“What?” AJ exclaimed. He jumped out of his chair and slammed his hands down on the PI’s desk causing the older man to jump. “What did you say?”
Nick put his hand on AJ’s arm to restrain him; he’d never seen his brother this angry. It almost looked as though AJ would cause bodily harm to anyone who stood in his way.
“Calm down Mr. McLean.” Max said putting up his hands. “I told him I couldn’t help him.”
“Why?” AJ asked, not convinced he was getting the whole truth.
Max leaned back in the chair as he tapped a pen on his blotter. “I watch the news too. The woman in the picture he showed me looked familiar and then he showed me their wedding picture and it clicked.” He paused for a minute. “He came across as being charming but you can tell when someone’s mean to the bone.”
Both AJ and Nick understood immediately what he meant.
“Was he upset when you said no?” Nick inquired.
“Not on the outside but you could see his angry boiling just below the surface. His brain was already figuring out what else he could do to find her. Do you mind if I ask you something?”
“Whatever.” AJ responded.
“Why are you looking for Samantha?”
AJ looked him straight in the eye and his face was deadly serious. “Because I care about her and I’m going to stop him from hurting her again. Now, can you help me or not?”
“Yes.” Max replied after a few moments. “There’s this retired state trooper who helps…”
“No cops.” Nick interjected without hesitating. “Don’t forget, she has a warrant.”
“I understand but this woman has worked domestic abuse cases before. I can explain what’s going on and I will also let her know that Mr. Murray was alive and well when he came to ask me to find his wife.”
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Sam lay in bed all day thinking about what she was going to do. She had rationed out all of her food and water but in two days, it would all be gone. There was a chance she could last for a little longer with no food but the tap water in the motel was undrinkable and she couldn’t leave knowing that Ryan was waiting for her.
As she was contemplating a new course of action, she caught movement by the door out of the corner of her eye. She was watching intently to see what would happen when a piece of paper came sliding in from outside. Creeping over as quietly as she could, she picked up the paper; the top side was blank so she flipped it over and her heart stopped.
It was a photocopy of her wedding picture with a heart drawn over her face. Inside the heart was a bull’s eye and there was something written at the bottom of the page. As she read the words, she started to cry.
~You have to leave sometime and you know I’ll be waiting for you Sami. You have three days to decide. Make a good choice!~
She ripped the paper into two and slid down to the floor. Curling into a ball, she started to sob; it was only a matter of time now.
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“It’s me.” the woman’s voice said as soon as Ryan picked up. “I’m in.”
“Perfect.”
Ryan leaned back on the hotel bed and smiled to himself. He had worked long and hard on this plan to find his wife and he was determined to get what he wanted; he always did.
“So what do you want me to do?”
“Nothing for now.” he replied as he turned the TV on and starting flipping through the channels.
“What?” the voice asked incredulously. “Why?”
“Because I said so.” Ryan responded with annoyance.
“But I thought we were getting rid of her.” the voice whined. “Wasn’t that the plan?”
Ryan thought about it as he stared at the menu options. Originally, he had intended to find her and get rid of her altogether but since he’d found her, there was a new objective. When she misbehaved or acted stupidly it made him angry and he punished her; this made him happy. But now, what excited him even more was watching her panic and live every day in fear that this would be the day. Her anxiety and terror would slowly drive her crazy and he wanted to savor every minute of it.
“There’s a new plan.”
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Sam was so exhausted that she could barely see; she wanted to sleep but her fear kept her awake. It had been two days since she received the picture and there hadn’t been one out of the two thousand eight hundred and eighty minutes that passed where she felt safe. There hadn’t been anything else slipped under her door and for most people, that would make them a little more at ease but she knew Ryan. When he said something, he meant it and when he made a threat, he always followed through on it. She knew that he was true to his word and never changed his mind.
Her exhaustion was starting to win but right before she started to doze, she heard the door knob rattle. It turned a few times before she heard a set of keys jangle and several male voices start to rise. Flying off the bed, she raced over to the closet and tried to bury herself under a pile of blankets she had stacked. It probably wouldn’t do her any good but, since there was no other way out, she figured she had to try anyway.
As she sat there and shivered, she heard the door open and the voices start to mumble. She listened as they checked under the bed and then in the bathroom. The footsteps finally made their way over to the closet and she bit her lip to keep from crying out. The door opened and she saw his eyes staring down at her and she started to sob. All the anxiety, panic and fatigue overcame her and she fainted before the long arms reached down to grab her.
Old Wounds by Kyrie
Author's Chapter Notes:
Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing. I hope you guys are still enjoying the story!
