Murder Stalks (39 page)

Tony swung around the corner, ready to jump.
Looking down, he saw his wife in a heap next to Michael. Rains
wasn’t moving, his eyes rolled up in his head. To make sure all
threats were eliminated, Tony kicked the gun away from Rains’
hand.

“
Rex, Janice, I need you
over here.”

Rex rounded the corner, gun drawn. “Already
did the dirty work. Thanks.”

While Rex cuffed Michael, Tony knelt beside
Marissa. Her arm had to be broken and her face was smeared with
grime, but she was breathing. He pulled her onto his lap and felt
for her pulse, finding it strong beneath his fingers. Tears began
to flow, blurring his vision.

Sirens blared outside and the garish red
lights from the emergency vehicles cast strange shadows on the
ceiling. His wife stirred in his arms and he dropped a kiss on the
top of her head.

“
Tony, you’re alive,”
Marissa whispered. She opened her eyes then closed them quickly as
she slumped against him.

He stroked her cheek, letting tears run down
his face and onto hers. “Baby, we both made it.”

“
All three of us made it,”
Marissa said as she placed a protective hand on her
belly.

“
I love you. I can’t lose
you. I want our marriage to work.” Tony choked back a
sob.

“
Tony, I love you too. I
think it’s time for us to become a family again.”

“
We’ll make it work. I
won’t give up on us again.”

“
Neither will
I.”

Tony placed a gentle kiss on Marissa’s lips,
holding her tight. Never again would he let his ego get in the way
of loving Marissa.

Epilogue

Two weeks later, with Rex and Tony by her
side, Marissa wheeled Ally out of the hospital. Ally could have
walked on her own, but they had to follow hospital regulations.

“
You staying in town?” Rex
asked Ally.

“
No, I’m going to move
back to Pennsylvania, find some relatives. Then I’m going to try to
work on a few things in my life.”

“
I’m glad you made it, Al.
I’m sorry for the way we treated you in the orphanage,” Tony
said.

“
You don’t need to
apologize,” Ally said as she stepped into the cab. “You were nice
to me. I thank you for helping me out when you could.”

They watched the cab drive away.

“
She’ll be fine. The
doctor said she’d need a few months of therapy, but she was strong
to begin with,” Marissa said.

“
She may not have anything
to apologize for, but I do,” Rex said.

“
Don’t, Rex.” Tony grabbed
for Marissa’s hand, clutching it tight.

“
I should have believed in
you. You’ve been my friend for years. I knew you never could have
killed anyone. I should have rejected any evidence against you and
just believed.”

“
Carson had been gathering
condemning evidence for years, beginning at the campsite with
Ashley. At least now we know that the high level of drugs in
Ashley’s body meant she didn’t feel a thing. I would have
questioned myself if I’d been on the other end of the
investigation. We caught the guy, that’s what’s important. Is
Janice stopping by for dinner before she leaves?”

Rex’s eyes held a faraway look. He didn’t
speak as they walked to their cars. “No, she doesn’t want to see me
again. She’s ready to start her life over in California.”

“
I wish she wouldn’t
leave,” Tony said.

“
It was either her or me.
We broke department rules. She didn’t want a commitment anyway. And
as ironic as it sounds, I didn’t want that type of relationship
with her.”

“
What, the great woman
conqueror met his match?” Tony ribbed him.

“
I just want what you and
Marissa have.”

Marissa smiled up at Tony. She had it all, a
wonderful husband who was willing to work through their
difficulties, a baby on the way, and a new house. Everything was
coming together.

Tony kissed her hand. “I love Marissa with
all my heart. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her.”

Marissa felt her knees go weak. “I love you,
too. I hope you find this kind of love, Rex. It’s worth every drop
of blood, sweat, and tears.”

Tony dipped his head and let his lips slide
across hers. Her heart fluttered and she sighed. They were together
and nothing could separate her and Tony.

The End

Torn To Shreds

Chapter One

The metal cuff dug into Lucas Spires’ ankle
as he shuffled across the kitchen, trying to keep the chain
dragging behind him quiet. Master would be up soon enough, and he
didn’t need to wake the bastard early. Lucas paused and gazed up at
the ceiling, searching for help, but knowing he’d find no answers
there. Tears welled, threatening to spill down his cheeks; he
swiped them away. Closing his eyes, he clenched his fist, willing
himself to be strong.

Three weeks. The time in captivity seemed
like forever. Three long weeks of hell and abuse at the idiot’s
hands. He squared his shoulders and tamped down the pity party,
vowing not to cave under the pressure.

Lucas took another step, the chain clanking
against the floor. He stopped and almost crumpled to the linoleum,
overwhelmed by misery. With gritted teeth, he willed himself to
stay strong. The need for Master to secure the knives had passed
with the desire to kill himself, and he couldn’t hurt Master. The
fucker was too strong, and the zapper he carried delivered a hell
of a volt.

The first week, Lucas had tried to escape.
The second week, he’d lain on the little pallet Master had made for
him and only moved when the beatings hurt too bad to stay still.
This week he accepted his slave status; he had no choice in what
happened to him. Serving Master was his only option in this new
reality. Lucas fought the memories of his past threatening to race
through his mind. He wouldn’t think of school or of rushing through
the Student Union to meet with his friends over coffee. Letting his
thoughts wander to those memories crushed him, making him want to
end his pathetic excuse for a life. In some small part of his
consciousness he hung onto the hope of making it out of here alive,
where he wasn’t held prisoner, somewhere he had freedom.

Hunger clawed at his belly, but the fucker
padlocked the refrigerator, only opening the appliance for him to
cook. The asshole locked the pantry also. Lucas glanced down at his
naked body. His stomach caved in, showing his ribs. His legs were
too lean, like a scarecrow. Master fed him enough to keep him
alive, but not nearly enough to sustain a healthy weight.

Master opened the bedroom door and Lucas
flinched. He tried to keep his knees from shaking, but failed.

“
I want eggs. You can have
one.” Master opened the refrigerator, taking out the carton of
eggs. “Three, scrambled. Don’t fuck ‘em up.”

Lucas stared at the open
refrigerator, eyes burning with despair. So much food, and most of
it would spoil before Master consumed half. If only...But it didn’t
help to have
if only
thoughts. He ate what master gave him and didn’t
complain.

Master watched as Lucas prepared the pan and
cracked the eggs into a bowl. He whipped the eggs with a fork and
poured them into the hot pan. The sound of the eggs sizzling
reminded him of the zapper, and he flinched, his throat tight with
emotion. Master hated when he broke down. He had to stay strong, at
least until Master went off to work.

Lucas stirred the eggs, watching them grow
thicker as the seconds ticked by. His belly hurt for food. One egg
would be enough to take the pain away, but not enough to fill him.
Never before had he been this hungry, this desperate for food, like
all of him would splinter into little pieces if he didn’t eat.

Once Master’s eggs were done, Lucas put them
on a plate and delivered them to the table where Master sat. He
dismissed Lucas with a wave of his hand, the small reprieve almost
caused Lucas to sigh, but he caught himself in time. Lucas went
back to the stove and cracked his egg into the pan. He watched as
the clear liquid boiled on the surface and turned white. He broke
the yoke and flipped the egg, just like his mother had done before
she passed away. When the egg turned white, and no yolk flowed from
the cut in the center, he took the pan off the burner and ate the
egg. No salt, no pepper. The bruises had faded, but the lesson
remained; he received no extras.

Master ate the last of his eggs, placing his
fork on the plate. Lucas swooped in, clearing the dishes. After
rinsing the dirty dishes, he waited for his next set of
instructions, hoping like crazy the jerk didn’t want sex. Master
said nothing as he went to the bathroom. The sound of water running
told him that his abductor had started his shower. Lucas relaxed a
bit as he cleaned the kitchen, washed the plates and put them back
in the cabinet. The asshole had never demanded sex after showering,
Lucas got off easy today.

Since Master was still here, he didn’t even
think about opening the refrigerator and sneaking a piece of meat,
though his stomach ached as if he hadn’t eaten all week. He stood
in the center of the kitchen waiting for Master to leave for work.
The door to the bedroom opened and Master walked out dressed in
jeans and a T-shirt. Lucas had no idea what job Master held, and he
didn’t care. All he wanted was for the jerk to leave for the day
without asking for sex or touching him.

Without a word, Master fixed his lunch,
locked the refrigerator and walked out the door. Lucas went to the
window and watched the red truck drive away. No one ever came up
the road except Master. They were somewhere in the mountains,
that’s all he knew. The despair burning deep in Lucas’s belly came
out in a piercing cry, rumbling through the rooms as he screamed
and cursed at his situation.

He slumped against the wall, relieved that
he was alone for the day. Part of him wished Master had him locked
up anywhere but here. Truly alone in this piece of shit house, the
isolation taunted him. After he stopped crying, Lucas wiped his
eyes and checked out his food for the day.

Master had left a peanut butter and jelly
sandwich on the counter. Lucas paced himself, taking a small bite
then waiting a long while for another, knowing he had all day to
finish the meal. He lay on the blankets for a long time then swept
and mopped the main room. He ate another bite of the sandwich,
ignoring the clawing hunger. Boredom set in so he took a nap then
checked the time, praying master wasn’t due back soon. He'd already
eaten half the sandwich, but starvation hovered close, never
leaving him alone. If he ate the rest now, he would get nothing
else until Master returned home. Too long to go without any
food.

Lucas turned on the tap and slurped down
some water. The gross taste filled his mouth, but felt good when
the liquid hit his belly. The temperature dropped even more last
night, and he probably wouldn’t survive the winter unless Master
gave him clothes. Already the house was a little chilly. At least
he had a blanket.

He spent the day cleaning the house like
Master demanded. Passing the time with the chores kept him from
getting too bored. If only he found a way to communicate with
someone and tell them he needed help. With no phone and no computer
to hook up to the internet, he was at a loss.

After dusting the house again, Lucas
realized he hadn’t eaten all of his sandwich and Master would
return soon. He shuffled to the kitchen and heard Master’s tires
crunch on the gravel outside. Fear pinged around his body. He
stuffed the last two bites of sandwich into his mouth, chewing
quickly and swallowing before Master came in. Master would be
displeased if he didn’t eat what he was given and then Master would
give him less tomorrow. Lucas had played that game earlier, and he
hated the results. Master knew how to be cruel enough to motivate
him to do whatever the bastard wanted.

Another quick slurp of water from the faucet
washed the sandwich residue from his mouth. Lucas did a quick
glance around the kitchen, noticing the napkin Master had set his
sandwich on still on the countertop. He raced over and grabbed
paper, tossing it into the trash before Master walked in.

The key slid into the first of the locks,
and Lucas dropped to his knees, fighting back the tears. Another
key in another lock, and Lucas settled his ass on his heals. The
sharp clink of a padlock dropping to the ground sent fear racing
through Lucas’s body. He shivered and bent forward, placing his
forehead on the ground, his hands pushed in front of him as though
he were bowing to Master.

The position, dictated by Master, left him
totally defenseless against Master’s attacks and whims. Lucas
choked back the sob threatening to erupt as the door swung open and
Master stepped in.

“
Slave, I’m home, and I’m
feeling good.”

Welcome to hell.

Lucas shut down his mind, no longer allowing
himself to think. He wouldn’t spend any more time permitting his
emotions to rule. Soon enough, this place would be more than he
could handle. When the time came, he’d have a plan. For now, he
would exist and pray that somewhere, someone searched for him.

You can find Torn To Shreds at most online
retailers.

Author Bio

Writing is Sara's life. The stories fight to
get out, often leaving her working on four or five books at once.
She can't help but write. Along with her writing addiction she has
a coffee addiction. Some nights, the only reason she stops writing
and goes to sleep is for the fresh brewed coffee in the
morning.