An Illicit Gentleman II

                                           Chapter Seventeen

            AJ’s eyes slowly fluttered open and as he began to wake up he felt the pain in his shoulders and neck.  His arms still tied behind his back and the hard wood floor beneath him made for a very uncomfortable bed. When his eyes opened fully he saw Eve looking at him as she sat across from him. Quickly he sat up much to the dislike of his neck and back, he winced in pain as they ached from the awkward position he was in.

“Eve?” He said as he looked at her, her eyes followed him as he sat up.

“I know you” She replied her eyebrows frowned.

“Yes sweetheart it’s me, Alex.” AJ said as he thought about moving closer to her.

“Alex” She said unsure of the name.  As he looked at her he noticed she didn’t look to beat up, her cheek had a bruise and her lip was fat but it was nothing compared to how she was when he found her that night in LA.

The door opened and the smaller of the kidnappers walked into the room. “Good you’re awake.” The man said as he walked past Eve and grabbed AJ.  “Time to go talk to some friends.”  He looked back at Eve as the man pulled him from the room; she stared at him, confused and scared.  AJ was dragged down the stairs into what he figured was the living room.  “Sit” The man barked at him as he pushed him down onto the couch.

AJ watched as the man picked up a black phone and dialed a number, there was silence and then the man started to talk.  “Put his Mother on.”

“Mom” AJ said under his breath.  Did that mean she was in Nashville?

“You have fifteen seconds to talk, don’t be a dumbass.” The man said to AJ as he put the phone to his ear. 

“Hello?” He heard his Mother say. “Where is my son!” She yelled.

“I’m right here Ma I’m ok.” AJ said hoping he could calm her.

“Alex, oh Alex.” Denise said as she started crying.

“I’m fine Mom, really I’m ok.” He reassured her.  “Try not to worry.” Although he knew those words didn’t mean much to her.

“Is Eve with you?” She asked through her tears.

“Yes” AJ replied and then the phone was taken away, he looked at the man in shock.

“Times up, you know he’s ok, so now I want my money.” The man said into the phone as he walked away.  He snapped his fingers at the big man and pointed to AJ then up to the ceiling.  The big man walked up to AJ and took him by the arm, dragging him back up the stairs and back into the room with Eve.  The big man gave him a little nudge into the room and AJ tripped over his feet which were still tied together at the legs, and fell to the floor.  He grunted in pain a little as he hit the floor and the air was knocked out of him for a second.

“Alex?” He heard Eve say and he looked at her as he sat up.  He saw the look on her face, fear, panic but a lot of relief.  “Alex?” She said again and she started crying.  AJ got up on his knees and shuffled over too her.  When he got close enough to her she put her arms over his head, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Its ok sweetheart, I’m right here.” AJ said as she squeezed him tightly, crying.  After a couple of minutes Eve pulled away and their eyes locked.  She looked at him confused.

“What are you doing here?”

“They called told me they had you at the restaurant and wanted me to meet them, so I did, and they knocked me out and when I woke up I was here, apparently the plan was to get you for Mats but it changed when they found out who I was.” AJ told her.  “Can you undo my hands?” He asked as he nodded behind him.  Eve scooted behind him and began untying the ropes around his wrists.

“What about the police?” She asked as he grabbed his wrists and rubbed them.

“I went by myself” He told her.

“What?” Eve said stunned.  “W-why?

“I didn’t want to wait for them to go through protocol, those guys wanted me to come so that’s what I did, I needed to get to you.” He told her as he began to untie her hands.  Tossing the rope away he looked at Eve as she sat in front of him shaking. 

“Are you ok; when I first got here you were really out of it.” AJ told her as he put his hand on the side of her neck.

She nodded. “I just need my pills.”  When she said that AJ started to clue in on what made her a mumbling mess.  She had a panic attack, probably a few and not having her meds probably did it too her.  He pulled her against him and she wrapped her arms around him.  Closing his eyes he pushed away everything that had happened, everything he was feeling and just felt her there, at that moment.

“I’m so scared.” Eve cried as he held her.

“I know, me too.” He said as he gently pulled her away.  “But we’re going to get out of here.”

“How, did you see the size of that one guy?” Eve asked as he wiped her tears.

“Yeah” AJ replied remembering the close line he got.

“Do you think you could get the boards off the windows?” She asked.

“I dunno they look like they’re nailed to the windowsill.” AJ told her as he looked at the window behind her.

Suddenly the door opened and both of them snapped their heads to the man standing in the archway, the big man stared at them for a moment a little shocked.  When he realized they had both untied themselves he ran at AJ but he let go of Eve and dashed away just as the man went to grab his shirt.  He stopped when he saw the chair in front of him; he grabbed it and turned around.  The big man was right behind him and AJ swung the chair at his head.  The seat edge caught the man on the temple side, the legs busted apart and the kidnapper stumbled back.  When he tripped over one of the round leg pegs AJ grabbed Eve’s hand and they both took off running. 

They ran down the stairs just as the other kidnapper made his way into the hallway.  He shouted at them and AJ let go of Eve’s hand and slammed himself into the man at the bottom of the stairs.  Grabbing the man by the shirt he pushed him back into the wall and then took him down to the ground.  AJ punched the guy, his fist slamming hard into the mans face.  When he heard something at the top of the stairs he looked up and saw the big man, he looked pissed.  Scrambling to his feet AJ turned around and shouted for Eve to run to the door, he took off with her and caught up to her just as she got the door opened.  Then AJ felt something grab his shirt almost choking him and he fell down to the ground.

“Eve go!” AJ shouted as he grabbed the man’s leg and pulled him down to the ground.  He watched as Eve opened the door and ran outside, he stood up and dashed at the door but the kidnapper grabbed his foot and he fell.   His head slammed against the ground, he looked up and saw Eve outside looking back at him, and he heard one of the man shout as she started getting blurry. 

“Run Evie!” She heard AJ scream as she saw him on the floor, she stepped back waiting for him to get up, waiting for him to come with her but the big kidnapper was the first to get up.  Quickly she turned around and ran down the street.  She didn’t look back when she heard one of the men shout at her; she kept running until she couldn’t anymore. 

Eve stopped on the corner of a street; she looked back and didn’t see AJ.  She waited as the panic set in, gasping for air from the running, she waited but he wasn’t behind her.  Her hands shook and she began to pace as she tried to calm her breathing, wrapping her arms around her, wrapping her robe around her as she felt herself getting cold from the night air.  The fear set in and she ran her fingers through her hair as she thought about him alone in the house.  A car swooshed past her but she didn’t care as she continued to pace back and forth.

Looking around still panicked, she tried to look to see where she was but she didn’t recognize the street names.  She looked down one way and then looked down the other deciding which way she would walk to try and find a pay phone.  Choosing to go right since she was on that side of the street anyways Eve started walking down the sidewalk.  Her mind racing with thoughts of Alex and what they would do to him because she got away and he didn’t.  Her only hope was that they wouldn’t hurt him because they still needed to get their money.