Fatal Attractions

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Someone cover her eyes," Jack demanded, his grip tight on the steering wheel.

"With what?" Kyle asked. Everyone seemed frantic and in a rush. There was no doubt they hadn't anticipated the council coming to look for me. All their plans were crashing down before their eyes.

"There's duct tape back there," Jack said, and Kyle began searching around his feet before picking up a roll of duct tape and inching closer to me. Great. My mouth was covered, and now my eyes would be, too.

Kyle pulled a strip of tape off the role and carefully placed it over my eyes, avoiding the stray bits of hair that framed my face. The world went black, and all I could rely on now was my sense of hearing. If they had a pair of earplugs somewhere, I was screwed.

"When did they leave the manor to look for her?" Jack asked.

"About half an hour ago. Me and Cole were keeping an eye on the manor, and out of nowhere there was a crowd of people coming out of the place. There's a ton of 'em, Jack, a lot more than there used to be," Kyle said.

"Yeah, fifty or so now. Low-lives need to stop breeding. The less members of Aru there are, the better," he said, and the vehicle suddenly made a sharp turn, making me smack my bruised forehead against the window. I made a muffled cry in pain, my forehead throbbing. How much brain damage had I suffered so far? I wans't sure how much more I could take. If I passed out at this point, I definitely wouldn't be waking up.

"Take it easy," I heard Charlie say.

"What, you getting feelings for her now?" Jack asked, his voice mocking. There was the sound of someone being slapped.

"Shut the hell up. If she dies now, it's pointless," Charlie said, and Jack stayed quiet. I didn't understand a thing that was going on. If they wanted me dead so badly, why haven't they gone through with it yet? It was almost like they were enjoying drawing out the torture, making it a slow painful death. I made another silent prayer that I would be found before that happens.

"Almost there," Jack said, and more silence resumed. I had no idea where we were going, and I think that was the point of the duct tape. If I didn't know, I couldn't tell anyone where I was if I ever had the chance to. That thought made me uneasy. Even if I ever escaped and got to a phone, I wouldn't be able to tell anyone where to find me. Even if I escaped, I'd still be trapped.

"Here," Jack said, and the vehicle came to a jolting stop. There was the sound of car doors opening, and then mine opened. Once again, I was being carried bridal style. Whoever was carrying me, I was just hoping it wasn't Jack.

There was the sound of footsteps crunching leaves, a key turning in a lock, and the creak of a large door being opened. Shoes against wood, and then silence. The scent of dirt and old hay was almost overpowering.

"I need the chair," Jack called out, and his voice almost echoed. Wherever we were, it was large. Something heavy was set down on the wood, and suddenly I was sitting on a wooden chair.

"Rope," Jack said, and my heart thudded in my chest. I could hear my pulse in my ears, and the silence was almost maddening. It didn't feel this quiet in the shack. There were at least the sound of birds chirping, flying by, squirrels running through the leaves. Here, it was just nothing.

I felt rope being wrapped around my torso while someone simultaneously tied my ankles to the legs of the chair. Not painfully tight this time, so I knew it wasn't Jack.

Suddenly, the strip of tape was ripped off my eyes and it took a few moments for the inky spots in my vision to clear. Jack, Kyle and Charlie all stood in front of me, peering down at me as if I was some fascinating piece of art in an art gallery.