Текст книги "Run"

Автор книги: Holly Hood

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 14 страниц)

I wondered what he was thinking about doing with me.

“I like to think I’m not so naïve,” I said, my voice so low I could barely hear myself.

He pulled the gun from his waist, running it along my cheek and back down to my lips. I blinked back the tears at his sick game.

He finally stopped the gun at my temple, my pulse beating against the pressure of the cold metal.

“Do you think you’re a good person, Kendall?”

“No, not at all,” I said, swallowing down the misery of my honest answer.

“Really?” he asked, one eyebrow lifted in confusion. “Are you afraid to die?”

I wanted to spit in his face for his cruelty. Why didn’t he just pull the trigger and end it already. A part of me, however, silently begged that he wouldn’t shoot me.

“No, I’m not afraid to die,” I admitted. I closed my eyes and the tears fell quickly. “I’m not afraid of much in life. I’ve seen too much to be scared.”

He let out a sigh. I opened my eyes. He pulled the gun away from me.

He turned his back to me and moved to the door. I took the opportunity to pull a dumbbell out of a box behind me. I quickly hid it behind me. Fortunately, he was none the wiser.

“Well, Kendall, we’ve got two options,” he said, looking around the garage.

I nodded, my heart pounding erratically in my chest as he came closer. I increased the pressure on the dumbbell, squeezing it tighter so it wouldn’t fall to the ground.

I no longer heard anything he was saying. The adrenaline in my body took over and I remained focused on his head—my intended target.

I took a deep breath and swung before I had time to change my mind. I connected with the side of his head before dropping the barbell.

His face contorted in pain, quickly followed by anger.

While he was somewhat dazed, I took that opportunity to rush out the door.

My heart hammered in my chest and air filled my lungs as I tried to pick up speed.

“You didn’t even get to hear my options,” he yelled. He picked up speed and was quickly gaining on me.

I ran toward the trailer then came to a dead stop. Did I dare barge in there with all the guns I’d seen? I’d be dead as soon as I hit the door.

I was frantic when the memory of the two guns Mark had flashed my way. I turned in a circle, not knowing what to do next. Dust swirled at my feet.

“Mason!” I screamed. I hoped he was all right and wondered if he could hear me calling for him.

I pushed forward in a run. It felt like I stepped on every rock or nail in my path. My body froze as a single gunshot rang out. My shoulders drew up in defense mode and I dove to the ground behind a big heap of metal. My lungs burned from breathing so hard.

I’d been in a lot of bad situations in my life, but I’d never been where someone was actually trying to kill me. Payton and Wanda had gone off the deep end and needed to be stopped. If Aunt Wanda hadn’t been in agreement with this plan, she would have stopped me from leaving in the first place.

Now I sat behind the pile of metal wondering if Mason and I would get out of this mess alive. Or were we really the sitting ducks he’d spoken of.

“Peekaboo!” Mark yelled, jumping out of nowhere. I jumped up and kicked him in the shin, then tore across the junkyard like lightning, fear gripping at my heels as I tried to lose him again.

Another gunshot echoed through the junkyard. Where were the cops when you needed them? I had to get away from this deranged man.

I landed on my face behind the trailer. After picking myself up, I hurried up the steps to find the door was boarded up. I looked in the window to try and see Mason or that ogre of a man who held him captive. I couldn’t see anything. I pulled at the board trying to pry it lose, but only managed to break my nails.

I jumped down just as Mark found me again. He ran faster until he caught me by the arm. I screamed as my body slammed against the trailer. He grabbed me by the hair, jerking my head sideways, and sent me flying to the ground. I clawed at his legs as his big boot pressed down on the side of my head, pinning me in place. The rubber sole of his boot dug into my flesh.

“You’re not very smart are you?” He increased the pressure on his boot, making my skull ache. I pulled at his foot until it slid off my head.

I crawled across the dirt and scrambled to my feet, the fear of being shot sending me into panic mode.

I hid behind a tree.

Mark took his time to find me. He twirled the gun around his finger, slowly circling me as he continued his sick cat-and-mouse game.

“Now, Kendall, are you ready to hear my options?” he asked, his breathing ragged from all the running.

I leaned against the tree, my own chest on fire.

“Sure, why not?” I breathed, closing my eyes.

“I never said I was going to kill you,” he said. He held one arm behind his back and wiped at the blood on his forehead where I’d hit him with the dumbbell.

“Have a little faith in your fellow man. You never know what he can do for you,” he said.

I pushed off the tree, standing up straight, confused as hell. “What?” It wasn’t often I was wrong about people. But I couldn’t figure this guy out.

“You’re both young. He only wants to show your friend the meaning of respect and to make Payton feel like she got what she wanted. Then everyone’s happy. You understand?” He stepped closer to me. I flinched, expecting his fist to find my face.

Nothing happened.

“Mason’s a good kid. You should be teaching Payton a lesson, not him,” I said, letting out a relieved sigh.

Mark took me by the arm and led me back into the trailer. I was apprehensive at first.

“You sure you’re not going to kill me?” I asked, just to make sure.

“Will you calm down? I am not going to kill you. I told you,” Mark said. I hurried through the door, eager to lay eyes on Mason.

“Kendall,” he said, relief reflected in his expression. It looked like the grizzly man had worked him over good. His face looked awful.

Mason dropped his gaze back down to his feet. My heart ached for him, for the pain he’d suffered. I noticed his hands were tied.

“What kind of people are you?” I blurted.

The giant ogre moved across the room toward me, his body looming over me. He lifted my chin, surveying my eyes, taking in every detail.

“I am a man of my word,” he said, “a man of my word.”

I didn’t move a single muscle. His dirty hand held my face in place. The realization of what we had survived finally hit me.

“Mason understands. Now I want both of you to go and not speak a single word of any of this.” He released me and untied Mason’s hands, helping him to his feet.

He rubbed his wrist, standing next to me. Mark opened the door showing us a way out.

“You kids take care. Stay away from that nut job. See where she got you already?” he asked, looking at Mason.

Mason nodded. I was confused and shocked, but somehow I managed to get down the steps. Mason pulled me toward the gates and then through them.

We didn’t hear the snarling dogs we’d heard upon our arrival as we made our way out the gate.

Silence loomed as we headed back into town. Neither of us spoke of what had happened back at the trailer.

I squeezed Mason’s hand tightly as we moved past the crowds of people on the sidewalk. Anyone who looked toward us was shocked at the sight of Mason’s injuries. A few people actually had the audacity to pull out their cell phones to snap a quick picture of him. At that point, we didn’t care; we just wanted to get back to our hotel.

Mason opened the door for me, gritting his teeth in pain as I passed him.

“So what now?” I asked as he hit the elevator button.

JULY 7

TH

IT WAS NEARING MORNING. I laid in bed staring at the ceiling. The only sound was Mason’s light breathing next to my head. I locked my hands together underneath the covers, afraid to make a noise, afraid to breathe.

I knew Mason wouldn’t be happy to know I hadn’t slept at all. I was too stressed to sleep and I constantly fought the urge to throw up.

We hadn’t said a thing to Wanda or Payton since our return. There had been a couple knocks at the door in the last two days, but we ignored them. He would hear the knock, then immediately fall back to sleep.

Mason never answered me when I asked him what we were going to do. He was in denial that his mom would have him beaten up, but the bruises and cuts on his face were the only validation needed.

We were almost out of money and we’d soon be out of a place to stay. I closed my eyes, begging sleep to come. A rush of nausea hit me again and I quickly ran for the bathroom.

The bathroom door came open with a thud, hitting the wall. Mason towered over me as I hugged the toilet bowl.

“You’re always letting your nerves get the best of you,” he said from above. He stroked my hair, his fingers soothing me with every light caress they made down the back of my head.

I closed my eyes, enjoying his touch.

“What are we going to do, Mason?” I asked, waiting for the sick feeling to pass.

“What do you want me to do, Kendall? Say anything and I’ll do it,” Mason said. He pushed my hair off my neck, his lips grazing my cheek. I sighed, holding tight to the side of his head.

“I really don’t know. I just wish things could be simpler,” I said.

Silence fell over the room again.

I wasn’t certain of much. I didn’t know if we were going to make it out of this alive. There was no way out and I was about to lose all hope.

The silence was broken by the pounding on the door. Mason jumped up. Whoever was on the other side wasn’t happy.

My sickness would have to wait. I got up and quickly collected our things, being careful not to make any noise. He pressed himself against the door and peered through the peephole. I snagged the last thing off the floor—his favorite t-shirt—and I was ready.

Mason looked at me. I knew that look all too well. He was worried and that didn’t happen often.

“Now what?” I asked, afraid to ask if it was the police.

“We’ve gotta hope they give up and leave. And then we sneak out,” he said in a whisper.

“What about the money Roger gave me?” I asked. There was enough to buy us more time in Virginia. Mason shook his head.

“That’s the only money we have in case of an emergency. If we’re out of money, so are they.” He was right, of course.

“What about the window?” I asked in desperation. My heart was racing and I had a severe case of cotton mouth.

“No way, Kendall,” he said. “We’ll kill ourselves pulling a stunt like that.” He took another look out the peephole.

“What about Wanda?” I squeaked. She was the only security I’d ever known—as dysfunctional as it was.

In my despair, I’d lost all rational thought.

“What do you think Wanda is going to do for us?” Mason asked, almost yelling at me.

I bit my lip. I had no answer to that. For all I knew, she was responsible for whatever it was we were now facing.

After several minutes, all was silent again at the door, and my heart began to return to a more normal rhythm. Mason threw on his shirt and shoes. I held tight to our backpack as he slowly unlocked the door.

All kinds of crazy scenarios were playing out in my mind as he inched the door open bit by bit. He motioned for me to follow as we quickly slipped into the hallway. There was no one to be seen. I held tight to Mason as we moved undetected through the hallway.

“If it was cops they’d have just come in, right?” I asked. I was freaking out and couldn’t calm down.

“Exactly…the cops could get a key from the staff to get inside if they wanted to. It was probably housekeeping or something,” Mason whispered. Mason nodded politely at a passing couple and he nearly collided with another guy rounding the corner the same time we did. We didn’t need any upset to get in the way of our escape.

“Should we?” I asked, hoping he knew what I meant.

“I don’t know. I don’t know,” he mumbled nervously under his breath. He tugged me to move faster so we could squeeze into the elevator before it shut. Otherwise, we’d be left in the hallway waiting for the elevator to return.

We startled the woman in the elevator by making our last-minute entry. She studied Mason’s battered face and pulled her arms closer to her body, taking up a defensive stance. She hugged her wrist with the opposite hand and draped a finger over her watch in case we had plans to rob her. If she only knew…stealing was the last thing on our minds.

I wanted to say something, but I knew better. I was momentarily blinded by the lights coming from the lobby when the elevator doors parted.

“Come on,” Mason said, yanking me across the sleek marble floor. As soon as my eyes focused, they landed right on Aunt Wanda and Payton. Payton dropped the magazine she’d been reading as soon as she caught sight of us trying to make our escape.

Mason kept moving us right out the revolving doors.

As we hit the fresh air, the reality of our situation punched me right in the gut.

“If we leave them its final, it’s done. You know that as well as I do,” I said, trying to get Mason to stop walking.

“I don’t care about them. We need to save ourselves,” he said, his feet moving forward.

I was pulled back just as Wanda snatched me by the arm, her claws sinking into my flesh.

“You’re free to do what you want, but Kendall stays,” she said, her lips making a perfect line. Her eyes filled with silent venom, threatening Mason. I had dreaded this moment.

“I’ll give you two options, Wanda,” Mason glared back, standing tall and unmoved by her threats.

He held onto my hand, not backing down. He didn’t care about anyone passing by who witnessed this confrontation either. He was taking a stand.

“Mason, you have no options to give me,” Wanda tossed back at him.

“Either you get the fuck away from us,” Mason said, raising his voice, “or I go back and tell the hotel staff the whole story—the truth. Then it’ll be just a matter of time before we all go to jail.”

He didn’t care who heard. He just wanted to get us away from Wanda. His words echoed over and over in my ears. My face grew warm with fear.

I managed to look at Wanda. Her face was beet red and her eyes were nearly popping from their sockets, surprised at Mason’s demands.

“Don’t go back to Joy-Ann,” she said. Her gaze was locked on mine when she did something I thought she’d never do…she let me go.

“Why would I do that?” I asked softly, tears forming in my eyes.

This was goodbye.

“If you want to be stupid…fine. But don’t go back there…Now get out of here,” she said. She turned and I watched her walk away until I could no longer see her. She was gone.

I fought the urge to run for her. She’d treated me badly and used me for her criminal gain. She’d ruined my life, but she was my somebody…my blood.

“Come on, Kendall!” Mason yelled at me.

I swatted at him, annoyed he was still yelling at me, and I started running.

We turned down the first alley we saw and finally stopped to catch our breath.

JULY 8

TH

THE SUN STILL HADN’T RISEN. Mason and I were on a never-ending trek on a dusty road in the middle of nowhere.

We finally came across a gas station where we used five bucks on a beef jerky (that we split) and two slurpees to quench our thirst. It was by far the best meal ever when you hadn’t eaten anything reasonable in such a long time.

We didn’t know where we were going. Mason did what every man does—he pretended to know what he was doing. If I hadn’t known him all my life I would have believed him.

“So, here’s my idea,” Mason said, watching a shiny black car pull into the gas station. He slung our backpack over his shoulder, finishing up his drink.

“What’s that, Mason?” I said, pretending to be interested when all I really wanted was a bed to sleep in. We’d been walking for hours on end and my feet hurt and I was tired. And Wanda was gone for good.

“Remember my friend I told you about? The one who lives in Jersey?” Mason asked me. “Jay Archer?”

I nodded, knowing all about Jay Archer. He was a friend only because of Payton. Jay was older than Mason. And from everything I had heard about him he wasn’t a good person. He did nothing legally. He stole cars for a living. Mason had found himself in a lot of trouble in his life because of Jay Archer.

When Mason recounted really bad times in his life, Jay’s name was usually attached to each and every one.

“I know we’d have a place to stay as long as we needed it and it would give us time to figure out our next plan.” He stared at me, waiting for my response.

The first plan hadn’t panned out so well. I didn’t have a whole lot of hope left in me.

I sighed and backed away only to be nearly run over by a red crotch rocket flying into the parking lot. Mason grabbed my arm to pull me to safety, but not before he gave the driver a menacing look.

“What are you doing?” I shouted.

He threw a hand in the air, blowing me off as he headed back into the gas station, leaving me alone in the parking lot. I crossed my arms in aggravation and sat on the ground, resting my back against the light pole.

I wasn’t feeling too confident Mason could get us where we needed to go. At least with Aunt Wanda we always had transportation. Wanda wouldn’t be caught dead hiking across America.

“Kendall!” Mason said, running from the gas station with a huge grin pinned to his face.

I nearly choked on my slurpee when he shook a set of keys at me.

I jumped to my feet. “Are you joking?” I exclaimed.

“Come on,” Mason said, heading over to the red crotch rocket.

I hesitated at first. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to risk road rash, but I pushed past that and slung my leg over anyways. Mason plunked the helmet down on my head.

He walked the bike slowly around to the back of the gas station before he started it up.

And we were off.

I held on tight, leaning against him as we put more and more distance between us and Virginia.

I felt carefree on that bike—all I had to do was hold on tight. I wondered how he’d gotten the keys. Was it as bad as I thought? Was that the reason he had blood on his hands? How much longer before I regretted everything so much that I couldn’t handle it anymore? Did Aunt Wanda ever get to that place, where she couldn’t even look at herself in the mirror anymore?

No matter how bad people were, I was sure they had a conscience somewhere deep down on the inside.

Mason stopped the bike on the side of the road as it took its last breath. He dropped the bike on its side, barely checking that I was off it before he let it go.

He was angry. His body rigid, his muscles tense. He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated, and stared up at the sky like the answer he was looking for would drop from the heavens.

“You almost broke my leg, stupid ass,” I griped, dropping the helmet to the ground beside the bike. I was sure the bike was dead. The smoke was a good indication. And we never stopped for gas. That in itself proved to me that he’d done something terrible.

“Did you kill that man, Mason?” I asked, crossing my arms. I could barely see him until passing cars provided a couple seconds of light.

“Kendall, don’t worry about what got us here. Just be glad we are hours away,” he said.

I swallowed.

I caught a glimpse of something in his expression, masked behind anger.

“Where are we?”

“The outskirts of Delaware. Now what to do to get to Jersey,” he said.

I sighed, knowing what that meant. I was the ticket to obtaining a ride. Men would rather pick up a cute girl than a young guy.

Mason moved back getting out of view and plopped down in the ditch to stay out of sight.

I dropped the backpack on the ground and tied my shirt in a knot at my waist. I did my best to fluff my hair. It was all I could do and it would have to work. I stuck out my thumb.

“You know, sometimes I wish I was a girl,” Mason said from behind me.

“Shut up, Mason. That doesn’t make any sense at all,” I told him, silently pleading with the traffic.

I just wanted anybody to stop and put me out of my misery.

“Kendall, since when do you talk to me like that?” he asked, acting hurt.

“Since you have me on the side of the road begging for a ride,” I said, grabbing our backpack as a red jeep came to a screeching halt.

“Kendall,” Mason called after me.

“I should use my brain for once and leave you here,” I told him. I approached the passenger side window, a big smile on my face.

“Hi there, thanks so much for stopping,” I said sweetly.

The man was about thirty. He looked me over, a big smile on his face. He nodded his head, not saying a word.

“Does this mean I could hitch a ride with you, handsome?” I asked breaking his stare.

“Of course. I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. Where would you like to go, darlin’?”

I looked him over, trying to quickly assess the type and manner of this guy. For one thing, judging by the bad haircut, he didn’t care too much about his physical appearance.

“Oh, I’ll let you know,” I said with a wink.

He melted instantly and unlocked my door.

“Hop on in,” he told me.

“Just a sec,” I said holding one finger up as I backed up right into Mason. He scurried like a ninja to the back of the jeep and in one quick flash was inside. The man shrieked, startled by Mason’s surprise attack.

“Please don’t hurt me,” the man begged, his hands in the air. Mason forced him into the backseat.

“Come on,” he yelled at me. “I should just leave you here for treating me like shit a few minutes ago.”

I scoffed, knowing full well he would never have the gonads to leave me on the side of the road.

I climbed in, shooting a quick look at the backseat at our panic-stricken passenger.

People express their fear in various ways. Some shut down or just freak out. They’re usually the ones who make more trouble for themselves in bad situations.

And then you had those who refused to believe what was happening. They were the ones who did the sensible things and saved themselves.

“What’s your name?” Mason asked as he drove the jeep down the lonely highway. The light from the dashboard illuminated his face and made him look intimidating.

“Leonard,” the man answered flatly. It had been a few hours and I could tell he was ready to be put out of his misery. Mason had said nothing to him the whole drive. That alone was torture.

“Are you married?” Mason asked, releasing one hand from the steering wheel.

“No, I’m not,” Leonard answered.

“Kids?” Mason pressed.

I stared at Mason, annoyed he was making things harder for this guy. And I was even more annoyed that Leonard was being honest.

“No,” he said.

“Hey, Leonard, little word of advice. When two crazed kids hijack your car, lie your ass off,” Mason told him, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Uh, what?”

I looked back at the man. He was sweating like crazy.

“It’s always better to make people feel for you, rather than feel nothing. No one would want to hurt a man who had a family,” I explained.

“Oh God…are you going to kill me?” he asked, starting to panic.

Mason sighed, gripping the steering wheel. He was as much a killer as I was.

“We just need a way to Jersey. I ain’t planning on killing you. What do we look like?” he asked, looking back at Leonard. “I would, however, appreciate if you kept this to yourself though. Okay, Lenny?”

“Absolutely, it never happened,” he said.

Just a few kind words from Mason was all it took to settle Lenny’s nerves.