The Collectors: Revenge Becomes Her

by Hargrove Perth

  Greg stood and left Jonathan alone on the dock. Jonathan waited until Greg was far enough away from the dock to sigh deeply. The first part of his plan was in place. Now he had to figure out the rest. He sat alone on the dock for nearly an hour before he returned to the cabin.

  Chapter Five

  Deception

  It was nearly dark by the time Jonathan Masby decided he should return to the cabin. He had a rough idea of what he needed to do next, he just was not sure how he wanted to proceed. He knew he would have to be careful. If he moved too quickly, Greg would be suspicious. He also needed to find a way to bring Jane into his well thought plan without putting her in any more danger than she was already in, which would not be easy. There were only four days left for Jonathan to do what needed to be done. He prayed he could maintain this façade until the time came or he would be as good as dead.

  As Jonathan walked across the field back to the cabin, he considered whether or not he could kill James. Jonathan had not walked but a few feet, when he decided he could do it. He could kill James and not feel any remorse, not after what Greg had forced him to watch James do to her. Now the only question that remained was how Jonathan was going to kill James. James was a smart man, and if he even remotely suspected that Greg was going to partner up with Jonathan instead, Jonathan knew he would be dead before morning.

  Jonathan stood on the deck for a moment before he opened the door. He thought about Jack’s medical bag. If he could get to the bag and load a syringe, he could inject James and possibly knock him out. That was if he could get to the bag without Jack or Bill seeing him.

  An overdose would not be such a bad way to die, Jonathan thought.

  Jonathan opened the door and went straight to the room where Jane was being held. He was relieved when he opened the door and found her alone.

  “I am sorry I was gone when you woke,” Jonathan whispered.

  “It’s okay. I understand. You can’t stay here and protect me or you will end up the same way I am going to be, once they are done.”

  Jonathan sat on the edge of the bed next to her and held her hands in his. He didn’t know if he should tell her what he was going to do. If they drugged her again, and she accidentally said what he had told her he was planning, Jonathan would be as good as dead. The longer Jonathan sat next to her, he knew he had to tell Jane what he was going to do. There was no way his plan would work without her.

  “I need you to listen carefully as we don’t have much time. I am going to get you out of here, but I need your help. I cannot tell you everything right now. I just wanted you to know.”

  Jane fought to hold back the tears that were welling up in her eyes. She had prayed that Jonathan would do something to help her. Once the reality of what Jonathan was going to do began to sink in, Jane realized that he would be in a very dangerous position.

  “You are going to have to do what they want Jonathan or they won’t believe you. They won’t believe they can trust you if you don’t,” Jane whispered as she looked at Jonathan with almost pleading eyes. “I know you won’t hurt me.”

  “Maybe tomorrow,” Jonathan whispered.

  “No, it has to be tonight. They have to think you are one of them. The longer you wait, the more danger you will be in. I won’t fight you.”

  Jonathan could not believe what Jane was saying to him. She was giving him her consent to rape her. He had known all along he would have to do this eventually, Jonathan just did not think it would be so soon.

  “I can’t.”

  “You can. You have to, please. You are the only hope I have of leaving here alive.”

  Jonathan twisted his college ring before he took it off and laid it on the nightstand. His ties with his friends and the bond they once shared were long gone. Everything he had believed in, everything he had valued about their friendship, was now dead. Jonathan reluctantly pulled off his tee-shirt and dropped it on the floor. His concern now lay with not hurting Jane after what she had already been through.

  As Jonathan removed his pants, Greg opened the door and smiled before he closed it. Jonathan knew there was no way out for either of them now. He knew Greg would stand outside the door and listen to make sure that the whole thing was not just a ruse to appease Greg. Jonathan climbed into the bed next to Jane and pulled the covers over them before he turned down the light.

  Jane trembled uncontrollably the entire time and cried out several times, which she later explained to Jonathan was to make it sound more believable. Jonathan was astounded by her behavior toward him, but he knew Jane believed it was the only way she would be able to escape… with his help. When Jonathan had finished, he decided to take Jane to the shower. It was an easy way for them to talk without being heard by the others.

  Once the door was locked and Jonathan had turned on the water, Jane stepped into the shower and Jonathan stepped in behind her.

  “Thank you for helping me.” Jane laid her head against Jonathan’s chest. Her gratitude made him feel guilty for what he had just done.

  “Listen, I am going to wait until they go to bed. Then I am going to dilute the vials Jack has with him. If he injects you again, you are going to have to fake being drugged. There isn’t anything I can do about the pills. We will have to work around that. Just play along with me, I will do everything I can, but I won’t be able to stay with you as much as I have been. I don’t want them to question what I am doing.”

  “I understand. I will do whatever you tell me Jonathan.”

  Jonathan stepped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around his waist and then handed a towel to Jane. As Jonathan watched her brush her hair, he could not help but be struck by how brave the beauty standing before him really was. Jonathan did not know if he could have the same strength if he were in the same place.

  He escorted Jane back to her room. Jane smiled slightly as she held her hands out for Jonathan to re-tie them. Jane had hope, which was a feeling she had not felt since her abduction. Jonathan covered her with a blanket before he left the room to re-join the others.

  Jonathan had a lot of planning to accomplish in a short amount of time, and decided the more time he spent with his former college roommates, the better his chances would be at planning Jane’s escape.

  Bill and Jack were sitting in front of the fire playing a game of chess when Jonathan emerged from her room. As Jonathan looked around the room, he immediately noticed that Greg and James were nowhere to be seen. As Jonathan walked toward the great-room, he silently prayed he had not made a mistake by approaching Greg earlier. The fact that both Greg and James were absent made Jonathan slightly uneasy as he rounded the end of the couch to join Bill and Jack.

  “Hey buddy,” Bill said as he looked up briefly from his game of chess with Jack.

  Jonathan acknowledged Bill with a slight nod and sat in the leather chair across from them.

  “I told you it wasn’t so bad once you got past the first time.” Jack moved his queen across the chessboard and smiled at Bill.

  “Asshole,” Bill muttered as he moved his knight.

  “Where’s Greg?” Jonathan asked.

  “He ran into town.” Jack stroked his beard as he looked at the chessboard and not Jonathan. “Why?”

  “No reason. I figured he’d want to celebrate my induction.” Jonathan was becoming more comfortable with lying to his friends.

  “He’ll be back soon,” Bill chimed in as he carefully watched Jack.

  Jonathan went to the kitchen and made a sandwich to take to Jane. As he walked to Jane’s room, Jack stopped him.

  “You are one of the collectors now. You can stop being a humanitarian.”

  “Yeah, well, she needs to stay alive till we’re through with her.” Jonathan opened the door to Jane’s room and went inside. He could tell Jane was relieved it was him and not one of the others.

  “I can’t stay long. We have to be careful,” Jonathan whispered and sat the plate next to Jane on the bed. “Make sure you eat. I need you to keep your streng
th up.”

  Jonathan eyed Jack’s doctor bag on the dining room table as he closed the door behind him. He knew Jack would take the bag with him when he went to bed and then he would have little chance of being able to do what he had planned. Jonathan contemplated his options as he continued to watch Jack and Bill play chess. He thought about their college days and all the frat parties Greg had thrown. Jack and Bill had never been good drinkers or able to hold their liquor, especially compared to Jonathan.

  “I think a round of shots are in order,” Jonathan announced. “Where are the shot glasses?”

  “Above the bar in the second cabinet,” Jack said smiling.

  Jonathan walked to the bar and looked for the shot glasses. He grabbed three of them off the shelf and the bottle of bourbon. He set the glasses down on the coffee table next to the chessboard and began pouring the bourbon. Jonathan handed Bill and Jack each a glass. Jonathan held up his glass to make a toast.

  “To collecting,” Jonathan said before he downed the shot of bourbon.

  The three friends continued to drink and laugh as they reminisced about the old days, and it was not long before an hour had passed. Greg had not yet returned, Bill had passed out on the couch, and Jack was quickly approaching the same condition.

  Finally, after two hours, Jack announced he was going to bed. Jonathan was relieved when Jack stumbled to his room, forgetting about his bag that was still sitting on the dining room table.

  As soon as Jack was gone, Jonathan removed the three vials from Jack’s bag and took them to the sink where he began draining the contents of each vial with a syringe and emptying the contents into an empty shot glass. Jonathan was quick to refill the half empty vials with water and place them back inside Jack’s doctor bag.

  Jonathan rummaged through the cabinets, looking for anything that would be suitable to store the drugs inside, in the event he would need them later. As he thought about the conversation he had with Greg earlier in the day, Jonathan considered the fact that he now had something he could use to subdue the others in order to help Jane escape. Jonathan was barely able to hide the drugs in his room before he heard the door open. He knew Greg had returned.

  Jonathan greeted Greg in the living room and was surprised that Greg was alone. He thought that James had gone with Greg.

  “Where have you been? You missed Jack and Bill’s idea of an inauguration party.” Jonathan smiled at Greg, who began laughing.

  “Well, it must not have been much of a party or they are still panty-weights since you are the last man standing. Are you still in the mood for a drink?” Greg asked.

  Jonathan shrugged his shoulders. He really wasn’t drunk, just starting to feel a little tipsy. Jonathan did not want to get too drunk and risk endangering what he had planned.

  “Sure, I guess I could drink a few more. Where is James?” Jonathan pried.

  “He is still in town. I left him there.”

  “What?”

  “He pissed me off, so I left him in town. I am sure he will find a way home somehow.” Greg was cold in his demeanor as he spoke. Jonathan wondered what could have happened to make Greg so angry he leave James without a ride home, but didn’t want to press the issue too much.

  “Do you really think that is a wise idea, Greg? I mean, with what we have going on here and all,” Jonathan said calmly as he took the glass of bourbon from Greg’s hand.

  “That is why you will be a much better business partner, you are sensible. Come on, let’s discuss our arrangement a little more.” Greg opened the door to the deck and stepped outside and Jonathan followed.

  “So I was thinking, you should probably get rid of him soon. I don’t like how he is trying to manipulate our arrangement. If you kill him the same day I kill the girl, we can toss them in the same hole.” Greg took a deep breath before he gulped the glass of bourbon, then looked at Jonathan.

  “We still have time, Greg. It is not like we are leaving tomorrow. We still have nearly a week left, and besides, now that I am used to what we have here, I would like to, well enjoy it a little while longer.” Jonathan grinned at his friend as he leaned against the railing.

  “My man, Masby, who would have ever thought,” Greg said and raised his glass to toast Jonathan. “You must have enjoyed her. So what do you have in mind, or have you given it any consideration?”

  “I have and I am not going to limit myself.”

  “That is a pretty evasive statement. Fuck Jonathan, you just have to off the dumb bastard, it isn’t rocket science.” Greg looked at Jonathan coldly and without emotion as though this had not been the first business partner he had gotten rid of.

  “So Greg, how do I know in a few months or a year you aren’t going to do the same thing to me?” Jonathan glared at Greg as he spoke. Greg began to laugh.

  “Seriously, Masby, you are an attorney at a huge law firm. I am sure you will make sure your ass is covered in the event of an untimely death. You don’t have to worry, Jonathan. I am not going to do that to you. You have always been my best friend since we were kids. In fact, I trust you more than my own family.”

  Greg’s admission did not make Jonathan feel guilty about what he was about to do, if anything, it made the situation easier. If Greg trusted Jonathan implicitly, he would not watch his every move. Jonathan also knew that he would have to play this game very carefully if he was going to get Jane out alive.

  “James is a dead on shot isn’t he?”

  “Yeah, all those years living in a small Texas town, hunting and God was all he had. You know the small town mentality and family values, shit it is what we grew up with too. Why, were you thinking about killing him when you were hunting?” Greg asked.

  “Well, I thought about it and decided against it. I thought something a little more personal would be the better way to go. Jack has drugs, right? So what if I slip him a little something to knock him out and then I kill him?”

  “Nice plan.”

  “I thought it would be easier at least.”

  “Well, I will leave how you want to do it… up to you. It’s your kill, it should be your choice.” Greg turned around and walked toward the French doors. He stopped as he put his hand on the latch. “Just let me know when you are ready. I will back you up if needed. In the meantime, I am going to spend a little quality time with our little gem.”

  “Goodnight.” Jonathan stared out across the open field and at the moon above him. He wished he could stop Greg but he knew he couldn’t interfere. Greg had to believe Jonathan was now one of them. He hoped Jane would understand.

  Jonathan contemplated whether or not he should tell James about the offer Greg had made him. The two them could hash it out amongst themselves, and with a little luck, they might even kill each other. The more Jonathan thought about it, he decided that would not be a good idea. They could end up turning on him and then what would he do. Jonathan would have to stick with the original plan. He would have to figure out a way to incapacitate all of them in order to get Jane out safely.

  Jonathan’s thoughts were shattered by the sounds of Jane’s screams as they echoed through the cabin and into the night air. Jonathan closed the door to the deck in the hopes it would help to stifle her screams and that was when James appeared.

  “You out here all alone?” James asked.

  “Yeah, you want a drink?”

  “No. I thought maybe we could talk, get to know each other a bit. Greg said you all have known each other since you were kids.”

  “We have. We met in grade school. Why?” Jonathan asked as he looked at James.

  “Just wondering how well you know your friend, that’s all.”

  “Well, before all this, to be honest, I thought I knew him pretty well. I can say that it really doesn’t surprise me. Greg always did whatever he wanted regardless.”

  James smirked and nodded his head slightly. His questioning was beginning to make Jonathan uneasy. Jonathan thought it was more than a bit odd that James had a sudden interest in his frien
dship with Greg.

  “If I were you, I’d watch my back. I never have trusted Greg completely. He is up to something. I just don’t know what.”

  “Greg? He’s harmless. Shit, he has had everyone else fight his battles for him ever since I have known him, that or used his money to buy his way out.” Jonathan wondered if he had said too much at that point, but figured it was the only way for him to find out what had caused the fight between James and Greg.

  “I have seen him do this before. You’re a fairly nice guy, Jonathan, and I would hate to see him use you as bait for the next time.”

  “Bait?”

  “Let’s just say he makes an offer, you take it, and you end up dead. It would not be the first time.”

  “Why are you telling me this, James?”

  James did not answer Jonathan immediately. “He has done it before Jonathan, killed one of the collectors. He sets one person up to be hunted every couple of trips. He gets off on hunting one of the group.”

  “Do Jack and Bill know about this?” Jonathan was shocked by what James had just told him.

  “They were here the last time and the time before that. The only difference was they were only acquaintances of Greg and not someone he knew too terribly well. He bought a lot of lime, Jonathan. Way more than he needs to get rid of that little girl in there, so one of us is about to be game, and I think it might be you.”

  Jonathan did not know what to believe. James barely knew him. Greg had once been his best friend. Now it seemed the two of them were playing an elaborate game of cat and mouse, and Jonathan was the bait. The questions Greg had asked Jonathan earlier were now starting to make sense to him. Greg wanted to know how Jonathan planned to kill James so he could plan his next move. If what James had told him was true, Jonathan knew he only had one option available to him. Jonathan Masby was going to have to kill Greg Johnson, and he was quickly running out of time.

  Jonathan walked to his room and thought about everything James had said to him. He wondered if it was true or this was all just another part of the sick game the two of them played. Even though Jonathan wanted to believe his friend could not be involved in execution style hunting, he could not put it past Greg to do it especially given what he had seen in the last few days.