Since Riina asked nice...
Here are the next few chapters. Beginning with Chapter 11, there are some changes that I've made. Nothing crutial to the story yet, just helping the flow. Thanks to all those that are reading, and maybe, if you want to leave me a comment, I'll answer some interview questions, like the rest of the class is doing.
Chapter 10
Ranger pulled me up against his back. I quieted my breathing and concentrated on the sounds outside the car. There was a slight echo, like the car had pulled under an awning, then the engine shut off.
I heard our “host” get out of the car, rocking it gently as he stood up. The door shut behind him. Silence filled the air for about a minute, then noise at our feet. I heard the rattle as the gas cap was loosened, then the sound of the nozzle being jammed into place and I could smell the faint odor of gasoline.
In front of me, Ranger moved slightly, and I heard the sound of an exhale. My hearing seemed sharper, could have been because it was one of the only senses left, but I couldn’t tell if Ranger’s exhale was a happy or sad one. I pressed a hand on his back. One of his reaching around and squeezing mine was all that I needed. I took a few deep breaths and hoped that I didn’t get both of us killed.
Ranger moved our hands so they were lying over his side. It was a slight reach for me, but I made it up by snuggling a little closer. His sides moved in silent laughter, but tensed when the nozzle clacked off, and it was removed. Though I’m sure that this was one of the most terrifying experiences of my already too exciting life, I was strangely calm.
Again there was silence, and time was literally suspended. I’ve had time slow before, but this time, I think that we wandered into a time warp. I couldn’t hear any sounds outside of the car. Ranger’s breath was also still. Well, guess time has to catch up somehow, because as soon as the front door opened again, it rocketed forward.
Ranger disappeared from in front of me, and only a forceful pull on my wrist reminded me of what I had to do. I rolled to my right, over the bump that the seat made laying down. I found the edge and stopped, crouching slightly.
“What the hell do you think that you are doing Carmichael?” Ranger gritted out to my left.
“Did you really think that I wouldn’t be back someday, Ricky?” Ranger hated the name Ricky. Said it made him feel like he should be wearing see-through button-up shirts and shaking his bon-bon. Course I never made any comment. That could make for an interesting evening.
“I thought you were supposed to be in prison for the better part of the next twenty years. I’m sure time doesn’t fly that fast.”
“Seems to me, that a lawyer getting paid disgusting sums of money can find all sorts of loopholes in the system. I managed to get my sentence reduced on a small technicality, then was granted parole. I blew some trust by leaving the state, and will most likely be sent back after this little chore is over with, but I figure that I could spend the rest of my life behind bars as long as I knew that you were feeding worms and pushing up grass.” Carmichael’s voice had that calmness to it that only a true psychopath can get. It was slightly higher than I had imagined, but the timbre of his voice was exact. “Now that we have made up for lost time, who is this lovely bitch that tried to interfere with my plan?” His voice stumbled slightly after “bitch” and I could imagine Ranger wringing his neck, just as I was itching to do. It does help to be able to see the neck that you are lunging for though, so I guess that’s why I didn’t move.
“Babe, get the door,” Ranger said. I slid to my right and found the door. I felt around, looking for the handle, but couldn’t fell anything. “To your left and -“ Ranger cut off with a grunt. I knew that I was going to get us into more trouble. Ranger looked away, trying to guide me to the handle and Carmichael took the opportunity. I could only imagine what was going on. I fumbled faster for the handle. My hand glanced over cool metal, and I pulled.
Behind me, Ranger grunted again and yelled, “Get out of here! Follow the back of the car, then run straight, I’ll be right behind you.” Yeah, right. This was going to happen. I managed to get out of the car, and my legs only collapsed once as they got used to holding my weight again. I placed a hand on the side of the car and took a few steps forward. Now that I was moving more, my head was swimming, making it hard to walk. It felt like I had a hangover, without the reward of actually being drunk in the first place. I took a few more steps then came to the end of the car. The rear was longer than you usually see on a car, but then I guess it would have to be, to fit both Ranger and I in the trunk. If this ended up being a Buick, I was going to shoot myself.
Struggling sounds came from the car, and it rocked under my hand. Ahead of me, I could hear the sounds of a forest. Crickets singing softly, a frog sending his love song through Morse code. I guess that’s where Ranger wanted me to go. Too bad I couldn’t see where I was headed. With my luck, I would get two steps in, then run face first into a tree, fall back and break my ankle in a hole and then finally land on a rattlesnake. Uh-uh. Not this chicky.
I turned back towards the car, and listened. Shutting out the male sounds of dominance, I couldn’t hear anyone or anything else. Guess this Carmichael was pretty smart stopping in a deserted area.
I turned to the forest and took a few steps. My head was spinning badly, and without anything to hold on to, I quickly lost my sense of direction. I did my best to walk toward the forest sounds and away from the car, but everything started blending. For a moment, I completely lost sense of all direction. I couldn’t tell which direction I was facing, or if I was even standing up straight. The only bearing that I had was down. So that’s where I went. Crawling on my hands and knees made me feel steadier, but didn’t do much to tell me where I was going. I stopped for a minute and took a deep breath.
I could almost taste the gasoline in the air. I rotated my head slightly and breathed in again. The smell was stronger there. I turned the other direction and smelled. The smell of dew and various foliage greeted me. I started crawling in that direction. Behind me, the sounds of the struggle had changed, and then turned to silence. The silence lingered and I was about to turn back when I heard quick footfalls. Panic spread and I barely got a breath before someone grabbed my waist and yanked me up.
Chapter 11
A hand was holding me up by my belt. Whoever it was, was running, half carrying and half dragging me along beside them. I gained my senses and tried to figure out who it was. It wasn’t Ranger. No, they were breathing too hard and too raspy. Not to mention, the body I was pressed against was too soft. I started struggling. No way was some psycho running me off to the woods and having their way with me. Instead of the grip loosening, it got tighter, and I became airborne for a second. Then all the air whooshed out of me as I landed hard on a shoulder. Ha, I knew how to deal with this one too. I let my whole body go slack. Without my muscles holding me rigid, I began to slide down. This would have been good, had it not been head first.
I twisted as I fell, and felt Mr. Grabby try and catch me, but I managed to land on my back and get the wind knocked out of me. Not much compares to getting the wind knocked out of you. The panic about whether you’ll ever get a breath again, the feel of your lungs struggling to draw in a breath. I lay there, gasping ineffectively for a moment, before I heard the cursing beside me. It was much lower than Carmichael’s voice; very raspy, like they smoked too much. Definitely wasn’t Ranger’s either. Who was this?
“I can’t believe that asshole talked me into this. Everyone knows that you don’t mess with Ricardo Manoso. Any dipshit that didn’t know that, certainly knows that being within 200 feet of Stephanie Plum is just asking to have something blown up in their faces.”
I struggled to get enough air in, so that I could give this jerk a piece of my mind, but it wasn’t working very well.
“Are you going to get up, or am I going to have to drag your ass into the woods?” Oh, I guess now I merit direct conversation.
“Who…the fuck…are…you?” I managed, finally getting some oxygen to those darn brain cells.
“It’s not important right now. What’s important is that we get out of here. I don’t know how long they are going to be down.”
Hmm, more oxygen equals better comprehension. Something to remember. “Why should I go with you? I don’t know who the hell you are. I’m waiting right here for Ranger.” Mr. Grabby, meet Burg attitude.
“Ok, let me put it this way. You’re coming with me. I’ll drug you again if I have to. Carmichael was only going after Manoso, but now that I have you, that builds more collateral.” I’m sure that this wasn’t making sense just because I had the mother of all headaches. There were a few very large pieces missing from this puzzle.
“Where is Ranger?” I asked.
“Oh, he’s feeling the glow of a few thousand volts.” I gasped, before I reminded myself that stun guns only last for a few minutes. “Carmichael may be good, but Manoso is still better, even with that bum shoulder. He was getting the upper hand, and I had to give my boy some help, no matter how stupid he is. Too bad the dumbshit caught a few volts too.”
I was breathing more normally, but still lying on my back. Staying still did wonders for my head. Too bad I was yanked up again. Mr. Grabby threw me over his shoulder again, but this time I was laying across the back of his shoulders. He was held tightly to one arm and one leg. I wasn’t going anywhere that he didn’t want me too. In this position, struggling or dead weight wouldn’t hinder him. This guy was catching on quickly.
We began moving closer to the woods, from what I could tell. Another thought dawned on me. “If you are working with Carmichael than why are you taking me away from him?”
I was jousted a bit, and then he said, “For someone who should be scared shitless, you certainly ask a hell of a lot of questions. Let’s just say that while I agree with many of Carmichael’s philosophies, I don’t think killing innocent people is right. We weren’t excepting to deal with a broad, so Carmichael was just going to kill you along with Manoso.” I sucked in a breath. “That fucker is going to be pissed when he wakes up and finds me and you gone, but hopefully he takes it out on Manoso. Manoso caught most of the volts, so he should be down longest. If Carmichael is smart, he’ll just take care of him while he’s down.”
Oh no, I wasn’t going to sit back while this guy let some psycho that has anger management problems kill Ranger. “Umm, can you put me down for a second; I think I’m going to be sick.” Heh heh heh. Burg girl uses oldest trick in the book. Mr. Grabby wasted no time pulling me off his shoulder and putting me on the ground. I bent and the waist, like I was going to be sick and turned till the noisy breathing was right in front of me. I then did what I had wanted to do the whole ordeal. I used every emotion in my body, and put my foot directly into his groin.
Chapter 12
I don’t know who was more surprised by the kick, Mr. Grabby or me. I know I was pretty damn surprised. Despite not being able to see, I still managed to introduce his testicles to his lungs. I know that they ended up in his lungs, because all of his air rushed out in a whoosh. Then the ground shook gently as he fell. Trying to keep myself at a safe distance, though I didn’t think that he was going anywhere too quickly, I searched him for the stun gun he was talking about. It was in his front pocket, and as I took it out, Mr. Grabby whimpered some more. Guess it brushed up against what was left of his manhood. Finding the power button, I gave his a quick zap, just to be on the safe side. I needed all the help I could get right now.
Now, I had to figure out what to do. I didn’t want to leave Ranger, but I wasn’t sure I could help him like this. If I got myself captured, then I couldn’t help him at all. Then again, I wasn’t quite sure where I would get help. The gas station was probably closed for the night. I hadn’t heard anything the entire time we were there, and I am sure that our little party was putting on quite the show. Even if I could break in, I wasn’t sure I would be able to find a phone. While the majority of reason said to run into the woods, I was never one to go with the flow. If something happened to Ranger after I left him, I don’t think I could ever forgive myself.
I turned so I could smell the gasoline again, and started walking. It would be miracle if I could find the car again, but I had to give it a try. I took small steps with my arms stretched in front of me. Frankenstein had nothing on me.
To the front, and slightly to the left, I heard some shuffling. I wasn’t sure who was making the noise, but hoped it wasn’t another kidnapper. I mean, for real. Was this an invitation only kidnapping or could anyone join in? Every time I turned around, there was someone new. Curiosity got the best, and I headed in that direction. The shuffling got louder, and started to sound more like struggling. I moved quicker. I wasn’t sure if Ranger was awake yet, but it sounded like there were two people wrestling. I was walking at a normal pace by now, almost walking fast. The gas got stronger, and the struggling got quieter. I slowed down. The sounds of the forest pervaded again. My hand tightened around the stun gun, and stopped, trying to place a sound. My whole body was tight with tension. That was probably why I turned so quickly when I felt a hand on my shoulder.
I think I rivaled Lula for the quickest stun gun in the west at that moment, whirling and zapping before I even really knew what was going on. I didn’t hear that satisfying zap that signaled that some neurons had been poached, so I went in for another shot before I heard the most soothing sound in the world.
“Already been zapped once, Babe. Don’t want it to happen again.” Ranger!
“Oh thank god it’s you! I don’t think I can handle another surprise tonight.”
“I can’t promise anything, but as long as we get the hell out of here, I’ll do my best.” Ranger grasped my hand and started leading me. I wasn’t sure where we were headed, but it didn’t matter, now that I had a pair of eyes and Ranger by my side.
Chapter 10
Ranger pulled me up against his back. I quieted my breathing and concentrated on the sounds outside the car. There was a slight echo, like the car had pulled under an awning, then the engine shut off.
I heard our “host” get out of the car, rocking it gently as he stood up. The door shut behind him. Silence filled the air for about a minute, then noise at our feet. I heard the rattle as the gas cap was loosened, then the sound of the nozzle being jammed into place and I could smell the faint odor of gasoline.
In front of me, Ranger moved slightly, and I heard the sound of an exhale. My hearing seemed sharper, could have been because it was one of the only senses left, but I couldn’t tell if Ranger’s exhale was a happy or sad one. I pressed a hand on his back. One of his reaching around and squeezing mine was all that I needed. I took a few deep breaths and hoped that I didn’t get both of us killed.
Ranger moved our hands so they were lying over his side. It was a slight reach for me, but I made it up by snuggling a little closer. His sides moved in silent laughter, but tensed when the nozzle clacked off, and it was removed. Though I’m sure that this was one of the most terrifying experiences of my already too exciting life, I was strangely calm.
Again there was silence, and time was literally suspended. I’ve had time slow before, but this time, I think that we wandered into a time warp. I couldn’t hear any sounds outside of the car. Ranger’s breath was also still. Well, guess time has to catch up somehow, because as soon as the front door opened again, it rocketed forward.
Ranger disappeared from in front of me, and only a forceful pull on my wrist reminded me of what I had to do. I rolled to my right, over the bump that the seat made laying down. I found the edge and stopped, crouching slightly.
“What the hell do you think that you are doing Carmichael?” Ranger gritted out to my left.
“Did you really think that I wouldn’t be back someday, Ricky?” Ranger hated the name Ricky. Said it made him feel like he should be wearing see-through button-up shirts and shaking his bon-bon. Course I never made any comment. That could make for an interesting evening.
“I thought you were supposed to be in prison for the better part of the next twenty years. I’m sure time doesn’t fly that fast.”
“Seems to me, that a lawyer getting paid disgusting sums of money can find all sorts of loopholes in the system. I managed to get my sentence reduced on a small technicality, then was granted parole. I blew some trust by leaving the state, and will most likely be sent back after this little chore is over with, but I figure that I could spend the rest of my life behind bars as long as I knew that you were feeding worms and pushing up grass.” Carmichael’s voice had that calmness to it that only a true psychopath can get. It was slightly higher than I had imagined, but the timbre of his voice was exact. “Now that we have made up for lost time, who is this lovely bitch that tried to interfere with my plan?” His voice stumbled slightly after “bitch” and I could imagine Ranger wringing his neck, just as I was itching to do. It does help to be able to see the neck that you are lunging for though, so I guess that’s why I didn’t move.
“Babe, get the door,” Ranger said. I slid to my right and found the door. I felt around, looking for the handle, but couldn’t fell anything. “To your left and -“ Ranger cut off with a grunt. I knew that I was going to get us into more trouble. Ranger looked away, trying to guide me to the handle and Carmichael took the opportunity. I could only imagine what was going on. I fumbled faster for the handle. My hand glanced over cool metal, and I pulled.
Behind me, Ranger grunted again and yelled, “Get out of here! Follow the back of the car, then run straight, I’ll be right behind you.” Yeah, right. This was going to happen. I managed to get out of the car, and my legs only collapsed once as they got used to holding my weight again. I placed a hand on the side of the car and took a few steps forward. Now that I was moving more, my head was swimming, making it hard to walk. It felt like I had a hangover, without the reward of actually being drunk in the first place. I took a few more steps then came to the end of the car. The rear was longer than you usually see on a car, but then I guess it would have to be, to fit both Ranger and I in the trunk. If this ended up being a Buick, I was going to shoot myself.
Struggling sounds came from the car, and it rocked under my hand. Ahead of me, I could hear the sounds of a forest. Crickets singing softly, a frog sending his love song through Morse code. I guess that’s where Ranger wanted me to go. Too bad I couldn’t see where I was headed. With my luck, I would get two steps in, then run face first into a tree, fall back and break my ankle in a hole and then finally land on a rattlesnake. Uh-uh. Not this chicky.
I turned back towards the car, and listened. Shutting out the male sounds of dominance, I couldn’t hear anyone or anything else. Guess this Carmichael was pretty smart stopping in a deserted area.
I turned to the forest and took a few steps. My head was spinning badly, and without anything to hold on to, I quickly lost my sense of direction. I did my best to walk toward the forest sounds and away from the car, but everything started blending. For a moment, I completely lost sense of all direction. I couldn’t tell which direction I was facing, or if I was even standing up straight. The only bearing that I had was down. So that’s where I went. Crawling on my hands and knees made me feel steadier, but didn’t do much to tell me where I was going. I stopped for a minute and took a deep breath.
I could almost taste the gasoline in the air. I rotated my head slightly and breathed in again. The smell was stronger there. I turned the other direction and smelled. The smell of dew and various foliage greeted me. I started crawling in that direction. Behind me, the sounds of the struggle had changed, and then turned to silence. The silence lingered and I was about to turn back when I heard quick footfalls. Panic spread and I barely got a breath before someone grabbed my waist and yanked me up.
Chapter 11
A hand was holding me up by my belt. Whoever it was, was running, half carrying and half dragging me along beside them. I gained my senses and tried to figure out who it was. It wasn’t Ranger. No, they were breathing too hard and too raspy. Not to mention, the body I was pressed against was too soft. I started struggling. No way was some psycho running me off to the woods and having their way with me. Instead of the grip loosening, it got tighter, and I became airborne for a second. Then all the air whooshed out of me as I landed hard on a shoulder. Ha, I knew how to deal with this one too. I let my whole body go slack. Without my muscles holding me rigid, I began to slide down. This would have been good, had it not been head first.
I twisted as I fell, and felt Mr. Grabby try and catch me, but I managed to land on my back and get the wind knocked out of me. Not much compares to getting the wind knocked out of you. The panic about whether you’ll ever get a breath again, the feel of your lungs struggling to draw in a breath. I lay there, gasping ineffectively for a moment, before I heard the cursing beside me. It was much lower than Carmichael’s voice; very raspy, like they smoked too much. Definitely wasn’t Ranger’s either. Who was this?
“I can’t believe that asshole talked me into this. Everyone knows that you don’t mess with Ricardo Manoso. Any dipshit that didn’t know that, certainly knows that being within 200 feet of Stephanie Plum is just asking to have something blown up in their faces.”
I struggled to get enough air in, so that I could give this jerk a piece of my mind, but it wasn’t working very well.
“Are you going to get up, or am I going to have to drag your ass into the woods?” Oh, I guess now I merit direct conversation.
“Who…the fuck…are…you?” I managed, finally getting some oxygen to those darn brain cells.
“It’s not important right now. What’s important is that we get out of here. I don’t know how long they are going to be down.”
Hmm, more oxygen equals better comprehension. Something to remember. “Why should I go with you? I don’t know who the hell you are. I’m waiting right here for Ranger.” Mr. Grabby, meet Burg attitude.
“Ok, let me put it this way. You’re coming with me. I’ll drug you again if I have to. Carmichael was only going after Manoso, but now that I have you, that builds more collateral.” I’m sure that this wasn’t making sense just because I had the mother of all headaches. There were a few very large pieces missing from this puzzle.
“Where is Ranger?” I asked.
“Oh, he’s feeling the glow of a few thousand volts.” I gasped, before I reminded myself that stun guns only last for a few minutes. “Carmichael may be good, but Manoso is still better, even with that bum shoulder. He was getting the upper hand, and I had to give my boy some help, no matter how stupid he is. Too bad the dumbshit caught a few volts too.”
I was breathing more normally, but still lying on my back. Staying still did wonders for my head. Too bad I was yanked up again. Mr. Grabby threw me over his shoulder again, but this time I was laying across the back of his shoulders. He was held tightly to one arm and one leg. I wasn’t going anywhere that he didn’t want me too. In this position, struggling or dead weight wouldn’t hinder him. This guy was catching on quickly.
We began moving closer to the woods, from what I could tell. Another thought dawned on me. “If you are working with Carmichael than why are you taking me away from him?”
I was jousted a bit, and then he said, “For someone who should be scared shitless, you certainly ask a hell of a lot of questions. Let’s just say that while I agree with many of Carmichael’s philosophies, I don’t think killing innocent people is right. We weren’t excepting to deal with a broad, so Carmichael was just going to kill you along with Manoso.” I sucked in a breath. “That fucker is going to be pissed when he wakes up and finds me and you gone, but hopefully he takes it out on Manoso. Manoso caught most of the volts, so he should be down longest. If Carmichael is smart, he’ll just take care of him while he’s down.”
Oh no, I wasn’t going to sit back while this guy let some psycho that has anger management problems kill Ranger. “Umm, can you put me down for a second; I think I’m going to be sick.” Heh heh heh. Burg girl uses oldest trick in the book. Mr. Grabby wasted no time pulling me off his shoulder and putting me on the ground. I bent and the waist, like I was going to be sick and turned till the noisy breathing was right in front of me. I then did what I had wanted to do the whole ordeal. I used every emotion in my body, and put my foot directly into his groin.
Chapter 12
I don’t know who was more surprised by the kick, Mr. Grabby or me. I know I was pretty damn surprised. Despite not being able to see, I still managed to introduce his testicles to his lungs. I know that they ended up in his lungs, because all of his air rushed out in a whoosh. Then the ground shook gently as he fell. Trying to keep myself at a safe distance, though I didn’t think that he was going anywhere too quickly, I searched him for the stun gun he was talking about. It was in his front pocket, and as I took it out, Mr. Grabby whimpered some more. Guess it brushed up against what was left of his manhood. Finding the power button, I gave his a quick zap, just to be on the safe side. I needed all the help I could get right now.
Now, I had to figure out what to do. I didn’t want to leave Ranger, but I wasn’t sure I could help him like this. If I got myself captured, then I couldn’t help him at all. Then again, I wasn’t quite sure where I would get help. The gas station was probably closed for the night. I hadn’t heard anything the entire time we were there, and I am sure that our little party was putting on quite the show. Even if I could break in, I wasn’t sure I would be able to find a phone. While the majority of reason said to run into the woods, I was never one to go with the flow. If something happened to Ranger after I left him, I don’t think I could ever forgive myself.
I turned so I could smell the gasoline again, and started walking. It would be miracle if I could find the car again, but I had to give it a try. I took small steps with my arms stretched in front of me. Frankenstein had nothing on me.
To the front, and slightly to the left, I heard some shuffling. I wasn’t sure who was making the noise, but hoped it wasn’t another kidnapper. I mean, for real. Was this an invitation only kidnapping or could anyone join in? Every time I turned around, there was someone new. Curiosity got the best, and I headed in that direction. The shuffling got louder, and started to sound more like struggling. I moved quicker. I wasn’t sure if Ranger was awake yet, but it sounded like there were two people wrestling. I was walking at a normal pace by now, almost walking fast. The gas got stronger, and the struggling got quieter. I slowed down. The sounds of the forest pervaded again. My hand tightened around the stun gun, and stopped, trying to place a sound. My whole body was tight with tension. That was probably why I turned so quickly when I felt a hand on my shoulder.
I think I rivaled Lula for the quickest stun gun in the west at that moment, whirling and zapping before I even really knew what was going on. I didn’t hear that satisfying zap that signaled that some neurons had been poached, so I went in for another shot before I heard the most soothing sound in the world.
“Already been zapped once, Babe. Don’t want it to happen again.” Ranger!
“Oh thank god it’s you! I don’t think I can handle another surprise tonight.”
“I can’t promise anything, but as long as we get the hell out of here, I’ll do my best.” Ranger grasped my hand and started leading me. I wasn’t sure where we were headed, but it didn’t matter, now that I had a pair of eyes and Ranger by my side.