Falling Apart

Chapter 45

"I got you something too." I dig through my suitcase until finding the wrapped gift. "It's not as great as this ring, though." I look back at my hand and can't help but smile at it. I hand him the gift and he looks at me sheepishly before unwrapping it like a child. I giggle when he finally opens it and his expression is dumbfounded.

"What's this?" He holds the card between his fingers.

"It's a gym membership!" I say a little too excitedly. "I mean, I know you don't really need to workout or anything. But they have a boxing class that might help with...with your anger." I feel a little guilty that after him saying all these sweet things to me and presenting me with a ring, I'm telling him he has anger management problems.

I begin to apologize to him but he stops me. "No, I love it. I could use the stress relief." He thanks me with a kiss on the forehead.

I smile and turn my head to the side only to see white flurries falling from outside. I run up to the balcony and take in the brightness of outside before sliding the glass door. "It's snowing! Come out here!" I yell to David and take a step outside. Snow piles onto the wooden balcony and the whiteness surrounding me is already putting me in a better mood.

"David?" I call for him again, not leaving my eyes on the town below us but wondering why he isn't out here yet. Just as I turn to hear him opening the glass door, my heart drops in fear as Darren, the stranger that David had to talk to, comes closer to me.

"Greetings, love." His accent is thick and I watch as his eyes take me in. I look frantically around him for David to come and take him away but he doesn't. "I'm sorry, but our friend David never gave me my money and now I have to do as promised." He digs through his pocket before retrieving the object he wants and pulls it out. "Merry Christmas." He grins while pushing a needle like object into my vein.

"Wait! Wait, I'm... I'm preg---" I try to tell him but I don't get to finish. I vaguely fall to my knees and the last thing I see is his grimy hand grabbing my wrist.

David's POV

When I wake, my eyes are drawn to the gray walls and spinning fans surrounding me. I attempt sitting up but something is stopping me. I carefully turn my head to see, and remember everything as I see it. My hands are tied to two poles next to me. Earlier in the hotel room, Darren followed up on his threats and did exactly as he said he would.

"Katherine!" I scream but it merely comes out as a whisper. I remember hearing him pound into our hotel room and watching Katherine stare at the snow, just feet away from me as Darren threw me to the floor, injecting something into me. I know he has her; I know she's here somewhere. I promised her I'd protect her no matter what, and I'm not going down with or without a fight. I'm not going down at all because I'm not going to lose this time.

"Katherine!" I clear my throat and finally I can hear my own voice. I wait patiently, listening for any noise that this fan hopefully won't block out.

After a few minutes of breathing in deeply and trying to find a way to get out, I hear a scream. The sheer volume of it sends me shooting up, but only to be forced back down by the ropes holding me to the pole. I know that scream. Katherine is here and Darren is going to be killed for whatever he's doing to her.

The ropes around my wrist are making red marks from my constant pulling. Seemingly years go by as I pull harder and harder until the string begins to fray. Once it frays, I slide it against the metal poles and wait until it breaks, letting my one hand free. I sit up and untie the other hand, noticing I'm sitting in a parking garage. No cars seem to be here, which makes everything even more curious.