Deceptions

by Dana Mansfield

  “I’m sorry,” I apologized as I heard Jack breathing hard. “Prosti.”

  “Do not be,” he replied. “Just rest.”

  A terrible fog descended on my brain and I let it swallow me up.

  . . .

  Penny was not doing well. To be honest, Jack wasn’t either. He’d been without his preventive ulcer medication for almost two weeks and the stress of the situation was getting to him and he felt a dull pain grow in his stomach. He was more worried about Penny, however, than himself. He was responsible for her being in this situation. She had the chills as her fever worsened and this caused her to shiver in her manacles which worsened the rawness of her wrists. Penny was not with it and he took advantage of her altered mental state. Jack picked up his last bottle of water he hid from Penny early on and wet the cuff of his sweatshirt. He wiped her face, keeping his touch gentle.

  “Hang in there, my Pretty Penny,” he whispered close to her. She whimpered but had no other reaction. Carefully, he poured just a tiny amount of water in her mouth, so as not to drown her, and prayed she swallowed it. She did and over the course of many minutes, she unknowingly drank his water.

  After watering her, he curled up and fell asleep.

  Jack had no idea how long he slept nor did he understand at first what woke him up. His brain was so fuzzy but eventually, he realized the lightbulb that had been off for so many days was now on. A great deal of time must have passed because Penny was laying on the ground. A small burst of adrenaline pushed him to sit up and he looked around as if seeing the room for the first time. Something was going to happen.

  Penny’s eyes were open and he was glad to see this. “The light is on,” she whispered.

  “Da,” he replied. It was the first time he saw her in a few days. Her cheeks were sunken in and there were dark circles beneath her eyes. Most of her hair was loose and greasy, just as his was. Jack helped her sit up and as she had done so many times, her hand went to her left side. Having to sleep on the unforgiving floor after hanging in the manacles was not helping her heal.

  “Is the pain getting any better?”

  “A little,” she answered but he doubted she was telling the truth. It was one of her faults; she hid how she truly felt whether it was physical or emotional. Penny touched his cheek with a shaking hand. There was an odd smile on her face and she chuckled. “You look awful and you stink.”

  “You do not smell like roses either.”

  She chuckled again but then moaned. It caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand up.

  “It hurts, Jack. It really does,” she admitted, clutching her lower abdomen. When he helped her pee, they were both shocked to see there was blood in her urine. Neither of them knew what to say about this grave development.

  Jack settled against the wall as Penny was once again forced to her feet. She was at a lower height but was so exhausted and weak she struggled to hold herself up. Her wrists were so chewed up and she would lose her footing, causing her to jerk in the manacles. Blood began to soak up the cuffs of her gray hoodie. Penny was struggling.

  He used the pipes along the wall to get to his feet. Jack needed to go to Penny, needed to give her a pep talk. She had to make it through this orientation.

  “Penelope,” he said and she opened her eyes. She was hanging in her manacles and Jack needed to get her up on her feet.

  “Hey, Ivan,” she said in nothing more than a whisper. There was so much pain in her eyes. He hated having to do what needed to be done.

  “Your wrists are getting much worse when you hang,” he said. “I know you are tired but I need you to support yourself with your legs. We need to take the pressure off of your wrists and shoulders.” Penny nodded and with much effort, got her feet underneath her. Jack reached up and checked her wrists. They were so bloody and chewed up. There was enough space between her wrists and the manacles and he tucked the cuffs of her hoodie in the space. “How does that feel?”

  “Better on the wrists but my arms hurt so much,” she admitted. That was big on her part. Again, Jack reached up and with tender fingers, began massaging her aching arms.

  “Is this helping?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  It was a long day for Penny and she struggled more as the hours ticked by. Jack would need to remind her to use her legs but she got to a certain point and her legs just wouldn’t hold her. She tried though which exhausted her even more. Despite the chill of the room, sweat poured down her face and she was shaking.

  “Need to stand up,” she whispered with her eyes shut. She whimpered and grunted but failed. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” she repeated. Jack pulled himself up once again and went to her. He couldn’t have her feel this way.

  “Do not be sorry, Penny,” he said and touched her cheek. “I am the one that should be sorry for expecting you to be able to do it all day. Having you strung up the way you are is terrible and I wish I could say something but I am so afraid they will hurt you even more. Please forgive me, Penelope.”

  “I don’t need to forgive you for anything. I’m just sorry I’m so weak. It’s my fault. I let It control me so much the last few months.” Jack knew that It referred to the Terrible Voice. Penny started crying. It tore at Jack’s heart and with as much gentleness as possible, he hugged her the best he could. There was nothing he felt he could say to make her feel better.

  . . .

  They continued their wait. Jack hoped with the light being turned on that something would happen but the day ended as it began. The light went dark and Penny was lowered. It was their fifteenth night in hell.

  Again, there was no sleep and Jack’s hope of anything faded.

  Then, in the morning, the light was turned on again. This time, the door opened.

  * * *

  Chapter 11

  William was the first to enter the room and the others filed in behind. Jack was curious at the items the gang carried yet at the same time, he didn’t like what he saw. Vivienne was holding a video camera.

  “How are my guests?” he asked with fake sincerity as he unlocked Penny. She shakily stood on her legs.

  “Hoping we are going to be freed,” Jack replied in a voice that didn’t sound very forceful at all.

  “I’m sorry, Jack, but that’s just not going to happen.”

  “I had to try,” he said honestly.

  “Learn even a harmless try has circumstances.” William’s movements were quick and professional as slugged Penny hard in her gut. This bent her over and he grabbed Penny by her hair. He pulled her up and backhanded her. She was bleeding from the nose and dazed. He then shoved her hard towards the corner where she lay still.

  “Prosti ,”[9] Jack said quickly and obediently. He felt awful. Penny had been hurt because of his stupidity; his mind was just so sluggish. William slapped Jack. It stung and Jack hadn’t seen it coming. The act of violence made him feel so small and reiterated the grave situation.

  Jack was ordered to the wall opposite the door and bound with handcuffs to a pipe above his head. He was shaking; he couldn’t help it. He was scared.

  “Time for you to do some work,” said William. “The Employer requires you to make a proof of life video every three months that we will release to the media. These are not optional. There will be consequences if you don’t cooperate or if the media outlet we choose fails to show the video in the required timeframe.”

  “Why should we be punished for something we have no control over?” Jack felt this was a legitimate and innocent question that shouldn’t garner any violence. Thankfully, he was right.

  “That is what the Employer wants and with as much money as the Employer is paying us, that is what the Employer is going to get,” he explained and attached the video camera to the tripod James set up. Jack felt uncomfortable. He didn’t want to make the video and he didn’t want anyone, especially his family, to see him in his current condition.

  “Whatever the Employer is paying you, I will double it. Take this offer, let us
go, and I will not press charges.” Jack knew he sounded desperate but he was. “I just want to get back to my family.”

  “I will have to refuse your offer and maybe one day, you’ll understand why.” Jack didn’t know what that meant and he was too afraid to press the issue as Landon pointed his gun down at Penny who was still lying so still. “Here’s how this is going to go down. All you have to do is read the cue card Vivienne will hold up and then I’ll give you a few moments to address your family. We’ll email this video off to CNN, giving them a deadline of two hours to show it in its entirety. Should they comply, you and Penny will be allowed to bathe, move to your new accommodations, and be fed.

  “Should CNN not comply, you and Penny will be punished. Of course, your punishment, Jack, will be recorded and sent to CNN to show them we mean business. Don’t worry, the punishment video will not be required to be shown but there will be a new deadline and hopefully, just one punishment will be needed to get them to comply. Understand?” Jack nodded while his stomach twisted in knots. “James will hold up today’s New York Times to prove you are still alive and then I’ll give you the signal to start. And you are not allowed to mention Penny at all.”

  “Why?” questioned Jack. William gave him a weary look. “I am sorry. I retract my question.”

  “Good boy. Let’s get rolling.” James slipped on a ski mask and then held the newspaper up to Jack’s chest. William nodded to him and Jack looked at the cue card Vivienne held up. After two weeks of no visual stimulation and a brain slow due to malnutrition, it took Jack a moment or two to begin. He tried to make his voice sound not so weak but he just didn’t have the energy.

  “My name is Jack Petrov,” he started, his words slow, “and I am being held against my will. I was abducted from the Pocono back roads on Thanksgiving eve.” He stopped as he read the next few words in his head. Was he really reading that? A finger snap brought him out of his small confusion. “I am not being held for ransom. No money or valuable goods will be exchanged for my freedom. There will never be an opportunity to negotiate my release.” He stopped again, stunned. William snapped his fingers again but Jack was frozen in disbelief. No ransom?

  “Son of a bitch,” William said and this brought Jack out of his shock. He then noticed the red light on the camera was off. Shit…

  “No, wait,” Jack quickly said but his words were too late. Penny was wrenched up by Landon. She was conscious but dazed. Her right arm was slammed back against the wall. She cried out and struggled but another backhand, this one from Landon, dazed her even more. William unfolded Penny’s hand. And then, Vivienne approached with a butane torch. “No!” Jack screamed but the word fell on deaf ears. It was maybe only five minutes but to him it felt like an hour as the evil woman purposefully burned Penny’s palm and fingers. At first, Penny tried not to vocally react but as the smell of burned flesh filled the room, she started screaming.

  When they were done torturing her, she was breathing hard, shaking, and sweating. Penny kept her gaze down. Jack thought he was going to be sick but intense fear kept his bile down. William turned his attention to Jack and spoke words that pained Jack’s heart.

  “Just look at what you did to your Pretty Penny.”

  . . .

  My hand throbbed and I had to bite my lip to keep from crying. The pain from the UTI was severe and I worried about the urge to pee that bombarded me and made me even more miserable. The two hits I took to the head caused an aching headache and I really wanted to just start crying. Expressing how much pain I was in wouldn’t help Jack, though. Yes, it was his fault but I didn’t blame him; I blamed the situation, our sadistic captors, and whoever the hell the Employer was.

  After Jack spoke to his family in a numb voice on video, William and the others left us alone, handcuffing me on their way out. As soon as the door shut and locked, Jack became inconsolable. I was not feeling well at all and couldn’t talk. Jack took my silence as a damnation of him. I had to get my words out, let him know I wasn’t angry with him. I was struggling to stay conscious, however, and that seemed to take precedence.

  Jack calmed down but was morose and kept his gaze away from me. I slumped in my cuffs. I was exhausted, in pain, and also frightened at the prospect of future torture should CNN not show the video. My worry was not about me; my worry was about Jack. It wouldn’t just be me being tortured; he would be too and I didn’t know if I could handle seeing him hurt.

  Time dragged. My throbbing hand didn’t help and my stomach was beginning to hurt in response to all the different pains I felt. I was handcuffed so if I needed to vomit, I would puke on myself. I closed my eyes and willed my stomach to settle down. Think of something happy… Think of something happy… Of course, my mind wandered to Jack’s cabin and those days in June. The days were warm and the nights chilly, weather I loved.

  I was back at the end of the dock with my feet dangling in the water. It was an impromptu trip; Crystal wanted to spend time with the children for a long weekend. It was a rare occurrence and Jack was quick to hop on the idea. He was holding out hope she could salvage even a small relationship with their children. Crystal, however, didn’t want Jack or even me around. Both Jack and I were hesitant to leave Crystal alone with all the kids but she insisted and threatened to throw a hissy in front of them. The tension between Jack and Crystal was at an all-time high.

  So Jack and I went up to his cabin early on a Thursday morning and planned to go back Sunday night. In my mind, I doubted we would last that long. I anticipated a call from Crystal within a day requesting us to come back, which, in the end, I was surprised did not happen. I had shopped for supplies the day before and packed up Jack’s Mustang and that’s all he would let me do. He insisted on driving to the cabin and taking care of all the meals. I tried to argue with him but he refused to listen to me. “Things will get harrier as the summer continues,” he explained. “I will need to travel for the new album. This might be your only chance for a few days of peace before the album drops and you are on kid duty 100%.”

  After a lunch of whitefish salad on bagels and fresh fruit, Jack sent me outside to enjoy the fresh air while he cleaned up. I loved sitting at the end of the dock even though it brought back bittersweet memories of Ellie. She loved to sit with her feet in the water and feel the tiny fish nibble at her toes. I smiled as I felt them nibbling on my own. Even before her death, Jack named the small body of water after her – Ellie’s Lake.

  “I miss you, Ellie,” I said quietly. We were close and I took her death hard; so hard I wasn’t able to speak with Jack for a long time about how much my heart ached for his beautiful daughter who was so misunderstood by everyone including her own mother.

  A twig snap caused me to jump and I saw Jack approaching. He had changed from his jeans and designer pullover. He was getting back into rockstar mode and had signed a contract to be seen in various items from a new designer. He liked the clothes and since there was the chance of being seen while stopping for gas on the way out of Voorhees, he had to wear the items. Normally, he didn’t care about what he wore but now he had to with the rumors starting about a possible new album. On the way up, he had been dressed in a steel gray pullover and fancy jeans from the designer. I had to admit he looked good, not overly polished as some singers get, but like a normal guy with a touch of style. But not too much.

  Although he looked nice, I still preferred him in his worn jeans and endless supply of Princeton tees and sweatshirts. I didn’t mind him looking like a bum – as Crystal sometimes described him – and really, he was far from that even. He just wasn’t obsessed with his looks as some celebrities but he always dressed appropriately for the occasion. For services at shul, he always wore a tie but if he was just being a dad, then super casual was the way to go.

  It was the third time he contracted with a designer and the idea was Crystal’s from the get go. Not a shocker there as she always made sure she had the latest fancy fashions and as long as she was still married to Jack, she had a chance
to get freebies from some of the hot designers in Hollywood and New York. It wasn’t uncommon for me to have to try and carve out what little free time I had to make calls to get Crystal on the freebie lists. It had been harder to get her on those lists the last couple years with Jack being out of the spotlight. Truly, it had always been hard to get her on the lists. The band was successful but not over the top and to be honest, the guys were all rather boring rockstars. For them, it was about making good music and giving their best on stage and not making names for themselves for outrageous behavior. They weren’t much about the wild lifestyle. All of them overcame difficult backgrounds and worked too hard to get where they were to let things slip away by being celebrity stupid. Although they could easily get shitfaced, which I had witnessed a few times, not a single hotel room was ever trashed by an Ivy Brother.

  Jack wore a faded Princeton tee and a pair of ratty cargo shorts that showed the scars on his left leg where Dr. Nelson operated to piece the leg back together. Jack looked more normal to me in the outfit. He carried two plastic cups, a half-gallon of milk, and a small pink box I recognized from his favorite bakery. I frowned; he must have gone out the day before when I was food shopping.

  “I brought you a surprise,” he said after kicking off his flip flops and sitting down next to me. He opened the box, revealing six large and soft chocolate chip cookies. They were my favorite. The Terrible Voice inside me was not so loud at that time. It wasn’t until after that weekend It emerged from Its slumber and consumed me.