Chapter Thirty-Three

A soft, fuzzy light began to filter in, slowly dragging Leah from the depths of unconsciousness. As she battled her way through the haze and confusion that assailed her groggy mind, vague thoughts and images began to form, filling her with a sense of foreboding. The safety of the darkness was alluring and there was a powerful yearning to cling to it, but as the light continued to grow, beckoning her forward, Leah sensed the importance of pressing on toward it.

Little by little, cohesive fragments emerged; flashes of memory that warned her of danger. Even as she struggled to piece them together, it was enough to convince her clouded mind of one thing - she was in serious trouble.

Shifting her head slightly, Leah was rewarded with a piercing pain that sliced through her brain just behind her left temple. The jolt cleared some of the fog, but brought on a wave of nausea that had her stomach reeling. Needing to be in control of her body if nothing else at the moment, she concentrated on her breathing in an attempt to beat down the ill feeling. It took several minutes and much effort, but the pain began to subside to a dull ache and the queasiness dissipated.

Something told her the fear that was simmering just below the surface wouldn't be as easy to quell. The problem was, Leah had no idea what was causing it. There were so many vague and random thoughts floating around in her head, she couldn't pinpoint the reason for her apprehension. The only thing that was quite obvious was that she'd been hurt, but the memory of what had happened to her remained elusive.

Leah tried to move, but her body wouldn't cooperate. It felt heavy, cumbersome, right down to her eyelids. Okay, physical mobility was out of the question for the moment, so she would have to center her efforts inward. The first thing she needed to do was remember what the hell had happened, but the only lucid image to come to mind was of Dean. That was fine. It was a start, at least.

Conjuring up his handsome face, she could see every detail and she used it to help calm her, to strengthen her will. Feeling a bit more confident, she was able to wrap her mind around another concrete thought - one way to jog her memory was through association. Come up with a recent moment with Dean and then she could move forward in time until, hopefully, she arrived at the incident that had left her in her current predicament.

Leah again focused on Dean and the scene at the bar came to mind. Good start. She'd run with that. It took a few moments, but she was able to remember the men she'd talked to and then the fight that had broken out after Dean arrived. He'd gotten angry with her for fighting and had finally just tossed her over his shoulder and carried her out. That brought forth a clear picture of his strong hands on her body and she could almost feel his touch; the way it made her so hot her skin was practically melting off of her. The memories began to flow easily as she thought about the moment in the bathroom when they'd kissed, which led to their making love - a few times in fact, throughout the night. She'd woken up in his arms, content to stay there, but he needed to run out with Sam. She was able to spend that time with Amy, talking and taking care of some errands, including picking up boxes of t-shirts...

Leah recalled the harrowing scene behind the t-shirt store with such clarity she could almost feel the excruciating bite of that damned taser again! Son of a bitch! She'd been stupid, let herself get caught off guard. She'd tried to dive out of his line of fire, but the impact had been brutal and she'd hit her head hard on the ground when she'd landed.

Well, that explained what had happened to her and why she felt so bad, but there were so many more unanswered questions. Where the hell was she, who had done this, what did he have in mind and why was he doing it?

Her anger shifted from the attack to the attacker. She remembered that the guy had been wearing a mask and hadn't spoken one word. Nothing to give away his identity. He'd come out of nowhere while she was on the phone with Dean and after he'd shot her, he'd watched as she laid there writhing in pain, all those volts running through her. No doubt the asshole had enjoyed every second of it. Then he had knelt down beside her and covered her face with a cloth. Chloroform, most likely, because after that it was total black out.

He hadn't killed her and that meant one thing. He planned to 'play' with her first. Clenching her teeth, Leah shivered violently as she thought about what this creep probably had in mind. She had to get out of there! Again, she labored to shift her body, hoping to get into an upright position, but it still felt unwieldy, as if weighted down. Of course, weighted down! The realization hit her like a splash of icy water in the face. A test of each limb proved she was indeed tightly bound.

Okay, Leah. A little slow on the uptake, but you're getting there, she thought. What else?

Her eyes. Nothing was covering her eyes. That meant she could see where she was being held. It also meant she could see who had taken her. And if he wanted her to see him, he had no intention of letting her out of there alive. Well, he would be in for a surprise. She'd look at him all right, but only because she wanted to look the sick bastard in the eye when she killed him!

Leah's eyelids felt as heavy as her entire body, but she forced them up to get a look at her surroundings. They fluttered rapidly like the wings of a moth, then grudgingly lifted. There was nothing but a milky iridescence and no matter how much she blinked she couldn't clear it. Everything remained obscure.

A soft creaking let her know a door was opening off to her right. Wonderful! She had company. Fear coiled through her, but she wasn't about to let it predominate. 'Get a grip, girl. Reality calls. You can do this.' her voice echoed in her head.

Letting her eyes close, Leah waited stiltedly for her captor to approach. As long as he couldn't hear the crazy beat her heart was pumping out, it might behoove her to let him think she was still unconscious. If she could pull it off, there was no telling what he might do or say that could be helpful down the line.

His feet shuffled heavily across the antiquated floorboards, then she heard the scraping of chair legs being dragged across them and placed nearby. The sudden presence of thick, clammy fingers on her arm startled her and she flinched involuntarily, spoiling the ruse.

"Coming around finally. Good." The male voice was soft. Indistinguishable. And sounded oddly relieved.

Was he worried he'd used too much chloroform and had done some permanent damage? Maybe this was his first time? If so, maybe he could be talked out of doing something he'd regret. Since he knew she was alert, she might as well engage in some conversation and see if that was a possibility.

"Why.." The harsh raspy voice was barely recognizable as her own. She tried to clear her throat, but it felt scratchy and parched.

"Hard time speaking? It's probably from the sedative. It can do that, among other things. But trust me; it'll be easier for you this way."

Jesus, what the hell did this freak have in mind? Leah opened her eyes again, striving to gain a glimpse of him but all she could make out were misshapen shapes. Everything was still blurred, appearing as distorted images in shades of black and white.

His touch left her arm and reappeared on her forehead. "You're so pale. I was a little concerned."

Concerned? Was he for real? What was he, some sort of sympathetic psycho? Lucky her. More likely his only concern was whether or not she would be fully aware of the heinous acts he was going to perform on her.

"Why...do...this?" Each word issued was like sandpaper grating along her throat. As painful as it was, it was worth it if she could keep him talking and glean some insight into his maniacal mind.

The shadow drew back, then loomed closer and she could smell his rancid breath as it wafted over her face. "I'm not. I wouldn't... It's him. He wants you."

There were two of them? Panic sunk its hooks in deep as Leah struggled to find an edge, something she could work with in what appeared to be a no-win situation. Shit! Think Leah! How was she going to outwit and overtake two? Okay, the other one wasn't there and she'd already picked up on this one's hesitancy. He seemed a bit weak and his words made him come across as uncertain. Trying to manipulate him was the way to go. If she could get him to see how wrong this was he might help her escape.

He said the other one wanted her. What about him? She swallowed hard, trying to force the dry lump in her throat down as she asked, "Do you?"

He gasped, and the horror he felt from her words was almost palpable. "Me? No! No, I don't. I'm not gonna...no! No, this is for him. It's what he wants." he stuttered.

She had to keep him calm. If he got too flustered he might lose it. He had to be handled carefully, cautiously until she knew how hard she could push. At this point, he was her strongest means for survival. Perhaps her only means.

"Water." As the weak link, she had to see how much he was willing to help her. "Please."

There was no sound, no movement, and she thought he would refuse. Then she heard him scuffle away and the door creaked again. Leah waited, praying he would return with water, proving that despite his helping the other man, he didn't really want to her to suffer. If she was correct in believing he held some compassion for her, he might eventually cave in and see how wrong this insane situation was.

The door opened and he approached her, slipping a shaky hand behind her neck and lifting her head so he could press a cup to her lips. A glimmer of hope welled up within Leah. After she took her fill, he eased her head back down and she could hear him setting the cup on a nearby stand.

"You should rest. He'll be coming soon."

She heard his heavy steps as he ambled away, then the door closed behind him. Leah immediately began tugging at her bindings. They were strong, not metal but maybe thick leather straps and it wasn't likely she'd get out of them, even if her body was at full strength. This certainly wasn't looking good, but she wasn't giving up by any means.

Letting her body relax for the moment, Leah thought about her family. She hated the idea of them suffering, not knowing where she was or what was happening to her. And her sister, it wouldn't surprise Leah one bit if she was blaming herself right now. As if being outside at that moment would have changed anything. It wouldn't have. Amy had an inner strength, but she would have ended up a second victim and in worse shape than Leah, what with her empathy. God, the idea of what her sister would have had to endure, knowing what these sickos were feeling as they hurt her? Leah shuddered in disgust. She was so thankful Amy hadn't been behind the store with her and she hoped that if this didn't turn out well, her sister would realize there was nothing she could have done to change the outcome.

But hopefully it would turn out well. After all, there were a couple of experienced hunters looking for her. Sam and Dean would do everything in their power to find her. She could at least take comfort in that. She wouldn't dwell on the fact that there had been no witnesses to her kidnapping and they basically had nothing to go on. The guys were intelligent, crafty. If there was a way to get to her, they'd find it. Whether or not it would be in time...

Unwilling to go there, she forced her thoughts in another direction. Dean. Her mind wrapped around the man, embracing every detail of his personality and features. It was a source of comfort at first, but the longer she held onto his image, the more disheartening it became. The idea of never hearing his voice again, never seeing that delicious little smirk, never touching or tasting his smooth warm skin; it was more than Leah could bear. Despite wanting to stay positive, she knew very well that there was a chance she wouldn't be walking out of there.

A single tear escaped, slipping silently down her cheek. She'd made her share of mistakes in life, but there weren't many regrets. One thing, however, weighed heavily on her heart. She should have told Dean. She hadn't said it, not once since they'd gotten back together and now it might be too late.

"I should have told you, Dean." She whispered. "I should have said I love you!"

Dean looked out the driver side window of the Impala, his eyes shifting left and right in a sweeping motion, but taking nothing in. There was nothing of interest in the bleak scenery, it offered no clues to Leah's whereabouts, his eyes simply shifted out of habit while his mind raced in every possible direction as it searched for answers. This was a real goddamn nightmare! Leah was gone and all he could do was sit in his car trying to figure out what the next step was while someone, somewhere, was doing ...

His fist slammed against the steering wheel as he once again pushed aside the horrific images that were trying to play out in his mind. He couldn't go down that path, not now. Not ever. There had to be something more he could do. But what? Hell, everything he'd tried to this point had led him absolutely nowhere.

He'd gone into each store in the strip mall, questioning every single person he'd come across with the hopes that one of them had seen or heard something. Anything. But nobody had. He'd called Leah's cell repeatedly. It wasn't like he expected whoever took her to answer, but it was worth trying. If they did he might be able to pick up some background noise, or the guy might say something that could give away his location. He'd even tracked down Blake and enlisted his help, but the hunter was able to offer little in the way of creative input. It was one more body out there searching, though.

The only thing he had to work with was the half-assed description of a car that Amy saw pulling away when she'd run out the back door of the t-shirt shop. A car that may or may not have had anything to do with Leah's disappearance. Hell, he'd have been happy to run with that because at least it was someplace to start, but he hadn't been able to. She had no idea what type of car it was, not a goddamned make or model. No numbers off the plate. Nothing. Just a dark sedan. How the hell was that supposed to help him find Leah?

His cell phone rang and he yanked it from his pocket, praying it was Leah, but it was Sam on the other end.

"Anything, Sam?" he asked, even though he knew what the answer would be.

"Sorry, Dean. Amy's friend doesn't work at the DMV anymore. The girl's gonna try and get a guy she worked with to return her call, though. See if he can run a check on dark colored sedans in the area. How you holding up?"

Dean snorted. "Me? Wonderful. Whole hell of lot better than Leah's probably doing right now. Damn it, Sammy! Where do we go from here, huh?"

There was a brief pause, then Sam said, "Dean, Amy called her parents and they all want to call the police in on this." He knew how his brother felt about the police, but they were getting nowhere fast and they didn't even know if her disappearance had anything to do with the supernatural. "I think maybe she's right."

Dean flinched at the thought. Cops were worthless as far as he was concerned, but he'd pull them into this in a heartbeat if he thought it would help. It wouldn't. "You know what they're gonna say, Sam. 'She's an adult. She decided to take off, nothing we can do about it. Come back in 24 hours.' Tell me that's not how it works?"

"It is, but there's more to this. Amy saw the car taking off and you guys were followed the other day. They've got something to work with here that says it's more than just Leah taking off on her own. Besides, Dean, at this point we've got nothing else."

Nothing else. The words cut through Dean like a knife, but he knew Sam was right. Better to see what the cops could do, even though he was sure it wouldn't be much. "Fine, we bring them in on this. But don't count on much happening."

"I'll tell Amy. Ed and Kate are on their way. You want to meet at Amy's?" Sam asked. He was worried about Dean being on his own, but his brother had insisted Sam go with Amy in her car. With nothing else to do but wander around the city looking for dark colored sedans, he hoped Dean would see how unproductive that was and join them at the apartment. At least then, he and Amy could try to help Dean keep it together until they could come up with something.

"Later. I gotta go." Dean slapped the phone closed and tossed it onto the seat.

Rubbing at his forehead, he thought about Leah and what she must be going through. Who the hell would do this? Was it just some random nut job or something linked to hunting? If he had one thing, just one, to work with...

"Christ, give me a break here!" he swore, tossing the words out as if someone or something might hear and send a little help his way.

His cell phone began to ring. Dean stared at it for a second as if contemplating the possibility, then brushed the thought away and snatched it up. "Sam, you got something?"

"If you're expecting a call from your brother, Dean, I can hang up."

Dean tensed at the strange sounding voice. It was vaguely familiar, but had an odd undertone. "Who is this?" he asked.

"Hmmm, sad that you don't remember me. I'm disappointed. Ah well, I have Leah here. She'll certainly remember me."

Gripping the phone tightly, Dean tried desperately to figure out who he was talking to. "Listen to me, you son of a bitch, if you hurt her..."

A hollow laugh rang out. "I'd be careful about who I threaten if I were you, Winchester."

Recognition dawned and Dean's eyes rounded in disbelief. "Manning!"

David Manning. The guy that had worked with Leah the year before and had been possessed by the incubus. He shouldn't have backed down the last time Manning had caused problems. He should have done something to make sure he never tried to mess with Leah again. Like killing the evil bastard while the demon was in him!

"Very good, Dean. Tell you what; I've got some wonderfully nasty things planned for our little girl. Maybe I'll call you once I get started. Let you listen." David taunted.

"If you touch her I swear to God I'll rip you apart piece by piece, you fucking animal!" Dean snarled.

"Temper, temper. If you did that, who would be the animal? But then again, it would be interesting to see you try and do that to me. Very interesting. In fact, I'm going to tell you where we are. See if you can make good your threat. Would you like that, Dean?"

The corners of Dean's mouth lifted in a slow, wicked smile. "I'm listening."

Dean started up the car and tore out of the parking lot as David told him exactly where to find them. Too easy. Set up. He's lying. Those warnings and more screamed out to Dean, but he ignored them as he drove toward a house located in an older part of the city. He'd make a quick call to Sam to let him know where he was headed and then everything would work out perfectly.

He'd find Leah. And kill David Manning.

TBC