I needed a few more minutes to work myself free, but I stopped struggling as soon as I heard her. She was proving to be a tough opponent who would do whatever she deemed necessary to get her way. I had no doubt that if she thought I might get free, she wouldn’t hesitate to use the baseball bat on me.
Destiny had changed into a pair of low cut black jeans and a white baby doll halter-top. She was carrying a large leather purse and a small suitcase. She set the suitcase down on the table and picked up the bag of diamonds.
“This should take care of all my troubles.” She tossed the bag up into the air, caught it, and tucked it into her purse.
“What about me?” I asked.
“I’ve given this some careful thought, Wes.” She stepped around me and went into the kitchen. As I slid my hand from the ropes, I heard the back door open.
Reaching down, I began tugging at the ropes holding my legs, but I stopped struggling when the door slammed shut. I picked up the rope that had fallen from my hands, twisted it around one wrist and shoved my hands behind my back a moment before she stepped back into the room.
She carried a rusted can of barbeque lighter fluid and a long necked lighter. With a quick pat to the shoulder, she scooted around me, and stopped next to Frankie’s body. While I watched in horror, she popped the cap and began squirting lighter fluid around the room.
“What the hell are you doing?” I asked.
“I don’t need you around anymore, Wes. Now that Frankie’s dead, you’ll just be in the way. Besides, you’re the only witness to what I’ve done. I can’t very well let you walk out of here, now can I?”
While she spoke, Destiny drenched the front of Frankie’s shirt with fluid. When she was satisfied, she walked over to the couch and emptied the rest of the can over the cushions. Finally, she tossed the can into the corner where she’d thrown the bat, her dress, and the flowers.
“You can’t do this, Destiny,” I said. “I’ve been looking after you since Bob first found you.” Even though I’d watched her kill Frankie, and listened to her while she told me about the others she’d killed, I was finding it hard to believe what she was about to do. This woman was much more cold-hearted than I had suspected.
“Of course I can,” Destiny said. “Do you see anyone standing around here that can stop me?” She picked up her suitcase, held out the lighter and flicked it. As she lowered it toward Frankie she added, “Sorry, Darling. But I gotta go.”
Chapter 23
I had an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach. For the first time since meeting Destiny I was afraid of her. Death was breathing down my neck and it wasn’t a good feeling. Anyone who says they’re not afraid of the Grim Reaper is a liar.
On top of my own problems I was worried about what might happen to Tanya. She was an innocent bystander who looked upon Destiny as a friend. Now Willie was on the way over to her house and Tanya didn’t even know she was in danger.
“What about Tanya?” I asked.
Destiny straightened up and slithered toward me. Pointing the tip of the lighter in my direction, she let out a deep laugh. “She’s why you kicked me out of bed the other night, isn’t she? You’re sleeping with her.”
I ignored her question. “The least you could do is call and warn her about Willie. She doesn’t deserve what’s going to happen to her if she walks in on him.”
Destiny’s eyes hardened. “Why should I give a damn what happens to Tanya?”
“Tanya wasn’t a part of all this.” I wanted to keep Destiny talking. Even though my feet were still bound, I figured if I could get her to step a little closer, I might be able to grab her and keep her from setting the place on fire.
“From what I’ve seen, all she’s ever done was try to help you. She told me she once thought of you as a sister.”
“Is that what she told you?”
I nodded and she inched closer. For a moment, her eyes were filled with indecision. I could tell she wanted to believe me, but then she frowned and shut back down.
“That’s a lie.” Using the lighter as a pointer, Destiny swung it around the room. “You see how I live? Well this is like the TajMahal compared to how my mother and I were forced to live after Alvin kicked us out.”
“None of it was Tanya’s fault.”
“Bull shit.” She stomped her feet and edged a little closer. “The bitch convinced her father to throw us out. He loved my mother and would have let us stay if not for Tanya. She told him lies and he believed her.”
“She was a young girl, just like you. Neither of you were in control of your life back then. It was all between Alvin and your mother.”
Destiny stepped over Frankie’s body and stood glaring at me while I willed her to move a little closer. Instead, she slammed the butt of the lighter on the table.
“Tanya was always jealous of my mother and me. She didn’t want to share her father with us. She was a spoiled little brat who felt threatened by the fact that her father was sharing his love with us.”
“You know that’s not true,” I said. “Your mother was a drug addict. Alvin was trying to protect Tanya. He offered to take you in but your mother wouldn’t let him.”
“Those are all lies Tanya told you,” Destiny said. Again, I thought I detected a hint of indecision in her voice. “My mother didn’t turn to drugs until Alvin kicked us out. He used her, like every other man she ever knew.”
“Your mother was the problem,” I said. “Not Tanya.”
Destiny lit the lighter and swiped the tip toward my face. “Liar.”
When she lunged at me, I snapped my head to the side, swung my right hand up and clamped it around her wrist, shaking the lighter from her hand.
She threw herself on top of me and yelled, “I should have killed you the same time I killed Frankie.” While I struggled to throw her off me, the chair collapsed. Clutching her left wrist, I tried to push her away, but she reached out with her free hand and raked my face with her nails.
The scratch tore a flap of skin loose below my left eye and I could feel the blood trickle down my cheek. Reaching out, I tried to grab her other arm. I missed and she heaved herself backward, breaking my grip on her wrist.
With a triumphant laugh, Destiny flailed at me with both arms before flinging herself to one side. “I’ll kill you right now, you son of a bitch,” she screamed, and then she scrambled across the floor to where she’d thrown the baseball bat.
My heart was racing and it felt like Destiny might have cracked one of my ribs when she pounced on me, but I knew that if I didn’t free myself I was going to die. While I fumbled with the ropes still holding my legs, Destiny snatched up the bat, jumped to her feet and faced me.
“You never should have messed with me.” she said. “You’re just like Frankie. All you care about are my diamonds. Well they’re mine, and you can go to hell.” When she realized I was on the verge of freeing myself she seemed to get a burst of renewed energy. While I struggled, she raised the bat over her head and ran at me. She was completely out of control and she stumbled over Frankie’s body. That stumble probably saved my life. Instead of smashing my head in, the bat grazed my ear and slammed into my left shoulder.
My arm went numb and it took all my will power to ignore the pain and roll under the table. With my good hand I continued to work at freeing myself while Destiny moved in for the kill. “I’ve got you now, Darling,” she said.
Dropping to one knee in front of the table, she swung the bat between the legs, missing my face by inches. She made several quick, explosive jabs and cursed each time she missed.
Somehow I managed to pull my legs free. Before she could made her next thrust in my direction I slid out from beneath the table. Destiny jumped to her feet. Without hesitation she raised the bat over her head and brought it down with all her might. The wood tabletop split and Destiny screamed. Her face turned purple and like an angry ogre, she grabbed the table with one hand and flung it out of her way.