Page 28 of The Last Straw

Judy was crying and screaming, and it scared him to death. All he could think was that something had happened to one of the kids, as he pulled over to the shoulder of the interstate.

“Judy, honey! Take a breath. I can’t understand a word you’re saying.” He heard her inhale and then blow her nose. The kids were all crying in the background, and now his belly was in knots. “What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”

“It’s everywhere—all over the TV and internet. My sister saw it on Facebook and called me, so I looked and seen it with my own eyes. That woman Jeremiah keeps preaching about...the one he calls a devil? She’s gone and put out a quarter of a million dollar bounty on two men she claims Raver sent to kill her. Are you one of them? Is that the favor you were doing for him?”

Farrell felt like he was going to puke.

“You don’t understand,” he said.

“It’s true? You’re really one of them? Oh, my God! You are a raving idiot. You’re the one who doesn’t understand!” Judy cried. “If you’re one of them, then there is a bounty on your head.”

“What? What? She can’t do that! That’s murder for hire!”

“You’re a fool! A damn fool!” Judy cried. “You’re the one out to kill, and she don’t want you dead.” Then she began outlining what she knew, finishing up with the one positive aspect. “If anyone hurts you in any way, the bounty is nullified and they get arrested.”

“How did she—”

“Barrett Taylor is in jail. He talked after she took him down, and he told her there was more comin’ after her, so this happened.”

“Call Preacher Raver! Ask him what I should do!”

Judy started crying all over again.

“He’s not answering his phone and no one’s seen him. Wherever you are, turn around and come home. Don’t no one have to know, if you didn’t tell. I sure didn’t.”

“But our church people could guess...and they’ll talk,” Farrell said. “Even if they can’t collect, they might give me up in an effort to distance themselves from the church.”

“Just come home,” Judy begged.

“Yes, yes, I will,” Farrell said. “I’ll hunt me a place to turn around and be there as soon as I can. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Just calm down. It’ll be okay.”

The line went dead in his ear. And just like that, his passion to end a life had dwindled to cold sweat and a knot in his belly. Judy was furious, and that Wyrick woman had called them out. He couldn’t get over it. A quarter of a million dollars. More money than he’d ever imagined he would be worth.

Sonny was in his apartment, watching the evening news as he changed out of his work clothes. When he heard the journalist mention the name Wyrick, he looked up. The woman fascinated him. He’d seen her live press conference on TV months back and knew all about her. He’d even fantasized about making her his like Rachel was, but knew that opportunity would never arise.

Still, he upped the volume to see what she was talking about, and then sat watching the way her lips moved, and her eyes narrowed. She didn’t have breasts. She didn’t have hair. And yet, he’d never been more attracted to a woman in his life than he was to her. She looked like a cross between a drag queen and an alien, and she was so damn hot it made him shake just thinking about holding her beneath him.

And then he began to focus on what she was saying in the video and realized Jade Wyrick had just put out a quarter-million-dollar bounty on each of two men some religious group had sent to kill her.

He slapped his leg and whooped with glee.

“Damn woman. You are freaking amazing.”

He watched until the video ended, then turned off the television. Wyrick was a dream, but he already had a woman more his type waiting, and he didn’t want to disappoint her.

The cell was cold, but Rachel was burning up. She was sick. Maybe the cut in her throat was infected. Maybe he’d broken her ribs when he hit her. All she knew was that it hurt to breathe, and it hurt to walk.

She had no idea what time it was, but she was scared to death that he’d come back, and at the same time, afraid he wouldn’t. She’d made up her mind that this time she was not going to submit. It didn’t make what he wanted to do to her any easier, because he got off on her pain, and he liked to see her bleed. If she was going to die, she was going to die fighting.

She staggered to her feet and stumbled to the sink again to sluice her burning face with cold water before returning to the mattress, then pulled the blanket up to her chin and stared at the door.

She didn’t know if she was hallucinating, or if it was real when the door finally opened, then reality hit when she saw him slip inside, and heard the door lock behind him.

“Hey, my beauty. This is no way to greet your lover. I brought you a burger and fries and some water,” he said.

Rachel stayed beneath the blanket, waiting. She was nauseated and shaking, but this time she had no doubts as to what he was bent on doing.

Sonny dropped the bag of food and the water in a corner of the room, and then started taking off his clothes. He was aroused and smiling as he picked up the knife and headed toward her.