Alice opened her eyes the next morning and had one of the worst headaches she ever had. She looked at the window; the sun was slowly rising. As she slowly woke up, she felt John's arms wrapped around her from behind. She turned around to face him and hugged him tightly. He woke up in a heartbeat as he felt her move. He was still not use of having someone sleep a whole night with him. His hands caressed her back and her hair in a manner as comforting as he could.
The couple remained still, holding each other, until Casey's phone rang. He turned around, grabbed his phone on the table next to the bed and answered. She rolled on the side of the bed and put her feet on the carpet. Her head was still turning and her heartbeat pounding in her skull, still feeling dizzy. She stood up, headed for the bathroom and started the water in the shower.
After staying under the warm water for half an hour, she felt better and got downstairs. In the kitchen, she met Casey, Chuck and Sarah, all of them a worried look on their faces. Casey handed her a cup of coffee she gladly accepted.
"You're going to work?" she asked as she saw him wearing his green polo.
"Yeah, but Sarah will stay with you-"
"What is your obsession with me being watch? Don't worry for me; I'll go relax at home," she replied as she encircled his waist, still holding on to her mug of coffee.
Sarah made Casey a reassuring face over her shoulder; she would keep an eye on Alice for a distance.
…
By the end of the afternoon, Alice was back at her place. Since she was having more energy, she decided to go for a run. She started her workout playlist on her phone and started her training watch.
From across the street, Sarah was keeping a close eye on her, as she promised Casey she would. She got out of the car, since she would not follow her in the park with her car. She made sure to keep a distance between her; she didn't want to be seen.
…
On the other end of the park, Spencer was waiting on a bench. He knew Alice always went running in those paths since he started watching her weeks ago. The camera he installed in the entrance of her building would alert him when she would leave her place. It was too bad the microphone inside her kitchen was not working anymore. The flower pot must not have been the best idea; the microphone must have fallen in the water. At the same time, he was not able to listen to this other man talking inside her place. This John Casey. He could not handle to watch his hands over her body anymore. Now was the time to act.
He looked at his phone, opened the app he used to track Alice's phone. He saw she was getting closer to where he was. He rose from the bench and nodded toward the driver waiting for him near the street.
Sarah saw Alice slowed her pace when she got near the end of the path. When her eyes focussed on Snake, she called Casey right away, but when straight to his voicemail. She got closer and decided to make herself known; maybe Snake would not do anything crazy if he knew she was not completely alone.
"Alice! I was sure it was you I saw. Do you want to grab a smoothie?" Sarah said, trying to pull her away from Snake.
"Hey Sarah. What are you doing here," Alice replied, not pleased at all.
John must have sent her to watch her as he said he would. She was starting to find the man weird. Since her accident, he was not leaving her out of his sight. At first, she thought he was taking care of her, but now, she felt more like he was controlling her. And even if he was giving her the best sex she'd ever had, she wasn't sure she could carry on in this relationship.
"So what do you say? Smoothie and girl talk?"
"No thanks. I'm busy right now," she replied.
"Come on Alice, let's go," Snake cut short.
"Who's this?" Sarah burst out.
"Sarah, this is Spencer," Alice said, walking a few feet away from him, walking with Sarah toward the street. "He's my ex. He called a few days ago for closure, but John kept me with him and I had no time for this talk."
"That man is not who you think he is, trust me," she said.
The first thing they knew, the back door of the black Yukon parked behind them opened and they were both pulled inside. The door closed and the car's tire squealed on the pavement. Inside the car, Spencer and another man dressed in black tied their wrists and threw their cell phone by the window. He got a syringe from a leather briefcase and injected both girls with the clear liquid inside. They closed their eyes and felt asleep; the transport would be easier like this. Spencer sighed in relief as he was finally having his precious Alice. He didn't know what he would do with the blonde girl; he'll see this in time when he gets to the bunker.
