AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Suddenly, it dawned on her. What if she were being watched? Scott would see that she had stretched her chains, trying to escape. Fear overtook her and she began shaking badly. She scooted inch-by-inch back to the center of the cage, each inch excruciatingly painful as her wounds brushed against the cold hard concrete. Addie quietly sobbed as she thought of her boys and the last time she saw their faces, laughing on the kitchen floor as she tickled them silly. They had to know by now that something was wrong. She imagined them crying, worried about her, alone, their mother and father both gone. Surely, Patrick would come home once he’d heard. God, she hoped someone was searching for her. They had to be.
Once back in her rightful spot in the middle of the cage, Addie lay there, the last few weeks replaying in her mind. So much had happened. She thought of William and the time they’d spent together. She wondered why it had taken so long for her to admit that she had feelings for him. Partly
, it was because she was married and had a family, but there was something more too. She had been scared—scared of getting hurt. Scared of putting it all on the line. It wasn’t until she found herself in this situation—naked, shackled, bleeding, and lying to save his life—that she realized that she would’ve gotten hurt either way. She should have just admitted that she loved him and spent their final days together, happy and oblivious. Now, she was in a race against time, knowing that William loved her enough to fall in to the madman’s trap, knowing that he would come to find her and that it would be her fault when he was murdered. Worst of all, he would die, never knowing what he meant to her. Addie knew she couldn’t let that happen.
Right then and there, she devised a plan to break free, realizing that if she didn’t die at the hands of Scott Hammons, she’d die of dehydration, starvation, or infection. Her time was up.
Addie lay as still as she could, waiting for the footsteps on the stairs. When they came, she inhaled once more, knowing what she had to do. Slowly, Scott Hammons descended. Addie heard him stop, likely glancing her way. She could smell the whiskey on his breath from across the room. He walked over to the table, picking up his tools of the trade: Tools of domination. Tools that made him superior. He wasn’t looking to become allies. He planned to beat her into submission. As a Dominatrix who had studied psychology and human behavior, she knew his techniques all too well.
“So you’re sleeping again. What did I tell you about sleeping?
Addie inhaled quietly but ignored his question. He asked again, demanding that she wake up. She could tell by the way he slurred his words that he was drunk. Addie prayed that this would give her a slight advantage.
Scott walked over to the cage. He paused, noticing it wasn’t locked. Addie could feel him standing there, thinking. She heard the whip rise and fall and felt it slash her skin. She didn’t budge.
“Goddammit.” Addie felt him kneel beside her. He was watching her to see if she was breathing. She held her breath, trying her best to appear dead. But there was one problem. She didn’t hear the keys rattling. If he didn’t have the keys, she didn’t have a chance.
“Motherfucker.” He spat.
Addie was close to passing out. Maybe close to death, she wasn’t sure. Her life was flashing before her when finally she heard him stand and leave the cage. Addie gasped quietly once she was pretty sure his back was turned. A small amount of air filled her lungs. It wasn’t enough. She gasped again, forcing more air in just as she heard him walking back toward her along with the beautiful sound of keys clanging together.
Scott Hammons kneeled down beside her, searching for the pulse on her wrist. She had mere seconds. Addie sprung up, grabbing for his eyeballs, clawing, digging as hard as she could. He let out a scream as Addie wrapped the chains around his neck, twisting and squeezing as hard as she could. The keys hit the floor with a thud. Scott struggled against the chains, fighting back, until Addie was almost sure he’d break free. She pulled harder, watching his face turn blue. Finally, when he stopped struggling, she let go and frantically grabbed the set of keys lying at his feet. Shaking heavily, she unlocked her ankles first and then freed her wrists. Once free, she bolted for the door.
Once she’d reached the top of the stairs, Addie paused. Shit. The door was locked. She didn’t remember hearing him lock the door. Addie hurriedly tried each of the keys one by one until finally the third key worked. She looked around what appeared to be an old rickety farmhouse searching for the door. Finding it, she noticed it was dark outside. Naked, she realized there wasn’t time. She had to get out. Now. As she turned the handle, she heard a familiar voice call from behind. “Open it and you’re dead.”
Addie turned to see Scott pointing a gun at her. Turning the handle, she heard the first shot right before it grazed her shoulder. Addie fled as she heard the shots ring out behind her. She ran as fast as her bare feet would take her, making sure to zigzag the way she’d once seen on TV, adrenaline coursing through her veins. It was pitch black out, making it impossible to see anything in front of her. Finally, she heard the shots stop ringing out. She continued running, hearing the footsteps closing in behind her. Addie ran and ran until she felt water beneath her feet. She could barely make out what looked like bushes up ahead, and unable to go any further, unable to breathe, she decided to stop. She burrowed herself, trying to become invisible as the branches pierced her skin.
She waited, listening to Scott call out for her. He screamed profanities, telling her she was going to die. Addie could tell that he was close, that he was closing in. She just couldn’t gauge how close. She ducked down further, trying to stay hidden when she felt the fire ants begin to bite. Her skin stung as she held her breath, trying to remain as quiet as possible. After what felt like hours, the pain began to subside and she felt numb. She listened as it sounded as if Scott Hammons was walking away from her. She couldn’t be sure, so she stayed put. She was scared to stay where she knew it was just a matter of time before the sun came up and she’d be found. At the same time she was paralyzed by fear, knowing that she’d have to move soon. Addie knew he’d be waiting for her when she did. He was watching and waiting; she could feel it.
William went against what everyone had told him to do and got in the car parked at the intersection of Monarch and Middle Creek Roads. In the middle of nowhere, he drove until he heard the phone ring. He answered and waited for further instructions. “Turn right onto Mayfield in half a mile. Park a quarter of a mile down on the right hand side.”
William felt the sweat drip from his brow as he made the turn. He knew his team would be close behind, that they were tracking his every move via a device planted in his shoe. He only had to stay alive long enough to close the ten-minute gap. William did as he was instructed and pulled onto Mayfield Road. There was nothing around but trees. He prayed that he was close to Addison and that she could somehow feel it. That’s if she were still alive. William suddenly felt sick to his stomach. Pulling off a quarter mile down, he stopped, and opening the car door, he hurled on the gravel road. After a few minutes, he watched a silver car come into view up ahead. The car slowed, pulling over. In the driver’s seat sat his old friend, Scott Hammons.
Well, I’ll be damned was the last thought William remembered before the stun gun pierced his skin. As he lay there, face down in the gravel, he was grateful, certain he could hear the familiar sound of a helicopter closing in overhead.
William’s security team was on the scene within a matter of minutes as he turned onto Mayfield Road, making sure to stay far enough behind so as not to be seen. They closed in as Scott Hammons was attempting but failing to load William into the trunk of his car. The FBI arrived on scene moments after Carl planted Scott Hammons face into the pavement. “Where is she, Scott?” When there was no answer, Carl landed a crushing blow to Scott’s right temple.
An hour later, the FBI raided the old hellhole of a farmhouse only to find Addie not there. “She’s not there,” Carl explained to William, who after refusing medical treatment was recovering in a makeshift trailer that had been set up by the FBI. “They’re searching the place now, pretty certain that’s where he’s been holding her.
William jumped up. “Where is the bastard? Let me interrogate him.”
“I didn’t mess him up too bad, so he should be able to answer questions. They’re doing everything they can to get answers, William.” Carl lowered his voice as he put his hand on William’s shoulder.
“How far is the house?”
“About two miles.”
William stood. “Good. Then let’s go.”
Carl sighed, stepping in front of the trailer door. “I’m afraid we can’t. The Feds have the place sealed off. It’s a crime scene, William.”
William sat back down and placed his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking as he began to sob. It was something that he hadn’t done in a very long time—not since he was a little boy, the last time he’d found his life at the mercy of a madman.
Patrick Greyer was holding his boys, anxiously waiting on word on his missing wife. It all seemed so surreal. How could this be happening? If anything happened to her, he didn’t know what he would do.
Luckily for Patrick, he hadn’t received the papers his wife had sent asking that the two be legally separated. If he had, he would’ve started asking questions a lot sooner. Questions like why in the world William Hartman seemed so interested in his wife’s case or why he was throwing so much money towards the investigation. These were questions that would come eventually, in time, but, for now, Patrick was consumed with getting his wife home safely. He swore to God that if she returned home alive he would see to it that nothing, neither jobs nor people, ever separated the two of them again.
Nineteen
