Twisted Deceptions- 22

Enemy Territory

Melony tried to keep her composure the best she could but inside she was screaming for Chris.

At least three hours had passed since she'd been snatched from her very own home. She never saw it coming, never had a chance to scream for help. She was on her way downstairs with aspirin for Jericho when she heard a noise coming from the garage. She opened the door that connected the house to the garage and looked around seeing nothing out of the ordinary she turned on her way back inside. That was it, her last memory before things went black. Now she was in a car as she had been for the last two hours. Mel didn't have a clue where she was going as she had been blindfolded, gagged and her hands taped together for the entire trip. Her kidnappers were quiet for the most part and when they did speak it was through some sort of voice distortion device. This made her even more suspicious of who was holding her hostage.

Instructions of sorts had been given to Mel as soon as she had regained consciousness. If she cooperated and didn't try to escape no harm would come to her. That is if Chris came through with the five million dollars and even though they didn't have that kind of money lying around she knew Chris would come through for her. The car slowed down and seemingly turned off the main highway as the soothing buzz of tires rolling on the concrete gave way to the crackling sound of rocks and dirt. If this was it for her, there was no way she was going down without a fight.

Mel estimated that they drove over the rocky terrain for about ten minutes before coming to a stop. Two car doors opened and shut then the door next to her opened and she was helped out of the car. Not one word was said to her as she was led into a building, house or some sort of enclosed structure. She could hear a TV playing somewhere in the room and the smell of food tempted her nostrils. The man spoke telling her to count to sixty and she could remove the blindfold and gag. She felt the tape being cut from her wrists and part of her wanted to immediately snatch off the blindfold but another part of her reasoned that they were after money and when they got it she would be free. Mel started counting slowly in her mind then she heard the door shut and a lock click into place. She removed the gag first just in case he was still there testing her. Then she removed the blindfold and waited as her eyes adjusted to the light.

She was definitely in a house or assuming from the rustic decor, maybe a cabin. That would explain the rocky road earlier. There was no window, no phone, no escaping. There was however a small bathroom, a TV and a mini refrigerator full of water, sodas and other drinks. She pulled out a bottle of water and inspected it closely before opening the still sealed lid. Then she noticed the table with a plate of cheeses, fruit and sandwiches. She wanted to refuse the food in case it was tainted but apparently someone wanted to make her as comfortable as possible and she really needed to keep her strength up in case of an opportunity to escape. Giving in she nibbled at the cheese and waited to see if there would be any effect, when none came she ate more.

There was no clock in the room but there was a local television channel that suggested she was still in Georgia. Probably still close to Atlanta, unless she had been out for longer than she realized. Regaining her senses, she marched over to the door and started banging on it. "Who are you? Why are you doing this? When will you let me go?" She wasn't really sure why she chose to ask those questions. Deep down she was hoping for an answer, a clue, anything really. But as she suspected no reply came and she sat back down on the bed then all of a sudden something caught her attention. Someone was sliding a piece of paper under the door. She carefully picked it up and unfolded it.

'You will be free to go as soon as I have the money. No one wishes to harm you. You will see that you should have everything you need in your room. If not just make a list and slide it under the door. Pen and paper are in the nightstand.'

--- --- ---

Dave came in through the front door startling Molly. "Where is everyone?"

"Chris is upstairs and Autumn and Shannon are in the kitchen. What's wrong?"

"We got a problem." Dave looked around nervously. "It's Lesanar."

"What about him?" Molly asked with hesitation.

"He's on his way here."

"What?" Molly jumped off the couch where she had been sitting trying to read a magazine.

"Look, I don't think he had anything about Mel's kidnapping. When I confronted him it was all I could do to stop him from destroying the whole hotel."

"Well, that's good I guess. But why is he coming here?"

"That's the problem. He wants to talk to Chris. he has some wicked idea that they can work together to get Mel back."

Molly knew there was no way both Brock and Chris could be in the same room without tearing each other apart. "Why didn't you stop him?"

Dave raised an eyebrow. "You don't think I did? It's kind of hard to stop a man who's on a mission. And the guy is a little bigger than me you know. Kinda scary."

"Dave! And what to plan on doing when he gets here." Molly asked anxiously.

"I was hoping you could help me there."

--- --- ----

Chris laid across the bed his head filling with all sorts of thoughts that he would pay any amount to make go away. Mel was all alone with a strange man, or so he assumed. She was probably scared out of her mind. He couldn't stand to think of her alone and scared. He felt so helpless, like he was letting her down. But there was nothing he could do but follow orders and pray to God that she was safe. But he still felt like he should be doing more. He got up and poured another glass of whiskey. Some time earlier he had found the bottle and a plate of food at his bedroom door. He couldn't stand the thought of eating and he'd never been a 'drinker', but the brown liquor seemed to keep his nerves under control. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed their luggage still sat where he dropped it earlier that day and Mel's shopping bags sat nearby. He picked up her suitcase first and unzipped it. Carefully he removed piece by piece of her clothing and laid it on the bed. He came to one of her favorite t shirts, the one that she slept in just the night before. It was actually his shirt but she had taken it as her own and he never reclaimed it. A slight smile spread across his face as he brought the shirt up to his nose, it still smelled like her. She had a knack for claiming his shirts, not that he minded. He inhaled her perfume and sighed. It was killing him not to be able to comfort her, to hold her. He laid the shirt aside and pulled one of the shopping bags over to the bed.

One bag was filled with slacks; black, gray, pinstripe. He laid them gently on the chair. It warmed his heart to think of how much Mel put into taking care of him and putting so much effort into the things she did. He pulled out a bunch of shirts that matched perfectly with each pair of pants. Pang and guilt ripped through him. She was out doing all this for him and he was here sulking like a little boy when he should have been out enjoying the day with her. What if he never got the chance again? He slapped his face for even thinking like that. He was going to get her back and soon.

He poured another glass of the whiskey down his throat and reached for the other bag. Inside he found two gift wrapped boxes and pulled them out. He sat the first one in his lap and carefully removed the small card from the ribbon.

'Because you are the hardest man to shop for, yet the easiest to please.'

He removed the lid from the box and removed a sheer white piece of lingerie. He rubbed the silky material between his fingers as he imagined her standing before him wearing it. Mel was stunning in everything she wore but when she wore white it drove him mad with passion. He raked a hand through his hair and tossed the garment aside. The box also held a box of imported white chocolates and massage oils. He replaced the lid and slid the box under the bed.

The second box was much smaller and lighter. As he did with the first he set it on his lap and removed the card.

'Because all good things are worth waiting for.. .'

He removed the lid and all the tissue paper to reveal a home pregnancy test still in the box.