Chapter 90 Prisoner
CAITLYN'S POV
After Collin left I tried the door. I already knew it would be locked but I had to try anyway. I twisted the handle hard and pulled but it did not move. Locked tight just like I expected.
I went to the windows next, pulled back the heavy curtains, and looked out. I was on the second floor of the estate, below me was the garden with its perfectly trimmed hedges and stone pathways, too far to jump. Even if I were not pregnant I would break my legs trying.
I tried to open the window anyway. Pushed and pulled but it would not budge. I looked closer and saw why. The windows had been locked from the outside. Small metal locks that I could not reach, Collin had thought of everything.
I was trapped just like before. Just like when I lived here as his wife.
I sat down on the bed and tried to think. There had to be a way out. There was always a way out, I just had to find it.
The bedroom door was the only exit. But it was locked and I could hear footsteps in the hallway outside. I heard guards. Collin had posted guards to make sure I did not escape.
I got up and pressed my ear against the door. I could hear voices. Two men are talking.
"How long are we supposed to stay here?" one of them asked.
"Until the boss says otherwise," the other replied. "Could be hours. Could be days."
"What is he going to do with her?" the first man asked.
"None of our business," the second man said. "We just do what we are told and collect our pay."
"I heard he is going to kill her," the first man said. "And the baby too."
"As I said," the second man replied. "None of our business."
I stepped back from the door. My hands were shaking. They knew. The guards knew Collin was planning to kill me and they did not care. They were just following orders like it was nothing.
I looked around the room again. There had to be something I could use. Some way to defend myself when Collin came back. Because he would come back. He had said so. In a few hours, he would return to finish this.
I checked the dresser drawers. Empty. Collin must have had someone clear out all my old things. I checked the nightstands. Also empty except for a lamp. I picked up the lamp and tested its weight. It was heavy and solid. I could use it as a weapon if I had to.
But what good would one lamp do against Collin and his guards? They had guns. I had a lamp, it was not exactly a fair fight.
I sat back down on the bed and put the lamp next to me. My head was still fuzzy from whatever drug they had given me. I needed to clear my mind and think straight but everything felt slow and confused.
The baby kicked and I put my hand on my stomach. "I know. I am scared too but we are going to figure this out. We have to."
I thought about Jason. Was he still alive? Collin said he was dead but Collin lied about everything, maybe Jason had survived, maybe someone had found him, maybe he was getting help right now.
Or maybe he was dead. Maybe he had bled out alone in that cabin. Maybe I would never see him again.
I started crying, I could not help it. Everything was too much, being back in this room, being locked up again. Knowing Collin was going to kill my baby and me. Thinking Jason might be dead.
I cried until I had no tears left. Then I just sat there staring at the wall, trying to figure out what to do next.
Hours passed. I could tell by the light from the windows. Morning turned to afternoon. Afternoon turned to evening. Still no sign of Collin.
I tried to sleep but I could not. Every time I closed my eyes I saw Jason lying in that pool of blood. Saw Collin pointing the gun at me. Saw the dark forest as they drove me away from the cabin.
Around what I guessed was dinnertime I heard footsteps outside the door. The lock clicked and the door opened. One of the guards came in carrying a tray of food.
"Boss says you need to eat," the guard said. He set the tray on the dresser. "For the baby."
"I am not hungry," I said.
"Eat it anyway," the guard said. "Boss orders."
"Where is Collin?" I asked. "When is he coming back?"
"Do not know," the guard said. "Not my job to know."
"Please," I said. "Please just tell me what he is planning. When is he going to kill me?"
"Not my problem," the guard said. He turned to leave.
"Wait," I said. "What about Jason? The man who was at the cabin. Is he alive?"
"Do not know anything about that either," the guard said.
"Please," I begged. "Please just tell me if he is alive. That is all I want to know."
The guard looked at me for a long moment. "I heard some of the guys talking. They said Cross was found at the cabin. Said he was still breathing when the cops got there."
"He is alive?" I asked. Hope flared in my chest.
"Was alive when they found him," the guard corrected. "Do not know if he still is. He was in bad shape."
"Thank you," I said. "Thank you for telling me."
The guard just shrugged and left. I heard the lock click again.
But now I knew. Jason had been found. He was alive when they found him. Maybe he was still alive now. Maybe he was in a hospital somewhere getting help.
I picked up the tray of food and forced myself to eat. The guard was right. I needed to keep my strength up. For the baby. And for whatever was coming next.
The food was bland but I ate it anyway. Forced it down even though my stomach was churning. When I was done I set the tray back on the dresser.
Then I went back to the door and listened. The guards were still there. Still talking in low voices. Still making sure I did not escape.
I tried to think of a plan but my mind kept going in circles. Even if I could get past the guards where would I go? The estate was huge. There were more guards downstairs. Cameras everywhere. Even if I made it outside there were walls and gates.
I had escaped once before. But that was different. I had help from Mrs Chen. I had a plan. I had time to prepare.
Now I had nothing. No help. No plan. No time.
I was completely trapped.
Night fell and still no sign of Collin. I lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Wondered where he was. What he was doing. When he would come back to finish what he started.
The guards changed shifts around midnight. I heard them talking outside the door. New voices. Same orders. Keep me locked in. Do not let me escape.
I must have fallen asleep at some point because I woke up to sunlight coming in
through the windows. A whole night had passed. Collin had not come back.
Why? What was he waiting for?