Collecting Scars (15 page)

Polly listened intently, not interrupting once, she had someone bring them drinks and pushed a glass with what Asha thought was whisky into her hand. When Asha was done, Polly wrapped an arm around her, pulling her in for another hug.

“Oh darling girl,” she whispered close to her ear, stroking the back of Asha's head as if she were a small child. When they each sat back, Polly looked deep into Asha's eyes and went on.

“You know, I'm not much for giving relationship advice, but I do know my Xavier,” Polly smiled a small wistful smile. “He is a beautiful boy Asha. Losing Maddie broke his heart. She was everything to him, more than his mother. Yes, he loves his mother, but she would never take Xavier's side. Whenever that pig of a man did anything to his mum, Xave would be so upset. I can't tell you the times he came to me as a youngster, in tears over the things his dad did to his mum. As he got older, he stood up to him and copped a hiding numerous times and you know what Annie did?”

Asha shook her head, her mind reeling, Xavier had never talked to her about these things and now she was learning all about it, from his aunt.

“She would get angry at Xavier, he was there trying desperately to protect her and she would shun him. Maddie and Xavier were all each other had in the world. They might look like the perfect loving family on the outside, but his parents were not nice people. Not to Xavier.” She shook her head.

“What about Maddie?” Asha asked.

“Oh, she was the golden-haired child. Maddie could do no wrong,” Polly's face hardened. “But she hated them for the way they treated Xavier.”

“Xavier never told me any of this,” Asha admitted searching Polly's face.

“I probably have no place telling you all this either, but I think you should know. Xavier has had never had trouble finding girls. He is a bit of a looker, my boy.”

Asha giggled, she was right about that.

“But, he has never brought any of those girls in to meet me,” her eyes twinkled. “Do you know what that tells me?”

Asha shook her head.

“That boy can see something special in you Asha, and talking to you just now, I can see why.”

Asha blushed a little. Had she been too harsh on him?

“Oh Polly, do you think it could ever work between us, though? It's not like either of us have a good solid parental relationship as a guide. What if we turned out like our own parents?”

Polly laughed and shook her head. “That would never happen, look at you both my dear, you are both dead scared of turning out like your parents, I think you would be the complete opposite.”

“I don't know Polly, I just don't know if I could put myself through all that. I am so scared of falling in love with him and then losing him.”

Polly stood and walked to stand in front of her. “Only you can decide if it’s worth the scars, Asha. From where I stand, what I can see is two people who already love each other, but they are both too scared to admit it.”

Asha stood and hugged the older woman. “Thank you so much, Polly,” she whispered in her ear.

“You're more than welcome my dear, anytime, now go get your man.” She swatted Asha on the bottom and sashayed off.

Who even was this amazing woman? Everyone needs a Polly in their life.

Chapter 20

ASHA TOSSED AND TURNED, SHE tried to sleep but it just wouldn't come. She missed having Xavier in her bed, she missed his good night texts on the nights when he was not there. She missed his smile, his laugh, his beautiful green eyes. Polly's words played over and over in her mind.

Had she been too quick to dismiss Xavier? She knew how she felt about him. It was not like she hated him and was angry with him. In fact, she was angry with herself more than anything. She had never meant to fall for him. Not now. Not after she had worked hard to be where she was in her life, in her career. This was not how it was supposed to have panned out. Hurting Xavier was never meant to be part of the agenda either. He was a good man. A kindred spirit, maybe if she believed in all that nonsense she might have thought of him as a soul mate. But those types of things were for hopeless romantics. Hopeless as she may be feeling right now, hopeless romantic she was not.

She believed every word she had said to Xavier about not having a happy ever after. People died, people lied, cheated and hurt the people they love. It was better to keep your heart closed than to have to feel the pain.

***

Friday dragged, patients came and went like any other day. The end of her shift loomed and Asha did not want to face the reality that was, going home to spend Friday night alone. It was her doing, she had chosen life to be this way. There was no one to blame but herself for the way things were.

Patrick was catching up with some of his mates who were in town. Joanie was doing whatever it was Joanie did. Gemma had invited her out, but she was feeling melancholy and didn't feel like joining the clubbing scene. She certainly couldn't be turning up at Exes and Oh’s. No a night on the couch watching movies seemed like it might be all she had to look forward too. Maybe she might read a book if she could concentrate for long enough.

Asha pulled on her coat and said her good-byes to those still left in the clinic, then started her walk home.

It was cold out tonight and an early fog was starting to descend. She wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm and walked a little faster. Hearing the revving of an engine coming up behind her, she looked straight ahead, ignoring the vehicle as it pulled up beside her. A door slammed, then there was the opening of another, a sliding door perhaps. Curiosity got the better of her and she turned to see what was going on.

Rough hands came around her from behind. One arm snaking around her waist and another around her neck. Panicked she threw her head back, kicking back with her feet. Her heart rate picked up, a million thoughts careened through her brain and yet nothing made any sense.

“Scream and you're dead, right here, right now,” came a harsh, deep male voice close to her ear. There was an oddly muffled noise, it was coming from her mouth. It was like the world was standing still, but moving too fast all at the same time.

She was thrust forward, her legs like jelly beneath her, still kicking out, but not seeming to make contact with anything. He was pushing her toward the van, the one she had seen time and again. She knew she had to fight him, planting her feet on the ground, she dug her heels into the bitumen, it hurt like hell and it didn't help but it was all she could do. Struggling to breathe, trying to scream. Her shins hit the tailgate of the vehicle as he thrust her forwards. She felt something going over her eyes. The back of her head hurt and she knew if she was to live through this it would hurt more in the days to come. A strange smell, what was that? Something sweet. Suddenly everything went black.

Chapter 21

ASHA WOKE UP COLD. HER clothes were torn, she could feel the cold on her bare skin, her coat was gone. She had no idea if her attacker had torn her clothes or if she had snagged them on something during her struggle. Her wrists ached, she strained to move them, feeling a sharp cutting sensation as she did. They were bound behind her back. With what, she couldn't be sure, maybe cable ties. All she knew was the more she pulled to try to free herself the more restrictive the bounds became, cutting deeper into her sensitive bare wrists.

She was lying on a cold hard concrete floor with no covering. As she attempted to move, she felt a harsh scratching against her cheek. Her neck hurt, she recalled her attacker holding something around her neck. He had threatened her and told her not to scream. If she had of been able too, she most certainly would have but something had been restricting her throat, maybe his hand, but it felt much harder, stronger. It had blocked off her windpipe. The pain she felt there now was probably bruising.

She was blindfolded.  As soon as she had been forced into that damn van, he had something over her head, then something in her mouth. Whatever he had put in her mouth had an unusual taste, she remembered an odd smell. Some kind of chemical, she was sure it had made her lose consciousness. She suspected it might have been chloroform. It was probably merciful that she had lost consciousness.

***

Asha drifted in and out of consciousness, in pain, lying on the cold hard floor. She had lost orientation to time and was brought back to the present by the slamming of a door. There was someone there. She cried out, her voice strained in her sore throat. “Who's there? Why are you keeping me here?”

“You'll see when its time,” her captor grunted.

“But I want to go home,” she forced out in defiance.

“Shut up, just shut up,” the man barked.

His tone of voice told her he was getting angry and while she did not want to feel his wrath she hoped maybe his frustration with her would lead him to let her go. She was not going to just sit there and play the victim, she had no idea why she was there or what he could possibly want from her.

“I won't tell anyone, I swear--anyway I don't know who you are or where I am, just take me back to where I was and you will never have to answer to anyone, I promise, I won't even go to the police,” she pleaded.

A massive bang sounded which made her ears ring. What was that? He hadn't hit her, but the noise was so loud it echoed in her ears. She tried desperately to move, pulling at her tied hands, feeling the burn. She hated that she couldn't see it made her feel so vulnerable. If she could just move the blindfold, just a little so she could see what the noise was.

“What was that?” she cried out nervously.

“Just shut-up, shut-up, no more noise or I will gag you again.”

“Please--I just need to use the toilet,” she begged. She didn't but figured it was worth a try to maybe have him untie her, perhaps she could attempt an escape.

“No,” he yelled in response. “You will go when I say you go. You will eat when I say you eat, you will drink when I say you drink and you will use the bathroom when I say you will use the bathroom, the rest of the time you will sit and you will shut-up. Do you understand me?”

Tears erupted, how was she here? How was this happening to her? Any minute now, someone would come for her, the police would come. As she sobbed she heard a heavy door clunk closed. Was he leaving? Was she alone in the room? She wished she could at least see where she was. Her wrists burned where he had bound them, her head hurt. She hated not being able to see, why was she blindfolded? At least if he didn’t want her to see him, it must mean he was not going to kill her right? Isn’t that what they always say about kidnappers? Why would anyone want to kill her anyway? She was a good person right? Oh what was she going to do, she had to get out there!

Someone would come for her, someone would find her soon. Everyone would notice she was missing, Joanie and Patrick would notice when she didn’t come home. Work would notice when she didn't turn up, she never missed a day. “Oh crap it's only Friday,” she cried to herself, “I can't stay here until Monday-- someone will come before then.”

As her crying ebbed she knew she had to think of a plan, what if he came back? She had to get out of here, somehow. Slowly she edged her way up the wall, leaning against it with her back, it was hard to bring herself to a standing position with her hands bound. She stopped dead still when she heard something, from the other side of the room. A whirring noise. “Is someone there?” she called out. No reply. “Please...please help me,” her voice sounded pitiful, even to her own ears. If only she could see, if only she could move her hands. Another whirring noise, she was sure she didn't imagine it. “Someone? Anyone? Please help me.” Still nothing.

Asha stayed still, just listening in the dark. Nothing. Gently she edged her way along what she assumed was a wall, shuffling sideways, keeping her back flush against the hard surface. Not being able to see or feel with her hands she felt very apprehensive.

Again she heard that noise, whir or was it a whiz? She could not be sure, however, it sounded electronic. A fan? A computer maybe? Her leg hit something cold, hard, maybe metallic, she stretched out her foot in an effort to determine what it was. The leg of a bed perhaps? Then a smell. Asha couldn’t help but think it was funny how your other senses seem to work better when one was   taken away. She was sure she could smell toast.

There was a rattle maybe a deadbolt being released. Then she heard the opening of what sounded like a solid door, followed by heavy footsteps moving closer.

“I brought you some food,” a gruff voice came out of the darkness.

“Please,” Asha pleaded, “I can't eat with my hands bound, please untie me.”

“Okay, I'll untie you, but try anything stupid and I will bind you to the bed.”

“Thank you, I won't try anything, I promise. Thank you.”

  Rough hands pulled her away from the wall. Then she felt something cold and hard between her wrists, a knife?  He was using a knife to cut her binds, a couple rough tugs against her wrists and her hands were free. The relief was immense. She dare not ask to have her blindfold removed, she could do that herself when her captor left the room, now her hands were free.

Oh goodness, what was she even thinking? How could it be that she was going about her life minding her own business and suddenly she was what? Kidnapped? Why would anyone want to kidnap her? It's not like her parents had a lot of money and could pay a ransom, in fact, she would be surprised if her mother even cared she was missing. To what end was all this? It must have been a random thing, so then what? What would become of her? Would she be sold off as some kind of sex-slave or something? She had read stories of women being taken off the street and sold to gangs, forced to work as prostitutes. Oh, gawd it was too much to think about. She would have to be found and soon. Surely someone saw her being taken? It was a busy road after all. Someone must have seen or heard something and called the police. They would be out looking for her now. It would not take long. If she just waited and did as she was told, hopefully, he would not hurt her anymore.