Hostage of the Heart

Knots of Emotion (Nine)

Judge Richard Love once again tried to call his daughter to no avail. The answering machine picked up again, causing him to slam the phone down harshly in frustration. Something must have been wrong, because he knew that Desiree would never be so careless as to not tell her family or anyone else for that matter where she was going if she were to leave on vacation. Judge Love managed to get a hold of Alec Drake, discovering that he and Desiree had split up on Monday, and the young man exclaimed that he had not heard or spoken to Desiree since. He promised the judge that he would call him if he found out anything.

Seated behind the large oak desk in his home office, Richard decided that he would take a trip to Los Angeles. He started up his computer to make airline reservations via the Internet when his cell phone rang. Hurriedly picking it up, he flipped it open, bringing the small device to his ear.  "Hello?" When the other end remained devoid of speech, he repeated his greeting in a slightly louder voice.

When the caller still refused to speak, Richard lost his patience.  "Say something you son of a bitch!  I can hear you breathing!"

"Tsk tsk.  Now what kind of language is that for an honorable judge such as yourself to use?  Are you on edge for some reason?  Is something bothering you?"

"You," he menacingly stated, eyes narrowing. "Where is my daughter?"

"You have a couple.  Of which do you speak?"

"You damn well know which I speak of.  Desiree.  Where is she?"

"Oh, that one.  The daughter with the adorable big brown eyes."  The caller chuckled. "What makes you think I have her?"

"You tried to kill my son, and now you've kidnapped my daughter. You will pay for this."

"If I wanted to kill your son, his ass would be at the funeral home right now instead of a hospital bed."  All trace of taunting was replaced with deadly seriousness.  "You wanna call someone a son of a bitch?  Peer into the mirror and you're guaranteed to find one there.  As for your daughter?  Yes, I have her and for now she's just fine.  If you want her to remain that way, if you ever want to see your daughter again, I recommend that you have a chitchat with your buddy about setting me up for murders I did not commit."

A chill racing along his spine, the judge closed his eyes while massaging a throbbing temple.  "What are you talking about?  What buddy?"

A snort preceded her reply.  "I wish that I knew.  I know you're involved with someone.  I don't know how involved or why, but you've been sitting on a secret or two for years, haven't you, Judge Love?  Something having to do with me and why you sentenced me to eleven years."

Stomach starting to cause more discomfort than his head, Richard pulled the wastebasket over just in case.  Leaning over it, he gripped the phone.  "I sentenced you because twelve jurors, three of which are now dead because of you, found you guilty."

"They aren't dead because of me.  I'm being framed."

"I've never heard that from a criminal before."  He winced, instantly regretting the sarcasm within his tone.  She attempted to kill his son, successfully murdered three others and now had his youngest daughter God only knew where.  Being locked up for so long, Piper Redding had evidently lost her mind, and wouldn't hesitate to... he didn't wish to think about it.  "Look, Ms. Redding, I'll see what I can do.  Please, please don't hurt my child.  I love her."

"If you love her, help her."

"How?"

"I already told you.  Talk to him.  If you don't know where he is, I suggest that you do your best to locate his ass."

His stomach rumbling, Richard swallowed while willing the contents of it not to rise.  "Who?"

"You know more than I do.  I'm not bringing her back until those charges are dropped.  I already spent nearly a decade in prison.  I refuse to return for crimes that I am not responsible for.  Before I hang up, it would be in your best interest to keep the police out of this. There is no need for them to know that your beloved daughter is missing. I'll be in touch."

Not giving him the chance to reply, the kidnapper ended the call.  While sweat dotted along his skin, Richard snapped his phone shut, tossing it on the desk.  Heart racing, he started to loosen his tie seconds before kneeling on the floor, releasing his breakfast and several cups of coffee into the wastebasket. 

She instructed him to look into the mirror.  That wasn't necessary, as Judge Richard Love Sr. had known for a long time that he was a son of a bitch.  He held suspicions before, but the results of her trial convinced him. 


<3 <3 <3 <3 <3


"Oh, Taj, that feels so good," Piper moaned, reclining on her back on the couch.

"You like that, huh?"

"You know I do."

A few minutes later, he instructed her to give him the other foot, to which she immediately complied, placing her left foot on his lap. He sent his strong warm hands to work their magic on it, eliciting a few more moans from Piper. A few more minutes passed by before she spoke.

"If I were straight, I'd marry you," she commented, with her eyes closed.

Piper missed her friend's amused expression.  "That is if I said yes."

The blonde sat up, threateningly waving a tight fist in front of his face. "Oh, you'd say yes." She tried to keep a grin from showing on her lips, but failed to do so.

"Tsk, tsk.  Once a bully, always a bully. Huh, Pippy?" Despite the inquiry, Taj wore a broad smile.

She smiled back. "Always." She removed her foot from his lap and crossed her legs Indian style. "Hey! Maybe I'll marry you anyway. You're smart, you cook, clean, you're handsome, funny," she paused thinking, "give good massages and you're my best friend." Piper shrugged. "I could overlook what's in your pants."

The Jamaican man chuckled. "You are a naughty girl, but who knows? Once you try out what's in my pants you may become ad-dict-ed."

Piper loudly laughed. "And you're calling me naughty? Listen to you."

Taj chuckled again. "I've missed you, Pippy."

"Right back atcha." She squeezed his arm affectionately. "I see you have continued to hit the gym."

"Have to stay buff for the ladies." He glanced toward Desiree's door. "What's up with your little hostage? Is she ever going to come out of there?"

Piper sighed. "I really don't know what's wrong with her. Maybe she's homesick." She felt instant guilt at the fact that she was keeping the young woman away from her family and friends. Desiree had for the most part been very easy to get along with and that made Piper feel even worse. She knew that the young woman did not deserve this, but she played an important role in Piper's plan. She needed Desiree in order to hopefully survive. She was her one and only lifeline.

An hour after Desiree left to take her nap, Piper went to tell her that lunch was ready, but she had declined announcing that she was not hungry. Later on, Piper told her that they were about to eat dinner, but she forfeited on that too. Piper was about to sit down at the table when Taj informed her that the "little one" had to eat in order to keep up her strength. He insisted that Desiree eat, so he brought her a tray of the food and placed it on the nightstand next to her bed. Without so much as a glance in his direction, she quietly thanked him, offering nothing more.

An hour later when Taj returned to pick up the tray, he was happy to note that the young woman had eaten all of her dinner. Her eyes were closed, but he got the impression that she was playing possum, yet he decided not to bother.  Tray in hand, he softly wished her a good night and left. The only times that Desiree had emerged from her bedroom were to make a trip to the bathroom once, and to feed Tobias.

Taj sighed. "I don't think she likes me."

"Ah, Taj, she just doesn't know you that well is all."

"Was she this quiet with you at first?"

"No, she was actually quite brazen. She'll come around. You'll see."

"Hmm." Taj glanced at the large watch wrapped around his wrist. "I should be getting to bed."

Piper looked at the clock on the wall. "Already? It's not even 9:00 yet."

Taj stood up and stretched. "Yes, but I'm tired." Turning around, he regarded his friend. "So, get off my bed."

She suggestively raised her eyebrows. "What makes you think that you have to sleep on the couch?"

The Jamaican man grinned. "Don't even tease me like that, Pippy."

Laughing, Piper arose from the couch. "Goodnight, Taj."

"Night, Pippy.  I hope that you have the sweetest of dreams."

When she took a couple of steps toward him, they shared a warm hug, which ended after she kissed his cheek.  Cupping his face, Piper peered up at him with the most tender smile in place.  "You're truly the bestest friend in the whole world and the greatest guy I've ever known.  I love you, Taj." 

A knot of emotion forming in his throat, he kissed the tip of her nose before pointing toward her bedroom.  "Love you too.  Go get some rest, Ms. Hallmark."


<3 <3 <3 <3 <3


A pair of frightened blue eyes watched as the guard outside of the small cell accepted a wad of money from Silver, the most feared prisoner in the cell block.  Even a few of the staff (including the one she just paid off) were afraid of her. 

Glancing toward the young woman seated on a cot, flanked by two of Silver's subordinates, his expression was apologetic as he pocketed the money, mumbled something to Silver, and walked out of view. 

Sweat trailing down her back, the young woman observed Silver entering the cell, instructing a couple of women to stand at the entrance.  Wearing a grin that could only be described as sadistic, she reached toward the top bunk, grabbing what remained of a broom handle.  About a foot long, one end of it was smooth while the other a bit jagged after being sawed from the rest of the broom.  Tossing the wooden object from one hand to the other, Silver instructed the two prisoners to help the scared young woman to kneel on the floor. 

Walking up to her, she gently rubbed the broom handle on her cheek, smirking when she winced.  "Now, did that hurt, cub?"  When the young woman answered with a head shake, Silver grabbed what remained of the blonde hair, which had recently been chopped off while the "cub" slept.  She tugged until she heard a small yelp.  "When I ask you a question, you respond with words, got that?"

"Yes," was the meek reply.

"Yes, what?"

She audibly swallowed.  "Yes, ma'am."

The sadistic grin returned.  "Now, we're gonna have ourselves a little fun."  Raising the broomstick, Silver pressed the smooth end against the younger woman's lips.  "Open and suck." 

Looking up at her, blue eyes already filling with tears, attempted to plead.  "Silver, please--"  She cried out when the wood slapped the left side of her cheek. 

"You haven't earned the right to call me by my name," Silver responded, her teeth clenched.  "You're not even close.  Open and suck.  Now."  She along with a few of those in attendance chuckled as trembling lips wrapped around a small portion of the broomstick.  The chuckling increased when Silver pushed more of the handle within her mouth until she gagged, a couple of tears escaping.  "That's it.  You like my wood, don't you, Piper?"  Since her mouth was full, she dutifully nodded.  "Get it all nice and lubricated.  You're gonna need it."



What felt like hours, but in all actuality was about twenty minutes later, Piper lay naked on the hard floor in the fetal position, violently shaking, every inch of her seeming to be in agony.  Everyone else had vacated the cell except she and Silver. The other woman kneeled next to her, pulling the rolled up pair of sweaty socks from her mouth, which had been used as a gag when her screams increased too much.

Silver had the audacity to caress a bruised cheek, her thumb brushing a busted lower lip.  "Cub, who did this to you?"  One eye already swollen shut, it's twin attempted to focus on her.  "Who did this?"

Although it caused pain to race through a jaw strained from the socks stuffed into her mouth, Piper quietly answered, "I... don't... re...remember."  She didn't have the strength to wince when that hand touched her cheek.

"Good answer, cub.  Oh, and hey..."  Smirking, Silver tweaked a bloody nose.  "He says to tell you hello."  She didn't have time to wonder or question who 'he' was, as unconsciousness gratefully claimed her.



<3 <3 <3 <3 <3


Desiree awoke from a deep sleep to the sound of her cat mewling. She switched on the light and looked down at Tobias who was sitting on the floor crying his little heart out.  Glancing at the clock, she noticed that it was passed midnight.

"What is it, boy?" she asked, her voice thick with sleep. Desiree shook her head. As if he is going to answer me.

Looking toward the closed bedroom door, she surmised that the feline probably wanted to get out. At home she never slept with the door closed all of the way, but she could not stand to hear Piper and Taj laughing and talking with each other as if they were the only two in the world that mattered. She knew that she was behaving foolishly, but Desiree could not help herself. She admitted to herself that she was indeed jealous and did not enjoy the feeling one bit. She wondered how she could be jealous of a man who obviously held affections for a woman who had kidnapped her. Desiree figured that she must have been losing her mind, because she had never in all her twenty-three years felt these sorts of feelings for another female. She knew her parents would have a fit if they were to ever find out that while their daughter was being held against her will, she discovered that she as Desiree put it earlier played for that team.

The brunette arose from the bed and proceeded to walk to the bedroom door with Tobias following right on her heels. Opening the door, she peered into a darkened living room. She switched on a light and noticed that there were covers on the couch as if someone had been sleeping there, but other than the covers, it was empty. Tobias raced past her to get to the kitchen, and she followed him to see that the cat had wanted a drink of water.

Desiree turned around to head back to her bedroom when she heard a noise coming from behind Piper's bedroom. Curiosity and concern getting the best of her, led Desiree to her bedroom, as it had the previous night following Piper's panicked sleep talking. She refused to talk about it, but Desiree knew without a doubt that it had something to do with her father. From what she heard, she concluded that the man must have been abusive. It made her sick to her stomach wondering what Piper and her mother may have gone through. 

Reaching the door, Desiree momentarily hesitated before opening it as quietly as she could manage. It was dark inside, but the light from the living room allowed her to see more clearly. What she saw broke her heart in two, and she recognized that she was on the verge of tears. Taj and Piper were in her bed together with the sheets pulled up high around them, but the young woman could tell that Taj's upper body was bare. She figured that if the rest of him were clothed, then it would not remain that way for much longer. Taj's upper body lay atop Piper, and Desiree observed that the woman had her arms wound tightly around his neck. She was unable to view her face and only the back of Taj's head, which was a relief. The last thing she needed was to see their expressions filled with passion. It would surely be her undoing.

The hurt young woman carefully shut the door and went back to her room, soon collapsing on the bed and bursting into tears. Once she had a couple of spots on the pillow soaked, Desiree sat up on the bed, angrily swiping at her tears, wondering how Piper could have played with her emotions. She figured that the kidnapper had been playing some twisted game with her all along, and wondered how she could not see that the woman was indeed cruel.

Desiree thought that she had seen evidence of goodness in the woman, but evidently, she was wrong. All of the enticing statements, lustful looks and touches had been apart of her perverted game, and the young woman had half a mind to leave, but quickly decided against it. It was dark outside and she did not have a clue as to where she was, although she had driven here. So, she was trapped in a cabin with two jackasses who got their kicks from messing with peoples minds.