Fragile Simplicity

by Tara Neideffer

  Her footsteps echoed loudly in the quiet stairwell, and as she pushed the main door open, she pulled out her keys and popped her trunk. As she slung her bag into the back, she felt hands grip her waist, and hot breath brush against her neck.

  “Nice try thinking a piece of paper would keep me away from you, Kyleigh.” Brad’s low, raspy voice ignited the adrenaline inside her, causing panic and fear to soar.

  With her body frozen in place, she said, “Brad, what are you doing here?”

  Pushing closer against her, his hands gripped her waist tighter as he said, “I’m here to tell you how stupid a move that was, going to the police like that. I saw you, Kyleigh. Are you trying to get me in trouble? And I know whose house you’re staying at. I know all about David Madison.”

  “What do you want, Brad? I’ll drop the restraining order, if that’s what you want,” Kyleigh said through clenched teeth.

  “I’m not sure that’s good enough. What do I get after that? Watch you and David together from the sidelines? I don’t think so. I deserve more than that, and I’m a man who always gets what he wants. Now, follow me,” he said as he yanked her away from her car. “Shut the trunk and get in my car,” he told her.

  “Brad, what do you think you’re doing?” Shock was evident in her shrill voice, but she didn’t bother hiding her panic anymore. She needed him to rationalize his decisions.

  “I’m getting what I want, like always.”

  The smile that slid into place seemed to come from the darkest part of his soul, and Kyleigh found herself involuntarily pulling backwards. “Brad, I’m not going with you. Now, leave me alone and get out of here.” She hated the sound of pleading in her voice, but there was no stopping it. The dread building inside her was almost overwhelming. She knew her life was no longer guaranteed if she left with him, but she didn’t know how to get away from him. Her eyes shot to the building and then to the parking lot, hoping to see someone again. But, unlike the other night, the place was momentarily empty.

  She took that split second to make a mad dash towards the safety of her apartment. She was only five steps in and only four steps away from the main door when she felt one arm wrap around her waist and one clamp down on her mouth. She bucked beneath his grasp and her legs kicked wildly towards him, but he dodged every movement.

  As he pulled her to him, the bristles on his cheek rubbed harshly against her face. “Yes, you are. You’ll come willingly or I’ll force you to come and you know that won’t be pretty. I can do either way, but it’s your call.”

  The stale smell of cigarettes blew across her face and she grimaced. The hand that had been covering her mouth tightly gripped her wrist. “Brad, I’ll never go willingly with you, now get your fucking hands off me before I scream for help,” she spat. She knew yelling was useless. It was late and no one was out here right now.

  Shrugging, he said, “Okay, your choice,” and as he raised his arm, Kyleigh’s world went black.

  The throbbing in her head pounded with each bump the car hit, bringing her out of the blackness that had engulfed her earlier. Fear cascaded through her as she looked up through the window and saw the sky sailing past as she drifted farther from her home. Her eyes flew up, seeing a dark figure hunched behind the wheel. The tape covering her mouth kept her from screaming out his name in a fit of rage and the rope that bound her wrists kept her from reaching up and strangling him. She pulled harder, not liking the panic that was threatening to pull her under.

  As she began to writhe, hoping to launch herself up onto the seat, she saw Brad look over his shoulder at her, a crooked smile smeared on his face. “Well, look who’s awake. You feelin’ okay?” he asked before taking his attention back to the road.

  Through strands of dark hair, she stared at his face in the rear view mirror, wondering what had possessed him to resort to this. His eyes snapped up, holding onto hers for several seconds before going back to the road, and the emptiness that he left made her feel like throwing up. This was the end. She didn’t know how she was going to get out of this situation.

  “We’re almost there,” his deep voice echoed in the silent car.

  Her gaze went to the window, wishing she could pull herself up so she could see where they were headed. She looked down at her legs, narrowing her eyes at the rope that held her ankles together. Her head was slung forward as the car came to a stop, and she grunted through the tape. As the car lurched forward again, the many bumps and the sound of gravel crunching beneath the tires told her they were out of the city limits. Her heart dropped with fear. Being away from civilization wasn’t good.

  She wasn’t sure how long they had been driving but it seemed like another five minutes before the car stopped and Brad turned and faced her. “We’re here,” he said, and his eyebrows rose in an eagerness that made her recoil from him.

  “What’s the matter, Kyleigh? You’ve been around me for a couple of years; you should know me by now. Or were you just too naïve to see below the surface?” After staring at her for a few moments, he nodded, as if answering his own question, and then opened the door and got out.

  Kyleigh winced as her door opened, dread at what was to come seeping into her core. As Brad reached towards her, she scooted back, farther onto the floorboard, knowing it was useless, but going willingly seemed like a death sentence. As he leaned in, she drew her legs back and kicked them at him with all the force she could manage. Watching his chin snap to the side and blood begin to trickle down from his busted lip made her smile behind the tape plastered across her mouth.

  “Dammit, Kyleigh, you’re just going to make things worse,” Brad huffed as he wiped at the blood running down his chin. He looked at it for a moment and then reached down and slid a black bandanna across her eyes.

  Darkness saturated her vision and terror seized her body. She felt the rope around her ankles snap off and a sliver of relief slid through her. One less restraint binding her was better than nothing.

  His strong hands gripped each arm as he hoisted her out of the car and onto the gravel drive, making her body sway slightly. Humid wind whipped past her, and she stood there for a second gathering her balance before she felt him nudge her forward. The thought of running crossed her mind, but running blindly in unknown territory wouldn’t be smart. She needed to wait to make her move when the time was right and this wasn’t it.

  She walked obediently, wishing she didn’t have tape covering her mouth so she could talk him out of whatever he had planned for her. Beg for her life if that’s what it took. A loud creaking broke through the silence and she heard him slip a key into a lock. Her mind reeled with past conversations she’d had with him, wondering if he’d ever said anything about owning property somewhere out of the city limits. But her mind came up empty.

  “Home sweet home,” he said with a laugh.

  He pushed her forward and shut the door, sliding the deadbolt into place. His hand wrapped around her forearm as he yanked her forward, and she briefly stumbled before he steadied her. “Careful now,” he whispered in her ear. She pulled away; his only response was a dry laugh as he pushed her into a room.

  Standing quietly, her breaths came out in rapid succession as she waited for him to say something, and panic escalated as the silent seconds ticked on. She pictured him standing there in his black hooded sweatshirt, dark jeans, and black hat sitting low on his head, making his face just a shadow. The warning bells had ticked off during the couple of years she was with him, but she never thought it would come to something like this.

  “I’ll be back in a minute. I’ll take your blindfold off but I’m not taking the rope off your wrists. And if you kick me again, I’ll tie you up like they do those hogs.”

  As the blindfold slid off, she was met face to face with him. She stared at him, her eyes doing the pleading that her voice couldn’t, but she didn’t see any compassion lying inside. What she saw in his eyes was a coldness that she had never seen in anyone before. Her body began to shake with panic.

>   She began to moan as the words she wanted to say were trapped by the duct tape covering her mouth. In one quick motion, he reached up and yanked the tape off her mouth. Her lips burned, but it felt ten times better to be free of the tape. If she could get her hands free next, she’d be able to escape at her first chance. “Brad, please, just let me go and I promise I won’t file any charges,” she begged.

  “You’re a liar, Kyleigh.” He turned on his heel, his boot squeaking on the old hardwood floor, and shut and locked the door behind him. Locking her alone inside the bedroom. She stared at the door for a minute, trying to wrap her mind around where she was and what was going on. It all seemed surreal. She swallowed and looked around the room, hoping to see some way of escaping. The room was mostly vacant except for a twin sized bed. Her eyes scanned the small window above the bed and she knew she’d have to figure a way to get her hands free and get out of it.

  She sat on the bed, trying her best to wriggle her hands out of the rope. As she tried to pull her hands free, her wrists began to burn from the friction. She closed her eyes as she tried to keep herself together. Tears wanted to roll free but she did her best to contain them. Now, wasn’t the time to surrender and cry. Now, was the time to be strong and find a way out. She didn’t want to think about what was going to happen if she didn’t.

  Chapter 25

  Gone

  David reached for his phone for the third time in three minutes, hoping he’d somehow missed Kyleigh’s phone call, even though his phone was sitting on his knee. The screen didn’t show any missed calls or texts. The time was now heading on ten o’ clock and he hit Kyleigh’s name again, hoping she’d finally pick up her phone. He’d just talked to her close to an hour ago and she was almost done packing, so he wasn’t sure what was taking her so long. Worry flooded through him as it went to voicemail again but he pushed that aside and told himself there was no need for it. She was just running behind, that was all.

  Staring at his phone, he’d made his mind up. If she hadn’t called him back within the next ten minutes, he was heading over to her place to see if she was still there, possibly asleep on the couch.

  Minutes seemed to tick slowly by and his knee began to bounce, impatience and concern taking hold of him. It wasn’t like Kyleigh not to pick up or call him back. His mind raced with thoughts of all the drama with Brad, and David’s anger began to rise. He clenched his fists together, fighting the urge to slam them into the wall. He knew he’d murder Brad if he laid a hand on Kyleigh again.

  He jumped to his feet, not able to sit back any longer and just wait. He snagged his keys from the counter and raced out the door, kicking up gravel as he went. Slamming on the gas, he sped down the back roads towards town, praying he’d find Kyleigh taking her sweet time packing her stuff.

  Peering through the front windshield, he slowed down every time he passed a car, trying to see if it was her. As the city lights came into view, a million thoughts stormed through his mind. He didn’t know what he’d do if something had happened to her.

  The entrance to her apartment complex finally came into view and he quickly turned in, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw her car parked out front. Evidently she was busy getting ready and didn’t hear her phone go off.

  He parked and got out, cupping his hands against her car window and peering inside. He didn’t see anything out of place so he headed up the stairs and towards her apartment. Knocking lightly, he jiggled his keys impatiently as he waited for her to answer. After a few minutes and still no answer, he slid his key in and opened the door. As he stood there in the dark living room, he found it odd that all the lights would be out if she was here, still packing and getting ready. He didn’t know where she’d be with her car still here.

  He shut the door and yelled, “Ky?” The dark apartment and complete silence made his worry build. Reaching around and turning on the lights, he yelled her name again. His deep voice echoed in the quiet room, making him wince, and he quickly scanned the room, looking for signs of anything being out of place. Not seeing anything unusual, he took off down the hall, his feet picking up pace as each room came up empty.

  As he came up to her room he paused, fear now taking over the worry from earlier. The stillness of the apartment and closed bedroom door didn’t provide him with the relief he’d come searching for. Everything felt wrong. Bracing himself against the wall, his shaky hand reached forward and pushed her bedroom door open. As his eyes took in the room, everything seemed to be in its place. He lurched forward toward her closet, wanting to see if she had packed anything yet.

  Slinging the closet door open, he peered inside, seeing a scarce wardrobe. He knew Kyleigh wasn’t a shopper, her closet was never overflowing with tons of outfits, but she had enough for a couple of weeks. Half the closet bore empty hangers, telling him she’d packed her clothes up at some point. He turned towards the bed and dropped to his stomach, looking for her suitcase under the bed. It was empty.

  He lifted himself upright and contemplated his next move. He pulled out his phone and dialed her number again. After several rings he hung up before it went to voicemail, and then headed towards the living room. Standing in the living room, he was at a loss as to what was going on. Nothing seemed right and his gut told him Brad had to be involved. David ran a hand through his hair, praying to God that Brad hadn’t snapped because of the restraining order. He wouldn’t know what to do if anything happened to Kyleigh all because he told her to go to the police station.

  Falling back onto the couch, he pulled out his phone again and dialed Paige.

  “Hello,” she said.

  “Paige, it’s David. Hey, is Kyleigh with you by chance?” he asked, knowing he sounded too hopeful.

  “No, I haven’t seen her since work today. Why, what’s up? Is everything okay?”

  The concern was evident in her tone and he gripped the phone tighter. He let out a sigh and said, “I don’t know. I talked to her around nine or so and she was packing her stuff and getting ready to head to my house. I haven’t heard from her so I came to her place. Her car is here but she’s gone. It looks like some of her clothes are missing.”

  “Oh, my God, David. It’s Brad, isn’t it? He’s finally lost his cool.”

  David stood and started pacing, and after a moment of gathering his thoughts, he said, “That’s what I think. Dammit!” he yelled and slammed his fist into the wall.

  “David, we’ll be right over. Call the cops and report it.” Her words came rushing out and there was a loud rustling noise on the other end.

  “Okay. But you don’t have to drive all the way over here, Paige. There’s nothing here. She’s gone,” David said, pulling back the blind and looking out into the night.

  “I don’t care. I’m coming over anyway. Maybe I’ll find something that you missed. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” she said before hanging up.

  After a heated argument with the police department about it not having been long enough to file a report on an adult, David began looking around the apartment, hoping to spot something that would give him an idea of what happened. He didn’t know what, and in all honesty, he really didn’t want to find anything. He knew he’d lose his mind if he found a blood stain or a torn piece of her clothing. As he aimlessly looked around, he heard Paige calling his name.

  “Yeah, I’m in here,” he said as he came around the corner. Taking a quick glance at her, he noticed she had been crying. Tyler strode in behind her and David gave him a slight nod. “Hey, man. Thanks for stopping by.”

  Sniffling, Paige said, “David, did you search her car? I vaguely did. Her suitcases are in the trunk. For whatever reason she had packed them, and then just... vanished. It’s that asshole, Brad.”

  “No, I didn’t look in there. Dammit, I should have though,” he said, irritated at himself for not even thinking about it.

  As Paige walked around the apartment, picking things up and looking in drawers, she said, “Did you call the police and file a report?”r />
  Letting out a huff, he said, “Yeah, and after a heated discussion, they informed me I can’t report her missing for twenty four to forty eight hours. It’s bullshit. She filed that restraining order today, you’d think they would take that seriously.”

  “Oh, my God, that’s right. Do you think he knows about that?” she asked.

  “I hope not,” David said. “Kyleigh told me it would take twenty four hours or so for that to take effect, so I don’t know how he would know yet.”

  “I just know he’s done something to her,” Paige said, looking up at Tyler. “We have to find her.”

  “We will,” Tyler said, pulling her into his arms.

  “Paige, don’t get so upset right now. We can’t expect the worst just yet. I don’t want to expect the worst yet. Let’s just try and figure out where she might be so we can go get her.” David paused for a moment and then said, “Do you know where Brad lives?”

  “Yes, actually I do. I stopped by there once with Kyleigh. It’s not too far. Come on, you can ride with us,” she said as she grabbed Tyler’s hand and headed out the door. “God, I hope she’s there,” she said over her shoulder.

  “Yeah, me too. And if she is, I’ll have no problem beating the shit out of Brad,” David said as he pulled the door shut behind him.

  ***

  Pulling up to a dark, empty house, David had a feeling stopping by here was useless. Brad wasn’t stupid. If he had Kyleigh, he wouldn’t bring her to his place.

  “I’ll be right back,” David said as he opened the door and then walked towards the house. After knocking several hard several times, he stood back and waited. His eyes scanned the house and he quickly knocked again. After several minutes and no signs of movement inside, he turned back towards Tyler’s truck, head hung low as the strain of Kyleigh’s disappearance began to take its toll on him.

  “I called Brooke, too, but she hasn’t seen her since work either,” Paige said once he got in.