Taming Corky

By Crystal Steadman

After leaving the classroom for the day, I make my way to the grocery store with the intention of preparing a delicious meal for the girls and Dean tonight. The day has been going well, and my students have been actively participating in class lately, which brings me joy.

Upon entering the grocery store, I decide on steak and potatoes for tonight's dinner. Once I have all my ingredients in hand, I head towards the cash register. Throughout my time in the store, I can't shake off a strange feeling, but I dismiss it as nothing significant. As I load my groceries into my car, I suddenly sense a presence behind me. Before I can even turn around, I am unexpectedly struck from behind, then being forcefully thrown into someone else's vehicle.

The men have concealed their faces with masks, making it impossible for me to recognize them. "Could someone please explain what's going on?" I inquire. In response, one of them tells me to 'shut the fuck up whore,' in a foreign language, instructing me to remain silent. We continue to travel for what seems like an eternity until the car eventually halts. The men then forcefully pull me out of the vehicle and lead me into a dungeon-like structure.

Inside the dimly lit dungeon, fear grips me as I try to make sense of the situation. The air is heavy with a musty smell, and the sound of dripping water echoes through the cold stone walls. I can feel the rough texture of the walls against my fingertips as the men push me further into the depths of the structure.

My heart races, and I struggle to keep my composure. "Please, I don't understand what's happening. Why am I here?" I plead, my voice trembling with a mix of confusion and fear. The men remain silent, their masked faces unreadable, as they continue to guide me deeper into the unknown.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Crystal Steadman
• Release date: Jan 22, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224489640

Crystal Steadman

Crystal Steadman is an American Author. She started writing books at the age of 15, but she didn't publish her first book until she was well into her 30's. Crystal writes romance novels, but she is starting to dip her toes in other genres.

Book preview

One

Dean

––––––––

Hey, Deano, calls out my partner, Anthony Moony, as I walk down the hallway towards the men's restroom. I've been needing to use the bathroom since we got back from the drug bust.

What's up? I reply as I enter the restroom and head towards the urinal to relieve myself.

So, the wife is cooking dinner tonight and she's inviting her hot nurse friend, Summer. You in? Anthony asks.

Why not? Yeah, I'll be there. Do I need to bring anything?

Just your ugly face, he jokes. I can't stand the guy, but I really like his wife and kid, so I try to show up when they invite me to eat with them.

We finish our shift and make our way to the guard's room to unload our guns and store them in our lockers. We have our registered guns from the force, but we also carry our own personal guns. As we put away our registered guns, we retrieve our personal ones.

Are you riding with me to the house, or are you taking your own truck? Anthony asks.

I'll take my own vehicle. I have to make a stop before I come, anyway, I tell him. But even if I didn't, I wouldn't want to ride with him.

Did the whore call you earlier? Anthony asks. I ignore him and head to my truck. Once I'm inside, I drive off to Corky and Layla's house. They live close to the station, so it doesn't take me long to reach her place.

Hey, I greet Corky when she opens the door. Hey, she responds. So, do you want to tell me what's going on? I ask her as I step inside.

I just felt weird after leaving Martin's office. Something he said made me think he might know why he was in jail and who helped put him there.

Are you sure you're not overreacting? I inquire. Look, Dean, I was just scared. I'm alright now, so you can go.

Damn it, Corky, I'm tired and don't have time for this, I growl at her, and she pushes me out the door. That's fine. You can leave now, she yells at me.

You can go back to whatever it was you were going to do, she says, slamming the door in my face.

Screw this. I don't know why I always give in when she asks me to. I walk back to my truck and head to the store to grab a bottle of wine before going to Anthony's house. When I arrive, I knock on the door and wait for someone to answer. A couple of minutes later, Emily opens the door. Hey, handsome, she says, giving me a warm hug. So, when are you going to leave that jerk of a husband and run away with me? I tease her.

When you stop being such a player, she replies, and we both laugh. But to be honest, ever since Corky and I had a few nights together, I haven't really looked at other women.

I hand her the bottle of wine, and together we enter the kitchen. To my surprise, Anthony and the woman I was supposed to meet are already sitting at the table, engrossed in conversation while sipping their glasses of wine.

They look up and notice us entering the room. Anthony stands up to greet me while Em walks over to her friend and introduces her. Dean, this is Summer... Summer, this is Anthony's partner from work.

Hello, I say, leaning in to shake Summer's hand, and she reciprocates. After the initial pleasantries, we all take a seat at the table, pour ourselves glasses of wine, and start enjoying the meatloaf that Emily has prepared.

So, Summer is actually going to Africa in a few weeks for some missionary work, Emily informs me, as if expecting me to be interested.

That's nice. It sounds like meaningful work, I respond, trying to come up with something polite to say. Do you work as a nurse over there?

Before Summer can answer, my phone suddenly goes off.

Corky: Unknown number.

Unknown: Have you solved the puzzle yet? Your time is running out. It seems you should have chosen your friends more wisely.

Unknown: Don't worry, you'll soon discover my identity. By the way, you seem a bit overweight without your clothes on.

Unknown: Corky, you shouldn't have dismissed the pig so quickly. He might have been able to save you tonight. Oh well, I would have just killed him too.

Sorry partner, but we have to head back to the station, I inform Anthony, feeling frustrated.

Seriously? You guys just got home, Emily protests, clearly disappointed. I apologize to her, promising to explain everything once we have more information.

We make our way to our vehicles, ready to face whatever awaits us. Hey partner, care to fill me in on what the hell is going on? And if you mention that person, I swear I'll kick your ass, Anthony warns, his frustration evident.

In your dreams, brother. I'll show you the text they just sent me, I assure Anthony as we climb into our trucks and drive towards the station.

Once we arrive, I step out of my truck and approach Anthony's. So, any leads on who this sick bastard might be? Anthony asks me, his voice filled with determination.

Not a damn clue, but hopefully Troy, our IT guy, can help us out. He's had the other phone for over three weeks now, so he should be getting close to finding something, I explain to Anthony as we enter the police station and head up to the IT floor.

Yo, Troy, any progress? I inquire, and Troy looks up from his computer. I've been trying everything I can think of. Whoever this person is, they're blocking me at every turn, Troy informs me, frustration evident in his voice.

Keep trying. The person texted again tonight, and if the messages are true, they're watching her, I instruct Troy, determined to catch this sick asshole.

Troy gives me a determined look and goes back to his computer, working for another hour. Just as I'm about to give up and stake out Corky's house, Troy looks up and exclaims, I've got you now, you bitch.

Curious, I ask, Who do you have? Troy reveals, The name that keeps popping up is Carrie White.

Fuck! I mutter, running my hands through my hair. We have to go, Anthony, I tell my partner, and we quickly rush out to my truck. Anthony asks me, Who's Carrie White?

She's one of the servers at the bar, I explain, quickly texting Corky but receiving no response. Shit, she's not texting me back, I inform Anthony.

Maybe she's just asleep, don't freak out just yet, he suggests.

You're right, I agree, and we head over to Corky's house. As we approach, we notice that all the lights are on, and it's eerily quiet. We decide to investigate and cautiously make our way to the back of the house. Sensing that something is seriously wrong, we try the back door, hoping it's unlocked, and fortunately, it is.

We enter the house quietly and tiptoe towards the front. When we reach the room, we see blood everywhere in the living room. Fuck, I whisper.

We hear voices coming from the same room, so we peek around the corner and spot Carrie talking to someone else, but we can't make out their identity. I glance down and see both girls lying there, helpless. Then I hear the other person instruct Carrie to find the girl who is somewhere in the house. Carrie follows the male accomplice's orders.

I will follow Carrie while you monitor the individual, I tell Anthony. Once Carrie walks up the stairs, I will trail behind her and observe her actions closely. I am curious to see if she can locate the girl we are looking for.

Carrie begins searching the rooms and checking under the beds, but the girl remains hidden. After a minute, Carrie returns to the hallway, visibly frustrated. Izabella, if you're in here, please come out, she calls out, hoping to coax the girl out of hiding. However, there is no response. It seems that the girl may have overheard what happened to the other girls and decided to stay hidden.

Carrie growls in frustration and starts descending the stairs. This is my cue to apprehend her and handcuff her. What the hell? How did you get in here? Carrie yells, surprised by my sudden appearance. I quickly cover her mouth and firmly tell her to shut up. I guide her downstairs, positioning her in front of me to discourage any sudden movements.

As we reach the ground floor and return to the living room area, I notice Anthony lying on the ground, bleeding from his stomach. Damn it, I mutter, realizing the severity of the situation. I turn Carrie and myself towards the person standing in the middle of the room, and to my surprise, it's Martin.

Martin, what have you done, man? I ask him, shocked by his involvement. He simply tilts his head in response, showing no remorse or explanation.

You won't get away with this, I warn him, determined to bring him to justice. Because I have your partner in crime here, and she'll sing like a canary to save herself. So tell me, how did you orchestrate all of this?

Martin casually explains, I had Carrie carry out the killings over the past few months. She would befriend the girls and then, when they least expected it, she would slit their throats.

Why? What do you gain from killing your own prostitutes? I question him, trying to understand his motives.

They were trying to leave the business. And when Corky crossed me, I knew she had to go. I wanted to be the one to kill her, so I had Carrie come here to check on her, drugged her, and ensured there would be no chance of Corky escaping, Martin reveals, as if discussing mundane matters.

However, because Carrie couldn't resist taunting Corky through text messages, she unintentionally gave Corky a chance to message you with incriminating evidence. This gave you enough time to solve the mystery and uncover the mastermind behind it all. So, sorry Carrie, but now you have to face the consequences, Martin says before shooting her in the chest. As Carrie falls, I swiftly grab my gun and successfully shoot Martin in the chest and head, although he manages to shoot me in the knee cap before falling. I collapse to the ground as Martin goes down.

I crawl over to Anthony and urgently say, Hey, buddy, wake up. Thankfully, he opens his eyes. Worried, I ask, Are you alright?

Yeah, it mostly hit my vest, but damn, it grazed me, he replies. Yes, it did, but I think you'll be okay. Can you call this in while I check on the girls? Can you do that? I request.

Yeah, man, I got it, Anthony assures me, grabbing his radio to report the situation. He asks for the address, and I quickly provide it before crawling over to where Corky lies motionless. Come on, girl, be okay, I whisper to myself.

When I reach Corky, I immediately notice two bullet holes - one in her upper arm and another in her left knee. I carefully turn her over to check for any other injuries and discover multiple stab wounds on her back. Corky gasps for air as I roll her back over and instruct her to stay still, assuring her that help is on the way.

Whispering, Corky asks about Layla. I glance over at her friend and sadly realize that there is no hope for her. However, I don't want to upset Corky further, so I promise to check on Layla shortly.

Curious about Izabella's whereabouts, I inquired with Corky. She informs me that Izabella is in the attic, which can be accessed through Layla's closet. Relieved by this information, I assure Corky that I will inform the police when they arrive.

As I lie down beside Corky, I slowly regain consciousness. Someone asks if I'm alright, and I sarcastically reply that I've just been shot in the knee. I also inform the officer that there is a little girl upstairs in the attic, with the entrance located in the master bedroom closet. The officer relays this information to another officer, and I am placed on a gurney and carried out of the house. Looking around, I notice that everyone else has already left, except for Layla and the other lifeless bodies.

Frustrated, I yell in frustration. The officer tries to reassure me, saying that everything will be alright. Although I want to tell him to shut up, I understand that he is just trying to offer comfort.

💋

I woke up in the hospital with my partner by my side. Hey, are you awake? I asked him, noticing his mischievous grin. Yeah, are you? he replied.

Either that or I'm dead and gone to hell, I joked. Anthony chuckled, remarking on my sense of humor so early in the morning.

Where's your beautiful wife this morning? I inquired. She'll be here soon to check on you since you're awake, he informed me.

Oh, great, I'm in trouble, I deadpanned. Just then, Emily walked through the door. Oh, you're finally awake, she said, approaching to check my vitals. How is Corky? I asked her.

She's hanging in there. It's going to be a long road to recovery for her, Emily replied. Did the other officers find the little girl? Is she okay? I questioned.

They found her, and she's safe. She's staying with me until Corky is back on her feet, Emily informed me.

Good, that's a relief, I said, trying to stall Emily because I knew she was going to scold me for putting her husband in danger. I should kick your ass myself, she said sternly.

Me? I pointed to myself in mock surprise. Yes, you, she confirmed. I'm so mad at you for getting yourself shot. I hadn't expected that response.

"She yelled at me too for the same