Billy had spent some time in prison a few years back and he did not want to go back there, ever. He had been beaten brutally nearly every week for the seven months he was inside. And Taz would not last in prison; they would make easy work of her.
She bit her lip and snapped her fingers, thinking. “Just hold on, let’s not be too hasty. There may be a way. The five grand would come in really handy. I mean we could really use that to help us get away. We could make a new start. They’ve already promised a grand so that makes six. You have fifteen hundred and I have nine hundred and fifty. We don’t have to go to Mexico, but we could lie low for a few months before we need to work. I’ll take care of the old bag next door.”
He shook his head and looked at her as though she were mad. “Well, you’d better come up with a plan pretty damn fast, Taz. I’m not sticking around to end up in jail again.”
She chewed on her thumb for a minute. Then her eyes glinted. “Mrs Brown is always going on about her kids, how they never come and take her anywhere, and how most of her friends are dead. All she does all day is sit in her apartment. Maybe I can get her to come out with me. Take her somewhere.”
Billy nodded slightly. “Do you think she would? She’s a miserable old cow.”
Her eyes were bright and wild. “I’ll tell her she’ll be doing me a favor. You know how she likes people to feel indebted to her? I’ll ask her in the morning.”
“If she says no, we leave. Okay?”
Taz nodded in agreement.
***
The next morning, Taz knocked on Mrs Brown’s apartment door. She said she was going to the shops, and did she need anything. Mrs Brown asked her to get her a couple of things and Taz left. When she returned with the shopping, Mrs Brown asked her to join her for coffee.
“Did you see the ambulance this afternoon? They took poor Ida away.” Mrs Brown clucked her tongue.
“Ida?”
“From 1B. She never gets any visitors either.” Mrs Brown then went on about her no-good children, who she didn’t see from one month to the next. Last week it was her birthday and they couldn’t even be bothered to visit. All she got was a phone call and some cards through the mail.
Perfect, thought Taz. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know it was your birthday last week. Why don’t we go out for a meal together tonight to celebrate?”
“That’s very kind of you. I don’t want to be a burden, and it really doesn’t matter anyway. At my age, you get used to disappointments. My life is one big disappointment.”
Taz sat nodding at the appropriate moments, desperately trying not to roll her eyes.
“Please, Mrs Brown, I insist. It will be my treat. Billy is out tonight with his friends and Mia won’t be home until late. She’s visiting her mother this weekend. Honestly, you’ll be doing me a favor, and we can celebrate at the same time.” Taz put on her most charming smile.
“Well, if it stops you from being home all alone. I know what that feels like more than anybody. Just this once, Taz, and only as a favor to you. And I pay my own way. I am not a charity case.”
“Great! I’ll pick you up at seven thirty. Anywhere in particular you want to go, Mrs Brown?”
“Anywhere is fine with me. I’m not fussy, you know that.”
“Then I’ll surprise you,” Taz called over her shoulder as she let herself out.
Taz told Billy she would be taking Mrs Brown out at seven thirty that evening so everything was in place. Billy called Arben to confirm it was all going to plan. But he still had a bad feeling about it all….
Joe informed Cain that everything was confirmed, and arranged to pick him up at the hotel bar around seven thirty.
***
Mia yawned as she neared home. She loved going to visit her family, but the drive back to Banksfield always left her tired and upset. At six-twenty she was just about to turn the corner onto First Street when a man stepped out in front of her car. She slammed on her brakes and let out a scream. Shaking and annoyed, she jumped out of the car. “Oh, my God! What the hell are you doing? I could have killed you!”
The man just stood there, head down.
“Hello, Mia,” Cain said when he looked at her.
Mia felt she couldn’t breathe. This can’t be true! Is it really him? After a few seconds she said his name. “Cain? Cain is it really you?”
She didn’t know what to do. She wanted to run to him and throw her arms around him. His face hadn’t changed; it was just as she remembered. She wanted to ask him why he had not come back before now. She’d missed him, but why? After all, he was a stranger. She was pulled from her jumble of thoughts at the sound of his voice. It was exactly as she remembered, soft and soothing.
“Yes, it is me.” He wanted to hold her, tell her he would not let them hurt her, but there was no time to explain. She simply had to leave now. “Mia, do you trust me?”
He was even more handsome than she remembered, the tight black T-shirt emphasizing his muscular chest, but his eyes–somehow they were different, not as she remembered them. Then she realized they weren’t the perfect blue sapphires she remembered, they were almost black.
“Yes, I trust you. Why? What’s going on? Has something happened?”
“Mia, you are in danger,” he said softly.
A cold tingle crept down her spine and her breathing became faster. She stared at him in astonishment. “Danger? What do you mean? What kind of danger? What happened?”
Cain heard Billy’s car approaching, too close now for lengthy explanations. “Please, just trust me. I will explain later. Go back to your mother’s. I will see you there as soon as I can.” Then he was gone.
Mia got back in the car, but she couldn’t bring herself to start the engine. Her mind was going wild with questions. What’s going on? What happened while I was away? Why is Cain here now after all these years? Suddenly she cried out, “Taz!” She got on her phone and called the apartment. Taz answered on the third ring.
“Taz, are you okay?” She could not disguise the panic in her high-pitched voice.
“Yeah, why? Where are you? You sound strange. Is everything all right?”
Mia couldn’t control her breathing and her hands had begun to shake. “I’m just around the corner. Has anything happened while I’ve been away? That ex of yours hasn’t come back, has he?”
“Everything’s fine. I told you it was all sorted, so there’s no need to worry about him.” But there was a nervous edge to her voice.
Something’s going on. “Is Billy okay?”
“Yeah, Billy’s fine. What’s wrong with you? Are you okay?” Taz was starting to panic now. What if Mia wasn’t coming home?
“It’s just…. Never mind. Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll be home shortly.” Mia sat in the car for a minute, confused. What the hell is going on? she wondered. Taz didn’t sound fine, but if anything strange had happened she would have told her, wouldn’t she? What was Cain doing here? How did he know where she was? Nothing was making any sense, but she did trust Cain. If he wanted her to leave, thought she was in any danger, then that’s what she would do. But she needed to check on Taz; something was wrong with her. She could hear it in her voice. She would go to the apartment to pack some extra clothes and return to her mother’s until Cain came back to explain.
As Mia turned the corner she saw Billy talking to two men. Billy saw her and waved as she got out of the car. The two men also looked across at her and smiled. Mia waved back to Billy but she didn’t like the look of the men he was with. The younger one looked like a thug and the older one looked at her as if she was a piece of meat. Another shudder went through her. She ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. When she entered the apartment, Taz was in the kitchen.
“Who are those men with Billy?”
Taz looked different. She seemed shocked at Mia’s question and she definitely was not herself. She was edgy, but dressed for an evening on the town, which was strange since Taz never went out on a Sunday. Something is definitely not right
, Mia thought.
“They’re old friends of his, that’s all,” Taz said, just as Billy came through the door.
Billy was alone, which was a relief to Mia. Okay, now Billy’s here to watch her I can pack a few things and get the hell out of here. “Something has come up. I’m going to grab some things and go back to my mother’s for a few days. Are you guys okay?”
Billy glanced at Taz. “What’s happened?” Taz asked.
“Just a bit of family trouble, nothing bad really. I just want to be there for Mom.” Mia hoped she sounded convincing. She had never been a good liar. She left to go to her bedroom.
Billy started whispering to Taz. “We can’t let her leave. Arben and Joe are right outside.”
Taz whispered in Billy’s ear. “Okay. You get the stuff to tie her up with, and I’ll go in and pretend to help her pack her bag. You grab her as she comes out of the bedroom and I’ll get her from behind. Make sure she doesn’t scream.” Taz went into the bedroom, where Mia was frantically opening drawers and throwing underwear into a bag.
“Here, let me help you,” Taz offered, as she closed the door behind her.
Mia looked up quickly. “I’m nearly done, thanks. I’ll be right out.” She did not know why, but she wanted Taz out of her bedroom. It was just a feeling, but it was so strong she could not ignore it.
Taz stepped closer, her eyes boring into the back of Mia’s neck. “Mia, what’s wrong? Is it really so bad you have to leave? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Mia didn’t lift her head, but her hands began to shake. “I’m fine, really. Look, I’m sorry but I’ll call you tomorrow.”
As Mia opened the bedroom door Taz shouted, “Now!”
Mia turned to look at Taz as Billy came up behind her. He put one hand over her mouth and the other around her throat. Mia dropped her bag and Taz grabbed her arms. She kicked out fiercely making Taz yelp. But Billy dragged her to the floor.
She started to panic, she could not breathe. She tried to get free, but her arms would not budge. Billy now had both hands on her throat, squeezing hard. She tried to scream. Taz let go of her arms, so Mia tried punching and scratching Billy. This did no good. He would not release his grip on her throat. His legs moved onto her arms, pinning them to the floor while Taz sat on her legs. She was choking, and all she could think was, This is it, I’m going to die! Why do they want to kill me? And then everything went black.
Taz jumped up, as fear hit her. “Oh, fuck! Billy, what have you done? You’ve killed her!”
Billy said, “She’s got a pulse, and I can see her chest moving. Let’s get her back in the bedroom.” Relief was evident in his voice. His face and arms were starting to sting from the scratches Mia had inflicted on him. After they tied and gagged Mia, Billy went to clean up. Taz refreshed her makeup and changed her skirt; the red pencil one had ripped when she sat on Mia’s legs. She changed into her black wriggle dress and hoped Mrs Brown would approve of the tight-fitting outfit.
Chapter 25
Mia opened her eyes. She couldn’t move. She tried to open her mouth, but there was something over it. She looked down and her arms and legs were taped to the chair in her bedroom with duct tape. Panic set in again and she tried to throw herself about to get out of the restraints. Tears were falling down her cheeks. What did I do for them to do this? What are they going to do to me? Why didn’t I do as Cain said and just turn my car around?
Taz and Billy came in the room. “I’m sorry, but it was either you or me,” Taz said plainly.
Mia couldn’t even look at her.
Billy walked over to her. “I’m sorry too. This will all be over soon. Neither of us wanted it, but we had no choice.”
Mia struggled harder, muffled screams coming out of her gagged mouth.
“I have to go. It’s nearly half past,” Taz said to Billy. She turned and gave Mia a pitiful look. “I’m sorry. There really was no other way.”
“It‘ll be okay. It’ll all be over when you get back,” Billy said as he kissed Taz on the cheek.
Taz went to collect Mrs Brown. She had to go inside since Mrs Brown fussed about over nothing. “I’m really not used to going out any more. I don’t think these shoes will be comfy. I had better change them, and this dress? No, it will never do. And you look so smart. I don’t want to show you up.” Mrs Brown went on and on. Taz started to perspire.
“There was a lot of noise coming from your apartment before.” Taz went pale. “You know me. I don’t like to make a fuss, but—”
Taz cut her off. “Sorry, Mrs Brown. Billy was moving some stuff in the bedroom. I’ll tell him to be a bit quieter in the future. Now, we’re going to be late if we don’t get a move on, and you look lovely. Honestly.”
Taz was starting to panic; she’d already been there twenty minutes when Mrs Brown finally made her mind up about her shoes, dress, and which coat she would wear as it was too hot for that one, and what if it started to rain?
***
At seven thirty, Cain was at the bar waiting for the men to collect him. He was anxious. He had felt Mia, suddenly full of fear, then nothing. Has she left as I told her to? What if she’s had an accident? He had no choice but to go through with his plan, just in case something had happened and Mia had not left. What if they had her?
Arben and Joe arrived a couple of minutes later. “Are you ready to go, then?” Joe asked with an evil smirk across his face.
“Yes, I’m ready,” Cain replied, but thought, I doubt you are ready for me though.
They climbed into Arben’s car. Joe asked him if he had the money, so Cain showed them the cash, which was in a small gym bag. “You will get it when I get the girl.”
“Don’t worry, my friend, there’s no problem. Everything is arranged. We’ll go there now,” Arben replied.
Arben pulled up outside the apartment just as Taz was leaving with an old woman. Cain glared at her. Did she know Mia was not coming back, that he had warned her, or was it because she couldn’t stay around for the fun? Could she not look at Mia after they had sold her to these animals? Do not worry. I will wait for you. The three men got out of the car and headed up to the apartment. Cain could feel Mia’s presence. Keep control, he kept telling himself. Joe knocked on the door. Billy opened it and looked a little surprised to see Cain standing there.
Cain had never said what his name was to Billy so that wouldn’t be a problem.
“This is Alan. I hope you have everything ready for him,” Joe said.
“Yeah, everything’s ready.” Billy opened the door to Mia’s bedroom.
Mia saw Cain standing there. Cain! Oh, thank God, she thought. As he entered the room, she saw the two men come up behind him. What? Cain? No! Oh, God, please, no! She couldn’t breathe. She closed her eyes. Oh, Cain, anyone but you.
Cain saw the look of horror on Mia’s face. He threw the gym bag at Arben and looked at the two men. “Leave us!” He wanted to kill them all, right there and then, but he had to get Mia to safety first. She could not see him for what he was.
Arben grinned. “Take as long as you want,” Joe said as he closed the door.
Cain went over to Mia and touched her face. She opened her eyes. He put his fingers to his lips, signaling her to be quiet. He removed the three pieces of duct tape from around her face and mouth, trying not to pull her hair out while doing it. They had used plenty.
Mia was stunned. She just looked at him. She couldn’t speak, and she started to sob uncontrollably.
Cain quickly freed her arms and legs. He pulled her to her feet, wrapped his arms around her and held her close. If they had hurt her, marked her, they would not die quickly.
Eventually, Mia looked up at him. “Why?” was all she could say.
Cain cupped her face in his hands. “We have to get you out of here. Do you think you can drive?” She nodded that she could, only relieved that Cain really was still her hero. He wasn’t here to hurt her. He was saving her, again.
He noticed the bruising on her
neck, the blood on her fingernails, her ripped top, and that the chain with the pendant was missing. He wanted to scream out loud, more annoyed with himself than anything else. He had not protected her. I should have got in the car with her, made her drive away. I could have come back for them. If Arben and Joe had left, I could have tortured Billy to tell me where they were. If they had all left I knew their scent, I would have found them. Humans cannot hide from me.
He found the pendant on the floor and he straightened the catch. Then he placed it back around her neck, smiling gently at her. ”Are you ready?” he asked as he went to open the door and lead her out. She nodded. “When I tell you to run, just run, Mia. Do not look back.”
She wrapped her fingers around the pendant and nodded again, unable to find her voice.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re taking her?” Joe called out as Arben ran toward them.
“Run! Now!” Cain shouted. He grabbed Arben by the throat and threw him against the wall.
Mia got to the front door and looked behind her. The man with the scar was on the floor unconscious, but the older man and Billy were running at Cain.
“Go!” Cain shouted at her.
She opened the front door, worried about what they would do with Cain, if they were going to kill him. She looked back again. What she saw completely stunned her, rendering her incapable of comprehending what she was seeing.
Billy’s head jerked back, Cain’s teeth locked in his throat. Cain shook his head violently to the side, sending a spray of blood splattering against the wall. With one hand he lifted Billy off the floor then threw him across the room as if he weighed nothing. He then grabbed hold of the old fat guy, but in turning saw Mia staring at him.
No, no, no! “Mia, go now!” he begged, and finally she disappeared from sight.
Cain punched Joe, and Joe flew, unconscious, against the wall. His limp body fell to the floor, landing on top of Arben.