Fatal Vendetta

by Sharon Dunn

  “Stop resisting me.”

  The hard edge to her captor’s words told her staying alive meant doing what he asked, for now. She stopped struggling. Her eyes scanned the dark landscape. There must be some way to save herself.

  She trudged forward, turning to see the warehouse and the junk field in her peripheral vision. The lights looked a million miles away. Who was this man? Why was he doing this?

  He poked the gun in her back. “Open the door.”

  A car materialized in front of her. They were on a dirt road behind the warehouse. Her hand reached out toward the handle.

  She struggled to clear her mind of the horrifying images from ten years ago. Hands around her neck. Craig Miller grinning at her. She’d trusted him enough to go on a date with him.

  Stay alive.

  She fought to find her way back to this night and the new threat.

  She knew from having covered abduction stories that once he had her in the car, her chances of getting away diminished.

  He pressed close to her back, his clothes brushing against hers. She leaned forward as though to open the door but spun at the last moment, putting her head down and charging toward her abductor’s chest.

  The blow made him grunt, but he remained upright. He yanked her blazer collar. Cold metal pressed against her temple.

  “I said get in.” He pushed her hard against the car.

  The impact knocked the wind out of her. She was shaking from the inside out as she reached for the car with a trembling hand and pulled open the door.

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?” He jerked her hands behind her back and wrapped wire around her wrists before shoving her in the backseat and slamming the door shut behind her. Pain pulsed through her rib cage as she angled to sit up.

  The driver’s-side door opened. The man sat behind the wheel. The car roared to life. Nausea roiled through her stomach as black dots filled her vision. She struggled to remain coherent.

  As the car sped through the darkness, she wondered if this time she would die.

  * * *

  Zachery’s heart raced as he watched the dark figure push a woman into the car and speed off. That woman, who was probably Elizabeth, had clearly been abducted. He knew where that road led. He sprinted through the junkyard toward the side street where he’d parked his car, yanked open the door and jumped in. He thought to call the police but knew there wasn’t time for them to get here and follow the car. He’d have to follow himself, and call it in once he found out where the man was going.

  The engine revved to life, and he zigzagged down city streets to the edge of town, where pavement met gravel. Up ahead, he could see the red taillights of a car as it rolled over the hills out into the country. That had to be the guy. There were no other cars out this way.

  Taillights winked out. The kidnapper knew he was being followed. Zach slowed his own car, trying to discern the shadows in front of him. Moonlight provided a hint of illumination as he came over the crest of a hill. He didn’t see or hear any evidence of the car anywhere. His tires rolled silently over the dirt road.

  After he drove for several minutes without seeing anything, he pulled over to the shoulder and got out. He saw no sign of a house or even a barn, no lights—no place where the man could have gone. Darkness consumed the road a couple of hundred yards ahead of him. To one side was a stretch of forest. Not even the mechanical clang of a distant car engine met his ears.

  Time to call in one of his cop friends. He yanked on the car door.

  Zach climbed back into his car, fumbling for his phone at the same time he turned the key in the ignition.

  “Hey, Dan, it’s Zach,” he said as soon as the other man picked up. “I think I need your help. I’m out on Old Forsyth Road.” He gave Dan the details of what he’d witnessed as he pulled out onto the road. He scanned three hundred and sixty degrees around him. He wasn’t going to give up, and he wasn’t going to wait for the police.

  Whatever it took, he’d find the guy. There couldn’t be that many roads out this way.

  He turned onto a side road.

  Backup would be nice when it arrived, but he couldn’t wait around for it. A woman’s life was at stake.

  * * *

  Hope rose up inside Elizabeth when her kidnapper switched off his lights. She turned her head and stared out the back window, seeing only shadows on the road. Someone must have seen the kidnapping and come after her. Why else would he turn off his lights?

  As her body jostled on the seat from the car speeding down the road, Elizabeth wondered who had spotted them—maybe one of the police officers on the scene?

  She lifted her head even as pain coiled around her rib cage and pulsated. “Why are you doing this?”

  “You don’t remember me, do you?”

  A jolt of fear shot through her, and for a moment, she wondered if the man who had date raped her in college had come back to torment her. She shook off the rising terror. This man had a big build. Craig had been short and muscular. She’d remember her attacker’s gravelly voice forever. She heard it in her dreams. This wasn’t Craig Miller, the man who had nearly destroyed her, and the reason she had left a promising career in Seattle.

  She struggled for breath as the memories flooded her mind.

  Hold it together.

  She stared at the back of his head. With the baseball cap, she couldn’t see his face or even what color his hair was. All she had to go on was that momentary connection she’d made when he’d been a face in the crowd. She couldn’t even recall any of his features. “Where would I know you from?”

  “Ha, nice try. The intrepid reporter always knows what questions to ask.”

  Even his voice wasn’t distinctive. She twisted her hands, working the wires around her wrists loose.

  Someone was looking for her. That gave her a fighting chance. All she had to do was stall for time. They drove for what felt like at least half an hour until he came to a stop. The back door cranked open, and he grabbed her arm just above the elbow. Squeezing hard, he yanked her out. She fell on the ground. Though the wire was now loose enough for her to slip free, she kept her hands behind her so her kidnapper wouldn’t know.

  “Before this night is over, you’ll know who I am.” His voice held menace that made her shiver.

  She lifted her head, noticing the outline of a house. The broken window and dilapidated porch indicated it was abandoned.

  “Get up.” His words were filled with venom.

  She tried to push herself to her feet, but movement made her torso hurt. She must have broken or bruised a rib when he slammed her against the car. Each breath caused a stab of pain.

  He grabbed her collar and pulled her to her feet, pressing his mouth close to her ear. “Don’t even think of trying to escape.” Violence undergirded each word.

  Fear was like a thousand knives stabbing her vital organs. She couldn’t get a deep breath. The same two words pounded over and over in her head.

  Buy time. Buy time.

  She could barely speak. “Please, I want to remember you. Have we met?”

  He hesitated before pushing her. “Quit stalling.”

  His voice carried a nuance of emotion she hadn’t heard before. She’d touched a nerve.

  She purged her voice of the terror that gripped her. “Clearly, I was important to you. We have met.” She managed a soft coyness in her tone.

  “Stop. It.” He spat the words out, but loosened his grip on her collar.

  She detected weakness in his voice. She was getting to him.

  She dared a look out on the dark horizon. Help should have arrived by now. Her stomach clenched. What if her kidnapper had only imagined he was being pursued? She hadn’t seen any car lights.

  Maybe it was up
to her to escape on her own. She squeezed her eyes shut. Think, Elizabeth. He’s stronger than you, but he’s not smarter.

  “It would be nice if we could talk. If you would just tell me why I matter to you.” She chose her words carefully, struggling not to go into reporter mode. She wanted to know where this man knew her from, but the wrong sort of question might fuel his violence. Instead, she tried for an emotional connection to him.

  His rough fingers rubbed against the vulnerable spot on her neck where he gripped her shirt collar.

  His reaction was slow in coming as though he were processing what she had said. Did he realize she was manipulating him?

  “Elizabeth Kramer, big-time reporter.” He expelled the words in a single breath as though he’d been punched in the stomach. “You’re just so smart, aren’t you?”

  She kept her voice to a soft whisper, hoping that would persuade him. “Why can’t we talk? Can you tell me your first name?”

  He tightened his grip on her neck. Panic shot through her like a bullet. She’d overplayed her hand.

  “You should know who I am.” His words dripped with indignation.

  “Really, why?” Talking to him didn’t seem to be helping, but she refused to let the fear win. She would get away no matter what it took. Her father had taught her how to defend herself.

  While he was distracted by her question, she leaned against him and rammed her elbow into his stomach. He grunted. The grip on her neck loosened. She burst forward and angled to the side, wriggling her hands free from the wire. In the darkness, she could feel his hands on her, grasping, trying to get a hold.

  Keep fighting.

  She stumbled forward into the dark forest. He grabbed her shirt at the hem, yanked her back. She turned and smashed her flat palm against where she thought his face was. Skin smacked against skin.

  She ran again, his footsteps at her heels. She could make out very little in the darkness. The roughness of the terrain told her she wasn’t on a road or trail. If she could get back to the car, maybe he’d left the keys in the ignition.

  Her heart raged in her chest as she zigzagged, turning in a wide circle back to where they’d been. The sound of his footsteps dimmed. She ran faster.

  The abandoned house came into view. She slowed her pace. No human noise reached her ears. The trees thinned, becoming more like bushes. She crouched lower.

  She slipped out from behind a bush. Still bent over, she started toward where she remembered the car being. The landscape was nothing more than shadows.

  She peered through the darkness, trying to discern objects. No car. She must have come around to the back of the house. A branch broke off to the side of her. Desperate to hide, she scrambled toward the house, slipped inside and pressed against a rough wooden wall. The drumming of her heart in her ear threatened to drown out all other sound.

  She still couldn’t see the car through the window. It must be on the other side of the trees.

  She crouched on the floor, working her way toward the door. Her eyes adjusted enough so she could make out the outline of an object on the floor. She crawled toward it, careful not to make the floorboards creak.

  Her hand reached out, touching the cold metal of a chain. The air left her lungs with a whoosh as a chill struck the marrow of her bones. Groping in the dark, she followed the chain to a set of manacles at the end. Her lungs compressed. The abduction had been planned. He was going to keep her as a prisoner here.

  A foot padded on wood. She whirled around to see a hulking figure in the doorway.

  She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Terror embedded deep into her muscles. She couldn’t move.

  He pounded across the floor, grabbed her by the elbows and lifted her up.

  “Don’t you dare try to get away from me.” Rage colored every word.

  Spit hit her face. His anger gave her the will to fight. Even though her ribs hurt, she kicked and twisted her body. But it was no use. His arm didn’t budge from around her waist. A claw-like hand grabbed her hair, rendering her immobile.

  Below her, the chain glistened in the moonlight.

  “I want to know...what I did to you. I want to make it right.”

  “Liar.” He tossed her to floor, the impact sending reverberations up her knees and agony through her ribs. He reached for the chain. She crawled on all fours to get away, but he grabbed for her. His grip on her ankle was like iron.

  She could feel herself shutting down and the world going black as ten-year-old memories crashed in from all sides.

  Oh, God, help me.

  Adrenaline coursed through her like a raging river of fire. She was not going to be his prisoner. And she was not going to die out here. She clenched her teeth, flipped over and kicked with her free leg.

  Bright lights shone suddenly through the broken glass of the window. A car was coming down the hill toward the house.

  He let go of her ankle, grabbed her at the shoulders and pulled her close.

  “Looks like the cavalry is here. But that doesn’t mean you’re safe. Just remember, the next time you go to a story, it might be me who created it to lure you there. You will never feel safe again.”

  His words seemed to linger in the air even as his footsteps pounded across the floor. She sat stunned. A car engine started up outside.

  Footsteps pounded toward her. Arms surrounded her and lifted her from the floor.

  “It’s going to be all right, Elizabeth. I’m here. The police are on their way.” Zach’s voice reverberated softly in her ear.

  She pressed close to his chest and thanked God Zach had found her.

  THREE

  Zachery placed the steaming cup of coffee in Elizabeth’s hand while the activity of the police station buzzed around them.

  He pressed his hand against hers, making sure she had a grip on the cup. “Probably not the tastiest, but it will warm you up.”

  Elizabeth stared straight ahead, not focusing on anything. His heart squeezed tight with empathy. This was not the same confident woman he enjoyed bantering with. He’d seen the same effect on soldiers. The violence she’d witnessed must have stripped her bare, left every emotion raw and exposed and turned her brain into shredded mush.

  “Go ahead, have a sip. I put three sugars in it.” His hand still covered hers. He feared she would drop the coffee if he pulled away.

  She drew the cup to her lips. He sat in the hard plastic chair beside her. He couldn’t leave her, not in the state she was in.

  “It’s not too bad.” She stared down into the steaming liquid. “Thank you.” She spoke in a monotone.

  He knew the thank-you was for more than the bad coffee. “My pleasure.” He glanced around at the officer assigned to her case, who typed away on his keyboard. “Busy night. I’m sure he’ll be able to take your statement soon.” When the cop glanced up from his keyboard, Zach offered him a raised eyebrow as if to say hurry up.

  The night had been long enough already. Elizabeth had gone through a medical exam that revealed she had bruised ribs.

  Another policeman walked by them, punching Zach in the shoulder as he passed.

  She lifted her chin. “Do you know everyone in this town, Beck? You haven’t lived here that long.”

  Her voice still lacked the old fight he’d gotten used to, but at least she was feeling well enough to take a shot at him.

  “What can I say, people just gravitate toward this handsome mug of mine.” He rubbed his chin.

  She shook her head. “Yeah, right, that must be it.” Her smile faded and she gazed back into her coffee cup.

  The brief moment of humor passed, and a taut silence coiled around them. What had happened to her out there in that house? He knew more than he wanted to about the terror connected with being abducted.

  Experience
on a very personal level told him what she needed. “I’ll stay,” he said.

  “What?”

  “I’ll stay while you give your statement...if you want me to.” He didn’t want to seem forward. “Or I can call someone.”

  “There’s no one to call. I have friends but...my father is really the only one I would want here. He died a few years ago,” she said. “I moved back here from Seattle, then he got sick and I took care of him at the end.”

  “Sorry about your dad.” He was surprised to hear there was no one else important in her life, though. A beautiful, smart woman and no boyfriend to call? He mentally kicked himself. Why was he even entertaining that thought? The last thing on his radar was a girlfriend. “It’s settled, then. You’re stuck with me, Betsy.”

  “Is that right?” She picked a piece of invisible lint off her jacket. “I guess this means I owe you.”

  “You don’t owe me anything,” he said. And he meant that.

  “That’s not the way I see it. I’ll find a way to repay you. I can’t give you some sort of scoop on a story because you always beat me to them already. But I’ll think of something.”

  The police officer rose to his feet. “Miss Kramer. Sorry for the delay. I’m ready to take your statement now.”

  She took in a sharp breath, and her back stiffened. It was clear she dreaded having to relive everything she’d just been through.

  He wanted to wrap an arm around her, to calm her, but instead he pressed his shoulder against hers. “It’s going to be okay.”

  The look she gave him was one of utter confusion, like she couldn’t process what he’d just said.

  She rose from her chair and walked toward the officer’s desk. Zach stood behind her.

  “Have they been able to find the man?” Her hand curled into a fist and her voice faltered.

  “We’ve got units patrolling the woods. We’re dusting that house for prints along with the...” the officer cleared his throat “...the items that we found inside.”

  Zach had seen the manacles and chains on the floor. At least he’d been able to keep her from being held prisoner.