Page 33 of A Storm of Nightmares

My mom sat by her side for almost an hour, telling Betty all about the last four years, leaving out how depressed we’ve all been in Betty’s absence, of course. My dad even pitched in and recalled a few stories he thought she’d really get a kick out of. Unfortunately, Betty didn’t even move a pinky. My parents seem alright with that for now. At least they have two living, breathing daughters again. I can already see the broken pieces of their hearts getting put back together.

I know me distancing myself from my parents has been hard on them. They didn’t deserve my cold shoulder after everything they had already lost. At the time, I told myself I did it for my own mental health. That being around them was too much for me. But looking back, I know it was a dick move. They needed me.

The second my parents crash through the door to my hospital room, cheeks wet with tears and giant smiles on their faces, I realize my past mistakes. I vow to myself that from this day forward, I will put an end to the distance and rebuild my relationship with both of them. I didn’t even know how badly I really missed them until I was kidnapped and faced with the fear of never seeing my parents again.

Seeing my mom and dad happy again is so great. My dad awkwardly sizes up Keith but ultimately gives us his approval. It was Keith who got us all out of that warehouse, technically. Had he not been there, Dan would have kept eating the food spiked with muscle relaxers, Betty would have died of her injuries, and Rick would have brutally murdered me. Jess is the only one of us who may have survived. Thankfully, we will never have to worry about those what-ifs.

My parents leave after a few hours of visiting, crying and hugging to find a hotel room close by so they can be near Betty while she heals. I miss them as soon as they close the door on the way out, but I know I’ll be seeing a lot of them from now on.

The cops also visit me to get the whole story of my kidnapping and subsequent escape. They spoke with Keith while I was still passed out. I guess they need accounts of the last seven days from both of us.

I’m carefully informed that Rick is somewhere in this hospital, too. Once his neck heals, he’s headed straight for prison, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be leaving anytime soon. Since he never killed any of us, he might not be sentenced to life, though. The idea that he might be lurking the streets again one day makes me sick, and in a moment of weakness, I find myself wishing that I had killed him. Shaking away the nasty thoughts, I get started on retelling my time in hell.

I explain everything from the past week in painful detail, and Keith stays right by my side, his hand in mine the whole time. I pause a few times during the more gruesome moments to catch my breath and wipe away tears.

Images of Rick kissing me, feeling my body with his disgusting hands flash through my brain, and it takes everything in me to keep from running to the toilet and emptying the contents of my stomach into it. I honestly don’t know which memory is harder on me; the physical abuse or the forced intimacy.

The cops informed Keith that when Rick hacked into his security program, he was able to sneak into the house and hide. The rock incident was a scare tactic just to mess with us and let us know he was close and watching. Once we ran for the surveillance room and got locked in, Rick set his plan in motion. He used the ventilation system to disperse nitrous oxide into the room, which is why we both fell asleep. Once we were knocked out, Rick slipped into the surveillance room and gave us each a dose of a strong sedative to keep us unconscious while he moved us. He used the same tactics on Betty, Dan, and Jess when he took them. Where he got his hands on those sedatives is still a mystery.

After drilling me for half an hour, the police leave with promises of returning soon to see if I can remember anything else. I feel uneasy, knowing Rick is in this same building. I surely won’t be getting any sleep until I get back home. I catch myself thinking of Keith’s place as home now, and I giggle.

A month ago, I had no idea I’d be falling in love, getting kidnapped, and finding Betty pretty much all at the same time. And the scary part is, I’d do it all over again to be where I am right this second. I’d willingly go through all of that torment if it led me to this moment. I have a handsome man who loves me dearly, and my sister is alive and free from her captor. I am genuinely happy for the first time in four years.

Six Months Later

“Don’t peek!” Keith orders, with his large hands covering my eyes. He’s standing behind me, leading me to who knows where. I don’t feel anxious, though. I trust this man with my life.

We come to a stop, and I listen for any hint as to what’s going on. It’s silent. I can’t help the foolish grin that’s plastered on my face as I wait for his hands to fall from my eyes. “Keith, hurry up. I can’t wait any longer. What is this?”

Keith chuckles quietly in my ear before kissing my cheek. “I love you, baby. Just remember that” he says playfully and then uncovers my eyes.

I stand, shocked and gaping, looking at our large living room filled with friends and family. “Happy Birthday!” they all scream in unison, making me jump a little. I turn on my heels and try to evacuate the room as quickly as possible, but Keith stops me.

“Keith, let me go,” I whisper with a scowl.

“Uh-uh, Kat. This is your party. The birthday girl can’t leave without at least having one glass of wine. You’re finally twenty-one, baby. Enjoy yourself.”

“Keith! I am not twenty-one yet! My birthday is two weeks away,” I argue while trying and failing to sidestep my man and bolt for the bedroom.

“Yes, but this is a surprise party. If I did all this on your actual birthday, you would have figured it out in five seconds flat and made me cancel.”

Ugh, this is so frustrating.I hate the spotlight. I was planning on faking an illness on my birthday as an excuse not to see anyone. Keith has now ruined that idea. One look at his sparkling blue eyes, though, and I’m mush. I can tell he’s over the top excited and very proud that he successfully pulled this off. I may as well humor him for a little while.

I roll my eyes and smirk at him. “Fine, but you are going to owe me for this. I’m talking big-time, mister. I’m not suffering through hours of small talk for nothing.”

Keith gives me a wickedly seductive smile. “I think I can make it well worth your time,” he says, eyes raking down my body. Talk about a motivating force. That look alone is enough to get my butt in gear and mingle with people for the next three hours.

I take another look around the room and spot two familiar red-heads standing by the window that once had a rock thrown through it. Keith and I part ways, and I head for the only two people in this room that I don’t mind being around. A huge smile breaks over my face when Jess and Malerie see me walking their way.

“Hey there, girls! Fancy seeing you here.”

“Are you kidding? We would never pass up a party in this giant freaking house,” Malerie chuckles as her eyes take in the large room.

“Plus, I knew there was a fifty-fifty chance you’d murder Keith for throwing you a surprise party. I had to be here just in case you needed an alibi,” Jess winks at me, knowing how much I hate crowds.

I laugh and wrap my arms around each of them, bringing them both into a hug at the same time. “It’s so nice seeing you two.” Somehow having them here makes this party not as horrible.

Betty, Jess, Malerie, and I are all incredibly close now. We all went through something that not many people understand, so we decided to be there for each other. Malerie is the only one of us that doesn’t share our kidnapping trauma, but she hangs around us nevertheless. The poor thing has her own trauma to deal with.

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