Part Eight
"Hello? Lita is that you?"
"Aw, I'm touched Hardy. Really. But I'm afraid I'm not your precious Lita."
"Raven. Listen here you lunatic, let me talk to Lita."
"I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you. But I'm afraid she's a little tied up right at the moment. She can't come to the phone." Raven laughed into the receiver.
Lita sat on the floor, hands and feet still tied. Raven had returned about an hour earlier spouting off about how it was time to start the game. She had tried desperately to free herself of her bonds while he was gone to no avail. The rope was tight and knotted well. She had only succeeded in rubbing her wrists raw and frustrating herself to the edge of tears. She was tired and hungry, but more so, she was beginning to feel mentally exhausted. That was not a situation she could afford to get herself into if she was going to make an escape. So, to calm herself, she had scooted over towards the one small window in the main room that was not boarded up and spent her time in the dark staring out, meditating in deep thought. It was a clear night, a full moon in fact. She contented herself with watching the stars, all the while talking to them as if they could translate her messages to Matt and Jeff. It brought her a slight sense of comfort.
"What do you want Raven?" Jeff asked.
"What do you think I want? I want you to suffer. Are you missing your little friend? Are you concerned for her safety?"
Jeff didn't say anything. Matt was close to his brother, sharing the earpiece so he too could hear what was being said. The tracking unit was ticking off the time, doing what it had been programmed to do. Jeff's silence was a way to stall for time.
"Answer me Hardy!" Raven grew agitated.
"Of course we're concerned about her, you idiot. Let me talk to her, just for a moment, to make sure she's ok."
"No. You may not," he said plainly. "I'll do the talking here. You'll listen to ME."
"You've got her, we're beside ourselves with worry, so you win. Let her go now."
"No."
"Then what's next Raven? What's the next step in this sick little game?"
The question caught Raven off guard. He didn't know what he'd do next. He had acted so impulsively, in his fit of anger. He hadn't thought about what he'd do with Lita once he had her, except to make the Hardys hurt. So he answered honestly.
"You'll find out in due time, punk." Raven clicked off the phone.
Jeff heard the phone click off in his ear. "Damn, he hung up on us. Matt, was it enough time?"
Matt was staring intently at the tracking device, tempted to push the little buttons in an effort to make it work faster, but knowing he couldn't mess with the calibrations. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," he said.
After about a minute, the little machine sounded three short beeps, the small red light coming on. "A hit!" exclaimed Jeff.
Both Hardys, however were quickly disappointed. The flashing display read "Partial results returned". The next line however, gave them hope. The unit said "Received call from mobile phone – Origination: ?, North Carolina".
"Jeff, he's still in North Carolina."
"Thank God. We've still got a good chance at finding her."
"I wish he would have put her on the phone. I really would feel better if I'd heard her voice," sighed Matt.
"Yeah. But I'm sure he was right there with her, and now we know she's still in North Carolina."
"Let's call Detective Atkins and fill him in. Maybe he's got something on them by now too."
Back in the cabin, Lita heard the exchange between her friends and Raven. Unable to stand it anymore, she lifted her head to the man who held her captive and looked him squarely in the eyes.
"I take it that was Matt or Jeff on the phone."
"Well, aren't you the smart one. Nice to know they don't just keep you around for your looks, sweetie," Raven replied back to her smartly.
"What are you going to do with me Raven? We can't stay here forever you know."
"I'll tell you what I told them. In due time." Raven answered bitingly. He was upset, that was for sure. But Lita sensed that it wasn't her line of questioning that was bothering him. He seemed upset with himself. Maybe he had wanted the phone conversation to go differently, she wasn't sure. She couldn't tell which Hardy brother he had been speaking to, and she only heard Raven's side of the conversation, so she didn't know fully what exchange had taken place. All the stress and the late hour was catching up to her, and she stifled a yawn the best she could. Raven however, noticed her yawning and stared hard at the redhead seated against the wall. In an uncharacteristic move, he walked over to Lita and lifted her up on her feet. He picked her up over his shoulder and walked her into the small bedroom, Lita protesting both verbally and physically every step of the way. Raven dumped her unceremoniously on the small cot that was the bed.
"Bedtime," he said. "Don't get any smart ideas. As you can see, the window is boarded up, and you're still tied. And I'll be right outside this door. I highly recommend you get some sleep." Raven shut the door then, plunging the room into darkness.
Lita wasn't in any position to argue Raven's point. With her hands still tied, there was no way she could escape. It would be in her best interest to get some rest. She lay down on the small cot, trying to get comfortable by laying on her side. Unbidden thoughts of Matt and Jeff flooded her mind. If she knew them, and she did, she figured about now Jeff would be ranting about the situation, loudly voicing his frustration. Jeff was such a creative, artistic person. He tended to wear his emotions on his sleeve. She loved how expressive he was. Matt, on the other hand, was a completely different story. Lita pictured the elder Hardy, his dark features clouded as he brooded over the situation. Matt wouldn't say much she was sure. He was so protective of both Jeff and her at times. At first she used to be annoyed by his protective nature, but she had grown to love that about him now. It felt comforting to be an independent person, yet still have someone who you could always count on at the same time. Lita knew he was probably tearing himself apart right now.
Don't worry, Matt. I'm ok. If only she were telepathic.
to be continued....