by K. D. Jones
That was the last time she slept at night. She knew that somehow, Nautilus was getting into her head while she was asleep and during that vulnerable time, she was unable to fight off his mental manipulation. After that last nightmare, she kept herself awake at night and went to sleep at the crack of dawn. She kept her door locked until she woke up at two in the afternoon.
She was pleased with herself that she had found a way around his psychic abilities. Nautilus took a few nights to figure out that she was not sleeping when he thought she should. He must have said something to Tala. Tala began to tell her what time she should go to bed and has tried to come and check up on her. Lindy didn’t trust the other woman.
When Lindy woke in the afternoons, she would take walks in the garden and around the property. She tried to find a weakness in security, but it was pretty tight. The female guards would follow her around and only spoke to her if she got too close to an area they didn’t want her to be. The male security guards were told never to speak to her. At first, she had attempted conversation, but she learned in the most horrible way to never speak to one of them.
She had tried to befriend one of the male security guards, Junior, hoping that he might help her to escape. The man talked to her and made her laugh at a few jokes. He refused to help her leave, saying that it would put his family at risk if he betrayed his employer. Lindy was disappointed, but she understood the need to protect his family. She was grateful to have someone friendly to talk to.
The next day, Lindy had found Junior’s head chopped off and lying on the floor in front of her bedroom. Lindy rushed into the bathroom and barely made it to the toilet before she started to throw up her meal. The guard’s head was moved to the outside where it sat on the top wall overlooking the compound.
Nautilus came by her room that evening when she refused to come to the formal dining room. He told her the men were not to talk to her. If they did, the same would happen to each of them. That was why he put the poor man’s head outside for everyone to see. It was a reminder to never go against his commands. She couldn’t open her door without pausing in fear that there may be another head waiting for her.
Lindy still shivered thinking of the poor security guard. She hoped that his family was safe; there was nothing she could do for anyone as long as she was still being held against her will. She had to keep her focus. Her first priority was getting free of the compound. She had not found a break in security, so her only option was to escape while Nautilus took her off the compound. She slipped some suggestions to him here and there, of how she would love to go shopping, see the sights, or eat out somewhere. It paid off because he finally agreed to take her out. She hoped that tonight would give her the opportunity she needed to make her break for freedom.
In preparation for a possible escape, Lindy collected things that she thought she might need. In her bedroom, she found some jewelry pieces that she could trade for credits. She would wear as many as she could without looking too obvious. She stashed a knife from one of her meal trays. She was determined to find a way to take that with her to use as a weapon if she needed it.
She tried to formulate several escape scenarios. Of course, the good ole ‘make a break from the bathroom window’ scenario was included. She wasn’t sure if he would let her out of his sight that long. She could try to call out for help as soon as she was in public. Would she be quick enough, before he took control over her?
The biggest obstacle was keeping him from knowing her plans. In order to get him to take her off the compound, she had to agree to keep her mind open to him at all times. She worked hard to not even think about escaping while in his company. It would have to be a last minute decision. So she prepared herself when she was alone during the day by thinking of as many scenarios as possible before their date. She would have to clear all those thoughts before seeing him that evening.
As expected, she felt a tingling sensation at her mind. She cleared all thoughts except for how pretty the roses were in the rays of the afternoon sun. She finished putting on all her clothes for the evening. She was excited about seeing beyond the compound.
She heard a knock on her door before it opened. She looked up to watch Nautilus walk in. She made herself think the thoughts when she felt the tingling in her head. He looks so handsome in his dark suit. I hope I look okay.
She knew he had read her thoughts when he smiled and told her, “You look beautiful this evening.”
“Thank you. So do you…I mean…you look very handsome.” Lindy blushed. She could see his chest puff out a little more with pride. She bent to pick up her small purse as he led her out of the bedroom. “Where are we going?”
“I have reservations for us at a five star restaurant that caters to full bloods and humans, the Dolinchy.”
She gave him a surprised look. “Dolinchy? That is a very hard place to get reservations. You have to book it months in advance.”
“Yes, I know.”
That told her so much. For one thing, he had planned her kidnapping months in advance. Second, Dolinchy was in the Southwest Beta Region. She quickly changed her thoughts when she felt the now familiar tingling sensation in her head. She looked up at the moon and stars. It was a beautiful night. The unwelcome sensation finally faded away. She breathed a sigh of relief. Guarding her thoughts took a lot more effort than she thought that it would, even with all the practice she had.
About ten minutes later, they arrived at the restaurant. It was packed. There was a line waiting all the way out to the street, and these were people with reservations. “Looks like we will be waiting a while.”
“There will be no waiting for us,” Nautilus assured her. He signaled someone standing at the door of the restaurant and they were led directly inside, then they were seated at a secluded table.
Lindy was impressed. He must have a lot of pull. She looked around the restaurant and noticed that there were four security guards, one posted at each of the two exits and two standing at opposite ends of the room. Getting away without anyone noticing was going to be nearly impossible. She felt her mind being probed and quickly made her think about how hungry she was. She was grateful when the waitress brought them their menus.
They ordered their food and had a pleasant conversation while waiting for their appetizers to be served. She smiled at him often and made sure she didn’t shrink away from him touching her hand. If he weren’t the crazy maniac that had her kidnapped, she would have said that he had a lot going for him and any woman would find him appealing.
Halfway through the main course, Lindy chose to make her move. “I need to use the restroom.” As soon as she said it, she felt a strong push against her mind. She automatically put up a wall blocking him.
He reached out to touch her hand. “Look at me, Lucinda.”
She had managed to only look in his eyes briefly through the entire meal. Now he was demanding her full attention. Shit! Think clear happy thoughts. She looked up into his eyes thinking that the evening was going well.
His strange eyes glowed as he stared into her eyes, trapping her in his gaze. “You will go to the bathroom and do your business. You will not try to escape. You will come back to me when you are done.” There was a long pause as he continued to keep his gaze locked on hers. Then he added, “When we go back home, you will come to my bed, willingly.”
As soon as he released her from his gaze, Lindy stood and walked across the restaurant to the other side of the room where the bathrooms were located. He didn’t stay in her mind the whole time because he didn’t need to. He had already programmed her with his hypnotic suggestion. She was desperate to break the hold he had over her. No one followed her to the bathroom, believing that Nautilus had her in his control. The bathroom had one window, but it was too high up for her to reach and nothing she could use to climb up.
Shit! She needed to come up with something quickly. The part of her mind that was obeying Nautilus had her doing exactly as he commanded. Now she was washing her hands. She couldn’t get herself
to stop. It was as if she was watching herself from a distance. She screamed at herself, trying to break the command. Even thoughts of Talon were not helping. As she reached to turn the water faucet off, she glanced up and knew what she had to do.
She pulled her right arm back and then swung as hard as she could into the mirror in front of her. The mirror shattered into tiny little pieces falling into the sink and onto the floor. She bit her lip to keep from crying out loud. She suffered through the pain, taking comfort in the fact that she had finally broken the hypnotic suggestion. Her hand had cuts and was swelling, but it would heal later.
She didn’t waste any more time. She walked over to the door and cracked it open. None of the security guards were there and the door was at an angle that Nautilus would not see her. She walked out and took the hallway leading out to the back. She needed to make her way to the public street.
She ran around the building and headed off down the street. She hoped to find a law enforcer that she could get to help her. No one was following that she could tell. Did she make a clean break? But then, she began to feel the familiar invasion in her head. Nautilus knew she was gone. She looked back at the restaurant and saw the security guards running out after her and following behind them was Nautilus.
She was determined not to go back with him. He was going to make her have sex with him. It was pretty much rape because he was taking her free will out of the situation. No way! Desperate to get away, she ran out into the middle of the street. She fell down and when she got back up to her feet, a shuttle was heading straight at her and she knew she would not be able to get out of the way. Her last thought was, “I would rather die than go back.”
Chapter Fourteen
He had a lead that had brought him to the Southwestern Beta Region. The lead fizzled out and he was getting frustrated. His pocket vibrated. Talon answered his phone.
“What?”
“Talon?” a woman’s voice asked.
“Rachel?”
“Talon, are you still in the Southwestern Beta Region?”
“Yes, but I was getting ready to leave because I’ve hit a dead end.”
“No, you didn’t. She’s there. She was admitted two hours ago to the local Healing Facility in Kingsley.”
“What happened? Why is she in a Healing Facility?” Talon was already throwing his things together in his gym bag.
“I don’t have that information yet. However, it was flagged when she was registered and her fingerprint didn’t match the name on the patient roster. When the fingerprint was entered and searched through the Galactic Records online for any allergies, it sent a flag to the IDJ computer alert system. I was notified by my partner, Trig.”
“I’m on my way.”
“Wait, Talon! I’m sending Trig out your way to help you.”
“No time!” He hung up. He had to hurry. If she had been checked in a couple of hours ago, then chances were she could be gone by the time he got to the Healing Facility.
It took him less than twenty minutes to reach the Healing Facility in Kingsley. He may have bypassed the speeding laws just a little. The moment he walked through the doors of the Kingsley Healing Facility, fans surrounded him. This was not what he needed right now. People were drawing attention to him and blocking his path. The fans were yelling out for him, which drew even more attention.
“Talon! Talon! I’m your biggest fan!”
“Over here, Talon! Can you sign my cast?”
“I’m not doing any signings or pictures at this time. Please let me through to the desk attendant.” He did his best not to shove anyone, but he was in a hurry. If news of his arrival gets to the bastard that took Lindy, he’d take her out of there in a heartbeat.
The attendant was another fan of his. He would have to start shaving his head when he went out in public. The woman blushed when he approached her. “Mr. Talon, I’ve seen all your fights.”
“I appreciate that Miss—”
“Sara.”
“Sara, I would deeply appreciate it if you could tell me if you still have a patient that was brought in a few hours ago. She is a young woman with dark-brown hair and brown eyes. Her name is Lindy Stamos.”
The young woman typed the information in her computer then frowned. “I’m sorry, there are no patients admitted with that name.”
Damn it! Talon pulled out his phone and dialed the call back number for Rachel.
“Talon?”
“What name was she admitted under?”
“Marla Johnson. Wait for Trig. He’ll be there in—” Rachel was cut off when Talon hung up on her.
Talon turned back to the desk attendant. “Try the name, Marla Johnson.” When he noticed her hesitating, he gave her a sexy smile and a wink.
The attendant blushed even more as she typed in the new name. “She’s on the 5th floor room 506. It says she’s to have no visitors—” She looked up, but Talon was already gone.
*****
Lindy grimaced with pain. She had been in and out of consciousness. The doctors gave her sedation meds while they inserted healing implants. Since she was partially incapacitated, she couldn’t protect herself from the mental onslaught.
Nautilus was furious with her. “You have been fooling me this entire time!”
“Leave my mind and leave me alone!” she yelled back in her mind.
“You made me believe you cared for me, when you have been harboring delusions that you would be reunited with that idiot fighter. You are mine! I will kill the man if he comes anywhere near you again. When you are healed, I plan to take you in every way and show you once and for all who you belong to!”
“I would rather die than have you touch me!” she cried out when she felt a sharp pain in her head. It was like someone took a white-hot poker and was jabbing her head from the inside. She had no idea he could hurt her mentally. She tried to push him out but didn’t have the control she worked so hard to build.
“I have invested too much to let you get away from me. If you care for your family and want the fighter to continue to live, you will learn to do as I tell you,” he threatened before the doctors forced him to leave the Healing Facility room.
Her family and Talon were in danger because of her. She had to warn them somehow. She struggled to fight through the lethargy of the sedation meds. She listened as the doctor gave the nurse instructions before leaving.
“She is coming out of the last sedation administration we gave her. Administer another dose and then let her rest for two hours. The healing implants will heal her enough so that she may leave with her husband. He says that he will have a full staff to care for her at his home.”
“Yes, doctor.” The nurse responded by going to retrieve the sedation meds from the locked cabinet.
Lindy waited for the doctor to leave. When she felt the nurse bend over her, she reached up and grabbed her arm. “No sedation,” she croaked.
“But you will be in pain, a lot of pain,” the nurse told her.
“I need the pain. I can handle it,” Lindy told her.
“I will need to inform the doctor that you refused sedation,” the nurse told her with frustration.
“You do that,” Lindy said as the woman walked out of the room. She struggled to get in a sitting position. Every move she made hurt, but the pain cut down on the effectiveness of the sedation. She reached over for the phone on the table. She didn’t have a lot of time before Nautilus would come back at any moment.
She dialed her mother’s cell phone but got her answering service. She left a quick message letting her know the whole family was in danger. She couldn’t get through to her dad or uncle either but left them the same messages, telling them that Nautilus was the one that took her and that he was threatening the whole family. One last number she needed to call, Talon.
“What?” his voice was gruff, however, music to her ears.
“Talon?” Tears started to fall.
“Lindy?” his voice croaked. “Baby, I’m here. I’m coming fo
r you.”
What? He was there at the Healing Facility? Nautilus would kill him. “Go away, Talon! You’re in danger!” she couldn’t say any more because the phone was ripped from her hands and thrown across the room.
“You dare talk to that man!” Nautilus was pulling her up out of the bed, planning to drag her out of the room, but her legs gave out on her. He cursed as he picked her up in his arms. When he got to the hallway—all hell broke loose.
“Lindy!” Talon screamed from the end of the hallway.
Lindy turned to look over Nautilus’s shoulder. There he was. He was even more beautiful than she had remembered. They had been separated for months, but at the first glimpse of him, all the feelings she had for him came rushing back to her—full force. She struggled to get out of Nautilus’s arms. She didn’t care that she was in pain.
“Kill him!” Nautilus ordered his security guards.
Lindy looked at the guards and then looked at Talon. They were going to kill him. “Run, Talon!” She watched in horror as the four guards that Nautilus brought with him surrounded Talon. He threw the first guard that struck out at him against the wall, making a dent in the plaster. The other three came at him at one time. One of the guards took out some kind of stun gun and shocked Talon, over and over until he fell on the floor, unable to rise back up. The other guard pulled out a knife intending to kill him. No, no, no!
She turned pleading eyes on Nautilus. “Please, let him live.”
Nautilus looked from where his men were about to end the life of his competition and glanced down at the woman who had somehow filled his every thought. “Hold, Manis,” he ordered his man with the knife to stand down. “What would you give me, if I spared his life?”
Lindy looked at Talon. He was still breathing and she would do whatever it took to keep it that way. “Anything,” she whispered without taking her eyes off Talon.
“You will open your mind and allow me to take control?” he asked her.
She nodded her head. “Anything, just let him live.”