by Lilly Wilder
I looked to the right and didn’t see anything, and then I looked to the left. My mouth dropped open as I saw Jackson and Logan coming towards me. I wondered where Jamie was. I kicked the bike and tried to rev the engine to flee, but the men’s strides ate up the ground and were on me before I could do anything. I flailed my arms wildly and tried to aim for their weak spots; the eyes and the throat. I scrambled down from the bike and lashed out with everything I could. My foot hit something and a I heard a grunt, but soon enough two strong arms were holding my arms behind my back and I was unable to break free, no matter how much I struggled and writhed. Logan had me in his clutches. I felt his warm breath against my neck. Beside him was Jackson, rubbing his face, which I must have struck in my mad attack.
“What do you want?” I yelled. Jackson turned away without saying anything. I screamed for help, but we were in the middle of nowhere and my words rose through the air harmlessly. My heart sank as I realized that I had failed. Not only had I failed to save Mel, but I had failed to keep myself safe as well. I asked myself how this could have happened, how I could have been so careless, and I couldn’t come up with an answer.
7
Logan dragged me into the forest. We left the road behind and were surrounded by trees. I looked for any opportunity to break free, but Logan’s grip was firm and I soon realized that I wasn’t going to get anywhere by struggling, it was only making him angrier and taking us longer to get wherever we were going. I figured that it was better for me to act harmless and weak, hoping to lull them into a false sense of security so that when I had an opportunity to escape I would be ready to seize it. I also wanted to see Mel and make sure that she was alright. I looked around, but the forest was nondescript. Shafts of moonlight broke through the trees, but otherwise it was almost pitch black. I stumbled frequently, but Logan was as sure-footed as a mountain goat. I had no idea how he could make his way through the woods like this without a flashlight, but I had other things to worry about.
I tried to keep calm. I told myself that if I still had my wits I could make it out of the situation alive. I doubted they wanted to kill me because they could have done that already, and if they wanted anything else…well, I would recover eventually. It made me wonder how Amy had gotten free though.
I heard the crunch of leaves and the snapping of twigs and branches as we stumbled through the forest and eventually came to a large cabin. The air was still, the night cool and dark. We were in the middle of nowhere and I doubted that anyone else in the world even knew this place existed.
The brothers still hadn’t said anything to each other and they were ignoring my pleas and questions. I was trying to get them off-balance, but if I was right and they did have a military background they evidently had the discipline to ignore me. Everything began to fall into place in my mind. I realized now why they had been so secretive in the bar, and probably why Jamie had been so skittish. He probably didn’t want to go along with all of this but was forced to by his older brothers, and so he might be the key to get me out of this.
I bit my tongue as I was led into the cabin and taken to a room. I hoped to be with Mel so I could at least check that she was alright, but I was on my own. It was a small room with a bed and a window and a closet, which was empty. The window was locked as well, and I heard a bolt being slid after the door closed. I hammered on the door and then struggled to get the window open. The glass was thick and I would need something else to smash it with if I was to get it open, but there wasn’t anything readily available in the room. I searched the closet and then hopelessly sank onto the bed, holding my head in my hands. I cursed myself for being captured and for not doing more to prevent Mel from coming with the men in the first place. Knowing her they probably didn’t even have to try hard to get her here, not that they had had to try hard with me either.
That wolf troubled me...it had to have been just coincidence that he stopped me when he did, and yet it was the perfect location for the brothers to capture me. Did they somehow have control over the wolf? Had they tamed such a savage creature? If so, then were more formidable then I originally imagined.
I moved to the door and pressed my ear against it, hoping to hear some of what they were speaking now that I wasn’t in their immediate company, but all I heard were muffled sounds. I thought that I could make out Jamie’s voice as well, but I wasn’t sure about it. I waited and sighed and tried to see a way out. I tested the walls and the ceiling, but this place had been made well. I wondered how many other women had been sitting in this room before me, and how many made it out alive.
I had no idea how much time had passed before I heard footsteps coming towards the room. I leaped back on the bed, trying to feign weakness and fear, although I didn’t have to do much to fake the latter emotion. The door opened and Jamie stood there.
“Here’s some food,” he mumbled, and placed a tray on the floor. He turned to leave, but I asked him to wait and he paused.
“What am I doing here? Where’s Mel? Is she safe?”
“She has served her purpose,” Jamie said after pausing momentarily, and then he left before I could say anything else, closing the door behind him. I was left with more questions than I had before. I had no idea what he meant by Mel serving her purpose. Did that mean she was dead? And what purpose did I have to serve? Was this just a random attack where Mel and I had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time, or was there more to it?
I had plenty of questions, but no answers, and I didn’t think that any answers were going to present themselves to me. My stomach growled as I picked up the tray and brought it back to the bed. There was a glass of orange juice and a plate filled with toast, bacon, and eggs. The aroma tantalized my taste buds and I was unable to resist the allure of the food. I wanted to, because I didn’t want them to think they had power over me, but I knew I had to be at my full strength if I was going to get out of here.
As I sat there on the bed in the room I was taken back to my childhood, reminded of all the times when I sat in my own room listening beyond the door to my parents fighting. I always felt alone then, and I felt alone now, even though I knew that somewhere in this place Mel was being held captive as well. I gazed out of the window at the world outside and wished for freedom. I didn’t know what these men had planned for me, but I wondered if I was ever going to be released. I thought of the little girl in the house I had visited earlier, my young half-sister, and was at least grateful that if one of us had to suffer this fate it was going to be me. She should be spared this fate, as should Mel.
I numbly ate the food, which didn’t taste as good as it should have because of my state of mind and the turmoil roiling in my gut. When I finished I cried out in the hope that one of them would come to collect the plate. When they didn’t I used the tray to try and smash the window, but I wasn’t strong enough. The plate and the glass were plastic as well, so I couldn’t even break them to fashion weapons out of sharp shards. It seemed they had thought of everything, and I was in a dire situation.
8
I had just about fallen asleep, my body giving into the fatigue, when the door opened. The room was dark, but a light was shining from outside and it cast the figure standing in the doorway in soft light. I cracked open my eyes and sat up.
“What do you want Jackson, if that is your real name?”
“It is. Come with me.”
“And why would I do that? Why would I do anything you command? I get it, you know, I’m pretty sure I’ve got you all figured out,” I said, my mind working overtime. In fact, I wasn’t sure, but I could take a pretty good guess given the information that was available to me and I hoped to figure out more information from his reactions.
“Oh really?” Jackson said, arching an eyebrow. Men always thought they knew more than me, especially men like Jackson. They liked to think of themselves as superior, as though a fragile woman like me couldn’t ever fathom what was going on in their minds.
“Oh yes.
I get it, I mean, you three were probably out there in the Middle East giving your lives for the sake of the country and when you come back you find that the country isn’t grateful at all, and you start to wonder why you even went out there in the first place. I’ve met people like you before. The lines of morality get blurred. There are different rules out there. People do different things. You take liberties. You do what you want and there are no consequences and you start to get used to that life, and when you come back you think why not? Why not just carry on? It’s not like people are treating you any differently anyway. To them you’re just a ghost, so you might as well have your fun where you can get it.
But it’s not that easy, is it? This world isn’t the same as the one you experienced out there and it’s not so easy just to change it back. So you have to hide in places like this, and take out your desires in the dark, but you’re not fighting a war anymore. You don’t have anything to win. You’re only hurting other people and yourselves. And what about Jamie? Was he even in the war with you or did you just rope him into this because he was easy to manipulate? I’m sure he was always proud of his older brothers for going off to fight, but does he look at you with pride now, or is he just filled with fear? I think I know which.”
Jackson narrowed his eyes and studied me for a few moments. He nodded slightly and then turned his back on me.
“If you want to see your friend you’ll come with me.”
I didn’t want to do as he asked, but I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see Mel or to get out of this room. I followed him down a narrow hall. One direction led to a wider room. I could hear the sounds of a TV, and see the soft glow. I heard a laugh, which I imagined must have been Logan. Jamie didn’t seem to be in the mood to laugh. We didn’t go in that direction though, rather we walk down the narrow hallway to another room, much like mine. I knew from seeing it outside that this cabin was large, and I wondered about how much there was left for me to explore, if I was even given the chance to live outside my small room. I thought about running, but with three of them against me I knew it was unlikely that I would escape.
Jackson led me to a room and opened the door. I peered inside and saw Mel. She looked unharmed. There were no bruises, but she did look bedraggled and tired. Her makeup had smeared and she was shivering. She looked up at me and an expression of horror came upon her face. She started to shake her head and backed into the door.
“Your time here has ended,” Jackson said. He walked into the room and grabbed her arm. I shouted at him to stop, but he turned towards me. “Are you not glad your friend has a chance to be free?”
I didn’t understand why he was willing to let her go. Surely it was better for them to have many women? As he pulled up Mel I noticed that she didn’t seem to be harmed at all, and I wondered why they had brought her here in the first place. I stepped back as they came through the door and looked at her with confusion.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked. Jackson didn’t offer me any answer, but Mel was able to focus for an instant.
“They only took me because they wanted you. This is all about you,” she said, and as she was dragged away with me I was stunned, unable to move. My mind crashed in on itself. Was she right? Was this all some ploy to get me here? But how could they have known I would come? My mind was reeling with questions and I felt as though the wind had been knocked out of me. I tried to come to some sort of understanding about the nature of this plan but I just couldn’t. I watched Mel being taken away and I chased after her, asking her questions, trying to get her to stay. Jackson took her outside and flung her into the open air.
“And remember, don’t you dare tell anyone about us,” he snarled. Mel cowered and was so shaken in exactly the same way that Amy had been. I remembered that girl’s words. ‘They’re monsters’. What had they done to her?
Mel glanced at me and I saw sheer terror in her eyes. She mouthed ‘I’m sorry’ and then turned on her heels and ran away into the night, melting into the darkness. I felt my heart crumble, for I had come all this way to save her, and at the first sign of escape she had fled. I had betrayed my own beliefs and cared too much about another person. Now, it had led me here and I was at the mercy of these men.
“What do you want with me?” I asked Jackson.
“Get back inside. I wanted you to know that your friend was safe. We returned her to her life. You don’t have to worry about her.”
“That doesn’t answer my question. Why am I here? What did Mel mean? Why did you just use her as bait?”
“I don’t have to explain anything to you,” he said.
I wasn’t about to accept that. I screamed and ran as fast as I could away from the cabin, hoping that I could at least lose them in the forest. Somehow they had tracked me down before, but I wouldn’t let them do so again. I just had to find my bike and get back to the city. I had to tell the cops, I decided, this was too big for them not to know, and even if they didn’t care I might at least prevent someone else from being harmed. I still didn’t know what they wanted with me, but I was willing to sacrifice the answer to the question for the sake of escaping.
I kicked up dirt as I ran into the darkness and managed to retain my balance even when I caught my foot on a stray rock. My lungs burst and sweat prickled against my brow. I couldn’t hear anything behind me. Branches whipped my skin and tore at my clothes but I didn’t care, I just had to get out of there.
I’d gotten maybe fifty feet when I heard a growl and saw the familiar sight of the wolf stalking before me. Its lean, powerful body barred my path. I stopped in my tracks and breath caught in my throat. The wolf bared its teeth, jagged pointy things, and its eyes gazed at me, unblinking. I swallowed my fear and tried to move to the side, but to my horror the wolf followed the path and seemed to not want to let me pass. It was guided by an intelligence that went beyond animal instinct and I was baffled as to how it could know what I was doing. Surely Jackson hadn’t trained this wolf that well?
It snarled at me and I realized I had no choice but to turn back. I trudged back in the direction from whence I came and saw Jackson waiting for me, his thick arms folded across his broad chest. I looked up at him, for he towered above me, and he arched an eyebrow. He then looked past me.
“Good job,” he said to the wolf. The wolf whimpered in response and then scampered away.
“If you’re going to keep me here the least you could do is tell me why I’m here. You never know, I might even like it,” I said, trying to change tack and be a little more playful. They seemed to have responded well when Mel had been her flirty, seductive self in the Rainbow Bar, and clearly being resistant wasn’t getting me anywhere. Sometimes the only way to get what I wanted was to pretend to want the same thing as the man.
“All in good time. Get some rest first,” he said, and walked away, not even bothering to show me back to my room. He seemed to think that I was simply going to stay there. I gazed to the woods around me and was tempted to run off again, but instantly I knew it would be futile. The wolf was out there, and it wouldn’t let me leave even if I tried. There may not have been bars around this area but it was a prison all the same, so I returned to the cabin in the vain hope that I might at least get some answers.
I had a grim look on my face when I went into the lounge and saw Logan there watching TV, as though he didn’t have a care in the world. He didn’t seem to be bothered by my appearance. In fact, he didn’t seem to take much notice of me at all.
“What are you watching?” I asked.
“Oh, just some old show,” he said.
“Are you allowed to tell me why I’m here, or do I have to just go and sit in that room until you all decide to come and see me?”
Logan tossed a glance towards me and smirked. “This is the beginning of an adventure. You’ll never be able to guess the wonders that await,” he said, and I noted the hint of sarcasm in his voice. I looked down the hallway towards the door that led to my room and
I sighed. I wasn’t yet ready to go back meekly into that room. I needed answers, and I needed them now. I cocked my head coquettishly and swayed my hips as I walked, sliding down gracefully onto the couch beside him. His eyes were locked on the screen, but he noticed me with his peripheral vision and his gaze fell to my rounded figure. I leaned forward slightly, giving him the view that all men wanted.
“What kind of wonders would they be?” I replied in a breathy voice. His mouth fell open and he shifted his body to face closer to me, opening himself up. He seemed to be the more exuberant of the three brothers and I had no doubt that he would be the easiest to manipulate with my body.
“Ones that will totally change your perception of the world,” he said as if in a daze. I giggled a little and threw my hair back, exposing one side of my neck. I traced my hand along my shoulder and chest, playing with the edge of my top. I breathed in deeply, making my chest rise, and with it I knew his arousal was rising as well. I leaned in closer and whispered conspiratorially.
“I’m sure you can tell me a little of why I’m here, or are you always the obedient brother? It must get so frustrating having to bow at his whims just because he’s the eldest. Especially when I get the feeling you’re the type of man who likes to take the initiative.” I looked at him with wide eyes and rolled my lower lip under my teeth, hoping that his will was much weaker than Jackson’s. I think it may have worked as well, had not Jackson come in at that moment.
“What are you doing?” he growled, and glared at Logan. Logan shrugged and threw up his hands, flashing Jackson his lazy smile.
“I’m just making sure Millie here is settling in alright,” he said.
Jackson looked as though he was about to explode.
“You know what’s at stake here. You know how important this is!” he said, and promptly grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me back to my room. I slapped his arm, but it was as tough as coiled metal. He was far stronger than I had imagined as well, and as much as I tried I couldn’t wrestle my wrist free from him. When he threw me into the room I fell on the bed and he slammed the door before I could plea with him again.
