Olivia's shallow breathing echoed in the dark room. Her tremors tugged at the rope holding her in place. She didn't even know what hurt. Lewis had started with the blowtorch blistering her left shoulder. Cigarettes came next, melting away circles of her skin. A knife appeared at some point. Eventually, the torment combined into an all-consuming agony.
Lewis had taken his time, slowly creating one new wound at a time. He wielded each instrument of cruelty with a child-like curiosity. He grinned at her pain and laughed at her tears before finally deciding that she had endured enough. Lewis then left her in the dark, not bothering to undo her restraints. Olivia didn't mind. Her body required strength to move, and she didn't have any left.
Her latest fight against Lewis seemed so inconsequential. Her recent actions didn't warrant the torture he caused. Her panic at the cement prison was instinctive. Her actions were based on survival. But Lewis didn't see it that way. She had tried to run. She had tried to take control, something Lewis didn't tolerate.
A dull clank sounded, and brightness flooded the room. Olivia quivered. She wasn't sure if it was from the pain or the fear.
Lewis slithered inside, the door slamming shut behind him. An orange glow appeared as he lit the candle with a flick of his lighter. Lewis walked slowly towards her.
Olivia felt the mattress dip. She could feel his eyes on her; she could sense his displeasure. She kept her eyes on the wall. Olivia couldn't look at him. Fear radiated from her pores, and defeat grew in her heart. He would take one look at her and know she was falling apart. She couldn't give him that.
The silence was maddening though. A faint crackle sounded from the candle. The walls seemed to be closing in on her. She couldn't take it anymore. "I'm sorry," she appealed quietly. More silence met her ears, and she chanced a look at her captor.
"You're sorry? For what?" Lewis gave her an innocent look.
Olivia's eyes fell. "For trying to run."
Lewis ran his fingers down her cheek. "Oh, you were trying to go somewhere?"
Olivia shrank away from his touch and turned back to the wall. His mocking tone took too much effort.
"Hey, you don't get to hide from me." Lewis grabbed her chin.
Olivia huffed as he spun her gaze back to him.
He set his jaw. "You aren't in charge anymore. You don't get to say no. You don't get to say later. You keep forgetting that and getting yourself in trouble. So the next time you think about pushing me? The next time you think about fighting me? Remember that."
Olivia met his pointed gaze with a stony glare of her own.
He curled his lip at her silence. Lewis grabbed her newly burnt shoulder.
Olivia howled. "Okay, okay, I'll remember."
"Remember what?" Lewis tightened his grip.
"You're in charge," she gasped.
"See?" He released her shoulder, frowning as he had to peel his fingers off her sticky wound. "See how much easier things are when you do what you're told?"
Olivia didn't respond. Her lungs had stopped working. The pain had intensified into a white sheet of agony, consuming all her senses. Her face twisted, her mouth hanging open.
"Hey," Lewis whispered, his mocking tone turning soft at her red face. "Breathe, baby."
Olivia stared past him as her eyes glazed over.
Lewis held her head in his hands. "Breathe, Olivia. Come on, baby girl."
A whimper sounded as her lungs came to life. She gulped in breaths of air, trying not to move her aching shoulder.
"There you go, just breathe." He grabbed a half-empty bottle from the floor. "Want some water?"
Olivia looked away, anger and shame written on her face, her upper body still trembling with waves of pain.
"You still want to fight me?" Lewis unscrewed the cap. "I'm good to go for another round, sweetheart. You look a little rough, though."
Her anger immediately dissipated at his threat, dread taking its place. The past few hours played back in her head. She couldn't endure anymore pain, not today. "Okay."
Lewis reached down and lifted her head with a smug grin. It was so easy to back her into a corner.
Olivia cried a tortured moan at the tug against her scorched skin. Her lips closed around the bottle, and she greedily drank the water he offered. Her mouth had been dry for so long.
Lewis pulled the bottle away and laid her head back down against the mattress.
Olivia closed her eyes against the whirling room. The blowtorch seemed to hurt worse each time.
"I'm going to look for some food. Will you be a good girl if I untie your feet?"
"Yeah," Olivia mumbled.
Lewis stood and undid the knots at her ankles. The rope fell to the floor, freeing her legs.
"Look at me, sweetheart." He leaned over her. "Olivia!"
Her eyes blinked open, startled at his tone.
"If you make one move to undo the rope for your hands or try to get off this bed," Lewis cautioned. "The blowtorch will be like a pat on the back compared to what I'll do when I get back."
Olivia cringed. "I'll be good."
Lewis patted her leg. "Atta girl."
The door slammed shut, a metal clank sounding from the other side. She was locked in. Olivia drew her legs together, relief flooding her veins at being able to move. Being tied down spread eagle caused a heightened terror when William Lewis was present.
She bit her lip and tried to pull herself into a sitting position. Maybe it would hurt less. A gut wrenching scream ripped through her lips. Her head fell back against the mattress, tears falling into her hair. It was no use. The pull against her shoulder wasn't worth it. Sitting up wouldn't change her circumstances anyway. She was still stuck here. Still imprisoned with the psychopath who wanted to tear her apart.
Amanda sipped her coffee, the papers in front of her blurring into a solid mass of white.
"In the past month, there have been seven people reported missing, three stolen vehicles, and eleven robberies." Fin frowned. "Jefferson County makes Manhattan look like a death trap."
"At least that will help us narrow down our search. Any of the missing persons match a stolen vehicle report?" Amanda leaned over.
"Course not. That would be too easy," Fin muttered.
Brian rubbed his temples. "There has to be an easier way to find them."
Amanda straightened, studying the evidence board. "This still doesn't make any sense. What would William Lewis do with an infant? Even if the baby did change what Lewis wanted to do, it would take at least six weeks to figure out she was pregnant. And that's if it happened right away."
"Unless," Fin glanced at Brian. "Lover boy?"
Brian's brow creased. "What?"
Nick turned to him with a frown.
"You and her, were you?" Amanda's voice trailed off. "Could you have?"
Brian looked around. "Wait, you think that I? Me? No way!" he vehemently denied.
"It could happen, though," Amanda cautioned.
"No, we're careful. I mean, we were careful," Brian's eyes darted between them. "Come on, guys, I could never be a dad. Can you see me changing diapers?"
Nick sighed as he threw his pen down. "It's either you or Lewis. If it was Lewis, he decided to keep her before she got pregnant. If it was you, she was pregnant when Lewis took her."
Brian shook his head. "No way, man," he repeated.
Amanda pursed her lips. "Brian, is it possible?"
Brian opened his mouth but nothing came out. His mind drifted to the last date he had with Olivia. His face flushed.
"Way to go, Cassidy," Nick said flatly.
Brian's head started spinning. "I need some air." He stood and headed to the door. Brian didn't want to raise a kid. Play dates, tea parties, Little League - they weren't in the cards for him.
He wasn't sure which was worse. Either he had an unborn child in Lewis' clutches, or Olivia was carrying her rapist's baby. A baby Brian could have to help her raise. If they found her. Brian changed course for the bathroom. He was going to be sick.
Lewis was proud of himself. He had found a wild blackberry patch south of the cabin. Birds had snagged some of the berries, but there was still enough to last a few days.
He grabbed the expired crackers off the counter and headed for Olivia's room. A predatory smile spread over his face. She still had spirit, though he didn't know how.
Lewis unlocked the door, not entirely sure what he would find. Olivia's spunk raised its head at the most unlikely time. The door swung open to reveal her lying on the bed. The rope secured each wrist to the bed frame, keeping her somewhat open for display. She hadn't moved. His eyebrow raised. Maybe she had learned her lesson.
"Found some snacks," he announced, depositing the berries beside the bed. "Are you hungry?"
Olivia shook her head, eyes sealed shut.
Lewis bristled. "You haven't eaten anything in over 24 hours. Sit up."
She groaned. "I can't."
"We'll see about that," Lewis replied tersely.
"Please, Lewis. Please just this once, leave me alone," Olivia pleaded.
"Not your call, sweetheart."
"No," her voice trailed off into a cry of pain as Lewis pulled her into a sitting position.
"See? Now you're up," he advised dryly.
Olivia took in a ragged breath, a tidal wave of pain threatening to bring her under.
"We have blackberries and crackers." Lewis joined her on the mattress. "What do you want? I'll be nice and let you choose."
Olivia clenched her fists. She wasn't hungry. "I want to go home."
Lewis snorted. "Not an option, baby."
"Why not? You get bored after keeping people a few days. It's been months! You've done everything you can possibly do to me. Just let me go home!" Olivia implored weakly.
"Home? What home? You think they're going to keep your Manhattan apartment vacant for you when no one is paying the bills?" Lewis laughed. "You think your boyfriend hasn't asked the hot chick down the street out for drinks yet? Home isn't the place you left."
Olivia raised her chin, ignoring his taunts. "My squad will find me eventually."
"Maybe they will," he admitted. "So what? What happens then? Did you plan on going back to your apartment and crawling under the covers? Pretend this never happened? Really, sweetheart? You don't even have your bedding anymore!" Lewis chuckled as he sat down beside her. "And your job, you think they'll let you go back to working sex crimes after all the time we've spent together? Did you actually expect to work with victims again after the hundreds of times I've raped you?"
Olivia looked stricken. Her lips parted, but nothing came out.
"Don't pretend you're not different now. Even if you got out today, you'll never be the same. Your friends will see you as a victim, they'll pity you." He grabbed her quivering chin. "Face it, baby. I'm all you have left. If I walked out the door and didn't come back, you would die here." Lewis caught her gaze.
"You're wrong," she said through clenched teeth.
"Am I?" Lewis tilted his head. "Your eyes tell a different story."
Olivia wrenched her face out of his hands. He had to be wrong
Lewis shook his head. "Come on, open up." He picked up a few blackberries and tapped her lips.
She glanced at him and became nauseated at the gleam in his eyes. She had no desire for food.
"You can open up, or I can force it down your throat. You won't like the second option," Lewis growled.
Olivia retreated into a blank stare and opened her mouth. The berries slid in, a tart burst of flavor exploding on her tongue.
Lewis fed her a few more handfuls and switched to the crackers before deciding she had eaten enough. He grabbed an empty bucket off the wall and put it beside the bed. "Just in case Junior doesn't like his lunch."
Olivia heard his steps retreat, the door closing behind him. The barrier keeping her emotions in check began to crumble. Her shoulders started to shake. She had been clinging to the moment she could go home. Every moment that surrender was close, she held on to seeing the people she loved one more time. She focused on the moment she would be free of William Lewis.
Olivia was so fiercely clinging to those moments that she never considered what would happen afterwards. Lewis' mocking words rang in her head. Even as she argued with herself, the detective side of her knew he was right. Her life after Lewis, if she had one, would be drastically different than the life she had before him.
Sobs escaped her lips, the sorrow from her heart crying to be heard. Lewis destroyed everything, even her dreams.