“No.” Rob’s normally kind blue eyes were chips of pure ice. “As far as I can see, what you did was remove your daughter from a dangerous situation. I support it.”
“Me too,” Julie said. “But you still lied to us, even if I understand why.”
“Yes,” Vicky said. “I did.”
“Let me ask you a question.”
“OK.”
“What would you do if we let you go?”
“I’d go back to Opal’s motel and clean for her until I can find another job.”
“And would you tell potential new employers what you just told us? Would you tell them the truth?”
Vicky considered that and realized that yes, she would. Her burning desire to be honest in her new life was overwhelming and complete.
“I would,” she said. “I’d take that chance the next time.”
Julie looked her in the eye and Vicky’s heart sank. Even though she was glad to have been honest and she was fully prepared to be fired, she wanted to stay. She had come to love Open Skies.
“You know, Vicky. When Rob and I were deciding between you and one other candidate, one thing really swung things in your favor.”
Rob nodded.
“What – what was that?” Vicky asked.
“We both felt that you were coming out of a very bad situation and you needed a break. Jake thought the same thing, and so did Phil.”
“Really?” Vicky was totally stunned. She thought she’d done a good job of hiding her shattered life when she interviewed for the job.
“Yes. We wanted Open Skies to be your second chance. Your new beginning.”
Vicky bit her lip.
“I still feel that way,” Julie said. “I feel that way even more now.”
Vicky almost crumpled on to the table in relief. “You do?”
“Yes.” Julie had tears in her eyes. “What you’ve been through – what you’ve managed to come back from… you’ve thrived, Vicky, not just survived. I am not the slightest bit interested in taking any of that away from you.”
Vicky’s eyes swam with tears now, too. Even Rob looked a bit misty.
Julie stood up and walked over to Vicky, her arms extended. Vicky stood and accepted the hug; she was weeping now.
Julie stroked her hair gently, letting Vicky cry in her arms. After Vicky calmed a bit, Julie looked at her and smiled.
“You get on the phone and call your Mom. You bring Sonia here when you’re ready. We’ll welcome them both here with open arms.”
**
For Vicky, the spring passed in the blink of an eye. It was a whirlwind of working on the summer campaign during the day and making love with Phil at night; she was totally engaged in her life in every way. Happy, busy, fulfilled.
She was glad for all the distractions because she was counting the seconds until Sonia came to live at Open Skies. After the meeting with Julie and Rob, she and Diana had talked things through, and had decided that since it was just two months until the end of the school year, it was better for Sonia to stay where she was for now. It broke Vicky’s heart to be away from her daughter, but she knew the time was coming soon that they’d be together.
It was now early May and Vicky was in Denver, supervising the placement of the ice sculpture in the city centre. It was a big event, much bigger than she had anticipated, with lots of media: television, newspapers, lots of bloggers. Cell phones were out everywhere she looked and she was becoming increasingly worried.
Dammit. Allison and Peter did a good job promoting this – maybe just a bit too good.
She waited until Rob went to the pickup truck to get something and she followed him.
“Hi,” she said. “Can – can we talk for a minute?”
“Sure,” he said. “Something wrong?”
“Kind of.”
He took her in; he saw her twisting her fingers. She hadn’t done that in a long time. That haunted look was back on her face now – the one from her early days at Open Skies.
“Vicky,” he said gently. “What’s going on?”
“I’m – I’m scared about the media.” She nodded at the photographers. “All those outlets air and publish nationally… I’m worried that…”
“Carl will see you in a picture or on TV,” Rob finished.
“Yes.”
“OK. You want to get out of here?”
“Yes. Please. I’m sorry to leave you to deal with it all –”
“Don’t even worry about that.” Rob smiled. “It’s just a shame that you won’t be photographed: this was all your idea, your face should be splashed everywhere as the creative brain behind it all.”
“Oh, I don’t care about that.”
“I know you don’t.” He touched her hand. “Go, OK? I want you safe.”
“Thanks, Rob.”
“Sure thing. Go on back to the office and stay on top of things there. OK?”
“OK.”
Neither of them noticed the TV camera sweep over the chattering crowd and stop, right on them.
Nobody at Open Skies was watching the live news right then: all the members of the Sales and Marketing teams were out at the ice sculpture openings; Phil, Jake and Mattie were in the stables; Julie was at reception, talking to the staff there.
Nobody knew to warn Vicky, so nobody made a move to keep her safe.
**
Carl Thompson’s eyes damn near bulged right out of his head. Holy fuck… was that her? Was that the fucking whore I married?
He launched himself at the TV table and grabbed the remote control. He jumped back thirty seconds, thirty seconds more. There.
The skinny blonde bitch he watched the news to jerk off to was twinkling away about some goddamn ice sculptures in Colorado Springs and Boulder and Denver, some promotion for some fucking swish hotel somewhere. The camera showed the live crowd behind her, then moved slowly to the right. It stopped on a man and a woman. It was just for three or four seconds, but Carl would know that hair color anywhere. He’d been looking for it obsessively for a year now.
Carl squinted at the red-haired woman. She turned slightly.
Vicky.
The blonde was back, saying that the two people worked at the hotel, in the marketing department. Carl imagined that Vicky was fucking this guy to hold on to her job. God knows she was fucking useless.
Where? Which hotel? Come on, you vacant bitch. Come on.
Then the hotel information popped up on the TV screen: Open Skies Ranch. A website, a phone number. An address in Colorado.
He froze the screen and stared at the information.
Got you, you fucking bitch. I’ve got you.
He picked up the phone and called in sick to the office. He had a few things to do, and then he had to get to the airport.
**
That night, Vicky was walking around Open Skies after dinner, just breathing in the fresh air and thinking about the day’s events. Each of the three launches had been a huge success, and the inquiries about Open Skies were pouring in already. She was tired, sure, but thrilled. She’d worked hard, and it felt good to see it all pay off.
Carl was watching Vicky. He was a little ways up the mountains, concealed by a rock bluff. His eyes narrowed in anger and hatred as he saw how happy she looked. No sign of his daughter, though.
Maybe she’s with this bitch’s mother? But where the fuck is she?
Vicky’s phone rang and she picked it up with a smile.
“Hi, Phil.”
“Hi, babe.” His voice, warm and low and sexy, washed over her and she felt weak. “How are you doing?”
“Good. Just about to go back to my place for a shower.”
“You want company?”
Her stomach fluttered. “Always.”
“OK. I’ll be there in about an hour.”
“You’re still in town?”
“Yeah. I need to wait on a few things, but I’ll be on my way soon. I need to drop by the stables office, though, grab some documents to show Jake tonight before he and Julie head off in the morning.”
“You want me to get them for you? I’m almost at the stables now. I can drop them off at the Big House and give them to Jake.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Of course not. What do you need?”
“It’s a green folder. I put it on the desk this afternoon.”
“OK. I’ll get it.”
“Thanks, babe.”
“Sure, no problem. See you soon.”
“I’m looking forward to it already.”
They hung up and Vicky walked down the hill to the stables. Carl watched her go and looked around Open Skies. There was nobody in sight.
He waited until he saw a light turn on in the building she’d just entered and then he followed her down the hill. He paused at the door and gave one final look back at the ranch. Nobody around.
They were alone, at last.
Chapter Eight
Vicky heard the office door close behind her and she turned.
Like something out of her nightmares, Carl was standing there. The look of pure hatred on his face was strong enough that she felt it, like a slap or punch.
Too shocked to speak or even to gasp, Vicky stared at him. I don’t understand. How can he be here? How did he find me? Oh, my God. I have to get out of here now. NOW.
She lunged for the phone and Carl pounced; she had forgotten how quickly he moved for such a big man. He slammed his hand down and the phone crashed on to the floor. Vicky backed up, putting the desk between them, looking for something to use to defend herself. He advanced, slowly, grinning now and shaking his head. He pulled a gun from his inside pocket and casually pointed it at her.
“Where is my daughter?”
“Carl.” She stepped back again. “Carl, please.”
“Please? Please what, Vicky?”
“Please… let’s talk about this. OK? There’s no need to – to hurt me.”
“No need?” His voice was low and cold and full of malice and she was terrified. The quieter he got, the worse the beating to follow. She knew that. “Oh, you dumb fucking bitch. There is every need.”
She found her breath now and she screamed, loud and long, praying that someone would hear her. But she knew that the main building was too far away, the cabins and Big House even farther. Jake was at Julie’s place, and it was just her and the horses with nothing but miles of prairie around them.
Carl threw the desk to the side like its weight was nothing and grabbed Vicky. He punched her across the face once, twice. The third blow knocked her back against the wall and he followed. He put his hand on her throat, pressed. Her toes lifted off the ground a few inches and she gasped, clawing at his wrists, her head thrashing from side to side. He pressed harder and she fought for breath. Black spots appeared before her eyes.
He dropped her suddenly and she collapsed on the floor, choking. Before she had recovered, he dragged her by her hair to her feet. She screamed again and he punched her in the stomach, cutting off her air. She doubled over, fell to her knees.
“Please, Carl.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “Please, stop.”
“Oh, baby,” Carl said. “We are just getting started.”
The last thing she saw was his boot coming straight at her face. She heard a horrible crunch and felt a white-hot burst of pain, and then she knew nothing more for a long time.
**
Julie shuffled the papers on her dining room table, then went through them again. Where did she put that invoice? Then she remembered that she had given it to Mattie to check over one last time – some of the horse equipment had been invoiced twice, and the accountant had asked for confirmation that they hadn’t received two pieces of anything by accident.
Julie sighed. Dammit. I’ll bet Mattie has it in the stable offices.
Well, nothing for it. Julie needed that invoice now – it was the last part of the documentation for the month’s expense report, and she wanted to do it tonight. She and Jake were off first thing in the morning for a weekend at a B&B in the mountains.
“Hey, Jake?”
“Yeah?”
“Listen, I have to run down to the stables for a minute, OK? I need something from the office.”
“You want me to go? I think Phil left a folder for me on the desk, anyway.”
“No, it’s OK. I’m done packing, but you’re not. Finish up and then we can go to bed early.”
His eyes gleamed at her. “Deal. Go get what you need.”
“Uh-huh. And which folder is it? I’ll get it for you while I’m there.”
“Phil said it’s in a green jacket. It’s the vet documents.”
“OK. I’ll get them.”
“Thanks, Julie.”
Julie put on her jean jacket and walked down the dirt road to the stables. She went in through the stalls and she noticed that the horses were acting strangely: they were agitated and edgy, shuffling their feet and rolling their eyes. Julie paused. She knew nothing at all about horses and didn’t even like them very much, but she knew this behavior was odd.
“Hey, guys, what’s wrong?” she murmured. “Is a bad storm coming or something?”
They tossed their heads and snorted. They sounded angry and frightened.
Maybe I’d better call Jake. Something seems very, very wrong here. Maybe one of them is sick and the rest of them sense it?
She reached in to her pocket for her cell phone and then realized that she had left it on the table in the Big House. Sighing, she walked through the stalls and down the hallway to the office to use the phone there.
The door was closed but she saw a light underneath it. Maybe Phil or Mattie was here working late?
Julie knocked. She heard movement inside and turned the handle.
“Hey, you’re working late –”
That was as far as she got before something hard crashed down on her head, throwing her in to darkness.
**
Vicky moaned. Her head hurt, her throat felt raw and her muscles ached. Am I getting sick? The flu?
She forced her eyes open, wondering why she was slumped over in a chair instead of lying down in her bed if she was sick. What she saw made no sense: what was Julie doing here with her? And why was she sleeping sitting up? Was that a bandana in her mouth?
“Well, well. Sleeping Beauty wakes.”
She raised her eyes and when she saw him, it all came back to her in a rush of horror. Oh, my God. Carl. And he has Julie!
Vicky fought to stay calm. “Carl, please. Let her go. She has nothing at all to do with this…”
“I don’t give a good goddamn if she has anything to do with this. She stays.”
“Don’t hurt her. OK?” Even as Vicky said the words, she saw the blood on Julie’s head, saw her pallor. Oh, God. He knocked her unconscious. Is she alive?
“Oh, I’m not going to hurt such a sweet piece of pussy as her.” Carl walked over to Julie and ran his fingers through her hair. “No, no, no. I’m going to do other things to her. And you are going to watch.”
Vicky felt the terror rising in her. “Carl, no. No, don’t.”
His hand moved down Julie’s body now, stopped at the V of her sweater. “This one has nice tits. Bigger than yours, for sure.” He cupped Julie’s breasts and massaged them. “Ummmm. Firm.”
Julie heard a male voice close by, felt hands on her breasts. That’s not Jake’s voice. Those aren’t Jake’s hands. She opened her eyes and closed them again when the light stabbed her head, making the pain worse. She moaned but the sound that came out was muffled. Why does my head hurt?
“Julie!” Vicky said. “Julie, ope
n your eyes!”
Julie pried her eyes open, squinting in the direction of Vicky’s voice.
“It’s me… Julie, wake up.”
Julie dragged her heavy lids open and saw a man in front of her. She blinked, her vision starting to clear.
“Well, hello there,” the man said.
Julie realized that he was touching her breasts and she gasped and tried to jerk away from him. Why can’t I move? Why is my mouth covered? Who is this guy?
He laughed, his hand moving down between her thighs. “Oh, honeybun. I am just starting things up. Now, you relax and go with it, OK? Hell, if you don’t fight it, you might even enjoy it.”
Vicky screamed again, desperate for someone to come help them. Carl bounded across the room and punched her in the mouth. Her head flew to one side and he gripped her chin and cheeks in his massive hand, digging his fingers in to her tender flesh. He stuck his face right in to hers.
“Now, you listen to me, you fucking bitch,” he hissed. “You make one more sound and she’s dead. I mean it – I will shoot her in the fucking head right in front of you. You want that to happen?” He shook her face. “Do you?”
“No.” Vicky swallowed the blood pooling in her mouth. God, I’d forgotten that taste. “No.”
“Then you just sit here and be quiet,” Carl said. “I am going to enjoy myself with her.” He looked over at Julie again. “So much T&A. My dream woman.”
“Carl,” Vicky said. “Please, don’t. Do it – do it to me instead.”
He focused his attention on her, surprised. “You?”
“Yes.”
He stood up and stared down at her, his cold blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Why are you so eager to fuck me all of a sudden? Huh? For years you couldn’t be bothered to make me happy, and suddenly, what? You’re so hot to trot?”
As he spoke, Julie’s thoughts were slowly starting to click in to place and she suddenly understood everything. Oh, God help us. Carl.
“Carl, look.” Vicky tried to smile. “Just – just do it with me. OK?”
Open Eyes (Open Skies) Page 12
