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“Sure, I can do that.”
Chains released the locks, then got out of the car. Carlton ran ahead, his lanky body highlighted by the headlamps. He fell down once in his panic to get away. Chains pushed his lapels open and pulled out one of his Glocks, taking his time to screw on a silencer. He shot Carlton in the calf, watching him drop to the dust at the side of the road.
“Get your ass back here or the next one’s a head shot.” Chains sat on the hood, waiting for him to hobble over with only one good leg. When he was close enough, he added, “Get your friend out of my backseat.”
Once the dead body was dumped at the edge of the forest, Chains instructed Carlton to drag it deeper into the woods. He checked his watch, and knew he had to get back to his house soon. Lori would be waking from the drugs soon, and he didn’t want her to panic.
This was all for her.
“Okay, done. Now, please, let me go,” Carlton said.
Chains approached him, punching him in the eye, knocking him to the ground. In his orphanage, he’d been the runt when he was a kid, but he’d always been a fighter. Now he had the bulk and muscle to back himself up. Sometimes it felt good to use his fists instead of a blade or gun, like now, as he gave this punk a taste of his own medicine.
“How did that feel?”
“Stay away from me.”
“I’m not done with you. Lori had bruises on her chest, and I’m a firm believer of an eye for an eye,” said Chains.
He straddled Carlton’s prone body, crouched low, and gave him the same treatment he’d given Lori. When he finally stood back up, the pimp was sputtering blood.
“No more…”
Chains squatted near Carlton’s head. “I should apologize. I may have led you to believe I was some kind of outstanding citizen, you know, watching out for women abused by piece of shit drug dealers. But that’s about as far as my civilities extend. Unfortunately for you, I’ve never been too good with compassion for my enemies. And when you put your hands on Lori, you became my enemy.”
“What are you going to do?”
“You’re not listening.” Chains twisted the man’s ear until he cried out. “Nobody touches my woman and lives.”
****
Lori coughed, the musty scent irritating her throat, and remembered how much her chest still hurt. She opened her eyes and a wave of dizziness took her by surprise, so she closed them again.
Where am I?
She tried to focus her thoughts, to remember the last sequence of events, but came up short. Then she remembered George nagging her about the garbage. That was the last thing she remembered. No, there was more. She remembered struggling in arms stronger than steel.
Lori bolted up into a sitting position, her adrenaline high rushing through her veins. It was too dark to see clearly, only a small nightlight giving the faintest glow. When she moved her arms, the clang of chains startled her. Both her wrists had wide cuffs with chains dangling from them.
It was too quiet. All she could hear was her breathing. Could there be another person in the room? Lori was too afraid to even whisper.
She stood up and pulled the lengths of chain taut, discovering she was attached to a wall. Her heart hammered in her chest. She stepped up on the padded bench she’d been asleep on, trying to pry the metal loops from the concrete block wall. She kept digging and picking at the fastening and links in the chain until her nails chipped away.
This can’t be happening to me.
She dropped back down, too scared and confused to cry. That’s when she noticed she was wearing her sports bra and had no clue where her uniform was. Lori began to pat herself down, relieved that her skirt was still on and nothing felt out of sorts between her legs. Still, whatever was happening was not looking in her favor. She’d been kidnapped.
Was it Carlton Riggs? Had he found her at the diner? Was he going to rape and kill her, beat her until she agreed to sell her body? Maybe it was a serial killer, and he planned to torture her until her final breath. Now she began to cry. No scenario ended well for her.
Her fears and desperation had reached the boiling point. She couldn’t believe her bad luck. All her life had been a struggle—for food, love, security, money. Nothing came easy, and this was how it would all end?
She stood and yanked at the chains, leaning all her weight back, pulling until her wrists were raw. What did she have to lose? She had to escape before her captor returned. When the chains wouldn’t give, her panic level increased. She dropped down to her knees, crawling in the dark as she attempted to find anything to use as a weapon or escape tool. Lori patted the cold concrete floor to the full extent her chains would allow, coming up empty.
She struggled with her bonds, yelling and crying until everything was gone.
No more tears.
No more anger.
