Chapter 7 Chapter 7
Ziael
I sat there smiling to myself, the smile of winning the game. Little Tessa was in for a lot of trouble.
I was waiting by the door when my phone vibrated. She was outside. I opened my door and stepped into the hallway, just as she passed by. She was always in a hurry. She didn't try closing the elevator on me; in fact, she looked weary and tired, and something inside me shifted.
“Morning,” I said quietly.
“Morning,” she answered quietly, a bit too quietly.
Tessa
I was tired, drained. I didn’t try to outrun him. It was no use; as long as I worked here, I would see him, which was for a while. I leaned my head against the elevator wall and closed my eyes. Suddenly the elevator jerked to a halt. It was pitch black; the darkness was suffocating, and it felt like it was closing in on me. Oh no, oh no, no, no, no. Breathe, Tessa, breathe. I told myself. I fumbled for my phone but dropped it instead. Suddenly, he grabbed my hand and took me back there to Alex grabbing me.
“No, let go,” I yelled. Then I felt his hands on my shoulder, and I smelled the cologne. It wasn't Alex; it was Zaiel, which helped me focus.
“Relax. It's a power outage. The generator will kick in,” he said.
“Sorry.” I said breathing too hard.
“You're hyperventilating," he said quietly, almost too quietly.
“Sorry…small…space… Dark…” I barely managed.
“Don’t move,” he said, pulling his hands away. I saw the light of the phone. He picked up my phone and handed it to me, then called someone.
“Joe, the elevator is off; fix it now,” he said, then ended the call, not bothering to hear what the other person had to say. I focused on my breathing; suddenly I heard the whirr, the lights came back on, and the elevator began moving. When the doors opened in the garages, I hurried out and stood there breathing.
“You’re shaking,” he said, standing beside me.
“I’ll be fine. It’ll pass," I said.
He walked off. I heard a car start in the distance, then two more. Three seconds later a car pulled up in front of me, making me step back. The windows rolled down, and he sat there looking at me.
“Get in. I’ll drop you off wherever,” he said.
I shook my head no. "I appreciate the thought, but I don't accept rides from strangers. I'll take the train."
He looked at me as if I just killed his dog instead of accepting a ride from him. “Are you getting in or not?” he asked again. I stood straight and walked past him. I entered the code into the keypad, and the minute the gates opened, I walked out. I was thankful he tried to calm me but didn't need favors from anyone, especially a man like him. As I walked down the sidewalk, the cars passed me. It was better to keep a distance from Zaiel Rhyland; I didn't need or want that kind of drama in my already complicated life.
The entire train ride home I was vigilant; I avoided sitting next to anyone and barely looked at any of the passengers beside a quick glance. When I got home, I was tired as a dog. When I walked into the kitchen, I stopped. The glass that was broken was now replaced by a piece of plywood. That would need to wait to be fixed. What I needed was a shower, food, and a bed in that order. I was free tonight. Anthony will be home and will take care of his mother tonight.
After a much-needed shower and a hearty breakfast, I crawled into bed. It was so cold and soft, felt like clouds, and my limbs were weary. I was out within minutes. I woke up to the ringing of my phone, grabbed it off the nightstand, eyes half closed. It was three in the afternoon. I saw the name, and I sat up and answered immediately.
“Detective Ryan?” I answered hurriedly.
“You should think about moving,” he replied without missing a beat; the defeat in his voice was loud and clear. The fear and panic gripped me, and I scrambled out of bed.
“What?” I asked shakily.
“We questioned him; he admits he was here, but he was here about a job. He swears he hasn't seen you since your father went to jail for killing his mother.” he said, and I sank to the floor.
“He was standing right at my damn backdoor smiling at me.”
“I know, I believe you, Tessa. We had to let him go. But I'll keep someone on him. He boarded a flight twenty minutes ago back to Texas. You should start preparing,” he said before ending the call.
I stayed on the floor, my knees pulled up to my chest, and let the tears fall. Alex Rusland, my stepbrother, my stalker, my rapist. I have been trying to stay alive, always on the move because of him, and now he was tormenting me all over again, and the police could do nothing. One month,that was the longest I could stay here; he's already seen me. At the end of the month the 25 thousand would take me far away from here. I was back to square one all over again.
I climbed back into bed, but it was no longer cozy. It was just a bed, and my weariness and my fatigue all disappeared. I began preparing mentally. What I needed to do, where I would go, and how I would change my appearance. Tessa Ray Jansen needed to disappear off the face of the earth completely. I lay there mentally checking off the list. I guess I drifted back off to sleep because I woke up with a start. I couldn't see; I was blindfolded, and the fear and panic came in such a force I almost threw up.
I sat up but realized I couldn't; I began screaming but heard no sound. I was gagged; realization hit me: Alex never left, he was still here, and now he had me. I began screaming and trying to move but couldn't; the gag muffled my screams for help. My hands were tired, and so were my feet. I screamed and twisted until I couldn't anymore; I began crying. I was an idiot to think I could escape him. Anthony wouldn't know I was missing until I didn't show up to take care of his mother. I had no friends. The only one who would know I was missing was Detective Ryan.
I tried screaming again, but it was stopped by the gag. I could hear my own frantic breathing, and my heart was beating so fast I could almost hear it, and then I felt something that made my entire body freeze. Someone’s hand was on my body, and I began screaming harder, tugging at the binding around my wrists.