by Bryan Smith
Sienna smiled.
And put the knife to her throat.
Jodi gasped. Weird and creepy Sienna might be, but she was blood and she meant the world to her. This was probably just an attention-seeking thing, but even the idea that she might kill herself right in front of her eyes terrified her.
Sienna quickly backed away as Jodi approached her. Her eyes sparkled with dark delight as she appeared to revel in Jodi’s distress. A cynical person might say Sienna was playing up to her reputation as the creepy girl everybody talked about in whispers, but Jodi knew the unfortunate truth. Her sister wasn’t pretending at anything.
Jodi’s voice shook as she said, “Baby, please…give me the knife.”
She took a step closer to her sister.
Sienna held up her free hand in a halting gesture. “Stop right there or I’ll open my carotid and bleed out in about two minutes. And there won’t be a goddamn thing you can do to stop it.”
“Okay, I’m stopping. See? Please don’t hurt yourself.”
Sienna’s unnerving dead-eyed look was in place again. Her lips moved minutely as she said something that wasn’t audible.
Jodi shot a frustrated look over her shoulder at Delmont. “Please turn that goddamn radio down.”
Delmont chuckled as he silenced the Christian music station. “It’s funny how you listen to all that Jesus music and take the lord’s name in vain all the time.”
Jodi scowled. “Don’t make fun of me. I’ve got enough to deal with here.”
Delmont chuckled again, but he made no further comment. With the radio off, the wails of the woman in the basement could be heard again. She wasn’t screaming quite so shrilly now. There was a lot of whining in between some wretched-sounding sobbing.
Delmont frowned. “Her gag came out again, huh?”
Jodi nodded. “Yeah. Ought to sew her damn lips shut.”
Delmont headed for the basement door.
Jodi frowned. “What’re you doing?”
He glanced back at her. “What do you think? I got a load I didn’t get to shoot.”
Sienna cleared her throat. “Hello? Young girl in crisis here. Remember?”
Delmont smirked. “Have fun coddling the fruitcake. You ask me, you should let her kill herself. But something tells me she ain’t got the guts to do it anyway.”
And then he was gone, slamming the basement door behind him.
Jodi sighed. Delmont wasn’t the only one who still needed to get off.
She looked at her sister. The dead-eyed look was still in place, but a corner of Sienna’s mouth twitched as she tried to hold back a smile.
Jodi shook her head. “Is this some kind of sick joke? Are you just fucking with me?”
Sienna shrugged. The knife was still at her throat. “Everything’s a joke until it isn’t.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You tell me.”
Jodi put a hand to her forehead. A headache was coming on. She could see the conversation going in circles like this endlessly. It was one of the standard ways Sienna liked to torture her. So was the self-mutilation. The torn stockings hid multiple tiny scars on her legs. She wanted to lash out at her and tell her to stop being so stupid, but she worried even the slightest misstep could be the thing that finally pushed the girl over the edge.
A shrill scream rang out from the basement.
It was followed by Delmont’s muffled laughter.
Both Baker sisters ignored the sounds.
Jodi dropped the hand from her forehead. “What can I do for you, Sienna? I’ve tried so hard to help you, but you just won’t let me. I’m at my rope’s end here.”
“That’s where I’d like to see you.”
“Come again?”
Sienna’s expression hardened. “I’d like to see you hanging from the end of a rope.”
Jodi flinched at these words.
There was a cruel satisfaction in Sienna’s dark eyes. “Speechless at last.”
Jodi wiped away tears. “How can you say hateful things like that? You know how much I love you.”
“That makes it even better.”
The tears came faster now, but there was a surprising new feeling behind them, a dawning resignation as she finally accepted that Sienna not only didn’t want to be helped, she couldn’t be helped. Her sickness of the mind and spirit had progressed too far.
“Go then. Get out of this house and never come back again.”
Sienna removed the knife from her throat. The vaguest hint of a smile ghosted the edges of her mouth. “Thank you.” She approached Jodi and put the bloody knife in her hands. “I’ll just get some things from my room and I’ll be gone.”
She walked out of the kitchen.
Jodi stood utterly still for a long moment. And then she staggered back over to the counter and held onto it as the grief poured out of her.
5.
The rear of the car ahead of her was coming up fast. Jessica had to give the steering wheel a hard wrench to whip the old Ford Falcon into the right-hand lane. A horn blared behind her. A glance at the rearview mirror showed a heavy duty truck with tinted windows right on her ass. She had narrowly avoided collision from two directions. Both drivers flipped middle fingers at her.
Jessica fought an urge to antagonize both of them. Betting into a road rage-fueled driving duel with either of them would increase the odds of attracting law enforcement attention, which was the last thing she wanted. She had no way of knowing whether anyone was actively seeking her apprehension yet, but she needed to err on the side of caution.
Fuck you, Zelda, and whoever hired you. I needed this shit like I need a hole in my head.
Jessica relaxed her grip on the wheel and blew out a big breath. She knew she had to get a grip on her emotions, but that wasn’t easy so soon after fighting for her life. She was still jittery from the adrenaline the brawl had pumped into her system. On the one hand, this was good because it was helping her cope with her various physical discomforts. But she needed to calm down soon to have any hope of getting a handle on things She applied some pressure to the brake and decelerated to a more reasonable speed (at least in the eyes of the law).
Her first impulse after fleeing the scene had been to go directly to her father’s house. She wanted to explain what had happened face-to-face. He needed to know the pictures the assassin had taken were posed and that she’d had nothing to do with that man’s murder. She didn’t believe he’d buy the story anyway, even with the photographic “proof”. Or so she hoped. In truth, she was a troubled person who’d done a lot of questionable things. So maybe he would believe she’d gotten fucked up and done something horrible. Was that really so far outside the realm of possibility?
No. You know it isn’t.
Not with her well-documented past of substance abuse. In the end, however, she had opted against it. If people were looking for her already, they’d be keeping an eye on her father’s place. As much as it pained her to accept it, she couldn’t go there.
An exit ramp was coming up. Jessica glimpsed a blue road sign with icons indicating the presence of motels and convenience stores. She hit her blinker and applied pressure to the brake, slowing as she neared the ramp. Up ahead a little ways past the ramp, sunlight glinted on the windshield of a highway patrol cruiser parked at the edge of the grass median. Its presence made her extra glad about her abrupt decision to pull off the interstate. It might be a good idea to avoid the main arteries altogether for a while.
The roar of the Falcon’s engine dropped to a throaty rumble as she guided it along the curving stretch of ramp. Jessica stopped as she reached the secondary road at the end of the ramp and took a moment to study the area. There were convenience stores and fast food joints everywhere she looked. There was at least one motel a little ways to the left. Its presence prompted her to turn in that direction. The idea of holing up somewhere a while—even if just for a few hours—to think things through possessed an obvious appeal.
Rather than proceeding directly to the motel, however, she pulled in at the first convenience store she came to and parked at the gas pump closest to the store’s entrance. Thinking it’d be good to have a fully-gassed tank in light of her uncertain legal status, she filled up, paying with a credit card. Her brow furrowed slightly as she watched the rapid climb of the numbers on the pump’s digital display. Something about it troubled her. When she realized what it was, her breath caught in her throat and she relaxed her grip on the fuel nozzle’s handle, cutting the flow of gasoline to the car.
Fuck! You fucking idiot!
She still wasn’t thinking straight, thanks to the lingering effects of whatever the beautiful assassin had used to drug her. Buying gas with a credit card was the kind of mistake that could spell her doom. She was leaving an electronic trail. This was basic stuff. At the top of her game, she never would have made such a fundamental error.
But she was nowhere near the top of her game.
Her paranoia kicking in, Jessica craned her head around for a look at her surroundings. There were no law enforcement vehicles anywhere in the vicinity. The only person paying any attention to her was a teenage boy in the backseat of a Prius parked at the pump across from her. This wasn’t a surprise. She had the kind of body that drew the attention of horny males wherever she went, even in her present disheveled state. When he realized she’d become aware of his scrutiny, the boy stuck his tongue out and waggled it suggestively.
Some weird impulse made Jessica stick out her own tongue. She then slowly licked her lips in the most provocative way possible. The boy jerked his gaze away from her, intimidated by the unexpected response.
Jessica smirked.
That’s what I thought, kid.
She got some satisfaction from embarrassing the kid, but the feeling was short-lived. Antagonizing anyone, even some dorky teenager, was a mistake. She didn’t need to be doing anything to make herself stand out in anyone’s memory. It was just another misstep in an increasingly long chain of them.
God, when am I ever gonna get my shit together?
Her gaze went again to the pump display. Okay, so she wasn’t operating with top-level efficiency here, that was a given, but she didn’t necessarily need to start panicking. As far as the gas purchase was concerned, the damage was done. What she needed to do now was make the most of the situation. To that end, she finished filling the Falcon’s tank and went into the store to use the ATM, where she withdrew the maximum daily cash limits on all her cards. The total came to more than a thousand dollars. Not as much as she’d like to have, but it would help her get down the road a ways without adding to her digital trail. Before leaving the store, she bought some disposable cell phones, an atlas, and a bag full of junk food and energy drinks.
The Prius was gone when she came out of the store.
Thank God for small favors.
She drove away from the convenience store and continued on past the motel, eyeing it in the rearview mirror with a pang of regret. The pause in her flight had calmed her nerves some, but the downside of that was she’d become more aware of her various aches and pains. More than anything else, she longed to crawl into a bed and sleep for many hours.
As she continued along a maze of interconnecting secondary roads, her thoughts turned to another of her more immediate problems, namely the Falcon. She loved the old car. It had been her deliverance from the nightmare that was Hopkins Bend, but she would have to ditch it soon. Modern vehicles tended to blur together on the road, but the Falcon would stick out like the proverbial sore thumb. She didn’t like the idea of abandoning it, but she would do whatever was necessary to avoid apprehension. Her real dilemma would be how to go about acquiring a new ride no one would connect to her.
She needed advice from someone she could count on.
Which left her with just one choice.
Jessica pulled the Falcon over to the side of the road and took one of the disposable cell phones from the convenience store bag. After activating the phone, she punched in her father’s number from memory.
Captain John Everett Sloan answered on the first ring. “Whatever you’re selling, I don’t need it.”
“Daddy?”
Jessica winced at the uncharacteristic meekness in her voice. She sounded weak and afraid. But maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing in just this one instance. It would communicate the seriousness of the situation faster than any words she might choose.
She heard an intake of breath from the other end. “Calling me wasn’t a good idea, hon.”
The words were like a spike through her heart. She knew what they meant. “So they’re already looking for me.”
“Yes.”
“I’m calling from a burner phone.”
“Good. Get rid of it the instant we break connection.”
“I will, daddy.”
“That’s my girl.”
Jessica let out a weary breath. A scattering of cars and trucks moved in each direction down the lightly traveled road, but none of them were law enforcement vehicles. Still, she couldn’t afford to linger in this spot long.
Her father cleared his throat. “I’ve been talking to some of my people and I’m already up to speed on your situation. Things are happening fast.”
“Whatever you’ve heard is bullshit.”
“I figured as much.”
“I’ve been set up. Those pictures are bullshit, too. This bitch drugged me and--”
“Honey, I know all that. I don’t need an explanation.”
An abrupt welling of tears blurred Jessica’s vision. “What am I supposed to do? I feel like I’ve got a target painted on my back driving around in this big red bitch.”
“Switch cars now. And don’t let yourself be apprehended. Avoid that at all fucking costs.”
“Is it really that bad?”
“It’s worse.”
Shit.
“This is all about what happened in Kabul, as I’m sure you’ve guessed.” A bit of the gruffness left Captain Sloan’s voice. “I’m working some angles on this. I think I can get on top of the situation and maybe even make it go away, but until I’m sure of that I need you to get someplace safe and stay out of sight.”
Jessica sat up straighter behind the wheel. “Okay.”
“I’m hanging up. We’ve talked too long already. Good luck, baby. I love you.”
“I love--”
The line clicked dead. Jessica missed the sound of her father’s voice as soon as it was gone. Talking with him never failed to comfort her, even in the absolute worst of times, but he had done the right thing by ending the call so abruptly. Doing hard but necessary things had long been part of the retired officer’s job description. She pictured him grimly hitting the disconnect button and felt a surge of intense love for the man.
But she couldn’t allow herself to get caught up in emotion. Her father was taking care of things as best he could from his end. She owed it to him to do her part to the best of her ability. Getting rid of the burner phone would be a good start. So she pulled out its battery and tossed it out of the car.
She was reaching for the ignition key when she glanced at the rearview mirror and saw an old brown pickup truck. It was slowing down and pulling in behind her. The door on the driver’s side began to open. Jessica grabbed her stuff and got out of the Falcon. She was moving and thinking fast, energized by the talk with her father. She was halfway to the truck by the time its driver had fully emerged. He was a youngish guy with a lean build and scruffy brown hair. That was good. Guys were easier to manipulate.
She put on her brightest, most dazzling smile, which she was certain would still be pretty damn effective even in her somewhat haggard state. “Hi! My car died on me. Do you think you could give me a ride?”
The guy leaned to one side to peer past her at the Falcon. She moved closer, invading his personal space. The aim was to distract him with her body. His gaze stayed on the Falcon long enough to make her think he might be gay, though that didn�
�t seem likely. He was too much the stereotypical redneck straight dude. Still, appearances could be deceiving. She was relieved when he stopped looking at her car and glanced at her breasts.
“I could take a look at it for you.” He grinned in an affable way. Despite the peek at her boobs, he projected a palpable decent guy vibe. A pity. “I’m a mechanic.”
Jessica reached out and touched the man’s arm. “That’s really not necessary. That old bitch has been on her last legs forever.” A bald-faced lie—the Falcon was very old, but it had been impeccably restored and was in top condition. “I should have known better than to take her out again. I appreciate your offer, but what I really need is a ride.”
She gave his arm a squeeze.
He glanced at her hand before looking her in the eye again. “I could give you a ride, no problem. I’m actually on my way in to work. I could call ahead and arrange to have a tow truck sent out for your car.”
“Great!”
Jessica let go of his arm and started around to the other side of the truck. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the guy looking at the Falcon again, squinting at it as if he couldn’t make out whether it was real or a mirage. It was easy to understand why. The old girl looked like the exact opposite of a jalopy on its last legs. She slapped her palm against the hood of the man’s truck to get his attention. “Hey, I don’t mean to be a bother, but I’ve already lost a lot of time and I’ve got tons of shit to do today. Could we maybe get a move on?”
He gave the Falcon one last puzzled look, nodded, and they both climbed into his truck. Jessica experienced a moment of immense relief. She would feel a lot better once she’d put some serious physical distance between herself and her compromised vehicle.
Her would-be white knight pulled a cell phone from the breast pocket of his shirt. “Calling the garage so they can send out that tow truck. We’ll be on our way in just a second.”
Jessica plucked the cell phone from his fingers and tossed it through the open window on his side. He gaped at her for a moment in an expression of almost comical astonishment and then turned his head to look out the window.
