By the time I make it back to the living room, I can barely breathe. Anger, worry, and guilt weighing so heavy on my chest, it feels like I cannot breathe. Then I see the worst possible thing ever. Jude’s shoes, by the door, telling me she didn’t leave, she was taken.
22
Jude
I’m thrown into an empty, windowless room. The concrete floor is cold on my bare feet, and the smell of mildew and urine invades my senses. Bracing my hands, I’m barely able to stop myself from falling face first. Shivering, my teeth clatter together.
My heart races in terror as the door locks behind me, and I’m thrust into complete darkness. Putting my arms out in front of me, I search, trying to find the nearest wall and then scoot my way along it to get back to the door and to the light switch.
When I reach it, I flip it up, but nothing. No light. No hope.
My mind races back to the series of events, and I try to make sense of them.
The knock at the door. Me, eagerly swinging it open without a second’s thought, assuming Lex had his hands full and needed help.
The two men in hoods, black jackets, and jeans, rushing in and grabbing my hands and feet to hold me down on the floor before I could comprehend anything more than fear.
I screamed before my mouth was forced shut and duct-taped, and a pillowcase was pulled over my head.
Then the sound of something crashing in the room. Rough hands carrying my body as I fought, worried that too much resistance would cost me the safety of the baby.
They placed me inside the back of a big van or SUV without rear seats of some sort, and then came a gruff, oddly familiar voice, warning me to stay still or I would be hurt.
I recall the long ride over train tracks and highways and side roads. The sounds of church bells and wind and other vehicles whizzing by. The bumps and jolts as we crossed road humps and made sudden turns. I tried to mentally remember the way, how many turns, and how many minutes, but honestly, fear had my mind too jumbled.
After they dragged me out of the car, they silently walked me barefoot through the cold night air, across a gravel lot into something large and ominous and abandoned, that echoed with the sounds of wind like an old steel mill or manufacturing plant.
Then, they ripped off the hood and tape, a second before tossing me in here. No time to look around at their faces either.
Nothing. Not one detail to clasp onto that would help me understand why I’m here, what they want, or how I could possibly get out.
I slide to the floor in the corner and hug my arms to my chest to help ward off the chill, but if there is anything I know about pain or suffering, it’s that it never really ends. The cold will not disappear. I will simply become more accustomed to it.
Sitting there in complete darkness, I think of Lex. He’ll come for me. I know it. He’ll arrive at the house and know that something happened, and then he’ll save me. I hold onto that thought, knowing it’s the only hope I truly have.
Somehow, after a while, the cold doesn’t bother me anymore, and my eyes grow heavy. My stomach churns, but I don’t vomit. I do my best to remain awake, but it’s impossibly hard, and soon my eyes are drooping, and I’m sagging against the wall.
I’m not sure how much time passes, but I jolt awake when I hear the lock disengaging on the door. I scramble to my feet and squint my eyes as light filters in from the hallway, momentarily blinding me. A masked man steps into the room, a tray in his hand.
“Eat,” he orders, and I shiver at the darkness in his voice. My bladder is screaming at me, but I’m too afraid to ask to use the restroom. When I don’t reach for the tray of food, the man tosses it to the ground. “If you don’t want to take the tray like a human, then you can eat like a fucking dog.”
Food splatters against the floor, along with a bottle of water. Flinching, I wrap my arms around my middle afraid that he may try and hurt me.
“You want to piss in the corner, or you gonna use the bathroom like a big girl?”
“B-bathroom,” I somehow manage to get out.
“Let’s go then,” he growls, and motions for me to walk ahead of him. On shaky legs and with my arms tightly wrapped around my middle, I walk out the room and into the hallway.
“Don’t be stupid and try to run.”
I wasn’t planning on it.
The masked guy leads me to a bathroom down the hall and shoves me inside. “You got two minutes, sweetcheeks.”
I close the door behind me, quickly realizing that there is no lock. If I didn’t have to pee so freaking badly, I wouldn’t go, but I’m literally about to pee myself. Tiptoeing on the nasty tile floor that probably hasn’t been mopped in years, I quickly pull down my pants and underwear.
Not wanting to touch the equally nasty toilet seat, I simply squat over the toilet and relief myself. Unbelievably, there is some toilet paper and even a roll of paper towel next to the sink.
After I do my business, I wash my hands and my face before drying it off. Just as I finished, the door flies open. “Let’s go, time’s up.”
Nodding my head profusely, I clutch the balled-up piece of paper towel to my chest and scurry from the room. I speed walk back to my cell, not getting away fast enough from my captor.
As soon as I’m back in the room, he shut the door behind me without a word. The room falls in darkness once more, and I carefully make my way back to the corner of the room. I almost fall over the water bottle on the floor but catch myself at the last moment.
Leaning down, I grab the water before sitting back down with my back against the wall. Opening the bottle, I take a few sips, letting the cool liquid soothe my dry throat.
I use the paper towel to wipe off my dirty feet as best as I can before tossing it onto the ground next to me. Feeling just a tiny bit better now, I let my head fall back and lean against the wall.
Closing my eyes, I imagine Lex’s face. I imagine him holding me, stroking my hair, and telling me that everything is going to be okay. I’ve never yearned for anything so much.
For weeks, I’ve been pushing him away, being obsessed with being independent, and taking care of myself. Now, all I want is for him to be there and take care of me, protect me like I know he is going to.
He will come for me, I know it. And when he does, I will let him have every part of me. I will never let him go again.
23
Lex
“Roman, it’s Lex. Someone has Jude. I need your help,” I speak into the cell at rapid-fire speed as my eyes scan the streets.
“First, what happened? Who took her and from where?” he asks calmly as if this is not the first kidnapping situation, he’s dealt with.
“Someone came to my house while I was out getting some groceries. They came and took her from the house about twenty minutes ago,” I answer as I’m pulling out of the driveway. Once on the road, I speed down it, making my way to the gym. Adrenaline kicked in moments ago, and I’m in mission mode, full stop. All my training rises out of nowhere, and I click through the pieces.
Get armed. Check.
Secure support. In process.
Identify the target.
Scope the logistics.
Set the infil/exfil plan.
Execute.