SHIFT EXCHANGE

Chapter 33

Kara sat silently observing the smoldering mess that had once been her best friend and boyfriend.

It was cold. The power to the cabin was shut off during the winter and there had only been a small pile of logs in the shed for the wood stove. She knew that no one in the family had used the cabin for at least a year, if not more. As Gavin had got older and busier, the family had come out to the lake less and less.

Her memories of the happy golden summers spent splashing in the water and eating ice cream cones on the wide front porch were now destroyed by her current reality of being shackled to the center, wooden support beam in the living room.

When she'd woken up she'd known exactly where she was. Gavin had been sitting in the deep oversized chair staring at her intently, just as he was now. Her head had hurt then, just not as much as now. He'd watched her awaken slowly and then watched as her anxiety and fear had settled on her like a heavy blanket. Once she was fully cognizant he'd uncoiled from the chair, slowly and walked to the kitchen.

Silently, he offered her two Advil and a few sips of water then retreated to his chair to stare. It was the silence and the staring that had her freaking out the most. Granted, the whole situation was seriously f*cked, but at least he could yell or talk to her. Instead he just bore holes through her with those sickly, glistening eyes.

After what seemed like hours she'd begged him to let her use the bathroom. At first it seemed as if he hadn't heard her request at all. The blank gaze never wavered and he didn't so much as flinch. By the third request it seemed to have penetrated the dark caul of his mood.

Again, unnervingly silent, he unfolded and approached her. Heunshackled her and allowed her a blessed moment to massage the chaffed, red skin of her wrists. Her legs tingled from sitting for so long as she'd struggled to her feet.

He held tightly to her upper arm as they shuffled silently down the hallway to the small bathroom. Once there he shoved open the door and pushed her inside. As she turned she found him standing in the door frame with arms crossed continuing to stare at her in silence.

"Please, can I just go pee alone?" She whimpered. "There aren't any windows, I can't get away. Please, I won't do anything."

He stared at her a moment more then stepped past her. He pulled open the medicine cabinet and scanned the contents, then pulled each drawer out to assure himself there was nothing she could use in them. Finally, he seemed satisfied as he stepped out and pulled the door closed.

Kara sank down onto the lid of the toilet with her face in her hands. Just a moment without his eyes ripping through her was a blessing. Her body began to shake uncontrollably. How in the world did her world come to this?

Gavin had quite obviously, completely lost his marbles. His silence left her with absolutely no clue as to what he was thinking or planned to do to her. It was too much to hope that he'd simply just stare at her and then let her go.

Men didn't abduct women that they intended to just stare at for a while and then set free. She knew the statistics, and she was lucky to still be alive this far into it.

She glanced around the room and found the same that he had, nothing.

Hopelessness sank into her gut. For all she knew it was still morning and Jake was still curled up in her bed back at the house completely oblivious to anything that had occurred. They were not due at Anita's until afternoon. Potentially, no one might notice her missing until it was much too late.

Kara wrapped her hands around herself and startled at the feel of the weight of the little square device against her breast.

Her cell phone!