Kidnapped by a Killer (Edited Version)

Chapter 18

Cliff and I sat on the couch watching the TV. It was raining outside, but the weather channel said it was supposed to clear up in a few days. The weatherman was going on about how people needed to drive safely and watch for fallen tree branches on the roads. Looking out the window, I couldn't see very well from all the rain, but I could tell the trees were blowing in all directions. Leaves and twigs smacked against the glass pane. I wasn't going outside anytime soon, so it didn't make any difference to me.

The commercials started playing and Cliff got up to make some coffee. He asked me if I wanted a cup, but I told him I wasn't a coffee drinker. Cliff walk back into the living room and placed a mug of hot chocolate in front of me. "Thought you might be cold. The heater isn't doing too well," he said.

I thanked him and held the warm mug in my hands. I had been cold, but I hadn't felt like asking for a blanket. I sipped my drink slowly while Cliff flipped through channels. It turned to something morbid and I dropped my eyes. Cliff immediately changed the channel and mumbled an apology. He knew I didn't have the stomach for things like that after what had happened with Rowen.

Cliff put on a kid's show; I didn't pay close enough attention to know what. For a while, we sat in relative silence. He worked on something for the hospital and I went back and forth from watching TV to staring out the window. At some point, Cliff received a call from the hospital about a car wreck and he had to leave the house. He told me he'd be back in a little bit.

After he had left, I walked into the kitchen and pulled out the bread, dropping a piece in the toaster. While it browned slowly, I pulled out some butter and a knife. Due to the meditating sound of the rain, I had slept through breakfast that morning and was a bit hungry. The toast popped up, so I took it out and placed it on a plate. After buttering it thoroughly, I walked into the living room again, munching on my snack.

I sat down, pulling my legs up on the couch to continue watching TV. I was about to start eating my toast again when there was a knock on the door. A crumb fell from my toast to the plate as I turned to stare at the door. Cliff had the key, so he didn't need to knock. For second I feared it might be Rowen, returning to finish what he started, but then I shook my head. He wouldn't have knocked either. As he had done before, he would probably have done again; he would have just broke in.

I stood up and walked towards the door with great caution. I could see the outline of a body on the otherside of the fog glass window. As I neared the door, there was another knock, more urgent this time as though the visitor suspected the homeowner must be playing a prank on him for not opening the door right away.

Finally, I was close enough to grab the door knob. I knew what I was doing was probably a bad idea, but I took a deep breath and pulled the door open anyways. I peeked outside and could feel the wind splash rain on my face as I stared up at a tall, young man. He appeared cheerful enough at first, but when he saw me, his eyebrows came together.

"Excuse me," he said. "Is this still Clifford Dine's house?"

I swallowed, slightly intimidated but unable to say why. "Yes," I replied. "Who are you?"

The man didn't answer my question. "Is Cliff in?" he asked, growing more agitated.

"No, he isn't," I said, frowning. "What do you want?"

The ice in my voice must have upset him because he ignore my question again to step closer to the door. "Cliff doesn't have any kids and you sure don't look like a pet," he said. Startled by his sudden approach, I started to shut the door, but the man pushed it open and walked in. "So, who are you?" he demanded to know.

I backed up as he slammed the door behind him and walked towards me. After only a few steps, I felt the couch against my back and realized I had nowhere to go. "My name is Zane," I said, sliding to the side to gain more distance. "I'm..." I trailed off, unsure how to state my relationship with Cliff, "his prisoner...?"

This statement seemed to stop the man in his tracks. He tilted his head. "You mean the Zane that Cliff talks about on the phone?" he asked.

His question made me frown. "Uh... Yes?" I said. I didn't know Cliff talked about me on the phone with people.

"So, you're the one," the man said. He looked me up and down. "Well, I gotta say, he wasn't lying. You're definitely cute."

My face lit up like a red balloon. "Excuse me?" I said, now irritated.

The man extended a hand. "I'm Aaron. I'm a good friend of Cliff's."

Reluctantly, I shook his hand; he had a firm grip. "I didn't know he had any friends besides Rowen," I said.

Aaron shrugged. "We've known each other since college, but we don't get to talk in person very often," he explained. "So, you've met Rowen?"

"I guess you could say that," I said. I didn't emphasize.

He circled around and sat down on the couch. I followed slowly, hesitant to trust him after my last encounter with someone Cliff knew semi-intimately.

"So, what did you want with Cliff?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing all too important," Aaron said. "Sometimes, if I need a bit of help with a job, I drop by to ask him. We were suppose to get together and talk about one for this weekend."

"What kind of jobs?" I questioned.

At first, Aaron seemed hesitant to answer. But then he shrugged. "If you know about Cliff, it can't really hurt to know about me." He leaned close like it was some grand secret. "I'm a hired assassin. People hire me to take out a particular person and I do it. If they pay the right price, of course. Cliff is pretty much the only person I know who'll help me without too much fuss."

I grew quiet. I should have known this guy wasn't ordinary. Cliff was such a freak, I doubted he had any regular friends.

The door opened behind us and we turned to see Cliff entering, dressed in his scrubs. "Zane, I'm home," he called without looking up from his keys. 

"In here," Aaron called.

Stopping in his tracks, Cliff looked up and raised an eyebrow when he saw both of us sitting on the couch together. "Aaron," he said, seemingly dumbfounded. He looked at me. "Did I miss something?"

"Not really," Aaron replied, hopping up from the couch to throw an arm over Cliff's shoulders. "I showed up to talk to you and found out you weren't here, but Zane was very hospitable. We were talking while we waited for you."

Cliff was staring at me, so I cleared my throat. "He was just telling me about his... job."

Cliff turned to Aaron. "How long have you been here?" he asked.

"Just a few minutes," he said. "So, are we gonna talk?"

Cliff told me to go to the bedroom and I quietly obeyed. They sat down on the couch as I shut the bedroom door. Dropping down on the bed, I stared at the door with a deep sense of curiosity. I wondered what they were talking about.

*******

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