Cynthia Hamilton - Madeline Dawkins 02 - A High Price to Pay (35 page)

FORTY-ONE

“What do you want me to do, Lionel?” Madeline asked, her hand shaking so badly she could hardly hold the phone to her ear. Though it had been over three years since Madeline had heard his voice—and when exactly that had been, she couldn’t recall—memories of the day his gang of “security” hoods abducted her at knife point flooded her mind’s eye. She would never forget the look on his face as he reversed the black Suburban and tried to run her down in front of the police station, in
broad daylight.

“That’s better. Very obedient. Perhaps the years have humbled you,” Lionel said. “But then again, from the looks of things, you still haven’t learned to mind your
own business.”

“What have you done with Lauren?” she asked with a
quavering voice.

“Nothing, yet.”

“I want to hear her tell me she’s all right. Put her on
the phone.”

“I’m the one making demands, Madeline,
not you.”

“Would you take my word for something as important as this?” Madeline challenged him. She heard a rustling sound then Lauren’s
painful bleat.

“Maddie!” was all Madeline heard before Usherwood’s voice came back on
the line.

“Satisfied? You’re going to turn into an alley on the left and drive all the way to the very back and park by the dumpsters. The alley’s
coming up…”

The realization that Usherwood was following her movements froze Madeline like a statue. She hazarded at glance in her rearview mirror. There was a man in a black Jeep, but it didn’t look like him. When her eyes returned to the road, she slammed on the brakes, barely avoiding a rear-end collision. The Jeep swerved across the yellow line, just missing the back of Madeline’s rental car. She studied the driver’s face in her side view mirror as she crept forward, the acrid smell of burnt rubber assaulting her nostrils.

“Watch what you’re doing, Madeline. Any funny business and you’ll never know what happened to pretty Lauren,” Lionel warned, before swinging back into position behind her. “Okay, turn left here.”

Madeline put on her signal and waited for the oncoming traffic to pass, taking advantage of the momentary delay to think ahead. In all the years she’d lived in Santa Barbara, she’d never been down this alley. She couldn’t remember if she even knew it existed. She turned into it after the last oncoming
car passed.

“Toss your phone out your left window,” Lionel said as the Jeep bounded into the alley behind her. “Now!” he commanded, clearly irritated at her slowness to comply. Madeline lowered her window and threw out her phone, watching her mirrors as Usherwood’s vehicle crushed it under
its tires.

Tears of rage came to her eyes at the same time that she remembered her iPad. Cautiously, she reached her hand across the seat to get it out of her handbag. When all her hand could feel was the fabric of the seat, Madeline shifted her eyes to the floorboard, where her bag had landed in a heap after she slammed on
the brakes.

Think, think, think,
she admonished herself, but nothing useful came into her mind, only visions of the cruelty Usherwood undoubtedly had in store for her and Lauren. She slowed to a crawl to postpone the unavoidable, hoping against reality that Usherwood’s plan would be curtailed by the appearance of delivery trucks, garbage collectors, someone,
anyone.

Now that she didn’t have her phone, Usherwood communicated to her by bearing down on her rented Ford Focus. She held to her pace knowing that these were the last few seconds of control on her part. If anyone had been watching, they might’ve assumed Madeline’s car was being push-started, so close was the Jeep on her tail. But no one appeared. Madeline closed her damp eyes and sent up a prayer that she and Lauren would somehow come out of this ordeal alive. At this point, she didn’t see any other hope except divine intervention.

She coasted to a halt beside the dumpster. Before she could undo her seatbelt, Lionel was on her. She barely got a look at him before he yanked her out of the driver’s seat and bound her arms behind her with zip ties, a sensation that had haunted her dreams for years. He dragged her toward the Jeep, which was directly behind her vehicle. Within seconds, she was pushed by her head into the backseat, where she encountered a tear-streaked Lauren, who was
similarly bound.

When their abductor had resumed the driver’s seat, he trained the rearview mirror on Madeline, grinning at her with delight. Only by his teeth was Madeline able to make a positive ID on her captor; his face was covered with a dark beard, dyed to match his formerly mousey brown hair. But if the crooked teeth hadn’t given him away, the voice did. It
was unmistakable.

“Isn’t this sweet? A reunion of old friends. Right, Madeline? We used to spend quite a bit of time together, me shuttling you to this event or that event. Always in high style,” Usherwood sang out, his twisted sense of humor making him laugh out loud as he reversed the Jeep so quickly, Lauren slid across the backseat and collided with Madeline. Madeline comforted her the best she could without the use of
her arms.

“Not that you noticed me,” Usherwood continued. “I was just the faceless hired help. I seemed to be invisible to you and that cocksucker husband of yours, pardon my French.” After fishtailing to a stop, Usherwood cranked the wheel and sped out of the deserted lot and back down the alley they’d come up.

“I did dream of you, though, beautiful Madeline. Dreamt all sorts of erotic adventures, just you and me. Am I making you blush?” Usherwood asked, peering into the mirror. “Now isn’t that sweet? Puts me in the mood for a lovely threesome,” he laughed.

Though Madeline was more or less pinned against the door, she did notice that Usherwood turned up Picacho Lane. She couldn’t determine if this boded well for them or not. If Usherwood somehow had access to any of the properties on this road, their cries for help would probably get lost in the acres of foliage.

While they continued straight up Picacho, Madeline searched for any options at her disposal that might derail Usherwood’s plans. She still had the use of her legs, though with Lauren essentially lying on top of her, she couldn’t think of a way to unleash
their power.

As Usherwood detailed his fantasy of wild sexual escapades with Madeline, and Lauren continued to weep, Madeline turned her thoughts inward, conjuring up the calming visage of Master Coffee.

At some point, he’s going to have to take you out of the car. This is good. You still have the use of your legs. That is also good. If you have a clean shot to incapacitate him, take it as early as you can—you might not get another one. But if you’re not absolutely sure you can take him down, don’t risk it. He won’t give you another chance if he knows you’re going to fight him. Breathe, stay calm, remember where your strengths lie, and seize justice with all your might. He doesn’t know about your new skills—that will also give you an initial advantage. Keep your eyes on his and you’ll be able to anticipate his moves. You’ve got very quick reflexes and tremendous power. And best of all, he thinks of you as a beautiful doll. He has no idea what he’s
gotten into.

“It’s not polite to act so bored, Madeline,” Usherwood said crossly. Madeline eyed him in the mirror, her face a serene mask. “My God, you are gorgeous. A little frazzled, perhaps, but that’s as should
be expected.”

Usherwood slowed down slightly as he turned left on Mountain Drive. Lauren slid back to her side as the Jeep careened around the corner, looking even more bereft, if that were possible, at being separated
from Madeline.

“Lionel, now that you’ve got me, let Lauren go, please.” Usherwood gave her a lopsided smirk via the mirror.

“Sorry, love—afraid I can’t do that. The sweet young thing has become a threat to my freedom, and you know how I feel about anyone who threatens
my freedom.”

“Why’d you risk coming back here, then?”

“Don’t play coy with me, Madeline. Yeoman got himself sprung by giving me up. It would go against my integrity to let something like
that slide.”

“I had no intention of crossing paths with you again, Lionel. Did you really consider me a threat to your freedom?”

“No, darling. This is straight old-fashioned revenge, with a pleasurable interlude on the side.” She felt Lauren’s silent sobs shake the back of the seat. She could hardly bear to look at her. Whatever grudge she’d worked up against her assistant was ludicrous compared to the danger she’d inadvertently gotten her into. If anything, it raised the stakes, making it absolutely imperative that she save Lauren’s life, even if it was the last thing she
ever did.

“You know, Lionel, I’m puzzled by your sudden interest in me. I never got even the slightest indication from you that you found me attractive. I always got the impression you barely knew I existed,” Madeline said frankly. She knew better than to play him for
a fool.

“Ah, how little you know, darling. Many were the nights when your face was the last thing I thought of before I drifted off into some very sexy dream. I must’ve watched that video of you at the Edgecliff a dozen times,” Usherwood said with a lascivious glint in his eyes. Madeline turned away from the mirror in disgust. The thought of him touching her nearly made her gag. After the nausea passed, she
tried again.

“I don’t think you got as far in life as you have without being a practical man,” she said. “And I’m not sure I really buy the killing for the sake of killing argument. I think that if you could walk away without any threat of reprisals, you’d be smart enough to
do it.”

“I will be walking any without the threat of reprisals,”
Lionel said.

“Maybe. But if you took me with you, you could have it all. Right now, no one knows for sure it was you who
killed Yeoman—”

“Not even Yeoman,” Usherwood boasted.

“So let Lauren go and you can take me back to wherever you’ve been safely hidden the last three years. I will make a pact with you and I will keep it. I’ll swear to it on everything I hold dear.” Though Madeline had made a convincing plea, the eyes staring back at her were filled with
mocking contempt.

“Nice try, Madeline, but you must really take me for a patsy,” he said as slowed and veered off Mountain Drive. The Jeep came to a halt in front of a rudimentary gate fashioned out of 2x4s and wire. While Usherwood got out to open it, Madeline tried to work the door handle with her bound hands. She was able to pull on it, but it had been safety-locked by the driver’s controls. Giving up, she leaned over as far as she could and whispered in Lauren’
s ear.

“I’m going to get you out of this, Lauren. I swear to you I will. Please try to calm yourself, sweetheart. I may need your help.” She righted herself as she saw Usherwood walk back toward the Jeep. Madeline glanced back at Lauren who was trying to dry her soaking wet face on her shoulders. She took this as a sign her assistant might be able to aid in
their escape.

Lionel got back in and put the Jeep in four-wheel drive. They passed through the gate and he got back out to
close it.

“What do you have in mind?” Lauren asked, her voice raspy but surprisingly steady. Madeline made a
shooshing
sound and leaned across the seat again.

“I don’t know,” she whispered, cautious of listening devices. “Just watch closely and know that I’ll be looking for an unguarded moment.” She wiggled back to her side just as Usherwood passed by. He got back in and slowly drove up the rutted shale road. Madeline memorized every feature of the landscape, hazarding a guess that they were somewhere between Coyote Road and Riven Rock, on the up side of
Mountain Drive.

After a bumpy climb, they reached a flat clearing that was surrounded by a ring of trees. A dilapidated barn lay at the northern edge of the pad. Usherwood pulled up to it and set
the brake.

“All right, ladies. We have arrived,” he said jovially as he reached into the glove compartment, removing a revolver and a hunting knife in a sheath.

Usherwood went around to Lauren’s side and pulled her out first. Both doors unlocked at the same time and Madeline ran through her options. She could pull the handle and open the door, but that would leave her sitting in an awkward position. Lionel would be on top of her by the time she got out and she’d have no chance to strike a blow with her feet. She thought of coiling her legs and kicking with both feet when he opened the door, but she thought of it too late. Usherwood reached in with his free hand and pulled her out. He hauled them by the arm, one with each hand, to the barn, where he kicked the door open with
his foot.

Light from a single filthy window was all that illuminated the interior of what, judging by the lingering scent of pesticides and other chemicals, was used as a storage barn. On the hard dirt floor, over by the northwest corner, was a bedroll and a small assortment of gear. Other than that, the barn was empty of any type of implement that might be used in fending off
their kidnapper.

“Now, Madeline…you may have noticed that I didn’t bind your feet together. There are two reasons for that. And you’re so smart, I’m sure you can figure what those reasons are.” With that, he shoved Lauren hard enough to knock her down, face first. Madeline winced as she hit the ground. Lionel removed the shirt he had layered over a tight fitting T-shirt, exposing his well-developed upper body and the gun he had tucked into his waistband.

As he pivoted to toss the shirt on his bedroll, Madeline saw where he had fastened the knife sheath over his belt. Any attempt at having sex with either of them meant he would have to shed his weapons first. But by then, Madeline reasoned, he’d have already knocked her flat as he had with Lauren. If he went for Lauren first, she’d have a chance to attack him from behind, if he didn’t bind her
ankles together.