Gabriel tested the handle and found it locked. He gave the count of three with his fingers and then kicked the old door open. Noah entered with his Glock trained high, while Garrett entered in a crouch, looking low. They split off, going left and right as Gabriel stepped in at the center of their formation.
Slowly and methodically they began a sweep of each room. The lights were all off, and they found each room and closet devoid of people. Not a single trace of Emily or Eric was in evidence. Only when they reached the back door did Garrett call out to Lawton that it was them coming through.
“Where in the fuck did he take her?!” Noah fumed and turned around in a complete circle.
“I don’t know, but my gut’s screaming at me that they’re still close,” Gabriel said and slipped his phone from his pocket. He hurriedly dialed Braden and blew out a relieved sigh when Braden answered on the first ring. “Tell me if the local cops have any kind of tracking system on their cars. You said days ago that you’d hacked into their network.”
“Give me a minute,” Braden said in answer.
“Are there other cabins nearby that Eric might have access to?” Garrett asked Gabriel and Noah while they waited for Braden’s answer.
“Sure.” Noah nodded and turned to look off in the distance. “Everyone knows their neighbor around here and wouldn’t think twice about sharing what they had. Hell, if he wanted to, Eric could have just picked a weekend cabin up here and made himself at home, and no one would be the wiser.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was afraid of,” Garrett sighed. He looked down at his phone as a text came through from Ross. “No one’s at Eric’s primary residence either.”
Gabriel placed his phone on speaker and held it between the small group, hoping that Braden had something for them.
“Okay, listen up,” Braden quipped. “No tracking devices on their cars, but they all have cell phones issued by the department. I’ve started a trace on Eric’s, as well as his personal cell, and I should have something shortly. I know it’s impossible, but try to stay focused and know we’re closing in on him.”
Gabriel grunted, but could manage no more. He prayed as he never had before that they might get to Emily in time. He didn’t want her to know a single, terrifying moment in the bastard’s hands. Hands that Gabe would personally cut off, if they’d dared to touch what was his.
“Let’s go back to the vehicle,” Noah said, his agitation growing by the second. “That way we can roll out as soon as Braden has his location.”
“Good idea,” Garrett agreed.
As they walked back in the direction of the SUV, Gabriel placed a hand on Noah’s shoulder again trying to help them both through. He felt as if he was coming apart at the seams, and he could clearly see the distress painted on Noah’s features. Noah glanced over and gave him a quick slap on the back in answer. Gabe returned the gesture with a singular nod, glad for the reassurance too.
Emily had stalled all she could in the bathroom. The interior bathroom, which Eric had brought her to, had no windows, nor any other way for her to escape. How convenient for him, but not so much for her, Emily thought ruefully. She dried her hands a second time on the plush towel beside the sink, and then drew in a deep breath as she reached for the door handle.
As soon as it swung open, Eric pushed off of the wall opposite her. He wrapped an arm back around her shoulders and it took all Emily had not to stiffen from his touch. He guided her down a small hallway until they came to one large room that housed a kitchen and living room. It reminded her so much of the cabin she had fled to, that it gave her significant pause.
“What’s the matter, Emily?” Eric asked, sensing her hesitation.
Oh God, Emily thought, in utter anguish, she could not do this! Could not play his game and act as though nothing out of the ordinary was happening. How could she deny that he had made her life a living hell for months, drugged her, and then taken her against her will that very night? Everything was wrong with this picture, and she felt the walls closing in around her.
“Emily, talk to me now,” he said in a firmer voice, his arm pulling her closer to his side.
Words. She needed words, damn it, and fast. Please, she pleaded, God give me the words to live through this. Emily swallowed hard and made something tumble out of her numb lips.
“This place reminds me of a cabin I once stayed in. But it was in the mountains up north. Not here in Whitford Falls.”
“You can tell we’re still at home?” Eric asked, and moved around to stand in front of her. He clasped both of his hands around hers and lightly squeezed Emily’s fingers.
“I can’t explain it. It just feels like home to me.” She shrugged, worried that he might become angry if it seemed she was trying to guess their location.
Eric grinned and nodded slowly, as if in approval. “I’m glad you feel at home. I always want you to feel that way when you’re with me. We’ll be able to stay here for a while before we move on, and you can even write whenever you feel the urge. I support you in that completely, you know? I’ve always been proud of your accomplishments.”
“You’ve followed my career?” she asked. Emily moved away from his touch and walked over to the sofa that separated the kitchen area from the living room. She dug her fingers into the soft fabric and closed her eyes against the wave of vertigo that passed through her body. The drug was still present in her system and she swallowed hard as nausea came fast on the heels of the dizziness.
“Emily?” Eric called when he watched her sway. He stepped closer and clasped her shoulders. “Come over here with me and sit down. I should have just fixed you supper and brought it to you in bed. Do you want to lie back down?”
“No,” she answered immediately. Too fast, she chastised herself. “If I ever feel sick, I do better to sit up. It helps with the nausea.”
“Okay, sweetheart. Let’s get you settled then, so I can make us something to eat.”
If he called her sweetheart just once more, Emily was sure she’d lose it and smack him. Hard.
Eric placed her at a small red, Formica table that had to be at least fifty years old. She ran her fingertips over the cool, slick surface while he backed away and began to take food out of the refrigerator. Could she eat anything he prepared, Emily wondered? Would he go to so much trouble to take her and then kill her the same night?
The thought made her swallow hard again. She touched her throat with her hand and massaged it, trying to ease some of the achiness she felt there. Whether it was from the effects of the sedative or her own need to cry, she did not know.
“You asked me for water earlier, didn’t you? I’m so sorry, Emily,” Eric said and pursed his lips. He set his work aside and retrieved a glass for her.
Once it was filled, he walked over and placed it on the table in front of her. She had watched him use the tap to fill the glass, so she didn’t think it was laced with more drugs which might impair her. Cautiously, Emily brought the glass to her lips and inhaled. She smelled only the fragrance of water, so she began to take small sips.
“You don’t have any food allergies, do you, Emily?” Eric paused at the counter and asked.
“None,” she answered with a shake of her head.
“Good.” He nodded in approval. “I think we’ll have a bit of stir-fry tonight. You need the meat and vegetables, and it will be ready quickly. I can still hear your stomach growling from here.” Eric frowned over that last observation, not happy that she was apparently uncomfortable or in need.
Emily continued to drink her water and watch him, but she said nothing more for several minutes. Instead, she began to take stock of her surroundings. There were two windows over the kitchen sink, but both were covered with thin, wispy curtains. She saw a wooden block which housed a collection of knives on the counter near the oven. Several looked to be quite large, and she was sure they’d come in handy, if she could just get her hands on one.
Slowly, Emily turned her body to the side and looked back at the living room. The f
ar wall was filled with a large sliding-glass door that led onto what she presumed was a deck or porch. There was another window to the left of a stone fireplace, and it too was covered. She glanced back down the hallway and could just barely make out an additional two doors which did not lead to the bedroom she had awoken in or the bathroom Eric had led her to.
Emily heard Eric chuckle and she turned her eyes back to his quickly.
“It’s okay, Emily,” he said and smiled. “I know you’re curious about your surroundings. And given your level of intelligence – which, by the way, I adore - I would expect no less from you. I will say this, though - all of the windows and doors are connected to sensors, and if you were to try and leave, I would know.”
She heard the warning clearly in his last statement, and it made her heart sink to her toes.
“It’s only for your protection,” he added, by way of explanation. “Running around the wilderness, lost and disoriented, would only get you hurt, sweetheart. And I know you like to run.”
Emily looked down and concentrated on the glass before her. She had to gain the upper hand here, but she had not a clue how to do so. She was sequestered behind closed doors with a madman. Alone, and apparently far enough away from others, that Eric felt secure to play house and not flee town with her.
But Emily could also tell that it was dark outside now. So who knew how long she’d been under while he transported her or just how far he’d traveled. Think, she told herself again. Just think! Where might Eric have taken her?
The sound of food hitting an oiled wok filled the air, and seconds later the aroma of sautéed vegetables and beef assailed her nostrils. She admitted that she was hungry, very much so. And Emily cringed over whether she should accept what he was about to offer her. She knew that if she refused, it would most likely make for a nasty confrontation, no matter what Eric said about never hurting her. He’d already proven he had no compunction whatsoever about using force to subdue her, and Emily had no doubt he’d do it again and not bat an eye.
When he returned to the table, Eric placed a small platter in front of the seat he intended to claim. She looked on as Eric refilled her glass with water and brought another over for himself. Then he sat and scooted his chair closer to her side, his long legs almost brushing against hers under the table.
Emily realized then that Eric had only brought one dish and one set of utensils to the table. He set about cutting the pieces of meat, and then he forked up a portion and held it out to her. A slow smile spread across Eric’s face as he waited for her to take what he was offering.
“Open up, Emily,” he softly urged her.
“Why are you holding my fork for me?” she asked and promptly bit her lower lip to staunch any further unguarded comments from slipping out.
“I’m not about to give you a fork or knife our first night together,” he chuckled. “I trust you, yes, but you have to begin to trust me before I’ll allow such liberties. You’re angry too, I can tell. So until we’ve been together a while longer, and you know without a doubt that I’ll never place you in any real jeopardy, it will be my hand which provides for you. In every way. Do you understand?”
Emily searched Eric’s eyes and saw only calm and steady resolve in his unwavering gaze. He really believed everything he was saying to her. This wasn’t a game or delusion for him. No. It was very, very real.
“I’m getting there,” Emily managed to whisper hoarsely.
“Good. Now, open your mouth for me. You need to eat.”
She tried. She really did. But the tears she had worked so hard to hold back began to slide down her cheeks as she forced her mouth to open.
Eric nodded and placed the food on her tongue. He lifted a napkin to wipe the moisture from her skin while she chewed and swallowed. Once he knew she had the first bite down, he offered her a second.
And so it went. Eric took a bite from his plate, and then he placed a portion of the food in Emily’s mouth. No words were spoken between them, and the silence became deafening.
But she did note that the longer the meal went on, the more relaxed Eric seemed to become. As if he was relieved that all was going according to plan for him, and that gave Emily hope. Hope that if she continued to play along, perhaps Gabriel and Noah would have the time they needed to find her before Eric caused her real bodily harm.
Suck it up, Emily told herself. So far, he’d yet to really hurt her. Well, she conceded, not since the taser had rendered her immobile. He’d scared her, yes. But Eric hadn’t laid violent hands on her yet, and she had to keep him happy as much as she could stomach, until rescue came. Or until she saw a way to get through the sliding-glass door and run like hell through the woods he’d alluded to. Either way, she was getting out of there. Of that, Emily was sure.
CHAPTER 36
Noah sat in the back seat of the SUV and felt as though he was coming apart from the need to do something. Anything that might get Emily back. He looked down at his legs, noticed they were jumping slightly, and then stared out of the window into the darkness. Where was she, he wondered, and was she being brutalized by someone she’d trusted?
No, he fumed at himself! He couldn’t, wouldn’t think that way. It would undo him, and that was not going to help Emily in the slightest. No, now she needed him to be at his sharpest, at his most capable. She didn’t need a man who couldn’t hold it together and rescue her from unimaginable terror and torment.
“Noah,” Gabriel called to him softly.
Noah turned his eyes towards Gabe and nodded. “I’m still with you,” he muttered.
“I know you are,” Gabriel said, a sad smile gracing his lips.
“You?” Noah squinted when he really took a good look and noticed the sheer chasm of desolation shining in Gabe’s blue eyes. There was so much hurt there, that it made the reality of the situation a tangible living, breathing thing.
“I’m here, too,” Gabriel said and inclined his head slowly.
“Got a call coming in from Braden again,” Garrett said from the driver’s seat. He placed his phone on speaker and held it out to his right. “Talk to us, and give us something good, man.”
“I’ll go ahead and give you the bad news, then something that might prove helpful,” Braden replied.
Noah gripped the back of the seat in front of him and dug his fingers into the soft leather. He needed to choke someone, and the seat would do just fine for now.
“First, both of Eric’s phones are showing up in your current location. I’d guess they’re in his truck or that cabin you just searched.”
“He ditched them,” Kaden mumbled under his breath. “Son of a bitch!”
“Yeah, I’d say he did,” Braden agreed. “However, there’s another number that I think he’s been calling from. It’s a prepaid cell, just like the one Emily purchased before we found her. And from it, he’s called this local woman named Becca – a lot. People think those things can’t be traced, but when you know the number and the phone’s on, you can locate it just like any other. If it’s not on, then I can still track it to the last location he used it in.”
“Go on and give us everything you’ve gleaned, Braden,” Gabriel encouraged him, needing to hear it all to form a complete picture of what they had to work with.
“Absolutely,” Braden agreed. “We all saw that Eric had an incredible amount of emails to Becca and his fellow deputy, Ryan, while we were investigating today. I’ve been reading his and Becca’s correspondence further, and I’ve gathered a few things. First, Eric used her connection to the local hospital to get a hold of some pretty powerful sedatives. Becca’s a nurse there, and she thought she was doing Eric a personal favor by providing it to him. Fool said he couldn’t sleep and wanted to knock himself out for a while.”
Both Noah and Gabriel blanched at those words. They couldn’t help but wonder what Eric would do to Emily if she were completely unconscious and unable to defend herself. He was a tall man. Almost as tall as they. Strong too. And she… Well, Emil
y was not nearly as physically powerful as her abductor. But she was fast, and that thought gave them hope.
“Second,” Braden went on to say, interrupting their mental storm, “little Miss Becca seemed to understand that Eric was promising her something she had wanted for some time – namely the attentions of our own dear friend Noah.
“What?!” Noah barked, unable to contain his fury any longer.
“Sorry man, but it’s true,” Braden said heavily through the phone. “Eric alludes to their few dates as the beginning of a lovely friendship, but that he could tell her heart belonged to only one man. And that would be you, Noah. He fueled the flames she already had burning for you, and encouraged her to pursue you. Even going so far as to tell her when you and Gabe came home last and that Emily had given him word she was leaving town for a while, because she was really not interested in Noah at all.”
“No wonder she came to the house with food,” Gabriel sneered. “I take it you’re tracing this other cell?”
“I am, and in just another minute I’ll have its location,” Braden stated, though the hope in his voice was unmistakable.
“Thank you, Braden,” Gabriel said in praise. “Tell us what Eric’s been saying to Ryan while we wait.”
“Oh, that little moron needs his ass kicked to the moon and back,” Braden said in unveiled disgust. Everyone on the line arched an eyebrow at the sudden anger and vehemence in his voice. Braden rarely got riled, but when he did, it was something to behold.
“And we’ll be kicking it. Soon,” Noah said steadily.
“Ryan is the cliché kid who always gets left behind. The one who wants so badly to fit in, that he’ll be anybody’s friend or lapdog. And because of that, he’ll let anybody play him to their own advantage too,” Braden supplied. “Ryan’s the reason Heather also showed up with food, and he’s the one who has been funneling any and all information regarding Emily to Eric, though Ryan just thought he was helping someone with more seniority keep abreast of the case’s latest developments.”
Theirs To Claim (Predatory Desires Book 1) Page 34
