The buzzer echoed through the old house, and I took a step back to see if any lights came on or if there was any flutter of movement. Nothing.
When it was clear Nat wasn’t going to answer even if she was there, I took up residence in the car to wait her out. Eventually she’d have to come home, and I was happy that I had the forethought to bring a thermos of coffee and my laptop.
It only took until the sun came up for Nat to make her appearance. Her routine was like clockwork, always starting her day with a run right after sunrise.
The tapping of her running shoes meeting pavement was the only sound echoing through the streets as the day came alive. I moved behind her unnoticed, having learned many years ago how to be present but undetected. She was close to her mid-way point where she would stop to stretch and take in the hues of the sky. That’s where I’d make my move.
The twig cracked catching Nat’s attention, and she jumped, looking around for the source of the noise. I exited the brushy cover and let her eyes find mine. The panic rose instantly across her face, and she swept the area for help.
“There is nowhere to go, Nat.”
“I could run. I could go to the police.”
“If you were going to the police, you would have already.”
“I was hoping the pieces would fall together and not make you a killer, but you creeping around in the bushes watching me makes you seem even worse,” she spat at me, her words stinging. If she only knew.
“I need you to listen to me,” I spoke softly, trying to show her with my tone and body language that I meant her no harm.
She took a tentative step backwards. She was preparing to run. There was no way she was ready to hear me out, and she was leaving me with no other choice. I would not let my position in this be compromised by anyone. Not even her.
She sprinted away without giving me a chance, but I was quicker, and I’d be waiting for her when she got home.
Chapter Three
Natalie
The door slammed shut behind me, the lock clicked in place, and I slumped against it catching my breath. Even within the safety of my own walls, the hairs on the back of my neck prickled to life. Something was wrong.
I wasn’t equipped to deal with Duke and whatever business he was involved in. I thought I’d known him and was even hopeful that we’d have a future together because he was the exact thing my family wanted for me. It had instilled in me to settle down with a safe man. Boy, was I wrong about Duke being safe. I knew what I had to do. As the images replayed in my mind, I knew I had to report him.
The comfy sweater engulfed me, and it felt secure in all the craziness. Yesterday I was a twenty-something woman enjoying an evening with her beau when it all came tumbling down.
It was when the cloth came over my mouth and nose from behind that I realized that I had been deadly wrong about the safety of my own walls.
“You left me with no other choice,” a raspy whisper spoke into my ear, the last thing I heard before the world went black.
THE BUZZING FROM THE single light bulb caught my attention as my eyes began to flutter open. Staring directly at it, my senses began to focus. The muscles surrounding my shoulders screamed in pain, and when I attempted to move my arms to relieve the discomfort, metal clanked against metal. Startled and suddenly more alert than I had been a few minutes before, I scanned my surroundings.
Four concrete walls.
A single metal door.
A bucket in the corner.
A roll of toilet paper.
And under me a bed.
I screamed and screamed until my voice was hoarse.
When I woke a second time, my throat was on fire, begging for water. I hoped that when my eyes opened this would be an awful dream. It was no dream. My shoulders continued to burn, the light bulb buzzed overhead, the gray walls stood looming over me, the bucket called to my full bladder, and the door stood beckoning to me.
Think, I chanted to myself. Eventually, he’d have to come for me or let me die.
He came for me—minutes, hours, days later—time was not a friend locked within that gray concrete room that seemed to get smaller every time I looked around.
When the door creaked, my eyes popped open and panic overtook me. A nauseated feeling overwhelmed my stomach and tears sprung to my eyes. I had no idea what was about to come at me. There was comfort in being alone with my own thoughts, but then I’d face my captor.
There was a moment of hope as the door opened, but when Duke slithered into the light with a menacing expression, disgust took over.
“Please,” I begged, tears rolling freely down my cheeks. This was all too much.
He stood inside the doorway staring harshly at me. “I’m working on a project. I’m close to being done, and I can’t risk any exposure. You’re a liability right now.” His cool tone made me flinch and cower as best I could into the corner of the bed.
“When I’m done, I will explain everything to you, and I hope you’ll understand,” he added.
“All I understand is you're a sick fuck,” I spat at him. “You can’t keep me locked up here!” I screeched.
“I don’t want to keep you locked up, but it’s for your own good.” He took a step toward the bed. “Now if I can trust you to be a good girl, I will release your hands. I’m sure they are tired from being in that position.”
They ached, but a majority of the pain had dulled with the overwhelming anxiety from the situation. His touch on my wrists as he unlocked the handcuffs was soft, and while only days before it sent chills of excitement coursing through my body, but then it sent chills of fear and disgust. Vomit threatened to explode from me, and it took everything I had to not vomit on Duke. I wanted to appear strong and unafraid, as there was no telling how far he would take the situation.
Relief swept through me when my hands were released, and the burning in my shoulders gave way when I was able to move them into a different position. My wrists were raw from my struggles against the cuffs. I rubbed them, hoping to find some comfort, but my gaze never left Duke.
He took a large step back, and I relaxed a little with more distance between us. It appeared he wasn’t going to hurt me right then. It would give me time to come up with a plan.
“I’ll be back later with some food,” he said. At the mention of food, my stomach groaned, and I realized that despite everything, I was hungry. Not knowing how long it had been since he took me, it was hard to place when the last time I ate was.
“I need to use the bathroom,” I called out to Duke, and he nodded toward the corner opposite the bed. My gaze slowly fell on the bucket. “You can’t honestly expect me to pee in that thing,” I spat at him.
“Then hold it or pee the bed for all I care.” Duke turned and took a few steps to the door. Clearly, he intended to leave me locked up for even longer.
A wild idea came to my mind. Desperately, I called after him. “I’m pregnant. You can’t keep me locked up here.”
He glanced over his shoulder toward me, and the shock that crossed his face gave me hope. Maybe I could get out of this after all.
“Think about this baby and what this is doing to it,” I pleaded, placing my hands across my stomach to drive home my point.
To my chagrin, Duke didn’t say anything. Instead, his gaze followed my hands to my stomach where it lingered for a few minutes; he softened for a moment. My hope peaked, and then it was all over. His face hardened again into something brutal that I didn’t recognize, and he stormed out of the room. The bang from the slamming door echoed throughout the concrete room, leaving me shivering in the corner.