Page 2 of In The Trenches (Owens Protective Services)

Tom smiled at me, his wrinkled face reminding me of my grandfather. He was a kind man and had always made me feel safe in his presence. I tended to gravitate toward elderly people for that very reason. I figured they’d already been through the worst life could offer, so they didn’t put up with any bullshit.

As usual, Tom left me a five dollar tip when his meal cost just a few dollars more than that. I caught him staring at me sometimes, like he was trying to figure out my secrets, but I would never share them. That could get him killed, and he was too kind to me to risk his life, no matter how much I wanted to share the load with someone else.

I followed him out, locking the door behind him, then shut off the lights. As I stared out into the night, I looked for any sign that someone was watching me. No matter how far I ran, I always worried someone was still following me. I could never shake the feeling, but if someone was hiding out there in the shadows, why hadn’t he made his move yet?

Tearing my gaze away from the dark sky, I went through the motions of closing up for the night. The cook was still in the kitchen cleaning up, leaving me to take care of putting the chairs upside down on the tables and sweeping the floor. When I finished, I grabbed the mop, taking pride in making sure everything was up to standard for the next shift.

“You almost done?” Art asked after shoving open the kitchen door.

“Yeah, I just have to handle the register.”

He nodded at me and let the door fall shut. Art was a bigger guy, heavily muscled and tall, who wore a blue bandana around his head every night. Though we’d never really spoken much, I got the impression that he liked me, or at the very least, tolerated me.

Popping open the register, I went through the process of printing out the daily receipt and making sure the register was balanced. Sid, the owner of the diner, always took the cash to the bank in the morning. I just had to lock it in the safe for the night.

By the time I locked the safe, I was dead tired. My feet were killing me and my neck and shoulders ached from carrying the trays all evening. I grabbed my jacket out of the back and grabbed my purse from the back room. I never carried too much money on me because there had been thefts around here since I first started.

“Goodnight,” I said to Art as I headed for the back door.

“Yeah, you’re on tomorrow, right?”

I nodded and gave him a wave. “See you then.”

He jerked his chin and started turning off the lights. On my way out, I grabbed the last trash bag and hauled it over my shoulder. Slipping out into the night, I glanced around first to make sure I was alone. When I didn’t hear anything, I let the door close behind me and headed across the alley to the dumpster shoved up against the fence. I grimaced at the terrible smell when I lifted the lid and quickly tossed the bag inside.

Just as I spun around, something hard came down on my head, instantly making me sway on my feet. My hand shot out, grasping for anything to keep me from falling, but then my hair was yanked harshly and I cried out.

“Is this her?”

I tried to turn and see who it was, but between the black spots dancing in front of my eyes and the way the man was holding me, I couldn’t see anything. I tried to bite back the panic and think, but fear flooded my veins, making it impossible to think straight.

“Yeah, that’s her.”

“Then let’s go.”

Panic overwhelmed me and despite my head spinning, one thing was clear—I needed to run. I swung my elbow back, making contact and hearing a grunt. I took off, only to feel a hand grasp my arm and yank hard. Blinding pain shot through my shoulder, making me scream as I fell back. I nearly passed out, but the urge to vomit kept me from escaping this reality. Bile rose in my throat and I turned just enough to avoid throwing up all over myself. The man released me, stepping away from me as I spewed the contents of my dinner all over the alley.

I collapsed to my knees, choking and sobbing as my arm throbbed painfully. I looked up to see two men staring at me with so much contempt that I prayed for a quick death. Whatever they had in store for me, I would find no mercy with them.

“Get up,” one of them snapped.

Holding my arm against my chest, I struggled to my feet, my head growing dizzy as the pain overwhelmed me. I thought about trying to run, but I knew I would fail. And what would that get me? What had I ever gotten by running?

The back door swung open and Art stepped out, quickly assessing the situation. His eyes locked with mine for just a moment. “Run.”

But my feet were like lead weights, refusing to let me move. The fear had overridden my adrenaline, blocking my mind from making any decisions, no matter how beneficial they might be. I was vaguely aware of Art swinging at the first guy. The second rushed over to me, grabbing me by my broken arm and dragging me away.

My feet dragged across the gravel as he pulled me away from Art, my only hope of salvation. A scream bubbled up in my throat as he yanked on me even harder. With the remaining strength I had left, I swung out, hoping to hit him or stall him in some way. I narrowly hit him in the balls, and he bent over, cupping himself as he kept a firm grip on me. I struggled to break free of him, but just as I thought I gained some leverage, his fist shot out and slammed into my cheek. I stumbled back as he let me go and collapsed in a puddle on the ground. My face slammed into the gravel and pain exploded in my head.

I watched Art fighting the other man, unable to get up and move. My body hurt everywhere, my vision blurred in and out until I finally closed my eyes, hoping I wouldn’t wake up to see what they would do to me.

But I was yanked up roughly and shaken until I opened my eyes and looked at my attacker. “You’re not getting off so easily, bitch. The boss wants you back at camp to deal with you himself.”

I wheezed in pain as he hauled me up over his shoulder and took off down the alley. My ribs bounced painfully on his shoulder, but something hard hit him and I went flying from his grasp, falling once again to the ground. I wasn’t sure what happened after that. I slowly blinked, watching a fight in front of me, but barely processing who was fighting.

Then I was lifted in the air, cradled against a large body as we walked down the alley. A door was opened and I was set inside a car, my head lolling back against the seat as the buckle was stretched across my body.

“Hang in there, Beth. I’ve got you.”

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