My body stiffened automatically going on high alert at the sound of someone’s feet padding across the concrete. I whimpered realizing he was back. He had been relatively easy on me sparing me all the horrible mortifying things I feared he’d ultimately do to me, but there was only so long he’d wait before he inflicted the torture planned for me.
He hovered over me, his scent making me wonder if I made it out of this if I would always remember the way he smelled. I shuddered at the thought that I’d take the memory of him forever with me. I held my breath as I felt his fingers on the back of my head. Was this it?
He untied the blindfold giving me back my vision. My eyes slowly opened, blinking as they tried to focus. I lifted my head as the man’s shadow loomed over me and tried to make him out. My heart sank as his face came into focus, realizing that he had taken his mask off unveiling his identity to me knowing that it could only mean that if he let me see him he had no intention of letting me go free.
He wasn’t older and by older I meant that I had envisioned him to be around my dad’s age. If I had to guess, I’d say he was in his forties. His green eyes held me captive as they locked with mine his hands working on pulling out a bagel wrapped in wax paper. He held the food to my lips and tipped his chin.
“Eat.” He demanded.
My eyes diverted from his to the bagel he was offering me. I swirled whatever saliva was left pooling in the sides of my mouth and spat on the food before lifting my eyes back to his.
“Fuck you.” I hissed. If I was going to be at his mercy, I was going to go down swinging with everything left inside of me.
He raised an eyebrow at me. “Daddy taught you well.” He said throwing the bagel onto the floor. “Suit yourself. I don’t give a fuck if you starve.” He pulled out a chair, turning it around backwards and sat down in front of me. “Time to make a phone call.”
I drew my eyebrows together as I watched him pull his phone out of his back pocket lifting it up and waving it in my face.
“It’s time to make my demands clear to your old man. It would be good if you sounded scared and if you can’t do that then I’ll just have to put a little fright in you.” He reached behind him again pulling out his gun and aiming it at me.
“You know what I think? I think you’re full of shit because if you were going to kill me, you would’ve done it already, but you don’t have the balls to kill me.” I said gravely.
He cocked his head to the side, contemplating my words. “It’s a good theory, but make no mistake I will kill you if I have to. However, if I kill you now then it’s not likely daddy will deliver what I need from him.”
He took the phone and quickly worked his fingers making his phone call all the while holding his gun steady on me. I don’t think I ever hated someone as much as I hated the person before me. The sound of the phone ringing echoed off the walls of the warehouse as we waited in silence for someone to answer.
“Hello?” My father’s frantic voice filled the room, bringing tears to my eyes. I fought to hold them back to hold it together at the sound of his voice. I had never heard my father’s voice sound so full of fear before.
He shoved the phone in my face. “Talk.” He whispered harshly as he lifted the gun to my temple.
“Daddy?” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Nikki? Nikki sweetheart are you okay?” He cried into the receiver.
“I’m okay Dad.” I choked on my sobs as I stared at the bastard’s cold eyes. “Whatever he wants don’t do it don’t let him win because he’s going to kill me regardless.” The tears streaked down my cheeks as he pulled the phone away from me.
“Listen to me Nicole. I’m going to bring you home, I swear on everything that’s holy. I’m going to get my little girl back.” My heart broke for him because he spoke with such conviction that one would think he really believed that he could save me.
“That’s enough.” He said, dropping the gun from my temple but still keeping it aimed at me. “How you doing Victor? You know who this is?”
“Deke, you listen here if you so much as harm one fucking hair on my daughter’s head so help me god I will bury you alive.” My father yelled into the phone.
I lifted my head to look at the man who now had a name to go with his face.
“That’s pretty bold of you to be making threats when I’m the one holding a gun to your daughter’s head.” Deke laughed maliciously before winking at me tauntingly.