Giving Chase

by Dane, Lauren

  Shane called in to tell Kyle that Alex had taken a suitcase and some clothes. Dee was at the bank, checking the records to see if he’d pulled any large amounts of cash out of his account recently.

  “Kyle, it’s bad. There are more pictures here. Of the two of you. His walls are covered with pictures of her and there are stacks of letters everywhere that he’d written to her but never sent. His obsession with her has grown.”

  Kyle hung up, shaking with rage, terror burning the backs of his eyes. He looked at Matt who was there with him. “If that bastard hurts her in any way, I’ll kill him.”

  “I’ll help you. But she’s going to be all right.” Matt said, hoping he wasn’t lying.

  ™ ™ ™

  Maggie woke up in a strange room, disoriented. Her head hurt like hell. Blinking to try and clear her vision so she could figure out where she was, she quailed when Alex came into her line of sight. Suddenly, memory of what happened earlier rushed back, filling her with terror.

  “Alex, please, let me go. This is crazy. Let me go and I won’t call the cops, I promise.” She desperately tried to recall the advice from the self defense course she’d taken the year before.

  He laughed and kissed her forehead and she tried not so show her revulsion. “Oh sweetheart, I’m not letting you go. You’re mine, silly. I’m sorry I had to hit you. Is your head all right?” Maggie tried not to panic as she listened to him. His voice was so odd, dreamy and high pitched. It frightened her, filled her with dread. He was obviously insane.

  “What do you think, Alex? Can you untie my hands at least? My shoulders really hurt and this angle is making my back twist.”

  “No, I can’t risk it. But I’ll help you sit up and get you some Tylenol for your head.” He gently moved her into a sitting position and left the room, coming back with a glass of water and two tablets. “Here. Open your mouth and I’ll help you.”

  She clamped her lips shut tight and shook her head. God only knew whether or not he’d drugged or poisoned the water or even if the pills were actually Tylenol.

  “Maggie, why are you being so difficult? Look.” He held the pill up so she could see the factory stamp and he brought the bottle in as well. “See, here’s the bottle. The water is from the tap. It’s well water. The cabin is on a well. I wouldn’t hurt you, Maggie. You can trust me.”

  She narrowed her eyes at that ridiculous statement.

  “Suit yourself, then,” he said with a sigh. He sat the glass and the pills down. “Let me know if you change your mind. Seems silly to hurt out of spite.”

  She snorted but didn’t say anything else.

  When he reached out to caress her face, she shrank back as far as she could go until she hit the wall. Nausea and revulsion roiled in her gut, fear threatened to drown her. She gave herself a mental slap. She had to keep it together if she was going to get out of this mess.

  “I love you, Maggie. I just want to touch you.”

  “Alex, get away from me. This has gone far enough. Take me home.”

  “You are home. Our home.” He smiled dreamily and got up.

  “Where are we?”

  “This is our cabin. Our honeymoon cabin,” he answered and walked out of the room.

  She felt woozy and her world became fuzzier and fuzzier until at last, she lost consciousness again.

  ™ ™ ™

  It was three in the morning and many of the Chase household slept on couches and sitting up in chairs. Kyle, his brothers, father, his uncle and Maggie’s father were in the dining room sitting at the table, looking at pictures.

  “Damn it! Where is she!” Kyle raged. They’d stayed out searching for hours and had found nothing.

  Shane had come back to report on the situation. They had surveillance camera footage from the ATM machine at the bank. Alex took the maximum two thousand dollar withdrawal. In the background, after they’d blown it up, Maggie was clearly lying against the front seat, her eyes closed, a bloody trickle from her scalp down her face.

  “Kyle, this was at five twelve, about forty-five minutes after she’d left here. We’ve narrowed the time frame down considerably. At least we know roundabout when she was taken.”

  “But she could be d-dead by that time. Her eyes are closed,” he replied, barely containing a sob. Edward moved to hold his son, bracing him with his arm around his shoulders, lending him strength.

  “Son, if he’d killed her, he’d have gotten rid of the body. She was probably unconscious. She was alive then, we have every reason to think she’s alive now. Alex is obsessed with her. He doesn’t want to kill her. He wants to possess her. She’s a smart cookie, she’ll do what she has to to stay alive.”

  “And what will that be, Daddy? What will he do to my girl?” Kyle whispered. “We have to find her. Where could he have taken her? God, I never should have let her go over there alone. We were talking about buying a house together. About her moving into my condo and selling her place and buying our own.”

  “That’s it,” Shane said, looking up at Edward. “Daddy, can you run a title search? See if Alex has bought any property in this and the surrounding few counties since September?”

  Peter stood up. “I can. Let me run into the office and check,” he said, looking relieved to be able to help in some way and Shane followed him out the door.

  Polly came into the room. “Honey, it’s three in the morning, why don’t you get some sleep? We’ll wake you if anything changes.” She stroked a hand over his hair, trying to comfort him.

  Kyle stood up. “I can’t sleep while Maggie is out there being held by that sick bastard!” he shouted and Edward hugged him tightly and Kyle broke down and wept.

  Tom went to him. “Listen to me, son. My little girl has been on her own, out of necessity, for most of her life. She’s independent and she will not quit. I promise you that. She’s strong, my baby. She won’t let herself be killed, boy. Not without a fight. You keep that ring for her because she will be back here and she’ll want it back.”

  Pulling himself together, Kyle took a deep breath and looked at the engagement ring he’d been wearing on his pinkie finger. He locked eyes with his father-in-law to be and nodded.

  ™ ™ ™

  When Maggie woke up again, the throbbing in her head had subsided to a dull ache. She opened her eyes carefully but it was still dark. Judging by the position of the moon that she could see through the window, it was sometime between midnight and about four a.m. Alex lay next to her on the bed, his arm curled around her thighs. She shuddered in disgust.

  Think Maggie! How can you get out of this? She tried pulling at the ropes that held her hands but that just made them tighter and her movement roused Alex.

  “Maggie, honey? Are you all right?”

  “I have to go to the bathroom.”

  “Oh of course! Let me help.”

  He got up and helped her to stand and led her to the bathroom. The cabin was large and modern. That was a hopeful sign that they weren’t out too far into the middle of nowhere, Georgia. He opened the door and started to undo her pants.

  “No! Jesus. Get off me. Untie my hands, Alex and wait for me out there. The window in here is too small and too high up, I couldn’t get through it even if I could get up there. Let me have some dignity.”

  Alex sighed. “I’ll untie you, Maggie. But I have a gun and if you try anything funny I will shoot you. Do you understand?”

  “Yes. Now untie me.”

  He did and stepped back, looking at his watch. “You have two minutes and I’m coming in.”

  She moved her fingers a bit, getting the blood back into them and went to the bathroom quickly. Not knowing when he’d decide to barge in, she got re-dressed and washed her hands and then her face, which had bloodstains all down the left side. She had a bump the size of a softball on the back of her head and another smaller one on her upper forehead, just at the hairline.

  She noticed that he seemed to take it all right when she was a bit bossy but she knew he wouldn�
��t take too much. She had to bide her time. The longer that she was there, the more time she had to think and plan. And hopefully, the more time Kyle would have to find her. She decided to be extra obedient. She wouldn’t try to run just yet, she had to get her bearings back but she needed him to let her stay untied. She called out to him. “I’m done and I’m going to open the door now.”

  She did, slowly and held her hands up for Alex to see.

  “You cleaned off your face. I’m sorry, I meant to do it for you but I fell asleep. Let’s go back to bed. I’m tired and you need to rest your head.”

  “All right,” she agreed meekly and hoped he forgot about the ropes.

  He didn’t. “Maggie, I need to retie you.”

  “Please don’t. My wrists are all raw and it hurts my back, neck and shoulders to have to sit that way.” She tried very hard not to beg.

  “I can’t trust you not to run.”

  “Then tie me in the front and wrap something around my wrists to go between my skin and the rope. Please.”

  She wanted to seem reasonable but not have a turn about of behavior that would be unbelievable either. She had to gain control of the situation.

  He studied her. “Fine.” He got out some face cloths and put them around the abrasions on her wrists and then binding her wrists in front. The price was that she had to lie down beside him. It took every bit of her will to survive not to scream in terror and revulsion as he put his face in the nape of her neck and his breath skated across her skin.

  Kyle, where are you?

  ™ ™ ™

  “We got it!” Shane burst in through the door. “He bought a cabin about two hours east of here six weeks ago. I’ve called the judge. It’s still in this county, and he’s issued a warrant for arrest and a search warrant. It’s in an unincorporated area, no local police force so I’m taking my men out with me. We’ll meet the cops from the nearest jurisdiction to make a joint raid on the house.”

  “I’m coming, too,” Kyle said and Shane started to disagree until he saw the set of Kyle’s mouth.

  “You may wait outside the police line if you promise not to get involved. I mean it, Kyle. You can’t interfere, you could get her or yourself or one of my men killed if you don’t obey me.”

  Kyle nodded.

  “I’ll drive him,” Matt said and Edward grabbed his keys and he and Tom got into the back seat of Matt’s Bronco. Soon they all tore out of the driveway, heading east.

  They drove at eighty miles an hour and made the two hour drive in under an hour and a half. Shane and his officers met with the local sheriff. Kyle watched, tense as his brother and his men all donned body armor and began their silent creep through the woods. They’d stopped their vehicles about a mile away from the cabin so they could approach it unseen.

  ™ ™ ™

  Maggie was laying in bed, trying to think up a plan. Her muscles ached from holding still but she didn’t want any movement to wake him up. The sun was rising and Maggie figured it was about seven or seven thirty. She sighed without meaning to and Alex stirred.

  His eyes opened and stared into hers with an eerie light. He brought his hand up and cupped her breast and she screamed.

  He hit her in the face. “Shut up, you whore! Why are you acting so afraid? It’s not like you haven’t fucked half the town already. Everyone but me. You led me on and I can’t have that. You’re mine, Maggie.” He squeezed her breast hard and she bit back a whimper.

  “Get off me, you bastard. I don’t want you, damn it! There are plenty of other women in town. Date them and leave me alone!” She looked around the room for a weapon, anything she could use to stop him.

  “I don’t think so,” he snarled and ripped at her shirt, sending buttons flying and exposing her bra and her bare stomach. “I mean to have what’s mine.”

  “No! NO, ALEX!” Struggling and screaming, she turned her head and saw a face in the window. He held his finger up to his lips, indicating she should stay quiet about his presence.

  Alex ripped at the fastenings of her pants and she kicked at him and tried to raise her hands but her wrists were still bound and he had them pinned with one hand, while the other was pulling at her clothes.

  “Get off me, you bastard!” She screamed. She screamed and she screamed and he slapped her again, so hard she tasted blood. He ripped at the front of her bra and it came open, baring her breasts and she began to weep. “Stop it, damn it! I don’t want this.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” he muttered and unzipped his pants and started to pull himself out.

  Suddenly, the door slammed open and several large men in body armor poured in pointing guns and screaming, “GET DOWN! GET OFF THE WOMAN NOW!”

  Shane stepped forward and yanked Alex off of her and threw him across the room. Another officer came to her and gently pulled the sheet from the bed around her, covering her nakedness.

  “Are you all right, ma’am?” the officer asked softly.

  She started to tremble, shaking so hard her teeth chattered.

  “Did he rape you?”

  “N-n-no. He-he tried b-b-b-but you s-s-s-topped h-h-im,” she stuttered out.

  Shane came forward looked her over. “Maggie, honey? I just need to look at you. Make sure you aren’t injured.” He gently opened the sheet and winced as he saw the hand and finger shaped bruise on her left breast but he felt relief seeing that her panties were still on. “Honey, we don’t have any female officers here but I want to get pictures taken of you and your injuries. Will you let me do it? Officer Jeffries here will stay in the room but he won’t look at you when I have to take the pictures of your breasts. I’m sorry to even ask it of you but it’s necessary for the case.”

  Tears running down her face, she nodded, still trembling. She went into another place in her head as he took pictures of her face, neck and her wrists and then of her torn clothes and the bruise on her breast.

  Shane did it as quickly and methodically as he could but he couldn’t fight the rising bile, the anguish over what she’d gone through.

  “All done, honey. I’m going to wrap you in this blanket here. It’s a blanket from my car, not his. I’m going to take you out to where Kyle’s waiting for you. He’s been so worried. And then we’re going to take you to a hospital.” He spoke to her calmly and softly as he touched her carefully.

  Sobs tore through her stomach. “Kyle’s here?”

  “Of course he is, Maggie. He threatened to kneecap me if I didn’t let him come with me. Come on, honey, let’s get you taken care of.”

  Nodding, she stood still while he gently put the blanket around her and picked her up. He held her against his body and carried her the mile back to where the cars were.

  Her eyes were closed but she heard hear Kyle say, “thank you, God,” and come moving toward her.

  “Thank you for saving me,” she said softly to Shane and he nodded and handed her over to Kyle.

  “We need to get her to a hospital. Kyle, you ride in the back with her. Dad, you all follow us.”

  Maggie opened her eyes but one of them was pretty near swollen shut and she had to close that one. “Kyle, he…oh god,” she whispered and began to cry.

  “I’m here, Red. Always here. God, I love you so much. Hell, I’m so damned thankful you’re okay. We’ll get through this, baby.” He stroked gentle fingers over her hair.

  They checked her into the hospital. She had a concussion and they wanted to monitor her at least for the next twenty-four hours.

  ™ ™ ™

  Alex had been transported to jail and awaited arraignment on kidnapping, false imprisonment, attempted rape and assault charges in addition to violating the two orders of no contact.

  Maggie slept but they woke her up every hour to check on the concussion. She was feeling loopy from the lack of REM sleep and the rush of adrenaline her body had produced over the last day.

  Kyle never left her side and he looked almost as bad as she did. The whole Chase clan was splayed across every avai
lable surface in the waiting room as were Maggie’s father and her friends. Maggie’s father had called her mother to tell her what had happened but she’d expressed disinterest in the whole situation.

  Finally, after twenty-four hours, the hospital discharged Maggie and Kyle carefully loaded her into Matt’s Bronco and they drove back home.

  She stared out the window and he looked at his father with a worried expression. When they neared Petal, Matt asked, “Where to, sweetheart? Momma wanted me to tell you that you’re welcome to stay with her and Daddy until you felt better. I figure you and Kyle might like some time alone. I can take you to your house, too. Just tell me where and I’ll go.”

  “Not my house, not ever,” she said, panic at the edges of her voice. “Take me to the condo please, Matt. If that’s okay with you, Kyle.”

  “Of course it is, Red. Whatever you want, baby.” Kyle looked back at Edward and his father’s eyes softened at the sound of anguish in Maggie’s voice.

  All three men helped her into the house, even though she was perfectly capable of walking. She let them fuss over her a bit and thanked Matt and Edward for their help. She turned to Edward as he was leaving. “They won’t let him go will they?”

  “Honey, I want you to know I am on the prosecutor’s ass about this. He was denied bail at his arraignment. I don’t foresee that changing. Alex will do time. They’ll charge him with everything they can, I promise you. Oh baby, I’m sorry,” he said and swept her into an embrace.

  She nodded up at him and blinked back tears. “Thanks, Dad,” she whispered and his heart nearly broke in half.

  She looked at Kyle and kissed the hand holding hers. “I’m going to take a shower and change. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

  “Hey, Red, afterwards we’ll get tucked up on the couch. I’ll order in Chinese and we’ll get pay-per-view. Holler if you need me all right?” Kyle asked gently and she nodded and walked up the stairs.