I would know if he was dead.
That thought kept running through Kim's head as she leaned against the wall of their prison. Andrew was okay. He had to be okay. She would feel it if he wasn't. Wouldn't she?
Across the room, Kayla seemed to be sleeping, but there was nothing calm or restful about it. Her breathing was shallow and she kept turning as if she was struggling to find a comfortable position.
I'm so sorry, little sister. No matter what Kayla said, this mess was all Kim's fault. She was the one who had gotten involved with Cal Winters in the first place, and she was the one who had pushed Kayla to go out the night before.
That was the night before, wasn't it? In the windowless room, Kim had no real idea of time, but she was sure they had been here for hours. It was probably still morning, since Cal had not returned with lunch - assuming he intended to bring something.
As if on cue, Kim heard the sound of the someone fiddling with the lock. She pulled away from the wall and stood upright. She did not want Cal to see her fear.
"Hello, ladies," Cal said, as he entered the room. He was carrying a plate with a couple of sandwiches. "I hope you like PB&J."
Kim glanced over at the cot and saw that Kayla had been roused by Cal's entrance. Her face looked pale, except for the gash on her forehead.
"Cal . . . please. . . ." Kim watched as he set the plate on the desk and did a quick examination of the room, probably looking for signs of an escape attempt. "Why don't you let Kayla go? You don't want her. I know its me you want."
Cal responded with a soft chuckle. "That would make things a bit easier, wouldn't it?"
For an instant, Kim was hopeful. Maybe he could be convinced. "Just let Kayla go, Cal. You can't hurt her, I told you. Then you won't get what you want."
"You think you're in a position to negotiate with me." Something flashed in his eyes. "There's no negotiating, Kim. This time, everything's going to go how I've planned it."
A chill swept through her. She looked at Kayla, who looked back, unable to hide the fear in her eyes. Hesitantly, Kim asked, "What do you have planned?"
"All in good time, my love. All in good time."
Kim shook her head. "Please, Cal, just tell me."
"You always were persistent," Cal said. He grinned slyly, but his smile and tone chilled Kim. "Let's just say that we're going to go away and be together like we always should have. This time, nobody's going to get in the way. Like I said, everything's going to go according to my plan."
From the other side of the room, Kayla said, bitterly, "I wasn't part of your plan."
Cal looked toward the cot. "No, you weren't, but that's a minor matter - one that could be eliminated at any time."
Kim held up a hand before Kayla could respond. "Kay . . ." Kim hoped the warning was obvious. She did not want to antagonize Cal. "Let Kayla go and we can go back to your original plan. You don't need her."
"Oh, but I do," Cal said. "She may not have been part of my plan, but she has been incorporated." He turned back to Kim. "She's my insurance - just in case you decide not to cooperate. And she could turn out to be a bargaining chip. Since they probably know I've got you, they might not believe I'd ever hurt you. But your sister. . . . That'll make them pause."
The venom in his words made Kim shiver and she looked down. How are we going to get out of this? she wondered. Then something Cal said registered. "Since they probably know I've got you. . . ." There was only one way they could know. Kim raised her head and glanced at Kayla, whose eyes shone with the same realization.
"Andrew's okay!" Kim blurted out. Andrew was the only way they could have found out Cal had captured them. Her body shook with relief. "They found him and he's okay."
Cal flushed a little and looked away. "I didn't say that." But his body language was all the confirmation Kim needed.
"Oh, thank God," Kim said.
Cal turned back and glared at her. "It doesn't matter. I told you that little brat's none of your concern anymore."
"He's her son," Kayla said angrily. "Of course, he is her concern. You can't just order her not to care."
Kim grabbed Cal's arm before he could say anything. His face had contorted in fury, and Kim pulled him toward her - away from Kayla.
"Thank you for telling me," she said, in a soft voice that she hoped convinced Cal that she was being sincere. "I was so worried."
Cal seemed confused momentarily, caught between responding harshly to Kayla's remark and softening in the face of Kim's fake gratitude. Kim won. He turned to her. "You'll never have to worry again, Kimberly. I'm going to take you away from all of this pain and torture." He reached out and cupped her chin in his hand. "We'll be so happy."
He's insane. He was smiling as if he thought it would really happen. Kim started to pull away.
"I'm going to take you away so none of this is going to matter." He stepped toward the door.
"When?" Kayla asked. "When are you taking Kim?" Kim felt her chest constrict at the question. Kayla was asking when Cal was going to kill her.
Cal chuckled as he opened the door to leave. "Soon enough for you. Let's just say that, before Kimberly and I leave Salem for good, I have to take care of a few loose ends." Then he gave Kim one last smile and walked out, locking the door behind him.
Loose ends. Cal's words echoed in Kim's ears as she turned back to Kayla.
"I'm guessing I'm one of those 'loose ends,'" Kayla said, a tremor in her voice.
"I'm not going to let Cal hurt you, Kay." Kim sat down on the cot next to her sister. "I promise you that."
"I know you want to protect me, Kim." Kayla smiled softly before her expression turned fearful. "But we both know that you're not going to be able to stop Cal when he decides it's time to leave."
"You don't know that," Kim insisted. She refused to believe that there was not a way out of this situation. She just had to figure out what it was.
Knowing they needed their strength, Kim reached for one of the sandwiches and handed it to Kayla. Again, Cal's words echoed in her ears. Loose ends. She knew Cal was not just referring to Kayla. If that were the case, he could have killed her already and taken Kim away. No, Cal was also referring to Jeannie - and maybe even Shane and Andrew.
Trying to control the fear threatening to overtake her, Kim stood up and walked to the other side of the small room.
"Kim?" Kayla called out. "What's wrong?"
Kim felt the tears begin to fall down her cheeks. "He's going after Jeannie and probably Shane and Andrew as well." She turned back to Kayla. "He doesn't want to leave any 'loose ends' behind. He doesn't want any attachments left for me. I know him and he's going to try and get Jeannie and bring her with us and. . . ." She could not finish her thought.
Kayla pulled herself from the cot and walked gingerly to Kim. "You listen to me Kimberly Brady," Kayla said forcefully, staring into her sister's eyes. "Shane and Steve and our brothers will take care of the kids, and we will find a way out of here. We have been through way to much in our lives to give up now. Do you understand me?"
Kim gave a wan smile and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I hear you loud and clear, baby sister." She took a deep breath. "You're right. We can find a way out of here and we will."
"Right." Kayla nodded firmly.
"Right," Kim repeated more softly. Now I just have to figure out how we're going to do that.