Wanted (Addicted Trilogy Book 3) Read online

  Wanted

  S. Nelson

  Copyright © 2015 S. Nelson

  Editor- Hot Tree Editing

  Cover Design – CT Cover Creations

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the publisher’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Wanted/ S.Nelson. -- 1st edition

  ISBN-13: 978-1514808917

  ISBN-10: 1514808919

  I dedicate this book to my sister Pam. I can’t thank you enough for all of your continued love and support as I follow my dream. You’ve been there through every single stage of this new journey, encouraging me along the way. You were the first person to read my first book, and even though the rough draft is still sitting on your bookcase, I know you won’t show it to anyone. LOL. Can you believe this is the end of the trilogy? And my fifth book? It’s so crazy yet wonderfully amazing. I love you and can’t wait until I have another story for you to delve into. J

  Contents

  ~1~

  ~2~

  ~3~

  ~4~

  ~5~

  ~6~

  ~7~

  ~8~

  ~9~

  ~10~

  ~11~

  ~12~

  ~13~

  ~14~

  ~15~

  ~16~

  ~17~

  ~18~

  ~19~

  ~20~

  ~21~

  ~22~

  ~23~

  ~24~

  ~25~

  ~26~

  ~27~

  ~28~

  ~29~

  ~30~

  ~31~

  ~32~

  ~33~

  ~34~

  ~35~

  ~36~

  ~37~

  ~38~

  ~39~

  ~40~

  ~41~

  ~42~

  ~43~

  ~44~

  Epilogue

  ~1~

  Sara

  I woke up with the worst headache I’d had in a long time. It’d been years since I felt that way—eight years, to be exact.

  Knowing the previous few hours weren’t a nightmare, everything came crashing over me like a tidal wave.

  The parking lot.

  Brian being hit in the head and toppling forward.

  Me on the ground.

  Then looking into the face of the one man who turned my sweet, innocent life upside-down. The one man I’d tried to block from the deepest recesses of my mind.

  Samuel Colden.

  He was there in the dark, stifling room with me. I could sense it from the way my body reacted, an innate fear radiating through every cell of my trembling body.

  How long have I been here? Where did he take me? Will anyone find me this time?

  All those years before, it took the authorities nine long, agonizing, torturous days to find me, and they’d been informed Samuel was the last person to see me. He was identified as giving me a ride, for Christ’s sake. And it still took them that long to rescue me.

  How long would it take for someone to come save me this time? There in Seattle, if I was even still there, left it wide open for the possibilities of where he could be keeping me. It would be so much harder this time around.

  The longer I laid there, the more I seemed to drift in and out of consciousness. I tried to will myself to stay awake for longer than five minutes at a clip, but my body had other ideas.

  Unfortunately, I could remember exactly all the feelings I was going through and, oddly enough, with lucid clarity.

  I remembered the headaches, the aches from where I was being restrained, the fading in and out of blackness and the utter fear. Fear which traveled throughout my entire body, my soul even.

  I didn’t know how long I’d been there, waiting for something else to happen, anything to happen. I didn’t want to succumb to what I undoubtedly feared Samuel was going to do to me, but I didn’t want to prolong it for endless hours…days even. If he was going to kill me, I would rather he do it and stop torturing me.

  I heard his shoes scuffing the wood boards above my head.

  I heard the jingle of keys.

  Then I heard the door open and heavy steps descend the creaky stairs.

  Darkness surrounded me like a blanket of despair while I waited for Samuel to make his move.

  The area I was being held in had to be some sort of room hidden in the basement. The dank, musty smell was a tell-tale sign. He was smart enough to know he would be in more danger of being caught if he held me on one of the main floors.

  So many questions raced through my head. Was the house abandoned? Did he rent the place, waiting for the opportunity to snatch me up? Was he watching me? If so, for how long?

  The biggest question afflicting me was what were his plans for me this time?

  It was then I heard short, rapid breaths hitting the shell of my ear. Instantly, my own breathing quickened and goose bumps broke out all over my skin, giving me a feeling of pure dread.

  “I’ve missed you so much, Sara. You’re all I thought about when I was locked away. I told you I never wanted to go back, but you made me.” His fingers slid along my jaw. “You made me go back there, Sara,” he repeated.

  To drive home his complaint, he gripped my hair and painfully yanked my head to the side, making me cry out.

  “Please, Samuel. Please, don’t do this to me.” I trembled, unable to control the shakes which had taken over my body. “I want to go home. Please, just let me go home.”

  “To him?” A question at first. Although, the next time he spoke, it was a statement. “You want to go home to him.”

  “Please,” I begged. I knew better than to mention Alek. Knowing it would enrage him further, I did my best to keep off-topic from the man he apparently already knew about.

  “I saw you with him, Sara. I saw you kiss him. Hold his hand. I saw you hug him.” His hot breath fanned my face. “It should have been me. But you sent me away. And now, you must pay for your sins. Pay for every one of them.”

  The man before me wasn’t the same man from eight years ago. Yes, he was crazy, certifiably out of his mind. But the Samuel from long before wouldn’t have wanted to punish me so. He simply wanted to be with me. We were involved in some sort of twisted—albeit normal, in his mind—relationship.

  He’d certainly had enough time over the years to dream up all sorts of ways for making me pay for what he thought I did to him. In his warped brain, I was to blame for having him locked up in the nut house.

  With his acknowledgment of Alek, there was no doubt in my mind he thought I’d been cheating on him. What was his punishment going to be for my infidelity? I had to derive some sort of argument when he broached the subject again.

  I had to think like a crazy person. What words would satisfy the insane?

  “What are you going to do to me?” Maybe I should have thought about the possible answer to my question before I asked it. Sometimes ignorance was bliss, especially in a case such as mine.

  I had everything to live for, more so than when he’d stolen me before. I had great friends and had finally found the man of my dreams. A man who was never
going to hear me tell him I loved him. A man who would forever blame himself for whatever Samuel was going to do to me.

  I knew how much Alek tried to protect and keep me safe. My abduction was going to destroy him. Even if he found me, the damage was irrevocable. Knowing how much he’d sacrificed over the years to see to it no harm came to me, Samuel had destroyed his security in the blink of an eye.

  My captor shuffled across the room, ruffling through drawers and tossing things around. When he was finished, he made his way back up the stairs, never answering the question I’d asked him.

  Waiting was the one thing which was going to unravel me. Obviously, I didn’t want him to harm me, but there was no telling how long he would drag out the anticipation for what was to come.

  The more time I had to contemplate my new fate, all sorts of scenarios running rampant inside my head, the more my reality drifted away from me.

  And I needed to be in the present if I was going to have any chance of survival.

  ~2~

  Sara

  I woke up to the side of my face being smacked. At first it was light, then when I’d still not opened my eyes, it was sharp and painful.

  “Wake up, Sara,” Samuel said as soon as he knew his slap had done the trick of bringing me back to my twisted reality. He hovered over me, his body close to mine as he tested the restraints, making sure they were still intact.

  The more my consciousness took over, the more I realized I really needed to use the restroom. My poor bladder hadn’t been empty in I had no idea how long. How long have I even been here? Would he loosen the chains or would he make me use a bed pan like last time?

  I’m about to find out.

  “Samuel, I have to go to the bathroom. Can you please untie me?”

  “No,” was all he said.

  “Please,” I begged. “I don’t want to make a mess all over myself. I’ll be quick, I swear.”

  His tone became more agitated the more I pushed him to respond. “I know if I untie you, you’re going to try and escape.” He’d walked across the small space and was rustling through an old, beat-up drawer. Earlier, he’d brought a small lamp down with him, which allowed me to see what he was doing. “You’ve only been here five hours and you already want to leave me.” Slamming the drawer shut, he turned toward me and shouted, “You want to leave me and go back to him!” His fists were clenched at his sides and I knew better than to push him when he was so lost in his delusion. “But you can’t. I won’t allow it. I won’t lose you again.” His last few words were barely spoken above a whisper, and they were more haunting than the ones he shouted.

  My thoughts were immediately overrun by the people in my life. My best friend Alexa who would be beyond worried about me, knowing the whole story of my past; Matt, who had recently learned of what had happened to me all those years ago; and Alek, the one person who had tried to save me, even from myself sometimes.

  If what Samuel had said was true and I had only been missing for five hours then Alexa and Matt might not even know yet. But there was no doubt Alek knew. I would never not show up, especially not without at least contacting him. He was forever reminding me to charge my phone and make sure I kept the ringer on, but even then, I would have found a way to call him.

  Regret suddenly gripped me from the inside. Damn it! I should have never ditched Brian. Even though he eventually found me, he had been distracted, so worried about what Alek would have done to him had he not caught up with me. If I’d done what I was supposed to then my shadow would have been aware of our surroundings, cutting Samuel off as he approached or even securing me so well, he would have never even shown himself.

  Damn my stubbornness and need to always go against Alek’s warnings.

  A noise to my right pushed me from my thoughts, and it was then I realized my need to go to the bathroom had only intensified. I heard shuffling across the floor before the groan of the step. My bladder muscles are going to be tested. I hope they’re up for the challenge.

  I wasn’t quite sure how much time had passed until he came back down to the basement. He quickly approached me, scaring me enough to cause me to flinch. The scowl on his face told me he didn’t appreciate my reaction. Reaching forward, he unbound my hands from the posts above my head but left the restraints around my ankles. My poor limbs screamed when I lowered them, soreness and the rush of blood causing me to wince and moan in discomfort.

  Before I knew what was happening, he lifted me from the old mattress and instantly bound my hands behind my back. He was making sure I wasn’t going to try and escape. I stumbled as he ushered me toward the toilet in the corner of the room. It wasn’t a far walk, but the chains around my ankles made it near impossible to take a steady step.

  As I opened my mouth to ask him how he expected me to go to the bathroom without the use of my hands, his fingers flew to the button on my jeans, yanking them down along with my underwear. Mortified, I turned my head to the side and held my breath. Gripping my shoulders, he pushed me down until I sat on the toilet seat.

  Thankfully, Samuel had not sexually assaulted me the first time he kidnapped me. But would this time be different? Had his fascination grown over the years he was locked away? I shuddered at the thought and prayed he wouldn’t have enough time to even contemplate such an act.

  My body didn’t care what havoc was swirling around inside my brain. Once I sat on the toilet, my bladder sighed in relief. In truth I should’ve been thankful he hadn’t made me use a bedpan like before. Although humiliating, this was a bit more dignified.

  Once finished, I tried my best to stand on my own, but it was more difficult than I’d imagined.

  Witnessing my struggle, he immediately grabbed my arms to help steady me. He reached for a nearby rag and pressed it against me, drying me before he pulled my underwear and jeans back up. There was nothing sexual in his eyes or touch when he wiped me, even though his hand was essentially covering my most intimate place.

  My stomach revolted from his touch, though. I had to take a deep breath to make sure I didn’t throw up all over myself.

  Leading me back toward the bed, he gently placed me on the old mattress and made quick work of reattaching my chains. His actions were gentle, telling me he didn’t really wish to cause me harm. Maybe I was reading too much into a simple gesture, but it was all I had. It gave me hope, and I would clutch on to it for as long as it remained true.

  He disappeared from the room only to return not long after, carrying a bowl of food which smelled pretty good. Fortunately, I had the sense to know he’d probably drugged it and thankfully, I was nowhere near starvation.

  The bed dipped from his weight. I stared into his eyes, trying to see if I could gauge anything, trying to catch a glimmer of what was to come. But there was nothing. His vacant stare was glazed over, as if he wasn’t even present.

  His eyes locked on mine so long I would have sworn we were engaged in some sort of contest. Finally, he broke the silence with his gruff voice.

  “I’m sure you’re hungry, Sara. I brought you beef stew.” When I didn’t make a move or respond, he pushed the spoon closer to my mouth, letting a small amount of it hit my chest as it fell from the utensil.

  It was lukewarm at best.

  My lips locked up tight and I tried my best to shake my head. I didn’t want to anger him, but I didn’t trust I wouldn’t fall sick because of what he was trying to feed me.

  As I struggled to back away, he reached forward and painfully gripped my chin, pulling me closer. Prying my lips open with his dirty fingers, he slipped the spoon inside my mouth.

  I instantly started coughing, spitting out the small amount of stew he’d managed to feed me. But he kept at it, shoveling the warm food past my lips. Because I had no other choice, I swallowed a portion of it. It was either eat or choke to death.

  I chose to stay alive another day.

  After he was done, he simply disappeared back upstairs, leaving me alone yet again to ponder how long my future would
be.

  ~3~

  Alek

  It’d been two of the longest days of my fucking life. The tracker I’d installed on Sara’s phone right after I found out Samuel was released kept fading in and out. She had no idea I’d put the damn thing on there, but I was sure it would be the one and only time she wouldn’t argue with me about invading her privacy.

  I’d also placed a device on her car, but finding the vehicle abandoned in a busy parking lot was a huge setback. But had I really thought it would have been easy?

  The need for discretion was of the utmost importance because I didn’t want to alert Samuel, fearing he would move her, taking her away from me forever. Every time I’d been close to where I thought she was kept, it was a false alarm.

  Thankfully, I had many connections and a lot of people who owed me favors. Calling in one such service, I’d had a local realtor run the names of all the people who’d either purchased or rented a place within a hundred-mile radius of Seattle. I knew it was a long shot, but I was hoping he’d taken her somewhere nearby.

  Taken.

  I still couldn’t believe he’d been able to snatch her away from me so easily. Thinking I’d taken every precaution, I’d gotten lazy. I should have been with her. Twenty-four-fucking-seven. No one could protect her like I could, or so I’d thought.

  Guess I was wrong.

  I prayed I could make things right again, bring Sara back home and dispose of Samuel once and for all. What did that mean exactly? I had no idea. I figured we’d see how things panned out, but I wasn’t above getting my hands dirty in order to secure her very long, bright future.

  None of the property searches turned up anything, so I’d have to go off the unreliable tracker. Its signal waned the further north of the city I drove, leading me to a more generalized area.

  Driving around side streets without my headlights proved to be treacherous. The dark of the night threatened to swallow me up if I wasn’t careful. It was funny because if I’d really thought I lost her forever, I would have run screaming into its steely cold embrace.