I stared in revulsion as he pulled out his penis and began stroking it himself.
“I… I,” I stammered, glancing up towards the stairs, wondering if I could make it.
He grabbed my hand and put it on his naked penis.
Horrified beyond belief, I reached down below his penis and grabbed his balls, squeezing them with everything I had.
“Uh!” he grunted, falling to his knees.
In desperation, I ran around him and flew up the stairs to the open door. I slammed it shut and locked it.
“Bitch!” he raged from down below.
Sobbing, I ran through the small house and out the door.
Chapter Twenty-four
Reed
“Where is Sinclair?” I asked Jesse, passing him outside of the library. I was exhausted and had just spent the last hour arguing with Sela until she’d finally called a cab and left. As far as I was concerned, it was over. Fortunately, she didn’t have many things at my condo in New York, so I could ship them to her place instead of having to deal with any further tantrums.
Jesse ran a hand over his face and sighed. “I don’t know. She doesn’t have her cell phone, and the last time I saw her was with that Pastor Richie guy.”
I frowned. “What was she doing with him?”
“The valet attendant said she followed him out to his car because he had an anniversary gift or something.”
I raised my eyebrows. “And she hasn’t been back yet?”
“I know,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense. The valet said he was talking to another guest and didn’t realize they’d left until the Pastor’s car was already gone.”
“So both of them are missing?”
Jesse nodded. “Apparently.”
“Why in the world would she leave with him? I just don’t understand.”
“I don’t either. It’s not like her, at all.”
“Hmm… have you seen mother lately? Maybe she knows something about it.”
“I’m here,” she called from the top of the stairs. She was swaying slightly and looked slightly disheveled.
“Are you okay?” I asked, climbing the steps.
Mimi smiled weakly. “Oh, I’ve been better. I found out about Jack’s little scene over by the pool tonight.”
I sighed. “I’m sorry about that, mom.”
She wiped a tear from her cheek. “You have nothing to apologize for,” she sniffed. “He’s gone too far this time.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “This time?”
“Yes, I know… he’s a scoundrel. You can’t always choose who you love, and it certainly isn’t easy to love a man like that.”
“I know, mother,” I said, hugging her. It was the same speech I’d heard growing up. She would complain but never leave. “Just remember, if you need us for anything – support, money, a place to stay, Jesse and I are always here for you.”
She nodded. “Thank you, dear.”
“Not to change the subject,” I said as she dabbed at another tear. “But, would you happen to know where Pastor Richie has gone? Apparently, he and Sinclair left together quite a while ago, and neither has returned.”
“What?” she asked. “Why in the world would she leave with him?”
I told her about the gift.
“Gift? I sent him home after I’d decided not to renew our vows. He never mentioned anything about giving us a gift,” she said.
“Do you have his phone number?” I asked.
She frowned. “Well, he called me this morning around nine o’clock on the home phone. We can see if it’s been saved.”
“Okay,” I said. “Jesse, go check the Caller ID and find that number.”
He nodded and left.
“How do you know this pastor, anyway?” I said. “Do you go to his church?”
She shook her head. “No, actually I’ve never spoken to him before in my life. He told me that a friend of the family suggested he call us to see if we wanted to renew our vows, since we were having a big anniversary party. I thought it was a lovely idea and just agreed.”
I frowned. “So, you don’t know which church he’s from or where he came from?”
“Well, he mentioned a church, but I forgot the name. He’s a man of God; surely you don’t suspect anything foul?”
“Fuck, I hope not.”
She tilted her head. “Language.”
“Sorry.”
We went in search of Jesse and he was perplexed when we found him in the kitchen playing with the phone.
“It looks like someone erased the call logs,” he said.
“You’re kidding me,” I said. “What in the hell is going on here?”
Jesse bit his lower lip. “I don’t know but Sinclair would never have taken off like this. Not without letting me know about it. Something is very wrong here.”
“And mother doesn’t really know this Pastor Richie, either,” I said. “For all we know, he could be some criminal off of the streets, who may have kidnapped her.”
“Oh,” cried Mimi, putting a hand to her lips. “Do you think so?”
“I don’t know but I think we’d better search the property again, and if we can’t find her, get the police involved,” I said. “That’s what I think.”
Chapter Twenty-five
Sinclair
I stumbled through the dark woods, not sure of where exactly I was or which way I needed to go. My head was throbbing, and my bare feet were bleeding from the sticks and rocks I couldn’t see in front of me, but felt every step of the way.
Where the hell am I?
From the shadows of mountains peeking over the trees, I knew one thing was certain; I was not anywhere near Huntington Beach anymore.
This realization was hard to swallow, but after escaping the clutches of the perverted pastor, I was happy to just be alive.
You can do this, I told myself as my side began to ache. Just keep moving.
I pushed on.
***
Reed
“You have his license plate number?” I asked the valet for the second time.
He handed me a clipboard. “Yeah, it’s right here. We write down each one, in case there are problems. See, the signature? I parked his personally.”
I scanned the information. “Great, thanks.”
“Something wrong?” the kid asked.
“I hope not. Did the woman leaving with him seem nervous or frightened at all?”
He shook his head. “No, they were very friendly. In fact, she held on to his arm as they walked down the street.”
“Did you see her get into his car?”
He shook his head. “No, I didn’t. One of the other guests came out for a cigarette, a blond with long legs, and I stopped paying attention to the other two.”
“Well, thanks for the help,” I said. “Stick around here in case we need to get the police involved.”
He nodded vehemently. “Yeah, no problem. I hope that lady is okay. She was something else, you know what I’m saying?”
“Oh, I know what you’re saying,” I answered, grabbing my cell phone. I dialed a number on my contact list – an ornery New York cop who was also one of my best friends.
“Benny, it’s me,” I said into the phone.
“What the hell? Do you know what time it is?” he grunted. “Jesus Christ.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry but it’s an emergency.”
He snorted. “It’s always an emergency with you. Let’s hear this particular one.”
I chuckled. “What’s wrong? Jenny cut you off again?”
“I got a piece yesterday, asshole. I’m just fucking tired. It’s late.”
“I can tell.”
“Come on, I don’t have all damn morning. What’s the story?”
I gave him a rundown of what I knew and he sighed. “Okay, the car could be stolen but let me make some phone calls and see what I come up with.”
“Thanks, Ben. I owe you.”
“Damn right you do.”
> I hung up and went to go find Jesse to see if he’d heard anything yet.
***
Sinclair
When I finally cleared the woods and stumbled upon a dirt road, I was so relieved I almost started crying. I knew I wasn’t out of the clear, but surely this road would lead to someone who could help me.
It had to.
I pushed on and on until the sun peeked over the horizon and the dirt road finally led to one with pavement. After another thirty minutes or so of walking, I saw a gas station in the distance and it gave me the adrenaline I needed to get me there.
“Holy shit,” said the old woman behind the counter as I limped into the store. Both of my feet felt like they were on fire.
“Where am I?” I asked.
She looked at me like I was high. “What do you mean, where are you?”
“Please, what city is this?”
“You’re in Big Bear Lake.”
That was almost two hours away from Huntington Beach.
“Call the police,” I said, knowing I probably looked like hell. My hair was now a tangled mess, my mascara was probably all over my cheeks, and my expensive designer dress – it was ruined.
“You hurt?” she asked, staring at me. “You want me to call an ambulance?”
I shook my head. “No, just call the police for now. Please,” I said.
As she reached for the phone, I noticed a car pull up to the station. When I recognized the model and the driver, my heart stopped.
“Oh, my God,” I choked. “That’s the man who kidnapped me. Call the police, hurry!”
“Pastor Michael?” asked the woman, staring back at me in shock. “Why surely he would never…”
“He did this to me!” I hollered, spreading my arms out. “Please, call the police!”
“But…”
“Fuck,” I said, annoyed that she didn’t even believe me. “Just don’t tell him about me when he gets inside. Please.”
She frowned. “Well, all right.”
I raced to the back of the store and locked myself into the bathroom, which smelled like sewage and stale cigarettes. I waited, wondering if he’d seen me walk into the station and if so, what he’d do. I closed my eyes and leaned against the door, praying that he’d just go away and I could get help.
A few minutes later, when the handle to the bathroom began to jiggle, I choked back a terrified scream and backed away from the door.
“Hello?” called the woman from the counter. “Miss?”
I sighed in relief. “Is he gone?”
“You can come out now. You’re safe.”
I unlocked the door and stepped warily out of the bathroom.
“Come on now,” she smiled, beckoning me with her hand. “Let’s get you something to drink.”
“Thanks,” I said, following her to the front of the store. When we reached the counter, I gasped in horror.
“Hello, Sinclair,” smiled Pastor Richie, wearing his disguise once again.
“Oh, my God!” I cried, backing away. “You lied to me!”
“Calm down, miss,” said the woman. “Pastor Michael explained everything. You’re going to be fine.”
I shook my head vehemently. “No, he’s crazy. He tried raping me!”
Pastor Richie took a step towards me, his hands raised. “It’s okay, honey. You’re confused. You know that I would never hurt you. Now, come with me and we’ll find your pills, then everything will be okay.” He turned to the cashier. “She went out last night and didn’t take her meds, now her parents are frantic with worry.”
“No!” I hollered. “He’s lying. Please, call the police!”
The woman frowned and reached for the phone. “Well, I think that maybe I should call the police, Pastor. They might have better luck calming her down.”
He sighed and reached behind his back. “I’m truly sorry about this, Cindy,” he said, pulling out a gun.
“Oh, my God!” gasped the cashier.
“No!” I cried, as he pointed the revolver at Cindy and shot her in the face without any hesitation.
“This was your fault,” he said, now aiming the gun at me. “You’ve ruined everything, you know.”
I raised my hands. “I’m… I’m sorry. Please don’t shoot me,” I sobbed.
His face softened and he opened his mouth to say something, but then a man stepped into the store, startling the both of us.
“What the hell?!” hollered the customer.
“Run!” I screamed.
As Pastor Richie aimed his gun at the shocked man, I turned and ran to the back of the store through a set of swinging doors.
“Oh, my God,” I moaned as the Pastor’s gun went off again. I couldn’t believe how insane he was, killing those two without remorse.
“Come out, Sinclair!” hollered the Pastor. “We can work something out if you just quit resisting me.”
Sobbing, I ran to the very back of the supply room and found an outside exit. I opened it and began limping away from the station, towards the forest. Just when I reached the cover of the trees, someone grabbed me around the waist and slammed me into the ground.
“Sinclair!” hollered the Pastor. “Stop!”
“No!” I cried, struggling to get away.
“Settle down,” he said, turning me over. “We have to get out of here.”
I hit him and raked my fingernails across his face as he tried grabbing my hands.
“Stop this, Sinclair!”
I grabbed his hair and pulled so hard, he gasped in pain. As he tried to remove my hand, I reached down with the other one, wrapped my fingers around his crotch and squeezed.
“Bitch!” he howled, punching me in the chin.
My face was on fire as he rolled away, but it didn’t stop me from trying to escape. I crawled away from him, got up, and started running back towards the road. When I saw a squad car pull in to the parking lot, I cried out in relief.
Chapter Twenty-six
Reed
“The car was stolen?” repeated Jesse in horror. “Who in God’s name is this freak?”
“I don’t know,” I said, sitting down next to him in the dining room. “The cops should be here shortly. Maybe they’ll know something more.”
“I’m so sorry,” sobbed Mimi as she wiped her eyes with a tissue. “I had no idea he was lying to me. No idea.”
“Mom, obviously we were all duped. It could have happened to anyone,” I said, especially to someone as gullible as her.
Jesse ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up in disarray. “What in the hell did he want with Sinclair?”
“Oh, God,” moaned Mimi. “I hope he doesn’t rape her. The poor thing.”
That had been my first thought, but hearing it spoken out loud was enough to make me want to kill the bastard who took her several times over. “Did she ever mention anyone stalking her or threatening her?” I asked Jesse.
Jesse shook his head. “No. Never. She doesn’t go out much, she isn’t dating anyone, and she pretty much keeps to herself.”
Mimi’s eyes narrowed. “I thought she was dating you?”
Jesse sighed. “We’re just friends, mother.”
Mimi leaned forward. “But I thought…”
“Jesus Christ,” I said. “You already know the answer to that. Quit lying to yourself.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” said Mimi.
“I’m gay, mom!” snapped Jesse. “Open your eyes.”
She opened her mouth but no words came out.
“Congratulations,” I said. “You should have announced it a lot sooner, though, don’t you think?”
Jesse didn’t say anything, he just stared at the fireplace in despair.
“It’ll be okay,” I told him. “We’ll find her.”
“I hope so,” he mumbled. “Sinclair doesn’t deserve this. She’s my best friend and I don’t know what I’d do without her.”
***
The cops showed up sometime after three in the mor
ning and questioned us along with the valet who’d watched her leave with the pastor. After filling out a report and making a final search of the premises, they prepared to leave.
“That’s it?” I asked. “Isn’t there more you can do?”
One of the men, a young officer named Drake, who looked to be around Jesse’s age, shrugged. “There isn’t more we really can do at this point. She hasn’t even been missing for twenty-four hours.”
“But there’s foul play involved,” I said. “She may be dead in twenty-four hours.”
“Are you sure this friend of yours didn’t know the perp?” asked Drake.
“No, absolutely not,” said Jesse.
“Have you checked around to see if anything of value is missing?” asked the other officer. “The guy is obviously a thief.”
“The only thing valuable missing is Sinclair,” I snapped.
“Listen,” said Drake. “We’ll look into everything you’ve given us and get back to you. For now, I’d call her family and friends, to see if she’s been in contact with them.”
I nodded. “Okay, fine. But call us if you find out anything.”
“Will do,” said Drake. “We’ll check the phone company’s records, too. See if it brings us anything.”
“Okay,” I said, although the odds were that the cell phone he used was probably stolen, too.
***
Reed
I couldn’t sleep. All I could do was pace around the house and stare outside, wondering where the hell Sinclair was. It wasn’t until the sun finally rose and I had coffee in my system that I decided to try searching for her myself. I had no idea where to start, but I couldn’t sit around the house and just do nothing. I grabbed the keys to my car and started towards the front door when Jesse stopped me.
“They found her!” he hollered. “She just called me. She’s okay.”
I sighed in relief. “Thank God. Where is she?” I asked.
“Midway Hospital,” he said. “She has some minor bruises, but she’s doing fine.”
“Thank God,” I said. “Let’s go.”
Fearing The Biker Page 32
