Page 59 of My Dear Mr. Corporate

CHAPTER 27

Bryan

The trap door opened again for the second time that evening. This time I didn’t have the energy to hope. I just waited for my tormenter to make himself known and find out what he wanted. I envisioned he had realized how stupid it was to make me die down here where he would have to remove the body when the scent started to get to him. Maybe he was coming right now to finish me off.

My body was in too much pain for me to think about Tate. He would manage to live without me. He was strong and would find someone to love again. Now Gio would have the chance to be with him and maybe everybody’s prediction that they made a lovely couple would come true. With me out of the picture, there would be no inferior boyfriend in his life.

But I wasn’t inferior to him, dammit! We belonged together. We did. I pledged to myself then that I would fight. With the last breath in me I would fight to live. Not just for me but also for Tate.

I raised my head to watch my kidnapper as he descended. Feet appeared on the top steps but paused.

“Aunt Susan, do you have a flashlight?”

A sob muffled by the gag tore from me. If this was a dream, then I didn’t want to wake up from it. Tate had found me. I didn’t even care the why and how of it. He had found me.

My body jerked painfully from my sobs and I ended up coughing.

“Bry, is that you?”

Yes! Yes! The words came out as a mumble against the gag. My body jerked again, in a reflex motion of wanting to run to him. Even if I weren’t tied to the post, I had no idea if I could even walk. My legs were dead from sitting on the cold concrete for so long. I tried to wiggle my toes but nothing.

A flashlight beam shone into the basement but this time the person holding it didn’t hide. Tate appeared at the foot of the stairs and swept the solitary beam across the room. The light traveled past me at first then jerked back to where I was. My eyes wet with tears of joy, my chest heaved painfully as he ran toward me and dropped to his knees. He took my face between his hands and rained kissed over my face.

“Oh thank God! Thank God, Bryan! I looked everywhere for you. I thought I’d never find you, my love.”

At my muffle, he reached behind my head and removed the gag. I tried to speak but the words only came out as a croak. I must have lost my voice as I tried to shout and be heard for days.

“Shh, it’s okay. Don’t speak,” he said and reached behind me to untie the ropes. With his hands shaking, it took a while to untie me. I cried out from the pain of the feeling returning to my hands and almost blacked out from it coupled with hunger.

“Bryan!” He caught me before I slid to the floor. He pulled me into his arms and rocked me. “I love you. I love you. Thank God I found you.”

As much as his words were wonderful to hear, my body needed nourishment his words wouldn’t provide. I clung to the front of his shirt and tried to speak. “Wa-wa-ter.”

“You need water?”

I nodded, and my stomach growled in protest.

“And food?” he added.

I nodded again.

“Son of a bitch. He had you here for three days without any food or water?”

I nodded.

“Let’s get you out of here.”

He swung me up into his arms, reminding me of the day we had met. From that moment my soul had belonged to him. I buried my face in his chest and drew comfort from him. I was safe now.

He trudged up the steps with me in his arms and I sighed, free from my prison. I recognized his aunt, Susan from his mother’s ball. She had a shocked expression on her face which set me at ease that she had no idea how I came to be here. I guessed this was her home but was just as confused as her as to how I ended up here. Could Gio not be responsible for this after all? If not him then who?

“Oh my God!” The woman covered her mouth with her hands. “How long has he been there? I swear, Tate I had no idea.”

“I know you had nothing to do with this, Aunt Susan,” Tate answered. “I’ll explain in greater details. Right now, we need to get some food into him and liquid. He hasn’t eaten in days.”

“This way.” She led us to the kitchen and retrieved a bottle of room temperature water for me. Tate sat around the kitchen table with me on his lap. He opened the bottle and held it to my cracked and split lips.

“Small sips at first,” he encouraged me.

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