Taken: Against My Will

by Willow, Zureika

  Vicky was about to protest when she realized what he was saying. If it looked like she had left Ian, she wouldn’t have to go back to him. She would never have to be subject to his abuse ever again. She didn’t say a word. Instead she dropped back against the mattress and closed her eyes.

  Chapter Seven

  Vicky woke to the feeling of something heavy on her side. She looked down to see Tristen’s arm trailing over her side. His breath was calm and breezy against her neck. Dawn light was penetrating the ply wood of the window. Vicky wriggled out from under Tristen’s arm, careful not to disturb him and realized that he was asleep. As soon as she got off the mattress he began to groan. For a moment she thought she had woken him. Then she realized that his eyes were still closed and his expression twisted.

  “Get off me! Leave me alone!” he screeched. He began to thrash about on the mattress. Vicky threw herself down and pinned him to the mattress, shaking him to wake him,

  “Tristen, wake up! Calm down, it’s me, Vicky.” She explained as he clumsily tried to hit her away. His eyes suddenly flew open and they were filled with terror. Vicky felt her heart stop at the sight.

  “Tristen, please, calm down. Nobody is going to hurt you.” Vicky assured him. He finally grew still and he stared at her for a few moments as though he couldn’t quite place her face.

  “You were having a nightmare.” Vicky explained as he began to look as though he had a huge question mark on his face.

  "Don't let her get me." Tristen begged as he suddenly grabbed Vicky in a tight embrace.

  "Don't let who get you?" Vicky asked softly as she stroked his hair. Tristen jerked away from her and threw himself to his feet. Turning his back on her he walked into the kitchen area. For the first time Vicky saw the huge amount of white scarring on his tanned back as though he had been whipped with something earlier in his life. Some of the scars looked more recent than others though none were open wounds. Vicky forced herself not to gasp as she stared at the marks.

  "Shut up. Stop acting like you care." Tristen snapped and whirled around to glare at her. His expression was one of anger. "Nobody gives a damn about me."

  "I do." Vicky voice was low and husky. She struggled to say the words but there they were. They were out and they were true. She was beginning to feel something more for him, something she couldn’t yet understand.

  "Don't lie to me!" Tristen demanded as he pointed an accusing finger at her, "everyone always lies to me." Tristen clamped his head in his hands. Vicky moved slowly, standing and easing her way toward him. He flinched as he felt her hand on his arm but he did not move away.

  "Tristen I do care about you and I believe we are more alike than you know." She explained to him as she forced his hands away from his head and put her fingers under his chin to turn her face toward his.

  "Please don't lie to me." Tristen pleaded. Vicky could hear the fright in his voice and see the glaze on his eyes that signalled that he was holding back tears.

  "I promise you I'm not," Vicky stroked his cheek gently. She knew the only way around him would be by being gentle and kind, "please tell me who has you so scared?" She asked.

  In that moment Tristen looked like a child. He gazed at her with a look of innocent fear which Vicky had only ever seen before in the mirror.

  "My step mother." He finally admitted to her. Vicky thought about not asking the question but she had to know.

  "Why?"

  "I was just a kid." Tristen whimpered as he moved to show her the scars that traced the inside upper part of his arm close to his armpit. Vicky placed a hand to her mouth, desperate not to gasp and scare him. Seeing the look of horror on her face he dropped his arm to quickly hide the scars.

  "She was just like your husband." Seemed to be all Tristen could muster to explain the long ago injuries. Vicky suddenly understood. Tristen wasn't a monster. He simply needed power. He needed to feel in control against women because of one woman in his past who had taken it all away from him. Vicky hadn't realized until then just how much alike they really were. They both carried the baggage of being beaten, day in, day out.

  Vicky looked at the floor unable to look at him for a few moments. When she looked up again he was staring down at her with an understanding look on his face.

  “Maybe we are more alike than I first thought.” Tristen sighed. Vicky was surprised as he wrapped his arms around her. She was hesitant for a few moments before wrapping her own arms around him and resting her head against his bare chest. She could hear his heart beating fast against her ear as though he’d just run a marathon.

  “I put your stuff in the bathroom last night but I didn’t want to wake you. You can use the bath if you want.” Tristen suggested as he pointed toward the bathroom door.

  “Thanks.” Vicky replied as she unwrapped herself from his arms and headed to the bathroom.

  Closing the door behind her she put the plug in the bath and turned on the taps before turning her attention to the large duffel bag that sat beside the door. Unzipping the bag she was excited to see that it was filled with comfortable clothes like leggings and joggers. Even more exciting was the fact he’d managed to pick her favourite red and cream woollen jumper out of all the clothes she had in the apartment.

  She was relieved to see that he’d also shoved her toothbrush; some shampoo and body wash into the side pocket of the bag. After brushing her teeth to rid herself of the scummy feeling on her teeth, she pulled off the remains of her pyjamas and climbed into the bath. The water was warm and soaked into her cold bones. She felt sweetly sore between her legs as the water washed over her. Sighing, she leaned back in the bath and closed her eyes.

  When her eyes flickered open again she jumped in fright. Tristen leaned over the side of the bath twirling a finger in the surface of the water.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He apologized as he raised his hand and stroked her cheek.

  “What are you doing in here?” Vicky demanded, doing her best to cover herself with her arms. Tristen let out a honey toned giggle and averted his eyes.

  “You know I’ve seen it all before.” He laughed, “You were taking so long I thought you’d climbed out the window or something stupid.” Vicky couldn’t help but laugh. Looking at his fake shy attitude she couldn’t help but think how cute he was. A sudden thought occurred to her and she lowered her arms, revealing her naked body.

  “You know you could do with a bath too.” Vicky purred. Tristen’s face turned toward her and his eyes danced with excitement.

  “Oh is that right?” he smirked.

  A few moments later he had removed his boxers and was climbing in. Vicky pulled her legs up toward her to allow him room. The water rose as he lowered himself down into the bath. Vicky felt his leg brush hers and felt an instant surge of electricity between them. A warm sensation built between her legs as she pulled herself up onto her knees and wriggled toward him. Tristen’s eyes filled with surprise as she grabbed hold of his legs and pulled him toward her. She pressed her lips against his like a sex starved animal as she ran her fingers down his chest to his stomach and lower. Even as she moved she couldn’t believe what she was doing. In her mind she knew she should be carting him off to jail but her body seemed to have a mind of its own. Within moments she was sitting in his lap, straddling him with her legs. Her arms wrapped around his neck pulling him closer to her so that she could feeling the bruising force of their lips moving together. Her tongue stroked against his lip making him groan. The sound built a burning sensation inside her, making her want more. She pressed her breasts against his chest and grinded up again him as she felt his erection press against her buttocks. His arousal was clear in his eyes as she smirked down at him, enjoying the control she now had over him.

  “It’s my turn.” She whispered into his ear as she nibbled him on the lobe. His groans grew louder as she forced herself onto him and he slammed inside her. Head falling back, she gasped in satisfaction as she began to move against his body, enjoying t
he feel of him inside her. The feelings grew as she felt his breath hard against her breasts. It aroused an animal inside her that she hadn’t known had been caged there. The feeling was euphoric as she pressed her nails into his shoulders, pinning him down against the bath. He stared up at her with a look of worship in his eyes as she took over, controlling the whole thing. His hands cupped her hips helping her move and the connection of his fingers to her skin was like setting a fire. He let out a hiss of pain as she dug her nails in so hard that blood beaded around her fingertips.

  “What happened to not liking pleasure?” Tristen laughed against her lips as she leaned in to kiss him again, “I’m sure your cop buddies would be very angry if they knew you were shacked up with a criminal.” Tristen’s words whipped Vicky’s mind back to reality. She threw herself off him and grabbed at the towel that sat beside the bath.

  “Get out!” she demanded, throwing the towel at him. He looked hurt as he stood up and stepped out of the bath, wrapping the towel around his hips. Before he could say a word, Vicky threw herself under the water, holding her breath until she could hear his footsteps leaving the room.

  When she resurfaced she began to gasp for air. Tears started to stream down her face mixing with the water droplets that already dripped down her skin. Why couldn’t he have just let her have it? Being in this apartment with him meant she could hide away from the world outside. It meant she didn’t have to be a cop. She could just be a woman; a woman who could possibly really be loved by a man who wouldn’t abuse her. She had more in common with a hardened criminal than she did with her own husband. The man who on their wedding day had promised to love and protect her and become the man she was desperately trying to get away from. Even though Tristen had broken the law in getting her away from him he had done the very thing she had been trying to do for years. She may not have gotten the divorce that she wanted but there was no way he was going to find her. Maybe he really would believe that she had left him?

  It was nearly half an hour before Vicky finally pulled herself out of the bath. As she towel dried her hair she heard a strange sound coming from the duffel bag. It was a vibrating sound that she had heard many times in her life though she had not been expecting to hear it now. She dropped down onto her knees and quickly rummaged through the bag. Her eyes widened in utter shock as she picked out the mobile at the bottom of the bag. It was her mobile; the one that had been left in the apartment when Tristen had kidnapped her. Looking at the screen she saw that she had almost 100 missed calls. More alarming was the fact that there wasn’t much battery.

  Before she knew what she was doing her fingers had dialled a familiar number. She placed the mobile to her ear and leaned against the bathroom door listening for any sound that might suggest Tristen was nearby.

  “Hello? Vicky? Is that you?” the familiar voice made Vicky’s heart pound with relief. She placed her hand around her mouth and the bottom of the phone. Trying to keep her voice down she whispered,

  “Paul, don’t question me. I can’t explain. Get a team together and get to…” Vicky suddenly realized that she had no way of knowing where she was. Thinking quickly she changed her route of conversation, “Track the GPS on my phone. Tristen is here. Hurry!” with that she ended the call and leaned back against the door, taking a few deep breaths.

  “Are you almost done in there?” Tristen’s voice came from the other side. Her heart pounded as she realized just how lucky she had been for him not to hear her. As she heard his voice she instantly began to regret what she had just done. It would be only minutes before the only man who had ever shown love to her in any way was being carted away in handcuffs.

  Within a few seconds she had pulled on some clothes and whipped the door open. Seeing the distressed look on her face Tristen began to look worried.

  “We have to go.” She blurted. Tristen’s face twisted in confusion.

  “Go where? What are you talking about?” he demanded as he pulled himself up from the mattress where he had been lounging.

  “We need to leave now. They are on their way here,” Vicky explained. She leaned into the bathroom and grabbed her duffel bag, “Get your things.”

  Tristen’s eyes glinted with realization. He hissed as he sucked in a breath and put his head in his hands.

  “You called the cops on me.” His voice was shaky with fear. Vicky dropped her bag and ran to him. She grabbed is arms and shook him.

  “Yes I called them,” she explained, “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. But we have time. We can get out of here.” Tristen looked up at her and she saw the look in his eyes. They were filled with anger. It was as though the red fire of hell was burning behind his eyes.

  “How can I trust you?” he demanded, “You’re just like her! All you do is think of yourself.” He slapped her hands away from him. Even without asking she knew who he was talking about. He was suggesting that she was like his step mother. The suggestion stung but she knew he was right. She had only been thinking of herself. She hadn’t been thinking of what would happen to him when the cops turned up. He might not even make it out of the apartment alive. Some of the cops she knew had a habit of shooting first and asking questions later when it came to criminals like him. As she thought about it she knew what she had to do.

  Racing toward the window, she grabbed hold of the ply wood and began to pull hard. Like it hadn’t before it didn’t budge. Her heart pounded as she moved backward a little and kicked out with her foot, slamming into the wood. When she left a small dent, she kicked out again and managed to send the wood splintering away from her. She had made a hole that was just big enough for someone to climb out of.

  Even as she did so she knew she was too late. The sound of charging footsteps came from the corridor outside. Vicky raced for the kitchen and grabbed the gun off the worktop. Throwing it toward Tristen, she yelled, “Get out of here.” As though he didn’t need telling twice, Tristen gripped the gun tightly in his hand and began to scramble out of the window. Vicky watched him go with tears in her eyes. She stood shaking as she heard the crashing at the front door where her cop co-workers were trying to batter down the door. Tristen took one last look at her through the window and she saw her own emotions reflected on his face. Holding back the tears she gave a weak wave. Tristen looked as though he was forcing himself as he turned and began to climb down the ladder that was the fire escape.

  The front door burst open and Paul appeared in the doorway. He held a gun in front of him which he pointed around the room. Vicky threw her hands up quickly to show that he didn’t need to shoot her but his hands instantly dropped when he realized who he was looking at. Other cops poured in around him as he moved toward her and demanded to know if she was alright. Another cop shouted toward her,

  “Where is he?” Vicky could do nothing more than point at the window. The cop rushed to it and glanced down. When his head came back in he was shaking it from side to side.

  “He got away.” Vicky faked a disappointed expression but inside her stomach was doing summersaults. She couldn’t help feeling relieved that he’d escaped.

  Chapter Eight

  Vicky sat in the interrogation room looking at the mirror that was really a window. She clasped her hands in front of her on the table waiting for someone to finally coming and question her. She had been waiting for almost ten minutes and it was starting to get boring. She guessed they were trying to find someone who was willing to question a person they had known for her whole career.

  The door opened and Paul walked in. Vicky expected him to sit down in the chair opposite her but he simply walked to her left and leaned his back against the wall looking down at her. A woman came in after him. She was a tall, beefy looking woman in a grey suit that looked as though it was only just big enough for her. Her straw blonde hair was pinned back in a tight bun at the back of her head and her expression was strict. Vicky gulped as she looked at Kim. Out of all the cops in the station it had to be her. Kim was one of the very few peop
le that Vicky hated. She was hot headed and did everything in her power to get things out of the people who Vicky would call her victims. She reminded Vicky of a snake. Her eyes pierced Vicky as she walked in, placed a report folder on the table and sat down in the chair opposite her.

  “Well Vicky,” Kim smirked slyly, “I never thought I would have the pleasure of interrogating you.”

  “Well you better enjoy it Kim because this will be the last time.” Vicky scowled at her with open hatred. She had no time for the woman. She didn’t agree with any of the woman’s morals or methods of getting her work done.

  “Well if you’re so eager to get started then I guess we better had.” Kim laughed as she opened up the file in front of her and read a little before closing it again and looking back at Vicky, “It seems you were the head on this investigation.”

  “That’s right.” Vicky replied with a nod.

  “It’s a little odd that you end up in the apartment where you claimed Tristen was after being missing for two days yet when we searched the apartment we found a duffel bag filled with your clothes.”