Taken

by Sarah Jayne Harry

  Damien comes into the room then, he must have gone out because he’s carrying a bag from some market. “Here, I got you some food that you’re supposed to eat when you’re pregnant.” he says quietly then stands there awkwardly. I watch him and it makes me wonder if he has ever been around a pregnant woman before. It also makes me remember that I don’t even know how old he is.

  “Damien, how old are you?” I ask him before I can even think about it.

  He looks surprised by my question but he still answers, “I’m 27. Why?” he asks.

  “Just curious.” I shrug. Wow. He’s younger than I thought, I had assumed he was much older, now I’m starting to wonder how he got mixed up with Dante but I know better than to ask about that, that would just make him angry. A few minutes later and he walks out the room, leaving me alone again.

  I look into the bag he placed next to me. Inside are some oranges, pears and bananas as well as yoghurts, nutrient rich cereals and whole-wheat bread as well as some bottles of water.

  A smile appears on my face, I am grateful that Damien had gotten these. According to Katenka, I am malnourished and I don’t want to risk losing my baby. I take a yoghurt from the bag along with a plastic spoon and open it up. When the little tub is empty, I throw it in the bin and head into the living room.

  As usual, Damien is sitting on the sofa watching TV. I sit next to him and hand him the small photo. “Keep it. I have one.” he says. I have to remember that although how it happened was a terrible event, this is still his baby too and he is just as excited about it as I am. I vow right there and then that I won’t be one of those people who doesn’t let someone see their child.

  I look back at Damien and see him looking at his own copy of the photo. The look of adoration in his eyes is enough to melt even the coldest of hearts and a genuine smile forms on my face.

  “I am hoping for a girl.” I tell him. He turns to look at me and he too smiles a genuine smile.

  “I’ve always wanted a daughter.” he says, “I would treat her like a princess.”

  I decide I have to ask the question that is burning inside me. “Damien.” I pause, “Do you have any other children?” I watch as he frowns before turning to me.

  He seems to sense what I’m trying to ask and I know he answers truthfully. “No.” he says, “This will be my first.” he sighs before continuing. “Tayla, I want you to know that I haven’t done this before. What I’ve done to you, I mean. I’m sorry.” he seems genuinely remorseful by his actions and my heart swells further for him.

  “Why did you do it?” I have to ask.

  He closes his eyes for a minute and a look of pain crosses his face. “I don’t know.” he says, “When I first saw you last year, you were so beautiful. I had never seen someone so beautiful. You were so strong and fearless yet so innocent.”

  I scoot closer to him and put my hand on his, I look in his eyes and see a single tear slide down his face before he quickly wipes it away. “I’m not saying I forgive you,” I tell him, “I don’t think I ever can, but we can move past it. For our baby.” in my heart, I know I mean it. I will never forgive him for taking me from my family but I also believe it when he said he had never taken another girl before. His only crimes are working for Dante. I believe it when he said he felt a connection with me, and although there is a 10-year age gap, under different circumstances, I may have felt it too, he is young and attractive and I'm not blind.

  I get pulled out of my thoughts when Damien kisses me suddenly. He holds my head in his hands while his lips move against mine. This kiss is different then the ones he has forced on me in the past though, this kiss is soft and gentle.

  It does something to me, makes me feel something inside.

  Surprised, I pull back and cover my mouth. “What are you doing?” I gasp.

  “I'm sorry.” If possible, he looks distraught by my actions rather than his own. I calm my nerves and take a deep breath, then I stand and head into the bedroom, telling Damien I need some space.

  ✽✽✽

  I sit on my bed and try to sort out my thoughts and feelings. Damien has changed and I find myself starting to feel more attracted to him. I no longer see a monster, now I see a man who is happy to have a family of his own. I find myself wanting to get close to him, to peel back his layers and discover who he really is.

  I sigh as I look at my belly. Can we really be a happy family? Nobody would understand, they wouldn’t accept my decision but I think we can.

  I also realise that even if I do decide to stay with Damien, that would mean staying in hiding forever. If we went back into the real world, the police would take him for sure, he was part of a sex trafficking ring after all. What would that mean for our baby. She would grow up never experiencing life. She wouldn’t go to school, make friends or get her own happily ever after.

  I spend the rest of the night going over and over solutions to make everyone happy. I still have nothing when I sleep a few hours later.

  A few days pass. I have now been here for three months but it feels like a lifetime. I feel like I have come up with a solution to stay together, as a family. I don’t like it, I’m pretty sure it will make me a criminal but I am willing to pay the price so my baby has the perfect family.

  I spend the next couple of days going over my plan. I want to make sure I truly want this. That I won’t regret it later on. Damien wants to be in her life and I want my baby to have two parents. It’s not logical, it’s crazy and wrong but I don’t care, I want a happy family, no matter how screwed up it may be.

  On one hand, there's my parents, my friends, everyone back home. Could I leave them? Cleo would understand, she would just want the gossip. Then there’s Toby, I sigh as I think of him, he wouldn’t understand, he would think I was being stupid, he would beg me to stay with him. My parents are a completely different matter. They want me home and safe with them. They wouldn’t want me around such a monster. They would make sure he got locked away.

  On the other hand, I want to make sure that my baby always has both of her parents around and that we are there for her, no matter what. She may not know the whole truth about the situation but she would be happy.

  Then there’s Damien. The age gap isn’t the best but that doesn’t matter. I have grown to like him a lot over the past few weeks. He is handsome, thoughtful and protective and, given time, I know I could grow to love him. He wants the best for his family and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get it.

  My mind is made up and I am happy with my choice, although not everybody will think the same. I put a hand on my stomach and think of my baby. I can imagine the three of us growing up together, always happy.

  CHAPTER 35

  “You want to do what?” Damien asks. We are sitting on the sofa while I tell him my plan.

  “Flee the country.” I tell him. He looks at me, somewhat dubiously and I don’t blame him. “Look, we both know that the moment we step back into the city, you will get arrested. I don’t want my baby growing up without a father.” I tell him. We both know it’s true, no matter how much he tries to evade the police, he will get caught someday.

  He thinks it over for the rest of the day but in the end, he agrees, “I think I can get what we need.” he says, “Are you sure you want to do this? You won’t ever be able to go home again.” he asks me again.

  I have wondered myself if I could go without seeing my parents again, whether I could leave my life behind. I wouldn’t be able to have my dream job and I wouldn’t be able to see my friends again. However, I know in time, I could learn to accept it, to live a new life and make new friends. I have also planned to get a note to my parents at some point, telling them that I'm OK, I'm hoping it will give me some kind of closure.

  A few hours later after discussing everything about the plan, from places to go, how to get there and what to do when we are there, we finally agree to do it, for our baby.

  We decide to do it during my second trimester to lessen the risk of any probl
ems arising. Damien has been on the phone all afternoon arranging a meeting with some of his contacts. I have been in the bedroom packing a bag to take with me. I only pack my clothes, Damien says we can buy anything else that we need when we arrive at our new home.

  We have decided to go to Cuba, Damien has some old friends there who can help us out and help him find work, illegal work of course but we will be fugitives so I can’t really complain.

  A couple of weeks later, Damien goes to meet his contact to get the documents we need to live a happy life in Cuba. He also tells me that he has many offshore bank accounts each containing around £1million, so we don't have to worry about money.

  While Damien is out, I write a letter to my parents, telling them I am safe. I don’t go into too much detail about where I am or anything, I don't tell them I’m pregnant, only that they shouldn’t look for me anymore. I know they will be devastated and scared of what I mean but I have no choice. Damien and my baby are my family now as well. I have arranged for the letter to be delivered to a post office in another city so it can’t be traced back here, after that it will be sent to my parent’s address. I put a stamp on it and leave it on the table by the door.

  ✽✽✽

  I have learnt that I’m in Wales, close to Claerwen valley. Surrounded by thick trees with nothing around for miles, I now doubt if I would have been rescued.

  Damien had unblocked the TV a couple of days ago so I can now watch TV. I am doing that now while I wait for him to get back. I am flicking through the channels and stop on the news when a report comes on about me. The news reporter tells me that the local police are slowly losing hope of finding me alive and even though my parents refuse to give up, the police are bringing the investigation to a halt, making it a cold case.

  Another news report tells me that more young girls have gone missing over the last few months and my mind automatically pictures Dante, back in the game, in another warehouse in the middle of nowhere, with a new load of goons to do his dirty work. I pray that’s not the case and the girls are found unharmed.

  Lately, I have been thinking about the events of last year. I think about Susan and how her family never got her back. I wonder if all the girls are safe now and how their lives are playing out for them. I hope they are happy.

  I have also been thinking about Dante. I wonder if he is still out there hiding away somewhere, with the number of young girls that his men take, getting higher and higher each month. I think about the sadist men who came to leer at us, did they eventually get caught too?

  I know there will always be another Dante somewhere out in the world and that young girls will always go missing, I just hope that my girls are safe with their families.

  When Damien gets back a couple hours later, he hands me my new papers that show my new identity. He also tells me that when the baby is born, we can arrange to meet someone in Cuba who can make some papers for the baby.

  Before we leave, Damien says we need to change appearances so we won't be recognised, he then holds up a bottle of dark hair dye. I touch my blonde hair protectively and sigh. I grab the dye from his outstretched hand and grab a pair of scissors, then I head into the bathroom.

  When the right amount of time has passed to allow the dye to set, I quickly wash and dry my hair and then I reluctantly look at myself in the mirror. I gasp softly, I hardly recognise myself, my dark brown hair now sits on my shoulders and is thick to touch. I actually smile at how good I look.

  I head back into the living room to find Damien rubbing a towel against his newly dyed hair. Hair that was once dark as night, is now a light brown and he actually looks amazing.

  Without a word, we grab our bags and head outside. Damien must have gotten a new car because his car is gone, and a different one now sits in its place. With one last look back at the place I have called home for only three months, I climb into the passenger side of the car and when Damien is ready, we are off.

  Apparently, in a couple of hours, Damien has arranged for one of his friends to come and burn the place down. He doesn’t want to risk someone stumbling across the cabin and finding something that can be traced back to us.

  We drive down to Milford Marina in Pembrokeshire, which takes just over two hours. When we get there, the waterfront is bustling with people. I see a cute baby shop called, Little Things and I can’t help but go through the small white door.

  Inside, there are clothes, tiny shoes, blankets, and more. I browse quickly and end up buying a beautiful beige knitted blanket with stars on, as well as a small brown teddy bear and a vintage silver rattle, my baby’s first belongings.

  Once I’m back outside to where Damien is waiting, I show him what I bought. “They’re perfect.” he tells me with a smile.

  We watch the crowd for a minute before we get to business. “So, what now?” I ask. I know nothing of what’s happening today.

  “We need to find a boat called The Hawk.” Damien tells me. I learn that The Hawk is owned by a man who goes by the name Voss, he used to work with Damien years ago and is well known for poaching the Hawksbill turtle to sell on the black market.

  It takes a few minutes before I spot the small, worn-out boat at the far end of the dock. “There.” I point. Without wasting a breath, Damien grabs my hand and pulls me through the crowd.

  CHAPTER 36

  Voss is a tall, dark man, with long black hair, hard features and calculating eyes. He wears loose, dark jeans and a dark T-shirt with a long, dark coat. There are no distinguishing marks and his eyes shift sideways every couple of seconds watching for trouble. I can tell he is a pro at what he does.

  I stand to the side while Damien and Voss talk quietly. The crowd around us oblivious to our activities.

  While I wait, I decide to people watch. There’s an elderly couple sitting on a bench, a young couple trying to fight their way through the crowd in hopes of getting a table at one of the many busy places to eat, and a woman sits at a table feeding her hyper children, hoping they won’t embarrass her.

  Some people start to look my way as they pass and I start to worry that I will be recognised. I duck my head to try and hide my face and wait for Damien.

  “Let's go.” he calls over to me a few minutes later. I make sure that I have my bag and head over to the two men.

  “Are we ready to go?” I ask once I get to the boat.

  “Tayla, this is Voss.” Damien tells me, “He’s going to be taking us into international waters where a plane waits for us.”

  “Nice to meet you.” I say. Voss simply nods once before turning and making his way back onto his boat. I look at Damien and he nudges me forward, with a nod of his head he silently tells me to get on the boat.

  We sit in silence as we move across the bumpy waves and I thank the gods that I don’t get sea sick. This is my first time on a boat and I spend the short trip looking over the edge and into the water. Fish of all sizes and colours swim underneath us, leaving a beautiful array of colours and I have to resist the urge to put my hand in the water.

  In the distance, a small water plane waits for us and we waste no time in boarding, I notice Damien hand Voss a small yet thick envelope, probably his payment for bringing us here, and then the boat disappears from view.

  When we are seated in the small passenger area, the pilot gives us a nod and after making sure we know the safety procedures, we are ready to take off.

  ✽✽✽

  It takes around nine hours to get to Cuba by plane and to pass the time I decide now is the best time to look at my new documents. Damien had told me that we can’t use our real names, not if we don’t want to be found. I take the white envelope that Damien had given me earlier out of my bag and open it up. I take a deep breath before pulling out its contents.

  Aleyna Addams, 19 years old, named after her great-grandmother who lived in Havana in the 1920s. Her parents moved to England when she was two years old. They lived outside of London where she attended a small community college to study Earth Science. Her
parents had been killed in a car accident when she was 18. After college, Aleyna decided to move back to her parent’s birthplace to reconnect with her heritage.

  That is my story now. I am Aleyna Addams. I memorize the background information. I am grateful that Damien had put a science background in my identity, that way if I ever chose to, I can get a job, probably one that pays under the table, in the field that I have always wanted to do.

  Also in the envelope is a Cuban birth certificate, a British passport, as well as a Cuban passport (both have an image of me with my new hair style and colour) and documents saying I have permanent residency in Cuba. There is also a fake death certificate for my fake parents. I learn Damien also has a new name, Victor Martinez.

  I see my reflection in the window and I don’t even recognise myself anymore. I sigh as I think to myself, I hope I haven’t made a huge mistake doing this.

  We still have a few hours before we land so I decide to get some sleep and hopefully, in a few hours, any doubts I have will have disappeared. With a quick word to Damien, I put my chair in the recline position and close my eyes.

  I dream of my parents. They are standing in a field, crying in each other’s arms. Then I come up behind them holding my daughter. When they spot us, they leap for joy but they disappear before I can reach them, leaving just me and my daughter.

  My eyes open and I look around. It's getting dark and I figure we must be close to landing. I think of the dream I just had and a part of me feels bad for keeping their grandchild away from them but it’s for the best. They wouldn’t understand the feelings I have for Damien or how I could allow him near her.