CHAPTER 12

Around 11:30PM Prudholm and the other two men began to gather their personal items together.  They were preparing to leave in the van and would quickly find a parked car somewhere to hot wire so they could dump the van and switch vehicles.   Cassie had been listening to them as they made their getaway plans.  She had already made up her mind. She wasn’t going with them…no matter what it took.  She knew that it would be up to her to save herself.  Starsky thought she was dead and she just couldn’t let it end this way.  She loved him and she knew that he loved her too.  She could hear it in his voice even before he actually said the words.  She just had to be patient and wait for her chance to break free.

Prudholm grabbed the last item and shoved it into the van as Randy climbed up on the bed to grab her by the arm.

“C’mon baby…time to go.” He told her.

“Alright I’m coming…just keep your hands off me.” She said as she pulled her arm away.

“I’ll bet you’re not even a virgin.” Randy said as he watched her scoot off the bed and stand up to fix her skirt.

“I don’t care what you think.” She answered him as she bent over to tie one of her loose shoestrings.

Randy stood up and grabbed her around the waist…pulling her up to face him as he held her close.

“Did he ever give you anything like this?” He said as he pulled her closer and kissed her hard on the mouth.

She pushed at him and tried to scream but only emitted muffled sounds of panic.

Then he released her and began to laugh. “You’re a virgin alright…A real woman would appreciate a kiss like that.”

“Yeah …well when I find a real man…I’ll let you know.” She said as she wiped her mouth off and looked at him with disgust.

He drew his hand back and hit her hard in the face as the other two men stepped into the room.  She fell onto the floor and cupped her small hand over her swollen lip. Prudholm helped her to her feet as she looked at the palm of her hand.  It was covered in blood.

“Get in the van Randy.” He told him as he looked at her face.  Her bottom lip was split open and the blood was pouring from the open wound.

“Grab a towel from the bathroom and put her in the van.” Prudholm told the other young man. “And keep Randy off her…She won’t be worth anything if he keeps beating her.”

Cassie was put into the back of the van and the younger man climbed in behind her.  Prudholm positioned himself in the driver’s seat and started the engine.  Randy had already been seated on the passenger side in front waiting for them. Prudholm put it in gear and the van sped off into the night.

They found a small unattended parking garage with a few cars inside.  It was well lit and deserted. Randy and Prudholm got out and walked down the row of cars looking for one that would blend in with the night traffic.  An older dark blue four-door Chevy sat in the corner.  Randy walked up to it and tried one of the doors…it was unlocked.  After a few minutes they were able to rig the wires under the dash and Cassie heard the engine start.

Prudholm walked back over to the van and told the younger man to follow them to a place were they could leave it.  It would be found too easily in the garage and the cops would be able to figure out which car they had taken.

The younger man climbed behind the wheel of the van and Cassie was told to sit up front as Randy and Prudholm pulled the blue Chevy out onto the street.  They drove for a little while and hit a few traffic lights as they headed out of town. Cassie was waiting for just the right moment…she was ready for it.

At the next light the blue Chevy made it through a light just before it turned red.  The van stopped and Cassie watched as the car continued to get further away.  The young man who was driving had been listening to the radio and hadn’t noticed her hand as it gripped the door handle tightly.  As the light turned green and the van started through it Cassie pulled the door open and jumped out suddenly. The van was only moving at about 10 miles an hour but it was fast enough to cause her to fall to the pavement and skin herself up a bit before standing to her feet again. She ran as fast as she could and jumped over a small ditch and into a thick patch of woods.  By the time he pulled the van over and got out to look for her…she was gone.

“Damn it!” He yelled as he kicked one of the tires and punched the side of the van. “The old man’s gonna kill me.”

Cassie ran for a while until she came to a clearing where there was another road leading back to town.  She was still in the city but on the outskirts. She knew it would be a long walk back and so she decided to try and flag someone down to give her a ride.  Her father warned her about hitchhiking and she knew how dangerous it was but she had to take that chance.  She saw the lights of a car as it drew near her and put out her hand with her thumb up…praying that the driver would be a reasonably nice person.

The younger man decided to catch up with the Chevy and tell them what happened.  It took a few miles before he could get them to stop and both vehicles pulled over to the side of the road.

Prudholm stepped out of the car and up to the van. “This’ll be a good place to dump it.” He said and then he noticed the empty seat next to his friend. “Where the hell is she?” He asked as he glared at him.

“She got away.” The younger man told him. “Let’s just get out of here.”

Prudholm yanked open the van door and pulled the man out forcibly. “We can’t leave now you idiot!” He screamed at him. “You just ruined everything!”

“We have the money…so what if she got away?” He asked him in a worried tone.

“Because you dumb little shit…now she’ll go back to him.” Prudholm explained. “All of my careful planning…everything I’ve worked for…how could you be so damn stupid?”

“Well there’s nothing we can do about it now.” The young man said as he started to walk towards the car.

“Oh yes there is.” Prudholm told him as he followed behind and grabbed him by the arm to talk to him. “We’re not leaving until I finish this.”
  Chapter 13
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