Chapter 44
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Emelia sluggishly regained consciousness, her head throbbing with a splitting headache. She couldn’t shake off the feeling of dread as she struggled to open her heavy eyelids.
Fear and confusion set in as she tried to remember what had happened—flashes of Leo, the park, a van, being violently thrown into it, then everything going black.
She remembered the jolt of the van hitting something hard. The sensation of being thrown over someone’s shoulder and her vomiting flashed through her mind before she slipped back into unconsciousness.
When Emelia woke again, she didn’t know how much time had passed. She strained to open her eyes, but they felt heavy, like weights were pulling them down. With great effort, she managed to pry them open, only to slam them shut in fear. Where was she? It looked like a small cabin, roughly constructed.
Cautiously, she opened her eyes and surveyed the small room.
The room was bare except for a cot in one corner, a makeshift counter with a hot plate and cooler, two rickety chairs by a wall, a small wooden table and … nothing else. The air in the cabin was stale and musty, as if it hadn’t been used in a while. Panic rose in her chest as she realized she was tied to a chair and completely alone. The silence was deafening, which frightened Emelia even more. This was not good at all.
The door creaked open, and a figure silhouetted by sunlight entered. Emelia strained to see who it was.
“Well, well, look who’s finally awake.” Stacy’s voice echoed throughout the room.
“Stacy, go get help,” Emelia pleaded weakly. Her voice sounded feeble and dry; she struggled to lick her parched lips but found no moisture there. Her throat burned from vomiting.
A man’s laughter behind Stacy filled the room.
“I don’t think so, Emelia. Tim here wouldn’t like that,” said Stacy. Emelia struggled to understand why Stacy was up and about and she was tied to a chair. Had Stacy been involved in this?
Fear and confusion overwhelmed Emelia as she tried to comprehend Stacy’s words and the man’s identity. She struggled with her bindings, but the rough rope only cut into her hands and feet, causing more pain. Her breath quickened. Who was this man? She knew in her core he wanted to hurt her.
“Who are you? What do you want?” Her voice trembled in fear and confusion.
The man came closer. He’d be rather good-looking if his brown eyes didn’t have that dead look. Tall, slender, with a shock of black hair, he eyed her up and down with a predatory look. Her skin prickled with goosebumps.
“Emelia, Emelia.” He shook his head slowly. “You are a hard woman to scare.” Tim pulled up one of the rickety chairs and sat in front of her. “I have some papers for you to sign.”
Sign? What papers? Was Tim a little off-center? Well, duh, Emelia thought bitterly. You’re tied to a chair after being kidnapped.
“I don’t know what you want me to sign,” she said, stalling for time.
Tim chuckled darkly. “Well, let me refresh your memory,” he drawled. “I tried to buy the bakery, but you kept outbidding me. So now you’re going to sell it to me at cost.” He started laughing. “Free, as it were.”
So, this was the person she had been bidding against. Why did he want it so badly?
“Why would I do that?” Emelia’s heart was pounding, and she had no idea why she was even engaging with this nut job, but if it gained her time for Titus to find her, she’d keep going.
His eyes narrowed in anger, and his jaw clenched. Anger simmered below the surface, and for just a moment, Emelia feared he was going to hit her. “Because it’s my legacy. Dear ol’ dad always promised me it would be mine.”
“Legacy? Is this what it’s all about? A legacy.” Emelia’s palms were sweating as she tried to keep him talking, but she knew she was tempting fate engaging with Tim.
“Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a job when you get out of the joint?” he spat out.
While Emelia was listening to Tim, she noticed Stacy slowly inching up behind Tim with a rock in her hand.
What the hell was Stacy planning to do?