Reprisal (18 page)

“Yes Agent Morrison. Units are in route now.”

He slams the radio down and turns a circle in the road, looking for an exit to get down to Ridge Road. “Shit, damn access road. I’m better off on foot, Gabe.” He says as he tosses me the keys. “I’m headed over there, you take the car, turn around and get there as soon as possible.”

And he’s gone, leaving me standing there holding the keys.

“NOW TORRES!” Mo screams at me as he runs towards the grassy median.

Sydney

The car is hauling ass down the highway, I’m face down in the back seat
, cause it hurts to lay on my back. I can’t see out the window, but I can tell we are speeding. Good, maybe he’ll get pulled over by the police and this will all be over. I close my eyes and wait, cause that’s all I can do.

I feel the car move rapidly from lane to lane, and I try and lift my head to look out. “Head down bitch!” The guy screams at me. My brother, shit. Maybe I ca
n get him talking and he’ll lose his train of thought.

“How are you my brother? What’s your name?” I ask quietly and calmly from the back seat.

“What a question? I would assume that our father deposited his sperm in one of his wenches and out I came, that’s typically how it happens. Now, no more questions.” He says as the car swerves to the side.

Well that went over well. “What’s your name?” I ask again, a little bit more determination in my voice.

“NO MORE QUESTIONS! SHUT UP AND LAY DOWN!”

I slam my head down on to the seat, pain shooting up the back of my neck. No
no no, now is not the time for a migraine. I take a few deep breaths and close my eyes, but before I can relax the car spins out and rolls, throwing my body throughout the car, limp and lifeless. Without my hands free, I can’t brace myself for impact.

The car rolls side to side so many times I lose count. I hear myself screaming and I hear him screaming as well, but his is an angry scream. Mine is
full of fear, my vision in slow motion as my life flashes before my eyes. I see light, then dark, then light again. The crunching sound of metal and the shattering of glass explodes across my face.

When the car finally comes to a rest, I’m on my side against the door, my head on concrete through broken window glass. I feel warmth trailing down the back of my head, the smell of blood filling the car and I try to fight off the darkness that wants to consume me. I realize then that I want this to end now, one way or the other. I’m done fighting the darkness that consumes me. I had a brief flash of light that filled me as I think of Gabe, but now the darkness is back, stronger than ever. I can’t live this way anymore. I won’t. I close my eyes and pray to die, right here and right now.

I feel my body go limp and my head presses harder against the concrete under me. My hands still bound behind my back and pain shoots through my shoulder. I blink open my eyes and glance to my side, seeing that my shoulder is dislocated and my arm is hanging limp. It’s bent at the elbow, but I can’t move it. Before I can register what is happening, I’m lifted through the open door above me. “Gabe.” I whisper, no strength in my voice.

“You wish, bitch. Now get up!” My brother yells, “NOW!” And I’m jerked up right and pulled through the open door, carelessly set on my feet. My legs wobble and the world spins around me. “You didn’t think I’d leave you here to die did you?” He laughs. “No, you will die a slow and painful death, at my hands.” He whispers in my ear, “But I plan to have some fun first.”

And he tugs me behind him towards the side of the road. I hear people yelling behind us, trying to get us to stop running. I plant my feet firmly on the ground, because I decide right then and there that I am not going with him. But he’s too strong and he pulls me forward, my knees going down and scraping against the blacktop of the highway. He drags me forward, ripping the skin off of my knees and exposing my flesh. He stops and looks back at me, a murderous look in his eyes.

“If you don’t get up, I will kill you right here on the street.” He says as he pulls a gun out of his pocket, a gun I didn’t even know he had. He presses the barrel of the gun to my temple and presses his lips to my ear. “I have no problem putting a bullet in your head.”

“Do it.” I taunt him. “Do it now. Please.” I beg.

He laughs out loud, “Yeah, okay.” And I hear the safety release, the hammer engaging. I start to feel relief, because I know that darkness is soon coming and I won’t have to deal with this anymore. But sirens in the distance pull him out of his trance and he locks the safety back. “Not yet, bitch. You aren’t getting off that easily.”

And he puts the gun in his pocket, then throws my limp body over his shoulder and runs. My head bouncing against his back. I look back at the people standing in the road and see the trailer of the truck on its side and silently hope the driver of that truck is okay. Then the darkness finally overcomes me.

The sound of dripping water awakens me. As I try and focus on my surroundings, I realize that I’m still alive. “Damn it!” I say with a weak voice. I’m face first on cold tile, my cheek pressed against the floor and my arms still around my back. My right arm is numb and I can’t move it, confirming that my shoulder is still dislocated. I try to roll over, but the pain shoots down my back. I grunt through the pain and manage to get to my side, taking in my surroundings. As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I realize I’m in a bathroom. A hotel bathroom.

The smell of piss and soap causes my eyes to burn. One solitary glow coming from the light switch on the wall that puts off an orange glow to the room. The orange light goes off, then comes back on flickering like strobe lights.

I manage to sit up and gather my bearings. The dripping from the shower raking on my pounding head. My hair is stuck to the back of my neck, glued there from the dried blood. The throbbing gets worse as I try and stretch my neck, but I roll my knees under me and use what little strength I have to stand up. As I do this,
the cuffs fall off of my hands and clank loudly on the tile floor. “Yes!” I whisper, not wanting to alarm my brother of my freedom. I take one of the flimsy white towels and fold it tightly, pressing it between my lips and teeth. I bite down on the towel as I press my shoulder against the wall, effectively pushing the joint back in to place. I stifle the scream and mumble curse words around the towel, but I can finally move my fingers. I stand stock still, listening to the sounds around me. All is quiet and I decide to peek out of the bathroom to see if I’m alone.

I look back at the shower, because I would really love to clean this sticky blood off of me and wash away the last few hours, or days. But I don’t know how much time I have and if I’m alone, this could be my only chance to escape.

I slowly turn the knob and pull the heavy door back, the hinges creaking as it opens. The glow from the television lights my way as I step around the corner. At first I think I’m alone, but then a voice comes from my right. “Aww, she’s awake.”

I stop, dead in my tracks, my blood boiling and my muscles tensing. I honestly thought I might be alone
and could get away. I should have known he’d never make it that easy.

“Where are we?” I ask.

“You ask too many questions. Now, come sit next to me. It’s time I took what belongs to me.” He says as he pats the bed next to him. I shake my head, cause there is no way I’m crawling on that bed next to him. I scan the room and eye the door and figure now is as good a time as any.

My feet start to move towards the door, but before I can reach the knob an arm wraps around my waist, pulling me backwards. He grabs my mangled hair and pulls me back against his chest.

Pain shoots down my shoulder in to my fingers, and the stinging in my scalp makes my eyes water. He places his lips against my ear and yanks my head back against his chest. I realize now how much taller than me he is. His other hand reaches around my face and his fingers press against my chin, freezing me against him. His right leg comes around and wraps around both of mine, effectively trapping me. He’s strong and I’m weak. I flash back to my Sanshou training, but I haven’t the energy to fight him. “Please......” I whisper.

“Ooh, I like begging. Please what?” He growls in my ear.

“You’re hurting me.” I cry out, tears streaming down my face.

“Oh yeah?” He growls again, pulling my hair even harder. “You haven’t seen hurt yet, my precious sister. Your pain has been nowhere near mine, but it’s time you feel the same pain I’ve felt for my entire fucking life.”

“I...I’m sorry, I never knew about you. I’m sorry......”

“Shut up bitch!” He yells as he pushes me forward, my chest now pressed against the wall.

His body is behind, pushing me flat. I cry out as the air whooshes from my lungs and his cock presses against my ass. “No! Please don’t do this!” I cry out.

“Don’t do what, big sister. Fuck you like daddy did? Don’t shove my cock down your throat until you gag, like daddy did? Come on whore, give it up to me like you gave it to our dear old dad.”

“I didn’t fuck him......he fucked me!” I cry out as I manage to get my leg free, kicking back and pulling his knee forward. His leg buckles and bends, pushing me back to the wall, my knee cap cracking the plaster.

“Nice try.” He breathes in to my ear. “You’re pretty strong for a girl, but you’ll never overcome me.” He says as he pulls my hands back behind my back, jolting my shoulder and I cry out in pain. I feel blood on my knee, dampening the denim of my jeans that are ripped and shredded in places from him dragging me across the pavement.

He forcefully turns me to face him and the sheer terror in his eyes leads me to believe he’s dead serious. I stand my ground and glare back at him, strong willed and scared shitless. I bring my injured knee up, the crunching sound of bone on balls echoing through the room. “Argh!” He screams, bending over and releasing me. “You fucking whore!” And he straightens, pushing me back against the wall, the air again leaving my lungs, my head cracking against the wall reopening the wound there.

He curls his hands around my head, pulling my face forward towards his. “You’ll pay for that.” He whispers as his lips come crashing down on to mine, hard enough to push my teeth through my flesh. His tongue snakes in and I bite down hard, drawing blood. He pulls back and then his fist comes crashing across my face. Flashes of light flicker in my eyes and I
stumble backwards in to the table, falling in to it and pulling the table down in an effort to hold myself up. He reaches down and grabs me, collecting a handful of my tee shirt in his hand and jerks me to my feet, my shirt ripping in the process. He stops and stares at my chest, my breasts barely contained in my bra. His fingers then trace the bottom band of lace and he rips it off of me. He grabs both breasts and squeezes so hard I cry out again. “No, please don’t........” and his mouth is back on mine, pressing harder in to my lips.

His foot sweeps out and kicks my feet out from under me and I go backwards in to the table again. He doesn’t let me go, so he goes down with me and his body is on top of mine. I push against his chest trying to get him off of me, but he’s too heavy. His long arm comes out and grabs both of my hands, securing them above my head and pressed against the floor behind me.

He wraps both of my wrists in one hand while his other goes for the zipper on his jeans. He pulls his pants down to his waist and then goes for mine, his nimble fingers tugging my zipper and yanking my jeans down, lifting his body off of mine as he rips my panties off.

I relax and close my eyes, because I know what’s about to happen. Maybe if I stop fighting, he’ll get this out of his system and let me go. His grimy fingers snake between my legs and penetrate me. “Dry as a fucking bone. Good.” He says as he pulls his hand back and lifts his body, lining himself up with me.

“NO, PLEASE!” I scream out! “NOOOO!”

Then the sound of crashing wood and a deep male voice stops him in his tracks, his
heavy body is pulled violently from me and the thud of his body hitting the wall on the other side of the room, a grunt coming from his throat. I try and focus on the room and I see him. Gabe.

He pulls me to him, wrapping his strong arms around me and
I sob in to his shoulder. “SHHH, baby. I’ve got you.” He whispers in my ear. “Let’s get you out of here.” He says as he tries to pull me to my feet, but before he can straighten, shots are fired and his limp body falls on to mine. Warm fluid spills from his body across my chest. “GABE!” I scream. “NO!! GABE!”

“Look at that,
Doctor. Your cop friend came to save you. Too bad he didn’t succeed.” My brother stands above me, aiming his gun at me with shaky hands.

“Just shoot me too, little brother. Put a bullet in my head and put me out of my misery.” I tell him, as I try and find Gabe’s wound. I follow the trail of blood and find it, right through his shoulder. I take my ripped shirt and hold it against the gaping wound above his heart. “No
no no, please don’t.......”

“Quiet bitch!” He says as he
peeks out the window. “Shit.” He mumbles as he locks the door.

I can see that point is fruitless as the lock is shattered, but he’s panicking and trying anything to keep from being captured.
His back is to me, and Gabe’s Glock is lying next to me, having become dislodged from his fingers as he moved to help me. I manage to grab the gun and hold it in shaky hands.

“You didn’t really think I’d let the good detective stop me, did you?” As he turns towards me, engaging
the hammer again. Then time seemed to stop as the gun clicked. I squeeze my eyes shut and wait for the pain, but no bullet discharges. I raise Gabe's gun, aiming it at my brother, then squeeze the trigger firing three shots. Blood sprays in to the air and splatters against the wall, his body jerks back and he leaves his feet as he goes back in to the wall. I fire another shot and his face mangles, the entire left side of his face painting the wall behind him. The door to the hotel room flies open again and three cops are there with guns drawn, two pointed at me and one pointed at my brother. “NO, GABE IS SHOT! HELP HIM PLEASE!” I scream as I drop the gun and the lights go out.