Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.
A/N: Sorry for the long update time, but this piece is a monster to write, and I'll bet if you ask Mary D. for her opinion, a monster to edit. *Due to my atrocious grammar* By the way, I'd like to address one person who waited, begged, pleaded, and reviewed so many times for one chapter that I had to laugh.
Inda: I'm sorry for the wait, but you upped my review count by only asking for another chapter…well, here it is…
~*~*~
Caught Unaware Chapter 10
~*~*~
She was shaking, trembling so hard that her teeth rattled. A sudden pain stabbed into her lower right gum. Did she just crack a tooth? That didn't matter now. She was scared. No, scratch that, try terrified. In the extreme sense of the word
The amazing thing about fear is that the mind is totally rational under its influence, except for all thinking is the thinking of numerous conclusions, most of which do not result in a story-book ending. But there was one fact that Nasuti could place bets on at the moment, if her current situation had been on the silver screen or in the pages of a suspense novel.
That Damien had her right where he wanted her, and as of now, he was not letting her go.
If it were possible at the time, she would have separated her mind from her body so that she couldn't acknowledge the feeling of metal being sliced down her leg, her desperate wishfulness growing as cold air met her newly-bared skin. Nasuti shut her eyes, refusing to bear the sight of Damien's handiwork…until she felt the sensation of a warm fluid seeping down her leg.
At that moment, she looked down, but her eyes were not only met with the sight of her ruined skirt, but the sight of red on her thigh. She knew what that color meant as she whimpered once more.
That…bastard had cut her.
He cut her. Now, she reasoned, who in their right mind would deliberately cut someone whom they loved dearly, or rather, obsessed about? He most likely intended to cut her skirt to make her feel vulnerable.
She hated to admit it, but his tactic worked. She was feeling quite vulnerable at the moment, but as she sat there watching lustful eyes, Nasuti thought of something else.
"Apparently, her captor decided her leg needed a bath.
With his tongue.
Phone calls, she could handle.
Five hormonal young men, she could handle.
Being stalked, she could deal with, kidnapping included, but this was where Nasuti had to draw the proverbial line. Two things could generally happen whenever she drew the line. One, she could start screaming for the next fifteen minutes at anything that dared to move Two, she could start lashing and flailing out physically.
Well, since she was gagged, that ruled out option number one.
Number two was enhanced by her current feelings of frustration and anger. Terrified no longer, at this moment, Nasuti was bona fide pissed off.
The massive trembling ceased and she sat still for a few seconds, feeling the color rush back to her face. Once more beginning to struggle, she arched her body up against her captor, twisting and turning against the ropes. She didn't care that she was clothed only in a button-down dress shirt and her underwear. If she had been reading this situation right, modesty had not been a priority for hours now.
Creak
Nasuti's struggles grew harder as she could feel the ropes give and loosen. She may have been small-figured and female, but when it came to getting out of sticky situations, she had five of the best teachers in the world.
Apparently, Damien hadn't expected this turn of events when he caught a glimpse of determination in her eyes.
The ropes holding her hands gave a tiny bit as she started rubbing her head against her arm. Something inside told her to scream. In most cases, screaming was a pathetic choice that would get her nowhere, but for some strange reason, she felt the need to do so. In that case, she needed to get the gag off.
Damien didn't share her feelings, and he ensnared her wrists as they broke free from the ropes with a dusty snap. He leaned over her so that their noses were touching.
"Now, calm down, my lady," he spoke huskily, "you're not being very cooperative when you're like this. Unless you're writhing in pleasure underneath me, struggling does not become you." He winked at her in mock playfulness before setting a kiss on the top of her nose, busying himself by winding more rope around her wrists and readjusting the gag.
Nasuti snorted in response. Neither does being bound and gagged, but you don't see me complaining, she thought rather bitterly as she felt the cold hands positioning themselves over her hips.
Cold, yes, very cold.
Who cared? Being dangled by a mere rope and then frozen in a waterfall—now, THAT was cold. Cold, just like the dish of revenge that she wished would to appear.
Revenge. Hmm, makes one wonder just exactly how far one guy would go. Nasuti shifted her position; her back was getting a chill since her shirt had risen up during her struggles.
Would he try to kill me?
At this, she was inclined to as "yes."
Would he try to torture her, maybe go as far as to raping her?
For some strange reason, I wouldn't put it past him.
~*~*~
If Nasuti had been with them at the moment, she would have gone postal at the sight of her once pristine office. Papers were scattered all over the floor. A stack of graded research papers were in a disorganized heap along with a brown loafer. The office was taped off as a crime scene as several technicians were milling in and out of the area, some dusting for fingerprints, others taking pictures for forensic reasons.
Out in the hallway stood a group of seven people. The group included the university's superintendent, Detective Date, and the five young men, one of which was the detective's son. The young men lined the hallways, silence being the most that any of them said. They knew exactly what to do at the moment.
Stand back and let the police do their jobs.
Touma looked down the line of men to Seiji, who leaned on the wall closest to the office door. Blue eyebrows furrowed as he imagined what was running through the mind underneath that blond mop. He gasped as a violet eye caught his own.
"She wouldn't admit," was the low response to interrupt the silence. A few eyes turned to Seiji, but then to Touma as he continued. "Even if it killed her, Nasuti would not admit her problems, out of sheer worry for us. Now look at what she went and did. And she wonders why we act as protective as we do."
"Touma," Shin spoke warningly, glancing at Seiji, whose face was contorted into a sneer that spoke volumes on its own. It was painfully clear that the blond felt the tension in the air and felt his own nervousness. Shin also knew from experience that Seiji was sensitive wherever Nasuti was concerned, and from the looks of it, Touma had just entered uncharted and unwelcoming waters.
Touma looked at Shin, who shook his head and then looked at Seiji. "Oh, sorry man. Gotta' shut this mouth of mine."
"Then do so already," Shuu spoke up, having been surprisingly quiet since they arrived on the scene. Ryo had wandered off a few seconds ago, most likely in search for Byakuen. Like Seiji, Ryo was feeling guilt at the situation, especially as it dealt with someone so dear. Unlike Seiji though, he didn't feel the twisting pain akin to that of missing a lover, but one akin to a missing a relative.
Seiji looked up to see a window across the hall. The window overlooked the central courtyard, the area currently lit up with strobe lights. He stared out that window, until something white caught his eye. Squinting, he was able to see a white camera on the building across the space.
A camera trained on the courtyard.
That's it…
~*~*~*~
The wild grasses that surrounded the property were colored with white light as a car drove along the abandoned, deserted road. The vehicle moved slowly, as if the driver was trying to discern where he was, and the windows were rolled down to let in the cool of the morning dawn. As the car inched along, an old bungalow came into view. Alongside of the decrepit building sat a sleek, modern sports car reflecting the peeking light of the rising sun.
A high-pitched scream shattered the placid morning, startling the driver into gunning the engine.
~*~*~
They both heard the car's engine from outside.
Just then all hell broke loose as she started screaming.
Damien grabbed Nasuti and yanked her head to his chest, attempting to smother another scream. Somehow she had managed to loosen and drop the gag, and as soon as he approached, screamed at the top of her lungs. She was struggling again, methodically thumping her head against him. He grimaced knowing that she was only succeeding in hurting herself.
Then she pulled something totally out of character for her.
She bit him on the chest.
~*~*~
As another scream echoed across the area, the car stopped and shut off its engine. The driver's-side door opened, allowing the driver to climb out. He couldn't see where the screaming was coming from, so he walked up to the house.
More screaming started. It sounded like a female, in pain.
A pale hand slid into a jacket pocket to retrieve a cell phone. He dialed the police after hearing yet another scream. In one ear, he heard the switch-operator as his other ear heard the distinct words, "Get off." He attempted to see or hear where it came from as he climbed the front stoop and approached the door.
The door was unlocked.
It was strange, but that would not stop him.
The sound of flesh striking flesh seemed to cut off another cry and the sound of whispers and whimpers replaced the noise. He shut off his phone after delivering the necessary information and walked toward the back of the house.
Without the lights, the early sunlight made the interior too dark to see. He blindly ran into a low-standing table, unwittingly kicking up dust in the air.
He sneezed, the sound loud and echoing in the sudden stillness of the house.
~*~*~
to be continued.
A/N: Evil, no…child of Satan…yes.
*singing* Oh where, oh where, would Max be,
without her editor Mary D.?