This is the sequel to my story If I Kissed You.
~*~o~*~
In the early hours of morning, Todd returned to Llanfair looking great dishevelled. He hadn't eaten or slept in many hours. "Todd, are you okay?" Vicki asked as she gently touched his arm.
"No, I'm not okay. I'll never be okay without Marty. Just give me my daughter, and I'll go home," Todd said in a strained voice.
"Please Todd, talk to me. What did you find? Did John find any evidence as to where Victor has taken Marty?" Vicki asked with concern.
"No. We didn't find much. Just some blood spots on a bed at the Manning Estate... plus Marty's hospital bracelet. There were muddy footprints in the foyer and on the stairs. Nearly every light in the house was on. He was definitely there..." Todd spoke with a heavy sigh.
"After I left, I got this phone call. One of my privates jets has turned up missing. Victor used it to spirit Marty away," Todd stated.
"Ohhh my God... no! Do you have any clue where he could have taken her? Is there any way to track the jet?" Vicki asked frantically.
"Believe me, I've tried. The pilot was loyal to him, so it's doubtful he'll come forward. There's no way to track the jet. I've made dozens of phone calls and raised holy hell out at the airport. McBain's working on it, too. Right now, I just can't think..." Todd said wearily. "I gotta find her, but I just can't think..."
"Todd, you're mentally and physically exhausted. You need some rest. You stay here and rest for awhile. I'll keep an eye on Summer Rose," Vicki promised him.
Tears filled Todd's eyes and threatened to spill. "I promised my little girl I would bring her mother home, but I failed," Todd said in an aching voice full of pain.
"No, you didn't, Todd. You'lll find Marty. I know you will. Or the police will find her," Vicki tried to reassure him as she lead him toward the living room. Gently she coaxed him to lie down on the couch and covered him lovingly with a throw on the back of the sofa. Tenderly Vicki stroked the hair back from Todd's brow as she bent down next to him so she could comfort her younger brother.
"I love her so much, Vicki. It took so long for us to find each other again... to find our way back to each other. I need her. He doesn't need her. He couldn't possibly love her as much as I do," Todd spoke sadly as tears rolled down his cheeks.
Vicki didn't say anything, just listened as she continued to caress Todd's hair. "You don't think he'll hurt her, do you?" Todd asked with sudden panic in his tone.
"No... no..." Vicki responded. "He loved her once. Very much. I don't think he will hurt her, but I do think he must be desperate to keep her. He did this before... kept her from her family and her child..."
"What if she tries to get away, what will he do then? Surely she wants to come back to me... and our baby girl..." Todd said with a hint of worry lurking behind his words. What if Marty decided she'd rather be with Victor? What if she still loved his twin?
"Of course she wants to come back to you, Todd... and your daughter. I am sure she's very weak right now. She just had a baby and had a very tough time. But please don't worry. Victor won't hurt her. I know it," Vicki tried to assure him.
"If he hurts her in any way, shape, or form... I'll make him wish he was dead," Todd grumbled.
*Ohhh why didn't I kill him for real the first time?* Todd was thinking. Where had those memories come from where he had pulled the trigger, killing his own brother? How he wished he knew. How he wished he could find Marty or that his twin had never 'came back from the dead.'
"Sleep now," Vicki coaxed tenderly. "You'll feel better if you just got some sleep..."
Finally, Todd did sleep. Waves of exhaustion carried him away into the land of dreams. In his dreams he saw Marty, locked up and scared. She was crying for him. But then he saw Victor wrapping his arms around her. Marty turned to Victor and kissed him. All of Todd's dreams had turned into painful nightmares.
~*~o~*~
Many hours had passed. Marty awoke feeling hungry. For once, Victor was not at her side. A woman sat next to her with ebony hair and bronzed skin. "Victor," Marty called out. The woman began speaking to Marty in a language she could not comprehend. It sounded like some sort of Native American dialect. The woman rushed from the room and minutes later, Victor appeared.
"Hey," he spoke as he gave Marty a smile. "Feeling better?"
"Yes, much," she responded. "But I'm so hungry. And thirsty, too."
"That's a good sign. I asked Magena to make you a little something," Victor said as he came to her side.
"I want to go home, Victor. I NEED to go home. I miss my baby girl sooo much. I miss Todd... and Cole-."
Victor interrupted. "We'll talk about that later, Marty. You need to concentrate on getting well now."
Victor brought her a glass of water and gently gave her little sips. "You look much better," he commented. "Your color is coming back. You gave me such a scare."
"You shouldn't have taken me from the hospital. I nearly died giving birth to my daughter," she scolded him. A sudden look of pain and sadness came to her face.
"It was really close for me. I had excessive blood loss during the birth. I didn't have a chance to tell Todd yet... but Dr. Lewis and Dr. Wright said..." Marty's voice trailed off.
"The doctors said what?" Victor prompted.
"They said I shouldn't have any more children. They said... it's too dangerous for my health..." Marty replied sorrowfully.
Before Victor could respond, the servant had returned, carrying a tray. Victor spoke to her in her native tongue, taking the tray. The woman then nodded and left the room.
"Victor, would you at a least let me call someone back in Llanview and let them know I am alright?" Marty asked.
"We'll talk about all that later, I promise... but right now, you need to eat your soup, so you can regain your strength. As soon as you are feeling up to it, I'd like to take you on a tour of our home," Victor said as he prepared to feed her a spoonful of the soup.
"What about that surprise you mentioned? What is it, Victor?" she questioned.
"If you eat all your soup... every single bite, I'll show you," he bargained.
"Alright..." she said with a heavy sigh. Very carefully, he began to feed her tiny bites of the soup. It was delicious and nourishing and very soon, Marty had eaten the whole bowl.
Victor gave her a charming smile. "Wow, you really are feeling better," he laughed softly as he gave her another sip from the glass of the cool, refreshing water.
"Yes, I think I am going to be alright now," Marty said as she managed a little smile for him. "Will you take me to see the surprise then?"
"Sure, but we'll go on a tour of our house first. Get ready, because it's everything you've always dreamed of and more..."
He helped her rise from the bed, taking her arm to support her steps. Her legs were wobbly as she was still quite weak, but she was now on the mend. She was sure that in a few days, she'd be completely recovered, then perhaps she would have the strength to get the heck out of this place and return to Todd and her precious baby girl. Victor wouldn't seem to listen when she told him she wanted to go home. To him, her home was here, with him.
"Are you okay, Marty?" Victor asked when they walked out of the bedroom.
"I'm fine," she said as she took a look at her surroundings. Victor had showed her pictures online of their home in Taos, but the actual sight was unbelievable. There were 7 bedrooms, 7 baths, and a total of 7,000 square feet. The living room itself was about the same size as she and Todd's adorable cottage. As they walked from room to room, Marty was captivated. "It's incredible," she said to Victor. "And you have excellent taste in furniture."
"Thank you very much," Victor told her with a smile.
"I love it," Marty said breathlessly.
"It's all for you."
"Victor, I can't stay..."
"You can. And you will. There's one thing I haven't shown you yet."
"The pool? You already showed me the pool out the sliding glass doors."
"No, it isn't the pool..." he said as he lead her down the hallway.
"The 4 car garage?"
"No," he responded, as he lead her through a door.
"What's this?" Marty asked as soon as they had entered the room.
"The nursery. I bought all of the stuff you wanted from that catolog. I had it all shipped here."
Marty lightly touched all the baby items, the toys, and the countless stuffed animals. "It's beautiful, Victor," she said quietly as she looked at the zebra rocking horse- the one that had cost thousands of dollars that he had insisted 'their child' just had to have.
Victor watched as a tear rushed down Marty's cheek. Gently he wrapped his arms around her. "Why are you crying?" he asked as he softly brushed the tear away.
"Because we were supposed to have a child; a child together- but that child was Hope. And she isn't ours. She's Cole's and Starr's. It hurts to remember what we almost had," she told him in an almost-whisper.
"Marty, I know I hurt you then, and I'm sorry. I wanted it sooo much. I wanted you and all of our dreams... and I would have done anything to have made you happy..."
Marty turned away so he would not know the depth of her pain. "I can't stand to be here another minute. Please take me back to my room now."
"Wait, you haven't seen the surprise yet."
"What surprise?" Marty asked with a heavy sigh.
"Marty, I'd like you to meet our son."