by Jill Cooper
“Hey, Sandy.” A nickname he’d grown up with in town. One I hadn’t let him off the hook with. He hated it, but there it was. “I came to get my things.” I poked my head into his warm office, but jerked back at the odor of whiskey on the air. I hated when he drank. And he knew it.
I pierced him with my gaze, biting my tongue.
He blinked bloodshot eyes and licked his lips, shifting his gaze away from my face. “Yeah, well, um, about that…”
My shoulders slumped and an exasperated sigh exhaled on a whoosh. I rubbed my eyes, the late hour catching up to me. “What, Sandy. What about that?” I didn’t even question, more like demanded the information.
“I’ve been doing inventory on my units and the one next to yours isn’t supposed to be filled. But there was a lock on it.” He wiped at beads of sweat on his forehead. The pungent odor of anxiety pushed off him like a tsunami of nerves.
I gagged on the same scent he wore when he screwed me. “What are you saying? Did someone break in?” That wouldn’t do any good. I needed everything in both units. You’d think with the barbed wire fencing and security cameras paired with the motion lights and Sandy’s constant presence, nothing would happen.
Sandy paced onto the small raised cement patio. “Yeah. I did.”
I blinked at his answer. Blinked again like my silence would help me absorb his stupidity. “You did what?”
“It’s not checked out to anyone. There was a lock.” He turned, his face red. “I would’ve let you have another one for free, Terri. I don’t know why you had all those explosives, but…”
“Had? Had?” My blood slowed and my breathing became almost non-existent.
“Had. I called the cops. They claimed it yesterday. After they took all of it, I saw the modifications to my drywall and figured out it was yours. Do you think a door between the two units wouldn’t give you away?” He paced back and forth, worry tinted by anger reddening his quivering cheeks.
Calm down, girl. I breathed deep. I still had backups at the library. I could still do what I needed to. Just how much of my plans had he altered? Men. Men. Oh my gosh, the stupidity was overwhelming. I turned my worried gaze to him. “I don’t know… Can I see it? I don’t really know what you’re talking about.” I needed to buy time. I needed all the information he had.
Doubt he’d been hoping for brightened his expression. He nodded too fast, too eagerly. “I’ll get the keys.”
So, he’d locked me out.
I couldn’t react, not yet. The plan wasn’t designed for human error–weather and timing, sure– but I’d picked everyone and everything so carefully, so cautiously. I’d studied every scenario I could think of. How could Sandy break the pattern so quickly from doing what I wanted? What I said? He jumped to conclusions and had no idea one way or the other.
“Did you tell the police it was mine? I don’t want to get in trouble for something I didn’t do, Sandy.” I followed him down the steps, pretending to stumble and pressing my body into his hands as he tried helping me. Of course his palms would find the fullness of my breasts. The man was ruled by his dick. “I’m sorry.” My husky whisper brought another slip of his tongue to the thin pieces of flesh around his mouth.
“I didn’t think it was yours until they’d already left. I was checking for damage.” He led the way, glancing back every few seconds like I would disappear if he didn’t.
A plan began to form, a back up to the absence of my massive amounts of C4. He made them disappear. He was going to replace them.
I reached up and unzipped my coat to better unbutton my shirt. Sandy’s weakness was my tits. He couldn’t breathe right. Told me once, he’d never thought he would ever get to touch boobs. Pretty much worshipped them for hours the first time. Needless to say, I’d been bored as hell.
We reached the last two units on the end of the farthest building and Sandy bent down to unlock the padlock on the bottom of the door. I slithered next to him, pulling out a breast from my bra and grinding into his shoulder with my pelvis. He turned his face, nuzzling me and grunting as he stood.
He greedily sucked at my nipple as I pulled at his hair, moaning.
The door was unlocked and I pulled his head back. “Not here. I don’t want to get wetter than I am.”
He nodded, dazed by my tit and unable to look away. Pathetic. I tapped on the metal garage-style door and he jerked into motion, sliding it up and then grabbing my boob in his pudgy hand.
I allowed him to push me inside, like he ran things. Yep, the unit was empty. The hole in the drywall I’d cut almost a year ago gaped open with a darker black then outside.
Leaning up, I licked his ear, nipping the lobe. “Do you have a flashlight? I want to watch, Sanderson.”
A squealy giggle left his mouth. He loved when I wanted to watch, because things would get rough and a little insane. He thought he was the most exciting thing I’d ever experienced. I didn’t let on that I found little excitement in screwing pigs, but whatever. At least with Sandy, I didn’t have to think about…anything that mattered.
He pulled out a small penlight, and I led him into my original unit. A pile of blankets stacked on a thirty-gallon gas tank sat on the side of my camping stuff.
I pointed at the pile. “Grab some and let’s go where there’s more room.” I jerked my head toward the empty unit. It was freezing and it showed what kind of a man he was that he would consider screwing me on the freezing cement floor of an empty storage unit. He couldn’t think past the pasty skin of his miniscule penis.
Pausing, like I was going to leave him or something, he watched me, licking his lips again when his gaze focused on my nipple. But he didn’t move, like he doubted I meant what I said.
So I groaned and rubbed my crotch through my pants, pinching my nipple with my other hand. “Hurry, Sandy, I want to do this now!”
He jerked toward the pile, grabbing all of it and rushing through the hole, taking the light with him.
I didn’t need the light. He’d moved the obstacle for me. I’d stacked a small pile of aluminum tent stakes under the blankets.
I only needed one.
Palming it and sliding its length along my wrist and hiding its mass in my palm, I sang his name in a sing-song lilt. “Sanderson. I’m going to screw you, like you’ve never been screwed before.”
His giggle made me wince and I didn’t feel bad at all about what I was going to do. For the first time in forever, my core was warm, wet. Parts of me were swollen that I hadn’t paid attention to in a long time.
I followed the sound of his arranging the blankets and I approached him. He turned the light on me, the round white light immediately on my breast.
“Come here. I want more.” His hands grabbed my thighs when I came within reach and he set the light down with the bulb facing up, creating a dim lantern effect, casting us in shadow but giving enough light to adjust to and see just fine.
I knelt down in front of him, shifting one knee back. I curled the stake into my fist, my heart pounding and my nipples taut.
“Oooh, Daddy like.” He growled and giggled, the sounds an unpleasant juxtaposition that grated on my mounting orgasm.
Without further thought, I used the movement of my hips to drive the stake into his chest. It went easily, a puff of air around my fingers suggesting I’d hit somewhere above the diaphragm.
He gurgled, grabbing at his chest.
I came. The slickness of his blood on my fingers and the heat and the final look on his face as I exploded with ecstasy in my own pants was too much. I sank back on my heels, panting. A satisfied smile on my lips. He slumped to the side, still watching me.
Still alive. But not for long.
Pushing my breast away, I leaned down, my face close to his. “You should’ve just screwed me and let me do whatever I wanted. Now you’ve gotten in my way. And for the record? That was the first orgasm you’ve ever given me.” I patted his arm as he worked his mouth like a fish out of water. His eyes became unfocused and then hi
s body slackened.
I’m not going to die. The power in that moment, the exact nature of taking back my destiny, my justice felt so good. So damn good.
I closed my eyes and relived it, coming again.
If that’s how I felt after getting justice from a slight like Sanderson’s and he didn’t even do it intentionally? What kind of a reaction would I get when I finally achieved vengeance with the real bastards in my life?
Normally, I didn’t feel. Normally, I was stone. But this…this euphoria I could handle. I could understand. I liked it.
I cleaned the stake on his shirt and tucked it into a pocket on the inner lining of my coat. Flipping on the light in my rented unit, I closed the door to the empty one. Instead of C4, I was going to need to use Sanderson’s semi. It would cover the road fine, if I could get it to topple at the right angle.
I’d have to find a different way to destroy the transformers north of town. I needed the electricity out and the roadway down.
Retrieving the semi was easy. I’d learned long ago how to drive commercial trucks. I loaded up my things, revving my four-wheeler up the ramp last. If nothing else, I could rip out the transformer first and then block the southern end of the bridge over Pend Oreille Lake.
That’s what I’d do.
I could drive the rig north and rip out the transformers, that would essentially close most of town, not that anyone would be coming down from Canada or Bonner’s Ferry that late at night or in the middle of a storm. But I needed more than just a couple hours to get my revenge. I needed a couple days.
If I could close out the south end of the bridge…well, that would do so much there, too, give me some of the time I needed for my mission.
I closed my now empty unit and ignored the body in the other one. That was Sanderson’s problem. He shouldn’t have gotten in my way. I climbed into the cab of the large semi, tucking the straps of the pack into my waistband. The backpack wasn’t coming off. I’d learned that long ago. You can easily lose your grasp on things not attached to you. Someone can take things not secured.
With the amount of snow still coming down, no one would find his body for a while. If ever. My revenge would be complete and I’d be in a warm southern climate away from traitors and murderers and corruption.
And for the first time in so long, I actually laughed, out loud, the sound buried under the revving of the diesel engine.
Things were finally looking up.
I couldn’t wait to finish my mission.
Chapter 7
Karen
I filled out so many charts that day, my vision blurred. Tossing down my pencil, I rose from my seat at the nurses’ station with a stretch. The creak of the chair and the groan of my weary bones audible in the hospital silence, every little noise could be heard.
The place was empty as a tomb, but at the very least I could catch up on the piling up paperwork. During a regular day, there was never anytime. I was always playing catch-up.
Heading to the kitchen, my sneakers squeaked against the linoleum. The windows lining the side walls offered a glimpse of the storm outside. The wind blew giant snowflakes sideways, like being in a giant snow globe. While the scenery was pretty enough, I was glad to be inside. The hospital was safe and warm, which in a storm like this was exactly what I wanted.
In the small kitchen, I poured myself a cup of coffee. Keeping it black, I blew on it and took a dainty sip. Stuff was strong, but that’s what I needed to keep me going. Reaching into a drawer I grabbed a few bags of miniature graham crackers and stuffed them inside my pocket.
“Hey, Jeffery,” I said as I turned to leave. Jeff was one of the city’s best and most loyal EMTs. “How’s it going out there?”
His shoes squeaked louder than mine as he turned. He had nice blue eyes and rough stubble on his chin, but that night his smile was worn. “It’s a shit storm out there, Karen. Big accident on highway 95.”
I stirred my coffee with a red stir stick as he continued, shaking his head. “Around the bend, someone went too fast and the visibility was too bad. A car slid into them, never even saw the wreck. Then another. And another. All said and done, four car pileup with no survivors.”
The coffee in my hand was no longer appetizing so I tossed it into a trashcan. “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you still here?” Jeff shoved his hands into his pockets and we walked down the hall side by side like comrades in arms.
I shrugged. “Lots of paperwork to do. Apartment is empty and with how things look out there, I think I’m better off staying here, you know?”
“So he left then?” Jeff threw me a glance I’m sure was laced with pity. “Jay moved out?”
Boy, could he read the writing on the wall. “Sure did.” We reached the nurses’ station and I grabbed a chart and flipped it open.
“Well, then,” Jeff threw me a toothy grin, “guess I’m free to ask you out again and this time, you can’t say no.”
I shook my head and jittered with laughter. “You’re too much. You could do a lot better than me.”
“And you would do better if you saw yourself for who you really are, Karen.” He sighed and threw a contemplulative look around the living room. “Listen, I have to head out, but we’ll pick this conversation up later, okay?”
“Okay.” I bit my lip and didn’t know why I felt so excited. I was still in love with Jay. I’d always be in love with Jay, but Jeffery was cute and it was nice to have someone be nice to me for me. Heaven knew that didn’t happen anymore, but Jeff should be careful. Anyone who tried to get close was a fool. Their reputation would be ruined in town forever.
I watched him go. Nurse Beatrice, a heavy-set woman with brown curls in green scrubs, headed toward the nurses’ station. Looked like this would be a good time to go on rounds and see the few patients I actually had. It’d probably be best to tell her so it didn’t look like I was running scared.
But that’s exactly what I was doing.
Taking a deep breath to ward off anxiety, I pointed down the hall. “Going to check in with 202. Med time for 204.”
“All right.” Beatrice put her hands on her hips and studied me.
I forced a pathetic smile and rolled my heel in a pivot—I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Overhead the lights flickered and I froze. Tension welled in my chest as the lights snapped off.
“Shit,” Beatrice said. “Well, ain’t that our luck.”
Then with a brilliant hum, everything came back on. “Good thing for generators, huh?”
Beatrice huffed. “Go on your rounds. I’ll man the phones, not like anyone is going to call, but got to do something around here.”
She kept her thoughts and feelings to herself. For that, I was grateful. I took my time going down hall to room 201. Inside I found Ruth Jennings fast asleep, her baby tucked into the corner of her arm.
I smiled at the sight, but it didn’t matter how many happy and healthy babies I helped take care of. I always thought of baby Bobby and what should’ve been. It hung like a cloud over my head.
****
I rubbed my face and yawned as I put down my pencil. The words and papers jumbled in my head. It was time to stretch my legs for a bit and maybe walk down to grab another cup of coffee. Turning to the nurse sitting beside me I said, “Gonna grab a coffee. You want something?”
It was like offering an olive branch of friendship. Around here everyone thrived on coffee.
She gave me a short smile. “Cream and sugar? I’ll pay you back tomorrow.”
“I’ve got it. Don’t worry.” It made me feel like a maverick hero. Karen might kill babies and lie about it, but look at how well she fetches coffee.
I rolled my eyes at myself and stretched my arms overhead as I strolled down the hall. Shoving my hand in my pocket, I realized that I left my money in my locker. With all the anxiety and stress I was feeling earlier, I dang just forgot to grab my change purse.
Veering left, I headed into the locker room to grab my stuff. I
rounded the corner and when I got to my row, I stopped. Someone was bent inside my locker, rifling through everything. Panic rose in my throat and I eyed the mirror up high to try to catch a glimpse of his face.
I couldn’t.
He wore a black parka and had the hair to match. His gloves weren’t the type that kept out the cold. No, he was wearing a pair like you see in the movies to keep his fingerprints off of everything.
My eyes narrowed and I screamed, “Hey!”
He jumped and dropped the folder he was going through. Breaking into a run, he made a break for the entrance. I should’ve chased after him, but instead I was frozen in place. What the hell was going on? Why would someone be going through my locker? Was it just some random nut job?
Picking up the dropped folder, I rifled through it. Everything seemed to be in place, but a sinking feeling rooted in my chest. This was my folder of all the evidence I had on Sylvia—the original record form I drafted before she made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. It helped save my parents’ house. I shouldn’t have taken it, but I did.
I was weak.
And now someone was trying to steal it?
My eyes narrowed as I realized Sylvia must’ve put them up to this. I grabbed my cell phone and placed a call to her. I guess our morning breakfast meeting was making her nervous, but to have someone break into my locker and look for evidence? Really?
She was drunk as a skunk when she answered. If Sylvia slurred her words, it would’ve been a step up and an improvement. “Heeelloo?”
“Sylvia—.” I choked out the words as I was seized by behind. There was an arm lodged under my throat, pushing severely against my larynx. Dropping the phone, I gagged. My fingernails grated against the black parka sleeve against my throat.
He came back. Came back to finish the job?
And this time that job was me.
I was in a boat load of trouble.
Jerking my body, he slammed my face against the locker. My vision darkened and I struggled for air. Desperate to breathe, I reached behind and clawed his face. I hoped I got his eye, but I think I got his cheek. He puffed out a breath of air like the pain was nothing to him.
