Chapter 37
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Matt
Sleeping in Nick’s room without him on Sunday night had been depressing. I’d pushed my face into his pillow and fallen asleep to his scent. Monday had been no better—maybe worse. He’d said he was stuck there because Lenny had changed his plans.
Noel, JJ, and Mason were wonderful. Noel was in and out, checking on things and running more scans or whatever techy people called techy things.
While JJ kept me busy with his therapy, I was glad when Tuesday morning arrived. I loved this house, but I needed out.
After breakfast I got into Gabe’s car for the ride to work.
“Hear anything from Nick or the others?”
“Just that it was a quiet night.” He peered over at me with a smirk. “I’m sure Nick was texting you all night.”
He was. “Yeah, but I get the feeling he doesn’t want to scare me, so he’s being very secretive about things.”
Gabe shook his head. “Nah, he’s not like that with this. It involves you, keeping secrets would only endanger you.”
We pulled into Rybelt and before I left the car, Gabe made sure I had his number. “If you get done early, or are sent somewhere else, call me, and I’ll be here.”
I smiled. “Thanks, Gabe. I appreciate it.”
“No prob, stay safe.” He waited until I was inside and then drove off.
“An escort, huh?” Darnell joked as I hung up my bag.
“Yeah, that person, they’re getting bad. Cops still have nothing and, well, I doubt they can help anymore. Nick just feels better if I’m not off on my own for now.”
Darnell smiled wide. “I love that. He seems like a great guy.”
“He is.”
“You both have clients arriving in a few minutes; get moving,” Camie shouted from outside her office.
“Yes, ma’am,” we said in unison, earning a glare.
“Seriously, why does she own a business if she hates people?” Darnell followed me to the water station to fill my bottle.
“Money, Darnell. Money.”
He hummed, and we went off to prepare for our clients. I was just setting up when Camie came up to me.
“Hey, I got a problem.”
I spun on my heel; she sounded genuinely upset. “What is it?”
“Olivia’s dad called, said she’s giving him a hard time about coming in but has been complaining about some pain.”
“Pain where?”
She shook her head. “Didn’t say, I assumed her leg. Is there any way you can drive down there for today’s therapy? If she’s hurting, I’d really rather her not miss this.”
If I hadn’t known better I’d have thought Camie cared, but I realized a missed session was less money.
“I don’t have a car today, I was driven in.”
She pursed her lips. “They aren’t far from here, I can drop you off at her house. Call when you’re done and I’ll get you.”
I didn’t want to tell Camie about what had been going on in my life. Knowing her, she’d fire me to protect herself.
“Let me just get what I need. Can we go in a few?”
“That’s fine, I told him you’d do it.” She winked. Such a bitch .
I gathered my supplies and glanced at the time. Lenny was probably just getting there or close to it. I’d text Gabe in the car and let him know where I was going and ask him to meet me there to pick me up.
“Let’s go,” Camie shouted, and I jogged over. “I’m parked in the back.”
I hefted my bag up, and took my phone out of my pocket. She drove a top-of-the line Mercedes because of course she did and had her own private spot tucked into a little space where no other people could breathe on it.
I reached for the car door handle when an oof sound caught my attention, and I spun to find Camie on the ground.
“Oh, my God. Camie, are you okay? Did you trip?” I dropped my bag and ran to her. She was out cold, and there was blood trickling from her head. “Shit.” I stood to get help, but someone grabbed my throat from behind and pressed me to their solid chest.
“Always so sweet.” They sniffed my hair, and I froze. “I’m sure she’ll be okay, but if you don’t come with me quietly, I promise to shoot her in the head.”
I couldn’t see who had me but they were strong, and their voice was altered, so I knew it was my stalker.
“Please, don’t do this.”
“ Shhh , you don’t know what you want, Matt. I do, trust me. Now, are you coming quietly, or are we gonna get bloody?”
I didn’t like Camie, but I didn’t want her to die. I couldn’t be responsible for a death. I closed my eyes and took a breath.
“I’ll come.”
They chuckled. “Good. Let’s go, Matt. Forever is waiting.”
I was forced into a blue SUV where my hands were tied behind me, duct tape was pressed against my lips, and my legs were wrapped in rope. I prayed the whole time for someone to come out and see what was happening but this was the back. No one came here unless they were coming or going from Rybelt, and all the trainers were in.
“It’s a bit of a drive. So you don’t get bored, I’ll just let you sleep.”
I mumbled behind the tape and thrashed when they took out a syringe. They had sunglasses on and a medical mask; I had no idea who they were.
All the fighting I tried to do was useless. There was a pinch in my arm, and everything went fuzzy, then black.
I came to with a horrible headache, the worst case of dry mouth, and I was immobile. My vision was slightly blurred, but I was able to move my head. I was clearly in a bedroom since I was lying on a bed. There was a little light creeping in from behind dark curtains, but I couldn’t see much of the details of the room.
My shoulders ached from my arms being pulled behind me, and my legs were stiff. I listened intently for any sounds, but it was dead quiet. I rolled to the side as best as I could and rubbed my face against the comforter, desperate to remove the tape.
I stopped every few seconds to listen, and once I was sure nobody was coming, I kept trying. I understood how bad this was for me. While whoever this was might not kill me, there were far worse things in this world than death.
When I had successfully removed the tape, I took a few much-needed breaths. I wanted my mouth free in case the opportunity came to shout. Truth was, I was stuck. My legs were wrapped so tightly, I wasn’t sure I could hop. The dark room made it hard to see where there was a door, but I wasn’t going to give up.
I rolled back and forth, building up enough momentum to shoot into an upright position. My head spun, and nausea rolled around. I swallowed and took a minute. Once I was sure I wasn’t going to vomit everywhere, I shuffled to the end of the bed and slowly stood.
Yeah, this was going to be hard. I spun and sure enough, there was a sliver of light coming from across the room. That had to be the door.
“Legs don’t fail me now,” I whispered.
I took a few shallow hops, carefully, until I was more confident. Soon enough, I was at the door. I had to turn, since my hands were tied behind me, to grip the doorknob.
I almost cheered when it turned, and with another hop forward, it opened. There was not a sound, and I peered around the corner, relieved when I didn’t see anyone.
Maybe they thought I wasn’t going to wake up or be able to move? A few more hops brought me to the hallway, and there was an odd familiarity of this place. Like I recognized the setup but the decorating wasn’t mine.
“Oh my God,” I gasped as soon as I rounded the corner to the living room. I knew exactly where I was.
“Well, you’re far more determined than I gave you credit for.” I spun around, and there was James, a deranged smile on his face and a gun pointed at me. “Hi, Matt.”
“What the fuck?”
He laughed and walked over to me. He was so close, I could smell his aftershave and while it probably was a nice scent, it was one I’d hate forever.
“I’m so happy to finally have you home,” James said right before he kissed me.