Chapter 5
I drove around back as close as I could get. Rita was already pulling on the door handle by the time I got out there. Not that it would do her any fucking good.
They disabled the locks back there. That’s standard shit. I had it done on mine when I still had it. It’s a fuck of a lot easier than trying to chase some guy down the street if he manages to get loose. She could pull on that fucking thing all day and she’s not getting out of there till I let her.
I got her by the arm again quick when I pull open the side door. The kid’s stopped crying but he’s still jumping around, hanging onto her hand. Right now I guess that’s a bigger worry for her than me. She pushes past me. Tries to. A little fucking hard when I got a hold of her but I gotta give her credit for trying.
She spins around like a dog on the end of a leash, ready to spit again, eyes nearly black she’s so fucking pissed off. I’m used to broads being pissed at me. They’re either crying or they’re swearing and throwing shit. Rita isn’t swearing at me yet. She looks like she could though. Like she’d be good at throwing shit. I think it’s only the kid that’s keeping her from letting loose. Worried I still might hurt the kid.
“Mommy! I gotta go! Mommy!”
Right then she stops pulling away and gets right up in my face.
“You think this is funny, you fucking prick? You get off on this?”
Looks like I’m gonna get both crying and screaming and swearing. She’s shaking she’s so worked up. Not crying yet but there’s that shine, like she could at any minute. Think she’d rather gouge her own eyes out than cry in front of me. Just to spite me.
“Look, lady. I’m not even s’posed to stop here, so why don’t you quit fucking around and let me check the john?” I says, continuing to pull her along with me. Wanting this shit to be over with quick.
Nobody’s looking at us. Nobody wants to see nothing. Not down here. Even if the garage was full of people there’s not a single one of them that’s gonna say a fucking thing. Shit like that gets you dead down here. Don’t know if Rita knows that or not. She keeps looking around like she expects somebody’s gonna help her.
If she knew any better, she wouldn’t want their fucking help. Help like that’d get a woman killed. Especially as she’s so fucking pissed off. She’d never know how much shit she’d stepped in until it was too late to do fuck all about it.
The kid’d probably be all right. Probably. Don’t like the odds there. There’s a lot of fuckers that’d hurt a kid.
Keeping a hold of her I toe open the door to the bathroom. It’s a shithole.
“Maybe it’d be better if you just let him piss against the side of the building, lady.”
I wouldn’t let a dog in there. She don’t like it either and for once we’re agreeing. It’s not like it’s a new fucking day or nothing, just some shit is too much.
She’s talking quiet to the kid. Mom-voice. I recognize that. Talk you into anything. Doesn’t matter how old you get. Had me convinced but the kid drops his head, getting more agitated. Something about number two. Took me a second. It’s been a while.
The place is a dump but there’s only one way out. Through me. No windows, no other doors. Metal mirror, like prison.
“Make it quick,” I says, letting her arm go.
If she was a guy, I’d'a worried about how dangerous she would be. Might even be dead right now, letting her go like that. Still might be if I’m not careful around her.
The place fucking stinks even with the door closed and I take the couple of minutes I got to light up a smoke. I listen at the door but can’t hear what they’re saying. She’s talking though. Kid’s quiet.
Toilet flushes and the water’s running. Grind the butt out on the ground and get ready.
Stopping’s always a mistake. Stopping somewhere you’re not supposed to is an even bigger mistake.
Even before Rita pulled that door open I’m on her. Get her and the kid back to the van. Get to the call-point. Get this day behind me and move on to the next.
I went for her arm but she’s coming at me too. Snarling, she launches herself off the door jamb, pushing against it for leverage.
A guy would probably take a swing at me, throw a punch. Never really fought with a woman before unless you count ducking flying glasses and shit as you try to get out of their place after you make the mistake of leaving money on the wrong woman’s bedside table after a fuck.
Rita isn’t throwing shit and she sure as fuck isn’t throwing punches. She comes flying out at me, all nails and teeth. I got her by the arm but she’s got me too. Fucking bitch bit hard enough to draw blood before I pulled my hand off her arm.
I figured she’d make a run for it when I let go. Which would make it a fuck of a lot easier on me to get a hold of her again, once she turned around.
“Run! Matty! Run now!”
She’s screaming at the kid to run and then she’s on me again. Her nails rip open a cut on my jaw and she’s not backing up any.
Been a long time since anyone’s gotten that close. Since I’ve let anyone get that close. And I let her, even if I couldn’t do a fucking thing about it.
Matty? The kid’s name is Matty? What the fuck is that? Arms said the kid’s name was Chris. Rita didn’t say it, Arms did. Explains her being so fucking pissed off about the kid’s name.
Matty. Fuck. That name threw me for a loop which is how she got her shot in. Even without her swinging and clawing at me, it feels like I just got slapped.
The kid’s standing a few feet behind his mother. Looking scared and miserable. Not running. He jumps every time Rita screams at him to run but he’s not going anywhere. Just stands there looking between his mother and me.
I manage to get a hand on Rita’s arm and start to push her back towards the van. With her free hand she gets another shot in, raking her nails along the inside of the arm I’m holding her with.
“For fuck’s sake, lady! Do that again and I’ll put you out!”
Don’t really want to hit her but it’s getting fucking ridiculous. If she was a guy I’d knock her ass out cold and that’d be that. She gets her licks in because I can’t just fucking haul off and hit her.
Threatening her had her fight harder, like she doesn’t care what happens to her. It’s a fucking struggle to get her other arm and then I throw her against the side of the van face first. Pressed against her to keep her from turning around and clawing my eyes out or something.
She’s screaming mad by this point. If she keeps struggling, she’s gonna hurt herself. Or I’m going to have to hit her. Something I really don’t want to do. The more she fights, the more I hate Teddy for getting me into this mess.
It’s almost like she doesn’t care what happens to her. She’s just fighting. I don’t know the last time I ever saw that, somebody that fought back like that. Like it didn’t matter if they lived or died. Like they didn’t feel it.
It’s the kid she’s fighting for. To give the kid a chance to run.
I’d never admit this to a fucking soul but I watch those animal shows. Like on the nature channel. Matty used to like them and I’d bust his balls about it. Now that he’s gone, I watch them. Used to be skin flicks when I had to hole up somewhere and now it’s these fucking animal shows, can you believe that?
Anyway, Rita reminded me of one of those mother bears or something. Protecting her cub.
The kid still isn’t running. I’m keeping an eye on him, knowing I’m gonna have to go after the kid once I get Rita back in the van.
The kid. Matty. He’s not crying anymore. He’s stiff as a board, his hands in fists at his sides. If looks could kill I’d be dead sure as I’m fucking standing.
Rita’s still screaming at him to run in between her calling me every name in the book and in the same breath begging me to let him go. Not let her go. Him. Fuck me.
Just like that I got the kid on me too. Screaming mad, like a little version of his mother. No way I’m gonna hit a fucking kid but fuck me, this has gone on far enough.
I got Rita by the hair finally and I’m trying to get the van door open. My hand is slippery with blood from her fucking nails in my arm and it takes me a few tries. Then she’s in but not before the little bastard manages to punch me in the balls.
With Rita thrown into the back of the van, picking up the little kid before he takes another swing at me is easy and he gets thrown in after his mother. She puts herself between him and me, like maybe she thinks I’m going to go after the kid or something. If he was a couple of years older I’d kick his ass for it but no way am I gonna hit a little kid.
“Please! Please don’t hurt him! Just let him go…please…”
All the words run into each other as she begs me to let her kid go.
I wish she was a guy. She could beat the shit out of me or I could beat the shit out of her. There wouldn’t be all this fucking guilt.
Rummaging around in the back of the van, I come up with a bungee cord and tie her hands behind her back, pulling the cord through a support in the side of the van. With her against the side, not going anywhere, I got my finger against her chest as I’m talking.
“It’s a long fucking drive and if you don’t want to spend the whole trip tied up on the floor of this van, get this into your fucking head. I don’t want to have to hurt you and I sure as fuck don’t want to hit the kid.”
“You might as well,” she spits at me. Can’t do a fucking thing and she can still cut with that tongue.
“Might as well what?”
“Hurt me. Kill me. What do you think that bastard is going to do to me, do to my son, when you take us to him?”
I don’t want to think about it. I don’t want to know. We need to get the hell out of here. No one’s gonna call the cops here but why take the fucking chance. I can’t do a thing about her situation. If it wasn’t me, it’d be someone else.
“He’s going to a lot of trouble to bring you to him.” It’s a shitty explanation but it’s all I got.
She snorts at me, disgusted. “He doesn’t care about Matty. All he cares about is that he’s a son. An heir.” She says it like it’s a case of the clap. “He wants to turn him into a monster. Just like him. Just like you.”
She shoots another disgusted look at me even as her voice breaks at the end. I’m used to begging. To ignoring it.
Matty. It’s the fucking name that gets me. Why the fuck does his name have to be Matty?
“What’s with the name?” I ask. She just looks at me and there’s that begging look again. Like she’s got hope but it fades again just as fast. I’ve seen that look before. You’re beating on a guy and there’s that moment where he knows it don’t matter what he says. He’s gonna get hit. He’s gonna die. Rita has that look.
She just closes her eyes and shuts me out, keeping her body between me and the kid as much as she can.
There’s some napkins and shit up front and I clean up all the blood as best as I can. Get the fuck over to the call-site.
Copyright © November 2008 xxxevilgrinxxx
Ch 6
Drive 5
Chapter 5
I drove around back as close as I could get. Rita was already pulling on the door handle by the time I got out there. Not that it would do her any fucking good.
They disabled the locks back there. That’s standard shit. I had it done on mine when I still had it. It’s a fuck of a lot easier than trying to chase some guy down the street if he manages to get loose. She could pull on that fucking thing all day and she’s not getting out of there till I let her.
I got her by the arm again quick when I pull open the side door. The kid’s stopped crying but he’s still jumping around, hanging onto her hand. Right now I guess that’s a bigger worry for her than me. She pushes past me. Tries to. A little fucking hard when I got a hold of her but I gotta give her credit for trying.
She spins around like a dog on the end of a leash, ready to spit again, eyes nearly black she’s so fucking pissed off. I’m used to broads being pissed at me. They’re either crying or they’re swearing and throwing shit. Rita isn’t swearing at me yet. She looks like she could though. Like she’d be good at throwing shit. I think it’s only the kid that’s keeping her from letting loose. Worried I still might hurt the kid.
“Mommy! I gotta go! Mommy!”
Right then she stops pulling away and gets right up in my face.
“You think this is funny, you fucking prick? You get off on this?”
Looks like I’m gonna get both crying and screaming and swearing. She’s shaking she’s so worked up. Not crying yet but there’s that shine, like she could at any minute. Think she’d rather gouge her own eyes out than cry in front of me. Just to spite me.
“Look, lady. I’m not even s’posed to stop here, so why don’t you quit fucking around and let me check the john?” I says, continuing to pull her along with me. Wanting this shit to be over with quick.
Nobody’s looking at us. Nobody wants to see nothing. Not down here. Even if the garage was full of people there’s not a single one of them that’s gonna say a fucking thing. Shit like that gets you dead down here. Don’t know if Rita knows that or not. She keeps looking around like she expects somebody’s gonna help her.
If she knew any better, she wouldn’t want their fucking help. Help like that’d get a woman killed. Especially as she’s so fucking pissed off. She’d never know how much shit she’d stepped in until it was too late to do fuck all about it.
The kid’d probably be all right. Probably. Don’t like the odds there. There’s a lot of fuckers that’d hurt a kid.
Keeping a hold of her I toe open the door to the bathroom. It’s a shithole.
“Maybe it’d be better if you just let him piss against the side of the building, lady.”
I wouldn’t let a dog in there. She don’t like it either and for once we’re agreeing. It’s not like it’s a new fucking day or nothing, just some shit is too much.
She’s talking quiet to the kid. Mom-voice. I recognize that. Talk you into anything. Doesn’t matter how old you get. Had me convinced but the kid drops his head, getting more agitated. Something about number two. Took me a second. It’s been a while.
The place is a dump but there’s only one way out. Through me. No windows, no other doors. Metal mirror, like prison.
“Make it quick,” I says, letting her arm go.
If she was a guy, I’d'a worried about how dangerous she would be. Might even be dead right now, letting her go like that. Still might be if I’m not careful around her.
The place fucking stinks even with the door closed and I take the couple of minutes I got to light up a smoke. I listen at the door but can’t hear what they’re saying. She’s talking though. Kid’s quiet.
Toilet flushes and the water’s running. Grind the butt out on the ground and get ready.
Stopping’s always a mistake. Stopping somewhere you’re not supposed to is an even bigger mistake.
Even before Rita pulled that door open I’m on her. Get her and the kid back to the van. Get to the call-point. Get this day behind me and move on to the next.
I went for her arm but she’s coming at me too. Snarling, she launches herself off the door jamb, pushing against it for leverage.
A guy would probably take a swing at me, throw a punch. Never really fought with a woman before unless you count ducking flying glasses and shit as you try to get out of their place after you make the mistake of leaving money on the wrong woman’s bedside table after a fuck.
Rita isn’t throwing shit and she sure as fuck isn’t throwing punches. She comes flying out at me, all nails and teeth. I got her by the arm but she’s got me too. Fucking bitch bit hard enough to draw blood before I pulled my hand off her arm.
I figured she’d make a run for it when I let go. Which would make it a fuck of a lot easier on me to get a hold of her again, once she turned around.
“Run! Matty! Run now!”
She’s screaming at the kid to run and then she’s on me again. Her nails rip open a cut on my jaw and she’s not backing up any.
Been a long time since anyone’s gotten that close. Since I’ve let anyone get that close. And I let her, even if I couldn’t do a fucking thing about it.
Matty? The kid’s name is Matty? What the fuck is that? Arms said the kid’s name was Chris. Rita didn’t say it, Arms did. Explains her being so fucking pissed off about the kid’s name.
Matty. Fuck. That name threw me for a loop which is how she got her shot in. Even without her swinging and clawing at me, it feels like I just got slapped.
The kid’s standing a few feet behind his mother. Looking scared and miserable. Not running. He jumps every time Rita screams at him to run but he’s not going anywhere. Just stands there looking between his mother and me.
I manage to get a hand on Rita’s arm and start to push her back towards the van. With her free hand she gets another shot in, raking her nails along the inside of the arm I’m holding her with.
“For fuck’s sake, lady! Do that again and I’ll put you out!”
Don’t really want to hit her but it’s getting fucking ridiculous. If she was a guy I’d knock her ass out cold and that’d be that. She gets her licks in because I can’t just fucking haul off and hit her.
Threatening her had her fight harder, like she doesn’t care what happens to her. It’s a fucking struggle to get her other arm and then I throw her against the side of the van face first. Pressed against her to keep her from turning around and clawing my eyes out or something.
She’s screaming mad by this point. If she keeps struggling, she’s gonna hurt herself. Or I’m going to have to hit her. Something I really don’t want to do. The more she fights, the more I hate Teddy for getting me into this mess.
It’s almost like she doesn’t care what happens to her. She’s just fighting. I don’t know the last time I ever saw that, somebody that fought back like that. Like it didn’t matter if they lived or died. Like they didn’t feel it.
It’s the kid she’s fighting for. To give the kid a chance to run.
I’d never admit this to a fucking soul but I watch those animal shows. Like on the nature channel. Matty used to like them and I’d bust his balls about it. Now that he’s gone, I watch them. Used to be skin flicks when I had to hole up somewhere and now it’s these fucking animal shows, can you believe that?
Anyway, Rita reminded me of one of those mother bears or something. Protecting her cub.
The kid still isn’t running. I’m keeping an eye on him, knowing I’m gonna have to go after the kid once I get Rita back in the van.
The kid. Matty. He’s not crying anymore. He’s stiff as a board, his hands in fists at his sides. If looks could kill I’d be dead sure as I’m fucking standing.
Rita’s still screaming at him to run in between her calling me every name in the book and in the same breath begging me to let him go. Not let her go. Him. Fuck me.
Just like that I got the kid on me too. Screaming mad, like a little version of his mother. No way I’m gonna hit a fucking kid but fuck me, this has gone on far enough.
I got Rita by the hair finally and I’m trying to get the van door open. My hand is slippery with blood from her fucking nails in my arm and it takes me a few tries. Then she’s in but not before the little bastard manages to punch me in the balls.
With Rita thrown into the back of the van, picking up the little kid before he takes another swing at me is easy and he gets thrown in after his mother. She puts herself between him and me, like maybe she thinks I’m going to go after the kid or something. If he was a couple of years older I’d kick his ass for it but no way am I gonna hit a little kid.
“Please! Please don’t hurt him! Just let him go…please…”
All the words run into each other as she begs me to let her kid go.
I wish she was a guy. She could beat the shit out of me or I could beat the shit out of her. There wouldn’t be all this fucking guilt.
Rummaging around in the back of the van, I come up with a bungee cord and tie her hands behind her back, pulling the cord through a support in the side of the van. With her against the side, not going anywhere, I got my finger against her chest as I’m talking.
“It’s a long fucking drive and if you don’t want to spend the whole trip tied up on the floor of this van, get this into your fucking head. I don’t want to have to hurt you and I sure as fuck don’t want to hit the kid.”
“You might as well,” she spits at me. Can’t do a fucking thing and she can still cut with that tongue.
“Might as well what?”
“Hurt me. Kill me. What do you think that bastard is going to do to me, do to my son, when you take us to him?”
I don’t want to think about it. I don’t want to know. We need to get the hell out of here. No one’s gonna call the cops here but why take the fucking chance. I can’t do a thing about her situation. If it wasn’t me, it’d be someone else.
“He’s going to a lot of trouble to bring you to him.” It’s a shitty explanation but it’s all I got.
She snorts at me, disgusted. “He doesn’t care about Matty. All he cares about is that he’s a son. An heir.” She says it like it’s a case of the clap. “He wants to turn him into a monster. Just like him. Just like you.”
She shoots another disgusted look at me even as her voice breaks at the end. I’m used to begging. To ignoring it.
Matty. It’s the fucking name that gets me. Why the fuck does his name have to be Matty?
“What’s with the name?” I ask. She just looks at me and there’s that begging look again. Like she’s got hope but it fades again just as fast. I’ve seen that look before. You’re beating on a guy and there’s that moment where he knows it don’t matter what he says. He’s gonna get hit. He’s gonna die. Rita has that look.
She just closes her eyes and shuts me out, keeping her body between me and the kid as much as she can.
There’s some napkins and shit up front and I clean up all the blood as best as I can. Get the fuck over to the call-site.
Copyright © November 2008 xxxevilgrinxxx
Ch 6