Chapter 15

Dupris’s men spotted Jennifer the minute she stepped outside.

“There she is, and there’s no cops around. See, I told you this is going to be easy.” The driver pumped fist with his partner, and they watched Marsh walk across the motel parking lot. “We’ll see where she goes, throw her in the back of the car, and get the hell out of here.”

The motel was located at the end of a block-long strip mall that contained half a dozen businesses. Jennifer decided a walk around the block was exactly what she needed. She was half-way around it when she noticed a car coming up behind her. Nothing unusual there, except instead of driving away, it headed straight towards her. When It got too close she turned around to look at it, and she could see the faces of the two men staring at her through the front windshield. Alarmed, she started to walk faster, but the car easily kept pace with her.

They couldn’t be mafia men after her already, could it? Jennifer remembered that the police told her that if Dupris sent more men, it would take a couple of days to get them here. She realized the police had made a mistake and that she had to do something quick to avoid being abducted by these punks.

She kept walking as fast as she could while trying to figure out a way to escape. She knew all she had to do was stay out of there hands long enough to call the police. In the meantime, she debated what her best option was. Start running where a car couldn’t follow was a great idea. Finding a place full of people was an even better one. However, she was still a block away from the busy avenue and the strip mall where her motel was located, and the car was almost upon her.

Jennifer knew she’d run out of time when the vehicle swerved into the curb in front of her, cutting off her advance towards the avenue. She reacted instantly by turning right into an alley between two long warehouse structures that abutted the street. She broke into a run, not bothering to look back.

Her surprise move caught her pursuers off guard, and they wasted several minutes debating what to do ... Then the passenger door burst open and a man began chasing her on foot, while the driver did a U turn to catch her if she ran back into the street.

Sheer panic compelled Jennifer to run faster than ever before. She tore down the path between the buildings, but just as she reached the street she saw that the car waiting for her. Her only choice was to dart left, into another gap between buildings. When the driver saw where she’d gone, he drove down to the end of the street and into the alley to cut her off. Jennifer anticipated his move. Before she reached the alley she turned right and raced across the street into the next block.

Her speed had left the out of shape man chasing her on foot in the dust, but she still had the man in the car to contend with. After waiting in vain for her to reach the alley, he reversed into the street with a squeal of tires, and began looking for her. When she stopped at the side of a building to catch her breath. She saw that the punk on foot had reached the street and was talking to his partner though an open window in the car.

With the sun going down and darkness approaching, Jennifer realized time was on her side. The darker it got, the easier it would be for her to hide. Already the side of the warehouse she leaned against was becoming enveloped in growing darkness. She crept along its length past a row of large, metal garbage bins, hoping to find an open door, but everything was locked up. All she found was an alcove near the front door. She sank into the darkness of the recess in the wall, and willed herself to still her breathing and remain absolutely silent.

As the tense moments passed they seemed like hours she heard the sound of a car going up and down the street in front of the building. It stopped once right in front of Jennifer’s hiding place. She assumed it was the driver so she didn’t dare to risk even a peek to see if it was true. The man on foot was still a mystery If he found her, she would be cornered with no way to escape.

As more time passed, and Jennifer no longer heard the sound of the car, she began to believe the men had given up searching for her, at least for tonight. However, she still in a lot of trouble. If she went back to her motel room, they would probably be waiting for her. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and called 911.

Jennifer told the dispatcher her name and described her circumstances in a whisper. Although she hadn’t heard the car in some time there was always the chance the goons might still be hanging around, waiting for her to disclose her hiding place. She followed the orders of the dispatcher who promised a police car would be arriving soon to pick her up, and stayed hidden in the alcove until one arrived.