by Ruby Forrest
He seemed to be able to do this to her without a second thought and it was already driving Mary-Ann mad. She grabbed him his coffee and headed outside.
Alister was standing there, at the balcony, and he was still smoking. There was tension in his shoulders, and his jaw, but the rest of his pose couldn’t have looked more relaxed and at ease. Mary-Ann felt a breathless little jolt move through her. No matter how angry she was- she couldn’t deny that he was just gorgeous, in every way.
In the morning light, smoking as he took in the view… it was different from how she had seen him last night and different from work. Mary-Ann realized, with a jolt, that she could get used to this, get used to seeing him here in the mornings, while she brought out coffee….
Mary-Ann pushed the thought out of her mind, frustrated at herself. She was angry at him, and she barely knew him. She had no time for such a stupid thoughts, of long term relationships. That was ridiculous. She handed him his coffee and he took it slowly, their fingers brushing.
“Thank you.” He was looking into her eyes and Mary-Ann felt, not for the first time, that she could very easily get lost in his depths, lost in the color that swirled around, and encompassed so much emotion and yet revealed nothing at all.
So wild, yet so controlled. Mary-Ann held back a shiver and nodded, “You’re welcome.”
Alister took a long sip of his coffee. He seemed to be considering something, although Mary-Ann had no idea what that might be. Then he lowered his coffee cup and looked at Mary-Ann, “You should call your father.”
His words were so sudden and so unexpected. Mary-Ann felt a jolt move through her and she wasn’t sure why, “My father?” Mary-Ann frowned, confused. What did Alister know about her father and why the heck did that even matter right now? Especially in a discussion about her not going to work.
Alister nodded, “Call him. Let him know.”
“Let him know what?” Mary-Ann was struggling to keep up with his change in tone and suggestion.
“Let him know you’re going to work. Let him know about the attack. Let him know I suggest you don’t leave the house.” Alister shrugged, “All of it.”
Mary-Ann blushed, “Why would I let him know all of that? It would just stress and worry him and, besides, there’s no reason for me to stay home. Even my dad would agree with me on that.”
Alister nodded thoughtfully, “Then surely a second opinion couldn’t hurt? Just…humor me.”
Mary-Ann had the nagging feeling that there was more to it than that, more to it than she had been let in on. The thought send concern swirling around her gut and she wasn’t sure what to do. Did she call her dad and let him know about all this madness? Did she follow another one of Alister’s suggestions? Or did she just go to work and pretend that this hadn’t happened?
Something about Alister’s suggestion was ringing true with her, though, no matter how hard she tried to ignore it. Calling her dad couldn’t hurt. He’d agree with her, she would be validated and maybe that would stop Alister from worrying too. Then she could finally get to work and start her day off a little bit better.
“Fine.” She snapped.
Mary-Ann wasn’t sure if she imagined it or not, but she swore she saw Alister smirk. He sure as heck looked satisfied.
Chapter 7
Mary-Ann glared through the window as she grabbed her phone. She would show him. Just because she had been in trouble last night, did not mean she had to avoid work entirely this morning. Steeling herself for the phone call, Mary-Ann dialed her father’s number.
He picked up on the second ring, “Mary-Ann! How are you?”
He sounded cheerful, but Mary-Ann noted that there was an edge to his voice, “Hi dad. Did I get you at a bad time?”
“No, no, not at all. How are you?”
Mary-Ann smiled and settled, sinking into the couch to talk, “Dad, I, uh…I have a bit of an unusual question to ask you.”
“Oh?” He sounded curious, concerned.
“Yes. Look, uh….” Now that she was actually on the phone with him, it was turning out to be a lot more difficult than she had imagined it would be. What if he did freak out? She took a deep breath. Her dad was sensible, after all. Everything would work out just fine.
“Last night, on the way home from work, this guy tried to threaten me…” She mumbled the last past, “Nothing major. He didn’t hurt me, or anything.” She knew that she was downplaying the whole thing, but it didn’t matter. She didn’t want to freak him out and, in the cold light of morning, last nights attack didn’t feel quite so terrifying.
“Alister, a guy from work, noticed and told the guy to get lost.” She smiled and hoped that it seeped into her voice and reassured her father, “I was just wondering what you think of me going to work today…” Mary-Ann trailed off, “Alister thinks I should stay home, but that’s ridiculous…I mean, it was a one off. Why should that stop me from going to work, right?” She laughed, but the sound was uneasy even to her own ears.
Her father was silent for a moment, “Mary-Ann…” His voice was slow and measured, and she could hear the concern in it, “If you were attacked, then maybe taking a day off wouldn’t be such a bad thing…”
Mary-Ann couldn’t believe it. Her dad was agreeing with Alister! She didn’t know why, but this sent a jolt of unease through her, “What?”
“Well, it won’t hurt to take a day off. I’m sure work would completely understand, given the circumstances…”
“Dad, that is insane!” Mary-Ann felt anger flutter in her chest. She had wanted her father to be on her side in this argument, not against her, and siding with Alister. She rubbed her face and took a deep breath, “Look, I need this job. You know how hard I worked for it…”
“I know, Mary-Ann, I know…but your safety is far more important….maybe you should listen to Alister…”
The thought of being told to listen to Alister inflamed Mary-Ann more than she had thought possible. She sighed and felt the frustration twist and coil around her chest, “Thank you, dad.” She knew that she sounded a bit clipped, but she couldn’t stand the thought of her dad wanting her to stay home too.
No one was seeing any sense and Mary-Ann refused to let last night scare her and color her work week. She was a professional and she was going to act like it.
“Talk to Alister about it, okay?” Her father pressed and Mary-Ann sighed.
“I will. I promise. I love you, dad.” There was no point acting angry towards him. He was just worried about her, but Mary-Ann was already late and in no mood to continue along this train of thought.
“I love you too, Mary-Ann.”
Mary-Ann put the phone down and stormed into her bedroom. She got changed, dressing in simple pants and a blouse, throwing a jacket over her shoulder and grabbing her bag. She headed out to the balcony and opened the door.
Alister was looking at her curiously, his eyes burning as he took in her clothing, “So?”
“So, I promised my father that I would talk to you about this…so here’s my talk. I’m going to work today whether you like it or night, regardless of what you, or my father say.” She shut the door with a slam and hurried out of her apartment, taking the stairs two at a time and heading to the bus stop. This was ridiculous. Mary-Ann was not about to live the rest of her life in fear.
She wasn’t going to let this scare her, or stop her and she wasn’t going to be pushed around by anyone, no matter how great their intentions were. She took a deep breath and looked up at the storm clouds that were gathering up above, feeling the impending thunder tumble in the clouds.
Mary-Ann swallowed back the feeling of dread and kept her eyes fixed firmly in front of her. She had almost expected Alister to follow her, to try and keep talking her out of it. She felt unsettled that, despite his insistence before, he had just dropped it when she left. At the same time, though, she felt a spike of victory move through her. Maybe he had just seen sense, seen the merit in her argument.
She was right, after all, and there was no reason for her to worry about it all. Mary-Ann nodded to herself, settling the thoughts in her head. Her father was just being protective and Alister was concerned as well. She respected that, but they had to respect that she was a grown woman capable of making her own choices. That was all that there was to it.
As the bus pulled up, Mary-Ann was feeling a lot better in herself, feeling a lot more settled in what she had decided. She grabbed her bag and stood up, making her way to the bus. She chose a spot close to the back, and settled down into the seat, letting her eyes drift to the window. She would apologize at work and make sure that they knew why she was late. She’d get back to it and she would talk to her dad again later.
As for Alister…he was probably angry at her for this. The thought sent a pang of hurt through Mary-Ann. She didn’t want to be on bad terms with him, but he needed to understand where she was coming from.
She had made her choice and she was determined to press on with it.
Chapter 8
The bus ride passed uneventfully for the most part. Mary-Ann spend most of the time staring out of the window and contemplating what had happened and how her day at work might go. She was just rehearsing her explanation for being late, when the bus shuddered to a halt. She didn’t think much of it, didn’t even look up.
A few moments later, the bus started up again. Mary-Ann was lulled into a comfortable sense of security, but that was broken as quickly as it had come. She heard screaming coming from in front of her and she immediately shifted to have a look, her heart catching.
“Shut up!” A man was yelling, standing in front of the bus. His face was covered by the hoodie that he was wearing, pulled low, but Mary-Ann wasn’t looking at his face. She was looking at his right hand, where he held a gun.
Mary-Ann didn’t know anything about handguns, but this one looked powerful and, worst of all, the man who was holding it looked like he knew how to wield it, looked like he knew how to use it. Mary-Ann felt sick, felt like her world was spinning.
Why was there a man on the bus with a gun? Why was he standing in the middle of the bus barking orders to the passengers? Why was this happening on her commute to work? Mary-Ann felt dread sink into her stomach. Suddenly, and without a shadow of a doubt, Mary-Ann knew that she shouldn’t have left the house today.
She should have stayed home, should have listened to Alister and her father. She didn’t know why she felt that now, but she did, the thought sticking out in her mind like a thorn, tearing and aching.
And suddenly, Mary-Ann knew that she was in danger.
“Stay down!” He man snarled. He sounded tense, but there was a vicious ease in his voice. He was used to this and he was supremely confident that this would work. He scanned the bus, his eyes coming to rest on Mary-Ann’s seat. She shrank back, wanting to stay out of his site. There was no reason for her to be a target, no reason for her to be frightened or worried that something would happen to her, personally. She was just a passenger on a bus and the sense of danger was perfectly natural and not in any way personal.
Then the man pulled his hoodie back and Mary-Ann caught a glimpse of his face. It was the man from last night.
Horror and dread filled her as she stared into his eyes, meeting his gaze. She could feel the danger, feel the hatred pouring off him in waves. He was here to hurt her. The thought jolted through her mind. It was clear as day. He was here for her.
“Get up.” He growled.
Mary-Ann was frozen. Even though she had a gun pointed at her head, she couldn’t move. Panic was coursing through her and she didn’t know how to take a step, how to breathe. She didn’t know how to shift at all.
Then he shifted and pointed the gun at a woman across the aisle, “Get up, Mary-Ann.”
Mary-Ann. He knew her name. The sight of him pointing a gun at someone else kicked Mary-Ann into motion. He wouldn’t let someone else get shot just because she was terrified out of her mind. Mary-Ann couldn’t think, couldn’t process what was happening. It was impossible. But she could still move. She had to move.
With shaky hands, she gripped the chair and pushed herself up. Her limbs were shaking and she didn’t know how she was moving forward. But she did. She took a step, and then another, until she was face to face with him, face to face with her attacker, the man that had threatened her life and was now threatening the lives of everyone on this bus.
“Good choice.” He grabbed her by the arm. His grip was strong, easily as strong as Alister’s. But where Alister gripped her gently, mindful not to hurt her with his strength, this man didn’t care at all.
He gripped her hard enough to bruise and Mary-Ann felt her arm throb with pain. With a snort, he pulled her down the bus and Mary-Ann couldn’t do anything but follow. No one dared to move with the gun pointed at them, no one dared to shift, and why would they? They didn’t know Mary-Ann. They were just going about their daily lives, not expecting to be upended in such a terrible way.
Mary-Ann hadn’t expected it either. She hadn’t expected the nightmare from last night to come back, hadn’t expected him to be right there on her morning commute, and to drag her off the bus.
That was insane. This was insane. Mary-Ann felt terror jolt through her mind. He was after her. He specifically wanted her and he had hunted her down. He had hunted her down and she had let him.
“Don’t move, don’t call the cops, or I swear I will find you and I will shoot you.” He snarled, challenging each and every passenger on the bus. Then he turned his gaze on the bus driver, “Drive. Keep on your route. Don’t stop until you’re at the depo and don’t tell a damn soul about this!”
Danger dripped from every word, his tone heavy with anger and hate. He meant it. He meant it and he was completely insane. Mary-Ann didn’t know what he was planning, and she didn’t care. She just wanted to get the hell out of here.
Instead, she had to watch the bus drive away. He had shifted the gun and Mary-Ann felt it press against her body, hidden by his jacket in the busy street, “If you scream, you’re dead.”
Mary-Ann felt tears prick her eyes and terror turn her stomach. She had no choice. Until she figured a way out of here, she would have to do what he said.
Chapter 9
Mary-Ann felt her heart pounding in her chest as the man closed his hand tighter around her arm and lead her towards a car. Mary-Ann swallowed deeply, feeling the panic kick into overdrive. If she got into that car, then she was finished. She wouldn’t be able to get out and run away, wouldn’t have a chance to escaping. She thought about running, but the feeling of the gun pressed against her body made her stop and reconsider. She knew that, to move, was to invite death and Mary-Ann would have to think of another way to escape.
She took a deep breath. When he opened the car, she slid inside. He shut and locked it and, when she looked, she noticed that there was no door handle on the inside. She was trapped. He walked around to the driver’s seat and shut his door too, turning the engine on. It roared to life and he adjusted the gun on his lap.
He glanced over at her and Mary-Ann could feel the danger, the hate, rolling off him, “You’re going to help me, Mary-Ann.” He smiled, “But first, you’re going to sit down and shut up and no try anything funny.” He snarled quietly.
“Don’t get any ideas, because I can grab this gun before you can move an inch. And if the bullet doesn’t finish you off, I’ll rip your throat out.”
The threat was so vicious, so horrific, that Mary-Ann didn’t know what to do except nod, and keep her head down. She would have to find a chance to escape, take a chance when she saw an opening. She would have to bide her time, and wait until they were at a gas station, or he fell asleep. She swallowed back the panic. She could only hope that they travelled for long enough for her to get an opening like that. Because if she didn’t….Mary-Ann didn’t even want to entertain that.
She wished, with a surging rush of emotion, that she h
ad listened to Alister and her father, and stayed home. She didn’t know why this had happened, or if either of them had any ideas about it, but regardless, if she had stayed home, this would not have happened. She would not have gotten caught by this horrible man, would not have been subjected to this horrible experience.
She would be safe and home, taking some time off. Mary-Ann blinked back the tears and pushed the thoughts out of her mind. Thoughts like that would not help her get out of this situation. Thoughts like that could not help her through this, or help her find an opening. She would have to stay alert and stay sharp, if she wanted to get out of this mess. It was all that Mary-Ann could hope for.
He didn’t waste time pulling out into the streets, driving at the speed limit. He was clearly in a hurry but not in the mood to attracted attention to himself. Mary-Ann almost wished that he would get caught for speeding, just so that she could have an opportunity to get the heck out of this.
It wasn’t until he started nearing the edge of the city, that Mary-Ann started to feel real dread sink into her body. If he was leaving the city, than she was done for. She had heard stories like this. Stories of men taking women out into the outskirts and killing them. They were never found again, or found weeks later when it was far too late.
The horror stories played around her head, making her feel sick and dizzy with the possibility. All she had wanted to do today was to go to work. She had wanted to do a good job at her workplace, make sure that she kept the job she was growing to love. She had wanted to do the right thing and now…now she was in a horrible situation, where her life was in serious danger. She swallowed deeply, feeling the panic ache in her chest.
She had a feeling that her situation was even worse than she had first though, and she didn’t see a way out. She slid her eyes to look at her attacker. He was a big man, with power radiating off him. He reminded her of Alister, in a way, in the barely restrained power.
