Merrville County
An unknown location
The navy blue van stops just shy of a large metal door at the side of a building. Like the gigantic door, the building is also made entirely of metal. Two men clamber out of the van's side door. One of the masked men securely grasps Evelyn under the armpits, while his associate grips her ankles in his gloved hands. Evelyn is unconscious, her mouth hanging slack and partially open.
While being transported, Evelyn had managed to kick one of her attackers in the face. As a result, his companion quickly knocked her senseless with two solid punches from his left fist. A fresh bruise shows on the young woman's right cheek. The man in the dark trenchcoat hops out of the van behind his unsavory companions.
"Let's get her inside," trenchcoat man urges with a jerky hand wave.
His buddies comply without a word, carrying Evelyn toward the metal door. Trenchcoat man glances back at the van before following the other miscreants into the metal building.
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Tuesday Morning
Rachel Corbin's Apartment
3:43 a.m.
Rachel practically drags herself into the apartment, dropping her keys on a small table to her left. She halfway turns and shuts the front door, while removing her jacket with one hand. Reaching into her left jacket pocket, Rachel pulls out her cellphone. She stares at the phone screen, contemplating calling Evelyn. If only to make sure the drunk young woman made it home alright.
The sound of shuffling feet draws Rachel's attention away from her phone. Ned Andrews, her live-in boyfriend, wanders into the living room. He scratches the mess of hair atop his head with one hand, while scratching his crotch with the other. He has obviously been asleep. Rachel shoves her cellphone back into her jacket pocket. She smiles at Ned from her spot near the front table.
"Hey, baby?" Ned slurs, a few beers making his voice thick. "You just get back?"
"Yep," Rachel says, widening her grin and meeting Ned's gaze. "I just got back. Busy night. Lots of people to clean up after. I'm gonna catch a shower and go on to bed."
As Rachel attempts to move past Ned, he reaches out with surprising speed and grips her right elbow. The drunken man stares into Rachel's eyes, suddenly appearing more sober than he did moments before. He pulls Rachel close, running his opposite hand down the middle of her back.
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"What's your hurry, babe? No kiss for your old man?"
"Ned, I'm really tired," Rachel say. "Once you get started...There's no stopping you. You know that. Later...Okay? I just want a nice quiet shower and a nap. I really need it after tonight."
"Later? You have to wait until later to give me a kiss? I could understand if I'd asked you to give me a strip tease. But a little ole kiss? What kind of b.s. is that, Rachel? I wake up out of my rest to make sure you made it home okay...And you won't even give me a kiss? It's that new guy at the bar, isn't it? That college fella? What's his name...Jack? You've been acting funny ever since Darren hired him. You're seeing each other, aren't you? You cheating on me, Rachel? Is that what this is about?"
"No, Ned. Jack wasn't even working to--,"
Rachel begins her explanation a split second before Ned raises his right hand and strikes her across the face. Rachel's lip splits in the middle from the force of Ned's hard slap. She stares at her furious lover with the usual shocked expression, chest heaving from fear. Ned's visage has turned evil, his mouth drawn up in a cruel sneer. He looks Rachel over as if she is a package of choice steaks ready for the grill.
"So...How much did you make tonight?" Ned asks.
"Um...A little over six hundred. With what I made tonight, we have enough to pay the rent. With a little left over. We had a really large crowd at the bar...With the game and everything. We'll be fine for a little while longer."
"Good," Ned says, kissing Rachel wetly on her neck. "That's real good. What do you say...We take that shower together? Hmmm?"
Rachel squeezes her eyes shut as Ned plants small kisses along her flesh. She reaches up and strokes the hair at the back of his head. In her mind, Rachel is grateful for the bank account Ned has absolutely no idea about. Tonight wasn't just a windfall. It was her way out. Eventually. Big tippers, without strings attached, are extremely rare. But tonight was her lucky night.
Roughly grabbing Rachel's chin, Ned kisses her lips. Rachel plays along. For now.
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The metal building
3:43 a.m.
"Wake her up!" a loud male voice says in the darkness. "The boss wants her awake."
"What are you talking about? I just gave her a sedative. I can't administer...," a panicked voice replies.
"Just wake her the fug up, numbskull! Goddamn! The boss wants to talk to her. So get on it!" the first voice says.
"Even so....It's gonna be a minute," the panicked man retorts. "This isn't like the movies, bud! People don't just revive in seconds. If I give her too much of the drug...It can kill her. Best case scenario, I send her into cardiac arrest. Maybe you two...Numbskulls...Should've considered that before you ordered me to sedate the bitch?"
"Quit your whining and just get it done. The boss is serious. Don't take too long," person one says.
The first unknown man walks past Evelyn's trenchcoat man without saying another word, exiting the large metal storage room. Trenchcoat man glares at the panic-voiced man, who rummages in a medical case for the right medication to administer to the sedated Evelyn.
"Whatever you do, Doc. Don't you dare kill her. We need Evelyn for our plans to work. You kill her...And the boss is likely to kill you," Trenchcoat man says. He cocks his right index finger like a loaded gun. "Remember that. Be careful."
Trenchcoat man strolls out of the dark metal room, leaving his cohort in crime to think over his last few spoken words. The syringe in the quack doctor's hand trembles imperceptibly.
