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  “I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!” She cries softly.

  “I know, Love, I know.” I stand up taking her with me and cradle her in my arms as I start the walk back to my house. As I emerge out of the forest, the kids stop playing again to stare and laugh.

  “Señor J, what you bring us?”

  “Follow me,” and they do.

  ∞∞∞

  I am officially in the twilight zone. First, I’m going to be free and then I’m not; Second, my sister is dead and then she’s not; Third, a gaggle of children are following us, chatting excitedly in Spanish, to Jax’s lair, believing he is a good guy when he’s not. He sets me down in the living room and points to ten large boxes stacked by the kitchen. “Tomar dos cajas y lleva a tus amigos para conseguir el resto.” (take two boxes and bring friends to get the rest.)

  The children race to the boxes, speaking excitedly, trying to decide which two are the best.

  “Apurense!” (hurry up.)

  They grab two, rush out, and he closes the door behind them.

  “Sit!” He points to the chair.

  So the Australian-American speaks Spanish. That is so sexy. Shit! No, it’s not. He’s a liar and a thief. He steals people and things. Whatever is in those boxes is probably stolen too. He just gave stolen goods to small children. He leaves the room, so I stand up and walk to the boxes, opening one after another, only to find individually wrapped packages of chips, cookies, peanuts, crackers and candy bars. The same kinds of things you get on a commercial flight.

  “Should I tell the kids you need it more than they do?”

  I want to slap the smirk off his face, but my feet hurt too bad to go the extra steps, so I turn and sit back down. He pulls a stool to my chair, sits in front of me and places my feet on his lap. He proceeds to clean the bottom and smears ointment on the cuts and scrapes I got from the rocks and sticks I ran over. He wraps them in gauze and slides a pair of men’s socks on my feet to cover them up.

  Why does this man contradict himself all the time? Why does he say one thing and do another? Why do I care that my kidnapper has lied to me over and over again? He is probably lying about my sister. He hasn’t given me any proof that she is alive. Why do I want to trust in someone? To believe that the world is not all evil and my knight in shining armor is right in front of me. Syndrome talking.

  ∞∞∞

  “Can I start where I left off?” No answer. “Fine, as I was saying, our plan all along was to get you and the other women out without telling you. It was safer that way, for you and us. They took any weapons we came in with so I had nothing to defend any of us with.”

  “Where are the other women?”

  Shit! This is not going to go over well either. “Savage took them into protective custody.” The look she gives me is hurt and betrayal. She stands up, and I’m ready for a race this time, however, she just turns to the bedroom and walks away. I follow just to make sure she doesn’t jump off the balcony. She climbs through the sheer fabric used to keep bugs away, and curls in on herself. A position I’ve seen many times over the last week.

  How do I get through to this woman? I lie, she believes me; I tell the truth, and she doesn’t. I need Savage to get in touch with Derek so we can arrange some way to get the sisters in touch with each other. That is my only hope to convince Tori that I am real, and my feelings are too. I love her, and I can’t let her go. I just need more time to convince her I’m not lying, anymore.

  Chapter Twelve

  Resigned:

  *having accepted something unpleasant that one cannot do anything about.

  I am back to square one, survival mode. Do what he asks, obey his every command, don’t ask questions, show no emotion, lose all hope. I am resigned to my fate. He doesn’t have to make promises of a ‘Happily Ever After’ or family reunions because that is not my lot in life.

  I have no place to go and no one to help me. The children seem to love him, so I’m sure the rest of the villagers worship him as well. I will make the best of my situation until I see an opportunity to escape. I will let him tell me his lies, and I will pretend to believe him.

  I am so tired. I just want to sleep for a week. Maybe if I do, when I wake up, I will be somewhere else. Someplace without snakes; Jax and the slithery reptiles.

  “Love, wake up. You need to eat.”

  “I don’t want to eat,” I mumble sleepily. My plan was to sleep for a week, not just a few hours.

  “Ina has a different method to increase your appetite that I’m sure you won’t like; it’s called starvation so get up, let’s eat.

  He made an amazing steak with grilled vegetables, and of course, feeds me every bite while I sit on his lap. “I’m not a child.”

  “Then stop acting like one.”

  Just as we were finishing, an entire classroom of children spilled through his front door, bouncing excitedly from foot to foot, staring at me. Jax just waited, staring at them expectantly, until they quieted down.

  “Love, these are some of the village children.”

  He started pointing randomly and telling me their names, but every once in a while, one would shout,

  “Que no es mi nombre.” (That is not my name.)

  I giggled while he went through several guesses until he got it right. After all the introductions were made, one little girl, about eight years old, steps forward and brings me a pair of handmade leather sandals.

  “Para cuando se necesita para funcionar.” (For when you need to run.)

  Jax clutched his heart as if betrayed and I smile while tears run down my face. That is the nicest gift anyone has ever given me. Jax is staring at me in shock.

  “Do you speak Spanish?”

  “Speak little, understand most.” The less of myself I reveal to him, the more distance I can keep. In the little time I’ve spent with Jax, which feels like forever, I have come to realize that there are many sides to this man. He is never cruel, except the kidnapping, drugging, and hiding me in another country, so I have very little chance of escape. He has protected me from everyone, except himself. Taken care of me, except he won’t give me my freedom, and shown me passion, except for the last four days. Why with him does good have to come with evil?

  “Amor, Amor. Ven.”

  The children shout, point at my new shoes and run outside. Jax laughs.

  “They want you to play football with them.”

  He pushes me up and slaps my ass, telling me they will be hurt and offended if I don’t go. He ushers me out the door.

  “Ina won’t feed me if I offend the children.”

  Who the hell is Ina, and why do I care if he eats? Why do I care if he wastes away to nothing, destroying the worlds most absolutely perfect body? Shit! Stockholm Syndrome.

  ∞∞∞

  While I watch her play with the children, I see her transform. She laughs and her face glows with happiness. She stands up taller as if reaching for the sun. She plays like there’s no tomorrow. She puts on a good show of trying hard to win and acting defeated when the other team scores points. She keeps the game even so it ends in a tie. The older children catch on to her quickly and play along, making sure everyone is having a good time. By the time shouts come from the village for the children to go home, it is getting dark outside. They run inside and gather the remaining boxes to load them in their Radio Flyer wagons that I brought back for them on my last trip home then run down the dirt road excitedly.

  Tori is still standing on the porch, staring after them as the last child disappears from sight. Her shoulders start to droop and her head falls forward a little as if dreading being alone with me. Will she ever be mine? Probably not. How long will I have to wait before I take her home? Considering the circumstances in which we met, I don’t think she will ever come to trust me fully, and I will have to let her go.

  I will wait as long as it takes for the threat to be eliminated and I will care for her and keep her safe until I know the threat to her is gone. I will try to reach Derek
, as promised, so at least she knows I didn’t lie about that.

  Walking up behind her, I wrap my arms around her shoulders and rest my chin on her head. She lets out a long sigh, pulls away from me and walks into the house. Following close, I hope to finish our conversation, well my conversation since she doesn’t participate, but she closes the bathroom door before I can say anything. I will let her shower in peace, and hopefully while lying in bed tonight, she will listen.

  She is dressed in one of my t-shirts, again with nothing on underneath. Damn! I’m in trouble. Her hair is slightly damp but she pulls it up into a messy bun, leaving her delicate neck exposed. As she slides into bed, I immediately pull her into little spoon and she lets me.

  Bloody ell! She smells incredible. The coconut shampoo and conditioner the village women make, along with her natural vanilla scent, is a combination that has me hard as a rock. Why is it that some scents are like an aphrodisiac? Shit! I’m going to have to go to Limon and bring back some manly smelling stuff. I will make her shower with that so I can keep my body under control.

  After about ten minutes of breathing her in, her breathing becomes slow and even. I wait every night for her to fall asleep so I can get as close as possible without scaring the hell out of her.

  This feels like home to me. Not the location but the woman. How can I convince her to stay with me? The happiest I’ve ever seen her is playing with the village kids. Maybe that will be my in or maybe I can convince Ina to help me keep her. That woman has tricks up her sleeve that would make the strongest man bend to her will.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Satisfy:

  *meet the expectations, needs, or desires of someone. *provide someone with adequate or convincing information or proof about something. *fulfill a desire or need

  “Tori.....Tori, wake up, Love. Ina made us chorizo omelets and if we don’t eat she won’t cook again. I know from experience; one time I didn’t eat something called pupusas and she refused to feed me for a week.”

  “I need clothes, please.” Even though I love the smell of his clothes, I feel half naked and too exposed. Maybe he will take me into town to shop. I really don’t want to play with the kids while wearing his boxers again. What is it with these men anyway? Why do they want to keep their women or slaves naked? If he tries to keep me naked here, I will never leave this room, not even to eat.

  “Snake flew out yesterday to pick up Savage and they are bringing you clothes tonight. The village does not have much to choose from.”

  He stands up and enters a closet then comes out with Adidas track pants. How does he think those will stay up? My look sends him back into the closet to find something else. This time, he returns with a dress shirt and tie and I burst into laughter. Why is he staring at me like that? I stand up, take the shirt and tie, then enter the bathroom and close the door. “May I have more boxers please?” A few seconds later, he knocks and I open the door to take the boxers. As our hands touch, a little shock travels up my arm sending chills through my body. From the look on his face, he felt it too. I shut the door and proceed to make this clothing ensemble work.

  After I’m dressed, I take out my messy bun. Unfortunately, I went to bed with my hair wet, so now it is a mass of curls. Great! I look like I spent an hour primping to go to breakfast with my kidnapper.

  ∞∞∞

  Turning as I hear the door open, I almost fall off my stool. Forget the clothes Savage is bringing; she can wear this for the rest of her life. When she laughed at my choice, I was so stunned at the angelic sound; I couldn’t make my feet move to try to find something else. I just stood there looking stupid until she got up and took it from me. The shirt looks like a dress that reaches to the middle of her thighs in the front and back, but the sides scoop up a little playing peek-a-boo with her upper thigh. She used the tie as a belt and it is probably holding up the boxers as well, even though you can’t see those. A sharp sting to my knuckles has me turning to Ina as she clicks her tongue and shakes her head at me. What the hell! Was my tongue hanging out?

  “Què te pasa?” (What is wrong with you) she scolds.

  I stand quickly and move to the table to pull out a chair for Tori. She looks at me as if to make sure she can sit there, so I nod. I sit down next to her as Ina brings over heaping plates of omelets. Just as I start to dig in, another sting has me looking up to Ina.

  “¿Dònde està tu modales?” (Where’s your manners.)

  Shit! She is like a mother hen teaching a petulant child manners and I’m the child. Once I’ve set down my fork, she speaks to Tori.

  “Mujeres primero.” (Ladies first)

  Tori tried to hide her smirk, but I see it anyway. She hesitantly picks up her fork and tastes the omelet. The moan that comes out of her mouth makes me think of the shower at The House. I’m relieved that Ina never stays and as soon as the door closes, I reach over and pull Tori into my lap. I don’t care that she can probably feel my erection on her ass. I need her as close as possible. I want to be the only person she moans for, even if it is just over food. I am in so deep that I don’t care if she knows I want her. I am past playing it cool, so she doesn’t think I’m desperate. I am desperate. I am desperately in love with this woman. As crazy as it sounds, I need her to be desperately in love with me too.

  When Derek told me about his mystery guest, I could tell he was in love with her after just a week. I was ready to perform an exorcism to save my friend from being possessed. I thought that if Derek was in love so soon, there had to be something wrong with him. I didn’t think it was possible to love someone at first sight, but here I am, feeling just that.

  I have never called a woman “Love” before, but it just rolled off my tongue when I first laid eyes on her. Hell, I call her “Love” more than I call her by her name. Even the village children were calling her “Love,” because that’s all they’ve heard me call her.

  Ina asked me if I took her. I know she meant kidnapped so I just told her she is under my protection.

  “Entonces no encerrarla.” (Then don’t lock her away) she said.

  So I will take her to the village today and show her around.

  ∞∞∞

  The walk to the village is not far and my new sandals are the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn. The second we are spotted the children come running. They seem to be competing to see who gets to stand the closest to me. The little girl who gave me the shoes is pointing at them and beaming from ear to ear. Jax is laughing and telling them to give us room to walk or he is going to take back the cookies. Now they just follow, really close behind us, like a row of ducks. The homes are modest and well kept. There are clotheslines attached to each house with items blowing softly in the breeze.

  I wish I had my camera to capture these moments. When I am not in school, photography is my favorite pastime. I would love to collect pictures of the houses and people, tiny dirty toes, and missing teeth in smiles so big it warms your heart. The things that catch my attention are the well-worn, handmade, woven, welcome mats, and the wrinkly little grandma who stares at me from her porch. The scar down the center of a five-year-old boys chest, who wasn’t supposed to make it in this third world country but fought his way into survival.

  It isn’t very often that you meet people who love with their whole heart. These people opened their arms and shared with me their most prized possession, their children. As we walk, mothers point and their children run to give me their homemade gifts. Bracelets, necklaces and hats, hair flowers and headbands, and one child even brought me his own package of cookies.

  I can’t stop my tears from flowing, but hopefully, my smile lets them know I am happy and thankful. How did Jax find this place? What do these people think of him? It’s obvious they like him because he brings them things, however, do they really know him? Do they know what he does for a living or do they believe the FBI story? How many different stories did Ted Bundy use to lure his victims? That is what I need to keep in mind when I lust after this man.
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  ∞∞∞

  The sunset is amazing as we walk back to my home. She has let me hold her hand all day as I showed her around and introduced her to the villagers. The women would wink and give me thumbs up, and those who passed closer to us would whisper, “She’s beautiful.” (ella es hermosa) I would reply, “ella es mia.”

  We sit on the porch to watch the sun go down, but all too soon, Ina comes out and tells me to set the table. As I move inside, Ina takes my place. I know I have to hurry, so she doesn’t have time to reveal all my secrets. Shit! That woman knows more about me than most. I have revealed way too much about myself on many drunken occasions.

  Dinner consists of shredded beef enchiladas with Spanish rice. Authentic Mexican food is my favorite, even though my team used to give me shit about shrimp on the Barbie. Once they tasted Ina’s cooking, they quit making the stupid Aussie jokes.

  Tori is quiet, as usual, except tonight she keeps looking at me as if I’m different. I know Ina talked to her, however, I didn’t hear what was said in that four to five minutes they were alone. Once Ina was gone, Tori moved to my lap without me directing her to do so and ate most of her food. Her curves are starting to come back, and it takes every ounce of control I have not to run my hands all over her body. I don’t know how much longer I can wait without trying to seduce her. We have the strongest connection during intimacy. I need her to see me for the man I am, not the one I was pretending to be in order to save her life.