My Kidnapper's Mistake

Chapter 19: Another one

Anya's POV

My limbs felt heavy and my back was still burning, but the pain was more manageable. I woke up alone, but the scent of Julian's Cologne still hung thick in the air so I mustn't have slept much longer than he had. I stood up on shaky legs, testing my strength. I wobbled to my room, keeping close to the wall. I needed to shower.

Every drop was like a needle being jabbed into my raw flesh. I managed to get clean, but it still felt like the filth of that blank room stuck to my flesh. I just couldn't get the feel of that place off my skin.

The kidnap had been successful. I knew that without being told. Nicolette Freeman would be sitting tied to a chair in the basement, just like we had planned. She got it better than I had gotten it when her father had kidnapped me. I found that I could hardly feel sorry for her. I cautiously made my way down the stairs, only to be stopped by Julian in the foyer.
"I don't want you to get more involved." He stated, concern lacing his voice.
I grabbed him by the arm, successfully stopping him in his tracks.
"The hell I won't get more involved. I risked my life and got kidnapped a second time to get her here. I'm damn well helping with the rest."
Julian opened his mouth to protest and then shut it again after seeing the determination on my face.
"Okay, but follow my lead."

The laid back look of sweatpants and bare feet didn't help my intimidation strategy and Nicolette's tight, golden dress didn't look as glamorous or comfortable in the cool light of the basement as it had looled that night in the shandelier lit ballroom. She looked more like a scared girl than ever, even though we were roughly the same age.
"What do you want with me?" She asked.
Could it be that Julian hadn't even bothered to question her during his search for me?
"Richard Freeman's daughter." It was a statement not a question. His tone was different, menacing, it reminded me of Richard's tone and sent chills down my spine. This means that Julian must have sharpened up his interrogation strategies since he had taken me, because he was cool, calm and collected, everything he had not been when he had shouted questions at me.
"I guess Daddy is going mad with worry looking for you."
"Don't be so sure." Her voice sounded raspy, from lack of use maybe. Despite the words she didn't seem defiant, rather scared, but not particularly of us.
"Let's give Daddy a call then shall we."
Anticipation. That was what I read on her face as the dial tone echoed off the walls.
"Freeman."
"Hello Sir. I think we have something you want." Julian signalled for Nicolette to speak.
"I'm fine, Daddy." Not scared, confident.
"Nicolette where are you." It was a command.
"I've..."
"She's save. For now. But we have some business to talk." Julian interrupted her.
" Who are you?"
"That is beside the point."
"Well then we have nothing to discuss." Richard Freeman disconnected the call.
Julian and I both stood slightly shocked. Richard seemed not to care who took his daughter, like her being kidnapped was just a mild inconvenience. I looked back at Nicolette and felt a spark of sympathy for the girl. When I had been held hostage I had been surtan that Julian and the guys would come for me, even though I had hoped they wouldn't. This girl sat here with the knowledge that her father wouldn't.
"That went well." The first words I spoke since entering the basement.
"Fantastic." Julian added in a sarcastic tone.
"Well, then let's get you untied." I surprised even myself with these words.
"What?!" Nicolette and Julian both questioned.
"Richard hardly sounded affected by her absence and I could imagine that that dress is becoming increasingly uncomfortable and cold. No use keeping her down here." I addressed only Julian.
"She's our hostage." Julian protested.
"We both know that that is a weak leg to mount a protest on."
I was not planning on leaving Nicolette in the basement any longer. I had come in here despising Nicolette, because of what her father had done to me, but I left with the greatest sympathy for the girl. The case was settled. She would be staying in my room until further notice, Brian would move to Tristan's room since Clive slept on the couch and I would be crashing on the couch in Julian's room.

"Don't you have anything Calvin Klein or Prada?" Nicolette whined.
"No." I was beginning to regret letting her out of the basement.
"Come on you must have something better for me to wear than leggings bought on a sale."
"No. Now put them on before I change my mind and make you go naked for the rest of your stay." This had an effect on her.
"How old are you?"I asked as she hastily put the clothes I had offered on.
"Only a few months away from seventeen."
So young, yet I was only fifteen when I had to start looking out for myself.
"Your father is a harsh man."
"It's not easy to please him." I saw sorrow on her face and felt another pang of sadness towards this girl, but the lapse in control was momentary, "maybe it's a good thing you kidnapped the wrong Freeman daughter." She chirped.
I frowned while she examined herself in the mirror.
"The wrong Freeman daughter?"
"Yes, maybe this is my escape from my sister's shadow."
We never found any record of another Freeman daughter. How could we have missed that?
"Tell me about your sister."
"Well, like you she doesn't have any taste in clothes and we can afford quality so money is no excuse. She's not particularly friendly either..."
"No, stuff like her name." I cut off her breakdown of he sister.
"Oh... Whatever she feels like making it."
She left the sentence hanging. I was going to strangle this girl within a week, I had to drag the information out of her after I had spoon fed the meaning of my question to her.
"Elaborate." I managed to keep my calm.
"She's ten years older than me and she has had so many aliases over the years that I don't even know what her birth name is."
The right Freeman daughter is a ghost, untouchable. Richard Freeman's only weakness is a daughter we didn't even know about until this moment. I could literally feel the cogs turning in my head, the pain and memories temporarily forgotten.

Nicolette meant nothing to Richard. Could she still mean something to us? She could know valuable information that not even she knew was valuable. Should we keep her around just in case?

"So now you know my family history. Tell me about you and that other guy. You guys some modern day Bonny amd Clyde?" Nicolette chirped, cutting through my train of thought. I had to smirk at the idea, knowing that we had an entire team and as far as I knew Bonny and Clyde were mostly solo. "Let's hope our story ends happier than theirs."
"We all have to die some day." This morbid thought seemed to conclude our little chat. She waltzed out of my room, that she would be occupying until further notice, and I heard her footsteps on the stairs.
"You okay?" Julian leant into the room, looking with concern at my distracted gaze.
"Yes, totally fine. Something Nicolette said just got me thinking."
"Any of those thoughts leading to a solution for a new plan to get to Richard?"
"They might lead to that or might be completely irrelevant."
"Tell me whenever you're ready." Julian flashed me a weak smile and retreated from the room.

I watched Nicolette flipping through old fashion magazines. She wasn't of any worth and there was no assurance that she would be in the foreseeable future. This was how the Orginization would see me when they finally found out that I was helping the team. They wouldn't even hesitate to get rid of me. I shouldn't hesitate to get rid of her, none of the guys would, wouldn't they? They were taught by the Orginization, I wasn't. If I wanted to stand any chance against the Originization I would have to think like them, not only for my sake, but for the guys' also.

Above all I had to keep in mind what Nicolette had said. You can't live forever... No, she phrased it more damning, with more finality and impending doom. You have to die some day. I will die, the guys will die, no matter what. I can only postpone the date and I will for as long as I could.