Текст книги "Both of Her"

Автор книги: Kathy Coopmans

Соавторы: Alisa Mullen
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Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 13 страниц)

NINETEEN

We sit on the couch, waiting patiently for the police to arrive. The howl of the fierce wind rasps for our attention. Another storm is brewing outside. The same viscous cold storm that’s become apparent in between Camden and me.

For the first time in all the years I’ve known Lola, she remains tenderly quiet, sitting in the chair across from us. I’ve explained to both of them this sixth sense I have that it’s her.

“Don’t you both find it ironic as hell that both Annie and Heath are missing?” Lola speaks, bringing her knees up to her chest. I smirk, even though not one damn thing about this is funny.

“I’ve thought of that. They have to be working together. I’m just trying to wrap my brain around how they could move so quickly. It was only a few weeks ago when I first met Heath. For the two of them to work so fast like this is nearly impossible.”

I blanch when Camden removes his arm from around me and stands. He’s trying to hold himself together, but his temper is soaring. Carefully, I look up to him, praying I don’t see regret or any sign of a mistake for being with me on his handsome face. If the two of them are out to destroy us, then Camden and I need each other more than ever. I refuse to lose him over two selfish, crazed individuals for their fucked up reasons on trying to do away with me.

“This is going to be a long night. I’m jumping in the shower to wash off the oil from my massage. While I’m in there, think about where Annie could be. I just may kill the psycho bitch.” Lola positions herself into standing, moving past Camden. A tender smile on her lips.

Blue eyes fasten onto mine, hazed over, glistening with moisture. I jump up, wrap my arms around him, and hold on for dear life. Silence seals around us like an envelope. He feels so right, so comforting in my arms. “I love you.” Three words spoken so rarely over the years from my mouth, but I mean them. My love for him seeps out of every pour. Every vein. Every cell of my entire body.

“I love you, Luca. I always have.”

The doorbell rings. Camden release me with a tender kiss to my forehead.

“You ready?” he asks.

“As long as you’re by my side when I tell them who Lucia is, then yes, I’m ready.”

He nods. I watch him advance toward the door, out of my sight. I cringe knowing I have to tell the police all about my life. My reputation of being a savvy business woman will be ruined. Plain and simple, I really don’t care anymore. I’m in love with a man who loves me back. Who wants me regardless of my past, my impulsive decisions and my reckless behavior. Me, he wants me.

Loud, angry voices have me running in the direction of the door. My feet cease. My bravery comes to an end when my eyes set sight on the situation before me.

“Well it’s about fucking time, you selfish whore.” He chuckles. His arm is around Camden’s neck. A gun shoved into my loves temple.

“Baby, go get my gun. It’s in the top drawer of the dresser.” Camden struggles to talk, his face turning red. I didn’t even know he had a gun here.

“I’ll shoot him, Luca. I swear to fucking god. I’ll blow his god damn brains out all over this sixty-five hundred dollar per night fuck pad of a whorehouse you’re staying at if you even blink your eyes.”

I shake my head, struggling to breathe. I watch in horror at the man I trusted with my life stands there and squeezes the life out of the man I love.

“You? It’s been you this whole time? Why? I don’t understand?’

“Of course you wouldn’t understand. You’ve had your pussy shoved in the face of every man on this planet, except for the one who’s been standing right in front of you the whole mother fucking time. Now shut the fuck up and get your ass over here. I’m not stupid. I know you’ve called the cops.”

“Screw you. I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“You’ll never get away with this, asshole. You fucked up man.” Camden rears his elbow back right into our enemies gut. He grunts and Camden spins on him. I take a step backward, ready to go get his gun. The next thing I know a shot is fired. The only man I’ve ever loved crumbles to the floor. I scream for help.

“Colin! What have you done?”

Before I can even comprehend the deceit, the true savage nature of the hatred directed at me by the man I’ve trusted with so much of my life, I’m the one being held at gun point.

“You better move those fine feet of yours or you are next,” Colin growls out in a low tone. He has got to be fucking with me. Yet, when I am shoved toward the door, passed Camden’s still body, I know that I am in big trouble. Nothing has ever felt so damn real until this moment. I feel like I’m walking across hot coals and spiky nails at the same time. Everything in my body hurts. Every single cell screams for me to halt and remain with the man I love.

The scene replays itself over and over in my head. A dark cloth is placed over my head and I hear Annie’s small giggles behind me as we walk down a corridor. It’s long and I know Colin has passed the elevators. Of course, they won’t take me out of the hotel through the elevators.

Then it hits me again. Colin, my driver and friend, has been watching me. He followed me to at least Georgia when I met with Heath. Why the fuck is Annie giggling so much?

“Can you please tell her to shut–” I start to say, but I’m pushed from behind.

“You can keep your fucking mouth shut for once, Ms. West,” Annie seethes out.

“Annie, stop. We need to get out of here without notice. Chill out,” Colin barks out in a stage whisper so no one can hear him.

I stand quietly and try to think of a way to send love and prayers to Camden. I don’t care what they are going to do to me. But if Camden doesn’t live, I will never be able to live on, either.

Loud metal scraping against metal fills my eardrums as a descending sensation begins underneath my feet. It had to be the service elevator that was locked behind the “employee only” door down the hall. How had Annie and Colin gotten the access to that? I mentally shrug at the thought, listing all of the demonic shit that they had imposed on my life in the past two weeks.

They stay quiet as I think about the robbery in my apartment. Colin had said he was close by when I called for a ride. Danny probably didn’t even think twice about the fact my driver made his way up to my place that morning while I was in the shower. Colin came over two or three times a day and Danny always waved him through.

Then, Annie had lied when she said she saw Heath in my office. Somehow, Colin gave her the jewels and the photo to stash in my desk. And like the fucking idiot I am, I sent her packing to Miami with Leo. Once she knew I was onto Heath, she bowed out to Leo and probably has been shacking up with Colin for the weekend, plotting my demise.

So, again, where the fuck is Heath?

“I have one question,” I say, a phony relaxed tone soothing the panic attack I am currently suffering through.

“Shut up, bitch,” Annie spats out. I think I felt spit hit my hand that she is gripping, a grip so tight I’m sure it will leave bruising. If I manage to get free, I’m going to show this little worthless lying skank how much of a bitch I can be.

“Do not talk to Luca like that, Annie. She’s misunderstood, not a bitch. She needs me now more than ever.”

Annie’s gasp is louder than my own. What the fuck is he talking about? Misunderstood?

The hand holding my other wrist loosens a little as I feel fingers lightly feathering my forearms. “Now, Luca, my love, what is your question?”

His love? Is he fucking serious right now? Does he know how hard Annie’s grip on my other wrist is? Crazy, please meet psychotic bitch. They both have agendas and I am not so sure that they are on the same page with those.

“I want to know where Heath Landon is,” I say in the best monotone voice I can muster. Even though I can feel the tremble in my voice. Fuck, I need to stay cool and not show them any fear. Colin wants me and loves me. He won’t kill me. Then again, Annie might find no greater joy.

They both laugh heartedly and my stomach drops to the floor.

“Funny you should ask that,” Colin says laughingly. “Actually, you’ll be seeing him in a few hours. We thought it would be nice for you to witness his execution. See, I normally take care of your escorts without an audience, but since Annie came on board with me a few weekend trips ago, I find it more pleasurable to engage an audience.”

“You what?” The morality of what Colin says about taking care of my prior escorts tightens every organ in my body. My breathing becomes so sporadic I’m about to hit the center of hell.

“Colin, please tell me you did not hurt any of those men?” I don’t even want to think about all those men. Oh god no. They all have families; brothers, sisters and many of them have small children. I shake my head. I feel lifeless. This is all my doing. “No,” I whisper.

“Yes,” he screams.

“H…how many?” I choke the question out. This man I loved as a dear friend. I thought I knew him, but I know nothing about Colin at all. It seems I know nothing about anyone anymore.

“What the fuck does it matter how many of them I killed, Luca? You fuck them and leave them, carrying on with your life. Are you going to tell me you care?” he spits out angrily.

“I do care.”

“You fail to forget I know you and the only person you have ever cared about is yourself. Now, shut your fucking mouth and move it. Another word and so help me god, I will fuck you up right here.”

The excruciating hurt and betrayal from these two people have me dying slowly without them even completing whatever they have planned for me. They could leave me to die right here, internally bleeding to death from my heart at the damage they have already done.

And he claims to love me? I’ve just learned the true meaning of love and this is so far off base. This is an obsession on his part. A man on a mission to destroy and kill, while he embarks on this journey of a fascination so deep he’s lethal. My misconceptions are askew here about him loving me and not killing me. He may as well pull the trigger, slice me open even farther than he already has.

The elevator comes to a halt and I choke on the information I’ve just been given. Low whispers and then Colin’s barking demands can’t be heard through the numb I feel now. It’s as if someone wrapped me in bubble wrap and nothing is clear through the plastic.

Colin takes both of my hands and shoves me face first into the back of what I assume is a limousine. That’s incognito. Not.

No one knows where I am. If I had my phone, someone could use the tracking on it. Only Camden knows who came and kidnapped me and from the way we left him, he is either still unconscious or… I can’t think of him like that. His warms fingers encircling my face as he moves toward my lips with his. That’s what I need to think of, him warm right now. He is safe. As long as I know that, I can stay in my world of nothing. I may not live to see another day, but I sure as shit better know he will before I take my last breath.

I hear Annie scrambling in after me and quickly, my hands are being tied tightly behind my back with rope that is not smooth in the least. The car starts and we are moving. Annie is still on my back, working the ropes and Colin is talking to someone and yet, I can’t feel, hear, or see anything. I’m in a cocoon of nothingness, a place of instability, and uncontrolled fear. It is so debilitating that it doesn’t matter if anything ever happens again, because this is all there is. There will never be a point of happiness or a breakdown of pain. I had the chance to do something to save everything, but I lost it all. I am nothing. I am gone.

Then it fucking hits me.

Lola was in the shower when they came in, shot Camden, and took me. She’s safe. He is going to be okay. He is going to live. He is probably already in surgery and the police are on our tail. My breath and heart rate kick up and I know everything is going to be okay. I almost want to start laughing at the stupidity of this whole situation. Colin and Annie. Pfft. They are fucking amateurs. I am going to be fine. Camden is going to be fine. Lola will do everything in her power to make this right.

Nevertheless, those thoughts become further and further apart as the drive continues on and on. My total freak out is coming on by rasps of breath I can’t seem to calm, even a little within the confines of this hood. Slowly, I start to fumble with the rope on my wrists, trying to wiggle any part of me free through the tight knots. I need my hands. I need to get out. I have to get out of this hood and this car. I can’t breathe. Oh my God, I am going to suffocate to death. What was the point of trying? Everything is so damn quiet and I am dying of suffocation.

“Help me,” I scream out, startling even myself. “Help me. Oh my God, I can’t…I can’t fucking breathe. Help.”

And on and on I yell without anyone coming to my aid. In between deep breaths, I heard a low female chuckle and Colin’s swearing up in the driver’s cabin.

“Annie! I can’t listen to her like that. Shut her up!” Colin barks to Annie when I start to sob in pure terror. My whole body is full of adrenaline and I can feel myself slowly start to see stars and other shapes in my vision of blackness.

“I’m going to fucking die. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die,” I am crying, completely out of control, on the verge of passing out.

All of a sudden, the car comes to a stop and I hear Colin open and shut the front door. The quiet is all encompassing and I know they are out there, talking. When Annie’s voice pipes up from in front of me, I realize she is still in the car, probably looking out the window at Colin.

“Oh, you are going to get it, Luca. Time to go beddy-bye,” she sing songs. This is surreal. My hair is being pulled out by the firm grip of this bitch’s hands. She punches me in the gut and rips the hood off with the same hand pulling my hair. God damn that hurts. I whimper, crying some more. The interior light of the car blinds my tear swollen eyes. What is going to happen now? Blinking my blurry eyes until they come into focus, I see Annie, her eyes flaming red at me. She’s the female version of the devil. I glance at Colin who is on the phone, his back to the car. Who is he talking to? Is there someone else in on this?

“I won’t let him have you?” Annie seethes at me.

“I… I don’t want him,” I sob.

“Well he wants you, but don’t underestimate me, Lucia the fucking whore. I will kill you before I let you have him. Do you get me, boss??” She grips my chin firmly, her spittle hitting me once again.

“I would rather you kill me then have him touch me. But store this in your empty head, you bitch. If I get the chance to kill you first you’ve better bet your no good, lonely, worthless, and pitiful life that I will.” She doesn’t get to respond before the back door opens up and within seconds, a twinge of a needle and a slow burn begins running through my legs, opening a fire on my veins that makes me start to freak out. He is killing me…by injection…and then…one last rush of breath in before everything stops.

TWENTY

 

My hands are above my head and the hood is gone. I can feel the saliva coming out of the side of my mouth and my tongue darts out to lick the drool away.

Except, I taste metal and the sweet syrup of blood. My lip is bleeding? Why the fuck?

My eyes nearly blast open as I take in an old barn. There are stalls all around the one that I’m in and hay stacks cover the areas all around me, but too far away for me to try to stand on one.

I hear moaning around me as I take in a quick inhale of real oxygen, which makes me want to vomit. The smell of shit and piss is so pungent, I can’t keep my mouth open for more than five seconds.

“Hello?” I call out and immediately start to gag on the smell again. Did someone cover me in manure? Who?

Colin and Annie’s faces flash through my mind and I freeze up. They brought me here, to this barn, somewhere that is easily hours away from Chicago to more than likely kill me. I look around and catch a small sliver of another person. I catch a flash of dark hair. Those groans that are continuing on and on are coming from Heath.

Oh. My. Fucking. God. Heath is in another stall in this barn. I look around the barn as best as I can. There’s old wrought iron equipment that looks hundreds of years old. An old toilet is in the middle of the barn’s floor, but the mold that covers it tells me it isn’t in working order. Horseshoes are tossed everywhere. I’m sure at one point this barn was in good working order. Now, it is molded and empty. It is a great place to hold people hostage. A little sliver of sunlight is showing through a broken slat in the wall, but it does nothing to heat the place up. The sunlight serves as a fucking joke. We aren’t here for sunshine and warmth. We are here to die in a cold and dark abandoned place.

“Heath?” I cry out in a strangled plea. “Heath, its Luca…Lucia. Are you there? Can you hear me?”

Another groan fills the cold barn. I hadn’t noticed the absolute frigid temperature until now, but Jesus, if Heath has been in this temperature for long, he has to be close to hyperthermia. I can already feel the blue beginning around my lips.

A huge rolling sound bellows through the barn. My assumption that it is the barn door is confirmed when a smiling Colin walks in. He is wearing a weird outfit; black jeans, black shirt, and chains everywhere. A choker like band is wrapped around his neck and he looks like a completely different person.

“Damn, man. You shit yourself again? Damn animal. I’ll get Annie out here to hose you down again,” he yells out. My heart rate picks up when I hear Heath whimpering.

“No, no. Please no water.” Heath voice doesn’t sound like that. This voice is high like a child’s, full of fear and vulnerability. Heath isn’t the type of man to get scared very easily and yet, that is definitely Heath. If he is this scared, there must be something to be scared of. If he wants to sit in his own shit, the water must be absolutely horrible. These people are torturing Heath. It’s so cold out here I can only imagine what that water must feel like.

If they’ve done this to him, what are they planning to do to me? Why wouldn’t Heath answer my call just now? Is he in so much pain that he can only speak to beg for mercy? Guilt guides its own cruel way into my already broken down brain. This is all my doing. Heath and Camden are suffering because of me and my actions. I should be the one suffering for this, not them. This destiny of death should be mine and mine alone. Affliction should be put on me for the consequences of my doings, not them.

This is all wrong. This is so wrong and horrid that if I live through this, I won’t ever trust another person ever again. Shit, there is no way I am going to live through this.

My teeth start to chatter from the cold as Colin comes into my stall. His expression switches from evil to a softened appreciation. I’ve seen this look on him before. Yes, when he was fucking showing me concern for my well-being. What a mother fucker.

“Luca. Finally, we’re alone,” he says as he touches the bare skin on my stomach where my shirt has ridden up. I try to squirm away, but he holds on to me.  His face turns a faint shade of red as he fumes.

“Don’t you dare squirm away from me, you fucking slut. I’m going to be the best damn lay you’ve ever had and I promise that when I am done with you, I will be the only man you are ever with again. So before you try to get away from me, you will remember that I am the one holding this.” Colin takes a knife out of his back pocket. “I plan to disfigure this body with my marks. No man will ever want this body again. It’s a shame to really, because this god given sexy mold of a body you have will be so disfigured that even I won’t want to fuck you again. This body was made to drive every man crazy, to have them take one look at you before going home to jack off imagining what it would be like to be inside of you. You see, sweetheart, you’ve been screwing all the wrong men this entire time. And now you’re going to get a big taste of this.” He laughs callously, gripping ahold of his dick. I feel sick, immersed in my own hatred for myself and for this crazy man. I will not show him one morsel of fear.

“I…I…” I stammer.

“What’s the matter, baby?” he asks with a twang to his voice.

Like he really fucking cares, I think. Whatever, I have to tell him I am going to die of the cold. However, the one thing that is not freezing up is my brain. I’ll remember every hateful word he just said.

“So…so…so cold,” I finally get out. If he cuts me right now, I doubt I’ll even feel it.

He steps back and crosses his arms. “Right,” he draws out. “We gave your little fuck friend a few blankets, but I forgot you were half dressed in this get up.”

He turns around in a circle, like he is looking for something on the hay and filth scattered ground. Fucking idiot, I think. He is the biggest fucking idiot.

“Well,” he holds up a finger with an idea. “We have a warm and toasty room in the farm house. Of course my grandparents haven’t lived here for years, so Annie had to get some things set up before we move you over there. But you being cold is an even better reason to get you over there sooner.”

He takes out a flip phone I’ve never seen before and presses a button. Holding my gaze, he answers the greeting.

“My Luca is cold. She might be going numb.” He growls as he touches my stomach again with the tip of the knife’s blade. I want to squirm away, but I can’t. I can’t act like I hate this or he will cut me.

“Get the basement ready and put a damn fire on down there. I’ll be over with her in five minutes.”

He walks away from me and says a few more things into the phone that I can’t hear. I struggle to hear what else he is saying, but the groans from Heath have all my attention. Is it true? Does he have blankets around him? Why is he groaning so much?

My thoughts are all on Heath, as Colin unhooks my hand from a chain hanging from the ceiling. With my hands still in metal cuffs, he pulls on my arms with the chain attached to them. Pulling me out of the stall I was held in like an animal heading to be slaughtered, I hardly make it two steps out before I see Heath’s body slumped over. The smell of shit is horrendous. His face, which is slouched down to one side, is completely unrecognizable. Cuts and bruises cover his face and his eyes are bloody and swollen shut. His body is heaving and he obviously needs medical help.

“What did you do to him?” I gasp out.

Colin tugs on my chains and hisses, “Don’t you worry about that fucker. Your days with him are all over, Luca. Your future is with me. We just needed him to play along until we got you. I don’t give a fuck if he suffocates in his own piss now.”

“But that’s murder, Colin. You…”

Colin’s laugh cuts me off and a chill settles into my spine as I remember what he said when we were coming here. He has killed before. The men he killed were my clients. They all died because of me.

Suddenly, I feel totally deserving of everything Colin and Annie are doing. One look back at Heath and I know I deserve to be hurt far worse than he has been. Far worse than Camden. Just as he leads me out of the barn door, I hear Heath say, “Luca, please.”

One look at Colin and I can tell he hadn’t heard Heath, because I’m not sure what he’d do if he had. Without thinking I tug my arms up to my pony tail. I pretend to have something in my hair.

“What the fuck do you think you are doing?” Colin barks at me.

“There is something in my hair, God damn it!” I freak out with as much energy as I can muster.

“Where?” Colin looks closer at my head.

“I don’t know, but get it out. Get it out, please.” I am thrashing around, trying to get my hair pulled out of my pony tail, because if there is one thing I can offer, it’s the bobby pins holding my bangs back from my face.

As Colin goes for my pony tail, I secure two of the four pins in my hands and right as he pulls all of my hair out of the elastic band, I toss the two pins in Heath’s direction.

My hair is everywhere and Colin is furiously looking through each piece. I try to make eye contact with Heath and when he finally lifts his head just a little, I discreetly take my shaking hands and point at the pins on the floor nearly three feet from him. I nod to him.

“I don’t see a damn thing, you dramatic bitch,” Colin mutters.

“I don’t feel anything anymore. I think you got it,” I say robotically.

“Fine, then. Let’s go. You are going straight to the basement where I can fuck you all night long,” Colin says as he slides his hand down to my ass, firmly grabbing a handful. I wince, but don’t do a thing to get away. As long as Heath can get out of here, I’ll know I did everything I could for him. I just hope it isn’t too late.