Love, Lucy
Chapter Ten:
Identification




Whatever Lucy had mentally prepared herself for, was nothing compared to what she saw. When she and Tom had entered the dank, little shack, the first thing that threw her through a loop was her sister tied to metal links on the floor. She had expected Ruthie to be tied to a wooden chair and gagged with a colorful handkerchief, as it is in the movies. Yet, real life was far different than it was on the silver screen, as she had to learn over and over again.

Ruthie's head snapped to the two that had just entered, moonlight pouring in from the open doorway behind them. Her eyes grew wide when she realized it was Lucy, but Ruthie's heart seemed to stop when she saw that she was not alone. She yearned to tell Lucy that she had just walked into a trap....A trap that Thomas Hunter was a part of.

Lucy, finally comprehending that this was real, appeared to silently gasp and rushed over to her sister. Kneeling down near Ruthie's head, Lucy reached for the gray duct tape and ripped it off. Ruthie's watering eyes matched those of Lucy's.

"Sorry," Lucy apologized.

"It's a trap, Luce. You have to get out," Ruthie whispered in an urgent tone, her voice horse having not spoken in days.

Lucy's brow furrowed as she lowered her voice, "And leave you here to die? I don't think so."

Acting quickly, Lucy reached for the ropes binding Ruthie's wrists and tried to untie them. Unfortunately, they were too tight, but Lucy wasn't going to give up very easily.

"Luce, I know who it was, the man that sent you the letter. It was -" Just before she was about to reveal her kidnapper's name, he waltzed into the room, a brown, paper bag in his hand.

Lucy looked over her shoulder, her mouth gaping. "You..." was all Lucy managed. She stood as Colton came further into the room.

"Yes, Lucy, it was me." Colton wore a sly smile, identical to his brother's. He shoved the bag into Tom's hands.

Compared to Thomas, Colton was a big man, built, more so around the arms. His thick, brown hair and deep, blue eyes made him remarkably handsome and seemed trustworthy at first glance. But if you looked into his eyes, deep into his eyes, you could see that they portrayed a man, a dangerous man.

Colton ran a rough, warm hand slowly and smoothly down the side of Lucy's face. He smiled as she looked into her eyes, searching them.

"I've dreamed of this day, Lucy. The day you become my wife." He dropped his hand. "For you are beautiful. More beautiful than the reddest of roses or the grace of God. I've been waiting, waiting, waiting, so long for this. It's about time I get a taste of you."

Lucy could feel his foul, hot breath on her face. Had the situation been different, she would have retorted, but this case was too sensitive. She smartly stayed quiet.

Colton twisted to face his brother. "You ready?" Tom nodded. "Good. Give me the bag." The brother obliged, and for the first time, Lucy and Ruthie saw just what was in that bag: a sharp, silver knife.

Lucy stepped back, instincts taking over, and almost tripped over her sister in the act. "Whoa. What are you going to do with that?!" she frantically asked.

Colton's face became oddly blank, his voice toneless. He handed the knife to his brother.

"Cut her."

Annie consulted her wristwatch. Five after nine - time to go pick up Simon at the bus station. She set the yellow coffee mug that she held in her hand down on the marble countertop, then snatched the car keys and pocketed them. Quickly, Annie roused the boys from their slumber. She hated to do this, for they would be cranky, and strapped them into the mini van.

The streets were quiet tonight, hardly any cars out on the road. In the sky, the moon, large and round, shone its great light down on the little town. Everything seemed so peaceful and, usually, she would have enjoyed this if two of her three daughters weren't missing. Annie genuinely hoped that Lucy and Ruthie were okay, hoped that they would be returned to her soon, and hoped that their kidnappers were sent away to jail for a very, very, long time.

Lucy's stomach bottomed out. "W-What?" she stammered. She slid in front of Ruthie, protecting her.

A crooked smile appeared on Colton's face. "Relax, sweetie. It's not going to hurt her."

"Are you crazy?!" Lucy screamed, then came to the conclusion that that was a stupid question. Of course you are, she silently added.

Colton sighed irritably. "The ropes. Cut the ropes."

She suddenly felt like an idiot, as she had so many times before, and moved out of the way.

Just as Tom started in on the ropes, Colton spoke again, "I'm going out to the car." He looked at Lucy, then at Ruthie. "Any moves made will cost you. Remember that knife can do more than cut up ropes....It can kill." With a fierce, threatening look at both sisters, Colton turned on his heels and left the room.

Kevin and Eric were out the front door and into the police cruiser when Kevin's cell phone rang. Checking the ID of the called before he answered, his heart fluttered. It was his old work phone, Lucy must have known something was fishy about Tom's behavior and taken it with her. His heart fluttered, a feeling of hope settling in.

"Why are we stopping?" Eric asked as they pulled over.

"Luce?" Kevin answered. Lucy didn't reply, and he instantly knew that she was in more trouble than she bargained for. There was background noise...loud music and voices. He listened closely, figuring Lucy was sending him a signal, and smiled proudly.

"Where are we going?" Lucy's voice had sounded, barely audible over the music.

Kevin heard another voice, a man's voice, reply, "Down to that twenty-four hour chapel in Kendall to get married, my pet."

The dial tone had told Kevin that Lucy had hung up and that it was up to him now. Up to him to save her.

Quickly dialing the station, Kevin briefly told Eric where Lucy was. He didn't know if Ruthie was with them, but chances were, she was.