Enlightened Love

by Shara Lanel

  “Don’t touch her.” Evan pushed Lydia further behind him. Did she remember that the door to the garage was just two feet behind her?

  “Protective are we? Well, let us focus on the business at hand.” He gestured for one of his goons to block the other door.

  Damn. This was not looking good.

  “What business could you possibly have left with me?”

  “Kerry.”

  “I don’t know where she is.”

  “Where is your cousin?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Sentron yanked Lydia to his side. She shrieked and Evan reached for her, but a meaty hand clamped on his arm and pulled it behind his back. “I must know where Kerry is and you must tell me.”

  “I don’t know.”

  Sentron leaned close to Lydia’s ear and whispered, “Then perhaps your girlfriend does.”

  “I don’t know.” Lydia’s voice sounded confident and calm despite her pale skin.

  “That will not do.” Sentron nodded and Evan felt his arm twisted up.

  Striving for a reasonable tone, Evan said, “Lydia last saw them at Starbucks. She said they drove off ‘cause something spooked them. Probably you. Neither one of us has heard from them or seen them since then.”

  Sentron cocked his head, gazing at Evan, then he turned Lydia to face him. “Hmmm. Perhaps true, perhaps not. The key is that I need Kerry now and you are the only people that can help me find her.” He leaned forward and kissed Lydia’s mouth. She flinched and pulled an arm up to wipe at her lips. Sentron smiled. “I will keep you both and amuse myself until you figure out how to contact your cousin and Kerry and return them to me.”

  * * * *

  Kerry finished buttoning her shirt, staring at Rick as he watched a group of boys round the corner and congregate on one of the house stoops. A match flared and Kerry could smell the sweet tang of marijuana. She glanced at them and noticed they passed a bottle around, but her mind was on Rick. What was he thinking? Probably about how nice and calm his life had been before he met her. Probably wishing her back to California at the very least.

  But he had said he loved her.

  Does he still love me? Kerry bit her thumbnail. He’s certainly seen me at my worst. Things can only get better, right? Kerry glanced at the darkened dashboard. No, things seemed destined to keep going downhill.

  A trill broke the silence and caused them both to jump. “What was that?”

  “My phone.” Rick reached into his back pocket.

  “You have your phone?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, why the hell didn’t you say so?”

  “I was about to get it out. I just needed to collect my thoughts.” Kerry saw a flash of white teeth and felt her cheeks heat at the thought of what they’d been doing.

  The phone trilled again, and Rick answered. “Hello?”

  Kerry could hear Evan’s voice, but not make out the words, however, judging by Rick’s face, the news was not good.

  “Put him on the phone,” Rick said slowly. “I don’t care what he says. Just do it.”

  There was a short pause, then Kerry heard the voice of her nightmares.

  Rick listened for a moment. “We will, of course, return, but we’ll need more time. Our car has run out of gas and it will take us some time to remedy this and get back to Richmond.” They were actually in Richmond’s East End, but Jason didn’t need to know they were that close. Rick listened to Jason’s nasal voice. Kerry closed her eyes, realizing what this meant. Jason had Evan, or was Evan still working with him? That thought made her sick. “We’ll call if there are more problems. Let me speak to Lydia. I do not trust my cousin at the moment and must know that he speaks the truth.”

  Kerry recognized Lydia’s voice, then Jason again before Rick clicked off the phone.

  “What’s happened?” Kerry asked, though she knew.

  “Your ex-fiancé is holding my cousin and Lydia hostage. He says I need to bring you to Evan’s office in two hours.”

  “Then you need to call the police or we need to walk to a gas station, which I’m not sure is the best idea.” The gang of youths was now walking towards them. They wore bandannas and had nose piercings and arm tattoos.

  Rick eyed them as well. “Jason said not to call the police or he will hurt them.”

  “Well, we don’t need to tell the police about that situation, if they could just come get us out of this one.” Kerry’s voice rose as one by one the boys came along side the car. They seemed very young but wore world-weary expressions, and two had long scars across their faces.

  Rick pressed 9-1-1 just as his door was yanked open. A knife clicked out an inch from his face and, while he was staring it down, the boy pulled the phone from his hand.

  “Thank you,” he said in a raspy voice. He reeked of alcohol, pot and unwashed skin. He slid the phone into his pants pocket, without taking the knife away from Rick’s face. Kerry’s door was locked but a kid leaned against it, trapping her inside. She glanced at the street in the hopes of spying someone to help, but curtains were closed and no one was about. The knife-wielding boy spoke again. “This can be real easy and no one gets hurt, okay? You walk away and report to your insurance company and get a check. We keep the car.”

  “That’s fine,” Rick said, his voice even and low. He took Kerry’s hand and waited for the kid to back up. As soon as Rick stepped out of the car, hands jerked him forward away from Kerry and hard onto the sidewalk. The boy pushed Kerry back down into her seat and leered at her. Leaving the door open, he turned the key in the ignition and of course the car did nothing other than light the tiny red gas tank on the dash.

  “Well damn. Y’all are out of gas.”

  Kerry had the inane urge to giggle, but thought the car thief might take offense.

  In one smooth move Rick rose to his feet. The shortest boy who looked no older than thirteen still pointed a knife at him. “Just get going, mister, and don’t look back.”

  Rick looked over his shoulder. “Give me the girl.”

  “We’ll give her back after we have some fun with her, but you’ll both be better off if you just stay out of it.”

  “You know I can’t do that.”

  The boy looked at him oddly. “Why not?”

  The ringleader pulled the driver’s side door closed and locked it, then gestured for the other guys to block the windows from view. Kerry saw a wall of old army jackets and grungy jeans.

  “I’m Jorge, and you are?”

  “Mata Hari,” Kerry said sarcastically.

  “An unusual name.” Was he that dense or did he just not care? “I noticed you were getting pretty hot and heavy with your boyfriend earlier.” Oh, God, had they been watching the whole time? Kerry hadn’t even noticed them. “Now I want some.”

  “You’re not my boyfriend.” Kerry tried to keep the repulsion from her voice as the smelly boy leaned towards her. She also tried to see beyond the sentinels’ bodies to make sure Rick was all right, but the attempt was futile.

  “I can be. We all can be. When I’m done with you, I’m sure the boys will want a taste.”

  “Don’t you think a public street is an awkward place for gang rape?”

  Jorge slid his hand up her thigh and rubbed her crotch through her jeans. “The people here are blind, and the cops are too yellow to come here.”

  His other hand held the knife lightly, almost forgotten, against his leg. Kerry focused on the weapon as he pinched her nipple. She wanted to slap him, but that would probably bring him pleasure. Could she get the knife away from him? “My boyfriend’s not blind.”

  He brought the knife up and used both hands to rip her shirt open. Then he pushed her bra up out of the way. Once her breasts were in view, he licked his lips. “He’s long gone if he knows what’s good for him, but if not…” he shrugged, “…then he’s dead.”

  Kerry had often seen Rick practicing martial arts—the flowing movements seemed like a dance—but she had never seen him fight.
He’d said he could protect her. Where the fuck was he then? She heard conversation outside the windows, but couldn’t recognize a voice as Rick’s. Her mouth dried up with fear. I will not be raped. Just as she couldn’t panic. If she were going to get out of this, she needed to get the knife. Even then, would she be able to slash her way past the others? For a moment, her mind strayed to Evan and Lydia held hostage by Jason. What would he do to those two if she and Rick didn’t arrive within the allotted time?

  *

  Rick focused his attention on the sounds of heavy breathing surrounding him. Each breath and rattle of chains told him the exact location of his combatants. He didn’t hear any struggle or screams emanating from the car, so he could only hope Kerry was safe for a bit longer. The teenager pricked his arm with the knife.

  “I said get out of here!” the kid yelled.

  In one fluid motion, Rick snaked his arm out, grabbing the boy’s wrist and twisting it until he dropped the knife. He pivoted and kicked the boy’s shin, sending him sprawling onto the concrete. The other two boys tried to grab onto his arms, but he continued his pivot, jumping and kicking both his legs out, aiming for their groins. The two bent over at the waist, groaning. Rick pulled the door handle and found it locked, so he punched hard through the glass, breathing through the pain. Now he could see the boy on top of Kerry with the knife at her throat, her hands on his wrist, pushing it away. He saw the fear in her eyes, but, more than that, he saw the determination.

  The sound of shattering glass had them both focusing on Rick.

  “What the…” the boy started.

  Rick pulled him by the hair through the window. There he was suspended while another kid attacked Rick from behind, wrapping his arms around his biceps. Rick didn’t let go of the boy’s hair as he banged his head back into the other kid’s face. The boy wouldn’t let go and his friends were recovering from their injuries, getting ready to attack again.

  “I’ve got the knife!” Rick glanced in Kerry’s direction and saw that she held the knife against the boy’s throat, drawing a bit of blood when he tried to jerk free. Rick decided to let go so that he could deal with the rest.

  Suddenly it was over. Rick’s breath rattled in his chest. Kerry still held the knife to Jorge’s neck while he remained immobile. Two of the gang members had taken off down the street, two lay on the ground at Rick’s feet. His bloodied hand opened the car door finally. He pulled Jorge out by his collar, then slammed him against the car hood.

  “Get out of here!” he growled and Jorge ran like a dog with his tail between his legs.

  “Rick, the phone…” But Jorge was gone and the phone didn’t seem very important in the scheme of things.

  Rick came around to the passenger side of the car and opened the door. “Are you hurt?” Kerry shook her head, but her hands shook as she tried to pull her shirt back together. “Come on before these guys wake up or their friends find more chums.”

  Kerry thought that those chums could also have guns. It was just dumb luck that these guys hadn’t, or they hadn’t thought to pull them. Kerry nodded and accepted Rick’s bleeding hand. Her smile trembled as he helped her to her feet. “You really did protect me.”

  “Did you doubt I would? Are you sure you’re not hurt?”

  “I’m fine, really. I didn’t doubt you would try, but you were outnumbered and without a weapon.”

  “Easier without a weapon. Nothing to obstruct the hands.”

  The night air was thick with humidity and the smell of rotting garbage. Glass crunched under their feet and the one working streetlight flicked on and off as they walked under it. Kerry thought she saw curtains lift and fall, but no one came out to offer help or shelter so they kept walking briskly, checking for predators in all directions. They headed down a hill into Shockoe Bottom, which mostly consisted of empty warehouses and empty parking lots. Eventually, they heard raucous laughter, car horns and the steady beat of music coming from a nightclub around the corner. Cars and SUVs were parked bumper to bumper, and the people standing on the sidewalks in clumps wore khaki shorts and polo shirts.

  “Should we ask someone for help?” Kerry looked at Rick’s closed expression and wondered what he was thinking and feeling.

  He shook his head. “I think we’ve already lost precious time and involving others, which would require explanations, could cost us even more.”

  “So what are we going to do?”

  “Evan’s office isn’t far from here.”

  Kerry felt her stomach knot once again. “We still don’t have a plan.”

  “No.” Rick smiled down at her. “But we’ll do okay without one.”

  Kerry had felt a sort of euphoria from the rush of adrenaline during the fight, but that had faded, and fatigue and anxiety had set in. As they walked past the Shockoe Slip restaurants towards the office district, she thought about the fact that her little problem was now putting everyone else’s life in danger. How could she get them all safely away from Jason? And for good? He would keep coming back as long as she stayed, using them as pawns until he got what he wanted. Kerry put her hands in her pockets and hunched over. She knew she only had one option now. She had to go with Jason. He might still resist letting the others go, but if Rick could get them out while Kerry distracted him, Jason would probably leave well enough alone.

  Wouldn’t he?

  Killing four people seemed a bit overboard even for him. Far easier to give the impression that Kerry was going back willingly to be reunited with her family. Then, of course, she would probably meet with some accident along the way, something innocent and easy to explain. She shivered and tried to ignore the shooting pain in her heel, something she always seemed to get when she walked too far in bad shoes. In her old life, walking too far in bad shoes usually meant that she’d spent the day at the mall or Disneyland. Amazing the way life could change so drastically so fast. And now, it seemed, hers at least needed to change back.

  Yes, she would go with him willingly and appear happy about it. That would be enough to keep the others safe. It had to be.

  * * * *

  Rick concentrated on his breathing as he walked, in and out, in and out, until his heart rate slowed and the adrenaline seeped out of his body. He noted the ache in his limbs from the fight. The walk itself did not tire him. He had walked several miles each day in India, from the monastery to the village and back again. Even here in Virginia, he ran a couple of miles each morning, so his feet were used to the beating. When he glanced at Kerry who stared straight ahead with unfocused eyes, he noticed she limped a bit. “Are you okay?”

  His voice seemed to startle her. “Fine.”

  “Your feet?”

  “Fine.” She increased her speed.

  “Do you need to rest?”

  She snorted. “We don’t have time to rest, remember? Your cousin and Lydia are in danger.” He almost didn’t hear what she said after because she spoke so low. “Because of me.”

  Though it slowed their pace, Rick put his arm around Kerry’s shoulders. “Because of Jason.”

  “But I brought him here.”

  “Because Evan called.”

  “He didn’t know.” She stumbled over a loose cobblestone.

  Rick squeezed his arm tighter to keep her upright. Once she had her balance, he stepped in front of her and forced her to stop. He put both arms around her and hugged her tight to his chest. “I love you.”

  Kerry sighed. “So you say.” But she kept her cheek pressed to his shirt and slid her arms around his waist.

  “You should trust me by now. Haven’t I proved to you yet that I tell the truth?”

  She looked up into his face, which was silhouetted in the lamplight. Around them off-duty business types spilled out of the doors of the Comedy Club and, further down, the Tobacco Company and the Berkeley Hotel. For a moment, the scent of grilling onions and french fries overwhelmed Kerry. Her stomach growled and she lost her place in the conversation. She was so tired—bone tired and soul tired.
She just wanted it to be over. She wanted to be resting on the warm California sand watching the breakers roll in and out, sipping a Coco Loco with an open bestseller on her lap. And she wanted Rick next to her, fast asleep on a blanket, comforting her with his mere presence.

  Finally, she replied to his question. “I do trust you with my life and with my heart. You have proven yourself, not that you needed to.” She remembered her resolve to go to Jason and bit back the words “I love you” which were on the tip of her tongue. He wouldn’t believe she was going willingly back to her fiancé if she told him of her love now. Better to get to Evan’s office as fast as possible before she changed her mind. “I think we should go. We’re running out of time.”

  *

  Rick pulled back and nodded, but he wondered at the abrupt subject change. He’d thought she was going to say more. Maybe it was wishful thinking on his part. They once again set off at a brisk pace, turning down a side street and leaving the Slip behind. They trudged uphill until they approached a small parking lot surrounded by a chain link fence. The lot had about a half dozen cars in it, some very obviously broken down.

  “This is it.” Rick saw a light coming from the office’s window, but couldn’t see anyone inside. As they drew closer, he saw the tow truck parked near the gate as well as Evan’s Land Rover and an unfamiliar rental car parked on the street nearby. “I think I should deal with this alone. The farther you are from Jason the better.”

  “That’s foolish. It’s me he wants. If you go in alone you’ll probably just get shot.”

  Rick saw the set of Kerry’s mouth. She had crossed her arms over her chest and stuck out her lower lip. Determination, he realized. He sighed. “I will go in first.”

  Kerry shook her head. “I’ll go in first and talk to Jason. Hopefully that will be enough distraction for you to do your thing.”

  “My thing?”

  “You know, rescuing.”

  A large black and white “Closed” sign hung behind the glass of the front door. The blinds were shut behind it, as were the blinds on the front window. This time Rick could see the silhouettes of two people who seemed to be pacing back and forth. He could also hear the low rumble of men’s voices though he could not make out the words. He reached for the door handle and slowly turned the knob until he met resistance. “Locked,” he whispered.