by Lauren Wood
So if he walked up and knocked on the door, perhaps this guy inside would think it was their partner. Colin got to the front of the cabin. Obviously there were no hideouts in the forest, or Colin would have been shot with an arrow already.
This was a small operation of that he was sure.
He put his fist up to the door and knocked.
“I’m coming.” He heard the man state inside.
As the door opened Colin was ready, the man didn’t know what hit him. Colin wanted to make sure he didn’t kill the man, to find out if there were more people involved. Because he planned to track each and every one down and make them pay for this.
Colin knocked him out and tied him up. Quickly he untied Sarah and asked her. “Did he hurt you at all?”
“No but he said something about money first before releasing me.” Sarah told him.
“Did he mention who might be behind it?” Colin asked.
Sarah shook her head no. “Its fine I’ll find out when he wakes up.” Colin said looking over at the man.
He smacked the man in the face. “Wake up, come on you have a few questions to answer.” He said as he hit the man.
The man shook his head. “Stop already. What do you want?” The man asked.
“You said once you get money you’ll return her, who is your partner?” Colin asked his face filled with anger.
“I didn’t say that.” The man tried to deny.
Sarah looked at Colin. “I know what I heard.”
Colin hit the man hard again. A drop of blood appeared on his bottom lip. “Who is your partner?” Colin asked again. “If you don’t tell me I’m going to kill you.”
“You’ll kill me anyway.” The man said.
“I might, or I might let you go. Even send you on the way with a little bit of money. It is better than nothing, right?” Colin told the man.
He saw the man think of the offer. “How much money are we talking?”
“How much were you going to ask for her?” Colin asked him.
“They said to ask 200 silver for her.” The man said.
“That’s it?” Colin queried.
“I know I thought it was low too.” The man said.
“How many partners do you have?” Colin asked.
“It was just the couple, her parents; they were the ones who set this up.” The man said.
“I’ll give you 100 pounds and I’m going to leave you tied up here.” Colin said. “After we take care of her parents, I’ll come back. If you are still here, I’ll let you go on your way. If you are gone, make sure we never see you again. Do you understand me?” Colin said.
He was furious. Her own parents had set her up to be kidnapped to make money? Colin didn’t know what was worse, him growing up with parents he didn’t remember. Or her growing up with parents who had her kidnapped to make money, how must that feel?
Colin looked over at her. He saw the shock on her face.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say.” Colin muttered to her.
Sarah shook her head. “Don’t make excuses for them. I’ve known for years they were no good. But this goes beyond everything I could have imagined possible from them.” She admitted.
He was planning out the best way to go about his plan. Colin didn’t know if she would be up to seeing her parents. Maybe he should take her home first, and then face them by himself.
“You are not going to see them alone now.” Sarah said interrupting his thoughts.
“Alright, but please just be careful of the baby.” Colin said, kissing his hand and touching her belly. “You’ll ride in front of me.”
They got on the horse and Colin started the way to see her parents. The whole time his anger built up, he just wanted to kill them. However, there was part of him that was forming another plan much better than the original one of just slaying them.
“Go along with me when we get there. We will end their hopes in one quick moment.” Colin said to her as they got closer to her parents.
She nodded her head in agreement. “Okay, I’ll do whatever you say.”
They got there and he helped her off the horse. “Do you feel okay?” He asked her, seeing that her face was a little white.
“I’m okay, just a little queasy.” She admitted.
He knocked on the door and saw the shocked look on her father’s face to see them standing there.
“Oh I know you weren’t expecting us right? Just let us in, because I don’t think you want your neighbors to hear what I have to say to you.” Colin stated firmly.
Sarah watched as her father turned red and then white, he backed away from the door letting them inside. As they walked in her mother came walking into the front room.
“Oh you made it, nice to see you.” She quickly caught herself.
“Save it mother. We know.” Sarah said.
Colin grabbed her hand and squeezed it. She shut up quickly and let him take over.
“I want you both to know that I came here with every intention of simply killing you. However, I thought of something much better.” Colin began.
He saw Sarah look at him a question in her eyes. From the corner of his eye he saw her father try to move for a weapon. Colin quickly drew his claymore out of the sheath. “Stop right there, or I will kill you.”
Sarah’s father stopped. Colin moved him to the middle of the room. He went and grabbed the weapon and handed it to Sarah.
“So you know I am not the king’s son. When you kidnapped my wife today and held her for ransom, you kidnapped an orphan’s wife. That’s right I have no money. Nothing, no connection to the king you thought you now had in your family. I’m not even related to him in anyway, he raised me like his son though.” Colin stated. “You’ve used your daughter.” He said pointing his sword at Sarah’s father. “And you abused her for years.” He said moving the sword in front of her mother. “The truth is I should kill you both. But I don’t want your blood on my hands. However, I can’t say the king will feel the same way when I tell him this news. So if I were you, I would leave the area, never contact us again. If I hear you tried, I’ll hunt you down and kill you for sure.” Colin said.
He looked at Sarah out of the corner of his eye. “Is this okay with you?”
“Yes that is fine.” Sarah agreed.
“Now go, get out of here. You get a head start, that’s it. Once we leave I’m going straight to the king.”
Sarah and Colin watched as the old couple scampered out the door. She could only hope that they would never be seen again.
“Come on, let’s get home. After we talk to the king, I’m going to hold you all night long. I thought I lost you for good today.” Colin said.
“I didn’t know if you were alive when he knocked you out.” Sarah hugged Colin tightly.
“Shh, I’m fine and so are you. Let’s go.” Colin grabbed her and went out the door.
THE END
ROCKSTAR
BOOK – 1
Chapter 1
“We’ve been in this classroom for too long, as it is. It’s time that some of you get some basic experience about what it’s like to be a journalist. I have been testing all of you from the moment you came in those doors five months ago. I have picked a few suitable candidates to take on various roles. This will be primarily a freelance opportunity, but could have your article being read in many magazines and newspapers. It all depends on what kind of subject matter that you end up having at the end of the assignment.” Professor Nicholas Williams had always had an affinity for teaching students in a different way. There was a place for academia in the classroom, but his main focus was getting them to see the real world.
Samantha a young blonde temptress had the boys clamoring to sit beside her, except she really didn’t give them the time of day. Knowing what her mother went through and how quickly she got pregnant at such an early age was not something that she wanted to repeat in history. She had no interest in having babies, at least not until she had her career on the ri
ght track. Unfortunately, this made her look like she was standoffish, but underneath the cool exterior was a hot blooded woman ready to pounce on anything that had two legs.
Samantha was an only child and that afforded her the opportunity to have the love of both of her parents. She had never considered herself to be a party girl and her idea of a good time was watching a silly movie on a Saturday night. She found truth within words and that was what led her to the profession of being a journalist. She was learning a lot, but she had this need that superseded all others. There was something in her life that was missing and that excitement from a first kiss or story that was about to be broken was yet to be received.
“… Samantha Maxwell.” At the sound of her name, Samantha looked up with her nondescript glasses hanging from the edge of her nose. “… I have a very special assignment just for you. I want you to stop by my office before the end of the day and then I will go over the details with you. I think that you’ll find this assignment to be rewarding, challenging and above all something that will take you outside of your comfort zone. I think out of the three that I have chosen to take on these assignments, I believe that this moment will benefit you greatly in life and in your personal pursuits.” Professor Nicholas Williams had seen how Samantha had acted during the last couple of months
“I was hoping that this was going to happen. A small part of me wants to run the other way, but there’s that bigger part that wants to stretch my wings creatively. I know that my professor would never steer me wrong. He has been looking out for me and I don’t think that this time is going to be a different. He wants me to be the best at what I do. He’s giving me the tools to make sure that I get a leg up on the competition. I don’t think that I could ask of anything else from a professor. I’m glad that I didn’t fall into the trap of finding myself with a crush. I consider him a good friend and a confidant, but that is, as far as it will ever go.” She was the only one that had thought of him, as only a teacher, where most of the other female students wanted more than anything to find out if his gift with the word translated into the bedroom.
Not wasting any time, Samantha went directly to his office and stood there at his doorway. She watched him hen pecking at his computer and biting his bottom lip at the same time. “I know that this might seem a little anxious, but I’m very curious to know what you have in mind for me, professor.” She was wearing a peasant blue blouse that was open at the neck to show the medallion of Ying and Yang around her neck. Her long blond hair was almost platinum in the right light. She stood at 5’4, 120 pounds with the kind of hourglass figure that made her the object of many fantasies on campus.
“I hate these computers. I know that I should get on board with technology, but I just can’t find it in me to want to write my memoirs on a computer. I feel that I need to go back to the old school of typing. I think that you’ve come to realize that there are times that you have to dust off some old favorites. I find it a testament to my teaching technique that you’re carrying that note book.” He didn’t believe in the tablet and he had no interest in teaching his students how to take shortcuts. “I don’t want to burden you with this assignment, but I think that it will give you a new perspective. You’ve always wanted to move past your limitations and this assignment will do that.”
Samantha looked at the professor with his tweed jacket and the elbow patches to indicate that his day in the sun was slowly coming to an end. Retirement was close in his future and his tenure would be over within a couple of years. He had a full mane of white hair that was pulled back into a hippie kind of ponytail. His glasses were that of the bifocal era. He had a wisdom that went beyond those that he taught and he had no problem showing them the error of their ways.
“I have to admit that you have my curiosity piqued. You know that I’m not very comfortable with public speaking. You’ve probably been shaking your head throughout these months that I would even consider going into a profession that would have me in the spotlight. I guess I’ve always been drawn to finding out the truth. Maybe it all stems from the fact that I was adopted. Don’t get me wrong, my parents are the greatest in the world and being part of their family was something that I will always cherish. They were the ones that taught me the difference between right and wrong. I can’t fault them for that. They never considered me anything, but their daughter and I never considered them anything more than my parents.” “They are and always will be my way of grounding myself. I will never forget where I came from, no matter if I become famous or not. That hometown quality has been ingrained into my psyche. There’s no way that I could possibly lose that.”
“I’m hoping that this will either push you to reach for the stars, or will finally make you realize that this profession is not for everyone. I’ve done this experiment every year and only one has come back at the end of the assignment. I’m hoping that it’s going to be you, but there’s really no way to tell. I have a friend that can get you in to interview with the next up and coming football star. He is right now being courted by several NFL teams, but his parents are adamant that he stick with college, until the end of the term. He’s known to be brash and confident. His name is Judson Nielsen. You probably don’t know him, but you’re about to get intimately acquainted.”
“Um… I don’t know if this is the right assignment for me. I’ve never had aspirations to interview sports stars. To be honest, I never really found any enjoyment in any kind of sports growing up.” “I don’t know why I’m arguing. He’s never going to change his mind. He wants me to do this, so that I can work through some of my shy tendencies. He thinks by throwing a cocky football player at me that I will find out what I’m made of.” “I’m going to have to do my research on him. I’ve come to believe that being forewarned is better than being blindsided. I need to know what I’m coming up against.” As if an answer to her prayers, he passed a file over his desk.
“This should tell you everything that you need to know about Judson. It has anything that you need to know more, I’m sure that you can find more on the Internet. I would implore you not to do that, but I’m not ultimately going to be holding your hands 24 hours a day and seven days a week. This is going to be up to you. Between you and me, I believe that you’re up for the task. Prove to me that my faith in you has not been in vain. I expect to have something on my desk in the next few days, but it doesn’t have to be the finished product. A draft of what you had in mind for the story will do nicely.” He went back to hen pecking on the computer, cursing every couple of minutes.
Knowing that she was dismissed, she walked out into the hall with the many boys all ogling her frame and the tight way that that skirt hung off of her body, so delicately. There were many that were undressing her with their eyes and she had no idea. She was like a man and that way she was oblivious to those that found her interesting enough to stare at her. She was too engrossed in the file, as she casually moved from one page to the next. It was wonder that she didn’t bump into anyone, but somehow she was able to read and walk down the hall at the same time.
“I really don’t want to do this, but I don’t want to disappoint my professor. He has been there every step of the way and I feel that I owe him a debt of gratitude. I will do this job and I will make the most of it, even if it kills me. I don’t want to admit it to anyone including myself, but this guy is a piece of work. According to all reports, he is going to be something of a rising star. The only stumbling block that I see is that he is a bit of a womanizer. He has never had a long term relationship, although that is something that we have in common. It’s possible that I can use that to peel back the layers of who Judson Nielsen really is.” It was the end of the day and instead of waiting around to be invited, she decided to stop by the stadium on her way home. She lived in a two bedroom apartment that her father and mother had supplemented with a sizable stipend of their own to keep her in the type of lifestyle that she was accustomed to. She didn’t ask for much. She would’ve been happy to take an apartment on t
he other side of town, but her parents were known to be worried that they wanted her to be someplace safe. They did their due diligence to find the exact neighborhood that would not keep them up tossing and turning at night.
Samantha worked at a barista after school, but she had the day off and that gave her the opening that she needed to begin the process of getting to know her subject. She had no interest in being one of his conquests. His idea of a relationship was a notch on his bedpost. A one night stand was not in her future. She didn’t even like to drink, so losing her inhibitions with some liquid encouragement was out of the question. He would see her, as a challenge and there was no way around that. She had this hidden sexuality that was waiting for someone to unleash it. She felt it every day and when she couldn’t take it any more, she used her own fingers to do the walking.
“I can’t believe that he gave you that assignment. I didn’t mean to overhear your conversation, but you did leave the door open. I’m the one that should be interviewing him. I would love to call him on the carpet for how he treats women like nothing more than a sexual object for his amusement.” Nina Owens was the only friend that Samantha had in college. She probably wouldn’t even have her, except Nina wouldn’t take no for an answer. She was very pushy and before long they had this friendship that was built on trust and honesty. “Now that I think about it, I do have to admit that you might be the perfect person to call him on his actions. I don’t know what happened to him during his childhood, but he has never had any more interest in a woman than her body.”
Nina was a little older at 25 and this was her idea of starting from scratch all over again. She had a young son at home that was being taken care of by her mother, while she decided to force herself to walk down a path of education and learning. For some reason, she felt like her and Samantha had this connection. There was nothing sexual about it, but they both seemed to have a very strong opinion on different subjects. It meant for heated debates, which they could easily have by living in the same apartment together. She could chastise Judson for his behavior, but hers was that of a woman that could bat her eyelashes at any man and have them come to her. It was a bit of a stereotype and one that she was willing to look past.
