Then & Now

by Kimberly Lowe

  “Yes. Little sis, I am. I’m the brother mother and father gave away.”

  Jasper stopped in the middle of throwing some pants into his duffle when the smell hit. He knew instantly something was wrong. Pulling out his handgun he dashed out of his room and carefully swept Leya’s.

  Nothing. She wasn’t there. Everything inside him went ridged. Racing toward the smell he fought off the feeling of foredoom. Lifting his gun he took the kitchen in all at once. Without dropping the pistol he knew what he was looking at.

  The woman he was in love with had just been snatched right out from under his nose.

  Leya wrapped her arms around her as she slowly made her way through the woods. She was thankful for sliding on her slippers shortly before she was grabbed from behind. Even through the soft cotton and plastic bottoms she could feel the sticks and rocks digging into the souls.

  “Just a little further, Leya.” His voice was kind as if what he was doing was no big deal. “You’ll be out of the cold in only a few moments.”

  No! She didn’t want to be out of the cold. She wanted to stay out in the open so Jasper can find her. How long until he noticed? He said they were leaving in a few minutes. Did he come looking for her when he realized that she wasn’t ready yet?

  “I’m so sorry, Leya. I really didn’t want this to happen. I just wanted mom and dad to see that they could love both of us. To see how much hurt they caused us.” He explained. “They didn’t just take you from me, they took me from you.”

  Franticly she tried to remember the landscape. She had only been in the back part of her home a few times. It was usually with someone or when she been trying to hide from her over protective parents. Now she knew why.

  “I’m sorry that I haven’t kept in better touch. I’m guessing you didn’t get any of my letters. No. Victor probably didn’t give you them. Can’t blame him for that though. He was getting paid to do mom and dad’s biding.” He rattled on, with the gun pointed at her back. “I think that’s why you’ve been acting out. Because you feel like I’ve neglected you. I blame myself for that. Even though I am slightly disappointed.”

  She kept silent, not knowing how to respond. After all what do you say to someone who was crazy as hell? Only a few more yards and they would come to the end of her property and the security cameras would pick them up. Hopefully.

  “Is that why you slept with your guard? I heard you with him earlier. I must say you two were holding nothing back.” He laughed without humor.

  Spinning on him she ignored the gun in his hand. “What! You listened to us making love?!”

  “Love? Really?” He asked skeptical.

  “Yes!” She cried. She had always loved Jasper probably now more than ever. Agony clogged her throat at the thought of never seeing him again. At least she finally got to know how he felt in her arms. To know what it felt like to be touched by the man who owned her heart.

  “Wow. I just thought he was a part of your little man club. I had no idea you loved him.” He scratched his chin with his gun. “Well, cool. I would like to have him as a brother in law. I’ve seen the way he protects you. But I guess I couldn’t call him little bro. He’s even older than me.”

  Her stomach coiled at his words. Keeping her mind focused on escaping, she tried to disregard the one sentence that threatened to ruin a fantasy that she had envisioned for the last nine years. Jasper will never know this man as a family member, if he even wanted the roll of husband.

  Pushing forward, she ignored the December chill on her face and hands. Her mind flipped through ways to stall him. Using her twisted ankle to limp even slower along or tripping over her feet, any of those could work.

  “When I bring you to Victor, we will ask him what he thinks about your new boy toy.” His tone was frighteningly composed.

  Realizing what he said, she whirled to face him. “What do you mean by bringing me to Victor?”

  “You’ll see. Just keep walking.” The twisted smile on his absurdly handsome face kept her from pursuing any of her potential ideas of delaying. Waving his hand in front of him, he motioned for her to get moving. “He’s not far from here.”

  Oh, God! No longer caring about her own safety, Leya hurried in the direction he had pointed. Rushing to the edge of the property she noticed the tiny shed that belonged to the grounds keeper.

  “It’s heated. The space heater I found keeps that rusted heap pretty warm.” He explained casually. “He really didn’t need the warmth even though he’s getting on in years. His heart is too cold for any heat. But I knew the walk from your house would make you cold, so I made sure it would be as comfortable as possible.”

  “You have Victor in that shed?” She asked incredulously.

  “Yes.” The one word seemed to drop the temperature of the already iced air by several more degrees. Her entire body involuntarily shuttered.

  She moved as fast as her chilled, wobbly legs could go. Reaching the rusted door she prayed she would find Victor alive. With a shaky hand she pushed the door only to be welcomed by the whine of tarnished metal scraping against one another. At first it was too dark to see anything beyond the light allowed by the opened door. Nerves on the point of break she tried calling out, but a sudden movement in the back corner grabbed her attention.

  “Victor!” She cried once her eyes focused on his trembling body. He was bound and gagged wearing pajama pants and his robe. Blood ran down the side of his terror stricken face and was now clotting against his once charming features.

  Running to her old friend’s side, Leya gave him a grateful hug. He tried to speak around the cloth wedged in his mouth. As Leya removed the peace from Victor’s mouth she could tell he’d been crying.

  “Oh, Leya!” He whimpered once the rag was removed. “I’m so sorry, Leya! I wanted to protect you from him! I should’ve told you sooner! I never expect this!”

  Feeling her stomach roll with trepidation, Leya wrapped her arms around the man she had considered a father for the past decade. “Shh…It will be okay.” Whispering the promise on false hopes she hugged him tighter.

  “Okay,” Their captor sang. “Let’s get this over with so we can start our new lives.” The sick up turn of his lips made bile burn the inside of her throat.

  Swallowing hard she asked the one question she wasn’t sure she wanted answered. “Get what over with?”

  He shook his head as if what she asked was silly in some way. “Trust me, Leya. Once we get rid of all those who wish us apart, then we will live so much easier.”

  Victor let out a gasp but refused to recoil from the madman before him. Even in his feeble state he lifted his chin. “I won’t let you hurt her, Marshall.” His voice was extraordinarily strong and determined. “Blame me if you wish, but we all wanted you away from her.”

  “Of course you did.” Hegrowled. “You were paid to keep her from me and as a good employee you’ll maintain the task. I remember that about you. Always doing what Mr. and Mrs. Davis wanted you to do.” Using hand gestures to elaborate his words, he took in a deep breath.

  “To keep you from Leya I will continue to do what Mr. and Mrs. Davis wanted me to do.” Victor’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I remember you too, Marshall. You’re crazy. Where since the day you were born.”

  Their abductor said nothing. Turning his back to them he flipped on a light that illuminated a work bench that lined most of the small shed. He started to fiddle with something that Leya was unable to see. While he worked he began to hum some erratic tone, as if something from a funhouse.

  “You weren’t a normal child. You’re mother denied it for so long, until Leya was born.” Victor continued. “Then it became too obvious. There wasn’t anything left to do but send you away. For Leya’s sake.”

  Holding up a strange looking hook he smiled demonically. “For Leya’s sake? I would never do anything to hurt my baby sister.”

  “You tried to drown her in the bathtub when you were only six.” Victor choked. “If my wife hadn’t s
topped you Leya would’ve died.”

  Leya struggled for breath at their conversion. He tried to kill her? Her brain couldn’t catch up to the scene in front of her. It was like watching a movie. A very real, very sickening movie.

  “I wasn’t going to kill her you idiot. I was merely washing way her sins.” His voice stayed unnaturally even while he waved the odd gadget in front of them.

  “What sins? She was only a year old.” The older man asked trying to understand the other mans logic. Though she was pretty sure his crazy incantations held no real logic.

  On an off side of her brain she found it almost bizarre that only a few moments ago she had been in Jasper’s arms, safely happy. She understood now that he wasn’t planning a wonderful vacation for them. He was trying to get her away. That’s why he stayed on after her parent’s death. He knew about all of this, just like Victor.

  The realization should have upset her. Instead all she could think about was crawling back into those protective arms and making love to him until all this went away. Would she ever be able to feel him again? Her heart sank at the thought.

  Marshall touched the tip of his tool, and then brought his eyes to Leya, causing her to rejoin the conversation. “Victor doesn’t get it, little sis. You know why?”

  When she didn’t answer he shouted. “Do you?”

  “N-no.”

  “Because the world wants people like mother in it.” He clarified dropping his voice back to it is eerie calm. “And you were becoming just like her. So beautiful, so perfect, and so ignorant towards the world around them.”

  Watching the lunatic approach them with what looked like a gardening tool that had been altered into some kind of torture device, she doubted she would ever see Jasper again.

  “And that’s why I’m going to rid you of your beauty once I’m done with Victor. That way you won’t be corrupt. You’ll be different. Beautiful on the inside.” He informed as he came closer to them. “It will be two quick cuts up both sides of your mouth.” Using the tool he demonstrated on himself what he intended to do to her.

  Horrified, Victor whispered. “Oh, my God!” While Leya was too petrified to move. The blood oozed from his wounds as he focused on her. He took out a plain white handkerchief and swiped at the gashes as if it was nothing more than sweat.

  “See nothing to it.” He urged.

  He took a stepped forward before a strange thud hit the side of the shed. Victor and her both gasped at the sound as the man in front of them made no move only stared at them with a peculiar expression on his face. His eyes shifted between the two of them several times before his device fell to the floor as he fell to his knees.

  He opened his mouth as if to say something, only no sound came out. Falling over onto his side, he locked his eyes on Leya. She wasn’t sure how long she stared back before she realized she was staring at lifeless eyes.

  It was Victor’s mantra of “Oh my God!” that had Leya tuning into what had happened. Looking around her eyes came across a small hole in the side of the shed that allowed a single stream of light to venture in from the outside. Confused, she blinked several times trying to get her brain to cooperate.

  “Leya?” Jasper’s strong voice called into her.

  Not sure if it was really him or her imagination playing some kind of cruel prank, she made no response.

  “Leya? Baby, are you okay?” Suddenly he was there in front of her. Real, powerful, and more beautiful than anything she had ever seen.

  “J-Jasper?”

  Cupping her face he leaned in to give her a closer inspection. “Are you okay?” He repeated.

  Glancing at the unresponsive man, whose eyes still lurked in her direction, she nodded. “I think so.”

  With that he scooped her up into his arms and carried her away from the traumatic ordeal.

  Leya said nothing as she sat wrapped up in her mother’s quilt like she used to when she was little. It had begun to snow in thick, sticky puffs. In some odd way it was the only thing her brain could concentrate on. It was as if the snow was brought to help wash away what happen. Even though it will be a long time running until the image of her crazed abductor slicing his face open stopped replaying in her still too sensitive mind.

  She had a brother. The thought couldn’t set into her head. For years her family and Jasper kept that vital information from her. It was clear why they had, though the feeling of betrayal crawled along her nerve endings.

  Her parents probably couldn’t talk about it. The thought of them giving up one of their children do to mental illness was hard to imagine. Even though they were extremely protective—the obvious reason for their reaction was lying in the morgue—they were loving, kind, and always proud of their baby girl.

  Victor probably didn’t know how to tell her. The words “you have a crazed brother somewhere in an institution” wouldn’t have been taken seriously. And Jasper probably didn’t think it was his place to tell her. Still the realization that everyone knew but her made her want to lash out at both of them.

  Turning to Victor who sat on the opposite end of the couch, she wondered if she could tear into him like she wanted. His eyes shown the same torment as she was sure hers shown.

  “Victor?” Leya asked trying to keep her voice low and calm.

  “Yeah?”

  “You okay?”

  “No. Not for awhile.”

  She nodded in agreement. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Of course. Ask me anything; everything you need to know.” Leaning forward he placed his hand on her knee.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about….” Stopping Leya gave a small cynical laugh. “I don’t even remember his name.”

  “Marshall. His name was Marshall. And I tried, but when Annie was still with us she did think it was our place to tell you.” He shrugged. “We thought he would be institutionalized for the rest of his life.” The last was ended on a whisper.

  There was something else, Leya could tell in the way he had avoided eye contact. That was when she understood. “My parents told you not to just like he said when we were….talking to him.”

  “Yes.” He agreed with tears in his hazel eyes. “They never wanted you to know the pain they felt. They even advised Jasper to do the same, even though he had been against it.” He paused to take in a breath before finishing. “He stayed quiet because it was your mother’s dying wish, though after her death he wanted me to tell you.”

  Shaking her head she understood completely. “You didn’t know what to do.”

  He nodded slowly letting a few tears spill from his weary eyes. He suddenly looked so much older than his fifty years. Her heart sank for the older man. Closing the space between them Leya took his trembling shoulders by one arm, while wiping his tears with a corner of the blanket.

  “I never thought it would’ve ended like this, Leya.” Victor whispered in the small space between them. “I just wanted you to be happy. You had lost so much, I didn’t want you to lose anymore.”

  “I know you didn’t.” Kissing him on the side of the head, Leya hugged him tighter. “I might have lost my family, but you were the best substitute I could’ve asked for.”

  “I’ve always thought of you as a daughter, Leya.” Victor said as he pulled back to look into her eyes. “But Jasper has always thought of you as so much more.”

  Jasper. Her heart fluttered at his name. Glancing back out the large family window she watched as he spoke to the police. A heat censored riffle helped Jasper take out Marshall at a distance that wouldn’t alert the lunatic. He had been trained for this moment and did it with precision that had the police in awe.

  But now what? This was the only reason he was hired. Would he leave? He had no reason to stay. Biting down on her lower lip she feared that she already knew the answer.

  Her heart raced with a rollercoaster of emotions as she stood outside of her kitchen. It had been several days since the whole nightmare and she still couldn’t walk into her home without the spiral
of sensations. The fear of being taken right out of her own house. The relief and comfort of knowing that it was over. The sexual charge of remembering the night Jasper made love to her. This brought her back to fear, the fear of losing him.

  It had been it for him. His job was done. Jace had offered him a wonderful job through his security firm and Jasper took it without hesitation. There wasn’t any other reason to stay. So he didn’t. Seven days without a word. He moved on. Sadly she hadn’t. That’s why she didn’t turn to face him when his voice danced over her unexpected shoulders.

  “Leya?” Out of all the voices, his was the one she would always remember.

  “Hi, Jasper.” She greeted as she continued to stay with her back towards him.

  Coming around her, he placed himself between her and the entryway of the kitchen. “I had to make sure you were okay.”

  “I am.”

  “Good. That’s good.”

  “Is that all?”

  “Umm, yeah.” Without moving he ran his hand through his hair.

  “Well, bye.”

  “Wait…I wanted to know….” Blowing out a breath he changed the weight from one foot to the other. “Is Victor doing okay?”

  There was the distinct change in his voice that indicated his real question wasn’t the one he asked. Intrigued, she answered slowly. “Yeah, he decided to retire.”

  “He moved out?” He asked looking surprised.

  “No, he moved into the master bedroom and hired a new maid who is driving him crazy.” She lifted one shoulder. “Although I know it isn’t her cleaning or cooking that drives him crazy. It’s that fact that she’s only three years younger than him and still looks like a cover-girl. I’ve been trying to get him to ask her out but he’s too stubborn.” She rambled trying not to breakdown in front of him. If he only knew the pain he caused when he moved on after nine years, without so much as a glance back.

  “Good. That’s good.” He repeated looking nervous.

  Suddenly her own nervous became alerted. What if he had bad news and didn’t know how to tell her? “What, Jasper? Why are you here?”