A/N: Climax!
About one (maybe two) chapters to go but here is your uninterrupted big climax because you have all been so patient and wonderful.
No cliffhangers, promise.
Jade and the Vega sisters were hunkered in Trina's car across the street right next to Jade's vehicle. Tori called 911 while Jade alerted Detective Lewis, who instructed them to keep an eye on the house until authorities arrived. Jade elected herself in the event of the son of a bitch trying to get away, that she was going to follow him while Tori and Trina checked on everybody inside.
But seconds became minutes and after the fourteen minute mark, Jade was getting irritable and uneasy.
"I can't stand this waiting," Jade hissed. "Where the fuck are they?"
Trina shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe there was too much traffic. Even for..."
The Goth brushed past the older Vega and began to march toward the house.
"Jade!" Tori called out. "Are you insane!" She reached out to try and stop her but pale fingers locked onto the tan arm like a vise.
"NO!" she growled at Tori. "I wasn't there for her before. I'm not going to just stand on the sidelines this time."
Tori sighed. "Jade, I'm scared to death about Cat too but you can't just go in there without a plan or something."
Jade raised an eyebrow and contemplated for a minute.
"Okay," she finally said. "You two are going to cause a diversion."
"Excuse me?" Trina asked, arms folded.
"You wanted to show Cat you cared, right?" Jade asked incredulously.
"That's not fair, Jade!" Tori pointed at the Goth in protest.
"When have I ever been fair?"
Trina leaned in close. "And just what are you going to be doing?"
Jade pointed to the side of the house. "Up there. That trellis leads right to Cat's window. She always leaves it unlocked."
"And what if it isn't?" Trina questioned.
"I have to try," Jade admitted through glassy eyes. The older sister was put off by the show of fragile emotion. "As weird as it sounds every second I see that car gives me hope."
"Hope?" Tori queried.
"That she's still alive."
Trina understood and gave Tori a knowing glance. Given that he would probably leave when his prey was deceased, his presence was a good sign. That didn't mean that Cat wasn't suffering in there. And the sooner she got out of that house the better.
"I know I'm asking a lot of you guys," Jade sighed. "But I love Cat."
"Jade," Tori rolled her eyes. "We all..."
"No Vega," Jade cut her off. "Not like that."
"Ah," Trina nodded.
"What?" Tori asked confused.
"Let's just say the Wicked Witch fell for Glinda."
"I used to be scared to admit this, Tori. But that doesn't scare me nearly as much as what I think is happening to her. Now will you help me?"
Tori took Jade's hand and smiled a brave smile. "Of course I will."
"Me too," Trina added.
"Thank you," Jade sighed.
Nick's stinking sandpaper tongue traversed Cat's cheek. She winced at any level this guy touched her but this was the grossest to her. But the redhead didn't allow a single sound to pass her lips. She was both afraid of the knife inches from her face but also a part of her brain was conscious to try and not give the bastard the satisfaction.
Cat was mentally preparing herself for another invasion by the disgusting monster when the doorbell rang.
Nick looked back and sneered. "Keep getting interrupted. This just isn't our day is it?"
The girl beneath him gave no response. If eyes could literally stab someone, he would be pinned to the wall right now.
"I'll be right back baby," he whispered close to her face. He then planted a kiss over her duck taped lips and left.
Jade snuck along the side of the house. Passing the garage window, she could see both her parents' cars inside. He didn't get a new getaway car so he had to be inside still. That meant Cat must be scared to death or worse, maybe she thinks nobody is coming.
She eyed the trellis that went all the way up to the second floor. Jade gripped the wooden structure as best she could and began climbing. She hadn't done anything like this since she was much younger. But it was familiar enough so Jade could focus on the goal at hand.
Jade cautiously peered into the window that would be Cat's room. Sure enough there was her love, her life tied to the bed with her mouth taped. Her clothes were practically slashed to ribbons. Jade didn't see anybody else there, so she tapped on the glass. At first the redhead flinched and looked around the room frantically until settling on the window. Her eyebrows raised high at the sight of the brunette.
Jade put her finger to her lips, signaling for Cat to stay quiet. She nodded in compliance.
Nick opened the front door and blinked at the two attractive girls staring back at him.
"Hey," Tori said dragging out the word. Inside she was frightened to be this close to a violent sexual predator.
Trina figured he must have used his classically handsome features to his advantage. An unsuspecting girl would let him to get close enough. She played along with her younger sister but kept her guard up.
"What can I do for you ladies?" he smirked confidently as he leaned against the doorframe.
"Our school," Trina began. "Was having a car wash this weekend..." she looked to Tori for help.
"And we were wondering if we can expect you there."
"What? No flyers?" he shrugged.
"Uh..." Tori drew a blank.
"We decided to go paperless and tell people door to door about it. Plus it just makes litter anyway. One planet, right?" Trina swallowed a gulp, realizing just how stupid she sounded.
Nick nodded. "I...see. So I can expect you fine lookin ladies in bikinis."
"Oh yeah," Trina added with a wink for effect.
"Sounds like fun," he responded, raising an eyebrow. "Why don't you two hotties come inside?" he asked scratching his back.
"You sure we want to?" Tori asked. She glanced down and her face went pale. A gun was pointed at her abdomen.
"I insist," Nick dryly ordered.
Tori's body tensed up as she was lead by the gun inside the house. At the same time, he pulled Trina with his free hand. The two sisters step back from Nick as he locked the door without looking.
"Isn't that much better?"
"What do you want?" Tori asked, hands up.
Nick smiled. "I figured Cat was getting a little lonely. Ya know; no girl to talk girl stuff about, right?"
"Who's Cat?" Trina asked.
Tori saw what she was trying to do. "Yeah, who has a cat?"
Nick turned away for a second and punched Tori in the stomach, sending her down to the floor in a cry of pain. Trina kneeled down beside her sister, seeing if she was okay.
"You heartless bastard!" Trina growled.
"Easy, hot stuff" warned Nick pointing his pistol. "I was just showing your friend here what happens when a bitch lies to me."
"I'm...not...lying" Tori coughed, trying to speak after the wind was knocked out of her.
He narrowed his eyes and brandished how his finger was on the trigger.
"If you really didn't know Cat then how come you're in pictures all over her room?"
Tori cursed herself and tried to think of a away out of this but Trina interjected.
"YOU BETTER LET US GO, ASSHOLE!" she sneered.
"I swear," Nick sniffed. "That wench has no shortage of friends that just get in the way. Guess I landed a popular girl this time."
Tori was disgusted with the implication that he did this before. Who knows how many times.
Before Trina could say more; he whacked her in the back of the head with the gun, knocking her out. Tori called out to her older sister and her cries fell on deaf ears.
"You two were easy," he remarked. "A lot easier than that freaky chick she always hung out with."
Just a little while longer, Tori thought to herself. The cops will be here any minute. He doesn't know they're already coming. I just have to keep playing his game.
Jade, I hope you're doing better than we are right now.
Cat gasped at being able to breathe through her mouth again.
"Jade," came out in such a small, raspy voice.
"Ssshhh" she told her. "Stay quiet Cat. I'm gonna get you out of here."
"Alright," she whispered.
Jade took out one of the smaller scissors she carried in her belt like a buck knife and began tearing the fiber in the rope. After about half a minute, Cat's hands and feet were free. The redhead massaged her wrists and ankles, which were sore from being bound so tight coupled with her resistance. Without giving it a moments thought, Cat wrapped her arms around Jade as tight as she could. The dark haired girl reciprocated the embrace but promptly broke it up.
They weren't out yet.
Tori tied her one hand to the banister at gunpoint and then Nick finished with the other hand. He then tested the strength of the knot.
"Good," he said.
Nick then got down to the floor to see if Trina was coming to but she remained motionless.
"Guess it'll be just us down here for a while."
"You don't have to do this," Tori said shaking her head. "It doesn't have to be this way."
The creep then leaned in very close to Tori's face. She could smell his sweat.
"And why not?" he asked, brandishing the gun. Tears flowed from Tori's brown eyes. She mouthed the word 'no.'
Nick thought about it and put the gun back in his pants. He really began to study Tori's tan features. He didn't have a girl that looked like her before. He figured that he won the lottery.
"You know," he mused. "Maybe you would like to see just what I have planned for you first." He pulled Tori's phone from her jeans. "See? I can take a video of your little friend and me...whatever...and I can play it back for you. Wouldn't that be fun?"
Tori narrowed her eyes. "Not as fun as picturing that phone being shoved up your ass."
"A little fight in this one," he said out loud to himself. "I like you."
"You should see my sister," she grinned.
Nick turned around and all he saw was stars. Trina roundhouse kicked him with such intensity that the saliva in his mouth exited with an enormous spray. He moaned but he was still moving. But Trina landed another series of kicks and blows to keep him from getting back to his feet. After landing a solid pressure point shot, he was down.
Trina crawled over to Tori and untied her as quick a possible.
"Okay," Tori sighed. "You gotta teach me that."
"Nobody fucks with your big sis."
"I thought he knocked you unconscious."
Trina half smiled. "I faked it. One technique is make your enemy think he won." She then felt the back of her neck. "Not that it didn't fucking hurt."
"Come on," Tori huffed. "Let's go find Cat."
Tori started up the stairs and turned back halfway up.
"You coming?"
Trina shook her head. "In a minute. Gonna tie Mr. Rapist up."
Tori nodded and kept going up.
"Jade! Cat!"
"Tori, help!" the Goth groaned.
The half Latina ran over and helped Jade shoulder her burden. Cat behind tied so tight to the bed for almost two days; the blood wasn't circulating to her legs properly.
"The cops are coming," Jade reminded Cat for her comfort.
"I haven't heard any sirens," Cat noted.
"Sometimes," Tori coughed. "They creep up to the scene silently to get the jump on the perp."
The redhead nodded and thanked endlessly under her breath that she was free.
"TTT...Tori"
Trina's voice from downstairs sounded concerned.
At the top of the stairs, Cat's heart sank when she saw Nick holding Trina with a gun to her head.
"Little Miss Kung Fu just discovered that In know a few moves myself."
Jade and Tori exchanged glances, hoping that hypothesis about the cops was correct this time.
"Take out your phone," ordered Nick to Trina.
She slowly pulled her cell from her jeans pocket and handed it to him. He regarded the screen as he scrolled through the history.
"Mmm," he mused. "Looks like we have a very recent call to 911." Nick then turned his attention to the three girls above him. "You all stay back before I splatter this cunt's brains all over the wall." He began to back away and eventually he was out of sight.
"The garage," Cat realized out loud. "Stop him."
"Get in the trunk," ordered Nick to Trina. He pointed his pistol at the bronze-skinned girl as they stood behind Cat's dad's Jaguar.
"No way," she replied shaking her head.
"I said," clicking the gun. "Get. In. The. Trunk."
Trina thinks to herself and she is shaken by a sudden smirk on his face like he just read her mind.
"IF you get any half baked ideas about using any more of your kickboxing shit on me, just remember the second your foot leaves that ground I will shoot you in the kneecap."
Trina gulped.
"Now get in the trunk before I have to shoot you in the he-"
A clatter from the other side of the garage alerted Nick.
"Who's that?"
All that was there was a fallen tool shelf. Turning back to Trina, Nick got her by the neck and shoved her in the trunk and closed it, narrowly missing her feet. Before he could move, his leg was overcome with raw, excruciating pain. He dropped the gun and fell onto his back. Staring down he saw a pair of gardening sheers sticking out of his shin. Next thing he knew, Jade emerged from underneath the vehicle.
He crawled, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. Nick attempted to reach over to pull the sheers out but a gunshot ricochet off the concrete floor and clipped the arm of the hand he was reaching with. After endless seconds of his crawling to the main door, Nick rested his head on the cool ground awash in the indescribable pains he is experiencing.
Tori let Trina out of the trunk and Jade walked up on Nick, pointing his gun right back at him.
"I should kill you now," Jade snorted. "But is that my call to make? I wonder..."
The three girls suddenly turned back when they heard something near the Jaguar.
Cat with a passive expression turned off the parking brake. The driveway, she knew, was sloped. The green auto started backing up until coming to an end at the wall. Had it been going fast, the car would've gone through it. But it was heavy enough to do a number on Nick Rothman.
"It's over," Cat sighed in the most tired voice.