Ember Kate

Chapter:: Twenty

When I woke up, I felt like I was in a bad horror movie. I was tied up to a chair with my feet and hands bound in duct tape. The place I was in was dark and I could tell the sun probably hadn’t risen yet. Did my parents notice my absence yet? Or were they tip toeing around my room in the hallway, hoping I wouldn’t come out?

Nobody else seemed to be in the room with me, so I let my guard down a second to think about what Locklan could be doing. Is he out of bed? In yesterday’s clothes in his rush to tell somebody, anybody who would listen about the weird phone call he got in the dead of night. Or maybe after I hung up he tossed his phone on the other side of his pillow, rolled over, and fell right back to sleep. But I had to have a little hope and try to make myself believe that he got out to tell someone.

I heard a door slide open, well more like pried. Trying to turn around in my seat, I found that I couldn’t bend that way. It sounded like a barn door opening. Looking around my surroundings, I realize that I’m in the middle of an old barn.

“Yeah, she’s here. When are you coming to get her?” I hear the familiar voice of Tommy. Obviously he was on the phone. As he shuts the door behind him, I wonder for a second if I should pretend like I’m still passed out. I decide against it, realizing I need answers to why I’m here.

After I hear him hang up the phone, I decide to ask him exactly that. “Why am I here?”

Tommy comes to face me, a creepy smile on his face. Has his smile always been creepy and I just didn’t notice it? The thought caused me to stop and thinking for a second. “I got into a little money trouble with some drugs, so I told my dealer that he could have you and I only have to pay a third of what I had to originally.” I almost laughed. I kind of did a little bit, honestly. What’s so special about me that made his debt so low?

“How come the price gets lowered down so much?” I avoid looking at him. It was a real mind teaser so have somebody you let into your house betrays you like this. I couldn’t make myself look at him, especially not in the eyes.

It’s quiet for a few minutes, and I wonder for a second if he didn’t hear me. When I look up at him for a second I realize he’s deep in thought. “I’m not sure, but he seemed really interested. Oh well, I don’t really care.”

“You know you aren’t going to get away with this,” I tell him as I look at my surroundings. Maybe if I was bluffing he’d let me go.

“I seriously doubt you have a plan, but nice try.” Tommy tells me, but I don’t drop the bluff.

“No, I really do have a plan. When I was in the bathroom, I was on the phone with the cops telling them that I had a suspicion that something bad was going to happen. I gave them your license plate number and they’ll be here soon, I bet.” As I spoke the words, I found myself believing them. It sounds like it could have happened. And I try not to smirk because Tommy gets the scared look on his face before checking his phone.

We sit in silence for a long time before I hear a car outside. Tommy gets this wary look on his face. Like he can’t tell if the cops found his car that he went to hide somewhere, or if it’s the people he’s waiting on. “Still don’t believe me?” I ask him smugly, not even bothering to keep the smirk off my face.

Tommy walks up to me and for a second I think he’s going to say something. Instead, he lifts his hand up and backhands me. I don’t have the energy to be mad. I’m just so surprised that he would hit me. Then again, I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised because of the situation. I could only let the dumb look on my face continue. Shifting my gaze to the floor so he can’t see the expression that’s apparently etched in my face, I try to listen for sounds of people. Was it just a figment of my imagination?

I hear the barn door open again and my head snaps back up. From what I can see, Tommy is still in the room and he’s standing by the door, all but pulling his hair out.

I see two men walk in and notice the power shift in the room. It was obvious who these men were, and it was even more obvious that they were manipulating Tommy, deeming him a worthless junkie. I turned back around and kept hoping that maybe Locklan was just running a little late with the help.

“I see you got her here safe and sound,” one of the men say, I don’t look up to see which one. I try to ignore the sound of Tommy’s annoying ass kissing behavior and the little chuckle they share over the situation. My gaze is still on the floor as I hear the steps of them walking around to face me. I don’t like my back being to the door, and the rest of the situation I’m in. I felt defenseless and I promised myself if I made it out of this then I would take self defense classes.

“Well, you’re just as attractive as Tom said you were,” the other guy talks while kneeling down next to me. I try to ignore the sick roll in my stomach as he puts his hand under my chin. I didn’t want to be hit but then again I also didn’t want to look at the men.

“Screw you,” I can’t help the words that slip out, and I kind of expect the hard slap I get. After I press my tongue against my cheek, trying to regain feeling; I think of how he called him Tom. It sounded so foreign. Despite the two letter difference, the guy I came to like was named Tommy, a friendlier version of the three lettered name.

“Maybe you’ll learn to bite your tongue,” the guy who spoke first said. I stared right at him, letting my eyes do the talking. I noticed Tom standing in the corner staring at his feet. I hope he felt bad that he’s doing this, and that he wishes he could do something to take it all back. But at least I know his true colors.

The men get in a discussion while I glance at Tom. I try not to listen, because I hear them reference me as an object and I didn’t want to know what I would be expected to do. When I hear the sound of tires on the gravel outside, I try not to make it obvious that I heard something. It was hard not to smile. Locklan actually listened. I was a little surprised. If we were still going out, of course we would’ve called the cops. But the fact that he did it since we were on such bad terms made my stomach get butterflies.

I wonder if he came with the cops, I silently decided that I would have to treat him to IHOP or something. It seemed kind of stupid, but I think he would appreciate it. What if it was only one cop and the men had guns?

I hear the barn door open, hopefully for the last time. I hear the click of guns being prepared to shoot. I don’t bother to turn around as the cops tell the men to put their hands up, along with Tom. There was a cop for each criminal and an extra one to cut me out of the duct tape. “Are you okay?” the officer asked me.

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, realizing it was a shaky breath. Glancing at the officer, I nod my head quickly. “I’m okay, did he come with you?” I was hoping I wouldn’t have to say his name and the officer would just understand who I’m talking about.

Before the young officer could answer me, I hear the barn doors open again. I didn’t realize they had been shut. I look to the doors and I see Locklan pretty much run into the barn. “Ember! Thank god you’re okay,” he runs up to me and hugs me tightly.

The hug makes me feel so grounded and loved I start crying. “You don’t need to cry, you’re okay. I got you,” Locklan pulls away and rubs my probably red cheek before leaning in and pressing his lips to mine.

“I’m so glad you believed me,” I tell him through my unattractive sniffling. I wrap my arms around his neck and just look at how much he’s changed. His black curly hair is longer than how it was when I first met him, his eyes are bright which make his long eyelashes look dark. I notice he’s wearing a movie shirt with his glasses and bright colored pants. “I take it back; I want you there to rescue me. Always.”

“I’ll always be right here, Ember.”