Fate and Destiny Read online

  The dog looked sideways at Andrew as if to say, ‘See? You just aren’t built right to make her happy, you aren’t furry enough.’ Andrew smiled at Shadow, whose tongue lolled out the side of his mouth in pure happiness.

  Destiny stopped shaking while she held onto the dog. Maybe he made her feel a little safer than Andrew did. Sitting back down on the floor on the opposite side of the dog, Andrew handed Destiny the steaming cup of tea and whiskey. Relaxing her grip on the dog so she could hold the cup, the dog laid his head in her lap. After a couple of sips, and a few deep breaths, Destiny was ready to continue her tale.

  “After Charles got off the phone, he was leering at me. He was so proud of his little scheme. He just had one problem left in the way.”

  She put her hand on her chest.

  “Me. As long as I was alive, he knew there was a way to punish him for what he did. I was the only witness. So, of course, he decided to get rid of me where no one would find me. At that point, he wasn’t sure how he would kill me, so he kept me sitting there for a while, tied to the chair and gagged. Doug convinced him to let me use the bathroom, but of course, Charles had to watch me to make sure I couldn’t run away. I wasn’t allowed to close the bathroom door.”

  She shook her head, remembering the embarrassment and shame.

  Andrew’s guilt at seeing her in the shower surged as he watched her lift her head and swallow her pride.

  “They tied me back to the chair again, and Charles, Doug, and the driver all went into the hanger to talk while I stayed tied up in the office. I think they said the driver’s name was Larry or maybe Lenny.”

  She was momentarily distracted while she tried to remember, then she shrugged it off.

  “They started arguing. Doug was saying something about how he couldn’t shoot me. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself knowing he shot me, even after Charles offered him a half million dollars to do the job. The driver of the car, Lenny—”

  She nodded with certainty.

  “Lenny didn’t say much, but he kept looking in my direction and staring at me. I felt like a fly under a microscope. I was just waiting for him to come and pull my wings off. They kept arguing about what to do with me. Doug refused to do anything bloody. He convinced Marcus that blood might be able to lead the authorities to my body.

  “It was Lenny who came up with the idea of dumping my body somewhere and letting the elements kill me. It would look like I ran away and died trying to hide. I sat there all tied up, unable to move, trying to think of a way out, but I couldn’t think of anything. I got to the point where I was actually looking forward to dying. I would be with my parents, and I wouldn’t hurt anymore.”

  Destiny choked on her words, thinking of the horrible deaths of her parents compared to her own expected demise. Another sip of tea from the cup held tightly in her trembling fingers calmed her.

  “I slept off and on that night sitting up in the chair. The next morning, I heard them talking again. Charles was saying he had to get out of there before it snowed any harder, since he was supposed to be returning from his business trip to deal with his father’s funeral preparations.

  “He told Doug to ‘deal with the problem’, and then he came into the office and shut the door. He ran his fingers along the side of my face and backhanded me. He said he was going home to bury the old bastard, and that I would no longer be around to stand in his way of doing whatever the hell he wanted to. He said I deserved what was going to happen to me for sticking my nose into his business. Then he licked the side of my face. It was disgusting. His breath smelled like week old coffee. His tongue was wet and his slobber dripped down my face. Then he laughed hysterically and walked out the door.”

  Closing her eyes in disgust, her body shook at the memory of him licking her.

  Andrew felt anger rising in him again. The thought of that bastard touching Destiny, or even being that close to her made Andrew want to go out and find him to show him how it felt to be tied up and tortured. He hugged her close to him, squishing Shadow in the process.

  The dog wiggled between them and then shook his head violently when the couple released their hold on each other. He gave a short soft bark of disapproval at Andrew. How dare he disrupt the soft lady’s warm lap? He licked his chops, laid back down in his spot, closed his eyes, and went back to sleep.

  Destiny composed herself and went on.

  “Charles and Lenny got into a plane and started it up. Doug drove the plow out to the runway to clear it and the other two rolled the plane out of the hanger and left. Doug came back into the office after he and he sat looking at me for a long time. He was a huge guy, about 6’5” and maybe 300 pounds. He could have snapped me in half easily if he wanted to.”

  Destiny paused long enough to finish off the cup of tea. Taking the cup from her, Andrew returned to the kitchen to refill the concoction of tea and whiskey. He could hear every word she said even from across the room.

  “Finally, he told me he had to get rid of me. He said Charles was going to pay him a lot of money and that he needed it because he owed some sharks in Vegas for some bad bets he made. He said it was my life or his, and that he wasn’t ready to die yet. He didn’t say much else then. I thought he was preparing to load me up into the car, take me out and dump me to die, but he didn’t. He left the office and left me sitting in there.”

  Destiny shrugged her shoulders as Andrew handed her the refilled cup.

  “I’m not sure how long I sat in there tied up. I would drift off to sleep, and when I woke up, Doug would be sitting right in front of me watching me. I guess he finally worked up the courage to do something, because at one point, I woke up, and he was sitting in front of me like always, but this time, he had a cup in his hands. He told me the stuff in the cup would make me sleepy and that I would feel no pain while I died. He undid the gag and took the rag out of my mouth.

  “They kept me gagged for so long that my mouth hurt. I begged Doug not to kill me. I told him I wouldn’t go to the police or tell them anything about him, but he just sat there, shaking his head and saying he had to. He had to, repeatedly, ‘I have to do it’. I was begging and crying, and he tried to put the cup to my lips and make me drink it, but I would turn my head and close my mouth. I tried begging and pleading with him. He finally held my nose shut and I had to open my mouth to breathe, and when I did, he poured it down my throat.

  “I spit out as much as I could, but I ended up swallowing a lot of it since I was trying to breathe at the same time. After that, things got fuzzy fast. He put the gag back on me, but he didn’t put the nasty rag in my mouth. He said he couldn’t listen to me anymore.

  “At some point, he carried me to the truck and put me in. I vaguely remember someone untying me, removing the gag. I tried to talk, but my mouth wouldn’t work. I couldn’t speak or move. Then, the truck stopped, and Doug pushed me out the door. I heard him say he was sorry, and then I felt like I was falling. The next thing I knew, I woke up here, in your bed in the dark. And that’s all I remember from before I got here.”

  Andrew had only one question left.

  “What about your name?”

  Destiny shook her head.

  “My name is Destiny Rose Fisher. I knew the lawyer would send the story to the newswires. I was afraid that maybe you already heard it and wouldn’t help me, or would try to turn me in for the reward money.”

  Andrew understood, knowing that she finally trusted him. He held her close to him, thinking about what she had told him, while she sat quietly drinking her tea, lost in her own thoughts.

  10.

  Sharing the bed that night with Destiny, Andrew took pity on Shadow. The dog typically snuck under the blankets with Andrew as soon as he fell asleep. Since Destiny had already taken the only available space in the bed, Shadow would be unable to fit his bulk onto the mattress alongside them. He sat on the floor directly in front of the bed, staring at the couple.

  “Stop looking at me with those pitiful brown eyes. You know t
here isn’t enough room up here for you too.”

  Shadows gaze didn’t waver.

  “Fine. You’re such a sorry excuse for a genius. Here boy.”

  Pulling one of the blankets from the bed, Andrew tossed it down to the floor next to the dog. Shadow’s chops split into a tongue-lolling grin before he stuck his head under the piled up blanket. Wriggling on the floor, his entire body disappeared under it. The blanket squirmed over the dog for a few seconds before he finally settled down.

  Destiny slept against the wall while Andrew put his arms in the only remaining space on the bed. Wrapped around Destiny.

  Pulling her close, Andrew inhaled the clean smell of her hair. She fit perfectly against him, his fingers gently stroking her wrist. Rolling towards him, pressing against him, leg thrown over his, Destiny’s lips sought his. Forgetting why he was there, forgetting the cold, forgetting to be careful, forgetting everything except Destiny, Andrew lost himself with her. The honey of her voice as she murmured her desires, the feel of her over him, around him, under him.

  He claimed her fiercely, banishing her memories and giving her new ones. Climbing to the heights of desire and want, he took her with him. Neither of them knowing if the whole world around them ceased to exist, and not caring if it did.

  The more time he spent with her, the closer he felt to her. At times moody and withdrawn, but also able to smile and laugh, she was always a wonder to him.

  His childhood contained bad times just like everyone else’s, but hers seemed to never end. He brushed bangs away from her eyelids and kissed her forehead. Gently stroked her cheek. He refused to let anyone hurt her anymore.

  Afterwards, he found himself lying on the outside edge of the mattress, facing Destiny as she drifted off to sleep, cradled between him and the wall. Rustling caused Andrew to release his hold on the warmth of Destiny. Rolling over, leaning up, he watched Shadows head surface from under the edge of the blanket on the floor.

  Ears pricked, alert, the dog sat still, listening. Although he hadn’t heard anything, Andrew froze, even holding his breath so the dog could pinpoint the sound alerting him to danger.

  Moving like the powerful animal he was, Shadow abruptly shook off the blanket. His body arched, froze again, ears scanning. Suddenly flattening as a low warning growl rumbled from deep within the dog.

  Quietly, so he would not disturb the sleeping form in the bed, Andrew slipped from the blankets and moved to the edge of the window. Shadow took the opportunity of Andrew’s minimal noise cover to position himself by the front door.

  Glancing out the window, carefully keeping his face from appearing to anyone who might be out there, Andrew surveyed the clearing in front of the cabin. The moon illuminated everything in its milky light.

  Near the cabin, the snow blanketed in smooth gently rolling hills. From the trees to the long drive, darker ribbons marked where someone or something had indented the surface. With the storm clearing away, mountain lions would be out looking for anything they could take down with brutal claws and teeth.

  From his viewpoint, Andrew could not discern how many animals ventured so close to the cabin. There seemed to be quite a bit of disruption in the snow. At this angle, the tracks could even belong to something as innocent as a pack of deer. Wild cats usually ran solo, but the animal may have caught its prey right there along the trees.

  Needing to satisfy his own worries so he could sleep peacefully, Andrew put on his boots and slipped into his coat. His hand automatically unzipping the deep right-hand pocket, making sure the pistol was there as always.

  No sane man would venture out in the woods without something for protection in case one of those big cats decided he looked tasty.

  Easing quietly from the cabin, Andrew shut the door behind him, pausing and listening to see if the cold air or noise of the door woke Destiny. Hearing silence from within, he cautiously checked the immediate perimeter of the cabin before venturing further.

  Satiated, warm, and comfortable, Destiny’s eyes snapped open. An uneasy feeling unfolded in the pit of her stomach.

  Something was wrong.

  Most noticeably, she was alone in the bed. Searching the room with only her eyes, she determined she was also alone in the cabin. Andrew could not have hidden in any of the unseen spaces in the room unless he shrunk himself to the size of a mouse while she slept.

  The bathroom door was open, but only silence emitted. Ready to leave the bed to peer out the windows, Destiny jumped from the security of the blankets as something brushed along the outside of the cabin wall behind her.

  Heart thudding against her ribs, unable to breathe, she stumbled the few steps to grab the fireplace poker. Wildly scanning the room, she found the only place she could get to quickly.

  Dropping to the floor, she squirmed under the bed, ignoring the pains rolling over her body. Forcing deep breaths, exhaling slowly, she concentrated on listening to the noises of the woods surrounding the cabin.

  Silence.

  In the narrow space, she didn’t have room to swing the weapon. Positioning herself to be able to jab the metal iron, her foot met with something cold and hard. Pushing down the pain, she reached around to determine what was under the bed.

  Smooth, curved wood and metal. Almost crying with relief, she gripped the rifle, sliding it around in front of her. The fire was dying out, but in the wan light, the gun was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

  Whispering a prayer that it was loaded, she held it in her grip, slipping her hand over the trigger, the lever action against her fingers. Cocking the gun, hearing a bullet slide into the chamber, she almost laughed.

  On her stomach in the narrow space, she fought down claustrophobia. The fireplace poker rested on the floor beside her, replaced by the gun positioned under her arm. The silence was powerful as she strained to hear any noise.

  The sick unease in her stomach twisting, she swallowed hard. Mentally repeating the steps in the difficult process of breathing, she controlled the queasiness.

  Her mind wandered, seeking solace. A short time before, she had been ready to bash Andrew's brains in with a fireplace poker, not knowing there was a rifle directly under her.

  Whispering into the dark, she could not believe her own ignorance.

  “Of course he would have a gun you dummy. He’s out in the middle of the—”

  She forgot how to breathe. Listening for a repeat of what she heard while talking to herself.

  Near panic, she trembled.

  Wait. The thudding wasn’t footsteps.

  Her own heart drumming in her ears. The breathing was not the boogeyman, but ragged breaths sucking in and out of her open mouth.

  Making herself calm again, she was ready to get out from under the bed to look out the window since she now had a gun to protect her.

  She only moved a fraction of an inch. All sounds exploded through the air as the front door opened and Destiny blindly pulled the trigger.

  11.

  Screaming, crying, a yelp. A flurry of activity. The space under the bed suddenly brightening.

  “Oh my God! You shot me!”

  It only took a second for Destiny to come back to her senses and stop crying. The fear that pierced through her when she heard the door open and screamed promptly replaced with a new fear.

  She shot Andrew.

  Another victim to add to her list.

  She was already imagining him sliding to the floor, a gaping wound in his chest. His last words being the incredulous yet true accusation that she shot him. Images of her uncles’ mangled face replaced by Andrew’s with the same irreparable damage.

  Wanting to be with him as he died, she tried to squirm out from under the bed. Only her hands emerged from the hiding place before someone grabbed them with the strength of a man possessed, pulling her free and lifting her to her feet.

  She focused on Andrew’s face, the tears renewed as she realized it was whole, complete and unharmed. He let go of her hands, pushing her backwards ont
o the bed before limping to the chair, leaning on it for support.

  “I can’t believe you shot me with my own gun! Thank God you can’t aim for shit!”

  Rage poured from him. Still trembling, Destiny was too shocked to reply.

  “What were you thinking? I walk in the front door and you shoot me?”

  “I didn’t know where you were! I woke up alone and heard noises. I thought those men were coming back to finish me off!”

  “Christ, Destiny. Didn’t you stop to think since I wasn’t here that eventually I would come back in? Did you think I left you alone to fend for yourself?”

  “I didn’t know!”

  He removed his hand from his leg just above his knee, and saw the blood smeared across his palm. He couldn’t tell how deep the bullet penetrated, but it hurt like hell. Removing his jeans, standing in his boxers in front of the fire, he inspected the gash in his thigh. The bullet took out a nice chunk of flesh, but he would live. Ruined a perfectly good pair of jeans too.

  Destiny hadn’t moved from where he deposited her on the bed. Her eyes bulging, face pale, still trembling, she sat watching him, naked since she neglected to put any clothing on before climbing under the bed.

  His own nerves were edgy. It wasn’t everyday that someone shot him. He needed to get things back in control. Clean the wound, stop the bleeding, comfort Destiny. Turning towards the kitchen for the first aid kit, his heart thudded too fast, then stopped altogether. Control was no longer an option.

  “Oh no. No.”

  A groove marked the floor where the bullet hit before slicing through Andrew’s leg. Just beyond that, Shadow lay on his side, blood pooling under him.

  His legs moving again, Andrew limped the short distance to the dog’s side. Dropping to the floor, he searched from the blood puddle through the fur. His finger sunk into the flesh where the thick neck, meaty shoulder, and chest came together.

  Closing his eyes, Andrew probed a little deeper. Shadow whined, the soft tissue around the wound sucking against Andrew’s finger. He became aware of Destiny at his side, now covered by his flannel shirt. Both of her hands stroked Shadows head and face while she whispered comfort. Tears streaming, she lowered her head to the dogs.