The Adventures Of Carolina Skye · Part 2 (2/2)
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Frowning, Lina nodded. "The problem now," she said, "is figuring out what to do with these women, and how to avoid winding up in a couple of those boxes ourselves once whoever's waiting for us realizes we're not going to show up."
"We have to go to the law," Skye said.
"We may not have time." Turning, Lina glanced behind them. "With what they paid us already, and what they're supposed to pay us on delivery, those women are worth a fortune. I'd be surprised if they didn't have someone keeping an eye on us."
"Not possible," Skye insisted. "I've had at least one eye on the mirror since we hit these curves, and there's been no sign of lights behind us."
"With today's technology," Lina pointed out, "who needs lights? No," she went on, "somebody's back there, and by now, they probably know we opened the trailer. We need to move, get somewhere else, and we need to figure out what to do before we get there." Pointedly, she eyed her blonde partner. "With those curves," she said, "you'd be in a box in nothing flat."
"Who's driving?"
"I'm good," Lina replied, "but you're better. Ladies," she added, turning toward the trailer and raising her voice to address those inside, "have a seat and hang on. Things are going to get a little bit bumpy."
"How's it look?"
Skye frowned. "Not good," she replied. "You routed us so far into the back country, we're to hell and gone away from any kind of civilization. And," she added, glancing at the dash, "we're getting low on fuel. If we don't find something within an hour or two, we're dry."
By now, they had left the curves behind, Skye powering the truck along a flat, straight stretch of road. Flipping on the small overhead light, Lina opened her atlas.
"There has to be a highway somewhere around here," she said. "Highways lead to towns, and towns have stations."
"If they carry diesel, that is," Skye pointed out. "I say we….shit!" she yelled, as the steering wheel suddenly jerked itself nearly out of her hands. At the same time, a loud noise penetrated the cab, followed by screams from the trailer as the truck swerved wildly.
"Hang on!" Skye shouted. "We just lost a steer."
Hearing this, Lina went pale. At this speed, she knew, having a front tire blow could be fatal. Helplessly, she watched as Skye fought the wheel, struggling to keep the truck straight.
"Brake?" Lina reached toward the air brakes, only to pause as Skye shook her head.
"Tractor brakes would nose us down," she said, "make the rim dig into the road and probably flip us. Better to coast it in."
Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the truck drifted to a stop. Unclenching her hands from the wheel, Skye leaned back in her seat, chest heaving. "Now," she said softly, "you can hit the brakes."
Leaning over, Lina yanked the knobs, filling the cab with the hiss of air. "Why don't you," she said, "go back and see about our passangers?" Opening the door, she added, "I'll take a look and see how bad we're damaged."
"Are you crazy?"
Leaning back, Skye stared at Lina. "Didn't you say," she demanded, "that someone was probably following us? And you want to take off on foot?"
"I saw lights," Lina replied, "a couple miles back. Maybe it's a house. If it is, maybe they have a phone." She held up a packet of money from the briefcase. "Or maybe I can pay them to take me to the nearest town. Either way, I can get us some help."
"And if you get caught?"
"I'll cut through the trees," Lina said. Smiling, she reached over and ruffled Skye's hair. "You're not the only country girl here, you know," she said teasingly. "Besides, you can't go. You're still shaking from keeping us alive."
"I don't like it."
"No choice." Opening the glove box, Lina pulled out their pistol and a box of ammunition. "I'll take this with me, just in case. You keep Hilda with you."
Skye leaned forward, reaching under her seat and pulling out a shotgun. After checking that both barrels were loaded, she snapped the shortened barrels back into place. "Get going, then," she said, reaching past Lina and pulling a box of shotgun shells from the glove box. "And come back safe. I'm not training a new partner."
Carefully, Lina made her way through the thick trees, keeping close enough to the road that she could occasionally catch glimpses of it. Once, she thought she saw moonlight gleaming on a metal surface, but didn't dare move any closer to see for sure. Instead, she focused on where she was going, eventually standing outside a small house.
Seeing a light in one window, she moved to the front door, tucking the pistol into her waistband at her back. Afraid to make noise, but seeing no other option, she knocked. At first, there was no response, but after a couple more tries, a voice emerged from within.
"Ok, damn it, hold on."
Moments later, the door opened to reveal a stocky man in rumpled pajamas. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" he demanded.
"I'm sorry to bother you," Lina told him, "but I broke down and I really need to use your phone."
"Don't have one," the man replied. "No cell service either."
"Is there any way you could give me a ride into town? I can pay you."
"And who do you think might be open at…" Pausing, he glanced behind him. "…at three in the morning?"
"I was hoping a station or something like that?"
For a moment, the man gazed at Lina quietly. "You're in some kind of trouble, aren't you?"
"What makes you say that?"
"Lady," the man said, "I was a county sheriff 'til I busted up my knee last year, and an Army Ranger before that. I can smell trouble, and you stink of it."
"If I tell you," Lina said, "it could put you in danger."
Once more, the man looked at her silently. "I'll be ready in five minutes," he finally said. "I'm Jeff, by the way."
"Lina."
The trailer, when they arrived, was dark, empty. Nearby lay Hilda, broken open, both barrels empty. After looking around, Jeff joined Lina on the road.
"Women, you say?" Slowly, Lina nodded. "Damn slavers. I'd heard they might be active around here. Hell, a friend of mine lost her daughter not even a week ago, vanished without a trace. Could have been one of the women you had, for all we know."
"But they're gone," Lina said softly. "And Skye with them."
"Skye?"
"My partner," Lina said. "My friend. My…" Her voice broke.
"You say you saw a car on the way to my place?" Slowly, Lina nodded. "And it didn't go past before you got there?" This time, she shook her head. "Well, we didn't see them on the way, so they must have gone on. This road tees off about three miles up. Dead ends both ways. Only thing out that way is…" He paused.
"Nice rig," he finally said. "Got a CB in it?"
Grunting into the gag that filled her mouth, Skye struggled against the straps encircling her naked body. Around her lay the women from the trailer, all as helpless as she was. For long moments, she fought her bonds, finally relaxing as the uselessness of her struggles became clear.
Damn Hilda, she thought, staring into the darkness. Always running out of shells when you need her most. Not that she'd hit anything, she thought bitterly, before they grabbed her while she was trying to reload. And there'd only been two. It would have been easy, she thought, to fight them both, if only some of the others had helped. But they'd just watched as she was taken, already too cowed to resist.
Now, laying silent, Skye found herself wondering where Lina was. Damn it, she thought, you'd better be ok. If they get you… Once more, she tugged at her bonds, but they remained as tight as ever.
What now? She didn't, she quickly found, have to wonder long, as the men who'd grabbed her appeared, lifting her from the floor and carrying her through the large house they'd brought her and the other women to.
"Like it?" As her captors lowered her to the floor, Skye stared up at the man in the dark suit. "Years ago," he said, "it was a hunting lodge. Pretty popular in its day, from what I understand. Now, only the locals even know it's here, and they all think it's abandoned."
Squatting, he ran one hand over Skye's thigh, ignoring her attempts to twist away. "Which means," he said softly, "that nobody will be coming for you. Well, your partner might stumble across you if she looks in the right direction. If she does, she'll join you."
For a moment, the man was silent. "I told them," he finally said, "that it was a bad idea to hire you. But they liked your reputation for getting things delivered with no questions asked. Guess I was right after all. And I get a bonus."
Slowly, his hand slid up to cup one large breast. "The contract," he told her, "was for fourteen items. Now, thanks to you, I have fifteen. Which means I can keep the extra for myself." Slowly, he squeezed, tears springing to her eyes at the tightness of his grip. "You and I are going to have a lot of fun once we get the others shipped out. Well," the man amended, "I am. You, not so much."
"Fun's over."
Springing to his feet, the man whirled to see Lina standing in the doorway, her pistol pointed at him. "How did you get past my men?"
"Your men?" Lina smiled. "Oh, you mean those guys out front? The ones with the big lumps on their heads? Or maybe the ones inside? They're getting to know some new friends of mine."
Lina glanced down. "You ok, hon?" Eyes wide, Skye nodded slowly. "When this is over," Lina said, "remind me to latch onto some of those straps. They look good on you."
"You won't shoot me," the man declared.
"Maybe not," Jeff replied, stepping into the room behind Lina. "But she might." He nodded toward a woman who stood behind him, rifle in hand. "We found her daughter in the other room, so she's slightly less than happy with you at the moment."
Slowly, the man shrugged. "Ok," he said, "go ahead and arrest me. I'll be out within the week."
Jeff shook his head. "Your fancy lawyers," he said, "don't pull much weight around here. And the federals are already on their way. Personally, I'd just as soon shoot you where you stand, but they say they might cut you a deal if you help them take your bosses out of circulation. Bobby!"
A young man in uniform slipped into the room. "Everything ok?"
"Just fine," Jeff told him. "Want to take our friend into custody?"
As Bobby led his prisoner from the room, Jeff glanced down. "Might want to let your friend out of there," he told Lina. "She's very pretty, but a young lady like her needs to have clothes on."
"Got a call about a job."
Skye squirmed in the leather straps the bound her. "Lina, do you have to talk about work now?"
Lina grinned, glancing around the room, paid for with money from the briefcase. "Well," she said, "the rig's fixed, so we might as well get back on the road."
"One more night," Skye said pleadingly. "I'll even let you gag me again."
Smiling, Lina sank onto the bed next to the helpless blonde. "As if you had a choice," she whispered, running one hand along the bound woman's body. Closing her eyes, Skye moaned softly.
"Ok," Lina said, "one more night." Softly, she squeezed one breast. "Or maybe two."
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The Adventures Of Carolina Skye · Part 2 (2/2)
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