Chapter 14
On Monday, I go to the set with Ryan just so I can be with him. I keep finding myself daydreaming about being married to him. He hasn’t asked me again and I haven’t said anything to him. I still am trying to work everything out in my head. Would I go with him everywhere he does? Would I feel comfortable enough to be away from him for so long if I don’t go with him? Maybe I could do a mixture of both and make it work out. I just don’t have the answers yet. Because Ryan worked a long day today and will have another long day tomorrow, we just spend a quiet evening in our suite.
Tuesday, I decide to wander around on my own and discover London. I have a nice time walking about street markets and wandering around in shops. Ryan calls me a couple times just to make sure I am doing ok and to make sure that I haven’t gotten lost. I smile to myself about his concern.
Mid-afternoon, I think I see the guy from the other day. But I can’t get a good look at him to be able to tell for sure. I am very careful to stay where it is crowded and have my cell in hand. Those damn, stubborn reporters. They need to go away. I don’t know how Ryan handles them all the time. I get too easily frustrated. After a little bit, I get that uneasy feeling again and decide I will be safer back to the hotel.
As I walk towards the hotel, I pass an alley. I speed up my pace, wanting to get back to the safety of the hotel. Suddenly I feel an arm come around me, pulling me back into the alley and something instantly covers my nose and mouth. I try to scream but it comes out muffled. Whatever covers my nose smells very sweet. I keep trying to fight back but the person is too strong. Everything starts getting quiet and I felt woozy. Then everything goes black.
Slowly I become aware of my surroundings. People are yelling right next to me. How many people are here? Why are they yelling? I want them to stop. My head hurts so much. I think it is about to explode. I try to lift my hands up to rub my head however I can’t lift them. I open my eyes but everything is blurry when I do. I close them again. My memory comes rushing back to me. Someone dragged me into that alley and knocked me out. Where am I? And what is in my mouth – a gag? Crap!
I concentrate on my vision being clear when I open my eyes again. I slowly try once more. Thankfully no blurry vision this time. I look around as best I can for the other people and see that the yelling is actually coming from a TV. It is on exceedingly loud. I wonder why it must be so loud. I already have a gag in my mouth so I am not going to be able to scream. Trying to move my arms again, I realize that I am tied to the chair. Although I can’t see much, I don’t believe there is anyone else in the room with me.
I seem to be in a living room. I search for anything that can help me. The room is practically barren. Aside from my chair, there is folding chair across from me and a coffee table between the two, and of course the loud TV. No light is seeping in the windows that are covered with blankets. Maybe it is nighttime?
I jump as I hear a drawer open then slam shut and another one open from back behind me. My heart beats faster again. Oh, crap. There is someone else here. I try to calm down but then I hear movement again and am petrified that he or she will find out that I am awake.
From behind me, I hear footsteps come closer. I freeze. Goosebumps break out all over my body. The footsteps hesitate at the carpet of the living room and then continue even closer.
“You’re finally awake,” a man’s voice says, excitedly. He stays off to my side so I can’t see him yet. “You were out for a long time. Must have been the mixture of the chloroform and the drug,” he mumbles to himself.
He turns the TV volume down to a reasonable level. I try talking, but with the gag, I can’t get anything out.
“Sorry I had to tie you up and gag you,” he says as moves around to where I can finally see him.
It is the guy I mistakenly identified as a reporter. He is the one I saw when I was out shopping with Sophia and Drey. The one whose reflection I saw in the jewelry store and the one I’d seen earlier today. Yesterday? Whenever it was that he kidnapped me. He isn’t a reporter. He is my stalker. He sits on the coffee table.
“I was afraid you’d try to leave or scream out if I didn’t. And I can’t let you do that. Someone might hear you. I can’t let you go now that I finally have you to myself. I’ve been waiting so long to get you alone. It’s been months. Watching you; waiting for you to finally be mine.”
He runs his hand across my face.
Oh, shit. Months?
I try to move away from his hand but he grabs my chin and hits me with his other hand.
“Don’t move away from me, Olivia. You look confused. Let me tell you the story of us.” He kneels down in front of me. He puts his hand on my knee. I try to move away but my legs are bound to the chair, also. And when he figures out that I am trying to move away from him, he grips my knee even harder causing pain to shoot through. I scream into the gag.
“Now, I’m going to tell you our story. I first saw you on the news in Las Vegas. I knew as soon as I saw you that we were supposed to be together. Olivia and Kevin. Kevin and Olivia. It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”
I rapidly shake my head no. Hell no, I want to shout and scream at him. He slaps me across the face and again grabs my chin and raises it up so I have to look at him. His grip hurts so bad. Tears are running down my face.
“Listen here, bitch. This is my fucking story. Don’t shake your head at me.”
This guy is crazy. What am I going to do? My body starts to violently tremble now.
“Where was I? Oh yes, Vegas. I was so happy those reporters wouldn’t leave you alone. I could see you more that way. I was out in Vegas, too. I first saw you in person when you were watching the fountains by yourself. I followed you around that night. Thankfully the paparazzi had to find out who you were. Therefore, I got to find out who you were and where you lived and worked. Who your friends were. Did you like all the flowers I left for you?”
My eyes widen in horror. He has been there watching me from the very beginning. I feel sick to my stomach. My skin feels clammy and I have a bit of tunnel vision. I felt the contents of my stomach rising up. My stalker sees that I am going to throw up because he takes the gag out of my mouth, steps out of the way and sits me up so I vomit on the floor instead of on him like I want to.
“There you go. Feel better now?” He kneels in front of me and puts the gag back in place. “There’s nothing to be upset about if you do everything I tell you.” He wipes the sweat off my face with his hand and then licks it. I just about barf again.
“I was there at the diner after you got back from Vegas. I was afraid you recognized me, but you didn’t say anything. I watched you pick up that very first rose I left on your porch right after you returned home from Vegas and kicked out that cheating bastard. You picked up that rose and put it up to your nose to sniff it. I got so hard watching you do that.” He rubs his groin on my leg showing me that he is hard again just from him thinking about it. I cringe away from him as much as I can. “I knew I had to keep giving you flowers so you could sniff them. And I was assured that you were for me.”
Oh my gosh, he is going to rape me. What am I going to do? I have to try to fight him. But another, much scarier thought crosses my mind at that moment. Maybe he already has raped me while I was knocked out. He did say he gave me drugs. I mentally start checking out my body. My eyes glance down at the jeans I have on. They are buttoned but unzipped. That’s when I knew it was true. I close my eyes, trying to will myself to not throw up again, but lost that battle. Unfortunately, the gag didn’t get removed in time so the vomit oozes out from around the gag and runs down my shirt.
Kevin is pissed off. “God damn it Olivia. I fucking told you there’s nothing to be so upset about. Now look at yourself. You’re a fucking mess and I’ve got to clean this shit up.”
He stalks out of the room and bangs around looking for things. He comes back with a towel and wet paper towels. He starts wiping up my mouth and neck.
“You fucking stink!”
He slaps me so hard across my cheek. It hurts bad enough that I think my skin broke open.
“Shit!” Kevin curses and storms out of the room.
This time he leaves me alone for ten or fifteen minutes. He doesn’t speak right away when he comes back. With clean, wet paper towels, Kevin continues to clean up my vomit.
I need to keep calm and think about how I can get out of here. I look around again to see if anything can help me. There was nothing.
Kevin reaches up and runs his hand over my hair. I cringe and turn my face away. I don’t want him to touch me; sick pervert.
He gets up and starts pacing around the room. He looks like he is deep in thought.
“Then there was that bitch started bothering you and hurt you. I knew she was obsessed with you but I thought she was harmless,” Kevin says.
He is continuing with his story like he wasn’t interrupted. What a strange, crazy, insane man he is.
“I didn’t see what was going on at first, since you were around behind your house. I snuck around to the side of your house so I could watch you. I saw the two of you fighting. I was proud of you. You got some good kicks and punches in. Then I saw her hit you over the head with the shovel. I was going to come help you, but your neighbor came out and I could hear sirens. The bitch ran into the woods. I had to followed her, didn’t I? She had to be taught that she couldn’t do that to you and get away with it. No one is allowed to lay a hand on you and get away with it.” He has a very sinister look on his face as he thinks about it. “Well, she’s taken care of now, she won’t ever hurt you anymore.”
Ohmigod. He really did kill her. I’m here with a murderer. What the hell is he going to do to me? Oh, God. Tears start running down my face, again. Why is this happening to me?
“Since then I’ve been making sure you won’t get hurt like that again. I saw you at that club back in Kansas City with your friends. Guys were hitting on you. You were flirting with them. Danced with them. You were shaking your pussy at them so their dicks would get hard. You wanted them to want you.” He looks like he is getting angry. My eyes grow big and fearful. “I know you were trying to make me jealous. But you were acting like a fucking slut in public. You whore! You cunt!” he yells and slaps me across my face. My head snaps to the side. I keep my face turned away and eyes closed so he can’t see the tears or how terrified I am.
“I’m sorry, Olivia. I’m sorry.” He turns my face to him. Then he wraps this arms around me. “Forgive me. I shouldn’t have hit you. But you did deserve it. You were acting like a slut that night.”
I shake violently. Once again I feel like I’m going to throw up. I am not sure there is anything left to throw up any more.
He shoves me back as he lets me go and stalks around the room in a furry.
“Then…then you had to come to London to be with HIM. We’ll talk about that in later. You’ll have to be punished for running from me to be with him. Luckily I heard you tell someone you were coming here and I was able to find out what flight you were on. Did you know I flew here on the same plane with you? Did you?”
Since he wants an answer, I shake my head. How could I have been so oblivious? I must have been so deliriously happy that I overlooked any warning signs. I should have been able to see this same person following me around. But, had I not seen him a couple times? He was at the pub when I was shopping with Sophia and Drey. He was in the reflection of the jewelry store. And he was there this afternoon. And how many other countless times must I have seen him but didn’t pay attention to him. I didn’t put it all together. And stupidly I thought he was a reporter. But I never saw him while in Kansas City. Unobservant. How could I not have known someone was following me around?
“You need to be punished, Olivia.”
I look at him fearfully. For what?
“You came here for the sole purpose of being with Ryan. An actor! Come on Olivia. He probably doesn’t even care about you – he’s an actor! Or maybe you just wanted in the spotlight. Granted, I owe him because without his popularity and stardom, I would never have found you. But Ryan is not for you. An actor.” He laughs to himself.
“You are meant for me. Only me! And here you are whoring around with him,” he yells and slaps me again. How many times is he going to hit me? I feel the blood running down my face this time. I can’t stop myself from sobbing.
He hollers out - almost a growl. I cower in the chair to keep from getting hit again. Then he storms out of the room. I hear him rummaging around in some drawers in the kitchen. Then shouts out profanity.
He’s probably looking for a knife or something to kill me. How am I going to get away from this crazy man? Think, Olivia, I order myself. Here I thought Lauren, my other stalker, was bad. At least I was a good match to fight her. This guy is so much stronger than me. Those blows across my face really hurt - feels like my bones are broken. I bring my shoulder up to my cheek to put pressure on the slap. When I pull my shoulder away, there is a lot of blood on my shirt. If this was all he is going to do to me, I’d be grateful. But I don’t think I’ve seen the last of his anger.
Footsteps storm back into the room. I cringe.
“Olivia. Olivia, I’m sorry.” He comes and kneels by me. He brings his hand up to brush back the hair that has fallen in my face. I lean back as far as I can from him. “Don’t be afraid. I’m going to clean that cut. I don’t want you to have a scar. You’re perfect and can’t have a scar.” He dabs at my cheek with a wet cloth and puts some salve on it.
“I have to be careful not to hit you in the face. I would never forgive myself if I scar you up and you’re not perfect. Don’t worry. You’ll be good as new.”
A news report comes on the TV that catches Kevin’s attention. I try to pay attention, too. It is about my abduction. They are reporting that Ryan Paxton’s girlfriend had been kidnapped yesterday and if people saw anything they were to contact the police.
Yesterday? I was out for that long?
But I feel a momentary relief. Someone saw me being kidnapped and told police. I have hope; they are looking for me.
He stomps out of the room again. I can hear cupboard drawers opening and banging closed. “Aha” I finally hear. What can he have now? He is so crazy and there is nothing I can do to get away.
My temporary relief vanishes as Kevin appears beside chair again. I jump, not having heard him approach. He crosses in front of me and sits on the coffee table. He puts a bottle and cloth on the floor. In his hands, he plays with a knife.
My breathe catches. Why is he doing this to me? I cry even harder, all the more terrified of what he is going to do. I want to talk again but he isn’t going to put up with it this time.
“Shut the fuck up, Olivia. If I have to take the gag off again, I swear I’ll cut your tongue out.”
He mutes the TV now almost like he is listening for something. I hear sirens in the distance but nowhere close. I’m screaming in my head that I’m here. Keep coming this way. He turns the volume back up.
“It’s time to sleep now because I’ve got to think.” He puts the knife down and grabs the bottle and cloth. He covers my nose and mouth with the chloroform soaked cloth. I fight, but I can’t do anything while I am tied to a chair. I remember praying for someone to find me before the chloroform knocks me out again.
I wake up to an awful headache. I don’t want to even move my head, but know I must. This time when my eyes are finally able to focus, I can see light behind the blankets on the windows. I think of Ryan and start crying. I’m sure he is beyond panicked by now.
I wonder how long I was out this time. The effects of the chloroform seem to still be in place. I can barely see straight. Everything looks fuzzy and I have no energy. I just want to close my eyes and go back to sleep. But I know I can’t do that. I need to stay awake and figure out how to get away from this psycho.
“Good Morning Sunshine.” I flinch when I hear the greeting. “Or I should say good afternoon, Sleepy-head.”
He’s smiling at me like this is normal and everything is peachy. My God, he is deranged. Speaks to me almost lovingly one minute then pissed off and yelling at me the next.
“I’m sure you need to use the bathroom by now. I will tie your ankles together and your hands together and help you to the bathroom. I don’t want any trouble from you. Otherwise, I’ll leave you here and just let you piss your pants.”
What a crude, insane person this guy is. What happened to him that he turned out this way? No, no. Who cares what happened to him. I will just end up learning what happened to him and then feel sorry for him. I need to think about taking care of myself. Maybe there will be something in the bathroom that I can use for defense. I am eager to get in there to look.
He unties my legs from the chair first. I am too scared to try anything, plus I have the hope of finding something in the bathroom that will help me defend myself against him. He re-ties my legs together. Then he does the same with my hands. Once they are secure, he leads me slowly to the bathroom.
He shoves me through the door. I have to catch the counter top to keep from falling over. “No funny business.”
He closes the door.
I look around the tiny room. To my disappointment, it has a sink and a toilet. Nothing else, not even a mirror. Well, crap. Since I need to, I pee. I have just gotten my jeans back up when he opens the door, grabs my arm and pulls me out.
“You were taking too long.”
I try to tell him it is a normal amount of time especially for a person with their hands tied.
“SHUT UP, Olivia. If I wanted to hear from you, I’d remove the gag.”
He shoves me back into the winged-back chair. He brutally secures my hands to the chair again. I get mad. Who does he think he is doing this to me? I decide to try something to possibly escape. I am desperate. When he unties my ankles to re-tie them to the chair, I am going to give him a good kick.
As he squats down to roughly untie my ankles, he has a hold of one to re-tie to the chair. With my free leg and with as much force as I can muster, I kick him, knocking him over. He looks shocked that I kicked him. So, I do it again, in the ribs this time. I hope I broke a rib or something. I get a couple more good kicks in before he is able to scramble up, out of the way of my foot. Then he comes at me.
“God damn it. You BITCH!” I feel his fist connect with my head and all is black once again.
This time when I wake up, it is completely dark and silent. I thought having to look at him was bad. But this is even worse because I don’t know where he is. I can’t hear him moving around. I can’t even hear him breathing, of course I can’t hear much over my own racing heart. But I am hoping that means he is not in the room with me.
Why are all the lights off? Is he sleeping? Or better yet, did he leave?
I sit here in the quiet. I calm down a bit. I am trying to think about what to do next but the room is spinning so badly I close my eyes to keep from getting sick again. I moan because my head hurts horribly.
Finally, I heard him murmuring. Sounds like it is from the other room. I can’t make out what he is saying, but he sounds scared. Next thing I know, he is behind me and puts a knife to my throat.
“Keep completely quiet or I swear I will slice your throat and let you bleed out.”
I do my best not to hyperventilate and keep quiet. I still don’t understand why he is scared. He seems desperate. And why do I have to keep completely quiet? Isn’t the gag enough? Why has he still not turned on any lights?
A few seconds later, I get my answer. I hear a noise outside the door. There is someone walking on the other side of the door, then a knock on the door.
“Police, we just have a couple routine questions.”
I’m here! I’m here! I scream silently. Please help me!
Kevin feels me stiffen and the knife pushes into my throat a little more. I feel a burning sensation on my throat and trickles of blood run down my throat to my chest. I remain quiet.
We hear the police officer’s footsteps outside the door walk away. NO! Come back! Disappointment and despair surge through my body. I sob. That was my best chance of getting away.
The pressure from the knife disappears from my throat and he is gone. He moves to the window. I can see him move the blanket out of the way and peak out. That’s when the front door crashes open. A police officer rushes in and tips my chair over. Shots are fired as the chair falls. I prepare for the impact. My arm hits first and a sharp pain shoots thru it. My head hits the floor soon after. In the midst of gunfire, I drift into unconsciousness yet again.