Stronger With Him

by JA Hensley

  "The only reason I'm agreeing is because I know something's wrong. Don't waste any time," I warn him as he gets out of the truck. I park in the far corner where there's a light out and a lot of shadows and stay down so I'm not seen.

  Fifteen excruciating minutes later, Jude shows up with a security guard in a golf cart. I watch as they go into the building together and it takes everything I have to stay in my truck. I can't stop staring at the door and when Jude walks out alone, my panic begins again. I know that something terrible has happened, but I have no idea what. I start to go through my phone to see if I have any of Becca's friends in there, but I don’t.

  Jude gets back in the golf cart with security and they leave. I wait for a text from him with instructions. Thankfully he doesn't make me wait long.

  Going to try to look at video surveillance. Stay put.

  My response is as short as my patience.

  Hurry up. I can't take much more.

  I can't sit here and wait. I have to do something. I drive around the parking lot looking for anything that might tell me what happened. I park next to Becca's car and walk around it myself. Nothing is out of place. The doors are locked. There’s no indication anything is wrong. Except my gut. I always trust my gut.

  The vibration of my phone in my pocket causes me to stop walking around her car.

  Come get me. I'll explain.

  Fuck. That means Jude's got nothing. I stop just back from the security office and Jude jumps in the truck.

  "What the fuck, man. What's going on?" I can't keep calm; I want to know where Becca is.

  "The security footage of that part of campus is weak. There are only two cameras at the corners of the building and I would guess they're at least ten years old. All I could see was snow. There’s no way to figure out if there was ever anyone in that parking lot."

  "God damn it, Jude! What the fuck are we going to do? I know something's happened to her, I just know it." Rational thought has left the building and I'm running on adrenaline and panic now.

  "I'm afraid you may be right. There's something up with that security guard, too. We need to go back to your place and do some online investigation."

  "Fuck. That's not what I need to hear from you. This is bad. I just know it," I mutter as I tear out of campus. I start thinking about all the different things that could've happened, but my mind keeps coming back to Ronaldo. He's got to be involved in this somehow.

  "I see the wheels turning over there, bro. What's on your mind?" Jude knows me too well.

  "I was trying to think of anyone who may want to hurt her and the person I keep coming back to is Ronaldo, her ex. He hit her recently and I had to have him forcibly removed from our building. Almost dropped my cover on that one. He's become obsessed with her and I wouldn't be surprised if he's got a hand in this."

  "We'll have to get the SAC involved, you know. How's he going to react to your involvement with the suspect's ex-girlfriend?"

  "He's going to be pissed. I'm probably going to get suspended or something over this."

  "Well, we still don't know if she's actually missing. Let's see what we can find out tonight and we'll call him in the morning. We need to find her friends. Have you met any of them?"

  I search my memory for names. I know I've seen her friends a few times. Unfortunately, I was too focused on Becca to really pay attention to the women she was with.

  "She has two friends that I've met. Christin and Stephanie, I think. We need to get into the database and see if we can come up with something. One of the friends is a nurse so she should be in there."

  "All right, we have a plan. You also need to call Kevin and get his help. If your gut is right, which it usually is, this is going to take more than just us."

  I shake my head and swear some more. This is why I don't get involved with women. Once someone gets under my skin, I'm like a dog on a bone. My case could be compromised because my dick got in the way.

  "Stop being a pussy and man up, Colin. I know you're beating yourself up over there, but obviously this girl is different. I'm not going to let you fuck anything up here." Jude punches me in the arm, bringing me out of my downward spiral.

  "Okay, dickhead. Let's just figure this out and quick."

  Chapter 22-Rebecca

  My brain is frozen with fear. There's no fucking way this is happening to me. This is the stuff that movies are made of, not real life. I don't react when strong hands grip my ankles tightly and pull me out of the van. I have no way to stop this from happening since my hands are bound behind me and I know what he has done to me before he moved up to kidnapping.

  "Ah, you're finally under my complete control. I've been looking forward to this for a long time. We're going to have some fun." I shudder at the thought but don't have time to react because I'm being tossed over his shoulder and carried away from the van like a sack of potatoes. I make a conscious decision to stay as still as possible and to not react to anything that he says.

  It's very uncomfortable having my hands behind me and his shoulder digging into my stomach. My brain is starting to come back to me and my fight or flight instinct is kicking in. I battle that as hard as I can because it's not going to do me any good right now. I try to look around, but all I really can see is the floor and his ass, not a view worth mentioning. We go through three different doors before I'm thrown onto a filthy bed. He leans over and takes the tape off my mouth.

  "You will stay here, you will be quiet, you will do as you're told, and you will live. Do you understand?"

  I stare up at him and nod. Is he planning on killing me? I feel brave enough to ask.

  "What are you going to do with me?" It comes out as a pathetic whisper, but it's the best I can do.

  "I haven't decided yet. I suppose it depends on you. I told you before, Becca. You. Are. Mine. I don't share and you don't get to walk away from me. Maybe now you'll start believing it."

  "I'm sorry, really I am. I'll try to be good." Finally my psychology training comes back to me. When confronted with an irate client, be complacent and meek to help calm the situation down. However, Ron is not a client and I'm not sure what's going to calm him down. I'm hoping the appearance of submission will buy me some time.

  "You’ll be good or you will be punished. I'll be back later. If you behave I'll take the binds off your arms. Although, I do like seeing you like this. I would’ve done a more intricate job, but you can't expect idiots to do more than what's required. Rest up. We have lots to chat about later."

  He kisses me on the head and walks out, locking the door behind him. I close my eyes and count to ten, trying to calm my breathing. I know I have to keep the panic at bay if I'm going to survive this.

  Once I feel calmer, I take a look around the room. There’s a florescent light above me that's flickering, the bulb or ballast about to give out. The walls are made of gray concrete blocks. There're no windows and the door appears to be made of steel, like something you would see in a warehouse. The bed is a thin mattress on a metal frame with springs and it reminds me of old prison movies. It smells terrible and I try not to imagine all the germs that are on it.

  I scoot around and use the end of the bed and wall to pull myself upright. At least this way I won't think about things crawling into my ears. The adrenaline is starting to wear off and I feel very tired. I will myself to stay awake, not trusting Ron or the other men to stay away from me.

  It's time to start thinking like a survivor. What do I need to do to get out of here alive? I know I have to get my hands free. I can also play the submissive role for a little while. It’ll take a lot of patience and acting on my part, but it may be my only option. I go over everything that Ron said to me, looking for any clue to what he has planned. Nothing really stands out and I wasn't able to read his body language. I'll have to be more observant when he comes back.

  I wonder if anyone realizes I'm gone yet. Of course there's no way to tell what time it is and I don't know how long it took to get here. I was supposed t
o text Colin when I left school, but he may think I'm still working. I told Christin I was working late so she thinks the same thing. Fuck. This could be worse than I thought. Even when someone does notice I'm missing, what are they going to do? They'll have to call the police and who knows how long it’ll take for them to find me, if they even look. I'm not a child or an incapacitated adult so I won't be a priority. I've got to stop thinking like this or I'll make this whole thing worse.

  I walk over to the door and press my ear against the crack. I hold my breath and listen for any sounds or voices. I can hear what sounds like a large fan and a male voice that must be really far away. I don't hear any traffic or anything that would tell me where I am.

  I turn around and try the handle on the door, but it obviously locks from the outside. I lean back against it and try to slow my heart rate and breathing. If nothing else, I have to keep myself calm. I concentrate on the relaxation techniques I’ve been taught and feel myself quiet down on the inside. When I hear footsteps outside the door I move away as fast I as can and sit down on the bed just as it opens.

  One of the men from the van comes in, leaving the door open. I look around him, but the hallway is the same as the room, concrete block walls and poor lighting.

  "Don't even think about running for it, bitch. There’s no place for you to go and the halls are like a maze in here." He stands in front of me so I can't see around him. Unfortunately, his crotch is right in front of my face and he's getting an erection. There’s no way in hell I'm letting this shitbag touch me. I lean away from him as much as possible.

  "Where are you going? Are you trying to get away from me?" he sneers as he runs his hand down my shoulder.

  "You know what the boss will do if you hurt me, right?" I ask as confidently as possible.

  "What he doesn't know won't hurt him. I just want a little taste of the one he has to have," he says as he bends over and puts his lips on mine. I pull back slightly and head butt him in the nose as hard as I can. My forehead hurts like hell, but his screams are worth the pain.

  "You're going to pay for that you fucking cunt," he screams as he grabs his face, trying to stop the blood.

  "You don't get to touch me, mother fucker. Not now, not ever!" I scream as loud as I can. Right now I want Ron to come in because at least I know he won't be happy about anyone else touching me. He'll get this pathetic excuse for a man away from me. It's only a few seconds before I'm rewarded for my efforts.

  "What in the fuck is going on in here? Becca, are you okay? Damien, what do you think you're fucking doing? I told you to get the fuck out of here and I find this?"

  "That bitch hit me in the face. She needs to pay for that," Damien says. He sounds like a whining child.

  "Actually, you need to pay for it. I told you not to touch her." Ron pushes him up against the wall, giving him no room to move.

  "I didn't touch her!" Damien protests. Ron looks at me and raises an eyebrow, indicating that I should tell him what happened. It’s time for my revenge on at least one of these fuckers.

  "He came in here and grabbed my boob with one hand and put the other in between my legs while trying to kiss me. I didn't want him touching me so I hit his face with my forehead. Am I in trouble?" The innocent act has got to help me.

  Ron shakes his head and looks at the floor. "No, you're not in trouble." In the blink of an eye he has a hand around Damien's neck, lifting him from the floor and squeezing tight. Damien's eyes are as big as saucers and he tries pulling himself free. While he's struggling, Ron punches him in the balls and drops him to the floor. Damien screams out in agony and curls into the fetal position. Ron turns away from him, stops, turns back, and kicks him in the face. Damien stops moving and I'm pretty sure he stopped breathing as well.

  "I'm sorry he touched you. That won't happen again. I'm glad you were able to fight him off. I think you've earned the privilege of having your hands and arms back." He moves toward me and removes the duct tape from my wrists.

  "Thank you," I say quietly, not making eye contact to appear as compliant as possible. Ron puts his finger under my chin and lifts my face to his.

  "You're welcome. Now, let's find you another place to rest since this room is unacceptable to me in its current state." He takes my hand and helps me from the bed. As he leads me out of the room, I take a chance to look over at the asshole on the floor. He's still bleeding from his nose and mouth and he isn't making a sound. I'm afraid that Ron may have actually killed him, but I'm not sorry that it happened.

  We walk down a long hallway and I try to make mental notes of our direction. We turn left then right then right again before stopping in front of a plain metal door. Ron turns the handle and opens it, directing me inside with his hand on the small of my back. I used to love it when he did that, but now it makes me want to run away.

  This room is much like the first one, but the bed looks a little cleaner and it doesn't smell like ass and cat food.

  "I'll be back in a while. Rest and take it easy, Becca. We have a lot of things to do later." He backs out of the room, pulling the door shut as he goes.

  I take my time exploring this new space. Everything is concrete block, same as before. However, the ceiling in here is different. The light fixture looks new and both bulbs are working properly. There’s also an air vent and I can feel a breeze coming from it. It's too small to fit inside, but it may carry sound from other parts of the building. The door is more solid than the last one and no noise can be heard outside. I sit down on the bed and it’s a little more comfortable than the smelly one but not much. I sit back against the wall and try to come up with some sort of a plan to get out of this mess.

  Of course my thoughts go straight to Colin. He has to have noticed that I didn't come home or text him by now. Hopefully he's looking for me. I decide to hang on to the hope that he will find me soon while I shut my eyes and try to get centered before Ron comes back.

  Chapter 23-Colin

  That was the longest night of my fucking life. I've paced the floor in my apartment so much I'm sure I've worn down the carpet. Jude has three laptops set up with different databases on the screens and Kevin has been here and gone, trying to track down anything he can on the security guard at the University.

  "Okay, thanks, that helps a lot," Jude says as he clicks his phone off.

  "What helps a lot? What'cha got?" I'm all but in his face.

  "Back up, little brother. That was my friend with IT. They were able to track her phone for a short time. He said that they believe it was powered off, but there may be some new technology they're testing to find it even if there's no power. He's going to let me know what he finds out."

  "They're going to try? They don't know if it’ll work? WHAT THE FUCK?" I can't help but lash out. I turn around and punch a hole in the drywall. The pain in my hand helps me gain some control, but I still feel like everything is spinning around me.

  "Dude, seriously? You've got to calm the fuck down. At this rate you're going to have a heart attack before noon."

  "Don't, Jude. Just. Don't. You have no fucking clue what I'm thinking right now and you sure as hell don't have the right to tell me to calm down. If you would do your fucking job we would’ve found her by now."

  "Fuck you. I'm doing the best I can. Maybe if you had done your job, and not been thinking with your dick, we wouldn't be in this situation because your case would be closed and we'd be out of here."

  I pull back to hit him, but my arm is stopped by Kevin, who obviously walked in while we were shouting.

  "Boys, do I need to call a referee? We need to figure out what happened. I found Becca's friends, so we can work that angle for now."

  I spin around and look at him like he's got three heads. "Well, where are they and why are we still standing around here?" I push past Kevin and get my keys. "Are you coming or what, dickwad?"

  "Always the charmer, Colin. I'm coming. Are you staying here to man command central, Jude?"

  "Yeah, I'll keep trying to
find her phone. Call me if you find out anything."

  I've already opened the door and headed into the hallway while the two of them are talking. I take a step out and run into someone. I reach out to grab them and when my thumb wraps around my fingers I realize this is a small person.

  "Excuse me, but you're hurting me. Let go!"

  I immediately drop my hand and take a step back. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't see you."

  "Well, I saw you. Colin, right?"

  I finally take a look at the person speaking to me. It's one of Becca's friends, but I can't remember her name.

  "Yes. I know we've met, but I don’t remember your name." She crosses her arms in front of her chest and stands up a little straighter. It doesn't help much since I'm over a foot taller.

  "I'm Stephanie. I'm looking for Becca, have you seen her? I've been calling her phone all morning, but it goes straight to voice mail. She never turns it off or lets it die so I got worried. I don’t see her car outside, either." She looks really worried and as I start to explain Kevin comes out of my apartment.

  "Well, that was easier than I thought," he says looking Stephanie up and down.

  "What’s that supposed to mean and who the fuck are you?"

  I've got to hand it to her; she's a feisty one. I laugh for the first time in several hours and Kevin stands there looking like an idiot.

  Once I finally get myself under control I make the introductions.

  "Stephanie, this is my partner, Kevin. Kevin, this is Stephanie, but you seem to already know that."

  "Partner? I thought you were with Becca?" Stephanie looks pissed now.

  "Yes, partner, as in law enforcement. Aren't you a little spitfire," Kevin replies digging himself a bigger hole with this woman.

  "Really, you're going with spitfire? What are you, eighty?"

  Kevin looks at me with an amused grin. "I like her. What do you say we go back inside and talk about all of this?"