Page 2 of Saved By the Lieutenant
“I’m leaving the office now, where shall I meet you?”
“The diner on South Street, twenty minutes?” he asks.
“I’ll be there,” I assure him.
The call ends and I pull in a ragged breath, followed by another, and then another. Weeks I’ve been trying to get someone to listen to me and finally they are. I know Peter, he’s a great detective and he'll ensure that these victims are brought to justice, and I’ll do whatever the hell I can to help.
I start to pack up my things, I’ve three backups of all my findings. One of which will go to Peter, the others are safe. I always ensure that I have multiples, I’ve been stung before and lost everything. I won’t make the same mistake again.
Once I have the office locked up, I fire off a text to Ger letting him know that I’m leaving the office and going to meet up with Peter. I reach for my keys and hit the fob to unlock my car. It’s late, there’s no one else around. I’m usually the last one to leave, but never this late.
I throw my bag into the back seat, shutting the door behind me. I’m so lost in my own thoughts that I never heard the offender approach. A hand wraps around my mouth, the smell of cigarettes and alcohol fill my nostrils. It/s so strong that it makes my stomach flip in disgust.
“You really should have kept your nose out of this,” he growl into my ear.
I feel his other hand tangle in my hair, pulling at the root, and I cry out in shock. He laughs, a cruel sound that makes my blood run cold. “You’re too smart for your own good, Amanda, too damn smart.”
“Who are you?” I whimper as he spins me around, He’s wearing a ski mask, hiding his true identity. The only thing I can see are the whites of his eyes and his lips. I don’t care. I drag my nails along his face, clawing at him.
“You know,” he growls. “You know who I am and what I’m going to do to you, don’t you?” The voice in my ear becomes a low, menacing whisper. “You’re a fighter, I like that, none of the others have fought like you. It’s a shame. It wasn’t your time, not yet at least. But you couldn’t keep your nose out of it.” He shakes his head, a sneer on his lips.
I do know.I really do. This is what they’ve done to their other victims.
Everything around me fades as the fear of what he’s going to do to me grips me like a cloak and darkness seeps in. Within seconds, I’m passed out.
I come too, when I feel a weight lift off me, blinking into the barely lit parking lot, I hear the sound of a car approaching. My entire body is in pain, and I lift my head to see my attacker sprinting away.
I try to catch my breath, my heart pounding in my chest. The pain in my head and body makes me want to sob. I’m in so much pain that I’m not sure if I’ll be able to move. But I have to, what if he comes back?
Slowly, I manage to push myself up, my legs wobbling underneath me. I stumble to my car and climb in. I need to get the hell out of here before he comes back, but the second I’m in the safety of my car, I begin to tremble.
A knock on my window makes me scream in fear and jump.
“Christ, Amanda, it’s me, Peter,” I hear him say and I can't help but choke out a relieved cry. Within seconds my car dooris open and Peter's hauling me to his body. “Fuck, what the hell happened?”
I’m unable to speak, I’m shaking so much, and the darkness starts to seep into me once again —this time from the pain that I’m in— calling me to the abyss. I’m safe with Peter. I know that and with that knowledge, I let the darkness claim me.
I heara hushed voice and I blink, my head throbbing along with my entire body. It feels as though I’ve been hit by a Mack truck.
“You’re awake,” Peter says as he stands beside me.
“Where am I?” I ask and wince as the pain in my throat, not to mention the rough sound of my voice.
“You’re at my house,” he says. “You didn’t show up and I started to get worried, thankfully I did, the fucker must’ve heard my car approach and ran. Had I not come, you'd be dead.”
I nod, he’s right. I would be another victim if Peter hadn’t decided to check up on me. “Thank you.”
He shakes his head. “Christ don't fucking thank me,” he growls. “Had I answered one of your fifty fucking calls in the past week or so, this shit wouldn't have happened. I’m just relieved that I was able to be there and you’re not lying in the morgue.”
I push myself up into a sitting position, trying my hardest not to wince or cry out in pain. I know if I did, Peter would demand that I get checked out at the hospital and right now that's not something I want to happen.
“What happened to me?” I ask, unable to recall anything other than the attacker pulling my hair.
“I’ve had to wait for the security footage from the parking lot. Your boss is pissed as I am. God, Mandy, you could’ve been killed.”
My body shakes, my mind reeling from his words. “What happened to me?” I ask, demanding to know what he did to me. My throat is burning, it feels raw, like I’ve screamed for a thousand days, my entire body feels as though it’s been put through the ringer.
“He beat you Mandy,” Peter says low, his words tinged with guilt. “The security footage is grainy, but from what we can see, he strangled you. He’d have killed you had I not shown up.”
