~Ren~
It is mid-morning by the time I find the energy to stretch. The morning plays over in my mind, and I can’t process how fast I went from being a captive for a week to rescued and engaged−in what, ten days? What would my dad and sister think? You are bat-shit crazy, is what they would say. This is the most impulsive thing I have ever done and was definitely not part of my life plan, but being kidnapped and tortured wasn’t either.
Of course, I wanted to get married and have kids someday, but that came after finding the perfect job. I needed to be independently stable for my peace of mind. Wow! Life throws you through a loop, knocks you down, picks you up but puts you on a different path. I am astounded by how accepting and at peace I am with this new path.
Not that I can’t still have a career but now using my degree to help battered women seems much more gratifying than teaching Psychology in a stuffy classroom. Maybe once we rescue my sister and the other women, Derek and I can set up a safe house to transition the women back into the real world of normal people, away from monsters.
The concept of “Monster’s” has become a different realization for me. When I was young, my sister and I feared the monsters under the bed. We used to jump from our beds to the light switch, so we didn’t have to touch the floor by our beds. In our teens, we feared Jason from Friday the 13th, Freddy Kruger with blades for fingers and ghosts you couldn’t see but could hurt you if they wanted to. Never did we think that we walk among monsters daily, or that being in the wrong place at the wrong time would become our own personal nightmare.
Derek said Jax is going into one of these types of houses tomorrow. It definitely sounds like the same house I was in. It can’t be a coincidence with the missing girl and dead guards. I need to convince Derek to let me help get my sister out and save the other women. It is my fault that we ended up in this mess, and I need to be a part of fixing it. I just don’t think Derek will be too keen on the idea.
~Derek~
I need to get up and call Jax. He needs this new information about Ren’s sister. I am feeling like the worst selfish bastard. I know that once we know whether or not Tori is in the house, Ren will stop at nothing to get her out. Her focus will be on Tori, and I’m afraid this happy little family bubble will burst. Ren will truly never be happy until her sister is safe and they are both reunited with their dad. I will do anything to make her happy even at the risk of losing her or not having her all to myself.
“Baby, I need to get up and call Jax. Why don’t you go take a long hot bath and then meet me downstairs for some breakfast.” She nods her head and looks at me shyly as if looking for confirmation that everything that has transpired is real. I kiss her forehead, her nose and then her soft lips. “I love you, Ren. Everything is going to turn out just fine.”
Sliding out of bed, I head for the closet. Still sitting on the floor in the doorway is my gun and under my pants sits the kitchen knife. I quickly snatch up the two and hide them from Ren’s view, so they don’t remind her of that trauma. I place them in the safe and lock it back up. Grabbing a pair of sweats and slipping them on, I stroll out to see her rising from the bed naked. Damn, I am one lucky son of a bitch. She looks embarrassed as she rushes to the bathroom and closes the door softly.
I chuckle to myself. I will give her a reprieve now, but she will learn that she is mine, and I will have access anytime I want, as will she. We may as well get used to being naked with each other; it will happen often.
Quickly moving down the stairs, I head to the kitchen. I only brought a few necessities when I came up here and grabbed a few others while waiting for my meeting with Jax. Her diet that has consisted of chicken broth and Jell-O is not much to sustain anyone. She will need to start off with soft and easy to digest foods, so she doesn’t get sick. I settle on scrambled eggs with toast with coffee.
~Ren~
This tub is heaven. The surrounding jets are placed in just the right spots to rub out any sore areas someone may have. The controls let you focus on just your back, feet, or any specific area, or they can all be on to create a Jacuzzi effect. I reach for the shampoo, and my only option is Suave plus conditioner, and the only soap is Dial. All his I’m assuming. I’m just glad he didn’t bring me leftover products from a previous lover that left them behind. I stay in until my fingers and toes are all pruney then rinse off and climb out. Wrapping a towel around my body plus one around my hair, I move out of the bathroom and into the closet. I grab another t-shirt and a pair of boxers that I have to tie in a knot. I need to get my own clothes. Not that I mind wearing his, but it’s not like I can go into public dressed like this. I move back to the bathroom to hang my towels, comb out my hair, then pinch my cheeks a little to give me some color. I haven’t seen the sun in weeks. In my normal life, I spend time in the sun then throw on a little mascara, and I’m good to go. I guess he has seen me at my worst and still wants me desperately, so I’m okay with being a plain Jane.
The smell drifting up from the kitchen has me hurrying down the stairs. I stare in wonder at the incredible man standing at the cooktop. He is shirtless, and his pants hang low to show off that perfect V that leads like an arrow to heaven. My fiancé, I can’t believe my luck. You would think that during four years of college and the few clubs and bars I’ve been to, I would have found someone in my twenty-three years; but no, I find mister right on a mountain 20 miles from civilization.
Stepping quietly into the kitchen, I sit down at the breakfast bar to watch him work. The stool creaks a little under pressure, and he lifts his head and smiles at me. Holy crap! That is the first full-blown smile I’ve seen. Why the hell is this man still single? That smile is what women write sonnets about, that body too. Who wouldn’t want to come to breakfast with that view every day?
He scoops scrambled eggs onto a plate with toast and sets it in front of me, along with salt and pepper, butter, coffee, cream, and sugar. “I need to make some calls. Eat what you can and come to my office.” He kisses me softly and walks toward the living room. Office? I turn to see where he is going just as a panel at the end of the bookcase opens up like a doorway and he walks inside. Wow! A hidden room, like a panic room, that’s so cool.
~Derek~
Shana is going to kick my ass for staying out of touch, but we didn’t have any cases, so I took a little more time off. She still opens the office to answer phones and help walk-ins, but since she hasn’t called me either, I assume business is slow. On the third ring, she answers in her southern drawl.
“Mason PI, how may I help you?”
“Shana, honey, it’s Derek. How are things on the home front?”
“Derek, you sweet thang, it’s so nice of you to let me know you didn’t fall off the face of the earth. It’s not like I worry about you considerin’ my daddy an all, but it’s whatever.”
Oh, she is pissed! She only uses sarcasm and guilt when pissed. When she hears that she will be $5000 richer for winning our bet, maybe she’ll ease up somewhat. She is only 5’2” with milk chocolate skin and kinky black hair plaited into a million tiny braids all over her head. She wraps it around a ponytail on the top of her head, but there is so much of it that it looks like a messy honeycomb. She is 55 years old but has very few wrinkles, except for the two lines between her eyes when she looks down at me. I am 6’3”, and that woman can look down on anyone. She is fierce!
“Ahh Honey, don’t be mad. I have good news for you. But first, did you run an ad to find me a partner? I’m gonna need one because I will be tied up with another case for a while.
“Case, what case? We have nothin’ on the books.”
“I know, but it’s of a more personal nature, which brings me to the second thing; I met a woman.”
“Huh?” I chuckle at her gasp.
Ahh, Sweetie, you meet lots of women, just no
ne you want to keep.”
“That’s the thing, Shana, this one I’m not going to let get away. She’s in a little trouble, and I need to be with her right now−for how long I don’t know. I will transfer the $5000 I owe into your account, and maybe you could take a little vacation too.”
Shana and I had a ridiculous bet. She said, “Someday a woman will come along that you won’t be able to walk away from.” So I said, “Wanna bet?” hence the $5000.
“Now, Derek, you know that was just a play bet. I would never expect to hold you to that deal.”
“Nope, a deals a deal, plus you have more than earned it. Just lock up shop and put a phone number on the door for emergencies. Visit those grandbabies in Georgia. They need their Grandma. Oh, and Shana, plan for another vacation to the Bahamas. When things settle down, I’m getting married.” Before she can lecture me on “this is too soon,” I hang up and dial Jax.
Chapter Fourteen
Distraction:
*a diversion or recreation. *a thing that prevents someone from concentrating on something else. *extreme agitation of the mind.
~Derek~
I look up to see Ren shyly standing in the doorway. Scooting my chair back, I pat my lap and motion her over. This experience is so new to her, and I am sure I’m an overwhelming, possessive bastard, but I just want her with me all the time. Even before I knew her, I came close to losing her. I just need to touch her to assure myself that she is real and safe.
She walks to me slowly, glancing around as if to take it all in. My dad’s old mahogany desk sits in the center with a wall of family photos to my right. To the left, a large screen TV is mounted on the wall. Behind me is another desk that holds a police scanner and a second computer monitor. Just beyond that are six monitors mounted to the wall that shows sections of my property. The images scroll through about 20 different viewpoints. The cameras in the house are off while I’m here, but when I’m not, they run 24/7 with remote access. She looks around for another chair. No one but me has ever been here, so there has never been a need for more seating. Smirking at the look of confusion on her sweet face, I pat my lap again. Slowly she moves to stand before me, a little hesitant, so I pull her down onto my lap. She sighs a deep breath and settles in close to my chest. It will take time for her to adjust to being mine; I have all the time in the world.
Just realizing that I was in the process of calling Jax but didn’t hear him answer or even pay attention to voicemail, I hang up and dial again. Damn this woman is distracting. We’re sorry this number is no longer in service, is the message I get. Jax has had that number since I met him years ago, so this is disturbing. I know he is going undercover, but he has never shut down his phone before. Shit! How will I reach him to tell him about Tori and Ren? Hanging up, I call his office line.
“Savage speaking.”
“Hey Troy, this is Derek Mason. I’m trying to reach Jax, do you know where I can find him?”
“No, sorry Derek, he is on three months leave, no forwarding info.”
“Yeah, I knew he would be out of touch, but I thought he was leaving tomorrow.”
“Yeah, that was the plan, but last night we were having drinks at Cutters when he got a text, chugged his beer and said, see ya when I see ya then walked out. I was told this morning by Director Matthews that he is gone and don’t ask questions. Sorry man, I don’t have any information to give ya.”
“No Problem, I don’t know much either. Only that he was leaving Friday, but if he checks in with you, have him call me a.s.a.p. Okay?” We agree to keep in touch and hang up.
Damn, I wonder if there were problems with the house he was going into. Now it is too late for me to tell him about Tori. How the hell do I break the news to Ren? Jax was our only possible connection to her.
Ren is staring at me with those big green eyes, pleading for any information on her sister. “Baby, I believe Jax has gone into the house early so I couldn’t get him the information on your sister.” Her hopeful expression turns destitute, and my heart breaks for her. “Listen, Baby, Jax will get every last one of the women you spoke of out of there. He is good at what he does and pays attention to detail. The morning I met with him, I told him a little about you. I gave him a brief description so he could check the missing person’s database for me. If he found you, he would also find Tori since you are both listed as missing and sisters. We will just have to trust that he will help her. Let’s give him a week or two, and if you remember something crucial that will help speed the process, I’ll call Jax’s boss.
~Ren~
Chanting over and over again in my head, I hate this, I hate this, I hate this, doesn’t ease my anxiety. Being useless and helpless is not a feeling I like. We were held captive, but I don’t know where. We were taken there unconscious and never left the house to get our bearings of where we were. Hell, I didn’t even know we were in a house. They kept me in a room with four walls and a floor; it could have been a warehouse for all I knew. When they took me from the house, I was unconscious again and woke up to see a winding road and a lot of trees right before the crash.
In the house, I only saw two faces but heard the voices of many. How is one man going to save all those women? I know there is nothing I can do, but I can’t stand doing nothing.
We need food, and I need clothes. I need to convince Derek to take me shopping and will pay him back when I can reclaim my identity and go home. Maybe that will take my mind off of this horrible situation, if only for a minute. He seems to read my mind before I can say anything.
“Let’s go upstairs and get ready. We are going into town to get supplies and clothing for you. Even though I would like to keep you naked, I will give you time to come to terms with some of my demands.”
He winks; I don’t know if he’s kidding or not. “I don’t mind staying naked if you stay naked too.” He burst out laughing. I was serious, but I will give him time to come to terms with some of my demands.
Keeping my t-shirt on, I add a pair of his sweatpants that are way too big to my ensemble. I have no shoes either, so I am wearing his thick wool socks. They feel like walking on pillows, so I’m okay with that for a little while. I look like a kid trying to wear her dad’s clothes, which my sister did when we were little. I would wear my mom’s clothes, and we would put on plays for my parents of our version of “Happily Ever After.”
We leave the house through the kitchen and into a garage where there is a red truck parked. He opens my door and lifts me inside, but before I can turn and face forward, he steps in between my legs. He kisses me, softly as he wraps his arms around my waist to pull us closer together. So much is being said in that one little kiss. He loves me and will protect me, and he wants to reassure me of that. He can probably tell that I’m a little nervous about seeing people. I wouldn’t recognize anyone from the house but by voice alone. The only two guards I had seen during my time there are dead.
“Derek, when we leave, can you show me where you found me and also where the crash was? I’m hoping maybe it will jog my memory and put the puzzle pieces together of how I made it to your road.” He stiffens as if not liking being reminded of that day, but nods his head and walks around the truck to get in.
We travel for about a half a mile before he stops and points out where he found me. Even though it is morning, the denseness of the trees overshadows this area leaving it a little dark. I have a flashback of lying on a hard surface freezing, and a shiver runs down my spine. He reaches over and grabs my hand to give me comfort, warming me right back up. A little further up, we come to a two lane paved road and turn right. He only goes about 40 yards, flips a U-turn in the road, pulls up a little further and moves to the side.
“Do you want to get out? There isn’t much to see other than broken trees. They
came and cleaned up the accident as if it never happened.”
The idea of those monsters being so close to Derek’s home, and in turn close to me, makes me a little sick. Nodding my head, he gets out and moves around to my side to help me down. Standing there staring down the hillside, a memory flashes in my mind. I am crying and cold. The driver stares sightlessly out the nonexistent windshield. I don’t know the time, but I know not to be in this forest alone when it is dark. Crawling out of the car, not being careful of the glass and getting cut along the way, is not the best move, but I am desperate to get away from the smell of death. My head hurts so bad that black spots swim in my vision. Seeing the damaged path the car traveled, I realize I am going to have to climb that hill. The pain is everywhere, and I seem to be bleeding from every body part. I start to crawl up the hill only to be stopped by the body of the tattooed guy. I sob uncontrollably, knowing that I have to crawl over him because the trees are dense and I don’t see any other way around him. Making my way over his body, I turn around on my butt to look at this man who has tortured me for a week. I kick him in the head for good measure. It seemed to take forever to make it to the road, but it doesn’t feel safe there either. What if the others come looking for us and there I lay in plain sight? With that thought in mind, I roll and crawl to a dirt road, moving out of sight until I feel that I’m safe, at least for a little while so that I can rest.