Built to Last (13 page)

***

Cade met Del at the doorstep of the apartment building. Noelle had been missing for three days without a trace. The police didn’t seem to be getting anywhere and since they couldn’t find one shred of evidence that Griffin had taken her and seemed to have proof that he was just where he said he’d be, nothing was moving forward. He decided it was passed time to take matters into his own hands. He was going to start by looking around Griffin’s apartment. He realized that he didn’t have a key to the place and breaking in didn’t seem like the best idea especially since he was already on the police’s radar. Del looked a nervous wreck.

“We are going to find her Del. I know we are,” he tried to reassure her.

“I wish you had told me about Griffin sooner.” She replied. “Elle told me that he had a crush on her, and that he’d stepped over the line at one point. He seemed like a very charming guy when I met him. She really didn’t seem worried about it. I even questioned how smart of an idea it was to sublet the apartment to him. Now this… and your gut is telling you that it’s Griffin that has her. You know him he works for you. Do you think he would hurt her?”

“I don’t know what to think, Del. I haven’t known him for very long. Noelle said they were friends in college, but the first time I saw them together, I didn’t care for him. Maybe I’m wrong. I just don’t know where else to start.”

Del opened the door to Noelle’s apartment. She searched for the light switch and the room was illuminated instantly. Everything looked normal. Cade stepped in first, looking over everything for any kind of clue. Del headed back to the bedroom. Cade looked over the refrigerator at the pictures Griffin had stuck there. They looked to be family shots. Some had what looked to be a much younger Griffin playing by a lake and another was of him holding up a trophy fish next to an older man in front of a cabin.

“Cade!” Del hollered from the other room.

Cade bolted to her side, his breath in his throat. He blew it all out the moment he saw what Del had found. Plastered all over the mirror and across the top of the dresser were hundreds of pictures of Noelle. Some looked very recent, others older and more worn, like they had been handled a lot. Others still, were of Noelle and Griffin; only it was obvious that he had Photoshopped himself into the pictures.

“I recognize this. It was the first date I took Noelle on. Del, he’s been planning this for some time. This was taken before I hired him.” He began to wonder how much of a coincidence it was that Kelly decided to up and leave the company, leaving a spot open for Griffin to step in. Cade started digging though the dresser drawers looking for anything else that might give him a clue to where the man had taken Noelle. He came up with a bottle of Rohypnol. He looked at Del with horror on his face.

“I’m calling the police right now.” Del’s voice was shaking and Cade didn’t know if it was fear or rage behind it. All he knew was that Noelle, his Noelle, was with a monster and he had no idea where.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“You look fantastic.” Griffin commented the moment she stepped into view, and again halfway through dinner. He just couldn’t seem to get over his perfect looking little Barbie Doll as he had made her up. She thanked him with a smile the first time, and reached over to coyly touch his hand the second time.

“This is so good Griffin. Where did you learn to cook like this?”

He smiled at her and told her another story of his travels. She pretended to be thoroughly engrossed in everything he was saying, hanging on every word. When the meal finished he brought out dessert, what he called Norwegian birthday cake.

“I know it’s not your birthday for a few more months but it’s one of my favorites. It was my grandmother’s recipe. I hope you like it.” He set a two-layer cake on the table covered in pale pink whipped cream. A single cherry stood inside a pineapple ring on top.

“I’m sure I will, just like everything else tonight Griffin. But I thought we were going to have a different kind of dessert.”

“Oh my dear there is plenty of time for that too, now try some cake.” He cut a bite for her and fed it to her. It tasted of pineapple and whipped cream. He fed her several more bites between eating some of his own. Several times, she felt he deliberately touched the side of her mouth with the fork so he could then stoop and kiss a bit of whipped cream from her mouth. She pretended to enjoy it, looking up at him through her lashes, and giving him a come-hither smile that he seemed to be eating up.

It was full dark by the time the dishes were cleared. Noelle’s plan appeared to be going as she expected, but she felt like she was running out of time. The later it was the less traffic that would be on the road when she got there, leaving her stranded in the dark and cold. Deciding it was time to push things forward, she deliberately walked up behind Griffin and pressed the length of her body against his back. She slid her hands around his waist brazenly dragging her fingers along the top of his jeans. With a smile of satisfaction hidden into his back, she felt his stomach muscles tighten and pull inward. He gasped and spun into her arms claiming her mouth. He picked her up and held her tightly against him as they kissed. The whole time Noelle’s heart slammed into her ribs as he walked them toward the couch.

“No,” she murmured, “your bed. I want to have room to move with you.”

He groaned into her mouth and he continued to kiss her throat and shoulders. He set her back on the floor and she turned taking his hand and pulling him toward the bedroom. She did her best to keep him hypnotized with the sway of her hips and then crawled up on her knees on the bed. She slowly pulled the tiny dress up her body until she was left with nothing but undergarments and heels.

“You look incredible,” he whispered drawing in closer. He touched and tasted her skin. She took the lead, pulling at his clothing as if she couldn’t get enough of him. He quickly undressed and joined her on the bed. He kissed her shoulders and down her arms, until he came to her wrists where the bruises showed from being tied up.

“I’m sorry I did this to you,” he said, tenderly kissing the mark.

“You want to know a secret?”

He looked up at her from his position on the bed. “What’s that?”

“I kind of liked it,” she lied and looked at him sideways through her lashes, trying to look coy.

“That is so hot,” he murmured near her ear as he nibbled down her neck.

She pushed him back on the bed so she was on top of him. “Do you trust me Griffin?” She watched his eyes and waited with baited breath.

“Why?” he asked

“Because I want to do something to you, but you have to trust me.” She said simply.

He hesitated and she wasn’t sure her plan was going to work. She did not intend to give him the upper hand at all, so she leaned over and kissed his chest running her tongue over his nipples. “Please?”

He nodded his sandy blond head at a loss for words. She smiled and reached for the scrap of cloth that was the dress she had been wearing and positioned it over his eyes. She tied it behind his head leaving him without sight of her.

“So, you like it a little kinky? I can do that for you baby,” he purred to her.

“Shh,” she commanded, dragging the length of her hair across his stomach. He sucked in his breath in appreciation of the sensation she was creating. Taking a chance, she climbed off the bed and moved to the closet.

“Where are you going?”

“Nope, no peeking Griffin,” she told him effecting a pouty sound in her voice. She carefully reached down into the bag and drew out the zip ties she had found earlier. She carried them back to the bed and climbed up on the foot. She pulled the top sheet loose and wrapped both his ankles together in it. “Now stay still honey the best is yet to come,” she whispered in his ear as she straddled him. The very core of her knew it would be some time before she wanted to have sex again. Just one more scar Griffin would be leaving on her, but she would endure it for her freedom. She thought about Cade and hoped he would forgive her for all of this. She had been giving him mixed signals from the beginning. Now, all she could think about was hiding in the circle of his arms.

She took each of Griffin’s hands in one of her own pulling them up over his head and kissing up the arm toward his hand. She only had a moment before he realized what she was doing. So, she distracted him by grinding herself on him. He groaned loudly lifting his hips up under her and she took the moment to zip down the tie around his wrist and the bedpost. She immediately grabbed for his free hand trying to pin it with all of her weight but she wasn’t quick enough. He ripped the dress off his eyes and glared daggers at her, grabbing her by the throat.

“You little bitch!” he yelled as his right hand tightened around his neck.

She clawed at his hand finally biting his arm to make him let go. She sprang from the bed and out of his reach grabbing for the coat and clothing she had set aside, not wasting any time. She grabbed his jeans for good measure as well.

“I’m going to kill you!” Griffin hollered as she disappeared into the next room. She quickly kicked off the heels and pulled on the sweats and t-shirt she had been wearing earlier and the coat over it. She dug into Griffin’s jeans pockets looking for the truck keys, striking it lucky on the third pocket. She nearly dropped them when she heard the bedframe scraping against the floor. Fear shot through her and she sprinted for the door. She threw it open and ran out into the night heading for the truck. She didn’t dare look back to see if Griffin had gotten loose and was following her. She pulled the truck door open and climbed in. It was a standard transmission. Just her luck. She hadn’t driven a stick since high school. Well, she was going to have to relearn fast. Just like playing racecar as a kid right?

She climbed behind the wheel and shoved the clutch pedal to the floor, and then turned the key in the ignition. She hit the button for the lights and illuminated the front of the cabin. She could see Griffin inside the bedroom still struggling to get loose of the zip tie. She shoved the gearshift into first and let her foot off the brake. The truck began to roll backward and she pulled her foot off the clutch quickly, effectively killing the engine. Panic flooded her brain as she turned the engine over again. She forced herself to take a deep breath and try again this time letting the clutch out just a little at a time. She was rewarded with the truck shooting forward a few feet and then trying to die again. She countered it by putting the clutch back in and giving it more gas. She repeated this step, lurching the truck forward a few more feet this time and managing to get it turned to face down the road and downhill. Gravity would help her now. Once she had more speed, she knew she needed to shift. She could hear the engine sound, and knew when it was high it was time to shift. She glanced back in the rear view mirror and saw Griffin just as he had made it to the cabin’s front door, still not a stitch of clothing on his body.

Noelle laughed aloud. Not because anything was funny, but as a release of all the stress she was under. She managed to keep the truck running as she followed the road, trying to keep track of the direction she was going in relation to where she had heard the trucks from the road earlier in the day. It didn’t take long to make it back to the highway. She followed the road signs back toward town. Logan was the closest. She could call for help from there.

***

Cade’s phone rang. He was sitting on Noelle’s couch in the apartment. He looked at the Caller ID that came up unknown and nearly didn’t answer it. Del was speaking to one of the police officers explaining why they had come here, and how they had gotten in.

“Hello?”

“Cade, oh my God I am so glad to hear your voice,” she cried into the payphone.

“Noelle?” Where are you?” Cade sat up straight on the couch and snapped his fingers to get anyone’s attention. Del’s head snapped around the minute she heard her sister’s name.

“I’m in Logan. Griffin, he…” she was just so relieved to hear Cade’s voice that the tears had started to flow and she couldn’t stop them.

“We know Elle. I’m coming to get you. Go to the police station and tell them everything. I will have the police here send word as well. Promise me.”

“Yes Cade, I am going there now. Please hurry, Griffin is still after me, I know it.”

The fear in her voice cut his heart in two. He was still an hour and half away from Logan. She was still in danger. He quickly filled in the rest of the room. “Is there any way we can get there faster?”

“A helicopter can get you there in a third of the time it takes to drive.” One of the officers piped up. The other nodded as he made a call into the station. “I know the owner of one of the local private companies. He owes me a favor anyway.”

“What are we waiting for?” Cade said heading for the door.

“I’m coming too,” Del added.

***

Noelle asked the gas station attendant where the police station was and got directions. The truck bucked and lurched a couple of times before she got the rhythm under control. She found her way and walked in the front doors. She opened her mouth to tell the officer behind the counter why she was there, and her tongue felt too thick to lift. She knew this feeling. It had been a long time since she felt it, but she knew it. Her eyes were itching a bit ago, and she just pushed it off on irritation from crying. Now, her tongue felt swollen, and it was getting hard to swallow. God, she was having an allergic reaction. Griffin must have used strawberry in the cake. Her allergy was strong, but it never had been immediate. Her skin was crawling and she looked to the officer for help. She snagged a piece of paper and scribbled the words ‘Help allergy’ on it before she fell to her knees. Her throat was closing off and she couldn’t breathe. The station came alive with activity. For the second time in a week, Noelle lost consciousness.

When she awoke, it was not in a hospital, where she would have expected but instead inside one of the holding cells at the police station. She could swallow again, and her tongue felt normal sized.

“Hey there she is,” a policewoman spoke. Her nametag said Carol. “We thought we might lose you there for a minute or two. It’s a good thing Ralph here is allergic to bees and carries one of those Epi-pen things. One of our paramedics was here to check you over. Says you’ll be fine now.”

“Thank you,” she replied her voice still rough from the swelling. “I was being held captive.”

“We know all about that too, Miss Fuchs, so save your voice. The Salt Lake PD called to fill us in. Seems they have been looking for you for the last three days. You have family coming up in a private helicopter.”

“Griffin,” she croaked.

“We are on the lookout for him as well. Can you tell me where he was holding you?”

Noelle swallowed several times. “A cabin about fifteen miles east of town, just off the highway. He had a gun. I hid it on the shelf in the closet.”

“You rest; I will need to take your full statement in a little while.”

Noelle lay back down on the small cot in the holding cell and closed her eyes. Now that she felt completely safe, exhaustion overtook her. The events of the last three days were overwhelming. She was asleep in no time.

***

Cade saw her lying in the open holding cell and felt a wave of relief flood through him. He ran to her, “Noelle.”

She stirred at the sound of Cade’s voice and opened her eyes. Her head was pounding but she was such a welcome sight, that she threw her arms around him. “Cade, oh Cade I am so happy to see you.” She kissed him several times and hugged him again, tears welling up in her eyes and spilling down her cheeks.

“Shh, love, it’s all right now,” he murmured and stroked her hair. As she curled up into his side, he began to really look at her. He tipped her face up to him and looked her over. She had a nasty wound on her forehead and her skin looked blotchy. There were livid purple bruises forming around her neck. She reached up to push her hair back out of her face self-consciously and he say the raw strip of flesh around her wrist where the zip ties had cut into her. He clenched his jaws, his anger toward Griffin boiling to the surface once again. If he ever saw the man again Lord, help them all.