Chapter Twelve
Rafe thought carefully before he spoke again. It was a risk to be sure, putting any sort of trust in Caleb. But he deserved to know the truth, he deserved the chance to protect Livvie. If the situation was reversed, as much as it would kill him to admit it, he'd have been grateful to Caleb for telling him so he could try and keep Alison safe.
Rafe's tone was serious, his voice near a whisper. "I have some information that might interest you. I don't know why and I'm not sure what he really wants, but I am sure of one thing. It seems Joshua has plans for both of them."
"What do you mean?" Caleb asked, completely skeptical of anything that came out of Rafe's mouth.
"Alison and Livvie. Ian and I, we went to his place and found this sick collage of photos. It seems he's been stalking them both for a while now."
Hearing the last of that particular exchange of words, Alison stirred, suddenly wide awake.
"Rafe." she said, as she rose from the mattress, her voice quivering slightly.
He moved quickly away from Caleb, and in seconds was standing directly across from where Alison stood. He placed his hands against the grate that separated them, straining to lace his fingers with hers.
"Alison, it's going to be OK." He said softly, trying to reassure her.
"What do you mean? Joshua's been stalking me? Stalking us? For how long?"
"I'm not sure. It's OK - please. Shh."
"What do you think he really wants with me?" Rafe could feel her hands shake as she spoke, and he squeezed her fingers gently. He could see her start to shiver, though he doubted it was from the cold.
Her eyes met his and suddenly went wide with shock. He could read her thoughts before she spoke them aloud.
"Rafe, I swear to you, I would rather die, I mean it. I would. I would rather die then let him lay one single finger on me. I promise you, I will kill myself first." Her voice broke at last and her eyes filled up. The tears she fought so hard to hold back threatened to spill over.
Rafe shuddered at the image her words placed in his mind.
"That will not ever happen." he promised.
"Hey, you know, some people are trying to sleep here." Livvie chimed in, rubbing her eyes.
"Oh, so sorry Livvie, you must have forgotten to put up the "Do Not Disturb" sign" Alison said sarcastically, feeling tired and angry and scared all at once.
Alison chose to ignore her and continued to stare up at Rafe. She tried all she could to get closer to him. She wanted nothing more at that moment than to be safe in his arms.
"Rafe." she pleaded to him again, and as hard as she tried, she was unable to stop the tears from falling.
He looked back at her, helpless. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to be able to wipe them away.
It was a touching scene, but Caleb had finally had enough.
"OK, look - Prince Charming - Cinderella, this is all terribly, terribly sweet. But, let's get back to the topic at hand, shall we?"
"Rafe, you said he was stalking both of them."
Rafe tore his gaze from Alison and finally acknowledged Caleb, whose eyes at the moment held the same fear and anger as his own.
"Yes. I'm sure - he's after Livvie too."
Livvie walked over and stood before Caleb. She was nearly as frightened as Alison now.
"Do you think he wants me so that he can get to the ring?" Livvie asked, , moving closer toward him, linking her fingers with his.
"He definitely wants the ring, among other things, I'm guessing." Rafe answered bitterly.
"I will never give it to him." Livvie vowed looking deep into Caleb's eyes.
"I know, my love, I know that you won't" Caleb replied, trying without much success to reach through the wire to smooth back her hair from her face.
"So now that we agree, how 'bout you finally show me how to get out of here?" Rafe asked Caleb again, and he was not going to take no for an answer this time.
"I told you before, there's no way out of here. And even if there was, why would I tell you anyway? Just so you could go and save your precious Alison while finding some way to double cross me?" Caleb asked.
"Well, you tell me, what other choice do you have at the moment? There is no one from outside who can help us. No one has any idea that we're locked up here."
They stood and stared at each other for a full minute. Caleb was just about to speak when Livvie broke the silence.
"That's not true."
"What?" Rafe, Caleb and Alison all turned to her then. They all seemed to speak at once.
"Someone knows we're here." Livvie said.
"What are you talking about? Who would that be Livvie? Joshua? Thanks for the update." Alison asked, her voice filled with anger.
"No. The girl. The one that helped me find you." Livvie said looking straight at Caleb.
"Who helped you find me?"
"She came here with me earlier - I wanted her to bring me to Rafe but when we got here, she told me where you were."
"You were looking for Rafe?" Caleb said in disbelief.
"I thought you were dead. I wanted him to kill me so I could be with you. I thought it was the only way."
As much as she had hurt him, and more importantly, Alison, Rafe wondered as she spoke if he would have been able to do what she asked.
"OK - OK - shhh. Olivia, now, who is this girl? Where did she come from?" Caleb questioned again.
"I don't know. I don't know. She even told me there was a guard at the door. She was so strange. It was like she could see what was going to happen. She told me that Joshua would call the guard away and that would be my chance to find you. She told me before I went to find you the exact moment it would happen."
Her voice sounded more and more confused. She glanced around the cell, her eyes darting aimlessly.
"Who is she, Livvie? Who?" Rafe asked, getting more impatient with her by the minute.
"I met her in the park. She knew all about me, she knew all the terrible things I have done. She talked to me like she knew me, but I didn't - I didn't recognize her."
"Olivia, look at me, focus, OK, who is she?" Caleb asked her again.
Livvie finally met Caleb's gaze. "I told you - I don't know who she is. But she told me her name".
All eyes were on her now, all of them were waiting on her every word.
"She said, s-s-she said that her name was Abby."
Rafe thought carefully before he spoke again. It was a risk to be sure, putting any sort of trust in Caleb. But he deserved to know the truth, he deserved the chance to protect Livvie. If the situation was reversed, as much as it would kill him to admit it, he'd have been grateful to Caleb for telling him so he could try and keep Alison safe.
Rafe's tone was serious, his voice near a whisper. "I have some information that might interest you. I don't know why and I'm not sure what he really wants, but I am sure of one thing. It seems Joshua has plans for both of them."
"What do you mean?" Caleb asked, completely skeptical of anything that came out of Rafe's mouth.
"Alison and Livvie. Ian and I, we went to his place and found this sick collage of photos. It seems he's been stalking them both for a while now."
Hearing the last of that particular exchange of words, Alison stirred, suddenly wide awake.
"Rafe." she said, as she rose from the mattress, her voice quivering slightly.
He moved quickly away from Caleb, and in seconds was standing directly across from where Alison stood. He placed his hands against the grate that separated them, straining to lace his fingers with hers.
"Alison, it's going to be OK." He said softly, trying to reassure her.
"What do you mean? Joshua's been stalking me? Stalking us? For how long?"
"I'm not sure. It's OK - please. Shh."
"What do you think he really wants with me?" Rafe could feel her hands shake as she spoke, and he squeezed her fingers gently. He could see her start to shiver, though he doubted it was from the cold.
Her eyes met his and suddenly went wide with shock. He could read her thoughts before she spoke them aloud.
"Rafe, I swear to you, I would rather die, I mean it. I would. I would rather die then let him lay one single finger on me. I promise you, I will kill myself first." Her voice broke at last and her eyes filled up. The tears she fought so hard to hold back threatened to spill over.
Rafe shuddered at the image her words placed in his mind.
"That will not ever happen." he promised.
"Hey, you know, some people are trying to sleep here." Livvie chimed in, rubbing her eyes.
"Oh, so sorry Livvie, you must have forgotten to put up the "Do Not Disturb" sign" Alison said sarcastically, feeling tired and angry and scared all at once.
Alison chose to ignore her and continued to stare up at Rafe. She tried all she could to get closer to him. She wanted nothing more at that moment than to be safe in his arms.
"Rafe." she pleaded to him again, and as hard as she tried, she was unable to stop the tears from falling.
He looked back at her, helpless. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to be able to wipe them away.
It was a touching scene, but Caleb had finally had enough.
"OK, look - Prince Charming - Cinderella, this is all terribly, terribly sweet. But, let's get back to the topic at hand, shall we?"
"Rafe, you said he was stalking both of them."
Rafe tore his gaze from Alison and finally acknowledged Caleb, whose eyes at the moment held the same fear and anger as his own.
"Yes. I'm sure - he's after Livvie too."
Livvie walked over and stood before Caleb. She was nearly as frightened as Alison now.
"Do you think he wants me so that he can get to the ring?" Livvie asked, , moving closer toward him, linking her fingers with his.
"He definitely wants the ring, among other things, I'm guessing." Rafe answered bitterly.
"I will never give it to him." Livvie vowed looking deep into Caleb's eyes.
"I know, my love, I know that you won't" Caleb replied, trying without much success to reach through the wire to smooth back her hair from her face.
"So now that we agree, how 'bout you finally show me how to get out of here?" Rafe asked Caleb again, and he was not going to take no for an answer this time.
"I told you before, there's no way out of here. And even if there was, why would I tell you anyway? Just so you could go and save your precious Alison while finding some way to double cross me?" Caleb asked.
"Well, you tell me, what other choice do you have at the moment? There is no one from outside who can help us. No one has any idea that we're locked up here."
They stood and stared at each other for a full minute. Caleb was just about to speak when Livvie broke the silence.
"That's not true."
"What?" Rafe, Caleb and Alison all turned to her then. They all seemed to speak at once.
"Someone knows we're here." Livvie said.
"What are you talking about? Who would that be Livvie? Joshua? Thanks for the update." Alison asked, her voice filled with anger.
"No. The girl. The one that helped me find you." Livvie said looking straight at Caleb.
"Who helped you find me?"
"She came here with me earlier - I wanted her to bring me to Rafe but when we got here, she told me where you were."
"You were looking for Rafe?" Caleb said in disbelief.
"I thought you were dead. I wanted him to kill me so I could be with you. I thought it was the only way."
As much as she had hurt him, and more importantly, Alison, Rafe wondered as she spoke if he would have been able to do what she asked.
"OK - OK - shhh. Olivia, now, who is this girl? Where did she come from?" Caleb questioned again.
"I don't know. I don't know. She even told me there was a guard at the door. She was so strange. It was like she could see what was going to happen. She told me that Joshua would call the guard away and that would be my chance to find you. She told me before I went to find you the exact moment it would happen."
Her voice sounded more and more confused. She glanced around the cell, her eyes darting aimlessly.
"Who is she, Livvie? Who?" Rafe asked, getting more impatient with her by the minute.
"I met her in the park. She knew all about me, she knew all the terrible things I have done. She talked to me like she knew me, but I didn't - I didn't recognize her."
"Olivia, look at me, focus, OK, who is she?" Caleb asked her again.
Livvie finally met Caleb's gaze. "I told you - I don't know who she is. But she told me her name".
All eyes were on her now, all of them were waiting on her every word.
"She said, s-s-she said that her name was Abby."