“Holy shit,” Butch exclaimed. “You’re right. No wonder they don’t respect me. We gotta fix this now. Go get these guys some food and something to drink.”
“We’re fine,” Chris interjected as Dibs left for the kitchen. “We don’t want anything.”
“Shut the fuck up, buddy,” Butch said in a pleasant tone. “I’m trying to earn your respect here.”
Dibs, who had called in a few others from outside, returned with them shortly, their arms laden with various wares gathered from the kitchen which they dumped on the table.
“Razor, open up a bottle of wine for our friends here,” ordered Butch.
“No problem,” Razor agreed, picking up a bottle with both hands and smashing the neck off on the edge of the table. “Shall I pour?”
“Please do,” Butch replied. “Serve our host first.”
The shaved-head young man ambled over and suddenly thrust the bottle toward Chris, spattering his face and chest.
“I do hope you like red,” he said before pouring half the bottle on Jonathan’s head.
He moved on to Dave and emptied what was left onto his crotch before stepping aside and heaving the broken bottle against the wall across the room.
“Ya think they’d like some Cole slaw?” another asked, the container already opened in his hand.
“I’m sure they would, Lefty,” Butch replied.
“Here you go, guys,” said Lefty, flinging a handful of slaw at each of the three bound men.
“Fingers, would you serve the eggs?” Butch asked.
“I’m on it,” Fingers replied, scooping up a carton of eggs and flipping it open. “Aw, crap. There’s only seven.”
Butch sighed. “That’ll just have to do but make sure you give three to my friend, the captain.”
Taking an egg in the palm of his hand, Fingers stepped behind Dave and pressed the egg against the captain’s tightly clamped lips while pushing at the back of his head with the other hand.
“Open up,” he said before increasing the pressure, crushing the egg in Dave’s face.
After smashing two more eggs on Dave’s head and vigorously rubbing the mess into his hair, he moved on to repeat the exercise with both Jon and Chris. Following behind him were two other crew members, the condiment team, one armed with squeeze bottles of ketchup and mustard and the other with a large jar of mayonnaise. However, mere minutes after the food frenzy had started, Butch seemed to grow bored and annoyed.
“Okay, guys,” he announced. “We’re done with the feeding cuz I don’t want to spoil them. Go find something else to do and try not to break anything. Me and Dibs gotta have a chat with these jokers.”
As quickly as the men had appeared when summoned, they were gone, heading back outside in search of some distraction or more targets for destruction.
Leaning against the dining room table, Butch lit a cigarette and watched his prisoners as he waited for the others to clear out.
“I hope you get it now. While I’m here,” he said after a moment, “I’m in charge. If you want to be smart-asses, shit like this happens.”
In response, Dave shook his head, Jonathan rolled his eyes and Chris smiled then said, “Well, we certainly feel stupid now, Butch. You showed us.”
Butch stared at Chris, attempting to determine the sincerity of the man’s words before reacting. Only seconds passed however, before Dibs broke the silence.
“You were right before, boss. There is something wrong with these guys.”
“Why don’t you tell me what you think is wrong with them,” Butch suggested.
“They ain’t scared,” said Dibs, looking the three prisoners in the eyes. “Or maybe they are, but not enough, least not enough to show it.”
“Yep, that’s what I was thinking too,” said Butch, never one to admit he had missed something. “Seems to me, they should be scared but they don’t look it.”
“It’s in the eyes, boss,” said Dibs. “We’ve seen it with others all the time but these guys don’t got that.”
Butch paused while he dropped his finished cigarette to the floor, taking his time as he lit another and pulled a long drag.
“Maybe we just been too easy on these boys,” he suggested. “Maybe we should show them why they should be scared.”
Dibs smiled and nodded. “I think we should.”
Butch took another long drag on his cigarette and knocked the ash off, exposing its burning header, over half an inch long.
“Show ‘em, Dibs,” he ordered, holding out the cigarette.
Taking it, Dibs stepped up to Chris and asked, “So, you gonna show me some fear, buddy?”
Chris responded with silence, his expression neutral as he stared into his aggressor’s eyes.
“Have it your way,” said Dibs as pressed the burning end of the cigarette onto Chris’ forearm and held it there.
When the only reaction he saw was the slightest clenching of the jaw, he pressed harder with the cigarette, crushing and scattering the burning ember on Chris’ skin. The smell of burning hair and skin forced him to glance down for a second and when he looked back up, Chris’ stare remained, his expression unchanged, his jaw quite possibly no longer even clenched.
Looking down again, Dibs realized the cigarette was out, a nickel-sized circle of blackened ash and burned flesh having replaced the red-hot ember. He dared look into Chris’ eyes once more, hoping to detect the slightest sign of fear but saw nothing.
“Want to do one on the other arm?” Chris asked, his tone soft, his gaze cold and unflinching.
Suddenly feeling nauseous as fear finally made its appearance, though within him and not the prisoner, Dibs flung the cigarette to the floor and stepped back, leaning on a nearby credenza to steady himself. Taking a deep breath then another, he looked up at Butch.
“Best advice I can give you, boss. We best keep an eye on these motherfuckers, non-stop, and make damned sure they don’t get loose. I gotta get some air. I’ll send in one of the boys to replace me.”
Chapter 11
Saturday - 5:24 p.m.
Though Dominique’s regular reports of events at the house, including the food hazing incident and the subsequent attempt to intimidate Chris, had served as minor distractions, the women understood that wasting any time on worrying served no purpose but to delay them further. Each minute was precious and the faster they surged ahead, the better chance they had of getting their men out unharmed.
Following a bit more negotiating, planning and fine-tuning, they had agreed that Sandy would accompany Leslie on the weapons acquisition expedition. Her role would be that of lookout once they reached their destination and, armed with their sole firearm, she would offer backup if Leslie ended up in a tight spot. In the meantime, while Dominique continued with the camera surveillance of the Barry residence, Cathy and Josée would search the neighbor’s house and property for anything which might prove useful.
After having ensured that none of the invaders were patrolling the woods separating the two properties, Leslie and Sandy had circled around to the front of the Barry lot, maintaining cover amongst the wall of conifers. From that position, they had determined that there were still two men in the vicinity of the garage, seated in the back of Dave’s SUV under the raised lift-gate, chatting as they shared a bottle of liquor. Based on Dominique’s observations, they had been there for a while and if they remained where they were, Leslie could enter the garage from the rear door and make it up the stairs while staying out of their field of vision.
“We’ve seen what we need here. We’ll head back the way we came behind the garage,” Leslie whispered as she pointed. “You’ll have a clear view of those two bozos from those trees and you’ll be well positioned to head back once we’re done.”
Sandy nodded and they slowly returned, retracing their steps, careful not to make any sound which might attract the attention of the two wayward guards. Once behind the garage, Leslie waited until Sandy was in position then confirmed the go-ahead with a nod
before creeping to the rear door and disappearing inside.
* * * *
“This is damned fine scotch,” said Tops as he passed the bottle over to Olly. “This Barry dude knows how to live.”
Olly read the label. “GlenDronach. Never heard of it but yeah, it’s smooth.”
“I just wish the guy had some fine pussy to go with his fine booze,” said Tops. “I was looking to get laid. Instead, we end up in a place with three old guys.”
“Maybe they’ve got false teeth and give great blowjobs,” Olly suggested. “You can go ask them.”
“Aw, Jesus,” Tops replied, hopping off the back of the SUV. “You’re sick, man. That’s disgusting.”
Olly laughed. “I was just screwing around. I didn’t mean to get you turned on or nothing.”
“You’re the one thinking about it, not me,” replied Tops as he gazed around, his eyes settling on the windows above the garage. “Do you know what’s up there?”
“Yeah, it’s a gym,” said Olly. “Pretty damned nice too. Bunch of machines, free weights, even a hot tub. Go check it out.”
“Might as well,” Tops agreed. “I’m getting damned bored here. You coming?”
“Nah, I saw it already,” Olly replied, getting to his feet and stretching. “Anyhow, Butch wants at least one of us out here to keep an eye on things. You go. I’ll stick it out here for now.”
* * * *
Sandy watched as the smaller of the two men stood behind Dave’s SUV and looked around. Her pulse quickened as his gaze seemed to rest on the upper floor of the garage. Leslie had given her a thumbs-up a moment earlier from one of the gym’s windows and Sandy now wondered if the man had spotted her up there from below. Her worrying intensified as the man sauntered off toward the spiral staircase leading up to the veranda while the other moved out of sight in front of the garage.
Pulling her phone from her pocket, she needed only wait a few seconds more to confirm that the first man’s destination was indeed the gym on the second floor. As he started to climb the stairs, she pressed the power button to unlock her phone and her heart sank. Nothing happened, the screen remained black. Her phone was dead.
In a panic, she looked up and saw that the man had reached the veranda and was now crouched down below the window line as he crept toward the door, obviously having spotted Leslie inside. Upon reaching the entrance, he carefully peered through the window one last time then slowly turned the knob, eased the door open and slipped inside.
* * * *
“Dominique, you might want to go have a look in the shed later,” said Cathy as she entered the sunroom with a machete and an axe she had found. “There’s a bunch of fertilizers and other products which you might find useful with your chemistry background.”
Dominique looked up from the iPad and replied, “Yes, I will go see. I would love to make a bomb to blow up these monsters.”
“I hope you’ll wait until we get our guys out,” said Cathy.
Dominique smiled. “Mais oui. Did you find anything else we can use?”
“Not really,” replied Cathy. “It’s mostly gardening tools and equipment. Josée’s almost done in the garage and hasn’t found much either besides hammers and crowbars.”
“Hopefully, Leslie and Sandy will return soon with everything we need,” said Dominique as she returned her attention to the screen.
The camera she had been viewing from was set at the front of the garage under the roof overhang and offered a perfect view of Dave’s SUV where the two men had been sitting and drinking. Now, the vehicle was unoccupied, one of the men was strolling off toward the front of the lot while the other was nowhere in sight.
In a panic, she scrolled from one camera to the next, searching the grounds near the garage for the missing man. Not finding him, she moved to the camera inside the garage then to the one in the gym, and gasped.
Leslie was at the far end of the vast room, facing the wall, her back to the camera and obviously intent on what she was doing. The missing man was halfway across the room and moving in on the unsuspecting woman.
Dominique grabbed her phone and hit the direct-dial to Leslie’s but she knew it was too late.
* * * *
Because of their professional relationship, Leslie was fully aware of how to access Chris’ weapon vault and had done so in the past. Entering the bathroom, she opened the breaker box behind the door and flicked a particular switch which controlled the electronic locking mechanism.
She left the bathroom and turned to the wood paneled wall to her right on which a number of laminated photos were affixed. By pressing on the appropriate photos in a particular order, the lock would release, allowing her to slide the wall panel aside and access the vault’s contents behind it.
As she raised a hand to press on the first photo of the sequence, her phone began to vibrate in a pocket of her cargo shorts. At the same time, a voice behind her said, “Well, look what I found.”
Spinning around, she saw the smaller of the two men from outside standing half a dozen feet from her with a pistol in hand.
“Who the hell are you?” she demanded.
Glancing down at his gun, he said, “I don’t see how you’re in a position to be asking questions. Now, how about telling me who you are.”
“I’m April,” Leslie replied. “I live next door.”
“That’s a pretty name,” said Tops. “What are you doing here, April?”
“The Barrys let me use their gym,” Leslie explained. “I came over to work out. Now, what are you doing here and why do you have a gun?”
“Like I told you, I ask the questions,” Tops replied. “Now tell me, what are you really doing here?”
“Did I speak too fast?” Leslie snapped. “I’m here to work out.”
“Sorry, April, but I think you’re bullshitting,” said Tops. “You’re not dressed for a workout.”
Leslie sighed. “If you must know, I usually work out in the buff. It let’s my body breathe.”
Tops grinned as he looked her over. “Is that a fact? With that sweet body of yours, that’s something I want to see. Why don’t you strip down and start working out?”
“Uh, no,” Leslie replied. “That’s not going to happen with you here.”
Tops’ smile faded as he spoke. “You got that wrong, cutie. Get out of your clothes. Now.”
“And what if I don’t?” Leslie challenged. “Are you going to try to rip them off me? I won’t let you without a fight.”
“I can always shoot you if you don’t do what I say,” said Tops.
“That’s a better option than stripping for you,” Leslie shot back.
Tops smiled and said, “I’ve got an even better option than that.”
“Sure you do,” said Leslie. “Tell me about it.”
“No problem,” Tops replied as he pulled a phone from his pocket. “I make one quick call and in a minute, a bunch of my buddies join us. I betcha we could get you outta those clothes pretty damned quick. Ever been gang-banged, April? Here’s your chance if you wanna try or, we could just have a bit of one-on-one fun. You decide.”
Leslie glared at him for a moment then started untying the belt of her cargo shorts as she replied, “Okay, you win, but I doubt you’ll enjoy what’s going to happen.”
“Oh, I’m pretty sure I will,” said Tops just before Sandy caved in the back of his skull with a twenty pound, cast iron dumbbell.
* * * *
“We should have everything we need here,” said Leslie as she set a second large duffel bag on the floor before closing the vault. “Where is he?”
“He’s still down by the entrance from the road,” Sandy replied, referring to the other man who had been by the garage. “Nobody else is out there for now.”
“So far, so good,” said Leslie. “Let’s get these downstairs.”
They hurried down the inside staircase with the heavy duffel bags and, after making sure nobody was around, they lugged them to the rear of the garage and loade
d them into the back of Chris’ SUV.
“What about him upstairs?” asked Sandy. “Should we at least hide the body somewhere?”
Leslie peered out the open garage door and noted that the other man was still in the same spot near the property entrance, almost one hundred yards away.
“I say we bring the body with us,” she replied. “If they can’t find him, they won’t know he’s dead. They might assume he simply took off in Chris’ truck. The more doubts we leave these bastards with, the better.”
They returned to the gym and dragged the body the short distance to the top of the stairs where Leslie let gravity do most of the work.
“It’s not like this is hurting him,” she commented as the body slid and bumped on its way down.
At the bottom, they picked the dead man up and soon had him loaded next to the duffel bags and covered with a tarp.
Sandy closed the rear gate and, looking out in the distance, exclaimed, “Crap, the other one’s coming.”
“We’re good,” said Leslie, gauging the distance and line of sight. “He shouldn’t notice us if we get in on your side.”
She hurried to the passenger side and opened the door just enough to squeeze in, climbing over the center console while Sandy piled in behind her.
“Let’s get out of here,” Sandy whispered.
“In a minute or two,” Leslie replied. “I want our friend to get just a little bit closer first. I’d suggest you buckle up.”
* * * *
Olly approached the garage and looked up toward the second floor windows, wondering if Tops was still up there.
‘The horny bastard is probably naked in the hot tub and jerking off,’ he thought. ‘Maybe I should go freak him out and take a pic with my phone.’
Pleased with his plan to humiliate his colleague, he strode off with purpose, heading directly for the open garage door ahead of him. As he got closer, the engine of the Lexus LX inside the bay suddenly rumbled to life and the high beams came on, bringing him to an abrupt halt.
9 More Killer Thrillers Page 128
