After Midnight

56
I FALL FOR STEVE

A few minutes later, as I went rushing down a dip in the trail, something tripped me. It caught me across the front of my right ankle, then my left. It felt like a taut rope or cord.
With both feet snagged, I plunged headlong.
I flung out my hands, hoping to break the fall. They probably helped a little. But the ground bashed them out of the way and I slammed down hard. By the time my body struck the trail, my feet were free from whatever had snagged them. I skidded down the sloping earth.
The moment I came to a stop, someone rushed out of the darkness beside the trail. A bare foot stomped down on my right wrist, pinning the saber to the ground. I figured it must be Steve’s foot. Before I could do anything, he dropped a knee down, punching me between the shoulder blades. Then he clobbered me in the head. I felt an explosion of pain, glimpsed a bright flash, and then I was out.
But not for long.
At least, I don’t think so.
While I was knocked out, Steve dismantled his boobytrap, brought it down to where I was sprawled on the trail, rolled me onto my back, removed my bra, and bound my hands together in front of me with the same length of electrical cord I’d used on him.
I woke up to find him standing in front of me. He held the saber in his right hand, an end of the cord in his left. Tugging the cord, he tried to pull me into a sitting position.
“Okay, okay,” I said.
“Ah, Sleeping Beauty wakes up.”
It sounded like something poor Murphy might’ve said. For a moment, I thought I was back in his bed…but then I remembered he’d fallen into the bathtub…with me on him. Fallen and broken his head open.
This wasn’t Murphy, this was Steve.
I suddenly felt lost and sick.
“Go to hell,” I muttered.
“You don’t sound very perky,” Steve said. “Hope I didn’t break you.”
“F*ck you,” I said.
Steve hauled away at the cord. It tightened around my wrists and stretched my arms. Leaning forward, I struggled to stand up. It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t successful, either. When I got to my knees, he jerked the cord and I flew forward and landed hard.
“You must try to be less clumsy,” he said.
I wanted to make another crack, but I couldn’t because I’d started to cry and didn’t want him to find out.
He gave the cord a couple of tugs. “Up we go,” he said.
I shoved at the ground with my elbows and knees. I thought he’d probably try to pull me down again, but this time he let me stand up.
“Very good,” he said. “Now, let’s see. How’ll we do this? I don’t want to have you behind me, so…You take the lead.” He stepped to the left side of the trail and pointed the way with the saber. “Ladies first,” he said.
As I walked by, he swatted me across the ass with the blade. I flinched and gasped. Then he came in behind me, holding the cord low. It dangled from my wrists and hung against the side of my left leg.
“We’ll just stick to the trail for a while,” he said. “I’ll tell you where to go.”
Pretty soon, he asked, “You weren’t satisfied with getting out alive?”
“I…want to go away with you.”
“So I heard. So everyone must’ve heard in ten counties. But I figure you were lying about that. Just like you were lying when you said I killed Tony. I didn’t rape or kill Judy, either. Bad enough you were yelling your head off like a lunatic and accusing me of all kinds of shit, but making false accusations…That really takes the cake. How could you do that to me?”
“I’m sorry,” I muttered. “I just figured…I don’t know…I thought if I said enough really awful things about you, you’d have to come and get me.”
“It worked,” he said, and laughed.
“I was telling the truth, though, about going away with you. I want to be your partner.”
“I don’t think so.”
“You said you wanted me.”
“Still do, hon. And I aim to have you. But maybe not for my partner. I happen to think you’re playing games about that. You’ll be all nice and chummy till you get the upper hand, then you’ll nail me.”
“No, I won’t. We’ll hit the road together. I’ll help you…”
“No, you won’t.”
“I will! I want to!”
“You’re just saying this to save your sweet rear end. That’s about all you’re interested in. You don’t want to be my partner. You hate me.”
“I do not.”
“I’ve got a nasty wound on my head that says otherwise.”
“I only did that because you were hurting me. You bit me!”
“Ah, yes. I was enjoying a taste of tit teryaki.”
Real cute.
“We could be great together,” I told him. “You know damn well how tough I am.”
“Tough? Not at all. I’ve rarely put my lips around such nice, tender tits. Love ’em.”
“They go where I go,” I told him. “Take me on as your partner, and we’ll all be together.”
“Or I could take them without you.”
Don’t let him get to you!
“I won’t be much good to you dead.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that.”
“I mean as a partner.”
“Oh, that. True.”
“You’re going to need a partner.”
“Now that you’ve killed Milo?” he asked.
“Right. Exactly. And you owe me for that, don’t you?”
“Owe you how?”
“No more sloppy seconds.”
“True, true,” he said. “I thank you.”
“And now you need a new partner, and I’ll be it. I can drive for you. I can do all sorts of stuff. Like help you get girls. I can even…you know…help do stuff to them.”
“Do stuff?” he asked.
“Like tie them up, help you kill them or whatever, help you dispose of their bodies. Whatever you want.” I looked over my shoulder at him. “You know I can do that sort of stuff.”
“Yeah, you’re a bad cat.”
“Bad enough.”
“Not nearly bad enough, honey.”
“I am, too.”
“You’re a p-ssy.”
“Tough enough to kill Milo and Tony and knock your brains half out of your head.”
Again, I couldn’t bring myself to mention Murphy. I didn’t want him to be part of this.
“If you had what it takes,” Steve said, “you would’ve taken care of Judy. You left a living witness.”
“She didn’t know enough to get me in trouble.”
“Bullshit. She knew plenty. You didn’t kill her because you’re not as tough as you think you are. You liked her, so you let her live.”
“No.”
“You had the hots for her.”
“Did not.”
“You fell for her, so you didn’t have the heart to take her down.”
“You’re nuts.”
“That so?”
“Yeah. So maybe I didn’t kill her, I beat the crap out of her and left her for dead. I figured she’d never get out of the woods alive.”
“Who are you trying to kid?” Steve said.
“Nobody.”
“She’s probably the real reason you came out here tonight. You never had any intention of hitting the road with me, you came out here to save that girl’s ass.”
“You’re nuts.”
“Or maybe whip it,” he added, and laughed softly.
“Judy had nothing to do with this,” I insisted. “I came because I want to go away with you. That’s the only reason. After you got away…never mind.”
“No, no. Please, don’t stop now. I can’t wait to hear it.”
“Why should I waste my breath? You won’t believe me, anyway.”
“Oh, try me.”
Looking over my shoulder again, I said, “I missed you.”
“How sweet.”
“I figured we’d probably never see each other again, and I suddenly realized how much I…I wanted to be with you. I know it sounds crazy. And you probably don’t believe me, anyway. But there’s something about you. I can’t explain it. All I know is that I suddenly felt this horrible emptiness inside after you were gone. And I knew that the emptiness was because…I was afraid I might not be able to find you, that I might have to go the rest of my life without you.”
“I’m deeply moved,” he said. “You loved me so much that you came after me with a sword.”
“It wasn’t meant for you.”
“But I’ve got it, and I thank you.”
“That isn’t what I…I only brought the saber along for protection. I never intended to use it against you.”
“And you never will.”
“That’s fine. I would’ve handed it to you, if you’d asked. You didn’t have to ambush me for it.”
“You know something, Alice?”
“Plenty.”
“You are marvelous. I’ve mentioned that before. But the more we’re together, the more I discover. Now I find that you’re not only sexy and stacked and gutsy and witty and tough—but you’re a quite a fine liar, too.”
“I don’t lie.”
A laugh burst out of him. “You could be President!”
“I just want to be your partner.”
“There you go again. But you know what? Considering your many wonderful attributes, I might just be willing to let you have a go at it.”
“At being your partner?”
“Exactly.”
This was pretty much what I’d been hoping to hear, but I sensed trouble. “What’s the catch?” I asked.
“No catch. There will be an audition, though.”
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t know what an audition is?”
“Of course I do. But I don’t see the point. I mean, you’ve already seen me in action.”
“My dear, I’ve felt you in action.”
“So why do I have to prove myself?”
“It’s simple. You’re not the only sweet young thing interested in the role.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Judy.”
“Judy?”
He laughed. “Of course! Who else would it be? Marilyn? Marilyn’s a looker, but she’s much too stiff for the part. Of course it’s Judy.”
“She really is alive?”
Steve had claimed, before, that he hadn’t killed her. But I’d figured he must be lying. Now I believed him. Now that I’d have to be going up against her for the “role” of Steve’s partner.
It made me feel strange, somehow, to find out she wasn’t dead. Relieved, I guess. Nervous. Excited.
I felt dread, too.
Because I would probably have to kill her, this time.
“What makes you think Judy wants to be your partner?” I asked.
“Told me so, herself. Fact is, until you came along shouting all that shit for the whole world to hear, I’d say that Judy pretty much had it in the bag. I don’t think she’ll be very pleased to find out she has competition.”
“She’d make a lousy partner for you,” I said.
“Oh, I’m not so sure of that. I happen to think she’ll make a spectacular partner. Better than you, in some ways. She’s younger than you, certainly more beautiful. Though she’s lacking your magnificent figure, she has a certain innocence that I find very appealing, tremendously sexy.”
“Yeah, well, that’s her problem. She can’t be partners with a thrill-killer. She’s a f*ckin’ goody-two-shoes.”
“Which is why we need the audition,” Steve said. “She’ll have to prove that she has what it takes.”