Captive

Chapter Eleven

Two weeks. Two weeks of silent anguish, watching him drift further and further from her. He barely spoke to her, only to give her an order and different girls seemed to be there over the course of the weeks, at least three different cars pulling away in the early hours of the morning, breaking her heart just a little more each time. He didn't notice she was barely eating or that her hand clawed at her chest with greater frequency. He didn't see the whiteness of her skin, the dark shadows under her eyes but Jim did.

"Are you getting enough iron?" he asked one night at the bar as she seemed to be a little shaky and he'd seen her sit down twice which was unusual. She just scowled at him without answering and he shook his head. What more could he do but ask? But he kept a close eye on her, not happy with what he was seeing. At one point she stumbled against one of the tables, seeming to lose her balance and Rod,one of their regulars caught her and helped steady her.

"Easy there Juliet," he said.

"I'm fine," she said, forcing a smile onto her lips but it was very clear she wasn't. She disappeared into the ladies bathroom with her basket of cleaning products over her arm and Jim watched the door, waiting for her to come out. After about twenty minutes when there was no sign of her he sighed and went across, knocking on the door to a chorus of catcalls from behind him which he ignored, before he pushed the door open then froze alarmed to see Juliet collapsed in the corner of the bathroom, all the blood drained from her face,her head slumped over her chest and her lips grey.

"Shit!" he exclaimed rushing over to her, his cry bringing a small crowd to the door to see what was going on and then Brian pushed his way through.

"I'll call the boss," he said. "One of you make yourselves useful and call a damn ambulance." The men parted to let him through and he saw Rod pulling his phone out to follow the instruction. Jim crouched down beside Juliet and patted her cheek gently.

"Juliet can you hear me?" Her eyes half opened and she looked at him confused. "It's Jim. You're at work, you collapsed. Do you need your pills? Are they in your locker?"

"None left," she said, a little faintly and he stared at her.

"What do you mean none left?" he asked, a hint of anger in his tone. Juliet's eyes rolled and he sat down beside her on the floor, putting an arm around her so that she could rest her head against his shoulder. He sighed as he looked at her pale face and squeezed her gently. Jim had the look of a hard man but he had daughters of his own and nothing about the situation with Juliet sat right with him. He had a lot of respect for Bret, loved the man like a younger brother but this was wrong. Keeping this poor young woman captive because of what her father had done was wrong.

"Ambulance will be here in five," Rod said. "I told em about the angina. Brian told me before he went to call Bret."

"Is Bret on his way?" Jim asked, a little anxiously as Brian appeared in the doorway.

"Can't get hold of him but I've left a message, told him to ring me," he said.

"Good. Let's hope he picks it up soon," Jim said, grimly. He looked at the pale faced girl at his side. "Though there'll be hell to pay when he finds out you've run out of your meds and haven't told him."

"Doesn't speak to me," she sort of gasped out. Jim shook his head; Bret had mentioned that their relationship was strained at the moment but he didn't think his brother in law was helping his case any by taking a different girl home every time Juliet was working. He and Davey had discussed it quietly with Davey being of the opinion that Bret did it because he was afraid of how he felt about Juliet. He was so used to being in control but with this girl he could easily lose that control. As the paramedics arrived, Brian gave them a potted history of what he knew and they helped Juliet to stand. She managed to walk with them out to the ambulance but as soon as they got inside and placed her on the gurney her eyes closed and she sank into a deep sleep. When she woke she was on the ward, a drip in her hand rehydrating her and providing intravenous nitrates to ease the angina symptoms. A stern looking doctor was standing over her with a clipboard and she shifted a little nervously.