Even though Amber knew there were no neighbors to see them, she still looked over her shoulder as they approached the porch. She felt exposed without the woods to hide them. They were dealing with a madman, and there was still that whole issue of Blue killing him if he came back and maybe getting caught. No pressure there… She couldn’t imagine life without Blue, so she pushed the painful thoughts aside and focused on the business at hand.
“How are we going to get in? Pick the lock?” She had so much to learn before she could be of any real help to Blue.
“You’ve been watching too many movies.” Blue took the butt of her gun and used it to break a pane of glass. She reached in and turned the deadbolt and unlocked the door knob. They let themselves in, doing their best to be quiet.
“She’s got to be in the basement. It’s the only thing that makes sense, and I saw a small, low window when we were outside.”
“Which means she must be tied up or she would have escaped by now.”
“Well, look who’s thinking like a cartel girl,” Blue teased, but her eyes gleamed with pride.
They quickly traversed the house, from the living room to the dining room and finally to the kitchen. A few more steps and they found a door that led down to the basement.
“Be careful,” Amber whispered as she followed Blue down the decrepit wooden steps. “The last thing we need is to fall through these rickety stairs and get hurt.”
The room smelled of mold and mildew and…sex. It was a pungent combination that set Blue’s teeth on edge as she mentally prepared for whatever they were about to find.
“No more. No more, just let me die.” A raspy, faint voice came from somewhere near the bottom of the stairs.
Blue switched on her flashlight app and directed the beam of light toward the voice, then froze. “Sweet Jesus. I’ll kill him,” Blue rasped as she struggled to make sense of the sight before them. “I won’t stop until he’s dead and in pieces.”
She was naked, her neck and wrists locked in primitive, rough-hewn stocks, facing away from the stairs. Her feet were cuffed to the rear legs of a tricked-out sawhorse. Beyond the initial words spoken as they came down the stairs, the poor creature didn’t even stir as they drew near. She was exhausted beyond all endurance.
Amber’s horrified gasp sounded more like a sob as she stumbled on the last step, nearly falling to the concrete floor. She raced over to where Blue was already crouched down next to Kat, assessing the situation. “We’re going to get you out of here, honey,” Amber said through tears.
“Let me die…”
“Kat? We’ve come to get you out of here. It’s over.”
“Over? Please…he’ll be back. I saw the light…the light…”
Mistaking Kat’s words for the lyrics to an old-time gospel song, Amber said soothingly, “That’s right, Kat, no more darkness, no more night…”
“No…no,” Kat mumbled, struggling to piece the words together. “Only twice.”
Blue took Kat’s face in her hands. “What are you saying, Kat? What was only twice?”
Kat’s eyes were suddenly clear as she met Blue’s gaze. But they were devoid of hope. “He only turned the lights off twice. I can tell when he does it because a little of the light reflects off the floor over there. He’ll be back to fix it. Twice isn’t enough. Four times is too many…” She began struggling against her restraints, panicking as she screamed, “No! You don’t understand. He’s a psychopath. He’s insane. He’ll kill us. If he comes back and finds you here, he’ll kill us all. Don’t you see?!” Her voice became a barely intelligible shriek. “He only turned them off twice!!”
Swallowing hard, Blue kept her voice steady and strong as she got to work. “Listen, you’ve got to calm down. I promise you, you’ve spent your last night in this hellhole. But the last thing we need is somebody hearing you screaming.” Even though Blue knew the chances of that happening were slim, she also knew she had to somehow get Kat’s attention. “We’re going to get you out of here. Now, let me think.”
The woman fell quiet and just stared at the floor, wide eyed and slack-jawed. Blue nodded in Amber’s direction, “Go look on that workbench over there for some bolt cutters. They look like big scissors--”
“I know what bolt cutters are,” Amber huffed.
“Fine, just hurry up.” Blue didn’t want to tell her, but she was concerned about Stan coming back too. She didn’t know his routine, wasn’t sure what to expect from him. He was a wildcard.
After rummaging around the piles of junk cluttered on the workbench, Amber returned with a pair of bolt cutters. In a matter of moments, Blue had Kat freed. They gently sat her upright and gingerly helped her slide an oversized t-shirt over her head. Blue had rolled her eyes at Amber’s insistence that they bring it just in case, but she was glad they did. Amber’s instincts were good, and she was adept at planning.
Blue had her arm around Kat’s shoulders, trying to keep her steady on her feet as they approached the steps…and that’s when they heard the footsteps.
“Son of a bitch!” Blue said grimly. “Change in plans. We’ll have to bust out the window.” Blue and Amber moved toward the window, practically dragging Kat along with them. She was so weak that Blue was concerned she would have to carry her, and she wasn’t sure the woman was up for what was about to be asked of her.
Blue grabbed Amber’s elbow to get her attention. “Don’t stop for anything. You hear me? Once you are out of here with Kat, I’ll be right behind you. But you do not stop for any reason.”
Not waiting for a response, Blue slammed the butt of her gun through the glass, then used it to clear the perimeter of the window of the countless jagged shards of glass that rose up from the frame like shark teeth. There was no time to lay a towel down to protect them from getting cut, but suddenly that seemed like the least of their worries.
Amber scrambled out first, then Blue lifted Kat up and out so Amber could pull her the final few feet to freedom. All the while, Blue was grimly tracking the sound of footsteps through the house…across the room overhead…at the top of the staircase…down the steps…across the cement floor.
Blue had just about cleared the window herself when she felt a hand grab her ankle and try to pull her back inside. “Amber, take Kat and get out of here!” Blue yelled.
“You bitch!” Stan screamed as he lost his footing, then lurched toward her with his hands outstretched. Blue reared back and slammed the heel of her boot into his face, channeling into the blow every shred of rage she felt for the atrocities he had committed. He tumbled backwards, shielding his crushed nose with both hands, and shrieking as blood gushed between his fingers.
Blue couldn’t resist. “Stan, you scream like a little bitch. You better be glad I’m in a hurry or you’d be getting worse than a broken nose.”
Blue scrambled the rest of the way out of the window and ran to catch up with Amber and Kat. Together they got Kat settled in the backseat under a blanket. Stan didn’t follow them, but Blue left ruts in the driveway anyway as she sped away with her precious cargo toward the lights of Louisville.
“Who are you? Where are you taking me?” Kat whimpered.
Blue and Amber exchanged a look before Blue replied carefully, “You let us worry about the details, hon. You’re safe, that’s all you need to know.”
“But--”
“The cartel looks out for its own, Kat.”
Kat’s eyes widened briefly, then they closed and her face crumpled with emotions. Her shoulders began to shake. “No, no, no…” she wept softly. Her relief at being rescued was battling against her shame at the disaster her life had become. Diego had made it clear he was through with her; why had the cartel come for her? Why couldn’t they just let her die?!
Kat had survived the nightmare in that basement, but she didn’t think she would survive the prospect of having to face the elusive remnants of her old life.