Captured Again

by L. L. Akers

  The silence stretched between them while Emma clawed at her brain to think of something—anything—to say as her eyes followed his finger on the penny. Her brain was firing blanks, unable to formulate any thought that didn’t involve his hands on her body.

  “See this penny?” Dusty asked, finally breaking the silence but still circling his side of the table with it.

  “Yeah,” Emma answered, not looking up, still mesmerized by the circles and the sound of the metal scraping the table.

  “If you aren’t willing to take a penny for your thoughts, it’s worthless. It may as well be a blank piece of metal,” he said. “Want to see me wipe Lincoln’s face off it?”

  Emma smiled, finally looking up and meeting his mischievous eyes. “Sure, let’s see it,” she agreed.

  “Can’t do it in here. It’s illegal to deface money. Did you know that? Seriously, even if it’s your own, you’re not supposed to destroy money. We’ll have to do this in private. I could lose my badge over something like this,” he said seriously. Then he winked at Emma.

  She smiled at his attempt to get her alone. “Okay. I’m game. But I’ve got to be home in two hours. Where do you want to show me this trick?”

  Dusty watched a whole new Emma emerge. The cocoon that she’d seemed wrapped in when he’d found her sitting alone, looking all twisted up in ball of angst and knots—and unapproachable—unraveled in the truck as Emma kicked off her shoes and socks and put her bare feet up onto his dashboard—a contradiction to her usual cautious nature.

  He’d taken a big chance at the café, and he wondered if his relief at finding her alone had been visible to Emma. It was only a block away from her studio. He’d felt sure she’d met up with a group of those cartoon people, or worse, just Rick. He hadn’t seen her all day, and they were forced to turn their phones off so he couldn’t text her either. It had made for poor concentration on his training. His mind had tortured him all day, jabbing and poking with thoughts of Rick making a move on Emma now that he’d seen her with someone new.

  Dusty tried to keep his eyes on the road as he swiped glances at Emma’s pink toes wiggling to the music. This was the first time she’d rode in his truck and she seemed surprisingly comfortable, with her head leaned back and her eyes closed, singing along softly to the radio. His eyes wandered again back to her toes on the dash, and he silently chuckled. This was the first time he’d ever been happy just to see one piece at a time of a woman. If toes and tattoos were all he ever saw of Emma, he’d take it. This was the first girl he’d ever met that he wanted to take his time with getting to bed.

  He looked back at the road and saw his turn, camouflaged by an old dead end sign. He slowed the truck and eased onto the bumpy dirt road.

  Emma bounced in the seat, her feet flying off the dashboard. She put them in the floor and sat up straight, looking out into the darkness. This narrow road was squeezed into the woods and his headlights showed nothing but dirt and trees.

  “Hang on tight, Emma!”

  “Where are we going?” Emma asked, laughing as each bump sent her bouncing.

  Dusty looked over at her and smiled, following it up with a wink. Although he knew where they were going, he still wondered where this ride would take them.

  He’d taken a turn off the dirt road, taking them off-road through an open stretch of the woods that was kept clear because of power lines. He pulled the truck up as far as he could go, then jumped out with a flashlight and waited for Emma to get her shoes back on. He began making his way through a short stand of woods with Emma close behind him.

  “Oh my God, Dusty... I can’t see a thing!” Emma squealed behind him as she clung to his belt, taking quick but high steps, trying to avoid tripping over anything in the dark. “What are we doing here?”

  Dusty stopped and turned around, causing Emma to let go of him.

  “I’ll show you when we get there. But we gotta hurry. This is where it gets a little steep. We’re going to have to climb. Let me go first and then I’ll shine the light down so you can climb up. I don’t want you to follow too close to me. I might accidently kick you,” he instructed.

  “No! Wait! Don’t leave me standing here alone in the dark. I’ll climb right behind you,” Emma said. She was embarrassed to hear the quaking in her voice. She hated the dark.

  Dusty stood still a moment, thinking. Emma’s eyes began to adjust and she could see it wasn’t as dark as she had thought it was. The moon cast a light glow and she could see, although not far. She still didn’t want to be left alone, though.

  “Okay. You go up first and I’ll be right behind you shining the light up,” Dusty said. “It might be better like that anyway. I can catch you if you slip.”

  Emma turned around and began climbing... toward what, she had no idea. But the thought of Dusty catching her and feeling his arms around her made her seriously consider slipping, just a little. She realized then she was smiling. Even in the dark, with no idea where she was going, she was happy... just to be near Dusty. Not good, sister, she thought. You’ve got it bad.

  When she reached the top of the steep embankment, she turned around and held out her hand to Dusty, not that she could be much help pulling him up, but it just seemed like the right thing to do. That and it would give her a chance to hold his hand.

  “Now where?” Emma asked.

  “Right here. These are railroad tracks. Come see.”

  Emma watched him take a few steps and bend over. She followed the few steps and found they were at the top of a train trestle, right beside train tracks. She watched Dusty dig in his pocket and pull out some change. He shined the flashlight into his hand, showing Emma three pennies and two nickels.

  “This is my only trick. I hope you enjoy it,” Dusty said and laughed. He used the flashlight with one hand to give him some light, placing the loose change directly in the middle of one of the rails, centered and evenly spaced out. And then he stood up. “Voila!”

  Emma smiled, unsure what to say. What is he doing? Is that it... the trick?

  Dusty’s face glimmered from the moonlight, which seemed much brighter at the top of the trestle. She could just make out the twinkle in his eyes. He looked like an eager little boy, excited and rebellious. Emma stood still as he closed the space between them and wrapped his arms around her.

  “Just wait for it...” he whispered while rubbing her back in a circular motion.

  She leaned into him. She could wait for it. Hopefully it wasn’t seriously a train. When was the last time she’d actually seen a train? She couldn’t remember. Did trains really still run? She left these questions unasked, not wanting to waste a minute in Dusty’s arms. She felt her mind clear for the first time since the night before, the calm and steadfastness of Dusty seeping into her, putting her at ease.

  Unfortunately, it was only a few minutes before Dusty said, “Come on, Emma. I feel it coming!”

  He surprised her by grabbing her hand and pulling her down, both of them landing on their backsides, and they began scooting down the embankment in the dark, the same direction they’d just come up, hand in hand. Emma could feel twigs and small rocks through the thin yoga pants she still wore from work. It was a bumpy ride, but she laughed out loud at the unexpectedness of it. It made her feel like a kid again.

  They’d made it halfway down, it seemed, when Emma felt what Dusty had—a rumbling. It first felt like it was coming from inside of her, but then it burst out with sound, first just a faint whistle, then loud and scary. The sound of steel and old boxcars flying by just above them. Like the world was falling apart right over their heads, whooshing and whistling past them so fast she gasped.

  She felt her entire body vibrate and couldn’t be sure if it was really her or the train. Dusty squeezed her quivering hand and then pulled her nearly under him, with her back lying flat against the grass and his body positioned over hers. She watched as his face, framed by a thousand stars, met hers and he finished the kiss he’d started last night as he held her tight,
protecting her from the night train. It was scary but exhilarating. She wished it’d never stop... and that she could stay wrapped in his arms forever.

  “Here’s another one!” Emma shouted excitedly, holding it up in the dark.

  Dusty hopped back over the rail and pointed the flashlight at Emma’s hand. Another penny... flat and smooth. He felt lit up inside. It made him happy to see Emma so excited about such a simple trick. He’d wondered if she’d think it was lame when he came up with it, but he was desperate to get her alone... to feel his lips on hers again.

  “That’s it, then. We found every one of them,” Dusty answered proudly. “I can’t believe you’ve never heard of smashing pennies before, Emma.”

  “Seriously, Dusty, I haven’t,” Emma said. “I’ll admit it was a neat trick. I can’t wait to show these to Rickey! He’ll think this is too cool,” she said as she continued to run the pennies between her fingers, feeling the smooth texture, the sharp edges and the absence of all that made metal into money.

  Dusty’s heart seemed to stop mid-beat. That wasn’t what he had wanted to hear. He didn’t want Emma showing or telling that dweeb anything they’d done together. He blew out a frustrated breath and shook it off. So what, they’re friends. They do work together. Not a big deal, Dust. Let it go, he thought to himself. It’s not like that white shirt is smart enough to figure out the train schedule and a secluded place to do this. He’d probably be afraid, anyway.

  Dusty shined the light down onto his watch. “Emma, didn’t you say you only had two hours? We’re closing in on two hours in”—he looked up at Emma—“just a few minutes.”

  Emma looked alarmed. “Yes! I need to get back to my car, Dusty.”

  “What’s the hurry? You gonna to turn into a pumpkin or something?”

  Emma didn’t answer. She’d already managed to shimmy down the embankment without his help or the flashlight and in a flash was heading down the trail toward the truck. Wherever she needed to be, it must be important, and she wasn’t sharing. Maybe she’s seeing Rick tonight?

  He tried to put that paranoid thought out of his head as he hurried after her. They’d had a moment up there, alongside the train trestle, and he didn’t want anything to run it over.

  CHAPTER 21

  GABBY slowly pulled down her long driveway, unable to shake the feeling someone was watching her. She looked all around, cringing at the loud crunch of the gravel under the tires. With her wooded lot and the house sitting so far off the road, anyone could be hiding in the trees alongside her yard or behind her house, especially now, in the dark. She hit the garage door button but stopped the truck just before pulling in, letting her lights poke the shadows for anything out of place before trapping herself inside with the door shut behind her. She didn’t see anything. She finished pulling Jake’s truck all the way in and remained inside with the doors locked until the garage door was all the way down.

  She turned off the truck and looked around again, using the dim light over the door opener. She would need to hurry if she was going to get into the house before it went off, leaving her in the dark. She wished she’d thought to keep a flashlight in her purse. She could always hit the garage door button again to reset the delayed light, but that would open the door and she didn’t want to do that. What if someone saw me pull in and they’re just outside the garage? They could quickly roll under the door before I could hit the button again to stop and reverse the door. Gabby shuddered as chills went down her spine; she was scaring herself.

  Hesitant to get out of the car, she tried to talk sense into herself. “There’s no one here, Gabby. It’s like Olivia said... You’re seeing things where there’s nothing,” she said out loud to herself, only causing her to jump at the sound of her own voice flooding the quiet shelter of the truck.

  Her little pep talk did nothing to calm her nerves, so she reached into her purse and pulled out the gun she’d taken from Jake’s closet. The gun scared her nearly as bad as the thought of someone stalking her. It didn’t even have a safety switch. Jake had explained to her repeatedly that this gun, a Glock, had a built-in trigger safety—just to be sure she kept her finger off the trigger unless she meant to use it. But what if she accidently touched it just carrying it into the house? Her nerves were getting the best of her, and her mind was flashing every possible worst scenario. She needed to get out and get moving before she ended up having to sleep in the truck, frozen in fear.

  Gabby pulled the long strap of her purse over her head, like a messenger bag, to keep her hands free for the keys and the gun. She hit the garage door button, giving it just enough time to trip the light, and then quickly poked it one more time, shutting the door again. She pursed her lips together and quietly blew out the breath she’d been holding. She opened the door and hopped out of Jake’s truck, first looking behind it to be sure no one squeezed in through the small opening she’d allowed by reopening the door. She squatted to see all the way to the other side of the garage under the truck, seeing no one, and then tried to shut the truck door as quietly as she could. She nearly tiptoed to the exterior door leading to her laundry room, which opened into her kitchen, and breathed a sigh of relief. Realizing she was being silly, she tried again to shake it off. No one could get into her garage now without the button or her code and no one knew that except her and Jake. She was safe in here.

  She smiled at her stupidity.

  But then another thought struck her as she looked down at Jake’s key ring. What happened to her garage door button, the one from her wrecked car? Could someone have thought to get it? And what happened to her house keys? No one had mentioned them, and she hadn’t thought to ask. Her key ring had not only her car key, but keys to both the front door and the door in the garage. If they’d been given to her family, they would’ve returned them to her already...

  The hairs stood up on Gabby’s neck. Someone could have been going in and out of her house all this time. Someone could be in her house, right now, waiting for her.

  The garage seemed too quiet, unnaturally quiet. She couldn’t hear anything except the ticking of Jake’s truck cooling down. It was eerie. Even the sound of the crickets and cicada’s she could normally hear from inside her bedroom were quiet tonight. Why can’t I hear them from in here, in the garage? Does that mean something is out there? Something they aren’t comfortable with? Gabby started shaking. She wasn’t sure whether she was safer in the house or in the garage. If someone were here, where would he be?

  She should call Nick or Emma or Olivia, she thought. But everybody had jobs to go to. They were all asleep. She couldn’t keep putting her burdens on her family. She had to deal with this on her own—that’s why she’d gotten Jake’s gun out, after all. I can do this, she said in her head, trying to convince herself.

  Holding the gun in her right hand, Gabby sorted through the ring for the correct key to the house, using only her left hand. In her nervousness and awkwardness, she fumbled Jake’s keys and they clattered loudly to the concrete floor, the noise startling a little scream from her. Gabby froze, looking up at the door, half expecting someone to jerk it open and pull her in. Nothing happened. Carefully, she picked up the keys again, trying to make as little noise as possible. Although, if someone’s here, they can probably hear my heart thumping in my chest.

  As she found the correct key and quietly put it into the lock, her heart started beating even more wildly. What if someone’s in there? Can I really shoot someone? She turned the key, unlocking the door, then stood there breathing heavily but silently, trying to gather the last bit of her courage to open the door before the garage light went out, leaving her in the dark again.

  Too late—it clicked off. Gabby couldn’t see the gun or the door in front of her. But she knew they were both right there; she hadn’t moved. Her hand was on the gun, and the door was right in front of her—unlocked. All she had to do was open it, but she felt paralyzed with fear, certain now that maybe she hadn’t looked everywhere. Maybe someone was in the garage w
ith her, making their way quietly to her now...

  Stop it! You’re scaring yourself. You can’t stand here all night, Gabby. At the count of three, she told herself in her head. One... Two... Three! Gabby grabbed the doorknob with her left hand, shoving it hard, and then grasped the gun in her right hand, pointing it into the dark house, staring blindly into the shadows while holding her breath, waiting for someone to jump out at her.

  Icy cold trails of sweat dripped down her sides, soaking her bra under her arms. Her hands were shaking and clammy from holding the heavy gun. She wasn’t used to it, and she was scared of it, but not as scared as she’d be without it. She stepped into the laundry room and flicked on the light. There was no one there. She turned around and turned on the garage light—nothing there but Jake’s truck. She turned back and walked the few steps toward the kitchen, reaching with her left hand to flick on the kitchen light and pulling it back quickly to join her right hand in steadying the gun. The kitchen was empty. Gabby continued to hold the gun, still standing in the laundry room, looking through the kitchen to the darkness beyond. She tried to take the first step into the kitchen. She’d have to go through the entire house and turn on lights holding the gun, but her feet wouldn’t respond.

  She heard a noise, then jerked around to see if it came from the garage. There was nothing there. She spun back around, pointing the gun into the kitchen, waiting to see if someone was coming for her from inside the house. Nothing moved. She couldn’t tell which way the noise came from. She slammed the door leading into the kitchen, then closed and locked the door going into the garage. Her legs gave out and she slid down with her back against the garage door, leaving her knees up to help her balance the gun. She kept it pointed at the closed door leading into the house, trying to control her shaking hands. She stared and waited, with her finger just brushing the trigger guard, now noticing the sound of the refrigerator, humming too loudly, forcing her to strain her ears to hear what might be coming.