The Pride

by Patricia Morse

  “Would you like some company tomorrow?” I grinned at him optimistically as I pushed a stray piece of hair back behind my ear. I hoped there were workout clothes in my new closet.

  “If you think you can keep up…” He flexed his biceps at me. “Meet me in the living room at sunrise.” His toothy grin made me smile even bigger.

  “I’ll do better than keep up.” I flicked him playfully on the nose and practically skipped into the house. For the first time in days I felt optimistic. I was confident that Thane Ganyon was falling in love with me, and I was hopeful that he would rescue me from this dreadful nightmare. I bounded up the stairs and into my room. He would choose me; he just didn’t know it yet. All the happiness and joy were sucked from my body as I stepped through the door of my room. Every available surface was covered with pink roses and candles. My bed was adorned with rose petals. A bottle of champagne was chilling in an ice bucket on the end table. Two crystal champagne flutes sat by its side. The soft music of a piano filled the air. In the middle of this romantic scene sat Link, gazing at me. Lust filled his mystical purple eyes. I wanted to turn and run, but that would only make things worse. I did not want to end up on a rack in a torture chamber. If I ran, I’d never see the sun again, nor would I see Thane. The thought of his devilishly handsome face made my smile.

  “This pleases you my dear?” He was attempting to use a silky voice.

  I stared at him in silence, dumbfounded by the scene surrounding him.

  “I have a gift for you my dear. I know this small gesture does not make up for my rudeness earlier.”

  He held out a beautifully wrapped box. I walked towards him with trepidation. He could sense my unease.

  “Trust me darling. There is nothing in this box that you will not like.” His reassurance was of no assistance. Cautiously I took the box from his pasty fingers. I slowly pulled off the bow, never taking my eyes off of him. I unwrapped the silver paper, and lifted the lid. Inside was a tiny white puff ball of fur.

  “A kitten for you, my kitten.” He chimed gleefully.

  I gently lifted the white kitten from the box and cradled her to my chest.

  “She’s precious. Thank you.” My voice was cold and hostile

  Link placed his cold hands on my shoulders and pulled me into his chest. He softly made circles with his fingers up and down my shoulder blades.

  “Nothing is more precious than you,” he whispered into my ear, his lips stopping to place a gentle kiss on my ear lobe. With a graceful swooping motion he took the kitten from my arms and placed her amongst the rose petals on the bed. He pressed his cold dead lips to mine. He pulled me close, one arm wrapped around my waist, and the other hand grabbing the nape of my neck. He parted my lips, and inhaled deeply as his tongue swirled around mine. I stood frozen, motionless as his grip became ever tighter. He released the grip on my neck and began to unzip my dress. I pulled away from his kiss. I gave him a pleading look.

  “Please no, not yet.” I begged, nervously. I averted my gaze from him and stared at the tiny kitten sleeping peacefully amongst the thousands of rose petals. “I’m saving myself for marriage.” I said nervously, my voice shaking. He began to laugh.

  “Marriage?” His voice was gruff and angered. “What is marriage? A piece of paper binding two people together in the name of God.” He forcefully grabbed my shoulder and pulled my face into his. “I am God!” he proclaimed pompously. He glided his hand down to my wrist and pulled it to his face. He examined the back of my hand for a moment before flipping it over to examine the palm of my hand. “If marriage is what you want, than marriage you shall have!” He opened his mouth and in an instant he bit down on my wrist. I could hear the bones in my tiny arm crunch under the force of his bite. I screamed. I tried to pull away as he began to suck the blood from my throbbing arm. I heard my shoulder pop as I struggled against him. The pain was overwhelming. I tried desperately to find his eyes, but they were rolled back into his head as if in a frenzy of ecstasy. I began to plead and beg for my life. My knees buckled from under me and I fell to the floor. Link knelt beside me, never releasing the grip on my arm. My elbow crunched as it too was pulled out of its socket. I heard footsteps running down the hallway through the open door. A flesh colored blur burst in front of me knocking Link away from my mangled arm. I curled up into a ball on the floor. Over my sobbing and screaming, I could hear guttural growls and things breaking behind me. I was unable to move, unable to turn to see the commotion behind me. The pain seared through my right arm as if it were being sliced over and over again with a serrated knife. As suddenly as the frenzy began it stopped. The room became eerily quiet, only my uncontrollable sobbing interrupted the silence. Footsteps again approached me. I froze with fear.

  “Lie on your back and hold still,” Thane’s silky velvety voice instructed. I did as I was told.

  “This is going to hurt a lot. Take a deep breath.” He yanked on my arm popping my shoulder back into place. I shrieked in pain, but as soon as my shoulder was back in place the pain subsided. “One more time.” He grabbed my forearm and harshly pushed then pulled, snapping my elbow back into its rightful spot. I yelped, but again the pain dulled. I knew everything would heal quickly, but for the time being I would be sore. “I need to get something to stop this bleeding.” He ripped part of the duvet cover from the down comforter and wrapped it around my wrist. “Be right back,” he grunted anxiously. I stared at the ceiling, holding my breath and counting the seconds until he returned. He was holding a large black bag in his hand when he came back. I hadn’t noticed before, but he was wearing only black and blue plaid boxers. I shamelessly gawked as his perfectly chiseled six pack as he knelt back down beside me. “I’m going to give you something to take the edge off, OK?” I nodded in agreement. He stuck a needle in my arm, and the pain instantly dulled. “A few quick pokes and you’ll be good as new.” With the skill of a surgeon he stitched up my wrist. I felt so safe with him near me, when he got up again I nearly had a panic attack. He turned down the covers on my bed, and then scooped me up into his sturdy arms, gently placing me into the soft warm confines of my bed.

  “You chose me.” I said dreamily, adrift in the sea of Morphine coursing through my veins.

  “I will always choose you.” He whispered into my ear before kissing me gently on the forehead.

  Chapter 9

  Washington D.C.

  Evie

  Cam and I checked into a Holiday Inn Express near CIA headquarters. It was nearly five in the afternoon when we arrived. The sun was still high in the sky and the air was hot and stagnant. Laughlin was still not answering any of his phones, nor had he returned any of my messages. Cam parked the rented Chevy Traverse as I fetched a luggage cart from the hotel lobby. Our room was on the backside of the hotel overlooking the parking lot and an overgrown field of weeds. We hastily tossed the luggage on the cart and wheeled it into our room. The room was typical for a budget hotel. Two queen size beds were the focal point. It had an adequate television atop a chest of drawers. A small desk and chair sat to the right. I took my laptop from my overnight bag and began setting it up.

  “I think we need a room for the luggage.” Cam laughed

  “It’s mostly Lexie’s, huh?”

  “Let’s see. There were six of us, and we have eleven bags. Five of which are pink with a bunch of glittery froo frooey stuff. Yup, mostly Lexie’s.” He chuckled again at his observation. Her luggage did take up most of the room, and was the reason we needed to rent an SUV. They also served as a constant reminder that she was missing. I became morose once again. Cam put his massive arms around my shoulders and gently rocked me in his grip.

  “We’re going to find her.” His voice still held the same confidence as it had when we were leaving Lake Tahoe. All I could do was exhale and stare at the computer screen as it booted up.

  “I think our first job is to do a little bit of research on rEvolution Wrestling, and then we’ll find Laughlin to get some answers.” Cam still sounded c
onfident.

  I exhaled again. “Let’s get to work. Can you give Brent and Paul a call for me?”

  “Sure thing Boss.”

  Cam walked outside to make the phone call. I googled rEvolution Wrestling. An elaborate website popped up when I clicked on the link. The wrestling federation, headquartered in Las Vegas, had been founded in 2005 by a man named Link. I made a note of the address. No one had actually ever seen this mysterious Link. The general manager was a man named Thane Ganyon. I clicked the link on his name. I instantly recognized the man in the photo.

  “Cam!”

  He came running in from outside.

  “Is this the man you saw in the lobby?”

  “Yup, plain as day. That’s the guy! Brent says hello.”

  “Tell him I said Hi.”

  Cam wandered back out the door. I began taking notes on Thane Ganyon. He was a former thoracic surgeon who served in the Marines. He was also a decorated soldier that served in Iraq, saving many who were wounded on the battlefield. Recruited by Link he quickly rose to the top of the ranks and took over at the helm.

  “Cam!”

  He came rushing in once again.

  “He was a Marine. Do Brent or Paul recognize the name?”

  Cam asked them. “Nope, it doesn’t sound familiar.”

  “Did Brent and Paul find Lenny yet?”

  “Yup. They’re all partying in Vegas right now. The Bronx Bros are keeping him liquored up and strippered up!”

  “Lovely!” The sarcasm was dripping from my voice. “Hey, tell Brent that I’m sending a picture of Thane Ganyon to Lenny’s phone.”

  Cam put the phone back up to his ear. “Dude, ya still there? Yeah, Ev is sending a pic of this dude to Len’s phone. Yeah, I wish I was there partying with you dudes too!”

  Ugh, they were such children. Horny little prepubescent boys trapped in the bodies of large men. It was comical.

  “Ok, he should have it.” Cam nodded and relayed the message to Brent.

  “Holy crap on a crawdaddy! No way! Hey Ev, this dude was Len’s doctor. You know, after he got shot saving Lexie’s hot little booty.”

  My head was spinning. There was too much coincidence going on, yet I couldn’t put the pieces of the puzzle together. “Go have your man chat outside. I need to think.”

  “Yeah, we pissed her off again. So are the chicks hot or what?”

  “Cam wait!”

  “Hold on Brent. Yes Ma’am?”

  “There are tryouts for rEvolution at MGM Vegas tomorrow morning. Tell them to be there!”

  “No way dude! Ev says they’re having tryouts for wrestlers tomorrow morning. Yeah at MGM. Hell yeah, I’ll be there, and I’ll kick all your sorry hides! Save a few ladies for the Camster. Peace out!”

  “Cam, I need you here. We’ve got to find out more about these guys. If Ganyon is former military, I’ll bet these other guys are too.”

  I ran my finger down the screen showing the names of the various wrestlers.

  “You think this Link guy is a wacko Marine too?”

  “I don’t know, but her life depends on us finding out. The next show is a week from Monday at the Palace of Auburn Hills.” “Where the hell is that?”

  “Somewhere near Detroit. We’ll be in the front row--no, I’ll be in the front row. We need to get you to Vegas. I can find Laughlin on my own.”

  “Swwweeeet!”

  “Just remember why you’re there, or do I need to send the pink luggage with you?”

  “Hell no! I’ll take the guys’ luggage to them, though.”

  “That’s what I thought. Let’s get back to the airport and get you on a flight.”

  “Keep me posted on what you find out, K? And remember, we’re going to find her. Keep yourself positive. I can’t have you falling apart.”

  “I’ll be fine Cam.”

  We climbed into the Traverse and headed back to the airport. Finding a flight to Vegas was easy. Cam gave me a big bear hug at the security entrance.

  “Front row right?”

  “I’ll be the hottest groupie there!”

  Cam planted a quick peck on my cheek and darted off through the metal detectors. I was deep in thought as I raced back to the car, too lost in my thoughts to pay attention to the fact that Cam had just kissed me. Normally I would have at least glared at him. Hmmm, too much going on to worry about that now. I needed to find Laughlin tonight. I tried one last phone call before heading to his office at CIA headquarters. The phone picked up on the first ring. “Laughlin?” I yelled into the phone

  “I’m sorry the Colonel is indisposed at the moment. Should I give him a message for you?”

  “Who is this?” I demanded.

  “Well, why don’t you tell me your name, and I’ll give you mine.” The voice was menacing.

  “Captain Eveliene Bourocher, Air Force,” I stated with authority.

  “Ah, Evie, my beautiful Evie.”

  “Evie? What? How do you know I go by Evie? Have we met?”

  “A lifetime ago, my dear Evie.” A maniacal laugh pierced my ear through the phone.

  “Who in the Sam Hell is this?” I demanded.

  “In my wildest dreams I never would have thought the dear Colonel would give me a gift as precious as my kitten Lexie, but now he is bringing you to me, a vixen, a tigress by right. Oh, my dearest Evie, I will be waiting with great anticipation for your arrival.”

  “Thane Ganyon, is this Thane Ganyon?” My voice was still strong, yet my whole body was shaking with anger.

  “Mr. Ganyon could only wish to be the powerful destroyer of man that I am. No, my darling Evie, I am GOD!” His voice was a thunderous roar. The line went dead. Could that have been Link? Shoot, my mind was reeling with possibilities. His voice was hauntingly familiar, but I just couldn’t place it. If he had Laughlin’s phone, then he probably had Laughlin. I was going to have to do this one on my own. I sped as fast as the Traverse would go. It was actually pretty fast for a big truck. It took only forty-five minutes to travel across town to headquarters. Traffic was light this time of night. I dug through my bag for my badge. This little puppy would get me anywhere I needed to go in the building. I held the badge between my fingers and stared at the picture. It had been three years since I’d been in this building. That voice on the phone. It was as if a ghost from the past reached up and slapped me in the face. Jacks? It was Jacks! I rushed through the parking lot and into the massive stone building. The locked doors opened with a beep when I presented my badge. I raced to Laughlin’s office. The door was locked, so I was forced to kick it in. It slammed into the wall with a heavy thud. The office had been ransacked. Papers were strewn everywhere. The computer lay in a heap on the floor. The drawers of the file cabinets were open and empty. I’d find nothing here. I raced down the hall towards the computer lab, my mind reeling with thoughts of my former husband, Dr. Stonewall Jackson Kendell, also known to friends and family as Jacks. He was a brilliant geneticist recruited by the CIA after graduating top of his class from Johns Hopkins University. The pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together. The CIA was where I’d met Jacks. We dated for a year before getting married in a lavish ceremony on his estate in northern Michigan. We honeymooned for a month in Europe. Three days after we came back to DC, he vanished without a trace. I spent two solid years searching for him, but every lead was a dead end. I finally gave up and agreed to become a military experiment. I entered the computer lab and plunked myself down at the computer closest to the door. Using my security clearance I gained access to the CIA’s computers. I punched up Jacks name, like I’d done a thousand times before. It was all the same. The same addresses. The same phone numbers. The same classification, missing in action. Presumed dead. Like every time before, I would find nothing here. An eerie thought popped into my head. If Jacks, er Link, had Laughlin’s files, then he knew who we were. It wouldn’t be long before he would find us, so it would be best for us to find him first. I still didn’t understand why he was keeping Lexie,
but based on the brief creepy phone conversation, he wasn’t the same Jacks that I had married. Jacks was always odd. I’d assumed he was an eccentric genius, much like Einstein or Sheldon Cooper, but he was never evil. He had tendencies to be reclusive and throw himself into his work. Our greatest fights were always about his work. It took up most of his time, and everything he did was classified. We’d get into heated arguments and make up with equally heated lovemaking. It was a sick sadistic pattern that I was happy to be rid of. He had no family. His parents were killed while on safari in Africa, and he was left a large fortune at a very young age. After we married we were supposed to move into his Arlington, Virginia home, but that never happened. Of course, I knew of the Lake Superior Estate, and there was property in Los Angeles, Vancouver, Kentucky, and Lake Tahoe. I smacked myself on the forehead. Lake Tahoe, of course! Why hadn’t I put this together sooner? I needed to find out about Jacks projects, what he was working on in the months before he vanished. But first, I had to get in touch with the guys. I just hoped they were sober enough to understand what I was about to tell them. I dialed Lenny’s phone.

  “Hiya beautiful!” A cheerful voice echoed through the phone.

  “Lenny! It’s great to hear you smiling.” I was truly relieved that he was happy.

  “Yeah, I’m going to be alright. I guess I just needed a little break. Hey, what time is Cam arriving?”

  “He should get there at eight o’clock your time. Len, I think I’m onto something.”

  “Did you find her?” His voice was suddenly serious.

  “Not yet, but I know who has her.” I was breathless

  “Yeah, that dude from Domus Aurea Ev. We all know that.”

  “No, I know who Link is!”

  “What? Who?” He was angry, yelling, and ready to kill.

  “Look, I’m coming there. Wait for me. Do not go to those tryouts tomorrow!”

  “But, we need to get inside,” he was growling.

  “Trust me, and wait for me, K? In the mean time find out everything you can about us.”