I: Backstabbing Bastard (Rachel)
I didn't understand why he was tearing up. It scared the hell out of me.
Dad never cried. One minute, we were having a perfectly normal conversation as I rode in his big shiny Escalade. We were talking about something or other, my intern plans in the Fall at the veterinarian's office, or maybe what he was going to get his new girlfriend for their six month anniversary.
For once, he wasn't berating me about putting college on hold or whining about the way I dressed. He was in a good mood, and happiness was rare for my father.
Then his face went dark. We pulled off the highway into an empty lot, an abandoned weighing station for big rigs that hadn't been torn up yet.
“Hey! What's up, Dad? Why are we stopping here?”
He shook his head. A slow, red faced shake, as if it took all his strength to turn the wheel, guiding the vehicle to the side of the road.
I looked out. A blinding orange summer sun was just setting over the distant ranches, sending us into an early North Dakota night.
“I'm...I'm so sorry, Rachel. If there were any other way to avoid this, I would. God, please forgive me.”
My heartbeat doubled. And that was before I heard the terrible roar up the road, the deafening blast of motorcycle engines. A lot of motorcycles.
“Dad? Dad! What the fuck!”
His face tightened. “Stop using that language. I don't care how hard things are about to get. You'll keep acting like a lady...no matter what they do to you.”
The last part croaked out under his breath. His face crinkled and lost a few of the tears pooling in his eyes. He wiped his wet cheeks as five or six hairy bikers encircled us, bringing their bikes to an abrupt stop.
They had us surrounded. Confusion and terror gave way to panic. I began to scream, pounding on the glass window and reaching for the handle.
Not that I could've outrun them. Big, powerful, and ruthless men like that?
Good luck. And all the luck in the world had abandoned me.
Fight-or-flight kicked in. Dad clicked the lock shut before I could pop the door, reluctantly lowering the window as a man who looked like a bearded gorilla appeared at his side.
“You got her or what?”
“Yeah. Don't hurt my Rachel. Please. I've given you everything you wanted and more.”
The stranger tipped his head back and laughed. It was a bawdy, harsh sound, almost as fearsome as he looked. He reminded me of a pirate captain from those cheesy old movies, but there was nothing lighthearted about this.
“Mister Mayor, we're the ones doing your ass a favor. And don't you forget it.”
Dad's face turned beet red. His head looked like a fat, wrinkled sac of gunpowder ready to go off.
“I won't forget,” Dad said with a sigh.
I blinked. Jesus, what was this?
Nobody ever got away with talking to my father, the mighty politician, that way.
“Good man. Now let the bitch out. Tell her not to run. Wouldn't want Blow's hands to rough up that pretty little face.”
I stopped pounding my thighs in panic. My arms, my legs, the very blood pumping through my veins went numb. I turned to Dad one last time, defeated and horrified.
“Do what he says, Rachel. This is...this is for the good of our family. You'll understand someday.”
I didn't move. On the driver's side, he punched the button for the lock. I heard the click and then the door flew open.
One of those big hairy apes was on me, unbuckling my seat belt, dragging me out of the car. My throat was already hoarse from crying and screaming, but I had plenty more for them.
“Mmmm! Got a real wild one here, Venom. You want to ride with her or should I?”
My little wrists flailed backwards, slapping at him pathetically. Dad's Escalade chugged to life, and I watched him drive away, beating a retreat from the horror show he'd directed.
“Give her here!” The bigger, older man who'd been talking to Dad snarled, reached forward, and picked me up by the waist.
He threw me across his shoulder like a caveman. I beat on his back until my hands hurt.
No effect. The ogre didn't let up as he carried me several feet to his waiting bike, and parked me on the backseat.
“You gonna shut up or am I gonna have to make you? I'm not listening to this shit all the way to Fargo.”
I ignored him, sobbing quietly in my seat. I couldn't make my limbs move anymore.
The four bikes up ahead thundered as the guys revved their engines. Venom threw his leg over the bike just in front of me, and told me to hold on tight.
This is fucking crazy! I'll go with you, asshole. But I'm not gonna touch you if it's the last thing I –
A resounding swipe to the side of my head silenced all my thoughts. He'd spun around and backhanded me. My whole body trembled in shock.
No man had ever hit me before. Let alone one who looked like an escaped con.