Page 22 of A Storm of Nightmares

Keith pulls out his phone with his right hand while still holding onto me tightly with his other arm. His left hand is moving slowly, drawing small circles on my back. He tries to make a call, and for some reason, I know not to get hopeful. We’re in this deep. Rick planned this out to the last detail. So, I’m not at all surprised when Keith yells and throws his phone against the wall on the other side of the room. No service, I bet. Fuck.

I can hear Keith’s racing heartbeat. My head is pressed firmly to his chest. His breathing is accelerated. He’s nervous. Scared even. And that makes me feel a hundred times worse. Keith has been my rock this past week. He’s been strong for me when I couldn’t be. He knows all the right things to say. But now? He’s not saying anything. I try to calm myself down. If he can’t be strong right now, I need to be.

I pull myself away from Keith’s grip and stand up, wiping my tears away. He grabs my hand before I can walk away, though, and I look down at him. His eyes are wide in worry, but he still says nothing. “It’s ok,” I tell him, even though I don’t believe it at all. Keith’s hold on my hand doesn’t falter, though. His fingers intertwine with mine, and I know he’s doing the last thing he can think of to make me feel safe. I want to cry again, but I can’t. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep the tears at bay.

With my hand still locked in Keith’s, I look around the room. There aren’t any cameras here that I can see, but I don’t think that means anything. I know how small and discreet those things can be nowadays. I do see speakers, though. It’s how his security system lady talks. An idea hits me, and I take one more look at my knight sitting on the floor, holding onto my hand like I might float away.

“Rick?” I call out into the empty room. Keith looks at me like I’ve lost my damn mind. I try to give him my bestbe cool I have a planexpression, but I can’t tell if he gets it. I clear my throat. It’s a bit sore from all my crying. “Hey, Rick. Can you hear me?” I wait for a beat. “Are you listening?” I ask, my voice coming out in a hushed tone. I’m torn. If I’m going to die in here with Keith, I’d at least like to do it with some privacy. But at the same time, I pray to God this freak is listening right now. I need him to hear me. I’m going to try to strike a deal with a lunatic.

A few minutes go by, and there’s still no answer. I don’t know what I expected, but silence is not it. “Look...” I take a moment to regain my strength. “I know you want me. So, what are you waiting for?” My voice cracks at the end as fear starts to overcome me. That is a good question. What the hell is he waiting for? He’s threatened to take me, not lock me in a surveillance room with the most handsome man I’ve ever laid eyes on. Honestly, there are worse ways to die.Hold it together, Kat. Nobody is dying today.

I try to compose myself, shaking any thoughts of death from my mind. Taking a small step away from Keith, trying and failing to pull my hand from his, I start to plead. “If you let us out, if you let Keith go, I’m all yours.”

Keith is up and standing at my side in a second. His hand has released mine, only for both of his hands to grab me by my shoulders firmly. His worried look is gone. Now all I see in his crystal clear eyes is anger. “What the fuck are you doing?” He asks me quietly, in case we do have an eavesdropper.

I shrug. “I don’t know what else to do,” I whisper back. A lump is forming in my throat, and I can tell my tears are getting ready to start back up.

Keith’s eyes search my face for what feels like forever. Suddenly he pulls me into his arms and hugs me. I close my eyes and revel in the feeling of his strong arms around me. “I’m not letting you out of my sight, Kat. If that sicko opens the door, he’ll have to kill me to get to you.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Chapter 12

While Keith and I are standing in this embrace, my fear slowly melts away. We’re in such a shitty situation, but somehow his presence and touch anchor me. I’ll get us out of here. I have to. I want more time with this man.

I feel Keith’s back tense under my hands, and I open my eyes. I take in a sharp gasp. The room is black. I can barely see anything around me. The few working monitors on the far wall cast a dim glow on the table and chairs and on Keith’s face, which is now etched with concern. He looks down at me after taking in the state of the room.

“He turned off the lights,” I mutter.

“He was listening,” Keith replies.

Goosebumps raise across my whole body. Keith’s words are ringing in my head. He was listening. He was listening. He was listening. That means Rick heard my plea. So why turn the lights off? If I thought I felt trapped before, now standing in the middle of this dark room, I feel utterly defenseless and oddly exposed. It’s an eerie feeling knowing I have an audience.

Keith and I sit on the floor. I refuse to acknowledge those hard chairs, and Keith doesn’t put up any argument. We lean our backs against the wall, my legs bent, knees pulled into my chest. Keith’s legs are stretched out in front of him, and he’s got his hands on his head, his eyes are closed. He seems to be deep in thought. My plan didn’t go the way I wanted. Maybe he can think of something else. I decide to keep my mouth shut and let him think.

Before long, I feel my eyelids getting heavy. How long have I been sitting on the floor? It’s so hard to have a handle on time passing by in this dark room. Seconds feel like hours. My butt hurts more now than it did sitting in those devil chairs. I try to stretch my legs out and gasp.Ow. My butt hurts, my knees are stiff from being bent too long, and my neck is sore from leaning my head against the wall. I have definitely been better.

I look over at Keith, and much to my surprise, his eyes are closed, and I hear light snores falling from his perfect lips. I wonder when he fell asleep. He looks so peaceful and almost angelic under the soft glow from the monitors.

I slowly and painfully scoot closer to him. If he wasn’t so alluring, I would be standing by now, trying to get the blood flowing through my legs again. But I can’t pass up the opportunity to cuddle up next to Keith, letting his body heat spread to me and calm my nerves.

I rest my head on his shoulder and nuzzle my face towards his neck. His cologne is absolutely delightful, and I find I can breathe easier right next to him. He lets out a quiet moan and drops his head onto mine but doesn’t wake. I can’t help the smile spreading across my face. This isn’t comfortable by any means, but I don’t dare move. I want every second I can get with Keith, even if he’s asleep.

“I think I love you, Keith,” I whisper to his sweet, sleeping face. I know he can’t hear me. Or if he can, he’ll think it was a dream. It’s better this way. I have no idea what’s going to happen. I made an offer to Rick, and if he takes me up on it, I intend to keep it. As long as Keith can get out of this God-forsaken room and live a long, happy life, I’ll go with Rick and let him stash me away from the rest of the world. I imagine he would keep me wherever he has his other stolen girls. I cringe at the idea.

I hope Keith can think of something better, but if he doesn’t, this is it. I love him. I know I do, and I don’t care if I’ve only known him for a week. But I can’t tell Keith how I truly feel if this situation plays out poorly. I can’t divulge my love to him and then never see him again. Any piece of me that’s still whole would surely shatter, and I think I’d be a broken shell of a person for the rest of my life.

I close my eyes and let my mind drift into a disturbed sleep. I dream of Betty and Jess in a dark, cold room with their ankles chained to stakes in the concrete ground. There’s another one, empty and waiting for me. I try to turn and run away, but the chain follows me. The ankle cuff snakes around my leg and clamps down tightly. I yelp when I fall hard onto the floor. My nails claw into the concrete as I’m being dragged backward to join the other two girls. I try to scream, but nothing comes out. Betty and Jess are silent as well, but their eyes are speaking loud and clear. They’re terrified.

I wake up with a jolt and try to catch my breath. I’ve startled Keith awake too, and he’s immediately in defense mode. He grabs my face between both hands, and his eyes scan me up and down, making sure I’m all in one piece. “What happened? Are you ok?” He asks frantically. His eyes leave my face to survey the room. It’s still dark, and we’re still alone in here.

“I’m fine, sorry. Nightmare.” I mutter.

“Are you ok?” Keith asks again, more gently this time. I know he means to ask how bad the nightmare was, but he doesn’t want to pry. I offer him a nod and a slight smile that I’m sure doesn’t look genuine, but it’s the best I can do. I’m totally shaken up. He doesn’t believe me, but he seems to accept my lie, at least. For that, I’m thankful.

Keith’s thumbs rub my cheeks one last time, and then he drops his hands into his lap. “I see we’re still locked in here, at the mercy of a mad man. I guess I didn’t dream it.” He glances over at me again. “I did have a couple of weird dreams, though. You were in one of them.”Oh, crap.He’s going to bring up my confession.

“Is that so? Dreaming of me, how very sweet of you.” I joke, trying to keep the conversation light. I’m not ready to delve into my feelings for Keith right now. My priority is surviving. If we can both get through this nightmare unscathed, I’ll be happy to tell him. I only hope he feels the same.

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