Falling in Love Again: A Valentine's Day Proposal

by Mia Ford

  As I pack up my money without any hesitation, I try to call Lee again. He doesn’t answer the first few times, but I persist. I really need to speak to him now, to know what he thinks about this situation. I cannot make any choices alone. His wise words are the only thing that will be able to keep me going.

  “Carter, what is going on? Why have you called me so many times?”

  “Lee, Raelyn has been kidnapped. For sure this time. She’s been taken by the men. The gang. And they have sent me a note threatening me. They want money, but they don’t say where they are, and they also want me to take back the statement that I made to the police. What the fuck do I do?”

  “Okay, well the fact that they didn’t give you an address to drop of the money suggests to me what they really want is for you to take back what you said to the police. The cops have no leads on the murder, that much I’m sure of. Well, they have their suspicions, I’m sure, but nothing concrete. Your statement is the cincher.”

  “Okay, so they are pissed off at me so they went after Raelyn. How do I make it stop?”

  “For now, I would do what they ask. Take back your statement.”

  “But the police…”

  “Will still know that what you’ve said is the truth and they can chase it up, but nothing official will be on the records anymore. The only time this will be problematic is when it gets to court. By then, you can resubmit it.”

  “That won’t piss the police off?”

  “Oh, I’m sure it will,” Lee declares. “But they will understand in the end. You need to do this, to save Raelyn. You want her to remain alive? Then sort it out. While you’re taking back your statement, I will try and find out where Raelyn is being held. Once we find the address, we can move in and sort this out.”

  “Yes, that’s good.” My briefcase of money will come in handy eventually. “Thank you, Lee.”

  I am going to owe him a fortune, but I don’t care. My money honestly isn’t anything when it comes to Raelyn. I just want her to be happy and safe. I will throw anything at the situation.

  “You do your job and I’ll do mine. I’ll be in touch soon. Look after yourself, Carter.”

  I hang up the phone and grab the note. For some reason, I just know that I need to bring this with me. Whether it’s just for support or what I don’t know, but it’s a sensation I’m going to go with because it keeps me going. Whatever I need to get me through this is necessary.

  “Right, Carter,” I whisper to myself, to give me a pep talk. “Time to do this. This might be the most important conversation that you ever have in your life. To save a freaking life here.”

  I nod at my wild eyed crazy reflection in the mirror, wishing I could appear normal for this. There’s no way any of the officers are going to believe this crazy guy who keeps coming in looking more and more mental by the moment. My reputation is really sinking with this one, so is my sanity.

  The journey to the police station is a stressful one. This time, I feel endless amounts of pressure which isn’t helped by the buildup of traffic. I have the brief case of money in the car beside me as well, which I’m very uncomfortable about, but I just don’t know what today is going to bring. If Lee rings me with an address right now, then I will be gone. Screw taking back my statement. I’ll be flying along like a nutter to see her, because if there’s one thing that this has shown me, it’s that Raelyn is the most important thing.

  Come on, Lee, I think anxiously to myself. Call me, tell me what’s going on.

  But I don’t get a call. I don’t get anything. I pull up at the police station with a very silent cell phone which leaves me with no choice. All I can do is head in there and do what needs to be done. I need to convince the police that I didn’t mean what I said when I talked about the murder, while secretly somehow showing them that I mean everything I said. This is going to be a whole lot of fun…

  “You want to take back your statement?” Officer Brady, who is now magically fucking here, gives me a look. “On the same day, just a few hours later. That really doesn’t seem right…”

  “I… I didn’t mean what I said. It was all just a… I don’t know, a dream.”

  I fling my arms in the air, trying to pretend that I’m far more blasé about this than I really am. In reality, I’m a shaking, sweaty, anxious mess. A total state.

  “A dream? So, you have a dream about a crime that we haven’t released any details about yet? A dream with information that no one could possibly know about? A dream with an actual name.”

  A bite down on my bottom lip feeling horrible about it. “Yeah, it was a dream. I need to retract my statement.”

  “Right, and this has nothing to do with Raelyn Owens? The woman who you claimed was kidnapped?”

  “I…” Shit, I forgot that police talked to one another about things.

  “Do you want to take back that statement as well? Do you want us to stop looking?”

  Oh, fucking hell, he has me there and he knows it. He damn well knows it. I do want them to keep looking for Raelyn, but they also need to take back my one statement to help with the other.

  “Look, Carter, I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t believe a word you’re saying.” He folds his hands together. “I believe that this is all linked. The girl was kidnapped and now you need to take back the statement. To save her, probably. I can’t help you, unless I know the full story. Do you understand?”

  I stare him down while he looks back at me just as intently. We both know what’s really going on here, the issue is what do we do about it? I need to tell him that he’s right without actually saying those words.

  I reach into my pocket and grab the note. It doesn’t say much but I hope that it’s enough. I need him to just see it and to understand why I’m doing what I’m doing. I really fucking need his help.

  He takes it from me and runs his eyes over the words, his expression shifting as he does. Recognition gets him while he reads and relief floods me. This is good, this is what I need.

  “Okay, well I am going to look into this.” He waves the note at me. “And do what you say.”

  “You will take back the statement? Because that’s what I need to have happen.”

  “I will help you. You can be assured of that.”

  “Okay.” I nod. I don’t like this. I can’t stand still being out of control, but there isn’t anything I can do. “So, what do I do now? Because I don’t feel like just waiting around is enough.”

  “You will wait around until we contact you. I don’t want you getting involved. We don’t know how dangerous a situation this could be, so you need to be safe. You cannot put yourself in danger. We do not want to have to worry about you as well. Do you understand me?”

  He cocks an eyebrow meaningfully at me and I nod. “Okay yes, I understand.”

  “Right, because I don’t want to have added stress on my shoulders.”

  “I will go home now and wait.”

  “Great, and as soon as we have anything for you, we will be in touch.”

  “I want to know if you find Raelyn, I am truly worried about her.”

  “Trust me, after what we now know, so are we.”

  He means the letter. I didn’t have this before, I didn’t really have any evidence, but it does seem like they took me quite seriously anyway, so I have to be grateful for that. Now, it’ll be interesting to see how quickly they can move and what they can sort, knowing that there’s trouble and the potential for more murder.

  Not that there’s going to be more murder. I cannot think that!

  I will do that, but I’ll only wait for Lee to call me. If he rings me, I will be out the door. Officer Brady can tell me all that he wants to keep away from Raelyn but I still need to be on the front line to protect her. I just hope that somehow the message gets through to the gang that the statement has been dropped and they let her go, making this a whole lot simpler for all of us.

  All the way home, I keep an eye on my phone, but still nothing happens. I just
have to try and tell myself that I have personally done all that I can. For the time being anyway.

  34

  Raelyn

  Grime covers me. Or maybe that’s sweat, I’m not too sure. It’s so dark in here that I don’t really have a clue how long I’ve been trapped and I’m starting to really lose my mind. This is dreadful, and the longer it goes on, the worse it becomes. The deeper I sink into the nightmare. The more I lose hope.

  It might have only been hours, possibly minutes, I tell myself. It may not be as long as it seems.

  I move my body up off the floor, trying to find a burst of energy or some inspiration. I don’t want to give up but I’m really struggling. I’ve tried everything, and I haven’t had any luck at all. The guys have got me trapped good. They might not be as experienced in the criminal world as other people, but they’ve done this well. I’m completely stuck where I am, and there’s nothing I can do to get out.

  “Help me,” I plead to whatever spiritual being might be listening. I don’t know if that’s something I believe in, but right now I will believe in anything I can to escape. “Someone, please, help me.”

  Bang, bang, bang! Someone hammers on the door hard, making me jump.

  “Shut up in there,” the man gruffly yells. “You’re doing my fucking head in.”

  This makes me cry. Tears roll fast down my cheeks, utterly soaking my face. I know I’m probably doing his head in, but he’s doing mine in as well. This whole situation is winding me up.

  “All this noise all the time. It isn’t a good time for me to listen to your bullshit.”

  My bullshit? I think meekly. I should say it aloud, but I’ve given up being cheeky. This is a fucking joke.

  He continues to thump on the door, but not so frantically now. It’s more of a low thump, thump, thump. It reminds me of the moment where I first woke up and my head sounded like someone was hammering in there. I sob harder, wishing that I could go back to that place and not wake up. It would have been better if I’d just remained knocked out. At least then I didn’t know the horror that I had surrounding me.

  Thump, thump, thump.

  “Things need to change,” he murmurs lowly through the door. “Things are going to change. Everyone is coming here today and things are going to get crazy. I don’t know what to do.”

  People are coming? I shuffle up against the pole, trying to protect myself, not that I can. I don’t know who the hell is coming, but it’s going to be more criminals. Criminals that could be worse than this guy. The murderer might be an asshole, but he hasn’t done anything too bad to me. Yet.

  “What do I do with you? Do I take care of you now by myself? Or should I just wait?”

  Is he actually asking me? Does he want me to give him an answer to his bullshit questions? When do I want to fucking die? I cannot believe that I’ve ended up in the middle of a horror movie here.

  “You know what, I’m coming in. I can’t make this decision without looking at you.”

  The door swings open hard and it slams hard against the wall, making a crashing, bashing sound. I can’t help scurrying backwards like a little mouse. He has me exactly where he wants me. A total mess.

  “Hmm, I don’t know.” He has something that looks like it might be a sandwich in his hands. He hands it to me but I don’t have any hands to take it. I don’t want it anyway; I haven’t ever been less hungry in my life. Plus, I wouldn’t take anything that he offers me anyway. I’m not stupid. “I just don’t know what to do.”

  “Please, just let go, let me go now before anyone else gets here. I won’t tell anyone, I won’t.”

  “How can I be sure of that though? How can I know?”

  “Look at the state of me! The warning has been received. I get it now. You guys are dangerous. Not to be messed with. I won’t fuck up; I won’t do anything. I’ll even make sure that Carter doesn’t do anything.”

  “He’s already been to the police though…”

  “But I can make him take back his statement. I can make sure he doesn’t go to court or anything.”

  “Court?” He laughs as if the idea of getting to court is ridiculous. “You’ll all die first.”

  “I will do anything to make sure you guys are safe. Whatever you need me to do. But I can’t do anything if I’m dead. It will send Carter mental and he’ll end up going after you even worse.”

  “Why? Do you think he loves you or something? He hasn’t exactly come looking for you, has he?”

  “Was that the plan? To make him come here? Because he might not know where this is.”

  “A man like him, with all of his millions? He could find you if he really wanted to.”

  I don’t want to let him get into my head, but the pain and lack of sleep is driving me crazy. I start to wonder if maybe he doesn’t want to find me after all. There could be a reason why he isn’t here.

  Does he love me? Or is it just me who feels that way? Have I been blinded?

  “Oh, did you hear that?” The murder smirks. “Looks like we’re out of time. Everyone is here.”

  An animalistic howl bursts out of my mouth, now all hope really is lost. These other guys, if they have even half a brain cell in their heads, will want me dead so I can’t talk. A quick death would be preferable to what else they could do to me though. I barely want to even think about it, but I might have to face it for real…

  The murderer goes, slamming the door closed behind him, locking them away from me for a moment. It’s a relief, but not much of one because I know that worse is coming in a moment, but at least I do get a tiny moment alone. I just wish that I could use this time to find an escape route.

  Voices echo around the warehouse, chilling me to the bone. That wasn’t a bluff, there really is more of the gang here. I get a burst and struggle again thrashing too hard. It hurts, my wrists are in absolute agony with what I’ve already done to myself, but I need to just have one last shot. I don’t want to die.

  “So, she’s in here,” someone yells, their voice getting through to me crystal clear. “What a good fucking job you kidnapped the chick and not the guy. What the fuck would we have done with him? And you asked him for some money, huh? Shake the fucker down. That’s good, Connor, I’m happy about that.”

  Connor. Finally, I know the name of the man who’s put me through this. It doesn’t make me feel anything though, either way. I don’t even feel anything about him, I’m just… gutted.

  I lean my head back and dream, thinking only about Carter and the future that could have been. If I don’t have any control over what comes next, then I want the start of what we shared to be the last thing I think about. The exciting potential romance that was on the verge of blooming in to something beautiful.

  I smile, actually smile, as his face fills my mind. I remember his grumpy face when we argued, the way that he was always so standoffish and arrogant, back when I didn’t understand him so I didn’t like him. Then I think about us hooking up in the office, moments filled with deep intense passion, and pleasure off the scale. A passion that slowly turned in to something more, a feeling we were forced to face when it seemed like we were with other people. If that hadn’t happened, it might have taken us forever to accept it,

  But then of course it all went tits up when we saw something that we shouldn’t have done. Before we could ever get started any future was taken away from us. That’s a shame, I could really see us going all the way. Being together properly, working together and being in love as well. Then getting engaged, then married, having kids. The whole nine yards even growing old together. Maybe it’s easy to imagine because I’m about to die and the truth is we would actually just tear each other apart with ease, but I would rather picture the good stuff. His eyes, his lips, his hands, the way that he actually managed to make me feel good about myself.

  I miss him, and I will miss him. I’m upset that we never got to be that…

  Bang! This bang is different. It’s sound loud it shakes me from my thoughts. Bang!

>   Was that a gun shot? Instantly I look down, searching for blood to see if I’m the victim, but it seems like I’m not. That’s weird, why would there be any shots at anyone else? Aren’t they all on the same team? Unless…

  There could have been a betrayal, or the rival gang has come to get revenge for their dead friend. This could be about to get even more dangerous than I first thought. Or could it be good? Could I escape through this?

  Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

  Nope, I don’t think this is going to be good. It sounds like a shootout. I duck my head low, but again it’s pointless to protect myself, I don’t stand a chance. If I’m going to die, it’ll happen anyway.

  “Police! Put your hands up. Lower your weapons now.”

  Police? Did I hear right? Or am I losing my mind? Any possibility could be the right one. But if it is the police… No, I probably shouldn’t think that! Getting my hopes up over nothing isn’t a good idea. I need to be rational and realistic, because that allowed me to be calm at the end last time. I don’t want to give anyone the satisfaction of killing me while I’m in a state of terror. I don’t have much yet… well, anything really, but I do have my dignity and that’s the last thing I’m going to go out with for sure.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  The gun shots are followed by yelling, so much yelling. Angry words are flung about, probably from both sides. Words filled with rage and hate, the last things I need more of right now! I need calm and peace, but I suppose that isn’t going to happen now. Maybe not ever. I can’t even lose myself in my loving fantasy anymore.

  I wish that I could block my hands over my ears to get rid of the sound, but I can’t. I have to listen to every terrifying moment of it. I don’t know who’s firing, who’s getting shot, who’s surviving… even if by some miracle it is the police out there, they might all be dead now. Then the gang will surely kill me too, because they will need to do what they can to cover their tracks.