Innocence Taken (7 page)

"Please don't touch me."

"Just wanted to help. I forgot about the touching thing.” He backed off.

Nature set the clothes on the loveseat. “There are some shirts, pants, and socks here. We can get the other things you need on the road.” She stepped back, allowing him to come closer.

Westerly picked up a shirt and held it against his body. “Looks like it will fit. Where did you get these things?"

A look of sorrow washed across her face. It was gone a second later. Westerly almost didn't see it, it was erased so quickly. He did not know much about Nature's past. Both she and her secretary did not talk about it. He took the silence as a cue and changed the subject.

"Are we going by way of 94?"

"Yes. We'll take I-94 to I-39 then go south."

"I'll drive first.” Westerly folded the shirt and put it on top of the rest. “What can I put these in?"

Nature didn't argue with Web about the driving. She was exhausted from her restless night. She moved into the hall and brought a suitcase through the door.. She placed it beside the stack of clothes on the loveseat before stepping away.

"Thanks."

The sheriff kept out a pair of jeans and a stripped button up shirt. “I'm going to change before we leave.” He paused and looked at Nature. “You mind stepping out?"

"I'll wait for you in the hall."

Nature closed the door behind her. She knew when she took out Brad's old clothes; it was going to hurt. She did not realize how much until she saw the shirt in front of Web. It brought all her memories back in a rush. She hoped she was not making a mistake by letting the sheriff use them. She was pulling on a pair of soft tan leather gloves when the door opened.

Sheriff Westerly stepped into the hall with his suitcase. He took her breath away. He looked so much like Brad. She turned toward her own suitcase in the hopes of hiding her reaction. Picking it up, she moved toward the front door.

"Let's hit the road."

Westerly gripped the handle of his suitcase tighter and followed Nature. When she didn't lock the door, he paused. “You going to lock up?"

"No one will bother the place."

"You sure about that?"

Nature faced the sheriff. “Sheriff Westerly—do you want to waste time bickering about locking the door—or do you want to get on the road before dark.” She spun around on her heels and continued toward the garage.

Westerly frowned. He did not like the idea of leaving the place unsecured. He set the suitcase down, grabbed the door, opened it, turned the lock, and closed it again. He gave the knob a twist to confirm it was locked before picking up the suitcase and moving toward the garage. Nature was already in the cab, in the passenger seat. The camper was one of those with a truck front and a camper back. He went to the back and put the luggage inside. Returning to the front, he got in the driver's seat.

"Happy?"

"Quite—you?” Westerly responded, a smile covering his face.

Nature looked out the window without responding. Web turned the ignition key and started down the same road Sandy took earlier. He drove toward the town of Jordan where they would get on I-94 East. Silence filled the camper as the miles disappeared behind them..

Mindy felt each and every bump the van drove over. She had been in the back of the van since last night.. The man driving had taken her from her home in Florida and now she had no idea where she was. Her arms were tied behind her. They had fallen asleep some time ago. Each of her legs hung from a rope secured to the roof. They swayed with the movement, causing the rug under her to rub her bare skin raw.

The rest of her felt just as raw. The man had used her in every way conceivable. She had never had so much sex before. Now she hated it, hated it with every fiber of her body. When she found a way to hurt him in return, she would.

The van pulled over. She watched the curtain pull back and the man crawl toward her. He moved between her swinging legs, placing an arm on either side of her body. He hadn't spoken during the entire drive for which she was glad. She hated the sound of his voice almost as much as she hated him.

He lowered himself on to her body. She felt him kiss her taped mouth. She felt his hands on her breasts.. She felt him spread her ass with his legs. Then she felt his engorged penis brush against her skin. She wondered if this man ever stayed down. He never seemed to be satisfied for long. She waited with a clenched jaw for the inevitable, but it never came. Instead, he got off her and moved toward an object lying partway under a blanket. When he pulled it out, she saw it was a riding crop, one of the kind used by jockeys..

The man watched as the angry glare in the girls eyes turned to fear. When he first saw her, he knew she was going to be a pleasure to work on, but had not realized how much until he saw her level of defiance. He had pulled over more times than he cared to admit to sample her. She was such a joy to ride. Now he wanted to whip this mount into shape.

He brought the whip up and held it high, loving the way she looked at it, then at him. He brought it down across the backs of her legs. By the time he stopped, whelps covered each leg and trickles of blood ran from them. He was as hard as the whip. With a need driven wild by her pain and her defiance, he shoved the end of it into her anus. She screamed. It met resistance as she squeezed her ass shut. When he attempted to shove it in again, she bent her knees and twisted away.

Her resistance only excited him more. He knelt between her legs and forced them to remain apart. He lifted her ass and brought the anus into sight. The girl was almost bent in half. She shifted her shoulder to one side, causing him to lose his grip. He grabbed the hair covering her vagina and lifted, glaring at her. She remained still. Tears ran from her eyes.

The man guided the whip to her anus again. His body and arm held her legs apart like a vice, preventing her from turning. This time, he crammed the whip into the opening and yanked it back. He did this so many times that his arm grew tired from the effort. Finally, when he could take no more, he fell onto her body and rammed his penis into her vagina.

He rode her like a wild man, his urgency so great. His screams mingled with hers as he twisted and grinded. When he didn't think he could take any more pleasure, he released his sperm deep inside. He collapsed onto the girl's body, his sweat mingling with her tears. He lay there, kissing her face, eyes, and taped mouth. He felt so much pleasure that he could not wait to get her to the cabin. There he would not have to worry about anyone finding her and taking her away.

He left the riding crop in her. He wanted her to remember who was in charge here and what he had done to her during the journey. He had seen the tears flowing from her eyes, but he had also seen the defiance behind them. He was in heaven. He realized now that the last girl had been too easy. This one was a gift, a gift he planned on unwrapping for some time to come.

Putting the van into drive, he merged in with some big trucks rolling on I-95 toward their destinations.. He loved the sight of the big rigs with their many lights. They reminded him of his favorite holiday, Christmas. He smiled as he slid behind a small convoy, humming holiday melodies as he drove.

Fast food wrappers covered the dash of the camper as they continued across the states. They were close to Eau Claire, though Nature knew they were not going to make it there tonight. It had been close to noon by the time they left her house.. It was just past midnight now. Westerly was tired. He did not admit it but she could see it. A sign glowed in the headlights as they drove past. It was one of the green ones that showed how far it was to what lay ahead.

"A rest stop is just up the road. Why don't we pull in for a couple of hours? We both need some sleep."

"I can make it a bit farther."

"Web ... you're tired. I'm tired. After some rest, we can make it to Atlanta before we have to stop again. Please?"

The last word was the one that sunk in. “Okay ... we'll stop for a short time. But not for long. We need to get there before the trail gets cold.” He glanced at Nature. She nodded her head in agreement.

Westerly put the right turn light on when the off ramp appeared. He exited from the highway, slowing as they neared to parking area.. Pulling into a spot made for larger vehicles, he turned the camper off. The clicking from the cooling engine and the roar of trucks as they passed by were the only things to break the silence that filled the cab.

Nature opened her door and got out. She stretched her tired muscles and said, “There's room for two in the back. I have a bed over the cab if you want to use it."

"I'll stretch out here."

"Are you sure? You'll rest better in the back."

"I'll be fine.” Westerly pulled his long legs from under the steering wheel and stretched them out on the recently vacated seat.

"If you change your mind, the offer stands."

The sound of snoring was his response to her words. She saw Westerly's chin was resting on his chest, his arms crossed in front of him. She smiled as she made her way to the back. Returning with a blanket, she draped it onto his sleeping form. He mumbled something in his sleep as he changed positions. She could not make it out. She shrugged her shoulders.

The air was cool once the sun dipped below the horizon. She shivered as she made her way to the back of the camper and got it. Once inside, she moved to a bench seat located behind the table. She transformed the area into a bed, and was sleeping soon thereafter.

It seemed as if she had just shut her eyes when a hand shook her awake. She opened them to see Westerly standing there. He had a cup of vending machine coffee in his hand.

"It's strong and black. For machine coffee, it tastes okay."

"What time is it?"

"Almost two in the morning."

"Already?"

"Come on sleepy head. We need to get moving. We have a long way to go.” He set the coffee on a counter beside her and exited.

She groaned as she sat up. Every joint ached from sitting too long. Picking up the coffee, she took a sip. It tasted awful. She set it down again. The urge to pee motivated her to get up more than the lousy coffee did. Or Westerly for that matter. Flipping back the covers, she got up and moved to the closet sized bathroom. After completing her mission, she picked up the stuff she referred to as mud and exited the back.

Westerly was leaning against the driver's door. His cowboy hat sat forward on his head, a similar cup of mud was in his hand. She watched as he guided it to his lips, grimaced at the taste, and lowered it again.

"Tastes okay, huh? Boy was that an overstatement."

"Hey, what can I say? At least it wakes you up."

"You want me to drive?"

"No."

Web turned around and grabbed the door handle. He opened it and sat down before she could object. Shrugging her shoulder, she moved to the other side and got in.

"You're not one of those chauvinistic types are you?” she asked as she buckled her seatbelt.

"Not to my knowledge."

"But you won't let me drive."

"Nope."

"Why?"

"Because I was raised to treat women right."

"Even if treating them right means being unfair and chauvinistic?"

"Yes ma'am."

Nature looked out the window. She shook her head at Web's logic. It was nice to be treated like a lady, yet irritating to be treated like an invalid. The engine started. She watched the big rigs parked with their lights on as they drove past. A few seconds later, the camper merged smoothly onto I-94.

Not many vehicles were on the road at this time of night.. Nature leaned her head back against the headrest. She wondered about Web. She also wondered about the killer. What would be waiting for her in Florida? What kind of nightmares would she have from this session? Would the kidnapper be the man ... or would it be someone else? She hoped the girl was all right.

"What do you know about the girl?"

"Not much,” Webb answered. “I know she had just turned eighteen, but that's about all."

"Why did Officer Spangler come to me?"

"Because he heard about your successes and hoped this would be one also. You're pretty much famous among the police community, you know."

"No ... I didn't"

Nature did not like the idea of being considered famous. All she wanted to do was help the victims and their families, whether it was by uniting them or helping them find closure for their loss. Silence filled the cab once again as she closed her eyes to think..

She woke with a start some time later, a scream locked in her throat. She did not know how long she had been asleep. The dream was still fresh in her mind. Westerly faced forward, his eyes fixed on the road, his arm resting on the window ledge. Sweat covered her brow. She wiped it off with the sleeve of her shirt then rolled down the window to get some fresh air.

"Where are we?” Light reflected off the road, making it look like water.

"About three hours out of Nashville.” He glanced at her. “Do you have those nightmares often?"

She sat up, unable to look at him. He had seen her vulnerable side. She had forgotten about that when she made her decision to leave Sandy.. Now it was exposed.

"Yes.” The word was almost lost in the rush of air flowing into the open window.

He frowned. The five o'clock shadow covering his face shifted. His eyes remained glued to the road. Nature was grateful that he did not look at her.

"You hungry?” he asked.

"Starved."

A blue highway sign indicated that a McDonalds was one of the eateries located ahead. Web veered onto the exit ramp. At the stop sign, he turned the camper to the right. A gas station was next to the hamburger place. He pulled into it first.

"I'll place our order. Meet me there."

Westerly nodded his head as he removed the gas cap. Nature strolled to the McDonalds and went inside. Before she moved to the counter, she beelined it for the restroom. She emerged a few minutes later, her bladder empty, her stomach as well.

It was almost eleven o'clock. Lunch was going on, for which she was glad. She wasn't much of a breakfast person. She let several other patrons go ahead of her. She was waiting for Westerly.