Saving Me (Finding You #3)

by Amanda Mackey

  Turning down the dusty driveway, I angled off into the trees, keeping covered but following the road, hoping it would lead me to the store.

  “I know you’re there, sweet thing! I can smell your fear.”

  A shot rang out nearby, seeming to lodge in a tree about five feet away. Desperate, I ran from tree to tree, momentarily stopping for cover each time. Another shot. Okay, now I was in trouble. Dodging bullets upped the game to another level.

  Not knowing what to do, I strayed off course to a large tree and hid. Maybe if I just stayed quiet, he would run right by me. The risk of getting shot was too great. I’d never make it to the store at this rate. If John had half a brain, he’d know where I was headed.

  Clutching my stomach, I turned side on into the tree, sucking in air through my nose to try and keep any sound to a minimum. The tree helped prop me up as my legs nearly gave way. They felt like jelly, filled with lactic acid.

  “I know you’re close! You can’t get away from me. I’ll find you no matter what.”

  I felt ill. Sick to my stomach. Vomiting at this point would not be wise. Swallowing hard, I tried to quell the intense urge to gag.

  John was so close. The dried, fallen needles from the pines crunched under his boots. My breath practically stopped. Any second now he would appear, the gun aimed at me.

  Hold on. Just a little longer. Please God. Don’t let me die. Please!

  John was puffing, practically beside me. I closed my eyes, waiting for the end, keeping a prayer going anyway.

  Remembering the knife that now felt so comfortable in my hand I could hardly feel it, I stood upright again in attack mode, knowing full well that it wouldn’t hold up against a gun but it made me feel like I had some morsel of a chance.

  All my senses were on high alert. Twigs were still snapping nearby but as I focused more it was almost as if they seemed to be getting quieter. Could he possibly be moving on? It sounded as if he was.

  Should I risk a peek now?

  Slowly I moved my head so that only my right eye could see in the direction that I thought John had gone. My left one was still blurry and swollen. His black shirt came into view about ten feet away so I shot back behind the tree. He was moving on but looking all around him as he went. The gun was out and aimed at anything that moved.

  Letting out a choked breath, I waited until I could no longer see or hear him before deciding what to do. The pause had given me time to rest, if you could even call it that, but I needed to keep moving. John could backtrack at any moment. The earlier nausea was far from gone. If I’d eaten any breakfast that morning it would now be on the forest floor. Maybe it was a blessing that my stomach was so empty. There was nothing to bring up except the little bit of water I’d had.

  Feeling as if now was as good a time to move as any, I skulked from tree to tree, heading back towards the dirt road. If only a car would go past, I could flag it down and get a ride to the general store.

  Nothing of the sort happened though, and it was another fifteen minutes before I stumbled upon my destination.

  The sight of the small timber shop, balcony out the front, postcards on a stand with other tourist wares, made me cry. It was like finding an oasis in a desert.

  Looking both ways, I hobbled across the road, up the two steps onto the verandah, and through the front door, which had a bell attached to it.

  At the sound of the bell, an older man with greying hair and glasses looked up from the newspaper he was reading behind the counter. His eyebrows rose at the sight of me as I entered, the knife at my side.

  “Please…help…!” I fell against a shelf just inside the door, my legs letting go. The knife clattered to the floor.

  The man rushed out from behind the counter. “Dear Lord! Whatever is the matter, Miss?”

  He carefully placed his arm around me to help lift me up.

  His hands on my ribs were excruciating. “Arrrrggghhh!”

  “Shhh. It’s okay. I got you. I just want to move you over to that chair where we can sit you down.”

  There was a wooden chair and table against a wall to the left of the counter. It felt like miles away. With each step I cried out, not caring about restraint any more.

  “What’s got you so messed up then? You look like you’ve been trekking for days, although if I may say so, you’re not exactly dressed for it.”

  “Water…”

  “Oh, how rude of me. Sure. I’ll just go out back and get you some. You just relax.” He walked away, leaving me to slump onto the table.

  I was too exhausted to move. It didn’t matter now. I was safe. It was all over.

  The kind man came back with a glass of water and seated himself opposite me in the second chair.

  He held out his arm to me. “The name’s Jervis. Jervis Clearwater.”

  My hand shook as I meekly took his hand. “Dakota Livingston.”

  “Well now, Miss Livingston. Would you like to tell me how you managed to get so banged up? You’ve got glass in them arms of yours. If I’m not mistaken, I’d say you’ve a chest injury and your left eye looks like you’ve been in a sparring match.”

  Gulping down some water before answering, the cool liquid soothed my burning throat. “I—”

  That’s all I could get out before the bell rang above the door and someone entered. Boots clomped over the floorboards until John stood in front of us. I hadn’t even heard the SUV pull up.

  He had plastered the most fake, concerned expression on his face. “Oh my God! Darling! There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you. I’m so glad you’re safe. I’ve been so worried.”

  He moved over to me with his arm held out. I cowered back into the wall. The gun was nowhere to be seen.

  Jervis was looking from me to John, confused.

  John turned to him. “Hello, sir. I’m Dakota’s husband. I’ve been searching everywhere for her. She’s not well and needs to come back to the cabin to take her medication. We only checked in yesterday morning.”

  “Please. No. Don’t.” I turned to Jervis, who eyed both of us with concern. John’s nose was bruised and swollen and his chin was a mess, although the blood had been cleaned off.

  “What’s going on here?” asked Jervis, still turning between John and I.

  “Sir, if you’ll come with me for a second, I think I can explain.” John motioned for Jervis to walk with him out of earshot.”

  I squeaked out. “No. Jervis. Don’t go with him. Please. I beg you. He’s been holding me hostage at gunpoint. I’ve only managed to escape. You have to believe me.”

  Jervis only stared back at me as John led him to the front of the shop.

  Whispers too quiet to hear. Mumbles.

  “Please, Jervis. Don’t listen to him. It’s all lies. If you’ll just let me call my fiancé, I can have all this cleared up.”

  The two men appeared deep in discussion. Both heads nodded, intermittently.

  If Jervis let John take me with him, I was screwed. Just when I thought it was all over, it would only be just beginning.

  Finally when both men returned, Jervis, with the knife I had dropped and a look of sympathy on his face, smiled. “Your lovely husband here tells me that he’s going to take care of you. You’re very sick and need to take your medication.” He was giving me such a weird look, as if I was insane and he had taken pity on me.

  “No, Jervis. You’ve got it all wrong. He’s the sick one. He kidnapped me and brought me here. I don’t belong here. I have a fiancé. I’ve only just moved into a new house. He—”

  Talk about at my limit. I couldn’t take any more. Not if I had to go with John back to that cabin.

  “Now, now. Calm down. Everything is going to be all right. You’re going to get the help you need.” He moved to help me up but I pushed him away.

  “I don’t want to go with him. He’s not my husband anymore. He’s evil.”

  John and Jervis exchange a knowing look. Jervis nodded his head slightly in response to the silent commu
nication.

  John moved to pick me up off the chair but I lashed out. “Get away from me, you pig. Don’t touch me!

  “Come on, honey. It’s okay. Let’s go and get you cleaned up. Give you a nice bath and then you can have a long sleep.” As he pulled me kicking and screaming from the store, John thanked Jervis. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you looking after my woman for me.”

  Jervis smiled. “You’re very welcome. Anything I can do to help, you just let me know.” His gaze went to me and for a split second I thought something shifted in his gaze. A flicker of doubt as I pleaded with my eyes.

  In one last ditch effort as his eyes held mine, I begged, “Please, Jervis. Do what’s right. You’re a good man. I’m not crazy!”

  With that I was dragged down the steps and into the SUV. He must have stopped chasing me by foot to go get his vehicle.

  By the time I was pushed into the vehicle, I’d lost all hope. There was no strength left in me to fight. If he was going to kill me he might as well get it over with. Dying would be a blessing now. I’d already stared death in the face, not once but twice, and I wasn’t afraid of it. Death was peaceful. There was nothing to fear about the process. I wanted it.

  John had won. Finally. As he always did. I’d fought a hard battle but it hadn’t been enough. There was nothing left in me. My chance had gone.

  Unable to think any further, black spots gathered before me and then consumed me.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Kyle

  After calling Dad and explaining the situation, to which he’d shown his own distress, I seized Dakota’s cell and sat on a stool in the kitchen to look for any clues.

  I didn’t know what that was exactly, but maybe before she’d disappeared, John had called her cell, left a message or text. Anything.

  It needed to be charged, but there should be enough power to check any messages. I felt like I was snooping but then I justified looking into her personal calls as paramount.

  Scouting through the call log, it pretty much consisted of our calls back and forth to each other. The last one was yesterday morning, telling me she was stuck in traffic and would be late. Nothing out of the ordinary came up. As far as messages went, again nothing that would suggest her psycho ex-husband had been in contact. Well, that was a waste of time. Sitting around doing nothing had me at the end of my tether. No more news from the police since I’d been down to the station. Were they actually doing anything? And what about Mike? Dad had said he was going to do what he could but that didn’t appear to be leading anywhere either. Fuck! This shit was really starting to piss me off. Even patient people could be pushed to their limit.

  ***

  At 2 p.m. my cell rang. I didn’t recognize the number. “Hello? Kyle Rutherford.”

  “Hello, Mr. Rutherford. It’s LA County Police. You filed a missing person report yesterday?”

  “Yes, that’s right.” I felt a river of fear as I took to my feet. Was this the call that would rock me to the core and end my life as I knew it? Again! I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move.

  Don’t say it. Don’t say it.

  “We’ve had a positive identification on Ms. Livingston.”

  Shit. Shit. Noooo. No. No. No!

  It couldn’t be. My world stopped for the second time. I grabbed a fistful of hair as I collapsed onto my knees.

  “Mr. Rutherford? Are you still there?”

  “Y…y…yes.”

  “We’ve had a positive sighting at Big Bear Lake. We believe she was taken there by her ex-husband. He’s rented a cabin there. We’ve got the sheriff from Big Bear County over there already and we’re sending out some backup. Just wanted to give you a heads up.”

  My heart re-started and my blood thawed. “So, she’s not dead?”

  “No sir. That’s all we can tell you at this stage but we’ll call you when we know more.”

  “How? How did you find her?”

  “The onsite manager called it in on a hunch. He remembered the woman’s name upon meeting her and we ran it through the system. We got a match.”

  Is…is she okay?”

  “We’re not at liberty to say, sir, but she was positively identified alive at the time of the call.”

  “Thank you.”

  “We’ll keep you posted when we get an update.”

  The call was disconnected.

  Big Bear Lake. My mind was teeming with thoughts. I had to get up there. Nothing else mattered. Dakota needed me. I wouldn’t let her down. It was now 2:05 p.m. If I high-tailed it, I could be there before dark.

  Keying in Dad’s cell number, I hoped he was home. It rang a few times before he finally picked up.

  “Hello, son. Any news?”

  “Hi, Dad. That’s why I’m calling, actually. I’ve just had word that Dakota has been taken to Big Bear Lake by her ex. Something suspicious was called in which has led to an identification. I need to get up there as soon as possible. I was wondering if I could drop Daniel off? He may need to stay a couple of days until I get things sorted.”

  “Certainly, son. That’s great news! Did they give you any other information? Has he hurt her?”

  “They didn’t say. I swear to God, if he’s harmed her in any way, I’m going to tear his head off!”

  “Well, just calm down and think things through before you go storming up there and putting yourself in harm’s way. The guy is armed and dangerous. That much we know. I’m sure the police will handle it just fine.”

  “Hmmm. The amount of grief that animal has put her through, he deserves to suffer.” If I got close enough to John I was not going to be able to stand back without taking a swing at the guy. “I’m leaving now and should be at your house soon, depending on traffic. Fill Mom in on what’s happening too. I’m sure she’s just as worried.”

  “She’s been in a flap since yesterday morning. She feels a little responsible. She gave Dakota that necklace. If she hadn’t…Dakota…well…you know the rest.”

  “Dad, tell Mom to stop blaming herself. That mongrel would have found a way to get to Dakota, regardless. It’s all come to a head now and it has to end. One way or another, he has to be stopped.”

  “Just be careful, okay? We don’t want anything to happen to our only son.”

  “I will, Dad, I promise. I have to go and throw some things into a bag for Daniel and get to Big Bear Lake before it’s too late.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Dakota

  I was in a world of pain. Not just physically but mentally. I could feel a big, dark abyss about to swallow me up. I longed for it. The peace of unconsciousness that would steal me away from the disgust I currently resided in. When he’d started licking me with his raspy tongue, every last shred of strength and hope shriveled up. My wretched body just needed to accept what was happening and wait for it to be over, even though to begin with, instinct had me trying to get the monster away by arching my torso and bucking against his weight.

  I was shackled to my prison, the only difference being I was in the second bedroom. One without smashed glass and china on the floor.

  I couldn’t scream. Couldn’t use my teeth to bite or my hands to punch and scratch. There was nothing to do but pray that darkness would come soon. My sanity was hanging on by a thread as I tried to remember Kyle and Daniel but their faces seemed so far away now. Just a figment of my imagination. Maybe to remember the gentleness that came with both of them would be too horrendously painful. The harsh reality was that I no longer had that calmness and peace anymore. It had been a cruel teasing taste of what my life should have been. This was my reality. The alternative was nothing more than a dream. Something reserved for people more deserving than I, for to have to endure what was being offered to me at present surely meant I wasn’t worthy of more.

  The smelly, sweaty brute who was groaning on top of me, trying to turn me on, sucking my soul dry was my fate. Maybe this was my karma for not dying in the plane crash with the other passengers. I was being punished for
surviving when everyone else had died. Had I fought too hard to stay alive? Should I have just surrendered myself to the ocean that day? At least John wouldn’t have had any reason to hunt me down.

  As I felt John’s rough hands painfully kneading my breasts, I broke. The wall that I had constructed a long time ago to contain my fragile heart crumbled. Emotions I didn’t even know I had buried spewed forth, causing me to shake uncontrollably, my already delicate, splintered rib cage unable to protect a heart that was slowly dying.

  If I could shrivel up into a little ball, I would have done so, broken ribs or not. It was the only position that didn’t leave me feeling exposed and vulnerable.

  My blood had turned to ice, goose bumps tickling my flesh, adding to the shaking consuming me. I wanted to vomit but feared I would drown in my own fluid. Would it really matter?

  The repugnance his touch brought was almost as bad as the groans coming from him as he continued to demean me, rubbing his boxers against my leg like a horny dog. It was too ghastly to bear. I needed out. I called out to the darkness to seize me. Begging. As if answering my request for a reprieve, the room started to spin and darken a moment before my body went slack.

  Chapter Twenty

  Kyle

  I looked at my watch. 3:30 p.m. Not bad considering I’d had to get changed, grab Daniel, and fight Sunday afternoon traffic on the way to La Habra Heights. As I set my GPS and planted my foot, I listened to the woman’s voice inform me that it would take approximately one hour and forty-five minutes to arrive at Big Bear Lake. That was too long. If I was lucky and didn’t get caught for speeding, I’d be there in one hour and fifteen. This sports car was built for speed and hadn’t been put through its paces yet. Well, that was about to change. It was time to see just what the expensive vehicle was made of.