Isolated Encounter

by Sarah Alabaster

Zack’s plan was simple: keep Katie surrounded by family and close friends, as well as his security detail, and move her out of the condo she owned. Then, when Randall showed his face, snatch him before he did any harm to any of them. It sounded simple enough, and Katie was for the most part cooperating fully. As the day progressed, though, the strain on the family was beginning to wear on her. He could see it. Once she’d left to bring the boxes down to the trucks by herself without letting anyone know she had gone. When she came back, he’d been so upset that he almost attached her to a bungee cord to keep her from escaping. Almost.

  With night closing in, Zack figured one more trip to the house should do it, then they could all breathe again. Though Randall hadn’t yet appeared, the hairs on the back of his neck alerted him to the dangers that were ahead. Once they got there, Matt and Justin made their way into the house without looking back, heading straight for the last four boxes from the kitchen.

  “Hey guys, where’s Katie?”

  His heart nearly stopped with the look the two shared.

  “She was right there a minute ago.”

  Annie came into the room just then as all three heads turned in her direction.

  “What?”

  She just stared at them.

  “Mom, have you seen Katie?”

  “Yeah, she took a box down about ten minutes ago, to the truck. Didn’t you guys see her downstairs?”

  She ran out the door when the boys shook their heads.

  “What the fuck?”

  Panic was taking over as Zack bolted down the steps, nearly colliding with Annie on the way down.

  “Katie! Katie!” they called.

  But there was no answer, just the glare from the overhead street lights illuminating the night.

  “Katie!”

  Justin ran around the truck, trying to pick up on anything she could have left behind.

  “I found the box she took down here, but she’s nowhere in sight.”

  “Maybe she just went off somewhere to get something.”

  “No! She knows the plan.”

  Zack was having a heart attack. His chest was so tight and his heart was racing so fast he could barely take a breath.

  “Zack, she’s been slowly breaking the plan all day. We’ve been trying to run interference, but when that girl is determined to do something…”

  “I know, but we had a plan. She wouldn’t just leave. She wouldn’t wonder off knowing how much I’d get upset.”

  Annie placed her hand on his shoulder, trying to give him some comfort, but it just wasn’t working. He couldn’t breathe, his heart was beating out of his chest, and he was sure he was about to vomit on her foot if she didn’t back away.

  “Um, Mom…”

  Justin approached just as Zack was turning color.

  “I’ve seen that look before, and you’d better step back.”

  “What? Why?”

  When Zack tossed his lunch and anything left from breakfast right there on the ground, Annie rapidly took Justin’s advice to step back.

  Justin ran to Zack’s side as he continued to dry heave.

  “It’ll be okay, Zack.”

  “How? How in the hell will it be okay?”

  Zack ran the back of his hand across his mouth as he tried to swallow the acidic taste.

  “She’s probably here somewhere. We’ll find her.”

  But Justin wasn’t sure they would, and Matt had stopped looking, placing his hand against the truck, trying to figure out their next move.

  “He has her.”

  Maybe it was just the voice in the back of his mind telling him what they were all afraid to say, but he knew in that moment that they wouldn’t find her anytime soon.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Any sign of her?”

  Zack’s frantic voice pierced the night as family and friends that had gathered to help move Katie to his place now searched to find her. It had only been a few hours since someone had last seen her moving a box to the truck, and everyone assumed she had just stepped away to have a moment to herself. Everyone but Zack. As soon as he had realized she was missing, he had people searching for something to help find her.

  “No, and I didn’t see anything she may have left behind.”

  Justin knew she was gone the moment Zack had fallen to the ground and screamed. All Zack’s security personnel had come out from the shadows, but it was too late. Too late for Zack, and way too late for Katie. She could have been anywhere by now, and Zack had spent the last few hours beating himself up, trying to figure out where.

  “Zack, it’s getting late. We need to…”

  Matt’s eyes pleaded for answers, and Justin put his hand on his shoulder to steady his younger brother. Katie may have been one of the youngest in the family, but she was also the one they most worried about, since her husband had beat her on more occasions than they’d realized. Randall would have killed her if not for their mother intervening. Annie was a force that would stop at nothing to help her children. Right now, that force was nowhere to be found as she had left to dig up her own leads on Katie’s whereabouts.

  “I can’t stop looking.”

  “We know that Zack, but you need to rest so we can…”

  “No! I can’t rest without her next to me. I can’t…”

  His voice broke as his world crumbled beneath him, literally causing him to fall to the ground as his knees buckled under him. Justin was right by his side in an instant, doing what he did best: helping.

  “Come on, Zack. Katie doesn’t need this right now. You can lose it when we find her, but not now.”

  “Justin, I just want her back,” he spat between gasps for air as he cried into his hands. Losing wasn’t a thing he was used to, and as the mayor, helplessness was something else he hadn’t really experienced. The combination of the two made him a complete mess at the moment.

  “Come on, buddy. We need you to pull it together. Wherever Katie is, she needs us to be strong so we can get her back in one piece.”

  Dear God, please help her. Don’t let that monster destroy his beautiful Katie. His sweet, loving, and strong Katie. God only knew what might be happening to her at this moment.

  “Damnit, Zack! Pull your shit together, man, the news crews are arriving!”

  Matt ran across the parking lot as swarms of television crews headed their way, mics in hand, posed and at the ready.

  Sniffling, Zack swore under his breath as Justin blocked the reporters’ eager advance upon them.

  “Mayor Collins, Mayor Collins, is it true someone has kidnapped your girlfriend? What are the police saying may be the reason? Is this a political assault on the town? Should the community fear a rash of crime as a result?”

  Jesus! What in the hell were these vultures trying to do, make this into a bloodbath that could affect the entire town?

  “No, the police have not determined the nature of the situation, other than that a young woman is missing and presumed okay, unless we find evidence otherwise. To answer your other question, since there really is no crime here, nothing and no one is affecting this town politically or otherwise. Now, if you would excuse me.”

  As the cameras and microphones lined Zack’s exit, Justin aided in clearing the path that led to his waiting car. With the assistance of his security detail, Zack, Justin, and Matt drove off toward Zack’s house, which would be their base of operation for the time being.

  ***

  “Oh, you and your entire team are so fired! If it wasn’t for the fact that I can’t terminate your employment until we find Katie, I’d have you escorted off the property by the police.”

  Since the door had closed at his residence, Zack berated his security detail for their lack of professionalism in not keeping a better eye on Katie—not just tonight, but for the other incident as well. It seemed like these men were well suited to guard important people, but when it came to keeping a small-town woman from being kidnapped, they had turned out to be completely useless.

  J
ustin stood on one side of the room, worried his friend might in fact take matters into his own hands. He figured it best to be ready when the bloodshed started, rather than later, when all he could do was clean up afterward.

  “You done yet?” Matt said as he walked into the room, drink in hand.

  “That depends. Did you bring one for all of us, or just yourself?”

  Turning around without saying a word, Matt headed back for more liquor.

  It seemed best not to poke the Zack at the moment.

  “After that stiff drink I’m assuming Matt is bringing us, I’d like to sedate you so you can get some rest.”

  “No fucking way!”

  “Zack, you need rest, and you’re not going to get nearly enough like this to be of any use to us tomorrow.”

  “Fuck! How do I know you’ll get me up once you knock me out?”

  “Well, in case you hadn’t noticed, we kinda need your mayoral ass to get my sister back.”

  “Good point.”

  Scratching his head as he ran his fingers through his hair, Zack considered his options.

  “Don’t’ even think about it. You need to rest so we can get her back. You’re of no use to us in this condition.”

  “And what exactly are you guys going to do while I’m ‘resting’?”

  “We’ll keep an eye on the house and get some rest, too. Wherever Katie is, we can’t help her like this. We need a plan so we can find her. We need too many things we can’t get this late, so as far as I’m concerned, the day is done. All we can do right now is rest for tomorrow.”

  “What if…”

  He couldn’t say it. He didn’t even want to even think it.

  “Just say it. I’m too tired to play one hundred questions and pull it out of you.”

  “What if she’s already gone or… worse?”

  Matt handed them each a glass of the scotch he’d found in the cabinet.

  Zack had been saving that for Katie’s first night as his official roommate, but it seemed appropriate that they drink it now—for her.

  Annie came into the room.

  “She’s not dead, Zack.”

  “How do you know? That mother’s intuition thing?”

  Gulping down the rest of the drink without so much as looking in her direction, Zack put the glass down on the coffee table. He didn’t want to hear anything other than facts. No amount of wishing could bring her back to him, and right now he needed something solid to hold on to.

  “She’s alive, Zack. I know it.”

  Annie grabbed Justin’s glass and chugged his drink down in one gulp.

  Then the room fell silent as everyone stared off into the unknown.

  ***

  “Wakey, wakey.”

  A chill ran through Katie as his voice penetrated the darkness. Everything was muffled by the ringing in her ears. Her eyes wouldn’t open, but she kept trying anyway. Something poked painfully at her ribs with what felt like hot daggers, but is just the tip of a boot.

  “Come on, now. You’re ruining my fun.”

  The sound of his voice was familiar, but it wasn’t Zack’s. Searching her mind for the source of the voice, Katie deliberately kept her breathing steady and her eyes closed as the feet shuffled closer to her.

  Who was it? Where was Zack? Where was she?

  Then the foot connected with her ribs again.

  “I said, get up!”

  He pulled at her arm to try and wake her, but she tried to remain as still as possible.

  “I know you’re awake, Katelyn—get up!”

  Oh, shit! She knew that voice. It was Randall.

  “You know the smell of fear only turns me on more, sweetheart.”

  Fuck, fuck, fuck.

  Sharp pain ran through her as Randall’s foot connected with her side. If her ribs weren’t broken before, they sure were now. The violent sounds of bones being snapped finally got her attention, causing her to cry out in pain.

  “Ah, there you are. I’ve been waiting forever to see you again, sweetheart.”

  God, she hated when he called her that.

  “This is gonna be so much fun! You wouldn’t want to miss what I have planned for you, now would you?”

  “Fuck you, Randall.”

  “Ah, darling, let’s do this without the swearing. You know how much I hate that.”

  He grunted as he raised her off the ground. She was trying hard to be an impossible-to-move object, but it was no use. Randall had her, and for as long as he was going to keep her, she could be sure he would make her pay for leaving the way she did.

  “It’s been a long time, Katelyn. We have some catching up to do.”

  Randall swung his fist at her face, making direct contact with her mouth.

  She cried out from the pain that radiates through her, even though she knew that she shouldn’t.

  “I’ve missed you so much, baby.”

  Bile rose in her throat at that, and it took everything she had not to let it escape.

  “What do you want, Randall? Money?”

  Surely, he must have known how valuable she was to Zack. That’s why he had grabbed her.

  “Nope. I don’t want anything your boyfriend or family could give me.”

  Eying her up and down, he twisted her so she was facing away from him as he pulled her into his chest.

  Fuck!

  “What do you want then, Randall?”

  This wasn’t good. Not wanting a ransom meant he had no plans on letting her go.

  “Isn’t it obvious, Katelyn?” he hissed into her ear.

  His hot breath sent unwelcome chills down her spine.

  “Not to me, so just get on with it so I can get out of here.”

  “Tsk tsk tsk. Katelyn, dear, you’re not going anywhere. As for what I want…”

  His hand ran down her side, and this time she shivered as he brushed against her injured ribs.

  “Get on with it, already. Tell me what you want!” she screamed as loud as she could, hoping someone would hear.

  “You,” he whispers into her ear.

  Numbness took over as he began to strangle her from behind. Her body collapsed as the darkness descended.

  I’m so sorry, Zack, were her last thoughts before everything went blessedly blank.

  ***

  “How long has Zack been awake?”

  Justin entered the room upset to see Zack already at the helm, giving out orders in the kitchen, as well as the adjoining living room. It looked like a war room.

  “Since around four.”

  Matt sipped on his coffee as he sat at the island watching Zack talk. His hands and arms were waving about to different areas of a map that showcased the surrounding area.

  “We need to find his trail.”

  He was talking into his cell, which had been attached to his ear all night. Any noise caused him to jump and go still before issuing further orders to his people.

  “How long has he been jumpy like that?”

  Grabbing a cup from the counter, Justin filled it with the coffee from the machine. Stirring in the creamer with a straw before taking a sip, he looked on with concern and empathy.

  “Oh, that started a while ago. He tends to really lose it when these guys move things or touch something of hers. It’s a real sight to behold.”

  “Can’t wait,” Justin said dryly, as hot liquid burned his throat going down.

  “This stuff is awful.”

  “Yep. Zack says Katie was the one that made coffee for them.”

  Letting the statement hang, the two men exchanged looks before turning back to watch the show Zack was giving them. Clearly the sedative hadn’t worked, since he’d clearly lost his marbles this morning.

  When an officer came into the room with papers in his hand, he stopped before getting anywhere near Zack. As Justin watched the man try to decide the best way to approach Zack, Justin decided to walk over to him instead.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

  Matt jus
t sipped more of his coffee as Zack yelled additional orders across the room.

  “Yeah, well, this poor guy doesn’t need to get fired just by getting in the crosshairs.”

  The officer was relieved to inform Justin of the latest news on the situation, and then handed him some papers with details of Randall’s activities over the past seven years.

  “Great. Thank you.”

  The officer then hightailed it out of the room, leaving Justin to deal with Zack on his own.

  “Good luck with that, Justin. You should have taken the cop’s vest for protection.”

  “Yeah, I was just thinking that, too.”

  Though the situation couldn’t get any worse, Zack suddenly punches a nearby wall in frustration.

  Shit. He had completely lost it, and this new information would only make matters worse.

  “What!” Zack yelled as Justin tapped his shoulder.

  It wasn’t until he turned around that he saw who it was. He was immediately shameful, and his shoulders sagged without saying another word.

  “Zack.”

  Justin took a hold of his hand to inspect the wound before giving him the latest information, along with the papers.

  “We need to keep it together to bring her back to us.”

  “Justin, I can’t do this.”

  Tears fell as Zack removed his hand from Justin’s perusal.

  “Yes, you can, but you can’t keep doing it like this. We need to work together without the terror tactics you’ve been implementing.”

  “I’m not using…”

  It dawned on him that the yelling, screaming, and punching did add up to that kind of behavior, and he shook his head before continuing.

  “I’m sorry.” Then he turned to the group gathered. “I’m sorry, everyone.”

  “It’s okay, Zack. We just need to find his trail.”

  “Don’t you think I know that? What do you think I’ve been doing all morning, huh?”

  “Calm down!” Justin yelled back, causing the whole room to go silent. Justin never yelled. He was the epitome of self-restraint, so for him to yell, even those that hadn’t known him long realized it was a good time to leave the room.

  “Zack, be careful. Justin never yells.”