Audrey
It seemed like hours had passed. Maika was snoring as he leaned against one wall of the warehouse with the German shepherds sleeping at his feet. The sun had gone down, but I couldn’t see any moonlight filtering through the ruined ceiling of the building. It was dark and cold, and I felt more afraid than I ever had in my life.
Richard hadn’t come back. I’d heard footsteps outside earlier, and my heartbeat had sped up so fast that I thought it was going to pound right out of my chest and leap away. But nothing happened, no one came in, no one called to Maika or the dogs. Sergei hadn’t come back either. I was even more glad for that.
I wondered what Enzo was doing. The longer I went without hearing word from him, the more I began to worry that something really sinister and awful had happened. What if he’d been killed in the car wreck? It had been powerful enough to knock me out, and he’d been closer to the side with the impact. I knew Enzo was strong and in good health, but I still worried. A head injury could knock anyone out. What if he forgot who he was? What if they took him to the hospital and he couldn’t remember what had happened?
I tried to keep telling myself that it would be okay, that he would come for me, but it was hard to sustain hope when I hadn’t had any good signs. I had no way to keep time except for watching the movements of the sky, but I knew that things weren’t looking good. Richard would come back and kill me at any moment. I just hoped it would be quick.
And Pepper. My poor, poor beloved doggy. What was going to happen to her? I cringed thinking about what could have happened after the accident. Had she been killed? Had she run out of the car into traffic? I didn’t see a lot of stray dogs in Chicago, so I had to assume that maybe someone would have taken her into a humane society. But she didn’t have a microchip. Even though she’d been wearing her collar, I worried that someone could have ripped it off of her and then paid the nominal fee to adopt her.
Stop worrying, I tried to tell myself. It’s going to be alright. Whatever happens, you won’t have to worry for much longer. Maybe someone really nice found Pepper, and they’re going to give her a good home. A tear leaked out of my eye as I thought about whether or not Pepper would miss me. I’d given her a good home—lots of love, snuggles, and table scraps. She’d been a loyal best friend, but I didn’t want her to spend the rest of her life in misery. If I couldn’t take care of her any longer, I prayed that she’d find someone who could.
Maika stirred and one of the dogs opened its mouth, yawning widely and then snuggling back down against the others. Richard had left the woolen blanket wrapped around me, but I wasn’t able to move much, and the cold had sunk so deeply into my bones that I felt like I was never going to be warm again.
My teeth had stopped chattering long ago, and my hands had been numb for so long that I’d almost gotten used to not moving around. Every time I closed my eyes, I prayed that my torture wouldn’t last much longer.
The sound of footsteps outside made me jump. They weren’t like the footsteps from earlier. Those had been tentative, like kids playing around in a place they weren’t supposed to be. These footsteps were heavy, purposeful. Whoever was approaching knew what they were doing.
I closed my eyes and tears leaked down my frozen cheeks. Please be Enzo, I begged silently. Please, please, please. I can’t stand seeing Richard again. Anyone but him. Even Sergei. Please!
The double doors swung open, and Richard’s heavy, meaty frame strode into the warehouse. The gag had long since made my mouth feel dry and full of cotton, but I swallowed all the same. He walked over to me, his face barely lit in the low light.
“Ah, Audrey, I see you’ve been a good girl,” Richard said. He clasped his hands together in front of his chest. “You haven’t moved at all.” He leaned down and looked at my face. I felt blood rise to the surface of my cheeks. I knew exactly how I must look to him—beaten down, weary, and crying like a little girl.
I tried to speak, but it just came out as a soft mumble with the sock in my mouth.
“Ah, ah, ah, Audrey, no talking, remember?” I shuddered. Richard’s voice was almost kind. I closed my eyes as he stepped closer. “Audrey, not very much longer now. I know this hasn’t been a fun very wait for you. If only Enzo hadn’t been so selfish!”
My eyes flew open.
“Ah, but you didn’t know that, did you?” Richard frowned. He let out a long sigh. “It’s always so unpleasant discovering things about someone that you wish you wouldn’t have known. Isn’t that right?”
I almost nodded but managed to stare straight into his eyes.
Maika woke up and scrambled to his feet, running over to Richard with a gleam in his eyes.
“Maika, enough,” Richard said. “We’re not acting yet.” He held up his wrist and checked his watch. “You know, we still have a few hours.” Hope welled up in my body as big as a balloon. Richard yawned. “But you know, I don’t feel like waiting much longer,” he added. “I’m tired, and I want to go home.” He chuckled, and my anger came back tenfold. “It’s so tiring—waiting around for people like Enzo Lennox! I feel as though I’ve been waiting for him my whole life. And now I have to find someone else since Enzo didn’t work out. I have to find someone else to help me. I’m certainly not going to retire in the state that I’m in!”
Maika didn’t respond. He stood there behind Richard, a hulking figure in the darkness.
From outside, there was a loud noise. At first, I expected to see Sergei dashing through the open doors. But instead, I heard voices. Lots of voices. Masculine, deep voices. Like Enzo’s.
I shivered. Richard’s head snapped up.
“What the fuck?” Richard turned to Maika. “What the fuck is going on? What the fuck are the cops doing here?” I saw the flashing lights through the lone vents on the top of the building.
Maika shrugged.
Richard glared daggers at me. “You,” he hissed out, leaning close. “If you had anything to do with this, I’ll kill you right now.” He reached into the pocket of his overcoat and pulled out a gun. “If you make so much as a peep, I’ll kill you and feed you to the dogs. By the time the cops get here, you’ll be nothing but dog meat. Sound good?”
More tears of fright began to spill down my cheeks, and I nodded as emphatically as I could. Please don’t kill me, I silently begged. Please, Enzo, hurry up!