Beautifully Insane

Chapter Twenty

Paige

     Jackson came back into the room where I've grown tired of sitting in one spot for almost for a whole day. I couldn't do anything without having someone watching my every move. I watched him put his phone in his coat pocket. He came over to me and untied my wrist. Once my hands were free, I sprang up from my seat and headed for the door. A jolt of pain shot up my leg from my knee and I fell forward into Al's arms. Al held me up as Jackson grabbed my cheeks, squishing them against my lips. "And to think my I let you eat steak," Jackson grinned, sounding wounded. Jackson pulled out his knife he threatened me with when I first met him earlier today. He pressed the tip against my cheek. "You should really learn not to be so rude when someone is giving you hospitality."
I winced as the tip of the blade cut through skin and glided slowly, feeling the skin detach, to the left of my cheek, creating a deep cut. Jackson placed the blade against my neck and gently slid it down my chest. Take the knife, the unpleasant voice, I named Noah during my meal, told me.
"You know Paige, I haven't had the pleasure," Jackson professed while licking my bottom lip.
"That's enough," Al interrupted and pulled me away from Jackson.
"Aww, look at my baby brother finally growing a pair," Jackson ridiculed as he snatched me out of Al's hands at the same time he stabbed Al's shoulder.
I heard a car door shut followed by a man shouting out Jackson's name. Daly. I breathed unsteadily out of my nosed and smiled slightly. I was going to get out of here. Jackson quickly tied my wrist back together. Jackson pulled out a gun from the back of him. He pushed Al out of the way and guided me outside.
     Once I saw Daly and Mitch, I knew that it would only be in a matter of seconds I'll be somewhere safe. The gun pointed at my back made a part of me think that I was going to die in the matter of seconds it would take to reach Daly and Mitch. Mitch stood there with his hands behind his back to perhaps give the illusion that Daly had caught Mitch. I checked my surroundings. There was no way Daly would hand Mitch over just like that. I trusted Daly. I knew he had some kind of plan up his sleeve. Jackson raised the gun up and pressed it against my neck while he pulled his arm over my chest, pressing my back  against the upper body. "Don't try do anything funny, cop," Jackson warned Daly.
"It's just Mitch and me here," Daly reassured him.
Something caught my eye over by the top of the tree. Could it be a sniper? I asked as I saw Mitch take a step forward defensively.
"Are those your men?" Daly asked, pointing at the two dead bodies sticking out of the bushes.
"Looks that way. Now, are you going to trade Mitch for Paige or what?"
"One the count of th—"
"Wait," Jackson cut Daly off. He pointed the gun at Daly. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"
"Getting cold feet?" I mocked Jackson.
"You don't," Daly replied as he whispered something to much at the same time Jackson has order me to shut up.
Mitch cautiously made his way over. Mitch was so far, yet so close. I just wanted to be just his arms and go to sleep. Today was a long, stressful and tiring day. I felt that Jackson's expression had changed behind me as I saw his finger gripping tighter on the trigger. I flinched as I heard a loud pop. My ears started ringing as I stared at Mitch, examining every inch of him to see that he was untouched. I was thrown onto the ground. I turned to my side to look in back of me to see that Jackson had been shot in the throat. Jackson dropped his gun and placed his hands over the wound. Mitch ran over to me and sat me up. "Your shoulder!" Mitch exclaimed.
I gazed onto my right shoulder to see that I have been shot. It must have went through my shoulder and into Jackson's neck, I concluded. "I didn't even feel it," I stated.
Mitch smiled as his eyes started to tear up. I dug my face into his chest. "I didn't think I was going to see you again," I heard Mitch confess. "I love you."
My eyes widened as I lifted my head to make eye contact. I smiled cheesily. I touched Mitch's cheek and laid my lips on his. Mitch and I looked up after we heard someone clearing their throat to see Daly. Daly helped me up onto my feet. He wrapped his arms around me, careful not to hit my shoulder as I started to feel the pain.
      An ambulance came to the scene and I was all bandaged up while I could feel the pain from my should and the back of my knee lingering. Daly came up to Mitch and I after Jackson was placed in a separate ambulance to be taken to a hospital. "I'm going to have to go back to Angelwood right?" I asked Daly.
Daly folded his arms over his chest. "Before I got word that you and Mitch left, I got a phone call from one of the cooks at the asylum saying you were abused, is that true?"
I glanced at Mitch for a short second and then back at Daly. I explained everything to Daly, from the agreement Dr. Rosario had with Roy to me starving in the basement.
Daly's eyes widened with sadness mixed with rage. He covered his mouth in disbelief and nodded. "We are going to have to get a completely new staff, except for the cooking. Philip I believe his name is."
I smiled. "Since we helped catch a big bad guy, do we get our sentences reduced?"
"If it were up to me, I would just put you guys on house arrest, but I'm afraid it isn't."
I nodded a bit bummed out, but I understood.