Starstruck (34 page)

Thump. Thump.

“Technology. I repelled it for a long time, but it’s come so
far in the past decade, don’t you think? It’s glorious! It almost makes things
too
easy. Did you know rich people rarely use cash? Paper trails, that’s what
credit cards are good for. Online accounts, credit card statements, all easily
accessible if you know how or have influence over someone who does. Of course,
I’ll have to get rid of the assistant once I’m with Jesse. Can’t leave any
trails of my own, now can I?”

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

“What makes you so sure Jesse will even
want
you?
Even if I’m out of the way, you can’t make him love you.”

Thump!

Chapter Twenty-Four

Near the end of the street, the houses stood on larger
pieces of land more private than the homes in front. Fences were few and far
between. Trees and shrubs were used to mark boundaries instead of harsh borders
that blocked the view and cool breezes flowing off the water.

Caitlin stopped at the third house from the end, peering up
at the front windows through the cold sheets of rain. Most of the houses were
built high on stilts with the living quarters on the top level. Not only
practical should the waters rise above the shoreline but also better to capture
the view.

“What are you thinking, Caitlin?” Jesse followed her anxious
gaze.

“She’s c-close.” She shivered, hugging herself tightly
around the waist, and then cautiously stepped forward before sprinting to the
next property. She halted at the pebbled driveway and slowly stalked half its
length toward the yellow house, but then turned and retreated, shaking her
head.

All three stared warily at the end of the street. Only one
house left in that direction. They marched toward it, a united front. With each
step, the tension swelled and throbbed between them as if it were a living
entity.

Set farther back from the road, the front yard was overgrown
with tall trees, neglected shrubs and grass almost four feet high. The peeling
roof was barely visible from where they stood. The road was a dead end—only
darkness ahead, leading into thick Australian bush land.

Caitlin’s hands trembled as she stood by an old rusted
letterbox that might have been white in a previous life. “This is it.” She
turned her head to face him. “This is the right place.”

Rick pulled her into his side and wrapped an arm around her
shoulders. “Caitie? Jesus, you’re shaking, baby.” He ushered her to the shelter
of the closest tree to help shield her from the elements.

“This is the place. We need to get help. Whoever’s in there
could be armed. What do we do? Now that we’re here, I just…” She sobbed, her
tears mingling with her dripping hair.

Jesse gently lifted her chin before placing both hands on
her shoulders. He kissed both her cheeks and handed her his phone. “I’ll take
it from here. Call the police and let them know where we are.”

He turned and raced up the gravel driveway that curved out
of sight from the road.

He came to a halt a few feet behind a small white sedan
parked underneath the old wooden house. The rain fell harder, obscuring his
vision, and he jumped when Rick placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Didn’t think I’d let ya go in there alone, did ya, padre?”

“Jesus! Scare the life outta me why don’t ya. Where’s
Caitlin?”

“She’s out front, waitin’ for the cops. They’re takin’ their
sweet-ass time. Come to think of it, maybe we should all wait until they get
here.” Rick peered at the wooden stairs that led up to the front door.

“By then it could be too late.” Jesse climbed the stairs,
his steps slowly increasing.

“Yeah. Thought ya might say somethin’ like that,” Rick
muttered, reluctantly following behind.

* * * * *

“Once you’re out of the way, he’ll come to his senses. He
just doesn’t see too clearly right now, but he’ll soon realize how it’s meant
to be. He’s going to love me like no other,” the woman said confidently.

Sam blindly listened but turned her head toward the window
when she sensed Caitlin’s presence was close…and someone else. Jesse? She
hadn’t been able to perceive his energy so clearly before and it warmed her
spirit. They were nearby. She knew it.

“Look, I don’t know who you are or what you look like. You
don’t have to do this. Just let me go and nobody will ever know. I’ll stay away
from Jesse if that’s what you want.”

“Nice try, princess,” the woman said.

“W-what have you done to my feet?”

Menacing laughter from across the room chilled her bones as
footsteps drew closer.

“Yes, that. You know, I’ve never understood why people
obsess over social networking sites and the like. Why do people feel the need
to tell the world personal shit that no one really cares about?”

Thump. Thump.

“For example, does anyone really care what your favorite
books and movies are? As I recall, you listed Stephen King’s
Misery
in
your top five, correct? Personally, I’m not into fiction much, but what a great
movie. I have to agree with you there. That Annie Wilkes, she was a character,
wasn’t she? I’m sure you know by now what’s between your feet. I’m sure you
recall the scene I’m talking about. Hobbling, I think she called it.” The woman
snickered with glee.

Sam’s stomach lurched. She was fully aware of the intent and
purpose of the sledgehammer. Acid filled her throat and she shot upright,
turning her head as far as she could to vomit on the floor beside her.

A cool breeze swept over her face as it whistled through the
open window. Behind her blindfold, her mind received a brief flash of Jesse’s
face, his fair hair soaked as he stood outside an old house in the rain, Rick
right beside him. The frenzied beat of Jesse’s heart entered her chest, his
pulse racing dangerously fast as he steadily climbed a wooden staircase. He was
consumed with angst, sheer will, determination…and love.

“Feeling a little queasy?” A loud crack split the air as
pain ruptured her cheek and shot down her jaw. Her head slammed against the
floor and stars erupted through the black of her vision, her right ear ringing.
That was no hand. More like the wooden handle of the sledgehammer. A thick
trickle of moisture trailed down her cheek.

“Now do you want to see it coming…or should we keep it a
surprise?”

“
Please, don’t do this. I won’t say anything, I promise!
”
she screamed. She thrashed on the floor but it did her no good.

* * * * *

Jesse tried the front door, but it was locked. A
high-pitched screech split the night. “Did you hear that?” he asked, wide-eyed.

“Sounded like it came from around here.” Rick stepped to the
corner of the house, Jesse right on his heels.

The verandah ran half the house at the front and wrapped
around the back. They crept forward, both gravitating toward the open window
near the end of the balcony. A soft glow came from inside, flickering like a
candle. Jesse stilled, staring into Rick’s rain-slicked face, silently thanking
him for having his back.

Rick smirked with a knowing nod. “We go hard or we go home,
brother.”

Jesse snuck toward the window, moving quietly. The storm
muffled the creak of the wooden deck under his feet, but he didn’t want to take
any chances in unfamiliar territory. Dropping to his knees, he crawled,
distributing his weight as he looked over his shoulder. Rick followed his lead.

Careful not to raise his head above the window, Jesse
strained his ears to the voices within—a woman crying, another laughing. He
waited for a third or fourth voice to emerge, but there were only the two. He
surveyed the size and height of the window above his head, estimating how
quickly he could jump through and land on his feet.

Rick huddled close and held up two fingers. He also thought
there were only two occupants inside.

Bracing his hands underneath the window, Jesse prepared to
take a quick peek into the room, certain his heart would lunge out of his chest
at any moment. He steadily raised his head at the corner of the paint-flaked
frame, but Rick grabbed his arm, pulling him back down. They had company on the
balcony.

Caitlin crept toward them, mimicking their positions and
lowering to the balcony floor, slowly edging to Rick’s side.

“What are you
doing
?” Rick whispered hoarsely.

“You should have stayed out front and waited for the police
like I told you,” Jesse gritted through his teeth.

Caitlin shook her head.

No point arguing with her. She was just as stubborn as Sam.
He narrowed his eyes. “Well at least move out of the way. I don’t want to have
to worry about you as well.”

He brought his attention back to Rick just before a
gut-wrenching scream ripped from the room. Jesse shot his head up and peered
inside the window, his focus trained on the more dominant, erect figure. Her
back to him, she held a large hammer above her head and was laughing manically.
His eyes raced to what lay on the floor and his heart bolted into overdrive.
Blindfolded and bound, her hair mussed and matted, his Sam lay broken. Dirt and
dust covered her. Bright-red blood glazed her cheek. Something inside him
snapped.

“
Sam!
” He leaped through the open window.

The hammer swung into motion yet his legs weren’t moving
fast enough to reach her in time. As he halved the distance, a burning flash
whizzed past his head and hit the woman square in the back. The hammer spun and
slammed into the wall, embedded in the plaster, leaving a gaping hole the size
of a watermelon only an inch from Sam’s head.

The woman screamed at the top of her lungs, a piercing high
falsetto as she ran from the room, trying to extinguish the fire from her
clothing.

“Oh baby, what did she doto you?” Jesse rushed his
words. He knelt beside Sam and attempted to untie the tight knots at her feet.
Growing impatient, he moved to her face and removed the black piece of cloth
covering her eyes. Pulling her to his chest, he hugged her tightly, smoothing
her hair and kissing her brow. As he brushed the tears from her cheeks, he
thanked God she was alive and in his arms again.

“The police are on their way,” he whispered close to her
ear. He reluctantly released her, jumped to his feet and ran from the bedroom.
He sped through the dark hallway to the open front door and flew down the
stairs, holding the rail as he descended three and four at a time.

Checking the car under the house was still parked, he
sprinted to the road as fast as he could.

* * * * *

She’d ripped off her jacket and scarf when she’d hit the
wall in the hallway, rolling against it to make sure she’d extinguished all the
flames. Her back had been badly burned and the pain was excruciating, but she’d
been left with no other choice than to flee.

Her car keys were still in the house. She hadn’t the time to
grab them. Everything happened so quickly.

At first her steps were slow, loping down the asphalt, but
now she raced like a demon even with her injuries. She’d been the fastest runner
in boarding school, had filled her room with athletic trophies by her second
year.

Cool rain drenched her blistered back—a dim reprieve from
the screaming pain. Adrenaline pulsed through her veins though the added boost
wouldn’t last long. Thankfully nothing was wrong with her legs. She picked up
her pace and cut through a wide-open yard toward the beach, her thigh muscles
burning.

She passed the last of the waterfront homes. Nothing lay
ahead but scrub in the darkness to the right. She turned toward the ocean and
ran along the water’s edge. The soft sand looked more appealing than going
through dense forest. The branches would whip her burns. She headed for the
inlet at the far end of the beach where she’d have a better chance of stealing
a motorized vessel.

Nobody knew her identity. She could still get away clean.

* * * * *

Jesse sprinted as fast as he could, only stopping when the
road veered from the beach. Moments later, Rick came up behind him, a flare gun
in his hand.

“Where the fuck did that come from?” Jesse asked,
remembering all too well how close a flare had flown past his face, his cheek
still warm from its kiss.

“I found it on our boat. It was the closest thing I could
find to a weapon,” Rick panted, breathless from the run.

“Which way?” Jesse spun in a full circle.

“Both the girls said they think she’s goin’ for one of the
boats, that we should hit the water.”

Wasting no time, they raced through the nearest yard and
stopped at the water to search the shoreline. The moon had disappeared behind the
clouds. No stars shone in the sky. There was no way of seeing up the beach.

“Maybe you should go back to the house and wait with the
girls in case the bitch doubles back. I haven’t heard any sirens yet. What’s
taking
them so long? Fuck! I’m gonna search the beach the way we came in. If she’s
looking for a boat, she’ll know ours are empty. She could be headin’ that way.
Any flares left in that thing?” Jesse looked at the gun Rick held.

“Just one.” Rick dug the cartridge from his pocket and
loaded the chamber.

“Give it to me. I’ll fire into the air if I catch her.”
Jesse sprinted away as soon as the gun touched his hand.

“Be careful!” Rick shouted.

Jesse reached the last house on the beach, whipping his head
in every direction. He squinted, trying to focus in the dark. He could follow
the sand along the beach, but the rocky area was too dangerous. He hastily
crossed the flat grass paddock and found the entrance to the dirt trail they’d
trekked earlier. He quickened his pace, the surface level enough for him to run
without busting an ankle. As his feet pounded the dirt, he thanked the heavens
again for personal trainers and the natural endorphins coursing through his
body. At least they temporarily sedated the pain of his broken toe.

* * * * *

They embraced for a long time, crying into one another’s
shoulders. Caitlin untied Sam’s hands and as soon as she was free, she hugged
her cousin again, so thankful for being found in time. Between the two of them,
they removed the wood from between her feet and freed her legs.

Caitlin helped Sam stand. Her head throbbed from both types
of hits—the needle and the sledgehammer. She gingerly raised a hand to her sore
bottom lip and winced with a hiss. A small amount of blood stained her
fingertips and she wanted to cry all over again.

“Hey.” Caitlin gently rubbed her forearms.