by D. Love
“Whoa Penny, it’s just me,” Kain says, raising his hands, palms up.
“I thought I heard the door, but no one was….oh never mind. I’m so sorry, Kain.” Before I could pour anymore words out, he wraps both arms around my waist smiles big, and pulls me closer, kissing me.
“Good Morning, how did you sleep?” he asks.
“Good, and you?”
“Perfect, the best sleep I have had in years.” He laughs and takes off to the kitchen. Following him, I grab two cups at the same time he grabs the coffee pot. After he pours our coffee, he reaches in the fridge, grabbing a tray of fruit and returning to sit down beside me.
“So, tell me why were you hanging out the door?” he says, followed by his deep husky laugh.
“I thought I heard someone knocking. I guess it’s my imagination, because when I opened the door no one was there.” I shrug my shoulders and I lift the fork to my mouth. Before it hits my mouth Kain leans over and grabs my cantaloupe off my fork. He gives me that sexy smile with his dimple showing on one side, and my cantaloupe showing on the other. I laugh, and then he takes his fork stabbing another piece telling me to, “Open wide.” The cantaloupe feels cold as it slides down my throat, and tastes so refreshing. I hear Kain laugh at my moaning over the delicious fruits.
After our breakfast we are cleaning up the kitchen when the phone rings and Kain goes to answer it. I mouth to him as he says hello that I am going to jump in the shower. He covers the mouthpiece asking me if I need help, adding a couple of eye dance moves. I shoo him away, as I leave to grab my clothes.
Chapter 24
Kain
Listening to Penny start the rushing water in the shower made it hard to concentrate on my agent, Amanda’s conversation. All I could think about was joining Penny in the hot water.
“Kain, are you listening to me?” Amanda scolds.
“Huh, sorry, Amanda…I’m here. I’m listening.”
“So, you haven’t heard the news yet?”
“What news?” I ask, as a fresh rumble of thunder rolls along the mountain side.
“Flash flood warning this afternoon. A major flash flood warning for all of Vegas…especially Mount Charleston,” she warns. Her voice scatters in fuzz from a distant flash of lightning. Standing at the open door of my cabin, I lean outside and inhale the first hint of rain. Little drops begin to lightly pepper the ground.
“How long do we have?” I ask, reaching out to catch a drop or two.
“The heaviest of rains shouldn’t hit until tonight, but you better plan for a long couple days. You have enough supplies to last you and Penny?” she asks.
“Probably not. No prob, I’ll head out now and grab a few extra things…” I say, as Tina and Wayne pull up in front of the cabin. Both wearing exhausted smiles. I give them a quick wave.
“You need me to bring anything?’ Amanda asks, politely.
“Nah, I’m good.” I smile, thinking of Penny’s embrace.
“I can tell,” Amanda says, almost as if she can read my thoughts. “Call me later today, if the phone lines are still intact. We need to discuss final cover designs with you and Penny.”
“You got it,” I say. With a quick swipe, I hang up the phone and greet Tina and Wayne at my front door.
“Hey,” Wayne says in a yawn. I nod his way and offer Tina a quick hug. She smiles and runs inside.
“Hey, Wayne. I guess there’s a huge storm coming in. You up for a supply run?” I ask him.
Inside the cabin, Wayne lets Tina know our plan as I run into the bathroom a little too eagerly.
Taking a short moment to stare at Penny’s outline in the shower glass before I say, “Hey, Luv…I’m heading for town with Wayne. Looks like a bad storm is on the horizon. We’re gonna need some more candles and batteries and stuff. You need anything?”
Sliding the door open just enough to completely entice me, she says, “You.”
Quickly, I kiss her, and say, “I’m yours. Anything else?” Her eyes look down, searching my body, playfully. I smile, and kiss her again. “I’ll pick something special up at the market. I feel like cooking something special tonight.”
“Mmm, perfect,” she purrs. I tear my eyes away from her naked body and head back to the living room. Wayne and Tina are in a tight embrace, and I let them know I am back with an informal… “Ahem…”
“Oh, sorry…Penny. Almost done?” Tina asks, blushing.
“Yes. You ready?” I ask Wayne, with a raised eyebrow. He nods with a sly smirk. As we gather our things, I find Tina’s stare. “Tina, keep the doors locked. Penny heard something this morning. No worries, just being extra cautious.”
“Will do,” she says, still watching Wayne as he exits the cabin. She must really have it for my friend. I smile and leave. In my car I glance over at Wayne sitting in the passenger’s seat.
“Good night?” I ask.
“Yep!” He smiles. “And you?”
“The best.”
Wayne and I spent the next few hours gathering up all the necessary supplies for a possible extended weekend cut off from the rest of the world. Blankets, batteries, gas for my portable generator, and all kinds of food, seemed to be the must haves. We talked nonstop about the new women in our lives. The time flew by. The rain had been falling off and on all morning, but now, the darkest clouds I had seen in years were rolling in. I didn’t have a very good feeling about them.
“One more stop,” Wayne winks, pointing toward a large liquor store.
“Really? This isn’t a beer run,” I tease him. He smacks me on the shoulder.
“Come on. I know you’re not much of a drinker, Kain, but I want to grab a nice bottle of wine for all of us. It could be a long night. Let’s make it a romantic night,” he says, wryly.
“Don’t get any funny ideas, Wayne. This is a possible emergency overnighter, not an orgy. I don’t need you all liquored up! Remember my bachelor party…I don’t wanna see slobbery Wayne and his inappropriate dance moves!” I say, half-laughing.
“Shut up,” he pouts. “I promised Tina. Besides, this is not about that. I really like her, Kain.”
“You do?”
“Yes.” He looks at me serious. I had never seen him serious about anyone. Ever.
“Okay, go get your hooch, but hurry. The rain is almost here.” And at that precise moment, the sky opens up and the rain falls like a tidal wave.
“Too late…” Wayne calls as he runs into the store.
Twenty minutes later we find ourselves rushing for the mountain. The rain is falling in torrents and chunks. The monsoon storm had arrived much sooner than expected. Wind is rocking the heavy steel of my car, and the streets have emptied. Everyone was wise enough to get off the streets and somewhere safe. Instantly, my stomach rolls over with nerves. I hope Penny and Tina are doing okay.
“Shit! There goes the cell phones…” Wayne snaps, tossing his phone on the dashboard.
“What? They’re out already?” I rumble. He nods and scoops up my phone, quickly dialing out, but finding that my service was gone too.
“Great,” he mumbles. As I pull up to the last bend in the road, just before my main street up to the cabin, I turn the engine off.
“Shit.” Directly before us is a huge stream of rushing water that has engulfed the entire entrance to the road. Mud and debris rush by, taunting us to try and cross.
“We’ll never get across that. Not in your car, Kain. Maybe we would have a chance in my truck…” he sighs. He was right.
“It’ll be dark soon…maybe an hour left of light. We have to get to the girls. I have to get to Penny,” I say, angry.
“They’re big girls, they’ll be fine,” Wayne tries to ease me, but I can tell from his tone that he was nervous too. Things have been too crazy lately for us not to be worried. “So, what’s the plan, Kain?”
“We hike,” I say, nervously.
“Crap, I knew you were going to say that. What’s it like, a mile up?” he cringes.
“Two
,” I say, determined. I grab only the necessary things we had just bought, snugly wrapping them in a blanket. Wayne does the same, being sure not to break the expensive bottle of wine he just purchased.
“Really?” I nod toward his ridiculous bundle of batteries and alcohol. He shrugs back at me as we exit the safe, dry car.
Squinting in the pouring rain, he says, “I promised, Tina…”
Lightning strikes the top of the mountain, lighting the treetops above us, and something awakens in the pit of my belly. Fear. We both take a deep breath and start our journey. It only takes a couple cold minutes before we are both soaked to the bone. As the last of the afternoon light fades, I pick up my pace, thinking of nothing but Penny’s warm kiss.
“I’m coming, Penny…”
Chapter 25
Penny
After getting out of the shower, I start getting dressed in the bedroom. I hear Tina singing to a song that is on the radio. I laugh to myself thinking how happy she is since she met Wayne. She has been acting like she is sixteen all over again. The lights flicker, and I hear a screech from Tina. Buttoning my jeans, now dressed, I slip back in the bathroom to pull my hair in a ponytail. Just as I am wrapping the scrunchie in my hair, everything goes dark. After Tina uses every bad word known to man, she comes staggering down the hall in search of me. Finishing up my hair, I holler telling her to calm down.
“Penny, where are you?”
“Right here.” I must have scared her because she screams and then tells me how creepy this is, being in a cabin in the woods, with no lights. I take her shaking hand and lead her to the living room hoping there would be a little light from the big window. We both stand there unsure what to do, when a booming crack comes from the thunder which startles us, and we both jump. Another vastly shattering roar of thunder happens. I try to hide my fear, encouraging Tina that everything will be fine and the guys will return soon.
“Tina, you grab the candles from the left draw in the kitchen and I will grab some from the hall closet.”
With the electricity out again and the rain is angrily pelting on the roof. I hear the trees branches scraping across the window in the dining area and it’s giving me chills. I head down the hall using my hands feeling my way. Patting the wall I finally find the closet door and grab the candles. I come back and place them in the living room on the coffee table and both end tables. Tina returns with two glasses of wine, chips, and one candle. We sit on the sofa together. Tina seems to be a bit more relaxed, so I follow her actions. Sipping on the wine she gives me, I look at her and she is staring at me with an arched brow and a smirky grin.
“So, Penny, tell me about last night and don’t leave out any details.”
“No, you tell me about your night and please leave out details.”
“Damn, Penny, I didn’t even have time to saddle that horse up. Once we were alone I rode….”
“Tina, shut up. Please do not describe any further.”
“Then can I tell you what they say about the size of a man’s shoe is the size of his….”
I throw my hands over my ears demanding her to stop before she says it. She gives me a huge grin and tells me Wayne has really big feet. Using her hands for empathize. We laugh so hard we can barely catch our breath. She jumps up skipping to the kitchen and brings back the bottle of wine. She starts pouring us more when she stops abruptly and points to the window. “Penny, look, do you see that?” I look at the window not seeing anything. I stand up walking closer when I see a shadow dart past the window. Before I have a chance to move, Tina is next to me with her arms entangled in mine. We both stare at the window to confirm we are not seeing things when the shadow walks past it again. “What do we do, Penny?” I pull her and we hunker down against the wall on the side of the window. “Give me your phone, Tina.” She passes me her phone. I try to call Kain but she has no reception. I let go of her and crawl over to the house phone. I pick it up, listen for the dial tone and hear nothing. When I crawl back over to her she is crying. We sit here in silence. All I can hear is us breathing.
“I am going to peek out the window and see if I can see anyone, Tina.”
“No, stay here with me, the guys will be here soon.”
I slip from her grip, only to have her latch on harder. We both rise up and look. About the time we feel like we are just seeing things, a thunderous noise slams against the front door. “Penny, they found us, oh my God. What are we going to do?” I try looking around for something to protect us with only seeing the fireplace tools. I grab what looks like an iron shovel and a poker. Handing one to Tina I keep the other one. Another loud boom comes from the front door, and I am sure we are in trouble. I whisper to Tina we need to run and find somewhere to hide. My heart feels like it is exploding with its rapid beats. Another slam comes to the door with a crack this time. The door is not going to hold too much longer. I can hear the hinges squeaking. Fear shoots through me with a scorching heat. Tina’s hand slaps over her mouth to prevent a scream, though it doesn’t help.
Pound
I pull Tina up.
Pound Pound
I scream for Tina to run.
Crash
I hear bolts scatter across the floor. We take off running but Tina hits the end table stumbling before she falls. Catching the candle before it falls over, I drag her behind the sofa trying to hide us both.
Cr....rrr....rrrr....rrrr....rrrrr...eee...k
I can only see a shadow of a dark figure as his boots shuffle across the entryway of the door.
“We’re trapped, Tina.” I whisper. Her only response is a whimper. By now I am shaking uncontrollably. “Tina?” We need to fight him. “Okay.” I mouth to her to go around and come up behind him, while I jump him from the front. She nods in agreement. I hold my fingers up raising my fingers. One. Two. Three, and motion for her to go. I jump up facing a six-foot muscular stranger wearing a dark shirt and a mask that covers his whole face, except for his eyes and mouth. I start swinging my iron shovel.
“Come here you stupid bitch,” he says, with a deep voice. I continue to swing making contact with his shoulder. I watch him touch his shoulder only getting angrier and then stalks towards me. He pulls back his fist getting ready to punch me when Tina hits him on the head with her iron. He hunches his shoulders flinching, and then he flips around and snatches Tina by the hair. I scream her name running towards him. I pound my fist against his back. Still hanging on to Tina, he turns and punches me in the face knocking me flat on my back. I hear a crack and feel hot wet liquid run down my face. I try to stand when my head starts to spin feeling so dizzy it brings me to my knees again. Before I have a chance to do anything else Tina starts fighting him. She is screaming and kicking him. It doesn't seem to faze him. He just draws back his fist and clocks her right in the stomach letting her drop to the floor like a crumpled piece of paper. Then he whips around towards me again pulling out a knife.
“I said come here you stupid bitch,” he says, then in walks another guy with a mask on.
“They’re all alone.” Guy number two confirms, as he slams his boot down on Tina’s ribs. The first guy bends down pulling me up by my shirt. I can feel the cold sweat roll down my face. It’s my body's reaction from being petrified. I try to fight back but this guy is a monster compared to me. With my heart pounding fiercely against my ribs, I throw a few more kicks, and land a couple more punches. This makes him really angry. All he says to me as he is dragging me to the bedroom.
“Let’s have some fun before I kill you.”
Chapter 26
Kain
“I don’t like this,” I spit through the pouring rain. My eyes were locked on a strange 4 x 4 Jeep parked just down the road from my cabin. It didn’t have any plates, and the windows were blacker than the monsoon skies.
“You recognize the truck, Kain?” Wayne asks, worn out from our hike up the mountain.
“No…that’s what worries me.” I lean in towards the driver’s side window and squint, trying to
see inside. My worry skyrockets when I see the bag of thick, plastic zip ties lying on the passenger’s seat. The kind of zip ties you see in the movies, the ones kidnappers seem to use. Before I can tell Wayne what I see, the sound of rain is broken up with the horrifying sounds of someone screaming.
“Penny!” I gasp, dropping the bags I was carrying. Another scream rips through the air.
“Was that Tina? Oh my God, the girls…” Wayne stiffens. I grab him by the shoulders, shaking him.
“Head back down the mountain…” I start to say, when he slaps my hands away.
“What? No! I’m not leaving you by yourself!”
“Wayne, we need to get help here. Now! Our cell phones are worthless. We have no way off the mountain. You have to get to my car and get help,” I try to convince him.
“But Tina…” he grumbles.
“I’ll get to her. I’ll get to both of them. I promise. Now, please, go. Get help…”
Shaking his head no, he says the opposite, “Okay.” He gives me a worried glance and turns and runs.
“Wayne!” I call out. He whips around with rain spinning off his body. “Hurry, brother…” Just then another scream echoes into the night, much louder this time.
“Go!” Wayne yells at me. I turn and run for the cabin as fast as possible. Lightning flashes over me, almost stopping my heart.
Wasting no time, I rush inside the broken down front door, trying not to slip on the wet floors. I see nothing but destruction. My heart sinks.
“Penny!” I call out. From the back of the cabin she screams in terror.
“Kain!”
Before I can respond, I am slammed from the side, smashing me into the side of the fireplace. I couldn’t even see what hit me when another blow falls upon my left temple. Gritting my teeth together, I slam my foot outward, connecting with the familiar sound of bone. I think it was a jawbone.
