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10
When Tracy woke up, a tray with a metal lid had been pushed through the bottom panel in the door. She rose and approached it slowly. Lifting the lid, she was surprised to see a plate of lasagna and an Italian salad with a breadstick. There was even a small bowl of what looked like chocolate mousse, a bottle of water, and a cup of hot tea.
Although she didn’t want to eat anything the man who’d abducted her gave her, she was really hungry. She hadn’t eaten anything since before her jog Sunday morning.
After carrying the tray to the little table, she pulled the chair sitting against the wall over and sat down. She found some utensils rolled up in a napkin, then cut off a small piece of the lasagna and put it into her mouth. It was delicious. She finished all the food in record time, then chugged down the bottle of cold water.
Still thirsty, she picked up the cup of tea. Delicious. When she was done, she put all the dirty dishes on the tray and covered it with the lid. She was reminded of a deluxe hotel. But this wasn’t a hotel. She couldn’t allow herself to get sucked in by any kind of manipulation her kidnapper might use in an effort to control her. She had no intention of becoming complacent or grateful to the criminal who’d abducted her and the other women here.
She’d just deposited the tray on the floor when she heard something from outside her room. She slid open the upper panel in the door and saw someone walking past her. A man with longish blond hair that hid his face. He was carrying a woman with long dark hair in his arms. He was talking to her, trying to reassure her even though she was obviously unconscious. It was almost as if he cared about her. But if he was working with the dark-haired man who’d abducted her, he had no real compassion. If he did, he wouldn’t be helping him imprison people.
The woman’s face was turned away, so Tracy couldn’t see her features. In just seconds, they were no longer in her line of sight. She heard a door open down the hall to her left, and then a few minutes later, it closed.
Once again, the blond man walked past her. She still couldn’t see his face. Who was this guy?
“Let me out of here,” she called, trying to control the rage she felt. “You have no right to do this to people. It’s wrong.”
His footsteps stopped, but he didn’t look at her.
“I can’t help any of you,” he said. “He’s really angry. People shouldn’t be treated so cruelly. Someone has to pay.”
Tracy was confused. Was this someone she knew? She couldn’t recall treating anyone badly, including the man who’d drugged her. Who could be this angry with her?
“I have no idea who you are,” she said, “but I try hard to treat people well. Could you have confused me with someone else?”
He was silent for a moment. “He’ll keep looking until he finds her.”
“So you’re looking for one woman, but you’re willing to kidnap all of us on the off chance you’ll find her? That’s not right. The woman you’re looking for might not even be here. You know that, right? What if all these women are innocent?”
As soon as she finished speaking, she realized her words most likely meant nothing to him. He was working with someone who wasn’t connected to reality. They were looking for someone specific, and everyone who looked like her was not only suspect but guilty by their association with the female species.
He sighed. “I don’t know, but you’re his first choice. I suggest you be very careful.”
“If either of you tries to rape me, I’ll kill you,” Tracy said. She couldn’t help the tears that filled her eyes. “I mean it.”
“He has no intention of touching you ... that way.”
Tracy wiped her cheeks with both hands. “Who are you talking about? The man who took me? I don’t know him, I swear. Please, I’m not the woman you’re looking for. Really. I just want to go home to my children.”
His steps came closer again. “I’m sorry. I really can’t help you. Step back.” When she did, he pushed an envelope through the slot. Then she heard him walk away.
“Please, please,” Tracy pleaded. “Please don’t leave me here.”
The man didn’t respond. He just kept heading back the way he’d come. A few seconds later she heard a door close. He was gone. She didn’t want to give these men the satisfaction of knowing they made her cry, but she was frightened.
Whoever was behind all this was crazy. Where was he? And who was in charge? The man with the dark hair and blue eyes? Or this blond guy? None of this made sense. These men were carrying out some kind of vendetta against a woman who must have hurt one or both of them, maybe a long time ago. But they obviously didn’t know her name or exactly what she looked like. This was insane.
She picked up the envelope and took out a folded sheet of paper.
Each night you’ll be given a cup of tea with dinner. It will have medicine in it to help you sleep. Consume the tea in front of the camera and then turn the cup upside down so we’ll know you drank it. If you try to pour it out or hide it, we’ll know, and then everyone will be punished. You will also follow all the other instructions given you. If you don’t, again, everyone will be punished.
At least now she knew what time of day it was.
She was walking away from the door when the first wave of drowsiness hit her. She struggled to make it to her bed, then collapsed onto it. The tea. She didn’t know whether to pray that she’d wake up from this ... or that she wouldn’t.
