The moonless night was exactly what Teddy and Chase were looking for. The streets had gone quiet since the bars closed, with most tourists finding their way back to their hotel rooms. Young locals had a different plan. They knew where the after-bar parties were and had no intentions of calling it a night until the early morning hours. After all, the weekend had started, and the ladies were out in droves.
The two men weren’t searching for the next party. They were on the hunt, and any woman on foot was fair game. A female was easier to manage than a guy, and that night, the women would be ripe for the picking.
Teddy drove while his brother, Chase, looked up and down every street in the historic district, where most of the bars and restaurants were located. Chase was larger and stronger, the perfect person to do the grabbing. He watched for movement. That night could be the one. Ever since Chase, the eldest of the two, had driven his van from Macon to Savannah several days earlier, they’d done their best to score but hadn’t had any luck. Tonight would be different. Teddy felt it in his bones and didn’t want to disappoint his brother.
“You sure we can do this?” Teddy asked.
“Yep. It’s not a big deal. Grandpa taught us how to hunt, remember? I’ve done my research, and this could make all the difference in the world.” Chase gave Teddy a grin. “I already have my best contacts set up. It’s a no-brainer.”
Teddy’s eyes darted to the illuminated clock on the dash—2:21 a.m. There had to be a woman somewhere walking the street, even if she was just going to her parked car. The bars had closed nearly a half hour earlier, and the party crowd was leaving the area.
“There!” Chase leaned forward and pointed out the windshield. He got a better look then nodded as if satisfied. “That’s what I’m talking about! Damn, it’s about time.”
Teddy laughed. “Dude, we’ve only been driving around for fifteen minutes. Climb in the back and get ready to pull open the side door. I’ll slow alongside her and ask directions. When she comes closer, you jump out and snatch her up.”
Chase rubbed his hands together. “I’m more than ready.” He stepped over the console to the back of the van, which was already prepared for their guest. Duct tape, zip ties, a rag to gag her with, a flashlight, and rope sat in a cardboard box. A medium-sized cooler sat next to the box and had plenty of ice and celebratory drinks inside. An open sleeping bag with a tarp spread over it lay in the rear space, which was devoid of back seats. The van was a personal hell on wheels for the unlucky woman who would be scooped up and dragged inside.
They didn’t want to know her name or hear her pleas. That would make her a real person and not just an object of their obsession. The plan was to immediately gag her and cover her mouth with duct tape then tie her to the large eye bolts screwed into the van’s inner walls. She would be at their mercy, and they could have all night and tomorrow with her. The purpose was twofold, but the kill, when that time came, was paramount.
“Okay, I’m ready to stop. Once she comes to the window, leap out.” Teddy lowered the passenger-side window and called out to the girl as he pulled to the curb. From the way she was dressed and the way she walked, it seemed clear that she’d just left one of the bars. Her high heels made her less stable on her feet, and because she was wobbly, her guard and apprehension were down too. Teddy ran his fingers through his long blond hair before talking. “Excuse me. I’m lost. Can you tell me how to get to that historic hotel on East Congress?”
She laughed as she crossed the sidewalk toward him. “They’re all historic, dummy.”
“What did you say? I can’t hear you.” Teddy nodded at Chase when she reached the open window.
“I said they’re all—”
Chase grabbed the handle, yanked open the door, and grabbed the woman off the sidewalk. He tossed her into the van and slammed the door as Teddy floored the gas pedal. They were gone in under ten seconds.
She screamed and bucked, and with each cry for help, Teddy twisted the volume knob on the radio. Her panicked cries would go unheard. As Chase straddled her, he forced the rag into her mouth, sealed it with duct tape, then zip tied her to the ropes that were already strung through the eye bolts. The nameless woman was doomed, and the expression on her face told her assailant that she knew it.
Chase slapped his hands together as Teddy pointed the nose of the van toward his house on the edge of town. “There. She’s contained for now. Let’s go home and celebrate our first joint success.”
“Yep, we have twenty-four hours before we need to do what we need to do. Let’s have some fun, drink, and relax. Tomorrow night, we’ll dump her out near Skidaway Island.”
“Sounds good to me.” Chase cracked open two beer bottles and passed one to Teddy.
Teddy clinked bottles with his brother. “It’s remote and densely wooded, and there’s plenty of marshland in the area. Nothing other than wildlife, and she won’t be discovered for weeks if she’s found at all. After I pull off the main road and into the woods, nobody will ever know we were there.”
Chase chuckled. “Sounds like the perfect dumping grounds to me.”