Steal My Girl

by Casey McMillin

  I looked at him.

  "I hope I didn't hurt ye or anything."

  I stared at him in confusion, wondering what he thought he'd done. "I hope I let ye come up for air. It felt so good I thought I might have forgotten to be gentle."

  He hadn't been gentle at all. He'd crammed himself halfway down my throat, and I'd loved every second of it. I smiled, remembering what it felt like.

  "What are ye smilin' at?"

  "I was just thinking about coming up for air, and yes, I was fine. I liked it."

  "Oh ye liked it, did ye?" he grabbed me and tickled my ribs, and I squirmed and squealed.

  "Yes!" I yelled, still giggling.

  "I liked it too," he said sweetly.

  I snuggled up next to him and he shifted to make room for me. "I'm gonna get a few hours sleep, but I'm otherwise leaving first thing. I don't want ye to think it's cause I didn't have fun, though." He rubbed my back. "Because I like ye, I really do."

  I thought about telling him that he didn’t have to feel obligated to say things like that, but I didn't. I just enjoyed the statement for what it was worth.

  "I think you're pretty cool too," I said. I gave him a little squeeze, which he returned, but we didn't say anything else; we just fell asleep again.

  The whole thing was like a dream, especially when I woke up at 9AM to an empty bed. I had no way to get in touch with Rory, which was almost a relief since I wasn’t sure where we stood anyway.

  I stayed in bed for thirty minutes, trying to go back to sleep, but finally decided to get up and make a cup of coffee. I was really surprised when I rounded the corner to see Addie sitting on the couch staring at her phone.

  "What are you doing home so early?" I asked.

  "Drake had something to do with his dad and brother," she said. "Did Rory end up staying here last night?"

  "Yeah, but we didn't sleep together or anything," I said.

  I was quick to get that out, which I was sure made me seem guilty, but she just smiled and said, "You told me you weren't going to. I'm just surprised that he still stayed."

  "We just hung out," I said, grabbing some oatmeal from the pantry, popping the lid open, and pouring it into a bowl. "I don’t really know how to say this, but I actually really like being around him. I think he's cool. Plus, the hotness, you know, that helps."

  Addie laughed. "Are you going to hang out again?" she asked.

  "I doubt it," I said. "We didn’t exchange numbers or anything, and he was already gone when I woke up. I'm usually a light sleeper, so I was either out of it, or he has ninja-like leaving skills."

  "He is a pirate," she said, smirking.

  "Don't remind me."

  "Did you hear those guys they were with last night?" she asked.

  "I heard them talking about cigars and something about Puerto Rico, but not anything that I really took note of—why?"

  "I think they were supposed to be added security for a feud they're having with some Puerto Ricans about a ship that went missing in Tom's waters."

  "See!" I said, with wide-eyes. "That's just the sort of shit I was talking about." I thought for a second, but was just too curious to keep myself from asking. "What happened with that ship that went missing?"

  "Apparently, Tom's ship intercepted it."

  "And?"

  "I didn't hear everything, but I guess Tom has control of a certain section of water. Apparently, this group of guys had been using planes for transport, but had to switch to boats after a big bust, and when they took to the waters, Tom was there to intercept them. As I understood it, he took their ship and it's belongings, and left the crew in the middle of the ocean on rafts. Obviously, they didn't take to kindly to that, and have made a few nasty threats as a result of the loss of the ship. Tom said he was being nice by letting most of them live, and that they all knew better than to try to bring it into the country without proper clearance."

  "Oh crap, Addie, he is a total gangsta, isn't he? It's water mafia, for sure."

  Addie just smiled.

  "How'd you find out so much?"

  "I acted like I was sleeping when Drake and his dad had a conversation." She shrugged. "I can't figure it out. It seems scary and sketchy at times, but other times, I almost feel like their working for the cops or something. I don’t know. I probably just want to believe they're with the good guys because of how much I love him."

  "They don't seem like bad guys," I said.

  "I know right. I have to think the Puerto Rican's, whoever they are, deserved to have that ship taken."

  "Exactly!" I agreed. "I bet they did. It's still crazy that they need extra security, whatever that even means."

  "I know, it's kind of scary," Addie said.

  Chapter 8

  "I don't see how you do it," I said, shaking my head. "I'd be begging him to quit all the time. It's too dangerous."

  I knew it was the last thing Addie needed to hear, but for some reason, I couldn’t stop the negativity from coming out of my mouth. It was probably because I liked Rory so much, that I was giving some actual thought to what would happen if we started seeing each other. He'd constantly be gone, which was bad enough, but factor in the danger and that any or all of them and their associates could be in trouble with the law, it was a no brainer that Rory was a terrible choice for me. The thought made me glad we hadn't actually slept together last night.

  "It's harder than you think to control who you fall in love with," Addie said, calling me from my thoughts.

  "I'm glad I don't love Rory," I said, staring distractedly at the bar while I waited for my coffee to brew.

  "I thought I'd come home this morning to find that you guys went off and eloped or something."

  I laughed.

  "Why do you say that?"

  Addie shrugged. "I don't know. I just didn't expect Rory to get all protective of you last night, or to come spend the night over here. He's a hard one to figure out."

  "He's really just a big teddy bear," I said.

  She glanced at me with a sly smile.

  "Nothing happened," I said. I don't really know why I felt like I needed to say that—especially when it was a lie.

  I sat there, picking at my bowl of oatmeal the whole time we talked. Addie noticed I hadn't touched it and asked if I wanted to go to one of our favorite diners to eat breakfast. I wasn't really hungry, but thought it might give me something to think about besides Rory. While we were there, we talked about everything under the sun, laughing about the rap contest and how weird it was that two catholic schoolgirls were hob-knobbing with a family of pirates.

  Every time Addie and I found ourselves in a funny situation, one of us would look at the other and say, "—and look where we are." It was a reoccurring inside joke from an old movie we used to watch, and Addie said it to me as we laughed about Captain Tom and his boys.

  I got a text at the diner from a friend of mine from college named Sage. She was moving all day, and had mentioned wanting my help if I was willing. It wasn't my idea of fun, but I didn't have anything else to do, and I felt bad making something up. I told her I would finish breakfast with Addie and be at her house by noon.

  Addie and I went back home, but I was only there for a few minutes before I headed out the door to go to Sage's. It was Saturday, and Addie said she'd probably spend the afternoon and evening at Drake's. It wasn't uncommon for us to go a day or two without seeing each other even though we were roommates, so we went our separate ways when we were done with breakfast.

  My dad bought me a Volvo for a graduation present last summer, and I got into it and headed for Sage's apartment. It was a gorgeous day, and I opened the moon roof and turned up some music. I decided on rap since I was fresh off the contest and because I was in a good mood in general. There's something to be said for having a good orgasm, and the one Rory gave me last night was for the record books. My body still had a lingering sense of satisfaction from it. I felt good, and I smiled as I enjoyed the killer factory system brought to me by t
he good people at Volvo.

  Sage sent me a text asking me to bring gloves and paper towels, so I stopped by Target on my way to her old condo. I bought paper towels, rubber gloves, and four bottles of Vitamin Water and was in and out of the store within ten minutes.

  I was looking down at my keys and just about to open my car door when I heard someone say, "Hey it's Little Miss Megan from Tom's last night." It was a man's voice, and I looked up to find one of the three guys that had been hanging out with Tom the night before. I recognized him instantly, but had a hard time remembering his name. There was a Ken, a Will, and a Freddy (or Frankie), but I really didn't talk to them enough to know who was who.

  "Fancy meeting you here," I said. They were parked next to me, and the one who spoke to me was leaning against their SUV. He opened his door, which prevented me from opening mine.

  "Oh, sorry, I said, stepping back. I didn't see that you were getting in."

  "Get in the truck quietly or you'll be hit over the head by the gentleman walking up behind you."

  My smile faded as I looked at the guy, Freddy I thought, and saw that he wasn't smiling.

  I swallowed hard. "I'm sorry?" I asked, thinking I hadn't heard him correctly. Just then one of the others approached from behind me, boxing me in between the vehicles and the other man.

  Realization sunk in that they meant to hurt me, and I glanced around in panic. There were people across the parking lot, and if I could just get their attention, I could… I took a deep breath, gearing myself up for the scream of the century, but before I could open my mouth to let it out, I heard a cracking sound. I felt a sharp burst of pain to my face and neck, and somewhere out of the corner of my eye, saw that it was a fist that had connected with my head before my lights went out.

  ***

  Waking up gagged and bound is nothing like you'd imagine—not that I'd ever imagined waking up gagged and bound, but the process was much longer and more confusing than simply waking up and assuming I had been kidnapped.

  The first thing I thought when consciousness crept back was that I was choking. I instinctually reached for my mouth, but my arms didn't work. I tired several times to put my hand to my mouth, and felt immediately frustrated as I pulled and strained to make my arm move. I tried to spit whatever was choking me out of my mouth, but I couldn't make it budge. I tried to open my eyes, but I could feel a piece of fabric holding them shut.

  I'm not sure how long it took me to put the pieces together, but once I knew I was bound, I began yelling and making noise around the gag. This sent me into a coughing fit, which made me feel a sharp pain in my head and jaw where I must have been hit.

  I cried helplessly at the amount of pain that pulsed through my head and face.

  It was a while before I could ignore the pain and shock long enough to put together a coherent thought, and the first thing I thought of was, "Where am I? Is this real?" Because of how disoriented I was, it took some serious concentration to put more than a few scattered thoughts together.

  The scene from the Target parking lot flashed in my mind's eye, and a wave of horror washed over me as I understood that my current situation was very real and very serious. I stayed still for quite some time, feeling sick and utterly hopeless. I had no idea where to begin—literally didn't even know where or how I was physically situated. It was that thought that made me realize I was laying face down in an extremely uncomfortable, painful pose with my legs folded awkwardly underneath me. I tried to sit up, but it was easier said than done. I rolled to the side in an effort to relieve some of the painful pressure off of my face.

  It was only then that I started to pick up some of the sounds and feel of what was going on around me. For the first time since I woke up, I began to listen to my surroundings. The sound of tires combined with the rough, bouncing motion made me know we were in a vehicle. I could hear the murmur of voices coming from the stereo, or maybe it was real people talking. I concentrated all my energy on deciphering the voices since that was all I could think to do.

  "…I made sure her phone was in her purse before I dropped it into the sun roof. You've already asked me that ten times."

  "Did you check her pockets just in case she had another phone on her?"

  "Don't be stupid. Who carries two cell phones?"

  Suddenly I was rolled onto my other side as the vehicle jerked. I heard the breaks squeal.

  "What the fuck, Will? You're gonna kill us!"

  "What the fuck are you thinking not checking her pockets? Turn around and check right now, because if she has anything on her, and they find us, I'll kill you myself."

  "She doesn't have anything on her," the guy who wasn't Will said angrily. "Her fuckin' phone was in her fuckin' purse. End of story."

  "You better turn around and go through her pockets before I get impatient."

  I heard an extended groan before I felt a big hand start flopping around on my chest and ribs. It almost tickled, and a combination of nerves and desperation had me struggling to contain a laugh.

  Be still. Be limp. Be still. Even breaths. You're sleeping. Be still. Deep breaths. Make a plan. Stay calm. Be still.

  He just poked at me for a few seconds, not even bothering to try to look in any of my pockets, and I caught myself wishing I had some sort of tracking device that he would have just overlooked, but I knew that wasn't true. My phone would have been my only hope, and apparently it was at Target in my car.

  "Nothin'," the guy said as he finished flopping his hand around on me. "I told you."

  I had no idea what to do—couldn't think straight. I laid there for what must have been the better part of an hour while we drove. Somewhere in the back of my mind I thought this must be related to Rory and Captain Tom since the guys at Target had been the ones I met with them the night before, but everything was so hazy, that I couldn't manage to put more than a couple thoughts together before I'd get distracted by the pain or dread.

  I had the distinct feeling that I wouldn't live through this experience, and was frustrated with myself for giving up so easily. I tired to consider making a plan, but there was nothing I could do besides start trying to wiggle my hands free, which didn't seem like a possibility since they were bound really tight.

  I wanted to grunt and moan with the painful effort of repositioning my arms, but I knew I had to remain as still and quiet as possible since I wasn't sure where they were or if they could see me. I knew it had been daytime when I was taken. I had to assume it was still light out even though I wasn't sure how long I'd been out.

  I moved my face slightly trying to figure out what sort of surface I was on, but I just couldn't tell. It could have been soft carpet or concrete—it was all painful to me. I heard a door open and felt someone grab me and haul me into his arms. I stayed as limp as I could, hoping they wouldn't figure out I was awake.

  Then it hit me.

  The one thing I've been taught about kidnapping was that you never just lay there and let them take you. You have to fight.

  I had no idea where they were taking me, but this transition was probably my best bet at someone else seeing me if I cried for help.

  "Help!" I yelled, even though it came out inaudible because of the gag. "Hellllp!"

  I bucked and writhed, and whoever was holding me lost his grip causing me to fall before hitting the ground painfully. I landed on my hip, and felt a shock of pain radiate through the whole length of my side. I heard several voices yelling, but couldn't decipher what they were saying beyond a stream of profanities.

  It wasn't until one of them said, "I'm gonna enjoy killin' this bitch," that I started to second-guess my strategy to fight back.

  I cried helplessly as I laid there in pain. Everything hurt. They were all still yelling, but I couldn't even hear them because I was consumed with fear and panic. The pain was unbearable.

  "I'm not carrying her again."

  "Well, I'm not carrying her. I have a bad back, and she's squirrely."

  Then, a pair of lips came
down on my ear. I could feel facial hair and hot breath on my ear before he even spoke, and when he did it was in a loud, angry tone that made me jerk.

  "She's not gonna squirm around anymore or I'm gonna put a bullet between her pretty little eyes!"

  I whimpered, letting him know I didn't want that to happen.

  "I'm not fuckin' with you, you little bitch. If you wiggle around again while I'm trying to hold you, I’m gonna drop you on your back over the top of one of these parking blocks. We'll see how you like a broken back, you little cunt."

  Tears streamed down my face as I imagined the pain of being dropped again, only this time on purpose and with a concrete target.

  "You should be crying," he whispered in my ear.

  I continued to cry as he picked me up. He held me in a painful position, but my body was so shaken and shocked that I couldn't even really register the pain. I absentmindedly wondered where in the hell they parked that we could have caused a scene like that and still gone unnoticed, but there was just no way to guess where I was and nothing I could do about it even if I could figure it out.

  Chapter 9

  I was a bit hazy for the next few hours. I might have been on an airplane at one point, but I couldn’t say for sure. I was extremely dizzy and disoriented¸ and my body wanted to sleep as a way of escaping the pain.

  Then I woke up on a boat.

  I knew this because I was swaying back and forth with a fluid motion. I let my eyes crack open, and was surprised that I could actually see. The room I was in was pretty dark, but at least I wasn't blindfolded. I bit down on the wad of fabric that was still gagging me, and was disappointed that it was securely in place. A sharp pain went through my jaw and down into my neck when I bit down, and I let out a few uncontrollable sobs, squeezing my eyes shut and wishing my life would just go back to normal.

  I had no sense of time. I tried to think back to what time it was when all of this started, and it took a serious amount of concentration to remember that it was Saturday around noon and I was supposed to help someone move. It was my friend Sage who I went to college with. Is today still Saturday? I totally slept with Rory last night. I didn't really sleep with him technically, but still… Rory. I'm mad at him for some reason. Oh shit, he's the reason I'm not still at Target. I'm kidnapped. Missing. I'm like the black and white pictures you see of people when you're in line at customer service at Walmart. Do those people ever get found? Every time I look at those things I think those people probably don't get found. Please God, I hope I'm one of the ones who gets found. Surely someone's looking for me, right? Why are they being so mean? If they keep treating me like this, I'm gonna die. Maybe they want me to die. That's not true because they could've already killed me. They need me alive. That's what kidnappings are, right? What the fucking shit am I doing kidnapped when I have nothing to do with these guys. It isn't fair. I don't deserve to be here.