Two


When Ella opened her eyes, the first thing she became aware of was the throbbing in her head. The next thing she became aware of was that she was lying on something hard and cold. Using her hands, she pushed herself up to a sitting position and took in her surroundings.

She found that she was lying on a concrete floor and everywhere she looked, she was surrounding by metal bars—to the sides and above her. It didn't take long for her mind to process that she was locked in a six by six foot cage. Panic blossomed in her chest as she shot to her feet, shaking the door, desperate to find a way out.

"Is anybody there?" Ella shouted, pulling with all her strength against the door. "Let me out of here!" She sank to her knees as silence greeted her. "Please…"

Letting out a soft sob, Ella tried to recall the events of the previous night. The last thing she remembered was feeling sick as she left the restaurant with Brad. She'd let him lead her to his car and then there was nothing but darkness.

"Please tell me Brad isn't responsible for this…" she whispered, hugging her knees to her chest as she sat down.

Last night had been just about perfect. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so at ease and admired by a man. Brad was everything you could possibly want in a partner—a good listener, great looking, and charming. There was no way he could be responsible for locking her in a cage.

He just couldn't.

But if he wasn't, then where the hell was he? Had he been taken as well? Ella glanced around the dimly lit large room, seeing that there were five other identical cages to hers, but they were empty. Brad was nowhere to be found.

"Brad?" Ella called, just in case he was in another part of the room.

A door above her opened and soon, heavy footsteps pounding against the wooden staircase. Ella crawled backwards to the opposite end of the cage, watching with wide eyes as the booted feet stepped off the last step. It wasn't until he turned the lights on that she recognized who it was, causing her heart to nearly leap out of her chest.

"No…" There was no way Brad was standing on the other side of the cage, smiling at her. She had to be dreaming—she just had to be.

"I heard you were calling for me." He flashed a chilling smile at her. "Maybe now is a good time to properly introduce myself."

"What do you mean? You said your name was Brad."

"I lied." The chilling smile stayed etched onto his face. "My name is Wesley."

"Why would you lie about that?"

"Because I needed to get you to trust me," Wesley said as he grabbed a chair and pulled it in front of her cage before he sat down. "You never would have trusted me if you knew who I really was."

"Then who are you?"

Wesley ignored her. "So, I hear you have history with a well-known serial killer. Does the name Jason Miller ring a bell?"

Ella swallowed hard, a chill going down her spine at the mention of his name. "How do you know about that?"

Wesley barked out a laugh. "Oh, come on, Ella. Everyone knows about your story. Perhaps I know it a little better than most everyone else."

"What are you talking about?"

"I was the agent assigned to the case."

"Agent?" Ella frowned as her brain tried to process what he was saying. "Wait, are you saying that you're a cop?"

"No, I used to be an agent for the FBI."

"Used to be?"

"I was sort of forced into early retirement."

Ella stood up and rushed to the front of the cage, rattling the door once more in desperation. "Then why are you just sitting there? Let me out of here!"

Wesley ignored her once again as he stood up and walked to a table, picking up a tray containing bread and fruit, along with a bottle of water. "Aren't you the least bit curious about why I was forced into retirement?"

"Is it going to get me out of this cage?"

"No."

"Then I don't care."

"You really should begin to care, Ella." Wesley's eyes narrowed as he stared at her. "You should care a lot."

"And why is that?"

"Because Jason Miller isn't the only serial killer out there."

Ella stared at him in confusion, unsure of what he was trying to say to her. Why would he keep bringing up Jason, the bastard who had held her and tortured her for two weeks? Why were they even having a conversation about serial killers? Ella glanced around her surroundings, realization slowly sinking in as she took in the remaining empty cages.

They were having this conversation because she was once again faced with her worst nightmare. Wesley was a killer, and if the room she was trapped in was any indication, she was going to be here for a while. Not only her—but five other innocent people as well.

"Is it finally sinking in?" Wesley asked with a smirk.

Ella slowly backed away from the door, unable to stop her body from shaking in fear. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I enjoy playing games."

"What kind of games?"

"I am so happy you asked." Reaching into his pocket, Wesley pulled out a key and unlocked the door. Setting the tray on the ground, he closed the door and locked it. "As you can see from your surroundings, we still need some players which I will be procuring for us as the week progresses. Once I have the final game piece, the fun begins."

Ella opened her mouth, but fear prevented her from making a sound.

"You'll have to forgive me for not disclosing all of the details with you." Wesley smiled as he walked over to a shelf filled with glass cases. Ella tried to make out what was in them, but there was barely any light to see. "Why don't you think of your time here as a vacation, my sweet Ella?"

More like a vacation from hell.

Wesley pulled one of the glass boxes from the shelf and returned to the cage. "What? Nothing to say? You were full of questions earlier." He smiled when he noticed her glance nervously at the box he held in his hands. "Would you like to meet my little friend?"

Ella took another step back, putting as much distance as she could between her and Wesley, not to mention the creature he held in his hands. It was a large, hairy brown spider but it didn't seem to be moving, as if it was frozen in time.

"Don't worry, Ella. Even if this guy was alive, it still wouldn't hurt you. They're scary looking more than anything else, even though they can deliver a painful bite." Wesley held the case up and stared lovingly at the arachnid. "This is the Texas Brown Tarantula."

"Why do you have a spider?"

Wesley smiled. "Because I love them. I understand them."

"Why would anyone love a spider?" Ella asked, feeling sick to her stomach.

"Why would anyone love any living creature?"

Ella didn't have an answer for that. What was she supposed to say when he actually had a valid point? "What are you going to do with the spider."

"I'm sending it to a friend of mine."

"Does he like them as much as you do?"

Wesley chuckled. "My friend is a she. And no…she's terrified of them."

"Then, why would you send it to her?"

"To remind her that I'm still around," Wesley answered. "To make sure she never forgets about me." Turning around, Wesley began making his way back to the stairs. "You really should try to eat something, Ella. It's best to keep up your strength while you're in here."

Panic flared through her chest as she slammed herself against the door of the cage. He couldn't keep her imprisoned like this. "Please, don't leave me in here!"

Wesley ignored her as the continued to make his way up the staircase, whistling a jolly tune. It wasn't long after that she heard the door close, followed by the click of a lock.

Ella slowly sank down to the ground, sobbing softly as silence enveloped her.


Joe Hardy glanced up from his computer as the door to Hardrew Investigations opened and his brother, Frank, walked in. To say that his sibling looked exhausted would be to say that an orange is orange.

It was that obvious.

Joe knew that it couldn't be easy for Frank, considering he was pulling double duty. Not only was he at the office all day, but after a long day at work, he was going home to take care of Nancy. And when he wasn't doing either of those things, he was obsessively looking into Wesley's disappearance. There wasn't a day that had gone by since Nancy's rescue that he and Frank had stopped looking for the deranged killer. In fact, they had pretty much put their caseload on the backburner until they could find Wesley.

It was frustrating that they couldn't find a single viable lead. It was as if Wesley had vanished into thin air. Here one day, and gone the next. Lying to Nancy about Wesley had been the last thing Joe wanted to do, but he understood Frank's reasoning for doing it. He truly thought it would bring Nancy some sense of closure.

Unfortunately, that hadn't turned out to be the case.

It pained Joe to see Nancy so fragile and broken. It was as if he was looking at a completely different person every time he looked at her. It had even gotten to the point where he wasn't even able to be around her for long periods of time. And that was hard for him, considering he had always looked to Nancy as the sister he never had.

"How's she doing this morning?"

Frank let out a tired sigh as he plopped down in his desk chair. "About the same as yesterday."

Joe shook his head as he deleted a junk mail from his inbox. "That sucks, man."

"Tell me about it. I tried to get her to talk to me, but she just keeps shutting me down."

"It's like I keep tell you—you can't push her. She's trying to deal with what happened to her in her own way."

Frank ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Her way is doing nothing for her, except driving her further away from me. I'm tired of waiting. I want her to go back to the way she was."

"She may never go back to the way she was, Frank," Joe said quietly, regretting the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. But he knew it was the truth. While Nancy was stronger, both physically and mentally, than almost anyone he knew, she was also human.

That was something they both tended to forget, considering everything she had gone through before. But even Nancy had a breaking point. It should have been more surprising that she hadn't reached it before now.

"That's what scares me the most, Joe," Frank said just as softly. "But I know, no matter what happens, I'm still going to be there for her."

"That's the best way you can help her, Frank."

"The same goes for you," Frank said, shooting him a pointed look.

Joe visibly cringed. "I know. I've been a horrible person lately. It's just that—"

"It's hard to be around her right now," Frank finished for him.

Joe nodded.

Letting out another sigh, Frank pushed up from his chair and walked over to Joe's desk. "Have you come up with any more leads about Wesley?"

"Nothing. It's like every trail has gone cold," Joe answered, glad to be focusing on something other than Nancy. "I've been in touch with all of our contacts, but they're having the same amount of luck. It's like the bastard just dropped off the face of the earth."

"No one can hide that well."

"Apparently being an ex-government agent teaches you how to do just that."

Frank scratched the back of his head as he picked up a file from Joe's desk and thumbed through it. "What about anything else going on that might be suspicious?"

Joe tapped a few keys on the keyboard, pulling up another screen before turning the monitor to face Frank. "I've been keeping an eye out for any abduction that may fit with Wesley's pattern—namely young, pretty women."

"Did you find anything?"

"Two days ago, a young woman named Ella Jacobs was reported missing in Madison, Wisconsin. Her friend says she was going out on her first date with a man she had met online."

Frank snorted. "Well, there's your answer right there. She met some lunatic online and she's most likely dead."

"Is that really necessary?" Joe asked, unable to hide his annoyance at Frank's blasé attitude. Usually, his brother was rational, taking in all the facts before he reached a conclusion.

"Sorry," Frank muttered, looking slightly abashed.

"Anyway, the staff at the restaurant says Ella did in fact meet a man there and when they left together, they both seemed happy with each other."

Frank shrugged. "So maybe she ran off with the guy and they eloped."

"Possible," Joe agreed. "I did a little digging into the victim's past and found out something pretty interesting about her."

"Interesting how?"

"About a year ago, Ella was kidnapped and tortured for two weeks by a man named Jason Miller. Of course, the cops had a different name for him. The Two Week Killer."

Realization dawned in Frank's eyes as he glanced sharply at Joe. "I remember that case. It was all over the television for weeks, especially when the media got word of a survivor."

"And Ella Jacobs was that survivor."

"Do you think that has something to do with her disappearance?"

"I think anything is possible at this point." Joe let out a sigh as he sat back in his chair. "It may or may not have something to do with Wesley, but I think it's worth checking out, just the same."

Frank hesitated. "I hate to go out of town right now. What if Nancy needs me?"

"It's a two and a half hour drive, Frank. We can be back by tonight."

"I don't know…"

"Think about it, Frank. What if this leads us to Wesley?" He fixed Frank with a steady look. "Don't you want to stop lying to Nancy?"

"Of course, I do."

Joe stood up and grabbed his jacket. "Good. Now, let's hit the road."


It surprised Wesley with how easy it had been to get inside Nancy and Frank's apartment. They really should sue the hell out of the complex they called home, considering how it bragged about having the best security than any other complex in the city.

All he had to do was wait for someone to buzz him in, sneak up on the maintenance man and knock him out, then swipe his keys. After that, it was a matter of slipping into the uniform and taking the stairs up to the second floor apartment Nancy and Frank shared. He'd been careful about avoiding the cameras set up around the perimeter, but even if they catch a glimpse of him, he was wearing a disguise.

Wesley knew no one was home, considering he'd seen both Nancy and Frank walk out separately, heading in opposite directions. He wasn't sure how much time he would have, so he needed to be quick.

Opening the door to their apartment with the master key, he let himself him and closed the door softly behind him. Reaching into the small duffel he was carrying, he took out the gift-wrapped box and headed for their bedroom.

He didn't have the turn on the light since the sun shone brightly through the white gauzy curtains hanging over the large picture window. He really wished he could spend some time in here, taking in everything that defined Nancy. He wanted to get to know her on a much more intimate level, but there would be time for that later.

Walking over to their bed, he placed the box on the middle of the mattress. Stepping back, he smiled, just imagining the look on her face when she saw the gift he had left her. He could almost taste her fear, it was that potent.

But that fear would be nothing compared to what he planned for later. This was merely the appetizer.

Turning back towards the door, he stopped when he spotted the dresser. He supposed it wouldn't hurt if he took a little trinket with him. It wasn't as if she would miss something as innocent as a pair of panties.

Opening the top drawer, he shuffled through it until he found a pair that appealed to him the most. It was a pastel pink lacy number that sent shivers through his body as he imagined her in them. Bringing it up to his face, he inhaled deeply as he closed his eyes in ecstasy.

Stuffing the undergarment into his pocket, he made a quick retreat out of the apartment and back to his car.

"Can you feel me, my love? Only a little longer until we're reunited," Wesley said softly as he pulled out of the parking lot.


So, is he creepy enough for you? You know I am capable of making Wesley so much worse—and odds are pretty good that I will. By the way, I hate researching spiders…

And how do you like the name of their detective agency? Pretty awesome, right?

Thank you again for all of your continued support—and we haven't even gotten to the fun part yet! I would love to thank everyone who has added me to their alert lists and favorites lists and especially the following people for their amazing reviews: Michelle Gallichio, Xdaisy chainX, Caranath, max2013, Mrs. Frank Hardy, Valaina Wynn, Cupcake, Jabba1, SarahE7191, and SC15.

I love you guys!

I apologize for any and all mistakes and let me know what you think!