Angel

 

Chuckie was whimpering beside me and I wished, more than anything, I could reach out and stroke his soft hair. I knew he must be terrified out of his wits. Hell, I was terrified out of my wits and I was the adult! I was so worried about what was going to happen. Where were they taking us? I tried to ask, forgetting I was gagged, and it came out as a wet gurgle.

 

From the front of the car, I felt a gust of air and something hard slapped me on the cheek. A hand. One of the men had actually slapped me! I felt tears well up in my eyes and leak down my cheeks. The duct tape was loosening but I could feel it clogging all of the pores on my face and I knew it would hurt like hell when it was ripped off. I only hoped they hadn’t managed to get too much of my hair caught in the tape.

 

Stupid Angel. You’ve been kidnapped and all you can fucking think about is your hair! You deserved this!

 

“We’re almost there,” said one of the gruff voices from the front of the car. “What do we do with them?”

 

“I don’t know,” the other voice replied. There was a chuckling sound and I could tell the men were having the time of their lives. “I wanna fuck around with her first. Did you see the tits on her? Goddamn would I like to suck those!”

 

A chill of fear wormed its way down my spine and I hated that Chuckie was having to listen to this. His labored breathing sounded like he was on the verge of an asthma attack and I felt my body convulsing at the thought of one of those beastly men touching me. The car lurched to the side and I bounced off of the bench seat in the back. As my body hit the hard floorboard of the car, I cried out and choked against my gag. I hadn’t figured out what they’d stuffed in my mouth but it tasted foul. I shuddered as more tears found their way down my cheeks.

 

“Honey, hold on,” one of the guys said. I felt a hand patting me on the side and I shuddered and twisted as the hand found its way to my breast, pinching and tweaking my nipples through the thin material of my shirt. It hurt like hell and I screamed against my gag, twisting and desperately wishing I could shove the guy off.

 

“She’s a fighter,” the other guy said. I heard a guffawing laugh from the front of the car. “You hear that, honey? You’re real feisty!”

 

The men started to growl and yip like dogs as a fresh wave of terror crested through my body. I cried out but the gag muffled the sound. I felt the car come to an abrupt stop and then heard the sound of the doors slamming. Panic rose through me. Were they just going to forget about me and Chuckie? Were they going to leave us here to starve and rot? I twisted against my bonds, desperately trying to free my hands. They were bound so tightly that the circulation was cut off and my fingers were numb and tingling. I tried to make a fist and shake my hands around to wake them up but nothing did the trick — I was simply bound too tightly.

 

I felt strong hands wrapping around my waist and lifting me high in the air. I kicked my legs, trying to connect with flesh and bone, but only managed to slice through the air.

 

“Fuck!” I heard one of the guys mutter. “This one’s a fuckin’ fighter!”

 

“She’ll get what’s coming to her,” the other guy replied darkly, and I felt a ripple of fear go through my whole body. “Don’t worry, she’ll get it.”

 

Another pair of hands grabbed me under the armpits, painfully hauling me to a standing position. I felt for the ground with my feet; it was surreal to be walking again after what had felt like hours in the car. But in reality, I had no way of knowing how much time had passed. I had no idea what was going to happen now.

 

I tried to call Chuckie’s name, again forgetting I was gagged. A stream of spittle gushed out of my mouth and dripped down my chin. The men laughed loudly.

 

“Fuckin’ bitch!” one of them said. “Damn, this one is a lot of trouble!”

 

“Randy and Nick weren’t fucking around,” the other replied. “She’s gonna be in some motherfuckin’ trouble when we tear the blindfold off.”

 

My belly was twisted in knots of panic. I’d never been this scared in my life. I wanted to tune the men out, but something told me it was important to listen. They’d mentioned Randy and Nick. It seemed like ages since I’d heard either of those names, but now I knew better. They were all connected somehow. All of the guys were in it together, and they were all out to get me.

 

One of the guys pushed me forward. “Watch out for the stairs,” he said in a mild tone.

 

When I tried to step forward gently, he shoved me again and I fell, tumbling, helpless to stop the fall since my hands were bound behind my back. Every time I hit the stairs, I tensed and braced myself for the inevitable crash at the bottom. When I finally hit, my head was filled with so much pain I thought I was going to black out. It hurt so much that I gasped and choked on the gag. Please don’t let them throw Chuckie down the stairs, I prayed. Please don’t hurt him.

 

“That’s for trying to twist away from me, bitch,” one of the guys said. He laughed cruelly. “Come on, kid, take it a step at a time.” I was relieved to hear them helping Chuckie down the stairs.

 

There was a blinding pain in my head so sharp that I felt like my eyes were going to rip out of their sockets. When I blinked, I saw that they’d pulled the duct tape off my face. One of them was holding the strip in his hand and laughing. Sure enough, there was a clump of red hair attached to the side. Part of my head felt cool in the air and I realized I was going to have a bald spot.

 

“You’re still pretty, don’t worry,” the burlier of the two guys said. “Now, you promise not to bite me?”

 

I nodded. He reached forward with grease-stained fingers and shoved them in my mouth. I tried not to gag as he pulled a wet clump of fabric from between my teeth. Empty, my mouth felt strange. I blinked, unused to the sensation. The guy grabbed me and flipped me over on my stomach. I felt his fingers picking at the ropes that bound my wrists together. When the blood rushed back into my hands, it was almost painful. I sighed loudly. Every muscle, every bone in my body was aching and I couldn’t think of what to do. I was still in panic mode.

 

“We’re leaving now,” one of the guys said. “We’ll be back. And don’t try anything.”

 

I watched mutely as they hefted their large bodies up the stairs and slammed the door behind them. The room was dark, but I could see Chuckie curled up in a small ball to the right of my lap. With trembling fingers, I pulled the gag out of his mouth.

 

Chuckie whimpered. “Mommy, help!” he cried loudly.

 

“Shhh, be quiet for a moment. This is going to sting,” I warned as my fingers slipped under the edge of the duct tape and yanked hard.

 

He made a whimpering sound as I ripped the tape away from his eyes. His face was red and blotchy and stained with glue. He looked awful, but at least he was in one piece. “Mommy, I’m scared,” Chuckie said solemnly. “I don’t know what to do.”

 

I pulled him close and buried my face in his hair. He smelled like little boy’s sweat and fresh-cut grass. “It’ll be okay, baby,” I told him. “I promise it’ll be okay.”

 

Chuckie burrowed into me. We were huddled on the floor at the foot of the stairs. When I looked around, I felt more dismal than ever about our surroundings. We were alone in what looked like a dingy basement. The only furniture was a splintered chair that had broken apart years before I was even born. There was also a bowl on the floor. Chuckie stood up and approached the bowl cautiously.

 

“Mommy, bread!” He held up some pieces of sliced bread.

 

I shuddered. From my perch on the floor, they looked dirty. “I wouldn’t eat those, honey,” I told him. At least not right now. Wait until we’re really hungry. God knows how long we’re going to be here.

 

Chuckie looked around. Suddenly, he burst into tears. Loud wails filled the basement and I beckoned him close to me.

 

“Chuckie, shhhh. It’ll be okay,” I told him as I stroked his hair and pulled him onto my lap. “I promise it’ll be okay. You just need to be brave for a little while longer, okay?”

 

He sniffled and snuffled in my arms, but the sobs didn’t stop. I sighed as I stroked his hair and rocked him against my chest. It had been ages since I’d seen him this upset, and I would have done anything to bring him comfort. “Chuckie, you know your father is going to come for us,” I said softly into one ear. “Everything’s going to be just fine, okay?”

 

Chuckie gurgled. He wiped his eyes and looked into my face. “My father?” He was clearly confused. “Who is he?”

 

I let out a long sigh. “Trey is your father,” I said slowly.

 

Chuckie blinked. “I thought you said he was just a friend, not my daddy.” He looked up at me with confusion and surprise on his small features. “Is he really my daddy?”

 

I felt shame rise up in my throat. Between that and my pounding head, I felt like I could have slept for days and days. “I lied,” I admitted. “And I’m really sorry I lied. I never should have been dishonest with you, Chuckie. You deserve better than that.”

 

Chuckie blinked as if to say that he forgave me. “I’m sorry,” he said, almost inaudibly. “I’m still scared.”

 

My heart broke as I pulled him close to me and buried his face in my chest. “Chuckie, it’s okay,” I said, stroking his back. “Everything’s going to be just fine. I promise. Daddy will come for both of us.”

 

After Chuckie had rocked in my arms and sobbed for half an hour, he slowly started to calm down. I felt his breathing grow more regular and slow. When I looked down, I realized he’d fallen asleep.

 

I didn’t want to disturb him, but we had to check for a way out. The only way was through the door, and I could tell the men had locked it behind them. From behind the door, I heard pacing and instinctively realized that the basement was guarded. Fuck!

 

There was no other way out that I could see. We were alone, trapped, in the basement of some strange house. I realized I’d been panicking so much in the car that I hadn’t even paid attention to how much time had gone past. When we’d left Trey’s, it had been a little after four. Now it was already dark outside, and I wasn’t wearing a watch. Shit. What were we going to do now?

 

I closed my eyes and thought of Trey. Trey, please, wherever you are, come rescue us, I prayed. Please. I’m sorry. Please come help us!

 

But there was nothing, and I was left alone with my thoughts and my sleeping son in the darkness.