by Bry Ann
“Sam, can you help me carry some stuff into the garage. It’s right across the lawn.”
“Oh sure. Logan, you’ll keep an eye on Jazmine?”
“Of course.”
“Okay, let’s go. Jazzy, I’ll be back in a minute.”
She nodded but didn’t take her eyes off the television. Dana and I walked out the front door and across the lawn. Dana talked about all the ridiculous things Jazmine did and said while I was out with Logan the night before. I could tell she already loved Jazmine, and that made me so incredibly happy. I mean Dana was her aunt. Jazmine deserved for as many people to love her as humanly possible.
I entered the dark garage first and could hear Dana rambling on behind me. I went to flip the light switch, but I felt it before I heard it. The minute my hand reached for the switch I felt the cold barrel of a gun on my forehead. I went to lower my hand slowly, but a voice stopped me.
“Oh please, turn on the light Sam.”
I flipped the light switch and then heard Dana’s voice enter the garage and abruptly stop.
“Sam…” Her voice was filled with absolute terror. I had to get Dana out of there. Now.
I lifted my head and found myself face to face with an older version of Tim and lots of his goons. There were more of them now, and they all looked a lot more experienced. Gunner was noticeably missing.
“What the hell are you doing Tim?”
“Oh, Sam…” He talked and walked around me, waving his gun around like it wasn’t a loaded weapon. All I had my eyes on were the guns pointed at Dana. “Don’t act like you don’t know. The feds you bitch. You turned us into the fucking feds!”
Tim was high as a kite and being reckless. I had to get Dana out of there.
“Tim this makes no sense. Why would I turn you ….?” I went to finish, but then I glanced over at Dana as the pieces started coming together in my head. Pieces that would never be put together by someone as dumb as Tim unless I screwed this up.
The headline. Dana’s with Gunner. She cared for him. Dana doesn’t do small. When she cares for someone, she goes to any length to do what she feels she needs to do to help or protect them. Dana turned them into the Feds. When I glanced back at Dana, I saw it in her eyes. The Terror. The guilt. She did it for a reason I do not yet know, but it had to do with Gunner. Gunner was not in the room. If Gunner cared for Dana in the slightest bit, he would have gone to every length to make sure his co-workers knew nothing about her. There was only one way to guarantee they never did.
“Hello?!” Tim said waving the gun angrily in my face. “Anyone home?!”
The Tim in front of me wasn’t the one I knew. The one I knew had a heart in there somewhere. A code - despite his reckless job choice. This Tim, the one with more tattoos and piercings, was just like the men who almost raped me. It was about money, power and the next high.
“Yes, I turned you in. I…. I … was pregnant. I lost the baby, but when I was pregnant I was scared you’d enter my life again,” I lied. “Just tell me this, when I turned you in how did you get away?”
“Sam,” I heard Dana whimper behind me.
“Shut up!” Tim yelled and pointed the gun at her.
“Hey, Tim answer my damn question!”
“We fucking killed the feds that came to our house and are on the fucking run now Sam!”
My breath hitched. I was scared. Fucking scared, but Dana’s unsure whimpering me kept me going.
“Well then, if you are going to kill me, kill me, but let Dana out of here.”
“Oh, I’m not going to kill you Sam. I’m going to use you! I’m going to use you and your connection to Logan to clear our name,” he said with a cruel laugh. “Two is better than one.” Some of Tim’s men grabbed Dana kicking and screaming.
“I turned you in. Let her go!” I screamed.
“We need her for insurance, but as long as you behave, we won’t lay a hand on her. She will have a room, food, and shelter until you serve your purpose.”
“No! Let her go!” I yelled as one of the men grabbed me from behind.
Both of us were being dragged out of the garage. The second we hit the driveway I saw Logan’s large frame running out the front door.
“Let them fucking go,” he growled.
Logan’s security, where were they? Logan thought it the same time as I did. We both turned to see the two men in charge of guarding the front of the house dead. I had to assume the other one in the back was dead as well. I fell limp in the arms of the guy holding me. He shook me to try and make me strong again, but I couldn’t. It took one thought to get me to perk up. Jazmine. Holy shit. Jazmine was in the house. Logan had to protect her.
“Logan, J!” I screamed. “Forget me. Get J!”
He kept his eyes on the men holding Dana and me.
“I’ll protect Dana. Logan, Please! You are outnumbered and outgunned.”
No one so much as pointed a gun at Logan. Tim jumped in front of me.
“Mr. Prescott, we meet again.” Tim extended his arms, and I could see Logan practically growling. “See we can’t hurt you. We need you, but in time, not now. All in time. See, Sam here, turned us into the fucking feds, so she needs to realize what happens when you mess with us. Apparently, she didn’t learn her lesson before.”
My stomach was turning, but Logan looked confused.
“Why the hell would Sam turn….”
I saw the realization hit him the same way it did me. See he knew about Dana as well. Not that it was Gunner she was with, but he knew she was with someone selling drugs. Thank God Tim wasn’t one for tabloids. He glanced over at his sister and then back at me. He didn’t know what to do. I could see his hesitation.
“Logan,” I pleaded. “Do you get it now? There’s this,” I said referring to keeping Dana safe, “and then J.”
“There’s what? Whose J?” Tim yelled waving his gun around again.
“There’s the fact that I turned a drug gang into the feds, and J is his boss whose livelihood depends on Logan’s career. He and Logan are like family,” I lied, way too easily I might add. I could see Logan’s temporary shock, but he pulled it together fast.
“This isn’t over,” Logan snapped.
“Oh, I’m counting on that Logan. I’m counting on it.”
He then loaded a terrified Dana into the truck, and as he did, I mouthed to Logan that I’d keep her safe. He nodded. He looked angry and terrified. I related. Right as they tugged my arm I saw Jazmine run out the front door.
“Mommy!” she yelled running towards me crying. She was too fast for Logan to grab her. She held my legs.
“Mommy?” Tim nodded at his two men to let me go for a second. I immediately crouched down and wrapped my arms around her. “So, you’re a mother now? This is all making more sense. I’m assuming Logan’s the father.”
I felt Jazmine’s head start to lift, but I kept it low.
“No. She’s from an affair I had years ago when we broke up.”
Another easy lie. They could not know Logan was the father or Jazmine was in danger too.
“Well, we could just take her instead of Dana. I mean a mom would do anything to protect her child.”
Logan stepped forward, but I jumped up first.
“If you so much as lay a finger on my daughter I swear to God you will get nothing out of me! Nothing! Your whole plan will be for nothing,” I screamed.
Tim analyzed me.
“We let the kid go. Dana will be fine.” He shot me a warning glare. “For now.”
I crouched down to Jazmine again. She was shaking and crying. I never wanted her to see anything like this. My heart was broken.
“Jazzy,” I whispered. “I need you to go to LP. He’ll tell you everything okay?” I nodded to Logan letting him know that I wanted him to tell Jazmine he was her dad. He got the message. I could tell. “Now go.”
“Mommy,” she whimpered.
“Be strong. Go baby. Now.”
I gently her pushed away and she ran to Logan.
>
“LP!” she cried wrapping her little arms around his legs. He placed a hand on her head protectively. I sighed. She was safe. Logan would keep her safe. I know he would. I trusted him with the thing that meant the very most to me, Jazmine.
With that final thought, they shoved me into the van by Dana. I squeezed her hand reassuringly.
“I want Dana set free!” I yelled.
“I’ll make a deal with you Sam. You cooperate fully for the next 24 hours without rebellion and Dana walks free?”
“And she is untouched and unbothered until then?”
“Yes. You have my word.”
“Then you have a deal.”
“You’re going to regret this Sam,” he said with a dark laugh.
“I’ll take whatever I have coming just leave Dana alone. This is my fault.”
He laughed. “You’ve always been a stick of dynamite, you know that?”
I squeezed Dana’s hand the whole time. When we got to the dark compound, God only knows where, there were two seconds when we were getting out of the van that we had a second to talk.
“I can’t let you do this Sam. They’ll hurt you. Torture you. They’ve changed. Gunner told me awful…”
“Dana...Shhh…. It’s okay. Keep your mouth shut. When you get out to make sure Logan does right by my baby, okay?”
Then they were back and pulled us in opposite directions.
“TIM, I NEED TO KNOW SHE’S SAFE! I DON’T FUCKING TRUST YOU!” I screamed as they pulled me down the hallway.
They threw me in a small room with a cot, a toilet, and a sink. Tim came to the bars.
“I’ll keep my deal to you, Sam,” he threw a walkie-talkie in the cell. “This leads straight to Dana’s room so you know she’s safe. We will facetime you in 24 hours on an iPad when we take her back to your precious Logan. Now keep your end of the bargain.”
I walked to the back of the cell and immediately confirmed that Dana was okay. She was. I sat in the cell and waited for at least three hours before Tim and two men walked into my cell.
“Sam, so I think you have a right to know what our plans are from here on out.”
“That would be nice.”
“You see. Logan has connections to all sorts of people. Police, media, probably the fucking FBI if he wanted to. All I need to do is get Logan to use them, to get the feds to make a trade, you for our immunity. To do so, you need to be in…. well, a convincing condition. Understand?”
“Do I understand? Yes. Do I think this is the dumbest plan I’ve ever heard? Also, yes.”
“You are in no condition to be pissing me off,” he snapped.
“I think that you won’t kill me, and you already plan to torture me so …. I’m not too concerned about it.”
He scoffed. “Tie her up.”
With Dana in the other room, I already told myself I’d be fully cooperative in my actions, but I would hold my power with my words. I stood up and stuck my hand out towards them. Tim gave me a strange look.
“No point fighting. We have a deal.”
He nodded, looking almost impressed. As impressed as a high, power-hungry psycho could look.
They handcuffed me to one of the poles on the cell door. I fidgeted for a second but was able to still myself despite being visibly shaken.
“Finally, you look appropriately scared.”
“Yeah well, I’m human.”.
“Interesting how far you’ve always been willing to go for the people you love.”
I glared at him. “Dana’s okay?”
“She’s fine. Just crying. Now, you need to take a beating okay Sam. I planned on giving you a day or two to “warm up,” but we need to get the important stuff out of the way since you want Dana out in 24 hours.”
“Well then do it. I want Dana out of here.”
He smiled and shook his head. “You’re nuts.”
“Takes one to know one.”
With that, a fist slammed into the side of my face from one of the armed muscle men. I heard the clang of my handcuffs hit the cell as I fell into it. The pain hit me so hard it took serious mental toughness to pull myself back together before I got a kick in the gut. I took several more brutal hits, and then a pipe slammed into my side sending me straight to the ground. The man yelled, “this is for being a fucking rat.” Tim’s voice told everyone to stop after that.
“Bowie, get her clothes,” he said coolly like he hadn’t just said words that sent pure terror through my bones and right down to my soul.
“What?” I went ghostly pale and spat the blood out of my mouth.
“Sam, babe, this is pure business.” He took a seat on the cot. “I’m not even participating. Logan loves you, so naturally being the jealous fucker he is, this will piss him off more than his girl getting a little banged up.”
“That’s where you are wrong,” I scoffed. “He doesn’t love me that way.”
He smirked. “Ah, my dear. It’s clear to everyone. He’s always loved you.”
“You’re crazy and high as fuck!”
All of a sudden, their phones rang at the same time. Something had happened. Dana. Somehow I was able to get up onto my shaking legs, fully alert. They all answered their phones, and I just stared, waiting to hear what they had to say. They hung up at the same time with an unreadable expression on their faces.
“Dana?” I whimpered.
“That bitch…. she got away. She got out. Apparently, a little while ago.”
“What?”
“She’s not fucking here!” he yelled.
Then he ran up to me and grabbed me by the throat.
“Do you know anything about this?!”
“No. I swear! I swear!”
I didn’t know. How the hell did she get out?!
“I’ll make a new deal with you Sam,” Tim said backing off. “You cooperate, and we’ll leave her be. We won’t even chase her.”
“You let me talk to Logan and confirm she’s safe with him and then you have yourself a deal. I want to do it before you... do anything.”
He smirked and thought for a second. After a minute he threw me his phone.
“You have five minutes.”
I nodded and swallowed my tears. I slid down the cell to sit on my butt. My legs wouldn’t hold me anymore. I didn’t have the mental fortitude with Logan on the phone. With shaking hands, I dialed his number. Logan picked up on the first ring. Typical.
“Hello,” he said with a strained voice.
“Logan, it’s me,” I said still trying to fight tears.
“Sam!” he yelled but then lowered his voice again. I know it was for Jazmine. “Are you o…”
I cut him off. “Is Dana with you?”
“Yes, she’s here. She’s shaken up. She hasn’t said anything. Did they chase her?”
“Apparently not, I don’t know. I only have a few minutes. Is Jaz okay?”
“She’s hanging in there. Sam…” His voice cracked. Whatever he was doing to hold it together clearly wasn’t working with me on the line.
“I need you to listen Logan, because I have to go. I don’t know what’s going to happen to me so I have to say a few things. I am not quitting though, know that. None of what I am going to say is fair to you. I hurt you, and I have no right, but I need you to know. I do. If I die, I need you to hear this.
I love you Logan Prescott. I always have with your stubborn persistence to keep me in your life. Despite not telling you, I was so immensely happy Jazzy was your baby. It killed me every day to see her because she looks just like you. Thank God she has some of my personality or I’d wonder if she was my kid at all. I haven’t slept with anyone since you. I…” my voice cracked, and tears were getting harder to hold in. “Take care of Jazzy. Let her know you, love you like she did me. Keep her close. She needs lots of love Logan. Tell Alexa what happened to me. She loves us so much, and she deserves to know. Lastly, don’t make deals with these fuckers. I’m not worth it. I love you so much Logan.”
I hung
up before he could say anything else. Anything I couldn’t handle.
“Well wasn’t that sweet,” Tim said as he took the phone from me.
“She’s safe.” I glared at the group of men.
“Thank God. Now we can get this fucking show on the road.”
He gave a small gesture to the other two guys, and they took the pipe and beat with it until I was so dizzy from the pain I couldn’t see straight.
“Stop!” I begged when I thought I was actually going to die. “Please… stop.”
I gasped and coughed out blood. I laid on the floor, dizzy and shaking.
“Take off your clothes Sam.”
“No,” I cried, but it was barely audible.
“Pathetic,” Tim scoffed then signaled to one of his men. He picked me up like I weighed nothing and threw my shirt over my head.
“No,” I whimpered again when they uncuffed me because I could only lay there like a limp noodle. I tried to move but couldn’t. I tried to roll over, but my wounds hurt so bad I couldn’t.
For the first time in my life, I was truly helpless.
… And these men took advantage of it in the worst possible way.
It felt like my body had ripped open, but that didn’t matter. It was my soul. My soul was broken. This had happened to me. Sex had always been fun, sacred, but now it meant nothing. It would only serve as a reminder of this day and if I died this would be the last memory I had.
Chapter 17:
Just when I began to question if this assault would ever end, if I’d die before they stopped, gunfire rang out across the property, and I was immediately dropped to the floor with a thud. I wanted to see what was going on, but my body was too weak. I was going in and out of consciousness, and honestly, all I cared about was the fact that whatever it was got them off of me. I heard the cell door open, and footsteps run out. I let out a sigh of relief and prepared to let myself pass out when I heard someone enter my cell quickly and quietly. Their presence felt different. I still didn’t budge.
“Sam. Fuck.”
I recognized the voice but couldn’t place it.
“Can you walk? They're going to chase us. I can’t fight if I am carrying you. Come on Sam. We have to go.”
I used one arm to push myself up to sitting and threw up again.