Chapter 76: Torture Most Foul

Jack sits in his cell, he hasn't slept at all since Emma and Peter left him to go home. His tuxedo jacket lays under his head as a sort of pillow and the corsage he'd been wearing was now on the floor in a wilted mess. The poor man is exhausted; today was supposed to be his wedding day, the happiest day of his life, instead, it may be the worst, up there with the nearly dying in the sinking of the Titanic and the death of his parents in the house fire. His body is telling him to rest, his eyes drooping, but his mind won't shut down. Thinking the same thing over and over…

Rose is missing… Rose is missing…

He keeps crying into his hands as her beautiful face appears afraid and tormented in his thoughts. He remembers the night when Cal was holding her a knifepoint while the tycoon threatened Peter, Emma, and Sybil with his gun. The look on her beautiful face, it should not have such distressing expressions on it. He thinks about how helpless she must've felt… how scared that Cal would act on his threats. He doesn't want to picture what her face now, wherever she may be.

He doesn't have to think too hard about where she is. He can say for certain that Cal abducted her from the church. How he managed to do that without being caught is not important anymore; what matters is that Rose's and the baby's lives are in great danger. The four friends knew that Cal was not a man of restraint nor one of mercy. He abducted Sybil and left her on the deck of the stern in the cold, not caring if she froze to death. He shot Peter in the leg without a second thought and then he shot at Rose and him, chasing them into the heart of a flooding ship. Emma was the only one who managed to escape Caledon Hockley's wrath that night, which was fine because Jack would not force it on his worst enemy… which was the already mentioned man. Still, she knew as well as anyone how jealous and vengeful the tycoon was. He did not like to lose and he'd do anything to get his way. The man would not be above killing him and Rose's unborn child.

The problem was the police weren't listening to either him or his lawyers when they told them about Mr. Hockley. They all believed that he was a respected and wealthy member of American Society and knew nothing of his dark side. To add insult to injury, Emma and Peter had no proof that Cal had kidnapped Rose nor that he'd been the one to report Jack to the police. It was stressful and Jack is on the brink of full insanity.

He slams his fist against the wall in anger. It hurt, but the pain of not being with Rose and his child was much greater. He continues looking upward at the ceiling of his cell, wanting to find some way to escape and find his fiancée. He is like an animal trapped inside a cage; forced inside as the walls closed in around him. He is now the butterfly trapped the jar, slowly suffocating, helpless to do anything. He squeezes his hands together in frustration. He has to find Rose, he has to get out of here.

If Cal had been out for revenge on Jack, he'd certainly succeeded in torturing him, trapping him in a literal cage, unable to rescue Rose or interfere again.

…

"Are you sure everyone has gone?" Cal asks his manservant as he locks the front door of his mansion. He had just had a lavish dinner for his fellow business tycoons as they discussed the next phase of the steel plant they'd be expanding. They hoped that such a bold move would bring in, even more, money to their companies and provide more jobs for the working class. Of course, Cal only cared about the money, but it felt nice to do some regular business for a change.

However, the dark-haired man was getting anxious as all the men finished their cigars and brandy and then thanked their host before leaving. His heart beat in his chest, he was looking forward to what he had planned for the rest of the evening. Something that involved the cellar.

"They have sir," the manservant says. He now refuses to look his master in the eye, not just out of fear, but also anguish, knowing what was going to happen next.

"Good, now make sure that all the staff are gone and the doors are all locked. I need you to gather a candle and its holder and several knives. I'll meet you downstairs. I have some tools to acquire."

"Very good Mr. Hockley," his servant nods before obeying his master.

Cal goes into his garage, which contained several shiny and beautiful automobiles, all polished to perfection and could drive at superior speeds. But the tycoon is after some things on the opposite end; things that would be very useful in what was to come.

He finds several tools, ones with sharp ends, more rope, metal pegs, a hammer, even heavy metal chains and a whip. It had once been used by his father's coachman when the family travelled by horse and carriage; it was to keep the beasts in line, but now it would be perfect for another kind of beast he had to tame.

Cal puts everything into a carpet bag and then goes back into his mansion. His stomach is doing flips in excitement, knowing how satisfied he will feel after this. He could finally express his true feelings to the one who had triggered them in the first place.

The millionaire takes the creaky wooden steps to the basement, each one squeaking ominously. He slips behind a large wine rack and comes to the steel door. Riptide waits next to it with the supplies he'd been ordered to bring. Cal reaches into his suit pocket and removes the key. He gives it a forceful twist and the padlock falls to the floor. He slowly opens it and enters the dark room. He can hear the faint breathing of his prisoner and his heart is not ramming against his chest in anticipation.

He pulls the chain down, illuminating the room.

Rose remains bound to the chair, once again blindfolded, and gagged. She's been tied up most of the day; stiff, sore, and hungry. The baby also agreeing with the need for food by kicking to let its mother know it is famished. All she could really do was cry, she was so helpless to care for her child… she was in the hands of a madman. Her heartbeat accelerates when she hears who was most likely Cal and his demonic manservant.

"Hello again Rose, I hope you are enjoying your accommodations," he says in a smooth voice.

The red-head tries to swear at her former fiancé through the gag, tell him exactly what she thought about him, but no one would be able to understand her. Cal chuckles to himself as he sees Rose try to struggle again, with her efforts being futile.

Cal then turns to his manservant. "Let's let her stretch her legs a little bit."

The two men then go to the steel tycoon's instructions. Rose hears movement going on around her and she again tries desperately to free herself. She doesn't want to know what they are going to do to her… She's a pawn in their game, she can't see what they are doing, which makes it ten times worse. She's trying to stay brave, but knowing Cal, there's no point. He will not hold back on his plans for her.

Once the men are done, they approach the pregnant woman. She suddenly feels pressure around her neck, like someone has his arm wrapped around it. She struggles again, but this does nothing to stop the men. It takes a moment but suddenly she feels the weight around her body, wrists, and ankles, where she'd been tied loosen. Feeling begins to come back to her body as one of the men seems to be loosening the ropes. She feels newfound strength, she's ready to fight once her bonds are gone completely.

However, these men seemed to be prepared for this. As her hands are freed, Rose feels enormous pressure against her neck, cutting off her air supply. She tries to gasp for breath, but the gag makes it extremely hard. She's basically being suffocated. Her mind is overwhelmed and she can't think straight, unable to use her hands properly. She feels someone holding them firmly and applies more pressure around her wrists. She cannot see what's happening but the roughness of the texture indicates that it is likely rope again. Whoever has her around the neck will not release her, Rose starts seeing white light mixed with darkness, her body struggling to stay conscious.

"Not too hard," she hears a far-off voice say. She doesn't know what happens next as darkness takes her.

…

Rose imagines herself at the altar again. Walking up towards the man of her dreams, the bouquet of white roses in her hand and a veil over her face. She cannot see clearly who the man is, but she knows who it is in her heart. Once she reaches the man, he takes her hand and she stands to face him. She can't help but continue to smile, once and a while rubbing her baby bump under her silky dress. She cannot hear what the priest is saying, but she doesn't care, she's finally getting married.

She feels the cold ring go onto her finger and she does the same to the hand still holding hers. Finally, she hears the line they've been waiting for, her heart racing in anticipation.

The man lets go of her hand reaches up to remove the veil. She'll finally be able to see his handsome face… the shiny blonde hair, the lively blue eyes, the smile that made her laugh and swoon. Her own smile gets wider and wider as the cover is slowly removed from her face… Then she sees his face.

Her heart drops in horror when she sees who it was. Instead of lively blue eyes, they are cold brown ones, instead of shiny blonde hair, dark black as the soul who stands in front of her. His elongated face forms a smile, not one of happiness but a one of satisfaction, one of hunger and she does not swoon or laugh, she tries to scream out in horror.

"It's time to wake up Sweetpea," he says

…

Rose's mind suddenly comes back to reality and it takes a few moments for her to realize what's happened. The blindfold is removed and she can now see everything. Her arms are hurting and she realizes that both her wrists have been tied with rope and pulled up so they hang above her head like she was a marionette. Her legs are spread out slightly, her ankles bound with more rope and seemed to be tied to metal pegs on the dirt floor. She is now in a much more vulnerable position, exposing her pregnant belly and the entire from half of her body. She looks forward at her tormentor. He gives her a wicked smile. He knows he's going to enjoy this.

"Welcome back," he says quietly. He takes a step towards her and Rose can see what's in his hand. It's a long sharp knife, the kind used for cutting steak. The frightened red-head immediately tries to move away, but the ropes keep her in this one place. She tries to scream out from the gag, beg and plead for her life as he comes closer. She wants to turn away and she shuts her eyes, knowing what was coming. She tries to think of Jack, Peter, Emma, and Sybil, even her mother, all of whom she'd never see again.

She shuts her eyes and waits for the pain. He grasps her body tightly and she can feel the point of the knife. She says her goodbyes through her tears, waiting for the end.

Instead, a funny noise comes to her ears. The sound of ripping. When she opens her eyes again, Rose is horrified to see that Cal is slowly cutting her wedding dress from her body. She can feel the cold sharp point grazing her bare skin as the maniac cuts away at the elaborate fabric, the material that her friend had worked so hard to repair. She feels the blade reach her very pregnant stomach and she instinctively tries not to move, praying that the weapon will not pierce her abdomen and hurt her baby. She continues to cry, more out of fear, but also out of sadness for the dress in which she loved and paid for herself.

The ripping sound continues until Rose feels a very cold chill surround her body. She opens her eyes to see that Cal has stepped away, with the remains of her beautiful wedding dress at her bound feet. She is now in her undergarments, even more, exposed and helpless than before. She can't help but feel a little relief of being unharmed with the knife.

However, Cal seems to sense her release of fear because he speaks up again.

"Now that that rag is out of the way, the real fun can begin…"

A/N: I want to apologize to all my readers. I'll try to keep the darker elements to a minimum. I especially apologize to Guest reviewer Sam Fraser. Obviously, they hate it and I realize how uncomfortable this can be. I will work on this. I am very sorry