Chapter Twenty-Six

Murdoc slumped down into the vacant chair, drink in his hand. He was tired, frustrated and just getting more and more furious with each passing minute. His arms ached, his back ached. Knuckles hurt like a bitch. To add to his aggravation, the little bitch had managed to get her leg free and kicked him in the nuts, his balls still aching from that little stunt and it had happened nearly forty five minutes ago.

Chloe sputtered against the blood and teeth that floated in her mouth, one eye staring at him. Her other eye was blackened and swollen shut. She was damaged for good, she already knew this. Even if he let her live, she would show proof of his damage forever. She didn't even think plastic surgery could fix it. Most of her front teeth were missing (both upper and lower), her nose was most likely broken and she was certain he had also broken her cheek-bone.

There was also the numerous wounds on her from his earlier little escapade with her.

"Holier than thou bitch," he spat venomously, getting to his feet again and pacing around her. "Rich little tight-ass, that's what you are. I wonder if maybe you just need your ass loosened up, yeah?" Something sinister sparked behind his dark eyes. "Might do you a world of good."

Chloe let out another moan, tears springing to her one eye. Would he go that far? She had been so certain he was going to do it when he had first tackled her in her apartment. She could tell he had wanted to. Why wait until now with his wife upstairs?

"You think I want t' stick my nob in the likes of you?" He erupted into loud laughter, taking a drink from his glass. "Had I wanted a piece of that, I would have tapped it back at your place, lovey." He walked over to one of the boxes against the wall, pulling it towards them. "We were gonna dispose of these, but no matter. Glad we hadn't gotten t' it yet." Reaching into the box, his back to her, he chuckled again as he examined whatever it was he had pulled from the box. "Hailey an' I are big with tryin' new things, Chloe. Some toys an' accessories work well, others...not so much." Still chuckling, he turned to face her. "This was a bit too big for her."

Chloe stared at the rubber toy, her eyes wide. The thing was huge. What the hell kind of freaky shit were they into that they would even entertain the idea of a toy that big?

Flashing a smirk, Murdoc moved towards her, tearing the tape that held her hands and legs. He had torn her clothing away before taking her out of the apartment. She trembled in the chair, clad in nothing but her bra and panties. He reached over, grabbing her by her hair and yanking her to her feet. Without a word, he spun her around and slammed her to the floor, shoving her back towards the chair. She cried out when he pressed up behind her, reaching around with the tape and securing her arms around the back of the chair.

"Y' know, I despise uptight lil' birds like you," he panted, drawing back once she was tied and secure. "A'ways used t' think that maybe if you took it up the ass once in a while, you wouldn't be so fuckin' uptight. Ready t' test that theory, Chloe?" She cried out when he pulled another strip of tape, wrapping it around her face, covering her mouth. "Can't have your screamin' alert the neighbors, yeah?"

She screamed against the gag as he ripped her panties from her. This wasn't happening. She needed to shut down and shut down quick. She needed to find that happy place she had been earlier, when there had been no pain, no fear.

"You're 'fraid now, eh, Chloe?" he chuckled, pressing the toy against her. He could hear her whimpering through the gag as he teased her with the toy. "You gonna tell me where my boy is? Or do I have t' drive it in just how serious I am?" Chloe nodded her head finally, making noise through her gag. No longer the screams and cries of earlier, this time she was trying to speak. Murdoc tilted his head at her, dropping the toy to the pavement. Tearing away the tape, he peered down at her, his face inches from hers. "Got somethin' t' tell me, Chloe-love?"

"Towards the waterfront!" she sputtered, a sob cracking through her voice. "With Alicia!"

Murdoc frowned, getting to his feet. "The amazon cunt? She's the one behind all this?"

"Yes!" Chloe whimpered. "She's the one that took him. I found out about it after the fact!" She tried to gauge his expression. He was no longer staring at her, but at the floor, clearly thinking.

Blinking, his attention returned to her bloodied and tear stained face. "Her ex-boyfriend came 'round not too long 'go. Mentioned somethin' 'bout you an' her." Tearing a new strip of tape, he secured her mouth again. He'd deal with that bitch later. He needed to talk to Hailey. It just didn't seem possible that the amazon was behind it. She certainly didn't appear to have the ability to go this far. And other than wanting Hailey back at her side, had no real motive. Surely she knew that taking Alec would have driven the wedge deeper between them. The amazon was nosy, even a bit over-bearing based off his first encounter with the woman, but a kidnapper?

"Hailey," he barked, bursting through the door and into the living room. He spotted her out on the porch with 2D and Noodle. All three of them stared at him with wide eyes. He stared back a moment before he realized that he must have looked an absolute fright. His knuckles were bloodied, his clothing had spots all over and he was sweaty and greasy. "Hailey...it's Alicia."

Her expression was frightening. Something flashed behind her eyes at the mention of the other woman's name. She slowly stubbed out her cigarette and came through the slider with long strides, passing him and veering up the stairs. "Where are they?" she demanded loudly as she went into their bedroom.

"Somethin' 'bout the waterfront!" he hollered.

Hailey shed her sleep-clothes quickly, digging through her closet for jeans and a shirt of some sort. Never, in a million years, would she have connected this with Alicia. Unwilling to let go, clingy...but nothing of this caliber. Yanking her clothing on quickly, she threw her loose hair into a pony-tail, grabbing her shoes and half jogging down the stairs. "Find out where on the waterfront, Murdoc. Find out now!" She stopped at the foot of the stairs, staring at him as he paused at the garage door. "And don't get too overzealous with that cunt, Muds...Leave some of that for me."

2D and Noodle watched as Murdoc ventured back through the garage door, his footsteps thundering within the narrow townhouse. Noodle peered up at 2D. "We're about to be accomplices to a murder, Stuart," she whispered, a touch of sadness in her voice. "And I don't feel a drop of guilt about it. Does this make me a bad person?"

2D shrugged his narrow shoulders, unsure of what to think. "Honestly, I feel the same way."

Digging through her bag, Alicia made a noise. Where the hell was the chloroform? Hadn't she taken it with? She had it when she had taken the child. Surely it would be here somewhere. Backing away from the tote bag, she let out a small moan. She dropped it, hadn't she? Probably when the boy had struggled against the soaked rag. There was no way to trace the bottle to her, but still. She was hoping to make this as easy on them both as possible.

Sleeping pills? She had those. Half a pill shouldn't hurt, right? She supposed she could grind a bunch of it up and spike a soft drink, but what if she made him ill before it really kicked in? She didn't want to see the boy suffer.

Half a pill. That would work. She would have to conceal her crime either way. Knock him out, get him out of the way and then run. Get as far away from here as possible. Even if she had to leave Seattle for good. Muttering to herself, she pulled out her bottle and pulled out one of the pills, breaking it down it's indented middle. Grabbing a soft drink from the lunch bag she had packed, she approached the boy slowly, kneeling down at his level. "Here, Alec. Take this. It will help with the hurting."

The boy looked at the half a pill and soda warily, distrust showing a mile away.

"Please, Alec," she insisted. "It will make you stop hurting."

Something in his expression lit up. It made Alicia's heart sink. So, his whimpering had been due to pain. She had hoped that maybe it had been because he was scared. But the damage was pretty bad, so it was a given he would be uncomfortable.

Slowly, he reached out and took the pill and soft drink, putting the pill into his mouth and taking a drink. Handing her back the can of soda, he scooted away from her and returned his focus to the corner he had been huddled in. Alicia watched as the minutes ticked by, unsure of just how long it would take for it to kick in.

It seemed like an eternity, but she realized that it had only been about a half hour. The boy seemed listless, now rocking a bit in his corner. Every so often, his head would droop and then jerk back up. Alicia held her breath, watching as the boy slowly slumped over, his breathing deep and even. She waited another few minutes, staring at the sleeping child before finally getting to her feet and making her way over to the picnic cooler where she had been keeping excess food. It was big enough.

Emptying the cooler, she set the food aside and dragged it towards where the child slept. She moved on auto-pilot, wrapping the child within the scrappy blankets and slowly tucking him into the cooler. Alec didn't stir as she folded his legs against his chest, tucking the blanket around him. Shutting the lid and securing the latch, she drew back from the little plastic cooler. She'd have to weigh it down somehow. That would have to wait until she was where she needed to be. Doing it now would make it too cumbersome.

With a grunt, she pulled the cooler into her arms, actually amazed at how light it felt. He was such a whispy little thing, wasn't he? But neither of his parents were very large in stature. She returned her attention to the task at hand. Get it done now before she loses her nerve.

Slipping out the back-way of the little store, she made her way towards the battered and abandoned docks. Other than the sound of the ocean, there were no other noises. Not a soul in sight. She walked with her gaze straight ahead, staring at the blue expanse of ocean before her. She could do this. She had to do this. Get it over with and then gather her things and get the hell out of here. Dye her hair, change her name. Whatever she felt was necessary to ensure she was never discovered.

She paused right where the dock had broken away, leaving shredded wood and a few posts. Looked deep enough.

A few feet back, she spotted some fishing net. Tie that around the cooler to keep it from getting popped open. And there were enough large rocks to add into the net to help weigh it down. She set the cooler down and gathered the necessary things. She found the net easy to manage, wrapping it around the cooler easily enough, laying the large and somewhat sharp rocks along the bottom of the cooler, pulling the net up around them and securing it tightly at the top.

Breathe, Alicia, breathe...It will be a lot easier than you think.

Closing her eyes, she pushed against the cooler as hard as she could, watching it tip off the dock and into the water, the splash the only sound around her. The rocks pulled it down, the blue cooler fading out of her sight into the depths.

Someone screamed from behind her.

Another voice cried out the child's name.

She was only vaguely aware that someone had pushed her aside and jumped into the water, watching the person disappear quickly into the dark ocean just below her. More noises around her, a familiar voice screaming her name. Turning, she stared at the dark haired woman that limped towards her, moving with a quickness that Alicia didn't think was possible. The woman held something in her hands, pulling it back with both arms like a baseball bat. Her green eyes were narrowed, but the animosity could be seen a mile away.

Alicia flashed a small smile, waving limply. "Hi, Hailey..."

The brunette swung her arms with a snarl, revealing a piece of drift-wood.

Alicia's world faded into darkness.

The cold wouldn't go away, no matter how much Alec tried. He had been warm, comfortable, dreaming away when the cold had invaded. He had opened his eyes to solid dark, realizing that the cold he was feeling was water. Crying out, he clawed at the box that surrounded him, made it hard to move. The water was seeping in quickly and the child screamed again, hoping that someone would hear him.

A scraping noise caught his attention. Louder and louder until he realized that the water was pouring in quicker than ever. Squeezing his eyes shut, he took a massive breath, locking it within his chest. The thing that held him was being opened up and he was being pulled out of it. He had no idea how he ended up underwater, but whatever it was that held his arm was now pulling him upwards.

Breaking the surface, he gasped, a loud sob finally coming from him. Crying hysterically, he felt himself get pulled along, eventually being carried. It was cold outside. Clinging to the person that held him, he shivered violently, his teeth chattering.

"Alec," a familiar voice whispered. Calloused hands smoothing his hair from his face. Another sob erupted from the boy as he wrapped his arms around his dad's shoulders, holding on as tight as he could. Another voice, also familiar, half screamed his name, softer and smaller hands touching at his face, his mum's sobs now blending with his own.

Hailey threw herself against the two of them, unconcerned with their soaked clothing. She couldn't stop her tears, her hands reaching out and pressing to his cheek. She wasn't sure what she would have done if Murdoc hadn't gotten to him on time, or if the boy had already been dead before being dumped. It had been like watching a horror movie as they pulled in along the side of the old abandoned store, watching in horror as Alicia tipped the rock-laden cooler into the ocean. Her stomach had twisted at the sight, knowing full well who was within the cooler. She had cried out, tumbling out of the rental Lexus before Murdoc had even come to a complete stop.

Alec let out a yelp when her hands pressed against his ribs, now turning his head to look at her. Hailey drew back, staring at the bruised and battered face. Murdoc slowly pulled the boy's soiled pajama shirt up, revealing numerous other bruises. "Who did this?" Murdoc asked in a low voice, staring at the marks with wide eyes.

Alec pointed at the blond woman, who lay in a heap on the ground a short distance from them. "She said you were a bad man...Said you did bad thins'...Said I was gonna be just like you..." Still shivering, he curled against his dad's shoulder, feeling the man's arms tighten around him, hand rubbing against his back gently. He didn't think he would ever feel this again. It felt good. It felt good having his mum wrapped around the two of them, still whimpering. Alec didn't realize you could cry from happiness. But he had been so happy to see them and hear them both that the tears came right away. Even his mum's face was raw and wet from tears, in spite of her broad smile. Even his dad seemed to be struggling to control his own emotions, pressing his head into Alec's, hands smoothing back his hair and rubbing against his shoulders and back.

Hailey turned to where Alicia lay. The woman was moving, groaning as she tried to push herself up. With a hiss, Hailey stormed over towards the woman. In all the years she had known Alicia, she would never have thought she was capable of going this far. No time for reasoning, though. No time to sit there and stew over the why's and how's. Blind rage as she limped her way over. Tunnel vision.

Alicia peered up through a tangled veil of hair, seeing Hailey come at her, her face twisted in fury. With a grunt, Hailey drew back her foot and sent it smashing into Alicia's face.

Pain and stars erupted in Alicia's vision before the blackness took over again.