KIDNAPPED -Love Finds A Way

SEVENTEEN

"The last time I saw the house that bright was when my mom was alive. She liked it clean. She loved the open windows and light and breeze streaming inside. Just like you she liked to wander around the lawn and backyard ,she loved gardening and cooking and going to the market"

He looked up at the orange sun that had coloured the sky with shades of orange, red and a bit purple at the edges.

"What happened to her ?" She said inching closer to him.

"It all started with throat ache and some coughing. She thought it was just flu and she ignored it .But it grew worse ,she could barely speak ,she couldn't drink or eat. Then Max helped us to see a doctor. They said she had throat cancer."

She gasped. Her eyes wide and tears pooling in them. Cancer. The killer . She had seen a countless cancer patients ,many participated in the drug trails with the hope that they will get cured and live long enough to see their children grow up. She could remember the wailing and crying faces of their family members. She had known to what extent cancer can destroy a family. The cross was bared by the entire family and caregivers of the patient. The mental toll it took on the patient was devastating.

"We didn't have much money to afford her treatment. I did what ever I could. I stopped going to school and worked all day to gather money, I washed dishes at the diner, threw newspaper , worked at the market delivering groceries. I did all I could but I couldn't save her. The pain was too much to bear for her . The day she died she couldn't even talk to me. She just touched my face and let go of her life"

Sia engulfed him in a hug. He took her in closer. They stayed like that for quiet some time.

"I'm so sorry Clay" She rested her head on his chest and hugged him tighter.

"Its alright" he said after a while.

"Who took care of you then ?"

"No one. Though there were a few to help me out ,Max mostly. When she was gone I was twelve. I couldn't go to school cause I had no money. So i decided to just work. I started out at Jon's garage. He taught me everything ,he was a good man . He told me to go to school and work at the garage part time to gather money for the fee"

"Then how did you come to work for Roy"

"Some back alley fights and underground fighting rings and then joining some local gang. I used to wear a black hoodie with a black mask . They used to call me black mask " he laughed

"I once beat one of Roy's men to pulp, Roy liked my courage so he took me in .None of the people in the town know a single thing about me rather than a lonely hot guy who has a rusty old garage" he chuckled.

She smiled at his goofy comment

"So he chose you to take care of me cause you're the town's boy and that no one will suspect that you're involved in something like this ?" She looked up at him.

"Exactly"

"So you have a garage ? Who's handling it now ?"

"Its closed . No one really visits there apart from Jon's old customers."

They sat there until the sun was halfway dipped into the ocean. The nip in the air sent a shiver down her so Clayton decided to head back home.

*****

On Halloween she had made them some sweet treats and dressed spike in a honey bee costume she had brought from the store. She had used whatever makeup she found in her bag to give herself a Halloween makeover. Clayton on the other hand was rummaging through the kitchen looking for the treats she had made.

In the evening they had settled to watch Gremlins.

"This movie baffles me everytime. It's clearly said don't feed the gremlins after midnight, don't get the gremlins wet . How hard is it to understand? What do you think Clay? Clay?"

Clayton was kinda pale, he was huddled in one corner of the couch.

"Clay ? Are you afraid of gremlins?"

"What ? No no not at all. I just don't like them "

She laughed.

"Ooh big ol clay is afraid of wee gremlins " she rolled on the couch laughing.

He slumped his head back in embarrassment.

*****

After a few days he had received Roy's call. He wanted to meet Clayton.

What was he going to tell Roy ? He had no answers. If he told Roy that Sia refused to spill any secret then that would only fuel his anger. Clayton pushed his hand into his hair trying to think straight. there was a war between his inner voices.

I don't want her to go .....Why ? Do you love her?

No no I..I.. don't love her .......Really you don't?

Argh I don't know I just want her .......what if she hates you?

No she likes me......how can you be so sure. You need to go set things straight. Take her to your bed,...

"Stop it .Stop it" he scolded himself.

His reckless inner voice was pushing him towards doing what his body craved and the rational inner voice asked him to reason his feelings . He was torn between what he felt and what he had to do. But first he had to meet Roy.

*****

The next day he got ready to leave at 10 am.

"Sia I'm going to the town, it'll take long so If I don't reach by lunch time you go ahead and eat. Okay? I'll lock the door now"

He kissed her forehead and cupped her face to give her one long look .He then ushered her inside, locked the door and left.

*****

It had been an hour since Clayton had left so she decided to start on the lunch. She walked with spike into the kitchen. She was peeling some potatoes when she heard the truck.She thought maybe Clayton's work was done early so he was back . She was waiting for him to walk into the kitchen but for quite some time no one entered the house.

She walked to the front door to see what was wrong and looked outside through the blind of the window.

That's not Clayton's truck.

An old rusted red truck was parked in front of the house. She ducked when she heard a voice.

"Bob looks like no one's home. You still wanna break in ?"

Break in !

She tiptoed to the door and looked into the peephole. There were two brawny looking men ,one was rather short and not so well built as the other. He called the bigger man with red beard Bob. They both looked like drunkards.

"Go ahead Morty, open the door"

♤♧♤♧