by E. E. Borton
“Nice weather,” said Bullet, standing to greet her. “Glad you could make it, Your Honor.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t have missed this meeting, Bullet. I’m about to solve all of our problems tonight.”
“Good,” said Bullet. “The sooner I get my shit back, the sooner I can cut that bitch’s throat. I’ll throw in those other fuckers for free.”
“You mean us?” asked Chief, walking out of the woods behind them with Grey.
As soon as they turned around and reached for their guns, Grey and Chief fired the Tasers. With wide eyes and rigid bodies, they both fell to the concrete floor. Evan cuffed them while Chief and Grey stayed on the triggers.
“Problem solved,” said Cassandra, smiling.
Her smile faded when she saw Kate come out of the woods. She raised her Taser at Cassandra and squeezed the trigger when the red dot reached the center of her chest. She convulsed and fell beside Bullet and Eddie.
After the cuffs went around their wrists and the sedative injections went into their arms, they stuffed all three in the back of Bullet’s car. Ten minutes later they arrived at the boat landing. All three were dragged through the mud and pulled on board.
It was a long ride to their destination. When Grey told Kate they were getting close, she gave all three another injection. They regained consciousness an hour later. Bullet and Eddie knew exactly where they were. Cassandra didn’t.
“Remember this place, boys?” asked Kate, cutting off their clothes. “We had to use a different post since you sawed through the other one getting to Brad.”
“I’m gonna fucking kill you, bitch,” said Bullet, slurring his words. “All of you.”
“Keep talking, turd,” said Chief. “I hope you fight all the way to the end.”
“In case you were wondering, Cassandra,” said Kate. “This is the place I told you about. This is the place where they had their fun with Emily for three days.”
“What about our deal?”
“There are no more deals,” said Kate. “You’re going to feel everything she did.”
Chapter 46
Windows to the Soul
Kate sat in silence as Cassandra and Eddie pleaded for their lives. They begged for an hour before Kate stood and walked out. They turned their pleas towards Grey and Chief who were sitting on the counter in the kitchen. After several minutes, they joined Kate outside on the boat.
“Are you okay?” asked Chief, sitting beside her.
“I’m fine,” said Kate, staring out into the swamp. “I’d rather they be thinking than talking.”
“They’re doing both,” said Grey. “Bullet knows what’s coming.”
“They all need to know,” said Kate.
“I’ve done everything you’ve asked without arguing,” said Grey. “Why didn’t you tell us you were going to take her? We needed to know that.”
“I wasn’t sure,” said Kate. “After you cuffed them, she smiled and told them that the problem was solved. I was sure then.”
“Obviously,” said Chief, “but I’m with Grey on this one. Taking out two dirtbags nobody is going to miss is one thing. Taking out a federal judge is another.”
“I’m sure she has court in the morning,” said Grey. “If she’s not there, the FBI, US Marshals, and state police will launch a manhunt by lunchtime. Sheriff Lewis won’t be able to hold out under that kind of pressure. He’ll give us up.”
“They won’t find her,” said Kate.
Chief looked up at Grey. They both saw confusion on each other’s faces. Kate was always two steps ahead, but neither saw the advantage of a massive manhunt. Until that moment, Chief had never thought of defying her.
“I don’t want this to end,” said Chief. “For the first time since I started my career in law enforcement, the bad guys are getting what they deserve. They know what it feels like to be terrified.”
“He’s not,” said Kate, narrowing her eyes at Chief. “He doesn’t believe that he’s going to die for what he did to Emily. Neither does Cassandra.”
“He’s a psychopath,” said Chief. “Who gives a shit what he believes?”
“I do,” said Kate. “I have to see it in his eyes.”
“It’ll be there,” said Chief. “You’ll see it in their eyes, but then it’s all over for us. We’ll be in jail by tomorrow afternoon.”
“All of us, Kate,” said Grey. “That includes Carlos, Sheriff Lewis, and anyone else that has risked everything to help you.”
“That includes Abby,” said Chief. “Grey and I will be dead within a week if we go inside. They’re not too fond of cops in there, but Abby is a different story. She’ll rot in prison for the rest of her life. Are you okay with that?”
“We have to cut the judge loose,” said Grey. “That’s our only option here. She won’t talk, Kate. She loves her career more than she loves her son. With everything we have on her, she’ll do whatever we want.”
“We’re still good right now,” said Chief. “But if we kill her, we won’t be. We’ll end up behind bars or on the run for the rest of our lives. They’ll hunt us down and then we become the prey.”
“She knows that,” said Kate. “She knows her power can save her life. The same power she used to end Emily’s. I’m not going to cut her loose. She needs to know that nothing will save her, just like Emily did.”
“This doesn’t make sense,” said Chief, standing and walking to the side of the boat. He placed his hands on the rail and stared into the black water. “There are more out there, Kate. More Diegos, Bullets, and Judge Halls. There always will be, but I’d like to get my hands on a few more of them before we call it a day. I can’t believe you’re willing to end our lives because you need to see her suffer.”
“Do you trust me?” asked Kate, standing and putting her arm around Chief.
“Is that a joke?”
“No, Chief,” said Kate, “It’s not a joke.”
“I’ve trusted you from the beginning,” said Chief. “Now I’m not sure where your head is on this one. I’m old and used up. Abby isn’t. That girl would walk through hell for you, and you’re going to sit there and let her.”
“Nobody is going to prison,” said Kate. “Us or them. I promise you that. I need you to believe me.”
Chief turned to look at Kate. She reached up and placed her hands on the sides of his face. She smiled and kissed his cheek.
“I need you to trust me.”
Chief cocked his head when he heard Grey chuckle. He narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow. Chief knew he couldn’t beat Grey in a fight, but he’d break a few things trying.
“What the hell are you laughing at?” asked Chief, balling his fist.
“Easy, buddy,” said Grey, holding up his hands. “I’m laughing at myself.”
“Do tell, jackass,” said Chief. “Am I missing something here? I mean, they’ll probably kill me quick in jail, but an ex-FBI agent? No, son. They’re going to take their time with you.”
“I know that feeling in your gut right now,” said Grey. “I know that look on your face. Everything inside of you is telling you that she’s lost her mind. Now it’s telling you that you’ve lost yours because you still trust her. Even now.”
“Thank you,” said Kate. “I think.”
“We’ve come full circle,” said Grey, walking up to Chief and putting his hands on his shoulders. “It’s just your turn.”
“Great,” said Chief. “So now we’ve all lost our minds.”
“No,” said Kate. “There are things that I can’t explain. I have to show you.”
She walked past them and went inside. As they’d done since she came out of her coma, they followed her. They had no idea where she was going to take them, but they would be behind her every step of the way.
As soon as they entered the shack, Eddie and Cassandra resumed their pleas. Kate reached into her bag and pulled out a roll of duct tape. When they saw it, their words were replaced with whimpers and crying. Bullet’s eyes were dry and h
is tongue was silent. There was no need to keep him quiet.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to fully understand people like you,” said Kate. “But I want to. I really do.”
“Why don’t you just shut the fuck up and do it?” said Bullet. “You’re –”
His head snapped back from the punch. It snapped three more times before he slid down the post to his knees. Kate grabbed a handful of his hair to steady his face as she reloaded her arm for another round.
“Should’ve went with the tape, dickhead,” said Chief. “That looked like it hurt.”
Blood was pouring out of his nose, mouth, and two gashes above his eyes. He lost his grin when he started losing his teeth. Kate moved her chair closer to them. Eddie and Cassandra started breathing more heavily as she sat down.
“That’s all he understands,” said Kate, staring at Cassandra. “Pain. Of course, he’d rather be giving than receiving, but he understands how it works. Not just physical pain, but psychological. He wasn’t content with just killing Emily. He wanted to give her as much pain as she could take without dying. When she would pass out from it, he’d wait for her to come back. He wanted her to feel everything they were doing. He needed to see it in her eyes and hear it in her screams. He feeds off of it. He’s a sick, twisted monster and you gave Emily to him.”
“I-I’m sorry,” said Cassandra, sniffling. “I didn’t know they were going to do that to her. I swear, I didn’t.”
“Now you’re sorry,” said Kate, standing after picking up a pair of scissors from the table. “You weren’t sorry before I shot you with the Taser. You’re sorry now because you’re tied to a post. You’re sorry that you got caught. You’re not sorry for what you did to her, and you never will be. She meant nothing to you, any of you. She was a piece of trash that nobody cared about.”
“Please don’t,” said Cassandra, feeling Kate tug at the back of her blouse.
“How many times do you think Emily said that?” asked Kate, cutting through the fabric and tossing it aside. “A dozen? A hundred? How many, Cassandra?”
“I’ll turn myself in,” said Cassandra, crying. “I’ll tell them what my son did to her. I promise I will. Just stop this.”
“You don’t have the luxury of making choices anymore,” said Kate, removing the last of her clothing. “They didn’t give Emily any. All she could do was stand here in front of them naked, humiliated, and terrified. The only choice she had was to let them brutalize her. How does it feel?”
“I understand now,” said Cassandra, trying to survive. “She was alone and afraid. She was powerless to stop them. She was scared to death.”
“No, Cassandra. She was scared until her death. Like you are now.”
“We was just doing what she told us to do,” said Eddie, mustering the courage to speak. “She’s a judge and told us to do all those things to that girl. What was we supposed to do?”
“Emily,” said Kate.
“Huh?”
“You said ‘that girl.’ Her name is Emily.”
“Yeah, yeah, Emily. That’s what I meant.”
“I guarantee that you’ll never forget her name for as long as you live,” said Kate, stepping towards him.
Kate turned around and nodded to Grey. He reached into his jacket pocked for the vial. He loaded three syringes with the sedative and handed them to Kate.
Grey and Chief held Eddie against the post while Kate injected him. Cassandra put up less of a fight. Bullet didn’t move as she pushed the drug into his arm.
It was enough to make them easier to handle, but they remained conscious. There was a brief struggle with Eddie when they brought him to the side of the boat. They helped him onboard with a gentle push.
After putting inflatable life jackets onto all three, they bound their hands and feet. Grey anchored each of them to the rail. If escape was on their minds by jumping overboard, they wouldn’t get far. Kate suspected Bullet and Eddie knew where they were going.
Mud Lake wasn’t far from the shack, and Chief was in no hurry. It gave the drug more time to dissipate in their systems. The closer they glided to their destination, the more agitated Eddie became.
He fought against the restraints, but he was too weak to break free. His elevated level of fear didn’t go unnoticed by Cassandra. Even with the fog of the drugs still lingering, she remembered Kate’s words. She was going to make her feel everything Emily did.
“Why are we here?” asked Cassandra, becoming more aware.
“Brad was kind enough to give us an exact location before his passing,” said Kate. “Why don’t you ask Bullet why we’re here? He knows what comes next.”
“Oh shit,” said Eddie. “Oh shit, no!”
“Calm down,” said Bullet. “They ain’t gonna do it. They ain’t got it in ‘em.”
“Shut up!” said Cassandra. “Please, just shut your mouth!”
“This is it,” said Chief, bringing the boat to idle.
“Look at this place,” said Kate, turning to Cassandra. “This is the last thing she saw before she was eaten. Can you imagine what was going through her mind? Can you imagine the terror?”
“Yes!” said Cassandra, screaming through tears. “I feel all of it now!”
“No,” said Kate, speaking through clenched teeth. “Not all of it. Not yet.”
Chief turned the spotlight to a group of trees near the shore. Dozens of red eyes illuminated against the black water. He reached down into a bucket and pulled out a large piece of bloody meat. He held it in front of Eddie and let it drip onto his legs before tossing it over the side. Within seconds of the splash, the eyes drifted closer.
With all the strength he had left, Eddie fought against the restraints while begging for his life. When Grey cut the rope holding him to the rail, Eddie rolled off of the seat and started banging his head into the deck. Chief jumped on his back and wrapped his arm around his neck to stop him. Bullet started laughing.
“They ain’t gonna do it, brother,” said Bullet, staring at Kate. “Stop trying to bash your own head in. They’re just trying to scare you.”
Kate stared back at Bullet. Holding his gaze, she pulled a folding knife out of her pocket. With no expression, she opened it. Then she opened the back of Eddie’s leg. Blood spilled out of the long, shallow wound. Bullet stopped laughing.
Grey and Chief pulled him up from the deck. He was disoriented from the self-inflicted blows to the head, but he was still aware. It made it easier to toss him over the side.
“There it is,” said Kate, staring into Bullet’s eyes. “I can see it now.”
Chapter 47
Death Roll
They were thinking of Emily as Eddie cried out to them. They thought of the unimaginable pain and anguish she suffered at his hands. It made it easier to show him no mercy.
“Look!” said Kate, pulling up Cassandra’s head. “This is what you did to Emily. This is what you did to that sweet, innocent girl who did nothing to you. Nothing!”
After the large splash, most of the red eyes submerged. Eddie fought to free himself until he had nothing left. He tried to stay close to the boat, but then started to drift away. Chief and Grey watched from the rail.
“What if they don’t –”
Before Eddie could take a deep breath, he was pulled under. The predators lurking a few feet away were waiting for their prey to wear itself out. Thirty seconds later he popped to the surface. The inflatable life preserver was doing its job and prolonging his moment of reckoning.
He thrashed back and forth, but couldn’t scream. His lungs were full of water. They watched as a twelve-foot monster opened its massive jaws behind Eddie. When it clamped down on him, its teeth punctured the preserver. He went down for the last time.
More red eyes slithered closer to the boat that was serving free meals. Grey and Chief turned their attention to Bullet. So did Kate.
“Do you believe me now?” asked Kate. “Do you believe that I have it in me?”
“You killed my
brother,” said Bullet.
“No, I killed both of your brothers.”
“You’re a fucking psycho,” said Bullet.
“We have to become what you are,” said Kate. “I know you can’t understand that, but it’s why you’re about to be eaten and we’re not. This was your fate the moment you came into Emily’s life.”
“If you would’ve given Emily a lethal dose of heroin, we’d be doing the same to you,” said Chief, cutting the rope that was holding him down. “If you would’ve shot her in the head, we’d be doing the same to you. If you would’ve let her go, we’d be doing the same to you. Do you get it now? You decided your fate. Not us.”
“Choices, Bullet,” said Grey, lifting him to his feet. “You chose to terrorize and hurt Emily for almost two years. You destroyed her, but that wasn’t good enough for you. You could’ve chosen to stop and let her move on with her life, but you didn’t. You decided to take it. Now we’re taking yours. Her life was worth something. Yours isn’t. Still doesn’t seem like a fair trade, does it?”
“You made the decision to feed her to alligators while she was still alive,” said Kate. “It’s impossible for me to understand how that gave you pleasure. On the bright side, I’m not here to understand you. I’m here to make you answer for those decisions. I’m here to punish you the way animals like you deserve to be punished.”
Chief and Grey turned him and dragged him to the rail. He didn’t resist. As Bullet looked down into the still water, they could feel his body tense and his breathing become heavy.
“Starting to sink in, isn’t it?” said Chief. “I imagine it started for Emily at this point too. You gave her a slow, violent, painful death. I want you to remember that while you’re getting yours.”
“I’m sorry for what I did to her,” said Bullet, lowering his head.
