Something_Violent Read online

  “I was not talking to you because…”

  “Save it, Ronnie. You hid your wedding ring. Oh, can I call you Ronnie?”

  “I’d rather you explain to me…”

  Jody kept talking as if Ron hadn’t tried to interject. “But I wasn’t lying about Seth. I’m pretty sure he wants to leave. And I figured it would take a special kind of person to help us. I’ve read about you in magazines, found testimonies from other…clients, or whatever you call them. They all talk about how good you are at helping couples on the brink of splitting up find that spark again. And we definitely need that. Our pilot light burnt out. All we have left are the stinky fumes.”

  “Then make an appointment, like everybody else…I will gladly listen…”

  “Oh, shut up. That’s just not possible. It has to be done another way. This way.”

  Ron felt numb. His lips seemed to stiffen when he wanted them to move. Words were lodged in his throat that struggled to get out.

  Jody lifted her skirt, pulling it up her thighs. Ron glimpsed white panties as she opened her legs. Her arm reached down her middle. At first, it looked as if she might start fondling herself. But Ron quickly realized she was actually grabbing something hidden between her feet.

  She raised it to him. “Time to take ride, Ronnie.”

  Ron felt coldness on his neck. He heard a crackling zap, then felt a sting like a million needles pounding his skin. His muscles went rigid.

  Then he felt nothing at all.

  * * *

  Landing on something hard shocked Ron awake. Opening his eyes, he saw a wedge of night sky around the vague shape of Jody’s upper body, arms reaching up. Solid darkness wiggled as she grabbed on. The lid to a trunk, his probably.

  About to pull down, she noticed he was watching. “Damn. Awake already? Oh, well. Take care of that, won’t we?”

  She leaned down. Ron glimpsed blue snapping sparks before the handheld taser pushed against his stomach. He felt the sharp zap through his shirt.

  Darkness returned.

  * * *

  Ron opened his eyes to the muffled thump of a car door. Faintly, he heard footfalls beyond the heavy darkness smothering him. There was a beep, followed by the click of the trunk latch unlocking.

  Now would be a good time to run. Wait for Jody to open the lid, then spring out, thrashing his head upward. He saw himself whamming her belly with the top of his head. It brought a smile to his face.

  He tried moving his arm. It was useless and limp.

  The trunk opened all the way, slowly revealing the creamy white of Jody’s dress.

  Jody peered in. “Shit. Awake again? Maybe I should’ve used tranquilizers.”

  Ron heard the zap before he felt it touch his side.

  Once again, darkness consumed him.

  2

  Ron

  When Ron opened his eyes this time, he saw a low ceiling of beams. Wiring ran like skinny snakes burrowing through the shadows between the boards.

  Blood rushing to his head made him woozy. He strained to pull his head to an upright position.

  And saw Jody standing before him, smiling.

  She still wore the white dress, the firm dots of her nipples poking the front.

  She wasn’t alone.

  A man stood next to her, arms folded over his chest, frowning. He looked around Jody’s age, and handsome, lean and muscular behind the clinging white T-shirt and frayed jeans. His hair was short, neatly styled with gel.

  Seth, Ron presumed.

  A single bulb in the ceiling threw down a dim pool of light that pushed the shadows toward the cinderblock walls. A basement.

  “He’s awake,” said the man. He snorted, then turned to leave, but Jody grabbed his arm.

  “Where are you going?” she asked.

  “I don’t want any part of this,” he said. “This is your doing. You brought him here. He’s seen us now. He…”

  “Seth,” Jody said.

  Jody’s husband.

  Seth halted, turned his head. “What?”

  “Don’t go.”

  “Why shouldn’t I?”

  “Because I love you.”

  “Oh, really?”

  Jody smirked. “No. I just stuffed this asshole in my trunk and dragged him down here to show you how much I fucking hate you.”

  Groaning, Seth shook his head. “That’s the shit I keep talking about. Your tone. Always with the snarky tone. Enough is enough. Only so much of that I can hear every day!”

  Jody screwed her eyes shut, pressing her lips together. Ron counted four deep breaths before she opened them again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

  “Do you ever?”

  He started to leave again, and again Jody stopped him.

  “Seth, please.”

  Seth stared at Jody. His eyes softened, but only a little.

  “If you really love me,” she said, “you’ll give this a try.”

  “That’s not fair…” Seth said, looking down. “You know I still love you.”

  “Then do this for me. Okay? He’s supposed to be really good.”

  “I don’t see how talking about our problems to a stranger will help anything.”

  “Because he doesn’t know us. That way, he can’t take sides.”

  Seth coughed a laugh. “Sure.”

  Ron realized he was paying attention to their spat instead of trying to escape. Since they were distracted by their senseless arguing, now would be a good time to make a run for it. He might even get a decent head start before they’d even noticed he was escaping.

  He started to get up.

  A constricted tightness around his body kept him on the chair. He looked down at his body.

  Damn.

  Rope wrapped him from waist to shoulders. His hands hung out the front, the itchy rope rubbing his wrists. He flexed his fingers. Why would they leave his hands out like this?

  He looked up to find the couple staring at him. Seth’s arms were back to being folded over his chest, the frown back on his face.

  “Probably wondering about your hands,” said Jody.

  “Uh…”

  Seth sighed. “I don’t see how it’s going to work.”

  “Easy,” she said. “He can support the pad on his legs, hold it with the other hand and write with the other.”

  “He’s not going to be able to read it.”

  “Sure he can,” she said.

  Jody walked away from Seth, her sandals softly crunching on the dusty concrete. She walked past Ron, slipping into the shadows. He could hear her moving around. Something like a plastic bag rattled. Something clicked.

  A pen?

  He heard the squishy sounds of her footsteps behind him. When she reappeared, she was holding a yellow legal pad in one hand and an ink pen in the other.

  “Don’t you shrinks always take notes about the shit people tell you?” she asked.

  Jody walked over to Ron, bending over in front of him. Her dress drooped so low he could see the slants of her breasts, and the tops of her nipples. He hoped Seth couldn’t see him looking.

  “Which hand do you write with?” she asked.

  “Wha…um…”

  “Come on, man,” Seth said, “it’s not that hard of a question.”

  Ron pulled his eyes away from the view of Jody’s large breasts and nearly became lost in the rich almond color of her eyes. “Left. I’m left-handed.”

  Jody slipped the legal pad between the thumb and index finger of his right hand. Then she handed him the pen. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?” She returned to her spot next to her husband.

  Ron stared at the pen and paper, confused and a little aggravated. “What the hell is this?” He was surprised by how small and quivery his voice sounded.

  Jody rolled her eyes. “I told you in the parking lot…”

  “You certainly did not!”

  Jody glanced at Seth, who shrugged. She faced Ron again, peering at him as if he were a complete idiot. “I told you it w
asn’t fair to talk to you about our issues without Seth being around. So, now he is.”

  “Are you sure this guy’s as good as you say?” asked Seth. “Seems like he’s kind of…stupid.”

  “I most certainly am not stupid!”

  Snickering, Jody turned to Seth. “Told you he talked funny.”

  Seth shook his head, clucked his tongue. “And he doesn’t look very old. He’s probably what? Fifty? Fifty-five?”

  “Almost forty!” Ron snapped.

  Laughing, Jody shook her head. “He’s testy about that age thing. I already had that talk with him.”

  Seth frowned, as if he’d discovered something on a used car that might dissuade him from purchasing it. “You sure he’s even experienced?”

  Jody put her hand on Seth’s shoulder. Her breasts jiggled slightly behind the dress, pushing a wave through the fabric. “He’s the one from the articles I showed you. He’s top-notch.”

  Seth shrugged again. “If you say so.”

  Jody’s smile beamed. “So you’ll do this with me?”

  Seth looked at her. Smiled. “Sure.”

  Jody leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “Thank you, sweetie. I just want us to fix it.”

  “Me too.”

  Jody turned to Ron, smiling. “I guess we’re ready. How do we do this? Should we lie down?”

  “I’d have to find some sleeping bags,” said Seth. “Or an inflatable mattress.”

  “That’s too much work,” said Jody.

  “Lie down?” asked Ron.

  Jody nodded. “In the movies, people are always lying on couches, or whatever.”

  My God…

  It clicked in his head.

  “You brought me here to listen to your problems?” asked Ron. “You want me to…counsel you?”

  Jody frowned. “Why else would I bring you here?”

  “I thought you were going to kill me.” He chuckled. It sounded even stranger than it felt. “Jesus…”

  “Whoa,” said Seth. “Who said we weren’t?”

  A cold hand gripped Ron’s insides. “But…”

  Jody turned to Seth, stepped close, and put her hands flat on his chest. “Calm down. Let me talk to him.”

  “Okay. He seems to only understand you, for whatever reason.”

  “Why don’t you grab us some chairs? Maybe we should ease into it?”

  Seth nodded. “Sure. Right back.”

  He turned his back to Ron, and vanished into the shadows behind Jody. Things clattered and banged as Seth dug around the darkness.

  Jody smiled. “I guess I should elaborate some, huh?”

  “It would be nice.”

  Leaning forward, Jody braced her hands on her knees. The dress sagged, breasts nearly falling out. Ron felt his eyes lock on their plump shapes, their smooth slopes, and realized she had done it on purpose.

  Jody giggled. “I knew when you came up to me in the parking lot you had other intentions in mind.” She slowly shook her hips, making her breasts sway. The dress slipped farther down. Any more and her breasts would be free. “Can’t stop staring at them, can you?”

  Ron wanted to disagree, but couldn’t find his voice.

  “It’s all right,” she said. “They all like tits. It’s a surefire way to lure them in.”

  Ron raised up his stare to those entrancing eyes. “Lure whom?”

  “The men. We kill women, too. If they don’t fall for my charm, Seth’s usually good at getting them to lower their defenses.”

  Kill!

  Ron’s heart lurched. “You…kill people?”

  “We both do. Together. They call us Sweethearts on TV.” She stood up straight, holding up a finger. “I’m sure you’ve heard of us. We usually wear masks, though.”

  Ron saw the gas station’s grainy security camera footage in his mind. A pair of ruthless killers, faces hidden under white masks, dragged a man out of his car and beat him to death with a hammer. Finished with him, they moved onto the girl. She’d been half-naked. Apparently, the couple had stopped off to screw in the parking lot.

  And had gotten killed for it.

  The female victim had been stabbed repeatedly before her throat was finally slashed.

  My God. This is them. Jody and Seth are the people in the masks.

  When he looked up, he saw Jody and screamed.

  She had on her mask—a white plastic face appliance with purple streaks painted on front. Lines narrowed down to form a false scowl, and curls had been painted at the mouth to give it a forever malicious smile. More purple markings adorned the cheeks and brow, as if to insinuate scars, maybe.

  “I know,” said Jody, voice muffled. “My hair’s usually purple. That’s a wig. Didn’t feel like digging it out of my bag.” Reaching up, Jody slipped her fingers under the mask’s chin and pulled it up. She let it rest on top of her head, as if another face had sprouted from the top of her skull. She flexed her mouth, wiggling her jaw. “This one’s still new. Not quite used to it yet.”

  “You killed those people at the gas station,” Ron said. It wasn’t a question.

  “Which ones?” Jody asked. “There’ve been plenty of gas stations, and houses, and motel rooms, and truck stops. Too many places to keep count of them all.”

  “Jesus…” Ron gagged. His stomach was doing flips.

  “Great,” said Jody, annoyed. “You’re going to puke?”

  Ron might have vomited all over himself had he eaten recently. His stomach continued to twist and crinkle, but there was nothing inside for it to eject. “You’re murderers…”

  Jody laughed. “Usually on the fly, too. We never plan it out. That keeps it original, and fun.” Her smile dwindled. Her eyes looked sad. “Or it used to keep it fun.” Shaking off the gloom, Jody looked at Ron. “What I did with you, the stalking and all that, that’s not something we regularly do. But I had to know for sure it was you. When I read you were coming to North Carolina, I planned it out. I stalked you a little, and worked in a little bit of my act…” She held out her hands. “And spoon-fed you my charm.”

  And I ate it up.

  “Don’t beat yourself up,” she said. “It’s hard to resist.” She held up her hand, putting her finger and thumb close together. “I had just a little bit of doubt whether you’d go for it.”

  “You chose me as your next…victim?” Ron tried to swallow. It felt as if a wool sock had been crammed in his throat.

  “That’s up to you. Treat us like your clients. We’re a married couple that’s gone through some hurdles in life and have fallen many times. We got the bruises to show for it, too. We took a big fall this year and now we can’t get up.”

  “How do you think I can help you?”

  “You’ve helped all those others. And that crazy Hollywood couple sing your praises every chance they get. I know we can’t be that bad off.”

  “But you kill people! For some kind of—”

  “Thrill?” She gave him a steely grin. “You’re damn right it’s a thrill…it used to be. Not so much anymore. Not much thrills us anymore.”

  They’d kill Ron. No doubt this couple was beyond saving. How could he even accurately perform his duties under these circumstances?

  Even if he somehow miraculously had them in love again, they wouldn’t let him leave. Seth had said it himself: He’d seen their faces. He knew their names. He knew the people under the masks that had been plastered all over the news.

  He knew their… He looked around. Hideout?

  Maybe. Most likely it was just the basement of their home.

  Somebody’s home. Might not even be theirs.

  But he already knew more about Jody and Seth Covington than any of their other victims and, before it was over, he’d know a lot more.

  No way they’ll let me live.

  Seth slapping down two camping chairs in front of Ron made him jerk inside the ropes. Unfolding the chairs, Seth arranged them side by side. He took the one to Ron’s right, and Jody sat in the left.

/>   I’m really about to do this?

  Participate in a spur-of-the-moment counseling session with psychopaths? Though he had no proof they’d actually killed anybody, he had no doubts, either.

  He believed Jody.

  And she has the mask.

  Could’ve been a fake. Maybe Jody was just obsessed with the masked killers.

  Nope.

  There was no way he could convince himself he wasn’t in the lair of the actual psychopaths.

  Seth ran a hand through his hair, which magically fell back into place. “What now, Doc?”

  Since he could tell Seth would be the hardest to deal with it, he decided to prolong that part of it. He turned to Jody.

  “We’ll start with Jody,” he said in a raspy voice.

  “Figures,” said Seth.

  Smiling, she looked from Seth to Ron. “Before we begin, I need to use the little girls’ room.”

  “Now that you mention it,” said Seth. “I do too. I’ll use the one down here.”

  “Okay,” said Jody. “I’ll run upstairs. I’ll get some water while I’m up there.”

  Ron cleared his throat. “Um…”

  “I’ll get you some, too,” said Jody, standing up.

  “I—uh…have to use the facilities as well,” said Ron.

  Jody nodded. “I understand.” She looked at Seth. “Help him out, huh?”

  Seth groaned. “Fine.”

  Ron turned to Seth and discomfort flowed through him.

  Shaking his head, Seth stood up. He walked over to a wall. The light just barely reached it. There was a small coffee can on the floor. Picking it up, he upturned it, dumping out the contents. Nails and various little metallic objects clamored as they rained onto the floor. Then he walked over to Ron. He slapped the can in his lap. “Have a field day,” Seth said, then retreated to the dark recesses of the basement.

  A few seconds later, Ron heard the bump of a door closing.

  Ron peered at the rusted can a moment, then turned to Jody. She gave him a childish look, shrugging in a boys-will-be-boys way.