by Mia Ford
Bang! Bang!
Bang! Bang!
I make sounds that I didn’t even know were possible. They’re almost inhuman, purely because I’m so afraid. It’s weird to know that these are the last sounds I will ever make. This weird guttural whimper...
“Argh!” The sound turns in to a loud scream as the door flies open once more. I slide my eyes closed. I don’t know who is going to be on the other side of that door, the decider of my fate, and I don’t want to know yet. Ignorance is bliss for just a couple of seconds longer, especially if I am going to die…
35
Carter
Ring, ring… Ring, ring…
I grab my cell phone the moment it rings, needing some answers. Having been here waiting for at least twenty minutes since I got back from the police station, but it’s been torture. Too much for me. I haven’t really survived it well, so having some answers is exactly what I need to keep me sane.
“Lee,” I gush rapidly. “Please tell me you have something. I’m going crazy…”
“I know, I know, I can tell from your voice. Don’t worry, I’m very aware. I do have something for you.”
I freeze, stop pacing when he says this. To be honest, I thought that this was going to be him checking in on me because he knows how nuts I am. That’s stupid, really. I know Lee isn’t one for small talk. It just seems like we have been getting closer recently, our relationship has been shifting a bit.
“What have you got, Lee? Because I am ready to go right now.”
“You know I obviously am not going to recommend you going until you’ve calmed down…”
“Yeah, yeah,” I completely dismiss him. “Because you don’t want me to do anything stupid.”
“More something rash, harming both you and Raelyn, but it seems like you’re beyond that.”
“I won’t do anything mental,” I promise him. “I don’t want to make anything worse than it is.”
“Right, okay. Well I’m going to give you this information. What you do with it is up to you. Do you know the old industrial estate at the edge of the city, by the unused soccer grounds?”
“Right, yeah, I think I do. Where the factories used to be years ago before they shut down?”
It’s where my business would have been, if I’d opened it twenty-five years before I was born. It would have been the perfect place to conduct what I do, and I would have been surrounded by other similar businesses. But a financial crash at some point put a halt to manufacturing in this area, which we’re only just making a comeback from now. Maybe one day it won’t be full of rusty unused buildings anymore.
“There is one which used to produce car parts. I believe that Raelyn is in there. It’s a giant building in the left hand corner of the lot, and it has a massive red sign outside. It’s impossible to miss.”
“Do you have any reason to believe that? Or is it just, I don’t know a hunch or…?”
I gulp, this is too painful. The thought of beautiful Raelyn trapped in a place like that is purely horrible.
“Have I ever steered you wrong before, Carter? I’m telling you, she’s there.”
I nod, accepting this as final. “Okay, Lee, thank you for your help.”
“Do you need any more help? Like, do you need me to protect you or anything?”
I don’t have time for that. I don’t mean to be rude, but I know that Lee will try to make me do things the sensible way, whereas what I want to do is the quickest way. I want Raelyn safe.
“I’m good, thank you, Lee. I know what I’m going to do. I will go there and calmly tell Connor Blair that I have retracted my statement, and also that I have some cash for him. I won’t give him the money until I have Raelyn out of his clutches. Then, we will get the hell out of there and in to safety.”
“You’ll call me then? Because I have a feeling that you’re going to need me then.”
“I will,” I promise. “Thanks again, Lee. Wish me luck with all of this.”
“I won’t, because I’m hoping that you don’t need it. I want you to just be okay.”
We say our goodbyes and I hang up the phone. What I didn’t tell Lee, because he would have kicked my ass, is that I will even take Raelyn’s place if they need me to. I will be the one who’s kidnapped. I don’t know how useful I will be as their victim, but I will find a way to convince them. I’m a salesman, surely, I can sell myself as a useful person to have under their control. I would rather me be in trouble with them than Raelyn.
I get back into my car and stare at the briefcase. It would be so much easier if that could just solve this. The ideal situation would be for Connor Blair to just take this money and leave us alone. Raelyn and I will find a way to make life work after this, I’m sure of it. I think this will only make us stronger.
God, I want the life that I’m sure we could have together. I want that love, that passion, that desire. I want her cheekiness, her sweetness, her kindness, and her sass. I want to make her see that not every guy is bad. She’s had some bad experiences in the past I’m sure, and she’s had some dreadful times when I’ve been in her life.
I want to be the man to make it all okay again, and I can be, if we just escape this.
I start driving determinedly. I might be ignoring Lee again, but this time I know what I’m doing. This time, it’s all right. I’m going to make this all okay again, I really am. I do consider calling Officer Brady with this information, but in the end, I decide against it. He told me not to get involved, he was very specific about that, so I don’t want to tell him that I’m already breaking that rule. Plus, if the cops find out, they will take over and make it their own operation which might not be the best thing here. I just don’t want to make it worse.
No, it’s me, it has to be me, that’s the only way that this will work.
My heart slows down as I arrive closer to the industrial estate. I expect it to race, to get a whole lot faster with fear, but it doesn’t. It almost halts to a stop as if it’s forgotten how to beat properly.
“It’s going to be okay,” I whisper to myself. “It will. I’m going to make sure of it.”
I slow my driving down as well and peer over the steering wheel to find this building. I’ve been so focused on what it’s going to be like to see Raelyn again, and what I’ll say to these guys to make sure this happens, that I haven’t worked out how I’m going to approach this first of all. I need a plan really. I need to work out how I’m going to start this communication off. There needs to be a starting place which doesn’t end up with me dead.
“What the…?” My eyes narrow, I see more cars than I was expecting. Some of them with lights. “Is that…?”
I think it’s the cops. I think that the police might already be here. A tsunami of relief washes over me. It’s so intense, so powerful, so overwhelming that I could cry. I’m not alone.
“Oh, thank God. I’m not going to die.”
I really did think that I would. Since I don’t have a weapon or anything, I don’t really stand a chance. All I have is a bunch of money that I was hoping would save my damn life. But now I might not have to lose that…
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Fuck!” Gun shots ring out. That’s unmistakable. I don’t know if they are police shots or from the gang which scares the living hell out of me. “Fucking hell, what do I do…?”
I don’t want to get out of the car, the last thing this situation needs is me making it worse, so I call Lee once more. I just need to speak to him, to have him making me feel better.
“Carter, what’s happened? Are you in danger? Did you get out okay?”
“I just pulled up and it looks like the police are already here. As you can probably hear, there’s a shootout already. I don’t know what I should do for the best.”
“Don’t go in there. Of course, you know that, don’t you? Let the police do their job.”
“Yeah, I thought that. I’m just sitting in the car now with the cash. Do you think I should leave?”
“Are you going to leave, even if I tell you that you should? Or are you more likely to stay?”
“Well, I want to see Raelyn come out,” I admit. “I need to know that she’s okay, but I’m worried about fucking things up for everyone. I seem to keep making the wrong decisions over and over again.”
Lee chuckles. “I think this time; you will be okay to just wait. But be prepared.”
Be prepared? I don’t want to be prepared for anything other than Raelyn coming out of that building okay.
“Yep, sure,” I reply tartly. “I will be prepared. Thank you.”
I hang up and stare intently at the building. Each shot brings with it a spike of anxiety, but I just about manage to hold it together. My leg shakes, my fingers tap, my muscles twitch, but I remain where I am. Well, that is until I hear sirens ringing out behind me and I see more blue lights in the mirror. More emergency services are coming… this time its ambulances speeding in my direction.
I jump out the car then, without thinking about it, just in case Raelyn is hurt. Lee said to be prepared, but I’m not and I’m never going to be. I try to swallow down the intense fear in my chest, but it remains firmly stuck. Even as people pile out of the building, it stays exactly where it is.
“Raelyn,” I whisper, not that anyone can hear me. “Raelyn, please be okay.”
There’s a lot of screaming and yelling, a lot of panic coming from the police. I so want to go and ask them what’s happening, I really want to know, but at the same time I don’t know if I do.
“Oh my God.” Officer Brady finally exits the building with a woman under his arm. “Raelyn!”
I race to her, ignoring the look that Officer Brady gives me. He can be pissed off with me all he wants, right now the only person who matters is the one looking at me with wide shocked eyes.
“Raelyn, you’re okay.” I throw my arms around her, hugging her hard. “What happened? What did they do?”
She doesn’t answer. Instead, she leans against me, hugging me tight. We’re reunited again and it feels incredible. It doesn’t even matter that I wasn’t the one to save her directly, she’s alright and that’s all that matters.
“Oh, Raelyn, I’ve been so worried, this has been horrible. I just need you to be okay.”
“She has to go to the hospital,” Officer Brady booms. “Just to see if everything is okay.”
“Right, sure I will come with you.”
“You cannot come in the ambulance. You will have to travel to the hospital alone.”
I don’t want to let Raelyn go, even for a second. But if this is what I have to do, then so be it. I nod and step backwards, but before I can let her go completely, I lean in one last time and kiss her. I press my lips lightly to hers, feeling everything all at once. The relief, the love, all of it.
“I will be there for you, Raelyn, you don’t have to worry. I won’t be long behind you.”
She nods, but I don’t know how much she really hears me. Her eyes are glazed over, the horrifying experience is still on top of her, so I will wait to say anything serious. For now, she just needs to heal.
36
Raelyn
Where am I? I don’t like this feeling. It’s unsettling. The last time I didn’t know where I was, I ended up in my own personal hell. Trapped by a mad man who was threatening to kill me at all times… Is that where I am?
I snap my eyes open, ice cold panic rushing over me, but it quickly becomes clear that’s it’s unnecessary. This definitely isn’t that little box room and I can move my arms. I’m not attached to a pole anymore. I’m okay. I might even be safe which is a concept I haven’t experienced in far too long.
“Raelyn?” Carter’s voice floods my ears. It’s the most wonderful sound in the world. “Raelyn, are you awake?”
“Nugrh,” is about all that I can manage back. My voice box isn’t fully working.
“Oh God, Raelyn. You’re awake. Thank goodness, I’ve been so worried.”
He looms above me, his face surrounded by a glorious white light. He’s like an angel sent from heaven to help me get through all of this. Funny, since there was once a time, I thought he was the devil.
“C… Carter,” I stammer, my voice faltering with emotion. “You’re here.”
“Of course I am! I’ve been here since you were brought in. They wouldn’t let me in the ambulance with you, but I followed behind in my car and I haven’t left since. Even when they told me that visiting hours were over.”
The police… I remember that now. The terror of the shootout, followed by the overwhelming relief as the police broke down that door and came to get me out. They warned me not to look around as we walked out and I did what they commanded, but I’m pretty sure I can imagine what went down anyway. I know what happens with guns, I’m not stupid. People die at the end of them. Even though these weren’t good people, I still don’t like the idea of knowing that I was around so much death. It really isn’t right.
Then I recall seeing Carter’s face again. He swooped in at the last moment as well, looking like a slice of bliss through all the hell. He kissed me then, I felt all the love swooping from him, and it was the most wonderful of my whole damn life. It gave me all the strength that I needed to carry on. Maybe that’s why I’m awake now.
“What… what happened?” I try to sit up straighter, but I can’t. “Am I okay?”
“You’re exhausted.” Carter’s hand slips into mine and I’m flooded with warmth. “And dehydrated. Probably in a lot of shock as well. But you’re fine. You’re going to be okay.”
That’s good news. I soak that in. I’m going to be okay, I’m going to survive this nightmare after all. I was so convinced that I was about to die, but I never accepted it, and now I’m glad. I’ve been through witnessing a crime, being beaten and threatened, then kidnapped, and I’m still here. I’m stronger than I thought.
And Carter is here with me too. Through everything, he’s here with me. We’re strong as well. There has been a whole lot of drama bringing us to this place, but we’ve made it. I think we can make anything now.
“As for what happened to them…” Carter’s face curls up, he looks disgusted. I already know who he’s talking about before he continues. “The gang shot at the police repeatedly. I don’t think they had a clue what they were doing. They want to be in the big leagues, but they don’t have a clue how, and their naivety showed.”
“So… did anyone get hurt coming to rescue me?” I don’t want that; it will fill me with guilt forever.
“No one aside from them got hurt. And the ones who did, brought it on themselves.”
“Hurt… or dead?” I don’t know why, but this feels important to me. Knowing if they are still out there…
“Some dead. Some hurt, but they will be locked up as soon as they are out of the hospital. I don’t even know if they’re going to stand trial, so we might be able to just forget that they even exist.”
I don’t know if I will ever be able to forget. This feels like something that will haunt me forever. The memory of being locked in that place with no hope. But that might be because it’s just happened. I haven’t even washed the experience off yet. Maybe I will be able to move passed this at some point, who knows?
“All you need to worry about is that nothing can get to you. Nothing can get to you. You’re fine.”
I nod slowly, my heart racing that little bit faster. This is wild, it really might be over.
“Does Abbi know?” I ask curiously. “Does my mom? God, no one knows this has happened to me.”
“I actually found Abbi’s number on your phone and called her. I remembered that she was the person you wanted to speak to when I sent you home that day. I know things got a little strained at some point, but I’m pretty sure that this can over shadow everything. She said that she’s on the way and that she’ll contact your mom.”
“Okay great.” It’s going to be so weird having everyone in my life in one place. This really isn’t something that I’m ready fo
r, but yet again here we are, having things just happen to us. “So, they are on the way.”
“Exactly. So, we might not have a lot of time alone until they are here.”
I look at Carter expectantly. He seems to have something that he wants to tell me and I’m all ears. Especially if this is going to be something important that he only wants to say while we’re alone. He wants to speak to me before Mom and Abbi get here which excites me. It has to be something good.
“Raelyn…” He sucks in a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. “Raelyn, all of this has been so hard. On you, of course. I get that, I’m not trying to diminish what you went through, but it was difficult for me as well, not knowing where you were killed me. It absolutely destroyed me. And it also made me realize how much I care about you. How deep my feelings are for you and I really do feel deeply for you. Deeper than I have ever felt for another person for a very long time… actually, ever. What I feel for you is something different. Deeper, more passionate. More wonderful, and I need to now find a way to express that…”
I chuckle and touch his arm gently “Just say it, Carter. Talk to me. It’s alright.”
He nods and smiles at me, seeing how relaxed he can actually be around me. “Okay, I love you Raelyn. That isn’t the easiest thing for me to say after everything I’ve been through, but I do.”
His words send me flying high. I absolutely relish this incredible sensation. I cannot believe that he actually does love me. I never ever would have thought that we would end up here. I’m so lucky.
“I love you too, Carter, I really do. I realized it before all of the drama, but it hit me even harder when I was locked up. When I was in that room, it was all that I could think about. How I wanted to see you again…”
His hand surrounds mine, the expression on his face is one of sheer bliss. “So, what do we do from here?”