Never Let You Go: Save Me Series Book 2 Read online

  Please, Phillip. Please, don’t hurt him anymore. What do you want?

  It felt like an eternity before a response came in.

  You will find out soon enough.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Rodney woke up to pitch black and an extreme headache. He tasted something metallic on his tongue, thick like blood, and each time he tried to move, something hindered him from going anywhere. His mouth was taped shut so when he tried to talk, it came out as mumbles. At first, his memory was failing him. The last thing he remembered was getting a text message from Amelia about their night together and everything else had seemed to fade to black.

  The enclosed space made him think he was in a trunk and he tried to come up with enough energy to move it around. It did bounce some and he could hear the creak of metal the more he moved. He had to stop almost as quickly as he began - his head pounded with his pulse and the more he moved, the stronger his heart would beat.

  Closing his eyes, he felt the burn behind his lids. He was exhausted, he didn’t know what kind of health condition he was in, and he had no idea what was going on or how he had gotten in this position. He needed to change positions - his arms were going to sleep and uncomfortable wasn’t even a strong enough word to describe how he was feeling.

  He tried to relax - sleeping might help or it might get him into more trouble. As soon as his body remotely tried to doze off, the top of the trunk opened, exposing bright light that drove through Rodney’s head like a nail. He saw the outline of two people standing over him but he couldn’t tell who they were. Squinting, the sun behind them prevented him from seeing much of anything.

  The person on the right reached in, grabbed him by the shirt, and rolled him out until he hit the ground with a hard thud. It was painful and Rodney cringed from the abrupt movement, making him nauseous on top of every other discomfort he was experiencing. From the angle on the ground, he got a better vantage point and though it was still hard to see, he got enough clues to tell that it was Phillip and Susan.

  “Superhero Rodney thinks he saved Amelia but look at him now.” Phillip spoke first, motioning down to Rodney and Susan laughed at his comment. “Stand up!”

  It wasn’t that Rodney didn’t want to - he physically could not get up. His hands were restrained behind his back and his legs were wobbly to the point that he could only get as far as getting on his knees.

  “He said get up!” Susan yelled at him and put her foot on his thigh. “I never would’ve thought we’d get to this, Rodney.”

  Rodney used the car to lean on to help as leverage to push himself up. Struggling, he edged against the metal until he got on his feet, still leaning on the car to prevent himself from falling over. His head pounded more and he closed his eyes, attempting to catch his breath.

  Phillip grabbed his hands and pushed him toward the house - Rodney didn’t recognize where they were but there weren’t any other neighbors nearby. It appeared to be an abandoned farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, which was a strike against him. There were no witnesses and no one would hear him if he was ever able to get the tape off of his mouth.

  His speculation was correct - inside the front door, the place was abandoned with only some old furniture in a far corner. There were holes in the roof big enough for someone to crawl through and the floor bowed underneath their weight. There was a strong stench of mildew and dust that permeated throughout the place.

  Phillip kicked the back of Rodney’s legs, making him lose balance. He fell to the hardwood below and a plume of dust flew up around him when he hit. Lying on his stomach, he didn’t move. He anticipated the sharp kicks and blows that he knew were coming but to his surprise, Phillip just paced around him, his smile evil as he tormented Rodney.

  “No one hits me like you did, Rodney! No one takes my woman, either. And you also took Susan’s son from her!”

  Rodney had a response to him but the tape only allowed him to mumble again.

  “What’s that? You have something to say?” Phillip kicked him in the stomach - the blow that Rodney had been expecting. And though he was somewhat prepared for it, the pain radiated through his already injured body, accentuating everywhere else he was hurting.

  Rodney looked at Susan and back to Phillip - they weren’t the smartest people in the world and he knew he could eventually figure a way out of this. With both of them standing over him and a gun pointed at him made it impossible at the moment but he needed to be patient. It was easier said than done, especially when he was in pain that just got worse with each blow to his body.

  “Susan, stay here with him. I need to go into another room and make a phone call.”

  Phillip walked out and Susan got closer to him, her smirk sending a chill down Rodney’s spine. He was now lying on his side, his head continuously throbbing, his body aching. He was thirsty and when he licked his lips, his tongue was dry. He hadn’t eaten a big lunch because he was saving his appetite for his meal with Amelia - fate came in and laughed and now he was starving, with no idea when the next time he’d be able to eat would be.

  Susan lifted her leg and Rodney cringed, but she didn’t kick him. She gently pushed him between his legs and kicked her sandal off. Massaging him with her toes, he tried to scoot away but he wasn’t fast enough.

  “Stop it, Susan.”

  “What? I thought you liked being touched.” She giggled and stepped on him harder. Rodney grit his teeth and closed his eyes. “We had some good times, didn’t we, Rodney?”

  He didn’t answer and continued to scoot away until a wall prevented him from going anywhere else. Susan paced above him, her attempt at being sexy not working. She had changed in just the time they had been divorced. She had moved from prescription drugs and alcohol to illegal things, and by her sudden shift in appearance, it was evident she was using meth. Rodney’s heart ached for her - a once beautiful woman with so much promise was being reduced to skin and bones and rotting teeth.

  “What do you two want with me?” Rodney asked, his voice low.

  Susan stopped pacing and made eye contact with him, her smile dwindling to a frown, her brow creased as if he had asked her a question that was impossible to answer. “Revenge.”

  “Revenge? For what, Susan?”

  “You hit Phillip. You hurt him pretty bad. And you hurt me too, Rodney.”

  Rodney tried to sit up but the restraints kept him on the floor, unable to move much at all. “How did I hurt you, Susan?” He had to choose his words wisely. One wrong thing and she could be pushed over the edge and he’d never get out of this.

  “You took Justin from me. You wanted a divorce!” Her voice shook and tears fell down her cheeks.

  “Susan, I did what was best for our son. I didn’t take him from you. Your choice to drink and do drugs was what got him taken away. I gave you so many chances… I… you know I didn’t want to leave but you decided that for yourself.”

  “And what about this new bitch you’re with? What’s her name? Amy?”

  “Her name is Amelia and leave her out of this. She has nothing to do with any of this!” Rodney raised his voice and it made his head hurt worse.

  “She took you from me! She’s playing mommy to Justin. I want her to suffer just like I am. Having you leave her. How would she feel if you were dead?”

  The question made the hair on the back of Rodney’s neck stand up. Was that hers and Phillip’s intention? To kill him? His plan of getting away would have to happen fast. Susan was losing her cool fast and the more he talked to her and tried to reason with her, the more she seemed to get out of control. They were two junkies that would eventually make a mistake but if he didn’t do something fast, they were also two junkies that were capable of doing anything, including killing him.

  “Please, Susan. You need to calm down. We can talk this out. Just take a deep breath.”

  “Don’t tell me to calm down, Rodney. This has gone too far. When Phillip gets off the phone, we’re going to settle this. This is all going to end soon
.”

  ***

  Amelia didn’t recognize the number flashing on her phone but she answered it anyway. With Rodney missing she was going to take every call that came in, just in case it was him or if someone had information about where he might be. Her hands shook as she answered, her voice shaking as she tried to control her emotions.

  “Hello?”

  “Well, hello! How you holding up, Amelia, my dear?”

  She recognized Phillip’s voice again and her sadness was instantly replaced by anger. “Phillip. This isn’t the same number that you texted me and called me from a little while ago.”

  “Nope. Gotta cover my tracks. You ready to make funeral arrangements?”

  “Please, Phillip. Don’t kill him. What do you want?”

  Phillip laughed, his voice raspy as he took a second to answer her. “I bet you’ve already gone to the police, haven’t you?”

  “No. No, I haven’t. I was waiting to hear from you again. I’ll work with you, Phillip. Just say what you want and let Rodney go. You have to tell me, though. I can’t help me if you won’t tell me.”

  “You sure you’re ready for this?”

  “Yes! You have to communicate with me.”

  There was another pause on the other end of the line and Phillip finally chimed in again. “I want you to break up with him. I want you to call it quits. Most of all, I want to be with you, Amelia. You’re mine. You’ve always been mine. I want it to go back to that way.”

  Amelia closed her eyes - the tears stung down her face and with her free hand, she gripped the steering wheel in her car. She didn’t want to be with Phillip. The fact that she had wasted so much time with him from before was depressing enough. She certainly didn’t want to break up with Rodney. It was a love she had never felt before, and the fact that he had been kidnapped was making her go insane. The idea that he was in so much trouble killed her.

  “Okay, Phillip. If I agree to all of that, will you let Rodney go?” She was bluffing. If it meant keeping Rodney alive, she’d call it off with him, but there was no chance in hell that she’d be with Phillip. She’d rather die than go through everything she did with him.

  “How can I trust that you’ll never see him again?” Phillip asked.

  “I don’t know. I guess you’ll have to take me at my word, Phillip.”

  “If you really are agreeing to this, I’ll let you know where we are. I’ll have to convince Susan. I’ll have to tell her that he’ll be available again and she has a chance to reunite with her family.”

  Amelia shook her head. There was no way Rodney would let that happen but she omitted that from the conversation. Phillip didn’t need to know that, just like he didn’t need to know that she had no intention of ever being in a relationship with him again. Breaking up with Rodney hurt her heart just as much as seeing the picture of him tied up and unconscious, but the guilt she felt from bringing him into this whole mess made it where she never wanted to put him through anything again. That was her inspiration to carry through with half of Phillip’s demands.

  “Tell me where you have him, Phillip.”

  “No cops, Amelia. If you bring the cops, I’ll kill him without hesitating. And I’ll make you watch.”

  “No cops, Phillip. I haven’t even told them what’s going on. They have no idea about any of this.”

  He gave her directions out in the county to an old farmhouse. It was a part of the county she hadn’t been to much and with no physical address she couldn’t put it in her phone for a guide to get there. Pulling out into the street, she reminded herself to abide by the speed limit. Everything had to appear normal. One thing out of place and Rodney was a dead man.

  She took a detour to her house before going out in the country. Grabbing the only handgun she owned from under her bed, Amelia slipped it inside her bra. It was small and only held six bullets, but hopefully she’d only need two. If things went to plan, she wouldn’t need any, but she was better safe than sorry.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Amelia looked at a map on her phone before she got out of range from a signal. The county was heavily wooded and once a person ventured off of the main highway, cell phone signal was spotty at best. Phillip had mentioned an old farm road past the abandoned gas station where kids would go to drink and have parties. She was familiar with that area - she had spent a few nights out there, herself. It’s where she had met Phillip. And now it was a mark in her journey to get to Rodney and save his life.

  She heard Phillip’s voice echo in her mind. The cutoff for the farmhouse was about two miles after the gas station and she watched her odometer. It had ticked off two miles and there was a dirt road no wider than one car to the left. Turning slowly onto it, Amelia wiped the moisture on here hands down the edge of the steering wheel. She was doing this. There was no backing out. What scared her the most was that she literally did not tell the cops. After all of the scary movies she had watched, screaming at the characters to get the law involved, here she was, doing the same exact thing she got annoyed about. But that was fiction. This was real life and the experience was one she hoped she’d never have to face again.

  The crackle of the rocks under her tires seemed louder than usual. Darkness set in and the only light she had was from her headlights. The tree branches blanketed over the top of the road, preventing any light from the moon to get in. After a mile down the road, she saw the grove of trees with the old house in between. That had to be the place. It was the only structure for miles.

  Turning down the driveway, she slowed to a little over five miles per hour. Rodney was inside there. She had to get to him. She had to get him to safety.

  ***

  They finally sat Rodney up to a sitting position against the wall. His arms were numb from being restrained behind his back and the tape over his mouth was starting to lose the adhesive from a combination of his saliva and sweat on his face. He moved his head from side to side like he was saying no until the tape finally slipped down over his chin, allowing him to talk if he needed to. But at that moment, he didn’t need to.

  Neither Phillip or Susan were watching him too closely. Phillip had been preoccupied with looking out the front window for some reason. Susan had taken a hit off of a crack pipe and was nestled in a far corner, murmuring something inaudible that Rodney didn’t care about.

  If the tape on his mouth was that easy to get out of, he needed to slip out of the tape around his wrists as well. The sweat gathered on his arms to help move it around but it wasn’t near as much as what had been on his face. Sliding against the wall, he couldn’t move too much or he’d draw the attention back on him.

  Moving against the old paneling of the house, he felt a screw sticking out near the baseboard. Jackpot! A stroke of good luck that was almost too good to be true. Pushing the tape against it, it slid off without tearing into it. Trying again, Rodney got some leverage and could feel the screw push through the duct tape, puncturing it, causing a weak spot that would hopefully work to his advantage.

  Phillip turned on his heel and glanced over his shoulder at Rodney. He instantly stopped moving, hoping Phillip hadn’t noticed what he was up to. To his surprise, Phillip didn’t even notice that the tape was off of his mouth. Maybe his assumption was correct - they were too focused on getting high that they were losing interest. It was also too good to be true. Phillip was affixed on the window - was he expecting someone?

  His captor turned away again and Rodney glanced at Susan, who was still in the same position she was - high as a kite, oblivious that he was about to get loose. Going back to the screw that was sticking out of the wall, he punctured another hole in the tape and it ripped free. His wrists were able to pull apart, but he stayed there. He had to pick the right time to jump out and reveal he was free, and now wasn’t the time. He needed to know who Phillip was expecting. A third person could throw a kink in his whole plan. He had to be patient.

  “Ah! As expected! My guest is here!” Phillip’s face lit up and Rodney s
aw the headlights in the window. Should he escape out the back? They were in a heavily wooded area. It’d be hard to chase after him but he also wasn’t sure how far from town they were.

  Rodney felt his heart beat in his chest. The door swung open and he did a double take, making sure it was really Amelia who was standing in the threshold. He wanted to yell out her name but he couldn’t. It took everything he had not to say anything. She glanced at him, the look on her face speaking volumes. Stay put. She had a plan. Everything was going to be fine.

  “There’s Rodney. How about you go break it to him? Tell him what we talked about on the phone. I already let Susan know. She was so excited she had to get high.” Phillip motioned toward Rodney and Amelia walked to him, kneeling in front of him.

  “Oh my God, Rodney. I’m so… I’m so sorry!” She kept her voice low, looking over her shoulder as she talked.

  It was safe for Rodney to speak - Phillip was tending to Susan. “Listen, Amelia. This has to be quick because Phillip will come back over. I cut through the tape. My hands are free. They don’t know that yet, but…”

  Amelia dropped a gun by his leg. “Take it. I had to agree to break up with you for him to tell me where you were. And if it means you making it through this, I love you enough to end this.”

  “No.” Rodney shook his head, keeping one eye on Phillip who was still oblivious to his conversation with Amelia. He never thought he’d say it, but thank God for junkies not paying attention to detail. “We’ll get out of this.”

  “Take the gun. I have to pretend I’m back with him.”

  “I hear you, Amelia. I have to stop talking now. He doesn’t know I’ve busted through the tape.”

  Amelia nodded and Rodney grabbed the gun, putting it behind his back along with his hands, still appearing to be taped up. Amelia stood and took a few steps back, not breaking eye contact with him for a few seconds, until Phillip joined them, pulling her away.