He was about ten feet away from us at this point. It was too close for William, who quickly stood up. He dragged me up as well, placing me behind him to shield me.
His body was completely rigid, every muscle taught. He looked like a crouching lion waiting for the right moment to spring.
Dusty stopped where he was, jerking the gun at William. “Whoa there big fella’. You don’t want no trouble, now.”
“What do you want Dusty?” William said in a low, deep growl.
“Well now. I was jus’ gettin’ to it. I was thinkin’, since I’m headin’ to the pen ‘n all, I might just get what’s owed to me. Sum’in sweet as honey.” His eyes sparkled with a creepy light, as if I was a raunchy whore playing hard to get.
“Ain’t gonna happen Dusty,” William seethed.
“Well, now this gun here says it is.” Dusty started to circle, trying to get a peek at me behind William’s large frame.
William circled with him, keeping between the two of us.
“How’d you find us?”
“Weren’t hard. I followed you a-ways. You done took forever in that rich man’s dance club. I knew you’d try to get her alone, though. I saw you puttin’ all them blankets ‘n crap in the trunk. Patience is a virtue, friend. Now, cut the crap and give her here. All I’m gonna do is have a lil’ fun with her, take what’s mine, and I’ll give her back. No harm, like. I’ll even be gentle.”
My hands were shaking as I gripped William’s shirt. This wasn’t happening to me. It wasn’t happening. Not again.
I focused on what Dr. George taught me about relaxation and focusing my thoughts away from the shadow places. Trouble was, I was also supposed to focus on the here and now, and that wouldn’t work.
I switched to Lump’s advice. I cleared my mind and prepared for the worst. What attacks might I use? What might I do? Focus on breathing. Focus on the goal. Accept what comes but look for an out. Strike when you can.
“No f**kin’ way, man. No f**kin’ way. You gotta go through me. That’s the only way this thing’s gonna play.” William used a voice I’d never heard before. It was primal and animalistic. If I was Dusty, I would be thinking twice about this.
Dusty pretended like he was thinking it over. “Well, that’d be a longer sentence for sure. Especially with your daddy’s lawyers. Might just be worth it, though. Only, I won’t be so easy with her that way.”
Dusty shot one bullet in the air. I screamed and stumbled backward. William clutched me tighter, allowing Dusty no vantage point hit me.
“Oooooo weee. She is all dressed up n’ everythin’!” he hollered. “Now, I did see her earlier, but it was from a distance. She is lookin’ good!”
Rough hands grabbed me from behind, ripping me away from William and throwing me into the dirt. I screamed as William whipped around, a fist already on route to his face. William staggered slightly but not off balance. He kicked a foot out, connecting with the guy’s knee.
I was grabbed again as a sickening crack wrenched the air, the guy’s knee bent sideways. A cold gun pressed against my head as the other guy screamed, a kick to his head silencing him. William whirled, a silverback gorilla ready for the oncoming attack for his woman, as I was dragged across the clearing by Dusty,
I flailed, trying to find purchase in heels, but he was too strong. He had a gun to my head and I had no foothold, now unfortunately protecting Dusty from William with my body. The cold steel pushed harder against my head. William and I both froze at the same time.
“You didn’t figure me smart enough to bring a friend, huh? I figured there were enough pu**y to go around. This slut loves to spread her legs.” Dusty tightened his grip on my throat and reached his hand down to massage the gun against my breast. The panic welled up inside me. I started to cry silently.
William’s face was pure rage. Primal fury that went beyond thought or reason. Behind that, though, was a crippling vulnerability. The utter helplessness of me in danger, and him not knowing how to save me. He was resolute—he would die to protect me, he just didn’t know how.
Dusty laughed in a foul wheeze. “Does our hero wanna watch? Does he want to watch as I stick my prick into her over and over and over again?” He gyrated as he said it, his hard, disgusting c**k rubbing against me.
Dusty stopped, thinking. He put the gun back to my temple. “Now, how’m I gonna get my honey potter wit’ you always in my way?” Dusty asked William, starting to think logically. “I need more time then you’ll give me, partner.” He rubbed the gun against his head in a thinking motion. “I guess I just gotta shoot ya after all.” He laughed again and struck out the gun.
All regard for himself gone, William tensed to make a final grab at me before a bullet hit him. The scene slowed down. Or, more realistically, my thoughts sped up as more adrenaline pumped into my brain.
I would be the reason my Golden God died. That perfect beauty would be snuffed because of me. Then I would just get raped anyway. Probably killed because why not? He had already killed one, why not two? Why leave an alibi? There was no way out for me.
But there was a way I could save William.
“STOP!” I screamed. “I’ll do it! I’ll give you what you want. Just don’t hurt him.”
Why did they never paint the women in the stories as the heroes, when we had to make decisions like this? Charging a bullet never seemed easier.
It was this moment that I realized the great cosmos really did have it in for me. Nice joke f**kers! But guess what? I’m not playing this game. Not this time. I will not get shit on this time.
With that thought my calm bubble emerged. Dr. George had said this bubble was my crisis center. It directed me when the normal functioning center of my brain was locked in panic. He explained it more technically, but it was here, in this moment, for survival.
“William, just get in the car and drive away. Come back for me in an hour. I assume an hour will be long enough?” I said snidely to Dusty.
“More’n enough time to get both holes.”
A shiver crawled up my spine. As soon as William left I would do everything in my power to kill this bastard, probably getting shot in the process. If I failed, then he could rape me after my light shut off, but I would go down fighting. Fuck him. I would not be a victim if I could help it. I also didn’t know if I had the courage to pick up my life if I lived. I didn’t know if I was that strong.
William looked at me with desperation. I could see every fiber of his being aching to help me. His look said he was bleeding on the inside from the thought of that animal touching me.
“Just go, William. It’ll be better that way. You don’t need to see it. Just go, my Apollo.” A tear leaked out of my eye as I looked on him for the last time. His perfect body. His poise and manly elegance. His radiant blue eyes, clouded now in misery.
He shook his head as a matching tear leaked from his eye. “No Jessica. I won’t leave you.”
“William there is no other way. Just go.” Resignation in my voice. Drinking in the sight of him.
William’s eyes dawned understanding at my suicide mission. Something broke in him. Something deep and hidden from the world. Something he didn’t know was there. I could see it happening. It was what broke in me the first time Dusty did this to me. It was what made this decision so practical this time around. Insanity was a strange weapon. A strange, uncontrollable weapon.
“Will,” Dusty said in boredom. “It’s gonna happen. Whether you want it ‘er not. Whether yer dead or not. I’m gonna get my dick inside this honey potter.”
I straightened up at that. William coiled again. He was looking at Dusty with a rage more ferocious than I have ever seen in any eye in the whole of my life. He took a step towards us. He looked down at me, emotion gone. I could see cold calculating in his eyes. It looked like he found his own personal bubble.
“Dusty, it ain’t gonna go down like this.” His voice was Texan ice. He took another step toward us.
Dusty took a step back and dragged me by the throat. The gun was firmly on my head, digging into my skin. I didn’t utter a sound. I didn’t want to distract William, who had now turned into Zeus.
“You wanna die, man?” Dusty yelled, fear in his voice.
“Yes. I will die. And if I am not mistaken, Jessica there will try to kill you, and probably kill herself in the process. So it looks like we are all ready to die tonight.”
“No one’s gotta die, man.”
“Someone will die, all right. Either you. Or me. You better aim true, Dusty, because if it ain’t a kill shot I will break your neck with my bare hands before you can squeeze off another round.” He prowled forward.
“Then I’ll aim for your girlfriend here.”
“You kill her and I will rip your face off your head. After I torture you. No one will come up here to find me until I want them to. And no one will be looking for you. I have the most powerful lawyers in the state. You kill her; I will get off scott-free.”
Dusty pressed the gun harder into my head, but I would not cry out. We were nearing the cliff, William still prowling forward, ready to spring. Dusty stepping back. I could tell Dusty was starting to tense for something. At first I thought it was to off me, because of the gun digging into my head. But then it loosened up, Dusty’s muscles starting to coil.
I uttered a small cry to get William’s attention. I stared at him hard, willing him to understand that this was about to go down, and he was the target. William gave me the briefest of glances, a whip flick of his eyes, then took another step forward. I had to do something to distract Dusty for a brief second to give William a fighting chance. Anything to put him out of harm’s way.
Just as Dusty was starting to make the move, the gun whipping around, I jerked my whole body backward and cried out. William sprang into motion as Dusty hesitated an instant before he flung the gun toward William, releasing ammo as he did so.
Too late. William was already in flight. One hand ripped me from my captor and tossed me away, the other grabbed Dusty’s gun hand, then his large body crashed on top of the smaller man. They fell dangerously close to the cliff, wrestling and bucking to get the gun.
William pinned Dusty’s gun hand to the ground and raised his body enough to smash his large fist into Dusty’s face. Dusty struggled to get out from under William and the two slid closer to the cliff. Before I could do anything to help I heard scuffling behind me.
The man William downed was moving toward the brush. His leg was at an awkward angle from his knee, his body probably in shock. Being that he had no discernible weapon, he wasn’t a problem. I turned my focus back to the scuffle.
I searched the ground for a weapon, settled on a big rock, and ran to help William. That short look away meant I missed some powerful blows to Dusty’s head, and the two men pivoted on the ledge. All it would take would be one shift for them both to go over.
“William, careful!” I cried.
Dusty was barely struggling with all William’s power landing punch after punch. He kept his hold on the gun, though, so William would not relent. As I ran to them I stepped on something that crunched beneath my foot. I looked down to see if it was something I could use. It was William’s now broken cell phone.
Fuck!
If I had only known it was there in the first place!
I sprinted to William, rock poised in the air, watching in horror as his large fist connected with Dusty’s face, over and over. His rage would not ebb.
I scooped the gun out of Dusty’s now limp hand. It was heavy, the grip rough on my palm. I pointed it at the ground, knowing Dusty was done. His face looked like a piece of uncooked steak.
Now the problem was the dangerously close cliff and the out-of-control William.
“William!” I screamed. “William stop!”
With the free hand I tried to pull him off, or slow him down. Tried to get him to stop before he was the one causing man-slaughter. I was sure Dusty didn’t have much longer.
That was when I heard it. A car. It skidded to a stop, rocks flying.
Fear shot threw me. No one knew we were here but Dusty and his friend, and Dusty had planned to share me. Gang rape?
I clutched the gun tightly, holding it up with both hands like I’d seen on TV, backing up in front of William. The headlights glared, blinding me, so all I could see were big shadows running around the car. One thing was for sure; they were men’s shadows!
“Stay back! I have a gun! I’ll shoot you where you stand!” I sounded so damn calm.
“JESSICA!” A man screamed. “Jessica, it’s me. It’s Adam. Jessica, lower the gun!”
Two shadows came toward me with hands in the air. The voice didn’t sound like Adam.
I squinted through the lights, conscious that there were only seconds left before William caved in Dusty’s head or went over the cliff. But Adam hadn’t known we were here, and if he had, he wouldn’t have shown up when his buddy planned on getting me naked. Stories weren’t connecting, and I would not be raped this night!
“How do I know? Prove it!”
“Jessie—it’s me…You won the dance off, Jessie. Willie pissed you off that night. He took you here to tell you he liked you. Lower the gun! It’s Adam.”
Blinking tears out of my eyes, I did. I lowered the gun, ready to raise it again if I had to.
The two large men burst into action. I very nearly did raise the gun again, my hand putting pressure on the trigger, when I saw a clear picture of Adam’s cowboy boots. There was no one else in the world that had boots that looked as worn in, ugly, but comfortable as those particular cowboy boots. I commented on them enough times to know.