“Heck, why not? I always wanted to.” Shelaughed again. “God, now I’m having a conversation withmyself.”
She shook it off. Just from what she couldsee of the chamber she was in; it was pretty, magnificentlooking.
She learned from Morris, the formations, shelooked at constantly were made of limestone. He had pointed out thedifference between what was called stalactites and stalagmites. Heexplained to her, how they were formed, during one of their longtalks. She could tell, he loved these caves, and learned everythingabout them over the years he worked them. Just the excitement andwonder in his voice, wanted her to witness them firsthand, despitebeing held captive in this place.
She would ask Bryan, to come back with her.She knew that touring the cave, would help her see them in adifferent light, maybe even help her put this whole nightmarebehind her.
---
Jessica’s rumbling stomach woke her from afitful sleep. When she checked the time on the wristwatch she hadbeen given, it was nearly nine-thirty in the evening. Every inch ofher body ached from sleeping on a hard surface so long, that wasriddled with jagged stones. The muscles in her arms hurt terribly,as she used them to try and pillow her head. But her constantturning and tossing, as her bindings pulled and raked her skin raw,made it impossible to get comfortable. Her ankles were bleeding nowfrom the cuffs and she was afraid of an infection setting in. Asmuch as she rinsed them with the water Morris brought frequently,it was hard to keep them constantly clean of dirt.
She was bone tired too. Her eyes were grittyand red from lack of sleep. If it wasn’t the sounds of waterdripping that kept her awake, it was the bats overhead, theunrecognizable noises of whatever else scurried over the rocks, orher brain, that refused to shut down.
She forced herself into a sitting position,and wondered why she hadn’t seen Morris by now. He did not stop byto bring her something for lunch, or dinner. Something was terriblywrong. She just knew it.
It wasn’t hard to guess that Corbat would beshowing up soon and she felt a wave of nausea rise in her chest.This was it. She was either going to walk away from this unscathed,or it may prove her demise. She didn’t have to wait long. She couldhear someone approaching.
She forced herself to look and confirm it wasCorbat and not Morris coming to get her.
“Get up on your feet!” He barked.
She reached out to lean against the largeboulder at her side for leverage. Slowly, she managed and wobbled alittle, until she righted herself.
Corbat untied the bindings on her hands, androughly pulled them behind her back and bind them. He squatted downto unlock the cuffs, and slipped them in his pocket.
She gazed over her shoulder and asked.
“Where are you taking me? Will Bryan bethere?”
He took a rag from his other pocket andforced it into her mouth, clasped a hold of her bindings tightly,and shoved her forward.
“Walk, bitch.”
She stumbled often, but this time he did notallow her to fall. He took his time with her. When they entered theelevator, she noticed a washcloth and bottle of water on the floor.He leaned over, uncapped the bottle, and poured the liquid over thewashcloth. He rose and his touch was surprisingly tender, as hewiped the dirt from her neck, face, and forehead.
The elevator doors slid open and the brightmoonlight shining in through the wide glass doors were blinding andhurt her eyes. She stopped abruptly, and leaned over to shieldthem.
He huffed loudly behind her in exasperation,but did not force her forward quite yet. He gave her eyes a momentto adjust, before pushing her forward.
She noticed that the parking lot in front ofher was empty. She quickly gazed to the right, and then the left.There wasn’t a sign of anyone else in the area. She almostguffawed, from her stupidity.
Bryan wouldn’t have parked in the open. He’dbe covert somewhere, watching, waiting for the right moment tostrike. At least, she silently hoped he was.
The more she looked about, she realized, thatthey had exited the back of the building. Corbat steered her to theleft. There in the distance, was a large u-shaped building. Thelight that shone from the moon above made it easy for her todecipher this was a motel. She remembered then, that Morris hadtold her lodging was available at the Caverns.
Was there someone waiting in one of thoserooms for her? Did he ransom her off to a sex trafficker instead?Was that where Bryan was waiting for her?
Oh, God, no!
Her voice screamed inside her head. Shestopped dead, refusing to move. Pushing back against him, and couldnot help, but whimper.
He punched her square between her shoulderblades, just hard enough to force her forward. His laughter wasdemonic and her skin began to prickle with fear.
“Got a surprise for you, princess.” Hecackled like the Wicked Witch on the Wizard of Oz.
She couldn’t stop the tears that began toflow from her eyes. This didn’t feel right. Even though he toldBryan to bring his money for her, she knew, that Bryan would havemet her the minute she came off that elevator. He would have endedit there.
He stopped her in front of room two-eighteen,turned the doorknob, and pushed her inside. The room was dark andempty. He flipped the switch on the wall to the right, and the roomfilled with light from a muted bulb. He kicked the door closedbehind him and pushed her forward hard, and she fell face down onthe bed.
