Turning on the Tide

by Jenna Rae

  Lola sidled along the outside of the trailer, eying the living room. She heard a strange hollering that sounded like a child, then a bang, like someone was slammed into a wall, and suddenly all her calm left her. She’d assumed Janet wouldn’t physically harm Del. Apparently, she was wrong. Flinging her body toward the trailer’s entrance, Lola forgot to be quiet. She yanked open the metal screen door and stopped short when she felt someone close behind her, close enough to tickle Lola’s ear with hot, minty breath.

  “Sterling?” Lola froze. She twisted her head to take in Sterling’s amused, sardonic expression. It didn’t matter. Del was here and someone was hurting her. Lola looked down and scrabbled for the gun in her thigh holster. She managed to get it out, but Sterling lunged forward, crushed Lola’s fingers in her iron grip and took the gun away. Lola tried to fumble for the pepper spray, the knife, the stun gun, anything, but Sterling swung the pistol at Lola’s face.

  Lola tried to duck away, but the gun came at her too quickly, and she only managed to avoid some of its force. She was knocked into the sharp doorframe, and she was reminded of Orrin’s sharp white doorframe and how she grabbed for it on the day he kicked her out.

  How many times had Lola been hit in the face? Her nose was a little crooked from being broken a few times, and she was missing a molar that had been knocked out. It was amazing, Lola thought, trying to recover her sense of time and place, that she had a face left at all. She remembered looking at the mirror in the motel room. It had been hard to see herself in that reflection, hadn’t it? Again she had the feeling of being sucked out of the present and into another time, but she fought it.

  “Stay here,” Lola mumbled, pushing herself into an upright position. She grappled with Sterling, but something was taken from the big belt she wore and then she was being hurt.

  “Stud gud,” she mushmouthed a few minutes later. Sterling had hit Lola with her own stun gun.

  “Datsh nod good.”

  “Thought you’d play Rambo, huh?”

  Sterling’s smile, looming over Lola’s blinking eyes, was actually friendly looking. That, Lola decided, was really scary. A lot scarier than an angry face. Friendly faces on lunatics were always a bad, bad sign.

  “You think so?” Sterling’s smile grew broader, and Lola realized she’d been speaking aloud. “Well, I guess you’re probably right. Hunh, how about that? You learn something new every day.”

  “What did you do? Why are you two here?”

  At the sound of Janet’s voice, Lola twisted her head around and struggled to a sitting position. Sterling used her foot on Lola’s chest to push her back onto the floor, and Lola watched Janet and Sterling eye each other. Who was in charge? It was hard to tell. Janet pointed an accusing finger at Sterling.

  “You said you were taking her right away.”

  “Change of plans. I told you she would be the one.”

  “This messes up everything.” Janet let her hands fall lax against her thighs. “I don’t know what to do now.”

  Lola let her gaze wander between the two women. She needed to exploit what seemed to be a power struggle. Del was somewhere inside the little trailer, and the situation was too volatile.

  Sterling shook Janet one more time. “Understand one thing. This is my mission, and you are only here as a favor from me. You know this.”

  Janet nodded.

  “Go get your cop.”

  Janet nodded again and slipped away, and Sterling stood watching Lola for a moment. Lola tried to clear her head and come up with a new game plan. Had Janet arranged for Lola to meet Sterling? How were Janet and Sterling connected? Who was really in charge? Was Janet playing Sterling? Were they playacting for some reason?

  “I like to see how your mind tries to put it all together.” Sterling’s smile was easy. She was relaxed. She clearly thought she was in charge, but was she? “I really do like you. Dark, clever, more resilient than most. But still in need of my redemption. Sometimes I think you’re the one, but I’m not sure.”

  “And you get to decide? You’re in charge?” Lola heard the archness in her own tone but didn’t soften it with a smile. Maybe strength was all Sterling understood. Could Lola back up her words?

  Sterling laughed. She hoisted Lola up and shook her lightly. “I’ve been playing all three of you for a long time. You don’t even know it’s a game, do you?”

  “What are you playing for?”

  Sterling smiled broadly. “I like that. Most people would ask what the game is. But your mind is a dark, twisted place. I wish you had passed the tests, even one. Then you would be free and we could be friends.”

  “What tests?”

  Sterling shook her head. “Not for you to know right now.”

  Lola frowned. “You never answered my question.”

  “What does everyone play for?”

  Lola considered. “Love. Money. Power. Fun.”

  “None of the above.”

  “Please explain it to me. Maybe I can help you.”

  “You help me? Well, maybe. But the fact is that you have demonstrated an appalling lack of ability to take care of yourself, so now I have to take over. You’ve left me no choice.”

  “She’s ready,” Janet called from the edge of the hallway. She had Del in a kind of wheelchair.

  “Lola?” Del gaped.

  Sterling inclined her head. “If you talk, you get a shot that makes you go nighty-night. Do you want to go nighty-night, cop?”

  Del shook her head.

  “Good.”

  Janet cleared her throat. “Sterling, I—”

  Sterling shook her head and Janet stilled.

  “Everybody freeze for one minute. I have to get something from the truck.”

  Lola felt a flip in her stomach and swallowed hard. Her face was throbbing, her head swimming. Sterling had hurt her carelessly, casually. She would hurt Del too, with more pleasure because Del was a worthier opponent. Lola waited until Sterling yanked the door open with a metallic screech and slammed it shut behind her. Sterling had left the three of them alone, and Lola wasn’t sure why. She eyed Janet.

  “I thought you loved her.” Lola gestured at Del. “How could you do this?”

  Janet shook her head. “I didn’t mean to hurt her. I—”

  “We don’t have time for that. Sterling is nuts. You have to let Del go before Sterling decides she’s too much of a threat and kills her.”

  Janet’s eyes welled up. “You think you know her? You think you know me? You don’t know anything.”

  “So tell me. We need to get Del safe. Please help me do that.” Lola searched Janet’s eyes. Was there a sane person under there?

  “She is safe. That’s part of the deal.”

  “Safe? You’ve tied her up. Obviously you’ve been starving her. She looks half dead!”

  Janet’s gaze drifted to Del’s drawn face. “It’ll be better soon.”

  “Sterling is crazy. How do you even know her? Why would you let such a dangerous person around Del?” Lola stopped and caught her breath. “We don’t have time for this. You have to help me get Del away from that lunatic.”

  “She’s not a lunatic.”

  Lola’s face must have communicated something, because Janet’s twisted. “She’s a little unstable. But it’s okay. I know how she thinks. She’d never hurt Del, and it’ll all be okay. I promise.” She turned away from Lola and shrugged at Del. “I swear, baby.”

  “I don’t understand why you’d do such a crazy thing, and with someone like this.” Del was gazing up into Janet’s face, clearly as bewildered as her whispered words suggested.

  Janet’s eyes filled and she shrugged.

  “It’s hard to explain, baby. I know it looks bad. But Sterling saved my life. I couldn’t handle everything. It was so hard. I was hurting so much, and she saved my life. We were both in the hospital, I had taken too many pills, I guess, and they had all these therapy things, pottery, painting, photography, and Sterling was amazing. She took pictures of
everything, and she took pictures of me, and I couldn’t believe how clearly she saw me. She used her camera and showed me who I really am. It’s hard to explain, Del. She saw through everything to the real me, and I needed that. I needed her lens to be my eyes. I wanted to be my real self with you. I tried, I really did. But I was weak. And now here we are. I needed her help and I’m even able to help her sometimes. She’s braver than I am. She’s willing to do whatever’s necessary, and I’m not always strong enough. You just don’t get her. She’s not going to hurt anyone. She helps people, baby. She’s different, sure, but artists often are. You should know that. Marco, he’s an artist. You should understand.”

  “She’s gonna kill Lola. Whatever she told you, however she tricked you into helping her, you tying me up is so she can do whatever she wants to Lola without worrying about me stopping her.”

  Janet shook her head. “No, it seems like that, but it’s not. Things are—complicated.”

  “So explain them.” Del seemed to be trying not to cry.

  Lola stepped forward. “I’ll go with Sterling, get her to take me somewhere else. Just let Del go after we leave, please?”

  Janet reached out as if to touch Lola. “I’m sorry. I can’t do that. Things are already past that point.”

  “No, they’re not.” Lola struggled to think, ignoring the whanging pain in her face and head. “Let Del go, that’s all you have to do. We’ll take care of the rest.”

  “Please, you know this is wrong.” Del’s fingers flexed, like she was trying to gesture, and all three of them looked at Del’s trapped hand.

  Janet seemed torn, and Lola held her breath for an interminable moment. This is it. This is when Del finds out whether Janet loves her enough to do what’s best for Del instead of what’s best for herself.

  Please let her pick Del’s happiness over her own. Please let her show Del she loves her more than her own self. Please let her show Del it was worth loving her so she can stop feeling like a fool.

  Janet suddenly lunged toward Del with something shiny in her hand. Lola, fearful for Del’s safety, had nearly reached them when she realized Janet was cutting Del’s restraints with a pocketknife, and Del was shaking her arms and struggling to stand even as Janet struggled with the ties around her ankles.

  “Hold it, almost got it,” Janet huffed. She’d gotten all but Del’s left foot free when the squeal of the doorknob alerted them to Sterling’s return. Janet was still hacking at the last plastic tie when the door swung open with a crash.

  Chapter Forty

  Del was tangled up in Lola and Janet, who shrank back against her when Sterling came strolling in brandishing a Glock 19. A slightly smaller version of the macho 9mm, another model Del liked too. Del could barely feel her limbs and nearly toppled but felt both Janet and Lola brace her. They weren’t cowering away from Sterling and her weapon, they were trying to protect her from Sterling. She felt their love brimming over and spilling out onto her. She could do anything, defeat any enemy—if she could only keep her feet! Del staggered against the two women who struggled to hold her up, but they fell in a heap against the back wall of the trailer.

  “Aw, how touching.” Sterling didn’t seem surprised Janet had released Del. In fact, she seemed almost pleased. She was relaxed, but her grip on the Glock 19 was steady. She held the weapon like someone who knew guns well enough to be confident. Was she an amateur shooter or did she have some professional experience? Had she been the one who shot Del? At the moment, that seemed pretty likely.

  “You knew she’d let me go,” Del murmured.

  Sterling blushed, seeming bashful. “I hoped, but you can never be sure. You know.” She looked directly at Del. “You’re good at reading people too. That’s one of the things I like about you. I was really pulling for you and her.” She gestured at Lola.

  Del nodded as though she understood what was going on. Obviously, whatever relationship existed between Janet and Sterling, Janet wasn’t in on all of it.

  “What are you talking about? What’s going on?” Janet backed away from Del, and her eyes bounced between Del and Sterling.

  “She set you up.” Del grimaced. “I don’t get the whole game, but—”

  “I passed!” Janet screamed this, and Del saw Lola cover her ears. “I passed, you said! You said I passed!”

  Sterling ignored Janet and eyed Del. “Take her.” She gestured at Lola. “I was hoping she would win.”

  “This was a test?” Janet was hysterical, screaming, her breath heaving, her body curling in on itself. “You were testing me again? How could you do this to me?”

  Del nodded at Sterling. “You’re just letting me and Lola leave?”

  Sterling smiled. “So you’d leave her here?” She pointed the Glock at Janet.

  “What are my choices?” Del fought for calm and shrugged. “You shoot me, you hurt Lola or you hurt Janet. I’m not sure what else I can do.”

  Janet sank into a bundle of limbs on the floor. “No, you’re right, go. I never meant, I didn’t want to hurt anyone. It’s better this way. Sterling, I don’t understand all of this. You said we were friends. Said I was special to you. That you wanted to help me. That you wanted my help. Why didn’t you just leave me alone? I would have been better off dead. Been able to rest. I’m so tired! Just leave, Del, it’s better that way.”

  “See? There you go, off the hook.” Sterling’s easy grin seemed to quell the last of Janet’s will. Del watched Janet curl into a helpless ball and start chewing a thumbnail. Del also eyed Sterling’s weapon hand. It had to be getting tired.

  “What’re you gonna do with her?” Del noticed her voice sounded disinterested.

  “What do you care?”

  Del shrugged again. “If I’m leaving her to her death, I’d like to say goodbye. If you’re just gonna mindfuck her, whatever.”

  “I like that, mindfuck. Did you tailor that to me?” Sterling tilted her head. “You’re very good at that, figuring out where people are coming from and using that against them.”

  “So are you,” Del admitted. “What’s your background? Military? Law enforcement? Some government training, I’d guess.”

  Sterling laughed so hard her weapon hand dropped a few inches. “You’re so transparent! I love that. All cop, all the time. Can you ever turn it off?”

  “No, I guess not.” Del shook her head, using the gesture to cover a quick survey of the room. What could she use as a weapon? A glint of metal on the floor near Janet’s quivering figure caught Del’s gaze, and she forced herself to continue her visual sweep without pause.

  “I’m not mad,” Sterling insisted. “You can’t help what you are. We are who we are, and we can’t change it. That’s why I have to do what I do.” She nodded as if agreeing with herself.

  “What do you do?”

  “Are you taking off or not?”

  Del nodded. She pulled Lola close and eased between her and Sterling. “We’re going. Janet, I’m sorry. I have to save Lola.”

  There was no response.

  Del shuffled toward the door in tandem with Sterling’s progress away from it. It felt like some strange, ritualistic dance, the two women circling around some invisible no-man’s land between them, eyes locked, bodies contorted in defensive postures.

  “We can’t leave her,” Lola mumbled this into Del’s neck.

  “It’s okay,” Del murmured, not taking her eyes off Sterling’s. The Glock wavered only slightly as Sterling completed her semicircular journey.

  “No, it’s not.”

  “Lola!”

  Lola shrank away at the anger in her tone and Del held her more firmly. She steered them both out the open trailer door and backed down the stairs, not taking her gaze from Sterling’s face until the last possible moment. She hustled Lola farther from the trailer, ignoring her slight resistance, and waited until they were a good thirty yards down the hill before letting Lola stop her.

  “What are you doing? You can’t leave Janet alone with that woman!” />
  “Shhh. Hey, look at me.” She guided Lola’s face with gentle hands. “Look at me. I’m going back. I’m not gonna just leave her, of course not. I just wanted to get you safe. We’re gonna give it a few minutes, then you’re gonna start walking back the way you came. Just keep walking until you hear from me.”

  “What are you going to do, fight with Sterling? She has a gun and you don’t. She’s at full strength and you’re weak as a kitten. Del, it’s not that I don’t have faith in you, I just want to understand your plan.”

  Del’s smile was genuine. “I love you,” she blurted and gently dabbed away Lola’s sudden tears.

  “I love you too, and that’s why I want to know. I’m not just walking away while you run into the line of fire. You wouldn’t let me, would you?”

  “Of course not. But I have a plan. Janet is a lot stronger and more resilient than Sterling realizes. You know how she was cutting me free? She’s staying close to that little knife, and I bet she’s playing possum until I’m there to distract Sterling. I know how to disarm her, and I know exactly how Janet and I can get over on her. All I need is the element of surprise and Janet’s got us halfway there.”

  “You’re going to work with Janet to overpower Sterling. Don’t you think she’s anticipated that?”

  Del smiled. “I’m counting on it.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  Lola watched Del sneak back up the hill and let out her breath with a sigh. Everything would be all right now. She’d bought enough time to ensure Del and Janet would be safe. She turned and nodded at Sterling, hidden behind the clutch of bushes nearby, then followed her down the rest of the way toward the black SUV that loomed before her far too quickly. It wasn’t until they’d jounced along the dirt road for a few minutes that Sterling tossed the handcuffs into the backseat. Lola slid them into place, chilled by the metal against her wrists.