by L. P. Dover
All I knew was that the darkness was taking me … fast.
Thirty-One
I could hear Daniel scrambling around, but I couldn’t see a thing. My eyelids were too heavy to open and I couldn’t move my body. I was lying on a bed until I felt hands wrapping around my waist and then being hauled again over his shoulder. I was nauseous and I would’ve given anything to have the world stop spinning. My head ached, but there was one emotion that I could feel above all else … anger.
He was going to pay for what he did to me.
I heard a car door being opened, and then I was laid out on the backseat. I was expecting to be thrown, but thankfully Daniel had a little bit of decency left in him. I still couldn’t move or I would’ve attempted to get out of the car. My only hope was that Brett heard my struggle on the phone before Daniel smashed it up against the wall.
While Daniel was driving he called someone on his phone sounding frantic, but I could only hear his side of the conversation. “Jacob, get out of my house now. The police were going to arrest me tonight and if they find out you helped me then you’re next. You know where to meet me. I’ll be driving so it’ll take me longer to get there.”
He paused to listen, and I could hear the voice of the other person over the line, screaming. Daniel growled, “You were the one who helped me jackass. I can’t help it you accepted the money. That’s your own fucking fault. Listen, do what you want, but I’m getting out of here.”
He slammed the phone down in the console. “Idiot,” he mumbled.
It wasn’t long before we parked and I was being hauled out of the car. Daniel carried me in his arms this time and I didn’t dare open my eyes for fear he would see. The moment he opened the door to where we were at I knew exactly where he had taken me. The smell of apples and cinnamon was my favorite, and it was the only fragrance I ever used in my home.
How the hell did he get a key to my house? I had the locks changed as soon as he was completely moved out, and I know he didn’t have time to get my keys because I didn’t have them on me.
He carried me up the stairs and I knew exactly where he was going … my bedroom. Laying me on the bed, I slowly opened my eyes to see him moving my favorite arm chair out of the way in the corner. What was he doing? When I reached up to wipe the hair off my face, I realized I was still wearing the watch on my wrist that Mason gave me; the one with the tracking device in it. If I kept it on he’d be able to find me no matter where Daniel took me. I just hope he started looking for me soon.
Once the chair was out of the way, Daniel took a knife out of his pocket and jammed it into a crease in the hardwood floor. When the boards loosened, he pulled out stacks and stacks of cash and loaded them in a duffle bag off to his side. Without looking at me, he sighed. “I know you’re awake, baby. Look, I’m sorry I had to put you out but it was necessary. I had no way of getting you out of the party without alerting your cousin, and of course your boyfriend, who you neglected to tell me you were still seeing. Shame on you by the way.”
Groaning, I sat up on the bed, and clutched my aching skull. “I had no choice, Daniel,” I hissed. “What did you expect after you threatened me? For me to just sit here and do nothing?”
He picked up the bag full of money and glared at me. “I knew you wouldn’t just sit there, but I didn’t know you’d actually have the balls to come clean with Brett. Either he’s just mesmerized with you in bed or he’s really in love with you.”
I rolled my eyes. “He’s in love with me, Daniel. Something you never were.”
He chuckled. “Why do you think I went through all this trouble to get you back? It may be in my own way, but I do still love you. That’s why you’re coming with me. I’ll even forgive you for betraying me.” He seriously was delusional.
He quickly ambled over to my dresser and started packing some of my clothes in one of my suitcases. “Are you crazy? I’m not going anywhere with you,” I snapped angrily.
He continued to throw clothes into my luggage. “You don’t have a choice. You see, you’re a part of this now. If I go down, you go down with me. What do you think the authorities will say about the bank account in your name? All I have to say is that you were in on this whole thing with me and it’ll be your word against mine. Your cousin might not be able to get you out of this one. Not to mention the stolen money you had stashed away in your room,” he added slyly.
Sliding off the bed, I tried to stand on my feet, but they buckled underneath me. Daniel caught me in his arms and steadied me on my feet. “Believe it or not, baby, you’re coming with me; even if I have to drag you out of this house kicking and screaming. Although, I can always knock you out again and take you that way,” he suggested. “Is that what you want?”
And he would do it, too. I was no match against him and if I fought I knew I would lose. As much as I considered myself as strong as the heroine fighters I read about, I also knew that I didn’t want to be knocked out right now. I needed to make sure I knew exactly where we were going and figure out a way to get away. I couldn’t rely on the watch to save me.
Lifting my chin, I glowered at him and snatched my bag out of his hands. I grabbed a long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans to change into. When I went into the bathroom, Daniel followed me.
“This is absolutely ridiculous,” I mumbled under my breath. I changed quickly while Daniel stared at me like a starved animal. I also packed a few of my toiletries even though I knew I wasn’t going to need them. If everything went smoothly, we probably wouldn’t even be leaving my driveway.
When we got outside, Daniel pressed the key fob to crank up the car. It was one I didn’t recognize as being his, and when he caught me staring at it, he chuckled. “I bought it so it couldn’t be traced by the license plate. So when it’s scanned it’ll come up as Andrew Whitaker.” When I glared at him, he winked and gave me an evil smile and shrugged. “Hey, I was prepared.”
He hastily opened the door to the silver BMW M5 and pushed me in, slamming the door behind me. My eyes went wide when I noticed it was a manual transmission vehicle. It’s a good thing I learned to drive one. When I had time to compose myself, he was already in the car and speeding us out of the driveway. The second we got to the main road, he slowed down and drove the speed limit, downshifting to a lower gear.
“Where exactly are we going?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
Daniel scoffed, “Like I’m going to tell you that. Just sit tight and enjoy the ride. You might as well get used to it because you’re going to be with me for a long time, baby.”
The thought made me shudder. “What if I don’t get used to it? What will you do with me then? Do you really think I can live a happy life with you on the run? Are you really that delusional?”
Daniel clenched his jaw and gripped the steering wheel with a punishing force. His anger radiated through the small space of the car, and for the first time in my life I was seeing a completely new side to him. I had never seen him really angry or coiled up so tight, and I was never afraid of him until now. He swerved over to the side of the back country road we were on and slammed on the brakes, making me jolt forward. I felt like I was going to throw up from the sudden onset of stopping.
I gasped when he grabbed a hand full of my hair and jerked my head back. His dark brown eyes looked black as night as he pierced me with his gaze. His voice was low and menacing when he growled in my ear, “I’m not delusional, Melissa. I’m impatient. I don’t think you want to see what I’ll do if you disobey me. I’ve tried to get you back being the nice guy, but you’re too fucking stubborn to see that I love you and that I can give you everything you want. When will it be enough?”
My scalp burned with his insistent tugging and it immediately drew tears to my eyes. What have I gotten myself in to? The tears fell and I couldn’t stop the whimper from releasing from my lips. The last thing I wanted was to appear weak; I was not weak. When Daniel’s eyes cleared he blinked rapidly and swiftly let go of my hair, pulling me to him in
the process.
“Oh my God, baby, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me. You have to know that I don’t want to hurt you, except you drive me so crazy when you push me away. You loved me before and I know you can do it again. Yeah, our situation isn’t conventional, but we can live happily for the rest of our lives. Just wait … you’ll see.”
Holy shit, he’s crazy. He has literally lost it and talking nonsense. Wide-eyed, I stared at the man before me who used to be my husband, but was now a complete psychopath. Mason told me stories of people and what they did when they were desperate, that they could turn into completely different people. Taking a deep breath, I swallowed hard and whispered, “Daniel, are you even listening to yourself? We will constantly be on the run. The police just aren’t going to forget about what you did. There will never be peace.”
He turned away and clenched his jaw, the muscle ticking in his cheek as if it was a time bomb about to explode. I needed to tread carefully.
“Please let me go,” I cried softly. “Deep down I know you don’t want to force me to do this.”
Abruptly, he let me go and pressed on the gas, squealing the tires as he swerved back on the road. “I’m sorry, Mel, but I need you with me. It has …” Before he could finish his sentence, his cell phone rang. When he pulled it out of his back pocket and looked down, he sighed. “It’s my sister.”
“You might as well answer it, Daniel. You’re not ever going to see her again,” I said, starting to feel nervous and scared for the first time. If by some chance I couldn’t be found, I wondered if I’d ever see the people I loved again. The thought of never feeling Brett’s arms around me made my chest tighten in fear. Maybe his sister could talk some sense into him.
The phone kept ringing in Daniel’s hand, and I’d almost given up hope he’d answer it until finally he did. I breathed a sigh of relief when I could hear Claire’s voice come through the line. Daniel put it on speakerphone so we could both listen while he drove.
“Why hello there little sister,” Daniel greeted.
“Where are you at?” she hissed. “If you don’t bring Melissa back they’re going to charge you for kidnapping, among other things.”
“How do you know I have Melissa? She could be anywhere right now.”
Claire snapped, “Don’t play stupid with me, Daniel. I know she’s with you because I was here at your house. I know everything you’ve done and what you were planning to do with my land. How could you do that to me? You sent me off so you could start this project and leave me in the dark. If you would’ve discussed it with me we might’ve been able to come up with a plan together, but you chose to be the arrogant shit you are and take advantage of me, thinking you can control everything.”
Daniel glared at me and gritted his teeth again. I didn’t like it when he did that. “Well, dear sister, you don’t have to worry about that anymore now do you? It’s all yours so congratulations,” he remarked sarcastically.
I could hear a commotion in the background, but Claire came back on the line. “If you bring Melissa back unharmed then I’ll give you all the land you want. I’ll get it put in writing.”
“No,” I shouted. “Don’t you dare do that.”
Immediately, Claire gasped and cried, “Oh my God, Melissa, are you okay? Everyone is so worried about you.”
“She’s fine,” Daniel growled. “And I can’t accept your offer because it doesn’t mean shit to me anymore. It’s too late. Melissa and I will be disappearing for good here shortly once we get out of the states.”
It was my turn to gasp, but then my breath seized up when I heard Brett yell over the phone. His voice didn’t even sound like his, all gravelly and deep, laced with violence. “Like hell you are you fucking prick. When I find you you’re going to wish you were dead.”
Daniel burst out laughing. “Well, well, if it isn’t the ex-lover come to save the day. Sorry, Mr. Walker, but you’ll never find us and neither will Melissa’s sorry excuse for a cousin. You’re more than welcome to say your last good-bye’s to her, though.”
“Brett,” I whispered, trying hard to hold back the tears. Daniel tried to touch my cheek, but I slapped his hand away and glared at him.
“We’re going to find you, baby. In time we will find you. Just hold out as long as you can. I need you to trust me.” He paused. “I love you, firecracker.”
Before I could respond and tell Brett I loved him too, Daniel clamped his hand over my mouth. Angrily, I clawed at his hand and screamed, but it didn’t deter him one bit. “Don’t worry, Brett, I’ll make sure to take good care of her. Just know that each night she’s away from you I’m going to enjoy her in my bed. She’ll be screaming my name … not yours.” I shook my head violently to loosen his hand from my mouth, but his strong grip was unwavering.
“So help me God you better not fucking touch her!” Brett roared.
“Too late, loverboy. I’m touching her now and she loves it.”
All I could hear after that was Brett’s violent outburst before Daniel rolled down the window and tossed his phone out of the car, shattering it into a million pieces on the desolate highway. Daniel finally took his hand away from my mouth.
“Why wouldn’t you let me talk to him?” I screamed.
Daniel rolled his eyes and shook his head, exasperated. “I didn’t want to hear you two going on and on about how much you love each other. You’re supposed to love me, not him.”
In the state he was in there was no arguing with him. I wasn’t going to win no matter what I said. “What about my family and my job, Daniel? You’re taking me away from everything. Don’t you know how unhappy that’ll make me? I thought you wanted me to be happy with you.”
He sighed and kept his eyes on the road. “It’s for the best. You’ll see that I’m right in time.”
Oh my God, he has completely lost it, I thought to myself. Turning away from him, I laid my head against the window and gazed down at the watch on my wrist. It was the only thing that was going to keep me sane. It was my only comfort … my only hope.
Thirty-Two
After three hours of nonstop driving, a screaming bladder, and an empty gas tank, Daniel finally decided to pull over at a rest stop and give me a break. He parked by the gas tank and got out of the car to open my door. I groaned when he took my hand and wrapped his arm around my waist as we walked inside the station.
Daniel smirked and leaned over to whisper in my ear, “You didn’t honestly think I’d let you go in the store by yourself now did you?”
“Are you going to watch me pee, too?” I asked sarcastically.
“Tempting,” he teased. “But no. I have no desire to watch you take a piss. I’ll get us something to eat and drink while you’re in there and then we’ll be on our way.”
Once inside the store, the bathrooms were just off to the left. Daniel walked me over and opened the door for me. “You have three minutes, Mel. Make it quick.”
The second he sidled away, I shut the door and locked it. I used the bathroom quickly and cringed when I saw my face in the mirror. I had makeup smudged under my eyes and my hair looked like it hadn’t been brushed in a week. I combed my fingers through it and splashed water on my face to wash the makeup off. As I sat there staring at the haunted reflection in my eyes in the mirror, a flash of light caught my attention.
How did I not notice the window!
Up above, there was a small window, that if I stood on the toilet seat I could probably reach. Immediately, I scrambled into the stall and stood on the nasty toilet seat that I just had to squat over to use. The window was one of those that could push out, but not fully open. I could squeeze through, except I knew it would take more than a minute to do so. Daniel would soon be pounding on that bathroom door in just one second.
Undoing the latch to the window, I gently pushed it open and it gave. The cool night breeze flew into the bathroom, and I could already taste my freedom. It was so close. Turning around, I put my back to the wall and extended
my arms outside so I could grasp onto the edge. It was a good thing pull ups were my specialty in gym class. Once I had a firm grip on the ledge of the window, I began lifting myself up. As I slid across the edge it tore through my shirt, and scraped across my bare skin underneath. I hissed as the burn from my straining muscles and the searing pain of my torn skin radiated throughout my entire body. When I was halfway out, a loud knock sounded on the bathroom door.
“Shit, shit, shit. Come on, Melissa, you can do this,” I whispered to myself. I was so close.
Another loud knock.
“Melissa, are you okay in there?” Daniel asked, sounding agitated. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing,” I growled. “Can I not have a little privacy?”
Gritting my teeth, I pulled myself the rest of the way out of the window and collapsed onto the ground for a few seconds to catch my breath. Except, now my problem was where was I going to go? Being in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night all by myself was probably a bigger risk than taking my chances with Daniel. All I knew was that it was a risk I was going to take.
Looking around, my only option to hide was the woods out behind the rest stop. With my luck I’d probably get eaten by some wild animal and then this whole getaway attempt would be for nothing. Slowly, I made my way toward the back of the building, and when it was all clear I took off for the woods.
My feet pounded hard on the wet, muddy ground as I raced to my freedom and yet through a set of dangerously looking woods. I could barely see since the moon overhead was shadowed by a sheen of clouds not to mention the thick canopy of trees that blocked it out as well. My lungs hurt from the cold bite of the wind so I stopped to take a break and slumped against a tree.
“I’m free,” I whispered.
