I reached over and grabbed another handful and flung it down. “It might hurt if it hits you in the fucking eye, asshole!”
Chris didn’t respond and when the trunk of the tree started shaking, I knew he was on his way up. I peeked down and couldn’t see him. I knew I wasn’t high enough to be out of his reach, so I pushed myself up into a standing position, threw the gun back over my shoulder, and started testing branches so I could climb up higher. My one shoulder ached from the recoil of the gun, but I pushed past the burn and pulled myself onto the next highest branch. I was getting high enough that the branches were becoming thinner and less stable and I crawled out far enough onto a medium sized branch to keep myself out of reach. I grasped around the branch on my belly and wrapped my arms and legs around to secure myself in place.
My breaths were puffing in and out of me and my heart was at a breaking point in its speed. I could hear the rustling of the branches as Chris pulled himself up closer to me. I forced myself to open my eyes and Chris’ large form came into view. He was several feet below me still and the branches were starting to crack from his weight. He’d gotten to the highest point he could and his hand was able to reach up far enough to grasp the branch that I clung to.
“Alright, bitch. You’ve left me no choice but to get you out of this fucking tree.” His hand started pulling on the branch and it shook violently underneath me. My arms and legs tightened around it and I clenched my eyes shut and held my breath. Unadulterated terror was coursing through my veins and tears escaped from my eyes. Chris continued pulling the branch up and down, and back and forth, and I was slipping along the side of it. I tightened my arms and legs up and pulled myself back onto it again.
Chris was still shaking the branch when I thought I heard a dog bark in the distance. My eyes shot open and he stopped what he was doing to look out over the preserve and listen. I gasped when I saw dust being kicked up in the distance and heard the faint sound of ATVs as they approached. Several dogs were now barking and I realized the cavalry had arrived.
“Help!!!! We’re out here!” I started screaming as loud as I could even though the likelihood of them hearing me over the ATV engines was slim. The dogs started barking more in response to my screams and I saw the dust clouds turn towards our directions.
Halle-fucking-lujah!!! I might just be saved!
Chris let out an annoyed breath and reached up to start shaking the branch again. My grip had loosened up when I heard the ATVs and I was taken by surprise by the sudden movement of the branch. I slipped to the side of the branch and my leg broke loose from around it. I pulled my leg back up towards the branch and scooted myself back up to the topside. I held on for dear life as I listened to the dogs and vehicles getting closer.
Chris eventually swore under his breath and started quickly climbing back down the tree. “Don’t worry, bitch! I know where you, your friends and your little fucking boyfriend are hiding. I’ll get all of you after this little stunt of yours.”
He climbed quickly and jumped the last couple of feet to the ground. I saw him take off in the direction of the ATVs and wondered how he planned on getting past them. My eyes flicked to the ground below me and I suddenly froze in terror at the height. I hugged onto the branch so tightly that the bark was pressing into my cheek.
The vehicles continued their approach and I knew they were close when I heard the dogs enter the clearing.
“Here!! I’m up here!”
The dogs were soon at the base of the tree and I peeked my eyes open to see them barking up in my direction. The sounds of the engines became louder and I looked over to the opening of the clearing to see three forest rangers fast approaching on their ATVs. Out in the distance, more dust clouds were rolling up in the air and I determined that even more help was on the way.
Thank you, David!!
I continued screaming down to them and I heard them stop and turn off the engines.
“Paige Stone?! Where is Chris?” One of the rangers was calling up to me and his deep, baritone voice gave him an air of authority.
Without thinking I let go of the branch with one arm to point in the direction Chris had run. My balance shifted on the branch and I quickly returned my arm to it.
“He ran off in the direction from where you just came! You need to turn around and go find him!”
I heard two of the ATVs start up again and pull out back in the opposite direction. The dogs stopped barking and turned to follow the vehicles. My eyes peeked open to see that one of the rangers was walking around the base of the tree. He looked up and held his hands over his eyes to shade them from the sun.
“Are you injured, Ms. Stone?” He sounded like a kind man and I was instantly thankful he hadn’t left me alone up here.
My voice was gritty from my screaming and I tried to speak loud enough so he could hear me. “I’m not hurt. Just scared shitless right about now.”
“Can you get down from the tree?”
I opened my eyes to look down at him and another wave of vertigo rolled over me. I pressed my face back against the branch and squeezed my eyes shut. “No. I’m afraid of heights.”
He was quiet for a moment before he asked, “How’d you end up in a tree if you’re afraid of heights?”
I could tell he was trying to keep me talking, but I was slightly annoyed with the question. “Oh, I don’t know, it felt like a good day to climb?! Why do you think?! I was being chased by a lunatic and I ran out of options!”
I didn’t mean to sound hostile towards the man, but I was drowning in negative emotions. He became quiet again before calling back up to me. “Well, just hang in there, Ms. Stone. We have more help on the way.”
~
An hour had passed and I was still getting close and personal with the tree branch. Four rangers and about a dozen cops were milling around below me. From what I could tell by the conversation I overhead between them, they still had officers out looking for Chris. The officers had attempted to talk me down out of the tree, but their words were useless. I was hanging on to my branch with everything I had, and nothing they said would make me let go. Some of the officers had started climbing up after me, but I screamed every time they shook the tree.
I was having flashbacks of the times I had fallen out of trees as a child and tears flowed from my eyes.
“Ms. Stone. Your friend, David, is here. He’s called some people to help us get you down from there.” A female voice shouted out to me and I instantly recognized it as that of Detective Troy. I was embarrassed to have a woman of her caliber witness me in the middle of a panic attack while hugging a tree limb. I’m sure if she was in this position, she’d be climbing back down with no problem.
“Paige?” David called up to me. My body instantly relaxed at the sound of his voice, but it wasn’t enough to get me to attempt the climb down. “Do me a favor and don’t kill me when help arrives, okay?”
My eyebrow arched up at his odd request. Why would I kill him for calling for help? I found out the answer to that question about twenty minutes later.
“Paige?!”
Shit.
I peeked out to see Daemon coming around the bend of the clearing. Right behind him was Alex and they were being escorted to me by another officer. What the fuck was David thinking calling them both?!
“Paige, baby, you need to come down from the tree.” Daemon’s voice bellowed up at me, but I could still recognize the concern in his tone.
My voice cracked as I started to sob. “I can’t, Daemon. I can’t let go. I’m too fucking terrified to let go.”
“I’m coming up to get you, Paige. The tree is going to shake a bit, but you just have to hold on tight.” Immediately after he was done speaking the tree began softly shaking as he climbed. My arms and legs were burning from their continued grip around the branch and I opened my eyes to see if I could spot Daemon. As soon as those crystal blue orbs caught mine, I let out a sigh of relief. I was still absolutely frozen in terror, but Daemon’s presence eased
that fear enough to calm me.
When he was as close as he could get to me, he spoke in a gentle tone. His voice was so soothing and quiet that I doubted anyone below could hear what he was saying. “Damsel, we need to get you out of this tree. I want you to think back to when you were a kid and you would climb up this high. You need to remember how you would climb back down. As long as you remain calm and keep your balance, Paige, you should be able to at least climb down to me. I can get you down from here. Just work with me, beautiful. Please.”
I shook my head “no” at his words. I was too terrified to let go of the branch. I thought about what he said and wondered how he knew about the fact that I was a good climber when I was young. “How do you know that I climbed when I was younger, Daemon?”
He chuckled at my question and answered, “You told me when we went to your parents place, remember?”
Oh yeah, that makes sense.
“You need to climb down to me, Paige. You need to think back, and remember that you are an excellent climber. You only have to make it down two branches to get to me, just try for me, please. I promise you, Damsel, I will not let you fall.”
I let out another large breath and tried to focus my mind. Daemon was right, I could do this when I was younger and I remembered exactly how to traverse the canopy of a tree. I attempted to will my heart to slow down and I relaxed my body just enough to be able to move. I slowly started working my way back along the branch to the trunk of the tree.
“That’s it, Damsel. Slow and steady.” The depth of his voice rolled through me and calmed me. I continued scooting back and when I hit the trunk with my bottom, I used my arms to push myself up into a sitting position. I was straddling the limb and I slowly pulled one leg over so that I could reach down with my other foot and feel for the branch below me. Once I’d found my footing, I used my arms and hands to grasp on the trunk and other branches as I lowered myself down. I made it down another branch and I felt Daemon’s arm come up and grasp me around my waist. I turned toward him and threw my arms up over his shoulders and buried my face into his chest. Tears cascaded from my eyes and my body shook from my sobs. Daemon spoke soothing words as he held me to him. I was thankful that he didn’t immediately try to move me down the tree and, instead, allowed me a moment to get myself under control. Daemon removed the gun from around me and held it out to make sure the officers saw it, before throwing it over his shoulder.
Eventually, Daemon began working his way down and he kept a grip on me the entire way. Every once in a while he would say something to encourage me onward and I was impressed with his patience. We reached the base of the tree and I fell to the ground in relief. Daemon sat down beside me and rubbed his hand softly over my back while I caught my breath.
Our moment was soon interrupted by the crowd of officers rushing up to us. I looked up and saw Detective Troy coming through the crowd. She was wearing her usual business suit and I chuckled a little at the sneakers she wore on her feet. I was used to seeing the woman in heels, but I guessed she understood the need for appropriate footwear for the wilderness.
“Are you hurt, Ms. Stone?” Her voice was controlled and authoritative. I also believe I picked up the slightest hint of annoyance in her tone.
My voice came out weak and mouse-like in response to her question. “No. Except my shoulder hurts a little bit from firing the gun at Chris.”
“Did you hit him?” Oh, yeah. Her voice was definitely filled with annoyance.
“No.” My head hung down and I picked at the rocks beneath me.
“Well, I saw that you could use your arm to climb down, so I’m sure it’s just bruised. Since you are not hurt, I don’t feel bad for asking this…what the fuck do you think you were doing going after Mr. Baxter on your own?!”
I jumped at the anger in her tone and looked up to find her eyes full of fury. Before I could answer, she added, “David has filled me in on the fact that you’ve known where Chris was for the past two days. Why did you not call me and inform me of his location? We might have apprehended him if you’d done that. However, YOU decided to take it upon yourself to find him and almost got yourself killed in the process. What do you have to say for yourself, Ms. Stone?”
Shit. She was pissed. I had no reasonable explanation to give her except for the fact that I had absolutely no faith in their ability to find Chris. It has been months since the attack at my apartment and they had run out of leads. “I didn’t think you would be able to approach him quietly in the woods. You haven’t found him since the attack and you weren’t able to gather the information that I discovered in one day of investigation.” My voice started to raise up in anger. “I’ve lost faith that the authorities will catch him and I decided to take matters into my own hands.”
I glared up into Detective Troy’s eyes and challenged her to respond back to what I was saying. Her face went blank and she straightened up her shoulders. “If everybody could please give me a moment alone with Ms. Stone, I believe we have some issues to discuss.”
The officers turned to back away from the tree and Daemon began to push himself up to leave us alone. I reached up and grabbed his arm and pulled him back down to me. Looking over at Detective Troy, I said, “Anything you have to say to me can be said in front of Daemon.”
Detective Troy nodded her head once and responded. “Fine, Ms. Stone. I understand your frustration with the length of time it is taking us to locate and apprehend Mr. Baxter. Trust me when I tell you that you are not alone in those feelings. However, Mr. Baxter is a dangerous man and there are protocols that need to be followed in his capture. You have put your life in grave danger by attempting this little stunt in the woods. Had you called us, it would have been rangers that sought him out initially. We also have other trained professionals who are familiar with settings such as this and could have located him in the same manner as you. I don’t appreciate hearing that you were independently investigating Mr. Baxter’s location, but I ask that in the future, if you come across information regarding his whereabouts, you deliver that information to me. If you had acted intelligently, instead of attempting a dangerous stunt on your own, Mr. Baxter might be behind bars as we speak.”
I flinched at the truthfulness of her words and shame enveloped me where I sat. I didn’t dare look over at Daemon. I didn’t need to see him to know that he was just as angry as Detective Troy, if not more so. I nodded in response to her words and let out a deep sigh.
We remained in the area for another hour while the officers and rangers grilled David and I for information on what had happened. Once they were satisfied that they had all the information they needed, they allowed us to leave the scene and offered rides on the ATVs. We reached our cars quickly and Daemon requested that David return Matt’s car while Alex followed him to give him a ride back home.
When David and Alex left, I braved looking up into Daemon’s face and I was met with his usual blank expression. I looked back down at the ground as I walked around his car to the passenger side. He opened the door for me and I climbed in and put on my seatbelt.
Daemon was silent as he climbed into the driver’s seat and remained that way the entire ride home.
Chapter Fourteen
We arrived to Daemon’s apartment and continued our silence as we took the elevator up to his floor. He opened the front doors and moved aside so I could pass through. He wasn’t playing his usual game of brushing his arm against me or leaning down to brush his face against my hair. His distant behavior was killing me and it just added insult to my already painful injury of the day.
Once we’d entered the apartment, Daemon carefully took my arm and started pulling me in the direction of his room. My head dropped and I groaned, knowing exactly the type of lecture I was about to receive. When Daemon walked without speaking or looking at me, I started to worry that, maybe, I had pushed him too far today.
He entered the room and let go of my arm. He turned to close the door and locked it before barricading it like he had
those times in the storage room. I chuckled at the memory but was silenced when I saw the look on his face. His normally blank expression was angered. His brows furrowed down the center and his stubbled jaw ticked underneath the skin of his cheek. There was no hint of a smile on his lips and his eyes boiled with rage.
He gestured to his bed and I quickly moved to sit down on the edge of it. He stood silently for a period of time and I hung my head in shame. When I saw his feet take large strides in my direction, my body jerked in reaction. Despite the negativity in the air, my skin still prickled at his proximity and my body hummed as he approached.
His voice was deep and controlled as he spoke to me. “I’m at a loss for words, Paige.” I flinched at the use of my name and knew he was angry due to his use of it. “I’ve thought this over since I first received a phone call from David letting me know that you were stuck in a tree in the middle of a nature preserve. I had to leave an important business meeting and drive out to the middle of nowhere to once again rescue a silly, little girl that thought she could take the law into her own hands...” My teeth clenched at his description. Little girl?! Who the fuck did he think he was calling me that?!
He softly snickered at my obvious irritation. “Does that annoy you; my reference to you as a child?” I looked up at him, and my mouth opened, about to let him have it, when he beat me to the punch.
“BECAUSE YOU WERE FUCKING ACTING LIKE ONE WITH YOUR LITTLE STUNT TODAY!”
My mouth clamped shut at his words. Oh shit. Angry Daemon was in full force.
His hands clenched into fists at his sides and he began pacing in front of me. I wanted to argue my side, but considering the results of my ‘little stunt’, I recognized that I had no room to talk or argue back.
When Daemon turned back to me, his face was expressionless once again. I flinched at the sight because I knew that when he went ‘blank’, I was in for a world of shit. He stared at me for what felt like an hour before walking over to grab me by the arms and pull me into a standing position.