“Gary, I can’t feel my arms. Can you untie me please?” she asked him nicely with a smile as if waking up tied to a bed was a regular occurrence.
Gary smiled and patted her on the head as if she was a little girl. “Are you going to be a reasonable girl, Elizabeth? No more trying to make me jealous with that big oaf, the deputy?”
Liz pasted a smile on her face. “No more. I’m sorry.”
Gary leaned over and kissed her cheek, and she tried to hide her revulsion at his touch. “Good.” He started untying her hands. “We are going to call your parents and spend Christmas with them. We’ll announce our marriage plans,” Gary stated cheerfully, talking as he untied her. “
Your parents will love me and want to help us out with money. I have such big plans for us, sweetheart. I’ll make you much happier than that deputy.”
Liz nodded, not trusting herself to speak, and shook her arms to get the feeling back while Gary continued to calmly make plans. “I already packed a suitcase for you and me. I have flights arranged for later this afternoon.”
Liz felt anxious. No way was she going anywhere with this crazy man. She looked around and saw she was in a bedroom. She looked out the window and saw the sun was coming up. She had been passed out all night. “Where are we, Gary?”
Gary smiled. “My house of course. I’m going to get the phone and you will call your parents. It’s only polite to let them know we are coming.” He went out of the room and Liz heard the lock click in place. Great. She was locked in. At least Gary hadn’t undressed her. Liz put her feet down on the floor and spotted her shoes. Oh why did she have to wear high heels? She put them on and walked over to the window. Gary’s house was located outside of town and all she could see was woods, a long road, and no neighbors. Think, Liz! she told herself. Who knew if anyone was looking for her? She had to get herself out of this mess.
Liz tried lifting the window slowly but it wouldn’t budge. She needed a plan B and quick. She heard Gary’s footsteps coming up the stairs. She hurried and sat back down on the bed, trying not to panic.
Gary unlocked the door and came in with a phone in his hand. He handed it to her and sat on the bed next to her, dressed in his usual business suit minus the jacket.
“Can I shower first, Gary? I still feel groggy and weak,” Liz lied, trying to stall so she could come up with another plan. She put her hand to her stomach. “I feel queasy, Gary,” she said softly.
Gary sighed and laid the phone on the nightstand. He stood up and looked at her sternly. “You’d better not be playing games because if I lose my temper you will not like it. I have plans for us and your father is going to help me get rich. You go and shower and I will bring you up some tea. You have ten minutes.” He left angrily but still locked the door.
Liz waited a few seconds and grabbed the phone he forgot on the nightstand. She ran to the bathroom, locked the door and turned the shower on. She wasn’t calling that jerk Ethan, so she called Lacy’s cell phone instead. All she got was Lacy’s voice mail.
“Lacy, it’s me, Liz,” she whispered, feeling the tears falling from her eyes. Her heart thumped so loudly, it felt like it wanted to jump out of her chest. She couldn’t afford to break down right now. She could only hope Lacy would check her messages soon.
“Gary has me at his house. He has lost his mind, Lacy, and I need help quick. Tell Ryan please!” Liz explained in a hurry. “Tell him to come get me now! Gary wants us to fly out of here and I’m so scared! I will try to stall as long as possible.
Liz hung up quickly and put the phone back in case Gary came back in. She went back in the bathroom. She didn’t want to chance taking her clothes off and getting in, so she leaned in and wet her hair. Liz grabbed a towel and turned the shower off. She heard the bedroom door creak open.
“Are you almost done?” Gary yelled through the door.
“Yes, I am getting dressed. Be out in a second,” Liz answered, hoping she sounded calm instead of the overwhelming anxiety she was feeling. She toweled her hair dry. She stood there a few minutes trying to stall and think of a plan in case no one got her message. She opened the bathroom door and Gary was sitting on the bed waiting for her.
She glanced at the table. The phone was gone and a cup of hot tea was there.
“Come sit down and drink your tea. We have a schedule to keep,” Gary told her impatiently, looking at his watch.
Liz sat on the bed and grabbed the tea, sipping it slowly. She stayed quiet, praying Ryan or someone would get here. She was doing her best to stay calm and not freak out.
“Okay, call your dad,” Gary stated irritably, handing her the phone. Liz stood up and set the tea down and grabbed the phone. She noticed Gary had left the bedroom door open. Liz looked down at the phone, pretending she was dialing a number then she made up her mind to try to make a run for it. She threw the phone at Gary and he instinctively put his hands up to block the hit. She ran out the opened door and down the stairs as fast as she could go. This was her one chance of escaping and she was taking it.
Chapter 13
“Liz, you’re going to be sorry. I tried being a gentleman with you,” Gary yelled, running after Liz. He reached her as she got to the bottom of the stairs and she saw the front door. He grabbed her hair, halting her escape.
“I got you.” He laughed. “You think you are so smart but you can’t win over me. No one can! I’m too smart.”
Gary turned her so she was facing him and slapped her across the face and raised his hand to hit her again. Liz stepped back. Her cheek throbbed but she ignored it. She wondered if she’d make it out the front door. She had no choice but to take a chance. What if no one got her message? It might be up to her to save herself. She kicked him with all her might in the knee and Gary went tumbling to the floor with a surprised yell. Obviously he hadn’t expected her to fight back.
Liz ran for the door as fast as she could before he could get back up. Gary was fast and reached her when she had her hand on the doorknob. She had almost made it out! He pulled her back against his body laughing. “This is fun, Elizabeth. I could do this all day. It’s getting me excited.” She could feel how hard he was and shuddered in revulsion. “Unfortunately we have a plane to catch, my dear. We can play later.”
“You are a crazy bastard, Gary!” Liz yelled, struggling wildly to get away from him. She looked around the living room for anything she could use as a weapon. Even though she was terrified she refused to give in to fear and give up. This was her life she was fighting for. Liz started kicking Gary as hard as she could to get him to let her go. Maybe she could reach the lamp on the table and hit him over the head. It always worked in the movies, she thought.
Suddenly the door was kicked opened. Liz screamed with fright. Ryan and Ethan stood there with their guns drawn.
Ethan saw Gary holding Liz and anger and fear exploded through him. “Let her go, Gary! You’re done here,” Ethan yelled, pointing his gun at Gary.