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CHAPTER FOURTEEN
BLAKE
I can't believe how much things have changed for the better since Lily entered my life.
Now, I would rather stay home and hang out with her than go to the clubs. I thought my brother was an idiot for settling down with one woman. But now I understand. I would rather be with Lily than anybody else.
I get off work early most days to spend more time with her. My little brother keeps telling me that I'm whipped, but I don't care. Noah doesn't say anything; he knows how it is. I made fun of him not so long ago. Lily is my one, and I'm truly happy.
I'm getting out of the car outside of my place when I receive a text. She wants to know where I'm at. I text her back: Just outside the building. I hurry to the elevator; she might have a surprise for me. I reach out to push the elevator button when I hear a noise. It's coming from the back hallway, but I don't see anybody around. The security desk guy is missing. I need to have a talk with him. Someone is supposed to be at the desk at all times. I walk over to the back hallway door. It sounds like a terrible ruckus is going on. I open the door to see two guys fighting. I rush over to break it up and don't notice the other man behind me until it's too late. Then everything goes dark.
When I finally wake up, I don't know how long I've been out. My head hurts, and I can't move. My hands and legs are bound, and a hood covers my head. It feels like I'm in a car and we are moving. I wonder how long I've been unconscious. Surely, people are looking for me. Lily has to be worried. I hope they don't have her. I struggle to free myself, but it's no use. Two men are talking. I don't recognize either one's voice. I have to wait and see.
The car comes to a stop and shuts off. I need to get away at the first opportunity. I need to see Lily again.
The door opens, and I'm yanked from the car. I try to fight, but it's no use. I hear footsteps approaching us. The two men pick me up and carry me inside. Close the door behind us.
I still can't see a damn thing. I feel like a useless child. I want to fight and escape, but the rope around my legs and hands holds me tight. I'm flung onto a bed, then a door closes and a lock turns.
Not one of my abductors has talked to me. I wiggle around on the bed until I get the hood off. A fat lot of good it does me. It's pitch black in the room. I need to get the ropes off from around my ankles. I scissor my legs back and forth until the ropes start loosening.
My first thought is that someone took me for a ransom. Fuck, it was too easy for them to take me from my own building. The place is supposed to be secure. What a joke. Where were the security guys? I’ll be making some serious security changes when I return. If I return.
My family has to be looking for me. I bet Lily is going nuts with worry. I lean back on the bed and realize it might take a while for them to find me. I need to help myself and find a way out of here. These guys don’t seem to be hardened killers. Just a feeling, is all.
I look around the room. My eyes have adjusted to the dark, so I can finally see what I have to work with. The bed is the only thing in here, no other furniture. A window, but it's covered in plywood. The first thing I have to do is get untied. I lie on my side, trying to loosen the ropes around my wrist. I'm making progress. The ropes give a little more when I hear footsteps outside of my room. The door suddenly swings open.
I jerk back as a man marches in and squats down in front of me, looking me in the eye.
"She would have come back to me if you hadn't interfered."
Now I know who took me: Ted. I remember glancing at a picture of him at the law office. I can't figure out why he took me. I'm just glad he took me instead of Lily. I couldn't live with myself if she had been taken.
I glare at the guy. He is out there.
"You’re the one who messed up. She wouldn’t have gone back to you even if we hadn't met."
The guy doesn't want to face the facts. No girl is going to take him back after finding out he’s sleeping with someone else. It makes it worse when he sleeps with her sister.
Ted shakes his head like he doesn't want to believe me. He stands up and paces the room. He’s muttering things to himself. I can only make out partner and meant to be. I don't think there is any way to reason with him.
I almost lose it when Ted jumps up and down screaming. He's acting like a five-year-old, pounding the ground with his hands and feet. He moves back toward me, to stand over me with his red face and slobber running down his mouth. He gets nose to nose with me.
"You will never see her again!” he screams at me. “She is mine!"
He walks out of the room and slams the door behind him. The guy has lost it. The need to get out of here is even greater now. I work on the ropes until I can tug one hand free. Then I go to work on the ankle ropes, which takes about ten seconds. I stand. Can't decide what to do next. I don't believe using the door is a good idea. I don't know how many men are in the house. I instead look at the plywood covering the window. Maybe I can loosen it and get out that way.
I try to make as little noise as possible when I walk over to the window. I give the plywood a pull, but it hardly budges. I try to lift the bottom corner up. It moves a little more, but the cheap plywood cracks. I'm able to break enough of it off to crawl through the hole. I'm lucky no one checks on me. Cracking the boards wasn't a silent endeavor. Thankfully, the room I’m in is on the first floor, and I'm able to crawl through my hole and fall onto the ground. There is no graceful way. I stand up and look around. The house is situated in a rundown section of town.
I hurry down the sidewalk and get around the block. I need to find a gas station or store from where I can call home. Hopefully, Ted and his crew won't notice I'm missing before the cops come and arrest their asses. I don't want him to get his hands on Lily.
