What I Want

Chapter Twenty Six

Karlie's P.O.V

"Listen Zoe, what exactly do you want with me?" she smiles and calls for a chair.
"Oi, bring me a chair." She demands as someone listens and one appears before me which she plonks down in. "Lights." Light floods the room as I look around and I instantly know where I am. My old apartment. "Why am I here?" I question. Zoe looks at me. "Well it wasn't hard, we did knock you out in Nashville and we just drove thirteen hours to be here in New York, right where no one would suspect you would be. We have a time jump on them because they think that you are in London." I gasp out of shock. "Why now, why not a few weeks ago." She smiles wickedly.
"Well that's the best part isn't it Chad?" She questions as I glance around for the mysterious Chad and my eyes find a scruffy dude in ripped jeans and a wife beater casually leaning against the wall of my old kitchen, looking around the place looks vacant. "Who lives here?" I questioned out loud as Zoe grins. "Wait you? You brought this place?" she nods and I feel a little violated because this woman who I've known since I was fifteen has abducted me and taken me hostage for her own selfish reason. "Listen Karlie, you broke my heart when you had IMG fire me and to be honest without me you would have been nothing..." I shake my head but stop when her hand collides with my face. "You know it's true." She states and I begrudgingly agree.
"Why now? Why not back when it happened?" She sighs and sits down again.
"Well you've been at many photo shoots recently and to be honest it's just been hard to figure out where you'll be so I followed you, stalked you and when you arrived at Nashville airport I thought it was the perfect place to take you so I did. Quiet smart if you ask me." I scoffed as she stood up and yanked my hair, I screeched in pain. "Okay, I'm sorry Zoe just let me go and we can both move away from this."
"Oh no Karlie, you took my job from me so I'm taking something from you." She held up a picture of Taylor, Allie and I in Nashville the day I left and I shudder. "Please she's just a baby." Zoe rolls her eyes and that gets me mad. "Listen bitch! You will never win. You seriously think that you can murder America's Pop Princess and get away with it after her fiancé has disappeared. You're stupid Zoe and you haven't thought this through." I finish with a grin.

She screams and leaves the room Chad follows and surprise, surprise they go to my old bedroom. I smile as I remember every square inch of this apartment, starting with the loose nail on the wall behind me. Smirking I jump the chair back to the wall and find it to be the perfect height to cut through the ties on my hands. I work away at my hands before a door flies open and Zoe burst out, I have enough time to lower my hands as she storms over and begins to slap me over and over again. "You are a stupid bitch Karlie, I have to go and do an interview with the cops. You try to escape and Chad will kill you." I gulp and act scared but one look at Chad and I know that man is going to be dead asleep once she's gone and I'm not wrong for the minute the door closes he goes back to the bedroom and shuts the door. I wait ten minutes and then I hear the snores coming from the room and I resume cutting myself free. Five steps from the door and there is blood leaking thanks to me cutting my finger, I'm huffing and puffing worse than after a huge workout at the gym. Then I hear it the unmistakeable footsteps to light to be a man and in slow motion the door handle begins to move. I freeze like a deer in headlights knowing I can't scramble back to my seat in time without creating a hell of a lot of noise. So I stand there stupidly knowing that whatever happens next is my own fault. Zoe opens the door gingerly, 'I don't know what she's afraid of.' I think to myself. A quick look around the room and her eyes fall on my form standing in the middle of the living room she is smiles like a weird wax figure. "Oh Karlie, Karlie, Karlie. Please tell me you aren't as dumb as you look." I don't have time to have a decent comeback as her fist ploughs into my nose and breaks it instantly, blood gushes everywhere and she sits on my abdomen and pulls a syringe from her purse and before I can act she shoves it in my leg and the blackness instantly surrounds me. The last thing I hear is a cackling as Zoe laughs and laughs and laughs.

A few hours later and I groan as someone slaps me awake, "wakey, wakey sunshine...god that's a sick name." I open my eyes and almost cry out from the pain but suddenly remembering where I am I stop. I will not give into Zoe, "What's the matter Karlie? Don't want to admit to the pain?" I don't answer and then the burn and pinch of something hot is laid against my thigh. I gasp in pain. "That's better, can't have someone thinking your weak but I love power." It's after this comment that I raise my head. Smirking at her she looks a bit taken back. "Never mind Zoe, you'll never win. I'll never let you win." She looks around her before smirking at me. "Does it look like anyone is coming for you Karlie?" I don't answer and she walks towards me again holding a sharp knife. "Answer or your pretty face gets marked." I shake my head. "What?" she questioned and I take a deep breath.
"No, no one is here." She smiles and sits back. "I know, it's the perfect place. No one will look for you here, will they?" I shake my head and hang it down low. "You see Karlie this is what happens when you take things from me...you took my job, source of income and our friendship and threw it away for a woman who probably doesn't even love you." I look up, and flash a look from my face that must have been cold or deadly because Zoe backs off. "You.don't.know.me." I breathe out looking at her face. She looks down then back at me. "Ooh but I do Karlie, after knowing you since you were fifteen I know everything about you. What foods you like and what you don't, how you treat your family because they are the most important thing to you." I look at her and feel my poker face fall and she smiles. "Oh yeah Karlie, your family is your weak spot, always has been. Always will be." I gasp and with that she smiles and knows she has won, walking away from me she says, "Sleep tight Karlie..." followed by a cackle as I hang my head down again. One more night of being alone, one night to think of a plan because I will be gone by tomorrow night. Closing my eyes I attempt to get to sleep. Waking periodically but forming a plan. 'This woman won't even know what hit her.' I think to myself as I realise that this was my home for three years, I know every square inch of it and this time I will escape.