Vivian

 

Branden and I tussle for a moment. Just when I feel like I’m about to break free from his strong grip, I accidently lean on my bad ankle. Pain shoots up my leg and I stumble, falling down to the ground and landing on my ass.

 

“See, girlie,” Branden says, smirking. “It’s not a good idea to take us on after all. Alan, make sure she can’t fuckin’ move.”

 

Alan comes towards me with the ropes coiled in his hand. My ankle is throbbing and I don’t have the strength to try to fight him, too. Alan ties me tightly. Almost as tightly as Branden had before. Hot tears of frustration, humiliation, and pain slide down my cheeks as Alan secures my wrists tightly behind my back. Now there is absolutely nowhere I can go.

 

“Stay safe, girlie,” Branden says, smirking as he grabs a ring of keys from the filthy table. “We’ll be back soon. Hell, we might even have a surprise for you.” He draws out the word and raises his eyebrow at the same time, making the red birthmark stretch across his face. He looks even uglier than usual, and I shudder at the glint in his eyes.

 

“Yeah,” Alan echoes. He’s gone back to being the dumb thug, Branden’s stooge. “Don’t want you movin’ around and hurtin’ your baby or nothin’.”

 

I lie back against the wall and close my eyes, willing them to disappear. For a moment or two, Branden seems upset that I’m not taking the bait. But finally, Branden and Alan leave the cottage. I hear the crunch of their footsteps on the gravel outside, and the roar of an engine as they climb into the ugly little car and drive away.

 

The fire is dying now and loneliness is setting in. I hate the fact that I don’t feel better without my captors than with them. Is this what Stockholm Syndrome feels like? Am I losing my mind?

 

It’s also freezing. Goose bumps break out all over my skin and I twist furiously against the ropes, wishing I could loosen my hands in order to rub my arms. My ankle is still throbbing painfully even when I’m sitting still. My mind races as I try to remember everything I’ve ever read about having a broken bone. Is it still possible to get an infection from lack of treatment, or is that something that modern medicine has erased? Either way, I don’t think I’ll be getting to a doctor soon. The thought fills me with even more dread.

 

I don’t have long to wait before I hear the bounce of tires over gravel once more. Headlights sweep over the cabin and I shiver as I hear someone cut the engine of the car. However, the sounds are different now–almost like Branden and Alan brought back more people. That’s enough to make me panic. What are they going to do to me? Show me off like some kind of sick prize? Or make me into a kind of slave?

 

Shuddering, I close my eyes and whisper a quick prayer. When I was a little kid, I got into the National Enquirer tabloids at the grocery store once. It was right after that cute little child beauty queen disappeared, and the lurid stories of how her body was found after death were enough to give me nightmares for a year. Dad actually spanked me when he found out why I kept having bad dreams and running into his bed in the middle of the night. He told me that bad things like that didn’t happen to girls like me, and that he’d always keep me safe.

 

Tears well up in my eyes. I’m so sorry, Dad, I think as a shuddering breath escapes from my lips. I’m so sorry I wasn’t a better daughter.

 

I’m no child beauty contestant, but I’m still a woman…and that makes me more vulnerable than ever.

 

The sight of Branden and Alan bursting through the front door is almost a relief.

 

Especially when I see the man between them.

 

“Landon!” I scream, trying to climb to my feet. Sharp, painful agony fills my body as I crash down again on my bad ankle, screaming as it rolls under my body. The ropes binding my wrists are cutting into the skin and my fingers feel tingly with pins and needles.

 

But at the sight of Landon, my beautiful blonde god, I don’t even notice how badly I’m hurting. His blue eyes are soulful and deep, just like I remembered. His blonde hair still grazes his chin and he looks scruffy, like he hasn’t shaved in days. My heart is filled with indescribable joy at the sight of the man I love.

 

I can only hope he feels the same way.

 

“Vivian.” Landon’s cry is more of a grunt than a scream. He tries to break free of Alan and Branden but they’re holding him too firmly. Knowing that we’re so close, and yet so far from freedom, makes my heart ache.

 

Branden’s lips twist into a nasty smirk. “Why don’t I leave you two lovebirds alone for a while,” he says, rubbing his hands together. I can only watch, breathless, as he binds Landon’s wrists behind his back. Landon doesn’t even flinch when they tie him up; he takes the pain like a man.

 

I wish I could say the same. Now that the rush of seeing Landon alive has worn off, my ankle has started throbbing once more. I have so many questions to ask him. I’m dying to know where they found him. Was he looking for me? Is my dad okay? And what about Blade and Robin?

 

My heart sinks when I realize that I’m going to have to tell Landon the truth about Robin. He’s going to be so disappointed. He’s going to realize that I’m not a strong person after all–that I’m not like him.

 

I swallow nervously. My mouth tastes like iron, and my stomach is twisted and empty and cramping. I still have to pee, but I try to ignore the urge and focus on how I’m going to explain about Robin to Landon. We have to figure out a way to make sure she’s safe before we think about ourselves. Alan and Branden are obviously dangerous, and I couldn’t stand it if something happened to her.

 

Branden walks over and looks down at me. He’s smiling like the cat who ate the canary, and an uneasy feeling stirs in my chest when I realize that he’s waiting for me to say something.

 

“So,” Branden says. “You happy, girlie?” He leans close and I try not to wrinkle my nose in disgust as his nasty breath washes over my face. “We brought you someone you wanted to see. Ain’t that right, Alan?”

 

Alan’s panting and grunting on the other side of the room. When I look up, I see that he’s binding Landon’s ankles. My heart sinks further in my chest. Not only are the ropes strong, the knots look complicated. Even if Landon and I can manage to free our hands, I have no idea how I’m going to get him out of those bindings.

 

“Yeah,” I say, not taking my eyes off Landon. He’s not looking at me and that alone is making me ache more than my broken ankle or the ropes behind my back. “Why did you bring him here?”

 

Branden spits on the floor. “Why indeed?” Branden drawls. “Well, we gotta find a way to give him a purpose, don’t we?” Branden turns to Alan, putting his hands on his hips. “What the hell do you say, Alan?”

 

Alan glances up. His eyes flicker over me before settling on his boss. He shrugs. “Dunno,” he mumbles. “We got them now, and that’s what counts.”

 

“So now my father can pay you,” I say loudly. “You’ve got what you wanted. Just ask him for the ransom money and everything will be fine. You can let us go.”

 

Branden laughs. The sound is so loud, so shocking that it startles me. “You’re a fuckin’ piece of work, you know that?” Branden leans down in my face. “You have the nerve to try to tell me what to do?” He shakes his head, seething with anger. His face is so garishly red that I can barely see the birthmark splashed across his cheek.

 

“Well, you got both of us,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. Landon still won’t look at me, and that’s making me even more nervous. “Isn’t that what you wanted? Didn’t you want to make sure that we were both here, under your thumb?”

 

Branden shakes his head and whistles. “Girlie, are you in college?” Before I can answer, he laughs cruelly again. “Because you are one hell of a genius! Damn, Alan! She’s got it all figured out. Now that we got her and the grunt, we’re all done here. We might as well celebrate, have ourselves a little party.”

 

Alan bites his lip and doesn’t say anything. His doughy face shows that he’s obviously confused. Say something, I think desperately. Anything to let me know what he really wants. Please.

 

“Anyway,” Branden says. “That ain’t how this is gonna go down at all, you little bitch. As long as we’ve got you, we’ll make sure you’re good for something.” He gestures to Alan. “Come on, asshole. We gotta get more firewood.”

 

With that, Branden and Alan leave the room. Immediately, I shift my position on the hard floor and turn to face Landon, desperately hoping that he’ll finally speak. But his face is stony and cold, and his lips are pushed into a scowl.

 

My stomach twists into a knot. Why is he doing this? Does he somehow already know that I’ve betrayed Robin? Is he angry with me? What the hell is he acting like this for?

 

“Landon,” I whimper. “Landon, please look at me. Please talk to me.”

 

Landon closes his eyes and leans against the wall, looking utterly defeated.

 

“Landon, please!” I stare at him until tears prick my eyes. “Please.”

 

Landon sniffles. He stretches, testing the ropes that bind him.

 

When his eyes meet mine, I can’t help but falling into the bottomless pits of sapphire. He’s so beautiful–even when he looks severe and angry. He’s the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen.

 

“Please talk to me,” I whisper. “We can’t say anything in front of them.”

 

Landon licks his lips and sighs. Despite the fact that he’s tied up and leaned against the wall, he looks majestic, almost like a lion.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me about the baby, Vivian?” Landon asks. His voice is hollow, dead.

 

Inside, I feel my heart start to break. Fresh tears well up in my eyes and even tilting my head back and looking at the ceiling does nothing to stop them from falling down my cheeks. My skin is so cold that my tears seem to burn, but I don’t even care. Soon, my nose and sinuses fill with what feels like liquid concrete.

 

“Landon,” I whisper. “Please, it’s not like that.”

 

But Landon’s eyes are closed, and I have a horrible feeling that he’s not going to listen to anything else that I say.