“I said move!” The man pushed me so hard I almost lost my balance, but then my legs finally seemed to work. I walked as he directed. We went straight for a minute, then he turned me to the right. After what felt like a thousand years, we were standing in front of a white, windowless work van. It was parked between a big jacked-up truck and a huge SUV. Nobody could see what was going on, if there was even anyone in the parking lot.
The side door opened, and I stared into the face of another stranger. At least, I assumed he was a stranger. He wore a ski mask to hide his identity.
The first man shoved me into the van. There were no seats aside from the two in the front, so I fell and hit my head on something metal. I cringed and lay frozen for a minute. Then I saw what might be my only chance.
The first man stood in front of me, laughing. The second man leaned against the opposite side of the van, sitting cross-legged and messing with a cell phone.
I inhaled and kicked with all my strength, barely missing my attacker’s groin. He doubled over and I scrambled to my hands and knees. My heart raced as I struggled to get out of the van. Just as I had one foot out, the second man grabbed my other foot, dragging me back.
The force of his pull caused me to thud against the van floor on my stomach. Then he grabbed my waist and flung me against the van wall next to him.
Tears sprung to my eyes as the first attacker, also wearing a ski mask, climbed into the van and slammed the door. I could only see his eyes, and they were staring at me with nothing but pure evil. Then I saw him lift something round - a paperweight, maybe? I couldn’t tell exactly what the object was, but I tried to back away as I realized what he intended to do with it. I squeezed my eyes, hoping the blow would be quick.
Chapter Seventeen
The next thing I knew, I heard strange voices discussing my situation. “I told you to bring her to me unharmed,” the first one growled.
“She tried to escape. Kicked me in the gut!” the second guy argued.
“Yeah, man, we had no choice. She woulda got away. You wanted her here, we got her here. Now pay up.”
The three voices were muffled, and for a minute I thought they were the product of a crazy dream. Then I opened my eyes.
Fear immediately swept over me as I felt rope around my wrists and ankles. I was on my back, lying on a dirt floor. My hands were extended over my head, tied by the rope to a post that extended from the floor to the ceiling, which was comprised of wooden beams. As I studied my surroundings, I noticed the large room was divided into several smaller rooms. Stalls? The place was so run-down that it was hard to picture what it once could have been, but the longer I observed the details, the more convinced I became that I was being held in an old barn.
There was nobody else in the barn. Confusion creased my forehead. Maybe I had dreamt the voices.
Just then, a door behind me swung open. I whipped my head around to see who it was but quickly regretted that move. The left side of my head pounded. Tears slid down my cheeks. I attempted to sit, but there was no way I could maneuver that with my hands and ankles tied. Frustrated and scared, I began to sob.
“Come on, baby, don’t cry. Here, let me help you up.”
I sucked in a deep breath and tried to look toward the voice. It was oddly familiar, although I hadn’t completely heard it. I couldn’t see its source, though, because the mystery guy squatted behind me and untied my arms, pulling me into a sitting position while he did it. Then he turned me to face him.
Oh, thank God! I started sobbing all over again, but this time I cried tears of relief. The face in front of me belonged to Jeff. I was safe.
He untied my legs, then pulled me close to him and stroked my hair. “Shh, it’s okay. It’s all gonna be okay. You won’t be hurt anymore. I’m here now.”
I calmed down long enough to try to make sense of the whole situation. “What are you doin’ here? How’d you find me?” I asked, looking up at him.
“I had a couple friends bring you to me. They weren’t supposed to hurt you…I’m sorry ‘bout that.”
My heart dropped. “What?” Suddenly I was having trouble breathing again. Dread pulsed through my veins as I recalled Jeff’s last words to me.
This ain’t over, Cora. Not even close.
Determined to get away, I tried to scramble out of his hold, but his grip was suddenly restricting my body like a snake would its prey. Oh, no…God help me!
“Relax, baby,” he said calmly. “I ain’t gonna hurt you. I just wanted us to spend some time together and you weren’t gonna let that happen. I didn’t want it to be like this, but you didn’t leave me any choice.”
I stopped struggling and gaped at him. He was making this whole thing my fault? “You…had me kidnapped!” I whispered incredulously.
His face suddenly became tense, his eyes narrow. “I told you. I didn’t have any other choice.”
Swallowing my fear, I decided to try and talk my way out of the danger into which I’d suddenly been thrust. If he was truly still in love with me—in some demented way—then I could use that to my advantage.
I took a shaky breath and began slowly. “But you did have a choice, Jeff,” I said. “You could’ve left me alone. You could’ve not had those guys follow me and drag me here. What happened? I thought you loved me…isn’t that what you said? That you never cared about Lacy and that you wanted me back?” I paused, but when he didn’t respond, I continued to reason with him in what I hoped was a persuasive voice despite its trembling. “What we had was special. I know that. I was crazy about you…and maybe…maybe I could trust you again if you’d just let me go. Let me choose to love you. Don’t force me.” I bit my lip, praying my plan would work, knowing it was my only shot. He had to buy what I was selling. He just had to. I strongly sensed that my life depended on it.
Seconds ticked by. He seemed to be contemplating what I’d said, weighing the pros and cons…so I waited.
Another minute passed, and anxiety was beginning to get the best of me. Breathing gradually became more and more difficult, but I tried my best to hide it from Jeff. He needed to believe I’d really consider getting back together with him. If that’s what he really wanted, then surely he’d agree to let me go. Then all I’d have to do is convince him I still loved him, get home, and call the police.
As these thoughts turned over in my head and I plotted my escape, Jeff continued to sit in the same spot, still gripping my arms.
Suddenly, he yanked me toward him with a hundred pounds of force, and before I realized what was happening, his lips crushed mine.
I froze. My mind screamed, “Kiss him back! Kiss him back!” But my body wouldn’t cooperate. Terror had its claws around my heart so tightly I couldn’t force my lips to move. This was not the kind of kiss I remembered sharing with him. This kiss was forceful and harsh—painful. Teeth scraped against my bottom lip. Reflexively, I swung my head to the side.
Mistake.
I was on my back in an instant, and my head slammed against the floor. “I knew it!” he growled, holding my wrists over my head with one hand while he reached for the rope with his other. “You don’t love me. All that stuff you just said was a lie. You didn’t mean a single word. You were tryin’ to trick me. Well, Cora baby, I’m done with it. You ain’t goin’ nowhere.”
“No, Jeff! Please let me go!” I cried. I struggled against him as he fought to get my wrists tied again the way they were before. But he was too strong for me.
Don’t give up.
I screamed, not knowing if anyone would even hear my cries. Then, with as much force as I could possibly muster, I jerked an arm free and slapped the side of his head. He halted for a split second, and then his arm swung toward my face with a clenched fist.
And everything went black.
Chapter Eighteen
There was no way to tell how long I’d been out when I regained consciousness. I was alone again, lying on my back with my ankles and wrists tied once more. There were no windows. It was co
mpletely dark except for a dim lamp on the opposite side of the cold room.
Chills swept over me and I shivered. Glancing down, I realized the reason for that. I’d been stripped of my shirt. My other clothes hadn’t been removed, and I noticed the shirt lying on the floor just out of reach.
Wondering if Jeff had simply taken it to humiliate me, I began to cry. Memories of the previous day—or maybe the same day—flooded my brain, right up to the punch that had rendered me unconscious.
Tears poured out of my eyes, sobs turning my breaths into gasps. My entire body shook until I thought I might die of convulsions as I realized what was happening.
Jeff was holding me hostage.
After an eternity of hysterics, I became numb. I could no longer feel the hard ground against my back or the tenderness in my face and head. I felt nothing. My eyes slid closed as I succumbed to the darkness and exhaustion.
The next time I woke up, I was propped against the wall with a tray of food next to me on the floor, my wrists free from the rope that had previously restrained them. Instead, my legs were straight out in front of me, and my ankles now bound me to that dreadful wooden post. Still topless, I searched the area for my shirt. No such luck. I realized, to my dismay, that he did want to humiliate me—show me he was in charge.
A gurgling sound escaped my stomach, and I thought about food for the first time since I’d been taken from the mall. I was famished. How long had it been since I’d eaten? My glance drifted to the tray of food. My stomach rumbled again, but I didn’t want to eat anything Jeff had touched. Not that he had put much effort into the meal. On the tray sat a bowl of tomato soup—normally my favorite—and a plate of saltine crackers. Out of curiosity, I stuck my finger in the soup. Ice cold. Then I broke a cracker in half. Stale.
Stubbornness outweighed hunger, and I refused to eat the food he’d so half-heartedly prepared. Maybe the soup had been warm when he brought it in. Still, it wasn’t hard to make. Just stick it in the microwave. Besides that, crackers don’t go stale in a few hours. These were obviously old.
As I sat fuming and hungry, I heard a noise outside that sounded like gravel crunching under shoes. Then the doorknob wiggled until the door finally swung open. My heart raced, and I kept my eyes straight ahead rather than turning to watch Jeff enter.
Before I could count to ten, he was in front of me, looking down at the food with crossed arms. He squatted until his face was inches from mine. “Ya know, Cora, you could at least be grateful enough to eat the soup. I went to the trouble of bringin’ it to you and you ain’t even touched it.”
Ignoring his remark, I jerked my head away from him and stared at the wall on the other side of the barn.
He let out a chuckle. “You always had a stubborn streak in you,” he said, stroking my cheek. “It’s one of the reasons I fell in love with you.” He paused and dropped his hand. “But now it’s just rude. Eat!”
I jumped involuntarily when he barked out the last word. Turning slowly to face him, I met his angry gaze with my own. “No.”
He gave in. “Fine, don’t eat now. You will, though. The human body can only go so long without food. Until then, come here!” He rapidly untied my ankles and yanked them until I was no longer propped against the wall. My head hit the floor again, though not as hard as before because I had braced myself. Still, I wondered how many more times that could happen without causing permanent damage.
Jeff hovered over me. I was afraid of what he planned to do next. He slid me down until my arms would reach that post again. I attempted to wriggle free, but again his strength was too much for my determination.
I finally gave up and lay still, fearing the worst. But he simply tied my wrists to the post and then sat back in triumph. I knew he thought he’d won—maybe he had.
He smiled down at me, smug. “See, you’re already startin’ to give in. Maybe after another day you’ll finally come to your senses and stay with me. Then I won’t have to keep you tied up.”
Quiet tears slid down my cheeks because I imagined he was probably right. I had no fight left in me, just resignation. How many more times would he hit me? How long would he keep me here, and what would he do when he was tired of me?
Trembling, I realized he might never let me go. Maybe he planned on holding me hostage forever. Maybe this was his idea of happily ever after.
I must’ve drifted into a restless sleep once Jeff left because my mind flitted through several horrific nightmares, the last of which included some disturbing dialogue between two men.
“How much longer we gonna do this?”
“As long as I feel like it. What’s it to you, anyway? You’re bein’ paid to do a job, so do it!”
“I been doin’ it! But I can’t keep comin’ out here day after day to stand guard while you take your time gettin’ the money.”
“You gettin’ scared on me? If you ain’t up for this, I can find somebody who’d be more than happy to make an easy buck.”
“Fine, I’ll stay. But at least let me get a little action from the slut.”
The sound of a loud thud startled me awake, and I realized I hadn’t dreamt the voices. They were coming from right outside. “Don’t ever say that again! She’s mine! You touch her and I swear I’ll kill you,” Jeff roared.
The other voice choked out something unrecognizable, and then the sound of coughing muffled Jeff’s swearing. “All right, all right. I was just jokin’ around. Won’t happen again,” I heard the man say through his coughs.
Footsteps crunched closer and closer before the door flew open. I couldn’t see outside because of where Jeff had left me, but there was suddenly a rush of air against my exposed stomach. I ached for a shower and clean clothes. I ached for a hot, home-cooked meal. I ached for my warm bed and messy bedroom. Most of all I just ached—physically, mentally, emotionally.
Lying there in fear, waiting for whatever was coming, I thought about how scary Jeff had sounded talking to the guy outside, who was apparently paid to ensure I didn’t escape. He’d called me “his” and had threatened to kill the guard if he came close to me.
How would I ever get free? And even if I did, where would I go to hide from him? Was he crazy enough to track me down, hunt me? What had happened to him since we broke up? He hadn’t shown any signs of possessiveness—let alone violence—when we were a couple. At least, I hadn’t seen the signs if he did.
The more I thought back on our relationship the more I questioned the motives behind some of his actions. He had definitely been a jealous boyfriend, but I’d always found that endearing. In fact, I’d been flattered every time he’d threatened a guy whose gaze had lingered just a little too long on me.
With that train of thought, a vision of Landon beaten to a pulp flooded my mind before I could stop it. Oh, no…Oh, Lord, please no! What if Jeff had done something to him? How would I know? I’d left my cell phone with Kayla, and Landon surely had no idea where to look for me…if he even could. What if Jeff had done something horrible…
I couldn’t finish that notion. It was too unbearable. All this time, I’d been thinking about myself—my pain and my fear. I’d only thought of Landon in the context of him coming to save me, or of him worrying about me.
Selfish. That was the only word that came to mind. Tears began to fall yet again as I worried about the safety of my sweet, amazing boyfriend. I just couldn’t bear the thought of him being tortured. Or worse.
This horrific mental scenario was interrupted by my captor. “Hey, babe, you ready to surrender yet?”
I closed my eyes and begged to pass out. God, please give me peace, I prayed silently. Just let me faint or something. Please...
Then—miraculously—darkness overcame me.
Chapter Nineteen
“There’s been serious injury to her head,” I heard an unfamiliar voice say. “But she’s going to be all right. No permanent brain damage. She may be somewhat delusional when she wakes up, but that’s to be expected in this situation. Other than
some major bruising and the obvious emotional harm, she’ll be fine. It’s a miracle, really.”
I felt disoriented. There was a strange but steady beeping noise close by, as well as the sound of shuffling footsteps. Several muffled voices told me I was no longer in the abandoned barn—the place that had become my own personal hell.
Hope swelled in my heart and filled my entire being. Had I been rescued? The alien sounds told me I had, but I couldn’t see anything. My world was still dark. I panicked for a moment. Had I lost my vision?
Then another thought occurred to me: maybe the noises were just a dream. I would wake up and still be in that hellhole. I didn’t know which scenario was worse.
“Cora? Can you hear me, sweetheart?”
I was definitely dreaming. That sounded like my mother. I tried to force my eyes open, but my eyelids weighed a ton.
“Give her a minute, Betsy. She just regained consciousness. She might not be able to respond yet.”
And that sounded like my father. Now I was certain it was all a dream. The last thing I remembered was that look of insane hunger in Jeff’s eyes and his hand balling into a fist…
With that memory, I was fully awake. My eyes flew open. I sat straight up and curled into a ball, arms hugged to my chest. Wait! Arms to my chest? Nothing was holding my wrists together. I glanced up, observing my surroundings. The white, sterile room was definitely not where I’d been for the last however many days. It was a hospital room.
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