by Tiana Cole
Alicia tried to plead with him with her eyes, anything to remind him of the history between them, of the fact that he knew her. They had been friends. But Marcus just laughed again and the sound was like nails scraping down a sidewalk. It made chills race down her spine. Okay, maybe she needed to come up with another plan.
“I can’t believe that for such an intelligent woman you would be stupid enough to walk into a trap like this.” Marcus shook his head at her as if he was disappointed. She couldn’t respond. All Alicia could do was lay there, more helpless than she’d ever been even through all of her years in the foster system. All she could do was lay there looking up at him, praying he would let her go.
She watched as he knelt in front of her and she could see the madness in the depths of his muddy gaze. His eyes looked dazed and far away, as if what he was seeing was something completely different than the reality around them.
“Please, let me go,” Alicia tried to speak, but again, it was to no avail. His eyes suddenly sharpened on her face and it took every ounce of willpower not to flinch away from the rage that shone there. Rage that was directed at her.
“I loved you!” he spat the words at her, spittle flying in a spray but he didn’t even notice. His eyes were only for her. “I always loved you, but you…you laughed at me!” His voice broke unsteadily and he rose to his feet.
Marcus began pacing back in forth in the small space. It seemed to be a bedroom of some sort, but there was no furniture or any decor. His movements were sporadic as he walked, twitchy and nervous and there was something about it that spiked her fear even more than his words. Because all of a sudden, he looked like a man capable of anything.
“I just don’t understand, Alicia. I just don’t understand. I’ve loved you so long, for so many years. Even before I started working at the company. You see, I knew who you were long before then.
You were one of the reasons that I went into computer sciences. Your story…inspired me.” He turned to her then, the sudden movement making her jump even where she was lying tied up on the floor. “But you ignored me. Why would you do that? Why would you ignore me?” He looked at her for a long moment before chuckling again to himself, “Oh right, you can’t answer. It’s okay, don’t even bother trying.” Marcus walked in front of her again, stopping just bare inches from her and she felt like she was covered in slick grease just from being that close to him.
“You know, for years I’ve been trying to prove how much I love you. Working long nights, doing everything you asked, even things you didn’t ask for.
I bent over backwards for you! And for what? For you to tell me that you don’t mix business with pleasure. I don’t mix business with pleasure, Marcus, it’s my number one rule.” She cringed as his impression of her but he didn’t notice. He just kept on going.
“I could accept that. I did accept it for years. I thought you were being honorable, and noble. Sticking to your morals. Right. I was such an idiot. I saw. Don’t think I didn’t see you.” Alicia shook her head, her expression confused and he tilted his head to the side, looking at her like a bird looking at its prey. “I saw what was happening with you and that…that man. Ayden Ross,” Marcus sneered the name and her terror spiked once more, adrenaline shooting through her like a drug, “You were nothing but a liar. They’re all just liars. You started sleeping with Ayden. With a client. It just proved that you had lied to me and you would never love me, you would never love me the way I love you!”
Marcus turned away again. “You probably don’t even love him. You probably just want him for his money. That’s all women ever want. They never love me. The never love me!” There was a tension-filled moment of silence and then Alicia heard the sound of shuffling. She tried to move, unsure of what was going to happen next but she knew it wouldn’t be good. Her feet and wrists were bound so tight she couldn’t move, so tight the circulation was stopping and they were starting to grow numb. She knew that soon, it would be impossible to move on her own. She needed to act fast.
A plan was just forming in her head when a bright blue light filled the screen. Alicia blinked fiercely as the light stabbed through her irises. She tried to block the sight, but Marcus was suddenly there, his hand rough as he grasped at the hair at he back of her hair and she cried out at the pain that flooded her system.
“No, you need to see this. You need to feel the pain that I feel,” Marcus hissed the words at her ears and she cried out again, this time more in fear than anything else. The blue light changed suddenly, starting to move and Alicia realized it was a flat screen TV mounted to the wall that had been lost in the shadows of the room. The picture was grainy and she had to blink several times to clear the tears from her eyes to make out what was happening on the screen and when she did, she gasped. It was her!
She watched in horror for another second before squeezing her eyes shut tight. It was a video of her and Ayden having sex in her office. Marcus must have recorded them, somehow set up some kind of hidden camera that had captured every intimate moment. At that minute, she couldn’t believe that she had ever doubted him, had wished she had been more open with him about her fears, but it was too late now. Maybe too late forever.
“I was wrong, Alicia,” Marcus snarled the words at her, his hand still grasped the hair at the back of her head, and her wound throbbed painfully, a constant reminder of the life threatening situation she was currently trapped in. “You are nothing but a whore. Nothing but a dirty whore, just like every other woman out there. Just like those women I met online. The women from the dating site. You are just like them. And now, I’m going to kill you, just like I killed them,” he whispered the words, his breath foul and hot against her cheek and she tried to pull away from him, struggling against him to save her life. “It’s almost perfect. Everything is almost perfect.”
“No!” Alicia screamed the word, throwing herself towards the door that was illuminated by the horrible video still playing on the TV. Fear and panic spurred her on, but every movement sent pain shooting through her. She fought it, tried to fight Marcus, but she hadn’t made it more than a foot before he was standing in front of her, blocking her only route of escape.
“I wish I could say I’m sorry, Alicia. I just want you to die knowing that I love you.” Alicia tried to scream around the gag but she could barely get any sound out before she watched his booted foot draw back and fly towards her face. She didn’t even feel the impact as she slid once more into unconsciousness.
Chapter 20
“Ayden, Ayden! Pick up your damn phone–”
“Uh, yeah, I’m here,” Ayden interrupted the panicked female voice, “What’s going on? Who is this?”
“It’s Charlotte, you idiot! Just listen okay?”
“Charlotte? Alicia’s Charlotte?’ Ayden interrupted and she let out a hiss of frustration before continuing to talk right over him.
“Of course it’s Alicia’s Charlotte. Just listen to me! She left me this really weird voice message and I think…I think she was going to meet the guy who killed those two women.”
“What!” Ayden roared the word, jumping up from his desk. He had just been finishing up and was about to head back home to meet her. “What the hell are you talking about, Charlotte?”
“Did she call you? Talk to you? Anything?”
“I missed a call from her earlier, but there was no message. Listen, she was at my house when I left for work this morning, I’m going there now. I can be there in fifteen. I’ll let you know if I found out anything.” He was already heading out of the building, spurred on by the panic in her voice.
“Oh no, I’ll meet you there. What’s your address?” He quickly told her, not having the energy to argue whenever thought was concentrated on Alicia. Twelve minutes later he pulled up in front of his house, the tires squealing as he slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop. He had just gone inside when Charlotte barged in shortly behind him, not even bothering to knock.
“Is she here? I’ve been trying t
o call her nonstop since I got her message, but nothing. Dead silence.”
“Don’t say that,” Ayden snapped the words at her as he searched the rooms.
“I’m sorry, Ayden, I didn’t mean…” Charlotte’s words trailed off and he looked up, realizing she had tears in her eyes. She knew that they were like family and felt a moment of guilt for yelling at her.
“I know, Charlotte. It’s okay. Alicia’s strong. She’s the strongest person that I know.” Ayden tried to moderate his tone, knowing she was just as worried as he was.
“Hey, what’s this?” He glanced over at the curious tone of her voice and was by her side in a minute when he saw the note grasped in her hand.
“Let me see that.” He took the note, ignoring her glare, and his heart stopped beating in his chest as the words hit him hard in the solar plexus.
“What? What does it say?” Charlotte tried to look over his shoulder but he was too tall for her to see.
“It says that she got a call from a woman claiming to be held hostage by the killer. She was going to meet him at this intersection. At Grace and Waveland. Oh my god, what the hell was she thinking!” Ayden threw the note away, fear twisting his stomach into knots. He was already walking away, dialing a number on his cell as he headed out the door.
“Where are you going, Ayden?” Charlotte jogged after him, “Where the hell are you going?” He didn’t even slow down as he answered her.
“I’m going to find her.” He jumped into his car, sighing when she climbed into the passenger seat.
“Well, I’m going with you.”
Ayden looked at her for a long moment as the engine purred to life.
“I don’t know what we’ll find, Charlotte,” he tried to warn her.
“I don’t care. If Alicia’s in trouble, I want to help.” Ayden nodded once, sighing in relief as the other end of the ringing phone call answered. It was the police officer that had worked on the case with Alicia.
The same officer that had interrogated him. It took him less than a minute to fill him in on what had happened and the note Charlotte had found. Ayden hung up before the officer could finish his admonition to stay home. There was no way in hell that would happen. He would do whatever he had to make sure that Alicia was safe, and that whoever was behind this paid for what he did.
***
Alicia woke up to pain. It had become a near constant in her life and it worried her that she was starting to get used to it. It was cold in the room and she tried to wiggle her numb fingers and toes in an effort to get some sense of feeling back.
Maybe if she could work blood back into her limbs she could make a run for it. She cracked her eyes, looking around the room. It was dark but with enough ambient light for her to make out the empty room. Marcus had left her alone. Alone to die of starvation? Or dehydration?
Her thoughts were muddled and she had no idea what time it was or how long she had been there. It could have been hours, it could have been days.
She just wasn’t sure. The sudden beam of flashing lights had her closing her eyes and another wave of agony sweeping through her as her vision blurred and doubled. She could hear feet moving on the other side of the wall. Alicia opened her mouth as wide as she could around the gag and yelled for help. She prayed that it was someone there to rescue her.
She yelled again, and moment later the door burst open admitting a man. Fear shot through her and for a brief moment she was sure she was about to die. But as he drew closer she could see his eyes. The deep blue of an ocean in the summer.
“Alicia. I found her! She’s in here!” Ayden was by her side in a moment, quickly untying the gag and the ropes that had made bloody gashes at her wrists and ankles.
“Ayden. Ayden, oh my god. How did you find me?” The words fell out in a rush, garbled but the numbness and pain in her jaw. “Marcus! It was Marcus,” she said the words but he was already nodding. Soon there was a group of people surrounding her, cops, emergency services.
She could see the lights of the ambulance flashing outside. That was what had woken her from her unconscious stupor. She saw him then, the detective who had been working with her on the case.
“Detective! It was Marcus. The man who kidnapped me, who murdered those women.”
“They know, Alicia. They got him. He’s going to jail for the rest of his life. It’s over now. You’re okay. It’s over.” Alicia stared at Ayden for a long time before his words sank in and then she broke down. She tried to hold back the tears but all she could do was hold on to Ayden as they lifted her onto a stretcher, slowly wheeling her out of what appeared to be an abandoned factory and into the waiting ambulance.
“Detective, how did you find me? How did you catch him?” she asked before they could wheel her all the way into the vehicle. The officer turned to her with a sad smile.
“Well, partly because of your note. This whole thing was very ill advised by the way.” He gave her a sharp look but she didn’t say anything, just waited for him to continue. “But, right after we got the call from Mr. Ross alerting us to what had happened, a woman was picked up.
She was in pretty rough shape, but no serious injuries. She said she was being held captive by the man who had killed the other women from the dating site. You gave us the area, and she told us which building you were in.” He turned away, heading towards the police car that was parked crookedly outside but he stopped before he had taken another step, turning back towards her. “You were very lucky, Miss Banks. Incredibly lucky.
I hope you know that.” Alicia just nodded, unable to say a single word as another trail of tears made tracks through the dirt and grime covering her cheeks. But inside, she felt only relief. She had done it. She had saved that woman. She hadn’t wanted anyone else to die because of her.
Suddenly, it all seemed like it was too much, the events of the past weeks, and that day, all taking their toll and she felt overwhelmed. Alicia’s vision blurred, doubling over on itself as it darkened around the edges.
“Alicia? Alicia, are you okay? What’s wrong?” She could hear Ayden’s voice and she hated the panic and fear tinging his words. She hated that she had caused them, but he sounded so far away and no matter what she did she couldn’t answer him. She wanted to reassure him.
Alicia opened her mouth, trying desperately to let him know that she was okay, that everything was fine now that he was there. Now that he had saved her. He was her hero. It was the last thought she had before she passed out again. She wasn’t aware, but Ayden never left her side as she was wheeled into the ambulance and the entire drive to the hospital.
Chapter 21
Ayden paced the lobby, he paced around the entire waiting room; all three of them. He was sure he had tracked through every inch of that damned hospital waiting to hear any news from the doctor. News that Alicia was okay. Because she had to be okay. He wouldn’t allow any other option.
Every step he took played images through his head, images of getting that call from Charlotte, the sheer fear and terror that had flooded his body, immobilizing him at the thought of Alicia at the hands of some monster.
When they had found that intersection, and the trail of blood that had led them straight to the warehouse Marcus had been keeping her, he had been so afraid that they would be too late. That they would find her, already murdered. He looked down at his hands. They were still shaking. He realized then, so suddenly it was like a lighting strike to his brain. He never wanted to live without her. No matter what happened, how many fights or disagreements they had, he loved her more than life itself and he wanted to spend the rest of his with her.
He looked around the nearly empty lobby, still pacing back and forth when something caught his eye. Ayden turned to get a better look, walking closer to the brightly colored quarter machines just before the sliding glass doors that led out to the parking lot.
He walked closer, his eyes already lighting on one of the machines full of tiny plastic balls. In each one was a ring, and before he could eve
n think twice, he’d dug a quarter from his pocket and slid it into the slot. He turned and one of them popped out. He opened it up and smiled at what he saw.
It was a plastic ring that had been painted gold but on the front was a fake gemstone made to look like a sapphire cut in the shape of a heart. It was perfect. All fire and strength, with a beauty that shone through no matter what. Ayden slid the ring into the front pocket of his suit jacket and turned back to the waiting room, hoping that he would finally hear some news.
It was some time later when the doctor came out to speak to him, telling him that she was stable and that he would be allowed in to see her, but with a firm warning to take it easy when he saw her. She had suffered a severe concussion and some other physical trauma as well as the emotional toll the kidnapping had taken on her. He couldn’t even imagine.
Ayden tried to slow his entrance into the hospital room but it was nearly impossible not to run to her, to throw his arms around her although he did try to be as gentle as he could be.
“Alicia, oh my god, I was so worried,” Ayden whispered the words into her hair, “I was so afraid.”
She laughed a little and the smile on her face was slightly cynical as she spoke. “Me too.”
“I can’t even begin…I’m so sorry that you had to go through that,” Ayden said, still holding her hands in his. He couldn’t force himself to let go of her completely.
“It wasn’t your fault Ayden,” she said, her voice serious as she looked up at him. “You saved my life. You’re my hero.” Ayden looked down at her, at the smile that curved her lips despite all of the horror she had just been through and all he could do was marvel at what an amazing woman she was, at her incredible strength. He just shook his head, swallowing hard as emotion threatened to choke him.
There was nothing that he could say to tell her how much he loved her; how grateful he was that she was in his life and would remain in his life. With a startled jump he put his hand to the pocket of his jacket. He didn’t know how long he would have before a nurse came in a kicked him out, and he could already see whatever drugs they had pumped her full of taking effect. Her eyes were starting to droop.
