by Bec Botefuhr
I don’t say anything, I just walk inside.
* * * * * *
It worked, oh yes it worked. The graffiti and the photos, I knew it would all get the better of her eventually. I knew finding out about that whore Janelle would cause big problems. She ran out of that party like a broken hearted princess, exactly how I want her. She is crushed, shattered and that cop broke her heart. Now for the final piece to be put in place, it should be easy enough.
They are all waiting for me to go after her, stupid fools will get a shock. They won’t see this one coming, and I can’t wait until she is in my hands. Her throat will be a sweet plum to slice open, watching her try and save the girls I already have, as the wild animals loom in on them. Oh, it will be pleasurable, the best kill so far.
Now to finish it up, to complete the project. Tonight, tonight I will make my move, tonight I will take revenge on the little whore who ruined everything for me. Tonight, Maya Traydon should be enjoying her last night with her family, because as of first light, they will never see her pretty, slutty face again. This is my goal, I have achieved what I need and she will pay, my body trembles in anticipation of her screaming cries. Oh, yes, Maya, I am coming. In more ways than one.
CHAPTER 9
I get a visit from the one and only James Clancy an hour later, he pulls up in a flashy police car and gets out. With a sigh, I meet him out front. His eyes scan me and I can see a mild amount of relief in them, he worries about me too, it is a mildly comforting feeling.
“James Clancy, didn’t expect you at all.” I mutter sarcastically.
“Maya, how are you?”
“How do you think?”
“Shocked I imagine.”
“Yes, yes, why are you here?”
“Look, the killer is on high heat and you aren’t safe at this location.”
“I am not going back there James!”
He looks shocked, I think mostly because I didn’t call him James Clancy.
“Look, to get security over here is going to take days at least. It isn’t safe for you, and being with Ryder and Nate is. The only other option right now is to be in the police lock up.”
I gape. “You can’t be serious? Can’t you get a car around, I am not going back!”
“A car isn’t going to stop a killer, the apartment complex is fully monitored and protected, not to mention both men are cops. It isn’t just about you Maya, it is about your family too, do you want them at risk?”
“James Clancy, that was a fucking low blow.”
“Maybe so, but it is the truth. You go back tonight, or I take you in. I know you hate me for that but I am protecting you.”
“I don’t want to see them!”
“Then go to your room and lock the door, but you are going back.”
“He is broken, damaged and no good for me. Can’t you see that? His own father trashes him, he is damaged because of that.”
James Clancy takes my hand and shakes his head. “Haven’t you heard the saying that someone else’s trash is another person’s treasure?”
“Well now I am going to cry again.”
He pulls me close which surprises me, but I let him do it. “Give him a chance, Ryder isn’t a bad person.”
“Alright, I am going to go back to please you, I don’t know if I can handle any more of your one liners.”
He laughs. “Alright.”
I go inside and explain what is happening, I hug Sandy furiously and promise to call later. I sulk the entire drive to the apartment complex. When we pull up, James Clancy gets out and opens my door for me.
“Give me a minute, please, I can’t see him right now.”
“Very well, don’t leave this area.”
I walk over to the pool and sit beside it, the light is dull and I can barely see anything but the glistening blue water. It is closed for the night and the silence is nearly deafening. I stare into the water, willing myself to find the strength to face him. I don’t know how I will, I don’t even know where to start. What do you say to someone who has broken your heart? I love him, it’s the cold hard truth and he has hurt me.
I feel the tears slither down my cheeks once more, it has been so long since I have cried, the wet salty drops still feel strange on my cheeks. I have been strong, from the day my family disappeared and I had to take care of my sister, I learnt control and strength and Ryder came and tested everything I ever believed. He molded into me in a way no one has ever done before. I feel my chest heave with another loud sob and I hate myself for being so weak.
I see the legs before the arms, the bare feet that slip either side of me and into the cool water in front of me. The arms come next, wrapping around my waist and crushing me back to a chest I am oh so familiar with. I want to scream, to shove and punch him but most of all, I just want to feel ok again. I want to live without fear, without pain and being with Ryder takes that away, for a moment at least. I grip his arms and cry until the tears burn my eyes.
“Oh baby.” He whispers into my hair.
“W-w-w-why Ryder?”
“I am sorry. I only found out about Jasmine right after you came along. I was confused, I didn’t know if I wanted to be a dad. I wanted to keep it under wraps, keep it on the low down so I could just process it. Then you and I got closer and you tested everything inside me, I never thought…never thought I would feel anything after my heart break with Janelle and then you…
“You lied.” I whisper hoarsely.
“I didn’t tell you about Nate being involved with me and Janelle because I didn’t know how. He didn’t like it and was ashamed of himself, we…it was a mistake that didn’t need to be relived.”
“Did you like it, was it something you wanted?”
“Look, I won’t lie. At the time, I thought it was kind of hot, watching Nate fuck her while…yeah anyway…but when I saw her with those two other men, I got a clear view of what it was and I was horrified. I said no more, she wasn’t willing to give it up.”
“I…am not enough for you.” I croak, shuddering.
He kisses my hair. “You are the most beautiful, incredible thing that has happened to me for so God damned long. I have never been so…distraught.”
“Yes you have.”
He shakes his head behind me. “No, I haven’t. The thing is, I care about you more than I cared about my own wife. I am in love with you Maya, and I don’t want it to change. Please baby, don’t walk away. I will wait forever, I will wait.”
I hiccup and spin around, getting a good look at him. His eyes are glassy and red, emotion swirls through them. I grip his face and I kiss him, I know I shouldn’t, right now I should be slapping him but I need him, more than anything in the world, I need him. He groans and opens his mouth, letting my tongue slide in and dance with his.
“We can’t…here.” He breathes.
“Yes, we can.”
I slip my shirt off, then my pants and I slowly slide into the cool water. His eyes widen, and he follows without argument. His eyes scan me as he pulls off his shirt and turns to kick off his pants. His body ripples under the moonlight, and I can truly see how perfect he is. We match, Ryder and I, we are both damaged, both just needing a little love.
“I had…all these things planned out for us tonight and…” He says quietly but I cut him off.
“What?”
“Huh?”
“What did you have planned out?”
He looks sheepishly at me. “It doesn’t matter now.”
“Tell me, Ryder.”
“I had roses, wine, chocolate…I was going to make love to you, without the dominance, just me and you. I was going to tell you I love you, tell you that you have become my world, my soul, my life.”
I tremble again. “Make love to me now.”
He slides in the water and gently pushes me up to the side of the pool. Glancing around to make sure it’s clear, he lifts my leg and wraps it around his waist. His skin is cool, and his body is firm and hard. He kisses me with raw emot
ion, our moans tangling together to express our feeling in a way we can’t. When he slides into me, I whimper.
“Gentle, just gentle baby.” He murmurs into my ear.
He slides his hips out, and then slowly pushes them back in. I become lost in the moment, lost in the feeling of his body surrounding mine, lost in the feeling of his heart thumping against my breast, lost in the feeling of his hair tangle through my fingers, lost in the feeling of his moans vibrating against my neck, lost in the feeling of the intense love soaring through my veins.
“Oh, Ryder.” I whisper, as my body tenses for release.
We are moving slowly together, thrusting with a gentle, passionate pace. The emotion is high and we are gripping each other like we can never let go, like we never want to let go, like this could be our last breath. He is tense, his muscles a tangled mess as he moves, his chest heaving with pants.
“Ryder, Ryder.”
“Oh, baby, sorry, so sorry.”
I whimper my release as I shatter around him, for a moment, I am sure I actually black out. I feel like my world closes off from me for a moment, like everything stops. Ryder’s soft, strangled moan brings me back as he shudders into me with a tormented cry. I stroke his face, his hair, his cheeks as we come down from our emotional high. He lifts me from the pool and wraps me in his shirt, hugging me close to his chest as he pulls and does up his jeans.
“Please, forgive me.”
“I need time, just time.”
“Anything, just don’t run. I need you, I know that isn’t enough but I need you, I have never needed someone in my life the way I need you.”
For me to see the usually tough and rugged Ryder so broken, breaks apart my wall. I hold him close and breathe in his scent, which is now masked by the chlorine from the pool. He stands a moment later and pulls himself together.
“I am going to get some towels.”
I nod weakly. He stares painfully at me, then turns to walk inside. I feel vibrations in my pocket a moment later and pull out my phone. The number is unknown but I answer it anyway.
“Maya, well well, we finally get to speak.”
The voice is rusty and almost shaky.
“Who is this?”
“Did you get all my presents? I hope so. We don’t have long to talk, I just wanted you to know the time is up, I want to play now.”
“Go to hell!”
“See, I plan to but before I go, I am taking you down with me.”
“I will call the cops, you won’t get anywhere near me.”
“You aren’t going to do that, know why? I have something of yours.”
I flinch. He is lying, baiting me.
“You are lying.”
“Am I? Why don’t you say hello to sissy.”
“Maya, help me please.” Sandy’s voice comes across the phone dazed and trembling.
“Sandy? Sandy?”
“I have her Maya, and if you want her alive, you trade. Her for you.”
“Done.” I cry, without hesitation.
“Out front, now.”
He clicks the phone shut and I stand, pulling on my clothes and glancing at the apartment. I punch in Ryder’s number and quickly text him.
He has Sandy. I had to go. I am sorry.
I turn then, and I run. I have minutes, seconds even before Ryder is out that door and after me. Maybe he will stay close enough that he will track us, but I won’t let him stop me, that is my baby sister and my life. Nothing will stop me. If I die, I die, but I won’t leave her alone. I step out front and see a large white van. Trembling, I step forward and a man steps out, covered entirely by a mask.
“Good girl.”
It is all I hear, because seconds later he plunges a needle into my neck and I pass out. I don’t know how long I am out, all I know is when I wake, I am disorientated. I am sore, aching even and it is dark, so dark I can’t see. I shift and groan, what the hell, my leg is sore and throbbing. I am not sure why. I go to stand but my ribs scream at me, Jesus. I blink, but I can’t see a damned thing. I do however, hear a whimper beside me.
“Sandy?”
“I…my name is Amy.”
“Amy, just hang on a minute.”
My hands are tied, but that is the only part of me I can’t use, what in idiot only tying my hands. Unless that was part of his plan? I stand with a strangled cry and begin feeling about for something to get this rope off; I find a fence line, barbed wire, thank God. I rub my rope over furiously, it must take me a good two hours and my wrists are bleeding and battered by the time the rope snaps but I don’t care, my focus is getting out of here. I call out to Amy and follow her voice back, I feel her leaning against a tree, I grip a soft face and she winces. I pat her body, and feel she is badly beaten.
“Amy, are you ok?”
“I…no.”
“What happened, what did he do?”
“I…he fucked me with a knife.”
It takes every control inside me not to lean over and throw up. He fucked her, with a knife? Her voice is damaged, worn out and dead. She is hanging by a thread.
“Are you bleeding heavily, can you tell me?”
“Y-y-yes.”
“And you are naked?”
“Y-y-yes.”
“Can you tell me where we are?”
“Wildlife…reserve.”
“What?”
“He is going to let the animals…kill us.”
I do lean over and vomit now, hurling until my stomach heaves furiously but nothing comes out.
“He..has your sister.”
“Where is she?” I croak.
“Here too, I don’t know where.”
“Where are the owners of this place?”
“I don’t know. It is a big…p-property. They j-j-just let animals roam under protection.”
Bloody hell, bloody fucking hell.
“It’s going to be ok, we will be fine.”
“I don’t feel strong, I don’t feel…fine.”
I pull off my shirt and groan as I shift towards her.
“Can you tell me where you are bleeding most?”
“Be…between my legs.”
I swallow back my tears as I press my shirt between her legs and secure it.
“Keep your legs as tightly closed as you can, do you hear me?”
“Y-y-yes.”
I feel the ground around us, it is soft and squishy. Rain has been in the past few days, I don’t know where the hell we are or if we are surrounded by savage animals but I need a plan. I move in agony, feeling like I have been bashed black and blue, but I struggle forward. I scramble about trying to find something, anything. I feel a tree, low enough to climb but possibly high enough to protect Amy from danger.
“Amy?” I whisper.
“Y-y-yes.”
“Can you move?”
“I…don’t know.”
“I want to get you up this tree, I know you can’t see and it’s dangerous but it might just save your life.”
“O-ok.”
I help her to her feet and she wails in pain, son of a bitch is going to pay for this, he is going to pay. I help her to the tree and shove her up, she cries loudly as she forces her body up.
“As high as you can go Amy, as high as you can go.”
I don’t know how high the tree is, or how far she has gotten up but she has to be safer there then on the ground. When she whispers that she is ok, I begin feeling around again. I need something, a weapon, a stick or a rock. I find a heavy round rock and clutch it in my hands. My leg is aching beyond belief and my ribs throb but I am the only one who has a chance of getting us out of this.
I hear a whimper, and my ears prick to life. Sandy? “SANDY?”
Another whimper. I run in the direction of it until I come slamming into a body, I scream and leap back only to realize that body is female and hanging upside down. I feel tears prick my eyes but I smother them in. I touch and realize it is my baby sister and she is gagged but her throat is intact, thank God.
“Baby, I got you, I am here.”
I undo her gag and she whimpers. “Maya.”
“We will get out of here, are you hurt?”
“Y-y-yes, my tummy, slashed.”
Fuck, fuck, I will kill him, kill him slowly.
“It’s ok baby, I am going to get you down.”
I spend the remainder of the night trying to find my way around and trying hard to find something sharp enough to cut Sandy’s ropes. I can’t see the knots to untie them. When first light comes in, I hear a rumbling sound and realize a truck is coming. I hobble back to my spot by the tree and put my head down, gripping the boulder in my hand.
“Well good morning my pets.”
I peer up at BTK. He is exactly as the picture showed, except his hair is much longer now. He isn’t covered today and is dressed in a khaki uniform. His eyes travel over me, then up at Amy in the tree.
“Cats can climb my little pet.”
“What do you want?” I snarl.
“You know what I want, you have always known what I want.” He says, stepping forward. His boot stomps on my foot and I cry out.
“Killing me won’t do you any good, you are going down!”
“Maybe I am, but you are coming with me. You should have stayed in your car Maya, I would have never looked at a pathetic piece of fluff like you, no curves, horrible colored hair but you went ahead and interfered.”
“So get it over with!”
“No, we are going to play some first, I thought about killing Amy first but she is just too pathetic and it won’t be so much fun. So I picked Sandy.”
He turns and grins at Sandy, then walks over, I stand and grip the rock behind my back. I only get one shot, one clean throw. I was a good tennis player in school, and I can throw a ball but this…this has to be just right. He grips Sandy’s shirt and yanks it down, revealing a deep gash on her stomach. I begin panting.
“You piece of shit, you will die for this!” I cry.
He turns and storms over, gripping my throat and clenching it until I can’t breathe.
“You will die first.”
He lets me go and slams me back into the tree. Then, he looks around.
“Now, where is my big baby, oh there…breakfast time angel.”
I hear the purr of a cat and turn to see a huge lioness prowling around in the bushes behind the trees. My heart quickens and I swallow rapidly. Oh no, please no.
