by Powers, Jade
Kendra pressed her lips together, watching Gene warily. She said, “This can’t happen again. I enjoy my job here. I like the people. I even like Drew when he doesn’t act like an ass, but I won’t put up with sabotage. Not from anybody.”
Gene’s watery blue eyes studied Kendra and the smile faded. He said, “You won’t have any trouble. Don’t bring the police into this. Not for something this minor.”
Police? Kendra didn’t even know if they could do anything about a coworker stirring up trouble. But now that she knew Gene was worried, she certainly wasn’t going to make any promises. “Gene, I value my work here. I also value my relationship with Scott. I’d prefer not to choose, but Scott would win. I think you should know that.”
“Understood. I’ll have a talk with Drew.”
It had been a long day. Kendra grabbed her purse and headed home.
SCOTT LISTENED TO THE message in disbelief. After all these months and now Kendra calls. It was almost like she had a sixth sense. Scott had just gotten home from a blind date. Granted, there would be no second date. The woman spent an hour talking about her actress niece who was cast in three movies and how she had spent hours teaching her niece how to enunciate properly. Scott stopped talking somewhere between the bread basket and filet mignon. He didn’t bother to ask his date if she wanted cheesecake. He just wanted out.
After listening to the message, Scott hit play again. He missed Kendra. It was more than physical, although that was great. She was interesting. Even where their interests varied, both Scott and Kendra lived full lives of their own. They didn’t have to live the adventures of distant cousins or nieces.
He didn’t pick up the phone. Not after nearly three months of silence. Scott almost made a second date with Linnie just on the basis of Kendra’s voicemail. But he realized that would be hurtful only to Linnie, and a form of self-torture to himself.
Picking up his guitar, Scott strummed a few chords, playing around with a Led Zeppelin tune he’d been trying to learn. It didn’t push Kendra out of his mind. Before he could do something stupid like call, Scott put away his guitar. He went to bed thinking of Kendra. He still cared for her. Maybe knowing what she found out would help.
Scott drove to Kendra’s office after work. Not that he had a good reason for it. He needed to see her face when she told him why she would call after months of silence. Was she looking for a few nights of fun after months of loneliness or had she fallen for Scott the way he had fallen for her? He needed to know.
Scott figured if Kendra could surprise him with a phone call, he could surprise her in person. He drove to her real estate office, hoping that a face-to-face talk would clear things up. Strolling into the office, Scott hoped that he wasn’t making a huge mistake. He didn’t even know if he wanted to be back with Kendra again.
An older woman with white hair in a vivid blue pant suit sat at the reception desk. Seeing Scott, she put on a huge smile, “May I help you?”
“I’m hoping Kendra is in,” Scott was immediately drawn to the woman, whose smile was honest. In business that was a rarity. The problem with a sales job was that a person had to be ‘on’ even when they are suffering.
“She’s out for the day. I can leave her a message.”
“That’s all right. Thanks anyway.” Scott said.
He turned to go, but a man’s voice called from down the hall, “Kendra’s showing one of our Tacoma homes. Would you like me to pass along a message?”
The last thing Scott wanted to do was hang out with the guy who came out of the office down the hall. The man dressed the part, but his eagerness was feigned. He was short and stocky with a swagger that came from puffed up self-importance. Scott immediately disliked Drew for no concrete or discernable reason. Scott said, “No thanks.”
Scott hurried away from the office without looking back. Had he caught Drew’s expression, he would have seen a look of complete hatred.
Chapter 9
KENDRA DIDN’T RECOGNIZE the number, but the client gushed about the house in Orting and what he had seen online. It was a long drive, far past the town and deep into the woods. The client said, “I know it’s late, but could we meet at eight?”
“Of course,” Kendra said. It was a same day request, one that Kendra was happy to oblige. It would take her mind off the fact that Scott hadn’t returned her call. Kendra was fairly certain he wasn’t going to.
She still had a few hours. Kendra prepped her gym bag for the morning and washed the dishes. She dressed in her black power suit. The Orting house was a long drive from town, and a seven hundred thousand dollar property. Kendra needed to present herself with perfection.
Finally the time came. Kendra hadn’t been to the property before, so she left an hour ahead of schedule. The house was tucked into the woods off the highway. The original owners had a masterful vision, a beautiful two-story house with turreted windows at the corners. Aside from setting it at the edge of civilization, the house was perfect.
Another car was already parked when Kendra drove up. She checked her makeup in the mirror. The appointment wasn’t for another half hour. The buyer must be really excited to show up earlier than Kendra.
Kendra hit her fob to lock the car and took a deep breath, smiling toward the house. She would have to turn on the house lights. Even though sun down was still an hour away, the woods shadowed the house, giving it an eerie dark feeling.
Her client should have been outside. She said hello into the evening a few times before moving toward the front door. With acreage like this, he was probably walking the woods while he waited for Kendra to show.
The keys for the house were inside a real estate lock box. Kendra typed in the code. The box was empty. Kendra felt an immediate surge of adrenaline. She could not be locked out of the house. Not after driving an hour. And the client. Oh my God. If she had to tell someone who qualified for this house that she didn’t have the keys to get in...heads would roll.
Grumbling, Kendra turned the doorknob, fully expecting the house to be locked up tight. Instead, the door swung open gently. Kendra hesitated. The door shouldn’t be open. The key should be in the box, and there was another car sitting in the driveway.
Kendra talked to herself while she waited at the threshold. You’re just oversensitive from working with Drake. Go inside. Maybe this guy has inside contacts who gave him the code. Do not lose this sale over something stupid like fear.
Pep talk over, Kendra stepped inside. A puff of air ruffled her hair from the left. Kendra flipped the light switch. Nothing happened. She said, “Is anyone...”
Before she could finish the sentence, Kendra felt a sharp point at her throat. “If you move, I’ll cut your throat.”
A hand snaked around her head, forcing a rag over her mouth. Kendra bucked back, her skull cracking her attacker’s nose. The action forced her to draw a breath and she took a breath of sweet smelling chloroform. Kendra didn’t know that smell, but she could guess what it was used for. Stumbling away, Kendra fell, striking her elbow on a glass table in the entryway and sending it crashing to the floor. Scrabbling up before her attacker could grab her, Kendra fled through the dining room into the kitchen and into the island, deeper into the shadows.
“Ow! My nose!”
It was Drew’s voice. He wasn’t fit enough to take on Kendra. His element of surprise was over. Kendra just needed to think, to plan. He messed with the wrong woman. While listening to Drew scream obscenities, Kendra dropped to her hands and knees and crawled behind the island.
Drew stopped and now his focus was on her again. Kendra needed to keep that rag away from her face. Drew was a good fifty pounds heavier. In a strength contest, he’d win, so Kendra needed to be slippery and fast. Years of kick boxing wouldn’t hurt, but as every great self-defense teacher would say, the best tactic is to run while you can. If Kendra ran for the back door and it was locked, Drew would have her cornered. Better to stay put and see what he did next.
In a surprising move, Drew left
the house. When she heard the front door close, Kendra moved through the island to the back door. As she had anticipated, it had been locked with both the door lock and a deadbolt. In the dark, she fumbled a moment to unlock both.
Kendra was ready to run outside and flee into the woods, but she didn’t know where Drew had gone. He might have run around to the back, expecting Kendra to come out this way. He had the keys to the house. She couldn’t lock herself inside. Her best chance was to get out.
Her hand on the knob, Kendra pulled the door open in a single smooth motion and then jumped to the side, just in case. Nothing happened. Kendra flipped on the porch light. It was a risk and would give away her position to Drew, but she had to know if he was back there. With a quick scan of the back yard, Kendra noted that Drew was not in the back and the back yard opened to the woods without a fence to block her passage. She wore dress shoes and a pencil skirt which put her at a distinct disadvantage.
Having left her coat and tennis shoes in the car, Kendra would have to risk a night of cold, but it was better than waiting to see what Drew had planned for her. Slipping quickly out of her shoes, Kendra turned out the porch light and pushed through the screen door, running across the grass in nylons. As she ran, she felt the wet grass on the bottoms of her feet.
She heard noise coming from the front yard, two or three thumps and then silence. As she stepped off the grass and onto the forest floor, she winced as she stepped onto a twig and then pine needles. Kendra wasn’t a person who liked to run around barefoot. With tender feet and shoes designed for the office, she wouldn’t get far on foot. Kendra decided that dress shoes were better than none. At least her flight across the grass had made no sound. She knelt in the shadows, slipping her shoes back onto sore feet.
As she leaned forward, Kendra felt warmth on her neck. Swiping her neck, Kendra’s hand came away sticky. Kendra’s first thought was not for her life. It was for her hundred and fifty dollar outfit, the one she had bought for special clients and interviews and now she was in the woods getting it dirty and bleeding all over herself. Without a cloth or bandage to hold against it, Kendra kept her hand pressed tightly against the cut. The whole situation felt surreal, as if she were playing an elaborate game like dinner theater.
The deep woods of the Pacific Northwest could be unforgiving when off-path. Devil’s club with spiky thorns and blackberry patches could turn the loveliest hike into a thorny challenge. Most people didn’t go off-trail, too many stickers and prickers in the woods. Kendra regretted taking off her coat, a light jacket lined with fleece that would have kept out the rain. Even now she shivered.
With each step Kendra moved deeper into the woods, moving from tree to tree and keeping the house in sight, her plan to slip out of the woods to the car and drive away. Ambient light from the porch lights forced Kendra to freeze in the deep shadow of a Cedar tree. Crouching low, Kendra kept hidden in the shadows, hampered by her bad shoe choice.
The light from the porch cast beams between the trees. She didn’t dare move. Shivering, Kendra rolled into a ball and waited, listening intently for a sound, any sound that would indicate Drew’s position. A slight breeze picked up and Kendra wrapped her arms around her body and hunkered down, determined to outlast Drew.
The beam of a flashlight dipped into the forest, and Kendra heard the snapping of twigs to the left. If Drew swung the flashlight in her direction, he’d see her clearly. Kendra carefully moved forward, around the tree so that it would block Drew’s line of sight. Every step calculated to block noise, Kendra was glad that Drew wasn’t as savvy as the military men she used to work with. Had he stopped moving long enough to listen, he might have heard Kendra.
Staying low, Kendra weaved along the edge of the lawn, using the tree line to keep her in the shadows. The car was in sight and Drew was behind her. She just needed to cross the lawn. There was no perfect time. She could still hear Drew in the forest, using his flashlight like a spotlight, hoping to catch her.
Slipping her hand into the blazer pocket, Kendra carefully grasped her key chain, fingering the car key and pulling it out, her fingers tightly holding the remaining keys to prevent noise.
Kendra ran for her car, unlocking the driver’s door with the fob as she approached. Drew had dragged a huge branch across the driveway. The minute she opened the car door, Drew heard the sounds and ran across the yard. She swung the door shut and locked it, putting the key into the ignition.
She turned the key and out of habit, her front beams. Drew had dragged a sapling into the driveway, blocking the road. Kendra might be able to drive around. In a quick glance at the mirror, Kendra saw that the cut on her throat was an inch long and was even now welling with slow beads of blood. A thin film of blood had dripped down, collecting near her collar. Feeling lucky that Drew hadn’t hit the artery, Kendra put the car into drive, feeling resistance. She heard the sound of scraping.
That was when she realized that Drew had cut her tires. Out of the corner of her eye, Kendra saw movement.
Drew banged on the door, his face in the window. “Get out of the car.”
Kendra might not have a road-legal vehicle, but the doors were locked and she was in the driver’s seat. Throwing the car into reverse, Kendra poured on the gas, backing away from Drew. She put the car in forward motion and turned toward him, trying her best to hit him full on. He dove out of the way. Ignoring him now that he was out of the way, Kendra stomped on the gas, flooring the accelerator with every intention of clearing that branch. With the headlights on high beam, she could see where the thinnest part of the tree crossed the driveway and aimed for that.
With her focus on getting past the tree, she didn’t see Drew run for his own car. She had only glanced back once to see him on his hands and knees in the grass and then she was stuck. The car struck, but the momentum didn’t carry it forward. Instead, Kendra found herself unable to move further.
She put the car into reverse to try again. Kendra’s heart was beating fast, and her mouth was dry. Her whole body shook with cold and fear while she backed up, hoping that a good run for the tree branch would clear it. She didn’t dare get out of the car to remove it herself.
Drew stepped into her headlight, this time with a gun in one hand and a hammer in the other. He pointed the gun at her windshield, aiming for her. Kendra stayed in reverse, backing all the way into the lawn and cornering backward, the car bouncing and rattling. The engine block might stop a bullet. The door of the car would not. That was a Hollywood myth. Kendra couldn’t breathe fast enough to get air.
Get ahold of yourself. Now is not the time for a panic attack. Well, actually it was the perfect time to panic, but Kendra needed to survive before falling apart. Kendra floored the car in reverse, her driving skills seriously lacking. Drew hadn’t fired a shot yet. Maybe the gun wasn’t loaded; maybe he was just using it as a prop to get her out of the car.
Kendra didn’t want to take any chances and put as much distance between herself and Drew as possible. Unfortunately, the million dollar house had a fifty-thousand dollar yard. The owners would rather have trees than grass, so Kendra found herself at the edge of the lawn before she even really got going.
Switching back to drive, Kendra turned the car in a semicircle so that she could drive forward. She turned to the side of the house. It was a risk. She hadn’t taken a look at this side of the yard and Drew might be waiting for her. She hit a garden gnome, the statue thunk thunking under her grill. Crossing the front walk and angling the car, Kendra hoped that she could get past that downed sapling.
That was when she heard the first shot and a thunking sound as the bullet passed through the back windshield and into the dash. Kendra slammed on the gas even while she flinched, accidentally turning the wheel when she ducked against the side window. She didn’t have room for error. The car swerved sideways and into a tree, smashing the front and throwing her against the wheel. This was an older car without airbags. Kendra hit the steering wheel. Even at the slower speed she had tra
veled, the impact knocked the wind out of her.
Gasping for breath, Kendra knew she had to keep going. She tried to put the car into reverse, but the tires spun. Her sneakers and jacket were in the passenger seat. Kendra leaned over and grabbed both, sharp pains shooting along her side and hitching her breath. She unlocked the car and threw herself out.
To Kendra’s perception, the accident happened in an instant and she immediately crawled out of the wreckage with her sneakers and jacket in hand. In reality, the shock of hitting the tree slowed her down, dulled her senses, and time compressed. When Kendra leaned over toward the passenger seat, Drew was almost to the car.
She pushed the door open and stumbled out, falling to her knees. Before she even knew what was happening, Drew was pushing the rag over her face, holding it tightly over her mouth under Kendra lost consciousness. Those moments seemed to stretch, and Kendra thought if she could just muster the energy to fight, she could get away again. But she was all out of fight.
Chapter 10
KENDRA WOKE UP WITH her face pressed against the concrete in the garage. She was gagged and tied up with her hands behind her back and her feet bound together. Her feet were bare but for nylons badly worn from her tromp through the woods. She opened her eyes when she smelled Drew’s cologne. The smell made her want to gag. She closed her eyes again and remained motionless.
“I know you’re awake,” Drew said. His sing-song arrogance ticked Kendra off.
The gag prevented her from speaking clearly, but she said, “What do you want?”
“Nothing.”
He laughed, the high-pitched giggle of a school child. He was messing with her, and she didn’t like it.
“Someone will know I’m missing,” Kendra said. Maybe. Hopefully. Kendra prayed that she mattered to someone out there.
