Together is Where We are Meant to Be

Chapter 15

Micah was on the road for New Years and so I spent it with Allie and her son, Milo. Milo made it to nine o'clock before he zonked out. Allie did not last much longer, maybe another hour. The kid had been draining her as he was going through a cold and would not sleep through the night. I could not blame her, so I let myself out and went home to the apartment across town. It was super early and I decided I was going to turn in too.

Last week, Micah surprised me by buying us a piece of land just outside of Sewickley Borough that we were going to build a house on. He was the best player in the league right now, even after the injury, that he was resigning a contract to keep him there for ten years additional on his original contract of five years after his rookie season. I was glad to know that we could put down some roots for now.

We met with a contractor two days ago and he was drawing up plans to try and match what we were describing as our dream home. After the first of the year, we would hopefully agree on a blue print and have a home built for us as soon as the ground thawed and the snow was melted. I was looking forward to it.

The land was in a nice, residential area, kind of close to Allie. It was a nice community, so I was happy with his impulse buy on the lot. It would need a lot of TLC in the coming years, but I think I could handle it.

"Micah, I didn't expect you to call," I told my boyfriend as I let myself in to the apartment. I heard something shatter, most certainly glass as he responded to me something I did not comprehend. I flipped a light on and came face to face with a gun. It was black and it was pointed at me.

"Put it down, lady. Hang up the phone and hand it over." I started to shake uncontrollably in shock at the situation.

"I love you," I said before I hung up the phone and tossed it onto the floor. It did not break or anything, gosh how I wish I had a crappy piece of shit phone. The man who had invaded my apartment did not need to know who my boyfriend was or how much money he made. I stared at the intruder as he stared at me. He was thinking hard on something. He was taller, Caucasian, and had deep blue eyes. "What do you want? I have maybe fifty bucks in the entire apartment, I swear." He chuckled.

"I already know that since I ransacked your place here. I was not planning on you coming home this early on New Year's Eve, though. Now I guess I am going to have to take you hostage for Micah Stevens to pay out the ass to get you back. That's who you were just talking to, was it not? The man who lives here and who you claim to love?" I blinked furiously, trying to think of an escape plan.

"Micah does not live here? I think he's some professional hockey player or something, isn't he?" I tried my best to act. I knew I would never make Hollywood with a performance like this, but it was worth a shot.

Slowly, he bent to pick up my phone while keeping his very black, very dangerous gun pointed at me. He unlocked the screen that I had failed to set a password to and pulled up my recent calls.

"Mic, M-I-C. You want to rethink your last statement about not knowing him? Because I bet that if I call this number, Micah Stevens will answer. That would not be good for you. I could shoot you on principle for lying to me. And there is nothing you could do to stop me."

"I know him, but he is more like a brother. That is why I said I love you to him. We were close when we were younger, but we aren't anymore." I continued to act my ass off, it was a life or death situation here.

"Why does your roommate have his jersey in every color?"

"Oh, you mean Jared? He's a really big fan of Micah's. He had to have every color ever worn by Micah, well, not game worn, but the type of jersey. He is really enthusiastic about the Slashers, even more so than I am. Which is kinda hard to believe since my childhood friend is their star player."

"Is that so? Let's go into your room, come on. You can lead the way," I did as told and went to my room. I knew then how I was going to escape.

"Do you mind if I use the bathroom? I was headed there originally and now the urge has gotten worse with you pointing that gun at me." He sighed and let me enter the bathroom. I was about to shut the door when his hand stopped it from shutting completely.

"The door stays open," he said in his bold and angry voice.

"I will not be able to go if the door is not closed. It makes me nervous, like anyone can see me. I can not even use public restrooms for that reason." I tried to convince him and it must have worked because his hand moved away from the door frame.

"It stays unlocked." I nodded and I closed the door the rest of the way. I waited a minute, listening for him. I figured that when he tossed the apartment that he would have come across the two doors into the one bathroom. I was hoping that he would remember and head to that door so I could slip out the door I came in through. A second later, it must have hit him because he cursed and went rushing to the other door. I took that moment to go out the door I entered through and quickly made my exit to the front door in enough time to make it out.

Not trusting that he would not go to my next door neighbor's, I opted to go up a flight of stairs to one of the neighbors up there. I knocked normally on the first door I saw once out of the staircase.

"Mrs. McAllister, do not scream. There is a man in my apartment with a gun. Can I come inside to call the police?" she nodded and stepped away from the door to let me in, obviously in too much shock to say anything.

The police came and searched my apartment for any sign that he was there. There was enough evidence to know someone had been there, but the man was gone. They made me go to the precinct downtown in the Borough to give my statement and to talk to a sketch artist since the man had not worn a mask when he was in the apartment. I told the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

The sketch artist was able to capture the man perfectly from my description and they sent it out over the wavelengths to officers in the immediate area. I was able to go home after that, with a promise that officers would patrol the area until the man was arrested.

I felt some comfort in that and went home. I let myself in and surveyed the damage done. I had already told the officers that all the expensive things were still in the apartment, so I was not worried. I went to Micah's room to get a t-shirt off the shelf in the closet when I felt something sharp come up to my throat and someone's breathing in my ear. I knew it was a knife and the man who had been here earlier, it had to be, and no one else would be that stupid to come into an apartment already searched by the cops.

"I heard everything you told the cops, hun. You are Micah Stevens' girl. But you're coming with me now. Try to scream and everything ends here. No more perfect life for you and Micah. Maybe I can just damage you both enough by killing your unborn child instead. Your sister called to see how your appointment went the other day. You definitely should have told me that earlier. But now it does not matter. Say goodbye to your apartment, it may be the last time you ever see it. You may not make it back alive. Not if he does not pay up that is."

"What's your problem with Micah anyways?" I questioned as he took the knife away but held the gun close to my back as we headed out of the apartment.

"It isn't so much Micah as his family. They were supposed to adopt me, but then Micah was conceived. They threw me out like a piece of garbage," he whispered as I got shoved into a blacked out van.