Haunting Past

Chapter TwentyOne

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

“Please, can we just talk and catch up Ben, please?”  Grace was desperately trying to get him to stop his hands roaming over body.  She didn’t want to make him think that there was any way that she had missed him but she knew that she would have to cooperate with him as much as she could.  She felt him relax a little and knew he was thinking about what she’d asked, then he got up from her and pulled over a chair that she hadn’t noticed was in the corner of the room.  He had still left her laid on the bed, but she was just relieved that he wasn’t touching her anymore.  She turned to look at him as he sat on the chair with one leg crossed over the other; she ran her eyes over his face and features.  His hair was longer and darker than she remembered.  His eyes were a dark brown, and his nose that she remembered as being slightly crooked due the amount of times it had been broken was now straight.  His build was a lot broader, she figured he must have been working out, and although she didn’t think he was bothered about his appearance she thought he must have had some facial surgery.

He sat looking over her just as she was him, he knew she was starting to see the differences in him, but it didn’t matter anymore.  He thought that she was as beautiful as he remembered, and deserving of more than she had.   His mum had always told him to be patient and he would get what he deserved, and she was right.  In front of him was his prize, and he was not letting go.  He watched her as the range of emotions that she was experiencing showed on her face.  He had to stop himself from smiling as he enjoyed the turmoil that he knew she was going through, she didn’t want to anger him, she knew what had happened last time.  She wanted to talk and catch up, well he would let her have some time to get used to the idea of them being together, he knew he could make her forget the Dean – he knew that for certain.

Grace didn’t know what to say to him.  She felt awkward still being laid down, she felt vulnerable.  She decided to try a little general chatter to try and help her relax.  “You look a little different than I remember,” she meant it to be a statement, but the way that she said it made it sound like a question.  Grace apologised as soon as she made the realisation So much for trying to relax, she thought to herself, then was taken aback when she hear him laughing.  She furrowed her brow at him in confusion, “Ben, what’s so funny?”  He suddenly stopped laughing and his eyes went dark, Grace felt the shift in the atmosphere around them, she knew he was more dangerous now than he had been all the time she had known him.  She knew that she should stay quiet but she couldn’t help but say his name again, “Ben?”  Grace flinched as he stood quickly from his chair sending it flying across the room.

“Don’t call me that.  I don’t need him, I’m better than him I always was, and now I have you, the one thing that he couldn’t keep.”  He looked at Grace with a sinister smile then it faded and he looked pained, he clutched his head before falling to his knees and putting his head down.  “LEAVE ME ALONE, SHE’S MINE, YOU CAN’T HAVE HER.”  Then he ran his fingers through his hair and Grace gasped as it came away in his hands, then he rubbed violently at his eyes.  “You will not decide for me anymore, leave me alone,” then he lifted his head so that Grace could see him, she didn’t know what to say, it wasn’t Ben, his smile returned and he started walking towards her, “Let’s see what he wants so bad shall we?”  Grace let out a piercing scream and then everything went black.

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When they reached the house they could see a black range rover parked in the drive.  Harry had told Luke to leave things to the police, but Luke knew that Jacob would not wait and so did Harry, so he gave him as much information as he could to keep his friend safe and begged them to just wait outside until they arrived.  They were sat outside in the car when Jacob climbed out and went to one of the neighbour’s homes knocking on the door.  Luke watched from the car as Jacob was having a discussion with the woman who looked to be in her fifties.  He could see Jacob nod his head and then he turned to walk back to the car.  “So what did you find out?”  Luke didn’t give Jacob chance to get back into the car before he questioned him.  Jacob turned in his seat to face Luke.

“They’re on holiday, apparently the car arrived last night and the time would tie in with when Grace left with James.”  Jacob said the last part through gritted teeth, not only angry at James, but angry at himself as well.  “She said that Ben was their oldest son and it was a big shock when he died.  Apparently he had always been a bit of a speed demon behind the wheel of his car, but this one night he’d got behind the wheel drunk, shouting something about him getting her back and making her regret she ever left.  She said that his brother had tried to stop him, but he just shouted back at him saying he was always jealous and that he’d never have the guts to take a girl like Lily.”  Jacob paused as he digested everything that he was saying, and realising that the girl was Grace.  “She said that he stood and watched Ben drive away before following in his own car.  She said the next time she seen him he was a different man, she described him as troubled, and she didn’t think it was solely to do with the grief of losing a brother.  Luke, James is his brother and it is James that came back to the house last night, she told me that her husband had been shocked when he came home last night to see James carrying a woman into the house.  James had told him she was a colleague and had drank a little too much on a works night out and his parents house was closer.”  Jacob stopped and looked at Luke and just at that moment they both heard a piercing scream coming from the house and then it went quiet.  Jacob scrambled out of the car and ran towards the house, Luke followed, phoning Harry on the way to let him know that they couldn’t wait.

As they reached the house, they both stood at the front door and listened for any sounds that would alert them, but they couldn’t hear anything.  There was no access to the back of the house and from what they could see there were no windows open.  Jacob noticed that the neighbour who he had spoken to had come out of her house; she had also heard the scream.  She walked quietly over to Jacob and put a key in his hand, as he looked at it she told him that they always leave it with her when they are away.  Jacob nodded his thanks and then let out a breath before he looked over to Luke who nodded letting Jacob know it was still quiet.  Jacob placed the key in the lock and turned it as quietly as he could, he was thankful that it opened with ease.  The inside of the house was plainly decorated, if they didn’t know that it was someone’s home they would have said it was  show home.  The downstairs of the house was open plan, so just at a glance they could see that there was no one there; both Jacob and Luke looked up the stairs at the same time.  They both nodded at each other as they quietly made their way to the top of the stairs.  They were railed half way but then became a solid wall making it difficult to see if there was anybody waiting for them.

When they reached the small landing they saw that there were 4 closed doors.  Jacob noticed that one of the doors had a bolt on it and it was locked.  Jacob tapped Luke on the shoulder and pointed to the lock.  Luke nodded as Jacob put his ear to the door to hear nothing, so he gently eased the bolt open and turned the handle easing the door open.  He noticed the small window in the room had shutters covering it, but the light that was turned on lit the room, the decor was the same as the rest of the house.  He opened the door a little wider a saw a chair in the corner but he noted that it was laid on its side, then he noticed the bed in the room and gasped as he noticed Grace.  He took a second to check that there was no one else in the room before he nodded at Luke, who waited outside keeping watch while Jacob went into the bedroom.

Grace was laid on the bed with her hands and feet tied to the frame.  He could see that she was wearing a bathrobe and that it had been pulled exposing parts of her body.  Jacob knew he couldn’t focus on that he had to get her out of there and safe.  Jacob realised why the screaming had stopped, Grace had passed out.  He ran his finger lightly down the side of her face and placed a light kiss on her forehead, “I’m so sorry baby.  I love you.”  Jacob placed another kiss and then pulled away and started to undo the ropes that had her bound, he could feel the tears welling in his eyes and he knew that he needed to be strong to get her out of there so he composed himself while he was setting her free.  “Come on baby; let’s get you out of here.”  He closed over her bathrobe before lifting her into his arms; she stirred as he held her close.  He could hear her muttering but he couldn’t make out what she was saying, all he could do was to comfort her until they got her out of the house and into the car.  Just as Luke was relocking the bedroom door so that he didn’t know she had gone, he noticed the door to the left of them started to open. 

“Jacob we have to go,” Luke grabbed Jacob’s arm and pulled him to the stairs, but then he heard the click of a gun.  Both men turned to the open door, Jacob handed Grace to Luke.

“Get her out of here Luke, please,” Jacob stood in front of Luke who now had Grace in his arms and turned to face the guy who had turned Grace’s life into a nightmare.