by Ashlee Price
***
I managed to get some sleep, and when I woke up I was happy to see that I was alone. There was a lot that I wanted to think about, Ryland had been right about that, but with him gone, my eyes wandered around and I wanted to know where I was. The radiator looked familiar, but I couldn’t place it. I couldn’t place anything in the large room, but I knew that I was somewhere people were. I heard them sometimes during the day, but at the moment, everything was quiet.
When I really started to listen, I could hear that it was not actually as quiet as I’d thought. There was something that I could barely hear. After a few moments, I knew what it was and my heart skipped a beat. I was in the sanctuary! The sounds of Rocy were very distinct and clear. I’d been studying her since I got here, and I knew that there was nowhere else that you would find another Amur Tiger like her.
My mind raced trying to figure it out. If I was at the sanctuary, where exactly was I? The place was huge, and it had taken me weeks to learn all of the nooks and corners that there were at work. I know that I hadn’t seen it all, but Ryland knew the sanctuary better than I could have imagined. He’d worked there for so long that he knew all of the ins and outs of the place.
It was a mixed feeling that I had. On the one hand, I was happy to know that I wasn’t in some wooded area like the cave that he’d tried to show me on our first date. But at the same time, I knew full well that there were places in the sanctuary that no one ever went. Those were the places that I needed to think about. Where would he have put me? It couldn’t have been far, right? He was a lightweight man; although he was tall, he was rather lanky. I couldn’t see him lifting me up and walking around with me for too long. Someone would have seen him and stopped him. So that meant that I was close to where the garage went into the back, and that meant that I was far away from anywhere that was traversed on a daily basis.
My mind stopped when I finally figured it out. I was in one of the enclosures that were stripped for the repair and remodel. It was the only place that really made any sense, and I knew that it had to be that. There was a part of me that wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, but now I knew that it wouldn’t do me any good. No one was ever on that side of the place, and even the loudest screams would be unheard. That was why Ryland hadn’t bothered with a gag when he left the last time. He knew that one was not needed.
Chapter 4 – Logan
I stared at the phone for what seemed like an hour. I was in my car outside of the police station and I’d gotten the message I’d been waiting for. Mia had finally texted me from another number. When I read it, though, I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what to do beyond stare at the words until they blurred in my eyes because I didn’t want to read them anymore.
She was breaking up with me and didn’t want to see me anymore. She said that I was moving too fast and that she didn’t want to be with a man like me. I was too rich, too pushy, and I couldn’t always have my way.
It didn’t sound like her at all. It sounded like something written by a person who hated me. It was not my Mia, and the more I read it, the surer I was that she’d been forced to write it. Or it could have been that someone else altogether had written it. What it did tell me was that hadn’t just left of her own free will.
The last time I ran through it, the thought occurred to me that I’d heard about her friend Jane. I knew that she did in fact have a friend named Jane, and she’d said they’d gone to school together. She was a vet, if I remembered correctly, and Darryl had found her address and phone number for me. The first thing I needed to do was call her and see if Mia was really there. I knew that there was a small chance that the text was from her and she really did want some space. I wouldn’t understand it, but I knew that it was a possibility.
The woman didn’t answer the phone, and after waiting about fifteen minutes for her to call me back to no avail, I checked the time and decided that I would just go to her and see for myself if what the text said was true. I played the scenario in my head. While I liked to think that I would just walk away, I didn’t know if I could. How could I walk away from her after everything?
It wasn’t long until I was at the zoo where the woman worked. She was hard to find; it took me almost half an hour to pinpoint where the veterinarian was.
“Hi, you’re Jane, right?”
The redhead looked at me with a question on her face while she nodded her head slightly. I could tell that she really wasn’t sure if she wanted to tell me who she was. I don’t know why, but she distrusted me, and that wasn’t going to help me if I wanted to know what had happened to Mia.
“I don’t think you know me, but we have a mutual friend.”
“You’re Logan, right?”
The fact that she knew who I was led me to believe that maybe Mia was at her house. Maybe the text was real and she really wanted to get away from me. It was an idea that was too hard to even think about, really. Could I have been so wrong?
“Yeah, I’m Logan. Mia told you about me?”
She nodded her head and smiled at me. It wasn’t the reaction that I was looking for, especially if her best friend had just broken up with me and was hiding out at her house to get away from me. It gave me the courage to keep on with my line of questioning. One way or another, I had to know.
“Well, I don’t know if you know this, but we were supposed to leave last night for a vacation.”
Jane brightened and nodded her head. “Yeah, that’s all I’ve heard about for a while now. Why aren’t you guys relaxing on a warm sunny beach somewhere yet?”
I wished more than anything that I was doing that very thing. I knew then that she didn’t know where Mia was. Mia wasn’t staying with her, but I hoped that maybe she would have a lead, some idea that I could go off of. Although I thought that Ryland was the one, I couldn’t prove anything, and I was trying to keep my mind open.
“Because I haven’t heard from her since she left my house the night before last.”
I stopped, not realizing that it had been that long. I hadn’t slept, but for a little time in my car, and it felt like it was only moments before that I hadn’t been able to get ahold of her.
“What do you mean?”
I showed her the text that I’d gotten a little while before from someone who said she was Mia. I watched her friend’s face, trying to see if there was any bit of recognition. Maybe it was all true and she was just good at pretending.
“This isn’t her.”
“But she knew things about us and me that no one else would know. It has to be her.”
Jane shook her head like she didn’t believe that it was true. I wasn’t sure what was going on in her mind, but I believed her, hands down. Something had happened, and now I knew for sure that whoever had her had made her send that so I would stop asking questions. It made me think that it was someone that I’d talked to the day before who had gotten nervous. All roads went back to Ryland. now I was sure.
“Have you talked to the police?”
I told her that I had. They’d asked about any contact, and I’d told them that I’d gotten a text, but I wasn’t sure if it was her or not. I was hoping that they would be able to trace it or do something, although it seemed like the cops were pretty busy. I doubted that they were all that worried about Mia. Not near as worried as I wanted them to be.
“I have, and I made a report, but they made me wait a day. I don’t know what is going to happen.”
“What did they tell you?”
“Not much, just that they would look into it, but I guess that’s just something that they say.”
I could see that she was worried, and I assured her that I was going to find Mia. “I was hoping that it was true and that she was at your house mad, but I wasn’t sure and I had to know the truth before I could let her go.”
“Don’t worry about that, Logan. Mia is in love with you. She wouldn’t just take off, that much I can promise you.”
I wanted to believe her, I had to, but it w
as a double edged sword. I would rather her not want me and be okay, than want me and be hurt and trapped somewhere. I needed Mia, and even the hug from Jane didn’t help dispel the fear that had gripped me since about an hour after I was supposed to meet her. It was up to me to find her.
To be continued in Book 9…
Fully & Completely Book 9: His Pursuit
By: Ashlee Price
Prologue
Logan has all the proof he needs to know who has Mia. It isn’t enough proof for the police to do anything, but that doesn’t matter. Logan is ready to take things into his own hands. He’s been following the man for days. Everywhere that Ryland goes, Logan is not far off. He just needs him to slip up once and he’s going to find Mia.
Ryland knows that Logan is watching him, and after a confrontation, there is no doubt left in his mind that he’s closing in on him. It advances the timeline for Ryland; although he thought he would have weeks, even months to change Mia’s mind, he now has just one night. He wants to make it special. She has to realize that they’re meant to be together, or his worst fear is going to come true: he’s going to lose Mia for good. He has to think of something – and fast!
Chapter 1 – Ryland
Getting back to work and pretending that nothing was going on was easier said than done. I knew that I had to figure out a way to act normal, but it was hard to do knowing that Mia was only a few hundred feet away, with only a few chains and a concrete door between us.
I didn’t want to go to work. I wanted to stay with her and talk. Now I had all of her attention, and over the last week, there had been some changes in the way she was acting with me. I didn’t know if she was really starting to have feelings for me or not, but I liked the change. Mia was talking softer and sweeter, and there was nothing better than hearing her say my name in her husky voice.
“Ryland.”
I jumped at the voice behind me. It was my boss Dana, and she didn’t look like she was happy to see me. I didn’t know what I’d done, but I was sure that she was going to tell me soon. She was not the type who would let it lie. I’d had more than one run-in with her over the years, and she wasn’t one of my favorite women.
“What can I do for you, ma’am?”
Her face puckered a little and she pushed the short hair from her forehead. Dana hated to be called that, which I knew because she had told me numerous times. To me it was just a challenge. Of course I wasn’t going to let her tell me what I could and couldn’t call her. So I called her ma’am every chance I got. It made her mad, but there was nothing she could do. I was just being polite, after all.
“I wanted to talk to you about Mia.”
I kind of acted like I didn’t really know what she was talking about. There were whispers throughout the place that she was missing and that the police were looking for her. Like always, though, I’d been left out of the loop. Now I knew I wasn’t going to be able to stay out of it much longer.
“You know that she’s missing?”
Shrugging, I went back to mopping the floor and told her that I didn’t know anything. “I haven’t seen her. The same as everyone, I guess.”
She didn’t look so sure. She stared into my eyes like she was trying to see the truth. I let her see just a tiny bit of the hate that I held locked away and she quickly looked away. It was a stupid thing to do on my part, but it was satisfying to see her discomfort. I was starting to enjoy this whole game. It was one of the best ideas I’d had in a long time.
“Well, if you see her, or hear anything, will you let me know, Ryland? Everyone is real worried about her. We just want her to come back safely.”
I nodded my head, but made no verbal acquiescence that I would actually do it. I just wanted her to go away so I could think about what tonight was going to hold for me. Mia had offered me a kiss the night before, and even though I thought it was because she was trying to get me to leave her hands unbound for the night, it had been magical. It made me wonder what else I could get her to do for me.
When Dana left, I stopped and set the mop to the side. Going to the bathroom, I had to relieve myself in more ways than one before I was able to think clearly enough to mop a floor. I was tired of waiting. Other ideas started to form in my head as the risk of her not following directions made me think of how I could make her. She was chained up, after all. She wasn’t going anywhere, but I was so sick and tired of waiting that I felt like I was going to explode before too long.
***
I heard my name again, and this time it was a male voice. I knew that it was Logan. I hadn’t heard from him since that day right after Mia had gone missing. I didn’t know what he was there for, but I was starting to see that the text that she’d sent hadn’t worked as well as I’d hoped it would.
“What can I do for you, Logan?”
The man was taken aback that I remembered his name, or that I’d even spoken to him at all, I suppose. I smiled, trying to get it to reach my eyes, but it was hard. I wasn’t really sure if it was even possible. I hated him, and the idea that he had touched Mia was enough to make me want to make good on the threats that I’d made Mia to get her to cooperate. I didn’t want to be next to him, let alone talk to him.
“I was just going to ask you a few questions. I’ve been trying to reach you outside work, but it seems like you never leave.”
“Well, you know how it is, got to pay the bills.”
He nodded, but instead of walking away, he stayed. I knew that this was going to be the moment that I’d dreaded. It was going to be the accusation that I knew was coming. There was no proof, though. I’d been too careful. I knew that there was nothing to link me to any of it. I was going to be clear. All I had to do was hold my temper in and just let it go. I couldn’t freak out, not now, not in front of Logan.
I started to walk off before I did something I was going to regret, but he wasn’t going to let that happen. Before I could get away, the larger man grabbed my arm and jerked me back towards him. I was seething inside, but he had his own murderous look in his eyes and I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next.
“What are you doing?”
“I know that you have her.”
I felt an icy chill go through my blood. He knew, that much was clear, but he didn’t have proof. Maybe he didn’t need proof if he was just going to beat me up.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Logan, but you need to take your hands off me before I get someone in here.”
He smirked. “Who’s going to help some peon like you? She’s never going to want some little worm like you, Ryland, so you might as well just give it up. Save everyone a whole lot of grief and just give Mia back.”
I pulled away as hard as I could and shook off his words and physical touch. I didn’t know what to say, but I knew that I didn’t want him to get his hands on me again. That was the very last thing that I wanted to do. Although he was a lot bigger than I was, I was lean and able to slip out of things. I put some distance between us before I even considered meeting his gaze. I was more worried about what his hands were doing.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, and if you touch me again, I will call the cops. They will help me.”
He backed off, but I could tell that he was still debating if he wanted to hit me or not. I had a feeling that he did, but something was holding him back. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I was thankful for it nonetheless.
“If I hear anything, I will let you know.”
His eyes bore into mine as I made my retreat. My nerves shot up instantly as soon as I was away from him and out of sight. I was going to have to do something, and fast. Everything was spinning out of control, and I wasn’t sure what to do next. But I did know that I wasn’t going to be able to keep Mia here for much longer. I was going to have to make her fall in love with me right now, today, or I was going to lose her for good. A man like Logan wasn’t going to give her up.
Chapter 2 – Mia
Ryland was back, and he was so
irritated that he was practically pacing. For the longest time he didn’t say a word, and when he did finally level a gaze at me, I kind of hoped that he wouldn’t have anything to say. It was clear that whatever it was, it wasn’t going to be good. Something had ticked him off, and though I hoped that meant that someone, anyone, was getting close to finding me, I was still scared to death that he would do something even rasher.
“You set me up.”
It wasn’t what I was expecting. I didn’t know what he was talking about. I hadn’t set him up. It took a minute for it to dawn on me that the text from Logan hadn’t worked as he’d planned. I hoped that meant that Logan was still looking for me. Maybe it meant that Logan had talked to him today and that was why he was so angry.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ryland. I’ve been here the whole time.” I showed him my wrists and ankles, as if he needed to be reminded what kind of predicament he’d put me into.
“You know what I’m talking about. You aren’t stupid, Mia. It’s one of the things that I’ve always liked about you, but now I see that you’re using it to get your way. You want to get away from me, don’t you?”
I wanted to scream yes a million times. It was all I thought about from sunup to sundown. I didn’t have to see the sun to know that it was what I wanted every time that it came up.
“That’s not true, Ryland. You know that my feelings for you have changed.”
He smirked at me, and I knew that he didn’t believe me. I was grasping at straws, but there was nothing else I could do. Nothing I said was going to be good enough. I asked him for a kiss.
Ryland was still skeptical, but instead of turning away, he came towards me. I kind of groaned inwardly at watching him come closer and knowing that he was going to want to touch me, but I had to hold my ground. It wasn’t like I had very far to go, anyways. There really were no choices in all of this. I knew that. All I was trying to do was figure out how to get away from the crazy man who was holding me.