A/N: Hey everybody! I just wanted to let ya know that I upped the rating on this story due to some cursing in this chapter, and some other things that will most likely occur in later chapters (wink, wink). I apologize if it offends anyone.
Chapter Seven: Suffering
** His heart hammered with a mixture of fear and excitement. A clear breeze blew and the sun glinted off the diamonds in the window.
Five hundred miles away, she was thinking of him.**
*****
Every criminal has a flaw. One simple imperfection, that despite all of their evil brilliance, will eventually lead to their downfall. For some, it's the wild thirst for power that causes them to act carelessly. For others, it's the dissatisfaction that comes from pulling off a ingenious plan flawlessly, and not being able to tell anyone. For Nicholas King, it was his sick and unquenchable lust for suffering.
Though his mind may have been twisted, it was still brilliant. Nick could come up with unimaginable schemes and execute them without a single complication. He could outwit his family, his co-workers, and the law every time. And he knew it. The only problem was, it was never enough. For Nick, it was nothing more than a simple game. It wasn't thrilling anymore . . . it was never satisfying. He was wanted more. He wanted pain . . . he wanted suffering.
Human suffering had fascinated Nick ever since he was a child. The agony that would be alive in their eyes . . . the helplessness and horror that would be written all across their faces. And not just physical suffering, for in Nick's way of thinking, physical pain was a poor excuse for true suffering. When a person would cry out in physical agony, it was just a sign of weakness and cowardice. Not that it wasn't amusing, because it was. It's just that emotional suffering was so much better. Nick wanted to attack the heart.
He knew that this affliction was dangerous. He was even practical enough to admit that it might eventually lead to a fatal mistake. But that wasn't important now. He wouldn't make a mistake this time . . .
*****
"Jess."
Rory couldn't breathe. How could it be possible? How could she be speaking to Jess . . . her Jess? It simply couldn't be. And yet, she was certain it was. The minute she had heard his voice come across the line it had reached something deep inside of her. Some distant memory that she had locked away because it was too painful . . . too hauntingly bittersweet.
It was Jess's voice. That deep and husky voice that always seemed to mock you with it's air of mystery. That voice that seemed to reflect Jess's carefree and smartass attitude. That voice that had always intrigued Rory . . . always sent chills down her back and made butterflies dance in her stomach. That voice that had always held something deeper . . . some wild and untamed passion . . . and love, meant only for her.
"Rory, I-"Jess stopped, not trusting his voice.
"Jess," she sobbed across the line, "What are you doing here? Is it really you?"
"Yeah," he drawled out, "It's really me."
"But I don't understand!" Rory cried out, frustrated. Nothing was making sense. First she had been abducted on her balcony and drug halfway across town to the seediest part of London, and now she was calling Tristan's house to get help and who should answer the phone, but the one person she had come to London to find? Maybe that lump on her head was affecting her more than she had originally thought. She did have an incredible headache.
"Listen, Rory, it's not important. I promise I'll explain everything once you're safe. Now try and tell me where you are."
Rory bit her lip, "Well, it's not a good part of London, I can tell you that. There's a sign on the street that says 'North Hill Avenue'. Other than that, I don't know. There's not really anything here other than that Joe's restaurant and a bunch of shabby buildings."
"Okay," Jess said, busily trying to write down everything Rory was telling him on a pad of paper, "Listen, Rory, I want you to stay on this line. I'm going to go find my cell phone and call Tristan at the police station. Don't hang up."
"Jess, wait," Rory cried, "I don't think that's going to work."
"Why not?"
"Because, this payphone wants more money, and I'm out of coins."
"Dammit," he cursed, "Well, it's okay, just stay where you are. Wait, why don't you try and go wait in that restaurant you were talking about, and get off the street. Just hang on, Rory, we'll get down there as soon as possible."
"Wait, Jess, before you hang up," Rory said, suddenly breathless.
"Yeah?"
"I . . .do you . . . Do you still love me?"
Jess's breath caught in his throat, "With all my heart."
*****
As soon as Rory hung up the phone, she was hit with a wave of dizziness. She stumbled and doubled over with a surge of nausea. She squeezed her eyes closed tightly and tiny beads of perspiration began dotting her forehead. She was suddenly afraid she was going to pass out again. She struggled to the side of the alley she was standing in, and slumped down against the wall. She held her throbbing head in her hands and waited for the sickness to pass.
A few minutes later, the feeling passed, and Rory struggled to stand back up. She gently massaged the swollen lump on her head and realized that she probably had a concussion. Just then a sharp gust of icy wind ripped through the alley, causing her to start shaking in her raggedy night shirt. Alone and scared, Rory moaned a little, fighting back tears.
She glanced back at the payphone and suddenly wished she could hear Jess's voice again. She had been so scared when she had called, and yet, he had been able to comfort her. And when he had told her that he still loved her, for the first time in forever, she had begun to feel a small stirring of hope and happiness deep within her heart. She shook her head, and forced her thoughts away from Jess. She had to stay focused. She still wasn't out of danger.
Rory suddenly remembered the files that she had thrown down when she had reached the phone. She bent down and picked them up, a frown crossing her face. She hadn't been thinking clearly when she grabbed the files, and she now realized how stupid it had been to take them. Whenever Nicholas and his accomplice saw that they were gone, they would be certain that she knew about their scandal. Then they would come after her.
Whimpering, she ran to the far side of the alley where she saw a boarded up window. There was a crack at the bottom, and with only a brief pause, Rory shoved the files through the window and let go. She waited a few seconds and heard a thud. Nodding with satisfaction, she turned back to the street. She remembered Jess's instruction to go and wait in the restaurant. She started to walk that way, but then stopped. 'Joe's' was a rough looking place, and Rory was nervous about going in there. Nibbling on her lower lip, she decided to wait outside until the police came to get her.
*****
They must have just missed her. Nicholas honestly didn't know how the hell she had escaped without them noticing. One thing was for sure, though, she hadn't been gone long. Her footsteps were still fresh in the snow.
Finding her was easy. She had only made it about a mile before she had stopped in an alley on North Hill Street. She had been stupid enough to stay outside, waiting in the street. Nick noticed the phone behind her and guessed she had called for help. He didn't know how much time he had, so he decided to move quickly. He already had a plan in mind, and his heart was thumping in anticipation. He couldn't wait to see the anguish he was sure to cause her.
"Didn't your mother ever tell you it was rude to leave without saying good-bye?" Nicholas chirped smoothly, stepping out of the shadows.
Rory jumped and looked back at him. The fear was evident in her gaze, but she held her ground bravely. "No, actually, my mother told me not to keep company with filthy animals," she sneered.
Nicholas smirked, impressed. He had noticed her wild and untamed spirit the day before at the office. It had appealed to him then, and it still did now. It was a crying shame he was going to have to kill her. He let out a low laugh, thoroughly enjoying himself. Thank god he had decided to eavesdrop on Miss Gilmore's conversation with Tristan the day before at the office. It was going to make getting her to cooperate so much easier.
"Well, Miss Gilmore if my company offends you so, why don't you just give back what belongs to me and you can get on your way."
Rory let out an inelegant snort, "Do I really look that stupid? Why should I give you back the damn files. I know you're going to kill me. There's no use even playing dumb. If you thought that I was still ignorant as to your little scandal, then you wouldn't have shown me your face here. You obviously realize that I know everything, and you're going to try and silence me."
"Very good, Rory. It's a shame really, I don't like killing. It's too messy, and in your case, it's just a waste. But, oh well, it can't be helped. You're forgetting something, though. I still need the files. You might as well give them to me, Rory, you're just prolonging the inevitable."
"Yes, but why would I want to make your job any easier?" Rory sneered.
"Because, if you do, then I won't hurt your lover."
Rory froze, and slowly looked back up at Nicholas. She did her best to keep her face emotionless. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Nick laughed, "There's no use trying to hide it, Rory. Tristan told me all about why you came to London yesterday, after you left the office. What was his name . . . what was it . . . ah yes, Jess? Well, what you don't know is that Tristan already found him. Just a stroke of luck, really. He ran a few searches before going home, and it turned out that your little boyfriend is working at an associate firm right here in the city. You were already asleep by the time Tristan got home, though, so he decided to put the reunion off until today. Of course, that didn't work out for obvious reasons." Nick told the lie smoothly, loving the shock that crossed the girl's face while he spoke. Ah yes, she must love the man very much to come all the way to search for him. She was incredibly naive, though, to really think she would find him. Nick had gotten a good laugh out of listening to her tell the story yesterday afternoon.
Rory was panicking. She couldn't let Nicholas hurt Jess, and she was certain that he would do just that. And, oh god, but Jess was probably on his way right now. Desperate to protect him she blurted out, "Well, you're wrong about one thing, Nicholas. I already knew about Jess. In fact, I just got off the phone with him. He was the one who answered when I called Tristan's house. He's going to call the police, and they'll probably be here any minute. Jess won't be with them, though. I . . . I was wrong about Jess. It's been four years, and he's moved on. He doesn't love me anymore. He just came to Tristan's house to see me courtesy of all the trouble I went through to find him." Rory was surprised how easily the lie came. She usually wasn't good at lying, but she supposed fear gave her added strength. It was imperative that Nicholas believe there was nothing left between Jess and Rory, otherwise he would use one to get to the other.
Nicholas carefully watched the girl. She had to be lying. There was no way that man could have been at Tristan's house. But yet, there was something odd about the way she hadn't doubted him when he told her that Jess had been found. If she was as smart as she seemed, she should have at least been suspicious. And yet, she accepted what he had told her without a second thought.
The sound of sirens cut through his thoughts. He had taken too long. "Dammit," he cursed. He couldn't kill her yet, because he still didn't know where the files were. Not thinking twice, he moved quickly. He kicked the girl in the gut, causing her to double over in pain. He grabbed a handkerchief out of his pocket and wrapped it around her mouth. Throwing her over his shoulder, Nicholas ran out of the alley.
*****
They had ordered him to stay at the house. Jess couldn't believe it. The British police had actually ordered him not to interfere with their rescue of Rory. They had said that they wanted him to stay at Tristan's house just in case Rory called back, but Jess knew that they real reason was that they didn't want him getting in the way. The only saving grace was that they had apparently ordered Tristan to stay at the police station too.
"Damn Brits," Jess muttered. He hated taking orders. Especially from the law, and especially from the law in another fucking country! He knew he was overreacting, but when it came to Rory, he couldn't help it. She had always caused him to think irrationally, from the very day he had met her.
When Jess couldn't take the silence of the house for another minute, he stood up to get his coat. He decided to go down to the police station. That would most likely be where they brought Rory once they found her, and he wanted to be there. Just as he was about to leave, though, the phone rang again.
"Shit," he said under his breath. He ran back into the living room and picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
Silence
"Hello?"
There was still silence.
"I can here you breathing. I know there's someone there. Rory, is that you?"
"Who is this?" came a deep voice from the other side.
"Who is this?" Jess shot back.
"If you ever want to see the girl alive again, tell me who this is."
Jess stopped breathing. His heart was pounding and he could barely speak, "This is Jess."
There came a cruel laugh from the other side.
"I swear to God, if you hurt her, I will find you. I will hunt you down to the end of the earth and I will fucking kill you."
"Come to the apartment complex on Lex Street on the West side of town. Go to the back and climb up the stairs and find room 378. Come alone."
With that, the line went dead.
"Shit!" Jess yelled, slamming his fist against the counter. He knew it would be incredibly stupid to go to that apartment alone, but he didn't care. The last time he had tried to do the right thing, he had gotten ordered to stay out. He wasn't going to involve the police again. Without a backwards glance, he ran out of the house.
*****
Rory was back in the same room she had been in earlier that day. Only this time, the door was locked. Nicholas had dumped her there about an hour earlier, and she had been alone ever since. She cursed herself for getting caught again. How stupid could she have been to think that they wouldn't be able to track her footprints in the snow. And why hadn't she just gone into the restaurant to wait like Jess had told her? It seemed like the only thing she had done right was to throw the stupid files away.
The doorknob suddenly began to turn. Rory sat up straight and her heart began to hammer. The door opened and Nicholas walked in. He looked incredibly smug.
"Well, Rory, you'll never guess who my friend Red just got off the phone with."
Rory stubbornly remained silent.
"Why, it was Jess. You know, the man who supposedly doesn't care about you anymore? Oh, and by the way, I think you were mistaken about that. Why, he even threatened to hunt Red down and kill him if he harmed you. How sweet, don't you think?"
Rory glanced down at the ground, refusing to let Nicholas see the panic and pain that was flashing through her eyes.
"You know what's really funny, Rory? I never knew that Jess had actually been found. I just made that up to get you to cooperate. You're the one who told me about him. You're the one who sealed his fate," Nick's voice had become a low whisper.
Rory couldn't stand it anymore. She glanced up at Nicholas, praying that it wasn't true. He slowly nodded. "No!" she screamed.
"Yes," he said slowly, "That's why we called, for confirmation. Oh, that and to tell him where to come to find you. We told him to come alone."
Rory was crying and shaking her head, "You can't possibly think Jess will be stupid enough to come here without backup. You're going to get caught!"
Nicholas laughed, "Who said I told him to come here? I told him to go somewhere completely different. Red's waiting for him there. And you're right, he probably won't come alone. But Red will be the one to get caught, not me. Of course, it will already be too late for your little boyfriend by then."
"Why are you doing this?" Rory cried out.
"Because I want to see you suffer," he hissed.
Rory was suddenly filled with loathing for that man in front of her. The man who would filter thousands of dollars from a company. The man who would try to kidnap an innocent little girl. The man who was ready and willing to murder her. The man who was going to murder Jess for the sole purpose of causing her pain.
"Take me to Jess," she said coldly.
"Why would I want to do that? Surely you don't want to watch him die?"
"Take me to him, or I swear I will never tell you where the files are. Never. And trust me, it's only a matter of time before someone finds where I left them and your secret will be out."
Nicholas looked at her, anger crossing his face. He reached out and slapped her. Rory winced, but refused to make a sound.
"You'll pay for this girl. I'll make you wish you had been more cooperative," he muttered as he grabbed some cloth and blindfolded her. He grabbed her hand and roughly pulled her down the stairs and threw her into the back of a car. Rory felt the car start up and begin moving. She stayed deathly silent for the long, long ride.
She eventually felt Nicholas park the car and get out. She was suddenly being yanked up again and dragged up another flight of stairs. She heard a door open, and was shoved inside. Nicholas ripped her blindfold off and yelled, "Is this what you wanted to see?"
Rory felt her heart break. Jess was crumpled against a far wall. From where she was standing she could see the blood trickling down his forehead. "Jess!" she screamed. She broke free of the hold Nicholas had on her and ran to him. She fell to her knees beside him and pulled him into her arms. She studied him closely and let out a blessed sigh of relief when heard him breathe. He wasn't dead . . . yet.
Rory looked back at Nicholas. He was looking at her with a wicked expression on his face. She knew he would get great pleasure out of killing Jess and making her watch. She had to do something.
"Alright, you took me to Jess," she whispered softly, "I'll tell you where the files are. I gave them to a man who was driving down the street. I told him to drop them off behind the police station."
Nicholas cursed under his breath. Killing the girl would have to wait. He had to hurry before someone found the goddamn files. "There now, that wasn't so hard, was it? You just wait here now, I'll be back, " he sneered at her, with an expression of scorn on his face. Nick slammed the door. Rory heard the jingle of keys in the door and knew he was locking them in. She held her breath while she listened to the sound of his retreating footsteps. Once she was certain he was gone she let out a strangled sob.
Rory looked down at Jess and began to softly stroke his hair. It was all her fault this had happened to him. God, what was she going to do? As soon as Nicholas figured out she had lied about the files he was going to be furious. He would kill them both without a second thought. Hell, he was going to kill them no matter what.
She sighed and pulled Jess closer to her. At least she was finally with him. No matter what happened, she wasn't alone anymore. They would get through this together.
A/N: Well, what did you think? I hope that chapter wasn't too confusing, but if you do have any questions feel free to email me ( GOTOBUTTON BM_1_ CwGrlCutie587@yahoo.com) and I'll be happy to clear anything up I can. Thank you sooo much to everyone who reviewed, and please, please keep them coming. I really need advice right now as to how this story is progressing. I pretty much wrote this entire chapter on writer's block and I need to know if you hated it! Well, thanks to everyone who's sticking with this story and I'll try to get the next chapter out as quickly as I can. Oh, and don't worry, the long awaited literati action will definitely be coming next chapter! ; )
