by Z. Stefani
“We did, until you became friends with my enemy.” he shook his head. “Why couldn’t you just keep hating him like I do?”
“Who are you talking about?” she asked as she shook in the chair. “Let me out Gavin and we can discuss this in a civil manner.”
“No.”
“No?”
“No, I can’t let you go now.”
“Yes you can, let me go Gavin!” she demanded, feeling the utter shock of the situation fading and being replaced by anger.
“I’m sorry.”
“You better let me out of here right now!” she yelled trying to shake the chair to no avail.
“It’s too late to let you go, you’re part of the plan now.” he said walking away from her.
“No! You get back here and you let me go! Now!” she yelled as she heard him walking up the stairs, she continued screaming after he left the room. “GAVIN!”
***
Julian felt a rush of anger tunneling through him and looked up at the sky. For a split-second, Julian could feel Heaven and he knew that she was angry. It was surreal and he feared he might be going insane or having some form of stress induced hallucinations, but it was the only sliver of hope that he had felt since she disappeared.
***
“Why are you doing this?” Heaven asked as soon as the gag was removed.
“You want to know why?” Gavin grinned as he grabbed a small remote control from the table next to her chair and turned on the large screen monitor across from where she sat. “I’ll show you why.” the black screen instantly came to life with Heaven’s image, a close up taken of her when she had been unaware she was being photographed. Next was a picture of her and Julian kissing in front of his house, and then the pictures that had been sent to the office were flashing across the screen. Next came the live footage, filmed outside of her bedroom window, neither of them aware of the camcorder filming them as they had aggressive sex all over her room. Heaven couldn’t watch anymore and put her head down. “No, you watch it!”
“No!” she yelled, refusing to look at the screen any longer and he finally turned it off.
“Now do you understand why I am doing this? You set my plan in motion the moment you started having sex with Julian King.”
“You’re telling me the reason I’m here right now, locked up in your basement is because I had sex with Julian King?” she felt her anger escalate to a degree she had never experienced.
“Yes.” he answered and she felt her fury explode.
“You creep around filming me in my most private moments, but you’re mad at me for having sex with Julian? You fucking sheep, you’re nothing but a smooth-tongued lamb in snakeskin, you cowardly little parasite!”
“You don’t really mean that you’re just angry because I have you tied up.” Gavin said refusing to believe her words.
“Not only are you a sneaky rat, you’re delusional as well,” she chuckled sadistically. She wanted to attack him right now, she could feel her anger surging through her body, she was ready for war.
***
Gavin waited awhile before going back to the basement to see Heaven.
“Are you in a better mood now?” Gavin asked, hoping her hunger would make her more malleable. She looked at him blankly as he untied the gag.
“If you don’t let me go, I swear I am going to chop off your-” he put the gag over her mouth before she could finish her threat. He grabbed the plate of food and glared at her.
“You’ll get hungry soon enough.” he smiled smugly before he left the basement.
***
“I am going to kill Julian King.” Gavin informed Heaven.
“What did you just say?” Heaven asked, convinced that she must have misunderstood him.
“I am going to kill Julian.”
“Why? What did he do to you? Did he sleep with you girlfriend or something, steal a case from you or ruin your life?” she couldn’t understand, she realized Gavin despised Julian, but murder was a whole different story.
“I am going to kill Julian and you’re going to take the blame.” he grinned, “I’ve already set the plan in motion, I left your blood and a hair sample in Julian’s car. So when they find your skin under his nails, you hair twined around a finger and drops of your blood on his rotting corpse, they will know it was you.”
“That doesn’t make any sense, why put my blood in Julian’s car now?”
“It connects you to him and when they don’t find your body after they find his, they will assume he killed you as well.”
“That’s the stupidest plan I‘ve ever heard,” she shook her head in disgust. “I seriously don’t know how you even passed the bar exam, you idiot. Then again all you really do at work is run around the office kissing everyone’s ass or asking everyone how to do your job, you incompetent wimp.” she looked at him like one would look at venomous snake. “Your level of cowardice disgusts me.”
“You're such a bitch.” he shook his head.
“You’re right I am and you’re a sniveling little coward, you should be thanking me for being honest with you.” she eyed him with contempt.
“So what do you suggest that I do then?” he snapped at her.
“As far as your whole plan to murder Julian?”
“Yes.”
“I think you should kill yourself instead.” she said with a look of pure hatred. Gavin looked as if he would cry for a moment and if it weren’t for the condescending look Heaven was giving him for it, he probably would. “I wish you would cry, you punk, that would be the best entertainment I’ve had all day.” she challenged him but instead he grabbed the gag, quickly wrapped it around her mouth and then tightly secured it behind her head.
“I wanted you to be a part of this Heaven, I wanted to hand you Julian King’s demise on a silver platter. You would have loved it, but somehow you did what all the other females do, you allowed Julian to break you.”
***
Heaven heard the door open and the light streamed in. She then she heard him walking down the stairs, his footsteps reaching the ground then coming closer to her. He stood before her with that ridiculous simile on his face and a large tray of food. He sat it down on the table than stood before her.
“I brought you something to eat, you must be hungry by now,” he reached behind her and untied the gag “and hopefully a little more reasonable.” he stood back and smiled “Would you like something to eat, Heaven?”
“You know I’m going to get loose.” She said with her poker face in full effect.
“No you won’t.”
“You’ll slip, you’ll make a mistake and I will get loose.” she glared at him, her eyes glimmering with hatred. “Then I am going to kill you.” she said as a matter of fact, sending chills down his spine.
“Then I’ll be extra careful not to make a mistake.”
“You’re incompetent Mr. Grant, trust me you will mess up, you always do.” she grinned confidently.
“If you’re going to be ungrateful, I will just take your food back until you can be a little more thankful.”
“By all means, take it, take that food and shove up your ass. How’s that for more reasonable?” she snapped at him with a half-smile.
***
Heaven smiled from ear to ear when she felt the ropes around her wrists slowly loosen. It would still take some time before she could loosen it enough to slide her hand out, but she would diligently work on it until it did. At this point with her imminent freedom and her life depending on one loosened rope, she knew she needed to change her tactics. She had to divert his attention away from her lacerated wrist as well as keep him from suspecting what she was up to. She also needed to eat something before she was too weak to escape him, her belly was already beginning to cramp and she was starting to feel lightheaded. She would use her hunger to her advantage and allow him to think it was the reason for her civility. He would think that starving herself had weakened her and he would not be on guard.
She watc
hed him walk down the stairs with the food and silently prayed that he fell down the rest of the flight. To her great displeasure he made it safely to the bottom and brought the tray of food to sit on the table before her.
“This is your last chance Ms. Deville.” he spoke softly as he untied her gag. “Are you going to co-operate now?” Despite the overwhelming impulse to curse at him and call him foul names, she needed to stick to her plan. She managed to turn the corner of her mouth up into what could be considered a grin.
“I am a little hungry.” she continued the false smile, fighting the urge to be cruel. Gavin seemed to accept whatever kindness she threw at him whether it was believable or not.
“Let me help you then.” he said sliding the spoon into the thick soup then holding it to her mouth. Heaven hesitated for a moment before finally parting her lips to accept the soup. “How is it?”
“It’s good.”
“I remembered seeing you with a similar chicken soup at work once, so I thought I would try it.”
“You’re very observant.”
“You think so?” he asked in excitement.
“I do.” She answered as he fed her another spoonful of soup.
“Thank you Heaven.” He smiled like a blind fool and Heaven fought the urge to tell him just that.
“Why are you really doing this Gavin?” she asked calmly.
“Why did you start having sex with Julian?” Gavin shot a question back at her.
“Fine, I guess it doesn’t matter who finds out now,” she shrugged, decided that telling the truth could actually work to her advantage. “I did something rash that almost destroyed my whole career as a lawyer.”
“What?”
“I broke into Julian’s office, sabotaged his computer and stole his proposal for the partnership.” she admitted.
“That was you who did that? I wondered who it was, that was very clever.” he grinned in awe.
“No it wasn’t, he caught me red handed.”
“What did he do?”
“He gave me an ultimatum, either I submit to him for thirty days or he turned me in.”
“So that’s why you started having sex with him!” he seemed almost relieved.
“Yes, that is the only reason.”
“I wish I knew that before.” he said as a deep sadness seemed to come over him. “I should have known. You didn’t seem like the type who would willingly be with someone like him.”
“Of course I wouldn’t, I couldn’t stand him.”
“And now?”
“Now? I have no choice but to submit to him, I’m afraid to say no. I know he’d use that evidence against me and my career would be over.” she lied.
“He’s blackmailing you!”
“Yes.”
“So wouldn’t it be better for you if he wasn’t around.”
“Of course it would, but not with your plan, your plan will get me life in prison.”
“Not if we go with an alternate plan.”
“It’s too late, you already set up the evidence.”
“We could think of something, we are two very intelligent lawyers.”
“I guess the evidence you left could be used to my favor, I could claim self-defense. I could say he was the one who abducted me.” she smiled and Gavin grinned at her in adulation.
“You would do that?”
“I would do anything to get him to stop blackmailing me.” she continued her lie and watched Gavin fall for it hook line and sinker.
“You’re a very smart woman Heaven.” he scooped another spoonful of soup and held it to her mouth.
“That I am.” she whispered before opening her mouth for the soup, disgusted with herself for having to play along with her psycho ex-coworker.
***
Heaven’s wrist was half raw and bloody, but she was elated, her hand was half way out of the binding. She worked on the loosening rope until Gavin came back at which point, she immediately slipped her hand back through the ropes. She smiled from ear to ear as Gavin came near, hoping he did not notice the blood on her hand.
“Is that coffee?” she asked as she acted excited.
“It sure is, sweetheart.” Gavin smiled as he brought the tray of her favorite foods to her.
“You are absolutely amazing.” She smiled.
“Am I?”
“You are, you must have read my mind or something because I have been feigning for some caffeine.”
***
Sybille made a pot of tea and took it onto the back porch where Julian was. It was her own special blend of tea, it was created to sooth the soul and calm the nerves, it was just what Julian needed. Sybille hadn’t seen the man sleep once since Heaven had disappeared and she could see the sleep deprivation was getting to him.
“You’re looking awfully tired.” Sybille said with a look of concern. “You’re going to be too exhausted to properly greet Heaven when she gets back.” her words sunk through Julian like a cinderblock trying to pass through his veins and he turned to her.
“I’m fine.”
“You need to rest, dear.”
“I‘ll rest once Heaven‘s home, but thank you.”
“Trust me, I understand.”
***
She got her hand out of the ropes and was able to slide it in and out with out to much hassle. She slid it back in as he walked down with the tray of food, setting it on the table as he smiled and she attempted to smile back. It was not a full-fledged smile, but it was obviously enough to delight Gavin and weaken his guard.
“You look beautiful today. I was thinking about our plan and I think we would make a great team.” he grinned.
“As do I.” she smiled.
“I brought you gourmet beef stew.” he smiled and scooped up a spoonful of the thick stew and Heaven accepted it, wishing she could yank her hand out of the ropes now and grab the spoon then hit him over the head with it until she felt better.
“Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.”
***
She hid behind the steps with the thick broom until he started walking down the steps. She then she stuck the broom through the steps then jabbed it into the back of his ankle, the blow forced him to fall down the steps. She ran out from under the stairs and tried to run past him, but he grabbed her leg.
“No, you’re not going anywhere!” he growled like a mad man.
“Get off of me!” she yelled, kicking him in the head with her free foot as he tried to pull her down the stairs. She pulled back her leg and with all of her might, she kicked him in the face. His nose burst open as drops of blood splattered on her shoe. He fell back and she took that spilt second that she had and she grabbed the thick broom that was still sticking through the stairs. She proceeded to smash the wooden stick over his head until he slumped to the floor. She hit him once more for good measure before tying him up and locking him up in the basement.
She was sprinting for the front door when the shiny Mercedes emblem hanging from the key rack caught her eye. She snatched it and went straight to his garage. She sped most of the way, she had no cell phone, was too panicked to stop and call the police. She was actually hoping that a random officer would just appear and pull her over for speeding.
***
Escape
After driving for an almost thirty minute’s straight, Heaven finally snapped out of her stupor and realized she needed to contact the police. Seeing the sign for a diner five miles ahead, she stepped on the gas and made it there in half the time.
It was a day-glow orange painted double wide trailer with a large, hand-painted sign that read “Nina’s 2 go”. The sign was bigger than the trailer and Heaven had seen it almost a mile down the road. The hot sun was making the restaurant appear as if it were engulfed in flames, due to the fluorescent-orange color mixed with her deliria.
She jumped out the car and ran into the diner, it was almost empty, only a couple of tables occupied, that’s when she looked up to see the woman with flame-glo
w-orange hair with her bright red lips turned up into a sincere grin. Heaven realized all at once, that the extreme exterior of the diner was no fluke, it had been purposely dyed to match this woman’s hair.
“You look like you need a good cup of coffee, toots.” The woman said, the coffee cup already out and half filled by the time Heaven reached the counter.
“I need a phone, I need to call the police.” Heaven said.