Jennifer comes home to Georgia, divorced. The last thing she expects is loving again. |
Chloe struggled against the ropes binding her hands to the chair. The coarse material pinched her skin. She tried her feet. The chair swayed. She stopped moving before she fell over. The three men on the opposite side of the small cabin wouldn't care if she hurt herself. They'd probably laugh at her desperation. She had to remain calm and find a way to escape. She knew she'd be dead soon if she didn't. “I'm going to make a call to that bitch. You two keep an eye on the girl. Don't lay a hand on her or I'll kill you.” The ice in Jean's voice caused her to shiver. She had no doubt he meant what he said. He was evil. The floorboards rattled as he marched to the door. Two sets of eyes turned towards her. She tried not to let them see her panic. All bets were off about her safety with Jean out of the picture. Her two guards seemed a bit unstable. Definitely not the brightest men. She tried to come up with a plan to outsmart them. Bob, the largest out of the group, turned a leering look her way. Her skin crawled with disgust. If she didn't get away soon, she would be raped before being killed. Her throat clogged with tears. She forced them away. Now was not the time for her to go soft. She had to stay strong, for her mom. She had no idea if she or her great-grandmother had even survived the crash. No one would be able to find her. She had to do this herself. Erwin stood up. He adjusted his belt buckle and looked at Chloe. She shrank back before forcing herself to meet his seedy gaze. He smirked as he headed for the door. “I gotta take a leak. Keep an eye on her. Whatever you do, don't let her loose. I ain't getting killed cause of your dumb butt.” As soon as the door closed, Bob ambled towards her, his bulging middle jiggling. He ran a callused finger down her face. “You sure are a pretty thing.” He ran his tongue over his crooked yellow teeth before licking his lips. Chloe tried not to gag as he leaned close. His foul breath made her stomach lurch. “I like my girls young. You just starting to get your tits. They small and perky, just enough to tease a man.” His hand twitched like he planned to reach out and grope her. Chloe lifted her chin and tried to pull away. He smiled. “Ya know, bein' with a virgin is the best thing in tha' world. I bet you'll be tight as hell. You'll scream no and say it hurts but I know better. You'll like everything I do to ya. You youngins' just like to play hard ta' get.” Chloe started to shake. She'd been in danger of getting raped with Jason, but she'd managed to get away. She wasn't so confident of her success with Bob. He was a lot bigger and it sounded like he had experience. He walked behind her and started to stroke her hair, her face and her neck. His hand crept towards her chest. She choked back a scream. She had to get away. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm not a virgin.” She heard him laugh. “That's okay. Ain't nothing wrong with experience.” Chloe bit her lip. So much for plan A. “But I may have something. Aids, or some other STD. I've never been tested.” Bob came back into her view. He knelt in front of her. “I'll take my chances. I ain't never been tested either. Don't you worry though. I'll use a condom to protect ya'.” She felt his hand at her ankle. He ran his grimy palm up her leg, stopping at her knee before working his way back down. He started to work on the ropes tying her feet to the chair legs. She felt a flare of hope. After her feet were free, he stood up. His hands went to his belt buckle. She watched with wide eyes as he undid it and pulled his belt free. The metal jingled as it hit the pine floor. He leaned over and brushed a kiss to her cheek. “Could you undo my hands too? I can't feel my fingers.” He winked. “I will, but ya gotta do something good with them.” She forced a smile. “I'll try to think of something.” He freed her hands and she pulled them into her lap, rubbing at the purple indentions around her wrists. “Stay right there for a minute darlin'. I'm gonna make a pallet on the floor. Don't want this rough wood to scratch that soft skin.” He smiled at her, as if he was doing her a big favor. “I hope you ready, cause we fixin' to have some fun. We gonna take our time. I plan to have ya over and over. And don't you worry about Erwin. I won't let him touch ya.” Chloe nodded. She waited until he'd turned his back on her before she planted her feet on the ground. Her arms slid up the back of the chair. Splinters dug into her arms but she ignored the pain. As soon as Bob knelt to the ground, she jerked free of the chair and bolted for the door. She heard Bob yelling as she ran towards the shelter of the woods. Darkness had fallen and she hoped it would be enough to give her cover. Seconds later, Erwin joined in the yelling. Footsteps pounded towards her. She ran as long as she could, her breath coming fast. She tried not to pay attention to the cramp in her side as she stumbled over fallen logs. The cramp moved its way into her lungs and she couldn't go any further. She dropped down behind a tree. The roots stuck four feet into the air. She heard the men stumbling around and hoped they wouldn't hear the frantic beating of her heart. She tried to take quiet, shallow breaths. The sound of movement next to her caused a scream to bubble up. She clamped a hand over her mouth and prepared to run. Something brushed her arm. She looked over and saw Spirit. His white hide appeared ghostly in the darkness. Sobbing, she jumped up and struggled to get on his back. He snorted and began to pick his way through the woods. She lay against his leg, exhausted. Loud voices drifted on the wind. She strained her ears to hear what was being said. “You idiots. I told you not to let her go.” Jean had returned. He didn't sound happy. She almost felt sorry for the two men but she swashed the sympathy. They deserved his wrath. “It wasn't me boss. I went to piss. Bob's the fool that couldn't keep his pants on.” A gunshot echoed through the dense woods. Spirit started walking faster. The voices were now a low murmur. “Boss, wait. I didn't do it.” “You were the one who told me I could trust that moron. You should have paid better attention.” Another shot rang out. She had to press a hand to her mouth to keep from screaming. The woods thinned and turned into a pasture of tall grass. Spirit broke into a run. Chloe clung to his mane as sobs racked her body. The sound of rushing water caused her to sit up. She looked around, surprised to see Spirit had brought her to the waterfall. When he stopped, she slid off his back and dove into the pond. She swam towards the far end and ducked beneath the cascading water. With darkness surrounding her, she hoped Jean wouldn't be able to spot her. She climbed onto a ledge and sat down. A black hole caught her attention. She stood up and moved into a cave. She gasped. She hadn't noticed this last time she'd been here. The room was lit by an eery light. It reflected off a pool of water in the ground. She dipped a toe in, surprised to find it hot. She eased into the water and slumped down until the liquid lapped at her chin. Her sore muscles started to relax and she closed her eyes. As she lay there, she felt herself starting to doze off. She struggled to stay awake. She had to get back home. She was a sitting duck if Jean found her in the cavern. She forced her stiff body up and started to climb up the ledge. Her foot slipped and she stumbled into the wall. It crumbled inward, revealing a hole. Her fingers brushed against something rough. She pulled herself up and peered into the area. Something dark lay at the bottom. Using her fingers, she grasped the object and pulled it up. She realized it was a bag, made of wool. She opened it and felt inside. “Oh my God!” She pulled out a stack of papers, rubber banded together. As she held them close to her face, she realized it was money. She put the bag down and reached back into the wall. There were two more bags, all filled with cash. In the last bag, she also found a ledger. It was too dark to make out the words but she had no doubt she'd found the missing money. “We won't leave the ranch!” She shoved all three bags back into the wall and headed to the entrance. After jumping into the water and swimming to the bank, she looked around for Spirit. Her heart dropped as she realized she couldn't see him. She started for the steep path. Hooves clomped behind her. She turned around and spotted Spirit walking out of the woods. He trotted towards her. She climbed up the incline until she was high enough to mount Spirit's back. “Take me home boy.” |