Second Chances

by Nicole Andrews Moore

  Brian sat up abruptly. He was queasy, lightheaded. “She’s not feeling well,” he said suddenly.

  “Are you sure?” Anna asked.

  “Positive. She’s lightheaded and nauseous.” He was silent for a moment. “Drugs?”

  Anna sighed. “Possibly. Could be something else though.”

  He growled. “Why can I feel her sometimes, but not when I’m trying to reach her? I don’t understand.”

  She shrugged. “Who can explain it?” She knew he would question her further and she couldn’t handle that right now. Her mind was working overtime on what she had already learned. “Chloe needs my attention just now, Brian. We’ll talk later?”

  Evan was out of his mind with worry. He was second-guessing everything now. He had planned and plotted, but he had forgotten the human element. Nothing was going as it should. Sarah had not only refused breakfast, but lunch as well. She hadn’t trusted the chicken salad or the fruit salad or the milk. Worse, she seemed to be getting weaker by the moment. She had thrown up again mid-morning after her nap. The only bright spot in Evan’s day had been watching her undress and shower then playing it back repeatedly. She was even more gorgeous than he imagined, with the flattest stomach, tiniest waist, and tightest ass he had ever envisioned. She was worth all the trouble. He just had to get her to eat.

  Having given up on getting an edible meal, Sarah had turned in early. Yet at three in the morning, she woke to a frightening sound. Her door was opening. She lay as still as possible, but her mind reeled with how she could possibly protect herself. Suddenly, a hand was placed over her mouth and with eyes wide open she rolled toward the person in her room. James held a finger over his lips. Nodding that she understood, he released her mouth. Silently, he held out his hand. He opened the bedside table drawer and filled it with apples, granola bars, crackers, tea bags, and pretzels. He slid a note under her pillow and a penlight then he crept out as quickly as he had entered.

  Pulling out a pretzel rod, Sarah rolled away from the cameras she knew were behind her. She pretended to be fluffing her pillow, but instead she was positioning the penlight over the note. James was trying to help her. He knew she wouldn’t eat as long as there was chance she could be drugged again. He warned her to stay away from the milk always, devised a code so that she knew what was safe to eat, and promised to keep her drawer full of snacks. He warned her of safe disposal of wrappers, and faking drugged sleep for a while, until her captor was lulled into a false sense of security. At the same time, he admitted this was all he could do. He was powerless to free her or let Brian know where she was. But as far as Sarah was concerned, for now, this was enough. With her strength renewed, she could contact Brian. Maybe she could lose the constraints of her body and go to him, even though she lacked proper training. For the first time in what seemed like forever, Sarah felt a glimmer of hope.

  Classes were starting. Brian had expected that he would be able to reclaim his love far more quickly than this. He expected she would be safely returned to him in less than a week. Obviously that was not to be the case. He had tried to find her every night to no avail. And he was losing hope, not to mention sleep. He now was faced with returning to work, enduring more constant reminders of her absence. He would be missing their courtyard lunches, communicating across the way throughout the day. Already the empty bed each night was almost more than he could bear.

  For the past week, Brian had replaced the time he normally spent with Sarah in searching for her. His new routine included daily calls to the detectives working the case, dinner each night with Anna and Chloe so that he could later tuck in the little girl he couldn’t have loved more if they shared a blood bond, and then searching for Sarah late into each night. At least he had a new errand to break up the monotony. Chloe was missing some of her favorite books, toys, and clothes. Brian had volunteered to pick up those items she requested on his way over for dinner.

  He knew something was wrong the moment he pulled up the drive. Tessa peeked her head out of the screen door. At least he thought it was Tessa. He had never been formally introduced, but she seemed to resemble the young woman Sarah had caught kissing Josh in the kitchen at the restaurant. He paused a moment after setting the emergency brake, wondering what he would say. Finally, he realized he had no reason to feel uncomfortable; he wasn’t the one doing anything wrong.

  The gravel crunched under his feet as he made his way to the porch. Brian formed a fist, decided he didn’t need to knock since it was Sarah’s home, and swung the door open. Tessa was pacing in the kitchen, but stopped the moment she saw him in the foyer. Suddenly she busied herself with wiping down the counter as though everything was normal. “I’m Brian,” he announced without holding out his hand. He wanted no contact with this woman.

  She offered a weak smile, and said nervously, “Tessa.”

  He nodded, but frowned. “So, what are you doing here?”

  Tessa squirmed visibly. Upstairs a baby began to cry. “Um, I have to get her,” she said, obviously hoping to avoid answering the question.

  Stepping in front of her to block her departure, he asked the question again, more forcefully. “What are you doing here?”

  Her face fell. “Josh said I could move in since Sarah was gone.” Her lower lip began to quiver.

  But Brian was merciless. His anger over Sarah’s loss had been building with no outlet. And there was Tessa, standing before him, the woman who had an affair with Sarah’s husband and caused her immeasurable hurt. Instead of being concerned about Chloe’s well-being or Sarah’s whereabouts, Josh had moved in his lover and her child against Sarah’s wishes, against their agreement. “You know you’re not supposed to be here, let alone live here,” he snapped.

  The baby’s wails grew more insistent. Tessa lowered her gaze and moved past him. He followed her up the stairs, since Chloe’s belongings were there anyway. It didn’t take long to realize that they were headed to the same destination. Tessa entered the room first, rushing to the crib that stood where Chloe’s bed once was. On the adjacent wall, in place of her picnic table was a changing table. Where her bookcase had stood, now a strange dresser took its place. In fact, not one of Chloe’s personal effects remained in her room.

  The anger that had been simmering in Brian since he pulled in the driveway now exploded. He was beyond the ability to control his rage. It showed as the light fixture shattered and glass rained down in the center of the room. Tessa shrieked and covered her baby’s head as she tried to rush out the door. “Where are Chloe’s belongings?” Brian demanded through tightly clenched teeth.

  Tears streamed down her face as she pointed to the closed door down the hall that had been the spare room. She cowered against the wall while he stormed over and turned the handle. The room was filled with unlabeled boxes. Chloe’s bed stood on end against one wall. Her comforter was wadded up and shoved in a corner. It was obvious that everything had been relegated to the spare room with very little consideration. Brian shook in anger as he surveyed and assessed potential damage. At last he spoke. “You need to leave,” he commanded.

  Tessa blinked. “For how long?”

  “Well, preferably forever,” he growled, “but since that isn’t likely, at least for several hours.”

  She nodded and made her way to the stairs. Just as she began her cautious descent, Brian spoke once more. “And you had better pray very hard that I find all of Chloe’s possessions undamaged,” he growled before adding in a low and menacing voice, “I promise you that you do not want to deal with me again.”

  With eyes that resembled a deer in headlights, she grabbed some keys from the table in the foyer and rushed from the house. Suddenly, his attention was drawn to a padded envelope with the airline’s symbol and return address lying next to the bowl where Tessa’s keys had been. Swallowing his fear, he slowly moved down the stairs and picked up the envelope. After a moment’s pause, he opened the envelope and dumped the contents into his palm. The rose quartz landed in the center while the si
lk cording poured through his fingers. He examined it, his heart in his throat. Sarah had promised to never remove it. Instantly he realized that she hadn’t, the clasp was broken. Brian sank against the wall, his hope fading. Through it all, he had been able to content himself in the belief that she still wore his protection, that somehow she would remain safe. He clenched the amulet tightly in his fist. Sarah, his heart moaned, where are you? Help me find you! Everything is falling apart without you.

  To his amazement, Brian turned to someone he never expected to. Once he pulled himself together, he called Jamie, who rushed to his side. She, like the rest of Burlington, had heard mere rumblings that something was amiss. The police, determined to keep the investigation low-key, had kept the media uninformed. Yet now that classes had begun, Sarah’s absence was glaringly obvious, though still officially unexplained.

  “I put her on a plane to speak at a conference in Boston and she never came back. She never called when she arrived. She…” His voice trailed off.

  Jamie had listened intently while they sat on the porch steps. “How can I help?” She asked once he grew silent.

  “I don’t even know what to do anymore. I always used to know what to do.” He looked away because he didn’t want Jamie to see how emotional he was becoming. “I need to get some of Chloe’s things. And I need to decide what to do about this.” He gestured to the house. “Sarah has been gone what? Ten days? Already he’s moved Tessa in?”

  Jamie smiled at him. “You really love her, don’t you?” He nodded earnestly. “And now you are about out of your mind with worry.” He nodded again. “First,” she said with confidence, “we’re moving Chloe out. Do you have room for her things at your loft?”

  Brian didn‘t even require a moment‘s thought. “For Chloe, I’ll make room,” he said with certainty.

  Rubbing her hands together suggested she was just warming up. Sure enough, a moment later she revealed the rest of her plan. “And I really hate Josh,” she said with a calculating grin. “I will arrange for some movers. I’ve known Sarah almost her entire life. I know what’s hers. I know what she would want. And I’m going to oversee the packing of all her possessions. Next thing you know, that jackass will be selling off her stuff. Should we rent a storage unit, or are you ready to combine households?”

  For the first time in ten days, Brian wore a genuine smile.

  Two long weeks had passed since Sarah’s incarceration had begun. While thoughts of Brian and Chloe consumed every waking moment and most of her dreams, she was feeling much better than she had at first. For one thing, she hadn’t been drugged since her first day, although she had been taking naps twice a day and going to bed far earlier than she was used to. At first she was surprised she could even sleep, but chalked it up to boredom. Now, she realized she was genuinely tired. And the understanding of why she was exhausted and nauseous created a newer concern. It had been six weeks since she and Brian had consummated their relationship on the beach. And while it had been the only time they hadn’t used protection, Sarah was intelligent enough to understand it only took once. That was, after all, why she had Chloe. A smile played on the edge of her lips then quickly faded. Her captor could never find out she was pregnant. It should be a while before she showed, and she had to make sure she was free by then. Maybe this was the nudge James needed to be convinced to contact Brian or the police.

  And although Josh hadn’t paid much attention to her pregnancy, she knew instinctively that Brian would not want to miss a moment of time with his growing child. While it made no sense to her, somehow this baby not only sapped her energy, but gave her strength as well. She could actually feel her powers growing. Soon enough she would be able to reach out to Brian, with or without James’ assistance. Sarah only hoped it would be in time. She could already feel her captor becoming impatient. She couldn’t understand why he, the master, had yet to make contact with her. That wouldn’t last forever.

  It was nearly lunchtime. She hauled her sore body out of the bed, stretched lazily, and walked over to the window. She studied her surroundings as she did every day, hoping to notice something she had missed, some clue as to her location. Sarah heard the doorknob turn, but expected to find James standing behind her. To her shock and dismay, she found Evan Winters smiling calmly at her. “Huh,” she said before everything went black.

  Evan didn’t have time to catch her. It wasn’t like in the movies. Sarah gave no hint that she was on the verge of collapse. He didn’t see her eyes roll back in her head. She didn’t sway while her knees gave way. One moment she was standing, the next she was on her back. He called for James to bring smelling salts, then gently scooped her up and laid her on the bed. When James arrived, he caught Evan with his hand up Sarah’s shirt. The old man was having a difficult time hiding his displeasure. “I was simply trying to feel her heart beat,” he lied. But James wasn’t fooled.

  Forced awake, Sarah tried to cover her sudden fear as she realized that Evan was indeed her captor. She scowled. Brian’s suspicions were valid. “So, I guess I was wrong to trust you?” She asked him.

  Taken aback at Sarah’s reaction, he stuttered. “No, I… no, uh. No.” His eyes were wide. He couldn’t believe she wasn’t happy to see him. Shouldn’t she be glad to see a familiar face?

  Reading his thoughts, she responded. “So, you thought I’d be happy to see you?” Sarah watched as his eyes bulged out of their sockets. “Did you think I would just look beyond the fact that you have kept me from everyone I love for two weeks? That I would forgive the worry you had caused me, my family?” He sat down hard on the end of the bed. James had an unmistakable twinkle in his eyes that only fueled Sarah. “Did you think I would just want to stay here with you? Leave behind everything and everyone I care about?”

  Something in Evan snapped. “You mean your beloved Brian,” he spat as he stood abruptly. “Maybe an empty stomach will change your mind.” He grabbed her lunch tray and swept past James. “Let’s go,” he commanded over his shoulder.

  James moved to follow, but Sarah knew this might be her only chance to speak to him. “James,” she pleaded in a low voice once Evan was a safe distance down the hall, “I’m pregnant.” His face fell. “Think about that.” With that, she passed him Brian’s phone number, which she had scribbled in lipstick on an empty granola bar wrapper a few days before. He nodded and quickly exited the room.

  Ravenously hungry, Sarah struggled with the knowledge that she had plenty of food to eat, but couldn’t without the safe cover of night to hide her actions. Fighting back tears, she curled up on the bed and laid a hand on her lower abdomen. Sorry, little one. Mommy will try to take better care of you, she thought. And even though she knew it was far too early, she could have sworn she felt a slight flutter in response.

  James agonized over what to do. Poor Miss Sarah. She needed to go home. She needed to be cared for by a doctor and surrounded by those she loved at a time like this. Instead, she was being terrorized by a young man he didn’t even recognize anymore. As he drew closer to the closet, he could hear the tantrum raging inside. Sighing, he turned and headed to gather the necessary cleaning supplies.

  Maybe it was because she was so light headed from lack of sustenance that she was able to do what she had wanted to for so long. It was early evening. She imagined her mother tucking Chloe in to the room that had once been Sarah’s, reading her fairy tales where the witches were always pure evil, and finally collapsing from exhaustion on the couch. Something in her longed to see Brian, to be back in the loft that had so easily transitioned into their home. And suddenly she was there. She knew that she must only be an ethereal light, but she hoped Brian would see her, somehow communicate with her and ultimately find her before Evan hurt her or the baby.

  Sarah floated through each and every room of the loft, even pausing on the patio, but Brian was nowhere to be found. She panicked. Where could he possibly be? She thought there was a possibility that he might be with her mother, with Chloe, but before she could e
ven attempt to travel there, she was suddenly snapped back into her body with such force that her breath caught.

  James was shaking her and screaming for help. Struggling to reassure him, she reached a hand up to grasp his upper arm. “It’s okay,” she managed to whisper. “I’m fine.”

  The man had gone ghostly pale. “Miss Sarah,” he cried. “I came to bring you food. I was worried about you missing meals.” He glanced down at her abdomen and she nodded to express her comprehension. “And you weren’t breathing. I can’t even be certain your heart was beating.” He stifled a sob. “I thought you were…dead.”

  Slowly, Sarah rose to a seated position to console the old man. “I’m all right,” she murmured. “I’m sorry for frightening you.” She wanted to say more, to offer more words of comfort, but he could never know what she had done. Reading his thoughts, she relaxed some. James was more certain than ever that he must find a way to contact Brian, no matter how long it took.

  After weeks of pestering, the police were finally ready to reveal the results of their extensive investigation. According to them, they had worked closely with the Boston force in an effort to unearth the clues surrounding Sarah’s disappearance. And after they had finally disclosed the meager information they had compiled, Brian looked ready to throttle them.