You'll Always Be Mine (13 page)

              I’m dead .

              At least I feel dead.

              What happens when your soul has been taken from you? You become an empty body. A void that needs to be filled. Your soul does not exist anymore; your body is just a host.

              “Elizabeth, breakfast is ready.” Jacob entered the room with a tray of food. “Breakfast in bed, since you’re sick.”

              I stared straight ahead of me, not caring anymore. I had no idea how long I have been here but it had been a long time. No one was looking for me. I knew that now.

              I was a goner.

              “Did you take your medicine today?” he asked curiously, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. When I didn’t respond, he continued. “If you don’t take your medicine, you won’t get better.”

              Ignoring him, I pulled the covers closer to me.

              “Elizabeth,” he sighed, “Don’t be stubborn.”

              What was the point of this? I knew I needed to die eventually, after all, that’s what he did to Ellen. But when? I was sick of his random acts of kindness that he thought would make up for kidnapping me.

              He sighed once more. “Elizabeth, do you want to go outside?”

              “No,” I spat.

              “It’s nice outside.” he continued, “I like this sort of weather, don’t you? It’s clear, pure, and innocent.” Jacob set the tray down on the bedside table then placed his hands on my legs, rubbing them in a soothing matter.

              I shivered underneath his touch.

              “Tonight will be our special night.”

              I rolled my eyes. “What are you talking about?”

              With a chuckle, Jacob began to stroke the side of my face. “Tonight, we will claim our love for each other.”

              My eyes widened. He couldn’t possibly mean --“Sex? You want me to have sex with you?” I sat up in bed, leaning against my elbows. “You are officially a psycho!”

              Tears formed in the corners of his eyes but they didn’t fall. He refused to let them fall. “A psycho?” he questioned, “You think I am a psycho for loving you?”

              “Loving me?” I scoffed, “If you loved me, then I wouldn’t be having his conversation with you right now because I would be in the comforts of my own home.” I turned away from him. “I swear, if you dare touch me, I will kick you where it hurts.”

              Jacob let out a frustrated huff. “You don’t make the decisions here, Liza. Take your medicine and eat your food. When you’re done, meet me in the kitchen, I have a surprise for you.” He got up from the bed and stalked to the door, gently closing it behind of him.

              I sighed and fell back into my bed, staring at the ceiling. Why wasn’t anyone looking for me? I was supposed to be back in my house by now. And Jake was already supposed to be in jail, or even better, dead. He said he had a surprise for me. Maybe he’ll finally let me go. Maybe he’s decided that he wants to keep me alive, after all.

              I shot out of bed, desperate to get out of this godforsaken place. I glanced over to the bottle of Dayquil on my bedside table and shrugged. If I was going to be set free, I might as well be healthy. Twisting the cap off, I poured the liquid into the measurement cup it came with and downed it in one gulp. Grimacing, I stood to my feet, deciding to skip the breakfast. I ran quickly into the bathroom to check my appearance in the mirror. Bags hung underneath my eyes and I looked paler than a ghost. It didn’t matter anyway, it wasn’t like I was trying to impress anyone.

              I ran out of the bedroom, through the hallway and into the kitchen. As promised, Jacob was there waiting for me. His leg was propped up against the wall, his arms folded across his chest. He smiled at me. “You came,”

              “Yeah,” I said.

              He kicked off the wall and made his way over to me. “I have a surprise for you.” He looked down at me through his dark lashes. “I think you’ll like it.”

              I scoffed. What were the chances of me liking anything that this psycho did? “Right.”

              “Come with me,” he said, holding out his hand.

              I felt skeptical but went along anyway. What was the worst thing that could happen? I die. Even that wouldn’t be so bad. “Okay,” I placed my hand on top of his and his fingers instantly wrapped around it. He pulled me out of the kitchen and to the front door. He took a deep breath before opening the door and leading me down the stairs.

              “Where are you taking me?” I quickly asked.

              Jacob stopped abruptly in his long jerky strides then turned to me. He reached into his jacket pocket for an unknown object then placed it in my palm, covering my fingers over it.

              “What is this?” I asked, trying to open my fingers but he kept them still.

              “You’ll see,” Jacob walked around me so that he was at my other side and snaked his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. We walked for a while, while I constantly asked where we were going and tried to feel the shape of the object in my hand.  “We’re here.” Jacob said, stopping in his tracks.

              I looked ahead of us and saw nothing. Nothing but a trail surrounded by tall trees. I looked behind of us and saw nothing. We were in the middle of nowhere. “Where’s here? I don’t see anything.”

              Jacob pressed his finger to his lips then walked ahead of me, leaving me behind. He knelt down to the ground and began to dig a hole with his hands.

              “What are you doing?”

              He didn’t respond and just continued to dig.

              I shifted my weight to my right leg and took a peak at the object in my hand. It was a key. Not an ordinary key, but a handmade key. I looked at it, thoroughly perplexed until Jacob was soon in front of me. “You are confused, correct?”

              “Yes,” I glanced down at his hands where he held a little black box. “What’s that?”

              “Open it,”

              I reached for the box and attempted to pry the cover open.

              “With the key, Liza. With the key.”

              I stifled a laugh. I didn’t want him to see that I was amused at my own stupidity. I took the key in hand and jabbed it into the lock, turning it slightly. The cover of the black box popped open slowly. “Now what?”

              “Look inside,”

              I peered inside of the box only to see what appeared to be a car key attached to a keychain. “Why are you giving me this?” I asked. “More importantly, why is this in a box buried in the middle of nowhere?”

              Jacob sighed. He reached into the box, pulled out the key and handed it to me. “See that button there?” He pointed to the unlock button on the key. “Press it.”

              I did as I was told. Almost instantly, I heard a chirping sound coming from somewhere out into the distance. “It’s a car,” I said, “What’s so important?”

              “It’s not only a car.” he smiled, “It’s your car.”

              “My car?”

              “Yes, I figured you might have wanted something from home.” He shrugged then turned to face the woods, “If you keep walking straight that way, you should find it.”

              “You brought back my car?”

              “Yes,”

              “So, am I free to go?”

              Jacob clenched his jaw. “No, you are not.”

              I slumped, “Then why did you bring my car?”

              “There are local convenience stores just a little south from here. In case you would like to shop for feminine needs or whatever…or if you just want to get out. You’re free to go whenever you want.”

              “And if I don’t come back?”

              “I’ve installed a GPS into your car so that I’ll know where you’ll be at all times. I’ve also installed a radar that will be able to detect you from a five mile radius. Don’t ask how I did that, because it’s quite complicated. The only rules are, you can only leave when you have my consent.””

              “That’s fair, I guess.” I played with the key between my fingers. “Thanks.”

              Jacob smiled a genuine smile. It didn’t make me feel uneasy like it usually did, it made me feel happy. This needs to change now. “Do you mind if I take it for a spin right now?”

              He stepped aside, “Be my guest.”

              “Thanks,” I walked past him and into the woods. I’m surprised that he didn’t follow me, which was good. He was finally realizing that I didn’t want to be around him. Well this would be easier than I thought.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - JACOB 

              The look on Elizabeth’s face when she saw I had brought her car and granted her some freedom was priceless. I loved to see that happy look on her face. It made her look even more beautiful than she already was, if that was even possible.

              We only had a week left.

              A week until we would have to move. I couldn’t risk staying here any longer for them to find me. When they found me, they would try to take me away from her. Anyone who wants to take me away from my love would be eliminated.

             
“Elizabeth…” I whispered as I walked into her bedroom. I heard her soft breathing match the pace at which her chest rose and fell. A smile found its way onto my lips as I made my way over to her bed. I sat down on the edge of the bed, causing the bed to dip from my weight.

              I heard her soft cry that was accompanied with her eyes snapping open. She sat up in bed and tried to control her heavy breathing, “It’s you,” she said, a look of disgust flashing over her face.

              “My apologies, Elizabeth,” I brought my thumb to her chin and lifted her head up. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just checking on you.”

              “I’m not a baby, you know,”

              “But you’re my baby,” I combed my fingers through her long brunette locks and looked deep into her eyes. “I’m glad that you’ve finally began to see things my way, Liza,” I moved my hand to the side of her face, stroking it gently. “You are just so beautiful,” Her heart race seemed to quicken as I continued to talk to her. She flinched as soon as I ran the back of my hand down the side of her neck. I could feel her pulse beating. She felt so alive and alert. “So beautiful,” I repeated.

              “Jake,” she choked out.

              I pressed my finger to her lips, silencing her. “Don’t ruin the moment,”

              She sucked in a breath and let her eyes trail down to where my hand was moving next. I traced the outline of her collarbone, then her shoulders and brought my hand back to her face, cupping it in my hands.

              Her breathing seemed to become more unsteady as I slowly brought my lips to hers and kissed her. She was still, frozen almost, refusing to respond. I could feel her trying to pull away but one quick tug of her hair kept her in place. Growing aggravated at her lack of response, I placed my hand on the back of her neck and forced her closer to me. I pulled away shortly and looked into her eyes to see a complete look of shock. “You’ll get used to it,”

              She yanked away from me, using the back of her hand to wipe her lips off. Her eyes landed on me showing her disgust. “Get away from me,” she croaked.