Her Dangerous Promise - Part 4: (Romantic Suspense Serial) (3 page)

Chapter Seven

Mary stumbled in a muddy spot and slipped to her knees. From around the corner of her house, she could see the police cars pulling up. At last, Thom had come to save her, only he wouldn’t arrive before Adam spirited her away through the backyard. She cried, “He—”

Adam crouched beside her and stuck the knife against her side. She hadn’t seen him pick it up but he had it now. The tip poked through her clothes and pricked her stomach. “Shut up.”

“No,” Mary squirmed, trying to crawl away from him. “You are going to kill me anyway.”

He stood up over her, obviously affronted by the accusation. “I’m not going to kill you. I’m going to keep you.”

“What?”

“But if you don’t come with me right now, I will kill your friends.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Those men with the guns behind your house. I have them.”

“Thom? Brad? You’ve hurt them?” An icy stab of dread embedded into her heart. That’s why they hadn’t come. Adam had been watching all along. He’d known they’d set a trap for him and he’d come for her anyway.

“I will if you make me.” He frowned. “You will make me, won’t you?”

“No!”

“You are not going to come with me. You are going to run to the police again.” Adam jerked nervously, shifting from foot to foot as he tried to work it out in his head. “Then I’ll have to hurt them, because I said I would.”

“No. No, I won’t run. Just don’t hurt them.”

“Then come on.” He grabbed her to her feet and shoved her ahead of him toward the alley that ribboned between the yards.

As Adam hustled her away, Mary heard the police shouting for them to come out. They’d surrounded her house but too late. It would take some time for them to realize that Adam had already spirited her away. Adam heard them too. He started to run and dragged Mary along by her arm when she couldn’t keep up.

At the end of the alley, a black van glinted in the glow of the street lamp. As they got closer, she could tell the van’s original light color had been spray painted carelessly. This was why the police hadn’t found his white van. He’d disguised it.

Adam pulled Mary to the driver’s side door and tucked her hand under his arm like a teddy bear while he scrounged in his pocket for his key. She realized that was how he thought of her. A child hangs on to a teddy bear out of a sense of need. They don’t understand why, they just had to have it for a sense of comfort.

By all accounts, Adam must have felt the same way about his mother. And now she was gone. He needed her and she wasn’t there anymore. Thom was right. Adam was looking for a substitute. He was desperate for one. He would be inconsolable without one. Perhaps, if she could regain his trust, she could convince him to let her help fix the mess he’d made. After all, he was emotionally a child in a man’s body.

Adam opened the door and pointed the carving knife at her belly.

A very dangerous child. He might be emotionally immature but he wasn’t stupid. Painting the van had been clever. So was watching her house and disabling two police officers. If she was going to play on his emotions, she should be very careful not to underestimate his intelligence or his temper.

“Get in.”

In her head, Mary heard her own voice warning her students. “Don’t ever get into a car with a stranger.” When he poked the knife threateningly toward her, Mary jumped back and then climbed into the driver’s seat.

“Scoot over.”

She stood up as best she could with the low ceiling and transferred to the passenger side captain’s chair.

The van smelled of sweat, motor oil and French fries. Several crumpled up fast food bags and empty paper cups littered the floor at her feet and she kicked them away to clear a spot for her feet. The cheap pine tree shaped air freshener hanging from the rear view mirror failed to compete with the other odors. The old plastic covered seat cushions beneath her squeaked in protest as she gripped them to prevent her from bolting out the passenger side door.

A muffled sound came from the back, startling her. Mary turned around and gasped.

Thom thrashed on his side right behind the driver’s seat, a wide strip of duct tape covering his mouth. Quickly, she took in the scene. Duct tape bound both Thom and Brad at the wrists and ankles. Adam hadn’t lied. He had captured them both. Brad, unconscious, sprawled on the floor in the back of the van. Blood pooled in a glistening crimson puddle beside his face.

“Oh, God! He’s hurt.” Mary rose to help him but the knife Adam shoved inches in front of her face cut her off. The light from the street lamp gleamed on the sharp edge.

Adam settled himself into the driver’s seat and slammed closed his door. “Sit down.”

Mary obeyed, watching the knife until he lowered it from her face. She exhaled softly, worried that even that small sound might set him off again.

With his right hand occupied with the knife, Adam awkwardly inserted his keys and shifted the van into gear with his left hand. He eased on to the street and drove right past a police car heading the other direction with its lights and sirens blazing. Adam didn’t even blink.

Mary cut her eyes back to Thom. He wiggled into a seated position right behind the driver’s seat, so close she could reach out and stroke his face, if she wasn’t too afraid to risk it.

His eyes burned with fury.

“I’m sorry,” she mouthed silently. Her grand idea to force Adam into the open and catch him had failed miserably and they would all pay the price.

Thom shook his head angrily. He struggled, straining against his bonds. Tears prickled at the back of Mary’s eyes. They’d suffer because of her, just like Nancy.

“Adam,” Mary cooed softly. “You can let them go now.”

“Not here.”

“You said you wouldn’t hurt them if I came.”

“I said not here!”

Mary cringed. “Okay, then,” she spoke softly, “as long as it is soon.”

Thom mumbled something angry. If he could, he would tell her to run but if she ran away Adam would hurt him and Brad even worse and probably even kill them. He said he would. She knew he meant it.

Obviously aggravated, Thom searched around him. Mary watched him as his eyes roamed around and stopped on her. She looked down to where his gaze fixed.

Her sweater dangled open, because she had not buttoned it. The pocket on the side closest to Thom drooped low with a weight.

Mary nearly gasped. She’d forgotten that she had heeded Thom’s advice and armed herself. The small paring knife in her sweater pocket wouldn’t do her much good against Adam and his huge carving knife. Mary glanced at Thom’s hands. He gestured a cutting motion against his bonds. Mary nodded.

Watching Adam closely, Mary slipped her hand into her pocket. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest. If he caught her… She shuddered at the thought of the carving knife he still pointed toward her.

“What are you doing?” Adam demanded.

“What?” Mary clenched the smooth wooden handle of the small knife in her fist but kept it inside her pocket. “I’m not doing anything.”

“Why’d you get quiet all of a sudden?”

“Oh,” Mary exhaled shakily, allowing her tense body to sink into a more relaxed posture. “I thought you wanted me to be quiet.”

“You’re mad at me,” he accused.

Thom twisted his back toward Mary. He formed a cup with his hands. Slowly, Mary pulled out the paring knife and dropped it into his awaiting grasp. It bounced out and dropped to the floor with a clatter.

“What was that?”

Mary spoke quickly. “Why would I be mad at you? You are just lonely, right? It’s not bad to want to have a friend so you don’t feel lonely anymore.”

Adam glared at her. “You’re lying again. I know that you are mad at me.”

“Adam—”

“That’s why you told on me, isn’t it? Because you were mad.”

Behind him, Thom scrambled to catch the knife before the movement of the van scooted it out of reach.

“What are you doing back there?” Adam demanded.

“He’s just rolling around,” Mary said. “Never mind about him. Just watch the road. You don’t want to have a car accident, do you?”

“You’re up to something!” Adam snapped. “I know. I’m not stupid. Everyone thinks I’m sooooo stupid.”

Adam jerked the wheel and the van bumped up over a curb, jostling everyone. Before Mary could stop him, he forced his way past her into the back of the van. “What are you doing back here?” Adam demanded. He grabbed Thom and forced him on his stomach. Quickly he checked Thom’s hands and pockets but found nothing. “I know you have something. Where is it, huh?” Adam punched Thom in the leg.

“Leave him alone!” Mary cried. “He doesn’t have anything.”

Adam ignored her. “Tell me where it is.” He punched Thom in the back, forcing a whoosh of air from his lungs.

“Stop it!”

He was going to kill Thom! The doctor warned them that once Adam’s violent temper flared he wouldn’t quit.

Mary searched around and spotted the knife Adam had left on his seat. She grabbed it. With both hands, she brought down the knife with all her might.

The knife slammed down on Adam’s shoulder blade and glanced to the side. She’d cut him but not badly.

Adam jerked back, obviously shocked. “You cut me!”

Chapter Eight

Thom rolled on to his back. He yelled at Mary to run but the commotion swallowed his gag-muffled words. Struggling against the restraints, his muscles raged with his frustration.

Adam struck out at Mary, catching her wrist and knocking the knife out of her hand. Mary fell backward against the door. As Adam lunged for her again, she fumbled with the door handle.

Thom kicked out, catching Adam behind the knees and making him drop backward. Adam managed to snag Mary’s sweater in the fall but she slipped out of it when the door opened and she tumbled out of the van.

Thom heard her cry over the earpiece he still wore when she impacted the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of her. He shouted uselessly against his gag for her to run. She obviously came willingly with Adam in the first place, hoping to save Brad and himself. Unless Adam pursued her now, she might not flee.

Adam fished around between the seats and came up with the carving knife. Thom tried to slow him down by hooking his knees around Adam’s ankles but he didn’t have the strength to do more than buy Mary a few seconds.

Over the wire, Thom heard Mary’s startled squeak. She hadn’t run and she saw the knife. He heard her start to run. She gasped heavily as she ran full out.

Adam climbed over the seat and out of the van, leaving the door open and sprinted after her.

Desperate, Thom scooted against the driver’s seat and grabbed the paring knife he’d stabbed into the base. He’d stuck it there just before Adam’s attack.

Gritting his teeth, Thom focused on manipulating the small blade. He sawed at the layers of duct tape binding his wrists with as much force as he could manage at the angle he had to hold the blade. With every stroke, the tip of the knife sliced into his forearms but Thom ignored it. That wasn’t important. Mary was.

Over the wire, her breaths came in ragged draughts. “I don’t know where I am,” she moaned desperately, either to herself or for Thom’s benefit, he didn’t know which. “There are no houses, just factories and warehouses. I have to find a place to hide.”

She ran again, her footfalls echoing loudly over the wire.

Get help, Honey. Thom thought.

Thom stopped sawing and yanked with all his might. The tape stretched and finally ripped. Quickly, he sliced at the tape around his ankles. In seconds, he was free.

Over the earpiece Mary mumbled something too softly for Thom to make out. He grabbed the cuffs and pepper spray he’d discarded earlier.

Thom tore the tape off his mouth as he jumped over the seat and out of the van. They were in an industrial area on the west side of town. Thom knew the area. Outside the van the silent night offered no sight or sound from either Mary or Adam.

He shouted, “Mary!”

Over the microphone, Thom heard Mary scream.

Chapter Nine

When Mary had seen the warehouse door standing open and the lights blazing inside, she had assumed there would be someone working inside. So far, she hadn’t found anyone. The place was large enough to serve as a hanger for a 747. Boxes on skids formed pillars evenly spaced from each other.

Mary zigzagged up the rows searching for anyone but willing to settle for a hiding place. She found neither. Her own footfalls echoed enormously loudly, not only signaling her location but blocking her ability to hear pursuing footsteps. Each breath she gulped down added to the cramp stabbing her ribs.

Mary slipped behind a random tower of boxes and doubled over as she struggled to recover. Holding in her burning side with one hand, Mary touched the wire running under her clothes and hoped it still worked. She only needed to buy enough time for Thom to find the paring knife and free himself. As long as Adam didn’t find her, she had a chance.

After a few seconds to recover, Mary peered around the boxes toward the entrance. She’d come further than she thought. The gaping black entrance revealed nothing of what lurked outside. With the bright overhead lighting, the night became an impenetrable fabric.

“I don’t see him,” Mary whispered. “I might have lost him.”

She leaned back against the boxes, grateful that they supported her. Her oxygen-starved muscles battled with the adrenaline coursing in her blood making her legs shaky and weak. Mary glanced around. She’d nearly reached the other side of the warehouse. A door there led to an office with a wide window overlooking the warehouse floor. To the left of the office an emergency exit sign glowed over a heavy fire door. On the far side of the exit, a metal staircase led up to the rafters, where a long walkway traversed the length of the warehouse.

“If there is a phone in the office, maybe I can call for help,” Mary muttered for Thom’s benefit. She hoped he would soon work free of the bonds. “If not, I’ll make for the exit in the back.”

Mary peered cautiously around the boxes.

Only two rows over, Adam rushed into view. They spotted each other at the same moment. The knife hung in Adam’s grip by his leg but when he spotted her, he raised it over his head and lunged for her.

Mary screamed.

She bolted for the doors. Her legs pumped as fast as her heart. The long dress hampered her, so she hiked the skirt up her thighs. She dared not look back. Each of his growling breaths grew closer every second until she thought she felt the heat of it on her neck.

As the far side of the warehouse grew near, she had to choose. She’d only have time to try one. The office door or the emergency exit. In a split second she weighed her options. Even if the office door was unlocked, she would be trapped, cornered.

At full force she rammed into the bar of the emergency exit. The door moved three inches, revealing a heavy chain on the outside barring her escape.

The misplaced force of her slamming into an immovable object jarred Mary back off her feet. She landed on her rear with a jolt that traveled up her spine.

Over her head, the knife hit the door. Adam followed, smacking into the door with enough force to rattle the metal wall.

The knife scarred a jagged gouge in the paint covering the door, slipped in the space between the partially opened door and the frame. When Adam stumbled back the door slammed on the blade, snapping off the first few inches.

Mary scrambled backward crab style. Once she distanced herself a few feet away from Adam she twisted to get her feet under her. She scrambled up the metal stairs on all fours. Through regularly spaced holes in the floor grating Mary could see the floor on the warehouse drop away further and further beneath her.

As Adam stomped heavily up the stairs behind her, the whole stairwell rattled.

With Adam right behind her, she didn’t dare slow down despite her fear of heights. At the top of the stairs a gate blocked her from running out on the walkway over the rafters. Mary jerked the bar out of the loops securing the door.

Adam sprang toward her in that moment. She swung the bar with all her force. It struck him in the arm and he fell back against the wall. Her second swing knocked the knife from his hand and it pitched over the railing, tumbling end over end for several seconds until it clattered on the concrete floor far below.

Adam shot out a hand and caught the bar. He ripped it from Mary’s grasp.

She staggered back into the cage door which fell open. Mary dropped hard onto her back. On either side of her nothing protected her from the three storey drop to the ground. The simple metal bar that acted like a railing was above her, out of reach.

Quickly, she scrambled back out of the way of the gate. She slammed it shut with her feet just as Adam reached it. He rammed his shoulder against it, rattling the entire hanging walkway with the force of it. Mary kept her feet braced against the gate. With each slam of Adam’s heavy frame against the gate, the shock rocketed up her legs. She gripped the floor beneath her as hard as she could, despite the bite of the grating in her palms.

Even with her feet braced against the gate, it began to bend. Adam wedged the bar between the frame and the gate and wrenched the upper part of the gate downward. It wouldn’t hold much longer.