Chapter 27
27
KELLI
M y eyes felt heavy, my mouth dry and gritty, and my side was throbbing. I groaned at the discomfort, peeling my eyes open, one at a time. Yellow walls met my blurry vision, as I tried to roll myself over. I felt as if I was moving through putty, every movement sluggish. Finally splayed on my back, I tried to remember what happened. I remembered shopping with the guys. We had found some rugs and pillows that would bring a little color and fun into the cabin. Then, I went to the bathroom with Josh, and that’s when it all started to come back to me. I fought with someone in the restroom before he injected me with something. My bets are on propofol, which means that my body should start working with me pretty quickly as it wears off.
Despite using what I’ve learned with Josh and Logan, I wasn’t able to fight him off. They always say never let someone get you to a secondary location because you’re unlikely to live or be found. This definitely wasn’t the store, and I definitely was going to get murdered. This is it. I finally found love again, just to be killed. What the fuck had I done in my past life to deserve this? The longer I laid here, the more I started to feel the beginnings of a panic attack. I cannot let myself spiral, I need to find a way to live.
Wiggling my arms brings on a tingling sensation, which is good. My head rolls easy from one side to the other, then snags on a photo on the nightstand next to me.
Holy.
Shit.
The couple in a sweet embrace smiling at the camera are wearing military uniforms. They are two of the people from the unit photo in Logan’s office. If I remember correctly, the woman is the one who died when they were ambushed. The room spins around me as I try to wrap my head around this. I wasn’t targeted because of my video, I was targeted because of Brian. He is never going to forgive himself if I die.
A creaking of the floor sounds somewhere in the hall before a jingle of keys and turning locks sounds. The man that steps into the room hones in on me, a disturbing smile at odds with his emotionless eyes. He has the eyes of a killer, someone who feels nothing. He looks a little shorter than the guys, and he’s definitely skinnier. His hair is long and unkempt, a scraggly beard covering his face. His dead eyes meet mine as a tremor rolls through my body. I focus on my breathing, trying not to panic.
“Nice to see you awake, Kelli.” His voice was rough, an edge of arrogance coming through. “Welcome to our home.”
Prickles move through my legs as I wiggle my toes. “Our home? Who all lives here?” My voice is hoarse, but at least it doesn’t quake.
“Us, of course. You and me. I made this room especially for you, so I hope you like it.”
My eyes roam the room, taking in the boards over the two windows that are lined with the same curtains I had at my house. A door to my left seems to lead into a bathroom, so at least there’s that for when he inevitably locks me in here again. I have a few ways to play this out. I can play nice while the guys look for me, because I know they won’t stop until they find me. I can try to play dumb and find a way to get myself out when he underestimates me. Or, I can start guns blazing with my disdain and knowledge of who he is and fight him every step of the way until I am free.
His eyes don’t hold an ounce of remorse for terrorizing me, which rules out option number three. My self-preservation is screaming at me that death at his hands is a real possibility if I don’t play my cards right. “I like the colors you chose. Do you mind telling me your name since you know mine?”
He eyes me warily. “Those fuckwads didn’t tell you about me? You were hiding out with them for weeks. I don’t know if I believe that.”
“I saw you in one of their unit photos in the office, but they didn’t tell me any names. You did serve with them though, right?” I really couldn’t remember his name, but I also don’t know how much he knows about the guys currently, and I can’t risk giving up any information that could harm them or turn his wrath toward them.
“It’s Caleb. We served together before Brian fucked up everyone’s lives and walked away scot-free. I don’t want to talk about that, though. I’ve waited a long time to have you, Kelli.”
Sensations were now floating through the rest of my body, so I slowly sat up on the bed, testing out my strength. My head was still spinning a bit, but my movements were decently coordinated. “You are the one that was following me and leaving me notes?”
“Ashley used to love when I left notes hidden for her to find, so I thought you might feel the same.”
God, this was feeling like a case of transference now. Was he trying to get revenge on Brian, or was he misplacing his feelings for his dead girlfriend onto me? It’s possible it was a little of both. The room was still spinning around me, but I was keeping my cool as best as I could. “Notes can be nice. Where are we, Caleb?”
He moved from the entrance of the room to sit on the edge of the bed, his hand reaching out to toy with the comforter. “I already told you, at our house. You really are a beautiful woman. I see why Brian is so in love with you. Hell, you’ve put me under your spell. I’ve always loved a woman with a little fire.” His tongue slips out to lick over a cut on his lip he must have gotten in our scuffle. “You definitely have fire.”
My mind shoots to Josh and his nickname for me. He must be as scared as I am. God, I hope they can find me. I scoot my body further up the bed and away from him, but he grabs onto my ankle before I can make it too far. “I’m going to make us some food. Don’t get any ideas, or I will tie you up. Or maybe do, I think we could have a lot of fun that way.” He is up and locking me back in the room in no time, the sound of clicking behind him as he goes.
I curl my body up by the headboard, reeling from his touch. I don’t know what I thought would happen if my stalker ever found me, but raping and killing me wasn’t it. My arms shake as they wrap tighter around my legs, trying to hold myself together. This can’t be happening, this can’t be real. We should have never left the house. Josh is going to blame himself for being so close when I was taken. I might never see him again. I might never see any of them again. My breaths started coming faster, and my whole body was trembling now.
I let myself give into the panic for just a moment before pulling on my big girl panties. I can’t just roll over and accept this. I have to fight. The guys would expect me to fight, especially since they trained me for this. There is no doubt in my mind that Caleb is not exactly right in the head. I quietly and slowly move around the room on shaky legs, trying to find anything that can potentially be a weapon or way to get out. The guys have been trying to find him for weeks now with no luck, and I don’t think I stand a chance if they take that long to find me. I just need to be careful and do exactly what they taught me. It’s a real possibility that the only way I am leaving this house alive is by getting myself out.
I check the boards over the window first, which have at least forty nails in each. The nightstands are empty, and there is nothing under the bed, so I move to the dresser. I’m horrified to find MY underwear in the top drawer. I knew he had taken them, but seeing them here makes my stomach roll. Worst of all, the pair on top is the one he had in the photo he sent. Quickly closing it, I find the rest of the drawers empty. The closet has some men’s tees hung up and not much else.
Moving to the bathroom next, I am horrified to find it stocked with some more items from my home. Clearly he took the liberty of stealing my extra bulk buys of my soaps and lotions. Rifling through the drawers, I found some hair pins which could come in handy. Other than that, it is also pretty bare bones with nothing I can think of to use to my advantage. It will all come down to my ability to undermine and escape from him.
Hiding the hairpins I snagged under the edge of the mattress, I sit back on the bed, trying to come up with any sort of exit plan. Caleb comes back, those keys jingling again to bring us some sandwiches. He has decent muscle tone and has at least eight inches on me, but I have been training for this. Unfortunately, he sets my plate and a water bottle on the bed before sitting on the chair by the door to eat his, making it impossible for me to strike at this moment.
“I didn’t poison it or anything, you should eat. I already told you, I like a woman who fights. Keeping you unconscious would take all the fun away.” His smirk is downright savage. Eyeing the sandwich, I decide to eat it. I’ll need my strength.
“What’s your plan here, Caleb? We just live here forever, me locked away in this room?”
“Of course not. I’ll keep you here until I decide how to best torture Brian with your stay here. Maybe enjoy the fact that I have a woman in my bed. It’s been a long time.” His gaze chills me to the bone as it rakes down my body. “Once I have my fill and I ensure he feels every ounce of pain I did, I’ll get rid of you,” he says nonchalantly. He takes a bite of his sandwich, his eyes getting a faraway look before focusing on the picture of him and Ashley. “I thought about keeping you, ya know. Then I remembered, you only get one great love and I already had mine. It’s only fair Brian loses his love, too.”
Bile rises in my throat and I try to swallow it down. He is beyond unhinged and I am going to die here. There’s a good chance he is going to kill me before I can escape, but there is no way in hell he is getting a piece of me first. I will die before this man defiles me. The guys would never recover if Caleb raped me. Taking slow sips of water and focusing on my breathing, I think of my guys. I can do this. I can get out for them, for the future we talked about. I will be fine, I will survive this. My love for the three of them, Josh and Logan’s love for me. It is enough. I will get through this. This time, love will be enough.