Chapter Nineteen-A Cabin in the Woods

It was their beach in Tahiti, small and deserted. White sand leading to crystal blue water with a far distant island rising from the sea as a backdrop. Behind them the jungle closed in thick with moisture and the noise of small creatures, but not threatening. In fact Piper felt nothing could scare her here. The sun was setting over the collection of rocks shielding her and Alex from view. Which was good since they were both very naked and too sated to dress or move.

Their lovemaking had been gentle, but intense. Piper had dreamed of this day for so long, when she was finally free and safe in Alex's strong arms. Years of waiting for the soft caress of her lover's fingers brushing the length of her arm, down her body and through her wetness. She could still feel that perfect moment when Alex pushed into her, filling her to completion after so long.

"I love you Alex." Piper breathed the words into her lover's ear.

When no response was returned, Piper turned her head to look up from her embrace at Alex, thinking she must be asleep. But a shadow had fallen obscuring her face and Piper found only darkness. Suddenly the sun had set and the sky was black and without stars. Piper tried to get up, her nude body cold and vulnerable, but the arms holding her gripped tighter and thick meaty fingers dug painfully into her arms. A fat belly rolled on top of her, pinning her down and her stomach roiled at the sensation of an erection hardening on her thigh.

"She can't protect you now. She left you here to rot like the worthless creature you are."

Piper didn't want to open her eyes, didn't want to see the monster who had trapped her beneath his bulk. But then she heard that soft, sultry voice from a distance and she was forced to peer into the night, seeking the source. Alex was perched on the rocks wearing a short black dress and heels, her hair coiffed and her makeup perfect. She was beautiful.

"Alex! Help me!"

But her love just raised one defined eyebrow and pursed her lips in disappointment. "Piper, you aren't listening. Mr. Healy's right you know. I'm out here free, back in the game and better than ever. You think I'm going to wait forever for you? Don't get me wrong, you're a great fuck, but life ain't no fairy tale princess."

Piper cried out again and again as Alex rose gracefully to her feet and strode into the jungle. Then her vision was filled with the face of the CO above her, twisted in hatred and resentment, and then it changed. It was Healy, then Caputo, then Mendez. The parade of anger continued and her tormentor became Fig, Taylor then Doggett. As the face morphed repeatedly Piper could feel the pain each craved to inflict on her.

Still she was trapped and could only cry out for Alex to come back, to save her, to hold on to their love.

"Chapman, wake up. Your lawyer is here to see you."

"Chapman."

Piper opened her eyes to find Bell staring down at her. She was on her bunk in her cube, not enduring torture in the most beautiful place on Earth she had ever been. Even more surprising the CO had a somewhat concerned look on her face.

"I'm awake. Thanks." Piper could feel the sweat coating her body and a tremor shook her from head to toe as her dream came back to her. She was still at Litchfield and Alex was still gone. But something was happening with this lawyer. She had gone back to the dorm to wait for her meeting with him and fallen asleep.

If her dream was any indication of how her nights would be without Alex she might never sleep again. She shuddered but found the strength to speak to Bell. "Let's go."

Mr. Bartone had been given his instructions and Alex had to trust the attorney to follow through. She had carefully explained the newly established hierarchy in the cartel and he seemed to accept the changes, with assurances that his compensation would also increase significantly.

It was time to move. They had preparations to make and the warehouse needed to be cleaned out. First Fahri needed to be secured for transport. Alex had Antonio secure the ties on his hands and feet, but Alex wanted to place the final item with her own hands.

Fahri had been regaining consciousness overnight and through the morning hours and now was starting to talk. While she wasn't worried about anything he might say to her, she didn't want him to influence her new arrangement with Antonio or get help from anyone else. So she approached him with a nice thick strip of cloth.

"One more thing before we go Fahri." Alex held up the gag and waved it in front of him. "Any final words?"

"You will pay dearly for this. The higher ups will never accept you in my place and they will have your head in retribution. I will enjoy watching you suffer Alex." Fahri had his finest sneer in place.

Alex yawned. "Predictable and lacking insight to the end. You sound like a bad mobster movie Fahri. It's a brave new world. The cartel only cares about profits and you've been keeping money from them. They will say good riddance."

"You do this all for a woman? Her pussy can't possibly be worth your life. She's going to get you killed." Fahri was thrashing his head back and forth to avoid Alex's action.

"Not that you'll understand, but I'll give you an honest answer. I made Piper a promise and I intend to keep it. If it costs me my life, well, that's the price of true love." She slipped the cloth between his lips and tied the gag securely.

Antonio was standing by the door waiting patiently. "Everything is ready and the van is packed."

"Good. It's time to move on."

Piper found Mr. Bartone already waiting in the small private room set aside for attorney visits. She greeted the older man and took a seat across the small table from him and was surprised when he stood up and moved his chair to sit next to her.

"Ms. Chapman. How's your face?" The lawyer pointed to the now purple-green swelling that enveloped Piper's cheek.

"Better." Piper felt her eyebrows come together as she scrunched her face in confusion. "I don't understand what has happened. What's going on Mr. Bartone?"

The lawyer moved a notebook and some papers to the edge of the table and took something out of his jacket pocket. "I'm here to go over some options regarding your case of course."

His hands however moved beneath the table until he touched Piper on the knee. She started to jump up until she saw Mr. Bartone was holding a notecard with large print stating 'Recording and video! Read the cards and answer my verbal questions only. Nod if you understand.'

Piper took a deep breath and nodded. Mr. Bartone flipped a notecard and continued. "I understand Ms. Vause has escaped. Do you know where she is?"

Piper answered honestly. "No. I have no idea."

The next notecard said 'Tell DA Watkins everything you know about Fahri and the cartel.'

"You know Alex is gone. You have to tell what you know to help yourself." Mr. Bartone sounded so sincere. Piper guessed he probably was a really good lawyer with his ability to lie so easily.

"I will do anything I can to help my case." Piper answered quietly.

Now the notecard had the address of a cabin near Niagara Falls and Piper felt a smile start to form on her face until she remembered the warning about a possible hidden camera and pursed her lips together.

She recognized the place. It was an old rustic log cabin tucked in the woods that Alex had insisted on taking her one Valentine's Day. Piper had grumbled all the way about the slow traffic on slick roads. She remembered whining why they weren't at some swanky restaurant in the city where they could drink champagne and then have hot sex in Alex's huge bed. Piper had questioned what Alex knew about the woods and how they would probably starve, but Alex had just thrown back her head and laughed and told her she would enjoy herself.

And so she had. It turned out Fahri owned the place and used it for occasional business meetings and more frequently to seduce young women, but had loaned it to Alex for the weekend. It was fully stocked with gourmet foods and plenty of champagne and they had dined in style and made love by a roaring fire while the snow gathered outside. It had been amazing.

"Well, I think based on the circumstances you should certainly forego any loyalty to Ms. Vause and disclose everything you can possibly remember about her associates." The lawyer continued to talk while Piper focused on the next card which contained several names, dates and the number of a bank account. It took her several minutes to memorize the information to her satisfaction before she looked back at Mr. Bartone. "I understand everything."

For the first time the dapper man gave her a small smile. "I think the district attorney will be receptive to the information you have. I will set up a meeting immediately. In case we have to go to trial, let me share some tactics with you."

This time Mr. Bartone veritably droned on, but Piper wasn't hearing anything but the pounding of her blood through her veins. The final card held only five words and an initial. 'Never forget I love you-A'. Alex was out there. Alex had a plan. Alex loved her. Tears came to her eyes, but she held them in and regained her composure. There would be time to process the hurricane of emotions she was feeling later.

"That all sounds great Mr. Bartone, but I really hope I can avoid a trial at this point. I'd like to talk to Mr. Watkins as soon as possible." Piper tried to make it clear she was completely on board with the plan.

"Yes, that would be for the best." The lawyer slipped the small stack of notecards back into his jacket and then shuffled all the papers on the table back into his bag before standing. "I'll be back for the meeting as soon as it is arranged."

The attorney had barely reached the door when it was opened from the hall revealing District Attorney Watkins with Assistant Warden Figueroa hovering behind. "I'm available to meet right now Mr. Bartone, Ms. Chapman. In fact we have a room down the hall prepared to take your sworn statement."

Figueroa slid into the small interview room as Watkins spoke. "Move it Chapman."

Alex couldn't believe how lucky she had been so far. Still, it would be a miracle if she was able to pull off the remaining steps without being caught. Even if that happened she was pretty sure that Piper would be okay, and that was what mattered most.

The freeway was quiet. Glancing at her GPS she found there was only one tollbooth remaining before her exit. She had been wearing a disguise as she drove up to this point, but now she stripped off the wig and cap and leaned forward and looked up at to where she knew the camera would be filming the vehicles as they passed by. If the Feds were actually doing their job, they would now know where she was, although the nondescript white van with stolen plates wouldn't help much.

The clock was really ticking now. She needed to deliver Fahri and her other passenger to the cabin and set the scene. Only when everything was done would she try to escape. She really didn't want to spend the rest of her life in max security prison and that was likely after her actions of the last 48 hours.

The roads were dry and passable even in the deep woods. The van bumped along, but she didn't have to worry about getting stuck. Fahri probably was enjoying the ride less from his bound prone position in the back. The other occupant of the van? Well, Alex felt bad about him, but not overwhelmingly so. It was her first murder. She hadn't actually pulled the trigger, Antonio had done that, and it had been self-defense, but the man was still dead because of her actions. She sighed thinking he probably wouldn't be the last.

The two guards watching the warehouse rotated on a schedule. The off going guards had left and the oncoming had come up to the office for directions from Fahri. Being bound and unconscious had made that unlikely, so Alex had stepped in to offer new instructions for the guards. One had attacked her immediately, pulling a gun, but Antonio had been ready and now his body was bouncing around in the back of the van.

The second guard had decided to accept a new offer of employment and was currently traveling in a separate vehicle with Antonio. The promise of more money seemed to work for lawyers and thugs alike.

The cabin came into sight. Alex had called and received no answer, but she had still been afraid someone would be there. Driving up she could tell the place had not been occupied in some time. More evidence that Fahri hadn't had time to entertain any young women here in a while. Empty was good, she didn't even want to contemplate the presence of innocent bystanders.

Antonio was here now, driving up behind her. He had dropped off the guard to take care of some escape issues. Time to set the final pieces on the chess board.

"I am appalled that you would violate the attorney-client privilege so blatantly Mr. Watkins. My client and I are offering to cooperate and you record our conversation with some hidden camera in the room? That is an offense that could get you disbarred." Mr. Bartone was louder than Piper had ever heard him trying to relay his sense of indignation.

"No camera and no recording Mr. Bartone, but I will admit to listening in on your conversation with Ms. Chapman without apology." The district attorney retained his confident demeanor.

"We needed to know if inmate Chapman knew where Alex Vause has escaped to. We will pursue any lead that gets us that information." Figueroa barked out until Mr. Watkins held up his hand to make it clear her participation was not desired.

Mr. Bartone ignored the assistant warden and directed his comments to the DA. "So I can assume that you are satisfied that Ms. Chapman has in fact been nothing but honest and upfront with you in answering your questions?"

When the DA nodded, Piper's lawyer went in for the kill. "Then I expect you to listen, believe and act on the information she is about to give you. It will allow you to bring several members of an international drug cartel to justice, including Ms. Vause, and no doubt further your career. In exchange I expect the charges against Ms. Chapman regarding the assault on Tiffany Doggett to be dropped and for Piper to suffer no negative consequences from Ms. Vause's unfortunate escape."

Figueroa was on her feet in an instant. "That is ridiculous! Inmate Chapman belongs in maximum security for a very long time. She can't just walk away from all of this!"

District Attorney Watkins turned slowly to the assistant warden. "Ms. Figueroa, could you wait outside for a moment please?"

Figueroa's face was filled with fury, but she spun on her very high heels and flew out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

After she was gone Watkins sat down at the table. "Now Mr. Bartone. While I appreciate your position, I cannot make promises that generous when I don't even know the value of the information Ms. Chapman claims to possess. If what you say is true, it is within my power to offer your client a reduced sentence in exchange for a guilty plea on Ms. Doggett's case. I cannot control internal prison matters regarding Ms. Chapman's placement."

"How reduced?" Mr. Bartone knew the negotiations were just getting started.

DA Watkins smiled. For the capture of high level cartel members? Very reduced. But she must plead guilty."

"Ms. Chapman will not testify against Ms. Vause or any other cartel member. Her life would be under constant threat. She stays out of maximum security. No more than two years added to her sentence in exchange for a guilty plea on the Doggett matter. And I want it all on the videotape record before she gives her statement. That's our final offer Mr. Watkins."

Mr. Bartone looked to Piper for agreement. They hadn't even had a chance to talk about the details of any deal, but Piper understood this was the best she could get. With her current sentence that would mean she had three more years at Litchfield. She could survive. Every day would be agony without Alex, but it was a far cry from wasting away for the rest of her life in max. She nodded at both men.

Mr. Watkins smiled. "I think that can be arranged. Now let's hear what Ms. Chapman has to say. I'll start the video recording."

"Please Ms. Vause. Let me stay and wait. You need to be away from here when the authorities arrive." Antonio had been making this plea repeatedly while they set up at the cabin. "I can get away through the woods much faster."

Alex was impressed at the young man's loyalty but this was something she needed to do herself. "I agree you are faster Antonio. But speed is not the only issue. Trust me when I say this is something that I have to do myself. Besides, I need you ready to drive."

Antonio sighed but nodded his assent. "I will move the car and wait for you. How long do you think it will be?"

Alex wished she knew. If Piper had relayed the information to Watkins then the Feds should already be in route. Her face on the tollway camera would provide the impetus for the cops to get here quickly. "Hopefully not more than two hours. Wait as long as you can but if you are in danger of being arrested then leave."

"I will wait." Antonio smiled. "I think life around you will always be interesting Ms. Vause and I look forward to a profitable future. Good luck."

Alex watched the car disappear down the dirt road before she headed back into the cabin. Everything was set which left her with nothing to do but anxiously wait. She grabbed a pair of binoculars off of the table and looked out the window before checking the bindings holding Fahri to a chair one more time. He grunted at her as if he wanted to say something.

Why not, she had time. Alex loosened the gag around his mouth enough for him to talk. "Did you want to say something?"

"This is crazy Alex. Don't do this. I could make you rich, give you the best assignments. I promise I'll forget that any of this happened."

Alex noticed his voice was quivering. He was really scared. "You'll be fine Fahri. Prison is not so bad. And you'll be safer there than if the cartel gets a hold of you after I tell them you were selling girls and keeping all the profit."

Apparently he was going to try every possible approach. "Where do you think you're going to go Alex? The Feds will hunt you down all over the world! You won't be safe anywhere; not even the cartel will be able to protect you. We could get out of here together and I could help you. You know I have money, more than you found."

Alex wasn't really listening anymore. She knew everything Fahri would say, every trick he would try. In fact she was counting on it. She held up the binoculars and looked out through the front window where a gap in the trees showed the access road far below.

She set the binoculars back on the table. "It's cold in here. I think I saw a space heater in the back."

When several armored cars pulled up to the cabin minutes later the first officers found smoke billowing out of the front door. Two voices, a male and female were heard screaming from inside. They had to approach cautiously, concerned for a trap, but once on the porch could see a man tied to a chair just inside the door.

By the time the Feds had pulled Fahri, still bound, behind one of the vehicles, the cabin was engulfed in flames. Still the voice of a woman cried out until an explosion rocked everyone present, and the voice was no more.