Vanished: What Would You Do If The Love Of Your Life Disappeared Without A Trace? (Nadine's quest to unravel the truth Book 1)

by D. D. Goordin

  “I find it somewhat serene watching you care for me.” I looked up at him and tried a feeble attempt of a smile.

  “You’re injured. I need to clean all the wounds they may have inflicted on you. How did they manage to abduct you?” I inquired.

  “When I had dropped you off back home and got back to mines, I could sense that someone had trespassed in my property. As soon as I entered my home, everything went black. They must have covered my sight and tied duct tape around my hands. I was defenceless. They must’ve been keeping a watch on the both of us.”

  “That seems logical enough. But how on earth did they figure out my name and had somehow managed to contact me?”

  “That is something I do not know. I don’t have the answer to that. I could feel myself being carried away and heard a car pull up and felt myself being dragged by them, once I had reached the estate I felt them tying my hands up and had removed the duct tape; they eventually removed the sack over my head I had felt disorientated and saw a number 4. I kept on reciting it in my head just in case they would’ve contacted you. But then they had knocked me out and punched me till I was black and blue. I didn’t see their faces but I knew from the voice it was the same person who wanted to get rid of me. They poured paraffin all over and all around me warned me that had I made a move they would set me alight; the stench was too much. That it knocked me out. They had punched me to the point I could not see much. I had not even realised when they had called you until I heard your voice very faintly and that is when I started raving on about the number 4.”

  “I could just about make out what you were saying, it sounded very similar to number 4 and made sure I would get to you before they knew I was there. I was glad that they hadn’t seen that coming. They told me that I had 4 hours to get £35,000 to bail you out otherwise they would have killed you. I wasn’t that stupid to delay it. I instantly called my cab and told him to wait there for me at the estate where the garage was. I am so thankful he had co operated otherwise we wouldn’t have stood a chance.”

  “I can always seem to count on you, glad that you think outside of the box.”

  “When you think and feel that you are about to lose someone you love, you have to just act and do anything in your power to make sure that they won’t get harmed.”

  I was kneeling down in front him trying to clean his wounds, when I felt his hands on my face.

  “You always seem to amaze me.” He touched my cheek as a gesture which I rubbed against him like a cat that was being stroked, cherishing his touch.

  I cleaned the wound that was right above the scar on his abdomen. I scanned his entire body and thankful he had not been wounded anywhere else.

  “Right, I think it’s time I took off your trousers. Clearly they must have injured you there considering you could barely walk. He remained seated whilst I moved my hand to un do his flies. I tried my hardest not to get distracted and focus on the task at hand.

  “Do you mind standing up so that I can pull your trousers off?”

  “Had I not been injured and you asked this off me, I would have thought of another reason why you may want me stripped.”

  “Mr Saunders behave yourself! I just want to see whether they have done any more damage to you.”

  “I know, I was trying to lighten the mood, it’s amazing to see how focused you are.”

  “You best not distract me, whilst I am trying to see what other scars they may have inflicted on you.”

  Thankfully he remained quiet, whilst I managed to pull his trousers down, not trying to look anywhere else. As soon as I reached his calf, I noticed there was deep cut where the blood had dried up. No wonder why he could barely walk, on his right calf they had sliced his skin. I had to be careful by not rubbing his material of his trouser on the wound just in case it had irritated it. I gently undone his shoe lace and took of his shoes, and had taken his socks off and lastly managing to pull his trousers completely off leaving him in his boxers.

  “Are you feeling cold?”

  “Not that cold as that fire is warming me up.”

  I gently took the antiseptic and cleansed the wound with another fresh cotton bud so that he would not have any infections and scanned for a bandage. I applied pressure around his calf and gently made a knot to keep hold of the bandage in place. Once I had cleaned his wounds, I wasn’t too sure whether the best thing was for me to bathe him considering all the injuries he had suffered. The fire was still burning and as soon as our eyes met, it was amazing what effect the flames had cascading and dancing on his body. I had to distract myself by cleaning the rubbish from the first aid box. I went straight to the kitchen where I chucked the rubbish away whilst he looked so relaxed in the chair with hardly anything on. I added cold water in the kettle. I had to remove the smell of paraffin I just wanted to take all his suffering away. I noticed a bucket that was there and a sponge. Once the kettle had finished boiling, I added half of the hot water in the bucket and placed the sponge to absorb most of the water. I quickly tiptoed passed him upstairs to see that there was a small bottle of shower gel with a small towel. I had not come prepared and surely he had not come prepared either. I had to make do with whatever I had and use it. I tiptoed down the stairs with the little bottle of shower gel and the towel. I went back to the kitchen and added a sufficient amount of the shower gel in the bucket with hot water. I checked the temperature to make sure it wasn’t hot that it would burn him. With the small bucket I added a little more of cold water and mixed it to the point there was loads of bubbles. I carried the bucket with the warm water and the towel wrapped around me and positioned myself in front of him. His eyes were firmly closed but I could see his chest rising. He looked at peace this man had certainly not deserved this. His eyes remained closed as I started lathering him up with the sponge trying to clean him in the most efficient way I could. I started on his hair, gently massaging his head with the soapy water and used the sponge on his neck, moving it in a circular motion. I heard him sigh and instantly his eyes were looking directly at me. Watching what I was doing to him. I did not have any intention of turning him on but just taking care of him. I slowly bathed him with the sponge, drying him off with the towel. I did it with such care that when I had moved passed his wounds I was thankful he didn’t wince. My hands were slightly trembling, the lower they went. I would have normally been immensely shy but for some reason I was confident with what I was doing. Once I reached his thigh and the apex of his legs, I had to hold my breath.

  “Nadine, please don’t be shy you’re doing great, nursing me and taking good care of me.”

  I continued moving further down along his thigh to his calf, drying at the same time when I was bathing the other areas. I had reached his feet and gently soaked them in the bucket, the water was still very much warm and the temperature in the room had felt like it had gone up a notch. Maybe the fact that he was barely wearing much caught me at a loss. I had dried is hair and every part of his body that I had bathed. I noticed a blanket that was on the table and wrapped him in it. Thankfully the smell of paraffin has subsided and he smelt of rose.

  I smiled just then.

  “What is so funny?” he questioned.

  “It just so happens that you now smell of a woman Mr Saunders.” I giggled

  Despite the fact that I had wrapped him in a blanket like a baby, he looked at me with those green eyes. Motioning me to get nearer, the more closer I got I could tell he was keen to undo the blanket I had neatly tucked him in.

  “Please, I need to feel you.”

  I got as close to him as I could despite still dressed in all black, he undid the blanket so that he could get to cuddle me. I had to admit that I could feel every part of him and had never been in a predicament like this. It was a first. Without realising my hand had touched a lever on the sofa we had sat in, and instantly it had opened into a bed. I somehow managed to be on top of him. Just seeing him looking up at me undid me right there, I bend down and kissed him like my life had depende
d on it. I could feel his hands roaming underneath my clothes. I was going up in flames the moment our lips had met. I had somehow felt slightly less clothed and was astonished how quick he had undressed me. We were still covered by the blanket and despite how much I had wanted him I was not keen to rush into this.

  “As much as I want you here and now, you have to remember you were injured Blake. The last thing you need is more pressure on that body of yours.”

  “Your right Nadine I had not known that you happened to be so sensible.”

  We kissed endlessly throughout the night, laying side by side. I could honestly say I was in love, head over heels. He had melted my heart that very first time and having him in this bed with me felt so right like we belonged together. I looked up to see that outside was covered in a blanket of snow, I rested my head back down beside his and watched him sleep stroking the lines of worry on his forehead and massaging his head to take away all the stress he may have faced. As long as I was alive, nothing could harm him.

  Chapter 15

  I hear an alarm going off from a far distance and slowly peel my eyes open. I had no idea how I had managed to put my alarm on despite being exhausted. I glance around and see that dawn was breaking; it was nearing 7:00am. Then it had dawned on me, the first time I had dreamed of Blake, I managed to save him but then the memories had come flooding back with what I had researched. A huge part of me wanted him to be alive and be safe where ever he was. The worst part was not knowing, whether he was still alive. I had to get out of bed, I was very much nervous that I would be starting my new position as a resourcing assistant with Daniel. I slid the covers off heading straight to the bathroom and was glad for once I had felt refreshed and had managed to sleep despite my dreams which may have tormented me.

  I glanced at my reflection, my eyes still looked puffy and I was not sure whether it was down to the fact I had slept or possibly because how much tears I had cried. I rinsed my face with cold water trying to wake myself up. I needed to have a shower, my feet and hands had felt so cold that I had to find a way to get the feelings back in them; the only way I knew how and what would do the trick was to have a hot shower. I peeled off my pyjamas leaving them on the floor as I jumped into the shower. Feeling the hot water on my skin soothed me; I quickly lathered up myself with shower gel and rinsed it. After 10 minutes I had my towel rope wrapped around me. I was not too sure what I was going to wear considering that I did not have a clue how my day would be spent, it was not like I had known what my day would entail and to top it off Daniel had not mentioned anything about it, just that to make sure I would reach Victoria on time and to wear comfortable shoes especially my flats.

  I headed back to my bedroom to find something suitable to wear; instead of wearing a dress like I had always worn, I decided on a suit with boot cut trousers, blouse and blazer. It had made a drastic change from wearing a dress to trousers, but this had to seem much more professional looking. I didn’t bother with heels and took into account what he said about wearing flats which is what I had decided to wear. To make it that much more sophisticated I pinned my hair up in a bun, and wore studs. I was not going to bother with my makeup and as usual I had applied very minimal. It’s not like I was on the hunt for a man and certainly Mr Richardson did not compare to Blake. They were on two different levels, Blake from what I had gathered from the first meeting seemed to have good banter with me where as Daniel seemed far too much contained within himself. I had not heard much about what Daniel was like; I just hope he would be as understanding if I had made mistakes on the job.

  Once dressed, I needed to have something small for breakfast to eat. I ended up having a slice of bread with a cup of tea. I had noticed the time and could see that it was nearing 8am. I washed the dishes and heard my phone ringing, instantly I knew it was my new working partner, Daniel. I answered almost immediately.

  “Hello Daniel.”

  “Glad to know you’re already up Nadine, all set for today and what I have planned for you?”

  “Erm I guess so, just go easy on me as I usually pick things up fairly quickly.” I said hesitantly.

  “Not to worry, you’ll be learning from the best. Remember to meet me in Victoria, the rail station. You should see a burger king. I should be standing around there. If for some reason you don’t see me, call me.”

  “Will do if I have any problems getting there then I will call you... What time shall I be at Victoria?”

  “Say for about 8:30am or 9am.”

  “Looking forward to working with you will see you shortly.”

  I disconnected the line and checked the time it was nearing on 8:10am. I needed to leave as I had to be meeting Daniel in less than 50 minutes. I grabbed my coat, bag and shoved my keys and phone deep inside it and closed the front door behind me. I had to rush to get straight to Victoria. I walked to Holland Park Underground tube station, getting onto the central line heading towards Stratford. I was so thankful that there were no delays on the tube. I changed at Oxford Circus to get onto the Victoria line. The next stop was Victoria; it was so packed when heading searching for exiting Victoria. Once I had gone through the barriers, I saw a sign pointing to the rail station where I headed. There were so many people in the rail station; I was glancing around trying to locate the burger king that Daniel had mentioned. I walked around and had noticed more shops and through the corner of my eyes saw the burger king. I had reached just before 9am, despite never coming to Victoria I was tempted to walk around but I knew Daniel would not have been happy with me had I been late. I remained waiting and waiting; 15 minutes had passed and he still had not reached. Until I had noticed someone approaching me wearing shades which I was sure was a ray ban make, he was all suited in a grey pinstripe suit and his hair was styled in a rough rugged way I knew it couldn’t have been any other person but Daniel. Had Christina been in my place surely her pulse would have gone into over drive but just looking at him did not have that effect on me. He was handsome no doubt, which I was sure he was aware of surely he must have known that woman were glancing at him from every angle. As soon as he was within walking distance from me, he took of his shades and smiled at me. He came in two more swift steps and shook my hand.

  “Nadine, let’s get out of here, glad you had made it on time. I do not tend to like people who seem to be late. It is highly annoying, that’s one thing I have trouble tolerating.”

  “So what will we be doing today?” I asked.

  “Well put it this way it’s nothing like working in Gatwick. You’ll see.”

  “Come, I will show you what makes you a successful resource assistant.”

  I followed Daniel outside to the main high street of Victoria. Considering I had not visited this place. As we crossed the main road, there were theatres, shops, a small shopping press Inc.

  “You can’t start the day without a kick of caffeine; let’s order coffee in star bucks where you can get to ask me any questions you like about this job. Feel free to ask anything you want.”

  We both ordered a cappuccino where I found seating areas waiting for him to bring the hot drinks. After a few minutes he joined me.

  “I bought loads of sugar, wasn’t that sure whether you prefer white or brown sugar so I brought both of them.”

  “Thank you...so tell me Daniel, what exactly do you do?”

  “Well before we hit the road, I would normally visit other jewellers to get some sort of an idea what happens to be the best sellers, I take down notes and then would drive to warehouses to see what else the boutique could sell. It’s fairly straight forward and an easy job at that. The perks of this job happens to be the travelling of course. I have been to so many parts of the world and you get paid to do relevant sightseeing if you know what I mean?”

  “You mean like visiting other jewellers abroad?”

  “Exactly! You may get ideas to create bespoke items of jewellery. We also have someone who makes jewellery, all you have to do is think of is a design which has not been sold anywh
ere in the world, that’s what would make them exclusive.”

  “That makes sense. Has anyone in the resourcing department created an item of jewellery before?”

  “Not that I am aware of, you may just be the first.”

  “Who knows though I must say that it is far different to working in Gatwick. The hours are far more decent, and there’s more that needs to be done, unlike standing on the shop floor for hours.”

  “I knew you would prefer it, you weren’t lying when you said you catch on very quickly. If you happen to be a people person and can communicate effectively, that’s half the battle done, sometimes we may have to bargain with warehouses to sell their items as well, there’s a slight element of bargaining and negotiating which I personally think you’ll do just fine. You’re bound to make a few errors here and there but it’s all about learning. You’ll have your own techniques of bargaining, communication, gaining ideas on items of jewellery and so on.”

  “I think your right; I am keen to learn the ins and out to do this job. So tell me how long have you been working as a resource assistant?”

  “I’ve been working as a resource assistant for over a year.”

  “Do you like this job?”

  “To begin with it took a while to get used to as I worked for another company in a completely different role, but what I genuinely love is the fact I can get to travel the world.”

  We both downed our hot beverage and headed back outside. I had not noticed there was a cathedral and it had been many years since I had stepped foot in one and went to pray. All of sudden I felt the need to go there.

  “Do you mind if we just take a rain check before we start? I just really want to visit this cathedral.”

  “Sure, take your time.”

  Daniel followed me inside the cathedral, it’s absolutely beautiful and I could not remember when the last time I had prayed. Surely it was when I had found out that I had lost my parents. I had found myself in this cathedral admiring the architecture and knelt down on the stools and prayed. I felt at peace and beside me Daniel had followed suit which was something I had not expected. I prayed a silent prayer for Blake, to make sure that he was we safe and alive wherever he may be. I felt Daniels eyes on me.