Three Year Rule (The Rule Series Book 1) (15 page)

She pulled open the door, and the room filled with bright light. Elizabeth sighed with relief. It was full of meat. Franklin pointed to a large bundle of paper wrapped meat. He ordered, “Pick it up.”

Elizabeth grabbed the meat. Franklin forced her back upstairs. She moved quickly up the stairs, grateful he didn’t kill her and stuff her body in the freezer. When they reached the kitchen Franklin ordered, “Put the meat in the microwave and hit ten minutes.”

Elizabeth frowned; her hands were shaking. His actions confused her, but she did as he said. The bundle of meat weighed nearly five pounds; five minutes on high would partially cook it, and yet still leave a portion of it frozen. She turned to face him. She desperately wanted to dig into his psyche and discover if he had a dark past. She wanted to help him bring out his demons so he could deal with them, but she knew it would only upset him. He needed to feel superior. He wouldn’t easily admit to his faults.

“Who taught you to hunt?”  Elizabeth asked, trying to keep him focused.

“My uncle,” Franklin answered quietly, “He came back from Vietnam with a thirst for blood.  He taught me everything I needed to know about setting traps that would kill.” Franklin turned to gaze at her with his icy eyes. “He had a bad temper and he loved knives. It was a deadly combination.”

“Where is he now?” Elizabeth asked, not wanting to hear the answer.

“Early one morning he woke up with a terrible hang over and hit me so bad I thought I was going to die. He must have kept hitting me after I lost consciousness. I think the worst of it happened then. I woke up with broken ribs and a broken leg. My mom told the doctor I fell out of the barn onto a pile of firewood. I remember looking at the doctor. She knew; I could see it in her eyes. She knew, but she didn’t say a word. She didn’t do a thing. She was just like my mom. I knew then, there was no one to help me.”

Franklin continued to gaze at the cooking meat.  He added, “When I was well enough to get out of bed, I stole my uncle’s favorite hunting knife from his bedroom. He’d passed out in the living room. He didn’t see me coming. His eyes opened wide as the blade slid across his throat, but he didn’t make a sound. He stared at me as he clutched the wound. I remember being surprised at how long it took him to die and how much blood there was. There was so much blood.” Franklin turned back to stare at the meat. “I had to chop his body into pieces so I could throw him down a dry well not far from the house. Mom cleaned up the mess. No one ever asked where he went. No one missed him. No one cared.”

Elizabeth’s eyes filled with tears. He blamed the women in his life for not protecting him, and he was right. She stared at him. In his mind, all women were to blame.  All women were heartless, and he was punishing them.

He sensed her gaze and turned to stare blankly at her.  “Take off your jacket.” He ordered. He pointed the gun at her, and then moved to the far end of the counter. Opening a drawer full of miscellaneous items, he pulled out a roll of twine.

The microwave dinged. Franklin moved back to her with the twine and said, “Pull out the meat and unwrap it. We’re going for a little walk.”

Amy’s small SUV pulled slowly up in front of the cabin to stop next to Elizabeth’s truck. The door to the cabin was open slightly. The light from inside the house was just bright enough to light up the small porch. No movement came from the house as the SUV idled quietly. A few moments later the SUV shut down, and the headlights went out.

Barking came from the garage across the yard. Everything else was still and silent. A few more minutes passed with no activity. Amy’s SUV’s lights went on, and its engine started. It began to move slowly toward the garage. Suddenly a series of thuds sounded. A halo of arrows struck the front and rear tires on the right side of the vehicle.

Franklin knew he had her. Amy’s tires lost all pressure and immediately went flat. She wasn’t going anywhere. He stepped out of the shadows from behind the stables. He moved slowly toward her. The car door opened as Franklin neared. A figure stepped out into the dim light. Franklin froze; it wasn’t Amy’s silhouette.

“Sheriff’s department!” Randy shouted, raising his gun. “Drop your weapon or I’ll put a hole in your chest.”

Suddenly the area exploded in a burst of light. An array of police vehicles surged into the clearing.  Franklin held his ground, not moving. He held the bow in one hand and pulled the pistol from his belt with the other. Randy walked around the car, and said again, “Drop your weapons, Franklin.  It’s over. Amy’s not coming. You’re about to die right here, right now. Drop the gun on the ground in front of you if you want to live.”

Franklin surveyed the growing number of state troopers. They spilled from their vehicles and began pointing their guns at him. His eyes slowly went back Randy, and he said, “I told Elizabeth it was a good night to die. She begged to differ, but it really wasn’t her choice.”

“Tell me where she is, and things will go easier for you,” Randy said with venom in his voice.

Franklin shrugged his shoulders and said, “She’s on a picnic.” With that, he raised his pistol toward Randy, and the air filled with gunfire.

Randy rushed forward to kick the gun away from Franklin. He lay bleeding on the rocky driveway. Randy knelt beside him and said, “Where’s Elizabeth.”

Franklin smiled and refused to answer. Josh pushed his way through the small crowd of troopers. He shoved Randy away from Franklin. “Where is she?” Josh growled, taking hold of the front of Franklin’s shirt and shaking him.

“Search the house and the out buildings.” Randy shouted to the others, “She’s a petite brunette.”

“Where is she?” Josh’s voice grew louder as the emotionless face stared up at him.

Franklin seemed oblivious to his wounds and the amount of lifeblood flowing from his body.  He gazed up at the stars. He tilted his head to one side when the distant cry of a wolf reached them. “There, you see,” Franklin whispered, “dinner is served.”

Josh released him and rose but stopped when a flash of red color caught his eye hanging out of Franklin’s pants pocket. He jerked at the fabric, and a small red flag landed in his hand. Josh jumped to his feet and ran to Randy’s truck. He pulled Randy’s spare rifle out from under the rear seat and shouted to Randy, who was moving toward the garage. “She’s on the ridge!”

Josh sprinted across the yard heading for the woods beyond the stables. Randy yelled, “Josh!” as he passed, and tossed him his flashlight adding, “I’m right behind you!”

Randy ran to his truck shouting orders to have the ATV’s pulled off the back of Josh’s truck parked behind the police vehicles. He climbed into his truck and started the engine.

Josh dove into the thick layer of brush and small trees that lined the clearing. He could hear Randy’s truck crashing through the underbrush on the far side of the stables. He was cutting through the woods trying to reach the maintenance road.

The trees and thorny brush tore at Josh’s face and jacket. He raced toward the summit where they laid the first line of flags. Franklin didn’t have enough time to go much further. Elizabeth had to be just beyond the summit. “Beth!” Josh screamed as he reached the highest point. He stood for a moment praying she would respond. His only response was the call of the wolves coming ever closer.  He was running out of time.

Josh pushed deeper into the trees looking for any sign of Franklin and Elizabeth’s passing.  Suddenly a flash of yellow fabric caught his eye. He rushed toward the thick and snatched it from the bush. He moved the flashlight across the ground; there had to be tracks.

Elizabeth sat shivering on the ground. She struggled against the twine that bound her arms to the large oak. The stench of partially cooked meat snaked into her nostrils from the necklace of deer meat Franklin strung around her neck and waist. The twine dug into her wrists. She ignored it and worked furiously to rub it back and forth against the bark.

“Beth!” She froze. Was that Josh’s voice calling her name? Could she be imagining it in her desperation? “Beth, answer me!” No, it was Josh!

Elizabeth screamed, “Josh! I’m here! Over here!”

Seconds felt like hours as Josh raced into the darkness. He broke through the trees following her voice. When he found her, his heart sank. Her shirt and pants oozed with blood.

“Beth!” Josh gasped, “Are you hurt?” He pulled out his pocketknife and made quick work of the twine bindings.

“No,” Elizabeth answered him, “its deer meat.”

Josh cut the twine and yanked the meat off her. He tossed it into the darkness. The cry of the wolves was much closer. Josh helped Elizabeth to her feet. He tore her shirt from her body with one jerk and said, “Take your pants off. You’re clothes are soaked with blood. We have to leave the scent here, or those wolves will be on us fast.”

Elizabeth pulled off her jeans. Josh made her put on his coat. He took hold of her hand and said, “You have to run hard. If the wolves manage to surround us, we won’t survive it.”

Elizabeth blindly followed Josh through the thick mixture of trees and brush. At one point Josh stopped suddenly and pulled the pistol from his belt holster. He spun, handed her the gun, whispering breathlessly, “The safety is off so watch where you point it. All you have to do it pull the trigger. Don’t shoot me. If you see a wolf, aim for the chest. You have 14 shots. Don’t waste them.”

Josh needed two hands for his rifle but refused to let go of Elizabeth.  Elizabeth’s breath came in gasps; her lungs felt like they were on fire, and her legs were like jelly.  Suddenly they broke through the brush onto the maintenance road.  Josh didn’t hesitate or slow his pace.  He pulled Elizabeth behind him with one purpose in mind.

A snarling bark came from behind them, and Josh jerked Elizabeth, spinning her around to position himself between her and the wolf.  He snapped his rifle up and fired several shots, and the wolf yelped in pain.  Elizabeth couldn’t see in the darkness.  The moon was only half-full, and the forest was a maze of shadows. She heard another growl on her left. She pointed the pistol and fired as Josh spun to face it. Another yelp of pain and Josh shouted, “Run!”

He grabbed her hand and pulled Elizabeth further down the road. They dove off the gravel back into the underbrush. Elizabeth was exhausted; she couldn’t catch her breath. Her mind screamed, “
We're going to die!”

Suddenly Josh stopped and grabbed Elizabeth by the waist to lift her toward a tree trunk. She reached out blindly and felt a chain-link ladder dangling on the side of the tree.

“Climb!” Josh urged her lifting her higher.

Elizabeth reached up, grabbed the next rung and scrambled up the ladder to find a platform with a narrow bench and a small railing around it. She pulled herself up and reached back to pull Josh up. She could hear the wolves growl and snarl beneath them. They had made it just in time.

Josh pulled her against him on the narrow bench and kissed her long and hard. The fire of his passion forced the cold from her petite form. She clung to him. He released her and unbuttoned his shirt to wrap it around her bare legs. “Don’t worry, the wolves can’t reach us up here, but it’s going to get cold.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close adding, “Beth, I was so scared. When we found out it was Franklin I couldn’t believe how stupid I’d been. Why hadn’t I seen it? When Amy got your call, I thought I was going to lose my mind if I didn’t get to you as soon as possible. When I realized what Franklin did to you...”

“Josh,” Elizabeth pressed her fingers against his lips. “I have to tell you something.”

Josh stopped talking and stared at her. She whispered, “When I was sitting in the darkness waiting for those wolves, all I could think about was you. I realized how much time I’d wasted hiding from my true feelings for you. I was hiding from the beauty of our relationship. All I needed was one more chance to see you, to speak to you, to tell you I love you. I fell in love with you the first night we met. I don’t care about the three-year rule anymore. I don’t care about the statistics. All I care about is being with you.”

“I love you too, Beth,” Josh answered.

“I love your kids, Josh.” Elizabeth continued. “I can’t believe how fast I’ve become attached to them. They fill a place in my heart I had no idea was empty. I can’t imagine my life without them, without you.”

“Beth,” Josh whispered, “I’m crazy about you. I don’t care how long it takes. I’m not going anywhere. As for this three-year rule, I think you’re on target. I agree that some people try too hard to become something they’re not, to please the people they love. However, the one thing you forgot about this pseudo persona, is love. When you love someone enough to marry them character flaws won't matter. You can get past a long lost secret that turns up ten years later. You deal with it; you accept it, and you keep moving forward.”

“You’re right,” Elizabeth continued, “I’ve been such a fool. You are honest and open. You weren’t hiding your past, you just weren’t ready to share it yet. I love you so much Josh. I don’t care how long we’ve known each other. Joshua Miller, will you marry me?”

Josh’s face filled with joy as he answered, “Oh, hell yeah.”

Randy raced up the maintenance road, his lights flashing. He scanned the brush on either side of the road for any sign of Josh or Elizabeth. He honked his horn every few yards hoping to scare off any wolves prowling the area. His heart pounded in his ears at the thought of Josh standing over Elizabeth’s body, fighting off a pack of wolves in the utter darkness that surrounded them.