Chapter 15
Jude
My eyes opened slowly in darkness, my mind taking a moment to clear.
I could feel my feet and hands still bound to the chair, my head aching heavily. I had no idea how long I'd been out, whether it had been hours, days, or longer.
I remembered the knife in O'Brien's hand, the threat to kill me falling from his lips. But no, he'd hit me with the end of the knife, knocked me out cold. That was the last thing I remembered.
I heard footsteps again, the sound of several men marching down the corridor. My pulse grew as they neared, my body tensing in preparation for more questions, more torture. The door opened suddenly, the room lighting up quickly as I squinted to see dark bodies piling into the room.
I retracted my neck, coiling up as best I could in defence of their punches, but they never came. Instead they began working at my locks, opening the metal clamps and setting my limbs free.
They lifted me up as I stumbled on my legs, a man holding me under each armpit, and began dragging me back out into the corridor and up the stone steps into the main mansion.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked, my voice weak. “What are you doing?”
They didn't answer, but just kept dragging me towards the door, hauling me across the main hall as I struggled under their strong arms. One moved forward and opened the front door, the sunlight bright outside and piercing my eyes. I saw a car waiting at the bottom of the steps, the back door open, ready to take me somewhere. They threw me in and the car lurched off down the long driveway and through the gate.
I looked forward to see the front seat occupied by a driver and another guard. I knocked on the divider but they didn't respond, keeping their eyes forward like robots.
We drove for a few minutes, up the hill and further out of town. We climbed, heading towards the cliffs that overlooked the Western corner of the city, wide roads becoming dirt tracks.
As we neared the top the car pulled to a halt off the road, driving to a lookout point that cast its gaze down onto the city and beyond.
The front doors opened and the driver and passenger stepped out, once more opening my door and dragging me from the vehicle. I tried to fight them but they were large and strong, overpowering my weary body as they pulled me closer to the edge.
I felt a fear begin to build inside me and I shouted out as they hauled me towards the cliff edge. I could see a couple of hikers coming our way in the distance, running down the hill to help me.
The men didn't stop, pulling me closer and closer to the precipice. Then, suddenly, they turned me around and threw me to the dirt, stepping back slightly and standing over me.
I looked up to see Conor O'Brien walking up towards me from a second car.
As he approached the two hikers came tumbling into view, shouting “hey, hey, stop.”
O'Brien nodded to his guards who casually pulled handguns from the belts, their arms lifting to point them straight at the hikers as they got closer. They skidded to a stop and held up their hands, before turning and running in the opposite direction.
Mr O'Brien watched them for a second as they scuttled off before turning his eyes back on me. I sat in a heap on the floor, my body aching and bruised, my mind battered by fear for my life.
“Remember this place Mr Logan,” he said coldly. “If I ever find out that you know where my daughter is. If I ever find out that you've seen her again, I'll bring you back here....and I'll throw you off this cliff.”
Then, without another word, without needing a reply, he turned and marched off, back to his car, leaving me, broken, in the dirt.
….
Amy
ONE HOUR EARLIER
I'd never driven so fast as I shot down the freeway, heading back into Branton. I'd only just left earlier that morning, and now I was already going back.
But I had no choice. I had to know if Jude was OK. I just had to know.
I crashed my foot to the floor and the car kept growing in speed, zipping in and out between the other vehicles filling the road. I could see the city beginning to appear again in front of me, the high peaks of the mountains surrounding it, dotting the landscape all around.
I turned off onto a side road, rounding the city as fast as I could. Every traffic light caused me to shout and curse, every car that got in my way got a loud beep of my horn. My mind was rushing in a hundred directions, the minutes flowing by quicker and quicker.
I saw my father's house up ahead, the top of the mansion visible in the distance, hundreds of feet back from the road. I pulled up at the gate and slammed on the breaks.
“OPEN IT!” I shouted, not even looking at the guard.
The gate opened quickly ahead of me and I shot forward, revving the engine of my car loudly as I approached the house. I skidded to a halt and jumped straight out, running up to the door. I smashed my fists against it in anger, panting wildly.
It opened suddenly and a guard rushed forward, grabbing my arms as they continued to swing at him. “WHERE'S MY FATHER! WHERE IS HE?” I roared as the guard continued to restrain me.
Then I heard his voice, his f*cking sinister, callous, voice, emanating from the gallery above.
I stopped struggling and lifted my head to see him walking along the top, slowly and casually coming down the stairs.
“WHERE IS HE?!” I shouted again. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HIM?!”
“Oh, you must be talking about Mr Logan. He's just fine Amy. Perhaps a bit of a bump on the head but I'm sure the young man can handle it.”
I took a deep breath and felt a surge of relief go through me.
“He's not dead?” I asked, my voice quietening.
“Dead? Amy, what sort of man do you think I am?”
“A monster, that's what you are!” I exclaimed quickly.
“Darling, please, don't. I've just taught young Jude Logan a lesson. I understand what it's like to be a young man, lusting over a beautiful girl. I can hardly blame him for that.”
He sounded different, his voice manipulative and insincere. He was not my father, not any more.
“Let me see him,” I said, “I want to see him.”
“All in good time Amy.”
He turned away and the guard dragged me after him.
“Get off me,” I said, wriggling, “let me go.”
The guard didn't react, his vice-like grip forcing me onwards, up the stairs, and after my father. He walked casually forward along the gallery at the top, moving all the way towards the bedroom I used to stay in as a child. He opened the door and walked in, the guard forcing me to follow.
It was bizarre seeing the room again. It looked like nothing had been touched, like the place had been preserved ever since I'd left. Unhappy memories came flooding back, years spent hiding in the room while my father shouted downstairs: down the phone, at his workers, at my mother.
“It's just the same, isn't it?” my dad said, turning around to look at me. “I had it locked when you left, but it's time to open it up again.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, seeing the look in his eye.
“You're going to stay here with me now Amy. You're going to live with me as you used to, as my daughter.”
I shook my head. “No, I'm not staying dad. You think I'd stay after everything you've done! You think I'd stay here...in this house, in this room?!” I was incredulous, unbelieving.
“It's not a choice, Amy. It's an order.”
He nodded to his guard who turned away and walked out of the door, shutting it tight behind us.
I looked at my father in shock. “You can't do this! You can't!”
He ducked his head slightly. “I've tried to do it the nice way. I gave you that chance Amy, but you threw it in my face. I can't have you running away again, not like last time. I guess, at the end of the day, I just don't trust you darling.”
I was shaking my head, almost laughing at how ridiculous it all was. “You can't do this,” I said again. “I'll just leave, you can't stop me.”
He smiled. “I think I can honey. This is your room now, this is your home again.”
I heard a sudden commotion downstairs, the sound of someone shouting and being dragged across the hall below.
Jude. Is that Jude?!
I rushed to the door but my dad stood in front of it, blocking my path.
“JUDE!” I shouted at the top of my lungs.
“It's no use,” my dad said quickly. “No one can hear you in here.”
I looked up at him, my eyes wide, and tried to move forward, trying to reach for the door, but he wouldn't budge.
“It's for your own good honey, you'll get used to it soon.”
I turned and ran to the glass door leading to the balcony outside, just as I heard the front door open down below. I looked down frantically to see Jude being dragged down the steps and thrown into a car. I raised my fists and banged against the glass, but he didn't turn, he didn't hear.
I reached for the handle to open it, but it wasn't there. There was no handle any more. I looked round the edges, running my fingers along them, but nothing. There was no way out, no way to open it.
I lifted a chair and swung it hard, with all my strength, but it simply bounced off it, the glass unbreakable.
I felt my father's hands come down on my shoulders, sliding down my arms and forcing the chair from my grip.
“Relax honey. I told you, there's no way out.”
Then I heard him walk away, towards the door. I turned to see him quickly slide through it, pulling it shut and locking it on the other side. I ran to it and turned the handle, but it wouldn't budge. I looked desperately around the room for another way out, a way to escape, but there was none, nothing, nowhere to go.
No, I was a prisoner now, a prisoner in my own home.
There was nothing that I could do.