped over and empty on the porch, but she did the best she could to help me stand on my own two feet. For over two years, which stretched out to feel like forever, the ground under me had seemed so shaky until I fell into Kris’ arms. Would we lose each other too?

  I tried to concentrate on the most beautiful memories as they flashed through my head, to hold on to them and let them sweep me away. If things were about to get even uglier, I wanted my mind to be far, far away.

  For a moment I was sitting on my mom’s lap, laughing as she raced us along the paths in the park. The next moment, I was in Kris’ arms, feeling his strength and the sense of calm after we made love. Then Daniel’s voice cut through my reverie as he talked on my phone.

  “Oh that’s real sweet, but I don’t think that was intended for me… Take one guess, you cocksucker… Right first try! Did you miss me?... Well now, there’s a good question… Shut the fuck up… Shut the fuck up, you’re not in charge here… Shut the fuck up and listen… Yes I’ve fuckin’ got her and if you know what’s good for you, and her, you’ll do exactly what I say… You fucked with the wrong dude, Kris, you ride on my coattails your whole life and then fuck me over like that? Fuck you!... No fuck you! You can’t even afford to pay me what I’m owed at this point, so I’m gonna be reasonable… shut the fuck up… The way I figure it, you need to bring me some cash and then I’m gonna disappear… Yes, really. I think two million three hundred and sixty thousand dollars sounds about right, don’t you?... Yeah, motherfucker… I’ve got the bitch here at the farm, you bring it in cash within two hours and I’ll be on my merry fucking way. If you’re late… I’ll have to start charging interest out of her pussy, and if you bring the police, well.. fuck it, she and I will go down in a hail of bullets with my cock in her ass… No… No, fuck you, you’ll have to… Stole her phone? Are you fucking… Fine! Here…”

  Daniel held the phone out to me. “Say something to loverboy.”

  I shook my head. Daniel snarled like an animal and grabbed my broken finger, twisting it. I screamed louder than I thought possible. White-hot molten pain exploded from my broken digit and threatened to melt my mind away completely.

  “Speak, bitch!”

  “Kris? I’m sorry… I love you…”

  Daniel let go of my finger and brought my phone back to his ear while I slumped over, dribbling on to my shirt because of the pure agony emanating from my hand. Fresh tears flowed, fueled by guilt. I felt like a traitor, as if by speaking I was ensuring that Kris would get dragged into this, into being right where Daniel wanted him to be. I couldn’t stand the pain, though.

  That’s no excuse.

  Maybe not, but it was all I had.

  Keep fighting. It’s not too late.

  I grit my teeth, trying to block out the pain, to find a spark of anger that could ignite a fire of strength. I couldn’t, the pain and fear was too overwhelming. All I could feel under there was love. Love for my mom, love for Kris. It gave me the resolve to do what little I could to try to save him, even if it was too late for my mom.

  “Kris, call the police! Don’t come-” I screamed, before Daniel grabbed my finger again.

  My sentence was cut off as anguished air tore through my throat, drowning out my words.

  “Since when do you care what a bitch thinks, anyway, right?” Daniel said into the phone. “You just do what I told you, bring me the fucking cash within two hours. See you later, cunt.”

  Daniel hung up and then slipped my phone back in his pocket. He cracked his knuckles and then looked at me in a way that made me feel like I had slime all over my skin.

  “You’ll let us go when you get your money?” I asked?

  His eyes widened for a moment as if he was taken by surprise, then he burst into laughter. “Oh, you poor naïve little bitch. Don’t be stupid. He can bring however much money he can get his hands on within two hours, but I’m still going to fuck you and kill the both of you.”

  “No!”

  Daniel stepped behind the chair I was tied to and reached down the front of my shirt to cup one breast. His touch was revolting, I tried to squirm away but there was nowhere to go. I tasted the acidic burn of bile at the back of my throat.

  “Mmmm, we’re going to have some fun alright,
you and me,” he said, “but first I’m going to get my money and kill him. That’ll have to count as foreplay. I hope it makes you real wet or else this might be a fucking painful experience for you. Hey, I might let you cuddle up to his corpse while I fuck you, if you’re into that shit. Hell, I might stuff a twenty into your mouth. I know you’re into that shit, whore.”

  He pulled his hand out of my shirt and I gagged in revulsion.

  “First, though, I’ve got a few things to do. Don’t go anywhere.”

  Kris

  Every breath I took brought me closer to the Evans Farm, closer to Daniel and Amy. It also seemed to provide pure oxygen to a wildfire of seething rage that threatened to take over everything. I fought it down with everything I had because I needed to stay focused.

  “Motherfucker!” I burst out as I turned into their driveway, and then clamped my mouth shut almost tight enough to crack teeth.

  I couldn’t even warn him not to hurt her, to give myself any excuse to let him live through the night. Yet, he could still hurt her more. That was why I had to get him away from her. Out into the open.

  When the farmhouse came into view and my headlights washed across it I couldn’t see any lights on inside, but there was an unfamiliar car parked just in front of it. Mrs. Evans’ wheelchair was knocked over on the porch.

  I gripped the wheel so tightly that my knuckles turned white. All I wanted was to feel those knuckles beating into Daniel’s face, feeling it gradually get softer as his head turned into some bloody fucking mush.

  He’d done something to a woman in a fucking wheelchair. How low was this son of a bitch, and how did I not see it long ago?

  I parked the car and turned the engine off, but left the headlights on, pointing at the front door. The sky in the west was a deep orange, the twilight would soon be completely gone.

  With a deep breath, I reached for the bag of money in the passenger seat and then stepped out of the car. I cast my eyes all around and didn’t see any sign of anybody, but then a familiar voice came through the screen door of the house.

  “Come on in, fucker. Hold your hands up so I can see them.”

  I held my hands up at either side, the bag of money in my left hand, and headed towards the house. It was only when I was at the top of the porch that I spotted any movement through the screen door. Daniel’s head was peeking out at the edge of the door, but he moved away from it when he saw how close I was.

  “Keep coming, nice and slow.”

  I reached for the door and opened it, stepping inside. My headlights illuminated the hallway and living room quite well. After taking a couple steps past the entrance, I could see Amy tied to a chair, with Daniel standing behind her, holding a gun to her head.

  Amy had blood stains on the sleeve of her shirt, dirt all over the front, and she looked terrified. One finger of her right hand stuck out at an odd angle, and I fought anew to keep the rage down. He’d fucking pay for this.

  “Amy, are you OK?”

  “No.” Her voice was croaky.

  “OK, that’s a real touching reunion, but you’ll have plenty of time later to catch up. I must admit, I’m a little disappointed you’re not late. I was getting used to the idea that I was going to fuck this whore in every hole.”

  “Well, I’m here. I’ve got your cash. Don’t do anything even more stupid than you’ve already done, Daniel. I can let the money go. Nobody needs to know.”

  “He’s-” Amy began, but Daniel pushed the muzzle of the gun against her temple.

  “Throw the money over here.”

  Slowly and carefully, I threw the bag to the side of the seat Amy was tied to. Would he be distracted enough for me to sprint across the room while he bent down to pick it up and the gun was pointing away from Amy? I watched him intently, but he didn’t even look at the bag yet.

  “Take off the jacket. Empty your pockets,” Daniel said.

  I started shrugging my jacket off.

  “Slowly,” he said, pushing the gun against Amy again.

  I ground my teeth, but slowed my movements down, pulling the jacket off and holding it out to the side at arm’s length before letting it drop to the floor. Next, out of my pockets came my wallet, phone and keys, which I let fall on top of my jacket.

  “Hands up, all the way up, face the other way.”

  I did as he asked, finally hearing him move to pick up the money. Fuck.

  “Is this all of it?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “Are you trying to fucking play with me? Now? You want me to take the rest of it out on her ass?”

  “Calm yourself down you stupid little fuck,” I said, turning around. “I’ve got the rest of it. Here. In my car.”

  “Why d-”

  “Because this isn’t a movie where any sum of money you want can fit into a fucking little silver briefcase. There’s over two million in the trunk of my car and it must weigh over five hundred fucking pounds. I had to scrape together whatever I could, there’s even some fucking coins in there. Come on. Let’s go outside, I’ll load it into your car and you get the fuck out of here.”

  “You’re not in charge, here, I am!” Daniel screamed. “I’m fuckin’ done taking orders from you! You’d be fuckin’ nothin’ without me, you ungrateful cunt! Everybody back in New Eastport thought you’d lost your mind, but I followed you and I knew what you were doing. I knew if I was patient I’d get to pay you back for what you did.”

  “Fine, Supreme Leader Daniel, what do you want to do now?”

  His face screwed up in frustration for a moment, then he growled. “Fine! Let’s go, you load the money into my car.”

  “Great idea! Follow me. I mean, lead from behind, my lord.”

  “Shut your fuckin’ mouth!”

  I turned around again, keeping my hands up, and started walking away. After a couple of steps, I heard Daniel following and let myself bask in the wave of relief. Anything that got him away from Amy was good.

  The headlights of my car made me squint my eyes when I passed through the front door again, but after going down the steps next to the wheelchair ramp I was soon out of their direct glare. Daniel was a few steps behind me as I rounded the back of my car and opened the trunk.

  I glanced over at him and saw his eyes widen at the sight of so many bags of money as he peered in. The gun was pointing at my feet.

  “Alright, start loading it up,” he said.

  “No.”

  “What the fuck do you mean “no”? Pick up the fuckin’ money and load it into my car. You wanna die here?”

  “A spineless little sack of shit like you doesn’t have the balls to do anything to somebody like me. I’m not some old man in a wheelchair or some girl you outweigh by over a hundred pounds. You fucked with the wrong one here, I’m telling you that for free.”

  “Well, I’m the one with the gun, tough guy, so get to work.”

  “I don’t work for you, motherfucker. Never have, never will. You’ve never had a good idea in your life, and this has got to be the worst. What was that shit you were talking about me riding on your fuckin’ coattails? You delusional little fuck.”

  I could tell that every word that came out of my mouth that wasn’t “yes sir” was pushing his fucking buttons. In fact, I was counting on it.

  Yet, I’d have been lying if I said the world didn’t slip into slow motion for me when his face contorted in rage and the gun in his hand started rising towards my head again. I swore I could see the glint of a bullet down the barrel and the way his teeth were biting his bottom lip as he was about to say “fuck you” to me for the last time.

  Bang!

  The shot made me flinch and brace myself for pain or death, and also brought the world back to regular speed. Daniel crumpled to the ground, blood pouring from his head.

  The sharpshooter from the police had obviously judged the threat-level to be high enough to warrant it. I wondered if I’d cop any shit for pushing him over the edge instead of trying to talk him down. Still, l
ike Daniel said, he was the one with the gun.

  A scream came from inside the house, a scream like somebody’s world was ending. I was on the move before the gun had even finished clattering out of Daniel’s dead hand.

  Racing inside, I burst through the screen door so fast I almost ripped it off its hinges. A moment later, I was at Amy’s side, working on the ropes as she stared at me in astonishment.

  Once untied, I pulled her on to my lap and she half fell into my arms, hugging me back as if trying to feel out whether I was real or not. I buried my face in her neck and hair.

  “Where is he?” she asked.

  “He’s dead.”

  “I think he killed my mom,” she sobbed.

  “Did you see?”

  “No.”

  “OK. We don’t know that. We’ll find her, I promise. Are you OK?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. Broken finger, maybe broken ribs. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know”

  I put my arms around her shoulders and waist, away from potentially broken ribs, and held her even tighter. “Shhhh, it’s OK. It’s going to be OK. I love you, and everything’s going to be OK.”

  “Love… you… too.” Amy’s words were staggered by sobs and winces of pain.

  “Can you stand? Come on, let’s get out of here.”

  By the time we made it to the door, the area in front of the farmhouse was bathed in red and blue flashing lights, and beginning to swarm with police officers. I led Amy in the direction of the approaching ambulance.

  Before the closest police officer could reach us, Amy shook herself loose from my arms with a grunt of pain and ran back into the house. She ignored the officer’s instructions to stop and, after a second of hesitation, so did I.

  “Mom!” she screamed, bursting through the door again.

  Amy darted from one room to the other, yelling and pausing to listen, until she opened the door to the closet in what must have been her mother’s bedroom. She dropped to her knees and when I followed her into the room and saw around the door, I saw her mother on the floor in there.