Page 79 of Minus

He’s lying, don’t listen to him.

“What did you do to Duke and Pearl?” I asked while rolling Pearl over to the edge of the bed.

“I had to give them a full dose, so they’d go to sleep, and stay that way. I couldn’t have them making a fuss while I looked around for the book.”

“You fucker. You’re gonna pay for all this.”

“Wrong!” he shouted. “I’m getting paid for this. Now, let me in right now, or I’m going to break down the door. And if you make me do that, when I get in there, I’m going to cut the old lady’s throat, Cricket. I like that old lady. Shereminds me of my granny, but I swear to God, I’ll do it.”

I saw no other way of getting Pearl to the ground other than to roll her off the edge of the bed, so I gathered up all the pillows I could find, and threw them on a sheet, laid out on the floor. I gave her a push and hoped for the best. She hit the ground with a thud, and I said a silent prayer to St. Calcium, patron saint of broken hips.

“Cricket, I’m going to count down from five, and you’d better open this door, or our date is going to start out on a very unpleasant note. Five…”

I grabbed hold of the sheet and pulled with all my might.

“Four…”

My muscles burned, as I struggled to get the makeshift bedding sled inside the safe room.

“Three…,” he continued and began throwing his weight into the door.

“Come… on… Pearl,” I grunted as I pulled with all my might. My muscles were already spent from dragging Duke in, and he’d started out closer to the door.

“Two. You’re gonna be sorry you made me do this Cricket.”

With one final groan, I pulled Pearl’s limp body into the safe room, just as the bedroom door splintered with a crack.

“One!” he yelled, as he crashed through the door into the bedroom.

I scrambled to my knees and pulled on the matching robe hook, located on the inside of the closet, and the door slammed shut just as the creep lunged at my feet, causing him to run straight into it with a dull thud.

I checked the TV monitors and could see him through a camera positioned directly above the panic room door, pounding away at it, until he suddenly stopped, turned, and ran out of the room. I watched him on the various screens as he made his way out of the house, and out through the front door. He must have been heading for his car, but I had no idea why. He still didn’t have the book, and he obviously hadn’t found a way in here. Perhaps the police were on theway and he heard sirens in the distance. Whatever the reason, I was glad he was gone. I had to get medical attention for Duke and Pearl right away, and I had to find Minus.

Minus

Ifelt thedriver’s door slam and the car change directions before hauling ass down the road. Wherever we were headed, we were headed there in a hurry. I was foggy as hell from the injection and my perception of time was “fluid” to say the least. Still, it didn’t feel like I’d been in the trunk for long, and I hoped that meant that Cricket had hidden or gotten away. Until I knew she was okay, I didn’t give a shit about the ledger, or the club for that matter. It could all burn, along with this sick fucker for all I cared.

I heard sirens in the distance and felt a sliver of hope.

Maybe Cricket called the cops before he got to her.

I felt the car take a sharp right turn off the road and stop momentarily as what sounded like a convoy of emergencyservice vehicles sped past us. After a minute or so, he slowly pulled back onto the main road, and continued to drive for another twenty or thirty minutes, before once again exiting the main road. After a series of twists and turns we slowed to a stop and he parked. I heard his footsteps in the gravel moving away from the direction of the car, and then return after a few minutes.

“I’m gonna open up this trunk,” my kidnapper called out. “If you can move, and try anything funny, I’ll make you pay,” he said, before popping the trunk. Unfortunately for me, he had little to worry about. I could barely move, let alone get my hands around his neck.

“I found a place where we can be alone, but you’re gonna have to walk.” He was covered in sweat and didn’t look happy.

He threw my bound legs over the bumper, grabbed me by the shoulders, and sat me up in the trunk. “I’m gonna cut the ties on your feet, so you can walk, and I swear if you try to run, I’ll cut your Achilles tendons next. You understand?”

I nodded as best I could, and he pulled me to my feet. He supported most of my weight as he walked towards a small, rustic cabin. From what I could ascertain, we were somewhere in the woods to the northeast of the Double H, which was littered with remote hunting lodges that sat empty for most of the year. If this guy was looking for a private place to fuck me up, he likely couldn’t have found a better spot.

“You’re a big fucker,” he grunted as we finally reached the front door of the cabin. He propped me up against the wall and delivered a heavy boot to the door’s lock which failed immediately upon impact. He walked me into the cabin and sat me down on what appeared to be the only piece of furniture in the place.

“Home, sweet home,” he said, producing more zip ties from his pocket. “Now, let’s get you tucked in and I’ll tell you a bedtime story.” He bound my ankles to the chair’s legs and each of my wrists to its arms, before yanking the duct tape covering my mouth. Hair and skin were ripped from my face, and I winced involuntarily from the stinging pain.

“Oh, good. You’re waking up. This is even better,” he said excitedly. “Now,youcan tellmea story. My favorite is the one about Cutter’s magic book. You know that one, don’t you?”

“Can’t sssay I do,” I said, still slurring a bit.

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