Devin-2 (20 page)

“Because he’s a sick bastard and he made you just as sick as he is. You don’t sleep with your parents, you stupid bitch. What he did to you was sick, and what’s even sicker is that you don’t see it,” Ronnie screamed at her sister. “He’s got you so brainwashed that you believe he loved you because he fucked you?

You’re as insane as he is. Now end me or fucking leave me to die.” The slice to her forearm was deep and Ronnie could see the bone being exposed as Margo rammed the knife into her. Blood gushed from the wound and onto her face. Dizzy now, drifting in and out quicker with the pain, Ronnie knew that she couldn’t lose consciousness. She had to find Devin for his family. Taking a deep breath, fighting to stay alive, Ronnie lifted her leg high. She managed to slam her foot into Margo’s chest and throw her back across the room. Ronnie had to lay there for a few precious seconds to catch her breath. That’s when she noticed that the knife was near her hand.

~~~

Devin was delirious with pain. His arms were stretched high over his head and his feet barely touched the floor beneath him. There was something over his face, blocking out all light. It smelled like dirt and urine. The echoes of the room he was in amplified every little sound he heard, making him believe he was in a smallish room with very little furniture.

Devin knew that more of his ribs were broken, at least three on each side where Albert had kicked him repeatedly when they had first arrived. Devin’s left arm was also broken and he thought that his wrist was badly sprained. His jaw hurt badly and he could feel that some of his teeth were loose. Even without the covering over his eyes, he was sure he wouldn’t have been able to see. Between the pistol whippings he had taken in his office, and since he had been brought here, he thought he would be lucky if he didn’t have permanent damage.

Shifting again to take some of the weight off his leg, he cried out from the pain in his knee where Frey had hit him with a wooden ball bat after hanging him here.

But that hadn’t been the worst. He had also been raped.

At first, he had heard her cooing and moaning in the room. He couldn’t tell where or how close she was until she touched him. She cut his shirt away. The blade of the knife had nicked him once and he felt her tongue along his skin as she licked the wound. Devin’s stomach lurched again when he thought about her and her odor. When he felt the cold air hit his skin, he thought she might be finished, but then she went for his pants. This time, she took them off him, stripped him naked, and touched him everywhere as she went. He still had the gag in his mouth and when she started rubbing against his body, he nearly strangled trying to scream at her to get away. When she backed away from him, she started talking and he could hear she was talking to herself.

“Hummm, Margo, you gots to have some of that. Yes, sir, ain’t no reason to let that big, fat cock go to waste. I’m gonna get him hard, then I’m gonna ride him hard. Oh yeah, that’s what Margo wants. And Margo gets what Margo wants.”

Devin felt his balls tighten at the thought of her touching him and he felt the bile rise again. When she grabbed his cock in her big hand and squeezed, he jerked back and twisted his already painful leg, nearly losing consciousness again. But he didn’t; he couldn’t. He was afraid of what she might do to him if he did. When she put her mouth over him and sucked him in, he kicked out with his better leg and knocked her over. He wasn’t sure where he had hit her, but he realized she was heavy, fleshy, where his foot had connected. She grabbed his knee suddenly and twisted. Screaming in agony, the blackness swam before his eyes and he couldn’t stop the tip over into it. When he came to several minutes ago, he knew that she had taken what she had wanted and he felt violated and dirty.

Drifting in and out, he thought he heard sirens again and wondered who had been hurt. He remembered Caroline then and cried for her. Muttering to himself, he hoped that she had good insurance and that her family didn’t try to kill him because she worked for him. Giggling, he thought he might prefer being dead to being in pain and what his body had endured. And Veronica, his Veronica. He wished that he could have seen her again, touched her once more.

He would tell her how much he loved her, wished that they had had a child, a beautiful little girl like her mommy. Devin wished he could have held her just one more time.

“Devin?” She was back, was his first thought. Well, this time, he was going to be ready for her. He had a wife, damn it, and he didn’t want this woman touching him. Devin heard a scream and wondered who it was, then a gun shot.

Then the blackness rose up again to claim him.

~CHAPTER 18~

Tumbling out of the bed, Ronnie grabbed her gun and pointed it at Margo who was just starting to rise. Ronnie’s leg was throbbing like a toothache and her arm hung useless at her side. She had to get to Devin; she had to set him free.

Margo looked at the gun and then at Ronnie.

“You can’t be shooting me. I’m your sister; you can’t kill your kin. It’s against the Bible.”

Ronnie just stared at Margo. She was insane, Ronnie decided. Insane because of the way she had been raised. Ronnie was also sure her mother drank during her pregnancy and knew that that had played some part in it as well.

“You were going to kill me, you stupid cow. And the way you’ve living...don’t even think about quoting the Bible at me. Now, where is Devin?

Tell me now and maybe I’ll only shoot you in the foot and not your face. Hurry up, I don’t have all night.” Ronnie thought she would be lucky if she had the next ten minutes, but Margo didn’t need to know that.

“Don’t shoot my face, Catalina. I need to be pretty for Daddy. Here, shoot my foot; I don’t need it none. Maybe I can get me one of dem fancy riding chairs to go around in. Yeah, shoot my foot. That man ain’t gonna want you after this, and I done had a taste of him; he’s good. We can share.” Ronnie stood up and slammed the gun across Margo’s face. Rage like she had never felt surged in her blood and she had to sit back down on the bed to calm herself before she trusted herself to touch Margo again. Stripping the sheet from beneath her, Ronnie tore it into long strips and braided it together to make a tight rope. The material was rotten, so she hoped it would hold her long enough for Ronnie to find Devin and get out of here. It took her nearly ten minutes to get her sister tied to the bed.

Ronnie was coming down the stairs when she heard the sirens. They were far off, but they were coming, and she nearly shouted with joy. That was when she saw Frey go into the bathroom carrying her gun. Devin.

Ronnie moved forward as quickly as she could, the pain in her body making her see stars with every step. When she came around the corner and into the small half bath, she must have made a small sound because Frey turned just as he was putting the gun to Devin’s temple and fired at her. She didn’t even hesitate, but fired three times back at him. He dropped into the tub like a tumbled tree. All three bullets hit him between the eyes. She was sure he was dead before he hit the floor.

Before she could go to Devin, the police rushed the room. She was knocked to the ground on her belly and someone was yanking her arms behind her. She cried out; the pain rippled along her body like a fast moving freight train.

“Don’t move. We need to secure the place. Anyone else in the house besides you three?” the man whispered in her ear.

“Upstairs. A woman tied to the bed. She’s meaner than a snake, so be careful.

And I killed a man outside. Samuel Frey, my stepbrother/nephew, hell, he could be my cousin for all I know.” She giggled manically and closed her mouth tight.

It probably wouldn’t do for her to lose it right now. “Can you please let go of me? I hurt and I want to see Devin.”

“There’s a doctor outside who says he’s his brother. Would it be all right if he comes in and has a look at him first?”

Ronnie wanted to cry and to laugh. Damon would make sure Devin lived.

She couldn’t talk over the knot in her throat and simply nodded. She heard the officer talk to someone and then he gently rolled off her. Ronnie stayed where she was; she hurt too much to move right then.

Damon went past her without a glance and straight into the bathroom where Devin was hanging. She couldn’t make out the words, but it was enough to know that Devin was speaking, screaming really, something about Frey and a woman touching him. Ronnie rolled to her back and clawed her way to standing.

Devin was babbling and his brother was talking softly to him. Ronnie stepped forward and noticed that, at some point, Nickolas had come in too. They were both lowering Devin to the floor as gently as they could, but he was still screaming at the pain. Ronnie leaned forward and touched his forehead.

“Oh, Devin. I’m so sorry.”

His scream tore through her. “Get her away from me! Please, Damon, don’t let her touch me again. Nicky, throw her out; I don’t want her to touch me. She raped me; please get her away from me.”

She backed up so quickly she hit the wall behind her and froze. Neither man made a move to stop her when she turned and limped from the room, Devin’s accusations still loud in the air.

He didn’t want her. Just as Margo had said, Devin no longer wanted her after he truly found out what she had come from.

Ronnie stumbled out the door and onto the porch. Leaning over the rail, she threw up. No one noticed her, or they didn’t care, so when she had sicked up everything, she simply staggered away into the night, numb with grief, her body’s pain only secondary to her broken heart.

The sun was just coming up when Ronnie stopped moving. It wasn’t so much that she had stopped, but she just ran out of energy. Ronnie slid down the tree and looked around. If anyone had asked her what she had been doing since leaving the house, she wouldn’t have been able to tell them. She wouldn’t have been able to tell them one thing she had seen, one thing she had heard, and nothing that she had thought of either. Closing her eyes, she fell into a dreamless sleep and slipped once again into the nightmare, another one that she would have to relive night after night. This one was Devin telling her to get away from him.

The next time she woke, the sun was fully up. At some point, she must have rolled over because now she was lying on her back, the sun full in her face. She thought if she lay there long enough, she would be covered in the snow that was just coming down and they wouldn’t find her until spring. Then she thought of Austin and Ben.

Fanning her hands over her shirt and pants, ignoring the harsh pain, she found her cell phone and opened it. A few seconds later, she closed it again.

What did she say to them and what would they say to her? Crying softly, she knew that she had to call them if for no other reason than to find out if Devin had lived. Opening the phone again, she continued to cry as she pressed the numbers to call him. When Austin answered, she immediately told him not to say anything.

“All right. We are still waiting for word about Ronnie. We don’t know if she’s all right or not. Have you heard anything?” Ronnie burst into tears.

“I’m hurt, I think badly, but I...I’m numb. Is Devin all right? I know that he hates me, but I need to know.”

“He’s in surgery. The doctors give him a very good chance of full recovery.

His injuries are bad, but not life threatening. That’s where I am now, at the hospital—Ohio State. Can you come here?”

“No, I can’t move, don’t even know if I want to really.” Ronnie heard his sharp intake of breath and felt bad. “I don’t know where I am. Somewhere in Nashport, I think. My arm...I’ve lost a lot of blood and I’m dizzy. Are you sure he’s all right?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Let me send someone to come and get you if you won’t come here. I can take care of things for you. You know that I will.”

“Austin, I killed two men tonight. I killed them in cold blood and I won’t do that to you and Ben. And Devin said...he told them . . .”

“I’m well aware of all that. And I can assure you that I don’t give a shit. Let me send someone to get you. Please?” The last word was a whisper and her heart clenched at it.

She didn’t think she could move, but she knew that if she didn’t let him, Austin would call out the National Guard to find her. She tried to sit up, but it was just too much effort. She hurt more now that she knew Devin was going to be all right.

“Do you know where Nashport is? It’s a small town between Dresden and Zanesville. There’s a little post office off the main road; I can see it right now. It’ll be about five miles from my old house. Can you find it?”

“You know that I will. I’m calling a friend now and you’ll go with him. His name is Sheppard, Thomas Sheppard. He’ll know what to do when he gets to you. I’ll see you later, all right?”

“Yes. Austin, I’m so sorry. I’ll make this up to you and Ben, I promise.”

“When I see you later we’ll talk. Take care and I’ll talk to you later. Good night.” He disconnected the call, but not before she could hear the small sob in his voice.

Ronnie didn’t close the phone, but turned it over and worked at the back panel to get the battery out. Her fingers were sore from the cuts from the knife and her blood made things slippery, but she finally got it off and took the battery out. She wasn’t sure anyone would care where she was other than Austin and Ben, but she didn’t want to see anyone right now. Closing her eyes again, thinking the snow was getting heavier, she drifted off again.

~~~

Devin woke three days later. He was in horrendous pain and had to fight hard to stay awake long enough to see that his mother and brothers were in the room with him. His mother kissed his cheek and he slipped away again. His last thought was where Veronica was, but he didn’t get a chance to ask.

The next time he woke, he could hear his brother Byron arguing and shouting and he turned his head to tell him to shut up when the pain hit him. He took a deep breath and that was when his brother Spencer noticed that he was awake. Byron told whoever he was talking to that he needed to go and hung up.

“Veronica,” Devin finally managed to ask.

“The doctor said you could have some water if you want it. But you have to take it slow and easy.” The straw was in his mouth in the next instant. The cold water felt like ambrosia. Byron took it away much too quickly.