by LM Terry
Tears claw at the corner of my eyes. I focus my gaze on Brian. He has a bored expression plastered on his face, but I see the simmer of anger, of nervousness simmer below the surface.
“Very nice.” Derrick nods his approval. He dips his fingers lower than necessary before removing them, reaching for his drink.
Oliver slaps my ass, pulling a yelp from me. “You can return to your seat Anna.”
Servers appear, a meal fit for a king arrives and everyone eats. I pick over the plate that Brian filled for me. I am not hungry. A numbness looms over me. My mind does not want to be here right now.
My head is somewhere else, I am uninterested in the small talk that Oliver and Derrick are having. The servers come back and clear the table bringing out dessert for each of us. Brian pushes mine closer silently urging me to eat something. I stare at it, then I catch my name from the other end of the table.
They are both looking at me. I glance at Brian. Did I miss something? His nostrils flare slightly and his muscles tense.
“Anna did you hear me?” Oliver asks.
“No, I’m sorry,” I say.
“We were just wondering if you remembered feeding the FBI the information on an auction I was having in Columbia? Do you remember kitten?”
I don’t answer. My heart-rate picks up, a cold sweat tickles along my skin. I shake my head no. He wants me to speak but I can’t.
“Hmm, I guess without your little book of poetry in front of you, it might be tough for you to recall. Well anyhow, Derrick was supposed to purchase one of my best girls. Do you know where that girl is now Anna?”
I shake my head no again, trying not look at the man next to him.
“The problem is Anna, we don’t know either. Derrick here was looking forward to spending time with her. You ruined that didn’t you? Brian worked very hard to train this one just right for Derrick. Do you remember Brian?”
I jump as Brian’s voice rumbles beside me. “Yes, sir.”
“Derrick has unique…tastes. It took a long time to find a girl who could adequately meet them.” Oliver’s statement glides down the table, filling me with fear. “We need to figure out how to make amends to him for his loss, he waited patiently and now, well she has vanished. Do you have any idea how we could make it up to him Anna?”
I shake my head again, pressing my palms into the arms of my chair wanting to push myself up and run.
Oliver leans back and looks up at the ceiling as if he is running ideas through his mind. “Derrick, do you have any suggestions?”
“I will take her.” He nods his head down the table at me. “I’ve seen that she can handle a punishment, I would like to see how she performs in other ways.” I visibly see the lust in the man’s eyes, he is slowly trying to sink his claws into me.
“You gave me to Brian,” I say in a rush. Who would have thought I would choose Brian, the man who drowned me in a bathtub.
“I did, didn’t I?” Oliver steeples his hands in front of him, thinking. “Brian you don’t mind do you? I think Anna would be a great fit for Derrick.”
“No, she is mine,” Brian says flatly.
I glance between the two. I notice a guard has suddenly made an appearance, standing a few feet behind Brian.
“Brian, you know me. How about we forget about the whole phone number incident and you give Anna to Derrick? Then you and I will make a call and Addison can be on a plane back to you within the hour.”
I look at Brian, tears spill down my cheeks. He will choose her, I am nothing to him. I will be given to the man staring holes in me at the end of the table. I watch as Brian works his jaw back and forth.
“I appreciate your offer boss, but I am keeping Anna,” he says.
I let out the breath I had been holding and peek back at Oliver. I don’t know what Derrick’s tastes are but thankfully Brian stepped in, I won’t be finding out.
Oliver reclines in his chair looking like a cat that just ate the canary. “I thought you might say that. But, unfortunately Derrick either wants Anna for himself or he wants her dead,” he shrugs his shoulders as if he is no longer in control.
The guard behind Brian steps forward. Brian pulls me to my feet beside him. He turns to look back at Oliver. The guard slowly raises his gun, my eyes lock on his. Shit, I am going to die. If Dylan comes he will find me, dead. What if they burry me in an unmarked grave, Dylan will never find me.
Tears stream down my face. Brian and Oliver are talking but it sounds muffled, blackness encroaches on the edge of my vision. I’m not ready to die. I was just beginning to live. I try to picture Dylan in my mind, I will never know what we could have been.
The gun goes off, I swear I see the bullet leave the weapon. Brian jumps in front of me and knocks us both to the ground. He falls on top of me, gazing at me as he whispers so that only I can hear, “Don’t give up, they are coming.”
Blood trickles out the corner of his mouth and his eyes still on me, lifeless. I scream frantically trying to push him off me, no, no not again. The guard pulls Brian off me and points his gun at me again, aiming for my head.
“Stop,” Oliver orders.
The guard lowers his gun and takes a step back.
“She is all yours,” Oliver says. He gets up and walks out of the dining room, without a backwards glance.
Derrick crouches down beside me. He looks at Brian then back at me. “We stay here tonight, we leave first thing in the morning. Obey me and I can make you happy. Don’t obey…well I guess eventually you will, how long that takes is entirely up to you.”
I close my eyes, willing myself somewhere else, the smell of blood holds me hostage. Derrick tries to pull me to my feet, realizing that I am a lost cause he picks me up and tosses me over his shoulder.
He walks down the hall into the guest room he is staying in. He dumps me without ceremony on the bed. I leap up and run to the door. His fists connects with the side of my face as I dart by and I topple to the floor. He kicks me in the side of my ribs and grabs my hair as I struggle to pull air into my lungs.
I grasp for his hands as he drags me back to the bed by a fistful of hair. He reaches into the nightstand drawer with one hand, his other presses forcefully on my chest, holding me down. The clang of handcuffs ring in my ears as he places them through the iron bars on the bed clicking them too tightly to each of my wrists.
I close my eyes. He squeezes my cheeks painfully. My teeth cut into my cheek. “Open your eyes you little bitch. You will keep your eyes open while I fuck you. Let’s see how tight of a slut you are.”
I scream for Brian. He is not coming. He is dead. Everyone dies because of me. It would have been better if the bullet would have found me. Brian should have chosen Addison, why did he save me, why?
A loud rip drags me from my thoughts. I glance down to see Derrick rip my dress and then drop the scraps to the floor. He runs his hands over me smiling. “This may be a better deal than I thought,” he snarls.
He pushes my legs apart with his knee, bruising my thighs. I close my eyes again, but he smacks me hard. “Keep them open. If I tell you again, you won’t like it.” He unbuttons his dress pants and pushes them down off his hips, settling his weight on me. I fight the urge to vomit, thankful that I didn’t eat anything earlier.
“Anna.” Sarah’s familiar voice calls out to me. I can’t close my eyes to go to her, he won’t let me. “Anna.” I focus on the light in the ceiling. “Listen Anna. I’m here. It won’t be long. Brian said they are coming for you. Hold on Anna, please hold on.” I listen to her voice as I try to block out the grunts and moans falling over me.
∞∞∞
Dylan
This could be a trap. It’s not every day that an abductor calls an FBI agent and gives an exact location of his victim. He said he had his reasons. It is a risk but one we will take. Anna risked her life to save her elderly friends. One of our guys went to Texas to check on them, they are both shook up but otherwise okay.
I watch in the dark, hidden by
the trees. It looks like Oliver is lying low, there are only a handful of guards, the rest of the people appear to be cleaning or wait staff. A limo arrived, a man accompanied by his driver. Maybe twenty people total, we have a team of ten, so this should go smoothly. Luckily no girls are here that eliminates that element.
Waiting for the house to quiet down and lights to go out has been sheer torture. We don’t even know if she is inside. I sense that she is. A few hours ago, we saw two guards drag what appeared to be a body bag outside. I can see it now, they left it beside one of the cement buildings. I’m trying not to focus on that little fact. The way they struggled with it has me optimistic that it was not her.
Liam is in charge. His head is clear, mine not so much. I need to see her, to feel her. I also need to rip out Oliver’s throat. I’m hoping for both outcomes tonight. I watch Liam. He is crouched down a few feet in front of me. He turns to give me the signal. Go time, a part of me has missed the adrenaline-fueled missions, I wish this one didn’t involve the girl I have fallen in love with.
Chapter Thirty-One
∞∞∞
Anna
Every inch of my body hurts but it is nothing compared to the humiliation, the defeat I feel. My mother tried to save me from this. The fear I saw on her face the day I left… well I understand it now. I should have just kept living as Sarah but then I would have never met Dylan.
Dylan. I loved every minute with him, even when he was difficult…I secretly liked his difficult. But now, now everything has changed. I don’t know if I’ll never be able to look into his eyes again. This man…Derrick, is taking me away. We are leaving in the morning. He will end up killing me, I hope sooner than later.
He doesn’t have a soul. He is cut from the same cloth as Oliver. He spent the last several hours, hurting me, humiliating me. He finally unlocked the cuffs, they were so tight I was sure my hands would lose circulation and fall off.
He is showering now. He ordered me not to leave the room.
I want to go see if Brian is dead, his eyes said he was, but I didn’t check his pulse. He risked his life for me.
I’m tired, so tired.
Derrick is cruel. I don’t want to see what he is like when I disobey. He seemed satisfied when he went to shower. I can never keep a man like him happy, his tastes, I am sure are much darker than what I saw tonight.
I left the bed, wanting to get away from it. I’m watching the bathroom door, waiting. I crawled to a corner behind a chair. I’m not really hiding from him, he will see me when he comes out. I need to keep him in front of me. I needed off the bed. I thought I heard a commotion outside but now it is quiet again.
The door to the bedroom clicks open, I wrap myself into a little ball. I watch as a dark figure moves inside the room, then another. They must be guards, they have guns, maybe Oliver sent them to finish the job. I try to stifle a sniffle. One guard hears me and turns finding me. I tuck my head down to my knees if he is going to kill me I don’t want him to be the last thing I see.
Someone touches my head lightly. I look up as the guard in front of me rips off the stocking cap that covers his face. It’s Liam. I should be happy, I should jump for joy. But, I’m trapped in fear. Derrick is still in the bathroom.
I can’t speak, I’m too tired.
The other man pulls up his cap, it’s Anthony. They came for me. It’s too late though. I’m drained.
Liam whispers, “Is there someone in the other room Anna?”
I point to the bathroom door and give him a slight nod. I tuck my face back down in the safety of my legs.
I don’t want them getting hurt, everyone around me gets hurt.
“It’s okay Anna. Anthony will get them. You and I will stay right here, you are safe now.”
Anthony and Liam are here. Is Dylan here? I hear myself groan. I don’t want him to see me like this. I can’t see him. He will know what happened. He won’t want me. I don’t want me. I wish the ground would swallow me whole. Maybe I could go back to being Sarah, to her life, that would be easier.
The bathroom door opens, Derrick curses, there are sounds of a scuffle and then silence. Liam speaks, not to me though. I peek up. He is talking into something. “All clear in the west wing.”
Another voice comes across, “East wing clear.” Then I hear Dylan…he is here. “South is clear…has anyone found her?”
Liam looks at me, I shake my head no. I don’t want to see him, not now, not like this. I try to jump up to go into the bathroom. He stops me. “I have her Dylan, she is okay. Deal with Oliver and the others. I will get her out of here.”
Silence.
Then after many seconds pass Dylan responds, relief infiltrating his voice, “Tell her I love her.”
I settle back onto the floor, no, no, no. He said he loves me, he can’t love me. Not now. Tears stream down my face as I stare at the bed. Memories of what happened slice me to the bone.
Liam’s eyes follow mine, the handcuffs still hooked around the frame, blood smearing the sheets. His gaze then settles on me. I lift my eyes to him. I can’t speak but I scream to him inside my head, I need to get away, Dylan can’t see me.
Liam pulls his gear and shirt off. He gently leans forward and urges me to release my legs, so he can slide his shirt over my arms. I let him. “It will be okay Anna, we got them, they cannot hurt you anymore.”
I pull my knees back up to my chest. Anthony comes in and crouches down beside us. I watch their exchanged glances. “Everything is secure, let’s get her out of here. She needs medical help,” Liam says.
I reach out and grab Liam’s arm shaking my head furiously. I want no one touching me or looking at me. I wish I could go to my dark cell. He sighs. “Anna, it will be okay. Dylan is here. We are all here for you sweetheart.”
I shake uncontrollably, Anthony stands up to get a blanket off the bed. Liam stops him, pointing to another chair on the far side of the room with one draped across it. “That one,” he says.
Anthony nods in understanding coming over with the blanket and covering me.
“Bring a car up to the front, I will carry Anna out,” Liam says.
Anthony hops up and is gone in seconds. “I’m going to pick you up okay?” In slow movements he reaches out and scoops me up.
As we enter the hallway, I hear a man yell, screaming out in pain. It is Oliver. I push at Liam’s chest to get him to release me. “No, Anna, I’m not letting you go in there. You don’t need to see that.”
I press harder, finally he sets me on my feet. I pull the blanket around myself tightly. I need to see. I need to know he will die. If I don’t, I think the man will haunt my dreams forever. I would always look over my shoulder wondering if he was dead.
“Anna,” Liam says urging me to follow him outside. I can’t. My focus is on the screams coming down the hall. I must see. I can’t explain it. I need to see with my own eyes.
I run, Liam follows me and grabs me around the waist just as I turn the corner to see Dylan leaning over Oliver. Oliver is lying on the ground a bloody mess. Derrick is sprawled out a few feet away with a bullet hole in his head. It appears he got off easy. If Dylan knew what he had done, I don’t think he would have been so lucky.
“Dylan,” Liam yells, letting him know I am in the room…watching.
Dylan stands and turns his eyes connect with mine. I can only imagine what I look like. My face hurts, everything aches. He glares down at Oliver. I see his jaw working back and forth, his demeanor as deadly as I have ever seen on any man. His eyes come up to meet mine again. He tilts his head, his focus intent on me. He is waiting for my response. Liam is still holding me tightly around my waist. He whispers in my ear, “You don’t have to watch Anna.”
I swallow hard. I know but I need to. Oliver screams out, “Anna, kitten, please tell them to stop. I never hurt you, you know I never hurt you.” I think to myself how pathetic he sounds but he isn’t lying, he never physically hurt me, he let others do it…now...I will do the same.
&
nbsp; Dylan is still looking at me his brows drawn together, a wolf waiting to tear into his prey. How long has he waited for this…I nod my head once. Dylan turns to Oliver, reaches down and digs his fingers into Oliver’s throat. Tearing, ripping, pulling gurgling sounds from his helpless body. Oliver goes limp and his head drops to the side, lifeless eyes stare out. Dylan stands to his full height and howls, blood dripping from his hand. He has waited so long for this moment, to kill the man who killed his mother, his sister and so many others.
I look away, my legs crumble beneath me. Liam picks me up and carries me out into the night air. I gaze at the stars as he walks to the vehicle. Oliver is gone, the monster that has haunted me all these years is dead. I am free of him. It is too late though. I am now a prisoner inside my body. I am tired, too tired. I want to sleep. Now I understand why Sophia was not eager to run with me.
Liam sets me carefully in the backseat of a black four-wheel drive. “Anna, Anthony will stay with you. You are safe. I am going to go inside for a few minutes, I will be right back.”
∞∞∞
Dylan
I look down at Oliver, his throat is ripped to shreds. The smell of blood, gunpowder, fear and death surrounds me. I looked over my shoulder in time to see Anna crumble and Liam swiftly scoop her up. Maybe I shouldn’t have done that in front of her. But, I saw something in her eyes that told me she wanted to watch, needed to. I hope I made the right decision. Is she going to think I am a monster?
The way I killed Oliver was raw, primal.
“Dylan, we need to talk,” Liam says as he kicks Oliver’s dead body for good measure.
I turn to look at him, slowly coming down from the adrenaline high I had been on. “Where is she?” I head towards the door.
Liam presses his palm into my chest to stop me. “Wait, I want to show you something.”
I study him, whatever it is it’s not good. Concern is written all over his face. I follow him down the hall and into a bedroom. He runs his hand through his hair, sighing. “We found her in here.”