Twisted Love (Stockholm Syndrome Series Book 1)

by R. Linda

  “But—”

  “This all comes down to you, love. You are the only one who’s been worth fighting for. I knew it the moment I walked into the bar after burying Amy’s body. I knew the moment you first smiled at me at school. And confirmed it the second you first sat down with me after one of your shifts. Going into that bar every night was my only option to end this once and for all. You were the only choice.” I sat up and grabbed Lucy’s hands in mine. “And it’s because of you, I’ve realised one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “This only ends one way. Ray has to die.” I’d thought a lot about it and it was the only conclusion. He would never give up.

  “We can’t kill him!”

  “I’m not asking you to. But, think about it. When you and Kat escape—”

  “And you as well, Hendrix. You’re coming with us.”

  “When we escape, Ray will run. He’s not going to hang around here long enough for the cops to find him. He’ll have a back-up plan. A way out. And he’ll run. Start fresh somewhere new where he’s unknown and the abductions will continue. The only way for this to end is for him to die.”

  It was something I’d been thinking about a lot while we were down here. There was no other way around it. Either Ray dies, or Lucy has to stay and give him a grandchild, and that sure as hell wasn’t happening.

  “Do you really think we can do this?” she asked softly, trying in vain to blink back the tears. I was surprised she was holding herself together so well after that conversation. “Escape?”

  “Yes, Lucy.” I reached up and cupped her face, gently wiping the tears rolling down her cheek. I had to be the voice of hope. Hope was all that was left. If she believed it and if Kat believed it, maybe we could really pull it off. I didn’t want to admit I was worried it wouldn’t work and that I’d end up getting them both killed, but I had to try to free them. “You will escape. I promise you.”

  “And you?” She shifted in the bed and moved closer to me, resting her head on my chest. “I’m not leaving without you and Kat. No one gets left behind with him.”

  “Sure. Me too,” I reassured her, even though I knew deep down that I probably wouldn’t make it out, but that didn’t matter. As long as Lucy and Kat were safe, nothing else mattered. Someone had to kill Ray.

  Hendrix

  “CAN I ASK you something?” Lucy asked when I walked back into the room from having a shower.

  “Haven’t we exhausted every question known to man?” It was all we’d been doing for the past two weeks. Asking each other everything. I knew Lucy’s entire life story, including that of her best friends and her jerk ex-boyfriends.

  She rolled her eyes and gestured to my bare chest, taking a step toward me. “It wasn’t until we were locked down here that I really thought about it,” she said softly.

  “What?”

  “Your tattoos. I mean, I never really saw much of them before because you were always fully dressed.” Her lips pulled up to the side in a half smile. She was right, I’d forgotten to put a shirt on a few times after my showers because that room was tiny and hard to dress in.

  “You want to know what they mean?” I asked, and she nodded, still staring at the ink that decorated my chest and right arm. I knew she’d ask eventually, but it didn’t mean I was prepared to answer her.

  She had moved closer and drifted around my side, taking in every detail of the poppies and black stippling that wove around my arm and moved over my chest. “It’s very beautiful.”

  “It is.”

  Her finger traced around one flower on my shoulder before she pulled her hand away, looking up at me apologetically. “I mean, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

  “It’s okay.” I took a deep breath and continued as her fingers slid over another poppy, sending a slight chill up my spine. “There are twenty poppies. One for each of the women I had to…” I stopped. For some reason I couldn’t say it. I couldn’t make the words come out of my mouth. One poppy for each of the women whose bodies I’d disposed of or had helped Ray dispose of. The words were there, but they were stuck in my throat. Maybe because Lucy was standing close, close enough to feel her body heat, tracing each and every one of the twenty poppies. I wasn’t sure. Maybe it was her shaky and uneven breathing that made me stop, not wanting to cause her any more hurt.

  “It’s a lovely tribute, Hendrix,” she said after a few moments of silence, her hand coming to a stop on the flower in the center of my chest. She looked up at me, her eyes glistening with tears and a sad smile on her face. And in that moment, she let her guard down, I could almost see the walls drop and crumble around her. She was standing there, her hand on my chest, unmoving, looking straight at me as though she finally understood. She knew that I never wanted to hurt her, that I cared for her, and that I was a victim of circumstance just as much as her.

  “It’s my way of remembering them. Honouring them and apologising for everything.” I placed my hand over hers and held it, sure she could feel my heart beating out of my chest, but I wasn’t ready to let her go yet. It was always a raw subject, but for some reason it was intensified right now and so much harder to talk about. Lucy was a comfort.

  A tear slipped down her cheek and I wiped it away, her face turning into my hand slightly. And that was where we stayed. Her hand to my chest, my hand cupping her face. I don’t know who moved first, but at some point, she tilted her head up and I lowered mine.

  Our lips met.

  And for the first time since I brought her home, things felt real. We’d kissed plenty of times in the past few months, but this was different. There was no Ray hovering in the background, watching our every move. We weren’t acting. There was no fear of pain or injury or death. There was only us. Raw. Open. Unguarded.

  I wasn’t naïve enough to think it actually meant anything, but just knowing that she wasn’t pushing me away, or hadn’t slapped my cheek was enough to let me think that just maybe she needed me—in her own way—as much as I needed her.

  Lucy moved closer, never once removing her palm from my chest. I lowered my hand that was still holding hers between us and wrapped it around her back, pressing her closer to me as the fingers of her other hand glided across my shoulder and around my neck.

  Her lips moved with mine and her body relaxed further into me, a soft sigh sounding from her. This was the way it was supposed to be. If I’d been born into a different family and had a normal father. Me and her. No fear. No hate. Just—

  The basement door opened, and Ray’s heavy footsteps could be heard stomping down the stairs. Lucy pushed against my chest and stepped back, making me reluctantly let her go. She had just straightened out her dress and was attempting to smooth down her hair as he barged into the ‘honeymoon suite’.

  “So, how was the honeymoon?” He chuckled. “Making good on that promise to give me a grandchild, I hope.” My whole body tensed at his words. More so, now after that kiss. Would Lucy take it the wrong way and think that I was trying to fulfil Ray’s plans? No. We were definitely not making good on that promise.

  “Yes, of course.” Lucy smiled, wrapping an arm tightly around my waist and kissing me on the mouth softly. What else could I do? I cupped her cheek and kissed her back, savouring every moment she gave me. Ray seemed a little shocked at her slightly more brazen behaviour. So was I, to be honest. The entire time we were locked down there, Lucy only showed affection occasionally for the camera, holding my hand or unintentionally curling up with me during the night. Even after that kiss, I didn’t think she’d be bold enough to do it again in front of Ray so easily. There was no hesitation.

  “Well, it looks like two weeks down here has done you two the world of good. Now, Lucy, get upstairs and help Kat with dinner. As for you, boy,” he pointed at me, “that washing machine is on its way out. I need you to fix it.” And with that, he turned around and walked back up the stairs.

  “I guess that’s it then. Back to normal; whatever that is.” Lucy sig
hed and closed her eyes. I pulled her in for a hug.

  “It’s going to be fine. We can do this. We just have to time it right. Go on upstairs and help Kat. I won’t be long,” I reassured her, refraining from kissing her and settling on a kiss on her head as she stepped out of my arms and began to walk away. “And, Lucy, remember he’s watching and listening to everything up there,” I reminded her. Her eyes widened in surprise as though she’d forgotten about that, but she nodded silently and made her way upstairs.

  Since Ray had redecorated the basement for the honeymoon, I couldn’t find any tools or anything of use to help me fix the machine. Everything had been moved around and put in different places. I searched through all the places I thought he might have moved the toolbox to but had no luck.

  I noticed a box, more like a chest, under the stairs, half covered by a blanket and wondered what it could be. I couldn’t remember ever seeing it before and was curious, but I pushed it out of my mind. Ray would beat me to a bloody pulp if he caught me snooping through his things, so I continued my hunt for the toolbox which I eventually found in the cupboard above the washing machine. Of course.

  I tinkered around with the washing machine for a while trying to work out what was wrong with it. Everything seemed to be working fine. I couldn’t find any problems, but just to be sure, I stripped the bed that Lucy and I had shared for two weeks and put the linen in the machine to wash while I waited to see if anything went wrong.

  The washing machine rumbled a few times but seemed okay. It was old. Noisy. But got the job done. My eyes fell on that chest again. I shouldn’t snoop, but it could be my only chance. With one last glance up the stairs to make sure the door was closed properly, I pulled the blanket back and pulled open the chest.

  It was caked in dust and made me sneeze when I lifted the lid, but I recovered quickly when I saw what was inside. Photos in frames, newspaper clippings, magazine articles. It was full of them. As I sifted through them all, I realised that Ray had kept a record of all the women he had abducted over the years. I counted more than twenty framed photos, each of a different woman, hundreds of magazine cut-outs and newspaper clippings all detailing the missing persons cases over the years. There were clippings on Kat and Lucy, and on my mother’s death. There were even pictures of me as a child. He’d kept everything.

  I sat on the floor of the basement reading everything, trying to make sense of it all until the washing machine groaned and spluttered to a stop. I rushed to place everything back into the chest when an article caught my eye. Picking it up, I could hardly believe what I was reading. I flinched when I heard the door to the basement open and Ray’s voice call out.

  “What the fuck are you doing down there?”

  I shoved the article into my pocket and rushed over to the washer just as Ray descended the stairs.

  Fuck, I was busted.

  I pulled open the lid and lifted out the linen, pretending to be busy. The tub was still full of water, so the machine wasn’t draining properly. It looked like the pump.

  “What’s all the racket?” he spat when he reached the bottom step.

  “I think it’s the pump. See.” I indicated to the inside of the machine to show him all the water. “It’s not draining the water.”

  “Well, fix the piece of shit and get your ass upstairs for dinner. Your sweet little wife has made a real delicious feast.” He smiled slyly before turning and stomping back up the stairs. I wanted to hit him. I wanted so badly to wrap my hands around his neck and squeeze until his eyes popped out of his skull, but I couldn’t. He was too powerful and much bigger than me.

  I quickly set to work, pulling out the pump and cleaning it. That was all it needed. Just a clean.

  Wiping off my hands, I made my way back up to the house. The smell of lasagne filled my nostrils as I stepped into the hall.

  The article was burning a hole in my pocket. I couldn’t stop thinking about what I had just seen. I knew Ray was fucked in the head, but I never thought he’d stoop to that—Ray had abducted a child. I couldn’t remember him ever bringing a child home. My mind raced and my thoughts swirled. I was giving myself a headache trying to figure it out. Maybe it was when I was really young; there were a lot of women I couldn’t really remember over the years, so maybe I just forgot the child. Or maybe I had a sibling who had been kidnapped and Ray had kept all the news updates. Maybe that was why he did what he did. I found it hard to believe Ray had abducted one child but never did so again. It didn’t fit. He wasn’t one to stop. But, I’d have to wait until I had a chance to read the article properly.

  Lucy and Kat were in the kitchen serving everything up as I walked in. They were smiling and seemed almost happy. They were getting so good at pretending; it was almost hard for me to tell the difference now.

  “You fixed it then?” Lucy asked with a smile when she turned around and saw me watching.

  “Yeah.” I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to smooth out the crease between my eyebrows. I was thinking too hard, which was obvious. Someone would notice.

  “Are you okay, Hendrix?” Lucy came over and placed her hand on my arm. That simple gesture was comforting enough for me. I relaxed slightly. I liked that Lucy was getting more comfortable in my presence each day. Ray was right, two weeks down there did us the world of good.

  “I'm fine.” I smiled and noticed her glance over my shoulder. That could only mean one thing—Ray was there. “Just missed you.” It was cheesy and over the top, but I needed Ray not to suspect anything was up. I had to act normal and not let on that anything was bothering me. I needed to forget the paper in my pocket and focus on helping the girls escape. Lucy caught on quickly and stood up on her toes.

  “I missed you too,” she whispered as she pressed her lips to mine. They were soft and warm and sent a tingle down my spine. I was in deep. Too deep.

  “You two are very sweet.” Kat laughed nervously, trying to ease the tension. “But enough of that. Dinner is ready, so go and sit. Lucy and I will bring it in.”

  Hendrix

  AFTER DINNER, LUCY and Kat returned to the kitchen to clean up while I followed Ray into the living room for an after-dinner brandy. I didn’t even know he drank brandy, let alone think he’d ever want to share one with me. I was on edge. My stomach was rolling at the thought of him planning something.

  He had to be.

  He was never this generous or sincere unless he was plotting something. He lit the fire and stood by the mantel piece, staring at the wall for a few moments. He was acting weird, and I wanted to know why. Before I had the chance to ask him, he turned to face me.

  “Now, I made a few changes to the house while you were living a life of luxury on your honeymoon, boy,” he said, reaching into his pocket for a cigar. A life of luxury? It was far from luxury being locked in the basement for two weeks, but I kept my mouth shut. No need to piss him off—yet.

  “As you’ll see if you pay careful attention, I’ve had microphones installed.”

  I cleared my throat and gazed around the room. In every corner of the ceiling was a camera. I’d noticed them in the hall when I came upstairs, and in the dining room too. “Why?” I asked, although I knew the answer.

  “To keep an eye on you little shits better. There were cameras all over the house, but now I can hear everything too.” He smiled proudly and continued to tell me that not one room was left out, not even the bathroom. We had no privacy. At all.

  Except the basement where Lucy and I now lived.

  “If that’s what you feel is best,” I agreed with him, smiling smugly.

  “It is and don’t worry, son, the basement is getting done tomorrow, along with a few extra cameras too.” He smiled. “Didn’t want to disturb the baby-making moon. Gotta make sure I can keep an eye on my grandchild.”

  And just like that, all hope I had was lost. How the hell were we going to escape if he was watching and listening to everything in every room of the house? How was I going to finish reading that article
unless I did it tonight? I couldn’t hide the article from Lucy, but I wasn’t sure I wanted her to know that Ray had stooped so low as to abduct a child at one point in time.

  After the girls had finished clearing the dishes, Ray called them into the living room. He wanted to hear all about the honeymoon just like any loving parent would. Lucy hesitated as she walked into the room not knowing what to expect, so I reached out my hand and called her over. “Come sit, love.” She sat next to me on the sofa and curled into my side just as Kat did exactly the same with Ray.

  “Now, tell us about your honeymoon. Did you enjoy it? Make the most of the time?” Ray winked in Lucy’s direction and licked his lips.

  “Yes, sir,” I answered, wrapping a protective arm around Lucy in an attempt to stop her from trembling.

  “And?” Ray urged me to continue.

  “And it was wonderful just spending time with my wife. Quality time,” I continued, “Wasn’t it, love?”

  “Yes, it was very relaxing and romantic,” Lucy answered, keeping her eyes locked on mine. I could see how nervous she was with the line of questioning and I knew she was worried about the pills.

  “Did you like my gift, boy?” Ray laughed.

  “Yes, absolutely. Used them just like you said.” I winked at him and immediately wanted to take a shower. I felt dirty just acting the way he did and for letting him believe I’d done that to Lucy.

  “Excellent. Shouldn’t be long then.” Ray clapped his hands together. “Well, you two best be off to bed. It’s getting late and you’ve got work again in the morning, boy. Everyone will want to hear about your wedding and honeymoon. I let word slip that you went to Canada to ski.”

  “Canada, right.” I nodded as I stood up and pulled Lucy with me. “Well, good night.”

  We walked downstairs together quietly, neither one of us wanting to speak in case he decided to watch the cameras, or at least listen to the audio. From here on out, there would be next to no speaking to each other, which was going to make it incredibly difficult to put the escape plan in motion.