by LM Terry
I try to pull myself together. I stare out the window, no way down. I go back to the long mirror running over the counter. One brown eye and one blue. I always thought people born with two different colored eyes were unique. I am not unique. I am just a fucked-up mess. I don’t even know who I am anymore. Am I Anna or am I Sarah? Sarah’s parents ran off and left me alone. Anna’s parents are all dead, my mother, step-father and even my real father…the notorious sex-trafficker.
Suddenly, I feel nauseous, I slide to the toilet and relieve myself of my morning breakfast. I squat down and look around me at the elegant bathroom. It is all stone tile and wood framing. The walk-in shower is large with a rain shower head in the center. This place is beautiful. I could be out exploring my new home but instead here I sit. I’m tired of running, tired of hiding.
What would happen if I quit running, quit hiding, quit thinking? Dylan said I need to be truthful with him, to do what he says and to trust him. I have never trusted anyone. Possibly Irene and Frank, at one time my mother but after being sent away even that evaporated. I don’t know if I can do what he is asking. Then again, he isn’t asking…he is demanding.
I get up to remove the brown contact then stare into Anna’s eyes. What do you have to lose Anna? Absolutely nothing, at this point all I have is this cabin and the hot yet terrifying man downstairs. Oliver will eventually come but maybe Dylan can make me forget about all that for a little while. That or he will kill me when he learns the truth of who I am. Either way, it won’t matter. The end will always remain the same, I will die.
Chapter Seventeen
∞∞∞
Dylan
I stare at the little brown contact on my finger. I tried to confront her in the car. I could see her excitement as we pulled up, but I couldn’t leave it alone. It’s like a scab you keep picking until finally you make it bleed. After Liam mentioned her eye color, I noticed she was wearing contacts. Then she confused me when I told her who I was. She seemed more agitated than when she assumed I worked for Oliver.
She bolted the minute she realized what was happening. She wasn’t just using the contacts in vain to match her current outfit. She is hiding. She ran upstairs, she will come back down when she is ready. She knows I’m not going anywhere.
I walk outside inhaling a deep breath of fresh mountain air. I shouldn’t have stolen her moment of excitement, but I don’t play games. I want everything out in the open, I can’t help or protect her if I don’t know what the heck is happening.
I jog down the steps and grab our bags out of the car then take them inside. I will go through her shit deeper, read my file and hopefully find clues. I grab her little carry on and the folder out of my bag and head into the kitchen.
Everything is spacious in the cabin. The living room and kitchen are all one big open space with high ceilings. Large logs run up the corners, each with their own uniqueness. Ah, I could get used to this, it is beautiful, just like the owner. I open the fridge expecting it to be empty, but it is packed full, along with the cupboards. Damn, this girl is resourceful.
I grab a soda and crack it as I open her bag to dump it on the counter. The only things that peak my interest are the contacts, notebook and a ring I hadn’t spotted before. It was tucked away in a little compartment. It looks like an engagement ring, the rock in the thing must be worth thousands. I put it back in the pocket. I need to remember to ask her why she kept it. Something so tiny but it makes me so angry.
I open the file from Liam and read through it. Her birth certificate has her eye color listed as brown. He didn’t lie, the blue that was hiding was unique, unforgettable. I have known someone with a similar color. I pause, could it be? I study the date. The age would be correct, but Annette and Manuel’s daughter drowned. I pick up her book of poetry pulling out the pen, Anna. No way, could this be the connection between Sophia and her? Could she be little Anna Velasquez?
I reflect on the funeral for the girl. The short casket was closed. They buried her on the estate in a private cemetery. Annette visited every day after her death, she was distraught, never the same after that. My sister traveled with her friends to help with the other girl, what were their names? Dammit, I can’t remember.
I pull my phone out to dial Liam but as I do I spot something sticking out of the black book. I tug at it. I stare at the image in my hand. No fucking way. It is a picture of Annette herself. I lean back in my chair staring up at the ceiling. I put my cell away, no need to call. I am certain of who she is. How did I not notice the resemblance earlier?
Still, so many unanswered questions but now I know who she is. I’m not sure how she is alive. I can’t help but speculate that this is fate. And she is mine…Anna Velasquez is mine…all mine. I smile to myself, Manuel and Annette would be pleased. I couldn’t rescue Sophia and that kills me, but we pulled someone else we knew out of the depths of hell. Manuel would be so angry if he knew that Oliver had his daughter. He would be proud of us for finding her. I’m excited to tell Liam, he will shit his pants.
This explains so much. The tenderness and great care she showed for Sophia. It even clarifies why they took her. I’m not sure how Oliver figured out she was Manuel’s daughter, but it shows how determined he was to take everything from him.
That is why they kept Sophia. They must have somehow found out Anna was alive and hoped Sophia could point them in the right direction. She knew the truth. A girl drowned that day except it wasn’t Anna it was the other little girl. A shudder runs through me at the image of what they may have done to my sister to persuade her to give up the information.
∞∞∞
Anna
I’ve sat in the bathroom all afternoon. Dylan doesn’t come for me, but I know he is still here. I could hear him in the master bedroom opening and shutting drawers. I peer out the window to watch the sun sink behind the trees. My stomach is grumbling, I can smell something cooking. It smells amazing. I push off the window seal and turn to look at the door. I’m not sure what is waiting for me on the other side. I suspect that he has figured out who I am.
I need to keep it together. I’m weary of crying in front of him. He must think I’m a big baby. I don’t know what to say, sorry for killing your mother and sister? He will hate me. The idea makes me miserable. I should be happy that now he knows who I am, he will be repulsed by the site of me. More than likely he will either kill me or leave me...alone. I thought I wanted to be alone. Alone to think. Alone to wait.
Let’s get this over with Anna. Let’s go out and rip the band-aid off. I open the door, the scent of whatever he is cooking comes rushing at me. I’ll wait until after I eat, he might deny me food once he learns the truth. Nothing to lose right? One foot in front of the other.
I stop at the top of the stairs and crouch down to see where he is. He has his back turned to me. He is rinsing something in the sink. He is in jeans and a gray short sleeve t-shirt. I watch the muscles ripple on his back from his movements and notice the tribal art tattoo peaking out under his shirt on his left arm. God, he is spectacular. He reminds me of Sophia except she was so petite. I’m guessing he is well over six feet and made of all lean muscle. I take a seat on the top stair, so I can ogle him.
“You finally decided to join me. Perfect timing, come and sit down, everything is just about finished.”
He didn’t turn so I don’t know how he knew I was staring at him, but he did. I guess it’s his training. I slowly walk down the steps over to the table that is already set. I pull a chair out and notice that in the center of it is the picture of my mother that William gave me and the pen with my name on it. I sit down and stare at my plate.
The days of being Sarah are over and that freaks me out. Anna needed a reprieve after all that happened to her in Venezuela. Dylan is not going to let that happen. He wants answers. He left these things on the table, so I would know what to expect. I’m so deep in thought he startles me when he is suddenly beside me scooping salad onto my plate.
I don’t look up a
s he takes the seat across from me. “This place is beautiful Anna, you have good taste. I like it. We will enjoy our time here I have a feeling.”
There it is, my name, he knows.
He keeps using the word “we” an awful lot. Soon enough he won’t. I’m going to tell him everything. If I can just get up the courage. Then that will be the end of the “we”. I cautiously glance around the cabin. It is beautiful. Cabins are their own kind of artwork. As I run my eyes around the layout of the place they land on Dylan’s. I hear his breath hitch, I quickly glance away.
“Don’t,” he orders. “Don’t hide from me Anna. I’m not sure what is going on, but you don’t get to hide from me. We will work this out tonight and then move forward. Do you understand?”
I shake my head in acknowledgement and pull myself together to look him directly in the eye. It is hard to let him see the real me. It makes me self-conscious.
“Damn, your eyes will be the death of me.”
More like he will be the death of me. Heat rises to my cheeks at his complement. Oliver always made similar comments, but it only caused me to hate him more. When Dylan compliments me or shows his possessive side, it incites a different reaction in me. I like it and that can’t be good. He is just going to hate me when all is said and done.
The oven dings, he hops up and points to my plate. “You haven’t even touched your salad and now dinner is ready. I hope you like chicken parmesan?”
“I like anything I don’t have to cook.” I am in heaven. After days of not eating much but gas station cuisine, I am starving.
I quickly poke at my salad, delighting in whatever dressing he used. It is a raspberry vinaigrette I believe. He laughs as he walks to the table loading my plate with the main dish. A man that is good looking and can cook, ah I’m sad that this will probably be the last time he cooks for me.
“What you don’t like to cook? If I remember right, your mother loved to bake.”
I set my fork down with a clank, suddenly feeling inadequate. My mom was an amazing chef, so was Mrs. Madrono. My mother and I used to bake together. When I went to live with the Madronos I would ask if I could help only to be shooed back to my room.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “Eat. We will talk after dinner. I looked around the property, it is larger than I thought. You never got to explore when we first arrived, we should do that.”
I pick up my fork. It doesn’t take long to devour the delicious meal. I savor each bite not knowing if it will be my last. I stand to clear the dishes from the table. He joins me in the chore.
“I’ll get this, you cooked dinner. I may not cook but I can clean.” I offer him a small smile. He is being so nice. Come to think of it, he hasn’t really been all that awful. Except for the whole trunk and kidnapping thing. If I block that out I can almost pretend that we are a couple just doing the normal mundane tasks of each day.
“The sooner we finish the sooner I get my answers,” he says.
And back to reality.
After we start the dishwasher, he grabs my hand and leads me through the house. He shows me everything I haven’t seen already. Almost like he is a realtor trying to make a sale. After showing me the two bedrooms and bath on the main floor we head outside to the wrap-around porch. When we get to the backside of the cabin, I see a pool and hot tub. I pull my hand from his.
“I don’t remember seeing this in the description,” I say nervously.
“It’s beautiful, I love the blue lighting.” He walks over to the side of the house and flips a switch. The pool turns blue along the edges illuminating the water, casting shadows on the bottom as it gently waves in the breeze.
I wouldn’t have bought the place had I known there was a pool. I wasn’t a big fan of water to begin with but even more so after my experience with Brian. A chill slithers over my skin. I take a few steps back watching Dylan as he bends down and skims his hand across the top of the water.
“It is heated,” he says. He glances up and sees my discomfort. He doesn’t say anything and leads me back around to the front of the house to a wooden porch swing. The horizon is turning a deep purple, soon it will be dark.
I sit down and stare at the stars. They are just beginning to reveal themselves in the darkening sky. Dylan sits down beside me and makes the swing tilt. He puts his arm around me to prevent me from dumping out. When is levels out, he tugs me in closer to him.
“I assume you have figured out who I am?” he asks.
I try to loosen his grip by wiggling a little, but he doesn’t budge. “Yes, you are Sophia’s older brother.”
“And you are little Anna Velasquez.” He squeezes me in jest, trying to lighten the mood.
“I’m so sorry about your sister.” I swipe at a tear running from my eye. “I don’t know where to start Dylan.”
He sighs. “I understand, how about you tell me how you ended up using the name Sarah. I thought you had drowned when you were ten. What are you eighteen, nineteen now?”
“Nineteen, my mother’s friends were the Madronos. It was their daughter Sarah that drowned. My mother saw her death as an opportunity to whisk me away into hiding, to become Sarah. I’m not sure why they agreed, but they did.”
“So, it was Sarah in the casket that day. I remember the little girl you were with did not attend the funeral, but I didn’t think much of it as one would assume she would be upset.”
“My mother kept me in my room until the night we left, Sophia went with me and stayed for a few days before she had to leave. She told me my parents would come for me when it was safe. She said I needed to pretend to be Sarah until then. As you probably already realize they never came.”
He lets out a long breath. “So, your mother felt danger was lurking.”
“She did. I wished she would have let me in on the reason for sending me away. I didn’t even know what to be afraid of all those years. I received a letter from my mother a few months ago. One she must have originally written when she sent me away. The Madronos left it on the table for me the day they vanished on my nineteenth birthday.”
“So, they are missing?” he asks his voice rising.
“No, they left because they were done. I was nineteen. They had fulfilled their obligation to my mother.”
He sits forward so he can look me in the eye. “That’s bullshit, they left you? Alone?”
I peer out at the pine trees, he is angry that they abandoned me. But that is how it has always been. I’ve been alone for nine years, whether or not they were in the house. I’m not upset. How can I criticize them? They let me take the place of their deceased daughter. They tried to save me. I should thank them if I ever see them again.
“It’s not like that Dylan. I don’t blame them, they were sad, they missed Sarah. They kept me safe for a lot of years. It was my stupid fault that Oliver found me.”
He sits back and pulls me close to him again. “It’s not right Anna, I will never leave you. I promise.”
I pull out of his embrace. I stand up and take a few steps before turning to him. If I run, I’m sure he will follow. His muscles are poised for a chase. “Don’t say that, you don’t understand Dylan. Everything is my fault, all the deaths, all the girls they took from the estate.”
“It. Is. All. My. Fault,” I annunciate each word trying to emphasize my point.
He reaches for me but I back away. “It is not your fault Anna, you were a child who couldn’t even comprehend what was going on. Oliver is a terrible man. None of it is your fault.” He grasps at me again.
I place my hand on his chest halting his advance. “Manuel is not my father, a man named William Ramirez is. That is why they went to the estate, they were looking for me. That is why they took Sophia. Oliver kidnapped me, so he could marry me and get William’s money.”
He begins to shake from anger, I brace myself for the furry. But, I must continue, there is no going back now. “I thought Manuel was my father. I didn’t know Oliver had everyone murdered. I didn’t know he had Sophia
. I knew none of it but none the less it was all because of me.” I sob. Saying everything out loud makes it all too real. They are gone, my parents, Sophia…all gone.
I can’t do this, why did I tell him. I jump off the edge of the porch and sprint into the dusk. I’m not sure if I am running from him or myself. I rush into the trees hoping the darkness of the forest will swallow me whole. This time he chases me. I realize as I go that I am no match for him, so I stop dead in my tracks. He skids to a halt behind me. We stand there in the dark for several minutes, the only sound in the cool night air is our breath and the occasional hoot of a nearby owl.
“Anna, I’m not a good man. When you run it brings something primal out in me. I don’t think you are ready to meet the beast. One day but not today. I need you to come with me on your own accord to the house.”
I tremble at his words, the beast inside him? I can feel it. I felt it yesterday when he let me out of the trunk and I ran. “Why don’t you kill me, and we can both move on?”
I don’t turn, I’m ready to die, I’m tired and oh so exhausted.
He rushes towards me and grabs the back of neck pushing his body up against mine. He pulls my head back into his chest. My heartbeat picks up. This is it. He is going to choke the life right out of me. As we stand there warm tingly feelings sneak into me. When he grips my neck tighter my stomach rolls, not in a bad way. It feels just like when you take a big hill too fast.
What is happening? I should be terrified. My life should be flashing before my eyes. But, all I can envision is him forcing me to the ground, making me drop to my hands and knees, then taking full advantage of me. I shiver causing goose pimples to creep along my arms.
“Why Anna, maybe you would like to meet the beast?” he breathes heavily in my ear. He loosens his grip and turns me to face him. The level of his restraint is obvious in his expression. I thought he would hate me. That is not what I see. He gleams of sheer lust. His eyes are swirling dark pools, they pin me with a serious look. The one that makes me want to run from him and surrender all at the same time.
