My Kidnapper's Mistake

Chapter 29: Mourning my Kidnapper

Anya's P.O.V.

I'd refused to attend Julian's funeral. Seeing that casket lowered into the ground... it'd make everything too real, too final. Some part of me still clung to the hope that it had been one big hoax, even though I had seen him being shot, sobbed over his lifeless body and suffered his absence for a week. All the guys had gone to the funeral, leaving me alone in the house. I avoided the living room, that had a dark stain on the wooden floor, where the blood had seeped through the carpet. Brian had removed the carpet and had tried to scrub the stain off, but it stuck like Julian wasn't ready to leave this house just yet.

I put a random CD on and turned the stereo up to max, trying to drown out my own thoughts and the ghost of Julian's laughter that echoed through the walls. I only heard the neighbour at the door when he had been shouting at the top of his lungs and almost broke down the door. He had tried screaming at me over the music so I had invited him in. Purposely leading him past the living room to the kitchen. He took one look at the angry stain and started making excuses to leave. I was sure he had heard that single fatal shot, had seen the silent ambulance drive past his house and park in our driveway. He left, catching our other neighbour and the couple from opposite the street on his way out. Nobody bothered me any further, so I curled up on Julian's bed and slept, music still blaring.

By the time I woke up the music had stopped, which made the house deathly quiet. I sat up in Julian's bed. I couldn't take the comfort anymore so I slid down to the ground and sat propped up against the bedframe. I sat looking at the room. Nothing was personalized. Everything standard, fitting to anybody's taste. Male, female. Teenager or grown up. Only the contents of the drawers and closet would show who had occupied the room. And we would have to pack them up for the next occupant. I sighed. I might as well start packing up Julian's life.

My mind was numb as I pulled drawers open and started packing the contents into boxes, keeping more than I packed away. I kept most of his T-shirts and button down shirts, a pair or two sweatpants also got held back. I chocked up when I opened a drawer with Trilby hats neatly packed out. He had loved his hats. I took them all, if I have a boy he'd be wearing them as soon as he is old enough to walk. I had to sit down on the floor to pack up the last drawer. It didn't contain any clothing. I found some wraps for your knuckles, lots of amunition and a single gun, records on different foster families and a photo album.

Julian had never really struck me as the sentimental type, so I sat back and flipped open the cover. The photo that greeted was of all the guys standing in front of a warehouse. The caption underneath read: First Team Hide-out. I turned the page carefully. The next page had a heading: Team members. The next few pages contained a small close up of each of the guys with a handful of personal information such as names, surnames, birthdays and favorite foods. I chuckled slightly when I came to Kevin's favorite food, the original item had been scratched out vigorously as if he had taken offence by his previous choice and neatly underneath was written: Anya's Roadkill Deer Stew. Next came a selfie of Kevin and a very serious Dexter in a car. The caption read: Stake out with grumpy. I was surprised to see a photo of a person tied to a chair, with Julian standing behind the person next. It was called: Kidnapping by Mistake. It struck me that they might not have known each other for very long before I had come along, because I had been the person in the chair. I sat on the cold, hard ground leaving through the photo album for nearly half two hours, studying photo after photo.

Caption: What now? Julian and I were pouring over papers, both with a deep frown.
Caption: Hit me with your best shot. I was standing with my fists raised and Brian was in front of me, probably showing me what to do.
Caption: Anya was bossy. Tristan was frowning at a chart, that was taped to the fridge.
Caption: Get out. Clive was sleeping on the coach.
Caption: Oops... A full grown stag was laying on the kitchen island.
Caption: Love birds. Julian was holding me in the air by my waist. We both had broad smiles. This one in particular made me choke up and I had to take a ten minute break to calm myself before continuing.
Caption: Oops again... Kevin sat behind bars, with a big guy staring at him. I had taken that one.
Caption: Not again. Nicolette sat tied to a chair. More tears. I was surprised that my body hadn't yet stopped producing them.
Caption: Outing. Everyone except Kevin was sat around a campfire.
Caption: Hacker from Hell. This was merely a picture of Megan, with the living room all Teched up in the background.
Caption: If not, why not? I lay wrapped in Julian's arms. I felt my heart shrivel up and was unable to breath. I raced through the last few.
Caption: Geared up. Tristan, Brian and Jason stood with their arms around each other's backs, wearing the uniform of Richard's security.
Caption: Celebrating. We stood in the kitchen with champagne glasses raised.
A bunch of empty pages followed but right at the back, there were two more photo's. The heading on the last page read: New Members. There was a photo of me and my favorite food was listed ad peanuts. Next a photo of Clive. Surname: Unknown. Favorite food: Unknown.

I had know when most of the photos had been taken, but others gave me a start when I realized that Kevin had been there with a camera. He'd make a brilliant stalker. I clutched the book to my chest, letting the last few tears roll down my cheeks, before getting back onto the bed. I curled back up and slept some more. I was exhausted, not physically, mentally. It felt like I had lived through these past few months again in the period of two hours.

I would have slept for days if Dexter hadn't come to wake me up in his perfectly tailored suit.
"What do you want?" I snapped, before my eyes were even properly open.
"You have to eat."
"I'm not hungry." I was angry, but I didn't know at what or why. I just wanted to tear the wall down with my bare hands.
"You might not be, but the person growing inside you must be." I couldn't argue against his logic.

All the guys were still dressed in their suites. They all looked at me with pity and that made me angrier than I had been before. Only Dexter and I knew that I was pregnant and I wasn't planning on telling anybody else soon. I didn't want any additional pity.