The days that followed were just one nightmare after another that seemed to drag on for weeks. When they’d finally gotten confirmation nearly two weeks later, it broke her apart in every way. It took years for her to rebuild. In some ways, she would never be whole again, but life had gone on, and she had triumphed above it all, just as her family would have wanted.
Now with one hand cuffed to the door of the car and one to the console, her fighting spirit was as strong as ever, but she refused to let it show just yet. She was going to hold all her cards until the right time. There was no way her life was going to end here without a wicked fight.
She could not be more uncomfortable. She could barely reach her nose to scratch it. There was no way she was reaching the itch on her left butt cheek, so she just kept moving the muscle to try to make it go away.
She looked over at the man keeping her captive. His face was nondescript. He was wide-mouthed and tanned. His eyes were small and sharp. He was virtually expressionless, and other than a scar on the right side of his upper lip, he had almost nothing that would stand out if she had to pick him out of a lineup. Glancing down at the gun on the seat between his legs made her very nervous.
“Why’re you doing this?” she’d asked before, but he never replied. In fact, she’d asked him several questions but not a single word was uttered in reply. Every once in a while he’d step out of the car, stroll around, and smoke while talking on his phone.
“Are you going to kill me?” He didn’t reply of course. She decided that she was just going to start talking and not stop until he said something. “I wish I knew why you were going to kill me. Don’t you think it’s fair to tell someone why you’re going to murder them? Can’t you grant me that one tiny bit of human decency? You must be the one that killed Mike. He was my husband. Why’d you kill him? I was there when you did it. Why didn’t you just kill me then?”
Finally, he turned and looked at her. He appeared as if he was going to say something, his lips parted slightly. But again he said nothing.
She’d hoped that talking nonstop would get him to crack and say something. She sighed. “Do you ignore everyone you’re going to kill? How do other people handle it? I can’t handle it.”
She started to tear up a little. “I don’t want to die yet. I’m too young. Life has so much to offer and I’m going to miss it all. I’ve never been to Europe. I’ve never even been to New York.”
With no fanfare he said, “I’m from New York.”
Ashley looked up at him. “Is it nice?”
“It’s an awesome shit-hole.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Huh?”
“It’s crowded, dirty, smells like diesel fuel. But it’s the best place on earth.”
“I guess I’ll never find out. My parents died there. I haven’t had the courage to see it. They were killed during the terror attacks. They just went to eat breakfast and boom…plane hits the building. They probably died instantly—at least that’s what I like to believe.”
He looked at her. His eyes softened ever so slightly, and Ashley felt like she’d connected in some way. So she poked at it. “Were you there that day? Did you know anyone who died?”
He had no reply again, but she could tell. He was human after all. But he was indeed going to kill her anyway.
* * *
Jake
Jake was nearly ready to give up on this whole concept. The plan was so risky, and probably stupid enough to get them all killed. But if they were going to die, at least they were going to die trying.
“I’m scared,” Ariel said.
“I know.”
She looked at him from the passenger seat. “Aren’t you scared?”
He shrugged. “I’m mad, haven’t had time to be scared.”
Jake put the car in gear, and sped off toward the meeting that was probably going to end in disaster. At the very least, he was going to make certain that Ashley and Ariel got out of this alive. If it took his life to save theirs, so be it. He didn’t tell Ariel that part of the plan, but it was the only part that really mattered. He was young and in good shape, he could hold off this guy long enough for them to get away.
At the stop sign of the rural road, he glanced down at his phone as the text message came through. He replied quickly to the text with a one word answer, and sped away again toward the beach.
The closer they got, the more nervous he became. He didn’t want to make a mistake that would get someone hurt, and that was the part that made him the most uneasy. All the confidence he’d had just a few moments ago was getting harder to feel the closer he got.
To his right, the sun was almost set as he wheeled into the dirt parking area. “Here we go.”
“Huh.” Ariel laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, it just looks so strange to see this view, to see the ocean from this perspective it looks so vast.”
“It is vast.”
“Duh, I know that, silly. It just looks so different.”
He glanced to his left and saw the sedan. “Keep down. I don’t want him to see you.”
Ariel slouched in the seat and smiled at him nervously.
Jake got out of the car, pocketing the keys and striding confidently toward the blue sedan. A cool ocean breeze hit his nose, to be chased away by choking humidity that could only be the tropical tip of the pending storm. The churning hurricane wasn’t supposed to be a real bad one, but it was going to be enough to keep the coastal dwellers on edge.
As he got closer to the sedan he saw Ashley, a pleading look splashed her face as the man got out of the car and swung around the hood toward him.
“Don’t come any closer,” He said, holding his gun at hip-shot position. “Get your hands up.”
Jake didn’t comply. “I don’t think so.”
“Don’t screw with me. I’ll just kill you now and then kill the girl.”
“I don’t think you want to do that.”
“Oh no?” He smirked. “Do you think there’s some play here? Cuz you got nothing.”
Jake took a few steps toward him. “Oh, I’ve got something.”
“And what do you think that is?”
“Why don’t you call your boss and ask him?”
The man twisted his head. “Huh?”
“Call your boss and ask him.”
“What’re you saying?”
“What part didn’t you understand?”
The man scowled at him curiously. “I don’t have a boss.”
“You have one for this job.” Jake smirked.
The man bore into him with a cutting stare. “Why should I do anything?”
“Because I have something very precious to him.”
“Sorry to tell you I don’t have a boss.”
“So you’re doing this for free? Is this your idea of fun?”
“I’m doing this for money.”
“Then you have a boss.”
The man’s face hardly moved, but his eyes, they twitched and narrowed.
Jake laughed. “This is not some bluff. I’m dead serious. If anything happens to me, your bankrollers are going to be seriously disappointed in the outcome. And we both know that’s not going to bode well for your future business. Now call him up and hand me the phone.”
There was a long silence, a standoff. The waves made the only sound until a seagull screamed. With a short huff, the man finally pulled out his phone and dialed. “Yeah, it’s me. I have something interesting here.” The man nodded, and then he handed the phone to Jake.
“Hi there,” Jake said.
“Who is this?”
“I’m the guy you want to be real nice to right now. I’m the guy who’s got your precious little girl.”
“Excuse me?”
“Yeah, that’s right. I’ll wait.”
There was a long silence on the other end, so long that Jake was almost going to say something, but the man came back on. “You don’t know what you’ve done.”
“I k
now exactly what I’ve done. I know exactly what I saw in your house, Bruce—Belden—whatever the hell your name is.”
“You don’t know anything, my young friend.” He laughed.
“I know enough. And here’s how this is going to happen. You’re going to tell your hitman here to let Ashley go, or I’m going to kill Ariel.”
After another long pause, the man replied. “You won’t kill her.”
Jake knew that bluff would never work. “Okay, fine, maybe I won’t. But you’ll never see her again.”
“You don’t know the first thing about that.”
“I know enough. And I know she’d be just fine on her own out there, a thousand miles away from whatever twisted game you people are playing.”
“She wouldn’t last out there, she needs us.”
“You’re going to kill her. And maybe you don’t need her. But I know you need the baby.”
There was another long silence. Then he replied. “Son, I’m only going to tell you this once. You have gotten so far under water that you can’t even see the light at the surface. You’re going to sink so deep and get crushed by the pressure of the sea.”
“Look, all I want is Ashley. You let her go, and I turn Ariel over to you and tell no one what we’ve discovered. Your little secret can stay your little secret. I don’t give two rat’s ass hairs.”
“You’re lying.”
“No, I’m not. All I want is Ashley and assurances that you will leave us alone.”
“I can’t do that. It’s not my call.”
“Then you talk to whoever’s call it is and you make it clear. I want Ashley, and I want out of here. We will disappear and you won’t see us again.”
There was another long pause. It grew so long it turned into a delay. At several points, Jake wanted to say more, but he kept his mouth shut. It was clear the man was consulting with someone.
Finally, “Put Castro back on the phone.”
Jake handed the phone back and waited.
Castro nodded into the phone. “Yes, I understand. That’s feasible. Yes, fine. I will do that. Not now.” He ended the call. He regarded Jake with a long look before finally turning around and heading back to the car. After a few seconds, Ashley was out of the car.
Castro held her by her arm, restraining her until she was within a few steps of Jake.
“Where’s the freak?” he asked.
Jake smirked. “Oh no, not like this. It has to be on my terms or it’s not happening at all.”
“Then lead me to her.”
“No chance.”
Castro quickly reached out and took hold of Ashley’s arm. “Then you’ll get her when we get the girl. Girl for girl, like you said.”
Jake looked at Ashley. “It’s going to be okay. Trust me.”
She nodded.
He looked back to Castro. “Fine, at dawn, north end of the beach near the curve. You’ll see some trails, park by the first big trailhead. Rent something with four-wheel-drive.”
Castro yanked Ashley backwards. She looked at Jake with pleas of sadness in her eyes but all he could do was nod a reassuring gesture. She was back in the car. Castro gave him one last nod before walking around to the front and getting in.
Jake went back to his car and got in. “It’s done.”
“They know I’m gone?”
“Yup.”
“I guess the next part is harder.”
“Yup.”
He sent another text message. He was going to need something he could drive onto the beach and the Beetle would not do.
* * *
Jake helped Ariel onto the bed and set the crutches leaning against the cheap nightstand. “Can I get you anything?”
“No.” She slid her hand across the bed. “I’ve never slept in a bed before.” Then she eased back onto the pillows.
“Where do you sleep?”
“In a hammock over the pool.”
Jake sat across from her on the other bed. The cheap motel was not that clean and didn’t smell great, but he was able to park right in front of the room, away from potential prying eyes. “We need to sleep for a few hours.”
Jake clicked the light off and flopped onto the bed. He wanted to sleep, but his mind would not relax. Ariel was humming quietly, a song Jake had never heard.
“Jake?” she asked.
“Yeah?”
Ariel was silent for a few moments. “That day in the water, did you like kissing me?”
Jake sighed. “Yes, I did.”
“Would you do it again?”
Jake thought about the question, and part of him wanted to say yes. “I don’t know, Ariel.”
“Don’t you like me?”
“It’s not that.”
“Is it because of Ashley?”
Jake did feel something for Ariel, but he didn’t know what it was, and he didn’t know what it meant. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Do you love her?”
“I do.”
“Do you love me?”
“Ariel, I…uh…”
“What I mean is, could you love me? I mean, maybe if life was different and if I was different, and things were different. I guess what I’m trying to ask is, am I loveable?”
“Of course you are.” He wanted to be careful with his words, but he also wanted to speak the truth to her, she deserved that. “Ariel, when I met you, it was very special. I thought you were about the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. You saved me and I did—I mean, part of me—fell in love with you. It was a strange time, and you were there for me and I’ll never forget that.”
“But we can never be. Even if I was not what I am.”
“It’s hard to say, because in a different time and place, maybe we could be. But I love Ashley. I guess I always have.” He searched the dingy ceiling with tired eyes. “Yes, Ariel, in another time and place. Yes, maybe things could be different for you and me.”
Ariel sighed. “I’m happy for you, Jake. I really am. I just want you to be happy. I don’t want you to be sad. If I die, I want to die knowing you are happy, I want that to be my last wish on this earth.”
Jake felt that crush his chest. No one had ever said anything like that to him. “Ariel, you’re not—”
“No, please, don’t say anything else. Let’s just go to sleep.”
Chapter 31
Morning came very quickly and Jake didn’t sleep well, but he was rested enough and the light outside the window of the motel indicated he didn’t have much time. He sent a quick text message, and then swung out of bed before he realized Ariel wasn’t in her bed.
A bit of panic set in before he heard the water trickle in the bathroom. He knocked. “Ariel, everything okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I was just worried, my tail was dry.”
“Can I come in?”
“Sure.”
He opened the narrow door. “Do you need any help getting out of there?”
“I think I got it.” She pulled herself up and swung her tail over the side of the tub in one swift move. Reaching across, she got the crutches and propped herself right up.
“Wow, you’re getting good on those.”
“Yeah, too good. I miss the water.”
“We have to go now.”
She took a deep breath and pressed forward. “Okay, I’m ready.”
They quickly headed outside. Jake saw the white Subaru wagon was just where it was supposed to be, parked next to his Beetle. As promised, the keys were in it.
Jake picked this motel mostly because of its proximity to the north end of the beach. In just a few minutes’ ride they were there, lumbering over the choppy sands as the waves crashed into the shore on their right.
Jake could see the longing on Ariel’s face to be in the water as she looked at the waves. He didn’t want to let her down, but there was every chance this was not going to end well for her or anyone.
The all-wheel drive wagon he borrowed struggled to maintain momentum in the sand and soon enough it got t
oo deep to go slowly. But that was fine, he’d gone just far enough. Looking to his left, this was actually the perfect spot. The trails that led into the woods of Freeman Park were right there.
He walked around the car to Ariel’s side. She was adjusting the blanket around her as he approached the window. “Are you ready?”
She nodded. “I’m ready.”
He pulled open the door just as a small, silver SUV began rumbling up the beach toward him. “He’s here.” Jake sent a quick text and a GPS ping for their exact location.
The SUV drove up next to them and stopped. Castro got out and roughly dragged Ashley around as Jake helped Ariel upright outside the car onto her crutches.
Castro stuck a gun into Ashley’s side. “Drop your pistol.”
Jake moved his head back in surprise. “I don’t have a pistol.”
“You also don’t have a good poker face. Now drop the gun and put the blonde in the truck.”
“Let Ashley go first.”
“Drop the gun first. Toss it into the sand over there.”
Jake didn’t think this part through. He needed the gun as part of his plan, but he knew there was a chance the plan would change. He reluctantly reached into the back of his cargo shorts and removed the gun from the small of his back, tossing it down in the sand near the tide. He just hoped the tide wouldn’t sweep it away.
Castro pointed the gun at him. “Now, put the freak in the SUV.”
Jake had to stall. He started to comply slowly when a screaming engine roared from down the trail toward them. They all looked as the grill and steel brush-guard of a huge black pickup truck rushed at them, slamming with reckless abandon into the silver SUV, sending it tumbling toward the water.
Using the moment of surprise, Jake moved quickly on Castro, going straight for the gun. He got hold of the man’s arm but he was surprisingly strong. Jake was using every bit of strength he had to wrestle that pistol away. The struggle was epic. He kneed the man in the mid-section.
The gun was swinging wildly as shots started to pop in every direction, just one after another pinging off the vehicles, thumping into the sand, and sailing out into the ocean to distances unknown.
The Mermaid Page 17
