Part Ten

They say a watched pot never boils. It can also be said that a watched cell phone never rings. Matt Hardy sat at the kitchen table, chin resting on his arms, staring intently at his and Jeff's cell phones, which lay side by side on the table. He listened half-heartedly as Jeff talked to Detective Atkins on the stationary phone in the next room. He and Jeff had gotten up that morning and returned to Jeff's house in Cameron. There was not a reason to stay at the hotel any longer, given that they now knew Lita was still in North Carolina. Or at least was as of 3:30 that morning when Raven had called. It was after three in the afternoon now, and Matt was fighting his body's urge for sleep. His mind was in a fight of it's own, which was to leave the house and turn over every rock in North Carolina until he found her. But after about an hour's argument with Jeff on the car ride home, he begrudgingly agreed that the best place for him was at home with Jeff, waiting for the next call to come. Detective Atkins had said that he'd step up the search for Lita, given the new information from the call. Matt didn't understand how the detective could do any better than he already was, but he was appreciative anyway.

"Yes, sir. No, nothing else yet. We've got both our phones right here, charged up."

There was silence again while Jeff listened to the detective, then Matt heard Jeff say, "Alright. Thanks. Goodbye." Jeff hung up the phone and walked into the kitchen where his brother was.

"The detective says nothing has turned up yet. They're checking out all the places around Charlotte still, where the show was. He's got men going through all the old warehouses, and looking in other abandoned structures."

"Any sign of her car turning up yet?"

"No. They think he still has it, which would help them catch him if he does."

"You know, Jeff. I have a gut feeling about this. Raven's not in Charlotte. I think he bolted with her as soon as he took her."

"Where do you think they are?"

Matt sighed dejectedly. "I don't know. This is stupid I know. But it's just a feeling I have."

"Hey, man. That's ok. I tend to agree with you. We both know that Raven is unpredictable. Whatever is the norm for psychos, Raven's gonna do just the opposite."

In the cabin

"Forty-seven, forty-eight, forty-nine…" Lita counted the seams in the floorboards of the old cabin. She was tied again, this time to a chair in the middle of the main room. That was what she got for making a run for it earlier that morning. Raven had left a little earlier and she hadn't seen him since. She was glad for that, because he had been furious with her. A part of her wondered if he left so his temper wouldn't get the best of him and hit her again. Although she couldn't touch it, she knew by now she had a bluish-purple bruise gracing her left cheek. She could feel it there.

She had had plenty of time to calculate her next move. She was determined to get herself out of this mess. She still couldn't believe she was so close to home, yet so helpless. If only she could talk to Matt or Jeff. She could give them a clue about where she was. Cameron was a tiny town. Just a few main roads, and the rest was private property or farms. She'd thought over and over about where exactly she might be. She'd narrowed it down to the fact that she had to be somewhere off Highway 22. Now that she knew she was in Cameron, she had spent the better part of the morning trying to retrace her trip there in her mind. She distinctly remembered being tossed around sharply in the back of the trunk as Raven slowed to take a sharp curve. Then she felt the road texture change as the car traveled over an overpass. That must have been when they crossed the river. It wasn't long after that that he turned off on a gravel road, which led to where she was now. At least, she hoped that she was right in her deduction. She wasn't a native of Cameron, but she'd spent so much time here with Matt and Jeff she knew the roads by heart.

She was jarred from her thoughts when the door suddenly opened, and her captor walked through, slamming the door behind him.

"I hope you brought some food," she commented to him.

"You're in no position to demand anything now, are you red?" he replied sarcastically.

"No," she actually chuckled a little. "I guess I'm not. But if the old Raven would peek through for just a minute, I know he would have brought me something." She had decided she should do what she could to get back on his good side after that morning's events.

"Don't give me that," he said. "You never took the time to get to know the old me. You never said three words to me back in the fed. You couldn't be drug away even for a minute from a Hardy Boy. Your little click of wannabes disgusts me, and I include Jericho and Edge and Christian in that group. You all thought you were so cool. The hip crowd."

"That's not true, Raven. I have spoke to you. You just always choose to alienate yourself from everyone." Despite her intentions to remain calm, she was beginning to get irked.

"And why do you think that is? I'll tell you why. It's because I never got the respect that I deserved. I've never been judged for me and my talent. I get tired of people judging the way I dress or choose to wear my hair. My credentials in the ring should count for something too. But did it? No. I never was given my chance to elevate to the main event position that I so rightly deserve."

"Oh, cut the crap right there." Lita knew she was headed into stormy waters, but she couldn't help herself at this point. "Get off the little pity party you're throwing yourself here. For one, we've never judged you for your appearance. Hell, Jeff Hardy is my closest friend. He's like a brother to me. He also chooses to express himself through his dress and appearance. You don't think people look at him a little strangely when we're out and he has purple hair? The fact is, not all people embrace differences in others as freely as they should. That's just life. The difference between you and Jeff is, where you buck up and sulk, Jeff shows a friendly face and makes an effort to bring people into his world."

"But," Raven began.

"And furthermore," Lita continued, cutting Raven off, " we all earn our way in the fed. I work just as hard as you do. I haven't always gotten shots at titles and stuff like I would have liked. But what I do instead of moping about it, is work harder. I realize that for every positive I get, there's also gonna be a negative. I'm successful because I prepare myself mentally for the negative experiences."

Raven looked at her incredulously. He opened his mouth to say something, then just shut it again. She had a point. He then got annoyed with her, walking over to her and getting in her face once again.

"You know what? I'm tired of hearing your preaching. Shut your mouth. I'm ready to get rid of you. You're too much effort." He then pushed back and turned away.

Lita's eyes grew large. She wasn't sure what she had just stirred up and what he would do now. All she knew was she had spoke what her heart felt about the situation. She just hoped she wouldn't pay for speaking what she felt was the truth. She watched as Raven walked over to the counter and picked up her cell phone. She held her breath as she watched him punch in the buttons.

Meanwhile, in Jeff's kitchen

Matt and Jeff were sitting in the living room, going over a map of North Carolina, discussing possible routes out of the city that Raven might have taken. Suddenly, Jeff's phone began to ring. Both heads shot up, and Matt leapt up and led the way to the kitchen table.

"Ok," Jeff said, attaching the cord to the tracking device again. "Here we go. You ready bro?"

Matt held the phone in his hand. It continued to shriek to be answered. "More than you know." Jeff nodded then, signaling Matt the unit was ready. Matt didn't hesitate any longer as he pressed the Talk button.

"It's about time," he said into the phone.

TBC