Evan's Addiction (64 page)

     I snorted. “I’ve had men issues for a long time, but don’t think I
discriminate; women have been on my shit list too. Lately I started to mellow
out, but this definitely has it raging again.” Evan had done a lot to soften me
up.

     “What about your boyfriend?” She asked. “Was all that stuff you
said about breaking up true or were you lying?”

     I stared dejectedly at the plastic walls caging us. “Evan is known
for only having month long relationships and yesterday he said he was sick of
dealing with me. I was expecting it. Neither of us was made for relationships. I
have the worst luck with regards to the people in my life. In fact, I have the
worst luck period. Just look where I am.”

     “Do you love him?”

     I went rigid at the idea of exposing myself, and then winced
because that hurt my stomach. Why was I worried about admitting it now anyway?
I’d been kidnapped with the purpose of being sold, but that wasn’t likely to
happen because if I did have appendicitis then I was going to die. There was
nothing to be afraid of anymore…nothing holding me back.

     “Yeah, I do…desperately…so much it hurts.” I sobbed softly. “I
haven’t had a lot to be happy about in my life, and Evan was this shining light
that made everything new and bright. When I’m with him it’s like living in a
different world. It was just him and me.”

     Elizabeth’s hand had stopped stroking. “Is the saying true; is it
better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all?”    

     I didn’t want to lose Evan, and why was I throwing in the towel
already, acting as if everything was a foregone conclusion? I’d only been in
this cage for half a day; I shouldn’t be quitting yet. Elizabeth had a reason
for her loss of hope; she’d been in here for weeks. I should be raising her
hopes, not confirming there wasn’t any.  

     Pushing my pain down as best I could I sat up. “You know what?”

     “What?”

     “I don’t think this guy is used to dealing with two captives. I
bet he normally gets rid of one before he grabs another. When he comes down to
take you to the shower does he use a gun?”    

     She stared at me nervously. “Yes. What are you thinking about
doing?”

     I gripped her hands in mine. “Elizabeth, do you want to be sold to
some fat, disgusting pervert who will do who knows what to you for the rest of
your life, if he keeps you alive for long, or sells you again to some brothel,
or do you want to try and get the hell out of here?”

     Tears filled her eyes and she swallowed. “Call me Libby, and I
want to get out of here.”

     I nodded. “Okay then, you need to tell me everything you can about
him, right now.”

CHAPTER
THIRTY-TWO

EVAN

     I was back at Shaw’s apartment after having been assured by
Officer’s DeLaney and Case that they were going to be treating Shaw’s
disappearance as a possible abduction. But while they were doing everything
they could all I could do was go out of my mind and feel useless.

     If she’d been kidnapped by this person who’s been taking other
girls there was a strong possibility I would never see her again. They hadn’t
been able to find any of the other girls.
Fuck
! I couldn’t imagine never
seeing her again, it felt like a meat grinder to the chest thinking that, but I
could handle that better than imagining something bad happening to her.
Thinking someone was hurting her…ending her. 

     I raked my fingers through my hair, pulling it. “I can’t just sit
here. There has to be something I can do.” I jumped up and looked around with
wild eyes at the cluster of people jammed into Shaw’s and Carrie’s small
apartment.

     The room was almost eerily quiet even though it was filled with
people; all the guys and their girlfriends, Blake, Samantha, and Greg who had
come along with Maya and Landon. My mom was here, I don’t know who called her,
and even Dan was here. Landon had called him and explained everything. He’d
rushed right over. He and mom were now sitting on the couch together watching
me in what looked to be extreme concern and sadness. It wasn’t helping my mood.

     The only person that wasn’t here was David, and I was going to
kill that fucker when I saw him. Where the hell was he? Cole, Nadia’s
half-brother, was here and I’d only met him a few times. He didn’t even know
Shaw, but he was here. It was probably more for Nadia, and I guess Samantha too
since he’d been mostly comforting her the entire time, but he was here when
David wasn’t.

     “I’m going to canvas the complex, see if anyone saw anything?” I
moved toward the door.

     “The cops are already doing that, Evan.” Noah informed me from the
kitchen table. Amanda, Nadia , and Seth also sat there staring at me somberly.

     I could see that everyone was upset about Shaw’s disappearance…Carrie
and Samantha had been crying since they heard…but it wasn’t close to the rage
of emotions ravaging me.

     My mind raced, and lit on something. “Hey, there’s a Walgreen’s
across the street. They have to have exterior cameras; maybe they picked up
something. We could roll it back to when the cab dropped her off and then trace
the owners of the cars that left around that time.”

     Dan jumped up. “That’s a hell of a good idea. Let me go talk to
them about that while you continue thinking.” With a pat to my mom’s leg he
strode out the door.

     I began to pace like a caged, feral tiger in a zoo, but the cage
was too small, especially with all these other people in it. Sitting back down I
squeezed my head, but nothing else was coming to mind. Where was she, where was
she, where was she!? That’s all I could think about; that and praying she was
safe and alive. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, because the realization of my true
feelings for Shaw was hammering me square in the chest. There was no way in
hell I was going to be able to live without her in my life. She was imprinted
on my soul. I needed her to breathe. She was my fucking air now. 

     My phone chimed and I grappled for it with all kinds of
expectation. It was an unfamiliar number but I didn’t hesitate in answering it.

     “Hello?”

     “Mr. Michaels, it’s very important that you keep quiet and listen
carefully to me. You might want to yell and scream at me but Shaw’s life
depends on you staying calm. Just say ‘go ahead’ if you understand.”

     It was a good thing I was sitting down because I would have fallen
otherwise. I swallowed the ball in my throat and croaked. “Go ahead.” 

     “Very good.” The male voice said. “Have you by chance noticed that
your girlfriend is missing?”

     I swallowed again. “Yes.”

     Mom was frowning at me in concern and scooted closer. Rising I stumbled
down the hall away from everyone’s probing gaze and shut myself up in Shaw’s bedroom
locking it.

     The guy on the line continued speaking. “Good. That you’ve noticed
shows that you care. You’re going to have to care for her very much to get her
back safe and sound.”

     This didn’t sound like the other cases. From what I heard the
girls were taken and that was all. There had been no communication.

     “What do you want from me?” I asked.

     “Money…money that was supposed to be mine a couple months ago, but
you and your boss derailed my plan.” The guy said tersely.

     The fist around my heart squeezed tighter. “What are you talking
about?”   

     “Do you remember that little computer program you guys disabled a
couple months back?” He didn’t wait for my answer. “That was mine, and I want
what I was expecting before you guys messed everything up.”

     Oh god! No…no. She had been taken because of me. “You want five
million dollars; and how do you want that, transferred into some kind of cliché
Swiss account?” I bit out.

     “You and Shaw have similar biting personalities, but I like hers
better. She’s a feisty piece of red velvet cake.” The guy chuckled darkly.

     Blackness darkened my vision and thoughts. “You better not have
fucking touched her you sick mother fucker!” I shouted.

     “Calling me names probably isn’t the best way to ensure that.” I
gritted my teeth in fury and fear. “I want that, plus an additional million for
all the trouble you’ve caused me, and you are correct on the Swiss account. You
might want to keep this conversation to yourself, especially your boss. He
might have a problem coughing up six million for someone he doesn’t know. I’ll
give you an hour to get to the office and then I’ll call you again.”

     “Wait you mother…” I bit my tongue because I didn’t want to piss
him off and have him taking out his anger on Shaw, but it was damn difficult
not to call him every fucking name in the book. “I want to hear from Shaw that
she’s okay or I’m not doing anything for you.” God, let me hear that she was
alright.

     My phone chimed with an incoming call but I ignored it, as well as
the pounding and yelling at Shaw’s bedroom door, waiting in dread for his reply…dread
that he wouldn’t…couldn’t…

     “Wait two seconds.” He said before the phone went silent like he’d
put me on hold.

     Letting out an uncontainable roar I slammed my fist into Shaw’s wall,
putting a hole in the drywall.

     “Evan, what’s going on?” Noah yelled through the door.

     “Give me a fucking minute.” I yelled back staring dispassionately
at my bloody hand. The blood said it should hurt, but it didn’t. The pain in my
chest overwhelmed it. It went quiet on the other side of the door telling me
Noah and the others were giving me my minute.

     It was maybe thirty seconds later when Shaw’s kidnapper came back
on the phone. “Here she is.” I held my breath waiting to hear her voice, but
didn’t hear anything. “Shaw, say hello…now” The voice commanded menacingly.

    
Please say something, Shaw.

     “Evan, he won’t…” Shaw’s voice was cut off.

     “Shaw!” I yelled in panic.

     “I’ll call you in one hour with the account number. Don’t bother
trying to call this number back because I’m destroying this phone. And
involving the police is not in Shaw’s best interest; they just fuck everything
up. Plus, I just don’t like them.” He hung up before I could ask him anything
else.

     I slammed the side of my bloody fist against the wall again. “Son
of a Fucking Bitch!” Setting both hands on the wall my forehead fell forward.
“Oh god, Shaw.” I moaned.

     Distantly I become aware of Shaw’s bedroom door opening and the
room filling, and even took note of a hand settling between my shoulder blades,
but I didn’t acknowledge them because most of my focus was centered inward.

     Shaw had been kidnapped because of me. The guy didn’t seem to know
that Shaw was the one that destroyed his program, but he’d taken her because
she was my girlfriend. What would he do to her if he found out she was the one
who’d done it? When backed into a corner Shaw used her mouth to flay people and
that could get her killed this time.

     I straightened. I needed to get her away from this guy at quickly
as possible. When I turned there was a wall of people in my way.

     I tried pushing through them. “I need to get out of here.” I had
to get to the office so when he called…

     Blake was in my face, his expression concerned. “What’s going on,
Evan. You shouted Shaw’s name. Did she call you? Is she all right?”

     I shook my head. No, no she wasn’t. “I can’t talk right now.” I
shoved him and he went stumbling back slightly, but then Seth was in my way.

     “Evan, tell us what the hells going on. Your eyes are wild and you
look ready to fucking explode.”

     Fisting his shirt I pushed him backwards shouting in his face. The
guy was a tank so either adrenaline was lending me super human strength, or he
let me move him. “He’s got her and he wants six million dollars to give her
back. I have to get to the office now. He’s going to call me in an hour.”

     Suddenly, Dan took Seth’s place, gripping my shoulders.

     “Evan, who was that on the phone?” He demanded, his expression
weirdly calm.

     How could be calm? But his calmness broke through my panic. I
couldn’t tell him what was happening. That I had to use his money to free Shaw.
He might stop me.

     I pulled back from him, shaking my head. “I can’t….I have to go.”
I turned to go around him and ran into my mom.

     Her hands trapped me this time. “Evan honey, please tell us what’s
going on?” She pleaded tearfully.

     My mom! She’d gotten millions from her divorce. She could help me.

     I clutched at her arms. “Mom, I need to burrow six million
dollars. We need to get to the bank right now.”

     Dan appeared next to her. “Evan, tell me who was on the phone?” I
repeated.

     I shook my head frantically. “I don’t have time to talk right now.
I have to get to the bank.”

     “Take one minute to explain to me what’s going on.” He stated
firmly.

     I took a deep breath knowing no one was going to allow me to leave
until I explained. “That guy who was trying to steal money from you through
that program Shaw located and destroyed…he kidnapped Shaw and is ransoming her
for three million dollars. He wanted me to steal it from the company but I can
get it from mom.” My hands tightened on her arms, but even in my panic I was
careful not to hurt her. “You’ll give me the money, won’t you, mom?” I pleaded.

     Her arms flew around me and she hugged me tightly. “Oh god, baby.
Of course I will give you the money. The poor girl must be terrified.”

     I heard sounds of shocked and fearful exclamations from everyone
in the room, and then Dan was in front of me again, still looking calm but at
the same time concerned. “What did he tell you to do, Evan?”