Cut Off, Part 3
Part 1
Part 2
Dave sat slumped in the dark Firebird, taking an occasional sip from the pint of Smirnoff. He needed to slow down, but his nerves were making him nip at the bottle a little too much. He slipped the pint under his seat and slipped the keys into the ignition. He had already made a plan.
Turning the key, he started the car and put it in reverse to turn around toward Redding Drive. The plan was simple. He drove down a few blocks into the neighborhood behind the bar, turned around and came back out on Redding, pulling the car over to the right and parking even with the hedge line. He then cut the engine and began his wait. With the car turned off, his headlights folded down, leaving the smooth black hood of the car to melt into the dark of the night. Now, it was just a matter of time.
He hadn’t given a great deal of thought to how he would grab her. He imagined that he would wait for her to come out and go toward her car. He had a roll of quarters he would use in his fist, one punch and lights out. If the opportunity didn’t present itself at her car, he’d follow her home. Hopefully, complications wouldn’t make him abort. He really wanted this little one. Once she was unconscious, he’d toss her in the trunk and then home to his basement. The nylon ropes and plastic drop cloth on the bare mattress awaited his return.
He daydreamed about the fun he was going to have with her, and he groped for the bottle again. With a twist of the top, he took a long swallow, the warmth again spreading in his chest. Screwing on the cap, he closed his eyes to savor the heat. Damn it felt good.
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In the bar, time marched on. 2 AM, closing time.
John the bouncer had already asked the last couple to leave. Suzy was closing tonight along with one other waiter, Matt, who was sweeping up half-heartedly. Following the couple to the door, John wished them a safe evening and locked the door after they had gone.
“Hey Matt” John called while he walked across the front room “Go on home man, I’ve locked the door.”
“Thanks dude!” Matt said, practically dropping the broom where he stood. Matt thought of himself as a surfer, even though the nearest beach was over 1000 miles away. Matt put the broom in the nearest corner and went to the kitchen to grab his jacket. Re-emerging from the kitchen, he walked over to John who led him to the front door and let him out.
“Later dude!” Matt said and John re-locked the door, yawned, and went to find Suzy in the office. She’d be working on the night’s receipts and putting the money in the floor safe for the evening. Knocking on the office door, John peeked in and then opened the door as Suzy swiveled her chair to face him smiling.
“I shouldn’t be too long J, we had a good night.” she said.
“Cool Suze, I’ll get the lights on the way out, you need me to hang around? I’m beat.” John asked her looking at his watch.
“Nah, just check the lot if you would on the way out, I’ll be fine.” Suzy told him.
Stifling another yawn he said “Well then, I’ll see you tomorrow, I’m outta here.”
“Thanks J, you drive safe OK?”
“You know it baby” John said already walking towards the front door.
Suzy listened as John left, heard the click of the lock after the door closed. With a sigh, she returned to the paperwork and finished quickly. With the money in the safe, she eventually put down her pencil and put the night’s receipts in Carl’s inbox. Carl would be opening tomorrow for the lunch crowd, and he always liked to see the previous night’s receipts first thing.
Suzy reached for her gym bag stashed in the corner and pulled out a change of clothes. When she closed, she usually liked to change before going home, preferring not to wear her smoky / boozy / oniony smelling work clothes in her car (the bar’s onion rings were a popular order).
Closing the office door, she began to change into her clean black jogging suit. Once she peeled out of her jeans and t-shirt, she did a few quick stretches balancing her foot on the corner of the metal desk. This was her ritual. It revived her for her drive home.
For a bartender, she was very fit. In fact, she was quite athletic. Her upper arms showed some definition in the bicep and shoulders. Unknown to her coworkers, Suzy was a student of martial arts. Little did John the bouncer realize that the hot little bartender he’d love to nail would wipe the floor with his ass if she wanted to.
She had started with Judo when she was just 16. She was a black belt by the time she was 19. When she turned 20, she had started training in Tae Kwon Do. She was well on her way to a black belt in that discipline when she started to tinker with Karate. She was now 26 and almost a triple black belt, but she never showed off, preferring to keep her training her own little secret.
Suzy enjoyed her secrets.
Once she finished stretching, she pulled on her jogging suit jacket and put her work clothes into her gym bag. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she grabbed her keys from the desk and turned out the light while opening the office door. She made one last walkthrough of the bar, turning off lights as she went. She checked the backdoor lock and then moved on to the kitchen and then the restrooms. It was all clear.
No excitement this evening she thought to herself. Secretly, she wished for an intruder and a little workout, but it wouldn’t happen tonight. With a wistful sigh, Suzy walked to the front door, hitting the main light switch while unlocking the front door and letting herself out. She relocked the entrance and started toward her Ford Mustang parked in the side lot across Redding Drive. Her shadow followed her through the first parking row as she made her way to her car, jingling her keys absent-mindedly.
Looking both ways before crossing Redding, she noticed the glint of light on chrome next to the hedge at the back edge of the parking lot.
Hmmm, she thought.
I still think you are giving too much away. (Comment this)
I still think you are giving too much away. (Comment this)
Women are assaulted often in every city, its hard to go about life as a woman with that knowledge sometimes. There has to be a shift in character... at least in my heart. (Comment this)