Paul
Page 4
“What do you want from me!!!? I don’t even know you!” she shouted in frustration.
“Now, now, dear, you must lower your voice. We wouldn’t want your neighbors to know that you’re playing hard to get!” He smirked at her.
“You will never have me! Now, let Brent go! If you leave now, I won’t call the police and press charges.” Her false bravado fooled no one. She was shaking from head to toe.
Through his pounding headache, Brent wanted to plead with Annalise to turn and run. The paper towel in his mouth made it hard to breathe, let alone talk. He knew that if Annalise would run, this deranged man would probably kill him, but at least she stood a chance.
“Don’t speak so soon, dear. Sit down, have a cup of tea with me. I really do want to share things about myself with you,” he said as he sat down on the couch. He patted the cushion next to him indicating that’s where he wanted her to sit.
“No. Let us go and get out of my apartment! If you don’t leave now, I will scream and make sure a neighbor calls the police!” She stood pointing at the front door.
In one quick movement, he had his arms around her and his hand covered her mouth. The pepper spray she had clutched fell to the floor. He dragged her to a chair next to Brent and tied her up in a similar fashion. She struggled and tried to free herself as he shoved a paper towel in her mouth as well.
“I thought you would be easier than this, Annalise.” He smiled sarcastically at her. “Do you know what happens to women who tell me ‘no’?”
She just glared back at him.
“Why don’t you talk to dear sweet Amy? Wait, she decided to tell me ‘no’, too. She was a firecracker. Didn’t give up until the end. I miss her. Or Jamie? She made sure that I knew what a piece of worthless scum I really was. Jennifer? She proceeded to tell me that I would never see the light of day again. Alicia? She just screamed for hours while I had her tied up.”
Annalise knew she was in trouble then. A wave of nausea hit her as she remembered the news broadcast. The man who had murdered Amy Alvarez hadn’t been found. They had found her strangled in her own bedroom. How heartless someone could be to kill someone like that. However, there he was right in front of them.
All she wanted was a chance to be on her own. Now a crazy man would take that all away. The hopelessness of the situation brought tears to her eyes. If only she had gone back to her parents’ house when Brent wanted to take her last weekend…
Brent’s head was beginning to clear. He had no idea what was happening. As he listened to the man in front of him confess to four murders, he just knew that he had to get free and get Annalise out of that apartment.
Without drawing attention to himself, he moved his wrists in the bathroom towels the man had used to tie him down. Obviously this guy had no experience with knots. He easily slipped his left wrist out of the bonds and began to loosen the one on his right hand. If he could free his hands, he would be able to help. The man had failed to tie his legs down. He must have thought that Brent’s head wound would keep him subdued.
“Why Brent, Annalise? What does he have that I don’t? He’s all good looks, but I bet he doesn’t have the brains to make them work for him,” he chuckled as he knelt down in front of Annalise. “I want you to talk to me. I’m going to take this gag out of your mouth, but you must promise not to scream. Can you do that Annalise?”
Annalise nodded her head. It had become difficult to breathe with the paper towel in her mouth. She would play by his rules for the moment. However, she would fight for her life when the time came.
The man removed the paper towel and tossed it to the side. Annalise refrained from screaming and glared up at him. How could he do something like this? She had done nothing to deserve it!
“So, let’s make a deal, Annalise. I’ll let lover-boy go if you promise to be with me. Can you do that?” He looked hopeful. How deluded and crazy that man was.
“I can’t. I belong to no one. I am here to make a life for myself. You will not take that from me!” she spat at him.
Before she realized what was happening, his hand hit the side of her face with such force that she had to fight off dizziness. As soon as she had shaken off the first blow, a matching one came from the other side.
“Oh, Annalise, I can take much more from you than you can ever imagine!” He laughed and turned from her.
He lifted her and the chair that she was tied to and headed toward the bedroom. The fear in the pit of her stomach grew as she realized what he planned on doing to her. Then he would kill her and Brent.
Brent took that moment to pull free and lunge at the man. With his head wound, he didn’t know how much strength he would have, but he had to try. For Annalise. For himself.
The assailant dropped Annalise as Brent jumped on his back. Losing balance, they both fell and began fighting. The men struggled on the floor for what seemed like hours. Brent let punches rain down on the man’s face. The anger that had welled up in him burst out. The man slapped at Brent’s injured head. Annalise screamed her head off. It felt like she was stuck in a nightmare.
All at once Brent’s fist hit the man with such force that he fell unconscious. Weak from his injuries and the struggle, Brent did his best to draw the limp man towards the chair in which he had been tied. He struggled to sit him up and tie him to the chair. Taking the restraints off of Annalise, he used those to tie him up as well. To offer a finishing touch, he shoved paper towels in the man’s mouth.
Annalise was still screaming and sobbing as Brent put his arms around her and pulled her up off of the floor. A loud knock came from her door. Pulling her away from the sight, he went to the door and instructed the neighbor to call the police. He then pulled Annalise out into the hall where she fell into sobs on the carpeting.
He held his hand to his bleeding head. It could have been worse. Much worse. He slid down beside Annalise and watched as the police rushed in and, a while later, took the man out in handcuffs.
The paramedics came and made both Annalise and Brent go to the hospital. Annalise refused, but she knew that Brent’s head would need some stitches, and he probably had a killer headache, even a concussion. She offered to ride to the hospital with him just so she could keep him in her sight forever. He had saved her life and she would do anything for him.
One Month Later
After the ordeal in her apartment, Annalise decided to move back to the town her parents lived in. She rented a small house and found a job with a local doctor. She would never, ever live in a city again. The quiet country life did have its charms.
The man who had stalked and then held her captive was the same man tied to the murders of Amy Alvarez and three other women. All the women had the same thing happen to them. They just didn’t have a friend there at the right time to help.
The stalker’s name was Jackson Balsam.
They were still waiting for the trial in the case to begin. She wanted him to suffer for the fear that he had caused her to live in for over a month. They lawyer for the prosecution had been encouraging. He had murdered four women. He would never see the outside world again. With that knowledge, Annalise was ready to move on with her life.
Ever since the events that led to her return home, she and Brent had become even closer. Maybe there was something more than friendship between them. He practically lived at her house anyway. He had even bought her a puppy to keep her company. It was like having a family.
Jackson Balsam sat glaring out the bars of his cell. He had no idea how this one got away. None of the others had. She was so close to becoming a part of his collection. He turned to the small desk in the corner and wrote her a letter. Even though he would never be a free man, he would make her remember him.
Dear Annalise,
I think about you everyday. I hope you find it in your heart to write me back or even pay a visit to me one day… I really do love you.
I know that you want to forget about me and everything that we’ve been through together. No fear,
my love, we will be together one day!
Love,
Paul
I hope you enjoyed reading this book. Feel free to leave a review on Amazon.com or Goodreads.com
OTHER BOOKS
BY
JASON A. JOSEPH
Fiction
Homewrecker (Drama)
(Coming soon)
Non-Fiction
Goosebumps & The Energy Body Vol.1 (A beginner’s introduction to the subtle human energy body.) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FN7LBIK
Goosebumps & The Energy Body Vol.2 (Advanced teachings of the energy body)
Fitness Health & Diet Scams Exposed ( by Daniel G. Waltman & Jason A. Joseph. A book exposing Fitness health and diet scams you should be aware of) https://payhip.com/b/IKxv
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