Life as We Know It (Love Not Included) (Volume 4)

by J. D. Hollyfield

  “Let’s go ahead and send out that text shall we?” she says while she types. “There we go.” She beams and tosses my phone back on the table. “It was nice knowing you Penelope. But this is your last stop.” She heads toward the door. “Fergus will be by to finish you off. I hope he isn’t too hard on you. He normally likes pain.” She smiles and, just as she turns, there’s a knock on the door. “How lovely, he’s early.”

  As the door opens I cuss through my swollen lip. This just keeps getting better and better. “You have to be shittin me,” I mumble as Bethany walks through the door.

  “What are you doing here?” Cassandra hisses.

  “I came to warn you. I think they’re on to us.” She says nervously looking from me to Cassandra. “I tried to hold them off. But Mr. Claremont showed up even with me faking the phone calls. They know she’s missing. And they know about the photos. Her friends. They were there. They convinced Sam the pics were fake! We’re going to get caught! They’re going to know I planted those photos and I’m going to go to jail!—”

  And Bethany gets slapped.

  “You need to calm down. Everything is fine. That washed up detective knows nothing. He’s just making accusations. They cannot tie you to the photos, so pull it together.”

  I watch through my swollen eye, as Bethany attempts to avoid a breakdown.

  “Hey Bethany, did you know that they don’t have tanning beds in jail?” I call out. She turns to me, complete shock spreading across her face.

  “What?” She gasps, and I laugh, wishing I could enjoy this moment more, but my face is killing me.

  “That’s enough fun for you. Bethany lets go, we’ll handle this. Fergus will be here soon to handle her.” And with that, she pushes Bethany through the open doorway allowing the metal door to slam behind her.

  Well, fuck me.

  It’s been hours. Every second that ticks by is a thundering noise inside my head knowing that Penny is out there. And she could be hurt.

  “Anything?” I turn to one of the many officers that have set up shop in my office trying to locate Penny’s last whereabouts. “Sorry sir, nothing so far. None of her credit cards or her phone have been used since the gas station. ”

  I’m getting more agitated every time I ask and they give me nothing. “I want more people here. I want more authorities working on this.” I turn and speak to Ben, who has been working with another FBI agent on the whereabouts of Cassandra.

  “Mr. Dresden, we’re doing everything we can right now. There is an APB out to pick up Mr. Berkshire. I’m to be contacted as soon as he’s been detained. But until then we don’t fully know his connection with Ms. Summer’s disappearance. Per our records, the last phone call he made to her was the day of the café incident.”

  I want to slam my fist in his face just for mentioning that. To think of his hands on her makes me want to commit murder.

  “Sam you need to relax. We’ll find her. Once we locate Ms. Winters, then we’ll start getting the answers we need.”

  The problem is no one can locate Cassandra Winters…

  They definitely make it seem a lot less painful to be punched in the face in the movies. At the moment, my head is pounding and my split eyebrow and lip are screaming. To top it off, I have the worst itch on my nose and no way to scratch it. Fergus, who has returned, looks like today is his lucky day. Probably because he gets to feed me to the alligators or dump me in the river. You know, totally places no one ever finds bodies. I guess it’s a good thing there aren’t any alligators in New York,

  River it is.

  I can’t stop thinking about how I left Sam’s office and the look on his face. How I accused him of being unfaithful and it turns out he was telling me the truth. I told him his words were a farce and meant nothing to me. And I want to kick my own ass right now. If my hands weren’t tied behind my back I would probably try.

  I wish that wasn’t the last moment that Sam will have to remember about me. I wish…I wish… Oh shit I’m wishing things like I already know I’m going to die.

  “Shit, I don’t want to die.” I begin to cry. This sucks, horribly. How did I get myself into this predicament? I should have been a better daughter, better employee, and definitely a better girlfriend. It’s the rebellion gene in me that causes me to not act like a normal civilian. If I just kept my mouth shut, maybe Cassandra wouldn’t feel the need to kill me.

  Speaking of.

  Who just offs people nowadays? I know I watch too much TV, but this shit really happens? She can’t get away with this. Someone will come looking for me. Patti has to be. There is no way she allowed me to miss the Cherry Blossoms and hasn’t come to slap me silly.

  Oh God, please Patti, come slap me silly.

  The sound of my phone beeping has me breaking from my robotic stare out the window. I pull the phone from my suit pants to see a text from Penny.

  Pen: We are over. Please do not come looking for me. I’m moving on.

  I read the text three times before I find my voice.

  “I just received a text from her phone,” I say to anyone around me.

  I look at Ben approaching me and hand him my phone. “Track this. It’s coming from her phone,” I say. He takes the device and reads over the text. He looks up assessing my facial expression.

  “What makes you think this isn’t her sending the text? She may be fine. This all might be a big misunderstanding.” He says to me.

  “Because I know Penny, and that’s not her writing that.” I step forward, entering his personal space. “I will not be questioned again Mr. Claremont. Now do your job or I will take yours.” My voice is stern and very threatening. I don’t care. Until I have Penny safe, I will take out anyone who does not help get her back.

  “Yes Mr. Dresden,” he complies and turns with my phone in hand.

  “All right. Listen up.” He addresses his team, getting the attention of Patti and Jamie who have refused to leave. “A text message has come from Penelope Summer’s cellular device and we are to believe it is not from her. I want all traces running on where this text came from. You have less than ten minutes to locate that device.”

  I feel some tightness leave my chest watching all the techs surrounding the room turning to their laptops and frantically typing.

  I watch Patti walk over to Ben and ask to see the text. I watch her face while she reads it and she turns to me. “Seriously? Who would think she would write something like that? There isn’t a single swear word in it.”

  For the first time in days, I release a small smile. “I thought the same thing.”

  “AND PLEASE THANK MY mom and dad for putting me through college. Tell them I’m really thankful because I saw how some of those kids suffered through loans and that shit would have to have totally sucked.”

  I’ve been babbling Fergus’s ear off since the moment he walked back into the room. Asking him to please tell the people I love goodbye. By the time I get to Chelsea, I believe he’s had enough.

  “I swear… Please. Shut the fuck up. If I wasn’t getting paid to kill ye, I might just do it out of pure annoyance.”

  Huh, well that’s not nice. “I just want to make sure that the people that loved me know I loved them back. If you’re about to feed me to the fish in the East River then I want to get a bunch of stuff off my chest.”

  “Girl, ye have been getting yer whole life saga off yer chest!” he bellows.

  “What? No I haven’t.”

  “Ye want me to contact yer high school geometry teacher and apologize for the prank you played on him, causing him to be out six weeks for poison ivy. Which he was allergic to! My dear god, ye are a hazard. No wonder Cassandra wants to get rid of ye.”

  “Hey! I tried to fix it! I injected his EpiPen before anything bad happened.”

  “Girly, ye want me to tell him ye were sorry for accidently stabbing his wallet, and then breaking the bloody pen!”

  Oh whatever. I was like sixteen. Where is the merit reward for at least attempti
ng to take action? I considered that a move of bravery! Okay, so maybe I was a handful my entire life, but that just means that, to lock down a good spot in heaven, I have a lot of shit to clear up before I get there.

  “Listen. Maybe… Um well maybe you don’t have to off me. Maybe you can just let me go and I promise to keep it a secret.” Well I will try and promise. I am way horrible at keeping secrets.

  “Yeah sure, Princess. Like no one is going to know I didn’t do my job when yer just walking around New York. Sorry.”

  “Well… Maybe we can work something else out?” I offer. Yeah. Good route. “I mean…I have money. Lots of money. Do you know who my boyfriend is? He is super loaded. I can give you anything you want.”

  That gets a good laugh out of him. “Oh the one ye confessed that ye dumped earlier? Nice try doll.” he laughs.

  Shit. Did I mention that?

  “Well! Wait!!” I try and get his attention… “Just wait! Come on… You seem like a nice man… You don’t want to do this. I bet we can work soooomething out.” I begin to sound desperate. I really don’t want to die.

  “Listen I wish I could help doll, but money talks so…” He walks over to the desk and retrieves a set of keys and an impressive, very very large knife.

  I have more money than I know what to do with. I have connections in all sorts of places and it all means nothing right now. All of the power I have means nothing when I am trying to find Penny.

  “Are you okay?” I hear Patti step in front of me. I’m sitting in the corner, resting my elbows on my knees while I bury my face in my hands. How did I just let her walk out of here that day? Why did I let my anger override the bigger issues and why didn’t I make her listen to me? I have taken the full burden of this. If I would have just gone after her, she would be here with me.

  I lift my head and look at Patti who doesn’t look any better.

  “I’m fine.” I swallow down my lie.

  “It’s okay you know. You don’t have to put up a front for me.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I know you’re worried. I am too. It’s been too long since anyone has given us any real updates.”

  I stay silent. I can’t even respond to the reality of that.

  “But it’s okay. Penny’s strong. She might be a whiny brat most of the time, but she’s tough. And resourceful. I can’t imagine her not putting up a good fight.” Her words cause me to look at her. A small reassuring smile spreads along her face. It’s nothing grand, but it’s hopeful. She is giving me hope for her friend. For the one I love.

  “Thank you,” I say quietly. Unsure if I can say anymore.

  “We’ll find her.”

  And God, I hope so.

  Just then, commotion comes from the other side of the room. An intern jumps from his seat, abruptly startling the people around him. He turns, looking through the crowd and locks yes with me.

  “I found her!”

  IF THERE WAS ANY time that I wished I stayed up late enough to watch those late night kung fu movies, it is now. Fergus comes at me with a huge knife and all I want to do is kick him in his face. He approaches so easily, not expecting any problems.

  “Turn over pretty girl,” he instructs, wanting to unlock my cuffs. Dying or not, thank God, because these things are killing me. I turn over as he places the key in the lock. The second I hear the lock click, I throw my head backward and head-butt him straight in the face.

  Yep didn’t see that one coming.

  I’m pretty sure I surprised us both.

  “Ye fuckin bitch,” he grunts as I jump off the bed trying quickly to release the cuffs from around my wrists. I’m angling towards the corner of the mattress when he comes at me again. “Ye fucking bitch.” He swings his arm out, jabbing at me with his gigantic butcher knife. Thank the heavens above the bed is in between us or I would be a gutted mess right now.

  “Come here ye little—”

  He gets half his threat out before the door swings open. “What the hell is going on here?” Cassandra bellows, walking into the room and assessing the situation. Obviously I’m not tied down, but instead, I’m taking up space in the corner ready to fight. “You worthless idiot. You can’t even take care of a little twat like that?”

  Yep. I heard twat too.

  “I have this all under control. Now if ye don’t mind I was in the middle of something,” Fergus says, waving the knife my way.

  She looks at me, then back at Fergus. “You have what exactly under control? She is un-cuffed and clearly alive!” she barks.

  “And I was about to fix that until ye showed up! Is there a reason yer back anyway?” He snaps back, swinging the knife around, causing Cassandra to duck.

  “Watch where you’re swinging that! You blasted idiot!”

  Fergus and I have something in common. We don’t like being told what to do. So he decides to take his attention off me and set his now angry eyes on Cassandra. I decide to take the opportunity that is being presented as they begin to argue, and jump.

  On Fergus.

  As him and Cassandra both let their guard down to cat fight, I jump on Fergus’s back, trying to gout his eyes out in hopes of him dropping the knife. Point for me, it works, because as he tries to swing me off him, he drops the knife. Point for Cassandra, because before I can drop off and grab it, she does.

  Shit.

  “You little bitch.” She hisses, coming at me with the knife. Her arm sticks out, jabbing forward just as Fergus makes another attempt at tossing me off his shoulders. I don’t think any of us saw it coming, especially Fergus, because the knife misses me completely, stabbing him in the stomach.

  “Oh bloody hell,” he groans, this time succeeding at throwing me off and I go flying. I land halfway on the bed and roll off while Fergus grabs for his stomach, then hits the floor.

  “You whore!” Cassandra shouts.

  For someone who acts like such a lady, she sure has a potty mouth.

  I’m up and on two feet. Employing some quick thinking, before she has a chance to raise the knife, I pull my arm back, and punch her dead in the mouth.

  And bingo.

  “Ouch!” She stumbles, trying to catch her balance. My first thought is to reenact a scene from the Matrix and karate chop her in the tits, like a bad ass, but instead, I slip on the blood covering the floor and fall forward, landing myself right on the shiny, sharp end of Cassandra’s knife. And holy shit that hurts way more than the movies make it out to. I suck in a struggled breath, just as Cassandra decides to pull out. And not in a good way.

  “Holy fuck,” I groan, bringing my hands to my stomach. Nothing like taking a knife to the side of your abdomen. Now I know what poor Fergus feels like. I pull my hands away and take a good look at the blood covering my palms. Cassandra, who also looks shocked, recovers quickly and moves to strike back, attempting another swing. I jump, or more like trip and fall sideways, just as she takes a hefty swing into the air. I land on my side, unfortunately not my good side, and grunt in horrible pain.

  Proven fact. Movies lie to us! This shit seriously hurts.

  I don’t know how it works in real life but in the movies everyone lives. I should be fine, right? People get shot like a million times and walk off battlefields. I’m good. Starting to feel a bit woozy, I notice I’m lying in what looks like a pool of my own blood. Great. That definitely can’t be good.

  “Come here, you little bitch.”

  I vaguely hear what’s-her-face babbling. I know I need to move, or duck, or protect myself but my arms are kind of heavy and for some strange reason I feel like now would be a good time to nap. Do people nap in the movies? Normally they wake up in the hands of their loved ones, right? Sadly I am not in a movie. Shit, am I going to die? Before I manage that thought, my hair is wrapped around Cassandra’s dainty fingers and tugged backward. I belt out in pain, causing my side injury to stretch.

  “You have been nothing but a problem for me and I think it’s about time you go out like the trash you are.”


  Cassandra raises her arm in preparation to attack. Just before she takes her weapon and stabs me into pieces, I lift my foot, and karate kick her straight in the crotch. Hitting her where it counts, she stumbles back grabbing for her devil-vag. Amazed how well that worked, I struggle but manage to lift myself off the ground. I swing my now blood soaked hair out of my face and look back at Cassandra. “You know. I think you’re the problem. You and that panther piss you’re killing the environment with.” I pant. She disagrees, clearly, since she comes back at me. Since somehow I’ve grown some cojones, I take a swing at her. Sloppy maybe, but hitting my target? You betcha. I swing and crack her right in her crooked nose.

  “Oh man. I think I might have just broken your nose.” I antagonize her. “Might wanna get that looked at.” Sounding and feeling winded, I wheeze out, “But I’m afraid prison doesn’t have plastic surgeons.”

  At the surgeon comment, she loses it. I’m sure it mainly has to do with no access to cosmetic medical work. She lunges at me and dammit, she gets me. My super powers are apparently out of order again, and she takes me down to the ground. I wrestle for the knife as she tries to stab me in the neck. Using all the energy I have left I manage to angle her hand away from my jugular, just in case she gets one up on me, she’ll stab my forearm instead. Not that that sounds any more fun.

  “I’m going to kill you and I’m going to enjoy watching you die,” she hisses, pulling our hands to the right and almost slicing my ear off.

  “That’s not a very nice thing to say, Cassandra,” I reply, huffing. Back and forth we go from who has the upper hand. I’m not gonna lie and say I’m not getting tired. I wonder if she feels as weak as I do, but then I remember she doesn’t have a sweet knife gash in her side. “Hey Cass, any chance you want to take a time out real quick?” I groan, losing momentum. Sadly she doesn’t look like she has any interest in my request and continues to fight me. Shame, I could really be a better opponent if I had a short break. My inner debate allows Cassandra to get the upper hand and her arm forces mine to bend, striking me in the face with the handle of the knife.