Abducted (Amber Alert Series Book 2) (3 page)

"I'm the child of
the 
Anna Cowles! The girl that was forced into a psychopath's home because she didn’t fight?" I blurted out in anger and betrayal.

"Audrey!" my mother shrieked.

"I hate you, and I never want to see either of you again!" I screamed as I ran out of the house. I heard their calls behind me, but by the time I was down the block I knew I was free. I had nowhere to go for the night, though; it was against the law to go over to friends’ houses this late. Their parents would call the police on me, and I’d be taken right back home—but if I'm going to break another law tonight, it's going to be wiping my memory with alcohol.

I cut through yards and made my way downtown where Mark took me to get my first drink. They didn't check identification, and I was able to get a few drinks pretty easily. I didn’t think about getting home afterward, I figured I would make a new friend while I was out anyway. I might as well get tipsy so I could flirt my way home.

"Give me one," I said to the bartender. He slid a beer my way, and I grimaced. I hated the taste, but it was all he would dish out to underage kids. It was against the law, but he got paid by every teen that came here and probably made more money like that. I gulped down the beer, knowing it would take a few more, but eventually I lost count of how many I had had. By that time the bartender had told me he thought I had enough and I was caught off.

"Do you want me to get you a ride home?" the bartender asked. 

"I got her. I'm sure she won't mind," a deep voice said from behind me. I swiveled my chair and turned to see a handsome man in his early twenties with jet-black hair and light tanned skin. His smile was breathtaking, along with his enticing scent of fresh rain and flowers. It brought a smile to my lips.

"I wouldn't mind at all. I'm Audrey Thomas," I said, as I almost tipped out of my seat.

"I'm Damien Clark. Now let's get you home before you pass out," he said with a light chuckle that made me swoon. Or maybe that was the over-consumption of alcohol. 

He wrapped his arms around me as he assisted me to the ground so we could walk out together. I ended up mostly leaning on him before he put me in his car and drove off. I watched as the streetlights faded away and were quickly replaced by trees. I didn't notice I wasn't going home until it was too late. He didn't even ask for my address—instead, I was going somewhere much more sinister, and I could only hope I would make it out alive.

Chapter 3

Sunlight hit me in the face. I moved to get away from the light, and my arm hit something solid. I shot up to see that my arm had hit Damien’s bare chest. At first I was confused. How had I gotten here, and why I was with him? Then I remembered the bar, the drinking, and the amazing sex we had last night. He had been masterful and was pleasing to both my body and eyes.

So much for being a one man kind of girl; I was sure Mark wouldn’t have asked me out after last night anyway. Too much happened. It was overwhelming, and Damien had been there when I needed an outlet.

As I looked at him, I could still feel the need to mold my body to his and feel his lips on my skin. He looked so peaceful sleeping, so mouth-wateringly handsome and seductive as when I met him in the bar. A small moan escaped my lips as I pictured him over me again. His eyes focused only on me as if I was the most important thing in the world.

“Careful, if you keep thinking about it I won’t be able to restrain myself,” he said in a hazy voice.

His eyes fluttered open to reveal the stunning icy blue that had captivated me. Damien rolled over and wrapped his arms around my small frame to pull me toward him. I felt his lips trace the shape of my jawline as he pulled me on top of him. His naked form pressed against mine as he hugged me tightly.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he growled seductively in my ear.

“Hey yourself, handsome.”

Damien moaned slightly as a smile spread across his face. He tangled his fingers in my hair to pull my face to his again. His lips found mine easily, and in a few seconds the kiss turned heated before he pulled away.

“You are just so lovely. It’s such a pity that I have to take you home,” Damien growled, tracing his fingers down the curves of my body.

“I don’t want to go home.”

“Why not? What would send such a beautiful young lady running to a bar for comfort?”

“My parents spent eighteen years lying to me about who they are?”

“What do you mean?” Damien asked, as he kissed down the length of my neck.

“My mother is Anna Cowles, and my father is Garrett Thomas,” I spat, as Damien continued to kiss a trail up my neck. He paused for a moment, the names must have shocked him—they were well-known.

“I’m sure they just wanted to keep you safe.”

“I don’t care. I don’t want to go back. It’s her fault the laws are like this; she was too stupid to take care of herself.”

“Well then, what do you want to do, Audrey? We are kind of close to your home, and I have to take a trip today. I can’t just leave you here to fend for yourself. What if someone came along to kidnap you?”

“I could defend myself,” I stated proudly.

“Not all of the people that mean you harm make it so obvious,” Damien said, before he kissed my lips.

“Well, were are you going for your trip?”

“I have to visit a family friend’s home. He is away for a while, and I have to make sure his house is in order for his return.”

“Could I come?”

“You want to come? Don’t you have school today?” Damien teased, as a smirk curved his lips.

“I do, but I can skip.”

“You’re worried your parents will show up to talk to you, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” I stated honestly, as he toyed with my hair. I watched as he closed his eyes to think it over. He relaxed, showing off a square face and strong jaw—he truly was such a handsome man.

“I would love for you to come with me, Audrey. Just let me get ready, and we'll be on our way.” I watched him pull on a pair of jeans and a blue plaid, button-up shirt. His icy blue eyes were watching me in the mirror the entire time.

“Would you like to shower? I don’t know when we will be back, but the water there is shut off, and you may not be able to shower for a while.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that.”

“I’ll put your clothes in the wash so you have something clean to wear,” Damien answered as he left the room, giving me one last kiss on his way out the door.

I smiled as I walked into the shower and rinsed off. The shampoo foamed in my hands as I scrubbed away the conversation with my parents last night. The water wrapped me in a protective covering, as I tried to understand their choice to lie to me. I watched the suds slowly run down the drain as I decided I needed more time away from them to think about it.

I hadn’t realized how long I had spent in the shower until Damien knocked on the door. “You’re clothes are dried. Whenever you’re ready, breakfast is downstairs,” he said, as he laid the clothes on the sink and closed the door behind him.

I shut off the water as my reply and stepped out of the shower. I quickly dried off and pulled on the skinny jeans over my damp legs. They snagged in a few places due to the moisture, but eventually got into place. The t-shirt pulled over easily and I was out the door before Damien could come to knock again.

I raced down the stairs and started eating quickly so he wouldn’t leave without me. If he did, I would either get arrested or have to go to school, but both would take me straight to my parents.

“You know you’ll have to see your parents again one day, right?”

“I will hold off on that for as long as I can,” I stated, as I thought about how they must have felt waking up this morning and seeing me gone. They had probably called James, and he would be out searching for me. I needed to get out of town for a while. I could do that, I was old enough to take care of myself. I just needed Damien to get me out of town, and then I could come back when I was ready.

“You eat, and I will pack up the car.”

“Is it a long trip?”

“It’s about an hour. It’s not far, but I still have to put some stuff in the car. Just eat, and I will be ready in a few minutes,” Damien said as he kissed my cheek.

I sat silently and thought over what had happened with my parents. I felt bad for yelling at them and saying I hated them. I didn’t mean it; I was angry. They would understand when I got home. Every time we fought I ran out and left for a few days, then I was punished and it went back to normal. I’d go home after this trip with Damien—something fun before I get grounded again.

“You ready, Audrey?” Damien called, as I swallowed the last bite of waffle.

“Yeah, coming!”

“I was wondering what was taking you so long,” Damien said, as he pulled me closer to him.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“You're worth the wait. Let’s go.” He ushered me to the door and slammed shut behind me.

The car ride was filled with chatter and laughter. I was getting to know Damien as a person, and he sounded remarkable. He had just finished school, was easy to talk to, and he captivated me with every word. We shared similar interests and thoughts; it was almost as if we had grown up together. He was so charming, in fact, that I hadn’t noticed the car ride was longer than he had said it would be. I realized something was wrong when the car finally came to a stop on the gravel road. At first I was upset because I would have to get out and Damien would be busy, but as I glanced up at the house, fear took over my body. The windows were boarded up; there was no way any light could enter the house. The paint was chipping away, and it looked run down. The front door was shut, but I could see marks all over as if someone had forced their way in. Damien opened my door and took my hand.

“Damien, what are we doing here?”

“This is my friend’s house. I’m here to house sit for him while he is gone. We already covered this, Audrey.”

“This house looks like it was deserted, whose house is this?” I asked nervously.  

"Steve Bennett's. We will be staying here for a while."

His words sent fear through my veins. Steve Bennett, the man who kidnapped twelve girls, including my mom, was due for death by lethal injection in a few days. The feed from the old trial had been replaying on the television for months; Anna Cowles' interview was replayed along with Steve’s. There were new analyses of Steve's interviews and speech patterns every time the television was turned on. 

Without thinking, I turned around and started running toward the road to go home, but Damien grabbed my waist and pulled me back before I could get far.

“You’re not going anywhere, Audrey. If you ever make it out of this alive, you and your mother will finally have something in common: a fear of this house.” He lifted me over his shoulder and carried me inside.

I squirmed and tried to fight against him, but once the door slammed shut, I knew I wasn’t going to escape anytime soon.

Chapter 4

The front door was solidly in its place; it didn't want to open at all. In fact, Damien had to slam his body against the wooden blockade and force it open. There was only hardwood flooring, and it seemed I could hear every step we took echo through the house. It was bare to the bones; the walls held no photos or phones, and rooms remained empty of furniture unless it was bolted to the ground.

“Damien, what are you doing?” I cried, as he forced me into a hard wooden chair. I felt rope secured to my arms and legs as Damien turned away from me. He left the room, leaving the fear to take over my body as I struggled to free myself. I could hear his footsteps as they traveled upstairs and moved over my head. The steady footfalls brought a new sense of fear as he re-entered the room.

“I’m doing what I was told to do,” he said with a shrug, as he produced a camera that I hadn’t seen since I was a child. “Say cheese.” The Polaroid clicked and slid out a photo, which Damien shook to help develop it.

“I meant why, you jerk!”

“Now, now, Audrey. No need to become rude.”

“Why are you doing this to me?”

“I didn’t originally plan it like this, if that helps you in any way.”

“It doesn’t,” I spat.

“I didn’t know you were Anna Cowles’ daughter. Honestly, you were just a pretty girl that I wanted to get to know. You were so beautiful that I had to try, and maybe you could tell me something about Anna. You see, I didn’t know where she was. It was my mission to take her daughter so that I could bring her out, but I couldn’t do that because she changed her name and moved.”

“Why do you need me?” I asked. My mother had been kidnapped and dragged here; it was almost poetic justice that I’m now stuck in the same house she was.

“Let me finish. Steve Bennett doesn’t want to die, and what better way to keep him alive than to take someone that follows his profile—copycat parse. They’ll have to let him out so he can help them find you.”

“Why would you help him?”

“I have no choice...” Damien mumbled, as he walked out of the room and left me tied to the chair.

“Why not?”

“That’s none of your business,” Damien snapped.

“You have me here against my will! I think it’s my business.”

“See, that’s where you’re wrong. Here, you don’t think. You follow thirteen simple rules and do nothing outside of them.”

“What rules?”

“The same ones your mother followed so expertly, until her betrayal was exposed. There were twelve at the time, except when she was thrown out of the house, Steve made another one.” Damien slipped the piece of paper from the table and held it to my face.

1. Do as you're told.

2. Have all meals ready for me when I get home.

3. Make sure the house stays clean.

4. Never speak out of turn or back talk.

5. Do not argue. I'm right, you're wrong.

6. You belong to me and only me.

7. You take care of the house, I provide for the family.

8. You do not leave the house unless told so.

9. You treat me like a loving husband; I will be one.

10. Take care of the kid; he follows similar rules.

11. Never tell me no! See rule 1.

12. Do not try to hurt me. I over power you.

13. Don’t lie or fake. I don’t care if you don’t like it here, because you’re mine now.

If any of these rules are broken, punishment will ensue.

“Obviously, Garrett is no longer with us, so rule ten is no longer in effect. I will think of a different one to take its spot later,” Damien said with a suggestive smile.

“Garrett?” I questioned skeptically.

“Yes, your father. Let me guess, they never told you how they met. What a pity. I hear it was a fantastic love story,” Damien sneered.

“They met in college, he spilled coffee on her dress accidentally,” I asserted, remembering what my parent’s had told me when I asked. Damien just laughed, and had to lean against the wall for support when he couldn’t stop.

“You actually believe that?” he questioned with a chuckle. “Well, I give them credit, they worked hard to cover up the past.”

“What do you mean?”

“You honestly think that they met under normal circumstances, as if it was fate? If you do, you’re stupid—everyone knows that they met in this house.”

“I am not stupid!” I yelled back, as his hand landed on my shoulder. I didn’t feel afraid, but I pulled my shoulder from his touch as he undid the bounds around my wrists.

“You were senseless with the information you gave me, a total stranger. So that makes you reckless, irresponsible, and stupid. You could have saved yourself from this,” Damien spat, as he grabbed my wrist and dragged me through the bare halls of the house. I could hear the echoing clap of my footsteps as I was forced to follow Damien up the stairs. The second floor had a main room, with a large window, and then three smaller rooms connected to it. The large window was boarded up; I would never see daylight again.

“It’s a pity you had to be Anna Cowles’ daughter,” Damien sighed, as he forced open one of the doors.

“Why?”

“Because I honestly liked you. I enjoyed the intelligent conversation and the lively company, but now I have to keep you trapped against your will. That will put quite the damper on our relationship.”

“There is no relationship!” I spat, as he leaned closer to me.

“Don’t say that, Audrey. I was thinking of changing rule number nine to treating me as the perfect boyfriend, and then rule ten would be to act as if you loved me.”

“Wouldn’t that cancel out rule thirteen then? I’d be faking!”

“I saw how you were last night. You won’t be faking,” Damien said with a laugh as he shut the door, leaving me alone and isolated.

The room was stripped to the bare necessities. There were no windows or wallpaper, just concrete walls, hard wooden floors, and a bed. The only wall decorations were thirteen pictures that hung on the wall. The girls didn’t look familiar to me until I got to the one right before mine, my mother. I had seen photos of her from my grandmother’s photo album, but none of them looked like this. I shivered as I stared at my mother’s picture. It must have been horrifying living here, and now I was trapped like she had been.

My parents had warned me of the dangers of the world, the laws had tried to protect me, and the kidnappings were a typical conversation, but I still didn’t listen. Now I was going to understand exactly what the laws had been trying to protect me from. I was going to have to live through what my mother did, and hopefully survive like she did.