New Species 02 Slade (16 page)

isn’t cold. You’ll be fine. Now back up before I make

you.”

It wasn’t as though she had a choice. Bill was a much

bigger man. He looked to be the sort of jerk no one

wanted to end up facing off against in a bar fight. He

wasn’t overly tall but he had that mean look to him that

implied he’d cut someone’s throat in a heartbeat. She

nodded and slowly backed up against the tree to stare at

him with fear.

“Reach up and grip the branches, arms out wide.”

“Can’t I sit down?”

“I said,” he ordered softly, “reach up and grip the

branches. I wasn’t asking. I was telling and I won’t repeat

myself again. You can either do what I say or I can

change your way of thinking. It would be a painful

lesson. Do you understand me?”

She lifted her arms to grip the branches just above

her head. She saw the man reach into his back pocket and

pull out a bandana he probably used to wipe sweat off

him. He stepped very close to her. He used the bandana

to tie her wrist, securing it to the branch.

He stank and needed deodorant. She smelled booze

on top of it, mixed with the disgusting stench of chewing

tobacco too. She held her breath as much as she could

while he wrapped something made from a rough cloth

on her other wrist. He yanked it tight. He moved back

finally and the horrible smell withdrew.

Bill stared at her, nodded, and then turned his back

to walk into the tent. Trisha looked up at her restrained

arms. He had two mismatching bandanas securing her

wrists to the thin branches. She pulled on them but they

only moved slightly, proving there was no way she

could pull free. She softly cursed and tugged at the

bandanas, trying to see if he’d left her enough wiggle

room to slide her hand out. He’d tied them too tight.

Bill exited the tent carrying a sleeping bag and

pillow with him. He darted a glance at her before

throwing the bedding down about four feet from where

Trisha stood. She’d thought he was at least decent since

he’d offered her a drink and food but that was before

he’d tied her, scarecrow-like, to a tree. After a while her

legs were going to grow really tired.

He stretched out on his back on top of the sleeping

bag, facing her, and settled his gun across his chest. She

spotted a hunting knife peeking out from a boot as he

crossed his legs. He shoved the pillow behind his head

and closed his eyes.

Trisha shifted. Her legs ached and her arms felt as

though they were going to fall off. She lifted on tiptoe to

level her arms with her shoulders. It sent some blood

back into her upper limbs but then her toes would hurt

until she’d have to ease back down onto her feet. She

rolled her head every once in a while. She tried to sleep

but every time she drifted off her legs would start to

collapse, causing pain to shoot up her arms from her

weight pulling against them. Time crawled by.

Something made a slight noise from the woods. Bill

jerked awake instantly, rolled onto his stomach, and

leveled his gun in the direction the sound had originated

from. Shocked, Trisha stared at him. A bird flew from a

tree in that direction. The man on his stomach sighed and

rolled back over and glared at her.

“I’m a light sleeper. Quit sighing. I’m getting sick of

it.” He closed his eyes again and rested the gun back

across his chest.

He can’t really be sleeping. Trisha stared at his chest,

watched it rise and fall slowly. The sound the bird had

made had been so slight she’d barely heard it but the

man at her feet jerked as though something had charged

at him. He’d even pointed his weapon toward the right

direction. If he faked sleeping then he knew about any

sound she made. Her glimmering hope of escape

dwindled. She would have been better off if they’d left

Tom with her. A man gawking at her breasts seemed an

improvement over having been tied so uncomfortably to

a tree.

* * * * *

sagged, all her weight on her wrists, and it hurt. Trisha

fought tears. She put all her weight onto her feet and rose

to her toes. It eased all tension from her wrists and the

blood flowed back into her arms while she studied the

sky. She’d been tied to the tree most of the day. The sun

had lowered in the sky. She looked at the man on the

ground to find him staring back at her. She couldn’t tell

for sure but she thought his attention fixed on her

stomach.

“You’re awake,” she noted softly. “Can I sit down

now? Please?”

He sat up and watched her face, frowning until he

lowered the gun to the ground next to the sleeping bag

and rose to his feet. He walked away from her to the tent.

Trisha lifted her chin up to stare at the sky. Bastard. He

had to know she was hurting and uncomfortable. She

needed to use the bathroom again too. She heard him

coming back and darted a glance at the walkie-talkie

gripped in one hand.

“Bill here,” he spoke. “Base?”

“Hey, Bill,” a male answered through the small

speaker. “Report.”

“We haven’t found them yet.” Bill watched Trisha

and he put his finger to his mouth motioning her to be

quiet. “We’re in section twenty-two. Anyone else have

any luck?”

“Not so far,” the voice was static-ridden. “You are

way out there.”

“Aren’t there other guys this way?”

“Nope. You’re it. How come Tom isn’t calling in?”

“He’s taking a crap. The kid is green. We’ll call back

and report in the morning. Over and out.” He turned the

walkie-talkie off.

“They haven’t found your animal friend yet.” He

dropped the walkie-talkie onto the pillow. “I’m rested

now and ready for action. I wanted to make sure no one

else was in the area and now I’m sure it’s just us.”

Trisha’s stomach churned as she swallowed. She

didn’t feel at ease with the way he’d said that or the way

his gaze roamed her body. His lecherous look slowly

rose until he met her fearful expression.

“You’re a good-looking woman. You’re one of those

bleeding-heart, animal-rights bitches, aren’t you? You

love animals, little girl?” He reached down and

unfastened his belt, his gaze locked with hers. “I didn’t

want Tom staying with you because the kid doesn’t

know what to do with a woman.”

“Oh God,” Trisha moaned, watching him pull his

belt free of his pants loops as he fisted the buckle in his

hand. Her gaze flew to his. “Whatever you are thinking

about, please don’t do it.”

“Shut up or I’ll take this belt to you. I hate screaming.

Do you understand me? You don’t need a tongue to fix

Pat when Tom drags his stupid ass back here. He’s an

idiot and I’m sure we’ve got a few hours before they

return. He couldn’t find his own ass without someone

directing him to it. I’ll cut out your tongue if you

scream.”

Bill dropped the belt onto the sleeping bag and

reached down. He pulled a long, sharp hunting knife

from his right boot. He glanced at it and let his finger

trace over one side of the two-sided blade. The back side

had a serrated edge. The blade had to be ten inches long.

Trisha stared at it in horror. He lifted his head to give her

a cold smile.

“Say you’re a bitch who is a bleeding-heart, animal-

rights moron. Just that way.”

She shook with terror. She opened her mouth but

nothing came out. She yanked hard on her wrists, frantic,

but the bandanas held. She tried to back up but the tree

had no give in it.

“Say ‘I’m an animal-loving, bleeding-heart bitch who

is a moron’,” he demanded softly. “Right now.”

“I’m an animal-loving, bleeding-heart bitch who is a

moron,” Trisha whispered.

A smile cracked his lips. “That’s a good girl.” He

took a step closer as he gripped the hunting knife with

his fist. He reached and grabbed the waist of her slacks

and his head lifted.

“Kick off your shoes.”

“I have to use my hands to get them off,” she lied.

Her voice shook.

“Kick them off now or… ” He brought the blade

closer until the tip of the knife touched her breast and

pushed the knife until it indented the area just under her

nipple. “I figure I could slide this in at least three inches

before I hit bone.”

“Oh my God,” Trisha gasped, total panic gripping

her. “All right.” She used one foot to grip the back of the

other shoe and pushed down. Her shoe came off. She

switched, using her toes, and got the second shoe off.

“God isn’t here, little girl.”

Bill suddenly moved, pulling his knife back from her

breast and thrust it at Trisha’s face. She saw the blade

coming at her and a scream tore from her throat. She

threw her head to the side. She expected the blade to stab

her in the face but it didn’t. The expected pain never

came. She heard him laugh. She turned her head to see

that knife embedded in the tree trunk next to her face.

Her ear brushed cold metal.

His hands were brutal as he dug them into the

waistband of her slacks. He unfastened them and shoved

them down her body. He hooked his thumbs in her

panties and pulled them all the way down her legs.

When he reached her ankles he just jerked hard to

remove them. Trisha’s legs were yanked out from under

her when he did it and she screamed again. Pain tore

through both of her shoulders and wrists as her full

weight sagged on them.

He rose and stared down at Trisha as she struggled

to stand again to take some of the pain from her arms.

She was naked from the waist down and knew he

planned to rape her. She turned her head and prayed as a

hand fisted in her hair.

“Look at me, animal-loving bitch,” he ground out.

Trisha whimpered from the pain he inflicted on her.

He turned her head by jerking on her hair until she had

no choice but to look at him. He smiled, giving her the

coldest one she’d ever seen.

“When the boys come back, this never happened. I

will kill you myself if you tell them and it won’t be

painless. Do you understand me? I’m not going to risk

one of those loud-mouth asses getting drunk and

popping off so my wife finds out. I’ll just tell them you

tried to run if you don’t do what I say, how I say it. I’ll

cut you up while you’re still breathing. Do you hear me,

little girl? You do what I say or you don’t live ’til

morning. You tell any of the boys what you and I are

about to do and you’ll be begging me to die by the time I

get done with you.” He winked at her. “Hell, if you do

tell, the boys might want to do it to you too.” His hand

released her hair as he laughed. “On second thought, the

boys can’t tell if they do it too. We could have our own

little animal-loving-bitch party.”

“Please don’t. I have money. I could pay you

anything you want. Just please―”

He slapped her hard. Pain slammed through Trisha

as it exploded from her cheek to her jaw. She groaned.

Agony tore through her shoulders as her knees collapsed

under her. She fought blackness and won. The world

spun though and the metallic taste of blood filled her

mouth. She settled her weight back onto her feet.

Hands were on her chest. The asshole yanked her

shirt up and over her head. He snagged it on the back of

her neck where it would stay hooked away from her

chest. He couldn’t remove it without untying her or

cutting it all the way off her body. Her hands were

bound too tightly to break free when she frantically tried

to do just that. The shirt did move as she fought and

some of the material slid forward, along the back of her

head when she lowered it to her chin. Bill cursed and

gripped her shirt again to bunch it behind her neck to

keep it up. Hands gripped the front of her bra and he

yanked hard, causing material to tear. He shoved the

cups aside.

“You look better than my wife ever did before the