Captured

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Abriana

The aroma of vegetable soup cooking on the stove filled the room. My mouth watered, but I didn’t dare ask for anything. How am I going to get out of here and away from him?

I tried to loosen the rope tied around my hands. Rubbing my wrists together and trying to pull them apart sent hot flashes of pain across my skin.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

I bit my lip and remained silent.

“I’m heating up soup. Are you hungry?” he asked.

Shaking my head, I tried to ignore the empty feeling in my stomach, which growled in protest.

“Fine, suit yourself.”

I listened as he opened up a cabinet door. A moment later, a bowl and spoon clattered on the counter. He hummed to himself as he poured the soup into the bowl. The familiar sound of a beer bottle opening and the cap being tossed aside made my blood boil. He’s kicking back, having dinner and a beer while I sit here tied up and blindfolded?

My stomach growled again, this time louder.

“Are you sure you don’t want something to eat?”

I shifted my body and looked in the direction his voice had come from. Trying to quell the sickening feeling seeping through my body, I spat, “Why do you even care?”

He blew air loudly out of his nostrils. “I love you Abriana. I don’t want you to go hungry just because you’re being stubborn.”

“Well, if you weren’t hell bent on kidnapping me, we would be at a nice restaurant having dinner right now,” I fumed. “Remember that? This was supposed to be our first date. Dinner and a movie.”

The sofa dipped slightly as he sat down next to me. “Things change,” he said. I heard him bring the spoon to his mouth and slurp the soup down. “Now we’re here. Our dinner and movie date will have to wait.”

I turned away from the vile man as my mind wandered back to the moments before I left to meet him.

“I can’t believe you are meeting some guy for dinner that you met online!” said my roommate.

“I’ve known him for like three months,” I countered. “That’s more than the guy you brought home last night!”

Her cheeks turned bright red. “Well, at least I didn’t meet him online. I mean, what if he’s some weirdo! Haven’t you seen that show Catfish?”

“It will be fine, Addison. He’s totally legit. Plus, we’re going to dinner and a movie. I’m not going anywhere by myself with him. It will be safe. I promise.”

Addison scrunched her nose. “You better text me updates throughout the date!”

“Okay, okay,” I agreed.

Shaking my head, I thought about Addison’s warnings and my failed promises. Why didn’t I listen to her?

“It’s a shame we didn’t get to eat at Graze,” he said with a mouthful of soup. “I hear their Bibimbap is amazing.”

I shifted my body further away from him as he took a loud swig of beer.

“Abriana,” he said touching my knee and causing me flinch. “We’re going to be together for a long time. You’re going to have to get over the way things went tonight.”

I stood up and took a blind step forward. “Get over the way things went tonight?” I said in disbelief. “You kidnapped me! I’m not going to just get over that!”

A second later, his beer bottle hit the floor and rolled from left to right. I flinched, waiting for him to put his hands around my throat like he had earlier.

“I told you to behave,” he growled.

He pulled on my hair, which I had expertly twisted into a long fishtail braid before our date, forcing my head to snap back. Fear spread through my body like a wildfire.

“I’ve had enough of your lip,” he snarled. He wrapped his arms around my waist and hoisted me into the air. He carried me for several seconds before opening up a creaking door.

He took a few more steps before throwing my body on to the bed. “Go to sleep.”

I tried to sit up, but his hand met my shoulder and forcefully pushed me back down. “Go to sleep, or I’ll make you.”

Giving up, I stopped fighting and held back a sob.

“There’s a good girl,” he said before running a finger down the side of my cheek.

Flinching, I turned my head and whispered, “I can’t sleep with my hands behind my back.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of that,” he responded.

A moment later, he grabbed my right ankle and wrapped something around it.

“What are you doing to me?”

He chuckled. “I can’t have you running away. I need to make sure you are tied up safe and sound.”

Deciding not to fight it, I allowed him to slip a rope around my left ankle. He pulled it tight and wrapped it around something at the foot of the bed.

“You promise to behave?” he asked again. “If you don’t, I’ll just leave your hands the way they are.”

“I promise,” I said quietly.

He helped me to a sitting position and tugged on the rope binding my hands. Once they were free, I gently flexed one than the other.

“Lay down,” he instructed.

I followed his directions and eased my body back down. I felt the blood drain from my face as he took my hand and ran his callused fingertips over the back of my hands.

After he tied both of my hands and secured them to the headboard, he leaned over and brushed his lips against my ear. “I’ll see you in the morning, my love.”