Forever Young: Blessing or Curse (Always Young Trilogy) (29 page)

She
backed out into the darkened driveway, but couldn’t get far. Something large
blocked her path, a silver looking SUV, inconveniently parked sideways. Could
it be the one that had run over Larry? Her stomach churned at the thought. Bile
rose in her throat.

She
dare not give in to her emotions. Her first concern was to get out in one
piece, but how?  

She
spied a small space to the right. If she hurried, she could make over there and
get around the other vehicle. She turned the wheels and backed up to head
right, but the SUV moved in that direction, thwarting her efforts.

Her
Hyundai could make it through tight spots, but not when there were none to be
had. Her dinky car was no match for the monster denying its exit. In
frustration, she pounded her fist on the steering wheel.

She
had to think. Somehow she had to get away. Maybe she could run for it. Sure,
that was rich. A mirthless laugh escaped her at thought of waddling down the
street, with her pursuer following in slow motion like in a silent movie.
 She’d never make it even a few steps.

Maybe
she should drive back into the garage, get into the house, lock the doors and
windows and call the police. No, that wouldn’t work. By the time they arrived,
the SUV driver could have already broken a window, gained entry and killed her.

She
had to try anyway. She pressed the remote to get the garage door open again,
and began to pull up. From the rear view mirror, she spotted a familiar figure
leave the SUV. She should have guessed it would be Roman, but disappointment
still filled her. In fascinated horror she watched him dart into the garage
seconds before the door slid down.

Dorrie
reached in her purse for the cell, with the dim hope of reaching 911 in time. A
pounding on the window startled her so much she dropped the phone on the floor.

Before
she could begin the monumental task of undoing her seatbelt and trying to reach
it, Roman’s loud voice pierced the window’s barrier. “Where do you think you’re
going?”

“That’s
my business,” she shouted, kicking the phone closer to the hump in the middle
of the floor. She’d grab it from there.

She
leaned sidewise. Her fingers closed on the phone, and she picked it up.

“Put
that down right now.”

“You
can’t make me.”

“This
gun says otherwise.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Her
mouth went dry. She’d never been on the receiving end of a loaded gun before.
Roman’s eyes drilled into hers, making her palms turn clammy on the phone’s
metal.  

“Okay,
I’m putting it away. Please don’t shoot.”

Oh,
my God, why had she doubted Jeanne and Keith?

There
had to be something she could do to extricate herself from the situation. Maybe
an appeal to his better nature would work. “Roman, if I mean anything at all to
you, please let me go.”

“I
can’t do that.”

“Be
serious. You don’t need me. You’ve got Patricia. She’s perfect.”

“I’ll
be the judge of that. Get out of the car, now.”

 “You
wouldn’t dare shoot. If you did, you’d never see your baby alive.”

“I’m
an expert marksman. Now get out, before I break the glass and mar that pretty
forehead.”

Hands
shaking, she clicked the door open, and stepped out.

“That’s
a good girl. Now follow me.”

Like
an ungainly robot, she trudged from the garage to the SUV, and almost tripped
up the passenger stairs. She stretched the seatbelt wide to cover herself and
the baby.

As
they pulled away, she couldn’t help taking a last look at the house she and
Larry had furnished so happily. If she weren’t in such a predicament, she would
have been glad to say adios. As it was, she’d love nothing more than to be
inside its family room, sprawled on the couch with her feet resting on the
ottoman, spending an ordinary night watching TV.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Roman
placed the gun in his left pocket, squealed out of the driveway and down the
side streets as fast as he could. He retained the pace in the residential area,
but slowed on the busy avenues to avoid detention by the police.

He
held no grudge against Dorrie and almost wished such an intervention might
happen, were it not for the possibility of losing his freedom as a result.

“Where
are we going?”

He
could have answered, “To your death,” but he’d spare her the knowledge for now.
She’d learn soon enough.

They
rode in silence. The closer he got to the Institute, the more his mind balked
at what awaited them. This beautiful, sweet woman had never harmed him. On the
contrary, she’d pleased him in more ways than one.

Unbidden
thoughts of that Hollywood night flashed through his mind, as they had
countless times before. Dorrie lay beneath him, soft, sexy, and willing. He’d
taken all he could get from her, though it should not have been his for the
taking. He’d suffered a million regrets after those fleeting moments of
fulfillment. Unfortunately, they were nothing compared to the guilt churning
inside of him now.

At
least he’d been gentle and offered her pleasure in return. Soon he’d hand her
over to someone who’d cause her pain and worse. What the squat man intended was
merciless. Roman’s conscience admonished him, telling him to do the right
thing, but the consequences of disobeying the man’s orders were too brutal to
accept. He must go through with this, despite the blow to his self worth.

Though
the night was cool, sweat trickled down his back under the grey silk shirt,
making it stick to his skin. His palms grew sticky, as they clutched the
steering wheel. If only he could devise a way out, but none presented itself.
He had no choice but to fulfill destiny, though it tore at his guts.

“Can
you at least tell me about my friend, Jeanne? Do you know if she’s all right,”
Dorrie asked, breaking the silence. Strange, how she could be so selfless,
asking about her friend when her own life lay on the line.

“Why
would I know anything about her?”

“Because
Jeanne went missing right after she called my landline and suggested my house
might be bugged. Obviously, it was, or you wouldn’t have shown up tonight. Come
on, Roman, it’s too late to play dumb.”

“If
you know so much, then you know what happened to her.”

“No,
I don’t. I wish I did.” Her voice came out in a choke.

Roman
glanced sideways at Dorrie, only to see she’d turned her head toward the
opposite window to hide her tears. The fact she loved her friend made him feel dirty
for his part in the charade. He shared a similar emotion for Dorrie, but it
could never be as strong as the one she held for Jeanne. How could it? His
heart lay empty. He knew no concept of the actuality of love. Anyone he’d ever
trusted had let him down, teaching him to look out for
numero uno
,
because no one else would.

The
checkpoint loomed ahead.

“My
gun’s easy for me to get at, Dorrie. You wouldn’t want the guard’s death to be
on your conscience. He’s got a wife and kids at home, so act natural.”

Roman
pulled up and flashed an easy smile. “Hello, Hal. We’ve got some unfinished
business to attend to. Open up, my man.”

The
guard’s eyebrows shot up, as he looked from Roman to Dorrie, no doubt wondering
why Roman took pleasure in humping someone so obviously pregnant. The Institute
seemed hardly the place for a sexual dalliance, but let the man’s thoughts lead
where they may. Roman had more serious concerns.

The
gates lifted. His hands shook as he followed the winding downhill road. His
bogus kingdom loomed closer and closer. No matter how often he’d pretended
otherwise, he never had been and wasn’t now in charge. Because he’d played the
game, an innocent woman would suffer. The rub was it all could have been
avoided if he’d only thought with his head and not his third leg. That slipup
would haunt him forever.

Despite
the odds of the pill destroying the fetus, his seed had grown to almost full
term, turning mother and child into targets of the genius who couldn’t wait to
harvest the stem cells. How ironic the cocktail designed to turn Dorrie into a
willing victim may have been the catalyst to sustain the child’s life.

The
man had much at stake. In a way Roman didn’t blame him for doing whatever he
could to get his life back. What would it feel like to be in the man’s shoes,
hopelessly disfigured, facing ridicule if he dared step into the light of day?
 

The
thought of enduring such ugliness made his stomach turn. Thank God, he’d been
blessed with spectacular features, a blessing from the Almighty, whom unfortunately
he was now disobeying. He couldn’t shake a superstitious feeling somehow he’d
be punished for his betrayal.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Roman
had been so wrapped up in thought he almost missed the turn to the side
entrance.  He pressed the automatic door opener on the van’s visor, then
pulled into the underground parking garage accessed only by himself and the
squat man who spent his life in the sub-basement.

Once
inside, he grabbed the gun from his pocket and trained it on Dorrie. “Get out.”

She
sat there shaking, making him feel like a cad.

“I
said, get out. Take your pick. We can do this either peacefully, or violently.
I pose this question. Would you want anything bad to happen to the baby?”

She
looked him squarely in the eyes. “I can’t believe you’d hurt your own child,
Roman.”

“You
don’t know me. I’d pick myself over anyone else any time. I’m that selfish.”

He
flinched inside at the disappointment in her eyes, but at this stage couldn’t
change what he’d become. Roman leaned closer and aimed the gun at her head.
“Now, get out, or I’ll use this.”

CHAPTER FORTY

Dorrie’s
thoughts raced as her hand fumbled with the door handle. If Roman had killed
Larry, which seemed more and more likely, why had he brought her here, instead
of to an out-of- the-way place where he could do the same to her?

The
only answer she came up with was chilling to the extreme. He wanted the baby
for experiments. If so, she’d fight him to the end, and offer her own life if
needs be. Most likely she’d have to.

She
stumbled down the stairs of the SUV and into the garage she’d never known
existed. Roman stood at her side, gun leveled at her. “Get moving. Go
straight.”

Half-expecting
him to yell and say, “faster,” Dorrie waddled along as best she could.

“Okay,
turn left.”

They
reached a blank wall.

“Turn
around against the wall.”

Oh,
God, she’d been wrong. He planned to shoot her right here, baby or no baby, and
 deposit her remains in an incinerator. She tried to pray, but her heart
pounded so loudly it drowned out her efforts.

While
training the gun on her, he held his other arm out on the wall close to her
shoulder and moved closer. This was it. Her breath caught in her throat.

Instead
of pinning her down and shooting, his fingers tapped the wall, which turned,
along with them. She now stood in what appeared to be a basement. She’d been
spared. He hadn’t meant to kill her. Relief flooded through her.

“Move
forward.”

As
soon as she and Roman took a few steps, the wall moved back. From her present
perspective, it looked like a seamless basement wall, instead of one from a
Nancy Drew novel she’d read ages ago.

He
pressed the gun into her back. “Go straight ahead. I’ll tell you when to stop.”

Recessed
yellow lights cast a dim glow, as she traversed the length of the corridor.
This part of the Institute looked far different than the modern portion of the
building she’d so often frequented.

“Stop.
Step to the right.”

As
soon as she’d done so, a door opened automatically.

“I’ve
been waiting for you,” a voice spoke from within.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

The
next room looked almost as dark as the hallway. Inside, she could barely make
out the outline of a short, stocky man. Still she recognized him, and shrank
from the sight. “You’re the one who robbed my house,” she said aloud, without
thinking.

“That’s
right, my dear, but that’s nothing compared to what I’m about to rob.”

He
pointed toward a gurney in the corner.  She covered her mouth and swayed
from shock. My God, would he forcibly take the baby from her?

“Okay,
handsome one, get her up there and tie her down.”