by LM Terry
Then she does something unexpected. Something so intimate it pulls at my heart. She places her palms face down on the casket and lays her head down between them so that her cheek is flat against the smooth black surface. She is speaking but I am too far away to make out what she is saying. My chest tightens at the intimacy of the moment.
I can see that she is crying, her body shakes slightly as the sorrow escapes. She stays like this for a long time before she slowly turns to walk away with her head down. As she enters her car she pauses and looks around as if she can sense my eyes upon her.
I want to go to my sister, but I need to watch the girl. I need to know what her plan is. I will come back tonight when it is dark. I get in my car and wait until Sarah turns onto the road then I follow.
She makes three stops before heading to her ranch. One at the bank, a local relator and finally the little corner bookstore. Eventually she makes her way home. I see the lights come on and observe as she goes to each window checking the locks before closing the curtains.
I pull away. Tomorrow we meet. She will tell me what she knows but for now I need to pick up Liam. We both need closure. It’s time to go to the tiny little cemetery on the hill and say our goodbyes to Sophia.
Chapter Eleven
∞∞∞
Anna
I walk in and throw my bag on the couch. I avoid turning around remembering how this nightmare all started, I’m half expecting Brian to be behind me. It was him. The man who took me. I trudge to the windows to check that they are all locked, it’s a silly thing to do. When Oliver comes for me nothing will stop him, not even locked doors or windows.
I can’t shake the feeling that someone is watching me. I know it is more than likely too soon for him to be looking for me. He could have connections here in the United States and they are already tracking my every move.
It doesn’t matter. Next time I will not go easily, I’ll fight until they kill me, I won’t surrender. I walk down the hallway to my room. I stop in the doorway. How many years did I hide in here? I flop face first onto my bed. The FBI game me a new identity. I can’t remember what it. It is irrelevant. I don’t know why I even asked for one. He will come, different name or not.
I reluctantly stopped at the bookstore on the way home. I didn’t want to. Frank and Irene have been worried to death about me. They wanted me to stay with them. I’m not putting anyone else in danger especially them. They are the only people I have left in this world. I cannot remain here. I told them I was leaving tomorrow to go into the witness protection program.
It’s partially true. I’m running far away from here. I’ve gifted the ranch to a local shelter for battered women. The ranch is large with many rooms, they can house up to twenty ladies here. I guess there have been studies done that show people can heal being around and working with horses. They were thrilled with my offer. I’m happy with the thought it might benefit someone. I’m glad for the horses too, Frank has been caring for them since my abduction. I couldn’t help Sophia. Maybe this will make a difference.
I purchased a small cabin in Colorado. The drive to the nearest town almost two hours away. He will find me there but at least I will be far enough away he can’t hurt anyone else.
I think about the man they killed at the motel. It seems like years ago, but it has only been a little over a month. After purchasing the cabin and paying the expenses for Sophia’s final resting place, I still have over a million dollars. At least now I know that it is legitimate earnings from my father, well my step-father.
I pull out my phone and pull up the go fund me account for the family of the man. I study the pictures of his wife and daughters. Tears spill from my eyes. I make the donation anonymously…one million. This won’t bring their dad back but hopefully this makes their life a little easier. I stopped at the bank, so they would know the transfer was legit. I pulled the rest out in cash. I don’t want to hassle with setting up a new account in Colorado.
How long will I have to wait for him? I know that he will come. The expression in his eye as Brian hauled him away to run and make their escape, told me as much. When he finds out I gave information to the FBI, he will be furious. He will kill me. That is what I am banking on, anyway. If he doesn’t, then I fight him until he has no choice.
I set the phone down, rolling over onto my back. I look at the rope marks engrained in the palm of my hands, I clench my fists. Nothing went as planned. Tears sting at my eyes. I miss Sophia. She was like family and now she is gone, and it is all on me.
That morning, I had a plan, and it was working. I waited in the dark for the skinny man to come and get us up for the day. Waiting, running the rope through my fingers. The adrenaline was intense, coursing through my veins. When I heard the clang of the keys, I put my finger up to my lips to remind Sophia to remain quiet.
She tried to talk me out of my crazy plan the night before, but she couldn’t. She gave up after seeing how scared I was at the thought of marrying Oliver. She pulled the blanket over her head. When he walked in I slammed the door shut and wrapped the rope around his neck then jumped on his back before he knew what was happening.
I pulled tightly. The rope cut into my hands as he bucked like a wild horse. He slammed me into the cement wall knocking the air out me. My back scraped against the rough concrete. He reared his head and hit me in the right side of my face but still I held on. I could feel the rope giving, cutting into his neck. Then just as quickly as it began he slumped to the ground with me falling on top of him.
Sophia scrambled to the ground to retrieve the gun from his holster. Our eyes locked. “Holy shit,” I said in hushed tones. “I killed a man.”
Then we heard it. Guns going off on what sounded like the floor above us. We rushed out then slowly climbed the stairs. When we reached the main floor, I saw men in swat gear crouched down near the front door. The door I had wanted to escape from every time I walked by. It was then I looked up and my eyes met Oliver’s.
He was staring at me over the banister. Brian was tugging at his arm trying to pull him the other direction. He stared at me and mouthed the words, “I will find you.” I spun to Sophia as men in gear rushed in. One of them spotted us and yelled to run towards him…towards freedom.
“Sophia, it is happening we are getting out of here! Let’s go!” I ran for the door and then I stumbled as a blast went off behind me. I turned back my ears ringing. She had shot herself in the side of the head with the gun she had retrieved off the man I had just killed.
I remember little after that. I recall sitting in the rear of an ambulance asking the detective, the one from the bookstore, if I could go back in. I needed the book that Oliver gave me. He wouldn’t let me, but he sent one of his men in to retrieve it for me.
Detective Sharp offered to drive me home from Dallas. I argued that he didn’t have to that I could just get on the bus. He insisted. They made me stay a few days at Dallas Memorial hospital but there wasn’t really a need for it. I am bruised, my hands and back are cut up but other than that I am fine. They detected the drugs in my system and wanted to run blood tests. They were making sure I hadn’t contracted anything from possible dirty needles.
Brian was right. I was lucky compared to the other girls. We were all brought to the same hospital and put on the same floor. I listened as they cried and screamed out from nightmares. I haven’t had any nightmares. I haven’t been able to sleep.
I’ll rest when I get to my cabin. Tonight, I need to pack up whatever I am taking with me. I drag myself out of my bed to make coffee. It will be a long night. On the way to the kitchen I stop in the hallway and back up to bathroom.
I stare at my reflection. The bruise on my face is turning a lovely shade of purple and bluish green. I run my finger over it before pulling my hair up into a bun. I open the medicine cabinet and take out a new box of contact lenses. Popping one in each eye, I study myself in the mirror.
Sarah is starring back at me. I need to be her. It will help me get past wh
at happened back in Venezuela. At least for a little while, until Oliver finds me, and forces Anna back out.
Chapter Twelve
∞∞∞
Dylan
Liam and I stop at the liquor store to pick up another bottle of the hard stuff before we head to the cemetery. It’s dark, but the moon is full tonight, illuminating the lines of white stones. The tent is gone and so is the casket. Funny how you never see the grave diggers. They are illusive characters.
We make our way up to the pile of raw dirt. I am surprised to discover a headstone already set. If that girl is anything she is efficient. I sit down in the grass and crack open the new bottle. I watch my friend walk to the stone and pull something out of his pocket, setting it on top. I catch the diamond glint against the moonlight. So many dreams being left here tonight.
Liam runs his finger along the newly etched writing. Sophia Lorenz, twenty-five years of age. The dash reflects so little space between her birth and death. How did Sarah know her birthday? It doesn’t seem like something one would bring up in captivity. I want to ask him more about her, but I don’t interrupt the moment.
He sits down beside me. I hand him the bottle. He rests his forearms on his raised knees and lets it dangle in his hands before taking a drink. “I can’t believe she is gone.”
“Yeah, me either.” I lay down and look up at the stars. “She is in a better place, better than this shit show.” I spread my arms out showing him I mean everything… life.
He sighs and takes another long swig before passing it to me. “What’s your strategy Dylan?”
“I told you it’s best if you don’t know.”
“I’m not stopping you, not this time. I want him dead,” he grits out.
“He will be,” I say. I’m not going to let him in on my plan. He has enough to deal with. I don’t want him to lose his job, it is all he has left.
“I can’t put my finger on it but there is something about Sarah that I’m missing,” he says. He lays back and joins me to watch the celestial show.
“She didn’t give you any information? Does she have Stockholm syndrome? I guess I don’t understand how she could be engaged to him.”
“I asked her several questions, but she didn’t talk. She just stared out the window on the flight back from Venezuela. It wasn’t until after they saw her at the hospital that a nurse called telling me she was asking to speak to an agent.”
“That’s when she requested the deal with the information from her book?”
“Yep. I tried to get more out of her but all I got were names, locations, dates and times. All helpful but she wouldn’t talk about Sophia or Wright.” He sits up and reaches for the bottle. “One thing I found strange was when I asked if I could call her parents. She said no, they were vacationing, and that they couldn’t be reached.”
“That’s fucked up,” I respond feeling a bit of empathy for the girl. “So, what about Ramirez? I bet that was a surprise finding the motherfucker there.”
“Yes. I wish he would have been alive. That bastard got off easy having a heart attack in his bed.”
“Are you heading back tomorrow?” I ask. Hoping he heads out early so I can introduce myself to Sarah. The excitement of the hunt creeps through my veins. I shouldn’t feel this way, but I do. Does it make me any better than them? I shrug it off.
I let my mind wander to the girl. She was standing in this spot earlier. I pick up the rose in front of my sister’s headstone. The diggers must have placed it there. She had gently set it on the casket, her dark hair blowing in the wind. I wonder how she smells. I raise the flower to my face inhaling the fragrant scent. I shouldn’t be having these thoughts. But none the less I am enthusiastic that tomorrow I will find out.
I’m taking her. I’ll do whatever it takes to make her talk.
Chapter Thirteen
∞∞∞
Anna
I watch as the folks from the women’s shelter pull out of the driveway. I wave to them and then brush my hands together. Well, that is done. Everything is locked up and they have the keys. I look around, my suitcases are sitting on the ground in front of my open trunk. I reach into the driver’s window and pull out the map I had tossed on the seat.
I know I could use a map program on my phone but there is something I love about having an actual map. Kind of like the feel of having an actual book in hand. I open it and set it on the hood of my car. I study the red x where my new cabin lies. I trace my finger over the highway that will take me north and then west into Colorado.
“Where are we headed?” a deep voice says making me jump.
He is right behind me. The heat off him seeps into my backside. How did I not hear someone walk up behind me? I reach up and pull my sunglasses off the top of my head setting them down calmly on the car. That was fast.
“We are not going anywhere,” I say. I’m not going back to Oliver.
The man slowly reaches around me. I watch as his large tanned hand grabs the map. As soon as he has the map in hand, I scramble up on the hood hoping to jump off the other side and run. He grabs me, pulling me off kicking and screaming. He is as big as Brian, no, bigger.
I dig my nails into his arms and buck my head back. It does no good. I am only banging into his solid chest. He walks around to the back of my car lifting my feet high off the ground and forces my legs into the trunk shoving me down slamming it shut.
I scream at the top of my lungs, crying, gasping for breath. Panic consumes me. I kick at the trunk yelling for him to let me out. The car door opens and shuts. It sounds like he tosses something in the backseat. Then I hear another door open and close as the engine starts. No, no, this can’t be happening. It’s too soon. My screams are drowned out by the sudden blare of the radio.
∞∞∞
Dylan
Jesus, I enjoyed that way more than I should have. I reach down to my crotch adjusting myself. What the fuck, maybe this is a bad idea. Where is Liam when I need him? I need him to talk some sense into me.
At this point I don’t know if that would even be effective. I’ve touched her, smelled her. She smells like a field of lavender. I listen to her scream. Part of me enjoys her terror, the other lets the scream tug at my heart. “Fuck.” I slam the palm of my hand on the wheel.
I drive for a while then find myself wondering what she is thinking. Her cries stopped about an hour ago. I glance at the empty passenger seat. I was just going to make the whole twelve-hours and leave her back there, but I want to see her. I want her next to me.
I stop at a little station with no attendant and pull up to top off the tank. I wait listening to see if she will scream again. Nothing. I grab my bag as the gas pumps plucking out a pair of handcuffs. I finish up and glance around me. We are in a remote location but with all the damn cameras in the world I decide it’s best if I let her out down the way.
I get in and drive for another hour, debating where to pull over. Finally, I spot a road leading to a grove of trees. Perfect. I turn off and drive down the dirt road looking in the rearview mirror at the dust rolling behind the car. I drive off the road into the woods, hiding the car from the highway about a half mile back.
I shut the engine off and stick the pair of the cuffs in my waistband. I make my way to the trunk, lightly knocking on the top.
“Fuck you,” she yells in a flat tone.
I chuckle. I’m pleasantly surprised at the fight in her. Most of the girls we find have no spirit left in them. Then I remember who she is, the fiancé of the man I am going to kill. A darkness settles over me. I am better off leaving the bitch in the trunk. I get back in, but I don’t pull away.
I drum my thumbs on the wheel and reflect on her placing her face against my sister’s casket. Curiosity wins out. I get out and pop the lid. She covers her eyes blinking at the bright light. She doesn’t look at me. I reach in and pull her out keeping my hand around her wrist as she steadies herself.
I let go for a brief second to grab the cuffs from my waistband
. She skitters away like a frightened deer. I smile slowly…and so the chase begins.
Chapter Fourteen
∞∞∞
Anna
I don’t know where I am running but I am determined to get away from him. He locked me in my damn trunk! Lucky for me I was able to keep it together. Fighting the claustrophobia, I slipped away to the lake with Sarah. I pondered for a long time why he didn’t drug me like Brian did. I wish he would have. It would have been easier.
I stop briefly to catch my breath, hiding behind a tree. We are in a wooded area. I can’t see any signs of civilization. Maybe he is someone that was sent to murder me. I think about the information I gave the FBI. The thought spurs me to run again.
I don’t hear him. Just as I assume I may have gotten far enough away he comes from behind and slams me to the ground face first. I cry out as I land on the hard dirt.
He doesn’t get off me. He has me pinned. I try to push up off the ground with the palms of my hands. Sticks painfully poke and scratch at my arms and legs. The only sound is my harsh rapid breathing and his. But, his is not as labored as mine. This pisses me off. This was never a fair chase. But then again, life isn’t fair.
“You may as well kill me now,” I say through gritted teeth, struggling to suck oxygen into my lungs.
He lifts his weight off slightly to allow me to gulp in more air. “I’m not going to kill you,” he says above me as he buries his nose in my hair.
I squirm to slide my way out from under him.
“Sarah, stop,” he growls.
I detect something pressed against me. He is getting turned on by my movements, that or the chase I’m not sure. His erection is pressing against my ass. I instantly still. I realize something else. He called me Sarah. Why didn’t he call me Anna? This and him not drugging me earlier makes me wonder if he is even one of Oliver’s men. If not, who is he?
