“Think about it.” He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “You don’t have to give me an answer right now.”
I RAN FROM MARRIAGE once. I ran so far that the girl I used to be had become a faded memory. Cody was amazing. He wasn’t the kind of guy I would have even looked twice at before I got to Reno, but I had found a second chance with him. I had never admitted that my passion was turning to love. He had never said the words to me either, although I thought he did. The proposal seemed to solidify that. I gathered my things and tried to put it out of my mind as I got ready for work. I felt like I couldn’t get past the roadblock in my mind until I was able to dance again. Before I left for work, I pulled out the schoolgirl outfit and put it on the bed. I missed feel
ing the fire of Cody’s passion and it was definitely time to reignite it.
“Johanna!” A voice stopped me dead in my tracks when I stepped off the bus and started walking towards the Red Shoe.
“Scott?” My mouth fell open in shock as I turned towards the sound.
“Your father said I would find you here. ” Scott walked towards me and immediately wrapped his arms around me. “I’ve come to take you home.”
“Scott, what the fuck.” I pushed him away and shook my head.
“Wow, you’ve really fallen far from the Lord’s grace. That isn’t something a woman of God should ever say.” Scott sighed deeply. “It’s okay, though. God forgives and you will find your way back to him.”
“What are you doing here? I don’t want to go home!” I took a step backwards and held my hands out in front of me to stop him from hugging me again.
“Someone your father does business with saw you up on that stage. Your father had to see it for himself to believe it, but then he called me. He was in tears after he saw what sin did to you. Johanna, you have to understand that sin is a sickness.” Scott’s words sounded almost like a sermon, just like his father sounded on Sunday morning.
“I’m sorry you had to come all this way, but I’m not going home with you. I made my choice.” I shook my head back and shrugged. “I’m staying in Reno.”
“I didn’t understand it, but my father helped me see the light. You were meant to stand by my side and be my wife. Nothing can change that.” His expression changed to a blank stare. “You’re coming home with me, whether you like it or not.”
“No, I’m not.” I took another step backwards and then I felt arms wrap around me.
Scott didn’t come alone. The arms that grabbed me belonged to his cousin, Paul. Before I could scream, a hand went over my mouth and I was pulled off the ground. A van suddenly pulled up beside us and I saw Scott’s best friend, Mike, in the driver’s seat. The side door opened and Paul pushed me inside. Scott immediately climbed in and the two of them held me down as Mike hit the accelerator.
“Find her phone.” Scott grabbed my purse and handed it to Paul.
“Here it is.” Paul held me with one hand and pulled my cell phone out with the other.
“Figure out who she’s been talking to.” Scott held up my hand and Paul used my fingerprint to unlock my phone.
Scott kept his weight on me and a hand over my mouth. I could breathe, but I couldn’t scream or even say a word. I had no idea what they were doing or why they thought they could just take me against my will. I would never willingly marry Scott. Whatever heroism he thought he was embarking on was just kidnapping. I tried to bite his hand, but he was using so much force that I couldn’t even move my jaw. I tasted blood as my teeth scraped against my lips. Mike seemed nervous. He kept looking over his shoulder and then back at the road, but he didn’t stop the van.
“It looks like she’s only been talking to a few people. This guy Bill appears to be her boss. I guess this other guy is her boyfriend or something.” Paul shrugged and handed the phone to Scott.
“Boyfriend?” Scott’s face flashed with rage and his hands started to tremble. “You left me at the altar and you’re already with someone else?”
“Here, let me have it.” Paul took the phone back from Scott. “I’ll tell her boss that she’s quitting her job and tell this loser that she’s decided to go home.”
“She ran once.” Scott looked down at me and his nostrils flared with anger. “I’m sure he won’t be surprised that she did it again.”
“Assuming she told him about you.” Paul shrugged as he typed on my phone.
“I was everything to her. I’m sure she brought it up.” Scott snarled and leaned against the seat, still holding me down as he did.
I started to cry as the realization sank in and the miles passed by. Scott eventually got tired of holding me down and Paul helped him tie me up. They had apparently packed for a kidnapping because they had rope and duct tape. I sobbed as the van bounced along the road and hours passed. One of them held me against the floorboard when they stopped for gas, and they took turns driving while the others slept. They made a few bathroom breaks, stopping along abandoned stretches of highway so nobody would see us. Running was impossible. I wouldn’t have gotten very far. I faded into exhausted unconsciousness a few times along the way, but when we rolled into Dahlonega, I was wide awake.
“Welcome home.” Scott smiled and pushed the back doors of the van open.
“I’M NOT GOING TO LEAVE my daughter tied up in my living room!” I was sideways on the couch listening to my father argue with Scott.
“She’s just going to run if we untie her.” Scott’s voice cracked as he spoke, almost as if it was filled with fear. “My father will be here soon. He’ll know what to do.”
“This isn’t what I wanted, Scott!” My father’s tone was angry. “When you said you would bring her home, I thought you meant that you would talk some sense into her!”
“I tried!” Scott snorted and sighed. “She wasn’t going to come home on her own.”