Ivan's judgemental tone didn't help Ivy in all her fear and anxiety. Her hands trembled on their own as she closed the curtains in the room.
"You don't even know if he's dead," Ivan taunted. The thought sent chills through Ivy. She could very well be paranoid at this point and acting irrationally with the running and looking over her shoulder, but after what she'd been through she had a reason to feel the way she felt. That dentist was batshit and had abducted her twice.
"What the hell you want me to say? I was scared Ivan. I never been in this situation, have you?"
"You had him down. You should've made sure he was dead right there on the spot and then found mom and you wouldn't be going through this shit."
Ivan blamed Ivy and it made her uncomfortable with guilt because she too blamed herself.
"You left her there with a murderer."
"My ass was shook bitch! What the hell.. I couldn't.. Ivan!" Ivy's shaking turned to anger. "..How was I supposed.. What if he grabbed me?"
"Then you beat his ass with the blunt object you knocked him down with, Ivy! It's not that hard to get."
"He's like 6'2 / 250, Ivan," Ivy spoke with tight lips. "Maybe your crack body beanpole ass could knock him out but my 4'11 ass already been drugged twice and carved like a pumpkin. You expecting a whole lot outta me."
"Aight. I ain't tryna fight with you."
"Then why you fighting with me, Ivan? Did you forget--" Ivy shut her mouth quick and rubbed her lips toward her temple feeling a headache creeping on. She was about to go off but she still needed him to come asap and he was fickle. "It's easy to say what you would do in my position but until you're actually here? You can shut the fuck up. You don't think I'm mad at myself? I am. I feel like I could've done more. I could've gotten her out. She didn't deserve or ask for any of this. She only in it because of me."
Ivy couldn't hold it back the tears as they fell. She was going through many emotions at once and Ivan wasn't helping.
"You should be mad at yourself, you abandoned mom. What if he slice her ass up too? What if he kill her, how will you feel?"
Ivy's eyes shut tight.
"Ivan please just come and get us," Ivy groaned, feeling her anxiety grow. "I'll get you some money when you get here, on God."
"I was coming anyway," he said, but Ivy knew it was a damn lie. His selfish and dodgy ass never showed up for anyone, not her, mom, his kids, or anyone else. It was always all about Ivan if it wasn't about the money.
"You want me to stay on the phone?"
"Nah, I ain't got no sleep and I need to eat. You could pay for that if you wanna do something."
"You could pay for that," he mocked. Ivy nearly hung up the phone. She didn't have the energy. "Sorry," Ivan backtracked after a pause. "I'm being a asshole, I know. You left my mother, I'm tight af about it but I'm glad you made it out.. So it ain't about that aight? I am glad you out. I'm a send you some food. You gone be aight okay."
"Yeah.. He's tricky but I think I'm okay here. I'll call you from the hotel phone."
Ivy hung up and held her head. She paced before requesting some rubbing alcohol be brought up from the front desk which she used for her thigh. It stung but she needed to do something for it.
"If he's not dead, I'll make him wish he was," she sighed through the burn. At least it wasn't infected.
---
"I wonder if her leg has any signs of infection," Erik wondered pulling the flashing cruiser lazily into a hotel parking space. According to the gas station attendant and the Locate iPhone situation he'd drummed up nearly two hours ago, Ivy was crashing in a Days Inn and had done well not staying at any nearby hotels. In fact, if she had stolen the phone of someone less tech savvy, maybe an old man.. she'd have escaped him. It was just her luck she stole the wrong person's phone.
Or maybe she thought he was dead.. his mouth turned up at the thought. Maybe she wasn't careful or running but simply distancing herself from the situation.. the nightmare in her now past. In that case, she was a bad, bad girl running out on her poor moms without a second thought.
Maybe he'd surprise her. The thought lit his face in the darkest way. He could imagine her shock when she saw him a little banged up and a little bloody, but alive and in the flesh. He only had to figure out where she was inside the Days Inn. It wouldn't be difficult with a badge.
Aside from that, he had a rag and some chloroform. He rattled through his bag.. He already had an Arduino, a DC barrel jack, and a 5.6k resistor that he began to connect and configure together inside of a sharpie dry erase marker in order to build himself a master key for breaking and entering. Google was a great resource. All of these things were easy to get his hands on and he didn't need to be a programmer or tech expert to build it himself, though he did know a few things already which helped. He only needed directions and the guide video he'd found on a website. The key building only took about thirty minutes and was fairly easy he found. He turned it over in his palm and shoved it in his pocket. With this small dry eraser sized tool, he could enter any hotel room at a whim even after he was through with Ivy. In fact, he could probably even find his next canvas this way. Suddenly he was inspired to move faster.
Confident as ever, he approached the desk and gestured to the T. Howard on his glorified name tag. Angling his head down, he caught the concierge's eye. "Don't ask," he gestured to his rough appearance.
"Long night?"
"I'm responding to a domestic violence call, one of your rooms. I didn't get the exact number but I'm looking for an Ivy Stevens."
"Oh no." The guy located the room on the computer system, no questions about it. "That's happened before but not on my shift, it's so sad." He gave Ivy up as quickly as Erik had gotten there.
As if on cue, arriving on the floor, Erik heard a door close and an idea struck him.
"Excuse me miss," he whispered jogging slowly to approach the white woman leaving a room down the hall. She glanced around a bit nervously, looking for son or husband perhaps. The police badge ought to make him look trustworthy, he figured. Then again.. he did have some marks on him. A cut under his eye. "Duty calls," he shrugged. "I need your help surprising my fiance," he rushed flashing a smile that seemed to ease her just a little. "She's right over there. She doesn't know I'm here to see her. She thinks I'm working all night but I came just to surprise her. Would you help me? Five seconds."
She stood hesitant before marching on and he clubbed her in the back of the head with his fist catching her before she could fall. Taking her room key, he let himself into her room and stowed her limp body in the bathroom tub.
"Thanks," he whispered, hands folded in appreciation as he looked down on her body. He pulled out his homemade tool deciding to test it on the door of this old woman's room first. Using it was as easy as jamming it into a port under the door lock. The door unlocked and he popped it open.
"Aw shit," he whispered closing the door. Endless possibilities were in his hand. He could walk into any room. However, tonight he only needed to enter one more. It was finally time.
Slowly he approached Ivy's door and stood in front of it, his excitement building from the sneaky energy. He popped the door open quietly, spotting an empty room. He pulled his pocket knife and walked forward closing the door slowly and quietly behind himself.
The shower was running, he could hear, and when he crept up and peaked into the bathroom, she was in it.
Quickly, he marched into the bathroom and reached through the curtain wrapping her neck with his inner elbow and her mouth with the chloroform rag while lifting her off her feet. She was small and portable but the fight she put up was notable. She deserved her credit for trying.
