JESSICA
I know it shouldn’t be that big of a deal. Luke has gone on several of these trips and made it back just fine. There have never been any problems and I should believe that this one will be the same. Yet this nagging feeling in my gut won’t let me think that. I feel like something is wrong. Something that has me on edge.
I have found myself more than once pacing the floor this morning. I should have talked him out of this. I should have made sure that he stayed behind this time. Maybe I should have just run. I shouldn’t have put Luke through this. I know he said that he wants to do this, but I think it is just because he feels this need to do what is right. If I wasn’t here he wouldn’t feel that way. I would be some woman in his past that he can forget. Not that I feel I could ever forget him. I just know that he deserves someone far better than me. I need to get out of here. As soon as I know Luke is safe, I am leaving. Now that I know how Sydney was tracking me, I can make a clean break. Then Luke won’t be in danger.
For the fourth time today I am pacing my room. I don’t know what is taking so long. Usually the ride-along takes about an hour. This time it has already been over two.
My phone starts vibrating and ringing on the dresser. I don’t really get calls from anyone these days, except Luke to check on me. Well, I need to hear his voice. I rush to the phone. “Hello.” Please be alright.
“Hey baby.” That isn’t Luke. It’s Luke’s phone, but that is Sydney’s voice. I can feel my panic and fear. How the hell does he have Luke’s phone?
“What did you do to him?”
“Awe, baby, you didn’t even say that you missed me. I mean it has been a month since we have talked. I think we should catch up.”
I start feeling like I am suffocating. “Sydney, what did you do to him?”
“Nothing yet baby. I don’t plan on it either. As long as you are a good girl and do what I tell you. You remember how to be a good girl, right?”
“I’ll do whatever you want. Just don’t hurt him.”
“What the fuck makes him so special?” His joking, jovial voice changes to malice. I know I pushed it too far, but I have to know that Luke is ok. “You are going to get that piece of shit that you call a dog and get your ass over to the dock by the north lake. I don’t give a shit how you do it, but you are going to do it within an hour or you will be seeing parts of your little boyfriend floating in the lake. Is that understood?”
I nod and then remember that he can’t see me. My tears have no control. “I’ll do it. Sydney, please, I promise I’ll be good.”
“Good girl. Now the clock is running. Get a move on. I expect to see your ass in one hour. Then I will let your boyfriend go as a sign of good faith. I am pretty sure I have his brother too. That asshole cop who thought that he could lock me up. Him I am highly tempted to end and move on, but for you I will refrain. Keep being a good girl and no one will be hurt.” His voice is softer, but I can hear the malice behind it.
“I will be a good girl. I promise Sydney. I’ll be there.” I am already moving. My thoughts running a million miles per hour. I have already thought about Reeko. I am leaving him here. He will be happy. Luke will find him a good home. He won’t be trapped at some kennel. I couldn’t do that to him again. I don’t need anything, I just have to move. Most people have left the house for the day. I am probably able to leave and no one will notice except the security at that front gate.
“I can’t wait to see you baby. Hurry and then we can get back to our lives. I’m sorry about your little game, but it is time to go back.” His voice has turned sweet again, like he really is sorry.
“I’ll be good, Sydney.”
“I’ll see you soon.” The line goes dead. I don’t even really know if Luke and William are fine. They could be dead already, but I have to take the chance that they are alright and that Sydney will let them go like he said. I don’t have a choice but to take his word for it.
I make my way out the front door and down the driveway, which is quite a walk by itself. I know that Reeko is in the backyard so I don’t have to worry about him trying to follow me. I know he won’t understand where I have gone and it breaks my heart, but I can’t put him through that again. I can’t take my car either because it’s locked in the garage and I would have to find someone to unlock it.
Once I reach the gate I motion to the guard to let me out. He looks me over, but eventually decides that there is no harm in letting me leave. Afterall, no one said that I couldn’t leave. It was just highly suggested that I don’t. Luke said that he didn’t want me to leave, but I have to to save his life.
The estate is a little further off from town, but as I am walking back to town I happen upon a cab. He pulls to the side of the road when I flag him down. I climb in the back seat and he turns around to ask where I am going. “I need to go to the dock on the north lake. Do you know where that is?”
He scratches his beard. “Yeah, but it is kind of out there. If I take you out there then you might be stuck out there. Are you sure that is where you want to go?”
“Yeah, I’m meeting someone, so I won’t be stuck. Don’t worry about me.”
He shrugs and turns around. I feel like I am on pins and needles with every minute that it takes to get closer to the lake. Thankfully the cab driver doesn’t ask a bunch of questions because at this point I am so on edge I would probably spout everything to him and put Luke and William in even more danger. Sydney is unhinged at this point there is no telling what he will do next.
Sydney hasn’t been logical for a while now, but this is a new step in crazy. Kidnapping a cop and his brother. I have no idea what Sydney is thinking, but I don’t think it is anything good.
It takes the cab twenty minutes to get to the dock. The driver looks around. “I don’t see your friend.”
“They are coming. Don’t worry.” I swipe my card to pay him a nice tip and quickly get out. I don’t want him to stick around too long and see Sydney. I am sure that it wouldn’t be good for anyone if he did. I walk down to the dock like I am completely sure of myself to make sure that the driver takes off.
As soon as the dust settles from the cab a large black truck comes into view, followed by three others. I just hope that Luke and William are in one of them. I want to know that they are safe before I get in the car. I know that might be asking for trouble but I have to make sure they are safe. If that is the last thing that I do.
Sydney gets out of the first truck and smirks. “What a good girl. See I knew you still had it in you.”
I step a little closer. “Where is Luke and William?”
Sydney’s smile falls. “Baby, is that how you greet me?”
I know I have to play my part. If I want to know that Luke and William are safe, I have to give a little. Moving towards Sydney I smile softly. As soon as I am close enough, I wrap my arms around him. “I missed you.”
He wraps his arms around me. “That’s right. That’s my good girl.” He kisses my neck.
Pulling back only slightly he motions to one of the men around. They move to the third truck and a few men pile out, practically dragging William and Luke. They are both tied up. There is no way that either man is getting out of that. I made the right call.
The Wright brothers are brought in front of me and Sydney. He holds me close like a possession. Luke looks at me with pain in his expression. Both men are gagged so they can’t say anything, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t read their expressions clearly. They feel like they are betrayed. I haven’t betrayed them, but I doubt they will ever see it that way. I know that there is no way to prove my innocence either. I know how it looks. They are both tied up and Sydney has me all wrapped up.
Sydney grins at both of them. “Well, it has been fun, but as you can see I have my prize so I don’t feel the need to play this game anymore. I have agreed to let you both free. My little minx is quite the negotiator when she wants to be. So, as long as you two leave us to our lives, we will leave you to yours. If we have to meet again, I assure you that it will not be as pleasant.”
He nods to the men who remove the gags from both brothers. “Have you understood all that I said?”
Luke glares. “What’s so great about her? What makes her worth all this trouble?”
It breaks my heart to hear it, but I deserve it. He did all this to try to save me and I just walked back to Sydney. I doubt that Luke sees it as me trying to save his life. I think he just thinks that I am throwing in the towel for no reason.
Sydney pulls me closer. “She is my wife. She will always be worth it. I’m actually surprised that you don’t think that she is worth it. Weren’t you the one trying to keep her from me?”
Luke sneers. “Only because she begged me. Do you honestly think that I would risk my life for some woman that I don’t know. She is nothing.”
I feel like falling on my knees in grief. I kind of suspected that I didn’t mean anything to Luke, but to hear the words from his mouth, it is horrifying.
Sydney pulls me closer. “Goes to show you that you don’t know a perfect woman when you meet them. Now, I am going to leave, with my wife, and you two are going to go back to your lives and pretend that you never met either of us.”
William scoffs. “It would be none too soon.”
I am trying to hold back tears, William too.
Luke cocks his head to the side. “Just a question, What are you going to do when she runs again? I mean it doesn’t seem like she is a reliable woman. Is she really worth chasing after all the time? It seems like a big waste of time.”
Sydney growls. “You have no idea what you are talking about.” He pushes me away, almost like he is going to attack Luke. What is Luke thinking? Sydney is unstable.
William adds to it. “Yeah, she has been itching to run since I met her. I am sure that as soon as you get her back home she will be hitting the door before you can take a breath.”
Luke continues. “She didn’t even take her dog this time. What loyalty does she have? I bet she won’t even make it home.”
Sydney looks down at me. “Where is the mutt?”
I shiver. “I didn’t want to put him back in the kennel. So I left him. I am sure he will have a better home.”
Sydney growls. “We will get you a new dog then. One that doesn’t growl at me every five minutes. You will stay home. Just like we talked about. But we aren’t staying local for a while. I’m afraid you have caused quite a bit of trouble. I am going to have to wait for the heat to die down after this little game. But don’t worry, I will teach you how to play better games. This one is nothing but trouble.”
Luke rolls his eyes. “She was only playing you for a fool. She plays everyone. She plays the victim and acts like you are evil to get people to feel sorry for her. Then she makes you jealous. I am sure you two will have great make up sex though.”
I want to vomit thinking about any sex with Sydney.
Sydney looks ready to explode. His nostrils flare. “You don’t talk about her and sex, I don’t care if it is with me. You don’t deserve to think of her that way.”
Luke grins. “Oh, then you aren’t going to want to hear about our little tour of the bedroom are you? I’m sure you don’t want to hear about how she claimed that she would only love me. Or how I screwed her three ways from Sunday.”
That never happened. What is Luke doing? Is he trying to die?
William shrugs. “She tried with me, but I’m getting married. I didn’t think it was a good idea to mix business and pleasure.”
What? What the hell is happening? It’s like both men have gone insane. They are lying. They seem to be trying to piss off Sydney. What is their goal?
Sydney grabs my arm, pulling me around so that I am looking at him. “Is that true? Were you unfaithful?”
I want to scream, but I hold it in with a hiss. “No, I wouldn’t do that.”
Sydney grabs my face and kisses me. Almost devouring me. It makes me feel even sicker. I have played along long enough to know how to play Sydney’s game. I know how to convince him that I am there, even if it is the worst thing I have ever experienced in my life.