Something Other than Fear

by Taylor, Kerry

  I must have spent at least an hour frantically pulling at the cuff to try and release it, but it was solid and all I really did was make it cut painfully into my ankle. I stood up and ran to where it was tethered and pulled with everything I had to get the ring out of the ground, but it was going nowhere. The walls were solid and there were no windows or openings within my reach. Eventually I collapsed down in defeat. There was nothing I could do; I was Phil’s prisoner and I knew soon he would be there to hurt me. I burst into tears then. My arm was unspeakably painful, and my head still pounded, as did my face. I was freezing cold and losing all hope. How would anyone ever find me? I quickly realised I would most likely die there. I thought about Rob and how much I loved him. I should have never left him that day. I would die now without ever finding out what my life could have been with that spectacular man.

  I thought about Matt and how he would feel when he found out I was dead. It would tear him apart I knew it would and he would blame himself as he always did.

  I prayed then, something I didn’t do often. I prayed for Matt and Rob to have the strength to get over my death and I prayed for Jack to still be alive, for him to have survived. I prayed for all of the people I had come to love over the last four months. They had given me so much happiness and I was glad to have gotten the opportunity to be with them, even if it wasn’t for long. They had given me more happiness in that four months than I had ever known before.

  Suddenly, there was some loud banging as a small door opened at the other end of the huge building. Daylight beamed in and then was gone again as the door was closed. I heard footsteps and tried hard to focus on the approaching figure. I knew almost instantly it was him, he had a distinctive walk I knew well.

  “Hello Angel.” he said coldly as he approached. I scrambled to my feet knowing well from past experience, whatever he was going to do I could try to defend myself better from a standing position. I stared at him, now only a few feet from me. His hair was far longer than usual, and his clothes were crumpled and grubby. I was shocked, I had never seen him anything other than immaculate. I looked at his face, badly bruised down one side, presumably Jack’s handiwork. There was a new wildness in his eyes, and he kept on sweeping his hand over his hair, almost nervously. He had snapped, I realised. There was something very wrong with him, well more wrong than there had been before and that was a truly terrifying realisation. Knowing what he had done to me before, I wondered how much more he was now capable of?

  “You’ve been a bad girl.” He whispered, his face millimetres from mine. I trembled, but I refused to back away. This man had seen me petrified enough times. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction ever again. I had a new strength I had never felt before, a strength I had taken from my time in Chicago with people who were nothing but strength and loyalty. Suddenly I wanted to be as brave as I knew Matt, Rob and Jack would tell me to be.

  “At least I haven’t let myself go though.” I retorted as calmly as I could. “Is the tramp look in at home now Phil?” He hit me then and his punch hit the right side of my forehead. I stumbled back but remained on my feet.

  “Don’t you dare talk back to me!” Phil shouted in a voice that would in the past have made me cower. This time I took a deep breath, pictured my new family and made myself stand tall.

  “You don’t scare me anymore.” I whispered. My voice trembled, as did my entire body and things were very foggy and distant, but I felt stronger, tougher. I felt I may be able to withstand his torrent with some gumption and strength this time, instead of cowering beneath him.

  “What did you just say?” He raged.

  “You don’t scare me!” I screamed as loud as I could. “You have no power over me anymore. I’m strong and no matter what you do, you can’t change that!” I was gasping for breath between my words, but I said them, and I meant them! He would probably kill me, I knew it, but he couldn’t take away any of the happiness I’d had in the last four months and he couldn’t destroy the mental strength I had gained from it. If killed me, he do it knowing he was never able to break me again.

  He was furious then! He shoved me to the ground and laid punch after punch into my ribs and stomach. When he was bored of that he stood and started kicking me. He stood on my ankle hard and I felt something snap, but I kept my tears and screams at bay. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction and it was working, because he was getting increasingly pissed at my lack of reaction. He was ranting and raving the whole time about what a ‘whore’ I was and how he’d punish me for all the whoring around I had been doing. I remained quiet and just tried to protect myself, but I was drifting in and out of consciousness. I tried to focus on thoughts of Rob and the magical way he had made me feel when I was with him. I thought about Matt and Jack and the wonderful way they had cared for me. They helped me to block out the pain of each blow and I drifted away into a place of wonderful memories, not knowing or caring what Phil was doing to me. It would be over soon. I just wished I had gotten to tell my family I loved them just once more.

  MATT

  I practically ran out of Rob’s office building and out onto the bustling street. I was losing it again and I knew it, so I had taken myself away to try and breathe. I walked around the front of the building and down an empty side alley. It had been almost twelve hours and we had nothing! Phil had held my sister for just over twelve hours, and it was tearing me apart to think what she could be going through. He could have beaten her to death in that time. A sob escaped at that thought. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. She might already be dead and if she wasn’t God only knew what she was suffering. I collapsed down the wall and landed in a heap at the bottom. Tears were running down my cheeks and I couldn’t make myself breathe. This was my fault. I should have gone home with her and Jack rather than worrying about bloody charts at the hospital! If she died it was on me and I knew it. I rested my head back on the wall and closed my eyes.

  “Help me Matt! Please, you have to help me!” I heard her voice. She was about fourteen years old and she had called me on my way home from uni. I had studied in my hometown so I wouldn’t have to leave my family. I loved them, especially Lucy. I had practically raised her, and we were as thick as thieves.

  “Lucy, what’s happened?” I asked that day. I was in my old Ford Escort, my mobile in its state-of-the-art hands free, about five minutes from home.

  “They’re going to hurt me. Sarah told me as she got off the bus. When I get off this bus they’re going to jump me!” She was frantically babbling in hushed tones.

  “Who is Darling? Where are you?”

  “Two guys. I stood up to Lizzy when she started on me earlier, like you said. I…..I slapped her Matt and now her boyfriend and his mate are waiting for me. I don’t know what to do?” She cried. I remembered the furious rage that built up inside me as I finally realised what she was saying, what was going on. My only thought then was to get to her, to protect her, just as it was at that moment in that alley, only years before I knew where she was, and I could get to her. Now I was useless.

  “Stay on the bus Darling, just don’t get off. I’ll meet you back at the bus station.”

  “I can’t. I already tried talking to the driver and he won’t even listen to me. That’s why I called you. The bus goes out of service after this trip. Ours is the last stop Matt and I’m going to have to get off.”

  “How long until you get there?” I was already speeding down the windy Yorkshire roads to where I knew she got off her school bus each day.

  “Five minutes.” She whispered.

  “I’m coming Darling. Just get off that bus and run like the clappers. I’ll find you.”

  “But what if…….?” The line went dead then, and I knew it was because I was out in the middle of nowhere. I raced like a formula 1 driver then, just needing to get to her, to know she was safe.

  I drove into our little village and around to the main road the school bus stopped on. There were three girls in uniform walking towards me, so I knew the school
bus had already been and gone. I flew down the road in the direction I knew Lucy would run in, towards home. As I turned into our quiet suburban street I saw two teenage lads in school uniform with my sister between them and one of them held her arm. She was crying and she looked so desperately tiny between the two much taller, clearly older lads. I screeched to a stop and leapt out of the car.

  “MATT!” Lucy screamed. The two lads turned to look at me then and obviously seeing I was twice their size, they let go of her and started running. I ran after them and caught the one who had been holding Lucy.

  “Think you’re big do you, terrorising a girl half your size?” I raged.

  “She’s a mouthy bitch!” He spat back. I hit him then. It wasn’t my nature to be violent, especially not to someone younger and a lot smaller, but where Lucy was concerned I wouldn’t allow it. He fell back and I loomed over him.

  “Anyone who lays a finger on my sister deals with me! Am I clear?!” I shouted. The lad nodded and frantically got to his feet. He scarpered and I turned to Lucy, where she sat crying in the road in front of my car. I ran to her and encircled her trembling body.

  “Are you ok Darling?”

  “I was so scared Matt. Thank God you came.” She sobbed in my arms and I remembered the overwhelming feeling I had then to stop anyone from ever hurting her again.

  I’d done a fine job! Was she calling out for me to help her from wherever Phil held her, like she had done that day years ago? Wherever she was, was she wondering why I had let her down so badly? I certainly was.

  JACK

  “Where’s Matt?” Rob asked as he walked back into his office. We had been there for hours and still we had nothing. The CPD had found the van we had plates for on an abandoned piece of waste ground just outside the city. It had been burned out and they had obviously switched to a different vehicle, so the plate had been a dead end.

  Rob had found the real identity of Phil’s accomplice, the guy from the hotel. Peter Granger. He was a petty criminal with a long rap sheet and a drug habit. He was obviously doing Phil’s bidding for drug money. He had no fixed address and no known associates, so again it was a dead end. Time was constantly racing past, and we were very aware that with each passing minute, the risk he had already killed her was increasing. It had been thirteen hours so far and we were no closer to finding her. The police were aware of the situation and had an APB out on Phil and Peter Granger. Rob had spoken to every contact he had, professional and criminal and it had got him nowhere. I had combed through Phil’s financials looking for hotel or motel payments or property purchases, but again, nothing! Phil hadn’t touched his accounts for over a month, and we couldn’t work out where he was getting money from.

  “He went to get some air a while ago. He’s freaking out Rob.” I answered in reply to Rob’s question.

  “He’s not the only fucking one!” Rob barked and I knew he was on a knife’s edge, just trying to hold it together. He wouldn’t even entertain the notion we could be too late, none of us wanted to, but I was realising it may come to pass if we didn’t find her soon and the thought made me want to vomit. I loved that woman like she was my flesh and blood. I didn’t know how any of us would cope if we lost her. Rob sat behind his desk and buried his head in his hands.

  “I need her back Jack. I have to find her.”

  “We can’t give up Rob. She’s tough and if there is any way she can hold on, she will.” I said firmly. Before Rob could say anything else my cell rang, and I hurried to answer it.

  “Hey Cal.” I had called him earlier to fill him in and he’d been working his police contacts all day.

  “Any news?” He asked.

  “No, nothing. Rob pulled the fucker’s financials, but there’s nothing. We can’t even work out where he got the money to get over here.”

  “Well I might have something. I got a guy at NYPD to pull up real estate holdings for Greystone.”

  “We already checked it Cal. All his property is in the UK.” I explained defeatedly.

  “Yeah, I know, but the guy I called, he pulled all Greystone property holdings in the state and there’s one listed for Lucy Greystone.”

  “Near here?” I sat up straight and looked to Rob with hope. He ran over to me and waited with bated breath. I prayed to God this was it.

  “Yeah, It’s a 500 square foot warehouse off the I90 near Rockford. It was bought I Lucy’s name a few weeks ago.”

  “That could be it Cal!” I cried.

  “What, what is it?” Rob asked anxiously.

  “A property in Lucy’s married name near Rockford, a warehouse.” Rob was on his laptop then, tapping the keys frantically.

  “Get him here and call Matt. This has to be it.” Rob said as he scribbled an address down.

  “Can you….?” I began.

  “I’m already on my way. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”

  “Thank you.” With that I hung up and called Matt. He answered quickly and I told him to get his ass back to the office right away.

  He and Cal both ran in together a few minutes later. Rob and I were already suiting up in bullet proof vests and gun holsters. I checked the barrel and chamber of my trusty Beretta M16 and holstered it at my right side. I had a smaller M9 in an ankle holster under my jean leg and Rob had the same. We helped Matt and Cal on with vests and they each had a Glock 19 at the small of their back. The guns were registered to Shepard security and Matt and Cal had become licensed employees during the course of the day, just to cover their backs in case.

  “We’re going in heavy. That fucker never gets back up when we leave. You all good with that?” Rob asked after we had all gone over the aerial photos of the location, so we knew what we were walking into. We all nodded, only too pleased at the thought of ending that psycho.

  “Let’s go get her Rob.” Matt added. We all headed out then, our mission clear. Kill Phil Greystone and bring Lucy home. I just prayed it would turn out that way.

  LUCY

  I woke up on the floor of the warehouse again, in agony, but this time a lot more. My arm laid limp beside me and when I moved to pull it up to my chest I cried out in horrific pain. My entire body throbbed, and I knew he had continued to beat me badly, even after I had slipped out of consciousness. My face was so swollen I could barely see anything and the tiny movement of my lips when I swallowed was agony. I forced myself to sit up, which took a Herculean effort in itself, but I did it. My left ankle, which Phil had stamped on, sat at the wrong angle and I suspected it might be broken too. My legs and arms were heavily bruised and covered with small cuts and gashes. The very familiar pain of fractured ribs stabbed at my right side and blood trickled down from my forehead into my eye. I had thought he would kill me. Maybe he thought he had. I certainly must have looked pretty dead when I was unconscious and in such a state.

  I heard the door open at the other end of the building again and I tried to brace myself. Now he would kill me. He came running in looking very frantic.

  “Get up!” He shouted. I just stared at him. Was he joking? There was no way I could make myself stand. He’d have to kill me where I lay.

  “I said get up!” He barked again and then he was unlocking the chain on my ankle. I cried out as the cuff was ripped from where it dug into me. He was dragging me to my feet then. He held me up by the tops of my arms and I was in complete agony, the likes of which I had never known.

  “Just fucking move you stupid bitch! I‘ve worked for weeks to get you back. You’re not getting away again. I have a lovely place all ready for you whore! You’ll stay where you belong this time!” He hissed into my ear. His words terrified me. Where the hell would he take me? It must have been close; he couldn’t take me back to England as a prisoner could he? There was no way he’d get away with that.

  Then I heard the first pop. Just like I had heard the night Rob got shot. It was a gunshot and I knew they had come for me. I heard another shot and all I could think was I had to get to them.

  “Mat
t!” I gasped hopefully.

  “Shit!” Phil panicked. “You have no chance bitch. I’ll kill you before I let you go again!”

  I took my opportunity, knowing my salvation was just outside the building, and turned on my heel to knee him as hard as I could in the groin. He wasn’t expecting it at all. He cried out in pain, released my arms and then stumbled back swearing and nursing his soft parts. It was a struggle to remain on my feet, especially since my left ankle was most likely broken, but I managed to stand through sheer determination.

  “HELP!” I screamed as loud as I possibly could, as I ran for the door of the warehouse fuelled my pure adrenaline. “HELP!” I ran through the door and into the harsh daylight. I looked around and saw Matt ahead.

  “MATT!” I screamed as loud as I could. My entire body was trembling and screaming out in pain, but I made myself try to run, I had to keep going. Matt saw me and started running too, but before he reached me Phil grabbed me from behind and held a gun to my head. Jack and Cal ran towards me along with Matt. They all stopped still a few feet back and stared at me with panic when Phil raised the gun to my head and stared at me. At least they were there. I wouldn’t die alone. The tears came then. I didn’t have any strength left. I was in agony and terrified I was about to die.

  “I love you guys!” I shouted tearfully. I wanted them to know, if that was it I wanted to say it.

  “It’s going to be ok Darling.” Matt called.

  “I don’t think it fucking is!” Phil hissed. “Stay back or I’ll shoot the whore!”

  “We’re staying back so just keep your head over there ok?” Cal said calmly.

  “I don’t want to die.” I sobbed desperately.

  “You are not going to die Lucy!” Jack said firmly. I could see them all trying to figure out how the hell to stop Phil, but he had me so close to him I knew there was nothing they could do.