Page 67 of The Captive Missing

Val was screaming and lunging for him, but Shane caught her easily about the waist. He reminded the guards not to do any serious damage, but his voice was monotone and low, only Val could hear it. Swiping the spit off his face, Shane held her tight until the guards drug Charlie down the hall and out the front door.

“What did you say to him?” Shane jerked Val closer, his fingers digging viciously into one bare arm. “What could you possibly have done to turn him like this?”

“I didn’t say anything,” Val cried.

“You’ve done this to him,” Shane accused. “Just remember you are the one responsible.”

With that he released her. She melted into a pile on the floor as he strode out. Covering her face with her hands, Val wept quietly. What Shane said was true. Whatever they were going to do to Charlie, whatever he was about to suffer, it was all her fault.

Then the front door opened once again. Feet stomped in. Val jumped up, listening as cupboard doors popped open, then slammed shut. Things were breaking. Staggering to the end of the hall, Val blinked into the living room. Unbidden, her hands came up to cover her mouth.

Cambric staff was clearing out the kitchen. Every can of food, every box of cereal. The fresh fruit, the meat and the milk. It was all being tossed haphazardly into an array of cardboard boxes, then hauled systematically out the door. They were taking everything. Because one minute you were feasting on steak and wine and the next you were being beaten on the floor.

Shrinking back, Val retreated to the bedroom and buried herself in the blankets. Curling into the tiniest ball possible, she hugged her knees to her chest. The bed still smelled of Charlie, of her and him together. A torturous confusion of emotions spilled out, leaving her wrecked and rocking.

* * *

Cambric didn’t return Charlie until late the following day. By that time, he was slick with sweat and could barely walk. While he was gone, Val hadn’t been able to sleep. When they brought in a tray for her breakfast, she hadn’t been able to eat, either. The only thing she was able to do was pace.

Back and forth. Back and forth, the same track was burned into the carpet of the living room. And that was what she was doing when the front door finally swung inward and they half-carried, half-dragged Charlie inside.

Leaving him in a heap on the sofa, the guards made sure to remove her food tray before they left. Val knelt beside him. Her tentative fingers reached out to brush over his drawn face.

Bruises had begun to bloom everywhere. They filled the side of his face, trailed down his body and wrapped around to his back. When she ducked her head to check how far they went, he stayed her hand. His eyes were open, but only partially. He was watching her, a crooked smile working its way onto his face.

“What did they do to you?” She demanded.

“They’re running me out.”

“What?”

“Running me out. Putting me on the treadmill until I fall down or fall off. Then making me get on again. No food, no water.”

Charlie’s face contracted in pain and he reached involuntarily for his legs, kneading lamely at the cramps that worked there. Val moved his hands away and began to rub hard with her own until the muscles stopped jumping and his face relaxed.

“You’ve been running all night long? Since you left here?”

He nodded, then made another attempt at a cocky grin.

“It’s nothing, I could do this all day.”

“With food and water and rest,” Val countered, knowing he was in shape, but also knowing that nobody could withstand the strain of such work for more than a few days. “What can I do? Give me something to do.”

“Don’t suppose you have anything to drink? Or eat?”

“There’s water from the sink.”

“That’s good.”

She rushed away from him to the kitchen. Throwing open cupboards, she found a glass and filled it. His hands shook as reached out to take it, spilling a little as he gulped greedily. Before he had downed the entire thing, she took it back. She didn’t want to make him sick with the sudden flood all at once. He nodded in understanding and returned his trembling hands to his sides. This time he let her bring the cup to his lips. Slowly, she offered him the water in manageable sips.

“What now?” she asked.

“A cold bath.”

Nodding, Val rocked back on her heels and watched while Charlie tried to sit up. His face bunched with the strain but his stomach muscles just wouldn’t bring him all the way upright. Stepping to him, she helped roll him onto his side first. With her support, they were able to get him down the hall and into the tub.

She plugged the drain and ran the water all the way to cold. He groaned in protest at first as the water licked at his skin, but after the initial shock, he sighed. Val sat on the floor next to him and watched as he slowly wriggled out of his underwear. Tossing the soaked material over the opposite side, he sank down all the more.

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