Crimson Blood

by Douglas Pratt

  Bobby slapped the side of my head with the barrel of the pistol. My head rang out in pain. “Dr. Kerry was speaking to you. Learn some manners.”

  “My apologies,” I muttered. My head throbbed a little. For a second I thought, I hope that didn’t worsen my concussion. The idiocy of the thought was quickly clear when I considered my situation and current prospects.

  “Mr. Sawyer, I told you what I do to things in my way.”

  “Yes, you did. Did you do the same thing to Becca?”

  He snorted, “Becca. She betrayed me. I raised her like a child, and then she steals my money.”

  I laughed. “Raised her like a child? Do you mean by prostituting her to these guys for kiddie porn. I imagine you must have groomed her from quite a young age. Where is her family?”

  I saw Bobby pull his hand back and strike me across the face. I stumbled back a step and shook it off.

  “Mr. Sawyer, I would like to know where my money is. Did Becca give it to you?”

  “Becca didn’t give me anything.”

  Keller stared at me. “Oh, I don’t know that I believe you.”

  He looked at High and Tight who grabbed my arms. His hands were like vices. Bobby began punching me in the stomach. He threw five blows so fast that I couldn’t breathe. Slumping in High and Tight’s grip, I gasped for air.

  When I caught my breath, I asked with a wheeze, “So did your daughter run to Africa because Daddy liked to play with her too?”

  I caught another fist in my gut.

  “Let me explain something to you, Mr. Sawyer.” Keller stepped close to me and continued, “I own Alabama. I own everything in it. I own this town. I own that town. I own this river between them. Right now, you are in Alabama, and I own you.”

  He walked over to Lindsay who stood speechless and shivering. Her hair was messed up, and she had been crying recently.

  Keller stroked her face and looked back at me.

  “This pretty thing is in my state, and I own her.” He kissed her cheek and added, “Maybe I’ll take her with me. She could replace Becca.”

  I pulled against the grip, but the short body builder just squeezed tighter.

  Keller flashed a lascivious smile. “Although, she’s kinda old to train.”

  “Do you have a little sister?” he asked Lindsay. She didn’t move, and he slapped her. “I said, ‘do you have a little sister?’”

  She shook her head violently.

  “Keller,” I growled, “you have no idea the hell you are going to bring down on yourself.”

  He laughed. “By whom? Who will bring this hell? You? I already told you, I own you. Now, where is my ten million dollars?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Fine,” he said. “James, tie the girl to one of those blocks.”

  “No, let her go,” I yelled.

  “Oh, the time for you to make demands has passed. Oh, wait, that time never arrived. Mr. Sawyer, you are but a little fly trying to get at my picnic. You have done nothing but annoy me.”

  “Don’t think that I’m the only one that knows about you and this little child porn ring you have.”

  He seemed unmoved. “Do you mean your reporter friend? I believe she’s been taken care of.”

  “You idiot,” I said stalling for time to think. “She didn’t even know about it. No, my back up plan has teeth.”

  “Good,” Keller said, “I can rip them from its head. Tie her up.”

  One of the guys that came with him, James, began tying a rope around one of the concrete blocks.

  “Max, do something,” Lindsay pleaded.

  “Okay, I don’t have all the money. I have some.”

  “Do tell, Mr. Sawyer,” the doctor pleaded.

  “I have about two million. It’s in my hotel room in the safe. Just let her go.”

  “Where’s the rest?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. I found that in her hotel room after your guys killed her.”

  Keller stewed for a second. Then he waved for James to continue tying her up.

  “Thank you, Mr. Sawyer. You’ve been an annoyance. I’m not often annoyed by people. It’s nice to be able to flex and show what I’m really capable of doing.” He turned and walked away. He stopped in front of Bobby and said, “Once I’m gone, toss her off. I want him to watch her die.”

  “Please no!” Lindsay begged.

  Keller ignored her and locked eyes with me. “She looks strong. How long do you think she can swim with that block tied to her leg?”

  I pulled hard against High and Tight. He jerked me back enough to show he wasn’t trying very hard.

  Keller walked into the darkness. I looked to Lindsay. What could I say to her? That it was going to be all right. I would be lying.

  “I’m sorry, Lindsay.”

  She only cried.

  “Come on, Bobby, let her go. She doesn’t deserve this.”

  He smiled. “No, she doesn’t. But you do.”

  James placed the concrete block in Lindsay’s hands. She stared at it. High and Tight pushed me toward the edge. I could hear Keller’s car start in the distance.

  Under different circumstances, the view would have been pretty. The lights of Florence reflected off the water creating a flickering effect on the surface of the river.

  “Okay, the doc’s gone,” Bobby said. “Sorry, honey, but you gotta blame your boyfriend here.”

  “Please!” Lindsay implored.

  A bright, narrow beam of light across the way hit my eye for a second. I turned my head. Bobby shoved my head toward Lindsay.

  “Doc said you gotta watch. Toss her, James.”

  I watched in horror as James shoved her. Lindsay disappeared from the bridge.

  19

  The next seconds lasted forever. I pulled against the grip. Bobby was laughing, and I turned toward him.

  I saw the dot on James’ shirt right before he jerked. I heard a “thwack” in my ear, and High and Tight’s grip vanished. Without a thought, I took two steps off the bridge into the night.

  Growing up on the Barnes River in Arkansas, leaping from the upper arch of the Highway 16 bridge into the water was a rite of passage. Of course, then it was usually summer, and we all knew the water. One thing we learned was that, while falling and flailing about seems to slow the descent, the best way to hit the water was straight. Otherwise, the impact could break an arm, leg, or neck.

  The free fall felt like an eternity, and I prepared to hit the water by pulling my arms in and straightening my legs. As soon as I submerged I spread my legs and arms and started kicking for the surface.

  Lindsay was twenty feet from me splashing about trying to stay at the surface. I stroked to her quickly and grabbed her arms as she went under again. Pulling her above the surface, I heard her spew water out.

  “I got you,” I tried to assure her.

  Kicking hard to keep her and me afloat, I reached down and found the rope tied to her ankle. I wrapped my fingers around the rope and pulled the concrete block up.

  The water was frigid. While the autumn air hadn’t cooled much, the river was drastically colder due to the constant current.

  “Keep moving,” I told her. “We have to get out of the water.”

  I had no idea what was happening above us. The pylons that supported the bridge were stone and not visible from above. If I could get us close enough, we might be able to pull ourselves out of the water. At least long enough to cut Lindsay’s anchor rode.

  I pushed her toward the nearest pylon. My body was already tiring from the cold water and pure exertion. The pylon was close enough to grab. I pulled Lindsay close so that she could hold on to me. My free hand found a hand hold, and I pulled up.

  “Hang on,” I said. “Are you with me, Lindsay?”

  “Yes,” she said through chattering teeth.

  “We just have to get this rope off you. Can you grab hold of the brick?”

  “I’ll try,” she said.

  She reached past me with on
e hand and found a hand hold.

  “Okay, when you get two hands up there, I’m going to let the block back down. It will get heavy. Hold on as long as you can while I get it off your ankle.”

  “Are they coming back?” she asked.

  “Not right now,” I assured her. “Ready?”

  She nodded vigorously and reached up with both hands. When she had a good grip, I let go with my hand and sank below the surface. I let the block drop slowly so as not to yank her off the pylon. When it was hanging, I began to work on the rope.

  James must have been a scout. The knots was tight. I couldn’t see it in the dark waters, so I used my fingers to feel for any loose areas. I got a finger under one strand after several seconds and pulled it a little before I had to surface for air.

  “Okay, Lindsay. I’m getting it. Hang on.”

  “Okay,” I heard as I submerged again.

  The loose bit of rope took some more tugging before I felt it give way. Once the knot loosened, I was able to untie it easily. The rope slipped through my hand as the block sank to the bottom of the river.

  My head broke the surface. I pulled up on the pylon next to Lindsay.

  “Are you okay?” I asked again.

  “I’m cold.”

  “I know. We have to get out of the water. It’s probably sixty degrees. We have about an hour before we have real problems.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Hypothermia, or exhaustion. The water is not freezing so we have a little time if we keep moving. Can you swim?”

  “Yes,” she murmured.

  I looked around us. The easiest way was back along the bridge to shore. The problem with that was I didn’t know if Bobby and his friends were over there.

  I was also pretty sure that Leo was my avenging angel. The light I saw flickering must have been him signaling me. The red dot on James’ chest was the dead giveaway. Leo spent some time as a sniper, or so I surmised.

  Right now, though, I had to get Lindsay someplace safe and dry.

  “Lindsay, there is an island right over there. Do you see it?”

  “Yes.”

  “I think it’s about three hundred yards. Can you swim it?”

  “I’ll try,” she said.

  “Hey, I’m right here with you the whole time. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Are you rethinking picking guys up in bars, yet?”

  A little smile came across her face. “I’ll tell you when we get to the island.”

  “Get a good breath. Try to swim under water as much as possible. I don’t know if they are looking for us up there.

  “You tell me when you are ready.”

  She nodded. “Let’s go.”

  We both dove under the water. I tried to go slow enough to keep her within five to eight feet of me. We both surfaced for air and dove back under again. Moving through the water was actually warming me up. At least, I felt like I was warming. Or my muscles were burning.

  I’ve never been a fast swimmer, but I have been consistent. Lindsay was slowing after five minutes, and I dropped my pace. I turned and looked to the top of the bridge. I couldn’t see anyone. When Lindsay passed me again, I began kicking again.

  The island was still a over one hundred and fifty yards away when my foot hit bottom.

  “Lindsay,” I said.

  She stopped and turned.

  “Stand up.”

  She put her feet down and felt the bottom.

  “Why is it so shallow?” she asked.

  “It’s a shoal. The bottom built up and pushed the river rocks in a pile.”

  We sludged forward until we were only knee deep. The island was much closer, and we were able to walk a little slower.

  “I’m sorry you got dragged into this,” I said. “I never wanted that to happen.”

  “Did I hear him say he killed a reporter?” she asked.

  “Yeah, she worked for the Shoals Daily. She was on her way to meet me before they grabbed you. The guys that grabbed me killed her earlier. They had her body in the back of their truck.”

  “They just grabbed me to get to you?”

  “Yes, I’m so sorry,” I said again.

  “So, you knew what you were getting into?”

  “I knew they were going to kill you.”

  Lindsay turned to me. “You dumbass. They were going to kill you too.”

  “They didn’t.”

  “You didn’t know that.”

  I shrugged and walked on.

  “I can’t even get a guy my age to call for a second date. My dad won’t even call to say, happy birthday. But you, you know me for three days and you walk off a bridge for me.”

  “Lindsay, it was my fault you were in trouble.”

  “Who are you?” she said.

  The shoal ended two hundred feet from the shore of the island. We swam the rest of the way easily.

  “We need out of these clothes,” I said.

  We stripped and laid them out to try and dry. I went through my pockets looking for anything of use. I lost my father’s silver lighter last year in a different river. The wick would be too wet to light anyway.

  “I’d kill for a fire,” Lindsay said.

  “We can huddle together and warm up. At least the night is still warm.”

  Lying back on the rocky shore, Lindsay got right next to me. I think she must have fallen asleep pretty quickly. As my body warmed up, I dozed for a few minutes at a time.

  I awoke to hear rocks crunching under someone’s feet.

  Before I could get to my feet, I heard a voice.

  “Dang boy, only you can find a fine ass woman on a deserted island,” Leo howled.

  “Where have you been?” I asked.

  “Looking for your corpse. Come on I got a boat to get you back to the other side.”

  20

  Lindsay was wearing Leo’s jacket when we got to the marina on the north side of the river. The jacket did cover most of her, but it left enough to keep Leo taking sideways glances at her. My wet jeans were back on me covering me and chafing already.

  “I saw you running out of the lobby and getting into the Tahoe,” Leo said. “When the guy in the front seat tossed your phone out the window, I figured you were in trouble.”

  “I knew I saw your truck.”

  Lindsay still shook her head. “I don’t understand why you did it. Why not call the cops?”

  Leo smiled, “Lindsay, that’s not how he works. This fool would run through a meat grinder if it meant saving someone he likes.”

  She grinned and looked at me. The ordeal and the adrenaline now passed, her personality was coming back. “You like me?” she teased.

  “I like you,” I answered.

  “It’s that thing I do with my tongue, isn’t it?”

  Leo let go of the wheel of the fishing boat he had acquired and slid close to Lindsay. “I like you, too.”

  “Leo,” I said, “she just got thrown off a bridge. Learn to read a room, buddy.”

  Lindsay leaned up against me. “He’s cute,” she said.

  “Ugh,” I groaned. “Don’t let him hear you, he’ll be pretty sure it’s a free pass in your pants.”

  Leo wagged his eyebrows at her.

  She looked at me. “I’m not wearing pants.”

  “Believe me, we all know,” I told her. Looking to Leo, I asked, “You followed us then? I looked for you hoping you saw me.”

  “When I follow someone, they don’t know it.”

  He continued, “I watched those guys march you out of the truck toward the bridge. I had to take a quick look and find a place to cover you. I knew coming up the bridge on foot would have been brutal. No cover. Someone would have been shot that shouldn’t have been.

  “I booked it across the bridge partly because I didn’t have a lot of choice. No place to turn around. Lucky for all of us, there is a quick turn off right past the bridge to a little path. Looks like a fishing spot for someone. I was able to back in with a nice c
lear view of the bridge.”

  “Do you always have a sniper rifle in the truck?” Lindsay asked.

  “I like to hunt,” he answered.

  “With a laser scope,” she asked.

  “I don’t like to miss.”

  Leo continued his story. “I wasn’t sure if you saw me flashing at you.”

  “I didn’t. I saw the light, but it didn’t register at first.”

  “I was hoping you would stall more,” Leo said. “When Lindsay here went off the bridge I didn’t think we had anymore time. I had the first guy lined up when he shoved her off. I hit him and decided to take out the the short ugly dude holding you.”

  “Yeah, that was a nice, close shot,” I said. “Pretty sure I have some of him in my ear.”

  “Sorry, necessity is a beast. I saw you jump and figured you needed cover. I took down the big guy, but the other one took off running. I didn’t want to stay there long. I didn’t even have time to add a sound suppressor.”

  Lindsay cocked her head toward him. He responded, “I don’t like the deer to hear me.”

  “It’s not deer season, yet.”

  He ignored her, but with a smile. “Then I stole a boat and decided you might need rescuing. I spent an hour circling the end of the bridge before I headed toward the island. Where I find the two of you canoodling nude under the stars.”

  “I, for one, am grateful,” said Lindsay. “I’m also so tired, and hungry.”

  “Let’s get you back to the hotel. You can rest.”

  Leo interjected, “Not for nothing, but I’m hungry too.”

  He pulled up to the marina. The halogen lights lighted the dock, but the marina looked quiet otherwise. Leo tied off to the farthest slip.

  “We need to hoof it a minute. I didn’t park right next to the boat I borrowed.”

  Leo led the way as we quietly walked toward the shore acting as if we belonged and praying no one noticed the naked girl. Using his talent for remaining invisible, Leo moved from shadow to shadow. We just followed along quietly. When our feet hit the shore, we followed the shoreline west until we came to a dead end street that overlooks the river. Leo’s blue pick up truck was parked under the shadow of a tree.