The Game Has Changed

by D. L. Wu

  He took a deep breath in hopes of calming his own anger. He nervously looked about, worried that the few patrons in the restaurant had heard her outburst. Part of him wondered if anyone was aware of the fact that she was a kidnap victim.

  “I'll find the nearest airport,” he said, moments later. “And I'll put you on a plane to Philadelphia. How does that sound?”

  “Fine!” she grated. “And when I get home, I'll tell the police all about you!”

  She was no longer fearful of him, uncaring as to what he had in store for her. She felt emboldened by what she was doing, unaware of the fact that it was her way of coping with his rejection of her. He, on the other hand, knew exactly what she was experiencing, then and there.

  Evan nodded in agreement. “Tell them what you have to,” he replied, shrugging with indifference.

  Reverse psychology would work best with her and he would use it to the best of his ability. He would have her back on his side soon enough. There wasn’t much of a challenge presented to him in doing so, which was a pity as he enjoyed a good challenge.

  “I am a criminal and I did kidnap you. Tell them everything! About what I’ve done and of what I'm concealing.” He tapped his jacket above the area where his gun was stowed. “I'll give you the serial number if you want it. Tell them about my birthday, too, since you’ve already taken a look at my driver's license.”

  He frowned momentarily and then continued, “Give them a really good physical description of me, as well. I'm six-foot-two, about a hundred and seventy pounds, with dark-brown hair.” He ran his fingers through his long, shaggy hair. “I’ve dark-brown eyes, too. Did you happen to notice the birthmark I have on the upper part of my left thigh? It's quite distinctive, a strawberry Hemangioma. Me mum called it me little cherry spot. You would have seen it when you gawked at my jewels.”

  Jaime’s face turned a bright red color. She didn't want him to know that he was getting to her. She remained quiet, giving him her complete, unblinking attention.

  “Anything else you need to tell them about me?”

  “Are you trying to tell me that you aren't afraid of me?” she asked with amazement.

  He was truly surprised. Once again, she had proven that she wasn't quite as naïve as he assumed her to be. “I'm not afraid of you,” he repeated boldly.

  “I may just prove you wrong,” she said testily.

  “You don't have it in you,” he challenged.

  She stared at him with derision. “It's on,” she said with defiance, and stood up to promptly walk out of the restaurant.

  Evan watched her leave and sighed deeply as he pulled out his wallet in order to pay the check. So much had changed between them. Part of him wanted to let things stand as there were. Another part of him wanted to make her see things his way. One way or another, he would sort things out with her before she disappeared from his life completely.

  CHAPTER 15

  They packed up their meager belongings and were on the road again, shortly after. The icy silence between them was so thick and oppressive that it literally could have been cut with a knife. Neither of them said a word to the other for over an hour. This didn’t bother Evan, in the least, but it did bother Jaime. Although, she didn't want to be the first to crack, she could feel herself full of agony.

  Evan noted her squirming in the seat beside him. It made him smile. Too easy, he thought cockily.

  Ironically, he was the first to break their silence. “Everything okay, my Darlin'?” he asked, his voice a tad flippant.

  “Please, don't call me that anymore!” she demanded.

  “Oh, Sweetheart,” he sighed, bestowing her with a teasing grin. “I call all women pet names. I certainly can't stop now, but it's not you in particular, so no worries.”

  “Well, make me the 'in particular' and don't call me any pet names anymore!”

  “It won't be easy for me, Luv,” he said, purposefully baiting her.

  She stared at him with spite flashing within her eyes. He winked and smiled back at her. She hated the fact that that particular action of his caused chills to run amok deep within her. Yet how could that be since she despised him now?

  ***

  Jaime watched as Evan pulled the car onto a major freeway. The new travel route was a large contrast to the one they’d kept to previously. His reasoning for taking the back country roads had been obvious. It was easier to avoid being spotted by the police, this way. His purpose now, though, became clear as she saw a diminishing mile sign along Interstate 70 which read “Indianapolis International Airport.”

  A sigh of melancholy escaped her as she stared out the window. Evan snuck a glance in her direction, knowing that she’d seen the airport sign. He smiled to himself, wondering how long it would take her to give in. He took the airport exit, waiting with expectation for her to make a move.

  Her eyes widened as she saw groups of police cars scattered all over the place as they drove closer to the airport’s entrance. In the distance, she could even see a vehicle checkpoint. She nervously glanced at Evan. He seemed unfazed and kept on driving toward the checkpoint. Her heart was racing as she looked back and forth between the determined Evan and the waiting police. He knew she was going to break at any minute and she knew it, too.

  “Alright, stop!” Jaime finally cried out.

  Evan didn't respond, nor did he look at her. Instead, he swung the car around in an illegal U-turn. Her breathing tightened as she waited with expectation to see what happened next. Her breath wasn’t abating and she knew it wouldn't until she was certain that no police would follow them.

  Silence reigned between them once more as Evan made the dangerous return onto the freeway. Police cars were prevalent everywhere they looked. Yet the blue Acura with Jaime's quite visible Pennsylvania license plates slipped right on past them.

  “You were testing me, weren't you?” she asked, finally breaking the air of deathly stillness, anxiety, and petulance that lay between them.

  “You were testing me just as equally,” he responded haughtily.

  “You knew I would break first, didn’t you?”

  “I was certainly hoping that you would, yes,” he laughed. “But you had me worried for a while there.”

  “If I hadn't stopped you, would you have . . . ?”

  He looked at her for a moment, his expression almost sweet. “I would have done it for you. I don't particularly want you to leave me, though.”

  She released a shaky sigh, watching him as his eyes turned back toward the road. “If I asked you to turn yourself in now, you would do it for me?”

  He smiled softly. “Are you trying to trick me again, Sweetheart? You're getting really good at this game, aren't you?”

  “I'm not playing the game now,” she replied, utilizing his term of 'the game' to the best of her ability, although she wasn't exactly sure what it meant. “I'm serious now. You'd do that for me?”

  “I would do whatever . . .” he began, but hesitated as he made sure to formulate his words carefully in order to get his point across. “Whatever makes things easier for the both of us.”

  Consequently putting it in such a way kept Jaime wondering. She frowned as she found herself confused by his statement. Evan smiled inwardly as he realized he’d achieved exactly what he’d been hoping for. Her predictability had allowed him to gauge her mood in order to twist her around his little finger. The knowledge pleased him greatly.

  They were soon driving along the back roads of Indiana. They were quiet yet again, each lost within their own thoughts. Evan was aware of the fact that Jaime's head was spinning with unasked questions. She wanted to talk to him, but at the same time, she seemed unwilling to do so. So after a long pause between them, he helped her along.

  “What’cha thinkin' about, Luv?” he asked, his tone careful, yet deliberate. “Oops! Sorry. I wasn't supposed to call you that, was I?”

  She shrugged in response. “Can you tell me what you mean by 'the game'?” she asked as curiosity got the be
st of her.

  He smiled. “It refers to the mind games we've been playing with one another, that's all. It’s nothing ominous.”

  “Like that last one? Who would break first?”

  “Exactly.”

  “So you won that game?” she mused.

  “Yeah, but you'll win plenty more, I'm sure.”

  “Which one could I possibly win?”

  “If I told you, I'd be giving you the advantage now, wouldn't I?” he quipped.

  “How is that possible?”

  “Think really hard, Sweetheart. You were playing a game with me just this morning. You could still win that one. It's not over yet.”

  His comment intrigued her, of that he was sure. A slight frown marred her forehead as she replayed the events that had taken place between them earlier that morning within her head.

  “You mean when I said I would tell the police and you were giving me information to tell them about you?”

  “Spot on, Darlin'!”

  “So your way of playing that game was giving me all the information!?” she murmured as realization finally hit home. “And my way of counteracting that was to threaten you.”

  He nodded again and thoughtfully stared at her for her a moment or two. “Mhmmm.”

  “Is the game always one of who breaks first, then?”

  “Not always, but lots of times, that’s for sure. But let's not get vicious with that, Sweetheart. We don't want any broken hearts now, do we?”

  “If we're playing these games with each other, we obviously don't care if we break each other's heart,” she stated righteously.

  “Hang on,” Evan laughed. “I care. I don't want to hurt you.”

  “Too late for that,” she mumbled.

  They stared at one another in contemplation. He broke their concentration and turned about to face the road once more. “How have I hurt you exactly?” he wondered, fully cognizant of the reason behind her pain. He was curious to hear her point of view.

  “If you don't already know . . .” she began, her voice drifting off into silence. She almost said, 'Then you're pretty stupid,' but she bit her tongue in order to keep the words from spilling forth.

  “Is it about last night?” he inquired.

  She shrugged, staring down at her hands as they lay upon her lap.

  “No, really,” he insisted. “Tell me exactly how you're feeling about me going off to have gratuitous sex with a strange woman whilst leaving you sitting alone in our motel room.” He waited for her to answer and then released a pent-up breath. “Because technically what I do to myself should have no bearing on you, seeing as how we have no emotional ties between us. You are here with me under great duress on your part.”

  “I didn't understand that one bit,” she muttered.

  “Did I make you jealous when I went off and had a screw?” he stated bluntly, putting things into simple terms for her.

  “Jealous? No,” she replied snootily. “Angry, yes, because it was quite rude of you to just leave me there alone.”

  “According to you, you're nineteen so you should be capable of handling things on your own, young lady.” He purposefully patronized her once again. “Or did you lie about that?”

  She refused to tell him her real age, even though it didn't really matter at this point. It was obvious to her that Evan would never reciprocate the feelings she thought she felt for him.

  “I guess I'll have to rifle through your wallet sometime and have a look at your driver's license,” he replied as a matter-of-factly.

  “I'm sorry that I did that, okay?” she apologized. She didn't want him to do the same to her.

  “You know, maybe we shouldn't even talk anymore. We only seem to say bitter and hurtful things to one another now, anyway,” Evan suggested.

  “Fine,” she sighed.

  “And we'll just see who loses this game,” he said smugly.

  “Fuck you,” Jaime mumbled, using the word for the very first time in her life. It felt wrong, but so right at the same time.

  Evan's eyes widened with surprise as he heard the foul language slide past her lips. “I'm a horrid role model for you, aren't I?”

  “I thought we weren't supposed to talk anymore?” she asked, pouting. “I think you just lost.”

  “Technically, no, you did. But I'll let it go this time.”

  “I hate you!”

  “We'll see how long that lasts, as well.” He smirked.

  “Forever,” she said and promptly gave him the finger.

  Evan couldn't help himself. He burst into laughter.

  CHAPTER 16

  “There was a police sighting of Jaime yesterday,” Marshall replied into the receiver as he spoke to George. “In Indiana.”

  George was sitting within his office taking the call and trying to square away a bit of work. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to work efficiently since his niece's disappearance. “If they saw her, why didn't they do something?” he snarled angrily into the phone.

  “Hold on, Mr. Johnson. Let me finish. Two officers in Cambridge City, Indiana responded to a 911 call at a convenience store on the outskirts of town. They were told that an attempted sexual assault of a young girl was in progress,” Marshall continued, cutting off George's retort. “They didn't know, at the time, that Jaime was a kidnap victim, but their report clearly states that the attempted rapists were two local teenage boys and that a man in his late twenties rescued her from their clutches by beating the boys up. This clearly illustrates to me that our perpetrator isn't planning on hurting her. And the main point you should be taking from this is that as of yesterday, Jaime is still very much alive and safe.”

  “Alive, yes!” George agonized. “But very safe? I won't say that until she's back home with us.”

  With that said, he slammed the receiver into its cradle. He rubbed his hands across his face with despair. Jaime’s disappearance was taking its toll on his household. Each and every one of them felt the strains of the situation they now found themselves in.

  He prayed fervently that the FBI would bring her home in one piece, each and every day. Yet the longer they took in doing so, the harder it was in believing their every word. Deep inside, he felt that they weren’t doing everything possible in trying to bring her home. With every minute that passed, his worries deepened and he began to lose faith in his hopes of ever seeing his beloved niece ever again. Time would tell if he and the rest of his family would get the chance to have her within their loving arms once more.

  ***

  Jaime felt saddened and lethargic as twilight fell over the open road before them. Everything had changed so drastically within the last twenty-four hours. Yesterday, she had felt on top of the world after the attack because of Evan's chivalrous rescue. They had shopped together and laughed and seemed as if they were truly becoming close.

  Now, everything had changed between them. They were barely speaking to one another and when they did speak, it was accusatory, inflammatory, and not pleasant, in the least. She was also on the verge of tears at every given moment. Part of her wished for them to return to where they’d been before. Yet she knew that with the way things were now, it might not be likely.

  As they silently entered their motel room early that evening, no words passed between them. Jaime noted the fact that there were now two full beds instead of just one within the room and felt a deep, sickening sadness within the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t help but wonder if Evan had specifically requested the separate beds this time. She could not fathom as to why the thought made her feel so sad.

  She claimed the bed furthest away from the door without asking him if he wanted it. Part of her sensed that he would want the one closer to the door as he’d always slept on the side of the bed facing it on previous occasions. His doing so gave them both the illusion that he was barricading the door in case she had any designs on attempting an escape. Yet she knew he wasn't worrying about that anymore. In fact, he was probably hoping she would just skip out on hi
m in the middle of the night.

  She pulled the framed picture of her father and herself out of her backpack, staring at it for a long moment to see if she could glean any comfort from it. Her depression felt so deep that she could barely sense the light at the end of the tunnel. Her comfort felt elusive and she felt that it just wasn't lighting her way any longer.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of something pushed way down underneath her books within her backpack. Her heart pulsed as she realized she’d found something she’d forgotten about completely, her cell phone. She drew it forth, staring at it with amazement.

  It had been turned off all along. All this time, she could have called someone. All this time, she might have had a way out. Ironically, she hadn’t considered the possibility of doing so. Not even on day one. The thought had never crossed her mind at all.

  Why? After staring at it for several minutes, she sighed with sorrow and crammed it deep into her backpack once more in order to keep Evan from seeing it. Despite everything that happened, both the good and the bad, she didn't want to be found. At least, not yet, anyway.

  ***

  As per his usual routine, Evan checked the safety on his pistol, stowed it away in a bedside drawer, and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his inside jacket pocket. He exchanged a brief look with Jaime and said nothing as he hurried outside to have his smoke. He left her alone as she sat upon the second bed's edge, never knowing that she was feeling a tad despondent.

  Once outside in the cool air, he paced back and forth as he puffed on the cigarette and realized that he was smoking more so than usual after he had promised himself before this whole adventure began that he would really attempt to quit. Yet, he surmised, that it wasn't exactly a good time to break bad habits in the middle of an extremely stressful ordeal like this.