Amber Alert (Amber Alert Series Book 1) (8 page)

Chapter 10

Part one of my plan was now in effect. I knew it wasn't fair, it definitely wasn't to Garrett, but I needed to get out. He had had his chance to escape. Why should he be trapped here? Steve doesn't even like him. Garrett could have slipped out long ago, but he stayed.

I wanted to know why. I wasn’t afraid to make him angry. I've already lost everything; I will never be the same. So what’s losing another friend going to do to me that Steve hasn’t already done to me? I had to find out, and then I had to leave. I would do anything to escape. If I failed, that was too chilling just to think about. Death had always scared me, but if I was caught during my escape, I would see it as a way out and welcome it. 

Steve had been gone for a day, and had made it clear on what he should see upon his return tomorrow. Meaning, the house in perfect order and me in his bedroom. My stomach churned at the thought. He had forced himself on me before he left, not unlike any other day, but this was for show. He did it in front of Garrett, who clenched his fist and glared daggers into his father's back.

Steve did it as a way to mark his territory, and he'd done it proudly. Once Steve started it was hard for him to stop. For a while I thought he was actually going to do it in front of Garrett. Luckily he didn’t, turns out I still have some dignity left.

Garrett hadn't said anything while the attack happened; he just let it happen. How could Garrett be upset that I had given up, when he had clearly given up long ago?

He had made his choice, now it was time for me to make mine. I was going to escape with his help. Of course, he wouldn't know until it was too late. I would feel bad afterward, since Garrett would probably be beaten again, but I would save him in the end and that’s all I could do.

I walked into the living room to find Garrett sitting on the couch reading a well-used book and basking in the limited light. I sat next to him, at first on the other side of the couch then I slowly got closer.

"What are you doing?" he asked, without looking up from his book.

"I wanted to talk to you," I said simply, scooting a little closer.

"So you need to be close to me to do that? I was sure the only talking you knew how to do with me was yell. Then again you are my mom, so I guess that's normal."

I clicked my tongue at the roof of my closed mouth, I really hated when he called me mom. It just reminded me of everything I hated about my life right now, and it made me want to scream at him again.

"Well, I'm trying something new, what can I say?"

"That you'll go back to your room and leave me alone," Garret stated with a smirk plastered on his face.

If he wants to be snarky, then so can I. "Look, just because you have feelings for me doesn't mean you have to be rude to me. You could just tell me."

Garrett, who had taken a sip of water at the time, spit the water from his mouth. Then proceeded to choke. He was staring at me with shock present in his eyes as he held his chest while he continued to cough.

While he was recovering I continued, "I mean, it’s reverse Stockholm Syndrome. I'm the only girl here your age and probably one of the only few you've seen since you've probably never left this house, so it's logical and it's okay."

"How...dare...you! I left the house...all the time...when I was younger..."Garrett spoke through his choking cough.

"Right, when your mom was around." I heard the sullen tone lacing my voice, and it surprised me. I had planned this conversation to go so many ways and each one ended up with something about his mother. So why did it still affect me?

"Yeah, when she was around and this family actually worked! She died in a car crash as I was told, and it was hard for both of us. Then it got worse when
he
started to bring girls home that looked like her!"

"The girl's looked like her from when she met first him right?" I asked. I needed to change the topic because I couldn't have him angry with me again. That wouldn't work for my plan.

"Right. Then you girls just made it worse! One after another in succession! Frankly, if it wasn't for you then I wouldn't need to be here!"

"I knew you were here to keep us from leaving!" I yelled out before I could stop myself. I quickly covered my mouth with my hands, hoping that it would keep the words in my mouth instead of being said out loud.

"You think I'm keeping you here? What kind of sick monster do you take me for?" He yelled. "You think I want to watch what he does to you! You think that I want to keep you here so my family can be normal! You're sick! My family won't be normal again! But I can't leave because then who is here to protect you idiot girls?"

"Idiot girls? How dare you."

"No! How dare you! How dare you think that I'm like my father! I'm here because if I was gone, who would be here for you? No one! Who would give a care about what happens to you? No one. Who could warn you and give you advice to make it by? No one! I'm here because of idiot girls like you who get taken! Why he took you I have no idea! His face should be plastered all over the god damn town!" Garrett screamed at me, interrupting my speech.

He continued after a moment to take a breath, "You want to know why no one finds these girls? Oh, it’s good, too. I found it on the first time I tried escaping. I made it all the way to town!" He pointed in the general direction of the town, he jabbed his finger just barely above my eye.

"I found that he's friends with the cops! The police are in on this! They shred the pictures of the girls that he takes and pretend not to know anything. That's why he travels to find the girls. He can't take them from here, that's too obvious; someone he knows could see him. So he goes to towns farther and farther away to find the perfect girl to fit my mom's description. He tries to make them his wife and steals their life away from them! It's because of you girls that I'm still here! I'm here to protect you!"

"You're doing a horrible job!" I spat back in his face.

An expression of pure anger swept across Garrett's face. I saw his arm move before I processed the idea of getting out of his reach. He slapped me hard across the face. My cheek stung, burned, from the force of the hit. I felt a tear slowly race down my cheek and looked up to see his expression changed; shocked he had done that.

"Anna, I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking I-"

I slapped him back, as hard as I could. I turned on a heel and stormed off back to my desolate room. I was abruptly grabbed by the shoulders and forcibly turned around before I made it.

I glanced up into Garrett's eyes—he had tears welling up threatening to overrun his eyelashes as he gently took hold of my face. I could see fear in his eyes as his body started to shake, and his bottom lip trembled. He was terrified of something and he was finding it hard to speak.

"I'm so sorry. I was just mad from having to watch him force you to love him every day, and then your questions and accusations. It all got to me, and I'm so sorry, Anna. Please, forgive me,” he hesitated for a moment. “I love you." The tears escaped and trailed down his cheeks as he leaned down and kissed me.

Chapter 11

Garrett's hold was strong, but tender as he held my face in his hands. He didn’t want to let go, he was tender and in fear of overwhelming me with our sudden confession of affection. I was in shock of his words. He just told me he loved me. How could I go through with my plan knowing that he cared about me? I was going to frame Garrett with a kiss, and while Steve was distracted with him I would escape…but now I couldn't after knowing how he felt. He actually cared about me like I cared about him. I had grown so attached to him during my incarceration that I didn't want to imagine life without him.

He continued to kiss me softly as my mind attempted to process what had just occurred. Could he really love me? Why did I care? I needed to get out, go home, and live as close to a normal life as I could have now. But how could I possibly get Garrett killed? He was the safe haven in a home of horror. I couldn't leave him to get hurt while I ran around hopelessly lost in the woods.

Yes, we fought and argued, but it always seemed to be a show for Steve's benefit. We were cold in front of Steve, but close when we were alone. I could see now he tried to take care of me and that's all I could ask for when I could be killed or taken advantage of at any moment.

He gave me advice to prevent the abuse, and while it didn't always work, he tried. Garrett had been there to comfort me. He was the closest thing I had to a normal relationship, but it's not right.

I was taken and forced to live here. It's not fair to me; my life was taken from me! My innocence and naivety, gone, the second Steve called me Kelly. It's not fair that Garrett loves me. We shouldn't be together, but I kissed him back anyway.

He was the only hope I had left— it was barely there, but I had hope I'd get through this. Now I just had to find a way to get both of us out of here without either of us dying. I couldn't live without him, he was everything I needed and even more of what I wanted. My plan was risky, but it would get worse when we both had to escape. We had to escape because we couldn't live here together; it was too dangerous for us.

"I couldn't tell you before because I was afraid you'd pull away and tell my father. I was taken by you and I wanted to keep you for myself. All I wanted to do was protect you, even if it meant my life. I broke the rules so regularly, I forgot they existed until Dad came home. You are my escape from this awful place. I love you, Anna," Garrett whispered as he pulled away from me slightly.

"I won't tell your father," I promised as tears slid down my cheeks. "I love you, too, Garrett. I had feelings for you since our first kiss, and then I couldn't ignore them any longer."

Garrett gently placed his hands around my face again and used his thumbs to wipe away my tears. His touch was so soft and loving that my breath hitched again, wishing he wouldn't stop. I offered him a gentle smile since I was at a loss of words, because I was so taken by the moment. I heard him sigh as he wrapped me in a hug and pressed me tightly to him.

He smelled wonderful, like the smell right before it rains. He smelled like home to me and that gave me a beautiful sense of belonging that I hadn't felt before in my life. I tried to get closer to him as I moved in his arms, and as I moved against him I could hear his heartbeat pick up with excitement. Garrett kissed the top of my head softly and nuzzled into my hair.

My brain yelled and screamed at me that this was wrong. I shouldn't be falling for him, we shouldn't be standing here waiting to be found, and we should be running from this house. Although, there was a part of me that appreciated the strange act of falling in love with Garrett. As I pressed myself closer to him, I accepted that I had fallen for him and that he had fallen in love with me.

I wasn't sure if this was really love, but it was closer than I had felt before, even with Andy. I hadn't felt anything compared this, I never wanted to leave his arms. I had dreamed of being wrapped in his arms and being able to kiss him, and now I could. There was still one problem, though—we were both trapped in this house with no way out.

"We can't be together in here though, Garrett," I said in a whisper as tears continued to stream down my face.

"I know, I've thought about that. Which is why I have a plan on how to get us out, and with any luck, alive." His arms wrapped tighter around me and placed a kiss on the top of my head. "And if not, I'll see you wherever the dead go."

"What's the plan?" I asked curiously as he held me just a little bit tighter, afraid to explain it to me.

***

The plan had been decided, though neither of us really liked what was going happen. Garrett would be beaten again, and I would be running for my life. I would run in the general direction of a town he vaguely remembered visiting, and he’d have to find me. I would have no way of contacting him. We would have no way of knowing if the other made it until it was all over. 

"He leaves the door open when he chases the girls, so I can leave after he does," Garrett had explained to me earlier.

"But you'll be beaten, which is why he leaves it open," I countered.

"Yes, but I also didn't have a reason to fight back before," he said lightly running his fingers against my cheek. "If I can weaken him, you'll have a better chance, and it will give me more time to recover and escape."

"How will we know if the other one made it when this is over?" I asked. I had wondered about how we would meet up if he didn't know where I was and I didn't know where he was. What if I never saw Garrett again after this?

"We won't until it's truly over. I will find a way to contact you or see you again once this is all over, and if I don't it means I didn't make it. So don't stop fighting or running, you'll find out about me eventually, just like I will eventually find out about you," Garrett said bluntly.

There was a sudden bang on the door down stairs, I tensed and Garrett jumped. Steve was coming home and he wouldn't like what he found. I would be breaking rule six and Garrett would be breaking all of his rules at once. There were a few more bangs as Steve tried to open the door, then the door gave way and slammed against the bare walls down stairs.

"Kelly, I'm home! I have a surprise for you!" Steve said as the door slammed shut.

"This is it, Anna. Are you ready?" Garrett asked leaning into kiss me. I had grown accustom to having him touch and be around me after yesterday, I almost craved it. That sliver of hope gave me something to fight for.

"Good luck, Garrett," I said as I leaned forward.

"Good luck, Anna. I love you," he said as his lips slammed against mine.

This was supposed to be overly dramatic, like regular teenagers being caught mid-make out. So I ran my hands through his hair, pulling slightly to make him moan. He ran his hands up my sides, making my shirt ride up. His kisses sent sparks through me as my body begged for more. I let him place himself provocatively in between my legs, even though we were both in jeans and filled with fear, I could feel the smiles on both our faces as we continued to kiss.

Fear surged through me as I heard footsteps start coming up the stairs and the only comfort was that Garrett was here with me, if his worked out I'd have him forever. The footsteps got louder as Steve came unknowingly closer to the scene Garrett and I had created for him. Although, a few seconds before Steve was going to show up Garrett pushed away from me and grabbed the book on the table from yesterday.

"Pretend to be asleep, someone is with him!" Garrett whispered urgently. I could hear the fear lacing his words as he pretended to read the book and calm his breathing at the same time. This must be something new, even Garrett was terrified, and he had seen everything before.

I did as I was told and shut my eyes to pretend to be asleep. I tried to slow my rapid breathing as I relaxed into the couch, but my mind wouldn't stop replaying the scene with Garrett and me. My breathing finally slowed after a few seconds, and I relaxed my body into the couch as if I was sleeping.

Steve's footsteps entered the room and came to a halt. I felt fear spike through me again as I began to wonder what made him stop. Did Steve know something was going on? What gave us away? 

"Kelly, wake up!" Steve ordered.

"Dad, she's sleeping. She's been cleaning all week—” Garrett started, but never finished.

"Did I tell you to speak?" Steve coldly interrupted. "Kelly, get up!"

I stirred slightly and slowly as I pretended to stretch and yawn. "Hello, Steve," I said quietly in a feigned raspy voice as if I had just awoken.

"I have a surprise for you," he stated with a smile, as he produced a small girl, no more than five or six years old, from behind his back. Her hair had dirt in it, her pink sundress was torn, and she only had on one flip flop. It must be warm outside for her to be dressed like this—how long had I been here?

"What is this?" I asked in shock, unable to believe what I was seeing. He brought someone else into the house? He took a little girl as a second child, and her life would be ruined like mine if she stayed trapped in here.

The little girl began crying, but had long given up fighting Steve's hold as she just wept to herself. Steve ordered her to shut up and she did for a moment, but then her cries got louder. Angry at the girl’s defiance, he slapped her and made the crying worse. The scene ripped my heart out, but I had no way of helping the girl.

"This is our new daughter, Kelly. She's about Garrett's age when we took him, and she is so beautiful," he said cooing at the young girl.

I glanced at Garrett while Steve's attention was on the little girl. His mouth hung open, his eyes bulging from their sockets. Steve’s statement was news to him. He was taken at such a young age that he didn’t remember a life before this house.

Garrett abruptly stood up without Steve taking notice to him as he fawned over the little girl. “You took me?”

"Yes, just like this one. Of course, a girl is better for the family than another boy." Steve said with a smile as he handed me the little girl. I quickly pulled her away from Steve and let her cry in my arms. When I looked up from my new 'daughter' I caught Garrett staring at me, asking the silent question 'what now?'