ANNA

 

I wanted an adventure. Well, I most certainly got one. I pull my eyes closed and try to imagine greener pastures. I try to think of what I'm going to do tomorrow, what I'm going to eat and what I'm going to drink. I try to think of Summer's wedding and how beautiful it's going to be. But my mind is elsewhere…

I think about how I will never eat a cheeseburger again. Even worse than that, I think about how my glass of whiskey at my sister’s house two days ago is going to be the last drink I’ll ever drink. I think about how I will never get the opportunity to have my own wedding like Summer. I'm currently thinking about a lot of things, and none of them are pleasant.

It's not that I'm a pessimist by nature. In fact, I like to think of myself as a positive person. There are times when I get jealous, or I believe that I haven’t accomplished the things that I should have by now. Sometimes, I compare myself to others, but that's normal, right?

I think back to what Summer had told me—that this wasn't what I wanted. She said that this adventure I was seeking out isn't something I should ever want. I should have listened to her, especially after knowing what she and her own sister went through eight months ago. And now I have found myself in the same type of situation. I've been kidnapped and I don't know if I'm going to live to see another sunset or even worse, another sunrise.

I finally manage to peel my eyes open and when I do, Zane’s looking right at me. He always seems to be looking right at me. I don't know why I hadn't really noticed it before, but looking back it's like he's always done this. It's like he has always looked at me the same way I've always looked at him. There's a silent attraction between us, that much I know is true. It's unfortunate, however, that it has taken these circumstances for me to figure it out.

If there’s something between us, if there could be something between us, then I'm going to have to wait to figure it out. It's not something I can think about right now, not if I'm going to survive. I try to think back to all of my training, which isn't much. I try to think back to different cases that I have helped work on, and try to remember the key details that could possibly help me help Zane help us escape. That would be a mouthful if I was saying it out loud, but I'm not saying anything out loud right now. I'm not saying anything. It's better to just keep my mouth shut.

If and when the time comes to say something, or do something, then Zane will be the one to do it. Through the thin fabric of my shirt, I can feel his fingers caressing at my side. It helps to calm me if only slightly.

I cock my head to get a view out the window. Though the glass is tinted a very dark shade, I can still manage to make out the surroundings around us. We are about to merge onto the highway, and if my calculations are correct, we are heading into the heart of the city. It's unfortunate, then, that I want to be going the other way. I wish I were either going home or heading back into the industrial part of the city where Ford Security is located. It's become my second home after all these years working there. In fact, sometimes it feels more like my home than my own actual apartment.

I glance into the passenger side mirror and try to get a good view of the man sitting in the passenger seat. Over the years I've learned that it is important to get a good look at the face of your kidnapper. If I should escape then I'm going to need to recall these men's faces with as much accuracy as possible. Unfortunately, I can't get a good look at his face. Dark shades cover his eyes and his head is cocked at a weird angle so I can't get a good look. My eyes peel to the driver, the man who identified himself as only Mitch. He has an easier face to recognize, an easier face to remember. He's middle-aged, maybe forty or maybe fifty, with deep set eyes with bags underneath and crow’s feet around his tight lips. On the occasion, for seemingly no reason at all, his lips hitch into a wild grin as if he is extremely proud of himself.

I wonder what his mother would think.

He glances upwards and I think that he catches me so I avert my eyes as quickly as I can, opting to look back out the window as we merge onto the highway. By my estimation, it's probably close to seven o'clock. The sun will set in about two hours. It's my goal to escape before the sun goes down, because there’s something incredibly unsettling about the idea of being held after dark.

As we merge onto the highway, we find ourselves on the opposite side of the sun. Shadows hang over the SUV and in the reflection of the window, I can see Zane still looking at me. And that's all the comfort I need for now, so instead of worrying about things I can't change and worrying that my life could end tonight, I decide to just stare at the scenery of the skyscrapers in the distance as we close in on them.

###

I thought about many things over the course of the last thirty minutes. I thought about trying to break out the window and screaming for help, but I quickly realized that was probably a terrible idea since there is a man behind me with a gun pointed to the back of our heads.

And as we got off the highway, I had a bout of delusional thinking where I tried to convince myself that these men were taking us to pick up a multi-million dollar lottery prize. Yeah, I know that’s stupid but like I said, I'm not a pessimist by nature. If thinking about good things, even things that are not possible; if it helps me deal with the situation I have found myself in, then I am okay with that. Because at least then I won't be driving myself insane thinking about all the different ways these people could torture us and kill us.

Now downtown, we pull into a narrow alley that feeds into the back of a skyscraper. I almost feel as if the drive down the narrow passageway is like I am walking the Green Mile. It's like I am marching to my death and I am powerless to stop it. That's a more than sobering thought.

We come to a slow stop under the shadow of the tower that seems to spiral all the way into the evening sky. It's a daunting scene ahead as I recall that I have seen this particular building before. I have passed it many times while driving around the city. However, my most recent memory of this particular place is from the newspaper. It was a little over a year ago when the owners of this building where ousted from their positions at the top of the corporate ladder. Ever since that day, this property has sat on the market without a sale. The fact that this is supposed to be an unoccupied building shakes me to my core. Once we are inside this building, it is my suspicion that we will be on our own. There will be nobody to come and save the day. The best I can hope for is that Zane has something up his sleeve before it gets to that point.

I cock my head over to him and try to see if I can guess what he is thinking. Behind those beautiful emerald eyes, I can see the wheels turning like a hamster in a cage. He swallows, his throat dry and tense. His hands fumble behind his back as he tries to break free from the rope restraints, but they are too thick and tied too well around him for him to break free on his own.

Mitch kills the ignition and a period of silence follows before he cranes his head over one shoulder and passes me a knowing wink. It would give me great pleasure to knock him right in the face, knock those smiling teeth right down his throat. But like so many other things right now, I know that’s nothing more than a fantasy.

"It looks like we have reached your final destination," he grinds through his teeth. "What this man wants with you, I don't know. I don't care.”

My lips move to speak but I remain silent. It's probably better that way because I know there's nothing I could say to him to make him let us go. I could cower or I could beg; I could try to fight him every step of the way, but with our hands bound behind our backs, we are defenseless.

"Normally, you people usually have more to say. I know it must be daunting to not know why you're here, but the least you could do is offer the slightest bit of a fight." He chews into his bottom lip seductively, a gross display of the power he holds above us. For all intents and purposes right now, he might as well be God. He lets out a meaningless sigh and nods his head at the man in the passenger seat. "You know what to do.”

The passenger doesn't hesitate popping his door open and climbing out onto the asphalt. He closes the door behind him and then immediately pulls my door open. I try to push myself away from him and towards Zane, but it's no use. The man grabs me by the arm and forcefully drags me out of the back of the SUV.

Zane squirms in his seat, trying in vain to free himself of the bonds that hold his hands behind his back. He cocks his head to the man dragging me out of the vehicle and yells, almost like there is gravel in his throat, "If you hurt her, I will kill you!"

The man doesn't seem to be fazed by him though. He wrestles me against the south side of the front door and slams the back door closed behind me. With the dark tinted windows, I can no longer see inside the vehicle. I can no longer see Zane. It's like the only thing that has made me feel even marginally safe has now been taken away from me. It's like I'm on my own now. My eyes twist to the back of the vehicle as the hatch rises and the man sitting in the trunk climbs out to join us on the asphalt. He circles around the SUV and opens Zane's door.

I wait with bated breath, half expecting Zane to finally make his move. In my head, I can see him kicking the man backwards. Perhaps it's only just another fantasy, but in my head I see that he has managed to undo the binds that hold him together. With his hands available to use, he’ll be able to subdue the men and take control of the situation.

The reality is so much different. As the car door opens, Zane willfully exits the vehicle with his hands behind his back. If he is being compliant, then I know that must be the right move, for now at least. Mitch circles around the front of the vehicle and gestures with his hand for the two men to follow.

I feel the cold metal of the barrel of a gun poking against my back. "Move," the man behind me says, "Follow the leader and you are going to be just fine. For now…" He snickers under his breath and I wish like hell that someone would just knock his teeth down his throat, preferably Zane. That would be the most satisfactory vision I could see right now.

Zane and I march forward, both following Mitch’s lead. It's not like we have a choice. We are at the mercy of the two men behind us, at the mercy of the deadly end of a gun.

Mitch pulls open a glass door and holds it open as the four of us step inside. He follows closely behind, his shadow like a dark harbinger hanging over our heads. Inside it is dark and dusty, and there are no lights on. The last remnants of the evening sun filters through the glass windows of the huge and open lobby.

Our shoes crunch against broken glass and debris, each and every step is like we are walking towards our imminent death. Just up ahead is a row of elevators, five of them all in a line. Mitch reaches forward and presses the up button, causing the elevator buttons to light up in a pale yellow hue, signifying that there is electricity in the building even if all of the lights are off.

There is a loud dinging sound before the sound of grinding gears. On a small digital screen beside the elevator, in red lettering, there is a countdown of sorts starting from forty-nine and every few seconds, it drops one digit.

From Mitch’s pocket, a phone rings. It's so quiet in this abandoned tower that I can even hear his phone vibrating against his leg. He reaches into his pocket to retrieve his phone and answers it swiftly. He presses it against his ear and turns to take a few steps away from us. As my eyes follow him, I catch a glance at Zane’s hands.

He's managed to undo his restraints, the rope hanging loosely from his wrist. He passes me a knowing glance, signifying that he is about to make his move. My heart begins to race faster and my stomach drops into my guts. This is the moment I've been waiting for, but I know that there's a chance it could all go wrong and I'm not ready to face the consequences of this situation going all wrong.

I shake my head gently, trying to stave him off or something, but I know that this might be our only chance. With bated breath, I wait anxiously for what comes next. The sound of hydraulics draws my attention back to the elevator shaft as the doors swing open with a ding.

Mitch twists on his feet to face the four of us and holds up one finger, gesturing that he will only be a minute and though their leader is currently occupied, the two men still push us into the elevator. They make us turn around so that once more our backs are to them.

That's when I get really nervous.

I glance back over to Zane to see that he has somehow managed to make it look as if the binds tying his hands together are still in place. There's a brief moment of relief where I can let out a relieved sigh. Mitch cocks his head over his shoulder, smiling from ear to ear. Whatever he is so happy about cannot be good for either of us.

The doors begin to close and I jerk as a hand passes over my shoulder and waves in front of the doors to stop them from closing.

“What are you so worried about, princess?" The man behind me says darkly, almost in a heckling chuckle. "You really shouldn't be so jumpy. You're in good hands."

I swallow the words I want to say.

Mitch is busy talking on the phone, but I can't hear what he is saying. More importantly, I wish I knew who he was talking to. It would make this situation we have found ourselves in just a little bit easier if I at least had a reason as to why we were first followed and now kidnapped.

The doors try to slide closed again, and once more the man passes over my shoulder with his arm to hold the door at bay. Now, a loud and annoying ringing begins to pierce through my eardrums as the door hangs open. Mitch turns to look at us with an annoyed look on his face.

This can't be good.

Zane nudges me gently with his elbow, stealing my attention. He mouths something to me but I'm not a lip reader like some of the boys I spend most of my time with. He shakes his head very slightly, so that he doesn't draw the attention of the men standing behind us. He wets his lips and cocks his head, gesturing towards the seventy or so buttons outfitted beside the elevator doors. Each button leads to a different floor but beneath the floors are three other buttons.

"Press the close door button,” he whispers to me so low that I can barely hear him.

One of the men standing behind us grumbles under his breath and then says, "What the hell are you two whispering about?"

"Nothing," I grind out between gritted teeth and then look at the close door button. My heart just about stops.