Although he wasn’t positive of the exact date, he knew they were close to the end of May. Two months had passed since his last proof of life video and he wasn’t looking very good then but he was definitely worse off now. What would he look like in a month or so when he was forced to make the next video? Jack prayed none of the children had seen the previous two videos. He trusted Millie and Danny to keep the younger kids from seeing it but what about Natalya and Sasha? Natalya was fifteen now and Sasha just a few months shy of eighteen. Sadness filled him. His children were growing older without him. His decision to retire so he no longer missed anymore of their childhood landed him in this hell. It was vicious on his heart.
Jack took a deep breath and let it out slowly to keep his emotions in check. The last thing he did was use a special antiseptic soap Vivienne left for him to use on his burned arm. The pain was intense and the burns looked worse than when he was tortured. His stomach twinged in worry as he carefully spread a special ointment over the burns and then wrapped his arm up in white gauze.
“All done,” he said and gently touched Penny’s cheek. She was also very pale and emaciated and they both looked like shells of their former selves. She struggled with saying something and her voice shook as the words came out.
“Th… Thank y… y… you,” she said.
“You are welcome,” he replied and he kissed her on the forehead, then crouched down so he could wrap his good arm around her.
Footsteps were heard on the stairs and William arrived to unlock them from the bathing cage. Jack’s stomach again did a few flip-flops. They were going to be moved but to where? Somewhere else on the farm or were they going to be transported to a new state?
“Up the stairs,” William ordered after locking up Penny’s wrists. “James will carry Penny.”
Chapter 12
William’s grandparents inherited the property from a spinster aunt who originally purchased the several hundred acres in the hopes of attracting a proper male suitor. The problem with that plan was Aunt Frida was a spiteful woman who could drink any man under the table and, to be honest, she was more than a might ugly. Back in the day, these two faults worked against her despite the property and the possibilities of the property. When it became apparent Aunt Frida would die a bitter, old woman, she wrote up a will that passed on the property to her nephew Nathan.
Nathan was a quiet man who married his high school sweetheart – Martha – two days before shipping off to Europe and eventually surviving D-Day. He came back even quieter – they called it shell shock in those days – and focused on raising hogs. He and Martha had a daughter after Nathan was discharged from the military. They doted on Vanessa but their daughter had a wild streak. After flunking out of college, she returned to the hog farm three months pregnant with William. Nathan and Martha supported their only child despite Vanessa’s often unacceptable behavior.
When William was not even a year old, Vanessa met Allen Damon from Philadelphia during a wild weekend at the Jersey shore. Allen came from old Philadelphia money and so did his young wife who was visiting relatives in California during that fateful weekend. When Vanessa told Allen she was pregnant, his family moved quickly. Allen’s wife was unable to have children so Vanessa was offered a sizeable chunk of money for the baby. She agreed to the business transaction only after the Damon family agreed to her only stipulation – that the baby and William spend a month together during the summer on the hog farm. Brothers need to know each other, she insisted. The Damon matriarch refused but eventually, as time was running out to fake her daughter-in-law’s pregnancy, she relented.
William and Shane were close during that summer month and as they moved through puberty, they found out they had many of the same interests when it came to women. The boys kept in touch as they entered junior high school. Vanessa gave birth to their half-sister Molly who was sweet and William took pride in helping raise her. The first saddest day of his life was the day he left the hog farm to join the Marines. The second saddest day was when he realized his profession wouldn’t allow close ties with the people he cared for. Vanessa, always willing to be bought, accepted a sizeable check from William to buy the property from her. His mother took off to California and it was a rarity if they ever even spoke once a year.
William knew of Penny from Shane’s high school days although they had never met. They came close once when the first time Shane saw her in person at a party her half-sister Amanda threw. There were a lot of people at the party and William and Penny did not interact. That was fine with him as he observed her from afar and was taken with her quiet beauty and submissiveness. William knew he could easily mold her to his sexual tastes but she was kept on a tight leash by Mr. Shepherd. It wouldn’t be until a couple years into Shane and Penny’s relationship while at Princeton did he learn why her father was so strict with her. He kept that information which ultimately came in handy.
Shane shared the videos he made of what he did to Penny with William who was jealous of the physical relationship. But then William met Vivienne and his needs were met. She was not only a valuable member of his team but she was the love of his life. Although he could slit the throat of a man without a second thought, he would lay his life down to save Vivienne’s. They had no desire to make their relationship official; they were official where it mattered. William and Vivienne shared the bedroom in his grandparents’ house while James and Landon bunked in the small house Nathan built for Vanessa a quarter of a mile to the east. A quarter of a mile west of the house was Nathan’s workshop.
His experiences in the War left him with the need to have a place to deal with his demons when they reared. The workshop was where he spent those moments that sometimes stretched into weeks which worried Martha so much. Nathan spent the first five years after returning home constructing the building. It was small and gray with a main workshop where he would create beautiful knickknack shelves he would sell in the local town. At the back of the workshop were a small bedroom, bathroom and a washroom. In those days, the county didn’t question running electric or sewer lines if the property owner ponied up the money for materials and labor. This is where Jack and Penny would be stashed away.
William wasn’t the happiest about bringing the captives to his grandfather’s workshop but the money was right. Normally, his guests were only held for a few days before they were either killed or released. This was the first time he would have long-term guests and he only made the exception, in addition to the nice chunk of change, because it was his brother. William would do anything for Shane and vice-versa.
His team was growing impatient not having their regular work so once Crystal exposed herself and let Jack know he and Penny were basically being hidden from the world, William had to think of a plan. For safety reasons, it would be necessary to stash them away from the main buildings of the property. The workshop, built away from everything else, would be perfect even if that meant adding the two people he was being paid to barely keep alive. William spent the two weeks Jack needed to heal going through the workshop and removing the items that were very dear to him. He loved his grandfather immensely and the day he passed away was awful for him. It was also the day he decided to leave the military and go into the same sort of business for himself.
William opened the back of one of his Hummers. Although the workroom was less than a mile away, he knew there was no way either Jack or Penny could make the walk.
“In you go,” he ordered and Jack clumsily climbed into the vehicle. When he was in, James set Penny down next to Jack. Despite not having to walk, Penny was wheezing. Her heart was not healthy but Vivienne assured him as long as she had the medicine, she could be maintained. When William asked her if she needed the attention of a specialist, she had been honest – yes.
But that was not an option. Vivienne was Penny’s medical savior and Vivienn
e had been taxed with the chore of keeping Penny alive. Although Crystal initially said no extra steps should be taken to keep Penny alive, that was a lie to bother Jack. She didn’t want her dead but at the same time, did not feel like Penny should receive any special treatment. She was aware of how bad her heart was but Crystal said both Penny and Jack were to be kept hostage and alive. Seeing Penny in her weakened state, especially with the medical and behavior issues from the interrogation, would be perfect torture for Jack. And periodically, she wanted Penny to have Cat so the two lovebirds had difficulty communicating. That was the reason for the handcuffs. Even with her poorly healed hands, she might be able to sign if her hands were free. William watched on the monitor how the woman tried to sign when her words were stuck and it was not easy. The manacles around her ankles were his idea because he liked the site of her delicate ankles with the iron around them. He could have given her a better top but the too-big wife beater was perfect considering the abuse Penny took. Plus, on occasion, it would slip and expose Penny. Brief peeks of Penny’s beautiful assets were always a nice perk.
William slipped behind the wheel of the Hummer while the rest of his team took their places. He didn’t have to be that nice to them and drive them but he actually felt a little bad for Penny. She had agreed to let Landon fuck her to keep Crystal from telling Jack her secret and Crystal reneged on that agreement. William may torture and kill people but whenever he made an agreement with a guest, he abided by it. He had been very angry with Crystal about this but she didn’t care. So when it came time to move Jack and Penny to the workshop, he allowed them to shower. Crystal didn’t really care how they were treated as long as they were just kept out of sight and not made too comfortable. That would be the status quo until Crystal said otherwise.
The drive was a silent drive and he pulled up in front of the workroom. A stone path led from the woods to the simple front door. During Jack and Penny’s recuperation, William had James and Landon work on adding security cameras to the both the outside and the inside of the building along with adding a tight alarm to the front door. The property was large and ringed with many stay off signs his grandfather put up. They never had a problem with trespassers but now would not be the time for their first encounter. William had a few misgivings about Penny and Jack being so far away from him, especially with the team starting up their normal business. The next day, they would be off to Miami to pick up a new client whose time on this planet was over according to a business associate of his. If all went well, the contract would last seven days.
James carried Penny while Jack walked and William led them through the tidy workshop and to the sliding door of the washroom. His grandfather built the room for cleaning up heavy duty messes. It was a small space which lent itself to its new purpose. Small meant uncomfortable. It was about five feet wide by eight feet long. The walls were covered with peeling white paint and the floor rough cement. A single faucet – cold water only – stuck out on the left wall with a drain beneath it. William debated allowing them a mattress but in the end, he chose not to, providing only a scratchy bamboo mat for them to lie on.
There was no furniture, not that there was space for anything. Jack and Penny would need to use a bucket to piss and shit in and a stack of buckets sat at the end of the mat. There was a small window on the wall opposite the door. It was about five feet up from the floor and nine inches high by a foot and a half long. The glass was broken. The window would also be the only light source for Penny and Jack. Debate went into fixing the window and William chose not to fix it. The broken window would allow air into the room but it would also be torturous as the nights in the mountains were still quite chilly. The space would heat well in the summer and the window would allow air in to keep the two from suffocating.
The space would not be comfortable and that was perfect for Crystal. In the corner was the camera that would watch them. The only comfortable thing in the room was a drab blanket but even that was turned into something uncomfortable after James and Landon pissed on it a few days earlier and let it dry. The night’s temperature was forecast to dip into the lower twenties and with the broken window, Jack and Penny would have no choice to use the smelly blanket. Crystal had laughed with glee when William told her about that.
Chapter 13
Jack was numb after William and the others left, sliding the heavy door shut and locking it behind them. Their new “home” was unacceptable in his mind but he knew better than to complain. Looking around at the small room, he felt a little claustrophobic, especially with the dimness of the space, and also nauseous. The only light came through the broken window and since it was still morning, the sun was not in a position yet to provide a lot of light through the window.
He felt the need to pace even though his feet hurt and he was weak. There really wasn’t much space for him to pace, basically just the space between the mat and wall opposite it, about eight feet long and maybe eighteen inches wide. Back and forth he went trying to make sense of this new development. His head pounded and he rubbed his forehead with both hands as he paced. Anger gripped him as they were once again being held in subpar accommodations. But he had to watch his P’s and Q’s. To keep Penny safe, he had to be the best possible captive. Jack’s pacing slowed and with a deep breath he let out slowly, he stopped pacing. Focus on what is your responsibility, he said to himself. Focus on Penny.
“How are you doing?” Jack asked Penny. She was sitting on the mat in the corner. Her arms were folded up in front of her and her legs were drawn up. Her eyes were droopy; she really needed to rest.
She nodded and he noticed a shiver run through her.
“Are you cold?” he asked and again, she nodded. When he unfolded the blanket, his nose and stomach cringed. “Did they piss on it?” he questioned and quick tossed it into the furthest corner. Jack sat down next to Penny on the uncomfortable mat. She sat on his left side and because of his charred arm, he could not put his arm around her. Still, sitting next to her provided a little body heat.
“Is small,” she said, her eyes moving over the space.
“Yes, it is small,” he replied, “but cozy,” he added to try to make it sound like it wasn’t so bad. Their accommodations were not great. Small, chilly with an opening to the outside that could not be closed, and buckets again for their waste.
Jack looked at Penny; she was nearly asleep.
“I think you should lie down,” he advised her. “You need the rest.” She nodded and he helped her lay down on the mat.
“Rest,” she said and pointed to him.
“I will be okay,” he replied although he was exhausted and felt like he could sleep for twenty hours straight.
“Please,” she requested. There was a fearful look on her face; she was scared. It was still a hard look to see on her. She was once so strong. Even in her vulnerable moments with the anorexia, the depression, or the abusive relationship, Jack could still see her strength. She was struggling with it now and he could see her trying to be strong but it was hard for her.
“Okay,” he said with a smile. If Penny was scared, this might bother her heart and he needed to keep her calm. He had Penny switch sides with him which allowed him to hold her after stretching out next to her.
“Sleep, my Pretty Penny,” he said and she closed her eyes. As soon as her breaths were even, he let his eyes drift shut.
. . .
A poke in Jack’s side interrupted his deep sleep. For a moment, he was confused and thought it was Ellie or even Little Sofie, his two kids that were notorious for their poking. When he opened his eyes and saw a nearly bald Penny still sleeping next to him, he realized he had been dreaming of his beautiful girls and was still in hell.
“Wake up, sleepy boy,” William said. He was holding a yard stick he used to poke Jack. He carefully sat up, making sur
e not to disturb Penny who was still fast asleep.
“What is going on?” Jack asked, his voice thick.
“Nothing special. We’ve just brought you provisions for the next week since we will be gone,” he explained and motioned to a small box sitting next to their piss buckets. Vivienne was also in the room and as always, she looked grumpy. “We have work to do so you will need to take care of yourselves. You will find food in here along with medicine and supplies for your arm.”
“She needs one of these pills once a day for the high blood pressure,” Vivienne explained, pulling out a pill bottle from a Ziploc bag and writing on the label with a Sharpie. “And this one twice a day to help the arrhythmia. Give her the nitroglycerin if she has chest pain and you should have plenty of the inhaler left. I want you to take her vitals every six hours and record them in this little notebook. I will leave you one small canister of oxygen, just in case.” Vivienne showed Jack how to use the automatic blood pressure cuff and finger oximeter. As she explained, a troublesome thought popped into his head and he had to share it with the maniacs. He did it with as much respect as possible so William or Vivienne didn’t get mad and feel the need to inflict pain.
“What I am about to say is not implying you and your team do not know what they are doing,” he began, choosing his words with care. “But what happens if you are away and you are detained or in a fatal car accident and are unable to return?”
“You’d better hope that doesn’t happen,” William replied which made Jack feel sick to his stomach. He looked up at the camera.
“What about Crystal? Can she see us?”
“Of course, Jack, she enjoys watching you in captivity,” William answered. “Should something happen, I suppose you could try to get her attention through the camera but it is up to her if she helps you. And as far as I know, she doesn’t watch you all the time. In fact, now that we’re just maintaining you, I doubt she’ll even peek in on you. From what Shane tells me, they are enjoying their time together quite a lot.” Jack felt his anger rise again but he kept a lid on it. He was certain William only said that to piss him off. “We will be checking in on you from the road. If we can’t see you on the camera, we will assume you made the stupid choice to escape through the window. Both of you are skinny enough you could probably shimmy through it. However, if we don’t see you on the camera, we will go straight to your family.”
Aftermath (The Deceptions Trilogy Book 2) Page 15
