“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I gotta go.”
“Are you coming for the holiday dinner tonight?”
"Sorry," Dana said, “I don’t think I’m in any mood to celebrate, but I’ll be in touch.”
“You hang in there. I’m here for you. Merry Christmas, my friend, and let’s get together before the New Year.”
“Merry Christmas.”
Dana hung up and clutched her purse. Fingering her locket necklace, she eyed her family photo. "I'm going to find you, Mom." She slipped into her boots, exited her apartment, and headed for the elevator. Perhaps a walk in Central park would help her clear her head. It felt nice to be alone, with nobody pressuring her to change clothes for the runway.
“Ms. Simmons, this came in for you this morning.” A bellboy handed her a medium-sized box.
“Thank you.” She removed the card and read it.
Dear Dana,
Have you ever dreamed of finding someone or something that you thought you could never have? Well, now’s your chance.
Happy Holidays.
Heart pounding, Dana glanced around. Is this a joke?
“Do you know who sent this?” she asked the bellboy.
“I was in the bathroom and noticed it was here when I came back.”
Dana examined the tag labeled Ginny's Delights. Since when would someone send her a fruitcake for Christmas?
“Can I leave this here? I’ll pick it up when I come back.”
“Sure.” The bellboy tucked it beneath the counter. “Have a nice day.”
“Thank you.”
She took a morning stroll. People walked passed her and didn’t recognize her. Living in Manhattan made her used to walking. The Christmas songs depressed her. All she wanted to do was to clear her head and find answers.
Chapter 3
A lady fingered the shawl wrapped around her neck as she crossed the street. A cab driver screeched in front of her and flipped her off. She entered the church and stepped inside the confession box. Kneeling down, she made the sign of the cross.
“What can I do for you?”
“Father... I can't keep hiding.”
"What are you hiding from?"
The woman lit a cigarette and took a puff.
"You can't smoke here."
"I've wasted twenty years of my life." She wept. "I've hurt my family."
"God always gives us hope."
"I can never look back and erase what I did, but today I saw how beautiful my daughter has become and I know she deserves the truth."
The door yanked open and a pair of hands covered her mouth. Then all she saw was black.
***
Crossing the street at Madison Square, Dana searched for a good place to have lunch. Her walk had turned into an hour-long trek, and she felt dehydrated and hungry. Stomach growling, Dana dug into her purse.
A hand clung to her arm. Cigarette smoke blocked her view.
“Good afternoon, Dana Simmons.”
Dana took a step back. Her disguise had failed her. The man stood about four inches shorter than her. Soft curls slightly covered his face, and sunglasses concealed his eyes. “I’m not working if it’s an autograph that you want.”
He gave a slight grin, exposing his yellow teeth, and pulled down the zipper of his leather jacket down.
Dana eyed the gun tucked between his high-waisted jeans above his beer belly. She tried to remain calm as her palms began to moisten. People were strolling around unaware of what was going on. As she stood there, all Dana could hear was her father's words, Find her. Now drenched with nerves, Dana shivered. Nobody knew where she went today. With her father gone, who will come looking for her? No time to think. If she ran, where would she go?
Bidding for time to come up with a plan, she straightened her shoulders and gave off an air of indifference as best she could. "What do you want from me?
“I suggest you come with me.”
A Cadillac pulled up to the curb. A man popped out of the car and pushed Dana toward it.
Dana opened her mouth to scream when the man pointed the gun at her back. "I will shoot you."
"Get off me."
He covered her mouth.
The man with the gun studied her from head to toe. “You’re more beautiful in person. You don’t need much make-up to show that radiant beauty.” He shoved her inside the back seat and towards the driver, he demanded. "Drive."
The red-head driver locked the door and sped away.
Dana tried to open the door, but laughter erupted from the man holding the gun. She tucked her hands underneath her thighs studying the leather seats and where the driver was taking them. Traffic was from bumper to bumper, but she couldn't escape. and Dana could easily jump out and escape but she knew better not too.
The man gave a hoarse laugh. "Poor Dana, lonely as can be."
“You know nothing about me!” She yelled.
He pulled her cashmere scarf. “You better pay attention to me, because I know everything about you that there is to know.”
Dana tugged her scarf from him. “Where are you taking me?”
His upper lip curled back in a snarl. “You’re not allowed to ask any questions.”
Dana rubbed her hand against the leather seat, mapping out her plan to escape. The redheaded driver swerved to the freeway, leaving the city of New York heading north. He still hadn't spoken yet.
The man beside her hummed a tune that would drive birds away. His raspy voice sent a dull ache to her ears. He removed his jacket, revealing a tattoo of a dagger and skull on his arm.
She made a mental note to remember this.
“I need to use the bathroom,” she said.
He forced a smile. “Lady, that’s the oldest trick in the book."
Dana shook her head. “I haven’t eaten anything since last night, and I’m getting lightheaded.”
He waved his gun around. “Listen, you prima donna, don’t think you can order me around like you do with your staff. I’m in charge now.”
“I’m still a human being.” She attempted to open the window. No luck. Locked.
“Don’t even think of escaping." He narrowed his eyes. "You’re my prisoner now.” He burst into laughter reminding her of the brutal auditions she had when she first started modeling.
Dana stared outside the window at the huge array of colonial houses. Taking a deep breath, she pretended to be suburban mom grilling steaks on a warm summer afternoon for her husband and kids.
The man nudged her roughly on her arm. “We’re here.”
The man clutched her arm and forced her out of the car, the gun pressing against her back. The red-head driver trails behind them. Marching, they approached an empty driveway of the only house in the area. This was a two-story smaller house with no garden up front.
The man clung Dana to him while they entered the house. The living room was empty with no furniture except for the dust and cobwebs in the corner. The marble floors shone seeming untouched by shoes. He forced Dana to the kitchen where there were bar stools and a breakfast nook. A half-empty open box of donuts rested on the counter. “Eat.”
Dana rolled her eyes.
The man pushed her to the barstool. "I said eat." When she refused, his mouth carved into a grin. He pressed a strawberry glazed donut into her mouth.
She spat it out directly at his face.
He slapped her face knocking her off to the ground.
"You asshole!" Rising from the floor, she dashed and elbowed him. Kicking her leg, she stumbled to the floor as he cocked his gun to her head.
"I'm going to blow your brains off."
Gasping for breath, she realized she had no choice but to obey Skully. Yes, that’s the nickname she gave him, She was trapped in an abandon house, miles away from civilization, a gun pointed at her.
Her cell phone rang.
Skully jolted and snatched her purse. “You ain’t answering that.”
“Do you have to take everything away from me?”
; “I told you. I’m in charge.”
A knot formed in her stomach. What if he kills her? God forbid, what had she gotten herself into? If only her father didn’t write that letter. Maybe her mother was better served as a memory… What you don’t know can’t hurt you.
She sat down on the bar stool trying to figure out how she could escape.
“You want to know why you’re here?”
Her ears perked up but how could she trust him.
Skully bent down to stroke her hair bringing it closer to his nostrils. “Hmm. I love the smell of lavender mixed with lime.”
She tilted her head away from him.
He only held her closer and whispered in her ear, “I know where your mother is.”
Swallowing hard, she said, voice low, “My mom passed away years ago."
He kicked the chair opposite where she sat and gave that long admonishing laugh of his. “Liar.”
She rose from her chair and threw the box of donuts at his face. “You freak!”
Skully’s face flushed with rage like he was ready to pounce at her. "Bitch."
Dana dropped down to her knees and wept. The marble floors didn’t cool the mixed emotions she felt inside. There was no more turning back. Not only was her mother alive—something that up until now, she still hadn't quite accepted—her mother was in danger. They both were, and it would be up to Dana to save her.
"You're never getting out of here." Skully stormed out of the kitchen, and the last thing she heard was the door bang and switching of the lock.
Chapter 4
FBI Agent Kerry Wayne stared at the mishmash stack of folders on his office desk. Each folder contained data of four missing women in the last year in Manhattan alone.
He adjusted the picture frame of his two daughters and ex-wife glad that they were safe. He was long overdue for a vacation to visit them in Aspen.
His partner, Agent Felicia Raymond, a skinny, flat-chested woman kept her eyes glued to a corkboard connecting the locations and dates when the victims disappeared while phones rang off the hook.
“This doesn’t make sense,” Felicia said.
“What doesn’t?” He glanced at her.
“These four women except for Maria Garcia were last seen near the Empire State building. Someone claimed they spotted Maria at the airport in Queens.”
Kerry shrugged. “Could be a lookalike, who knows.”
“Yes, but all the rest are from out of state. Maria has lived in Manhattan all her life.”
Kerry rubbed his chin. Her newbie-ness was showing—thorough and overly eager. “Maybe she wanted to escape the cold winters. Some missing persons prefer to erase their past and start anew.”
“I don’t know about you, but I'm starting to think there’s a syndicate out there profiling women who are between twenty eight and twenty nine years old.”
Fear crawled inside him. His twins who were tall and skinny like them were now that age, and God forbid that should happen to them.
Felicia nudged him and opened a folder on his desk. “Did you hear what I said?”
“Sorry. Maybe he narrowed his search to that age group. We need to know more about these women−their hobbies, jobs and why he would target them.”
“How do you know it’s a he?” She tossed the folders onto his desk. "These women are six feet tall."
Kerry glanced at the folders then back at Felicia. “Okay, Felicia, looks like you don’t need a partner like me.”
She folded her arms and cocked her head to the side. “Are you kidding me? Who do you think will protect me from the wackos out there?” She circled her way back to her desk across him.
He tossed her a sandwich from his chair. “I’ve got your back.”
***
Dana screamed until her lungs burned, but all she heard was her echo. She dashed in each room and opened the closets and found nothing. She threw a barstool against the window, but the panes didn't shatter. Dana only spotted empty land. “Fuck!”
She zipped up her sweater and tried to adjust the temperature to seventy five degrees in the living room. It was busted. Damn it!
Dana continued exploring the three-bedroom house. “There’s gotta be something here.”
Other than an uncompleted room with blank walls and no closets and the floor not marble like the rest of the house, she found nothing.
She opened the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Bare. Darting back to the kitchen, she spied the box of donuts on the floor and the Mountain Dew on the counter. Her stomach growled, but all she could focus on was escape.
Dana ransacked the drawers. The top one was empty. Same with the second. Each time she opened the drawers, her frustration grew. “This is insane.”
She opened the last drawer. Lo and behold, she caught a glimpse of a screwdriver gleaming in front of her eyes. Her heart galloped. Beneath is sat a business card for Ginny’s Delights.
“Oh my God. The fruitcake.”
The front door creaked.
Hands shaking, she tucked the screwdriver and business card inside her sweater and plopped herself on the bar stool.
Skully popped in with a paper bag. “Brought you some food.” He removed the hot dogs and chips then eyed the box of donuts. “You didn’t eat?”
Dana bit her lower lip. “Um, I wasn’t hungry.”
He slapped her face. “Didn’t your mother teach you to eat what’s on the table?”
She laid a hand on her cheek.
Skully shoved a hot dog toward her mouth. “Eat.”
Dana spat the hotdog on the countertop. Disgusting! She dug into her pocket and reached for the screwdriver.
Skully slapped her again. “What is wrong with you?”
Dana studied his features contemplating which eyeball she could poke. She had to plan this well. He wore the same leather jacket and his gun must have been tucked inside his pocket. If only she could get a hold of it.
“What are you looking at?”
She lowered her gaze to his pockets. If she jabbed his eye and missed, would he have time to grab his gun before she got to the door?
“Oh, I know. You’re one of those freaks. What do you call them? Vegans?” He burst into a raspy laugh. “Well, guess what, you better eat this damn hot dog, or I’m going to thrust it down your throat.”
Dana drew in a shaky breath. The last time she ever ate a hot dog was before her modeling days. She’d been a vegan as far as she remembered and looking at meat disgusted her. Donuts, chips, and Mountain Dew were never on her grocery list. Mornings would be a vegetable or fruit smoothie. Each time she had a photo shoot, she would munch on carrots or broccoli for a meal.
She grabbed the hotdog and took a bite while closing her eyes.
Skully laughed so hard Dana wanted to punch him on the nose.
To force the sandwich down, she tried to imagine she was eating a vegan one, like the kind she made when she could have carbs.
Skully opened the bag of potato chips and popped a piece in his mouth. “I don’t know how you vegans ever enjoy. Life is to be savored.”
Ignorant motherfucker!
Munching away, Skully sat on top of the counter. After savoring a big gulp of soda, Skully released a nasty burp.
Oh, how she hated him.
After eating the meal, she wiped her mouth with a napkin and stifled the urge to throw up. She straightened her shoulders. "That wasn't so bad." If Skully thought he was going to manipulate her, he was mistaken. “So, what are our plans for today?”
He laughed, exposing the chips glued onto his teeth. “You think this is a game?”
“You kidnapped me and leave me in an abandoned house. You sure have a plan, don’t you?”
Skully crumpled the paper bag and tossed it at Dana’s face. She ducked, and it tumbled to the floor. Dana broke into a grin.
Pushing her against the wall, Skully raised his eyebrows. “You think that’s funny, huh? I make the rules, not you.”
His smelly breath entered her lungs. She w
as ready to dodge him with the screwdriver, but decided otherwise needing to dig deeper.
Skully let go of her shirt and washed his hands in the sink.
“All I'm saying is if I’m going to stay here, I'll need a change of clothes and toiletries and, there’s no bed for me to sleep in.”
He smirked.
“What do you want from me, anyway? If it’s money, I don’t have much. If you’re th—”
“You don’t stop yakking, do you? Why don’t you just do what you do best on the catwalk or strike a pose? That’s all you really are, a pretty face with nothing inside.”
Dana glared at him as blood rose to her head. She knew better than to explode. He had to want exactly that with what he was spouting. So, she gave him the brightest smile and took of her sweater to do the catwalk. “Sure, if that’s what you want.”
His eyes gleamed in delight as he watched her walk from the kitchen to the living room and back. Dana did her signature pose, swaying her hips from side to side as she marched back and forth. She pretended there was an audience while she fondled her hair and smiled.
When it was over, he clapped his hands. “Wow. You are good.”
Flushed cheeks, Dana smiled. “Thank you.” With his size, the screwdriver might be better as a last resort. Maybe she'd have a better chance of getting out of here if he trusted her, if she used her charm and followed his orders.
Grabbing the box of donuts, she indulged herself and moaned. “Wow! How did you know glazed donuts were my favorite?”
He jerked back. “But I thought you were a vegan?”
She patted him on the shoulder like an old friend. “Silly. You think models like me don’t have cravings like these? Like you said, vegans are boring and I like to have fun sometimes.”
He blinked his eyes. “What do you want me to bring you next time?”
Swallowing hard, Dana hoped there would be no next time. “I dunno, maybe a blanket, some clothes. How about a book? It gets lonely here, you know.” She covered herself with the sweater.
“Tell you what. If you continue to smile at me and do the catwalk, I’ll bring you anything you want.”
Dana raised her eyebrows. “Anything?” She leaned closer. “You still haven’t told me your name. You know everything about me, but I don’t know anything about you.”
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