Chapter 3
"Wrap her up." Edward finally said after a long deadly silence, agreeing to accept the merchandise.
The man in the suit gave him a wicked smile, then the pair shook hands briefly. The suited one was used to the icy fingers of his most esteemed client.
The two employees of the one in charge took over their duties now, preparing the package for shipment.
Edward's eyes gave a glance at the girl's face again before they encircled her, starting to loosen the tight ropes around her bare ankles.
"Drink, Sir?" the suited one offered, going over to the girl's dining room table in the next room.
"Why not?" Edward smirked, laughing at a private joke in his head.
'I would love a drink', he said truthfully, but in his mind, it wasn't brandy he desired, but the suited one's blood. But he couldn't do that right now. He had to wait a while longer. Damn.
The salesman in the gray suit took out two small crystal glasses, looking over the bottles of alcohol in the family's liquor cabinet. He finally found something he liked, and began to pour a small amount of crimson liquid into the little glass goblets.
Feet away, Edward could hear the sounds of the other two with the girl.
"Hold still before I cut your throat!" the one in his 20's shouted all of a sudden, making the man in the suit give a little jump. It was obvious that one was a loose canon, too hyper and violent for the suited man's taste.
"Cheers," the one in the suit gave Edward his glass, then raised his own, taking a small sip of the drink.
"To your health." Edward made another private little joke, forcing himself to toss the glass back into his mouth, swallowing it down in one gulp. A heat came off the drink as it coated his throat, but blood was better, hotter.
"I do hope they aren't scuffing up my property." Edward smiled softly, listening to the shuffling in the other room, "I hate it when things don't look brand new."
"If you'll excuse me" the man in the suit received the message and went out to the other room to oversee things.
Placing his glass down on the wooden table, Edward turned in a casual twirl, looking at the wall beside him. There were lots of pictures there, mostly of little Samantha. Her parents were in a couple of the shots, smiling happily and proudly. Surprised to see so many photos of her in exotic and distant places, he leaned in, knowing them all by sight alone.
China, Japan, Hawaii to name a few, but there were lots more. This didn't look like the home of a super rich family. There was certainly no security system here or else they all wouldn't be freely coming in and out as they pleased. Puzzled, Edward walked away from the wall, going over to look out the window.
'GOD NO PLEASE!' her thoughts punctured his brain to his confusion. He had been trying to block her thoughts out for now.
"You'll have plenty of air.", the man who'd been smoking informed coldly to the struggling girl, "It won't be a long drive."
She sobbed loudly, terrified. Edward closed his eyes and made himself breathe.
'Just do what they say so I can get you out of here' he thought and he wished she could hear his mind. He wished he could kill them all now, he wanted to. But there were other girls. He had to be a bit more patient for just a short time longer. Then they would pay.
A few minutes later, the man in the suit came back in, smiling.
"All set." , he announced, taking a look back as the two men rolled a metal drum on its side, taking it to the client's car outside, "You left the trunk open again?"
"Yes it's open." Edward crossed his arms, exhaling, trying to look relieved in front of the salesman.
"Cash?" the suited one looked at Edward, ready to transact the monetary exchange.
"It's there.", Edward gave a nod to the table, a full brown envelope staring back at him, "I'll wait if you wish to count it."
"No need with you, Mr. Cullen.", the man replied, shaking Edward's hand again, adding, "I wish all my clients were like you. You are always a perfect customer."
"I'm touched." Edward gave a sly smirk to the man.
"Enjoy.", the suited man was ready to have Edward leave now.
"I shall." Edward said, putting on his black sunglasses and turned away, walking out the door and to his car.
"Thanks guys." Edward made himself smile at the two men who'd loaded his trunk.
"Thank you.", the man in his 20's smiled widely, about to be paid for his services. Too bad the one in the suit was planning to kill this one tonight for his sloppiness, Edward had so looked forward to finishing this one himself. Oh well, disappointment was life and Edward knew that so well.
Starting his car, he backed out gracefully in one curled swoop, changing gears and charging off fast down the little neighborhood road.
"MOM!", he could hear her screams from the trunk behind him, amplified by the echo within the metal container she was in. He swallowed, hating this part. He looked at his car clock, bright neon green numbers told him it would be another half hour until he reached home.
"Damn it." , the vampire growled to himself.
"I can't breathe!" her cries were maddening to the driver of the car, only moments in.
Edward almost rolled his eyes but stopped himself. If you can scream, you can breathe, he thought in a second, as a reflex, but he didn't want to mock the girl's pain and terror. It was quite real and he hated that he had to make her go through this part of it. But they would follow Edward's car, just to make sure he wasn't a cop.
"Daddy PLEASE!", she sobbed, her little hands trying to slam against the drum in some feeble hopes of escape.
I can't bear this, Edward realized to himself and quickly flipped the radio on, turning it up loudly.
"Take these broken wings…", the singer was male, "And learn to fly again, learn to fly so free."
Mister Mister. Yuk. Edward flipped the station, and between the songs, he could hear her again, speaking no words at the moment, but a guttural scream that came down from her esophagus. It almost chilled Edward more.
He turned, making his eyes focus on the road; not that he needed to even see it, but maybe it would take his mind off the girl. On the highway now, the car sped up to 102 miles an hour, only straight pavement ahead. Staring at the yellow lines on the tar road, he tried to will his mind to forget her.
"'Cause it's a thriller", the new song played a bit too loudly. Michael Jackson was the newest craze these days but honestly, his voice hurt Edward's ears.
"Thriller night, you're fighting for your life inside a thriller, thriller." Michael sang on.
Michael Jackson, Edward gave a scoff, telling the world about thrillers and monsters and the undead. Edward had seen the whole video, a few times. MTV played it obsessively. How much crazier was this world going to get, anyway? He kept waiting for people to become normal again, but sadly, they just kept getting worse.
Ten minutes into the drive, things seemed to quiet in the trunk. Edward turned down the radio, but didn't need to. He could hear her mind if he just allowed himself to dip inside those waters.
Whispering, she trembled all over, he could hear her saying, "O Jesus, while I adore Your dying breath, I beg You to receive mine. Since I do not know whether I shall have command of my senses when I depart from this world, I offer You even now my last agony and all the sorrows of my passing. I give my soul into Your hands for You are my Father and my Savior. Grant that the last beat of my heart may be an act of perfect love for You. Amen."
He had never heard this prayer before. Usually, a person who doesn't normally pray will go with Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, and so forth, but this one was different. He liked it, giving her last agony to God, praying for strength as Jesus had when he perished.
She recited the prayer again and again. Edward was about to turn the radio on but he stopped himself. It wasn't right to drown out a prayer, especially this brave one.
I wish you could hear me, Edward squeezed his eyes shut, thinking maybe if he concentrated hard enough, he could force his thoughts into her mind.
I will not hurt you. I will not kill you. I will not rape you. He kept sending messages to her but the praying continued.
"Fuck." Edward heard himself bite down in his teeth, and he gave up trying. Ten more minutes until they'd get home.
Listening a few miles away, he realized the three men had given up their pursuit of his car.
"Finally." Edward felt a surge of relief, turning down a dirt road, off the highway.
See next chapter
Love
Winndsinger