The Country Club by Tim Miller Read Free Book Online Page A

“Shit! Crystal, get us out of here!” Sophie screamed.
         “I’m trying!”
         A large man in a suit climbed out of the SUV in front of them. He was wearing sunglasses and towered over them as he approached her car. He stood in next to Crystal’s door and did a gesture with his hands for her to roll the window down. She shook her head “no” at him. Crystal had no doubt these guys were from The Country Club and wasn’t going to just give herself up to them.
         He gestured again, this time yelling.
         “Roll your window down!” he shouted.
         Once again, Crystal shook her head.
         “Maybe we should do what he says,” Joel said. “Maybe he’s a cop.”
         “He’s not a fucking cop, Joel. They’re from the Country Club, they’ve blocked our car.”
         The big man took out a pocket knife and unfolded a short, pointy attachment. He pressed it to the center of Crystal’s window and it exploded. Crystal leaned back and screamed as shattered glass sprayed around her. She felt some pieces scraping her face. The man reached in, unlocked the door and pulled the door open. In one motion, he cut Crystal’s seatbelt and pulled her out of the car.
         Both Joel and Sophie started to scream. Sophie opened her door and took off running through the field in the other direction. Another man hopped out of one of the SUV’s and took off after her. He was much faster and ran Sophie down in no time. He gave her a single shove, and she went flying to the ground face first. Crystal screamed as the large man backhanded her, sending her tumbling to the pavement.
         “Who the fuck are you assholes?” Crystal said. “You can’t do this.”
         “You know exactly who we are, Crystal. And I’m sure you know there is no one to stop us from doing what we are about to do ,” the man said.
         She sat on the ground looking up at him and froze. All this time, she’d had no doubt The Country Club existed. At that moment, the reality of it sank it. The Club did exist, it was real. They had a lot of money, power, and a long reach. The things they did there were horrible, and she was about to be their prisoner.
         “We tried to warn you to stay away,” he said. “But you couldn’t let it go.”
         The door to one of the SUV’s opened and a woman stepped out. It was Eileen.
         “Eileen! What’s going on? They caught you?” Crystal asked
         “No, they didn’t get me dumbass. I figured you were smarter. My husband and I have enjoyed The Club for years. You were too easy to string along. Sorry kid,” Eileen said as she took out a cigarette and lit it. “You should have stuck to gaming or something.”
         Crystal watched as another goon pulled Joel out of the car. He looked like he hadn’t fully w oken up and had no clue what was happening. The other goon dragged Sophie through the field and back to the road.
         “Let’s go, get up ,” the man standing over her said. Crystal just sat there glaring at him. “You can stand up and get in the car, or I will cut one of your friend’s throats right here and now.”
         She looked to Sophie, and then Joel and stood up. They walked the three to the larger SUV behind their car and shoved them all into the backseat.
         “It’s a short ride, so don’t try anything cute,” the man said.
         Eileen sat in the seat just in front of them. She reached out and felt Sophie’s hair.
         “Hmmm,” Eileen said. “I like this blonde. Maybe me and Blake can play with her later.”
     

Chapter 12
     
         Joel looked out the window as the SUV sped along the road and a dust cloud kicked up behind them. As they went over a hill, he could see the large mansion on the other side. The mansion could have been a castle had they wanted to add a drawbridge and moat around it.
         “Holy shit,” he said. “Look at that!”