by Reid, Angela
“If you don’t want her seeing your faces boys, put your masks back in place. I want the hood off of her. I need to see her when I talk to her. The truth is in the eyes, boys.” The man chuckled, and I guessed by the sound, he was overweight. I winced as a hand yanked the cloth from my head, ripping out strands of my long blonde hair with it. I wasn’t wrong, the man before me weighed well over the two-fifty mark. No one but the Man-in-black was wearing a mask anymore, and that had to be a bad sign. Camo-man grinned at me, standing so close I could smell the whiskey and cigarettes on his breath. His dark, blue orbs held nothing but icy menace, and I almost wished I could retreat inside the stinky sack to hide from his ogling.
The fat guy who I assumed was Dacks, stood just behind Camo-man, his eyes a beady darkness nestled in plump cheeks. He wore a suit and a large gun strapped to his hefty waist. Just behind him, stood another man in a similar ensemble, but he was younger than Dacks and Camo-man. The same steely gaze landed on me, though, and I wondered if that was a requirement to work for Dacks. The Man-in-black was off to my right, leaning against the refrigerator, watching the scene unfold. He looked relaxed but alert.
“Well, aren’t you just a pretty little thing,” said Dacks, pulling up a chair and sitting in front of me. “Do you know who I am, honey? Do you understand why my men brought you here?” I shook my head but made no verbal response, afraid if I said something wrong, Camo-man would strike me again.
“I see. Well, sugar, I would have thought your daddy would be a little more forthcoming, knowing we would come after his family. Maybe he doesn’t care about you as much as he does the money. Sad--so sad, but it doesn’t matter. What we require from you is your help to locate him, and then you can be on your way to sort out your troubles with daddy on your own. For now, we need to find him.”
The question confused me. My father was a police officer, a Deputy Chief, and he had not been present in my life much since I was a kid. When he was promoted to detective, my parents’ marriage ended. He often brought his work home, leaving him unavailable to his wife and kids. The job changed my dad, and not in a good way. He turned mean and critical, nothing we did was ever right. We became the whipping post for his career frustrations, and my mother eventually grew fed up with the abuse. She moved us from the crime-filled motor city, to a small northern town when I was in fourth grade. After that, my brother, Sam, and I spent sporadic weekends, and an occasional week or two in the summers with our dad, but even that dwindled as we got older. He did help me through a rough stretch when I was in my late teens, but once I got better, he dropped out again. I had not seen him in months, and I had only recently spoken to him on the phone.
“Do you understand what I am asking you?” asked the fat man.
“You want me to tell you where my dad is?” I repeated, still very confused. “Why?”
“The ‘why’ is not your concern, sweetheart, but let’s just say we have a debt to settle. It seems he has conveniently taken an extended vacation and neglected to inform me of his whereabouts. You need to tell us, dear child, where your daddy has gone.”
I became irritated by the condescending tone, and fear gave way to anger. He was talking to a grown woman, not a five-year-old. “Firstly, Mr. Dacks, if that is your name, I am not a child, so please stop addressing me as such. Secondly, as far as I know, my father is in Detroit where he has always been.” Dacks shot Camo-man a glare.
“Is that the story you want to stick with, Ellia? We have proof you talked to your father just two days ago. We also know you were packing to go somewhere, and you secured a passport. Planning a trip with daddy?” He looked angry.
“To reiterate, I don’t have a clue where my father is, Mr. Dacks. You are right, I did recently speak with him, but he never mentioned a vacation or anything else. He called from his cell phone, and I guess I assumed he was home. He gave me no reason to think otherwise. My personal plans are none of your business, sir, but I will confirm they had nothing to with my father. Why do you want him? What is going on?” Despite the twisted feelings I carried for my dad, I feared for his safety. They left no doubt their intentions were hostile. I had the burden of conviction on my shoulders, and his life depended on it. I really had no idea where he might be, but I would’ve lied to protect him if I had known. Most likely, these guys were connected to a bust my dad had made, or was now working. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had hatched a revenge plot against a cop. In our case, it had never escalated to us, his family, though. My mind went to Matt, my boyfriend. I hoped the apparent vendetta had not extended to him, as well. He had never even met my dad. We’d been together less than a year, not nearly long enough to introduce him to my absent father. If the thugs had come after me just one week later, I’d have been in Canada with Matt, instead of jogging alone in a park at dusk. I was pretty sure Matt planned to use the guise of a Canadian cabin get-away to propose. My heart ached for him. I wasn’t ready for marriage, but I loved him enough to entertain the idea in the future. Knowing he could be in danger strangled me with fear, yet I was afraid to utter his name. If they didn’t know about him, then I needed to keep my mouth shut.
“All right, Ellia, I will tell you what your scumbag father did, and then you will tell us where he is, or things are going to get very intense for you.” The promise in his eyes made my shivering pick up a notch, causing my teeth to chatter despite the oppressive heat. He continued speaking. “You may or may not know this, but your father is not interested in upholding the law, regardless what his job title might infer. His interests are far reaching, and his position in the force has always allowed him a certain advantage of which he’s used to the full extent. I have worked for your father, and a few other men like him, for many years. We had a lucrative relationship that kept your daddy’s hands clean. Recently, he found himself involved in a large business transaction, involving millions of dollars and several powerful men. Your greedy father absconded with every last cent, leaving his partners in the lurch. If they do not get paid, my dear, I do not get paid. When my services are not reimbursed, I get angry, and when I get angry, I get even. So let’s just settle this and move on, shall we? As long as your father provides what is owed, we won’t harm him, so fear not, little one. Speak now, and we can all move on from this unpleasantness. All you need to do is tell us where he is so we can settle up our accounts. It’s very simple, and no one has to be harmed. It’s your choice, dear.”
“Bullshit,” I spat, finding my spine. “My dad may not have been much of a father, but he is a good cop. I don’t believe you. This is nothing more than revenge, a hate campaign. Did he arrest one of your punk-ass thugs, or is he holding information on you? I don’t accept for a second he would be involved in anything illegal with scumbags like you. I am not so naïve as to believe that you wouldn’t harm him if you found him. Do you think I am stupid?”
The fat man laughed. “Sassy little girl, aren’t you? Well, I guess we need a little persuasion. Mr. Gordon, would you like to convince Ellia that honesty is always the best policy here.”
Dacks got up from his seat and slid it underneath the table. The scraping noise of wood on concrete was loud in the suddenly quiet cabin. Dacks stepped away, and Camo-man positioned himself in front of me. A smirk appeared on his nearly lipless jaw as he slapped me hard across the face, sending my head flying sideways and rocking my chair. The sting was harsh on my bruised cheek and tears sprang to my eyes. I held back the urge to kick him in the groin. The logical part of my senses warned me not to give into gut reactions. My life depended on being smart, not reactionary.
“Next time, it’s gonna be a fist, bitch. Tell us what we want to know. It’s not a hard question, even for a blonde.” Camo-man, also known as Gordon, chuckled in his smoker’s voice, cracked his knuckles, and waited for me to answer. I glanced over at Man-in-black. He stood erect with arms at his side, hands fisted. I begged him with my eyes, but he didn’t look at me. His focus sat squarely with Gordon. “Where is your dad, girl?” Gord
on snapped again.
Fury filled me, and I looked him in the eye. “I swear to you--I do not know where he is. As I said, when I spoke to him on his phone, he never mentioned being anywhere or going anywhere. This is the last time I am going to tell you; it’s not my fault you are too stupid to understand English.” The punch came swiftly and knocked me off the chair completely. He nailed me in the eye-socket, and it began to swell, at once. Gordon dug his fingers into my arms as he picked me up and sat me back in my seat.
“I can do this all night, sweet thing. Where is your dad?” he asked again. By then I was crying, knowing Gordon would take delight in beating me to death. I had no idea what to say. I could lie, but to what avail? They might hold me to verify my story, and when they found out I’d fibbed, they’d kill me for sure. No good choice presented itself. He didn’t give me time to ponder options for long. He raised his hand again. I cowered and braced for the impact. “Wait …” He looked over at Man-in-black. “Get over here, Donny. Time to prove your worth, boy. You boasted you could get her to talk, so do it.” He stepped back, holding out his arm, extending the invitation to Man-in-black, AKA Donny. He approached with reluctance and stood in front of me. Our eyes locked and that fleeting sense of familiarity raced through me again.
“Tell these men something, Ellia. This is your last chance,” said Donny. He silently pleaded with me to answer.
“As I’ve repeatedly told you people, I don’t know. I swear I do not know anything about my dad,” I openly sobbed, knowing that Donny could not help me. No doubt, they would kill him, as sure as they planned to murder me, if he didn’t follow their orders. He raised his arm and back-handed my face, his knuckle catching my lip and breaking the skin. Metallic tasting blood filled my mouth as my body fell out of the chair again. My skull smacked the table leg and the world began to spin. I tried to sit up on my own, wanting to brace for what was coming next, but I wasn’t able to, especially with my hands still tied. My head ached so much I wanted to scream. Donny pulled me up and back into my wooden seat; though not as roughly as Gordon had.
“Ellia, you need to tell them something,” he repeated. Dazed, I remained silent.
“Hit the bitch again,” Gordon told Donny. “Use your fist, ya pussy.”
I watched him ball his hand, and I closed my eyes. There was a long pause as if he was working up the nerve to hurt me again. The blow came to my chin, and it’s the last thing I remembered until waking up on the icy, cement floor, with every muscle screaming in protest.
I found myself in a dark room with the one eye swollen shut but no longer restrained by the coarse rope. I sat up, slowly, letting my body adjust to the change in position. My head throbbed, and I touched my painful face, wondering how much damage Man-in-black had inflicted. My cheek and lip felt like my eye-socket, doubled in size. Dried blood crusted around my mouth and chin, as well as in my hair line. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been unconscious and alone.
My searching hands in the darkness discovered a metal structure. The cabin had been log, so I discerned the men had moved me somewhere new. Fumbling around, I stumbled into a rake, narrowly missing a tong in my good eye when I fell on it. After getting to my feet and shuffling along, I tripped over a lawn mower. It became obvious I was in a shed. Sightless in the dark, I touched my way around the perimeter, avoiding the gardening utensils of death, until I came to the door. Chains rattled as I pushed on it, but the padlocked door kept me captive. I took my chances and yelled while beating on the metal building, hoping that someone would hear my cries and rescue me. I doubted my captors had housed me anywhere near civilization, the risk too great for discovery. Yet, I screamed anyway, taking satisfaction in doing something.
Before long, I had exhausted myself, and I fell to the hard cement floor. Despair covered me like a cold blanket, and I curled up in a ball and cried, not knowing what they had planned next. The temperature dropped as the deep night enveloped the warm evening, and I shivered. The heat of the day had retreated to where it belonged, and what it left behind chilled me to the core. Sleep begged for me, but the shivering wouldn’t ease up enough to let me doze off into a better place. I needed to escape the shed, not take a nap, but it seemed hopeless, as my rattled brain could not grasp any logical ideas of how to extract myself.
The chain clanked against the door. They were coming for me again. Terror gripped me, and a primal instinct made me want to hide. I moved around the structure again, following the metal ridges with my hands, and crawled over the lawnmower to disappear into a corner. The flashlight came through the door first, scanning the shed. When it landed on me and steadied, I knew he had spotted me. There was nowhere to hide in the small space. I could make out a black silhouette behind the bright light, but I couldn’t discern which of my tormentors had returned to inflict more pain. I held up my hand to shield my good eye from the blinding beam.
“Ellia,” the voice said. It was Man-in-black, the man they called, Donny. “I am sorry; I wanted you to know that. I will do what I can to get you out of this, but you need to tell them something. It doesn’t matter what. Make something up if you need to; whatever will buy us time.” He approached me and moved the lawn mower. I shielded my head with my arms and tried to fold myself small to protect my body from him. “I don’t want to hurt you, don’t be afraid.” He covered me with a warm blanket and set a bottle of water near my foot. “Just tell them something so this can be over.”
“And what happens when they find out I lied? I am guessing Mr. Dacks would be rather pissed if I wasted his time with a fib. I really don’t have any idea where my dad is. I swear to you, I don’t know.” My voice broke, and I started to cry again, wanting the nightmare to end.
“I believe you, but these guys are not fooling around. There is a lot of money at stake here, and they will do whatever it takes to get their hands on it. When was the last time you talked to Sam?” he asked.
“How do you know about Sam?” I was suddenly alert and scared again.
“Obviously, if we found you, Ellia, we can find your brother and your mom,” Donny remained calm as he answered my stupid question. Of course they would seek out my whole family.
“Oh my God, please tell me you didn’t hurt them.” Hysterics welled up, and the man reached out and put his hand on my knee to quiet me. Instinctively, I backed away, knocking a shovel over and taking the handle to my head.
“Take it easy, Ellia,” he said in a soft voice. He tossed the tool aside. “I don’t have information as to where they are or if anyone has them. You need to understand, though, that Gordon and I are not the only employees of Mr. Dacks; he has other people out there. Do you think Sam or your Mom would have any information on him?”
I had no idea whether my family knew where my dad was or not. I couldn’t bear these men going after them based on something I said, though. My mother lived two hours away, and my brother was in another state, altogether. None of us were close anymore, and we never talked to each other about our own personal relationships with my father. I didn’t know if either of them might have knowledge of his comings and goings or not. I was done talking. They would have to kill me. I wouldn’t accidentally give them a reason to go after my loved ones.
“Get away. I am not talking to any of you. Beat me, rape me, murder me, do whatever you want. No matter what I say, it’s wrong, anyway. Take your apology and your pretense of caring, and shove it up your ass, DONNY!” I yelled at him.
He sighed and stood up. The light went with him as he neared the door. “Still as stubborn as ever, I see. I hope you don’t regret that stance.”
The chain clanked a desolate song as he closed the door behind him. The lock smacked onto the metal siding creating an echo as it fell in place. His last statement confused me further. I wondered if I had met this man before. An image finally formed in my mind, taking my breath away. I remembered the person he reminded me of, and the familiar black curtain fell in place, refusing to let my memory go there. It was just too painful. I used
to think I saw him everywhere in the beginning, and now, as my stress levels rose, it was happening again. That person died long ago, and a big part of me perished with him. Even now, after so much time had passed, I still could not bring myself to think about him. I emotionally shut down and closed my eyes, letting the darkness hide me from the pain that nearly killed me.
Chapter 2
I woke the next morning to the jangle of the chain and the click of the lock. I’d wrapped myself up in the warm blanket that Donny had given me and fallen asleep at some point. The door flew open and sunlight poured in, along with the freezing air, a big change from the previous day’s Indian summer. Not wanting to face my abductors, I stayed under the coverlet and hid myself away. I didn’t know which one had come for me.
“Get up, skank,” said the voice of Camo-man. “We need to have another chat.” He didn’t give me the chance to stand up on my own. He grabbed me by the hair and yanked me to my feet, causing me to cry out in pain.
“Shut up!” he barked as he dragged me outside the shed. We were still at the cabin. Gordon pushed me towards the back door, and I tripped on a stick, falling to the ground. “Clumsy bitch,” he said and kicked me in the tailbone with his muddy work boot. I fell face first onto the frosty morning grass, scraping my injured face in the dirt. Quickly, but with prudence, I picked myself up before he kicked me again. He grabbed my upper arm, his dirty nails digging into my flesh, and pushed me along with him.
We quickened the pace as we crossed the yard. Forest blanketed the tiny lodge, and there was no sign of neighbors or a real road. A rutted, dirt two-track ran in front of the cabin and disappeared into the woods. Parked to the side were two vehicles, the white work van, and a black suburban next to it. I figured Mr. Dacks was waiting for me inside the shack.
Just as we entered the door, I saw Donny first, and he pulled his ski mask over his face again. I wondered why he cared anymore, none of the rest did. I already knew they planned to kill me regardless of what I told them.
