Zenith Rising (40 page)

Just at that moment of epiphany, she felt
cold steel on her neck, as two arms came around her from behind,
pulling her up and back. Erica’s garbled brain tried to catch up
before a rush of fear slammed through her. She pulled on the arm
around her neck, now holding a knife to her throat. Tears filled
her eyes and she pressed her lips shut.
She could not
scream.
The knife was too close for that. Too real.

“Say a word and I’ll slice you wide
open.”

She jerked her head in a small nod.

“Get into your car. Driver seat. Now.”

She did as she was told, her body shaking and
trembling.

The back door opened, and the masked stranger
got in. She didn’t turn her head, but tried to strain her eyes to
see who was attacking her with her peripheral vision. She could
only see black. A black mask, just like last time, just like in the
stairwell.

“Both hands on the steering wheel.”

She obeyed his command, tears falling
uselessly over her face. She couldn’t help how scared and cold she
felt, almost a feverish feeling. Dizzy. She was sick with fear.

Her purse, wallet, and money all lay on the
pavement beneath her car. The man didn’t want any of that
obviously. So what did he want? That’s what really made her so
scared, she trembled with the looming terror.

“Drive.”

She couldn’t. The voice commanded, but she
was shaking so badly, she didn’t know how to make her body move. Or
follow simple instructions. She was gripping the steering wheel so
tightly that her knuckles were white and drained of color.

“I said drive, bitch.” The knife came back
towards her head. Erica suddenly became galvanized, and slammed her
car into reverse. Then, backing up with a screech groaning from her
tires, she nearly rocketed out of the parking lot.

“Turn left.”

She did. She followed each cryptic direction
from the assailant. Her stomach turned as soon as she realized
where she was being ordered to drive. They were within a mile of
Spencer and Rob’s house.

“That’s right. Your boyfriend’s house. Stop
right across from it.”

She was shaking, with her guts churning and
twisting. She thought she might be sick. She could taste the
metallic flavor of fear coating her tongue. This attack was
personal. The attacker knew Spencer was her boyfriend and even
where he lived. This was eerily personal. For reasons she could not
fathom, someone really had it in for her.

“Stop here.” She pulled over next to a
sidewalk several houses before Spencer’s. There were lights on
inside, and a silhouette of a person crossed in front of the closed
drapes. Her heart twisted, wanting to fling the door open and run
across the road into Spencer’s house. She wanted Spencer so badly
it physically tormented her.

The man said nothing more as they sat there,
in the dark, just looking at the house. At least, she assumed the
attacker was looking since she couldn’t see him. She could feel
him, and each casual move of his wrist, as the knife hung near her
head, his arm resting alongside her headrest. What did he want?
What? She felt like screaming at him.
Get on with it.
Whatever
it
was. This slow waiting was like torture.

“You don’t have a clue who I am, do you?”

“No.”

“Funny, how someone can ruin your life,
without ever even knowing you.”

What the hell? How did she ruin anyone’s
life? What had she done to anyone? What did Spencer have to do with
any of this?

“I’ve been watching you two. Seeing you two
always together and happy, while the people you’ve destroyed and
ruined, are right in front of you. And you don’t notice, do you? It
never bothers you, does it, Dr. Heathersby? What you destroy? The
people you destroy?”

“Who are you?” Erica started to turn to
look.

“Keep your head facing forward,” the man
snapped.

“Why are we here? What does Spencer have to
do with anything?”

“Everything. He has everything to do with it.
You stole my life and I should steal yours. You wanna watch as I
knock on his door and shoot him in the face when he answers
it?”

Chills of terror crept up her back and into
her scalp as goose bumps broke out on her skin. Oh God, no, this
couldn’t be happening. He intended to shoot Spencer right in front
of her? But why?
Why?

Erica licked her dry, cracked lips. “No, I
don’t want to watch you kill my boyfriend.”

The man laughed with a weird cackle. “I could
always rape you instead. That’s always a fitting punishment for a
woman, isn’t it?”

“Why do you want to punish me?”

“You ruined my life. I lost my job. I lost my
wife. And my daughter. She won’t even see me anymore. Isn’t that
enough reason to punish you? And that doesn’t include the public
reputation I lost. I can’t go anywhere I used to anymore. Everyone
hates me and acts repulsed by the sight of me. All because of what
you made so public.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,”
Erica said honestly, her voice cracking.

Suddenly, that fast, her head was jerked back
and her neck was encircled by his two hands. He was choking her
from behind. He intended to kill her. She pulled at his wrists and
gasped for breath, as she clawed at his hands and arms. The world
started to spin and go blurry. Oh God, she was going to die, here,
now, only a few driveways down from Spencer’s house.

Then suddenly, the hands let go. She gasped
for air, her throat hurting so badly, tears leaked over her
eyelids. She coughed and sputtered.

“I’m talking about the lies you let my
daughter spread. The lies that you fed my daughter and she told to
everyone.”

“I don’t understand,” Erica sputtered out,
her voice nearly a croak. “I’m sorry, I just don’t know you. What
daughter?”

“Tamira.”

Erica froze.
Tamira’s father.
“You’re
Tamira’s father?”

The strange pieces finally connected: the
bloody dolls, the fury aimed at her. Erica was instrumental in
Tamira’s escape from her abusive father. She provided counseling,
guidance, and an abortion. She even gave Tamira a job just to help
her move out.

“You and that freak turned my daughter
against me.”

God,
Spencer.
He must have known
Spencer dated Tamira. Recently. That explained why he brought her
there.

It didn’t, however, explain what the crazy
stalker who raped his own daughter intended to do about any of
it.

They sat there longer. Staring. Doing
nothing. Erica hoped someone might notice them. Then, she watched
the garage door open at Spencer’s house, as his red car backed up
and started down the street. It drove right past them. She willed
him to look over, and notice her car even though it was parked in a
dark spot. She willed him to feel her physical presence.

But he just cruised by, leaning down to turn
up the car stereo, which became loud and was bumping by the time he
passed her. She felt hot tears starting again. She swallowed the
lump that was lodged in her throat. Her heart dropped as she
watched him passing her. Her last glimpses of hope seemed to cruise
away with him. Her only relief was that at least Spencer got away
from the fiendish man behind her.

“Makes you wonder where he’s going, doesn’t
it? Put the car into gear. Let’s follow him. But don’t even think
of making yourself noticeable, or I’ll slit your throat.”

The crazed lunatic couldn’t be telling her to
follow her own boyfriend? What did he want? What would he do?

“He knows my car,” she said finally.

“Just drive.”

Erica was shaking so hard, she found
following another car was much more difficult when you couldn’t see
through the tears in your eyes or control the shaking in your
limbs. She followed Spencer’s red car, as in and out of traffic
they went. Eventually, he pulled into a parking garage downtown.
She parked where the man behind her pointed and her heart dipped.
No,
not a parking garage. It was dark, cold cement; they
could get trapped. She didn’t know or care what Spencer was doing,
she only wanted to fling open her car door and yell his name. And
run to him. And fall into his arms. Instead, she sat perfectly
still. Quiet. Both hands still squeezing the steering wheel.

“Does he love you?”

“What?” Erica was shocked out of her own fear
by the question. It was so completely unexpected.

“Does that man love you? You know, he defiled
my daughter. He conceived a baby with her. And never loved her. So
I ask, does he love you?”

Erica didn’t know what the right answer was.
If Spencer did love Erica, would the man consider it a personal
affront to his daughter? Or some kind of insult to him? Or would he
hate Spencer more because he thought Spencer was just using her
too? She didn’t know what to answer.

“I don’t know,” she said finally. “I hope
so.”

“So did my daughter. Look at what it got her.
She lost another baby.”

“She was never pregnant by Spencer,” Erica
said softly.

“She was. She told me so.”

“She was wrong.”

“Maybe you were wrong. You ever think of
that?”

Erica heard anger rising in his tone. “You’re
right. Sure. I could easily be wrong.”

Still they sat. Finally, Erica couldn’t take
it anymore. She watched Spencer crossing the parking lot before he
disappeared into an elevator, but now it seemed like a long time
ago. She had no idea where they were, or what Spencer was doing
there. She just wished she could run after him. Her body ached to
do that.

“What do you want, Mr. Tobison? Please I
don’t know what you want from me.”

“What do I want? I want my little girl back.
And my wife back. And my job back. Most of all, I want my
reputation back. Tell me how do I get any of those things
back?”

“I don’t know,” Erica said, her heart heavy
with fear.

“I do. By discrediting you. You need to tell
the truth about Tamira and me. You need to explain to the world how
wrong you were and give up your practice as a doctor. You resign or
give up your license or whatever you do to permanently quit
doctoring.”

“Gladly, if you’ll just let me out of this
car. All I have to do is quit. No resistance. It’s over.”

“I’m not stupid. You aren’t going to keep
your word.”

“I will. Now that you’ve made it clear how
serious you are.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet.”

The knife was back on her arm as his arm came
around her neck and squeezed her head into the headrest. She
struggled and kicked, with the tears streaming down her face, as
she begged him not to let her die like this.

****

Spencer felt his cell phone vibrating and
almost ignored it, but since he was on a break, he answered.

“Spencer? It’s Joelle.”

Spencer sighed. Of course, it was Joelle.
Joelle was probably calling to lecture him for what happened with
Erica. She hadn’t yet commented about it to him or tried to
interfere, but finally, she was.

“What do you want? Look, I didn’t sleep with
Erica’s sister, no matter what she thinks she saw.”

Joelle’s sigh was frustrated. “Well, God,
tell her that at least. But that’s not what I called about.”

“It’s not?”

Joelle’s long exhale echoed over the phone
line. “No. Look, Spence, something’s happened to Erica.”

“Happened?” His blood froze.

“She’s in the hospital. Someone attacked her.
You need to get here now.”

Spencer didn’t answer, but dropped the phone,
and had his keys and wallet in his hand before he was out the door.
He broke every traffic law there was, hoping a cop would notice and
escort him faster to the hospital. Finally, minutes later he parked
before sprinting across the parking lot, and up the stairs, two at
a time. He knew exactly where to go. The second floor again, no
doubt. He was finally at the front desk, asking for Erica’s room.
The nurse refused his request. Erica was under police protection.
Frustrated, he ran down the hallway, until he bumped into
Joelle.

“Where is she?”

“Follow me.” Joelle, thank God, was smarter
than most women. She never felt the need to waste precious time on
hugs or idle chit-chat.

Nick was seated outside the room. So was a
large-looking man with his arms crossed over his chest.

“What is this?” Spencer asked Nick, nodding
at the men littering the hallway and waiting room.

“Bodyguards. I hired them.”

Spencer nodded, wishing he had the money and
idea to do that weeks ago. But instead of being there with Erica,
he let things go lax with them, especially, her security. And she
ended up here because he was mad at her. He didn’t know what to say
that could describe how much he repented and what a selfish bastard
he was.

“What happened?”

Nick’s mouth was pressed in a hard line. He
shook his head. “Looks like someone got her outside her office
building. We found half her purse in the parking lot, phone
included. He forced her into her own car and she was found dumped
in a parking garage.”

“A parking garage? Which one?”

“Under the Indo Tower.”

Spencer started. He’d been there.
Right
fucking there
. In the restaurant up top, playing background
ambiance music to a bunch of business professionals. Why was Erica
there? Why was she driven there? What the hell happened?

“Dumped how?” The words felt awkward and
thick as they came through his lips.

“Sorry, man. I don’t know yet. She was
unconscious. Roy Bennett recognized her when she was brought in. He
called me. I don’t know what happened to her.”

It could be really bad. It could be rape.
What was done to her? Bile filled his throat. He staggered at the
thought of what might have happened to Erica. Erica Heathersby who
never harmed anyone in her life. Who did everything in the world
she could to help everyone around her. To the point where she
sacrificed her own personal life. Who could have hurt her?