by Verne, Lara
Jacob sighed. He reached into the box, pulled out the key and handed it to me. “See that button there?” He pointed to the unlock button on the key. “Press it.”
I did as I was told. Almost instantly, I heard a chirping sound coming from somewhere out into the distance. “It’s a car,” I said, “What’s so important?”
“It’s not only a car.” he smiled, “It’s your car.”
“My car?”
“Yes, I figured you might have wanted something from home.” He shrugged then turned to face the woods, “If you keep walking straight that way, you should find it.”
“You brought back my car?”
“Yes,”
“So, am I free to go?”
Jacob clenched his jaw. “No, you are not.”
I slumped, “Then why did you bring my car?”
“There are local convenience stores just a little south from here. In case you would like to shop for feminine needs or whatever…or if you just want to get out. You’re free to go whenever you want.”
“And if I don’t come back?”
“I’ve installed a GPS into your car so that I’ll know where you’ll be at all times. I’ve also installed a radar that will be able to detect you from a five mile radius. Don’t ask how I did that, because it’s quite complicated. The only rules are, you can only leave when you have my consent.””
“That’s fair, I guess.” I played with the key between my fingers. “Thanks.”
Jacob smiled a genuine smile. It didn’t make me feel uneasy like it usually did, it made me feel happy. This needs to change now. “Do you mind if I take it for a spin right now?”
He stepped aside, “Be my guest.”
“Thanks,” I walked past him and into the woods. I’m surprised that he didn’t follow me, which was good. He was finally realizing that I didn’t want to be around him. Well this would be easier than I thought.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - JACOB
The look on Elizabeth’s face when she saw I had brought her car and granted her some freedom was priceless. I loved to see that happy look on her face. It made her look even more beautiful than she already was, if that was even possible.
We only had a week left.
A week until we would have to move. I couldn’t risk staying here any longer for them to find me. When they found me, they would try to take me away from her. Anyone who wants to take me away from my love would be eliminated.
“Elizabeth…” I whispered as I walked into her bedroom. I heard her soft breathing match the pace at which her chest rose and fell. A smile found its way onto my lips as I made my way over to her bed. I sat down on the edge of the bed, causing the bed to dip from my weight.
I heard her soft cry that was accompanied with her eyes snapping open. She sat up in bed and tried to control her heavy breathing, “It’s you,” she said, a look of disgust flashing over her face.
“My apologies, Elizabeth,” I brought my thumb to her chin and lifted her head up. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just checking on you.”
“I’m not a baby, you know,”
“But you’re my baby,” I combed my fingers through her long brunette locks and looked deep into her eyes. “I’m glad that you’ve finally began to see things my way, Liza,” I moved my hand to the side of her face, stroking it gently. “You are just so beautiful,” Her heart race seemed to quicken as I continued to talk to her. She flinched as soon as I ran the back of my hand down the side of her neck. I could feel her pulse beating. She felt so alive and alert. “So beautiful,” I repeated.
“Jake,” she choked out.
I pressed my finger to her lips, silencing her. “Don’t ruin the moment,”
She sucked in a breath and let her eyes trail down to where my hand was moving next. I traced the outline of her collarbone, then her shoulders and brought my hand back to her face, cupping it in my hands.
Her breathing seemed to become more unsteady as I slowly brought my lips to hers and kissed her. She was still, frozen almost, refusing to respond. I could feel her trying to pull away but one quick tug of her hair kept her in place. Growing aggravated at her lack of response, I placed my hand on the back of her neck and forced her closer to me. I pulled away shortly and looked into her eyes to see a complete look of shock. “You’ll get used to it,”
She yanked away from me, using the back of her hand to wipe her lips off. Her eyes landed on me showing her disgust. “Get away from me,” she croaked.
“Liza,” I sighed, “Don’t be stubborn. Tonight’s our night.”
“Like hell it isn’t,” she spat, scooting farther away from me, “Get out.”
I pressed my lips against hers once again, attempting to soothe her but she broke away again.
Elizabeth gaped, her hand rising above her head. I saw it coming, but when her hand connected with the side of my face, it hurt more. It hurt that she would ever think that it was okay. Completely frustrated, I snapped my eyes to hers with my breathing pattern getting out of control. “Don’t you ever raise your hand to me!” I yelled, grabbing her wrist and yanking her closer to me. “You don’t do that, you hear me?”
She looked up at me, taking deep breaths. “Go fuck yourself,”
“That’s it,” I grabbed her shoulders and pushed her down on the bed, slowly reaching for the switchblade in my back pocket. I straddled her and pushed all of my weight on her, restricting her movement. Still, she flailed her legs and hands in an attempt to get free. I pressed the blade against her cheek until it began to draw blood, “Don’t tempt me, Elizabeth,”
She froze, realizing that she was bleeding, “No,” she cried, “No! Don’t kill me!”
I furrowed my brows, puzzled. I pressed my index finger to her lips once again silencing her. “I don’t want to hurt you, Elizabeth.” I buried my head in the crook of her neck and began kissing the skin there. “I love you,” I whispered.
She shivered in response, “Please,” she wailed, “Please don’t.”
I came back up to look at her face, “Shut up!” I yelled, slapping her across the face. “If you would just be a good girl, I wouldn’t have to hurt you!”
“Stop!” she yelled, pushing her hands against my chest. “I don’t want this,”
I sat up straight, straddling my legs over her body and holding her down. “Stop resisting!” I yelled louder, shaking her shoulders furiously, “Stop being a bad girl!”
“You motherfucker!” she shouted, spitting in my face and raising her knee up in one quick motion so that it would crash in between my legs.
I scowled in response, my hands immediately crutching to the area, allowing her to slip from underneath me. She fell to the ground and began to crawl her way to the door, wailing uncontrollably.
“No!” I yelled, immediately getting off the bed. I grabbed onto her feet and dragged her across the floor, pulling her towards the bed.
“Stop!” she yelled, clawing at the ground. “Just let me go!”
“You are going to obey me,” I growled, wrapping my arms around her chest and pulling her body against me. “You are mine,”
“I’m not yours!” she gritted between her teeth, “And I never will be,”
“We’ll see about that,” I tore open her shirt, letting my eyes roam over her laced bra and her bare stomach. She must have sensed the lust that flickered over me because she muttered, “You sick bastard,” Ignoring her comment, I continued to strip her down until she was completely bare in front of me. I could not tear my gaze away from her beautiful body. All the cracks, grooves and imperfections made her irresistible. “You’re so beautiful,” I voiced my thoughts.
She shook her head, protesting. “Please,” she pleaded, “Please don’t do this. I’m only seventeen; I haven’t even lost my virginity yet.”
I glanced up at her to see the tears rolling down her cheeks. Feeling sympathetic, I wiped them away with my thumb and leaned in closer to her. “Don’t worry,” I whispered, “I’ll make it fast and painless.
”
CHAPTER NINETEEN - LIZA
The next morning, I had woken up to the bright morning sun hitting the side of my face. The sun caused me to squint as I looked around at my surroundings. I forced my eyes open as soon as I realized I was lying completely naked on my bed. Instantly, an image of Jake flashed through my mind along with all the disturbing memories.
I glanced over to the other side of my bed, only to find the spot next to me cold and empty. For a second, I convinced myself that last night had been a figment of my paranoia. I inched off the bed and stood to my feet. Pain ripped through my body, especially in the area that needs not to be named. My eyes moved to my pieces of clothing that were scattered across the floor. Last night was real. He raped me, and there was nothing I could ever do to take that back.
I reached down, picked up my clothes and threw them into the hamper that was against the wall next to the door. Out of the corner of my eye, a bright pink object caught my attention. I glanced over to see what looked like a post-it note attached to the bedroom door.
Elizabeth,
Good morning beautiful. I apologize for not being here when you woke up but I had important errands to tend to. I made you breakfast in the kitchen. I should be home in a little while so don’t do anything reckless. I love you, beautiful.
-Jacob
I yanked the note from the door and crumpled it in my hands. He had the nerve. Did he think it was okay to abuse me and take my virginity? Something that meant so much to me. Something I had been saving for Sean.
My heart ached at the sound of Sean’s name. I missed him, a lot. I missed Jeremy and Katie too. All I wanted was to be with all of them for one last time, knowing that it would have been my last time.
I tossed the note across the room and shuffled my way into my bathroom. I flipped on the light and stared back at my reflection in the mirror. My hair was a tangled mess, as I had suspected. The bags that hung underneath my eyes showed my lack of sleep and my pale skin showed the lack of sun. My eyes roamed over the bruise on my cheek; the one that Jacob gave me. I touched it gently, only to have my hand jerk back at the stinging sensation.
This was ending now.
I gathered all of the beauty products Jacob provided me with from underneath the bathroom sink and laid them across the bathroom counter. I picked a decent shampoo and conditioner to wash my hair with and jumped into the shower. When I was finished, I stood in front of the mirror with my towel wrapped tightly around me and got to work.
I grabbed a pair of scissors and began to cut off long pieces of hair. I would sure miss my long hair but this had to be done. When I was satisfied with the length, I blowed it through with a blow dryer and added styling gel to the finished product.
Moving on, I added a few coats of mascara to my lashes and one coat of bright red lipstick to my lips. I rubbed them together and managed to force a smile at my reflection. Working quickly, I pulled on a pair of black jeans and a dark top that shouldn’t add too much attention to me because that was not what I was looking for. I opted for a pair of dark sunglasses and slid them on over my face.
Grabbing my car keys from my bedside table, I headed out of the door and made my way to my car. The sun was already high in the sky, which led me to believe that the afternoon was soon dawning and I would not have much time until Jacob came back.
When I approached a gas station, I pulled up by one of the tanks and got out of the car. A man that seemed to be in his mid-40s greeted me. “Would you like me to check your fluids?”
“No,” I shook my head, flashing him a smile, “Actually I was wondering if you’d do me another favor instead.”
“What is it?”
“I’m going to leave this car with you,” I explained, “I don’t need it anymore; it’s sort of a bother anyway. The only problem is that my super protective boyfriend likes to know where I am at all times, he even installed a GPS in my car so that he could track me!”
The man furrowed his brows, “He sounds a little creepy. And you’re still with him?”
“He’s really sweet and all but I have a few things I want to do without him knowing where I’m at. He’ll most likely come to this gas station to find me so if he asks, can you tell him that I walked…” I let my eyes roam over the area. “That way.” I pointed off somewhere into the east.
“You want me to lie to him?”
I shrugged and faked a laugh. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. I just want a little freedom; can you at least help me?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Thanks so much,” I pulled out a twenty dollar bill from my back pocket and handed it to him. “And once that is all done, you can have the car.” I tossed him the car keys and began to walk off into the opposite direction.
It didn’t take long for me to find some sort of civilization. It seemed to be in the middle of nowhere but it was better than nothing. I walked into the first shop that I saw which happened to be a diner. I knew walking into a diner, screaming that I was kidnapped wouldn’t result in any good outcomes. Most likely, people would think I was crying wolf and not believe me.
“Hello, welcome to Sally’s!” a female greeted me with a huge smile on her face.
“Hey,” I returned the smile and stuck my hands into my pockets. “Do you have a phone here that I can use?”
The female shook her head and frowned. “We don’t have a public phone you can use but you can use my cell phone.” She reached into the front pocket of her black apron and handed it to me. “Just find me when you’re done.”
I dialed the number that I needed to call, “Thanks, you’re a lifesaver.” I walked right outside of the diner and stood on the porch steps, holding the phone to my ear. After a few rings, a voice responded.
“Hello?”
I sighed in relief at the sound of Sean’s voice. “Sean, it’s me.” I said, “Liza.”
There was a slight pause before he responded again. “Liza?” he questioned, “Liza, this is really you?”
I stifled a laugh, “Yes Sean, it’s really me.”
“Liza!” I heard his voice exclaim, “Oh my god. We were all worried about you! You disappeared and we couldn’t find you. We called the cops and they have been searching for you but so far…nothing. But, you’re okay! Where have you been?”
“I was kidnapped,”
“What?”
“I was kidnapped,” I repeated, “Listen Sean, I don’t have much time. A man named Jacob kidnapped me and I have been living with him this whole time. He kept me hostage and he…raped me.” As soon as the words came out, I burst into tears. “Sean, he violated me. He forced me!”
“Liza,” Sean’s voice said with determination, “Liza, listen to me.”
I sucked in a breath, “Yeah?”
“Everything is going to be okay. Where are you right now?”
“I don’t know.” I looked around in search of a sign that would help me figure out my location but there weren’t any. “It’s a small town in the middle of nowhere. I managed to escape but I don’t think I’ll stay hidden forever. He’ll find me.”
I heard Sean let out a frustrated sigh. “We’re going to get through this together, you hear me? I’ll call the cops and we’ll figure out some sort of plan. Maybe you can find someone who can tell you where you’re at?”
I mentally slapped myself for not thinking of that earlier. “Yeah, yeah that’s good.” I rushed back into the diner and tapped on someone’s shoulder. “Excuse me, I don’t mean to bother you but do you mind telling me what town I’m in?”
“Sandra Hills,”
“Sandra Hills,” I repeated then returned my attention to Sean who was on the other side of the phone call. “I’m in Sandra Hills.”
“Great, I’ll notify the police right away,” I could tell that Sean was smiling in relief. “I’m glad that you’re okay. Do you think you can hide a little bit more?”
“Yeah, that can be done.” I replied, “But this guy won’t stop until he has me, Se
an. I don’t know how long it’ll take before he finds me.”
“Everything will be alright, babe. I promise you.”
“I love you,”
“I love you too,”
A smile found its way onto my lips as I let my eyes wander around the diner, in search for the woman who had kindly let me borrow her phone. My heart sunk to my knees when my eyes landed on a familiar person with pale gray eyes. “No,” I whispered involuntarily, letting the phone slip out of my hand and drop to the floor.
Jacob was talking to the same female who had given me her phone. They seemed to be engaged in a deep conversation. There was no way that this woman would think he was a murderer. He laughed in response to something the girl had said and handed her a few dollars. When he turned his gaze away from the dainty female, his eyes landed on me. His brows furrowed in confusion before he returned his attention back to the female.