Mia (10 page)

With the table set and the wine ready, she
sat back waiting for him.  As the time she had expected him home came and went she started to worry, pacing the kitchen, thoughts of accidents filling her mind.  Outside the sun slowly set and Mia savaged her lips worried as to where he was, sure that his flight should have landed long before that time. 

As she was getting ready to phone the airport
, the house phone burst into life and running down the stairs she lifted the receiver, but not before the answering machine kicked in.  Waiting for the message to play she cried out with relief.

“Paul
…thank God”, before the voice on the other end of the line froze her to the spot.  “No…not Paul Mia”  “Lucas”, she gasped, her voice hardly audible.  His evil laugh froze her insides as he snarled down the line “But I do have Paul”, his voice sending chills through her entire body. “Where is he?”, she cried out with fear, hearing the low threat from him “He’s safe...For now”

Mia
could feel herself gripping the phone, her fingers pressing hard against the plastic as terror thumped into every part of her, her heart beating so loudly in her ears, this time the fear not for herself but for Paul.

“Let him go Lucas, the police are looking for you”
, she cried, hearing as he laughed gently.  “I know…I don’t really have much to lose now do I Mia?”, he replied calmly, his voice so cold.  “What do you want?”, she whimpered, fighting hard to hold back the tears.  “You…I swap Paul for you Mia”, he said, Mia not even hesitating, not even thinking about herself or her own safety so great was her need to rescue Paul, to save him from the maniac on the other end of the line.

“OK Lucas, where
?…Just don’t hurt him”  She heard the smirk in his voice “First you need to shake off the bodyguard watching you”, he bit out, Mia stuttering in confusion.  “What bodyguard?…I don’t...”, before he screamed down the phone at her, the calmness gone.  “Don’t lie to me bitch, he is sitting outside your house right now” Moving to the window Mia scanned the driveway, before her eyes fell on the car well hidden in the undergrowth.  “I didn’t know”, she managed, as he laughed shortly back.

“Seems your boyfriend didn’t tell you everything then
, did he Mia?  Now what sort of boyfriend is that?…No trust”   His taunting voice grew crueller as he snapped at her, “You get to the site in 30 minutes, or there are a whole lot of accidents that can happen in a place like this.  Which do you think will happen to poor Paul?”, laughing cruelly as she cried out with fear.

“For Paul’s sake Mia
, you had better be alone”  With that he slammed down the phone as she paced backwards and forwards, her mind racing, terror gripping her as she willed herself to calm down to think.

Finally she
phoned a cab, arranging for it to meet her outside the back gates of the estate.  Mia knew the area well, and taking a trail she knew of, she left the house working her way around to the back of the estate and the waiting taxi.  She gave the driver her destination and sat back, her whole being swamped with the numbing shock of what was happening. 

Far from running from Lucas, she was driving towards him, because she knew that
Paul’s life was more important to her than her own, and with a look of almost inevitability in her eyes she knew that she was prepared to let him do anything to her if it meant saving him.

At the
entrance to the site Mia left the cab, paying the driver with hands which shook.  He looked at her questioningly, asking if she was sure she wanted to be left there, the kindly man offering to wait for her.  Mia felt like begging him to stay, but remembered Lucas’s warning as she shook her head.

“Thanks”
, she said with a shaky smile, watching as the cab disappeared into the night before she looked at the open gate of the site.  With her heart in her stomach she moved forward, entering with feet which cried out for her to turn around and run away.

As she moved to the main open area, she
gasped in horror on seeing a man lying partially visible among the rocks.  Throwing caution to the wind, Mia ran forward crying out Paul’s name, feeling the cold hand of dread clutching at her heart.  Reaching the prone man on the ground she carefully pulled the hard hat from his head, realising that it was not Paul on the ground but Bill.  Mia felt his neck for a pulse, relief flooding her when she felt it beating strongly.  “Bill, Bill”, she whispered against his ear, rewarded by a soft groan from him as he tried to move, hearing the small intake of breath as pain filled him as he was unable to lift his head, only barely conscious.

“Hello
Mia”, a voice called from across the yard.  “I’m afraid poor Bill there caught me breaking in here…Didn’t mean to kill him…But I can’t have anybody interrupting can I?”  Mia bent back over Bill, whispering in his ear not to move but to continue lying still.  Deep down she knew that while Lucas thought he was already dead Bill was safe from any further harm.

Standing up and moving closer
to Lucas, to move away from Bill, Mia found herself facing the man who had so cruelly destroyed her childhood as she stood quivering with fear.  “Where is Paul?”, she bit out, her voice stronger than she felt. She could see Lucas smiling as he began to walk towards her.  “Ah, well, I might have deceived you a little there”, he said with a triumphant look on his face.  “But you deceived everybody in this town, so that seems only fair”, he joked to himself, still moving ever closer.

“Where is he
?”, she cried, her voice slightly higher as she looked around for signs of Paul.  “I don’t have him”, he chuckled with no hint of humour in his voice, his arms outstretched.  “He is probably right now fixing the tire from his car…Can you believe that somebody stuck a nail in it?…Tut tut - what is the world coming to?”, he laughed, his eyes boring into hers.

With a physical sense of relief she
glared back at him.  “You lied to me”  She could see the anger in his face.  “You’re the liar Mia, you lied to everybody”  Mia had suddenly had enough.  She had been running from this small man her whole life and she had had enough.  Standing as tall and proud as she could, she faced Lucas Mathers, her chin held defiantly.  “No Lucas, you are sick”  He looked at her with stunned shock, spluttering angrily as spittle filled the air around him.  “Don’t talk to me like that”, he cried, “Or I’ll...”

Mia
interrupted him, her voice full of cold anger, “You’ll what Lucas…hit me?  Because you can beat me till I am black and blue just like you did last  time…but it won’t make any difference…You will still be sick”  He stopped in complete confusion, his eyes watching her wildly.  “Shut up”, he screamed at her, as she shook her head, Mia continuing, her voice so calm.  “You need help Lucas, you need to see a doctor who can help you”

“No”
, he shrieked.  “I need to teach you a lesson…I need to make you pay for what you did” 

“Is that what you told Susan
, Lucas?”, she cried back, seeing the disbelief in his eyes.  He had not expected her to challenge him. She was meant to be begging him to let her go, not standing up to him, throwing accusations at him, and he was momentarily frozen, his manner more defensive.  “She got what she deserved”, he cried wildly, “She was no better than you”

“
You're sick”, Mia threw back, dropping to the ground as she saw him moving purposefully towards her once more, as picking up a large piece of wood she stood her ground, feeling the splinters dig into her hands as she faced him.  “If you want me Lucas, then you had better be prepared to fight, because I am not giving into you without one”

Lucas
stared at her with complete shock.  This was not the woman he had nearly captured in the hallway of the hotel, but the girl he had to release six years ago, because she fought so hard.  For a second he faltered, not sure whether to continue, before seeing Bill on the ground, knowing that he nothing to lose.

With a cry he
ran at her causing her to swing the wood which hit him on the arm, the wood flying from her hand.  With a look of victory he then lurched forward, not seeing Bill move slightly on the ground.  Mia however had, and she knew that she had to get him away from the struggling man.  Turning she ran across the yard as fast as she was able, feeling the wind rushing through her hair, her heart beating so fast within her chest. 

She
knew she could not outrun Lucas, and with each step she could hear him catching up with her, until he grabbed her by the shoulder, halting her before enveloping her within his two strong arms, holding her tightly against himself as she struggled with all her might.  She felt his hand move over her mouth and nose, with some kind of cloth which she struggled against to no avail, desperately trying to free herself, feeling as he held it firmly against her. 

Kicking and
clawing at his hand she fought with everything in her before she could feel herself falling into blackness as the chloroform did its job, Mia falling against him, a dead weight.  Breathing heavily from the exertion of subduing her, he muttered under his breath feeling the pain in his legs where she had kicked, becoming angrier seeing the blood run down his hand as he threw her onto the ground.  “Stupid bitch!”, he screamed at the unconscious woman lying so still at his feet.

“You will pay Mia Drake
…Pay for everything”,  his eyes maniacal pins of light, before he dropped to the ground beside her, pulling bindings from his pocket.  Having secured a gag on her mouth and tied her hands and legs he lifted her slight form, throwing her over his shoulder moving towards the entrance of the building site where his van waited.

Paul finally reached the house, angry that he had been forced to waste over an hour by the side of the road changing his tire, the nail in the wall the cherry on his long week.  With a sigh he entered his home, having waved to the bodyguard who still sat outside the house.  He felt a little guilty at not having told Mia about Sam, but knew that she would have fought him on the need for protection, and deep down he was still concerned about Lucas, not prepared to relax until the threat to Mia was fully dealt with. 

Frowning
, he looked at his watch.  Now 11:00, he had not been able to reach Mia on the phone, wondering why it kicked straight into the answering machine, understanding that Mrs Mac in her side of the building would not have heard it.  The only answer seemed that she must have gone to bed he decided, a little disappointed that she had not waited up for him.  He had missed not seeing her, missed her smile and the way her eyes shone warmly and could feel his longing to hold her, with a smile realising that he wanted more than just that. 

As he
moved upstairs to their room, he found it to be empty and with a small scowl started searching downstairs, before noticing the answering machine flashing.  The indicator showing two calls, each only minutes apart.

Moving over he
listened to his call telling her that he would be a little late and then hearing as the previous message kicked in.  As he stood he could feel the blood draining from his face, listening as Lucas threatened her with him.  Hearing how she sounded so panicked at his being in danger and agreeing to trade herself.  He heard how Lucas made her slip past the bodyguard and moaned as the fear inside him rose to the surface. 

Before the call
even ended he was running to the door, yanking it open as he ran to the car he knew to be there.  The surprised bodyguard wasted no time moving the car out of the driveway, as Paul quickly, his voice full of panic, told him what had happened.  The no-nonsense man listened intently, his intelligent face frowning as he gave decisive instructions to Paul, who quickly pulled out his mobile phone to call the police, barking commands at them.  Looking at the time, he knew that she had only been gone about 30 minutes, praying that they were not too late.

Sam
was not only an excellent bodyguard, but also a professional driver, and quickly he covered the ground getting them to the site much faster than Paul ever could, Paul knowing that it was faster than any taxi driver could either.  As they sped toward the building site he listened carefully as the other man laid out a plan, nodding in understanding and agreement as they screeched to a halt at the site.

The two men
leapt out of the car moving quickly into the muddy area.  As the bodyguard moved in one direction Paul moved forward to make himself visible.  “Mia”, he called loudly, his eyes scanning the dark now so threatening site, “Where are you?”, despite his best efforts his voice giving away the fear he felt for her.

Stopped in his tracks Lucas Mathers
cursed at the sound of Paul James’ voice.  Looking at the woman over his shoulders, he knew that he would never make it past him carrying her.  His eyes frantically looked around for a place in which to conceal her until he could dispose of the tall man he had come to detest so much, part of him glad to get a chance to deal with him, the man who had with his lies caused the arrest of his father and best friend. 

With a smile his eyes
fell on a large pit, a foundation which still needed to be filled and jumping down into it he placed her against one of the corner sections hidden from above before throwing a piece of tarpaulin over to completely obscure Mia’s prone form.  With a cruel curl of his lips he looked forward to returning to her and enjoying Mia, making her pay for what she had done to him and his family.

Climbing out of the hole,
Lucas made his way carefully around Paul James, circling around him until he stood behind the unsuspecting man, still crying out Mia’s name, anxiously scouring the building site.  Picking up a brick to finish him off, just as he had done with Bill Anderson, he crept quietly up on the tall man revelling in the knowledge that he was so unaware of the danger right behind him.  With a last look around he rushed forward his arm holding the brick raised to strike Paul down.  Only feet from his victim, he felt the heavy weight as he had been rugby-tackled to the ground, his snarl turning into a shriek of surprise.  Gasping for air, the ground having knocked the wind from him he turned, his movements curtailed by the bodyguard who he recognised from the many nights he had tried to enter the estate who now held him so securely.

As he
lay on the ground panting, his eyes full of shock and hatred, Paul ran over to crouch before him.  “Where is she? Where is Mia?”, he cried, his voice giving away his fear as Lucas laughed maniacally back at him.  The two men looked at each other, their faces grimly set, as the sound of police sirens were heard over the silence of the large site.  As he was being led away Lucas chuckled, his eyes full of malevolence. “You’ll never find her James.  You’ll never find her body”

Paul
felt himself buckle at the thought that he had already killed her, his face blanching, the other man smirking happily at his obvious distress.  A sound close by sent a surge of relief flooding through him as he cried out her name, running to the location of the noise.  However, as they followed the soft groaning it had not been Mia they found but Bill who lay helplessly on the ground.  Not moving him for fear of causing any further injury Paul knelt down before the other man telling him that help was on the way, sickened to see that he been savagely attacked no doubt in the same way as Lucas had tried to attack him, his fear for Mia once more making him feel sick to his very stomach.

“Where is she
Bill?”, Paul asked softly, “Where is Mia?...where did he take her?”  The paramedics arrived not long after the police.  As they tended to Bill, he struggled to tell of what he had seen, his voice so weak.  “She saved my life Paul.  She tried to fight him, and then ran off to save me…He thought I was dead already…She used herself to get him away from me”, before he was placed into the ambulance and rushed away.

Groaning
, Paul scanned the site.  Where the hell was she, he thought, panic taking hold of him.  “Get lights here as fast as you can”, he cried out to the police, “and dogs - you must have sniffer dogs…Whatever it costs…Fly them in if you have to”  As he was assured that all the equipment was already on its way he began moving around the site calling her name, pulling rocks that might have been used to hide her away with his bare hands.

It was nearly
two hours later when they finally managed to bring the dogs from the next county and Paul could see the way the police were looking at each other.  He knew that they all believed that they were looking for a body, but he had to keep believing that she was alive, because anything else was too much for him to handle.  As the dogs sniffed an item of her clothing which he had Mrs Mac bring from home they took off immediately picking up her scent, with their handlers and Paul running behind, seeing as they stopped over a large hole.

As they
stood over the foundations barking close to the spot where she lay the police jumped in to lift the tarpaulin uncovering a prone Mia.  Paul, who watched from above could feel his whole body close to collapse to see her so still, not even aware as he repeated over and over, “Please, please, please...”

H
is hands clasped together before his mouth in silent prayer.  When one of the police cried, “She’s alive…Get a medic down here”, Paul’s whole body flooded with such a sense of relief that he cried out, feeling the tears of relief welling up inside him as he fell to his knees.

Mia’s
eyes fluttered open in the hospital, frowning softly as she wondered where she was.  Looking around she could see doctors and nurses moving outside the private ward she was laid in, and felt the relief wash over her.  Whatever had happened, she had been rescued from Lucas.  Briefly, she wondered if she was dead already and her mind was playing tricks, before her eyes rested on Paul sitting on the hospital chair beside her, his eyes closed.  He was still wearing his suit, but it was covered in dirt and again she wondered what had happened to him.  In total confusion she moved her head whispering his name, feeling her throat dry and her head thumping. “Paul?”

Hearing her voice, his eyes
flew open. “Mia…Oh thank God”, he cried, quickly raising himself to move towards her.  “I thought I had lost you”, he cried in anguish, as his arms went around her to hold her so gently against him.  “Lucas…”, she said, her eyes confused and questioning.  “He’s in jail”, Paul replied grimly.

“He is
psychotic Mia, we caught him last night and it threw him completely over the edge, there are doctors with him now…but he is mad”  Mia nodded gently. “I know”, she said sadly before her eyes flew widely open the memory of her injured friend coming to her.

“Paul, Bill was hurt
…”, she cried in concern, feeling as he held her reassuringly.  “He’s safe Mia…Thanks to you”, his eyes full of admiration.  “He told us what you did”  She just looked at him, unblinking.  “I thought that so long as he believed he had already finished him he would be safe”, she said softly, as Paul nodded.  “How is he?”, she added, feeling so tired.  “He has a concussion, but his hat saved him from serious injury.  He is being a pest, demanding to get to see you though”

Paul
chuckled, seeing the relief on her face before he looked at her with such a haunted look.  “Why did you go Mia?”  his voice gentle  “He tricked me, he told me that he had you a prisoner”  He nodded. “I heard the tape on the answering machine, but you should have called the police…You knew what he would do to you”

Mia
lifted her hand to gently touch his cheek.  “I couldn’t take the chance of him hurting you”, she said softly, her eyes full of such warmth.  “I could never live with myself”  He looked at her with such desperation in his eyes.  “If only I had phoned from the airport”, he moaned in anguish, “or my tire hadn’t got a nail in it”

Mia
gave a small sad laugh.  “It wasn’t exactly an accident, Paul. He put the nail in it”  With a quick intake of breath he looked at her.  “I was going crazy when we couldn’t find you Mia”, seeing the look of confusion on her face.  He then told her the story of her rescue, making Mia gasp.  “Oh my God”, she said almost inaudibly, “If he had managed to get out then they wouldn’t have known I was there, and they were due to fill that foundation today”, her voice small as a shiver ran through her, so aware of her close escape, Paul pulling her in harder to him in a protective embrace.

The tiredness
once again swept through her as her eyes fluttered closed, her whole being so happy to be in his arms.  As she tried to open her mouth to tell him that she loved him, he kissed her, the words lost as he muttered gently for her to rest, before she slipped once more into sleep.

When she next awoke she
found Paul gone, and Mia felt sad wishing him beside her with every breath in her body.  As she pulled herself up in the bed, feeling the tears starting to well up in her eyes, the door to her private room flew open, as Bill was wheeled in, loudly complaining that ‘of course she wanted company’.  Seeing him caused Mia to cry out with delight, her hands flying to her mouth in relief.

“Bill,
you’re OK”, she cried out as he stopped at the side of her bed pulling her forward to kiss her cheek, chuckling happily at her.  “I don’t know how to thank you Mia”, he said, his voice full of emotion.  “You nearly got yourself killed saving me”

Mia
shook her head slowly.  “He was always going to come after me Bill…He knew how scared I was of him…I knew that I had to lead him away from you”  With a pfft sound Bill shook his head violently.  “Scared?…You were magnificent…I heard everything you said to him”, a look of such respect in his eyes.  “You are the gutsiest person I have ever met Mia Drake”, he said so gently, seeing as her eyes misted over.  “Susan would have been proud too”

Mia
bit her lip as the emotions got the best of her as the tears finally slid down her cheeks.  “Thank you Bill”, she said softly, as the door once again opened and to her delight Paul moved into the room, Mia smiling happily at him, the tears still in her eyes making them shine even brighter than normal.  With a hearty laugh Paul grinned at Bill.

“Good job you have such a thick head”
, he laughed, the other man chuckling back with him as he shook hands with him.  Sensing that the two wanted to be alone, he pulled Mia in for a bear hug, giving Paul a large smile before leaving the room, loudly demanding that he was fine and wanted to be let home.  Paul and Mia grinned at each other, as the tall man moved over to pull her into his arms.

“How are you feeling?”
, he whispered into her hair as she smiled against his chest.   “All the better for seeing you”, she whispered seductively as he laughed gently.  “Well doctor says that you’re OK and if you want you can go home”  Mia smiled back at him mischievously.  “How quickly can you pass me my clothes?”, she asked with a large grin. 

As they
returned home, Paul fussed over her until she finally sighed with exasperation.  “I am fine”, she said huskily, before sidling up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.  “Perhaps you should remember that I haven’t seen you for four days and…”, adding as she pushed herself hard up against him causing him to groan gently, “nights”  She pulled his head down to hers to kiss him with a passion which had him sweeping her up into his arms to move towards their bedroom.  “Thank you for reminding me of that small matter”, he murmured against her mouth with a laugh, before placing her gently on the bed, as he lay over her.