New Species 13 Smiley (10 page)

“I wasn’t.” She turned her anger on Gilda. “How many times
do I have to say it? This isn’t a production of some play. This is bullshit.
Did you see the guard you passed at the door? I’m being held against my will. Do
you want to do something useful? Help me escape.”

Gilda frowned. “I don’t think we used enough shadowing under
her eyes.”

Vanni wanted to scream.

“I’ll get my makeup bag.” Mable marched into the half bath
in the corner of the room.

“Don’t you have any morals at all?”

Gilda shook her head. “This is a war.”

“I’ve heard that before. With who?”

“We’re fighting for our future. Those things are going to
take over the world and make us their pets.”

“Did you take your meds today?” Vanni doubted it.

“I don’t take meds.”

“Then go see a doctor. You need them. You’re delusional and
paranoid!”

“Shut up,” Mable snapped, returning from the bathroom. “I
never liked you.”

“It’s mutual.” Vanni jerked away when the older woman
attempted to dot more makeup under her eyes. “Stop that.”

“Do we need to call Bruce in here?” Mable had made that
threat a few times. “He said he would hold you down if you gave us any trouble.”

“He’s insane too.”

“Did you ever think the one with mental issues might be you?”
Mable tried again to put the makeup on Vanni.

She backed away. “Me? You’re the one who joined a cult.”

“Shame on you,” Mable hissed. “Pastor Woods is a prophet. He
knows what the future will bring. Those creatures are going to figure out how
to multiply and create more of them. They’ll lure idiots like you into birthing
their spawn. Mark Pastor Woods’ words, that day is coming. There will be more
of them than us. Let history be a lesson. Look at what the white man did to the
Indians. They’ll spread out and we’ll be the ones living on reservations.”

“Wow.” Vanni hadn’t heard that one before. “Just wow.”

Gilda nodded. “We’re saving our race from extinction.”

“Are they going to make us pets or kill us? I’m kind of
confused,” Vanni muttered sarcastically. “Which is it?”

“It’s what will happen.” Gilda nodded vigorously. “First we’ll
be turned into livestock to breed their evil spawn and then they’ll slaughter
us after they’ve built up an army of
them
.”

“I hate to point this out but um, wouldn’t that make their
children more human than New Species? I mean, try to be rational. They look
mostly human already.”

“Pastor Woods said otherwise.” Mable glared at Vanni again. “He’s
the smartest man I’ve ever met. Mark his words, they are going to be the
destruction of mankind if we don’t send them back where they came from.”

“Mercile Industries doesn’t exist anymore. The company was
shut down.” Vanni wasn’t sure why she was trying to talk logically with two
idiots but it beat crying again.

“Then a new lab can contain them,” Gilda snapped. “Or they
could be put down if zoos don’t want them.”

“They aren’t creatures. They are people.”

Mable huffed, shooting a disgusted look at Gilda. “Stop
wasting your breath on this one. She’s not listening. I told Carl she wasn’t
good enough for him. Miss Slut here had to go and chase after one of those
creatures.”

Gilda shuddered. “That’s so sad. I pity her. Don’t you? It
must have been horrible.”

Vanni ground her teeth but her anger wouldn’t be contained. “Feel
pity for yourselves. You’re the ones with loose morals and you’re stupid. I don’t
even want to count the laws you’re breaking by helping Gregory keep me
prisoner. I’d stop worrying about what the New Species plan to do and instead
start figuring out how much jail time you’re facing.”

Gilda frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re not getting away with this,” Vanni promised.

“Ignore her. Pastor Woods said he’s taken care of it. She
won’t dare do anything but exactly what he wants.” Her gaze locked with Vanni’s.
“I’m calling Bruce. Do you need a reminder?”

“Fuck you, Mable.”

“Bruce!” the bitch yelled.

The door opened and the guard stepped out of the way. Bruce
entered the room. He wore a dark suit and a pissed-off look. “Is she giving you
trouble?”

“She’s making threats of jail.”

He opened his jacket and showed off his gun. “It would be
the last thing she does.”

“What are you going to do? Shoot me at the press conference?”
Vanni’d had enough. “You can’t make me stand up there and lie. I won’t do it.”

“You will.” He allowed his jacket to close and withdrew his
cell phone. A few taps of his screen and he turned it toward her. Even from
five feet away she could make out the photo. It was Beth taking out the trash.
Bruce grinned. “You don’t care about your life? This was sent to me by one of
my men. He’s going to drive over there again when the press conference starts.
You say anything besides what is on the cards put in front of you or fail to
make it look convincing, he’s going to shoot your bitch of a friend.”

Vanni’s knees weakened but she kept upright.

“I also will have that package delivered to the NSO that we
talked about. Do you want to know what that means? We’ll want you dead. They
will want you dead. You won’t have anywhere to hide and one of us will take you
out.”

“I hate you.” She said the words softly but meant every one.

He backed out of the room and the guard closed it. Mable
beamed. “I knew he’d shut that foul mouth of yours. Now stand still and let me
fix your makeup.”

Vanni froze, allowing it. Beth was in danger. It was bad
enough that they were threatening her life. That was something she was willing
to risk but not Beth’s. She had to get away before that press conference
started and warn her to get out of the apartment.

But how?

“It’s time to go,” Mable announced.

“I’m going to be sick.” Vanni ran into the bathroom and
slammed the door. She didn’t rush for the toilet though, but instead grabbed Mable’s
cosmetics bag. There wasn’t much in it she could use but she spotted a small
travel-sized hairspray. She shoved it down the front of her shirt into the gap
between her breasts, securing it along the center.

She flushed the toilet, hoping it would mask the sound as
she shuffled around the contents of the bag, searching frantically for the
eyeliner pencil. It was at the bottom. She tugged it out and hid it inside her
underwear, hoping it wouldn’t fall out, then returned the small bag to the
counter. She ran water in the sink and opened the door.

Both Mable and Gilda stood there staring at her.

“False alarm. Gas.”

“Disgusting,” Mable hissed.

“I haven’t eaten. No one bothered to feed me last night or
this morning. That’s probably a good thing or I would be throwing up my guts.
You people make me sick.” She moved away from the door and crossed the room,
hugging her waist, hoping it would help keep the eyeliner in place. She pressed
her fingertips against it.

The door opened. Bruce and the other guard entered. “Let’s
move. We don’t want to be late.”

Vanni meekly walked forward. She didn’t want to give either
man a reason to touch her. They might feel her two stolen items. Bruce took the
lead with the guard close on her heels as they went down two flights of stairs
and out the front door to a waiting limousine. Bruce opened the passenger door.

“Get in.”

Vanni didn’t have a plan but she hoped she could get her
hands on Bruce’s gun and maybe hold Gregory hostage. All she’d need to do then
was take his phone and call Beth. Her next call would be to 9-1-1. The cops
could take the gun away after they arrived and she’d explained why she had
pointed it at the jerk’s head.

Gregory wasn’t inside the limousine. It was empty and her
desperate escape plan was destroyed. She climbed in and moved toward the bar,
wanting to be far away from the big man who climbed in after her. Bruce sat in
the center of the bench seat between the two doors. She looked out the window,
watching the other guard enter the driver’s side. Privacy glass blocked the
front compartment from the back. It was possible Gregory was in the passenger
seat.

“We’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

“Great.” She hoped Bruce recognized sarcasm.

“Do you want to go over the cards one more time? I have a
copy of them in my pocket.”

“No. Gilda covered it fine. I can read them.”

He grunted but didn’t reach for his seatbelt when the engine
started. She didn’t either. She had twenty minutes to escape the limousine and
find a phone. Vanni tried to appear relaxed as she sat back, casting sidelong
glances at anything she could use for a weapon. The small plastic bottle wedged
between her breasts seemed her best option. She could blind him if she flung
the contents in his eyes but he was a big man. He sat between the only two
exits. She’d have to get past him to get out one of those doors.

“Nervous? Just read the damn cards and act the way you were
told.”

She held his stare.

“We’ll enter from the side of the church and go directly to
the front where the press will be set up. Gregory and Carl are already there.
Carl is going to take your arm and hold your hand. Allow it or so help me, I’ll
break your damn fingers one at a time. You’re still a couple and you will
pretend to be grateful that he’s standing by your side during this difficult
time.”

Vanni clenched her teeth.

“Get that damn look off your face.”

She lowered her gaze and turned her head away. The small bar
contained a few glass bottles, drinking glasses and bottled water. Her
attention lingered on the dark bottle of alcohol. “May I have a drink?”

“Fuck no. The last thing we need is for you to be drunk.”

“I meant the water.” She pointed.

“No.”

“Fine. My throat is dry. I’m sure that will sound great when
I’m trying to read those cards and clearing my throat two dozen times.”

“Drink the damn water. Just don’t spill it on your outfit.”

She glanced down at the button-up white top. The neckline
rose to her throat and it had long sleeves to her wrists. The black shapeless
skirt fell almost to her ankles. It reminded her of something a schoolteacher
from the early nineteen hundreds would have worn. “God forbid. Does your
grandma want it returned to her?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

She faked a cough, turned in the seat and stealthily removed
the hairspray. She twisted the cap to loosen it and wedged the small bottle
between the seats to make sure it was hidden. The belt buckle for the seatbelt
stuck out and she hoped it blocked his view when she leaned forward toward the
bar.

“Water,” he reminded her.

“I heard,” she muttered.

She took a bottled water and twisted the lid. It wasn’t a
lie that her throat was dry. She took a couple of sips, glancing out the
windows. They’d left Gregory’s property and were driving through a neighborhood
of upscale homes. In less than a block they’d hit a bunch of shops and
restaurants. The freeway would be after that. It was soon or never. She took
another sip, sat back and dug down the side of her skirt since her hip faced
away from him. She removed the eyeliner and used her thumb to flip off the
plastic cap.

The limousine made a turn and she spotted the first shops.
They lined the streets close together and would continue for two blocks to the
onramp to the freeway. Traffic slowed the car to a crawl. She watched Bruce
from the corner of her eye. He appeared relaxed. She glanced at her water and
just let it go. The plastic bottle hit the floor and water poured out.

“Whoops.”

“Son of a bitch!” he yelled. “Grab it.”

She refused. “You.”

He lurched forward and almost fell out of the seat. She
twisted the lid off the hairspray. The back of his neck was exposed as he
picked up the plastic bottle, cursing about the water all over the carpet in
the expensive limousine. She fisted the eyeliner pencil with her right hand and
grabbed the hairspray in her left.

Fear and anger drove her to stab him with the pencil. Part
of it dug into his skin before it broke. He roared out in pain and grabbed at
his injured neck, falling all the way out of his seat. He turned his head, pure
rage twisting his features. She shoved the hairspray at him and frantically dumped
all of it. The liquid poured over his eyes and he tried to jerk away, squeezing
them shut.

“You fucking bitch! I’m going to kill you.” He blindly
fumbled at his suit with one hand, while wiping his eyes with the other.

Vanni stood, bent and grabbed one of the almost-full glass
bottles of booze. The fact that Bruce had nearly tugged his gun out of the
holster motivated her to swing the glass as hard as she could. It smashed over
his head. He grunted and the loud sound of the gun going off at close range
almost deafened her.

He slumped and the driver applied the brakes. She stared
down at the motionless man, shocked. Blood spread along his thigh where the
bullet had embedded. He’d shot himself. Horns honked and she looked out the
windows. They were holding up traffic. The limo driver suddenly punched the
gas, almost knocking Vanni on top of Bruce, who was sprawled at her feet.

She managed to use the bar in front of her and the ceiling
to keep upright. The driver seemed to be looking for a place to park as the
limo slowed. Vanni dropped to her knees, landing on Bruce’s hand. She dug into
his jacket, avoiding the gun. She found the cell phone he’d used to torment her
about Beth. As an afterthought, she bent a little over him and dug his wallet
out of his pocket. She crawled to the door.

The second the limousine stopped, she shoved the door open,
happy it wasn’t locked. She stumbled out and was almost hit by a car. The
driver honked his horn as he slammed on the brakes, screaming obscenities.

She ran toward the sidewalk in the opposite direction of the
limo so the driver couldn’t rush after her. He might throw it in reverse to
give chase but he’d hit the man she’d just pissed since his car was in the way.

People stared as she ran. She turned her head when more
horns blared. The limo driver was out of the car and she heard yelling. She
faced forward, barely managed to avoid slamming into a pedestrian, and turned
into one of the alleys between the buildings. She kept going until she glimpsed
a dumpster.

It was a good place to hide so she got behind it. She was
out of breath from her mad dash and leaned against the brick wall as she
studied the cell phone.
Please don’t be password protected!
She tapped
the button and the screen lit up. She hit the phone icon and the Woods Church
number displayed. She tapped again for the keypad and it opened. Her finger
trembled while she dialed home.

It rang four times until the machine picked up.
God,
please be home!
It played the automated message and beeped.

“Beth! Pick up the phone. Now, damn it.”

“Vanni?”

She’d never been so relieved to hear her friend’s voice. “Listen
to me. You’re in danger. Gregory has a man on his way to our apartment. He’s
going to kill you. Dial 9-1-1 and wait for the police. Get out when they get
there!”

“What?”

“We don’t have time for this shit. Grab your cell and dial
9-1-1. Do it!”

“Okay. What is going on?”

“They kept me locked up. They are going to kill you. I
escaped so that man is going to go after you. When the cops get there, you go
stay with that guy who loves Elvis. Don’t say his name. You know who I mean.”

“Are you okay? Hang on while I call.” As she waited she
heard Beth’s call to 9-1-1. “Yes. I have an emergency. I think someone is
breaking into my apartment.” Beth rattled off the address. “I’m here alone.
Send someone fast. He might have a gun.”

Vanni pulled her ear away from the phone, listening for any
sound of the driver or Bruce. The alley was quiet, the only noise coming from
the traffic down the street.

“Vanni? Vanni?”

“I’m here. Are the police on their way?”

“Yeah. What happened? Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

“We don’t have time to talk. I have to go. They are probably
looking for me. I’m okay so far though. Dump your phone and go to Elvis. I
remember his address. Don’t trust anyone and tell my parents to get in the RV.
They need to get out of town. I never took Carl to the cabin. He hates the
outdoors. I don’t know if Gregory plans to go after them next.”

“Are you serious?”

“They are nuts. You have no idea.”

“I can guess. I told you something was seriously wrong with
that family. I’ll meet you at Elvis’ place. How long until you can get there?”

“I can’t. I’m too far away.” Vanni peeked out from behind
the dumpster. She didn’t see anyone coming down the alley. Yet.

“Tell me where you are and I’ll come get you.”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“Bullshit,” Beth spat. “Where are you?”

“I’ve got a killer hunting for me if that bullet to his
thigh didn’t cripple him.”

“You shot someone?”

“I don’t have time to explain. Grab your shit and don’t open
that door until the cops arrive. Get out of there and leave your phone so they
can’t find you. Ditch your car after you get a few blocks away and have Elvis
pick you up. I’m probably being paranoid but they have money. Don’t use your
cards. No trace, okay?”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far ahead. I can call
the police and tell them everything.”

“Go to Smiley. The police wouldn’t even take a report when I
told them something was wrong. You need protection and Homeland is somewhere no
one can get to you.”

“He thinks I drugged him.”

“He doesn’t. We talked.”

“What?”

“You didn’t tell me he’s got such a sexy voice. He—”

“Fucking bitch!” Bruce yelled. “Do you see her?”

“No!” another man shouted. “I think she disappeared
somewhere in this area though.”

“I gotta go. I’ll call you when it’s safe.” Vanni hung up
and made sure the ringer was off on the phone while she crouched behind the
dumpster. It would be her luck that Beth called her back if Bruce’s number
showed on the caller ID. She shoved it between her thighs and stomach to muffle
it if it vibrated.

Heavy breathing grew louder. “I’m going to kill that bitch.”
Bruce was close.

“You’re bleeding.”

“My tie slowed it down.”

“She’ll go to the police if we don’t find that cunt.”

“Gregory has that covered. Dr. Barns is going to say she
suffered an emotional break after her rape. He’ll go in after her and take
charge. She won’t be going to a hospital though. I’ll drop her off at the
morgue myself. Do you know what it’s going to cost us if we have to get her
that way?” He seemed to be breathing hard and sounded as if he were right on
the other side of the dumpster.

Vanni closed her eyes, slowed her breathing and hoped he
didn’t find her.

“Maybe she ran down that other alley. I’d keep booking it if
I were her.”

“Go left. I’ll go right. The bitch stole my phone and
wallet.”

“Can you track it?”

“Yeah. I just need a laptop to log in to my phone account.”

“There’s a laptop in the limo under the passenger seat. I
play online games while I’m waiting to drive Gregory.”

“I’ll go use it. You check the alley. Give it four minutes
and then get your ass back to the limo. We’ll track her that way.”

They separated because she heard the driver run farther down
the alley and Bruce’s footsteps faded as he headed back toward the limo. Vanni
opened her eyes and looked down at the phone. She needed to ditch it. She
figured she had about three minutes before Bruce reached that laptop. It would
take time for the computer to load and for him to log into the tracking system.
She had maybe five minutes tops.