Author: K.L. Barnes
Category: Suspense
Go to read content：https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/kl-barnes/page,6,22563-pay-attention.html
*****
He sat calmly, as if he didn’t have a care in the world, silently studying her for what seemed an eternity.
“Well, it took you some longer than I had hoped, but here you are.” He declared, spreading his hands out palms up, as if presenting her to the room at large.
“Where are my children?” Maeve growled, her hands clenched in tight fists, her muscles tensed and ready to spring at him.
“Calm down now,” he said patting the air with his large hands. “They are safe and well cared for. You needn’t be concerned.”
There were more than a few things on earth that could make Maeve go ballistic, but being told to calm down by anyone for any reason was very near the top of her list.
“Needn’t be concerned?” She spat back at him sarcastically. “I’m obviously being held here against my will and you’re just as obviously keeping my kids here, too. I can’t imagine why I would be the least bit uneasy, can you?”
“I will explain your purpose here when you are ready, but for right now I’ll just show you to your regular quarters where you can be with Torei and Claire for the time being.
The man wasn’t that much older than she was, maybe thirty four or five. His voice was low and gravelly with a trace of some mountain accent. He stood and she took in his overalls, work boots and stubble roughened face, realizing that he was the man she had seen no less than three times in the past few days.
How much time had passed since she had been stunned in the parking lot? It was dark outside but a faint light seemed to be coming from very far away. Was it dawn or nightfall? Maeve had no way of knowing.
“How long have I been here?” she asked, not really expecting an answer, and was surprised when he replied quite cordially. “About four hours. Seems it took a time for you to recover. I may have shocked you a little too hard, not intentionally you understand.”
He had an odd way of speaking, backwoods phrases punctuated with comments that sounded educated to her ear, like an old southern preacher, she thought, from some traveling caravan.
“Come, your girls will be waiting,” he said as he strode away.
It never occurred to her to run, not without the girls. Even if she did get away, God only knew what he would do to them before she could find help and get back to them. So she followed him out of the kitchen and into a small room used for storing yard equipment, muddy boots and a lifetime supply of canned goods. He pulled on a ring attached to his belt loop and slipped a key into a large padlock bolted to a wooden door that blended into the wall.
Opening the door, he stepped aside and motioned her forward. Maeve took a step toward the stairs and came close to losing her balance when he grabbed her arm and pulled it around behind her, snapping a handcuff on her wrist and twisting her body to join it with her other hand. Then he ushered her down a short set of stairs that ended in a comfortably furnished bedroom. There were no windows in the room as it was underground, but unlike the cellar she had just crawled out of, it was well lit with halogen lights set into the ceiling, the walls and floor finished with old wooden paneling and carpet.
Maeve was almost knocked from her feet as two figures ran at her like missiles fired from a battleship and lunged into her, grabbing her around her waist and arms and holding on for dear life.
“Mom,” Torei cried. “We were s-so scared and we didn’t know w-where you were!”
Claire had her head buried under Maeve’s arm, her shoulders hunched, her thin body shaking from the effort of holding back her sobs.
Maeve kissed Torei and rubbed her chin across Claire’s hair, nudging her head back so she could offer an encouraging smile. She looked down into the two frightened and tear streaked faces of the ones she loved so much and her heart constricted painfully. She wanted to sob and cry out herself, but she knew she needed to be strong for them.
Nearly overcome with anger at their captor for putting the kids through this torment, she turned to unleash her fury on him, only to find him at the top of the stairs, preparing to close the door firmly behind him.
Turning away, Maeve took a deep cleansing breath, and then checked the girls over for any injuries while trying to comfort them at the same time. She wanted so much to hold them close, but her arms were pinned securely behind her back and she had to satisfy herself with tucking them under her arms. They all moved over to the bed and sat down, Torei on one side of Maeve and Claire on the other, cuddled into her sides to assure each other that they were all alive and well.
“Okay, now tell me what’s been happening in here,” ordered Maeve in her most firm mom voice.
Torei replayed the details of their capture in the parking lot and the two boys who had held their mouths shut while they were shoved onto the floorboard of a truck. Her voice was shaking and her eyes were large and frightened as she looked up at her mother.
“And that’s really about all I remember until a few minutes ago.”
“I was asleep and then I heard Torei calling my name. She woke me up and I thought she was having a bad dream or something,” Claire said quietly.
“I woke up and couldn’t figure out where I was Mom, and then I woke Claire up and we couldn’t find you. We called for you but nobody answered.” Torei finished with tears running down her cheeks.
“I’m scared,” Claire whispered and she started to cry too, her thin shoulders shaking again as she brought her legs up to wrap her arms around her knees and hug them close.
Maeve was so filled with rage that her vision blurred and she could hear her heart pounding in her ears. If she could have gotten her hands on him at that moment, the man who had done this would surely die a very violent death.
But she couldn't get a hold on him – couldn’t even move her arms for that matter – so she would just have to hold on to her anger, feed it and nurture it and wait for the right time. And then she would make him sorry he had ever seen her face.
“Don’t worry,” she assured the girls, even though she wasn’t sure of anything. “I don’t think he plans to hurt us, and I wouldn’t let him anyway. We have to stay calm and find a way out of here.”
“But where’s here?” Torei asked. It was one of the main questions on all of their minds.
“I don’t know,” said Maeve. “But I suppose we’ll find out soon enough.”
“Mom?”
“What is it sweetie?”
“They’ll be looking for us, won’t they?” Torei was asking for reassurance and Maeve gave the answer she knew they were both waiting to hear.
“Yes, and they’ll find us, too.” She was nodding her head and hoping to God that someone would realize they were missing before very long. She calculated the time since they had been taken from the parking lot and she knew it would be several hours yet before anyone noticed they were gone.
But she would keep that knowledge to herself and work on a way to get the girls home safe.
She shouldn’t have been tired after being out for so long, but all of a sudden she felt her muscles let go, and she was almost unable to stay upright.
“What do you say we all lay down together and get some rest,” she suggested.
And so they curled up on the bed, Maeve on the outside to better protect the girls, and they talked quietly for a while as first one and then the other drifted off to sleep.
Just before Maeve’s eyes closed for the last time a thought came to her. The man who had brought them here was altogether unsurprised when she rose through the trap door.
He had said “well, it took you a time,” as if he’d expected her to escape and had been waiting for her all along. What did that mean, she wondered, trying to hold on to the thought as she finally slipped away.
*****
Joe heard Faye crying softly on the other side of the door and it was breaking his heart. He knocked gently, but she didn’t answer, and he wondered if she had even heard the tapping over the sound of her own sobbing. He opened the door a crack and peeked through the opening. He coul
d see her curled in the corner with her head resting on her knees. Her whole body was shaking and he thought maybe she was about to hyperventilate, the way she was gasping and wheezing. He stepped through, closing the door softly behind him, then went swiftly to her side. He held her close and crooned reassurances in her ear, rocking her like a small child, rubbing his hand across her back.
“It’s okay now, it’s okay,” he soothed.
“No, no, nooo, it’s not okay,” she cried. “What’s going to happen to them now?”
“Dad says they’re only here to help Mak.” Joe and Faye had grown close to Dr. Makula over the months he had treated them, and had adopted the nickname at his invitation. “He says when they finish, they’ll be able to go home.”
“I don’t believe him!” Faye was agitated and her voice was getting louder with each word.
“Shush now,” Joe said, desperate for her to keep her voice down.
If their dad or Carl heard them in here he would lose the small amount of trust he had worked so hard to gain. And then who knew what they would do.
“I want you to pull yourself together, Faye. We did what we had to do, and now we have to figure out how we’re going to get out of this mess.”
Faye hiccupped a few more times and took a deep breath. She stood up, making a few slow circuits of the room before she sat down on the edge of the bed.
“We have to get to the phone, Joe. We have to call the police so they can come and get us all out of here.” Faye was looking her brother squarely in the eye and he had to look away.
“Faye, you know there’s no way Dad’s going to let us anywhere near that phone.” He had earned a certain amount of his father’s trust, but Joseph never took any chances.
He watched them both, keenly aware of their slightest move or mood. It was a challenge to constantly hide behind a mask of indifference, but it was the only way Joe knew of to survive.
Joe had been absolutely appalled when he found out that Dr. Makula was being held in the cellar, but he knew exactly what would happen if he let that emotion show. He just didn’t know what to do about any of this.
“I’m going to talk to them, to explain. Something - I don’t know.”
Joe knew that Faye couldn’t express what it was she was thinking, but he knew she just would not let the craziness continue.
Joseph had lied to Joe and Faye, his own children, to get their cooperation in the parking lot, and now that poor family was locked up in the basement. She knew that her father didn’t care about her or Joe, he never had. If it weren’t for the terms of their trust fund, she thought maybe they would have been dead a long time ago.
“Please Faye, please don’t do anything stupid. Give me some time, Faye. I’ll try to think of something.”
Joe had absolutely no idea what that something might be, but he knew he had better come up with it quick or none of them were going to come out of this alive.
*****
Chapter 11
Ben was floating somewhere, rocking back and forth between a world of dreams and the reality of the sun sifting through the heavy drapes. He kept reaching out as if expecting to grasp hold of something - he didn’t know what - but each time he reached out, the dream evaded him and he found his arms empty once more. He came fully awake around seven a.m. to the sound of Jason’s snores.
To his knowledge Jason was the only person on the planet who actually whistled and fluttered his lips when he breathed out. He sounded just like Fred Flintstone and the thought of it made Ben chuckle.
He had taken Jason to Mark’s house with the intention of dropping him off, but Mark’s parents had insisted they both stay for dinner. They were a friendly, outgoing family and Ben enjoyed the company as much as he did the meal. They grilled hamburgers out in the back yard and sat talking by the fire pit until well into the night.
Ben was feeling more than a little melancholy. He found himself sitting in the middle of a perfect domestic scene and he was envious of the easy relationship they all shared. The boys plotted to have Jason spend the night, but Ben put his foot down and bravely faced the three scowling teenagers, then drug Jason back to the hotel. The plan was to get an early start on the day and head up to the Grand Mesa where the scenery and views were purported to be spectacular.
He picked up the phone and ordered breakfast from room service, knowing full well that by the time Jason got up and around it would be pushing it to eat in the restaurant. The day would be half over and it would hardly be worth the time to ride up the mountain and back.
His plan worked and thirty minutes later Jason began stirring to the aroma of waffles and sausage that wafted through the room.
“Good morning sunshine,” Ben greeted his son cheerfully. Jason detested mornings and was usually grumpy as hell until at least noon.
“Whatever,” grumbled Jason as he crawled out of bed and headed into the bathroom.
Ben smiled to himself, thinking that he shouldn’t be getting this much enjoyment out of Jason’s irritation. But then, he decided, a man had to take his pleasures where he could get them.
When Jason came back out he headed straight for the small table and the tray laden with plates and breakfast food. He grabbed a waffle, slapped a couple of sausage links on top, squirted some syrup over the whole thing and proceeded to stand there eating it right out of his hand.
“I hope you washed those first,” Ben muttered, looking pointedly at the fingers that were currently dripping syrup onto the carpet.
“So, what are we doing today?” Ben knew that Jason was only asking so he could figure a way of talking his father into leaving him here at the hotel.
“We’re riding up to the Mesa today and do a little sightseeing,” Ben replied. “And don’t even ask,” he added as a sudden after thought, “you’re going with me. After all, it’s not every day you get to visit the largest flat topped mesa in the world you know.”
“What’s the big deal? It’s not like I’ve never seen a mountain before. Besides, I’m tired of being on the bike all the time.” He grumbled with his mouth half full of waffle and sausage.
“You didn’t seem tired of it last night when your new friends were telling you how cool it was.” Ben was trying unsuccessfully not to show his frustration. “And don’t talk with your mouth full, it’s rude.”
“You know, Dad, I don’t have to do everything you want to do. Why can’t I just do what I want for a change?” Jase said, without much conviction. Manipulation wasn’t really his strong suit, and Ben guessed that Mark and Kurt had probably offered some heavy handed encouragement for Jason’s behavior this morning. It still irritated him that he even had to have this discussion and he took the bait like any self respecting father would, jumping into the battle with both feet.
“As a matter of fact you do have to do what I want and you have to do it until you’re eighteen!" Ben couldn’t believe the words were actually coming out of his mouth. He took a deep breath and tried again.
"How many times do we have to do this, Jase?” Now Ben thought he could literally feel his blood pressure go up.
“I pulled you out of school to take this trip so we could spend some time together away from everything. You were all for it before we left and all you’ve done since is whine and complain about how bored you are!” His voice had been rising in volume and he had to take another breath before he ran out of patience and started into a full blown rant about his son’s ungrateful behavior.
“Okay, okay have it your way. You always do anyway!” Jason snapped at his father and stomped back to the bathroom, slamming the door soundly behind him.
“God I hate when I do that,” Ben murmured to the empty room, rubbing his hands over his face in frustration. He constantly had to remind himself that he didn’t want to be the kind of dad that forced his kids to do things his way, but damn it if Jason didn’t push his buttons every chance he got.
Showered and changed in to his usual baggy jeans, t-shirt and leather jacket, Jason crawl
ed on the back of the bike and situated the saddle bags behind him. Ben started up the powerful engine of the Harley Night Train and kicked the bike into gear, taking off from the parking lot and moving smoothly onto the on ramp of Interstate Seventy, headed east to Denver.
He rode at just above the speed limit, keeping his eyes mostly on the road but taking a look every now and then at the sprawling valley where farms, orchards and vineyards now spread bare and brown across the rolling terrain, the Colorado river that ran squarely through the center, curving gently as it passed by on its way to the Gulf of California.
The Book Cliffs and majestic Mount Garfield passed by to the north, looking for all the world as if untamed waves should be lapping against the rocky cliffs. In his mind’s eye he could clearly picture a long Viking ship sailing through the mist and turbulent waters in search of a place to weigh anchor. He laughed out loud at his overactive imagination and drove on through the narrow winding canyon.
The highway followed along the path of the river with a steep drop off to the left that ended on the rocky bank. Thirty minutes later they came through the passage and into the open again. He was looking straight ahead at a view of the mesa where they were headed for the day. It really was quite impressive covered in low clouds as it was, the sharply sloped sides of the mountain ending in a wide flat surface that was barely discernible beneath the blanket of fog.
Ben turned smoothly off of the interstate at the sign announcing Powderhorn, the local ski area, and began the winding trek up the mountain face.
It was too late in the year to view the changing colors of the aspen leaves, but it was still beautiful with high cliffs rising to the east and deep valleys and streams falling away to the west. Jason had ridden in sullen silence since leaving the hotel, but as the sun broke through the remaining clouds and the brightness of the day cast a spotlight on the ever changing scenery, he began pointing out the different wildlife that could be spotted grazing along the road or bounding away into the tall stands of evergreen and spruce. The day was much warmer than Ben had expected and he breathed in the fresh mountain air, glorying in the freedom of riding in the open on such a spectacular day.