The Psychopath's Prisoner

Chapter 44

It took Michael and Raina two days to pack Cheyenne's things and get it all moved into his house. They had been extremely helpful with everything. Even the landlord let her off the hook for the fee to get out of her contract, thanks to Detective Lawrence. Mrs. Warner had spent a lot of time with her while everything was being done. The entire time she spent with Mrs. Warner, all Cheyenne heard about was the wedding but her mind was elsewhere. Her mind kept returning to Eric. He terrified her and until he was caught he would continue to terrorize her life.

Breathlessly, Michael and Raina walked into the living room. "Woo! Man! Sis! You had a lot of stuff, but it's all moved out. Your furniture and the things you told us to put into storage are taken care of. Anything else?"

"Nope. That's it. Thank you." She patted the area next to her on the couch.

"You're welcome." Raina flounced onto the couch. "Would you like to go out for a few drinks now? I could go pick the kids up and we could have some family time."

"Raina," Michael interjected, "that's not really a good idea. She shouldn't go out for a little while. This thing with Eric has to settle down first. Neither one of us want anything to happen to her. You're more than welcome to have a few here, though."

"You're right. Maybe another time then?" Raina stood.

"You know, I'm sitting right here and if I want to go out, I will. Unfortunately, I'm on prescriptions, so I can't drink. Not to mention, I'm bandaged to the hilt so I'm not going anywhere. Don't talk about or make decisions for me. I'm old enough to make decisions for myself, thank you." She pulled the covers over her head and stretched out on the couch.

"We didn't mean anything by it, but we can't help but worry about your safety." Michael sat down next to her, pulling the blanket down, and kissed her. "All we want to do is protect and keep you safe. We, by no means, are trying to take control over your life."

"I know, but it doesn't mean I like it when you make decisions for me. Don't forget that I still have a mind of my own." Cheyenne snuggled the blanket up under her chin and held it with tight fists.

"That's exactly why I've been trying to get you two to meet." Mrs. Warner commanded the chair. "Both of you are intelligent, funny, kind, attractive and flexible. It's the perfect combination. I love you, Cheyenne, like my own daughter."

"Thanks, Mrs. Warner, but looks shouldn't have anything to do with attraction."

"Yeah. Look at us." Raina piped up. "You fell for Tyler and I fell for Jack, who are currently our ex's."

"But, Rain, you married Jack because you thought he was hot. I married Ty because he was fun, had character, and was smart."

"Excuse me? Uh uh. No. I did not." Raina held up her hand in objection. "Jack was, well....hot. Okay. Fine. But I was much younger."

"Some excuses are better than none," Cheyenne offered.

With a roll of her eyes, Raina said, "I'm glad you still have your sense of humor."

Mrs. Warner slapped her knees, interrupting their banter. "So, who's going to drive me home? I've got to fix dinner."

"Give me a minute and I will, Mom."

"Actually, I can drive her home. I'll be going that way, anyway."

Michael looked at Raina with raised eyebrows. "Are you sure? I can do it."

"Nah. It's okay." Raina went to Mrs. Warner and draped her arm around her shoulder. "It'll give us time to discuss the upcoming wedding and give you two sometime alone." She wiggled her eyebrows at Cheyenne, which made Cheyenne roll her eyes.

Michael shrugged. "Okay. Thanks."

"No problem." Raina turned her attention to Mrs. Warner. "Are you ready to go?"

"I am."

Mrs. Warner said goodbye to Michael while Raina lectured Cheyenne about taking better care of herself.

"Look, I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here. Stop worrying and before you say it, I know that you're my big sister and you're supposed to look out for me. I don't need you to take care of me. I'll be okay. I love you and will talk with you later."

Raina kissed Cheyenne's forehead. "My little sister, the strong, independent, defiant one."

"No. Just determined not to be a victim." She pushed Raina toward the door. "Well, you better go. You've got to get Mrs. Warner home."

"I'll call you later. Love you." Raina waved as she left the room.

"Love you, too."

~

Finally alone, Cheyenne looked over at Michael who was sitting in the recliner. "You never finished telling me about Eric."

"Huh. Oh yeah. Right. I guess I didn't. Well," he took a deep breath, "he murdered a woman by the name of Kimberly Thompson. He had done the same things to her that he did to you. Before she was killed, he murdered an elderly gentleman and stole his ID."

"Let me guess. The gentleman's name was Daniel Schindler."

"You got it. The FBI has been investigating Eric and was even following him, but somehow, he went under the radar and disappeared. They've been looking for him ever since."

"So now the FBI is involved in my case?"

"Yes." Michael studied her. "You know, you're holding up pretty well for someone who was beaten and raped."

Cheyenne turned away and thought about it. No one left her alone long enough for her to think about it. It's not like she wanted to relive any of it, but, regardless, she knew that it was going to be her living nightmare for a long time. A tear slid down her cheek. Quickly wiping it away, she sighed and forced a smile.

"Chey?"

"I'm fine." She turned to face Michael. "Really. I am." He gave her a look letting her know he didn't believe her. "Look, Michael, it was a horrible thing to experience and I would much rather forget it."

"I understand, but you really do need to talk about it."

"I don't want to," she said firmly.

"I'm here when you're ready. Okay?"

"Thank you, but I won't be ready for a long time. There's too much to worry about. He'll be back. I know he will. It's so sad that he killed an elderly man, especially just for his identity. And that poor girl. I know what she went through, but at least, I'm still alive."

"Thank God for that."

The thought of him murdering two innocent people made her feel extremely lucky that she made it out alive but she knew it wasn't over yet. He would be seeking his revenge after what she had done. It was getting more and more difficult to put on a brave face for everyone's sake. She was terrified. What was he planning? When would he show up unexpectedly? There was no way she was staying cooped up forever. She couldn't give him that much power, no matter how terrified she was. All she could do was put on her brave face for now and be strong. What else could she do?

"Yes. Thank God." He'll be back and we might not be so lucky next time.