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  Cade closed the car door and strode up his driveway to the garage where his truck was parked. He was going to find Noelle if it was the last thing he ever did.

  CHAPTER TWELEVE

  Noelle had spent three days doing everything Griffin asked of her. He wanted to play house and so she would play house to a point. She steeled herself against his caresses, smiling at him instead of slapping his hand away like she wanted to do. She tried to think of him as the Griffin with whom she had gone to college, but it was difficult as now she questioned every moment of time they had spent together, looking for some clue that she had led him on. They watched movies and played board games. He fed her three times a day and again she refused to drink anything he gave her, instead drinking from the bathroom sink whenever she asked to go to the bathroom. If it were not for being locked in a cabin in the middle of the mountains, the situation would almost be romantic.

  Yesterday had been the most difficult day so far. Griffin was getting very handsy. He wanted her to sit with him; he had an arm around her shoulders or waist almost every moment of the day. She had taken every minute of it and tucked the revulsion and hatred away into a small pocket of her mind. She’d been affectionate back, smiling at him, and holding his hand when he wanted her to. Then last night, he’d told her she would sleep in his bed. Cold fear had run through her body. Sleeping in his bed would be the last thing she would be doing. Sex was not going to be part of the plan, but if it meant her freedom from this obsessed lunatic then she would have to live with herself. However, he told her he would just hold her. She deliberately snuggled into his shoulder pretending that she was okay with the arrangement but ready to bolt the minute he was sound asleep. Griffin had her pinned to the wall side of the bed. If that weren’t bad enough, he had zip tied her to the bedframe. Her heart sunk as he tightened it. At least this time he put a cuff of material around her wrist first so it wouldn’t chaff as much.

  “Are you thinking about him again?” Griffin asked his voice holding disdain and anger.

  “No,” she answered honestly, “I was thinking that I’d like to go on a walk with you.”

  Griffin looked surprised. “I suppose that’s not out of the question. It’s a nice day outside. You can wear my extra coat.” He stood and moved to what was serving as his bedroom. He came back with his own on and helped her into the other coat.

  Noelle became very alert as the door opened. She was going to escape; maybe not right this minute, but when she did, this walk could give her useful information. She had grown up in the Wasatch Mountains having lived in the city for her entire life. When she was a kid, they had gone camping several times with her dad. There were cabins and campgrounds all over the place, but not all of them would be accessible this time of year, especially with the amount of snow they had gotten recently. She blinked in the bright sunlight. It felt warm on her face, even as the air around them was still cool. She knew from their talking that she had only been out through the first night. She had been gone less than seventy-two hours at this point. In the distance, she noted smoke high enough up that it was probably another cabin. It wasn’t more than a couple of miles away either. To distract Griffin, she kept him talking about himself. What he wanted to do with his future. What he had planned for them. She kept one ear to him and the other listening for traffic, some sign of a road. She could see trees everywhere. Then the sound of a semi-truck using its airbrakes sounded. It took everything in her, not to flip her head toward the distant sound. She now knew which direction to head. She just needed an opportunity to get away from Griffin and run. If she could make it to the highway, then she could make it to help.

  They walked down a path and back around to the cabin. The entire time he kept his hand around her back in a possessive gesture. She shivered a little.

  “Cold?” he asked.

  “A little,” she lied.

  “It’s time were we heading back anyway. I have plans for us tonight.”

  “Oh?” she asked trying desperately to ignore the knot of fear twisting in her gut. So far, he had been kind toward her, but she had a feeling that was not going to last.

  “I have something special for dinner and I’ve made dessert as well. It’ll be our first official date.”

  “That sounds nice Griffin. Can I do anything to help?”

  “I bought some things in town. There is an outfit that I’d like you to wear.” He smiled down at her and she could see the heat in his eyes. She shivered again.

  “Let’s get you back inside where it’s warm.”

  Noelle walked back into the cabin feeling the weight of her imprisonment close down around her. Keep it together, she thought to herself and moved to sit back down on the couch.

  “There are a couple of bags on my bed. You may go in and look if you like. Would you like a beer? I’m going to start dinner.”

  Noelle jumped up again. “I’ll get it. Would you like one too?”

  Griffin smiled at her, “Sure. Would you like to make dinner with me?”

  “I think I want to use the time to get myself ready for you.” She knew what the statement insinuated, and heard his breath quicken behind her as he thought about it. She pulled two bottles of beer from the refrigerator and turned to hand him one, finding him right behind her. The desire blazing in his eyes told her everything she needed to know. He fully intended the night to end in sex, whether she wanted it or not.

  “Do you know how sexy your eyes are?” he asked closing the distance between them. “I feel like I am falling into them when you look at me. It’s like you can see into the very core of me.” He brushed a strand of curling hair off her forehead. His fingers gently grazed her skin and trailed down the side of her face. He was close enough that his body now pinned hers to the counter. Every inch of her screamed in revulsion at being forced into something that should come naturally, but she just stayed quiet and looked up into his eyes. He wanted to kiss her, he was going to kiss her, and she was going to have to let him.

  She could feel his arousal against her thigh, as he leaned in, and took her lips with his own. She closed her eyes fighting the fear that was making her heart race. What would he do to her if he didn’t believe that she had feelings for him? Would he hurt her, or worse? She forced herself to touch him, sliding her hands up around his neck and opening her mouth to his assault. She heard him moan and his kissing turned much more frantic as his need for her grew. He pressed himself against her until she was bending over backward on the counter. She pushed her hands into his chest trying to make him stop. She pulled her head away.

  “Griffin, slow down please. I want to enjoy this. We have all night. Come on honey. You said you wanted this to be an official date. Let’s do this right,” she cajoled, doing her best to sound as wound up as he was.

  With obvious reluctance, he pushed away from her. He watched her for a long moment as he caught his breath. “You’re right. There is plenty of time.” He twisted open his beer and took a long drink. “I’m sorry. You just drive me crazy. Go on then, go get ready for me. I’ll get dinner put together and on the table.”

  Noelle’s mind was racing from the experience. This Griffin was so different from the man she thought she knew. She closed herself in his bedroom, looking around for anything that might be of use when she escaped him. She took off the coat he’d given her to use and searched the pockets. She found a lighter and a receipt from a gas station. She looked at it. It was dated for the day before, in Logan. She must have been out a long time for him to drive her all the way up to Logan. She knew or at least had a good idea where she was now. Hope soared through her heart. She carefully pulled open each of his dresser drawers, finding most of them empty, and then searched the closet. She found a bag with more of the zip ties he’d used to tie her up, some duct tape, and a handgun. She shivered, had he meant to use it on her if she didn’t cooperate? She pulled it from the bag the weight of it feeling strange in her hand. Could she use it on him? Right now, she could open the door and leave.
What would he do? What could he do, if she held him at gunpoint? But was it loaded? She’d never held one of these things before, let alone used one. No, if she couldn’t use it on him, then it was a weapon he could use on her. She decided that she needed to get rid of it instead. If he didn’t know where it was, he couldn’t use it against her. But where?

  A tap at the door made her jump, “How’s everything in there?” he asked through the door and then started to open it.

  “Fine. No! Don’t come in. I don’t want to spoil the surprise,” she said, jumping up and pushing gently against the door. She pulled the gun up behind her back and peeked out of the room to look at him. She smiled her brightest smile. “Please? How long do I have until dinner is ready?”

  “About twenty minutes Elle.” He was looking at her suspiciously.

  “I just want to get everything right for you, okay?”

  He seemed to relax, “Okay, I’ll let you be then. You want another beer? Or a glass of wine? I got wine to go with dinner.”

  “Another beer would be great. I want to shower first and then I’ll be out in a little bit.” She quickly closed the door again and dashed across the room stuffing the gun under the pillow for the moment. She pulled the bags on the bed toward her, dumping their contents out before her. He’d bought everything. There was make-up and jewelry in one bag and the other held clothing. Well, technically, it was clothing but when she sifted through it, there didn’t seem to be enough fabric to cover even half of her body. Panties and a bra made of white lace jumped out at her. How did he even know her sizes? Just how long had he been planning something like this?

  The image of him pawing through her most delicate things ran through her head. She grabbed them and tossed them to the side. The heels were something she imaged belonged in a sex video, and were patent leather black with peek-a-boo toes and Malibu spotted fluff across the front. The dress looked like it was meant for a Barbie doll and made of some stretchy Lycra type fabric. It had a diagonal stripe leaving the upper left shoulder from neck to hip white and the bottom half black. She tossed it all back on the bed and sighed. Had she really been this oblivious to his feelings? She wondered if she was the first woman he’d stalked. The story about his previous girlfriend came to mind. He had seemed genuinely upset by the breakup. Was it possible he’d lied?

  Opening the bottle and then taking a long drink off her previously untouched beer to steady her nerves, she pulled the gun from its hiding place. She looked around the room for a better place to put it. The closet was virtually empty but maybe the shelf on top was deep enough. As she set it up there, and pushed it back as far as she could reach, she vowed that she was going to learn something about loading and unloading guns when she got out of this.

  Returning to the bed and its contents, she quickly stripped off the t-shirt and sweats she was wearing. She walked to the bathroom and stepped into the shower. The water felt good and for the moment, she could ignore the horrors of her situation at least until she heard the door open. He was watching her again.

  Let him watch, she thought, Tonight I am going to get out of here.

  She was startled when the shower door opened, and Griffin slipped in behind her.

  “Hello Baby, I was feeling a bit dirty myself. I hope you don’t mind.”

  She stiffened, as she had not anticipated this. Fear shot through her making her breaths quicken.

  “Excited for me Baby?” he asked, mistaking her fear for excitement. He slid his hands around her to cup her bare breasts. She screamed silently in her head and squeezed her eyes closed to keep from slapping him away and running. She nodded keeping her back to him.

  He kneaded her breast and nipped at her ear, “Your skin is so soft, Elle, just like I imagined it would be. One hand slid down to her belly and pulled her to him. She put her hands up to brace herself against the wall of the shower. Tears rolled down her cheeks that she just couldn’t hold back, but the water hid them. He nuzzled and kissed her neck and back. She did her best not to fight him off, letting him believe that she wanted him to touch her. She could feel that he was ready to take her and knew that if it happened she would fight him. Then, he reached for the soap and began to wash her. When he was done, there wasn’t an inch of her body that didn’t feel grotesquely dirty. As quickly as he had joined her, he stepped out, wrapping a towel around himself.

  “Hurry up baby. Dinner will be done soon.”

  With both the door to the shower and the door to the bathroom closed, Noelle sobbed. She scrubbed herself roughly trying to wash away the sensation of his hands on her, turning up the hot water so it would sting. When she finally turned off the water, she was ready to do what needed to be done, to escape. She returned to his bedroom and began to prepare herself.

  She slipped into the undergarments and pulled the dress over her head. There was a full-length mirror in one corner of the room that let her see what image of herself Griffin was creating. With her hair loose and flowing down her back in unruly wavelets, she slipped on the impossibly tall heels. The dress left nothing to the imagination dipping well into her cleavage in the front and barely stretching below the junction of thigh and buttocks. It made her feel self-conscious something she rarely felt when she picked out her own clothing. What she felt like was sex personified.

  Since he had picked out earrings that hung from her ears in long strands, she pulled back the top half of her hair and braided it to sit on top of the rest. The make-up was the cheap drugstore kind, and she knew that her skin would not thank her for using it so she used as little as possible, sticking to her eyes and lips. The lipstick he chose was a horrendous (or should she say Whore-endous) red that she thought had probably been sitting on the shelf for several years before he found it. It would have to do. Looking in the mirror one last time, she decided it was time for the show to begin. The woman staring back at her was practically unrecognizable. Well, that would work because it wouldn’t be Noelle walking into that room to seduce her kidnapper, it would be an entirely different woman. She opened the door and stepped out in the living space.

  ***

  Cade met Del at the doorstep of the apartment building. Noelle had been missing for three days without a trace. The police didn’t seem to be getting anywhere and since they couldn’t find one shred of evidence that Griffin had taken her and seemed to have proof that he was just where he said he’d be, nothing was moving forward. He decided it was passed time to take matters into his own hands. He was going to start by looking around Griffin’s apartment. He realized that he didn’t have a key to the place and breaking in didn’t seem like the best idea especially since he was already on the police’s radar. Del looked a nervous wreck.

  “We are going to find her Del. I know we are,” he tried to reassure her.

  “I wish you had told me about Griffin sooner.” She replied. “Elle told me that he had a crush on her, and that he’d stepped over the line at one point. He seemed like a very charming guy when I met him. She really didn’t seem worried about it. I even questioned how smart of an idea it was to sublet the apartment to him. Now this… and your gut is telling you that it’s Griffin that has her. You know him he works for you. Do you think he would hurt her?”

  “I don’t know what to think, Del. I haven’t known him for very long. Noelle said they were friends in college, but the first time I saw them together, I didn’t care for him. Maybe I’m wrong. I just don’t know where else to start.”

  Del opened the door to Noelle’s apartment. She searched for the light switch and the room was illuminated instantly. Everything looked normal. Cade stepped in first, looking over everything for any kind of clue. Del headed back to the bedroom. Cade looked over the refrigerator at the pictures Griffin had stuck there. They looked to be family shots. Some had what looked to be a much younger Griffin playing by a lake and another was of him holding up a trophy fish next to an older man in front of a cabin.

  “Cade!” Del hollered from the other room.

  Cade bol
ted to her side, his breath in his throat. He blew it all out the moment he saw what Del had found. Plastered all over the mirror and across the top of the dresser were hundreds of pictures of Noelle. Some looked very recent, others older and more worn, like they had been handled a lot. Others still, were of Noelle and Griffin; only it was obvious that he had Photoshopped himself into the pictures.

  “I recognize this. It was the first date I took Noelle on. Del, he’s been planning this for some time. This was taken before I hired him.” He began to wonder how much of a coincidence it was that Kelly decided to up and leave the company, leaving a spot open for Griffin to step in. Cade started digging though the dresser drawers looking for anything else that might give him a clue to where the man had taken Noelle. He came up with a bottle of Rohypnol. He looked at Del with horror on his face.

  “I’m calling the police right now.” Del’s voice was shaking and Cade didn’t know if it was fear or rage behind it. All he knew was that Noelle, his Noelle, was with a monster and he had no idea where.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  “You look fantastic.” Griffin commented the moment she stepped into view, and again halfway through dinner. He just couldn’t seem to get over his perfect looking little Barbie Doll as he had made her up. She thanked him with a smile the first time, and reached over to coyly touch his hand the second time.

  “This is so good Griffin. Where did you learn to cook like this?”

  He smiled at her and told her another story of his travels. She pretended to be thoroughly engrossed in everything he was saying, hanging on every word. When the meal finished he brought out dessert, what he called Norwegian birthday cake.

  “I know it’s not your birthday for a few more months but it’s one of my favorites. It was my grandmother’s recipe. I hope you like it.” He set a two-layer cake on the table covered in pale pink whipped cream. A single cherry stood inside a pineapple ring on top.