Authors: Jackie Collins
So... if Cheryl was really Bambi, and Bosco and Reno had followed Bambi home, it figured that the man they'd assumed was her boyfriend could actually turn out to be Zane.
Luca slumped in a chair. He was in shock. No wonder he'd gotten off on the broad. She was a rich Hollywood kid, and he'd thought she was a simple working girl. What a scam! Jeez! You had to respect somebody who could pull off something like that. Especially on him, because nobody had ever accused him of being naive.
'Can you find the house?' Detective Carlyle asked Reno.
'It was dark,' Reno said. 'But I know where it is.'
'Let's go,' Detective Carlyle said. 'I'll call for back-up.'
Rosa got the news first. She'd attached herself to Boyd Keller, who didn't seem to mind one bit. And because of this she knew something was going down before the rest of the press.
By the time Boyd strode from the precinct and jumped into an unmarked squad car, Rosa was in the camera truck with her crew and Kennedy.
'Follow that car,' she said dramatically. We got ourselves a story. Let's hope it has a happy ending.'
The Man felt powerful and triumphant. He was soaring high - like an eagle.
He was an avenger. A true hero. Even better - an ACTION HERO.
He marched back to the house, striding down the middle of the road because he didn't have to hide from anyone. His days of hiding were over. He was the MASTER OF THE CITY.
Steven Seagal. Who was Steven Seagal? Arnold, Sly, all of them. They were nothing compared to him. Soon the world would realize.
He reached the house, double-locked the front door behind him, and kicked open the door to the cellar. The bitch was down there waiting for him. Waiting for him to bury her.
He swaggered down the stairs, swinging the Uzi in one hand, his pistol stuffed into the belt of his blood-soaked pants.
What would his mother say if she could see him?
Would she be happy? Would she be proud?
She wouldn't call him poopsy now. She wouldn't dare.
I AM THE MOST POWERFUL MAN IN THE WORLD.
I AM INVINCIBLE AND NOBODY WILL EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN.
Jordanna heard Zane kick open the door to the cellar. Her heart was beating so loudly she could feel it thudding throughout her body.
Although she was terrified, she was not paralysed. She lay on the ground where he'd left her, concealing the slab of wood beneath her body. Now that she had a weapon, she could fight back.
Any second he'd trip over the dead rat she'd placed on the stairs, and when he did, she was prepared.
Her hands clutched on to the piece of wood ready for action. She had a plan - go for his eyes first, then smash the weapon across his face, and keep on hitting until she rendered him unconscious.
She was truly petrified, her throat felt dry and parched and she was sure the imprint of his hands would mark her neck for ever. Yet her adrenalin was pumping. She knew she
had
to do it -
had
to be the winner in this deadly game.
She heard Zane stumble and fall just as she'd hoped. The Uzi flew out of his hands clattering on to the hard cellar floor.
Did she have time to go for it? She wasn't sure. Had to be careful - couldn't take any risks. This was a test of her strength. And she would pass the test because Bobby was waiting for her, and she didn't intend to disappoint him. Bobby Rush was her future, and no insane psycho was going to rob her of the opportunity to be with him.
She willed herself to stay perfectly still. It was imperative her timing was just right.
He got up cursing and muttering. She heard him getting nearer and nearer. Soon she felt his presence hovering over her.
Now was the moment for action.
Now! Now! Now
!
Gripping the piece of wood tightly, she turned her body and struck out with a mighty lunge.
The slab of wood cracked against his skull with a sickening thud, sending him flying back.
She leaped to her feet, grabbed the can of dirt and ran for the stairs.
He came after her with a furious roar, blood coursing down his forehead into his eyes. He reached out, his muscled arm once again encircling her leg.
She spun around, flinging the can of dirt into his face and eyes.
He yelled and fell back.
Heart pounding, she scrambled up the stairs, shot into the hallway and raced to the front door.
He'd locked it. The sonofabitch had locked it!
Stay calm.
Don't panic.
You will survive.
Dashing into the kitchen, she picked up a chair and attempted to smash the window. It didn't break. Desperately she tried a second time. The glass shattered, but it was too jagged for her to climb through.
She turned around. He was at the door of the kitchen, blood pouring down his face now, anger and fury contorting his features.
'Fucking bitch!' he screamed. 'Fucking cunt bitch! You're going to die now.'
She opened her mouth and let out a primal scream. Then she hurled the chair at him.
It slammed into him, and she ran for the door of the kitchen, trying to dodge past him.
He caught hold of her and dragged her down on to the floor.
They struggled. She clawed at his eyes, bringing her knee up, pounding into his balls.
He wrestled her shoulders to the ground, turned her over and attempted to jam his lips down on hers.
It was too grotesque. His blood was dripping on to her face, and to her horror and disgust she felt him growing hard against her thigh.
'You sonofabitch!' she screamed, striving to shove him off. 'You piece of shit
sonofabitch
?
'There's nowhere you can run to get away from me,' he yelled triumphantly. 'I had nowhere to run in prison, and you've got nowhere to run here.'
'Fuck you!' she screamed. 'FUCK YOU!'
He started pulling at her jeans, trying to get them off.
She spat in his face and attempted to knee him again.
He slapped her so hard she was momentarily stunned.
She lay very still for a moment, desperately trying to remember everything she'd learned in self-defence class.
Window of opportunity!
Window of opportunity!
The words screamed inside her head as she saw him going for his pants. But first he had to remove the pistol stuck in his belt.
She watched as he reached for the gun, ready to lay it on the ground while he unzipped his pants.
Window of opportunity!
Fucking go for it!
With all her might she sat up, surprising him, smashing her head under his chin, causing him to grunt with pain.
Twisting her body, she managed to wrestle the gun from his grasp, and point it at him.
'You wouldn't dare use it,' he said, taunting her.
'Oh, yes, I would,' she said, clicking back the safety catch, just as he'd done to her.
And once more they were in the same position, only this time
she
was in control, ready to blow him away for ever.
But she hesitated just that moment too long, and he took advantage of the pause, jerking his hands upwards, knocking the gun out of her possession.
They rolled around on the floor, each scrabbling to get the weapon.
Eventually the gun became wedged between them - locked in between their bodies as they continued the life and death struggle.
And then the gun went off.
One loud blast, and after the explosion there was nothing but a deep and deadly silence.
Bobby was swigging Coke from a can when he saw Boyd Keller rush for the door. He knew immediately something was going down. Grabbing the detective he said, 'Wherever you're going, I'm coming, too.'
'No way. It's against all regulations.'
'I don't give a fuck about regulations.'
'We'll keep you informed - if anything happens you'll know immediately.'
'Screw it,' Bobby said fiercely. 'If you don't want me to come you'll have to arrest me.'
Boyd shrugged, sometimes rules were made to be broken, and he'd had word from the Chief of Police to keep all the big shots happy.
'OK,' he said reluctantly. 'As long as you stay outta my way, an' keep a low profile.'
'You got it.'
Cheryl staggered into the street, desperately attempting to flag a car down. There was a steady stream of traffic travelling up and down Laurel Canyon, but nobody stopped.
She waved her arms frantically in the air. Drivers averted their eyes and kept going.
Oh, God, they think I'm some kind of homeless person or a drunk, she thought, running unsteadily down the hill.
She couldn't believe nobody would stop. For one wild moment she considered throwing herself in front of a car, but they'd probably knock her down and drive off. Didn't people care any more?
She swayed, almost falling, but then she forced herself to keep going, until eventually she reached a small market.
She ran up to the check-out stand, faltering, hardly able to put two words together. 'Call... call the police,' she said to the woman. 'Please... hurry.'
'What's the matter with you, honey?' the woman said, alarmed. 'You been raped? What happened?'
Cheryl collapsed on to the floor.
The cars containing Detective Carlyle, Luca, Reno, Mac, Michael and Quincy, met up with three unmarked police cars at the bottom of Laurel Canyon.
Boyd Keller and Bobby joined Detective Carlyle, Reno and Luca in the first car, and the convoy roared off up the hill.
The TV van with Rosa and her crew was right behind them, along with Kennedy.
Reno sat in the front passenger seat giving directions. After a while he spotted the turning. 'It's up here,' he said. 'Keep on going, it's way at the top.'
'You got a number for the house?' Boyd Keller asked.
'No, it's kinda isolated.'
The terrain was getting rougher by the minute. 'You positive there's another house up here?' Boyd said impatiently.
'Yeah, I'm sure,' Reno said. 'I gotta good sense of direction.'
'We passed the last house five minutes ago.'
'I told you, we'll get to it.'
'Michael's in one of the cars up ahead,' Rosa said.
'How do you know?' Kennedy asked.
'Cause I was in Boyd's office when it all came down,' Rosa said, her pretty face alive with excitement. 'There's Mac Brooks, Luca Carlotti, and if I'm not mistaken Bobby Rush is along for the ride - this is quite a story, and we're on the spot before anyone else.'
Kennedy nodded. She couldn't help thinking about the two girls and what had happened to them. If the news was bad it was a story she didn't want to cover. Let the tabloid press take over and go to town.
People's lives were at stake, this was a desperate situation - not entertainment for the masses.
The first vehicle in the convoy slowed down.
There's a car up ahead blocking the road,' the driver said.
'Looks like it could be our limo,' Reno said, peering from the window.
Detective Carlyle reached for his gun as their car ground to a stop. 'How far is the house from here?' he asked.
Reno shrugged. 'It's near.'
Luca had an antenna for trouble, whenever he sensed anything was wrong, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. They were doing it now.
'Stay in the car,' Detective Carlyle said, his hand on the door.
Fuck that shit. Luca was out of the car before anyone could stop him.
'What's happening?' Michael said, as their car stopped.
'Something's goin' down,' Quincy said.
'I'm taking a look,' Michael said, jumping out of the car and coming up behind Reno. 'Where's the house?' he asked.
'Up the hill.'
'Thanks,' he said, sprinting up the bumpy road.
They could all deal with the limo, he had a hunch that what was going on at the house was more important.
'Oh, Jesus!' Luca sighed mournfully, as he approached the bodies piled together by the side of the road. 'This shouldn't have happened. This ain't right.'
Detective Carlyle tried to wave him away, but Luca was having none of it. He bent down to touch Bosco, making sure he was dead.
'Don't do that,' Boyd Keller barked. And then to Detective Carlyle, 'Get this area roped off. This is a crime scene here, not a fucking picnic.'
Rosa, her camera crew and Kennedy leaped out of the van. Rosa signalled her cameraman to start shooting before anyone could stop them. He began filming the grisly crime scene, while Rosa attempted to do a quick remote.
'Get that camera out of here,' Boyd Keller yelled angrily.
Michael reached the house, pulled his gun and approached warily. First he tried the front door - it was locked, so he made his way around the side until he came to the back. The kitchen window was shattered, shards of broken glass everywhere.
The air seemed very still. Heat and silence and nothing else. A fly buzzed into his face, startling him.
He was nervous - since getting shot it wasn't the same. He was no longer Superman running head first into any situation. A year ago he would have leaped through the kitchen window. Now he was more cautious, had to work out the safest way in, because he never wanted to experience the searing flesh-tearing pain of being shot again.
Edging past the kitchen window, he discovered a side door. One heavy kick and he was inside the house.
More silence.
He was sweating so much he could barely keep a grip on his gun.
Moving slowly he entered the kitchen. Blood and chaos was everywhere.
Sprawled in the middle of the floor was a body.
He heard a noise and raised his gun, perspiration rolling down the back of his neck.
Jordanna stood in the doorway leading to the hall. She was battered, bruised and bloody, but she was alive.
'I killed him,' she said quietly. 'He's dead.'