A/N I'm afraid this chapter is where this story gets very M-rated. I must warn you, it contains sexual violence. In fact much of it is heavily alluded to rather than directly recounted, but even so, please don't read this if these things upset you.
12
Elliot raced as fast as he could to the factory where Ray Schenkel had taken him and the girl he had picked up off the street all those years ago. It was the only place he could think of. It was so obvious, he wondered if it could really be that simple. Admittedly it was the perfect place if Ray craved privacy; it had been abandoned for years and in fact the area was pretty run down now. The chances of anyone being around seemed slim to none, a fact that worried Elliot all the more. He had called Cragen who was putting together a response team, but even so, Elliot knew he would be on the scene long before anyone else. It took time to get a SWAT team mobilized. Cragen had told him to at least wait for regular back-up, but it looked like it would take at least thirty minutes. They were coming from the opposite direction to Elliot and thanks to an inopportune road traffic accident blocking the most direct route to the factory from that side of town, they would be delayed. There was no way he was risking leaving Olivia in Ray's hands for a second longer than necessary.
Besides, the guy's real target was him. He was hoping if he went in, he could convince him to let Olivia go. It was a long-shot. He was a convicted rapist. Elliot didn't even want to think about the consequences of what that might have meant for her. He refused to leave Olivia alone with Ray for a second longer than necessary.
So it was that just fifteen minutes later, he arrived outside the factory, alone, his weapon drawn and bracing himself for the scene inside.
…
It was dark inside. It was likely the electricity had been cut off years ago. There was a dank musty smell, a result of the place having gone unused for so long. Elliot blinked, willing his eyes to adjust to the half-light quickly as he glanced around the room, searching for Ray… searching for Olivia.
"Put down your weapon!"
He couldn't tell where the voice was coming from. He looked this way and that but to no avail.
"Throw down your weapon and your cell phone, or I will hurt her." He heard her cry out in pain then. His stomach clenched. Not being able to see exactly what it was he had just done to her made it all the worse. The only positive was that at least he had now confirmed she was alive. He just needed to stall long enough for armed back-up to arrive.
"OK," he said, giving in. Leaving himself unarmed could be a huge mistake, but what choice did he have given the circumstances?
"Throw them over to the doorway at the back of the room."
Elliot obliged, watching carefully for any sign of Ray. The thought did cross his mind that maybe he could run and tackle him the second he showed, taking him by surprise and thereby gaining the advantage. He soon dismissed that idea though when he saw the familiar figure appear in the doorway. Ray was holding her as a human shield. Ray immediately stooped down to pick up Elliot's gun, but Elliot barely even noticed. Instead he was staring in dismay at Olivia. She had cuts and bruises over her face and arms and had obviously taken a severe beating. Her hands were bound behind her back and her mouth looked red and raw, which from experience Elliot knew was probably a result of a tape gag that had been ripped from her. She looked extremely unsteady on her feet. He could feel the rage building inside him as he tried to process everything.
Ray now trained Elliot's own weapon on him. "Let's go!" he instructed.
"Where to?" Elliot asked, his heart sinking. He had counted on their location remaining fixed so that back-up could find them.
"Just get in the fucking van!" Ray instructed, waving the gun towards the vehicle.
Elliot climbed inside the back of the van and Ray proceeded to handcuff him to the interior. He then shoved Olivia inside, not bothering to further secure her. Her hands were still cuffed behind her back and besides she looked like she was barely in a state to do anything, much less escape. She fell to the floor from the force of the push and landed in a crumpled heap, a low groan escaping her lips.
"You two enjoy the reunion. We're going on a road trip!" Ray said, grinning evilly. He then slammed the door shut, padlocked it and went round to the front. Within minutes they were driving away and Elliot knew that they were now completely on their own.
He immediately turned his attention to Olivia. She had pulled herself up into a sitting position and was leaning her head heavily against the side of the van.
"Liv. Are you alright?" he asked yanking at his cuffs, his only reward a bright red welt now forming on each wrist.
"El, I'm sorry," she said, her gaze downcast.
"You have nothing to be sorry about. This is all my fault."
He looked at her, unable to stop staring at the bruises. Every time he looked he thought he saw a new one.
"Do you have any idea what he wants?" he asked.
He watched as she squeezed her eyes tightly shut, the pain on her face clearly visible. There was something about her stance that suddenly sent a jolt of fear through him. The submissive defeated way she slouched, the dull lifeless glint to her eyes. It was as though all the fight and spunk that he loved about her had gone. He had to know for sure.
"Liv, did he rape you?" he asked nervously. Then his nervousness changed to disgust and utter devastation as she spoke. He could barely take it in.
"Pretty much. He said he couldn't wait and that he would have a practice run before you got here. Only he couldn't get himself properly aroused for some reason, so he took it out on me, hence the beating."
"Oh geez, Liv," Elliot whispered. "No… Oh God, no. I'm so sorry." He rested his forehead on his cuffed hands as he felt the tears brimming in his eyes. How could this have happened? He would kill Ray. That bastard didn't deserve to live. Then the impact of her words truly sank in. This was it. This was his revenge. He was planning to rape her in front of him. It was too sickening to be true.
"Liv, we need to get out of here," he said firmly.
"How are we supposed to do that?" she asked miserably. "We're tied up in the back of a moving vehicle. It's over, Elliot."
Elliot stared at her sadly. It wasn't like her to be so willing to accept her fate. There was no way he was letting that creep get his hands on her again. He would fight all the way. He started pulling at his cuffs again, this time with renewed frenzy.
"Elliot! Stop it. You're just hurting yourself and getting nowhere."
He stopped struggling and instead suddenly kicked the side of the van aggressively.
"Come on," he said. "Let's make as much noise as we can and try to attract some attention."
She joined in banging and kicking the sides of the van. Her kicks were weak, but Elliot was pleased to see even a little amount of fight still in her after the ordeal she had been through.
The van stopped and they heard the sound of Ray leaving the cabin and moving around to the back. Elliot saw how Olivia tensed in fear as they listened to the padlock being unlocked and then caught sight of their furious captor.
"You two have a death wish or something?" he barked. He stepped towards Olivia.
"Leave her alone!" Elliot growled.
"It's simple. You piss me off. I take it out on her. Do you finally get it?" Elliot watched in horror as Ray struck her hard on the side of the head, causing her to once again fall to the floor of the van.
"You bastard," Elliot said.
"What was that?" Ray asked, raising his arm as though he were going to strike Olivia again.
"Nothing," Elliot said. Then he gathered up every shred of self-control he had. "I'm sorry. Look, I'll do anything you want. Just stop hurting her, please."
"Stay quiet!" Ray instructed them, before leaving, placing the padlock on the door once again.
"Liv, are you OK?" Elliot asked as soon as Ray had gone. He watched as she raised her hand to her face and then stared at the blood on her fingers.
"I'm fine," she said. Elliot smiled at the lie. That was his Liv.
"We're going to get out of this," he said, determinedly. "I promise."
…
A short while later they arrived at their destination, wherever that was. Neither of them had any idea what direction they might have been headed in or how much time had really passed. Neither of them was wearing a watch and Ray had discarded their phones. Everything seemed like it was a blur. Minutes seemed like hours yet hours seemed like minutes.
Ray pulled them out of the van one at a time and they realized they had been brought to some kind of remote country farmhouse or something. They weren't even sure if they were still in New York State or had been taken across state lines. They were taken to a bare room, with only a mattress on the floor and a sink in the corner, below a tiny barred window, nothing else. Ray handcuffed Elliot to a pipe running down the wall at the back of the room and then he went back out to get Olivia. Once they entered the room, he threw her down roughly onto the mattress. Elliot's heart was racing as he realized what was happening.
"Please," he said, unable to hide the absolute fear in his voice. "I'm begging you. Don't do this. It's me you want. Please. Leave her alone."
"You ruined my life!" Ray said coldly. "And now I'm going to ruin yours. Besides. She's kind of cute."
"You don't need to do this. There are other ways."
Ray ignored him, instead, sinking to his knees beside Olivia who had tried to back away from him as far as she could. Ray reached for her and pulled her roughly down the mattress, closer to him. Then he straddled her, pinning her beneath his body. Elliot could see that with her arms tied and all her injuries, it was near impossible for her to fight him.
"Ray. Stop this. It's not too late. You can escape. I'll help you. You can live your life somewhere no one would ever find you. I'm begging you."
Ray ignored him and instead leaned in, beginning to kiss her neck. Elliot watched her squirming, feeling as though his heart was being literally ripped from his chest. She turned her head then and her eyes, wide with both fear and resignation, met his. It was as though for a second she completely bared her soul to him in that single stare. He could feel her fear, her devastation for him that he had to witness something as horrific as this. He could sense her telling him it was alright; that she didn't blame him. It brought tears to his eyes. She didn't deserve this. He could see the pain in her expression and recognized it immediately. He knew for her being in this position in front of him was the ultimate humiliation. She had always hated to be seen as weak. It was the last thing he thought. He hoped she knew that deep down.
"Survive!" he mouthed, knowing she would understand what he was trying to say. He was telling her it was OK to submit; to do whatever it was she could to make the ordeal less unpleasant. She closed her eyes and he knew she was trying to relax her body, take her mind somewhere else. He knew she needed to be anywhere but in this room right now and he hoped desperately she could leave it. He closed his own eyes too in an attempt to give her as much privacy as he could, given the circumstances. The silent tears ran down his cheeks as he tried to ignore the grunting sounds Ray was now making.
I'm so sorry, Liv. I love you so much. Please forgive me.
