Wanted (13 page)

The
day before New Year’s Eve, Ryan takes me to a very small town in the middle of
nowhere.  They have a general store, a post office, an antique store, a
consignment shop, an ice cream parlor/coffee shop and some type of biker’s
bar.  We throw on our hats and sunglasses and we decide to make a day of
it.  It’s very cold today and big flakes of snow are falling from the dark
clouded sky.  Ryan takes me into the consignment shop and insists on
buying me a coat.  It’s just a plain black puffer type coat. It’s
extremely warm.  I also buy a cute jean skirt and a stylish button-down
blue shirt for the party.  We grab a coffee and make our way over to a
little park with big evergreens and little wooden benches.  There’s a
small stream that runs through the park that’s frozen over and craggily
mountain peaks surround us.  It is just gorgeous.  I am so giddy
spending the day with Ryan, doing such a normal thing.  As we sit there,
taking in the scene, my ears are starting to freeze.  I cover my ears with
the big mittens he found for me in the cabin. Ryan takes off my baseball hat,
pulls his knitted skull cap off and pulls it over my head covering my
ears. 

“You’re
adorable.”  He kisses my nose and smiles at me. 

This
is one of those moments, where the nightmare we are living in is temporarily
forgotten.  I pull him to me and we kiss.  A sweet kiss.  A kiss
that makes all the butterflies in my tummy take flight.  He wraps his arm
around my shoulders and I rest my head on his chest.  I’m falling for
Ryan.

We
walk back to the remote area where we parked the truckster.  We try not to
park out in the open so we don’t draw attention.  We both jump in and
start to rub our arms vigorously trying to warm up.  Ryan starts the car
and turns the heat on and I don’t know why but right at this very moment, I
need him to touch me.  He told me to ask if I need something from him so
as we sit there warming up the car, I work up the courage.  I lean back in
my seat and roll my head on the headrest towards him.

“Ryan? 
Will you touch me?”

He
turns his head quickly. “What do you need, Ness?”

“Your
fingers.”  I say looking at his big hands.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Pull
your pants down.”  He tells me.  His blue eyes turning a shade
deeper.

I
pull my pants down to my ankles and look at him.

“Spread
your legs for me.”

I
do as he says and he leans over the seat and whispers into my lips.  “I
can smell your arousal.”  He sucks on my bottom lip while dipping two
fingers into my pussy.  I push up towards his hand and moan throwing my
head back into the headrest.  He kisses my neck and runs his tongue over
my skin as he fingers me.  I begin to gyrate against his hand as my orgasm
begins to surface.  He hooks his fingers as he drags them out and then
thrusts them back in, wiggling them deep inside of my pussy. 

“I’m
close Ryan, I’m gonna come.”  I pant.  With his two fingers inside me,
he uses the heel of his hand to press down on my clit.

“I’m
coming, oh Ryan.”  I feel my muscles tighten around his fingers.  He
holds them there as my pussy continues to pulsate.  I finally relax my body
against the seat and he pulls his fingers out of me.  He drags one finger
along my bottom lip and then sucks both of them into his mouth.  It is so
erotic when he does that.  I lick my lip and then lean over to him as we
both swirl our tongues in each other’s mouths, my arousal mixed with the taste
of coffee on our tongues.

“Thank
you.”  I whisper on his lips.

“You’re
welcome.  Glad to help.”  He says with a wink.

That
night, we watch the news for hours trying to find out if the police are any
closer to finding us.  So far, it doesn’t sound like there are any new
developments. We both know we don’t have much time left.  I didn’t tell
Ryan about the police car at Walmart or that Kim said I looked familiar. 
I’m paranoid enough for the two of us and I don’t want him to fall apart
again.  Lying in bed that night, we just hold each other not knowing what
the future holds.  Neither one of us sleep.

The
next morning, we turn the news back on.  Still nothing.  The quiet
feels like the calm before the storm.  I’m starting to feel anxious. 
Ryan is quiet and distant.  He doesn’t want me to go to this party but I
have to.  I think it’s the only chance we have.  We spend the day
consumed with our own thoughts.  At about 6pm, I decide to get
ready.  I wear the skirt and button down shirt I just bought. I have to
wear my chucks with it.  It’s all I have but I look like a typical college
student.  I style my hair and put on extra make-up to transform myself
back into Lindsey.  By 7pm, we’re ready to leave.

“If
anything feels weird, anything!  You need to leave.  I’ll watch the
house from the car.”

“Okay. 
I’ll be fine. She said it’s not like a dorm party.  It will be low
key.  I’m sure after what happened to her, she isn’t in a party mood. She
said her friend does this every year.”

“I
know.  I’ve been there.  It is low key and you should be fine but I
just want you to be careful.  People might recognize you and then what
happens?”

“I
know, but it’s either this, or we just wait.  They will find us
eventually.”

He
nods his head.  He knows it’s the truth. I pull out the directions but
Ryan knows exactly where to go so he throws on his hat and we head to the
party.  He parks a block away but at an angle where he can see the house
clearly. He turns to me with concern all over his face.

“Ryan! 
I’ll be fine.  I’m just going to talk to some of the girls. See what I can
find out.  I’ll only stay in there for a couple of hours, okay?”

“Okay.
Go.  Be careful.”

I
kiss his cheek and head for the house.  I cross the street and look back
at him before I pick up my pace and enter the house.  It’s huge.  I’d
say 3500 square feet.  It’s beautifully decorated with earth tone colors
and cherry woods.  A spindle staircase winds to the second floor from the
foyer. The floors are all a dark hard wood.  I find my way to the kitchen
where most of the people seem to be.  The kitchen is open to a huge living
space.  Granite countertops line the kitchen with a huge island covered in
trays of finger foods.  There are about 50 people standing around with red
solo cups in their hands.  I glance around looking for Kim and spot her on
the other side of the island talking to two girls.  I wave my hand at her
to get her attention.  She spots me and waves me over so I push myself
through the crowd of hungry college students standing around the island.

“Hey
Kim!”

“Lindsey! 
I’m glad you made it.  This is Kayla.  This is her parent’s
house.  This is Beth.  We’re roommates.”

“Hi. 
Nice to meet you.  Lindsey.  I’m here visiting, checking out the
college.”  I glance at Kim and see the doubt in her expression.

“So,
Lindsey.  What are you going to major in?”  Kayla asks.

“Um,
finance.”

“Cool.”

There’s
an awkward silence. They all seem uncomfortable around me.  This isn’t
going to go well.  We continue to talk about the benefits of
Western.  I half listen.  I don’t really care.  How the hell am
I going to get her to tell me what happened?  I’m already thinking this is
a bad idea.  It’s not going to work.  Of course she isn’t going to
want to talk about the gory details of her attempted murder at a party with a
complete stranger. The house starts to fill up with more people. I’m on my
second solo cup filled with beer from the keg.  It’s been an hour and I
got nothing.  What the hell was I thinking?  I’m no Nancy Drew. 
I wander around watching the students dancing, playing quarter bounce and Dance
Central on the Xbox.  It is pretty low key.  I walk towards the back
of the house looking for a restroom and find one right off the laundry
room.  I set my cup down on the washing machine and step into the
restroom.  I do my business, clean up and stand there for a few minutes
trying to think about what I need to do.  As I’m about to open the door, I
overhear voices in the laundry room and catch Ryan’s name.

“She
looks like she’s doing okay.” A girl’s voice says.

“She’s
not okay.  Ryan was her best friend.  They did everything together. I
mean, being attacked is traumatic enough.  Being attacked by your best
friend that you’ve known for 6 years and trusted is a whole other story.”

“I
know.  He seemed like such a nice guy too.  I don‘t get it.”

“It’s
always the quiet ones.  I heard he brutally attacked her and then tortured
her with a knife until he thought she was dead.”

“I
can’t believe it.”

“Well,
believe it.  He ran.  He’s totally guilty.  You always hear
about these psychos on the news. He was quiet.  He seemed like a nice
guy.  He was charming.  Like that Scott Peterson who murdered his
pregnant wife.  They’re fine one day and then all of a sudden, they just
snap.  They are just sick!”

I
decide I can’t stay in here forever. They might actually be waiting for the
restroom.  I open the door and pretend like I’m surprised they are even
standing there.

“Oh,
excuse me.”  I grab my drink off the washing machine and squeeze past them.

“Who
was that?”  I hear one of them whisper.  Shit, I need to get out of
here.

I
push through the crowds of people.  It’s loud and the house is packed
now.  I think I’m just going to go.  I need to find Kim.  Maybe I
can set up another time to get together.  Maybe I’ll just come straight
out and ask her what happened.  I can’t find her and the crowd is making
the temperature in here unbearable.  It feels like its 100 degrees. 
I wipe the sweat from my forehead.  Shit.  I should have something to
eat.  I’m starting to feel nauseous.  I only had two beers so I know
I’m not drunk.  I grab a few chips from the tray on the island and shove
them in my mouth.  All of a sudden, my vision starts to blur and my legs
feel heavy.  I shuffle back towards the bathroom and lock myself in. 
I look in the mirror holding onto the sink.  I look pale as hell.  My
face is moist with sweat. I sit on the toilet and try to breathe through the
nausea.  I need to get out of here.  I slowly stand up, having to
hold onto the wall for balance.  I open the door and see Ryan.  He
startles me and makes me jump.

“Ryan?! 
What are doing in here?  What if someone sees you?”

“We
have to get out of here.”  He says, pulling me towards him by my elbow.

“Yeah,
I don’t feel well.  I need to tell Kim I’m leaving though.”

“No,
it’s fine.  We have to go now.”  He says sternly.

He
puts his arm around my waist and guides me out a door in the laundry room that
leads to the garage in the front of the house.  There are people
everywhere but it’s dark. I’m feeling confused as he practically drags me down
the sidewalk.  He takes me to a parked car a few houses down and opens the
door to a blue Ford Escape. 

“Whose
car is this?”  Something isn’t right. 

“A
friend’s.”  He slams the door after practically tossing me in the seat and
rounds the car to the driver’s side.

“Ryan,
I don’t feel good.” I moan.

“You’ll
be feeling good very shortly, babe.”

I
sit slumped in the seat, my head lolling from side to side.  I have no
control over my body.  I stare at the roof of the car trying to stay
awake.  I think I’m in and out of consciousness.  The car is
bouncing.  We must be on a dirt road.  We must be on the way to the
cabin.  Thank God.  I feel like I might vomit.  The car finally
comes to a stop and I’m pulled abruptly from my seat and land on the cold, hard
ground.  A piercing pain shoots through my back when I land and knocks me
breathless. Ryan grabs my ankles and drags me across the dirt. My shirt and my
skirt are riding up.  Dirt and rocks scratch my back as I’m being dragged.
What the fuck is happening?

“How
are you feeling Vanessa?  I’m gonna make you feel real good
sweetheart.”  He continues to drag me across the ground.  All I see
are tree branches and the stars in the sky until something covers my view. It
looks like wood.  I think we’re in a barn. There is dim light from the
moon seeping through the wood slats in the roof. It’s not as cold in here but
I’m still shivering.  My muscles hurt from trying to warm myself.  My
teeth are chattering.  He lets go of my ankles and they fall lifeless to
the ground. Then, he’s on me.  He straddles my bare legs, leaning over me
and then with both hands, he rips my shirt open.  Buttons fly everywhere.
 I hear them hit and scatter on the wooden floor.  I lay there not
able to move a muscle.  I just stare into his eyes begging him to
stop.  He’s breathing heavy and he reeks of alcohol.

Crazy
thoughts start to clutter my head.  Ryan is psycho.  Ryan has been
keeping me captive as his sex slave and I’ve been brainwashed.  Ryan might
be like Norman Bates and has voices in his head.  I open my heavy eye lids
and his head is spinning around above me.

“Ryan,
what are you doing?”  I whimper.  I try to struggle underneath his
heavy body but it’s useless.  I’m confused and scared to death.  I
can’t breathe.  I’m having a panic attack.