Behind The Mask (Nurses Book 2) Read online

  Cori. She has to be freaking right now, I know I would be if I were in her shoes. I have to get out of here for her. I have to get back to her. But where is here? Who has me?

  A door opens behind my head, so I know the bed is facing away from the door. I add that to the list of things I do know. When the light enters the room I look down to take stock of anything I can see.

  “Ah, up so soon. Was hoping you would stay out for awhile.” Wait, I know that voice, but my brain must be a little foggy still because I can’t quite place it. I stay still because there is no use in fighting.

  “Won’t be much longer, Gage, and it will all be over.” That has my blood running cold.

  I try to ask what will be over, but whatever is covering my mouth won’t let me say anything. Plus my tongue is thick feeling, must be the effects of whatever I was given.

  Whoever is behind me puts something white over my head, instantly cutting off any vision I have. But my kidnapper stops moving about when we hear a sound outside of the room. I try to flail myself around to cause whatever ruckus I can because someone needs to notice me.

  “Tsk, tsk, Gage, now we wouldn’t want to give ourselves away would we?” Wait, that voice. I know that voice.

  Damian and Martin are both here and have relaid everything I told them to uniformed officers. They have even interviewed Allyn because he is the last person to see him besides the people in therapy. They are calling them all in now. I’m in the day room while everyone mills about around me. They’re performing a door to door search of the building and have Gage’s room cordoned off with uniformed men standing outside his door. Martin explained that they brought in military police because this is a government property, but they have also brought in the local police as well. I’m having a hard time concentrating on what anyone says to me because I am terrified. This is like the riot all over again.

  I feel like I’m becoming a magnet for the bad. Is that even possible? Can a person attract so much bad in their life that they actually turn into a magnet?

  “Cori, earth to Cori.” Olivia snaps her fingers in my face.

  “What the hell are you doing here? Where is my boy?” She didn’t need to come, but I appreciate her being here.

  “He’s at home with the neighbor, and where else would I be? You need me and I come running. You’re family.”

  I collapse into her, crying because I just have no idea what to do. I’m so scared that something bad is going to happen to him, and I don’t want to lose him when I just got him.

  “I’m so scared. What if, what if he, what if?” I can’t even get the words out. If I get them out then it will be so real.

  “Shhh, you can’t think like that, babe. He’s a big guy, and he’s very powerful. He will get out of this or Damian will find him. Simple as that. Don’t think the negative until we get to the negative.”

  I just nod my head to her, because the tears are coming too hard to speak. Allyn comes wheeling in and sits in front of me, but he too says nothing. I’m grateful for his presence because if anything it shows he cares. He looks visibly upset as well, and I know that this must be hard on him since he is the last person to see him.

  A thought pops into my head which has me tracking Martin and Damian down. Looking for them in a sea of black uniforms and armed men leaves me trembling. Nobody was coming into the day room when I was sitting in there. But now being out in the open with the uniforms and their guns leaves me weak. I feel like I’m back in the prison.

  Seeing Damian’s giant self, I break out into a sprint because I need to get to him. I need to get this information out then go back to my little corner in the day room. Damian turns around when he hears my shoes slapping the floor, then he walks toward me with his arms outstretched.

  “Sam, it’s Sam, it has to be her!” I’m out of breath, cursing myself for taking the elevator all this time and not the stairs.

  “Cori, shhh, Cori it’s okay. No, it’s not Sam, she’s on her way here, but as far as we know, she didn’t do it.”

  “She had to have, she has been harassing him. You know that, you were there when Gage reported it. It has to be her!”

  I hear people running around, and it sounds like a herd of buffalo coming through so I know we must be some place public. I wonder if we’re still at the rehab, but that doesn’t make sense. Someone would have found me by now, and I still have no idea who took me. She hasn’t said anything since. But I hear her breathing, or maybe that’s my breathing. I dunno, but I’m trying to keep my breathing under control. The time for planning is now, because whoever this is, is off their rocker.

  “Stop moving around, asshole. If you make any more noise I will slit your throat right here! You don’t want that now do ya?” the girl whispers. Things sound so much more sinister when they are whispered.

  Now comes the time that I weigh my options. Do I think this girl is crazy and will hurt me? Yes, I do, but do I think she will actually go through with what she says? No, not really. I keep thrashing my body around in the hopes that someone hears me moving around. But it could be whoever she is working with moving around. This could be the proverbial double-edged sword.

  I decide that my chances are better with whoever is out there. That and if I wiggle around enough I might get this hood off of me or loosen my bindings at least. She didn’t tie my legs together, I guess because of the missing parts and all, so I kick them around with all of my might, hoping that someone will hear me.

  “That’s fucking it. I told you to stop moving around.” A heavy weight is put on my legs, and I try to buck it off but it doesn’t work. Her laugh echoes in my ears.

  Trying to buck it off seems to be useless, but fuck it I’m gonna keep trying. I didn’t fight in the war to come back and die from this bullshit. No way, not today!

  “Shut the fuck up now!” I feel something at my throat. My insides seize up because I’m pretty sure it’s a knife the crazy bitch is holding onto me.

  I still have this hood over me, my mouth is covered, my hands are bound together, and this heavy frickin’ weight on my legs. Now I have a knife at my throat. I feel as if I will never get out of here. Defeated is an understatement right now.

  No, no fucking way is Sam not involved. She has to be, I just know it. But Damian explained that she clocked out at four, and the crappy security cameras in the lobby show her leaving and never returning. He also said that they have traced the number that sent the picture but it was to a disposable phone. Or burner as they call them. They are trying to ping its location now.

  I can’t just stand here, I need to move. This is driving me in-fucking-sane, where the hell could he be? Did the cameras show something and Damian isn’t telling me?

  “D, did the cameras show anything? Did they show him leaving? What if he is still here?”

  “We are looking into that, but this is a big building, so it’s going to take some time to search. We will find him, Cori, I know you’re scared, I am too. I like him, he seems to be a good guy. Go sit back in the day room. I will get you once we know more.”

  I’m not sure that he isn’t hiding something from me. I trust Damian, and if he is hiding something it’s for good reason. I don’t like it, I hate being out of any loop when I can add valuable information.

  Going back to that shitty day room I see that Kim is here now. I’m sure this is against police protocol to have us all here, especially when Kim and Olivia had zero to do with anything. I appreciate Martin and Damian for letting them come, but I just want Gage back.

  “Hey, girly, I came as soon as Olivia called. She was telling me what they know. I’m really sorry, Cori, but I think they will find him. Your man is pretty buff, I’m sure he is a fighter. He will come back to you.” It’s hard to take her seriously when she is wearing scrubs with rainbows all over them.

  “Thanks for trying to make me feel better. I just wish I knew who took him. I wish I knew where he was. I hope they aren’t hurting him.”

  The waiting game is the ha
rdest part in all of this. I keep wringing my fingers and pacing around the room. Mentally I’m exhausted, emotionally I feel as if I’ve run the gamut of feelings, but physically I’m hanging on.

  Sam has gotten here and the detectives are talking to her now, but that doesn’t make me feel better. This girl hates me. She wants Gage, and I’m positive she has something to do with this.

  “She will come, and she will love me for this.”

  This girl has been saying that over and over again. I have a feeling I know who this is, but I don’t want to believe that it’s true. If it is Emily then Sam has to be behind this. I wouldn’t put it past Sam, but Emily I would think just had a bad case of sour grapes. Kidnapping wouldn’t be her thing. She showed she wasn’t fake like Sam.

  I wish I could question her, maybe try and talk her down from the ledge she seems to be on. Anything, something. If I could get this hood off of me that would be even better. I move my head back and forth, hoping that it might snap the hood around because this thing is very loose. But it doesn’t seem to be helping.

  “You want to see who the fuck I am? You need to see me, Gagey boy?” She hits the back of my head as yells. I don’t know what is pissing me off worse, her hitting me or her calling me Gagey boy.

  She rips the hood off my head and my suspicions have been confirmed. Emily stands before me with a wild look in her eyes. Her blonde hair is stringy and nasty like she has been sweating, and I notice that she does have a knife. I knew this bitch was nuts, I just didn’t know she was kidnap me nuts.

  I try to say something but with whatever over my mouth only sounds come out. Emily laughs a snicker that sends shivers up and down my spine.

  “You got something to say, Gagey boy? What? I can’t hear you?” She cups her ear with the hand holding the knife, and the handle hits her in the head but it doesn’t slow her.

  I keep making sounds because I want her to take the cover off my mouth. Maybe try to talk some sense into her crazy head. But she just keeps walking around mumbling about how ‘she is going to love it.’

  “Did you know that before you came along, Gagey, she seemed to want me? I saw it in her eyes, she wanted me. Then you had to come. All of her affections went toward you. Thought about killing you then, but then you refused her. Then that stupid cunt Cori comes and you start coming outside of your room. She wanted you all over again!”

  Sam. It was all I could say, even though I couldn’t say it. But she must have understood anyways because she starts talking again.

  “Of course, Gagey boy, it was Sam. Who the fuck did you think I was talking about? That fucked up loser Cori? Ugh, her face. But I did this for her. She will get over you, she will love me for purging her life of you. You don’t deserve her, I mean look at you. Been here for months and still can’t walk. I tried so hard in the beginning to get you to come out and walk so you could leave this place behind and not see Sam again. She would be sad, but I could comfort her. I could help her and make her feel better. But no, you had to go and be some depressed little bitch in your room. She just sat there and pandered to you, always to you. Ugh, it was so disgusting. She used to call me to talk about you. Did you know that? Of course, you didn’t. How could I forget you have eyes for that slasher face. But, yep, she used to call me all the time about you. It was like she was obsessed. I don’t understand how people can become obsessed with another. Either the person wants you or they don’t, no need to stalk them. Sam has noticed everything I have done for her. She knows how I feel, she knows. She has to know. Gagey, does she know?”

  This is the rambling of a truly crazy woman. I don’t know what she is capable of, but I feel like if she keeps talking she might talk herself out of this. She keeps hitting herself in the head with the hilt of the knife.

  I want to know if Sam knows I’m here. I wouldn’t put it past her to know, but I can’t be sure. I’m still laying on this god forsaken bed, but at least, I can tell what is piled on top of my legs. She put weights that the therapists use to strengthen limbs. They aren’t like weights at the gym, these have cushion on them, too.

  The sounds in the hall stopped a bit ago, so I still dunno if she is working with anyone. We seem to still be at the rehab, so hopefully someone finds us soon. There is physical therapy equipment in here, so it must be some kind of store room.

  I mumble noises in hopes that she gets curious and takes this shit off my mouth, but she just keeps walking around repeating the same shit over and over again. Something about she will love her for this.

  “I swear I never did anything to him. I would never hurt him.” Sam is crying in the corner to Damian, who is listening to her ramblings.

  “Well, tell me what happened. I know you guys had some issues. So start from the beginning of your day.”

  “Well, Emily and I saw Cori helping Gage get out of her car. I was telling Emily how much I like him. Then we went on about our day. I left at four. I went home and ate dinner, then you guys called.” She’s sniffling and it’s driving me insane. I want to rip her hair out by the roots.

  “You didn’t talk to Emily at all during the day?”

  “No, she works in physical therapy on the opposite side of the building. Normally we eat lunch together but she said she had a patient and had to take a late lunch.”

  “If you can think of anything more, anything you saw that was out of the ordinary, anything at all, come let me know. Until then sit tight.”

  Damian walks off and Sam glances over at me. I try to give her the stink eye, but I fail miserably at it. I have always been too nice to look that way. I just hope she stays on her side of the room. But she’s not, she’s walking towards us. I hope she chooses her words wisely, because right now, whether I’m nice or not won’t stop me from pulling her hair out.

  “Cori, I swear I had nothing to do with this. But I did do other things. I’m so s-s-s-sorry.” I don’t know by what other things she did other than sit on Gage when he was sleeping and start kissing him.

  “Look, Sam, I don’t have much to say to you right now. Just stay on your side of the room.”

  She nods and looks like a wounded dog, but slowly she walks away. I still feel deep inside that she does have something to do with it.

  I hear sounds again outside of the room. Sounds like people searching for something. I need to make a move because it’s now or never. Mustering all the strength that I can, I try to roll the weights off of me and roll myself onto the floor. I succeed in getting a few of them off of me but it doesn’t seem to be enough. I heard one of the men ask another if they heard something. But it didn’t get them looking in here. Emily however, seems to be enraged by my stunt.

  “Gage, I will fucking kill you then I will get that scarred up bitch, too. Pull shit like that again and it will all be over for you.”

  As soon as she turns her back I will take my chances again. She’s not only threatening me but Cori, too. I’ll be damned if I let this psycho get to her. Thankfully she doesn’t put the weights back on me because I don’t think I would be able to roll them off again.

  She keeps pacing in a circle too quick for me to do it. I have to do it before they leave this floor. I’m gonna have to take the chance and go for it.

  “She will see, she will see that you are no fucking good, then she will love me! She has always loved me, she just doesn’t realize it yet.” She isn’t even caring that she is being loud again. Maybe they will hear her.

  Taking my chance, I rock my hips back and forth, trying to gain some sort of momentum. I feel the weights moving back and forth. Sweat rolls off of me, going into my ears and dropping on the cushion behind me.

  Taking one big push, myself and the weights clatter to the floor. It hurts so fucking bad, I hit my hip hard as shit. When I land I hear a sickening crunch, and I think I broke my nose because I smacked it hard on the floor.

  Two men with guns drawn burst in the door. Emily is caught off guard, but when she rights herself she screams like a banshee. This guttural loud, hea
rtbreaking scream. The scream of a broken woman. Emily falls to her knees with a loud thud. The cops yell at her to drop the knife, but she has a pretty good hold on it.

  I laying her next to her, bleeding from my nose all over the floor, which is making it hard to breathe with this shit covering my mouth, too. But I’m frozen, rooted to this spot. Trying not to make myself seen to her.

  I hear people running towards us. Their feet sound like hoof beats on the floor. I try to move away from Emily just a little bit, but she starts rambling then.

  “See what you’ve fucking done? You ruin everything, you piece of shit! I should have killed you when I first took you! Now you need to pay. Pay for ruining everything. Now Sam will never know that I did this for her.”

  “Emily, look at me. Hi, I’m Damian and you know Martin. I just want to talk to you. Will you talk to me?”

  “No, he ruins everything! She was mine first! Why can’t anybody see that? She was mine!”

  “Who was, Emily? Maybe we can get her on the phone and you can talk to her?” Damian is trying this soothing tone, like a mother talking to an infant. Emily keeps swinging the knife around, and I don’t know why they won’t just shoot her.

  “Sam, but you’re not going to get her on the fucking phone. You’re a cop, your fucking job is to lie to me. Tell me what I fucking want to hear. Well, guess what, I don’t want to hear your shit!”

  Then it happens, swinging the knife around wildly, she plunges down into my shoulder. The pain is intense, burning, throbbing. The knife is sticking straight out, and I immediately sit up because I have no other choice. The pain is just too real. My sweat is now mixed in with my tears.

  “Shoot me! Just shoot me, be done with the whole thing! I don’t want to live anymore. Just fucking shoot me!”