by Melody Adams
"You must excuse her being a little slow. My wife is at the level of a three-year-old. A tragic accident."
"No problem. We have time."
I give the woman my passport and Heather's.
After a quick check and a look into her computer, she hands me back the documents.
"All good, Mr. Juarez. Have a nice flight."
Heather
I have a headache when I wake up. It’s like someone has filled my head with cotton wool until it’s ready to burst. I cannot gather a single clear thought, and my mouth is as dry as the damn Sahara.
"Here!" A gentle voice comes from somewhere, and I turn to the voice in confusion. A man I never saw before hands me a glass of water. Or did I see him before? There is something familiar about his appearance, but I don't know who he is. Where am I? And what am I doing here? This is not a hospital. It's not my room in Daddy's house either.
"Drink," the man says, holding the glass to my lips. I am so weak. With the stranger's help, I drink half of the water before he puts the glass back on the nightstand. "How do you feel?"
"Weak. My head..."
"These are the side effects of the drug."
"Drug? What... what happened? I can not ... I can't remember anything."
"Your head will soon clear. Everything will come back to you. Give it some time," the man assures.
"Where are we?" I ask.
"In Chile. In my house, kitten."
"Chile?"
"Yes, we took a little trip. You'll soon remember everything. Lie down a little longer and give the drug time to leave your system. I had to give you more during our travel, or you would have gone on a rampage on the plane."
"I don't understand."
"You will. Lie down and rest. I need to go downstairs and tell the cook that we'll eat dinner soon. I'll be back in half an hour."
Hesitantly, I allow the stranger to push me back onto the bed and stare at him in confusion. If only I could remember what happened. Who is he? Is he my boyfriend? There's something between us. I can feel it. He's god looking. Hell, he's fucking gorgeous. I can imagine falling in love with him. Then why can't I remember? Did I have an accident that affected my memory? – No, he said I'd remember when the drug wore off. Why did I take the drug? Or did he give it to me?
Meanwhile, the stranger had gotten out of the chair in which he was sitting and is on his way to the door.
"What is your name?" I shout.
He turns around and gives me a big smile.
"My name is Alic, but you call me Master."
I frown with irritation.
"Master? I do not think..."
"You will. We'll talk later," he replies and leaves the room.
I don't know how much time has passed since the man left the room, but gradually the memories are coming back. Slowly at first, then faster and faster, as if one memory triggers the next. My heart races. The man who said his name is Alic is a serial killer. He seduced me. They put me in a Safehouse, but somehow he found me. I remember the fight in the bathroom. The syringe he jammed in my neck. That must have been the drug he was talking about. After that, my memories are fuzzy. The guards lying motionless in the basement. A ride in a car. A friendly lady at passport control. The approach of a panic attack on the plane when the drug had worn off. Another syringe. After that, I can't remember anything until the moment I woke up here in this room. Chile! He said we were in Chile. Oh, my God. If he kills me here, they probably won't even find my body. With a scream, I sit up and jump out of bed. My heart is racing, and my stomach feels like it's filled with cement. I need to get out of here. I have to escape before the killer – Alic – comes back.
Alic
I hear her quiet steps on the stairs and smile. I am sure she will try to escape. That's the plan. She will find out how impossible any escape is. I could simply tell her, but she will understand it better if she tries once. That way, I prove to her she cannot escape me. I close the door to my office until only a small gap remains open through which I can look into the hallway. I've long since turned off the light in my office and she won't see me. She sneaks past me. I give her time to leave the house. Then I take my cell phone out of my pocket and call up the app to locate her. I planted five trackers under her skin. They're the latest technology, and they're tiny enough that they can be placed under the skin with a tube. Even if my kitten finds and removes one or two of the trackers, I can still track her. She will never find all five. Especially not the ones on her back and neck. According to the app, she is moving at a fast pace down the narrow road that leads from here to the next village. It's a five-mile stretch. It'll take her a while, so I'll have plenty of time. I doubt she'll move off the road. She won't dare cut through the darkness in the forest framing the road on either side. What my kitten doesn't know is that there is another way into the village. It is a little further and more impassable, but with my jeep it will be a small thing.
Heather
My heart is galloping a hundred miles an hour, and I have stitches in my side, but I am not slowing down my pace. I need to be as far away from the house as possible before Alic finds out I'm missing. Afterwards he will follow me by car. So I listen intently into the dark night. As soon as I hear a car, I will have to cut into the bushes. I don't like that, but whatever is hiding in the dark forest can't be worse than my killer. For now, however, the road behind me is silent. I can only hope that this damn road leads to a town soon. And hopefully there's a police station. If not, I have to find a phone somewhere. Once I'm in police custody, I'll be safe. For the moment, at least. Alic will try to hunt me down, but he won't be able to go back to his house here in Chile. If he tries to leave the country they will catch him. Now that I saw him, I can give a good description, so they can make a sketch of him. I also had the intuition to take the glass he used to feed me the water. His fingerprints are on it. I’d stored it safely in the jacket I found in the bedroom. And I know his name. I am sure that he gave me his real name. He had no reason to lie to me, because he assumed I wouldn't survive to betray him. Yes, I gathered enough evidence and information for the FBI to catch him. It'll be my pleasure to look him in the face when they lead him to his execution. I don’t doubt that he will be sentenced to death. I ignore the tiny sting in my heart when I think of Alic on death row.
I slow down. My breath is so heavy that every breath hurts, not to mention the really nasty side stitches. And my poor heart is about to collapse. I don't know how long I've been on the road. How many miles I've put between the house and me so far. But no car has appeared behind me yet. Is Alic looking for me on foot? Does he think I escaped through the woods? Or did he first turn the whole house upside down? I don't believe for a second, that he doesn’t care about his victim being on the run. He knows I will tell the police everything I know about him. He can't afford to let me get away with it. So why is he still out of sight? Not that I'm complaining. I prefer to walk on the road where the light of the crescent moon at least gives me some visibility. Stumbling around in the dark undergrowth of the forest is really not something I'm particularly keen on. When I make out lights in the distance, I give a soft cry of joy. A town. Probably not big, but people live there who have a telephone and maybe even a policeman. Safety and rescue is so close. The idea gives me new strength, and I speed up my pace again. The first building in sight seems to be a local bar. Behind it are just a few dark shops and further away more apartment buildings. I doubt there's a police station in a place this small. So the bar is my best bet. Sobbing, I run even faster until I reach the door with the flaked blue paint. I stop for a moment to catch my breath before I reach for the handle and open the door.
It is dim inside the bar. At a table in the corner sit two older guys. A chubby woman my age is standing by their table, where she just served dinner. A man with a big belly and a mustache is standing behind the bar. I step into the stuffy taproom and take a step towards the bar. A hand leaps out from a table next to the door which I hadn't seen, and grabs
me by the arm.
"Hello, kitten."
I scream out in horror. Alic! How is this possible? How could he have gotten past me? Or did he leave the house before I escaped?
Alic gets up and pulls me closer. Fear paralyzes me as I stare into his dark eyes. A mixture of humor and triumph, with a touch of malice, is written in them.
You are among people. He can do you no harm if you draw attention to your situation, my inner voice argues.
I pull myself out of my paralysis and turn panic stricken to the bartender who is observing us from unfathomable eyes.
"Help me!" I call out, turning in Alice's grip. "This man wants to kill me."
"He doesn't understand English, kitten," Alic whispers in my ear. "Nobody here understands you. I take it, you don't speak Spanish. No one here can help you. If you make a scene, I'll be forced to kill all the witnesses. You want their lives on your conscience?"
I sob in horror as I realize that even here, in the midst of people, I am not safe from my kidnapper. My strength leaves me and I crumple against Alic, who holds me pressed against his hard body with one arm around my middle. He speaks in Spanish to the bartender while I sob in his shirt. I notice in passing how his hand slides up and down my back in a soothing way. The blood roars in my ears. I am in shock. I am barely aware how Alic says goodbye and leads me out of the bar.
Chapter 5
Alic
My kitten is calm as we drive up the road to the house. At first she sobbed, but then she became quiet at some point. I feel the urge to comfort her, but I realize how absurd the thought is. It is me she fears. And rightly so. I cannot comfort her. Only distract her. Besides, I must now explain the situation to her and punish her for her attempt to escape. The thought makes me hard. I already have a few ideas what I'll do to her. But first she needs an explanation, so she understands how hopeless her situation really is. Escape is impossible for her.
When I arrive at the house, I turn off the engine and get out of the car. I walk around the jeep and open the passenger door. Heather is still sitting motionless in her seat. I unbuckle the seatbelt and lift her out of the car, kicking the door with my foot. Holding her close against me, I carry her to the house. Rosa opens us, and steps aside to let us in. After closing the door behind us, she comes running behind us.
"Is everything okay with the girl?" She asks in Spanish.
"Yes, just exhausted. I guess dinner's off tonight. If we get hungry later, I can heat it up in the microwave. You can retire now."
"Are you sure, niño?"
"Yes, we can manage on our own. Now look after Pablo. He sees far too little of you."
Rosa laughs out loud.
"As if the idiot misses me. As long as the Internet isn't down and he can watch his sport, he doesn't need me."
"Don't be too hard on him, Rosa. He works hard, so he deserves his time off."
"Which is why I don't have to go home before ten," Rosa replies stubbornly.
I give her a stern gaze and she raises her hands, surrendering.
"All right. I'm going. I'll see you tomorrow."
Heather
I feel apathetic, completely drained. I used up all my strength when I escaped and now that everything was in vain; I don't even have the energy to fight Alic anymore. Motionless, I lie in his arms as he carries me into the house. I realize that he is talking in Spanish with an older woman who is probably the cook or housekeeper. Is she aware of what kind of monster her employer is? She's laughing at something Alic said. Apparently she has no idea that he is a psychopathic killer, otherwise she would hardly be so casual with him.
We leave the woman behind and Alic carries me up the stairs. At the top, he takes me to the room where I woke up before. He lays me down on the bed and pulls me into an upright position so that my back is against the headboard. Then he takes off my jacket and drops it on the floor, before sitting down on the edge of the bed. He takes my chin in his hand to get me to look at him. I try to see through him, but there is something hypnotic about his gaze and I cannot block out my kidnapper/would-be-killer. So I do the only thing I can do in this situation. I close my eyes.
"Look at me, kitten!" Comes Alic's sharp command.
I squeeze my eyes even tighter. I don't want to look at him. No, I can't look at him. I'm too scared of what he will do to me. And I'm even more afraid that my body will betray me again. That it will react to Alic’s caresses despite the prospect of a violent death.
"I said. Look! At! ME!" Alic repeats, now pressing my chin so firmly that I fear he will break my jaw. With a whimper, I open my eyes. Immediately, the pain disappears as he releases the pressure of his fingers. "Good pet," Alic says calmly. "Eyes on me! We need to talk, and I want to make sure you're present and listening well."
I squint as tears stream from my eyes.
"Sshhh. Settle. Tears won't help you. Be strong. I know you can be strong." He wipes away a tear with his thumb and his gaze is now almost tender. He lets go of my chin and takes my hands in his, without breaking eye contact. "Okay. Now will you be good and listen?"
I nod.
"When I ask you a question, I want a verbal answer. Loud and clear. No nodding or head shaking. Let’s try again. Will you listen carefully to what I have to say?"
"Yes," I answer in a smothered voice.
"What? I didn't hear you!"
"YEESS!" I repeat louder.
"Yes, Master."
I stare at him. The guy's nuts. What's the point of this? Does he think he's Mr. Grey or what? When I say nothing, he grabs my chin again and leans forward, until we're almost face-to-face.
"YES. MASTER!" He says threateningly. "Say it!"
"Yes, Master," I spit at him, hatefully.
"Last chance. If you don't want to face more punishment."
Punishment? My heart pounds in my chest. Alic will punish me for running away. Of course, I should have realized that, but somehow I've blocked it out until now. But now the knowledge is hanging over my head like a hatchet.
"Yes, Master," I say meekly. For the time being, my fight is gone again.
"Good pet... That was much better," says Alic contentedly, and lets go of me to sit upright again. "So. About your little adventure. I knew you'd try to run away. I wanted to give you a chance to try, so you could experience first-hand how impossible it is." He takes a break and puts his big hand on my cheek. I resist the mad impulse to lean into his hand. "You can't run from me, kitten. I always find out where you are. I can track you all over the globe."
I suddenly feel nauseous as I begin to understand what Alic is trying to tell me. When he says he can track me around the globe, it can only mean one thing. He must have implanted me with a tracker.
Alic nods. He must've seen that it dawned on me what he has done. Hatred boils inside of me. Not enough that the son of a bitch drugged me, kidnapped me and wants to kill me. Now he's planted something in my body. With an enraged outcry, I raise my hands to scratch his face. Unfortunately, I don't make it to my destination. He intercepts my hands by closing his fingers tightly around my wrists. I fight him, but he is much too strong for me. He takes my two wrists in one hand and holds them over my head, while he closes the now free hand around my throat, squeezing. My eyes are burning. So are my lungs. My heart is fluttering as my gaze collides with Alic’s, and we fight a silent duel.
"Settle, kitten," he says in his hypnotic voice, intensifying the pressure around my throat. "Settle!"
My body becomes soft and yielding as I obey his command. The pressure around my throat loosens, but Alic still won't let go of me. A single tear rolls down my cheek and Alic leans forward and licks it up. His face stays close to mine for a few heartbeats, so close that hardly a draft fits between us. His breath is warm on my skin. My nose fills with his scent, giving me a feeling of security and safety. I don't know how it is possible that his scent causes such an insane reaction in me. He is not safe for me. So why do I feel this way?
"That's it, kitten", Alic murmurs and
lets his breath glide over my neck. A shiver goes through my body. "Are you aware, you have a sub hidden inside you?"
"Wh-What?" I squeal in disbelief.
"That's why you react to me this way. You are submissive. My dominance speaks to your submissive side, and you feel relief in submission."
"No!" I disagree vehemently.
"Yes. It's true, pet. You are the perfect sub. You'll figure it out."
"Christ, you're sick!"
"If by sick you mean I'm a sociopath, then yes. I'm not sure, I fit the criteria for a psychopath, though. I'd say it's borderline. But sociopathic? Yes, definitely."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Why do I do what?"
"Killing women. Do you hate women? Does it have something to do with your mother...?"
"It has nothing to do with my mother!" He interrupts me harshly. "And no, I don't hate women," He adds more gently.
"Then why do you do it?"
He shrugs his shoulders.
"Back to our actual conversation. We've somehow gotten sidetracked. You can't escape me, because I have had several trackers planted under your skin, which I can track via app on my mobile phone. You see, it..."
"Several?" I interrupt, my anger rising.
"Yes. Several. So even if you try to remove them, I doubt you'll find them all."
"How many?" I ask, trembling with indignation.
"I won't tell you that. That way you can never be sure that you have found them all. But – enough. Trying to escape from me is a foolish and futile idea. So you'd better forget it and accept your fate."
"Submit to my fate? You mean, the destiny where you kill me?"
His thumb gently brushes the corner of my mouth as he approaches me. Again his gaze is almost tender.