by Willow Rose
He used to be her everything.
“I’m starving, actually,” she said, gazing toward the big pizza box on the table in front of the TV that was still running. Her brother shut it off, then handed her the box.
“Here, knock yourself out.”
She grabbed a slice and started to eat while still standing. Her brother watched her closely, his eyes scrutinizing her, especially her dirty, bloody feet.
“Say, what happened to you?” he asked as she reached for the second piece. She bit into the cheese and filled her mouth, eating the heavenly bites, savoring them. Who would have thought that pizza could taste this good?
“Sis?”
She chewed, avoiding his eyes.
“Sis? Did someone try to hurt you? You look awful.”
Sarah swallowed the bite, then looked at him. “Can I borrow a bed? I’m exhausted.”
He nodded, eyes deep with concern. “Of course. Stay in the spare room as long as you need to. We’ll talk in the morning then.”
She smiled, then kissed his cheek, thinking a good night’s sleep would give her a chance to come up with a good enough lie.
Chapter 48
“You’re telling me you’re going to help him again tomorrow?”
Matt sat on the bed; his eyes were dark and angry as he looked at me. I told him everything that had happened and that I needed him to take care of the kids the next day while I went to Winter Park.
“Are you insane? Have you completely lost it?” he asked.
I was getting undressed and took off my shirt, then threw it in the hamper. “No, Matt. I have not gone insane. I promised to help him find his girlfriend, and now we have a chance at doing so.”
Matt shook his head in disbelief. He scoffed. “But if she’s not in trouble, what’s the point?”
I gave him an angry look. It felt like we had the same argument repeatedly, and it was tiresome.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Why does he need your help at all? I could remotely understand it when you thought something had happened to her, that she had been kidnapped or maybe even killed. That, I could understand. But now? Police officers saw her in a restaurant. It doesn’t sound like a crime has been committed at all.”
“We don’t know that. I’ve been searching for this girl for weeks; I want to help Scott find her and make sure she’s okay. See it with my own eyes. People don’t just disappear for no reason. She could still be in trouble.”
“Okay, how about this?” Matt said and sat on his knees. “Maybe she just doesn’t want to be with Scott anymore. Have you thought about that? What if she just left him?”
“She would have left a note or something, or at least called. You don’t just leave without a word.”
“What if he was abusive and she left to get away from him, and now you’ve led him directly to her? How’s that for a theory, huh? I mean, after what you told me about that girl on the bridge, I am sorry, I don’t buy that excuse even for a second.”
I exhaled. Part of me worried that Matt was right, but I didn’t want to let him know that. I trusted Scott and believed him.
“Her boyfriend was murdered,” I said, trying to cut him off. “She feared for her life. She told Scott to look for her if she ever went missing. That sounds like someone worried something might happen to her. I need to see for myself that she’s all right and hear it from her own mouth. Can’t you give me that?”
“You want me to ruin my only day off this week? I’m exhausted from work and the lack of sleep. And now you want me to take care of two babies all day long?”
“I do it every day,” I said, almost hissing. “Chances are, it won’t even be the entire day, just a few hours. I think you can manage that.”
I opened the drawer and took out my PJs, then slammed it shut angrily. I got dressed, then walked to the bathroom to brush my teeth. When I returned, Matt’s side of the bed was empty, and he had taken his pillow and blanket with him to the living room downstairs.
Chapter 49
Sarah slept like a rock—the best she had in many weeks. When she finally woke up, it was with a loud gasp, and her heart was beating hard in her chest. She shot her eyes open and stared into the ceiling, trying to figure out where she was until it finally sank in that she was actually out of the small room. She wasn’t chained to the wall anymore, and she wasn’t sleeping on a bench in the park either, worrying they’d come for her.
She was safe.
Sarah sat upright, then placed her feet on the floor. The house was so quiet, and she wondered what time it was. She was suddenly so grateful that her brother had never married or had children. Her brother was gay, but not openly, and Sarah knew very little of his love life, even before she left.
She didn’t like that he was so alone. It made her sad.
Sarah rose to her feet, walked to the kitchen, and got herself a glass of water. There was a note on the counter. It was from her brother, telling her he had left for work and would be back later in the day.
MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME
Sarah felt a tear escape the corner of her eye. It was so typical of him to welcome her with open arms, even though she had been gone for three years without a word. He hadn’t even yelled at her or scolded her for leaving.
But he was going to demand answers to his questions, and she still didn’t know how to do that.
Sarah started the coffeemaker and made a pot, then walked to the bathroom with a pair of scissors in her hand. She stood in front of the mirror and cut off big locks of her hair, letting them fall into the sink below. When she was done, she took a long shower. The sensation of water trickling over her body, washing away the dirt and old, dried-up sweat and blood was beyond satisfying. It was heavenly.
Sarah scrubbed her dirty skin and watched the brown water get washed down the drain, mixed with her dried-up blood. Then she examined herself. She still had some bruises on her arms and back from when she had been dragged into that room and locked up. Her wrists were also quite bruised from the chains—but nothing too severe, nothing that wouldn’t go away over time.
Sarah stopped the water and got out of the shower, thinking about the day her kidnapper came for her, then shivered. She knew they wouldn’t stop here. They were looking for her out there, and at some point, they would realize where she was. It wasn’t the most secretive hideout, her brother’s place.
And by staying here, she had put her brother’s life in danger too.
The realization felt excruciating. But her brother’s house was the only one she could think of when trying to find a hiding place. She hoped her kidnapper wouldn’t know where he lived.
Sarah went to her brother’s closet and found some clothes that were way too big for her, but with a belt, she could keep the jeans up, and if she rolled the legs up, it didn’t look too shabby. It was better than the dirty rags she had been in for weeks in that hellhole and while staying in the streets.
She walked back to the kitchen, poured herself some coffee from the pot she just made, grabbed some cereal from the cabinet, and poured milk on top. Who knew cereal could taste like this? She thought to herself after the first spoonful. She sat in the living room while eating, trying to kill that deep hunger inside of her. Slowly, she was beginning to feel like a human again, something she had longed for.
While she ate, enjoying her freedom, she heard a car drive up the street outside and peeked out nervously between the curtains. She felt her heart rate go up rapidly as she watched a car approach. Her hand holding the curtain began to shake violently when she was suddenly reminded of the day she had been abducted from her own home.
When the car came to a stop outside, she could no longer breathe. She let go of the curtain and stormed into her brother’s bedroom, where she knew he kept a gun under the bed.
Chapter 50
THEN:
She took a deep breath, then checked her make-up before telling her secretary to let him in. Jeff stormed through the door and shut it b
ehind him. He rushed to the couch and sat down. His hair was a mess, his shirt unusually wrinkled. His cheeks were blushing, and his eyes almost manic.
“Doc,” he said with a deep exhale. “I am so glad to see you again. I’ve missed you like crazy.”
Lynn smiled and nodded, trying to hide how much it flattered her when he said stuff like that.
“How are you today?”
He sniffled, his eyes still lingering on her. “How am I? How am I?”
She smiled. “Yes, Jeff. How has your week been?”
“Awful, that’s how. Simply awful.”
“Okay. And why is that?”
He stared at her, mouth slightly open. “Are you seriously asking me this? You know why.”
“Do I? Maybe you should explain it to me.”
He ran a hand through his hair a couple of times. “I…I can’t stop thinking about you. Ever since we… You’re all that’s on my mind, constantly, every second of the day. It’s like I’m obsessed.”
Lynn stared at him, suppressing a smile. “Really? Tell me more, please. Can you give me some examples?”
“I wake up in the middle of the night and think of you. I can’t eat; my stomach is in knots constantly. I go on Instagram many times a day, scrolling through your account, looking at your pictures. I look at them when I…pleasure myself and…”
“Okay, okay,” Lynn said. “I get the idea. Jeff, now we talked about…”
He leaned forward and grabbed her hand in his. The movement was so swift she barely had time to react.
“I can’t stand being without you, Doc. You’re everything there is. It’s maddening. Did you read any of my emails I sent this week? You didn’t answer any of them.”
“I read every word,” she said, looking down at her notepad. “And I do appreciate you taking your time to write to me. I just haven’t had the time to write back.”
His eyes eased up as he looked into hers. “I thought there was an explanation. It was driving me nuts. I kept wondering if you didn’t like me anymore. I was so scared you’d leave me.”
Lynn scoffed. “I’m not going anywhere, Jeff.”
His shoulders came down, and he leaned back on the couch. “I am so glad to hear that, Doc. I was so worried…”
“It’s those abandonment issues. We talked about those, remember?”
He nodded. “They do drive me nuts. It was just after I saw you in that restaurant and watched you, and you didn’t look at me the way you usually do, so I got scared, and I’ve been obsessing over that ever since, fearing you’d tell me you couldn’t see me again.”
She lifted her gaze and met his across the room.
“I would never do that, Jeff. Ever. You’re my favorite patient. I look forward to you coming every week.”
He smiled and sighed. “I am so glad to hear that, Doc. Do you think we can kiss again? Because I really enjoyed that. It made me so happy; you wouldn’t believe it.”
Lynn sighed and took off her glasses. She looked into his eyes, then tilted her head.
“All right. But just one kiss.”
Chapter 51
Matt agreed to take care of the kids, even though it wasn’t willingly. We fought about it all morning, and I ended up hurrying out the door, coffee in my thermos. I didn’t even say a proper goodbye to Angel and Owen. I just slammed the door shut, then hurried to my minivan and drove out to pick up Scott in Viera. I was still fuming with anger as he approached the car. His smile was charming when he got in, and I felt my anger melt away instantly.
That’s the effect he had on me.
Part of me wondered if I had just been angry all morning because of Matt or if it was really because I knew that today I would most likely lose Scott if we found Sarah, as was the mission. He would be happy and take her home with him, and I would probably never see him again. It wasn’t a pleasant thought. No part of it felt good. If it was true that I was really angry about losing Scott, then what did that mean for Matt and me? Was it silly of us to get married if I found myself so easily attracted to another man?
“You want a protein bar?” he asked and held one out for me. I had already eaten cereal, standing up while yelling at Matt, so I wasn’t exactly hungry. Still, I took one and ate it, then washed it down with my coffee.
As we made it across the two bridges and onto the mainland, I felt myself finally ease up. I was acting insane. It had to be the hormones from breastfeeding. They made me do and think stupid things—that had to be it.
I turned up the music loud and decided to leave all the anger and resentment behind me. I’d have to deal with Matt later.
After about an hour's drive, we arrived in the small neighborhood in the south end of Winter Park, not far from the Mead Botanical garden. I had been there with Matt a few months earlier and was reminded of a wonderful afternoon marveling at the hundreds of rare plant species—back when things were a little less complicated—before the two infants came into our lives. I had to admit, I thought to myself as I drove up the narrow street toward the address in my GPS, that it was a lot taking in an extra child, and I couldn’t blame Matt for being upset about it. And then there was the matter of Scott on top of it. Matt could probably sense how I was confused about my feelings and was distancing myself from him.
“I think it’s that house up there on the small hill,” I said and pointed ahead of me on Howell Branch Road. I drove up the driveway and parked the car in front of a small house with a wooden wrap-around porch. It was set back on an unusually big lot for being this close to Orlando. The yard was well maintained, and that was quite the accomplishment in Florida.
We got out and walked up the driveway toward the front porch. I smiled at Scott and was wondering if he was excited or nervous.
“Now, remember, we don’t know if she has come to him,” I said. “She could also have gone to her parents’ place.”
“Yeah, except she was never close with her parents,” Scott said. “She might have lied about a lot, but I don’t think that was untrue. She always spoke so lovingly about her brother the few times we talked about her family. He was her rock.”
I nodded, feeling convinced. If Sarah really was here in Winter Park, it was very plausible that she’d seek out the one person who meant something to her.
“It doesn’t look like anyone is home,” Scott said, looking at the empty driveway. “Maybe we should have called first?”
I shook my head. “If Sarah is hiding, then she would have asked him not to tell anyone she was here.”
“You think she’s hiding?”
I nodded. “Chief Annie told me she ran away from the police when they approached her. My guess is she fears for her life, and for some reason, she doesn’t want the police involved…”
I paused mid-sentence when the door to the house swung open, and a woman stepped out on the porch. She looked down at where we had stopped, the gun in her hand pointed at us.
Chapter 52
“S-Sarah?”
Scott froze in place and stared at the woman standing on the porch. I had only seen pictures of her and had to admit she didn’t look much like them anymore—at least not from where I was standing. She had lost a lot of weight, and her hair was now short.
“Sarah?” he repeated.
She didn’t answer. She stood at the top of the stairs, staring down at us, still pointing the gun but mostly at Scott. Her hands holding it were shaking heavily, and I saw deep fear in her eyes.
“Sarah, we’ve been looking for you,” I said and stepped forward. “For quite some time. Are you okay?”
She didn’t look at me, only at Scott, her nostrils flaring.
“Stay back,” she said. “Don’t come any closer.”
Yet, Scott did. He took another step forward, and that made her cock the gun.
“Come any closer, and I will shoot you.”
He stopped and lifted his hands, turning the palms toward her, a look of confusion on his face.
“But…but Sarah…?”
“Don’t…don’t…”
“We’re just so happy to see you, Sarah,” I said. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you, thinking something bad happened to you, and…”
“I need you to go,” Sarah almost hissed. “Both of you.”
“But…”
“GO!”
She yelled the last part and pointed the gun at Scott.
“Get out of here, now!”
I grabbed Scott by the arm and pulled him away. We hurried out to the minivan and got in, and as we drove off, Sarah fired a shot. It didn’t hit anything, luckily, but it made me speed up and go down the road so fast that we almost skidded sideways into the bushes as I turned at the end of it.
“What the heck was that about?” I yelled at Scott as we were far enough out of sight. I turned to look at him, fuming.
“I…I don’t know,” Scott said. “I don’t understand any of this.”
“She didn’t exactly look like she was deeply in love with you, Scott. Or have you been lying about that too?”
He shook his head. “N-no. I don’t understand what’s happening. I swear to God; I don’t understand, Eva Rae.”
I stepped on the accelerator and rushed us out of town and onto the highway. I wanted to go home now. I needed to get away from this, as far away as possible, and forget everything about this. Matt had been right. I didn’t need this drama in my life.
“There’s something you’re not telling me, Scott. It has been going on through all of this. I try to help you, and then little by little, all these secrets are revealed, and I don’t know what to think. That girl was afraid of you, Scott. I could see it in her eyes. Why was she scared of you? Why didn’t she want to see you?”
“I swear, Eva Rae, I am as clueless as you. You have to believe me.”
“Yeah, well, I feel like I’ve heard that a little too much lately. We’re done here, Scott. I’m gonna take you home to Viera now. I don’t want to see you again. This is it for me. I’m out.”
