again.
I tried to make my mind shut down. I tried to focus on my last vacation with my family. I tried to quiet and clear my mind, but as soon as he asked the question, I could feel my brain begin to answer. I could see myself putting my last rock in my pocket in the front of my jeans. Fuck, fuck, fuck, I thought. Then I hoped that maybe he couldn’t pick up on pictures in someone’s mind.
He laughed again, “Are you going to fish it out of your pocket, or am I?”
"Crap!” I said. I stood up for a moment, and reached for my front pocket. I glanced around the room as if to look for an emergency escape. I felt my legs getting ready to bolt.
He said, “Think very carefully, before you try anything. There will be consequences for all your actions, Jordan. They will not be pleasant.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about Frank; I was just trying to figure out what pocket I placed it in. Don’t get your shorts in a knot.” I placed my hand in one pocket and then the other. The stone was gone. I had nothing in my pockets at the top of my jeans; I had lost it. How and where did I lose it?
Taking a deep breath and feeling somewhat relieved I said, “It’s not there.”
He must have believed me because he asked, “Where are your other stones?” I thought about them being safe under my pillow.
He smiled and said, “Thank you. When I finally get my hands on Derrick he’ll take me to them.”
I needed to get control of my thoughts. I started to focus on my breathing. I closed my eyes, and focused on breathing in and out. I knew I was being watched the whole time. I took a few more deep breaths. After about three in a row, a picture showed up in my head. It was Derrick he looked stressed and worried. I heard his voice say, “Jordan, I’m coming, don’t worry.” I heard him repeat the message three times before the image disappeared. Frank looked at me and said.
“You don’t look surprised. Have you received a telepathic message before today?” I shook my head.
“It is cool; it’s like getting a video message inside your head,” he said. I nodded again feeling a bit dumbfounded. I had messages coming in and going out at everyone else’s convenience. I should have warned Derrick. The surprise had thrown my concentration off.
Frank looked relaxed; he placed his arms behind his head and stretched his feet out in front of him. He gave a happy sigh of contentment. I watched him with his eyes closed feeling so arrogantly proud of himself.
I wanted to burst his bubble so I asked, “So where is the amulet?” Startled, he sat straight up, and then glared at me.
“How do you know about such things?” he asked me. I remembered seeing him on the grass near the waterfall when Derrick first spoke of it. As soon as the thought entered my brain, I tried to shut it off.
“So Derrick knows I have it, does he?” he grinned. He seemed to be remembering something as the grin stretched. Then he said. “I did so enjoy spying on you at that moment, although, I was extremely surprised that you could see me. I noticed you have quite a sexy naked body. The visual from that moment has gotten me through some restless nights. The only difference is that I’m the one enjoying the attention of those wonderful soft kisses up my legs and beyond.”
I tried to change the subject as I felt the bile rise to the back of my throat. Yuck I thought. I was trying to get the image out of my head.
“What about the amulet?” I watched as he pulled a large Celtic cross made of silver, with a huge black stone in the middle, out of his shirt. I had never seen any of the foreign symbols, which were inset on the four corners, before. For such an expensive piece of jewelry, I was surprised that it was around his neck with a leather strap.
“It’s beautiful; I’ve never seen anything quite like it before.” I took in a deep breath and asked, “Can I touch it?”
“Exactly what do want to touch?” he chuckled out loud.
“Oh please, the amulet,” I said annoyed. He held it out, still attached to his neck. I reached over and touched the face of the metal amulet with my left hand. I held it within the palm of my other hand.
The pressure in my head started immediately, without warning the vision appeared. The amulet could travel through the time space continuum. It could bring the owner great power. I instantly saw a dark-haired man with a small caterpillar mustache. He had on a grayish blue uniform. I saw the evil he created, fear, judgment, and human suffering. Then I watched his secretary steal the amulet. The man's power, fortune, and determination crumbled into nothing overnight.
I saw the heartache he created and human suffering, but I could not place the face. Before I could put my finger on who it was, the vision stopped. I quickly dropped the amulet. It had dark evil, and suffering attached to it. I moved to the far end of the couch again, and watched Frank stare intensely at me.
“You do have a great many gifts,” he said. “They could be very useful to me. Maybe you should consider redirecting your loyalty my way after you have served your purpose; it could be a very pleasurable partnership for both of us.” The sexual innuendo dripped from his statement. I tried not to think about what would happen when I served my purpose for him. I thought about what would happen to me if I didn’t comply with his wishes.
“Smart woman, I can see you thinking about your choices. You can have a pleasurable life or one that ends rather quickly. You cannot stand on the fence in this situation. So that you are sure about what our arrangement will be, I have a sexy, red leather outfit upstairs in my room with matching stiletto heels and a pole. I do enjoy watching before I play,” he smugly said.
I swallowed hard, and then looked away to try to get the image out of my mind. The way he was looking at me made me want to run.
I spoke with a shaky voice, “Where is your bathroom?” He looked away from me towards the door on the opposite side of the room, and directed me there. I got up, trying to stay calm as I walked towards the door. As I opened it and slipped inside, I heard him speak.
“Jordan, look at me,” he sneered. I peered from around the edge of the door, trying hard not to make eye contact. The way he looked at me made my skin crawl.
“If you even think of trying to escape, you’ll be missing more than just your shoes. You will have to sit next to me in your birthday suit, so you’ll have other things to worry about besides escaping. Do you understand?” The shocked expression I wore said it all, but I nodded just the same. I couldn’t help but notice the predatory look in his eyes, and received his meaning clearly.
Inner Strength
I entered the bathroom, closed the door and clicked the lock behind me. There I leaned against the door and slid down to the floor. As I looked around the room, I noticed a large window. I thought I could get out, but would I get very far away with no shoes?
I stood up, opened the window, and peered outside. The smell of pine trees hit my senses, and for a whole minute, I stared out at freedom. I honestly wanted to believe that I would be able to get away. Then reality hit me, it was unlikely that I could get very far away, without being noticed. The ground at the edge of the trees looked too rough for bare feet. I closed the window, went back to the closed door, and sat down. The tears started flowing as the emotion welled up inside me.
What a mess I had now found my life! I was trying to remember when all I had to worry about was what I had to wear to work that day. Everything about my life seemed so simple back then. How would I ever be able to live a simple life again, after what I had been through? I thought about the changes I had gone through in the past few days. If I had learned anything at all, it was about having faith even when things looked grim.
I took a big breath, stood up, wandered over to the sink and glanced in the mirror. My eyes were red and puffy, but somehow I felt better. I splashed cool water on my face to try to hide the redness, but this emotion couldn’t be washed off. I’d have to tolerate my vulnerability. I was going to change my focus and be more positive. As I collected my strength, I could hear a clicking sound, outside the door.
I hea
rd a voice say, “I think you’ve taken enough time in there. We have important things to discuss out here. So get your ass in gear Jordan.” For a minute, the voice startled me. Then the circumstances of my situation hit home hard. How was I to get out of this mess?
“I’m coming,” I snapped. After a few minutes, I opened the door, feeling a stronger sense of security about my circumstance.
I had to trust and listen to what I had learned. I repeated to myself “I have the faith, the strength, and the insight to move forward. This too shall pass.” It felt like one of those times when I was trying to tell myself something and I knew that it was a complete and utter lie.
I stepped out of the bathroom and closed the door behind me. As I headed back to the couch, I noticed Frank standing against the wall beside me. His brown eyes had a self-righteous, smug look about them still. When I got to the sofa, I brought my feet up under myself, as I sat down. I took a deep breath; the weight of the situation was hard to ignore. It is so easy to get carried away with focusing on the negative. I sighed and muttered the words inside my head; I have the faith, the insight, and the strength to move forward. I repeated it a few more times, and felt my body relax.
By this time, Frank had sauntered over to the sofa, looking very pleased with my obvious discomfort. From the time I was little, that same arrogant, self-righteous feeling that was emanating from him, had always made my stubbornness rise to the challenge. The first time I remember encountering it was when I was bullied in grade three by a boy, who my parents said liked me. If he liked me and treated me like that, I would hate to see how he treated his close friends.
Instantly, I felt the emotional centers of my body close off, and stubborn determination take its place. With my newfound strength, I turned to look directly at my captor. I knew I needed to learn as much about him as I could in our short time together.
“How did you come into ownership of the amulet? Was it not in the Vatican?” The expression on his face was surprising. His lips pursed and facial muscles tightened. The arrogance seemed to be gone and anger mixed with hostility took its place. He stormed towards me causing me instinctively to move backwards into the couch.
He stood there, towering over me. Holding my strength, I tried to back even farther away from him. The hostility emanating from him made me feel jittery. He stood over me and started yelling at the top of his lungs. “What the hell have you done?”
Surprised I said. “I just asked a simple question.”
“This has nothing to do with the question,” he said in an irate tone.
“I’ve done nothing and I’ll be dammed if I’ll allow you to intimidate me, anymore”, I screamed back, hoping I had not pushed him too far.
If I had ever seen murder in someone’s eyes, it was in Frank’s at this moment. He grabbed me by the wrists and yanked me off the couch. I was dragged a few steps before I was able to find my center of balance and my feet. I could feel my inner strength seeping away. I felt I had to call his bluff; if I did not stand up to him now, I wouldn’t muster the strength again. He continued to glare at me. Be strong and have faith, I continued to say to myself softly. He swung me around, pushed me into the bedroom, that I woke up in, and then promptly slammed the door. I tried not to cringe as I felt the percussion of the door slamming behind me.
This man had turned into a lunatic; this outburst spoke volumes about his instability. I realized that I was going to have to watch myself with him. Glancing around the room, I tried to piece together what just happened. It didn’t make any sense to me.
I remembered losing my rock and wondered where I would have lost it. My Turad was
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