Behind the Pines (The Gass County Series Book 3)

by Unknown

  “I’m up!” she yelled, spitting cold water from her lips. “You idiot.”

  A hand came down hard and pressed her face into the pool of watery spit she’d just released on the floor. “Just shut up, Sunshine. I can’t wait to get rid of you. If I wasn’t getting paid for this, I would’ve had the pleasure of doing so myself. You’re a despicable whore. Remember that.” His hand let up, and with metal bucket in hand he left the cottage and Sunshine alone. She counted the next seconds as heaven.

  The wind whistled wistfully around the cabin. Sunshine had so much information to consider that she didn’t notice the darkening clouds killing the sun’s warm rays that had so recently given her morning a glorious start until a raindrop plopped on the cabin’s tin roof. One more, then another, until the heavens opened up and showered the cabin. The door flung open and Anthony rushed inside, covering his head with the top of his jacket. The simple door slammed shut behind him, and with his hand he brushed off water droplets from his clothing.

  “Do you have anything I can wear except this?” Sunshine looked down at her chest, the wet T-shirt sat glued to her cold skin, goosebumps covering her entire being, nipples hard as rocks poking the fabric.

  “You’ll do fine. This type of trading will go better off with you wearing less. Keep staying cold and showing those,” he said, staring at her wet chest, “and you can make me a very good deal.”

  Brody rolled into park with the lights turned off. This was not how he wanted his day to go, yet he wanted exactly this. It was hard to describe, he simply wanted the day to be over and go in his favor. He wasn’t sure if anyone had followed them or if the suspects already knew how to find the end destination without help from the GPS tracker, but he wasn’t too keen on finding out. Bryce finally stopped hyperventilating in the passenger seat and had opened the car door as soon as they had stopped to let a cascade of irregular-colored vomit splatter across the mossy dark ground at their feet. No wonder, after all he had previously eaten, in hunger and sheer anxiety, it was bound to be ejected sooner or later. Brody was impressed Bryce hadn’t behaved worse for someone who had never dealt with this side of the job. Brody hadn’t had to slap him across the face, yet. Brody opened the door and got out, his boots crunching in the frosted grass. His warm, steady breath produced a white cloud of mist and he turned to find Bryce standing up, wiping his mouth.

  “About ready?” Brody asked as he walked back toward the trunk of the car and unlocked it.

  “Is that such a wise choice? Opening someone else’s trunk? Especially someone in the human trafficking industry?”

  Brody listened but followed questioned his friend’s actions and in a second he had the trunk open. He was fortunate—no dead bodies, and none alive, for that matter. Silently Brody thanked the Gods above and closed the trunk.

  ”I just had to make sure. I’m not sure I could have forgiven myself if I would have accidentally left another person behind because of fear of opening a trunk. Backside of being in law enforcement, wanting to keep everyone safe, or maybe it’s just plain curiosity.”

  Bryce pushed himself away from the car and closed his door. Dawn had yet to fully awaken and in silence they both watched the dense forest stretch and yawn for the possible adventures ahead.

  Brody motioned to a slight incline in the terrain and with his rifle at his side and Bryce holding a steady hand on the Taser at his belt, they walked with heavy steps in the moist grass, away from the vehicle, following a steady stream of water so cold it created a dust of snowflakes at the ridge of the rocks halfway submerged in water.

  Not even a mile away Brody touched Bryce’s shoulder, signaling to stop. The forest hadn’t yet created a clearing around the small eerie cabin. Cabin was overrated, larger tool shed used during the time of the gold rush was a better resemblance.

  Suddenly the door to the hut swung open, slamming the side of the house hard enough to rattle its hinges. Brody watched the man, apparently Haines himself, jog down to the chilled stream to fill a metal bucket, only to dash back and reenter the building with the same excessive force as he had left it.

  ”He seems like a dashing fellow,” Bryce mumbled from behind Brody’s back at the same time a shrill voice came from inside the hut. Brody bit down hard on the inside of his mouth. He knew that voice and wished he could have heard it in a different fashion, preferably when he’d let his fingers dance over her skin or when Hayley had managed to create the sound of pleasures. He’d take that any day. The door reopened slightly and a hand tossed out the empty pail and with a clinking sound it landed on the pebbles covering the ground and then rolled down the hill and hit a rock at the side of the creek.

  “Are you gonna stand there all day or can we be done and over with this sometime soon?”

  Brody returned his line of vision to the hut only to find Haines, in full law-enforcement uniform, standing wide-legged, hands on his hips, eyeing them both in almost tangible irritation. Bryce whispered over Brody’s shoulder as they walked closer to the enraged man, who tapped the dirt and rocks below his feet with the heavy sole of his work boots. “Keep your jacket on. Don’t want him to see your uniform. Awkward would be the least, I’d say.”

  Brody cursed his lack of thoughtfulness, not remembering to change his attire before they had left the car at the end spot.

  “So?” Haines motioned. Brody stood frozen, for the first time in his career not able to form a coherent piece of conversation. Instead his eyes wandered over Haines’s shoulder toward the closed cabin door.

  “You want to see before purchasing? Is that how this works?” Haines, crumbling in insecurity, exchanged looks with Bryce and Brody before turning back to the cabin.

  “Of course. You haven’t been informed about this, you mean?” Bryce stepped around Brody, answering in his silence.

  “I know you have transferred part of your payment and that after you leave, the rest will be paid as well. And for that, I am pleased. Now, let’s get this over with. This bitch is driving me crazy.” Haines walked up to the front door but before opening, he turned and grinned. “I have prettied her up a bit for you.”

  The cabin engulfed the three men and left them standing in a half circle inside the tight confinement. “This is she. You can call her want you want. I call her Bitch. Previously known as Sunshine.”

  Brody swallowed hard and stared down at the shivering body of the once strong woman who’d told him off, fended for herself, and lifted bales of hay and bags of flour as a daily workout. Her head was covered with a white cloth bag, her arms pinned at her back, though she continuously struggled to escape the bounds. Her white T-shirt too large for her thin frame and with only one look at Bryce, Brody killed any intention of staring at what was presented: soaked textile and hard nipples poking the chilled fabric. Brody coughed and straightened and gave his all to hold his feelings at bay. He was not yet willing to have a “murder by rifle” under his belt, but it wouldn’t take much more than this. He walked around Sunshine, checking the inventoryHe knew every part of that body, and he had only had one evening to memorize it all in case the future never gave him a chance to repeat the moment. Every goose bump on her skin had traveled below his fingertips, the nipples had teased his tongue. He coughed once more and turned to Haines.

  “Let’s make the deal.”

  “You like what you see?” Haines asked, sounding surprised. “I know from personal experience she’s not a virgin. But it sure took some hard work to get the deed done.”

  Brody’s pulse accelerated and suddenly murder didn’t sound too bad at all. To his dismay Haines continued his story. “Who knows how many else have been inside her, but don’t let her get off too easy. She can take a good punch. You should see her face below that bag.” He pointed at the white fabric moving in tune with Sunshine’s breathing.

  Bryce stared at Haines, a look that said nothing even though his fist clenched repeatedly, something Brody knew from experience was a telltale sign Bryce felt inclined to plant a fist in someo
ne’s face and push the bastard’s nose to the back of his head.

  “Deal is done. We’re out of here,” Bryce gruffed and with one strong lift under Sunshine’s arm he pulled her up to her feet. Grabbing her arm just a little tighter as she wiggled to get free. “Deadlines to meet, border crossings to make for human transfer.”

  “Of course.” Haines backed away and held the cabin door open.

  As the three men crossed the ground, Sunshine walking blindly in Bryce’s death grip, Haines leaned into Bryce, giving a whisper. ”I’m not sure why you deal with the other dude, is he mute? Special? You could have done this without his help. You’re obviously of higher rank than he is by the way you handle yourself and this matter.”

  Brody watched Bryce tilt his head away from Haines mouth, disliking what had been said. And as he opened the backseat to the Honda and tossed Sunshine inside before slamming the door shut behind her, Haines stopped a ways from the car, watching Bryce sit down in the passenger seat.

  “So, that makes you the driver.” He turned to Brody, passing him in silence, not wanting to give him the honor of talking to his face.

  Brody ignored Haines’s halt and focused on the Honda. Just a few more steps and he’d be behind the wheel, revving that piece of shit away from this deserted location and onto the narrow road on which they had come. ”Deal’s done, transfer made,” he said and opened the car door only to snag his jacket on the corner allowing for the zipper to inch down on his chest. Before he realized the mistake, Bryce was out of the car and in a flash landed the probe from his Taser in Haines’s chest as Haines reached for something at his belt.

  “Get the fuck in the car and get this piece of shit machine out of here!” Bryce yelled, erasing the fog that had clouded Brody’s mind. Nothing less but a race had to be completed through the forest to reach the road, and to pray for strength in the little but still alive vehicle.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Sunshine took in the world around her. She could have been in dead by now, or become a slave. Who knew the future could take so many different turns in such a short time. Instead, she was now breathing in the musty air from the fabric of an old Honda, alive. Once in a while she’d catch Brody’s eyes on her in the rearview mirror, in his own silent way making sure she was doing all right. Not crying, not sleeping, feeling alive. Bryce had given her a sweater in which she swam but kept warm, given her a sandwich from his bag, and a hot cup of coffee from his thermos.

  “This thermos of yours must be a godsend, Bryce. I’m not sure how long this coffee has been in here but it’s practically burning my lips,” she hummed, delighted, into the steam touching her lips.

  “Got an award at work for a lack of tardiness. Thermos was a sweet deal in that prize,” he answered, turning around in his seat rest to watch her as he spoke.

  “What else was in the prize?”

  “Six doughnuts from the bakery and a free haircut at Hayley’s. She did a good job.” Bryce ran his hand over his head, feeling the short dark strands underneath his fingers.”

  “Yep,” Brody said, “she always does a good job.” Sunshine looked in the rearview mirror and sure enough, Brody was staring right at her.

  She looked out the window, watching fields of dead grass and brown soil fill the view. Anything was better than having a silent conversation with Brody about what he might or might not know about her and Hayley.

  “Almost back at the gas station at the border where we left the cruiser. I’d be surprised to see it still there, left untouched.”

  Yet, there it stood, parked next to the red cabin serving as the last outpost before crossing the border into deep forest and new land. Not that she didn’t like international travel, only the way in which this would have been done. Sunshine shrugged her shoulders and stepped out of the Honda as Brody parked it a few spots away from the cruiser. She watched as Brody bent down on his knees and felt underneath the car and around the wheels. She noticed Bryce didn’t feel the need to question Brody’s behavior; instead he stood at the passenger side, hands in his pockets away from the cold, his duffle bag on the ground waiting next to his feet. Waiting.

  “Did you misplace your keys?” She felt the need to ask. She would have thought the three of them would already be inside of the car, wishing the border farewell, ready to head back home to Gass County and dear Primrose Valley at lightning speed.

  Brody fished out the keys to the cruiser and motioned for them all to make themselves comfortable inside the car, then turned to face Sunshine in the backseat. “Checked for bombs. Don’t want us blown up, that’s all.” Sunshine swallowed hard and gripped the seat belt at her chest.

  They rolled out of the parking lot only to feel a thud on the back window.

  “Out!” a muffled voice yelled from outside, making everything inside Sunshine turn into ice. Haines. As another thud came, hard enough to break the glass, Sunshine scrambled to the opposite side of the backseat, feeling Brody pushing down the gas pedal as the wheels skidded against the cement. The car ran at high speed across the gas station parking lot and gave two of the border patrol officers at the otherwise calm border crossing a reason to step out of their small huts. Sunshine noted them motioning for someone behind them, should their cruiser breach the yellow line in the road, setting the two countries apart. Instead Brody maneuvered sharply, taking them alongside the line. Sunshine watched the two men and grabbed Bryce by the shoulder.

  “It will be okay,” he assured from the passenger seat.

  Brody pushed the breaks on the cruiser once more and stared ahead. Haines was standing in front of them, slamming one fist on the hood of the car, and with the other aiming a handgun at the three of them. Sunshine knew it wouldn’t be a problem for the bullet to penetrate the glass and instantly kill, and Brody seemed to have shared the thought as he revved the car in reverse and several feet away opened the car door and jumped out, rifle loaded aiming back at Haines. An alarm sounded from a distance, giving Sunshine a clue border patrol needed this to end, giving the stand-off a warning. A shot was fired and Sunshine ducked behind Bryce, realizing she’d used him as a shield. She crouched down further, attempting to make herself invisible behind the seat, until a tap on her shoulder made her insides jump and she screamed, trying to swat the hand away.

  “Look,” Bryce whispered from above, still safely in his seat. He pointed out the window and her sight followed. Outside Brody took a step back, then in a quick jog returned to the driver’s seat and backed the vehicle away from the tumult coming from not only the border but what played out in front of them. “It’s safe,” Brody said, turning to look at her still crouching on the floor. “Surreal, but safe. For us, anyway.”

  “What?” Sunshine’s whispered, crawling back onto the seat.

  Bryce coughed and turned his head. “Funny how things come around. Karma, really. Haines pulled the trigger, a second away from shooting Brody, but went down on the ground, knees and all. He was stabbed from behind, by no one other than his dear old friend.”

  Sunshine shook her head. “Who?”

  “James Hemmerson, calm and alive with a scarily steady hand. Haines fell to ground like sack of Russet potatoes.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Another day, another hospital corridor. It seemed to have become a habit, something he wasn’t sure he liked one bit. His eyes had grown accustomed to the walls, the numbers decorating each and every white door. And somehow he seemed to know each room number by the person who’d once occupied it. The thought sent a flame of heat through his stomach and he turned to find a trash can strong enough to hold his body weight as he bent over and emptied his stomach into the black lining inside the metal can.

  “Are you all right, Officer Jensen?” a small voice asked from behind him. He turned quickly, his elbow barely grazing the girl’s forehead.

  “Here, take this. I didn’t blow my nose in it or anything, but what you did in there was nasty, Officer.” The young girl giggled and handed him a tissue from a box, a
blue giraffe against her chest in her other hand. “Don’t worry,” she said, looking down at her bare feet, toenails painted in greens and yellows, sticking out from below a pale hospital gown. “I’m not sick, use the tissue. You still look pretty bad, yucky to be honest.” She giggled again, her little body twirling from left to right, eyeing his use of her gift in great detail.

  “Thanks,” Brody nodded and folded the tissue paper in half to wipe his mouth. “Since you already seem to know my name, I feel inclined to ask for yours.”

  “I’m Melody,” the girl answered and held her blue giraffe up to his face. “And this is John-John, he sleeps with me every time I go to the hospital. But soon I will go back home. My mommy says things look better and I don’t need this anymore.” The girl pulled down the top of the collar, revealing a small tube exiting her body.

  “Is mommy or daddy here?” Brody asked, motioning for the girl to walk with him down the corridor, looking for anyone in charge of the little person.

  “Did you like the tissue?” She stopped and looked up at him. “Do you need another one?”

  “Thanks, I’m good for now. I’ll make sure to search for you should I need another one.”

  “Okay,” she answered and held the blue giraffe up to his hand, eyes begging him to take it. “You can hold one of John-John’s feet if you feel lonely.”

  “Um, sure.” Brody grabbed the blue plush of the giraffe’s dangly legs and held pace with the girl as she walked with small steps at his side.

  “My mommy is going to have a baby soon, and that means I am going to be a big sister. How many kids do you have?”

  Brody swallowed and used a side of the tissue paper to wipe the corner of his mouth. “Um, I don’t have any.”

  “What do you mean?” The girl stopped, John-John’s leg pulling him to a halt. “You’re old, you should have kids by now.”

  “You sound more like fifty than . . . how old are you, really?”