Alluring (33 page)

"Jack," Stan said, approaching them.  "We've got a lead."

Jack wiped his face again and stood.  Breakdown time over.  Now was the time to act.  "What is it?"

"There's a property just outside of Pahrump.  A ranch house.  It's been in Ms. Jackson's family for generations.  It's likely she would take Alexis there.  I notified the police.  They're sending a team, but it will take us two hours to get there."

"No it won't."  Jack pulled out his phone, thankfully, Becky answered this time.  "Prepare the chopper.  Tell the pilot to be ready to leave in twenty minutes." 

* * * * *

Alexis had lived in Nevada her whole life and had never once been to Pahrump.  The only reason she knew she was in Pahrump now was because she passed a sign welcoming her here.  The town was old, barren, and dry looking. 

Alexis glanced at Sabrina in the rear-view mirror.  She was ever vigilant, watching Alexis's hands carefully.  The gun was still digging into the back of her head, but the area had gone numb about an hour ago.

The first time she'd looked in the rear-view mirror, when they'd left Steph's apartment complex, she'd been very surprised at the face looking back at her.  After further reflection, Sabrina being her stalker, made sense.  She always seemed to be around, and she seemed to have a strange fascination with Jack. 

Sabrina didn't talk and Alexis, not wanting to set her off in any way, stayed silent as well.  Which gave her a lot of time to think about her situation.  She'd been terrified at first.  Her hands had shaken so badly, she had trouble steering the car.  But a person could stay terrified for only so long, oh she was still scared, but it was a functioning kind of scared, and that meant she could think. 

She thought of many scenarios for when they reached their destination.  Many of them included her overpowering Sabrina and taking away the gun.  Unfortunately, she didn't know where they were going, thus making many of her scenarios unpredictable.

"Turn right, at this dirt road."

The sudden noise in the silent car, startled Alexis, causing her to bang her head on the barrel of the gun.

"Careful.  You don't want me to accidentally pull the trigger."

Alexis shuddered at the thought.  The dirt road was rough, moving the barrel of the gun to dig into new sections of her head that, unfortunately, weren't numb.

An old, weathered, ranch-style house came into view.  The paint peeled and was so faded, the red, it probably once was, was now a light pink. 

"Turn in to the driveway, then turn off the car.  Keep your hands visible at all times."

So this was it.  This was where she was going to die.  Wait, what was she thinking.  She wasn't going to die here.  This is where she kicked ass by implementing one of her scenarios. 

She heard the back car door open and Sabrina step out.  Her door was thrown open and a hot wave of desert heat hit her in the face.

"Step out, slowly." 

The gun was no longer pointed at her head.  Sabrina stood a few feet away the gun aimed at Alexis, mid-body.  Somewhere in the back of her mind, she recalled that gut shots were bad.  They killed you very slowly.  Killed being the operative word.  She did not want to be gut shot.

Moving on.

She did as directed, getting out of the car slowly, hands raised in the air. 

"Go to the front door.  Open it.  Step into the house.  There's a chair in the middle of the room.  Sit in it.  Move, now."

There were no neighbors in sight.  It looked as if this were the only house for miles.  No one would hear gunshots fired.  There goes that scenario. 

The front door made a loud creak as she opened it.  She entered a large, empty room that had a lone, straight back, wooden, kitchen chair sitting in the center of it.  The room was overly bright.  Large, uncovered picture windows looked out into an unkempt and overgrown backyard.  The floors were hard-wood in need of refinishing, and the walls were a dingy white with nothing adorning them, but there were square patches of brighter white where pictures must have hung at one point.

Alexis's eyes were drawn to the lone chair once more.  She knew that if she sat in that chair she'd be tied up, and then she wouldn't be able to save herself.  She had to act now.  Surprise would be on her side.  Sabrina wouldn't be expecting an attack.

She quickly turned on the balls of her feet, then ran full out at Sabrina, head-butting her in the stomach, and toppling them both to the floor.

"You stupid bitch!"  Was shrieked in her ear, right before she felt something cold and hard hit the side of her head.  And that would be the gun, Alexis thought, right before she passed out.

Alexis came awake suddenly, her heart racing.  It took her a few seconds to remember why.  The stalker had her.  Her head pounded and the bright light hurt her eyes.  The angle of the sun hadn't changed much, so she knew she hadn't been unconscious long. 

She was firmly secured to the chair
—
Alexis looked down at her ankles
—
with duct tape.  Her arms were stretched behind her and attached to the chair's back.  She tried wiggling them, but they were securely taped.

"It's about time you woke up."

Sabrina came into view.  Alexis squinted, trying to bring her into focus.  Guess that hit to the head did some damage.  She also felt slightly nauseous.  She swallowed a few times, hoping it would pass.

"Now what am I going to do with you?  Should I make you dig your own grave or would that be too cruel?"

Was she supposed to answer?  She didn't want to dig her own grave, then again, she didn't want Sabrina digging it, either.

Sabrina walked a circle around her chair, then once again stopped in front of her.  "I honestly don't see what Jack finds so fascinating about you.  I mean look at you.  All that frizzy, brown hair, fat face, even fatter ass.  You're simply hideous."

Alexis knew not to let Sabrina get to her, but hideous.  Really?  In a flash of foolish anger, Alexis sneered, "You're not so hot yourself."

The slap was unexpected and whipped her head painfully to the side.  She tasted blood in her mouth.

"I'm perfection personified."

Alexis thought it best not to comment, but she did open and close her jaw a few times, to make sure it still worked.

"As soon as you're out of the picture, Jack will be all mine.  He'll marry
me
and we'll live happily ever after."  Alexis watched her pace a few minutes.  "Now, how shall I kill you?"

Alexis
really
didn't want to answer that question.

"I don't want to simply shoot you.  Where's the fun in that?  I want to drag your death out, painfully and slowly."

Think.  Think.  Think.  Alexis.  In the movies, they always get the psycho killer to keep talking until helps arrives.  Surely, Jack is out searching for her.  She didn't know how much time she could stall, but she had to try.  She needed to get Sabrina to talk about her fantasy life with Jack.  Bet she could go on and on about that for hours.  "Sabrina, what are you going to do with Jack once he's yours?"

Sabrina stopped pacing, an enormous smile filled her face, and her eyes took on a glazed look.  She then proceeded to tell Alexis about her and Jack's future.  In detail.

Alexis smiled inwardly.  Perfect.

* * * * *

Stan got Jack back to the hotel in record time.  Stan and Steph decided to stay at the hotel, checking other leads in case this one didn't pan out.  Jack rushed to the roof and the awaiting helicopter.  He willed the pilot to hurry.  It seemed that too much time had passed since Alexis was taken.  Surely, time was running short.  He refused to believe he wouldn't make it in time.  Hope was his only ally.

They were up in the air in a matter of minutes.  The sun shone brightly through the helicopter's window, blinding him momentarily.  He didn't have his sunglasses.  They were in the Range Rover back at Steph's apartment. 

The ride seemed ridiculously short, and for that he was grateful.  The helicopter landed in an empty field beside an old, decrepit house.  He jumped out of the helicopter and raced to the front door, losing all his usual finesse, in his haste to discover if Alexis was inside.

He stepped over the threshold.  Alexis was tied to a chair.  She faced away from the door, so he couldn't tell whether she was okay, but her body wasn't slumped, and he took that as a good sign. 

Sabrina stopped herself mid rant as he walked through the door.  Her eyes got wide and a smile lit her face.  "Jack!"

Alexis turned her head.  Blood was matted in her hair and dried on her ear.  Her face was red and swollen.  But she was alive and he thought she never looked more beautiful.  The relief that swept through him was all consuming and he stood there a minute and simply stared at her, trying to convey to her with his eyes that everything was going to be alright.

Jack carefully shut the front door, then slowly walked farther into the room.  He didn't want to make any sudden movements and startle Sabrina, who held a gun.  Her movements were jerky and she had a crazed look in her eye as she watched him approach.

"I missed you, darling.  Remember the kiss we shared last night?  How special it was?  I knew you couldn't stay away."

Jack's eyes quickly darted to the gun in Sabrina's hand, then just as quickly back to her face.  He desperately wanted to go to Alexis, touch her, make sure she was okay.  But, he couldn't take the chance of doing anything that would cause Sabrina to harm her.

"I've been waiting years for you, darling.  Two years I waited for you to notice me.  Then you finally did.  We had a glorious night together.  Remember how magical it was?"  She asked, stepping closer to Jack.  "And then you ignored me for months and months.  But, I figured you were sowing your oats."  Sabrina tipped her head back and laughed hysterically.  "That's what my mamma used to say, men got to sow their oats before they'll settle down to just one woman."

"So I waited, again.  Waited for you to realize how much you love me.  How special that night was."  She turned to Alexis.  "And then
she
came along," Sabrina sneered, spittle flying out of her mouth as she pointed the gun at Alexis.

Jack acted instinctively.  He put his body between Sabrina and Alexis, blocking Alexis from her view.

Sabrina looked up at him, madness shimmering in her eyes.  "I don't blame
you
.  It was all
her
.  She's a witch.  The devil's spawn.  She cast a spell on you, making you forget your love for me."

Jack stepped back a step bringing the back of his legs in contact with Alexis's knees.  He felt better, instantly, with only that light touch.

"How was I supposed to compete with that?  A
witch
doing
sorcery
.  She needed to die, and I had to be the one to kill her.  For only then would the evil spell be broken, and you'd remember your love for me, once more."

Jack's mind flashed back to the bedroom with the pictures all over the wall and the mannequins lying on the bed.  This lady wasn't crazy, she was completely insane.

"Step aside, Jack.  So I can kill the evil witch and you, my prince, will  have me as your beautiful princess and we can live happily ever after."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

"No, you don't understand.  Your mind is clouded with her magic."

"If you kill her, the police will arrest you.  Then we won't be able to be together."

Sabrina clutched his arms.  Jack kept careful track of the gun, still in her hand.  "They'll understand.  They'll know I had to kill her to save you from the evil."  She brought her body flush against his and laid her head on his chest.  "They'll know I did it for us."

Jack took a few steps forward then turned them so Sabrina's back was to Alexis.  He looked over Sabrina's head, his eyes intense with emotion, as he mouthed
I love you
.  Alexis's lips trembled as she mouthed the words back.

Jack rocked Sabrina in his arms, cooing in her ear.  And when she was distracted, he reached for the gun.

"NO!"  She tried wrenching away.  Tried aiming the gun at Alexis, but Jack had a hold of her wrist.  He brought her wrist in, to grab the gun with his other hand, but his feet tangled in hers, and then they were falling.  He landed on top of Sabrina. 

And the gun exploded. 

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Alexis's whole body jerked at the sound of the exploding gun.  She wiggled around frantically in her chair trying to get loose.  Oh God, why wasn't Jack moving?

Jack!"  she screamed, tears running down her face, a sob escaping her lips.  She managed to scoot the chair forward an inch from her struggles.

Jack slowly rose to his hands and knees.  Blood covered his and Sabrina's chest.  He grabbed the gun from her lifeless hand and slid it across the wooded floor. 

"Please tell me that's not your blood."  Alexis managed to utter through her sobbing.

Jack shook his head.  "Not mine."  Jack checked the pulse at Sabrina's neck before standing.