Left Behind (19 page)

“Yeah, but let’s hope it’s not too late when we do. And
the guys will still be pissed.”

‘I know, but I didn’t have a choice; not if I wanted to keep everyone safe.’

“Well, call Beckham. I’ll tell him that
we’re coming along only to collect the hostages.”

I ran upstairs to get Troy’s phone, that way Blain should know it was me calling. When I got it, I called Jordan’s phone and walked back downstairs while I waited for him to pick up.

“It’s twelve fifteen. I hope that you are on your way to the bus station.” Blain said, answering the phone.

I tapped to let him know it was me, but then handed the phone to Luke.

“This is Luke Rosenetti. I caught Marti trying to sneak out, and got her to tell me everything.” He said.

He listened for a second before speaking again. “We are not stopping her, but we do want to go to New York to collect Jordan, James, and Shelby. We’ll let her do what she needs to do.”, “Yes I understand.”, “My partner Woods.”, “Yes were headed there now.” He hung up.

“Alright, let’s go. He said we could escort you until it was time for you to leave, but we had better not get off of the bus until we got to New York, or he would kill you. He told me where to find the others.” Luke explained. “I really hope you know what you’re doing.”

‘So do I.’
I signed. I looked back at the ranch house one more time as we drove off, praying I would be able to see it , and those in it , again soon.

It took us no time at all to get to the bus depot. We all headed inside to get our tickets, but when Luke asked for my ticket at the window, they didn’t have one in my name. The bus was there and getting ready to set off so I was going to buy a ticket, so as not to miss the bus, but Woods stopped me.

“Something is up. He wouldn’t have brought you here for no reason.” He told me and then turned to Luke. “Call him back and ask him what’s up.”

Luke called and was only on the phone for a minute before snapping his phone closed. “The asshole put it in the name of Mrs. Robinson.”

They went back to the window and retrieved my ticket and then bought theirs.

There were only three other people on the bus besides us. We sat in the next to last row; me on one side and Woods and Luke on the other.

I had been just staring out the window for a while, hearing the guys whispering, but not really paying attention to what they were saying , until Luke called my name.

“Are you sure about this, Marti?”

I shook my head.
‘No, but I have no choice.’

Woods spoke what I had signed, and then said himself that something felt wrong.

‘This whole thing is wrong, Woods. Blain is crazy. Whatever he has planned is nothing like what he told us. I’m just praying that my brothers and Shelby will still be alive when you get there. I can take anything he dishes out as long they are alive.’

“Did he give any indication of where he would pick you up?”

‘No, he wanted to make it more difficult for someone to be able to find me. With you two coming along, I’m sure he will have figured something out to be able to get me without interference.’
I looked over to Woods, and could tell he was trying to plan something out. I didn’t want that, because anything he did would endanger my family.
‘If everything goes as it should, Jordan knows how to track me and find me, but if something happens, tell the triplets that I have a GPS chip imbedded in my skin. Jordan’s codes to find me are in his fireproof lockbox in his closet. You can find me by using that.’

We stopped talking after that, but he and Luke kept
whispering. I knew they would try to get everyone without having anyone get hurt, but you never knew what was in store when a crazy person was involved, and it would be too late for me to change my mind once he had me.
I had to just go with it and pray for the best for my family.

Each stop we made I got more and more nervous. Woods and Luke would stay on the bus as I would get off, pretending to stretch my legs, pick up a snack and drink, or just use the restroom.

Finally in Charlottesville
Virginia
, I was approached, but not by whom I expected.

“Are you Mrs. Robinson?” A man in a white t shirt and jeans asked
coming up from behind me.
Looking at him, he didn’t seem like a mean or evil person.

I nodded warily.

“
Mr. Robinson hired my t
axi service to drive you to where he is. Do you have any bags?”

I shook my head. I knew he probably didn’t know sign language, so I didn’t bother trying to use it.

We got into a mini-van that had his company logo on it confirming
that he was from an actual t axi company.
He drove me for about forty five minutes before we came to a diner and pulled up beside a blue car sitting in the back of the lot.

The taxi driver got out and opened the door for me, so I got out looking for Blain. Instead a man with blond hair looking to be in his forties got out of the car and opened the passenger side door for me to get in.

This man just drove me, without speaking, for about another hour. By this point it was light outside. I had no clue what town, or state by this point, that we were in, but we finally pulled into a long driveway leading to a two story Victorian house. As the man was helping me out of the car, Blain came out of the house. I froze. I couldn’t move. Seeing his face again sent so many flashes through my mind I couldn’t breathe.

Blain came over, handing the man a stack of bills
and put his arm around my waist like it was a normal occurrence. The man drove off in the blue car as Blain turned to me.

“I have missed you so much, Kayla.” He bent down to try to kiss me, but I turned my head so the kiss landed on my cheek.

“Don’t do this, Pet.”
He said; his voice hardening. “This is supposed to be a happy reunion. I told you I was sorry for everything, but I made a mistake in leaving you. We belong together.”

Hearing this made me angry. How stupid could this man be to think that an apology would make up for all he had done to me.

‘You are crazy if you think I will willingly come to you.’
I told him using sharp gestures to emphasize my anger toward him.
I didn’t care if he didn’t understand me. Though he was dragging me down, I would not go without a fight this time. I would not give up because I knew that I had people who loved me that would never give up until they found me.
‘The only reason I returned was to save my family. I will never give myself to you. I will definitely never love you.’

He shook his head sadly. He seemed to have sincere regret in his eyes. “I think that is one of the things I’m the most sorry for. I will miss your beautiful voice crying out as I pleasure you in the playroom.
I haven’t learned sign language yet, but I will. I’ll do that for you, Kayla.”

He seriously thought I enjoyed the things he did to me. I didn’t really realize it until that moment. He was so completely deluded ; in his own made up world in his mind.

I don’t know what reaction he wanted from me, maybe gratitude for being flattered, but whatever he wanted , I obviously didn’t give it to him. He got angry, grabbed my arm, and started to drag me into the house.

“I was truly hoping you wouldn’t be difficult, but I brought some insurance to help me gain your compliance, Kayla.” He said as he led me to the stairs leading down to what I guess was the playroom in the basement.

I had gotten to where I really hated my middle name. People stopped calling me Kayla after my mom died because it made me too sad. She had told me how special that name was to her, but Blain tainted that. Mom had chosen that name for a girl when she was just a little girl herself. Blain had told me the Marti was a boy’s name, so he called me Kayla. It was just another one of the reasons I was never completely comfortable around him.

When we got into the basement, I wanted to scream. I couldn’t hold back the tears from seeing one of the people I did all of this to protect.

“I’m sorry, Sis.” Jordan’s voice croaked. He was
sitting in a chair, his hands and feet tied to it so tightly it looked like his fingers were turning purple. He had a black eye and a busted lip. And that was just the things I could see.

I shook my head letting him know I didn’t blame him. Blain had let go of my arm and watching the interaction between Jordan and I.
I ran over to him, falling on my knees, and hugging his legs as I buried my face and sobbed into them. Blain had me and he knew it. I would never try to escape as long as he had my brother.

I stood up, wiped my eyes, and looked around the room. It was just l
ike the other one he had kept me in with the St. Andrews cross, a table that resembled the GYN doctor’s table, and an implement that looked like a wooden horse. I knew from previous experience what each was used for. There was an old fashion wardrobe against the wall that I assumed held all of his ‘toys’, whips, and paddles. There were mirrors on all of the walls. He liked to watch my reactions to everything, and he needed the mirrors for when he was standing behind me.

There was a door on one of the walls. I walked to it hoping it was a bathroom so I could fix Jordan a drink of water. By the sound of his voice, he hadn’t had anything for a while. Sure enough it was. It was done in all black tile and the sink, toilet, and tub were all black. I used the rinsing glass to fix Jordan some cold water and took it back to him, holding it for him to sip from since his hands were tied. He had dark circles under his eyes. I hated myself for this happening to him. I hated Blain now more than I ever had for doing all of this to him.

He must have seen the hatred in my eyes
, because he came and knocked the glass from my hand, and grabbed my arm to move me, but I jerked away from him.

‘At least loosen the ropes enough to give him circulation.’
I signed.

Jordan translated for me. Blain looked at me for a minute, but I guess he saw the determination in my eyes because he sighed and went to loosen them one at a time.

“You know the first thing we have to do, Pet.” He said when he was finished. He came over to me and let me to the cross. He started to undress me, but I stopped him, looking pointedly at Jordan. I didn’t want him to have to look at me naked. “I’ll leave your under garments on for now, but I have to strap you in. It’s time to learn the consequences for all of the rules you have broken.”

I had a feeling I knew what was going to happen and it made bile rise up my throat. I could handle anything he did to me, but I didn’t know how I was going to handle whatever he did to Jordan.

I was right. As soon as
he had me down to my bra and panties and strapped onto the cross, he went over to an ember pit I hadn’t noticed before. He had it under a hood vent that wo ul d lead the smoke outside. He had several things stuck down in the red hot coals of the pit.

“Every time you disobey
me, Jordan will pay the consequences.” He said, stirring the coals with a poker. “So far Pet, in the thirty minutes you have been here, you have pulled away and gone against my wishes four times, so it’s time for the punishment.” He turned to me with a branding iron with his real initials RB on it , showing me what he planned to use. It was red with the heat of the fire.

I shook my head franticly.
‘Punish me please, Master!’
I mouthed, not being able to move my hands. I guess he under stood because he laughed.

“No can do, Pet. I think this will work better in getting your behavior in order from the beginning .”

He went over to Jordan, tore his shirt open with his free hand, and pressed the branding iron over his heart. Jordan screamed, and God knows I felt his pain. If I could have screamed with him I would have. I never took my eyes off of him. I knew this was my punishment for bringing this psycho into our lives. For the first time since I received the call from him telling me to come, I really didn’t want to live through this. My brother was being tortured because of me, and I wanted to die.

He went back to the pit and traded implements, this time taking out the poker. Again he held it up to show me before going back to Jordan, jabbing it into his shoulder. I screamed and screamed, though no sound came out . I knew that the sound that came from Jordan would be burned in my memory, haunting me for however many more days I had left in this life, be it two days or fifty years. When he took it out, there was just a black hole there. The poker had cauterized the wound as Blain had made it, so it wasn’t bleeding.

Jordan slumped in his chair, and I realized he had passed out. Blain laughed and turned back to me.

“Well, I guess you get the idea.”
He said, putting the poker back in the pit and walking over to me. He ran his fingers down my scarred cheek. “At least we can have some time alone. Where to start?” And he headed to the Wardrobe.

I prayed the triplets would be able to find us fast. Even if I didn’t want to live anymore, I knew I needed to keep my head and try to save Jordan anymore pain.