Rebel Princess - Book 2 (The Hope Saga) (13 page)

“Yeah, I know. It kinda makes me want to puke, but they’re both adults.”

“I guess that knocks him off the suspect list.”

“Right. He wouldn’t have told a story we could easily check out with my aunt.”

“Exactly.”

“Plus, that turtle never coulda outrun us.”

We both laughed.

“Are you going back to get your flowers?” she asked.

“Nope. Let them wilt.”

“Then let’s go.”

Chapter 18

After hanging out with Rachel and a few friends, I decided to head back. We had a big test the next day, and I wanted to get some studying done, followed by a good night’s sleep. Plus, I was tired from working so hard at the greenhouse. Lifting heavy bags of potting soil and seeds had really tired me out, and I was whipped.

As I was making my way back to our apartment, a hand suddenly clamped over my mouth and yanked me back, causing a rush of fear to run through me from head to toe. “I’ll kill you if you scream!” he whispered in my ear.

Flailing, I tried to break free from my attacker’s grasp, but he was much stronger than me and managed to control me without much effort. When I felt the cold steel of a knife blade against my skin, my heart thundered.

“Don’t make me use it,” he whispered. “Just calm down and do as you’re told.”

I stopped as he traced the knife gently across my neck.
Is this how he overpowers his victims?
I thought. I’d been sure that my skills and training would have prevented me from being caught in such a situation, but I’d been wrong.
Maybe dead wrong,
I thought. “Please,” I begged.

I instantly knew he’d kill me and that pleading for my life would do no good; it certainly hadn’t done any good for the others. I was very surprised that he’d decided to kill again so soon, and I was none too happy that he’d chosen me. 

“Hold still while I blindfold you.”

“Whatever you say,” I said in a huff. 

The cold steel against throat made shivers shoot up my spine. My self-defense teacher would have advised me to comply with his wishes, because he had me in a real bind and could easily cut my throat from left to right, one ear to the other. Still, I knew my murder would take place regardless of my compliance. If I just let him blindfold me and whisk me away, he would strangle me anyway.

He made the mistake of letting his guard down a bit, assuming he’d overpowered me. I knew that could give me the split-second advantage, but I had to occupy his mind. “I’ll do whatever you say because…” I began, then raised my arm, as if to surrender, carefully moving one hand toward the knife. I then brought my right arm up and over the outside of his. At the same time, I grabbed the left side of his head, trapping his arm between my right elbow and head. I struck my assailant in the face several times, dumbfounding him, and then I made quick work of grabbing the knife. I rotated my hand around so the knife was safely away from my throat.

Furious, he fought with all his might, knocking the weapon out of my hand.

“Oh no you don’t!” I said, kicking the knife away when it clanged to the floor. I then elbowed him hard in the gut and went to reach for the knife. When I turned to face him, brandishing the knife, I was disappointed to see that he was wearing a black ski mask, so I couldn’t identify him.

In a blur, he hammered me in the jaw, the strongest blow I’d ever felt because he used the bottom of his fist instead of his knuckles. 

In an instant, I sank into darkness, and the knife tumbled to the floor beside me.

Chapter 19

When I came to, I felt the pressure of someone sitting on top of me, straddling me, their weight bearing down on me.
Oh my gosh! I have to get away! He’s gonna kill me,
my mind panicked.

I tried to look around me, but I couldn’t see a thing, because he’d managed to get the blindfold on me after all. I tried to move my arms, but there was no use; he’d tied me up tightly, and I could feel my fingers wrapped around some sort of metal pipe. From that, I surmised that I was being held captive in the boiler room. It had all happened so fast. One minute, I’d been heading back to my place, and the next, I was bound, blindfolded, and tied up in a boiler room, with a killer sitting on me. I knew that any abduction ran the risk of turning into a fatal encounter, so I had to rely on my wits to help me make the right decisions while I was his captive. Being prepared for the worst scenario was the key to my survival, if I had any chance of it at all. I had to stay a step ahead of the game and predict my abductor’s next move.

I thought about my family, my life, Brett, and my friends. It was strange how many thoughts ran through my head because I was faced with possible death. My adrenaline was pumping, my heart was pounding, and I’d never been so terrified in my life. I waited for his hands to wrap around my throat, and my stomach sank when I felt the tip of his knife against my skin again. He raked the weapon across my neck, trying to intimidate me, and it worked; I knew what the psychopath was capable of, and I wanted no part of that. I pictured my dead body in the hallway, Brett or Rachel or my aunt finding me, weeping over my body, and the thought sickened me. 

“Are you gonna cooperate?” he whispered. “I’m so sorry I had to punish you, but you left me no other choice. Promise me you’ll behave.”

I was in a killer’s lair, and I couldn’t stop shaking, but I managed to say, “Yes. I’ll do anything you say.”

My gut clenched and twisted, and I felt a sickening heaviness in my stomach, but I knew there was no time for panic. I had to remain sharp and alert, to do whatever it took to survive. Part of me wanted to scream at him, to tell him what a sick fuck he was, to let him know I thought he was a pathetic, disgusting freak, but I knew letting my anger out would do me no good at that point. I had to connect with him on some deeper level. I couldn’t ask the typical victim questions:
“Why are you doing this? Are you gonna kill me?”
Besides, I already knew the answers. I simply had to focus on getting out of there alive and gathering as much information as I could so I could identify him for the authorities. 

Put your captor at ease,
I thought
. Let him think he has the upper hand.
I knew it would do absolutely no good to make threats, yell at him, or try to fight. I couldn’t cry, beg, or become hysterical. Instead, I had to try to calmly establish a rapport with him; I knew if I could just bond with him, even a little and even if it was a lie, it would make him more hesitant to kill me. “I’m growing strawberries,” I said. “My five-year-old niece loves them. You really should try some.”

“I already have,” he whispered.

I strained to identify his voice but couldn’t. “Did you like them?” I asked.

“Very much.”

The steel blade was still pressed against my throat. My hands were tied, and there really wasn’t anything I could do but talk to him. My mouth opened, but nothing would come out.
Common ground. We need common ground,
I thought, and it suddenly struck me. “That was a great knockout punch back there,” I said. “I guess we both love the martial arts.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you. I only needed to…contain you.”

“No, don’t be sorry. It was a killer move. I’d love to learn from a master like you,” I said, talking fast because I was nervous. “Ya know, my arms are killing me. Is there any way you could untie me?”

“I can’t.”

“Then at least take the blindfold off.”

“No,” he whispered.

“Why? Are you afraid I’ll recognize you? Is that why you’re whispering.”

The tip of the knife pierced my skin. “Enough questions,” he said, clearly tired of our little Q&A.

When I felt his warm tongue trail down my neck, a shriek escaped my mouth. “Stop!”

“Or what? You’ll scream? Go ahead. Nobody can hear you.”

His hand trailed down my body, and then I felt his lips softly brush against mine. “Kiss me, Sky,” he said.

“Get off me!” I shouted, struggling in my bindings. “I’ll fight you, every step of the way,” I warned.

“Are you trying to turn me on even more, Sky?”

“Why don’t you stop whispering?”

“Kiss me,” he repeated. “Kiss me everywhere.” He then turned very violent and slapped me when I refused. The brute grabbed a tangle of my hair and pulled.

I moaned in pain, and he whispered in my ear. Every time I begged him to stop and leave me alone, he slapped me again, and I could only grit my teeth and wince in pain.

“I’m saving your life, and this is how you repay me?” he roared.

Suddenly, bells went off in my head, and it wasn’t just the ringing in my ears from him slapping me so hard. My stalker had written the same thing in my note. It was in that moment that I realized I was in the grips of my stalker, not the Asha strangler. The bad news was that the creepy stalker wasn’t just some harmless, lovesick teenager, as Mr. Tams had claimed. It had started with innocent flowers, then all those creepy red notecards, and now he was straddling me, holding a knife to my throat, and slapping me around. I had to wonder for a moment—and hope that I was wrong—if the strangler and my stalker were one in the same, as Rachel had suggested. “How are you saving my life?” I questioned. “Who wants to kill Brett, Rachel, and me?”

“
They
want you dead.”

“Why? What did we do? And who are they?”

“If I don’t intervene, you won’t survive, Sky.”

“Untie me,” I said. “I’ll kiss you, but not while I’m tied up. I’m not into…bondage.”  I knew if he was stupid enough to free me, I’d have a fighting chance, and I knew that could incapacitate him. I was also dying to see his face, wondering who the man was who was hiding behind the black mask.

“Prove you want me,” he said, brushing his lips across mine again.

Feeling I had no other choice, I opened my mouth and let his tongue swirl around mine in a sloppy, wet dance that I didn’t reciprocate. 

“I want you,” he said, running his hand through my hair, “and I can tell your lips are begging to be kissed.”

I didn’t bother to mention that the only thing my mouth wanted from him was to bite him.  “I-I want you,” I lied, in the fakest nice voice I could muster. I was absolutely terrified, so much so that I was afraid my heart would beat right out of my chest. I was sure he was going to try to rape me, and if he didn’t untie me, there wouldn’t be anything I could do to stop it. 

“I’ll wait for you,” he said. “Let’s sneak this time together now, but I promise our wedding  day won’t be rushed like this. It will be so…glorious! I can’t wait until you turn eighteen, Sky, so we can officially become husband and wife.”

Husband and wife?
I thought.
This guy’s delusional! Who, in her  right mind, would want to marry a man who tied her up to a pipe, blindfolded her, and raped her?

He plunged his tongue deeper in my mouth, and it took everything I had to keep from puking in his mouth.

When he started to unbutton my shirt, I gasped. “Not like this,” I breathed out. “Don’t let our first time be like this, with me tied up and blindfolded.”

He moved lower, down my chest, then trailed his tongue over my stomach. He unbuttoned my shorts and began to kiss my naval. I hated that this stranger was ravaging my body, but there was nothing I could do to stop him. 

“Please don’t tease me,” I begged. “I-I wanna kiss your body too. It isn’t fair.”

“You’re so beautiful,” he said, running his fingers over my stomach.

My face twisted at the uninvited touch, but I knew I had to play along because I desperately needed him to untie me. I wrapped my legs around his waist, as if I wanted him. “I can make you feel so good,” I coaxed.

He moaned. “Mmm. I’ve been dreaming of this moment for so long.”

A cold chill ran through me as I imagined him fantasizing about me. The thought made me nauseous, but I had to continue with the charade if I wanted to get out of there alive. “What’s your name?” I asked sweetly, hoping he’d let down his defenses and reveal his identity to me.

He completely ignored me and ran his hands down my sides. My attacker then kissed his way back up my body, to my mouth. He placed several soft but unwanted pecks on my lips, then fumbled with the back of my black bra.

“Untie me,” I begged. “I want to play too.”

He stopped for a moment, and everything was still and quiet.  “I’m cutting you loose,” he said, falling for my ploy.

I knew that was just the break I needed, and I breathed a sigh of relief when he cut my bindings. I was half-tempted to rip the mask off his head, but I was still pinned down by his weight. He shifted just a bit, freeing my arms, so I quickly wiped the sweat from my brow. He was still on top of me, and I needed to relocate my attacker’s center of gravity and use leverage to maneuver him off of me so I could get out from under him. It wasn’t easy, but I wasn’t about to just lie there and take whatever he intended to do to me. He had been a fool to untie me, and I intended to show him just how much of a fool he was. 

Chapter 20

I surveyed the situation quickly, knowing that every move I made had to be carefully calculated. I made sure my hands were inside of his arms so I could block any strikes he’d make when I attempted my escape. Anger flooded through me, and I cursed at him, and he pulled his arms back to strike me. When he did, I suddenly lifted my hips in the air to throw him off balance. He still got a good smack in, but it was not as powerful a blow as the others had been, and I was still conscious enough to buck my hips again. This time, he fell forward and had to reach for the ground to brace himself. I put my right arm over his left shoulder and my left arm under his arm. I locked my fingers together tightly, squeezing around him with all my might. Before I could finish the move, he punched me, sending a bolt of pain exploding across my face. Even though I was seeing stars, I had enough sense to lift my hips high and enough strength to turn to flip him off of me. I struck him hard in the stomach, then the groin. I pushed him away as he moaned, and then I stood to my feet on shaky legs, trying to regain my composure.

“I trusted you!” he shouted.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the glimpse of the blade shimmering in the dim light. I knew I’d never get to it in time, but I also noticed a wrench lying by my feet. I reached down and picked up the heavy tool and held it out toward him. He lunged at me, and I smacked him right in the head with it, dropping him like a bag of potting soil.

Gasping, I took a few steps back. I knew I should run, in case he came to, but I couldn’t go on living in fear, wondering who the psychopath was, so I had to take off his mask. I kicked his body with my foot and was happy when he didn’t move. Just as I went to pull off his mask, I felt an electric shot shoot through my body. Tasered, I slumped to the ground in a trembling heap.

A short time later, I opened my eyes. I was in a bit of a daze, but I noticed that he’d passed out again, and there was blood coming through his mask.
Run, before he wakes up.

I knew there would be no second chances, but I still had to see who he was. I spotted the taser lying a few feet from his hand, so I kicked it away, then leaned down to unmask him. 

“Jeremy?” I whispered with a gasp as I stared down at Carla’s brother. 

As shocked and exhausted as I was, I had no desire to stick around for Round 2. I just ran out of there like a bat out of hell, found Mr. Tams, and explained my whole story. I was bloodied and bruised, so he sent me to the infirmary.

I lay in bed as the nurse gently took my blood pressure. When my aunt walked in, I’d never been so happy to see her.

She took one look at me and began to weep, then pulled me into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said. “Ted should’ve taken that secret admirer thing more seriously. I told him it was more than an innocent crush, and now look at you. You could have been killed!”

“Not me, Aunt Sarah,” I said, grinning painfully. “I’m a survivor.”

She wiped her tears with her sleeve. “Yes, you are. But at least we know who the culprit is now. You can breathe easier. He’ll never hurt you again.”

“Jeremy seemed so nice. I’d been alone with him before, and he’d never tried to hurt me. He even helped me at the greenhouse the other day, and there was nobody around then.”

“We searched his room and found more pictures of you sleeping,” she said. “There were also some of you spear-fighting and lounging around in the lobby. They were taped all over his room, like some kind of disturbing shrine. We also found evidence that he hoped to pin the crimes on Daryl, if he ever got caught. Those two got in a huge fight a few months back, and we figure he just wanted to get revenge, even if it meant killing you just to get Daryl in trouble.”

I gasped. “So he never really liked me? He just played this sick game so he could make Daryl look like a crazy stalker?”

“Yes.”

“That’s sick!”

“I know, but like I said, it’s over now, baby.”

“Do you think he’s also the strangler?” I asked.

“Well, Ted thought about that, too, but Jeremy has a solid alibi.”

“An alibi?”

“When the murders happened, he was at work, with dozens of witnesses to corroborate it. He’s not our serial killer. He’s just a disturbed young man who tried to plot a homicide and blame it on his enemy. Several witnesses heard Jeremy swear revenge on Daryl. He said he’d do whatever it took to bring him down.”

She held me, and we talked for a long time. It broke my heart to know that I could be deceived so easily, that Jeremy would do something so heinous to me. 

“Don’t worry. You’re safe now,” she said.

“Well, maybe from my stalker, but the strangler is still on the loose.”

The nurse peeked her head in. “Brett and Rachel are here to see you.”

My aunt squeezed my hand. “Are you up to it, dear? Are you sure you’re okay seeing Brett?”

“Yeah. We broke up, but I know he still cares about me. I’m sure he was worried, and I want him to know I’m okay.”

She kissed my head. “I’ll give you guys some time alone.”

I heard Brett’s dad outside, assuring Brett that I was fine, since he’d personally talked to the nurses and the doctor. A fight broke out in the hallway, because he refused to let Brett see me, and a few minutes later, I could hear security hauling Brett away.

Just as I eased my way out of bed to see if I could help, Rachel stepped into the room. “Don’t,” she said. “Just let it go, or they’ll know.”

“I hate this.”