Save Me (Taken Series Book 1) (26 page)

“We love you son.” Dad rests his hand on my foot at the end of the bed and I know he wants to ask questions and say more but he is barely able to contain his emotions. His shaking hand and trembling chin make me think he’s ready to break too. There’s no reason to say more because I understand. Dad holds mom against him as they walk out with her silently crying. Damon stays and I know he wants to say more.

“You need to tell me everything.”

“I know.”

“I fucking mean it. Somehow you knew where she was and about all that underground shit. You’re hiding things from me. Fuck. You’re my best friend and your hiding shit. Are you a buyer? Seller? Is it drugs? Women?” Damon runs his hands through his hair roughly in impatience and frustration. I feel bad for not telling him my secret but it was something I couldn’t afford to fuck up.

“Sorry man. Look. I will tell you everything but right now just trust me when I say that it is not as bad as you think. I’m one of the good guys. I was trying to help catch the bad guys. When you come see me tomorrow I won’t be here...” Damon interrupts me.

“What the fuck? You’re not backing out now. I’m fucking helping find Sierra with or without you.”

“I know. I was going to say I won’t be here so wait for my call because I will contact you with a time and location to meet me. I am supposed to be dead so why would you come back here?” He nods in understanding rubbing the back of his neck as a sign of stress. “I will call from an unknown number so answer it and I will give you the location and explain everything then. We will make a plan from there.”

“Alright, alright. But how do you plan to leave since you’re still hurt and you’re supposed to be dead. Won’t someone see you leave or something?”

“Yeah. About that. I already have a plan and someone I trust to pick me up. I won’t be signing out because that leaves evidence. I will just walk out.”

Blowing out a relieved breath he asks the one question I hoped he wouldn’t? “Is Sierra going to be ok?”

I want to lie to him and tell him yes but the odds are against her. Who knows what happened after Jeremy took her this time. Maybe he thought she was too much work and sold her to someone else. Maybe he killed her for leaving. If he still has her and she is still alive, I could only imagine what sick shit he’s doing to her now. There are too many bad case scenarios that I can tell Damon and be truthful but I know what he wants to hear and that’s the answer I will give because I can’t stand the look on his face if I told him the truth.

“Yeah man. I’m sure she’s going to be fine. This guy really wanted her and convinced himself he loved her. At least that’s what she told me he said. So I don’t think he will hurt her too badly where she can’t be helped.”

“Ok. That’s good. God I want to kill the fucker.”

“I know. Me too. If I wasn’t tricked then he would be dead.”

“How do you know you were tricked?”
              “The only person who knew where we were was my sergeant. So there is only one option. I was shot by two different guns meaning the man who shot me first would have been someone I trusted. I may not remember what all happened but I can piece it together. I probably let the sergeant in and he shot me. The second shooter might have been with him or come in after I was shot. Since my bullet was in the sergeant I most likely got a shot off and hit him but he said I aimed for the other guy and missed… I never miss.” I wish I could remember how everything happened and as much as I try my mind is blank but I know I’m not far off from my conclusion.

“I don’t know if I shot the guy who took Sierra or when he shot me but based on what I was told that’s the only conclusion I can come up with. If the sergeant tries talking to you or if anyone else tries talking to you just say you don’t know anything. If they suspect you do they may try to kill you.”

“I won’t tell them shit. This whole situation is fucked up.”

“Yeah I know. I’m sorry. I wish things didn’t turn out this way but I promise I’ll make it up to you guys.”

“Fuck man. You’re my best friend and I don’t want anything happening to you either. I’m fucking helping you and we will take these fuckers down like a blaze of glory.” And that’s why he’s my best friend. No matter the situation he’s all in like me. We’re going to make a great team.

“Fuck yeah. Now get the fuck out asshole.” I grin at my banter.

“See ya fucker.” Damon leaves my room but not without flipping me the bird and I gotta laugh. It’s good to be a team again and know I don’t need to hide this shit from him anymore. I hated always lying about what I was really doing when I knew I could trust him but I couldn’t deal with them getting into shit that could get them hurt. So much for that though seeing as Sierra is in it now.

After we get through this I’m done. No more undercover. I am turning in my application and becoming an officer of the law. Where I want to go in the department I’m not sure. I think I’d be a good detective but who knows and I think Damon will end up joining me when this is all over. There’s no way he won’t. We’ll be a team just like we were in school. We’ll take on the world one bad guy at a time. Too bad I have to turn into a bad guy first because that’s what it will take for me to find and save Sierra. I will need to become a hunter, enforcer and killer. One or many will die at my hands but I will finish this.

Now how the fuck do I get these wires and tubes out of me? As I start to remove everything from my body, the beeping starts and I know I don’t have much time before a nurse comes in to check on me and see what’s going on. It takes me only a minute to remove everything and the beeps to go crazy, blaring my ears in annoyance. I scoot off my bed carefully but quickly trying to avoid ripping the stitches in my abdomen and shoulder. The pain is tolerable as it throbs with every movement but I push through. It could have been worse and I know I will feel it later when the pain meds wear off.

I shuffle to the door with my shaky legs and slowly open it to peak out. None of the nurses seem to notice the light flashing on the big monitor indicating my room needs to be checked. So I look down the hall one way then the other before opening the door fully and making a right out of my room. I walk as quickly as possible without making a scene and the first sight of a nurse heading my way I sneak into another room whose door was already open. There is only one person occupying the room and they seem to be asleep. I hide behind the door and wait for the nurse to walk by before peeking out to check if the coast is clear. It is.

By the time I make it to the end of the hall near the elevators, I’ve stopped in at least three rooms, thankfully nobody noticed I was there, and am currently out of breath and in need of some serious pain medication. My abdomen throbs and my brain feels like it’s about to explode. Being shot fucking sucks. I look back and quickly push open the door to the stairs so nobody will see me as I leave.

Every step I take hurts like a mother fucker. God damn. The pain makes me out of breath even though I’m walking down the stairs, not up. I know I’m pushing myself but I need to get out of here and I need to start looking for Sierra. The longer I wait the less of a chance there is of finding her. There’s no time to waste and a little pain won’t stop me now.

Once I finally make it down the three floors, I know I need to find a way to get past security. Thank god this hospital is huge because the stairs lead to the lobby through one door and to the parking garage across from it. If I go through the lobby first there’s a good chance that I’ll be seen but I will be able to grab some clothes before I leave. If I go to the garage instead then I will be leaving in the patient dress but nobody will see me. I decide going to the garage will be better for me and I can always get clothes somewhere else.

I walk to the other side of the stairs where the exit to the garage is and push through. The garage is several stories and the first floor from what I can see is filled with personnel parking. This hospital is for all types of medical services so there is several floors to the parking garage. I walk through the aisles on the first floor checking cars to see if any are unlocked and as luck would have it a little beat up four door was left unlocked. What are people thinking leaving their cars unlocked?

After looking around to make sure no one is coming I slide into the driver’s seat and shut the door. Looking around the car there is trash everywhere. Mail, food wrappers, soda cans, fast food. It’s disgusting and it smells as if someone died. I guess this is why they left it unlocked because who in their right mind would want to steal this hunk of junk. Moving things around there isn’t much in here that will help me. I decide to check the trunk in a last ditch effort to find something, anything that I could use. I need shoes, clothes and a cellphone but I will settle for clothes for now.

I pop the trunk before looking inside and finding a duffel bag. Luck is on my side as I find in the bag some sweats, running shoes, and a shirt. As I quickly try to change, the shoes are about two sizes bigger than mine making me think this guy is a giant and the sweats need the drawstring pulled tight so they don’t fall off but they work.

After dressing in record time I look around once more before jogging to the car exit ramp. It leads to a side street that connects to Main Street. Instead of heading to Main Street I take a right and walk as quickly as possible while holding my due to the pain and head to the nearest store. I need a phone and a place to hide until I can figure out my next move and I know just who to call to help me. Besides Damon, he’s the only other person I trust with my life right now. He’ll know what to do next.

Chapter 14

             
Sierra

             
Why is life so cruel? Ripping me from my family, from school, my friends. And let’s not forget taking Forrest from me and ending his short life. I never thought this would happen to me. Who would believe that in their life they would be kidnapped, raped, and not just raped but gang raped, and lose everyone they care about? I know bad things happen and people go through struggles in life but it never occurred to me that I would be going through this right now or ever. I feel bad for all those girls who have been through this. I think I have it easy compared to most. I haven’t been beaten nearly to death even though I wish I were dead. I haven’t been sold to the devil even though some days I think he truly is and I haven’t been drugged up like most are.

Even though I believe him to be crazy I also believe that in his mind he truly cares. Oh what the hell am I saying? He doesn’t care and if he does he has a fucked up way of showing it. He’s obsessed. That’s his problem. He’s obsessed with me and I have no idea why. What’s so great about me that made him obsess and kidnap me? I’m not gorgeous and I am not experienced in the art of seduction. There were plenty of other girls who wanted him and would find this as a dream come true. They wouldn’t fight back and they would give him what he wanted. Sex.

He tells me how much he loves me, how beautiful I am and how great I feel. It makes me sick yet at the same time I love the attention. I’ve never had anyone really want me this much. I think I’m going crazy. The fact that I enjoy his attention shows that I am losing my mind. Is this what they call Stockholm syndrome?

I refuse to think of Forrest anymore because it hurts just too damn much. Actually, I refuse to think of my former life and everything I’ve lost because of how much it kills me that I can no longer go back. My old life had so many possibilities. I was close to graduating and going to University where I planned to finish in four years and find a job helping children like Forrest with their fucked up lives. I already told Forrest I was in love with him so maybe we could have been together. Maybe we would have gotten married after I finished college. We would have had a bunch of carbon copies of him and me running around a few years after we were married and had a place of our own. We would have grown old together like that Nicolas Sparks novel, The Notebook. Life could have been perfect. Now I need to adjust to this new life of captivity. There is no escaping and no one who can save me. Everyone is under Jeremy’s thumb.

I’ve been raped every night by Jeremy that now I am used to his visits. I can’t escape him so I don’t even try anymore. I don’t think about suicide either. Even though I hate the hell I live in, I’ve realized that I would rather live this horrid life with the possibility that one day I may be found or escape, then die and never get the chance to find out. I trudge on. I take it day by day looking for answers to my questions, waiting for that small opportunity to escape or be saved. It may never happen but my new found strength has helped me move forward when all I want to do is curl up into a ball and die. I don’t know where this strength came from but I’m glad I have it because I really need it in this moment of excruciating pain.

I guess not being on birth control made me more susceptible to becoming pregnant. My period never came and I tried to hide the fact from Jeremy but he knew. I guess he paid more attention to me than I thought. He’s held me captive now for over two months and it was bound to happen that I got pregnant since I wasn’t on birth control and he never used condoms.