Silencing Joy (15 page)

The second girl stops short when she sees Kara, bound
and gagged.

“
What’s up with her?”

She waves her finger in Kara’s direction and wobbles
as she walks forward. Mouse grabs her under the arm and leads her
away towards the door on the back wall. Kara never sees anyone go
in or out of that door.

“
Ignore her. She’s into kinky shit,” he
deadpans.

The first girl continues her trademark giggle. Kara
takes the opportunity to struggle and pull at her bindings. She
wants to shout on the top of her lungs, Liar! And then punch Mouse
in the mouth.

“
You got any more?” girl number one asks
Mouse.

“
Of course, ladies, follow me,” Mouse answers in a
sickly sweet enticing voice.

The three of them exit through the mysterious door.
It is made of metal, and it rattles and thuds as it closes.

Everyone decided it would be best to get a
good night’s sleep, even though it was early morning. So we were
going to nap and revisit this mess afterwards.

Will grasped my hand, pulling me to a
standing position. He swung the backpack over his shoulder and led
me up the stairs. We both carefully stepped over the shoes.

In a bedroom down the hall, Will opened the
door and tugged me inside. He spun me around, kissing me long and
hard.

“I’ve been wanting to do that...” he mumbled
with heavy-lidded eyes.

“Didn’t you kiss me about thirty minutes
ago?” I asked.

“Way to long...I want to kiss you all the
time,” he smiled as he stepped away.

I looked in the closet for some clothes,
reaching in to grab a long T-shirt, which I immediately hung back
up. It smelled musty; the smell that fabric gets when it sits too
long in an enclosed space. Everything here needed washing. Will
wrinkled his nose as he pulled back the comforter on the bed.

“I think these sheets can walk by
themselves,” he said in jest. He opened the backpack and pulled out
the sleeping bag, unzipping it. He laid it over the stale sheets.
Then he laid the blanket out over it.

“I’m going to go see if Jen brought anything
I can sleep in.” I reach for the door handle.

“You don’t need anything,” Will says and
waggles his eyebrows at me. “I’ll keep you warm.”

I flush at his statement, and continued to
leave. I needed to use the bathroom and check on Jen.

The hallway was occupied by Jake who solemnly
faced Jen’s door. In one hand, he held a pair of high-heeled shoes,
and his other hand was lifted to knock. He turned towards me and
shrugged his shoulders. I shook my head at him, letting him know I
had no clue what her problem was. It dawned on me as I passed
him.

“Maybe you should apologize...She seemed
pretty upset about the cat.”

“I’ve tried,” he whispered. “She won’t listen
to me.”

I decided to take the bull by the horns. And
she could be a pretty tough
bull
. I knocked.

“Jen, it’s me. You okay? Open up,” I called
to her.

The rusted door hinges creaked as Jen slowly
opened her door. I put my face in her line of sight.

“Hi,” I said.

She visibly relaxed and opened the door wider
for me. Jake popped his head around. Jen tried to slam the door,
but I wedged my foot in it.

“Wait,” he said. “Just hear me out.”

“Traitor!” she yelled at me.

I walked away and headed for the bathroom. My
work was done. I could hear the two of them arguing.
Well, at
least it’s a start...

I washed my face with the bar soap I found in
a small cabinet behind the toilet. I ran the water until it got
hot, which took forever. The soap was some cheap crap that was
going to totally dry my face. It was the only thing I had, though,
so I guess it was better than nothing.

I cupped my hands and splashed the warm water
up over my cheeks. It felt glorious. I lathered up my hands and
rubbed them over my face, scrubbing. I spattered my face with more
water to rinse the soap off when the bathroom door opened.

“What’s taking you so long?” Will asked me.
He was shirtless and barefoot, wearing only jeans.

I dried my face with a stale towel. “I had
some things to stick my nose into.”

He tried to suppress a smile. Obviously, he
was hiding some sick joke in response to my excuse of what was
taking so long. I pursed my lips in disapproval.

“I’m learning how that mind works, Mr.
Harrison,” I chastised.

“Really? You think you have me figured out?”
he questioned as he stalked behind me.

I could see us both in the mirror. His eyes
were heated and mischievous. He shocked me by running his hand
along my side where my ribs met my bra. He squeezed me seductively.
It sent a zing to my nether regions. He watched my reaction in our
reflection. His lips dipped to my neck, and he gently bit. Passion
flared in me, and I closed my eyes.

Before I realized it, we were halfway down
the hallway to our room. The yelling from Jen’s room had
quieted.

Will picked me up and placed me on the bed.
He lay on top of me, supporting himself with his arms.

He ran his tongue along a sensitive part of
my neck and chest, teasing and going really slow. My eyes fluttered
shut, and I savored it.

He moved my shirt aside, stretching it to
reveal my bra. He nipped me gently, and I bucked off the bed. He
smiled at my reaction. I wasn’t sure if it made me want to punch
him or ask him to do it again. My body was telling me to ask him to
do it again.

I cradled his head and moved it back to
encourage him. He got the picture...lusciously. He nipped and
nuzzled me again and again. I shamefully enjoyed every minute of
it. I reached my hand down and grasped his hard length. Suddenly,
he was the one writhing and bucking. It was a powerful feeling. The
power of our combined touching was enough to make me forget my
name. This strange house could have fallen down around us, and I
couldn’t have cared less.

Derek:

Derek can’t stand it anymore. How can a father allow
his child to swim around in the same water with sharks? He knows
exactly what lurks at the high school!

He needs to find her and fast. Little did he know
that, while he was messing around trying to save Joy and Jen, his
beloved Kara was being abducted. His friend was beaten bloody and
his own hands helped. He let his guard down, and now Kara is paying
the price. There is an unwritten rule...never go for the boss’s
daughter, especially, the crooked boss’s daughter.

Derek should have known something was wrong. He
hadn’t talked to her. But that wasn't unusual. They would go days
without seeing each other or talking. It's just the way things had
to be. He hated it, but he couldn't risk Kara. Now, it doesn't
matter because now she is in the worst situation that he could ever
imagine.

My eyes snapped open. Will and I fell asleep
sandwiched together, and he was breathing next to my ear. I could
hear the floorboards creaking, a person moving slowly outside our
door, making my heart race. I got up to see who it was.

I opened the door a crack to peek out. Derek
descended the stairs one at a time. He moved gingerly, trying not
to make a sound. He turned and saw me, and his eyes casted a
distant and desperate look. He held his finger to his mouth in the
universal “be quiet” motion. I shook my head in question. I stepped
forward towards him; he ignored me and continued his descent to the
first floor. I followed.

“Go back to bed, Joy,” he ordered.

“Where are you going?” I whispered.

He tossed his bag onto the table and unzipped
it. He walked to the kitchen and came back with a few small boxes,
threw them in his bag and zipped it back up.

“What are you doing?” I entreated. He didn’t
look at me, his eyes stayed fixated on packing up his stuff.

“Go back upstairs,” he commanded. “And don’t
tell Will.” Derek meant business and was in complete
Special-Secret-Agent-mode.

“Dude!” Will stood in the middle of the
steps. He must have heard us. “Don’t tell me what?”

Derek ignored him and swung his bag over his
shoulder as he took quick strides to the front door. Will jumped
down the remaining steps to catch up with him.

“Stop,” Will called out. “What’s going on?
Where are you going?”

“I’m leaving,” Derek responded callously.

Will placed his hand on the top of the door,
attempting to keep it closed.

“Let’s talk,” Will entreated rationally.

Derek yanked the door, and it pushed Will
back a few steps. Will’s eyes flashed with anger.
Crap!
Derek lunged through the opening in the door, away from Will. Will
chased him the short distance to the porch. Like a slow-motion
movie, Derek lifted one leg towards the steps. Will sprang and
tackled him mid-step, and they rolled down the stairs in a mess of
arms and legs.

“What the
hell
, dude!?” Will yelled at
Derek as he tried to pin him to the dirty ground.

I watched helplessly as they punched each
other and screamed at them to stop. It didn’t do any good; they
were in their own
smack-down
world. It seemed to go on
forever. I wanted to go get Bill or Jake, but I was frozen just
outside the door...watching, immobile.

The screen door swung open and smacked
against the clapboards. Jen emerged heatedly, carrying a huge metal
bowl. My face contorted in a perplexed expression as I watched her
take determined and annoyed steps to the edge of the porch. She
unceremoniously lifted the bowl and flung its contents at the
guys.

Water!
She doused them and they looked
up, both with the same shocked manner. For a moment, they almost
looked like brothers in a sibling fight.

“I’m trying to sleep!” Jen yelled forcefully.
“Knock it off!”

Jake came to the doorway, laughing his head
off, and Bill was right behind him.

“Good one,” Jake said happily.

She tossed the bowl aside and sent Jake a
seething glare.

“I wish it was you.” And she sashayed back
into the house.

“What’s going on?” Bill asked sternly.

The dirt and grass below Will and Derek
turned muddy from the water. The guys slowly stood, covered in
ick.

“I need to leave,” Derek said. “I have to
help Kara.”

“We will. We need to figure things out. We
can’t go off half-cocked,” Will shouted.

“Will is right,” Bill said.

“You don’t understand!” Derek growled
adamantly.

“What then...what is it?” Will beseeched.
“What the hell is your problem?”

Derek stood stiffly, mulling over what to
say. The four of us stared at him, waiting.

“I’m in love with her.”

“
What!?
” Will gasped, stupefied.
“Please tell me you’re kidding!”

My mouth fell open in surprise. Bill let out
a dismayed moan.

“I don’t get it,” Jake said. “How do you even
know her?”

“That’s why you’ve been a weird.
Disappearing...The little side jobs. You were going to see her,
weren’t you?” Will rambled out in disbelief.

Derek nodded his head. “I can’t keep it
together anymore. I’m going crazy. I need to find her. Tommy...”
Derek faltered, unable to finish his sentence.

Derek fisted his hands in his hair,
frustrated. He was angry and somewhat terrified, a far cry from how
he normally seemed – always so in control, thoughtful, and
lighthearted. It was unsettling to see him this way.

My heart bled for him...and for Kara, who
must be so afraid. Tommy was petrifying...of that, I had first-hand
knowledge. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what she was going
through. Derek’s stance was defeated and hopeless.

Will threw his arm around Derek’s shoulder,
and the two friends made their way into the house.

Jen clopped up the stairs back to her room,
done with the drama that was taking place. As she left the room, I
noticed Jake watching her with longing. Here, Jen always accused me
of being
“clueless.”
Now, it was apparently her turn.

“Dude, you have kept your head on straight
this long. Keep it together for just a little while more. We are
gonna figure this out,” Will implored.

“We are at a stand-still and it is killing
me!” Derek grated out.

“We didn’t even know that she was taken until
thirty-six hours ago. We have to keep our heads straight.”

“She could be on a ship by now!”

Bill interjected in his mature, federal-agent
way. “I don’t think that’s why he took her. It’s to get at
Matthews. She’s not for cargo.”

“How can you be so sure?” Derek beseeched.
“I’m the one who has been with Tommy for the past six months. That
fucker is sick! He doesn’t give a shit about anyone but himself.
With each passing day, he becomes more power hungry. I need to
go...right now! I need to find her!”

Derek’s shoulders collapsed in defeat. His
frustration was palpable.

Each new part of this surreal adventure
amazed me. You would think, by now, that I would be getting used to
it, but I'm so not. It was like a suspense novel filled with
monsters, danger, and
heroes
.

Jake recovered from his
way-too-giddy
mirth resulting from watching two of his friends get doused with
water by Jen.

“We need a diversion or a decoy,” he
said.

“Huh...?” I mumbled, registering Jake’s
suggestion.

Derek and Will turned to him.

“He’s right!” Will bellowed, the idea
reaching a height of clarity with him. “That is exactly what we
need to do!”

Our group rippled into a major FBI mission
briefing, or whatever you’d call it. I listened, only understanding
half of what they were saying because of all the FBI code and
jargon. The guys went to work quickly, devising a plan to
infiltrate Tommy’s operation and get Kara out...if she was even
still with him. Derek’s job was to find out.