“But I only need ten seconds,” Tobias smiled sweetly and stuck a syringe in my neck. Furious, I slapped at Tobias’s hands even as he inserted the contents. “Be seeing you soon, my love.”
Tobias disappeared as he called to Higgins. When there was no reply, I assumed Tobias had left. Shit, my eyesight was blurring, and I realised Tobias had drugged me. But Tobias didn’t return, and I tried to figure out the endgame. My thoughts became muddled as I reached for the door handle and pulled. Desperately blinking to clear my vision, I fell listlessly sideways onto the seat. Even keeping my eyes open was now a struggle, but I had to fight. Jesse was out there with a madman.
???
I awoke on a mattress. It was ratty and smelt funny like urine. I hoped to God I wasn’t lying in pee and sighed in relief when I touched between my legs and my fingers were dry. The place was dimmed, the windows boarded up, but the sunlight shining through the cracks provided enough light. The bare room had a bucket I assumed was the toilet and just the bed. Unsure whether to call out, I moved to the edge and found my wheelchair and a bottle of water.
Dubiously, I checked the bottle to see if it had been tampered with and undid the sealed lid with a soft cry. Thirstily, I drank deeply and wondered what the hell was happening. Tobias had left me unconscious back in the car. And I’d been drugged, but why? And who had me now? Yanking the chair over, I dragged myself into it and spun around, seeking a way out. There was one exit, so I pushed the wheelchair across.
Gingerly reaching out for the handle, I attempted to open the door and discovered it was locked. A thought crossed my mind, and I patted myself, searching for my phone and realised it was gone, along with my purse. I swallowed the fear that threatened to overwhelm and make me scream as I gazed at the boards on the windows. Someone had nailed them from the inside. An idea popped into my head, so I wheeled over and tried pulling one free from the first window. The fucker refused to move even an inch.
Angrily admitting defeat, I moved to the second and felt hope flare as the board I touched was loose. The gap between that and the next panel was small, and I struggled to wedge my fingers in. A cry of pain escaped as I skinned three of my knuckles, and I glanced towards the exit to see if someone was coming. A few tense moments ticked by, and I began pulling at the plank again.
Five minutes later, I’d worked it quietly free and peered outside warily. All around were tall trees and bushes, and I thought I was in the Black Hills. The view was impeded by the other planks. Plus, there was so much dense tree coverage. Carefully, using the first board, I wrenched open three more boards and finally could see outside properly.
Wherever I was, was abandoned and isolated. I couldn’t see a vehicle or anyone, so I pushed the wheelchair next to the wall. Thanking Lucy for the strength in my arms, I hauled myself upright. The window didn’t have glass, and I could reach out easily. I glanced at the drop and saw if I could haul myself out, I’d only fall three feet. Still, considering my legs didn’t work, it would be a clumsy landing. There was little choice.
I could hear the water from somewhere in the locality and realised if I reached that, I would be safer. Lucy and I had been practising holding my breath underwater while swimming. The alternative was to army crawl into the woods. Studiously eyeing the small opening, I knew the wheelchair wouldn’t fit through it. This would come down to upper body strength and the ability to care for myself. Decision made, I hung out of the window, my useless limbs dangling and dragging me back into the room.
With a deep breath to steady myself, my fingers clasped the wooden walls of the decrepit cabin, and I pulled myself out. Yeah, I fell awkwardly, legs landing above my head, and angrily I shoved them aside. Of course, if I had sensation, that would have fucking killed me, but hey, there was a positive to being paralysed. Several long breaths later, I began moving toward the trees. At first, they seemed miles away, but each pull brought me closer to them.
What took ten minutes of determined crawling should have only taken thirty seconds of walking. But finally, I rolled into them and grabbed a rest. There was still no movement from the shack, so I assumed I’d been dumped there until Tobias returned. I listened for a few moments, picking up the sound of water again and steadily began moving in that direction. While more robust than what I had been, I wasn’t that strong and had to keep snatching rests. I cursed that Tobias had stolen my phone and wondered if I should have tried searching the cabin from the front. But that idea was a time-waster because army crawling was taking ages, and I’d no idea how long until Tobias reappeared.
Tobias had felt secure enough to leave me. The paralysis had lulled Tobias into a false sense of security. But Tobias wouldn’t want to leave his prize alone for too long. I heard a car arriving and gazed behind me even as I thought this. By my reckoning, I wasn’t halfway to the water. Steadfastly, refusing to panic, I searched for a hiding spot, spied an overgrown bush, and moved in that direction. Lifting the branches, I saw a space and crawled in, pulling my legs up closely.
Curses filled the air as Tobias realised I was missing, and I heard running footsteps on the ground. A smile crossed my lips. Ha, I wasn’t so damn useless! Tobias ran back and forth, calling my name, and I remained silent, wincing as he came close to my bush but missed me. Worried, I thought about the drag marks my body must have left and sneered at Tobias’s tracking skills. Even I would have been able to follow the path of my escape. But no, Tobias kept running around like a headless chicken, destroying evidence of any tracks.
Quietly, I lay in the hidey-hole, safe for now and tired. It was dangerous to sleep, but I’d exerted a great deal of energy. Better to rest and recharge rather than stay awake and burn out. My eyes closed, and I drifted off into a restless slumber. Every slight noise jolted me alert, but I must have grabbed two hours of sleep before waking properly.
I could hear Tobias was near searching the undergrowth and held my breath as he came close to my bush. Honestly, I should have known that whack job wouldn’t give up. A long pole poked through the bush, and I swallowed a cry as it slammed between my legs. Tobias withdrew it, and the rod came barrelling back in a second time. I shifted, trying not to make a noise, and the shaft clipped my shoulder before hitting the ground.
Tobias felt the small resistance and wriggled the pole around. I dared not move and hoped Tobias would assume he’d hit a branch. But I’d underestimated Tobias’s desperation, and the shaft kept poking randomly through the bush. Just as I was about to grab the pole and whack him, Tobias sighed and moved away. The sky was darkening, and I’d no idea how long I’d been missing, but I had to hold out.
Jesse should have got help hours ago, and I knew Dave, the band, and Hellfire would be looking for me. Even though Hellfire and I had no ties, Celt wouldn’t let his son’s mother be kidnapped and murdered out of hand. No, Hellfire would come. The trick was staying alive. I watched through a small gap as Tobias moved away, shoving the pole into various bushes and undergrowth. Once Tobias disappeared from my line of sight, I waited ten minutes and made my move.
As quietly as I could, which wasn’t that quiet, I army crawled through the thicket, making for the sound of water. I was damn sure my legs were being shredded as I pulled my body over stones and rough twigs, but I couldn’t feel shit and didn’t care. A glint of blue caught my eye, and I changed direction, heading for the river, which meant safety. I was so close, almost at the bank, when footsteps pounded towards me. In the few seconds I had, I couldn’t see anywhere to hide, and I turned to growl in Tobias’s angry face.
“There you are!” Tobias cried.
“Touch me, Tobias, and I will kill you,” I warned, grabbing a sharp twig as I pulled myself into a seated position.
“Why are you running away, Chey? Look at what you’ve done to your perfect body!” Tobias exclaimed. My legs were indeed torn up, I’d worn shorts today, and my arms were scratched, and I was filthy dirty.
“Fuck my body. Why did you kidnap me? What do you want, Tobias?” Tobias reached for me. Angrily, I slapped his hand aside, and Tobias dared to look hurt.
“For us to live as we should, Chey. The band and that son of yours conspire to keep us apart. Now, without The Wild Wind around, we can be happy,” Tobias said, beaming. What the fuck? I couldn’t believe how deluded Tobias was. A tiny part of me felt sorry for him.
“There is no we, Tobias! For God’s sake, how many injunctions have I taken out? Why can’t you understand? You’re a stalker, not a friend!”
“Chey, stop parroting what the group have told you. I know the sideway looks you send when you think I’m not looking. The Wild Wind forced you to take out the injunctions because they’re frightened of losing you. But now we’re together, and no one can keep us apart. This was my grandfather’s cabin. No one knows about it, and we’ll be able to do it up and live here happily.” Tobias reached out a hand to touch me again. For the second time, I slapped him away.
“Seriously, I don’t know how to get this into your thick skull. You disgust me, Tobias; you’ve stalked me, invaded my home, wanked over my bedsheets. Even attempted to claim Jesse was your son when you knew Jesse wasn’t. And you trashed me in the media and frightened half of my staff. Honestly, Tobias, I wish nothing to do with you, and now you kidnapped and drugged me! In what sane mind would I want a relationship with you?” Tobias’s face twisted as he absorbed my words and reached for me again. This time, I stabbed out with the twig and struck Tobias in the arm. Tobias cried with shock and stepped back.
“You hurt me!”
“And I’ll fucking kill you. You’ll never lay a hand on me. I’ll die first!”
“Once I’m inside you, you’ll be begging.” Tobias lunged. I twisted my body, cursing the paralysis and, as Tobias used his weight to force me onto my back, I punched upwards and hit his neck. Tobias let out an unholy scream and scrambled backwards.