Nightmares of Caitlin Lockyer (Nightmares Trilogy) (21 page)

"
Nathan, could you..." I opened my eyes. I didn't have to – I could undo her bra with my eyes closed. I kept my eyes on her back while she slipped the red one off and pulled something black on instead.

Smooth skin, marred only slightly by the pink and white patches where her ulcers had been. Healing rapidly, she'd already recovered so much. Far from the shadow of herself that I'd seen stretched out on the sand, she was every bit as real and vibrant as the angel I saw tripping down the Terrace. I wanted to
...

"Nathan?"

Black hooks on black satin. I tried to focus on that bit, not the curve of black lace tempting me in the mirror. Think of her screaming in the dark, when there was nothing, NOTHING I could do to calm her down. I could feel my face wincing at the memory.

"Please
..."

Pink and patterned, the swell of skin above them like the top of a tight-fitting corset.
Pink like the scars on her ankles, where I'd had to peel the bloodied rope away...

Black and white stripes, cutting into her flesh like a knife blade about to pierce the skin
...

Blood-red with black edging,
like an encrustation of fresh and dried blood on her skin as she lay barely conscious on the sand...

Plain black satin,
as dark as the inside of a nightmare when I couldn't stop her from screaming...

White satin, pure and pale like her face had been on the beach, when I'd thought she was dead
...

"Can I help you with anything?" the salesgirl asked behind me, treading on my foot as it stuck out behind the curtain.

"Oh, thank God!" I blurted out as relief rushed over me. I wouldn't have to conjure up any more horrible memories of Caitlin's injuries to stop myself thinking about her in her underwear.

A sharp intake of breath and I dared to open my eyes. Caitlin's reflection stared at me, looking shocked and hurt. Instead of a new bra, she wore a silky little black nightdress and she looked nothing short of incredible. It hurt to look at her – close enough to touch and yet untouchable.

"Miss, are you okay in there?" the salesgirl asked, sticking her head inside the curtain. She squinted suspiciously at me, kneeling behind Caitlin.

"Fine," Caitlin said absently, whisking a tear off her cheek before the girl saw it. She reached for the hangers, laden with what she'd tried on. "I'll take these ones, with the matching knickers, all in small." She split the pile and handed a small stack to her, the strawberry-red one on top. "And you can keep these." The larger pile went to the girl's other hand. The girl didn't move, still gaping at me. "He's helping me," Caitlin said angrily. "Now let me get changed into my clothes."

The salesgirl opened her mouth like a flustered fish as she backed out and left.

Good riddance.

I looked at Caitlin, who gazed pointedly back at me. I closed my eyes and heard the rustle of satin as she took the nightdress off.

"You looked beautiful in that one," I said suddenly, feeling like I had to say something.

Caitlin didn't say anything until she needed my help. "One last bra, please, Nathan."

I fastened it fairly quickly this time – I was getting the hang of those bloody hooks. Deep purple satin,
the colour of a blossoming bruise... Fuck.

Satin draped over her arm, Caitlin left the change room as soon as she was dressed, while I struggled to my feet and stumbled along behind her. She laid the nightdress on the counter.
"This one, too."

I wanted to apologise. I wanted to explain. Most of all, I wanted to see her wear any of her new purchases without having to dredge up horrific thoughts. I wondered if there'd ever be a day I could think about her body without imagining blood.

I didn't have a hope in hell.

My phone vibrated, not quite silent. The screen glowed brighter than anything else I could see, for it was almost dark. Caitlin wasn't within earshot, so I answered it.

Navid's voice was panicked. "They're almost there – just coming into sight of her house. It's too late to get her out and it's now or never – get her hidden. Our team are still on their way. Get geared up and stick your earpiece in, now."

"As soon as Caitlin's safe," I replied, my heart plummeting at the thought that she was in danger.

"Just don't waste time. They're coming and backup won't be here in time to stop them from reaching you."

"How many?" I asked urgently.

"Three men,"
came the answer. "No sign of her."

Shit.
"I'll take care of it. Let them in. Talk to you soon." I hung up.

I knew she was in the toilet, but I couldn't wait. Perhaps this was the best place to hide her and she'd be safe. I had a million thoughts running through my mind, but I couldn't focus when I considered the possibility that she might not survive. I couldn't think it and I didn't want to.

I heard the sound of cascading water and burst in, almost knocking her down with the door. She looked stunned as she tried to regain her balance, but I shoved my body up against hers, pinning her to the wall, as I kicked the door shut behind me.

My shirt slid over warm black satin with a froth of white lace at the top, highlighting the cleavage it made no attempt to hide. Oh God, she was wearing the new little nightdress. I dragged my eyes from her lace to her face.

A face full of raw terror and panic that I'd do anything to wipe clean. Her eyes didn't leave mine before she whispered imploringly, "Nathan, please... don't hurt me," as Caitlin closed her eyes. Surrendering. NO!

Painfully,
I was reminded of her lying on the beach and that moment when I'd thought she was dead.

My heart contracted in my chest, aching for
her, as I thought about how lost I'd be if anyone hurt her. If I lost her tonight. I tried to reassure her. "It's okay. You're safe," I lied through my teeth, knowing she didn't believe me.

I could feel her heart beating fast under my hand, reminding me that she was still alive. "I'm not going to hurt you," I murmured.
Fuck. LET THEM hurt you. Not going to let THEM hurt you... Surely she knew by now that I'd never hurt her!

Her eyes stayed closed. She opened her mouth to draw a deep, shaky breath.

I moved almost by instinct. There was no thought. I just looked at her face, her lips, her closed eyes... and touched my lips to hers.

She stiffened and her eyes flew open. She just stared at me, her eyes filled with hurt and betrayal, as if she didn't know me, as well she might.
Like I reminded her of them.

I broke away from her. "I'm sorry
..."

"Chris
..." she breathed, confirming my fears.

She brought her knee up between my legs as hard as she could. "You prick," she hissed in my ear as I doubled over. "You did that before and you hoped I wouldn't remember."

She tried to shove past me, but even in my haze of pain I remembered why I'd cornered her in here in the first place. She's getting stronger, I realised. If I could keep her alive past tonight, she'd recover. My heart leaped at the thought.

"I need you to stay here. The security guard's told me there are people outside your house and I need you to hide in here, where no one will guess you are.
Just until the police arrive." I pushed her into the corner, pressing her shoulders toward the floor.

Her cheek pressed against the trickling cistern, her dry eyes were both furious and terrified as she looked up at me. "You can't leave me here alone – give me something to defend myself with or stay here with me!" Her hands were curled into fists and so were her bare toes, she was so
angry.

I wavered, wanting to stay.

NO – don't think of that night on the beach. Concentrate on keeping her alive. Struggling to keep my focus, I crouched in front of her. "I can't. They might have seen me come in here. If I stay here and they come into the house before the police arrive, this is the first place they'll look, because they know I'll be here. Then they'll find you, too."

She bit her lip and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her eyes held mine. No longer terrified, she'd harnessed the fury.
FUCK
.
"Make sure you kill them all," she told me through gritted teeth. "None of the people who hurt me deserves to live."

I nodded
once.

It felt like forever, but barely a minute had passed, the time it took for the cistern to fill, ready to flush again.

I had to get out of there to keep her safe. I opened the door and pretended to zip up my fly as I shut the door behind me. I ran for her bedroom, praying I'd have time to get my vest on and some extra clips for my standard issue semi-automatic before they arrived.

The rip of Velcro as I fastened the vest, as fast as I could.
Spare clips shoved in every available pocket. A loaded gun in my hands.

Please, just let her survive 'til tomorrow.

Would I? I wondered as I fumbled to fit the earpiece in place.

"Time's up,"
said a voice in my ear.

I jumped a mile, before I realised I was alone. The voice was Navid's.

"Coming through the kitchen now. Ready?"

No. Nevertheless, I nodded.
Now or never. I need to end this.

Don't let her die!

"Rounding the corner, you should see him in five, four
..."
Navid's voice buzzed in my earpiece.

I heard him before I saw him, so when he rounded the corner he met the muzzle of my gun in his face.

He backed up a little and his hands went up, too. He didn't even have a weapon out.

"Which one are you?" I asked roughly.

"I'm Pete," he said through his nose.

"What'd you do to Caitlin?" I demanded.

"The little girl?" He grinned lazily. "I fucked her more times'n I could count. Broke her fingers, too, when she tried to fight me. She screamed real sweet then."

Caitlin screaming.
Nothing sweet about that.

The sound of her screaming still echoing in my head, I shot the smile off his face. Okay, I shot off most of his face. The dead body crumpled to the carpet
. One down.

I felt nothing but a grim satisfaction.

"Fuck, Nathan. Alive?"
I nodded, knowing Navid could see me through the surveillance cameras. I'd try harder to resist killing the next one if I could.
"Leaving the kitchen now, he's headed into the lounge..."

I stepped over the corpse and carefully continued up the passage. The clean-up crew could deal with it later.

I crept up on the next one from behind, my gun to the back of his head as he leaned over to look under a table. "Which one are you?"

A snort as he straightened. "I
was
Senior Constable Nick Dennis, before I got suspended after meeting you and your girlfriend."

"What'd you do to her?"

He grunted. "Nothing. It's what she'll do to you that matters."

I jabbed him with the gun. "What Caitlin will do to me?"

He snorted again. "Laura, fuckwit. It doesn't matter where you go or what you do, she'll find you and fuck you up worse than the little girl who killed her husband."

"Tell me where to find her," I said urgently. "I can get you into protective custody."

He let out a bark of laughter. "Not from her you can't. She'll pay whatever it takes to get whatever she wants. I'll lose my job as it is – I almost did when I shot you and her. Are you gonna shoot me?"

I pulled the gun back a little, so it wasn't pressed against his skull.
"Maybe not, if you tell me where I can find her."

More laughter.
"She'll find you and you'll wish she hadn't. Not me, mate." He lifted his own weapon. The barrel pointed at me over his shoulder and I ducked to the side. I was just in time to miss the shower of blood and brain that blew out the back of his head as he killed himself. Instead, I felt nothing.

"Number three, in the bush with the red flowers. Unconscious is fine but we
need him alive."

"Do you want to do this?" I muttered. "I'll take your place in the van."

"Love to, mate, but you know Sam will kill me if I don't come home in the morning. I have to pick up nappies on my way home."
It took me a minute to make sense of that. His wife would kill him if he got killed? I shook my head and decided I didn't need to understand it.

The third man was outside, keeping watch by Caitlin's bedroom window. I looped around the house, out of his sight, so I could come up behind him and surprise him.

I stuck the gun in his ear. "Which one are you and what did you do to her?"

He didn't say anything, so I repeated the question and jabbed the gun to emphasise each word.

"Tom," he grunted. "Held her down for the old bugger. Did her a couple of times, but I don't like leftovers."

"Are you going to tell me where she is?"

"Little leftovers? Or the bitch she made a widow?"

I spat the words out. "The bitch
who's responsible for what happened to Caitlin."

"Focus, Nathan."
I ignored Navid's voice in my ear.

"You won't get Laura. She had her husband in a gimp mask for a week for asking her if the dishwasher had been loaded.
Whipped him raw, too. If she did that to her own husband, fucked if you have a hope in hell. Good luck!" He lumbered to his feet, reaching for his weapon.

"Stop!"
I ordered, still aiming my gun at him.

He dropped his hands to his sides again. "You think I'm the last one who matters? She has the money to hire as many thugs as she likes. Tomorrow, she'll have replacements for the lot of us – all convicted rapists and child molesters, who'd pay for a bit of Little Leftovers. Don't know why – she's about as responsive as a corpse."

I wanted to kill him, my heart almost bursting out of my chest, I was so angry. "Not another step."

"Or you'll shoot me?" He smiled grimly. "It's nicer than what Laura will do to me, or to you when she finds you. She'll leave Little Leftovers for last."

I gritted my teeth. "Don't call her that. Her name's Caitlin."

He turned his back on me and started walking away. "Like
I fucking care. She was just a little cunt to me and she's less than shit to Laura. She won't last long enough for me to learn her name."

The sound of the shot echoed between the brick walls of the front yard and the house like there was more than one. I fired before I realised I was going to. He
fell face-first onto the paving as the acrid smoke wafted away in the wind. I left him where he lay. Like I fucking cared.

"Fuck, Nathan! You were supposed to keep him alive for questioning!"
Navid complained.
"There's none left now. She should be safe for a few minutes by herself. Come to the van, so we can talk face to face."

I started into the dark.

I tapped lightly on the van's side door. Navid opened it for me, a tight smile on his face and a phone jammed between his ear and his shoulder. "That's the lot, mate." He nodded in greeting.
"All clear. You can stand down." He beeped the end of the call and stuck his phone back in his pocket.

"Any sign of her?" I asked tersely, slamming the door hard behind me. The icy fury I'd started with now burned white-hot and I had no one left to kill.

"Nope. Did you get anything out of them?"

I shook my head. "They said they hurt Caitlin and they'd prefer a clean death over the one she'd give them, so they wouldn't say a thing about her, except how shit-scared they were." I thought back to things I hadn't noticed at the time. "They were all limping, though, walking stiffly the way you do with a knee injury." I felt some satisfaction that Laura had already fucked them up before they died. Only now did I wish that Caitlin or I'd had some hand in that, but it was too late.

I looked up to find Navid's eyes on me. He looked like it pained him to say, "You should have left at least one of them alive, mate. You're going to get in trouble for killing them all."

I shrugged. "One of them killed himself instead of coming with us. He was police, or ex-police.
The one who shot me and her. Fucking crazy."

Navid looked worried.
"Him or you? Now we have no choice but to get the woman alive. You've killed the rest."

I nodded. "Yeah, she's next. Time to get the clean-up crew in here, I think, then we'll plan out her capture. It won't be easy."
Easy to resist strangling her with my bare hands.
I flexed my itching fingers.

Navid laughed. "We've been after that crazy bitch for months. If it was easy, we'd have her already."