by M. J. Perry
She flinched when she saw a video camera pointing at her and the bed. She pulled harder at her wrists but the ribbons didn’t budge they just cut into her skin. Stopping to take a breath she tried again ignoring the pain, but she froze when the door opened and Adam walked into the room.
“There is no point trying to get free Grace, you won’t get away.” He warned.
Grace kept her eyes on him as he walked closer. He was wearing red pyjama bottoms and nothing else and his desire was clear in his eyes causing her to cringe away from him.
She tried to picture Jason in her head but his warm chocolate eyes kept turning into Adams muddy brown ones and she had to stop herself from being sick. She whimpered as he climbed on to the bed so their bodies touched and when he brushed his hand down her hair, she shuddered in revulsion. Her body was so tense she thought she was going to snap. She curled up and moved her body away from him but he didn’t like that, he grabbed her thighs in a strong grip and pinned them down so she was lying in the middle of the bed, her whole body lying flat.
“I’ve waited a very long time for this Grace and I will enjoy it but now it’s late and we have a big day tomorrow.” He told her.
He reached over her body to turn the lights off with a switch on the wall, and then he straddled her body resting his head on her chest. Grace couldn’t stop shivering with fear, he’d pinned her to the bed with his big body and she could feel his erection against her thigh. She waited for him to move but he didn’t and then his breathing eased and she realised he was asleep. Her stalker was lying on top of her half naked with her tied to his bed and he’d fallen asleep. She didn’t know if she should think herself lucky or cry. She was completely off balance. This guy seemed like a different person to the guy who had punished her in the library. She couldn’t breathe very well because he was heavy, and she was stuck, even if she could think of a way to escape she wouldn’t be able to get him off her without waking him up. Hell, she couldn’t even undo her wrists without jolting him. She closed her eyes and prayed to god that Jason would find her before Adam woke up because she had a reprieve right now but it wouldn’t last. Panic clawed at her chest at the thought of the punishments Adam had promised and she struggled to steady her breathing so she wouldn’t have an attack. She was already short of breath; she didn’t need to make it harder. Pulling her breathing out through her nose and in through her mouth she felt calmer. She pictured Jason in her head and hoped like hell that she would see the real thing soon enough.
****
Grace wasn’t sure how long she lay there but it felt like hours to her. She hadn’t slept, her eyes felt heavy but there was no way she was going to sleep when she was in such a vulnerable position. It had been hard to keep her eyes open and stay awake but her terror helped and not knowing what would happen when he woke up kept her alert.
Adam breathing changed causing hers to stop. He lifted his head to look at her and she stared at him. “That was the best sleep I think I’ve ever had.” He informed her before he bent his head to her breasts again and rubbed his face between them. He moaned, and she felt his erection grow against her thigh. There was no way to stop her panic then because she felt terrified. Her breath came out in pants and Adam looked at her with an indulgent smile on his face. “You need to calm down Grace; we can’t have you passing out before the good stuff.”
Grace felt her eyes widen, and he chuckled.
“Please don’t hurt me.” She begged, and she watched his face harden. “Oh Grace you need to be punished. I owe you four punishments remember.” He said sternly.
Grace tried to think over her fear but it was stifling her. She needed to stall; surely Jason had a lead on her now? She didn’t want to think about the fact they hadn’t found Adam before but she couldn’t stop it from flitting into her brain. If they hadn’t managed to find him before what made her think they would actually find him and her now? Adam would have covered his tracks when he kidnapped her wouldn’t he? She had to keep him talking, maybe if she distracted him it would stall whatever he had planned and give Jason more time to find her. She asked the question she didn’t want to know the answer to but guessed Adam would enjoy answering.
“What did I do to earn my punishments?” She asked quietly.
Adam sat up so he was straddling her thighs. “You’re a naughty girl. you’ve done so many things you shouldn’t have but I can’t punish you for them all so I picked the worst ones and now I’ve added another one because you don’t know when you’re doing something wrong.” Adam sighed loudly and gripped her chin between his fingers so she couldn’t look away from him.
“Punishment number one, you ran away from me. Number two, you let that policeman kiss you. Number three, you let that animal you live with touch you and you had sex with him.” He glared at her. “You shouldn’t have done that Grace because no other man should touch you except me.”
Grace didn’t move, and she didn’t speak. She knew he was expecting an apology from her but there was no way in hell she’d offer one. She would have laughed at him if she wasn’t so scared.
He shook his head. “You are stubborn but you will apologise for your behaviour. Number four, you threw away my gifts, I chose the flowers and nighties carefully but you didn’t appreciate them. Number five, you went to that animal for help when you should have stayed away from him like I warned you and lastly number six which I’ve explained to you already. You should really try to be a good girl then I wouldn’t have to do any of this. Now, you’ve had one punishment and there’s five to go so once I’ve got everything ready we will begin and you will apologise Grace even if you have to scream it.”
Those words scared the shit out of her. She already knew he was crazy but all this talk of punishment made her aware that he actually believed she’d done something wrong. She tugged on her wrists trying to get free. Getting away from him was priority because he was going to hurt her and he’d get off on her pain. He was laughing at her efforts though and she knew it was pointless. She stopped yanking on them to catch her breath and watched him warily.
“I’m glad you saw sense.” He said as he watched her still. “You’ll take your licks and then we’ll have a clean slate.”
Grace could feel tears on her face and she wished she could wipe them away. She didn’t want him to see her fear but she couldn’t hide it from him, she was too terrified. He’d slashed her thigh once was he going to do that another four times? She could probably cope with that if he did, but she had a horrible feeling he had something different in mind and she really didn’t want to find out.
Come on Jason she thought please find me.
She could tell he was enjoying the situation, loving the control he had over her and the fact her had her defenceless. She couldn’t stop the look of revulsion that crossed her face when she looked at him. He climbed off her and stood at the end of the bed. His eyes caressed her body from top to toes and she curled her legs up and brought them into her body. He stared at her a while before he spoke. “You probably need the toilet Grace, would you like to go?”
God yes she wanted to go, her bladder felt like it was going to pop but she didn’t want him to see her do it. He must have caught the conflict she had going on. He took a knife off the bedside table, she hadn’t seen it before and with one quick slice he cut the ribbon from her wrists. Her first thought was to run but she didn’t know where she was or even if the door was unlocked. Rubbing her wrists over the cuts the ribbon had left behind she waited for his instructions not wanting to upset him. She wasn’t giving in; she’d get away from him she just had to make a plan.
“Good girl.” He praised. “Now get off the bed and stand right here.” He pointed to the floor in front of him. She did what he said and walked over to him. Hopefully, he’d let his guard down, and she’d get free. The bathroom might have a window if she could get in there and lock the door maybe she’d have time to climb out of it. Her insides bubbled with excitement that immediately deflated when Adam opened the d
oor and she saw there was no window. The door didn’t even have a lock and when he stood just inside the open doorway and turned his back, she realised it would be harder than she thought to escape. He gave her the illusion of privacy and she blocked him out while she used the toilet. When she flushed it he turned to watched her as she washed her hands. She looked around the room desperate for a weapon of some kind but it was empty of everything except toilet paper, soap and a towel. Her shoulders drooped, and she turned to face him. She remembered the knife he’d used to cut her loose, she wasn’t sure where he’d placed it or even if she had it in her to stab him if the opportunity came up, but she’d rather have the knife than nothing.
“Come on.” He motioned to the door with a hand and she reluctantly walked towards it. He was watching her with anticipation in his eyes. She realised he was hoping she’d run, he probably wanted to add another punishment to the list. She kept her eyes on the floor and stood at the side of the bed, her eyes darted around to look for the knife but it wasn’t in sight.
“Looking for this?” Adam grinned. She watched him pull the knife out of his pyjamas bottoms pocket and flinched at the look of evil that took over his face. One minute he seemed almost normal and the next he looked like a sadistic bastard. The grin he aimed at her had chills running all over her body. He placed the knife back in his pocket and walked closer to her, she backed up until her legs hit the bed. He didn’t stop until he was little more than an inch away from her.
“Lie down please.” He commanded.
She shook her head she did not want to lie down again, and her eyes darted to the door, could she make it? She wasn’t sure, but she was going to try. No way was she going to put herself back on that bed. Her body tensed ready to move, but she never made it. Adam pushed her body backwards using a hand on her chest and she fell across the bed with her feet hanging off it. He straddled her so she couldn’t move then reached over to grab something. She attempted to take him by surprise and bucked her body to dislodge him but he didn’t budge. There was a loud clink and then he gripped her arm. Something cold closed round her wrist and then clicked, he’d used handcuffs.
She struggled to pull her wrist away from him but he clicked the other side of the cuff to the headboard leaving her trapped. He surveyed his handy work before he climbed off her.
“I’ll be right back Grace. Don’t go anywhere will you.” He laughed as he walked out of the unlocked door. Damn.
If only she’d been brave enough to try to run, she might have got away. Her shoulders slumped, she didn’t bother to struggle. What was the point? She wasn’t able to undo the ribbon before she had no chance with a metal handcuff. She was screwed, and she knew it, he’ll come back with whatever he needed to punish her with and he’ll hurt her. She wasn’t even sure what his plans were, was he going to kill her? Would she be his prisoner for the rest of her life if he didn’t? She wasn’t sure what was worse.
Curling into a ball she sobbed her eyes out, she didn’t care that Adam would be back any minute. She cried for Jason and the future she wouldn’t have with him and she cried for the guilt she knew Jason, John and Peter would feel if they didn’t find her but most of all she cried for herself knowing she was trapped in hell with a crazy stalker and there was nothing she could do about it.
When the door opened, she didn’t even look up, too absorbed in her pity party. When a hand landed softly on her shoulder she jumped.
“Grace.” A voice filled with relief whispered. She thought she imagined it until the hand tightened on her and gently nudged her to roll onto her back.
“Jason.” She cried. “Are you really here? I’m not dreaming am I?”
“You’re not dreaming baby I’m here. We are all here; everything will be all right now.” He reassured her.
“Where is Adam?”
“John has him upstairs in handcuffs.” The fury she heard in his voice reassured her and she broke down into noisy sobs.
Jason opened her cuff and when she was free, he pulled her straight into his arms. He fought off his questions for her; there was plenty of time for them once they’d both calmed down. She seemed unhurt except for the cuts on her wrists and a bump he felt on the back of her head when he'd stroked her hair but he had to know one thing because he knew for a fact Grace wouldn’t have been wearing the nightie when he kidnapped her. “Did he touch you?” He growled. He’d kill the fucker right now if he had.
“No. he didn’t I promise he just undressed me and put this nightie on me while I was out cold.” She managed to tell him still sobbing.
He blinked away the red mist that filled his eyes at her words, at the news that Adam had undressed her and seen her and he gripped Grace a bit tighter to his body. She was trying to get even closer to him but her sobs were quieting down now. He pulled a red sheet off the bed and tucked it around her shivering body, he didn’t want to parade her half naked in front of all the police upstairs. She sighed against his neck and her body relaxed heavily against him. He looked down and saw her eyes closed and he realised she was asleep. His lips tilted up slightly, the biggest compliment he would ever get was Grace falling asleep on him. She knew she was safe now, she trusted him to keep her safe, and he felt like he could walk on water.
He walked out of the bedroom holding her close while he climbed the stairs and then entered the kitchen of the house Adam cross had rented under Grace’s name. They still didn’t know how the fucker had done it but they were grateful Peter had thought to run a check on her name earlier or god knows what the sick fuck would have done to her. The relief he felt at finding her unhurt was overwhelming. When they had blasted their way in and found Adam with a tie, a piece of rope and a whip in his hands Jason’s heart had nearly stopped. He’d been terrified they were too late, and he’d already used them on her so when he found her cuffed to the bed he’d thanked god. Bile rose in his throat at the thought of what that bastard had planned to do to her and his fists clenched until he felt his nails dig into his palms. He forced himself to relax and remember she was ok, it helped that he held her warm body close and could feel her breathing against his neck reassuring him she was with him.
When he walked out of the front door Adam was nowhere in sight, he was thankful they’d taken him away so Grace wouldn’t have to see him. There were only a few cars left and two were John and Peter’s. When they saw him, they both ran over and stopped dead when they saw she was sleeping.
“Is she ok?” Peter asked without taking his eyes from her. John didn’t take his eyes off her either.
“She hasn’t said much, but she seems ok. She asked where Adam was and when I told her John had him in cuffs, she fell asleep.”
Peter’s face showed his surprised. “She fell asleep?”
“Trust,” John said quietly and Jason understood. Grace had told him she’d never opened herself up to John and that he’d known it.
“Yeah.” Jason replied just as quietly. He had to look away from the pain in John’s eyes. John brushed the back of his fingers across Grace’s cheek and took a step back.
“I’ll come to your house tomorrow to get her statement. Tonight is all about Adam Cross and I’m going to enjoy it. Hopefully that bastard will give me a confession and Grace will never have to lay eyes on him again.”
“Thank you. Thanks for everything.” Jason said sincerely.
“I didn’t do it for you I did it for Grace and I will always do anything for her.” John said.
Jason nodded. What could he say to that? Grace incited many feelings in him and John too by the looks of it but Jason was the lucky one. Grace felt the same for him as he did for her. He felt pity because he knew what it was like to be without her but Grace was his. She was made for him. John would find his own woman but it would never be Grace. He watched him walk to his car, start the engine and drive away and then he carried a still sleeping Grace over to Peter’s car. He took one last look at the house which had been Grace’s nightmare and the uniformed police still at the door and s
ighed. Climbing in the back door of the car he belted up with her on his lap, it wasn’t easy but there was no way he was letting her go now.
When Peter had rung him to say Adam had taken Grace he very nearly blacked out, the panic he’d felt was like nothing he’d ever experienced and he’d had a loaded gun pointed at him before! He managed to pull himself together after he’d punched a hole in the wall, he was unsure why he did that but the pain in his knuckles helped him focus.
He stared out of the window as Peter drove them home, his tight hold on Grace was starting to make his arms ache but he’d deal with it. When she woke up he didn’t want her to be worried and he knew she’d feel safer in his arms.
They needed answers, he needed to know what had happened to her while Adam held her captive, and he needed to know so he could help her heal. Adam Cross was in custody and Jason was so thankful it was over. No more hiding or putting their lives on hold. No more worry Grace would be hurt and no more worry that she would run away again to keep him safe. He’d never forget everything she’d been through all because she was trying to protect him.
Chapter Nineteen
When Grace woke, she felt disorientated. She felt warmth at her back and she remembered Jason holding her in his arms but now she wasn’t sure if she dreamt it. She started struggling to get away from the arms she could feel holding her just in case and she heard a grunt before Jason’s called her name.
