Given to You Read online

  Just as he was about to fill his hand with her breast, she pulled away and whispered, “Not in front of Jacob.”

  Roger nodded. “That was some kind of kiss. I knew it would be like this between us Kate, I just knew it,” he said smiling.

  Kate forced a smile and nodded.

  “Can I help carry anything into the cabin?” she asked as if she was an invited guest, visiting on her own accord. She was doing everything in her power to lower his defenses, to seem as normal as possible. So far, he seemed to be buying her act.

  “That would be great,” he said, opening the car door. “I have all of our supplies in the back.”

  Kate met Roger at the back of the car and before Roger opened the hatch back, he took her into his arms. “I’ve waited for this for so long,” he said. “I’m so happy that we are finally together. Everything I did was worth this moment. Nothing is ever going to separate us.”

  Roger leaned in and kissed her passionately, pressing his body against hers. Kissing Roger in front of the car she could handle, but she was worried about later, when she would have to undress for him and get into his bed. Her stomach rolled with that thought.

  Thankfully, he released her, opened the hatchback, and handed her several grocery bags. She saw large green trash bags underneath the luggage, but couldn’t bring herself to ask what was inside them. She had a feeling that the truth was worse than anything she could imagine. He grabbed the two suitcases, placed them on the ground and closed the hatch.

  “Follow me,” he said. “Come on, Jacob. It’s time to get out of the car. Please grab the bags on the floor.”

  Jacob had been glued to his video game and hardly noticed that they had arrived at the cabin. He got out of the car, game in hand, moving his fingers like mad, with grocery bags hanging from his arms. He walked a few feet, but the load became too heavy and he put everything down on the ground.

  “Jacob, just take a couple of bags and then come back to get the rest.”

  “Okay, Dad.”

  Kate followed Roger up the path to the cabin feeling like she was willingly going to her death, like a death row inmate walking to the electric chair. The cabin seemed ominous and darkness overshadowed everything. It wasn’t the physical darkness of nighttime, but the darkness that surrounded Roger that was so unnerving. Staying alive so she could be with Neil again, became her single focus; nothing else mattered. Nothing.

  Roger unlocked the front door and opened it for her. She entered the cabin, walking in a few feet before turning to face Roger as he flipped on the light switch. As the lights illuminated the space, she took in her surroundings. To say it was rustic would be generous. It was a small house, but it had all of the necessary conveniences for them to stay for a long time. To her right was the kitchen, to the left the dining area, and straight ahead was the living room, which was adorned with a huge stone fireplace. Kate saw one door, which she assumed led to the bedroom.

  She set the grocery bags on the kitchen counter and began unloading them. Roger closed the door behind Jacob. Hearing the lock catch seemed so final, the sound sending chills down her spine. A menacing feeling hung in the air, making it hard for her to breathe. It was like watching a horror movie, only it was real.

  As Kate put the food away, Roger carried the suitcases into the bedroom. When he returned to the living area, he asked Jacob to put away his game.

  “You get to sleep on the sleeper sofa, buddy,” he told his son.

  “Awesome!” Jacob yelled, jumping up and down, his face beaming with delight.

  “We should probably eat and then settle in for the night. We’ll have to think of something to do,” Roger said lustfully, eyeing Kate.

  She stared back at him, unable to say anything in response. Then she realized she needed to turn on some charm.

  “I’m sure you’ll think of something for us to do,” she said, managing a coy smile.

  Roger smiled at her just like he had the first day she met him. That day now seemed like a million years ago. She thought he was just a nice guy, someone she could be friends with.

  “I know,” said Jacob. “We can play Monopoly. We have all kinds of board games to play up here.”

  “Maybe,” Roger said, still staring at Kate, his eyes undressing and unnerving her at the same time.

  Kate began opening containers of food to heat up for dinner. “Are you two hungry?” she asked, trying to sound normal even though she was shaking like a leaf on the inside.

  “Yeah,” Jacob squealed. “Thanksgiving leftovers are the best.”

  “Thanks for getting things ready,” Roger stated. Noticing that her hands were shaking, he walked over to her and said, “Baby, are you cold?”

  Kate realized that he had mistaken her fear. “I am a little bit chilly,” she said, rubbing her hands together.

  He pulled her into his arms and said, “I’ll be happy to warm you up.”

  Rubbing his hands up and down her back, he moved a little lower than she would have liked. His hands firmly cupped her backside and he pressed his body against hers, rubbing his hard-on against her as he kissed her neck. It took all she had not to push him away and spit in his face. She was disgusted to have his hands on her again. The hands of a killer. But, she continued her act, making him believe that she wanted to be with him no matter how repulsed she felt. She couldn’t let him see that being in his arms sickened her, so she hugged him back, putting her head on his shoulder. At least with her head down she didn’t have to kiss him.

  Roger wasn’t satisfied with that and he lifted her chin up and softly touched her lips with his. She knew that she had to open her mouth and let him in. His tongue began stroking hers in a gentle sweeping motion. Then, his kiss deepened and he pulled her body closer to his. She could feel his erection growing, pressing against her stomach. She desperately wanted him to stop, but she was afraid of his reaction if she ended their kiss. So she moved her mouth slightly and kissed his face before making her way down his neck.

  Roger let out a moan and whispered, “Kate, I love having your mouth on me. I can’t wait for your mouth to explore my body, for you to suck my hard cock. You turn me on so much.”

  Kate responded with a moan, but didn’t say anything back. She eyed the butcher block containing the knives and wanted to reach for one, plunge it into him, grab Jacob and run, but he had a firm grip on her and moving wasn’t an option. Even though she had this fantasy, she wasn’t sure if she could actually harm or kill another person—even Roger. Thankfully, Jacob was only ten feet away and Kate knew she didn’t have to give Roger what he wanted at this moment. It was just a preview of things to come. Her sadness was profound.

  Chapter 3

  Neil’s excitement increased as he anticipated seeing his beautiful Kate. He called Porter to find out what time he would drop Kate off at the hotel, as he was anxious for their evening to begin. Having put so much effort into making this the most special day of her life, he couldn’t wait to see her beautiful face when he proposed to her. He was already dressed in his tux in anticipation of things to come.

  Porter’s phone rang and rang, but it went to voicemail, making Neil’s blood pressure rise. Knowing something was terribly wrong, he loosened his bow tie to get some much needed air. His heart was pounding in his chest as he dialed Paul’s number to tell him that Porter hadn’t answered his phone. Paul said he would check Porter’s location on the GPS app and get back to him right away.

  Neil decided to call Kate while he waited. When that call went to straight to voicemail, he knew in his heart that something horrible had happened, that the sick bastard had made his move. He had taken Kate. On the verge on becoming unhinged, Neil knew he had to hold it together if he was going to find Kate. His next call was to the salon to begin gathering whatever information her could.

  “Roberto, this is Neil Statton. Has Kate Simmons shown up yet to have her hair done?”

  “Oh, yes,” Roberto said. “She has come and gone.”

  “How lon
g ago did she leave?”

  “I’d say about an hour and a half ago. Maybe two hours. Is something wrong?”

  “I think she may have been kidnapped,” Neil said, pacing back and forth. “Could you go outside and see if a black sedan is parked in the lot. She had a bodyguard with her, Porter. I’m worried he might be injured or worse.”

  “Hold on. I’ll go check right now,” Roberto said before running outside and straight to the only black sedan in the lot. He looked around the car and then heard a moan coming from the car. The car was unlocked and he found a man dressed in all black, in the driver’s seat beginning to come to.

  “Are you Porter?” Roberto asked.

  “Yes, where’s Kate?”

  “I don’t know. Mr. Statton is on the phone inside the salon. Can you walk?”

  “Yeah. Take me to the phone,” Porter said groggily.

  “Mr. Statton, this is Porter,” he said after grabbing the phone.

  “Where the fuck is Kate, Porter? I can’t reach her on the phone and her GPS indicates she’s still at the salon. What the fuck is going on?”

  “One moment I was watching the door, the next I was waking up in the car,” Porter said. “I found a dart on my lap before I got out of the car. I can only surmise that Wilkins shot me with a tranquilizer gun.”

  Neil was ready to explode. His worst fears were realized. “I need you to call Paul and tell him what’s going on and I’m going to call the police. Damn it, Porter! We need to find her immediately. How could you let this happen? You know what he’s going to do to her,” Neil yelled into the phone. He hung up before Porter could respond.

  He needed Paul’s men to start looking for Kate but he had no idea where to begin. He hoped that they were in Roger’s white Ford Explorer, because that was the only car he was aware of that Roger drove. If Roger changed cars or had stolen one, the task before them was going to be much more difficult.

  Paul texted that he was getting a team together to begin searching and asking people if they had seen Kate or Roger.

  Neil’s next call was to Detective Jameson to inform him that Kate was missing and he believed Roger had taken her. He asked the detective if Roger owned any property. Jameson said “No.”

  Jameson assured Neil that he would put out an APB out for Roger and would begin looking for Kate immediately. They hung up and Neil took a minute to regroup, suspecting that he was missing something. But what was it?

  Think, think. You have to figure this out. If you don’t, you might never see her again. Where would he take her? It would have to be somewhere he knows well. Somewhere he would be familiar with both from an access point of view, and layout.

  Neil began pouring through the background report on Roger. No properties were listed, just as Jameson had said. He found the report on his immediate family members in an email. After visiting the police station, he had added immediate family to get a bigger picture of what the sick bastard was all about. Somewhere in this information he knew that he would find a clue. He couldn’t just sit there and wait for Paul or Jameson to turn something up. Determination swept through his body, knowing that each passing minute took Kate farther away from him. After he’d scoured the reports for nearly forty minutes, he kept coming back to Roger’s sister in North County. The lawyer mind within him was already running through various scenarios as to whether she could know things about Roger, things that she kept well hidden. She lived close to him, maybe she had some insight. Dialing the number, he held his breath, hoping she answered the phone.

  “Hello,” Joyce answered.

  “Hello, is this Joyce Thompson?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Joyce, my name is Neil Statton. You don’t know me, but I know your brother, Roger Wilkins.”

  “Has something happened to Roger?”

  “No, Roger is fine. I was calling to ask if you know of his whereabouts right now. It is vital that I get a hold of him.”

  “I don’t know where he is, but he had been home yesterday when I spoke to him for Thanksgiving. What is this about, Mr. Statton?”

  Neil let out a sigh. He had to put all of his cards on the table even though that went against the lawyer inside of him. Maybe being a woman, she would have some empathy for Kate. “I believe that Roger may have kidnapped my girlfriend, Kate. She has gone missing and he is obsessed with her. Can you please help me?” He hated the way that had sounded, but he didn’t have time to strategize.

  “I don’t know anything about your girlfriend or what Roger is doing. I need to go now. Goodbye.”

  Neil realized that she had hung up on him. He called her again, but she didn’t answer.

  “Damn it!” he yelled, throwing his cell phone on the bed. What was he going to do now? He was out of options.

  The only thing that made sense was to drive to Joyce’s house and make his plea in person. Standing on her doorstep would make him difficult to ignore.

  He changed out of his tux as quickly as he could, leaving the clothes strewn about on the floor. He put on the clothes he intended to wear tomorrow after their romantic night together. As he put on his jeans and black button-down shirt all he could think about was how scared Kate must be. Since Roger was obsessed with having Kate, he didn’t think that Roger would kill her right away. The thought of Kate being raped made him feel sick to his stomach, which made finding her before that happened, imperative. He grabbed his car keys and ran out the door. When he got to his car, he put Joyce’s address into his GPS. He would be knocking on her door within thirty minutes, which was time he hated to waste on a potential wild-goose chase, but she was his only hope. Nothing else stood out in the reports.

  His eyes filled with tears thinking about the possibility of harm coming to his beautiful girl. “I’m going to find you, Kate,” he said. “I promise.”

  Chapter 4

  Everything was going according to plan. Roger had the woman of his dreams in his arms and she wasn’t pulling away. They were going to be the perfect family and they could stay here forever as far as he was concerned. He could run his window-tinting business remotely since he had a trusted employee. He could still spend time getting clients while Kate home-schooled Jacob. She was going to make a great mom for his son and an even better partner for him. Waiting for Jacob to go to bed was going to be difficult; he wanted to take Kate to bed right now. All of his fantasies were bubbling to the surface and he wanted to fuck her right there in the kitchen. Perhaps some more spiked juice for Jacob was in order.

  Keeping Jacob occupied would prevent him from asking too many questions about his mother. He wanted to feel bad for taking Jacob’s mother away, but he wasn’t wired that way. He did what was necessary and Jacob would miss her for a time, but he was young and resilient and would eventually forget about Paulina. Kate would become the mother he knew and loved.

  Kate pulled back and said, “Well, as nice as this is, it isn’t getting dinner on the table.”

  She smiled and Roger released her, feeling that things were going well now. “I’ll get a fire started so you won’t get cold again,” he said.

  “Great,” she said, opening the cabinets and drawers to find the kitchenware she needed to heat up the food.

  ***

  Kate put the leftovers into pots and turned on the burners on the stove. She looked over again at the knives, her fantasy of using one running through her mind again. Then she considered how this scenario might play out if she failed to hurt Roger bad enough to get away. What if she just pissed him off and he turned the tables on her? She had no way to overpower a man, and what if he was anticipating her making a move like that? Her heart sunk and she knew the moment had passed. Roger would be done building the fire and his back would no longer be turned to her.

  The gas station fiasco entered her mind and she decided not to grab a knife. Playing along with his sick fantasy was proving harder than she thought. Being constantly aware of her facial expressions and body language was very difficult. Plus just the mental fatig
ue of being in a situation in which any moment her life could end? Exhausting. Inhaling deeply, she just kept repeating over and over to herself to stay calm.

  Roger turned and looked over at her, his eyes blazing like the fire behind him. He caught her looking at him, so she gave him a coy smile and held his eyes with hers. After a moment, she broke away to stir the food on the stove.

  ***

  After Roger got the fire going, he watched her move about the kitchen for a few minutes before joining her. The trash bags in the trunk came to mind and he was thinking about how he was going to discard them. After careful contemplation, he had made up his mind. Kate probably wouldn’t like it, but it had to be done. He needed to tie up the loose ends where Paulina was concerned because it was too dangerous to leave her in the trunk for much longer. She’d already been in there over twelve hours. Things were going to get messy if he didn’t take action.

  “I’m so glad that we are finally together,” he said as he approached Kate. He pulled out a bar stool so that he could talk to her while she stirred the food.

  Kate smiled, but said nothing. He wished she would have reciprocated his statement, but she didn’t.

  “I know in time you will realize that we are perfect together,” Roger said. “I’m glad you are willing to give us a chance.”

  “It’s been my experience that life is far from perfect, Roger. It’s filled with many ups and downs. That’s what makes it interesting,” Kate said, looking at him intently.

  “Well, I had a pretty imperfect childhood. It could be described as shitty. Now I’m going to create the life that my son and I deserve and you’re a critical part of that Kate,” he said with his brows furrowed. “There’s no reason why we can’t create the perfect life together.”

  “Oh, you’re absolutely right. Life is what you make it. It’s just not always perfect. Why don’t you tell me about your childhood? I’d like to know you better,” she said, adjusting the temperature on the stove.