Saved by Grace

by TJ Rudolph

  “And my answer is no!”

  “I thought you might say that, so I decided to come and collect my gem myself.”

  “I don’t belong to you, Jerry and I sure as hell don’t want to be involved with your shit.”

  “Well, it looks like you don’t have a choice, so you better behave yourself.”

  “Just tell me what you want and let me go!”

  “Everything will be revealed to you soon, just sit back and enjoy the ride.”

  We drove for just over an hour and my heart was beating like crazy in my chest the entire time. I tried to take note of the route that we were driving on and memorized any minute detail on the way. Jerry spent most of the time texting on his phone and drinking glasses of wine which he offered to me and I refused. I didn’t know what Jerry was going to do to me and I was more afraid than I had ever been in my life.

  We eventually exited the city and reached a dirt road and then another two hours until we reached a large iron gate. The security guard at the entrance opened the gate and we drove down a long driveway toward a three story house. Which I assumed was Jerry’s estate he wanted me to come to.

  Someone opened the door for me and I tried not to tremble as I climbed out. I looked at the brick house, which was more like a mansion, it was surrounded by acres of trees and not a single other house in sight.

  A maid with black and white uniform appeared on top of a set of steps which was by the front door. She looked to be middle-aged, with short curly hair. “Please follow me, Miss,” she addressed me.

  The house had a country feel to it, with taxidermy and rifles on the wall. It had high wooden ceilings and wooden chandeliers. I followed her up to the second floor which had a long white carpet and into a bedroom at the end of the long passage. She opened the door and I walked inside. The room had ceiling to floor curtains, which were red and gold. The ceiling to my horror had mirrors on them and there was a large bed against the wall next to the window.

  “There are towels in the closet,” the maid said, turning in the direction of a long brown cupboard. “Your linen will be changed every day. Please ring the bell next to your bed if you need anything,” she said and walked out.

  I ran to the window and opened the curtains. The window was huge; extending from the floor to the ceiling and wall to wall. I could see the entire estate through it. It was heavily guarded outside; at least ten men were roaming the grounds.

  I climbed on the bed and hugged my knees. I was never getting out of here and even if I did, it wouldn’t be alive. Nobody would even think to look for me for weeks. I told Chase that I never wanted to see him again and since Agatha thought I was only coming a week before Christmas, they wouldn’t think anything either. I hoped that she would try to call me and notice that something was amiss. But our calls to each other were less frequent lately.

  I didn’t sleep that night, I couldn’t. So I stayed awake and thought about my life. How did I end up here? Then I thought about Chase and about Aaron. I was such a fool and I felt like I betrayed Aaron. Not only because I fell in love with Chase but because I was still in love with him, even though I knew what he did. Even though I knew that he was responsible for killing my best friend.

  Chapter 13

  Early the next morning there was a knock on my door and the maid walked in. “Good morning, miss, your presence is requested by Jerry in the eating room.”

  “And if I refuse to go?”

  She didn’t answer and stepped aside for a guard with a large muscular frame. I realized that he must have been guarding my door the whole night.

  “Jerry is waiting,” he said sternly.

  I got up from the bed with the same clothes I had on the night before. I didn’t bother to brush my hair or change my clothing, although I saw the maid bringing in my suitcase last night.

  I followed the guard up to the third floor, into a lounge area. I saw Jerry through glass doors sitting on an enclosed balcony. He was just as muscular as the guard who had brought me to him. When I walked onto the balcony, he looked up from a gun that he was polishing and I knew that it was a scare tactic. But I also knew that he wanted me for something, so I wasn’t on his hit list yet and knowing that gave me the upper hand.

  “Grace,” he greeted, smiling. “Please sit down.”

  I remained standing and refused to make eye contact with him.

  “As you can see, I have been nothing but kind to you and there is nothing to be afraid of.”

  “And I suppose you were really cleaning that gun,” I glared at him.

  He waved the gun around. “I have other people who I need to keep in line.”

  “What do you want, Jerry? I am not interested in your games.”

  He pushed a white page toward me. “I have a proposition for you.”

  I skimmed my eyes over the page and looked away.

  “You sign this contract, making me your manager and you can still go to college as normal. You will only have to fly out once a month for a gig. You don’t have to live in your mother’s shadow anymore. I can make you a star. Now doesn’t that sound like a dream come true?”

  I thought of signing the contract so that I could get out of there. But nothing was that simple with Jerry. Signing that contract would mean selling my soul to the devil and my only redemption would be in death.

  “Not interested,” I said.

  I could see him turning red and he stood up and leaned forward on the table. “Grace, you better get to terms with what is going on here, I can make you do whatever I want. You are the last person I need to be telling this to, you know exactly what I am capable of, especially when I am angry.”

  I started to feel my knees becoming weak, but I kept my composure.

  “Take her out of my sight,” he told the guard and the guard grabbed my arms and pulled me away.

  I jerked my arm free and walked toward him again. “Where is Cherry?” I asked.

  Jerry laughed. “You have some balls kid, I’ll give you that. You’ll see her soon enough,” he said. “Now get out of my sight, I have things to do.”

  I walked back to my room and slammed the door; I needed to think of ways to escape. I took a shower and got dressed in black sweat pants and a gray top. I decided to look around my room for anything I could use as a weapon. I checked under the bed but there was nothing and the cupboards were bare. I heard someone knock on the door and quickly ran to sit on my bed. The maid walked in with a tray. “Here is your lunch,” she said placing it on a table. “You don’t have to sit cooped up in this room you know, you are welcome to roam the ground and Tony will accompany you.” I assumed Tony was the guard at the door. I didn’t answer her and she left.

  “I think that is a good idea,” I heard a voice and quickly turned around.

  “Aaron!” I nearly screamed.

  “You got yourself in a pretty bad situation here, Grace.”

  “I know!” I cried. “I don’t think I’m ever getting out, but I’m so glad to see you here. I’d hug you so hard right now, if you weren’t a ghost.”

  “You can’t think like that, Gracy. You have to do everything you can to get out of here safely.”

  “I am, I’ve been racking my brain the whole morning, and there’s no way out of here. Even if I did get out, I don’t even know how far from civilization this place is.”

  “Maybe you should start with taking a walk around the grounds and familiarizing yourself with your surroundings,” Aaron suggested.

  “That’s a good idea,” I said. “And please don’t leave my side, Aaron.”

  “I won’t,” he told me.

  I put on my shoes and a jacket and walked to the door.

  “Grace,” Aaron stopped me. “I really think you should eat first.”

  “Seriously, Aaron, eating is the least of my concerns right now.”

  “You need to keep your strength if you’re going to fight him.”

  “You’re right,” I said grabbing the sandwich and gulping it down.

/>   I opened the door and stepped outside, turning toward the long passage which led to the glass staircase.

  “Where are you going?” the guard who I assumed was Tony, asked me.

  “For a walk,” I said bluntly.

  I continued walking and he followed me out through the front door. Outside the air was crisp and I took a deep breath with my eyes closed. That was the most freedom I’d felt since Jerry brought me here. I walked along the paved pathway and then stepped onto the grass, going around to the back of the house. I walked past a large pool in the backyard, which had a seating area next to it. Beyond the yard were rows of what looked like apple trees. I decided to go pick one, so that I could see where it led to. When I walked past the last apple tree, I walked straight into a barb wired fence.

  “Shit,” I cursed, frustrated. I looked around to see where Tony was; I didn’t want him to get suspicious. He was walking at a distance from me but close enough for him to watch my every move.

  I turned to Aaron, who was still next to me. “I don’t think I’m getting out of here.” I felt a lump forming in my throat.

  “Don’t give up, Grace. It’s your first day here. You will get your chance eventually, besides he has to take you out sometime if he wants you to sing.”

  “That’s right,” I said, feeling a glimmer of hope. “But let’s not talk here,” I whispered to him.

  “I forgot, you don’t want to look like a crazy person talking to a ghost.”

  “No, I don’t care how crazy they think I am. I don’t want them to hear what we’re planning. Let’s go back to the room and discuss it there.”

  My mind was running rampant as I walked up to the room; there was a chance I could actually get out of here alive.

  Aaron sat on the bed and watched me pace the room.

  “So how are you going to do it?” Aaron asked.

  “I’m not sure yet, I have to check out the venue where I will be performing first, maybe I can get ahold of someone to help me. Of course, I have to do it without Jerry knowing or he’ll just have the person killed. But one thing is for sure, I have to try something. Now, all I have to do is wait for the first show.”

  ****

  I waited for three days, and in that time, I didn’t seen Jerry once. One chilly Friday afternoon, the maid came into my room and said that Jerry was waiting outside for me.

  I wanted to tell Aaron that the time had finally come, but he wasn’t with me today yet. I walked to the car, nervous and fearful. Jerry was already inside when I climbed in.

  “Good morning, Grace, I should have told you to put on something pretty,” he said, looking at my unkempt appearance.

  “I assume I’m going to sing at your show today,” I grunted.

  “Not today,” he grinned. “I wanted to show you something else.”

  We drove for about five minutes and then the car stopped. I looked out the window and saw a wooden house with a guard standing next to it.

  “Get out,” Jerry commanded.

  I climbed out and looked around. There was nothing there either; the wooden cottage was surrounded by trees.

  “What is this?” I asked.

  “Go see for yourself,” he said, nodding in the direction of the cottage.

  My knees were trembling as I walked toward it; I imagined the worse, like my mother’s corpse rotting inside.

  I stood at the door unable to go in, until the guard opened the door and shoved me inside.

  There was fire cackling inside and the cottage looked tidy. I looked toward the kitchen and recognized the auburn haired woman standing at the window. She turned to face me when the floor board creaked underneath my feet.

  “Grace, baby,” she ran to me and wrapped her arms around me.

  I stepped out of her clutches and immediately noticed that she looked… different. Her eyes were brighter than usual.

  “What am I doing here, Cherry?” I asked her. “How could you do this to me, you ruined my life!” I hissed.

  “Grace, I swear to you, I had nothing to do with this. Jerry called me and asked me to get you to do a gig and I refused. He offered me a whole lot of drugs in exchange and to be honest, baby I was real tempted. But I have been clean for a while now and I wasn’t going back to that life so I said no. I even got me a job in the city, but one evening after work Jerry got hold of me and brought me here. He told me that I had to get you to sing for him on a permanent basis, but I refused.”

  “So why can’t you do the gigs for him?” I asked.

  “I tried that, baby, I told him that he could have me instead of you but he said I was washed up trash and you were the rising star. I am sorry about this, Grace, it is all my fault and I wanted to make it right by not involving you.”

  We heard the door opening and we both looked around. Jerry stood in the doorway, grinning like a mad man.

  “How I love family reunions,” he said. “See, Grace, your mother is fine.”

  Cherry stepped in front of me. “Jerry, she doesn’t deserve this, why don’t you leave her alone? Do with me whatever you want.”

  “I already told you, Cherry, I don’t want anything from you,” he said, pushing my mother to the side. “It’s sweet little Grace I want for myself.”

  “Jerry, if you do anything to hurt her I swear, I will kill you!” my mother screamed.

  I was so shocked at what was happening, I never saw my mother like that before.

  “Hush now,” Jerry said, putting a finger to his lips. “Have I not been treating the two of you well? In fact, to make things even sweeter,” he looked at me, “I will allow scheduled visits with your mother. Think of it as my way of saying sorry for robbing you of her, for all those years,” he sneered.

  I wanted to spit in his face, he was disgusting!

  “Time to go, Grace,” he said as he walked out.

  Cherry pulled me in for a hug as I was about to leave. “I will get you out of here, baby, I promise.”

  Chapter 14

  The next day, Tony came into my room and asked me about which days I wanted to see my mother. I didn’t look at or answer him, and he left. I didn’t know if I wanted to see Cherry; I didn’t trust her because there was a chance that she was a part of all this. But at the back of my mind, I knew that couldn’t be true. She was a different person. I could see it when I looked at her and the way she acted when she saw me was so unlike her. I needed to speak to Aaron before I made any decisions, but he hadn’t shown himself in two days.

  Late Saturday evening as I was about to drift off to sleep, I turned around and saw Aaron lying next to me. “Aaron,” I whispered. “Where have you been?”

  “Only you can bring me here, Grace and I only appear when you really need me.”

  “Well, I asked you not to leave my side, so clearly I need you here all the time,” I snapped.

  “Apparently not,” he retorted.

  “Anyway,” I said breathing heavily. “I saw Cherry yesterday and it seems Jerry has her locked up too.”

  “Seriously?” Aaron’s eyes went wide. “What is he playing at?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine, but Cherry told me that she had nothing to do with this and in a weird way I believed her. But this could also be a very elaborate plan cooked up by the two of them.”

  Aaron nodded. “Could be.”

  “Jerry also told me that he would allow me scheduled visits with my mother, but I don’t know if seeing her is a good idea. That’s what I needed to talk to you about, what do you think I should do?”