“Don’t let her out of your sight. Give her five minutes with him and then take him back to where he belongs,” he orders, andI just rock him back and forth. “And get his men off my fucking property now! We will be moving to a new location. Send them a message by killing one of them.” I rear back.
“No, please! Don’t! I can’t have you hurt anyone because of me.” He looks at me, dead serious.
“Oh, sweet Erica. Don’t you understand that when someone crosses me they never leave with their hearts still beating? They are getting a pass. One dies so the rest can go; that’s all I’m giving you.” He then gets up and leaves me in a pile of uncertainty. I’m beside myself right now.
“Please let me wait until he wakes up. I just want to say goodbye,” I plead and the henchmen look at each other then back at me.
“He has five minutes to wake up, then we have to take him.”
Minutes pass and I finally start to feel him stir, then he groans in my arms. I sag with relief that he’s okay.
“Babe,” he grumbles, and I shh him.
“It’s going to be okay. I am going to be okay. I need you to go and forget about me, Jared.”
He sits up and winces, but seems to be all right.
“I am not letting you go. I know what you’re doing, and you can’t get rid of me that easily.”
“They will kill you, Jared; I have to go with him.” My lip trembles and I bury my head in his shoulder. “Thank you for everything,” I whisper in his ear. He grips me tightly, and as he holds me close one of the men grabs him and tosses him to the other guy.
“Stop! Give me one more minute with him, please!” I beg.
“Time’s up,” he sneers.
“Get the fuck off me!” Jared roars, and he’s fighting to get to me while the other guy is holding me back. We are both trying to get to each other. At some point they had managed to tie his hands back.
“Jared, I love you!” I shout as I’m being pulled away. Tears are streaming down my face uncontrollably. Just the thought of never seeing him again sends a searing pain through my chest. The man now picks me up and throws me over his shoulder.
“Erica!!” Jared yells.
“Let her go! Please, I’ll do anything!” He is yelling so loud and trying to fight to get to me, and that’s when I notice the man kicking him to the ground. He’s still hurt, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt this helpless in all my life.
I can still hear the lingering screams of the love of my life, and I just want to die.
Unimaginable pain, hopelessness, and brokenness.
These are all the things I feel. Antonio tries to talk to me, but I can’t speak. He tries to make me eat, but I can’t even imagine swallowing. I feel like someone tore my heart from my chest and stomped on it.
If this is what heartbreak feels like, I don’t want it. I want to crawl into a hole and disappear. I wish I could close my eyes and go anywhere but here.
Imagine being able to just shut your eyes and go somewhere? Your mind can take you wherever you want. That’s why I love to read so much, because whenever I need an escape I have my books.
All I have to do is open up the book and get lost in the pages.
I will do just about anything to get out of this mess. Antonio can’t expect me to want to stay with him forever. This is inhuman, but I have to play this smart. I can’t stay on his badside. In order to escape your captor, you need to build a trustful relationship with that person.
Maybe it will take time, but what I do know is that I love Jared with all my heart and I will make my way back to him someday.
A week goes by and we have moved to a different location. I was blindfolded, so I have no idea where I am. What I do know is that Jared is smart, and if he says he’s coming back for me then he is. I have faith in him. The look in his eyes when he was taken away from me is all I needed to see that he is not giving up on me. He almost died. The thought of Jared dead makes my heart break. I can’t imagine a world without him in it.
The house we are in is huge. I’m only allowed on one side, and guards are at my door 24/7. Antonio has come to see me because I refuse to leave my room. He talks and I listen. I still have not said a word to him since the day he and his men took Jared away.
I can barely eat, and forget about sleeping. Lately I’ve had nightmares that plague me. Every single time I close my eyes I see his face. He’s yelling for me to come to him and I’m screaming for him to not leave me. I wake up a sweaty mess, alone and in my new room that I despise.
It’s big and has its own bathroom, with over the top décor and antique furniture. I feel like I’m in a cold, impersonal place.
There is no need for me to be here. I will contribute nothing to Antonio’s organization, so I still can’t understand why he needs me. I would rather be dead than be a part of this.