After what seemed like an incalculable amount of time the van came to a stop. She could hear him exit. There was a few minutes of silence then she heard something at the back door.
It opened and Reggie stood looking down at her with a grim smile on his face.?
¡°Hey Angel. I¡¯ll get you all set up.¡±
He undid something that had her legs locked down. Then he pulled her out of the van and settled her into a wheelchair.?
¡°Home sweet home,¡± he said cheerfully. She couldn¡¯t answer with the gag in place.
There were lots of trees everywhere she looked. A two-story house was close by. He began to wheel her in that direction. He guided her inside the lower portion of the house through a door that looked like it was made out of steel.?
Reggie flipped on an overhead light, and she could see it was made up as a large bedroom. A large bed, a bedside table, a few lamps and a large TV that sat on a long low chest of drawers.
¡°I know this is going to take some time but be a good girl for me today, okay?¡±
He lifted her onto the bed. He then attached a heavy looking clasp onto her right ankle. It was tight but lined in a velvet-like cloth that didn¡¯t feel too bad against her skin. A cable was linked to the clasp. It ran to a center support post that went from floor to ceiling and looked to be made of iron. The cable was covered in plastic. It looked like the kind one might use to tie down a dog in the backyard.?
¡°I¡¯m going to take off the gag. Please don¡¯t scream. We are out in the country with no one for miles.¡±
He cut off the gag then cut off the plastic ties on her wrists and on her ankles. She was free, not counting the long leash attached to the load bearing post.
As soon as the gag was removed Valerie didn¡¯t in fact start screaming. Perhaps it didn¡¯t help, but honestly, she didn¡¯t care. None of this made sense. Reggie was her husband¡¯s friend. He was one of the good guys. What had he taken her here? It didn¡¯t make sense. None of it.?
She kept on screaming, physically crawling away from him as far as she possibly could. ¡°Why are you doing this? I don¡¯t get it. Get away from me,¡± The words came out all jumbled. Tears running down her face.?
What was this place? It seemed so calculated. Almost as if he had it all planned out. This room, this house. No, right? This was a mistake? Had to be. Some misplaced joke.?
¡°This isn¡¯t funny Reggie. I don¡¯t know what the hell is wrong with you, but you need to let me go. If Brian finds out about this, he¡¯ll kill you.¡± God what if ¡ what if he had hurt ¡. No, she couldn¡¯t think like that. All he had to do was let her go.?
¡°Let me go, I can¡¯t stay here. The kids will be worried. You know them Reggie, you know me. I don¡¯t know what is going on but please just let me go.?
Reggie rushed to her, took a handful of her hair and brutally slapped her hard across her cheek.?
¡°Shut up! You are mine. I don¡¯t want to hear about kids or Brian ever again. You will regret it and so will they.¡± He let the implied threat hang in the air.
¡°Now you have no choice but to love the only man who has loved you. We will be happy together.¡±
He was delusional¡ had to be. What was all this talk about loving her. Deep down Val had suspected that perhaps there had been more at play than mere friendly interest. Women usually could tell. Reggie had always been a bit overly polite and charming when it came to their interactions. But that had been it. Brian was his friend. They had known each other for years and now all of this??
The slap caught her off guard. The brutality of that simple act, shocking her. It was a wake up call without a doubt. He wasn¡¯t fooling around. This was not some sick game. He would hurt her if need be, would hurt her family, her children.?
That simple realisation made her come down. There was no playing around, no room for games now. She needed to get out of here, as soon as possible.?
A comfortable chair sat in a far corner. He went and sat down. Remotes lay on a side table. He grabbed one and turned on the TV. After flipping through the channels he settled on one that was showing some current news broadcast.
¡°...Thank you Mayor,¡± said Brian¡¯s Captain. ¡°If you have any questions my two Detectives Sam Enos and Brian Perry are on the case would be happy to answer.?
Brian and Sam stepped up to the podium.
A reporter from the local TV station got the first question. ¡°When do you think the killer will strike again?¡±
Reggie started to laugh. ¡°That is not your husband. If you defy me I will kill everyone you love, everyone you have ever known.¡± He chuckled to himself.?
Eventually he left the room through another solid looking door. She thought she could hear him going up some stairs. The sound was muted. Then it was very quiet.
On the TV Brian looked right into the camera and spoke. ¡°Be alert, we will get this perpetrator. We will need your help.¡±
Several other questions came for the two Detectives but they declined to give anymore details. The new conference finished up and the image reverted to a commercial for facial cream.
Seeing Brian¡¯s face on the screen nearly unhinged her. It was just so hard, seeing him right there. This was the man she loved, the man she would trust with her life. He would come. He would help her. There was no doubt in her mind about that. But seeing him like that. Over there on that screen. It made tears dwell in her eyes. Val just loved him so much. She would do whatever she needed to do in order to get out of here. Get back to him.?
He came back too soon though. Not giving her time to figure out a plan of attack. Find some sort of weapon to protect herself with. Val you need to be smart here girl. You can do this. Stay calm. Not think of everything that can go wrong. Just focus on getting out.?
Reggie suddenly appeared in the doorframe. Beer in hand he glared at Val. Then he took a seat and changed the channel.?
¡°I guess you are not yet news worthy,¡± he said. Then he put on a movie and opened his beer.
¡°You are delusional. Do you really think you can get away with this?¡± Valerie couldn¡¯t help but throw out. Her face was hurting, she was scared and cold, but most of all she was just angry. Furious even.?
¡°Who the fuck do you think you are anyway? You don¡¯t think he is going to find me Reggie? He¡¯s your friend. You know him. Brian won¡¯t stop at anything to find me and when he does he will fucking end you.¡± Her husband was a lot of things but most of all he was determined.?
¡°Look I don¡¯t what you are playing at but we are not playing happy house here. I¡¯m not going to give in to whatever sick fantasy you might have. So just let me go,¡± Valerie demanded again as she was pulling and pushing to get the chain off ¡°Let me go right now.¡±?
Reggie sighed. ¡°I thought you would understand what a mistake you made. I don¡¯t think you know what I¡¯m willing to do.¡±?
He left for a couple minutes then came back in. He wore a pair of surgical gloves and carried a syringe with a long wicked looking needle.
¡°I wanted this to be amicable.¡± He pulled out a taser and held it up so she could see it.?
¡°We can have some fun or I can have some fun. Which way do you want it Valerie?¡±
He rushed her like a bull. The taser caught her on the lower leg. Like the last time she could do little but experience the pain of a thousand needles shooting through her body. As she slowly came out of the paralyzation effect another pain came from an injection on her arm.
The Ketamine injection worked quickly. Val felt suddenly woozy. Her body felt light and she could barely move her arms or legs. She watched detached as Reggie began undressing her.
¡°This could have been mutual. I don¡¯t mind doing it this way,¡± he said.
She struggled as he tore away her underwear. Suddenly his hands were around her neck and squeezing hard.??
¡°Don¡¯t make me,¡± he whispered. ¡°I love you Valerie. Don¡¯t make me kill you too.¡±
This wasn¡¯t happening. It couldn¡¯t be. She tried to fight, tried to resist, but he was fast. Knocking her out. The taser, then the injection¡ drugs, had to be. No matter how hard Val tried to resist, tried to get away, it was useless. There wasn¡¯t anything she could do. Just lie there as he started to undress her.?
¡°No please, Reggie, you don¡¯t have to do this, please don¡¯t.¡± Even though there wasn¡¯t anything she could. Valerie still felt it all. His hands on her body, his mouth against her skin. His breath. It made her sick to her stomach, made her want to throw up.?
¡°You can still let me go. I won¡¯t say anything.¡± Desperate plea. He wouldn¡¯t just let her go but if he did this Val knew that there was no more going back. Then he¡¯d eventually kill her. If he wouldn¡¯t already ¡?
His hands around her throat¡ suffocating her ¡. Squeezing the life out of her. No, she had to live, for the kids, for Brian, for ¡.?
¡°Regg¡ ple..ase ¡ do.. Please.. . I¡¯m ¡ baby¡ I¡¯m pregnant¡ ¡°
._,_._,_
Scott