Bar None (7 page)

Focus. No, not really with another woman. That's right. She needed to wake up so she could see John. One more minute, maybe two. It couldn't be that late. Her head throbbed like she'd had too much to drink. Her hair tickled her lip. And it was cold. She needed to pull up the covers and move her hair from her face so she could fall back asleep, yet she couldn't. Her limbs wouldn't move. But why? What stopped her hands from performing the task her mind instructed them to do?

Dani tugged again and this time understood something restrained her wrists. Her head ached, but she fought to open her eyes, only to wish she hadn't. She blinked again to try to focus. Rope held her wrists. She tugged on them. John? No. He'd been at the club. She'd been walking to her car. Then a hand over her mouth.

Dani's heartbeat began to race. She shut her eyes, let her hands go limp. If the man was in the room, she didn't want him to know she'd come to.
Regulate your breathing. Remain calm. Keep your eyes shut. Focus on the sounds around you. Figure out where you are.
She strained her ears but heard nothing but an eerie silence. If he was in the room with her, he wasn't moving.

The sound of a train blasted through the quiet. In reflex, Dani opened her eyes. She blinked until they adjusted to the darkness. Light seeped through a cloth covered window. It might have come from the moon. Or else a streetlight or porch lamp.

Where the fuck am I? A barn? A shed? It's so cold. No wonder it's cold. My arms, if only I could rest my arms.
In an involuntary reflex, Dani tugged again and groaned. Her heart pumped wildly. Her wrists were shackled at an angle behind her head.

Surprisingly, her legs weren't tied. She moved them. Inched one foot to the right before it started to drop off the edge. She pulled it back quickly.
Fuck. How high up am I? And where are my shoes? How can I escape without shoes? At least my clothes are still on.
She was grateful for that. She had to get out of there before he came back.
No choice. Barefoot or not. Just get out.

Dani tugged on the ropes again. They only seemed to tighten. Some cloth, maybe a blanket, protected her somewhat from the hard surface she rested on, but the cold bled through. If she was going to get away, she'd have to try to stand. Once again, Dani inched one leg over the side to see if she could reach the floor. It only dangled in air. If she swung off the side and didn't reach the floor, she wouldn't be able to get back up. And she'd hang. Not an option.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.

She strained her ears. There had to be some sound that would give her a better idea where she was. She listened again. Nothing. Just her own panicked breathing.

And when would her captor return? Dani shivered. She couldn't let her mind go there. But it did anyway. Her heart beat so fast and hard it hurt. He'd rape her. Maybe kill her. What if he tortured her first? A mournful sound, foreign and weak, escaped her.

Oh, God, please. I don't want to die. Help me. Help me think. There has to be a way out of this. Please, God.

Dani took three deep breaths and tried to focus. Her head throbbed, but somehow her brain began to work.
The phone! Yes, yes, thank you, Lord. Not in your purse. In your skirt pocket.
She'd placed it there when she checked her messages in the ladies room at the club. It had been such a simple thing to do. Hope soared within her chest.

Dani moved her hips so that she rolled from side to side until she felt the phone underneath her as she rolled on to her stomach. It was under her and it was on. All she had to do was roll hard enough for it to call someone. Anyone.

John shifted in his seat and pulled Lori closer. Hard as he tried, he couldn't shake the edgy feeling that kept returning like acid reflux. The night was winding down. His eyes surveyed the room from one end to the other.
Where are you, fucker? We've got to get you tonight. You've got to be here.
That they weren't anywhere closer to an arrest than on the first night stuck in his throat like a bad tasting meal. If their guy didn't hit tonight then they were wrong about the location and some other club was the focus. He glanced once more to his watch. No, they couldn't be wrong. But the only good suspect had left awhile ago, while the women were still dancing.

"A few more minutes and we're out of here,” Lori said. “Where the hell did we go wrong? I would have sworn the guy I pointed out was the one."

The guy that had been watching Dani. “Yeah, he would've been my bet, too.” He moved his head in a figure eight to loosen up the muscles in his neck and heard it crack. What if that was their guy?

What if he'd found what he wanted and waited outside for it?

Dani.

John's mouth felt dry. The air in the room suddenly became heavy. “Let's go out to the parking lot."

"Why?"

"The guy was watching Dani."

Lori didn't argue. She slipped off her stool and John walked next to her with his hand on the small of her back, staying in character in case the perp could see them, but he knew down to his bones their guy wasn't inside. He pushed at Lori's back, propelling them from the room. Every alternative gnawed at him. They were completely wrong about the location. Not likely. The perp knew he'd been pegged and bolted without his prize. He shook his head. No. This only made the air seem heavier. He'd been plagued with asthma as a child. Now the fear came back to him, the terror when he couldn't breathe. The breath he wrenched in was so audible Lori turned around.

"You okay?” she asked.

He nodded and kept walking.

Each step knotted his stomach more. They hadn't made it halfway through the lot when his heart clenched. He honed in on Dani's vehicle like a red dress at a black and white ball. Still parked there. He sucked in a deep breath, and then sprinted past his own car, in the direction of Dani's.

Fear washed over him like ice. The vehicle sat empty.

Lori caught up, peered in and looked back to John wide eyed. “Oh, shit."

John's last drink and the nuts he'd munched on congealed in his stomach. “Why the fuck didn't I walk her to her car?"

"Because you were doing your job."

Right. And look where it had got him.

"Search the lot.” John dashed away, glancing behind cars, through the shrubs, anywhere there might be some sign of what had happened to her.

"John,” Lori yelled from across the lot.

He reached her in a second. What she held in her hands made him want to throw up. Dani's black purse. He grabbed it from her and opened it. Money, car keys still there. His hands, hands that had caressed and explored Dani's body, now shook as he picked the ID out of the wallet and held it up so he could see it under the street light. Dani's innocent face stared back at him. Trusting. Sweet. And possibly dead, if he couldn't find her.

Each rape in the past few months had become progressively worse. The last victim barely made it. The next one wouldn't. He'd seen the increasingly violent pictures of the vics. An agonized groan escaped his lips.
No, not Dani. Not his sweet, sweet Dani.
He fell to his knees, the punishing pavement a reminder of his inability to protect.

Lori pulled the purse from him and examined the contents as he had a moment before. John still held on to Dani's license. “Her phone John. The phone's missing. Does she normally carry it with her?"

"I've never seen her without it."

"Text her first. If she doesn't answer then give her a call. But watch what you say. You don't want to tip him off that you know she's been taken."

John pulled out his phone and tapped at the keypad. “I want your mouth. Now. How long will it take you to get to my place?” He stared at the phone he held with shaky hands.
Please answer
, he prayed, hoping beyond belief for another explanation for her discarded purse.

The seconds ticked into minutes and Lori tugged at his hand. “She's not going to text back. You knew he had her. Will it ring if you call, or does she keep it on vibrate?"

He'd never heard her phone go off. So many things he didn't know about her. What was her ringtone? What if he never had the chance to find out? His stomach tightened and bile rose, threatening to erupt. He shook his head, racking his brain for an answer. “I'm pretty sure she keeps it on vibrate."

"You better hope so. That way she can hide the fact she still has it on her."

John stared at the phone. Calling her had a certain level of risk to it. If the guy heard the phone, he'd take it from her. If she could continue to conceal it, she might be in a position to get her hands on it and use it later. He ran his hand through his hair and tugged, then punched in the number before he lost his nerve.

The phone rang and John shut his eyes as each ring brought him closer to voicemail. Did he really think this would help in any way? Then the ringing stopped but her message didn't come on. He took the phone from his ear and looked at the screen. One word was displayed—connected. Shit. Someone had answered the phone.

He took a deep breath and tried to regulate his voice. “Dani, it's John. I need you.” Somehow if she was able to hear he wanted her to know. Wanted her to figure out that he wasn't just talking about sexually. “Can you come to my house now? Dani, are you there?"

The sound of some type of movement caught his attention. Then her voice, low, and in the background.

"Help! If anyone can hear me, I need help."

"Dani,” John yelled. “Are you okay?” She couldn't hear him. Hell, he'd barely heard her. Fuck, this didn't bode well.

"John? Oh, God, help. Call 911."

"Where
are
you?” He glanced at Lori. “Call it in. Have them trace my number. Do a bounce to hers."

Lori called the station as they darted toward John's car.

"Not sure where,” Dani's voice came from a distance. “Heard a train about ten minutes ago. Shit. Don't answer, someone's coming."

John put his phone on speaker and threw his keys to Lori. “Drive fast. Real fast."

"Soon as we have a direction to go in.” His jaw tightened. They had to find her. Had to. He bit down on his finger to hold in the anguish that bubbled to the surface like lava from a volcano.
I won't fail you, Dani. I can't.

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Dani screamed in spite of herself. A very big man dressed all in black stood in the doorway. Black jeans, black Tee shirt, black ski mask. She couldn't see his face. Only his eyes. A deep dark black that seemed more animal than human.

He laughed and the sound scraped along her raw nerves. He wanted her to know he would hurt her. That he'd enjoy her pain. He approached her slowly like he had all the time in the world. He stepped behind her head, making her twist to see him. He took both hands and pulled her hair away from her face and tugged it so that it fanned out behind her. His hand slapped her face just enough to give it a little sting. A hint of what would come.

The hole in the mask split into a grotesque grin. “Little girl, you're gonna be my cum bag."

Dani whimpered and her body began to shake. She didn't want him to know her fear, but wasn't able to hide it.

"I'll shoot my wad into each one of those holes of yours. Fuck each one over and over until you beg me to switch to another one. I only fuck one week during the month. I save up my cum and then screw it all out.” His hands reached over her and unbuttoned her blouse.

The feel of his fingers near her skin galvanized her terror. “Please, don't,” she begged.

His slap across her face had a little more bite this time. “That mouth is for my cock. You speak only when I say you can. And don't you forget it.” He spread her blouse open like tissue paper inside a gift, and then his hands gripped her breasts like a vice. Dani cried out and was rewarded with another slap.

He reached underneath her and unhooked her bra, his fingers tainting her skin, leaving a trail of evil. He pushed it up, and her breasts lay exposed. Demonic eyes, devoid of a face, ogled her breasts. His gaze soiled her more with each second. His desire defiled and degraded. Her stomach roiled. Worse would come and she had to be able to handle it. Block it out. Distance herself from her surreal reality.

Her captor clamped his hands down on the soft tissue of her breasts, crushing her self-esteem with the muscle. Dani gritted her teeth and shut her eyes. She couldn't escape the pain, but didn't want to witness it. Couldn't bear to watch his eyes as he violated her. Her defiance only made him grip harder, until his vice-like fingers slaughtered her resolve. A sob erupted, her pain a blistering echo through the night and the phone line.

"Keep your fucking mouth shut, bitch.” His mouth descended on one breast. He sucked the nipple greedily, roughly, until it felt like it would be torn off.

Please, John, find me. Save me before there's nothing left.
The possibility that he'd hear something, that he'd lead the police to her was the thread that kept her sane. As long as John, or the police, remained on that line she had a chance. She might not come out of it emotionally intact, but she'd be alive, and for now that was all she hoped for.

The monster's hands moved down to the top of her skirt. He tugged at the zipper and yanked the cloth down her legs. As he flung the skirt to the floor the phone slipped out of the pocket and landed with a thud. The sound startled them both.

"What the fuck!” His shadowy form bent to reach for what had been her lifeline. As he picked it up, its blue glow illuminated the dark pools of his widening eyes. He stared at the light which signaled the phone was in use.

An animalistic growl preceded the hardest slap she received from him. “You bitch!” Then he held the phone up to his mouth. “Now I'll have to kill this bitch.” He made a show of hitting the off button. As the glowing light extinguished, so did her chance for survival.

Her scream started as soon as the phone went black. She kicked out at him but he sat on her legs and pulled something from his side pocket. The round object filled her mouth and tasted like rubber. Dani's eyes widened in terror and mascara stung her tear filled eyes. Her stifled screams seemed to amplify her diminishing strength.
Can't breathe. Damn it, focus. Think. Breathe. Slowly.
Dani's chest heaved as she attempted to inhale enough air through her nose.
That's it, slow breaths, in and out.