by Fall, Carly
Her vision doubled as he bent down and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder. For someone so slim, he proved very strong, and fear gripped her as she realized she had been drugged—the only explanation to why she hovered so close to unconsciousness. Yes, the punch had jarred her, but she should have been able to fight back.
“What are you doing?” she mumbled, slapping his back, her arms feeling like strands of spaghetti.
“Getting answers, Gabby. Just getting some answers.”
He took her to the back of the basement and tossed her to the dirt floor. “Now, take off your clothes,” he commanded.
She tried to scoot away from him, but her extremities didn’t seem to want to move. Tears streaked down her face as she stared up at him and realized the weight of her situation.
“Not going to do it, huh?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No. Go fuck yourself,” she muttered, barely able to understand her own words.
“No, Gabby, you are the one that is fucked.”
He raised his fist and slammed it into her face. Blood ran down the back of her throat, and she turned to her side, gagging and coughing. After a moment, blackness encroached on her vision, and although she tried to remain conscious, she passed out as she felt her boot being removed.
Chapter 19
Gabby slowly came to consciousness, her head throbbing. She didn’t know how much time had passed—it could have been minutes, hours, or days. Keeping her eyes closed, she tried to listen to what went on around her and heard nothing. She attempted to move her hands and feet; she couldn’t, but small pinpricks ran up and down her arms and legs. Opening her eyes, she realized she’d been tied to a chair, naked. Horror rushed through her as she wondered what the next few hours of her life would entail. Would she die alone, raped and beaten on a dirt floor of a deserted house?
Jerrod stood about five feet away with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at her.
“Where is he, Gabby?” he asked.
She gazed at him as tears blurred her vision. She tried to move her wrists again, but they stayed firmly bound behind the chair. Her only hope remained in that someone else would come by to see the house and be able to help her.
“I asked you a question,” Jerrod said, coming toward her. “Where is he?”
“Who?” she asked, although she had an idea of exactly who he looked for.
He smacked her across the face with an open hand, burning her cheek. She shut her eyes for a moment until the pain passed.
“You know exactly who I’m talking about,” he muttered. “Where’s Lucas?”
Gabby looked up at him. “I don’t know.”
She cried out as he slapped her again.
“Where is he?” he shouted.
Tears tracked down her face as she realized he wouldn’t stop until he got an answer, an answer she didn’t have. “I don’t know,” she whispered, hanging her head. “He left me. I don’t know where he went.”
Jerrod bent down in front of her so she had to look at him. “I don’t believe you,” he whispered, and then hit her on the left side of her torso, knocking the wind from her.
When she caught her breath, he continued. “Now, I’m going to ask you again. Where is he?”
“It’s the truth—I don’t know. He left me six months ago. I don’t know where he is. Why do you want him, anyway? What’s this about?”
“It doesn’t matter what it’s about, Gabby. What matters is that you tell me what you know. I find it very hard to believe that he didn’t tell you where he went. You two have been together since you were teenagers. Lifelong love bullshit.”
She sobbed. Yes, she had thought Lucas was her lifetime love, that they would always be together unless he got killed while deployed. She’d never imagined he would simply walk out on her with the old “it’s me, not you” line.
Jerrod lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. He slowly brought his open hand back and hit her again.
“One last time, Gabby. If you tell me the truth, I won’t hurt you further.”
Like she believed that one. She would die in this nasty basement, alone and beat up, the star of her very own horror movie.
Even if she knew where Lucas could be, she would never give him up. She didn’t know who Jerrod worked for, but if they treated her like this, it made her sick to think of what they’d do to Lucas. Yes, he’d hurt her—almost devastated her, in fact, but she wouldn’t wish this on him or anyone.
“You listen to me, Gabby,” Jerrod murmured as he walked behind her. “I will continue to hit you. But see, I have other means of getting what I want, as well.” His breath brushed her neck as he whispered in her ear. “I do find you very pretty, and I’d like nothing more than to fuck you. If I need to screw you over and over and over again until you break and tell me what I need to know, then I will.”
Her stomach lurched, and she threw up down her torso.
“Of course, we’ll need to wipe that off. I’m not a complete animal,” he said, pinching her nipple, sending ripples of pain throughout her body. “However, maybe when my cock is pressing against the back of your throat and you’re chocking on my cum, maybe then, you’ll be willing to tell me what you know about Lucas’s whereabouts.”
Gabby vomited again, this time turning to the left, and she managed to land some on Jerrod’s shoe. Despite her dire situation, she actually smiled.
“You think about that for a while, Gabby,” he said, walking toward the door.
“Someone will find me,” she mumbled, her head swimming.
He turned at the bottom of the stairs and switched off the light, plunging her into darkness, a small ray of light coming from the doorway at the top of the stairs.
“No, they won’t, Gabby. My employer owns this house. We put it on the market so you would show it to me. Once we confirmed it was on your goddamn list, my superiors took it off the listings. No one will find you. You can scream, yell, cry . . . it won’t matter. I’m the only one who knows where you are.”
She listened as he made his way up the staircase, his footfalls echoing through the empty space. The door above shut, and her last kindle of hope flickered out as the room plunged into total darkness.
“Oh, my God,” she mumbled as the tears streamed down her face. “What did you do, Lucas?”
Chapter 20
Gabby woke with a start to a sound, unsure of where she was. She tried to move, and it all came back to her. She prayed she would come to full consciousness and realize she’d had a horrible nightmare. Footsteps resonated from the floor above her. They moved slow, as if the person seemed unsure of where they were going.
She listened, uncertain if she had really heard anything or if it had been her imagination. Now fully awake, panic swelled within her as fear coiled in her gut. What if it was Jerrod? What if he’d come back to finish what he’d started? She had no idea how long she’d been out, and there weren’t any windows in the godforsaken basement to give her any indication of the time of day. She shivered as she remembered his promises of rape and torture.
The footsteps could now be heard directly above her, and as she stared upward, she reminded herself they couldn’t belong to anyone else—Jerrod had already told her the house wasn’t listed any longer. No point in hoping. The whole thing had been an elaborate setup to get her to this out-of-the-way place so that he could torture her into revealing Lucas’s whereabouts. Another thought struck her so hard, her breath caught—could Rachel be involved in this, as well?
Rachel had been the one to bring Gabby and Jerrod together. Had she done so without the knowledge of what a monster he’d turn out to be? Was she part of it, or had she gotten caught up in it without knowing who she dealt with?
The footfalls continued across the room upstairs. As the door at the top of the basement opened, the tears began to fall again as her body shook from the damp cold and searing fear she felt. She’d never know the answer to her question as death converged upon her and she heard her
visitor descend; there remained no doubt in her mind.
She tried to control her labored breathing, feeling as though she may suffocate in the musty air. Shutting her eyes, she attempted to steel herself against what she knew was coming, and she had no doubt Jerrod would eventually kill her, whether he meant to or not.
Through closed lids, she saw the lights had been turned on. Sobs wracked her body as she waited for another fist to land, waited for the pain to tear through her body. She could only hope her death would be speedy, that the agony wouldn’t be too bad. Maybe she’d luck out and she’d be unconscious for most of it.
A hand landed on her shoulder and she flinched and screamed. “Get away from me!” she yelled, trying to pull away from the touch. “You son of a bitch! Get away from me!”
“Gabby!”
Opening her eyes, she couldn’t believe the sight in front of her. Sobs tore through her body as relief flooded through her. Certainly, she had to be hallucinating. “Garrett?” she whispered.
“Oh, Gabby,” he murmured, bending to his haunches in front of her. He gently touched her cheek and tears welled in his eyes. He stared at her for a moment, wiped his face with his hands, and stood. “Let’s get you the fuck out of here.”
Chapter 21
The ringing phone broke the silence, startling Lucas. He’d just come in from chopping more wood, about to make a turkey sandwich for dinner. Every day, he grew stronger, his mind becoming more focused. For the most part, he felt calm, relaxed, and sturdy. Each morning, his body screamed at him as he rolled out of bed, but he could already feel his muscles replenishing and building. He also hadn’t had a vision since the one of the woman being killed, which definitely helped keep his mental marbles in a row.
“Hello?” he said after locating the satellite phone. A glance around the kitchen showed him he needed to tidy up a bit. A few dishes sat in the sink, a used pan on the stove, and two boxes of cereal had never made it back into the pantry.
“Lucas, this is Joe Smith.”
“I didn’t think I’d hear from you for another couple of days,” he said, unable to hide his surprise as he slathered mayonnaise on a piece of whole wheat bread.
“Yes, well, there’s been a change of plans.”
Curiosity piqued and hunger forgotten, he sat down at the kitchen table and realized Joe sounded as he’d never heard him before—rattled. “What’s up?”
“I’m afraid you will be receiving your first client later tonight.”
He looked around the cabin. He certainly didn’t feel well enough to have someone else’s life in his hands. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that, Joe. I need to get stronger and —”
“You don’t have a choice, Lucas. This is an emergency assignment, and you’re needed. There is no room or time for arguments.”
“I’m not ready, and neither is this cabin. I only have enough food to feed someone besides myself for only a couple of days.”
“It will all be taken care of, Lucas. Garrett believes you are strong enough both mentally and physically to handle this. It’s very high priority. We will be by later tonight with provisions and the person you are to protect.”
The phone went dead. He stared at it for a moment, then set it down on the table. Who would this new assignment be, and what would they be running from? Why was Joe trusting him after he’d only been at the cabin three days?
He stood and went back to making his sandwich, the questions swirling in his mind.
Chapter 22
Lucas paced the living room, waiting for his new client. At just after midnight now, exhaustion threatened to overtake him. To fight it, he’d gone through the house and tidied up a bit, hoping everything looked good enough. Gabby had always told him what a crappy housecleaner he was, and he agreed. He just didn’t see messes or notice things like empty toilet paper rolls and unmade beds.
Headlights from across the pond caught his eye, and he went to the window. The van slowly crept up around the drive and he smoothed his hand over his black sweater. Unbelievably, nerves wracked his body. For someone who had been in the actual theatre of war, this should be a cakewalk.
“You really need to get over it,” he mumbled as he studied his reflection in the window one more time. “This is going to be simple. Make some small talk, chop the wood, and keep them fed. Easy.”
He walked over to the front door and flipped on the porch light. Thomas stepped around from the driver’s side and nodded to him as he opened the sliding door. He could see two figures seated on the bench seat, but couldn’t make out their features in the dim porch light. Joe rolled himself out of the van.
“Good evening,” he said as he pushed himself toward Lucas, a hard, determined look on his face. “Please, come inside with me.”
Lucas glanced back at the van and saw movement inside, but still couldn’t make out any features of anyone in there. He followed Joe inside.
Joe rubbed his temples as he asked him to shut the front door.
“Lucas, this assignment is going to be difficult for you, but frankly, I didn’t know what else to do, where to turn to. I’m short on people who hold positions like yours as there are so many people who are looking for protection.”
His knot of worry morphed larger as he closed the door and listened to Joe. “What’s so special about this person? What have they done that has you so concerned?”
“It’s not what they’ve done. I’m certain they’re innocent and have just been caught in the wrong place and wrong time. It’s just that—”
The front door opened again and Lucas turned.
Garrett came in first, his arm around a woman wrapped in a blanket. Her auburn hair fell around her shoulders, covering her face.
His world began to spin as he stared at the woman, her hair reminding him of Gabby’s. “No,” he whispered, taking a step back.
As she slowly raised her head, his gut clenched as recognition set in. Except, the woman before him looked like a battered and beaten version of his Gabby. Her black and purple left eye had swelled up, blocking the beautiful blue of her irises. A large welt covered her right cheekbone.
Surprise shone in her face as their gazes met. Anger overrode his shock as he stared at his wife.
“What happened?” he asked, hearing the gravel in his voice as he tried to wrangle the rage within.
“Lucas?” Gabby whispered.
“What the fuck happened!” he bellowed, feeling as though he were coming completely undone from the inside out as his whole body shook. Who would do this to his Gabby? What kind of monster would hurt a woman like this?
“You son of a bitch!” she yelled as she pulled away from Garrett. “You bastard!”
Tears streamed down her face as she lifted her arm and hit him in the jaw. She struck him again and again as she held on to the blanket with her other hand, and Lucas thought she seemed drugged as she slurred her words.
“What did you do? Where have you been?” she screeched.
He took each of her feeble blows without trying to stop her. Each weak fist felt like a knife to his heart as he peered at her distorted face, not knowing the facts, but understanding deep in his soul that he must somehow be responsible for her apparent suffering, although he hoped he was wrong.
The tears continued, each one salt to his wounded soul. Indeed, what had he done?
After a moment, Gabby quit hitting him and sunk into his chest. Her tears soaked his shirt as he put his arm around her and pulled her close, feeling as though he may shatter apart. His Gabby, who had been hurt so brutally by an unknown assailant, now felt familiar, yet strange, in his arms, as he never thought he’d see her again. He’d left, thinking that by doing so, he’d protect her.
How wrong he had been.
Chapter 23
After she finally calmed down, Lucas said nothing to the others gathered in the living room, but led Gabby down the hall to his bathroom and ran a hot bath. She kept her arms wrapped lightly around his waist, and he held her as he seet
hed inside, wanting to shoot, knife, and skin whoever was responsible for her wounds.
Then, he wanted to do it all over again.
When the bathtub filled, he slowly removed her blanket. She didn’t meet his gaze as he helped her undress, and he winced at the sight of the black and blue bruise on her torso. She stepped into the water and slowly lay back, closing her eyes. Silent tears cascaded down her battered face, and he took note of the nasty dark marks on her ribs and collarbone. Rage welled within him as his gaze traveled down the rest of her familiar body, and he wondered what else had been done to her.
“Don’t look at me,” she slurred, slowly turning her back to him and facing the wall.
He didn’t know what to do or what to say, so he shut the toilet lid and sat down, resting his head in his hands. Oh, how he’d failed the one person in life whom he loved, the one person he’d tried so hard to protect.
A few moments later, he heard water sloshing, and he looked at her. She sat up, wrapping her arms around her shins and laying her cheek on her knees. Saying nothing, she stared at him.
“I’m so sorry this happened, Gabby,” he whispered, kneeling by the tub. “Who’s responsible for this? Just tell me, and I promise you I will hunt them down and—”
“Don’t say anything else,” she murmured, and he wondered again if she’d been drugged as he could barely make out her words. “Just don’t. Not now.”
He slowly reached out and took her hand, unable to hold back his tears of rage and hurt while she stared at him, her eyes finally dry.
“Where have you been, Lucas?”
He shut his eyes. He remembered that New Year’s Eve night in the convenience store twelve years ago. He’d made a promise he’d never intended to break, but then again, he’d never thought he’d return home from the call of duty with a threat of death hanging over his head if he ever told anyone what had happened in the jungles of Guatemala. Nor did he ever think he’d have the curse of watching people die. “You need to sleep,” he whispered.
