Chapter 20
Bunny
Lucky for me these walls are thin.
I can hear them.
Too bad they don’t care that they can hear me.
My cries.
My screams.
My pleas for mercy and help.
Too bad they don’t seem to give a shit that there’s a pregnant woman just a few feet from them practically freezing to death in a makeshift prison cell.
“ Affirmative, ” states the familiar, raspy, robotic voice that’s stopped on the other side of the wall.
I call him Turdetto.
He’s – from what I’ve managed to gather during my eavesdropping – the leader or the Toretto – if this were Kid’s favorite franchise come to fruition.
Naming him that…relating him to my fiancé’s favorite films…makes me feel less alone.
Less helpless.
And fuck, do I feel helpless.
Even more so with nothing more than my fingernail to frantically scribble across own skin on top of the faded ink that’s already there.
“ Affirmative ,” repeats Turdetto in the one tone of voice he seems to possess.
Gotta give it to the guy.
Nothing seems to bother him.
Not the weather.
Not sleeplessness.
And damn sure not being yelled at by the woman paying him outrageous amounts of money to relocate me back to Florida.
“ There are no more reports or indications on the radar of additional ice forecasted; however, temperatures are not expected to increase enough to melt what has made it to the terrain, sir. ”
I wonder who Turdetto answers to.
Is he part of a large company?
Something massive?
Global?
Is it something small we could set on fire and have Zero or Garcia financially bankrupt with a bit of assistance from me?
My eyes briefly close again during the next stretch of conversational silence.
I wonder will they be able to find me.
I wonder if there’s some weird computer trick where Zero hacked into someone’s phone, used their camera to spot me in the background, and then traced my whereabouts from there through a series of building security cams because let’s face it.
We don’t have traffic cams here.
We barely have the ones meant to scare off thieves.
It sounds like something totally insane and unreal and movie magic based, yet if I had to assess that data, I would put it in the more likely than not likely category.
The auditing success odds would definitely be in Zero’s favor.
Guy’s scary good with a computer.
“ Main roads have been treated – leading in and out of the town – but due to the target’s unexpected high-profile nature here, I do not believe they are a viable exit strategy. ”
It’s impossible not to slightly smirk.
Never expected to have that type of title.
At least not on my own.
“ I do believe defensive measures have been taken – or will be taken – to prevent us from using those routes. ”
One thumb lovingly strokes my lower stomach as hope does its best to spread throughout my system.
Guess that’s the beauty of putting down roots in a small town like this.
They’re prepared to do whatever it takes to protect their own.
Another long lull precedes a contemplative hum. “ Yes. I do believe there is enough space for a chopper to land or at the very least hover for a ladder to aid in an extraction of the target. ”
Dread promptly replaces the previous warmth.
“ Yes, I do believe that I can get the target to the agreed upon secondary location while the others wait for an open opportunity to escort the clients out of the situation, thereby fulfilling our immediate contractual obligation as well as extending services that will require additional fees. ”
Of course.
Why wouldn’t the people the McCreepies hire be just as fucking shady and greedy as they are?
“ Affirmative. ” Content takes over his tone. “ Standing by. ”
Turdetto doesn’t speak again, nor does he linger near my wall any longer.
Once more completely alone, I curl into a tighter ball, fighting shivers and anxiously resume mentally constructing a plan to get the hell out of here.
There’s no fucking way I’m getting on that helicopter alive.
None.
I don’t care if that means they have to shoot me or I have to shoot myself, I am not and will not leave this town breathing.
Because if I do?
I know I’ll never make it back.
I’ll end up chained to a luxury bed in some million-dollar home’s basement, waiting to give birth, waiting to give a literal sacrifice to the Boogieman’s bitch, only to then be put down like an innocent inmate no one cared to answer the pardon call for.
No.
Leaving Death Canyon is not an option.
And neither is fighting to stay.
It’s the only choice.
Scenarios swiftly start stacking themselves in the front of my mind, striving to make it in the viable section rather than the implausible one. Considerations such as risk of injury to our baby or losing him/her all together rapidly keep ideas moving to the latter list instead of the former.
Weighing what ifs ceaselessly continues until the last voice I expected to hear pierces through the thick fog of worry. “Why would you keep firewood way out here?!”
Jolene?
No.
That’s not…possible.
This is clearly a dehydration hallucination.
“Why would you put a big, beautiful, fancy fuckin’ fireplace in the office, but keep the firewood on the other side of Kingdom Come?”
Or…or…it isn’t!
She sleeps in the office sometimes!
On the fold out couch!
When she’s tired or the weather is too bad to go back to Crystal Waters!
Godhelpme , I never thought I’d be so excited to see – or hear – my future husband’s ex-girlfriend.
How did they miss her when sweeping the property?
Wait.
Why do I care?!
She’s fucking here!
She can fucking help!
“Jolene?” I cautiously call out, needing to verify before exposing myself.
There’s an uncomfortably long pause prior to her loudly whispering, “ Lord ?”
An eyeroll is attached to me flinging myself up and over to the bars. “No, it’s Bunny.”
Spinning on her heels to properly face me, she open mouth gags. “ Gross. ”
I ignore the obvious itch to turn a possible ally into another enemy and summon her further away from the back entrance I’m guessing isn’t currently being guarded if she managed to successfully get in here. “Help. Me.” My fingers curl tightly around the metal at the same time I plead, “ Please. ”
Jolene’s sassy strut and smug smirk are presented during her approach.
“You were waitin’ to fuck around with Wayland, weren’t you?
” She all knowingly shakes her head. “That man just loves a literal roll in the hay.” A second sneer is attached to her arrival.
“Doesn’t give a shit what a bitch it is to get the shit out of your hair. ”
Really?!
Is there any man in this town she hasn’t banged or tried to?!
You know.
Other than Kid.
“I’m not waiting to fuck anyone,” leaves me in exasperation. “I-”
“Ain’t gotta try to play the whole ‘innocent perfect damsel’ shit with me. I don’t fuckin’ buy it.”
“I-”
“And clearly, you bein’ in Wayland’s favorite fuckaway, proves it.”
“I-”
“And I knew from the get go you were nothin’ but a lying, cheatin’, fuckin’ city slut who-”
“Is being fucking held against her will!”
Her chapped mouth abruptly freezes open.
“I’m a prisoner , Jolene.” Rattling the bars precedes me pointing down to where it’s locked. “I’m not in here by choice.”
“ Ohmygod… ”
“They kidnapped me from Posie’s shop-”
“I thought that was jus’ town goss.”
“-and are holding me hostage-”
“That can’t be…right.”
“-and are planning to put me on a helicopter to get me out of town.”
“We ain’t got no place for a helicopter to land or-”
“ Focus ,” I hiss, quickly recapturing the conversation. “Do you have your phone on you?”
Pulling it from her jacket pocket is accompanied by a muted, “ Always. ”
“Call Nolan. Or Kipp. Or Post. Or fuck – anyone – in town that can reach them and tell them where I am and to come get me.”
She swiftly nods and wakes up her screen.
“ Go, ” is unintentionally barked. “Move and dial. Get back to the office. Lock yourself up. Don’t let them see or catch you.”
One more nod is all that precedes her shuffling the opposite direction from which she came, fingers frantically moving, desperate to follow my orders, so anxious to do the right thing that she doesn’t notice Beverly standing in the opening, swinging her weapon bearing hand upwards towards Jolene’s thin shirt covered abdomen.
“ Nooooooooo! ” I fiercely scream as she crumples forward, the phone lifelessly falling to the ground.
“Annabelle failed to mention we wouldn’t be alone on the property,” announces Beverly at the same time she sadistically stomps on the device.
“Ohwell. At least she left tools around for me to use at my disposal.” Holding Jolene’s shoulder while yanking the bloody object out of her prevents the woman from fighting back during a second stab.
“I’ll tell the team they need to do another sweep of the property before I have my morning tea.
” An unmistakable smirk slips onto her face.
“I had not planned for more messes to be cleaned up.” This time she not only stabs her a third time, she firmly holds it there, leading her towards me like a fish that never expected to be hooked.
“I warned that incompetent Sheriff about doing things the easy way, the clean way – if you will – yet he refused.” Her slitted stare shifts to me, stumbling me backwards. “All to protect you. ”
Tears callously clump together in my throat, preventing me from speaking.
“ You are the reason his pathetic little town will be filled with funerals instead of weddings.” She slams Jolene’s twitching body against the lock of my prison.
“Did you really think this wasn’t going to happen?
” Blood begins soaking itself past her wrist, a point she easily ignores much like Jolene’s airy croaks.
“Did you really think I was going to let some backwoods Barbie keep me from getting my baby out of this shithole?” In one fluid motion, she yanks the tool out, allowing the poor woman to slump to the cold floor.
“Are you really that incredibly dense?” The crimson coated item is flung in my direction, fresh red droplets landing inside my stable.
“I took your parents out of the equation in order for my precious boy to simply have you .” She devilishly grins during her fold forward.
“Do you really think I would be above doing worse for our unborn child? Our unborn child that better not be defective like you but perfect like him.”
Disbelief crinkles my brow.
Cuts off my oxygen.
Bobs my jaw as I croak out, “ No…they…they died before we were ever together. ”
“No,” Beverly correctively wags, “they died before you agreed to be together.”
Shock renders me completely speechless.
“He knew what he wanted, what he just had to have, and I got it for him, like a good mommy should.” An undeniably vindictive grin is given alongside her face resting on the bars. “Which is something you’ll never get the chance to be.”
Fury and resentment and resolve obliterate the lingering fear forcing me to swallow my sadness.
Postpone processing the new grief.
“ I wouldn’t get that close to me, Beverly, ” I viciously warn on my own step forward. “ That’s how your precious offspring lost a fucking eye. ”