FicWad

She woke up. Her eyes shooting open as the world around her began to take shape again. She had blacked out and the only thing that came to mind at the moment was the loud shrill of the gun. It rang sharply in her head, the sound of it echoing still at the back of her mind. She looked about herself, frantically trying to recall what had happened to Sophia and Jared.
She rose slowly off the couch, unsure if she had been the one to be hit but once she checked herself she automatically ruled that out. She was fine. She looked for some evidence of the gun but found nothing, not even the gun itself. No one was with her. Harshly and nervously she swallowed, tucking back her messy hair and wiping at her tear stained cheeks. She couldn't hear a thing in the house, everything was so quiet. She looked into the kitchen and down the hall. Nothing. No sound, no movement.
Her eyes shot to the door. It was closed but the lock wasn't in place. She stopped. This was her opportunity. Her one moment where it was possible for her to escape. It was in her hands now, the chain was no longer locked on her, her life was waiting for her.
Quietly she walked towards the door, her socks making no sound at all. She didn't want to glance behind her, didn't want to look around in case a simple shadow would scare away the bravery that had suddenly crept up inside of her. Her eyes remained on the door. The one way for her escape, for leaving behind a world full of terror and mystery.
The sound of boots approached her and quite suddenly she realized she wasn't alone. His familiar scent danced towards her, clenching in the pit of her stomach and arresting the freedom of her heart.
"She isn't here." His voice was downcast, his words drawn.
She looked towards him, her arms folding across her chest. He stood there, more vulnerable perhaps than she was. He was holding something to his arm, the cloth had smears of blood on it. Panic rose up inside of her as she rushed towards him.
"Were you hit?" She demanded worriedly, she stood before him begging him silently for an explanation.
"it's just a graze." He replied, pulling the towel away from his arm. He was right. The bullet had barely even grazed him, just a bit of blood had leaked out from it. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bullet. "Not sure what saved my life." He shrugged his shoulders as if he were suddenly questioning his place here.
"Where did she go?" Elena asked after feeling a rush of relief pouring through him now that she knew he was alright.
"She got a phone call...and then she said she had to leave. She told me to lock you up again but...well I think this has been carried on too long."
Elena didn't know what to say to that. A part of her knew that his decision was based on the fact that Sophia's story couldn't have been true but the other part of her was hoping that his feelings for her- if that was what they were- had taken part in this as well.
"And you?" She glanced up at him from beneath her lashes, unsure what his answer would be.
"I did some research...of course you were telling the truth. Damn it I was so blind." With frustration he wiped at his face, wincing at the sudden movement he made with his arm.
She reached her hand out, lightly touching him. "Don't worry."
He shook his head firmly and turned to her. "I could have stopped it. All of it. None of this would have happened if I had just...if I hadn't been so stupid."
"Don't talk like that." She ordered softly, taking hold of his hand and holding his gaze. "We're here now....nothing happened."
"But it could have." He insisted. His blue eyes were so full of the intensity of his regret that he barely held any other emotion in them at all. He would be killing himself for the rest of his life for this.
Delicately she lifted her hand up and touched a caress to the side of his face. "Jared? What do we do now? We don't have time for could haves...we need to do something."
"Like what?" He gave a hopeless sigh as he gently pulled her hand from his face.
"Like leave." She replied simply. It really was the best thing for them to do. The only thing for them to do.
He gave a mute expression but his eyes showed an emotion much stronger. He was playing with the idea, making it breathe inside of his head, letting it come alive. He wanted to know what that would be like. To escape himself from here with this woman at his side. But who said he would survive an escape? Who said Elena would even remain with him once it was all over? She could easily be playing him the way Sophia had done as well. He had quite a bit to offer Elena. An escape, companionship as well as protection whenever Sophia took things too far. The same way he had a lot to offer Sophia. He had given her everything, had even agreed to kidnap the wife of her enemy for her. How many times was he going to be weak enough to allow this?
Elena could see the thoughts and questions being raised in his eyes. She understood all of them. She could understand the doubt, the fear, the reluctance to leave something you had built on, had tried so many times to revive. But she couldn't convince him, either way she was leaving. This was her only hope.
"You don't have to, Jared...but please let me leave." She couldn't help the begging she was doing. Would she have done this before? When her life had actually belonged to her and she wasn't connected to the strings of somebody else? She couldn't have imagined herself before begging for anything at all, even for her life. Yet here she was, the same woman, everything hanging on a plea escaping her lips.
He nodded. "We're going." And with that he took hold of her hand and gently pushed her forward.
She couldn't suppress the smile that made its way onto her lips. One of relief and absolute happiness. She gripped his hand tighter in hers and led the way to the doorway. She looked back at him once her hand was on the doorknob. He swallowed harshly and she noticed the way his fingers tightened on hers. Softly she placed her free hand over their intertwined ones and caressed over his skin with comfort.
The door opened however before she had the time to open it. Elena backed up, moving against Jared who protectively held her close. She let out a gasp as shock coursed through her. Jared tensed behind her, his hands gripping her shoulders.
Sophia was standing there, the gun in her slender hands, uncocked but still ever so threatening. She had a smirk on her face, her eyes wickedly beautiful as they moved between the two of them. But she wasn't who Elena kept in her gaze.
Samuel stood there with Sophia's hand in his. His face was more brightened than Elena had ever witnessed. He looked looser, much more handsome than he did whenever he was stuffed up and angry at her. There was something about the way they stood there together that made the crooked and uncertain pieces suddenly fit together with terrible dysfunction.
“Going somewhere?” Sophia asked, letting go of Samuel’s hand.
“Samuel? What are you doing here?” Elena questioned, trying to wrap her head around the situation. Her brows furrowed with confusion and she looked to her husband for an answer.
“He’s decided to cooperate.” Sophia replied. “What I would really like to know is what’s going on here? Lovebirds on the run?”
Jared didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. The rigid way he stood next to her proved that he was somewhat afraid of what would ensue.
“You didn’t pay the ransom, did you?” Elena asked, her mind still at work and laboring slowly with a million thoughts.
“Was I ever going to?” He let out a laugh and moved past her with Sophia leading the way. This wasn’t what anyone had expected.
“Come on you two!” Sophia called out from where she was heading into the living room.
“Jared? What do we do?” Elena asked finally moving closer to him. She got a better look up at his face and saw how dampened the hope in his eyes had gotten. It hit her harshly with her own fleeting hope. Was this really how they were going to let things end? Without even trying?
“I’ll meet you in there.” He stated as if that was the only suggestion he could bring himself to muster.
“Aren’t we going to leave?” She questioned, her panic rising up in the desperation glinting in her eyes.
“Elena, trust me.” He spoke it ever so firmly there was barely enough room to argue it. He added pressure to her hand before letting it go entirely.
She held his gaze for another moment and then she walked on towards the living room. She was afraid but she was also eager for what would happen once she entered.
Samuel was leaning against the fireplaces mantle. Sophia was relaxing on the couch, the hem of her skirt hiked a little due to her position. Elena watched the scene before she let her presence be known. It looked like some sort of picture. Peaceful, nearly content. She swallowed harshly and held onto the feeling that whatever was about to happen was going to be something she hadn’t even dreamed of.
“Elena, baby, everyone is so worried about you.” Samuel turned to face her, one of his hands in the depths of his pockets and the other one gesturing towards her.
“People know I’m missing?”
Samuel nodded. “Of course. I called the police as soon as I found out but the version of the story that I gave them was so different than what really happened.” He smiled at the question on her face before continuing. “ That last time I saw you we fought. You spoke of running away with another man. No ransom demands, no trails of evidence just your infidelity sparking sympathy and comfort all for me.”
Elena blinked her tears onto her face over the lie and couldn’t bear to say anything. No one would find her now. Not one person would be out looking for her since she had apparently left with another man considering the way she had so heavily distanced herself from everyone she knew once she had gotten married. Was her situation really as hopeless as it now seemed?
“Why are you crying Elena?” Samuel rose from the couch and stood before her.
Elena reluctantly met his eyes. She swallowed back her emotions back harshly. All the memories flooded through her. This was the man who she had given herself to. This was the man who had vowed to love her, who had promised her family that no harm or heartbreak would ever affect her. And yet here he was now, perhaps the main culprit in everything that was happening to her. All she could think of was the harsh fact that she hadn’t listened at all to her family, not once. They had known something was off about Samuel but she had claimed able to see through all of that. She said she could tell that deep down he was going to take care of her. She had insisted that she knew better. Of course she was proven wrong.
“What are you going to do to me?” She asked, her tears falling still and her lips quivering lightly in her distress.
Samuel let out a laugh and then looked back at Sophia as if he couldn’t she would actually ask something like that. He turned back to Elena, that smirk still on his thin lips.
‘What do you I’m going to do?”
She tried her best to stifle the fear that had been viciously ripping through her ever since she had seen him entering the house. She lifted her hand and stole away a few tears. “Kill me?”
“Well at least she’s smart Samuel…but how much is she worth?” Sophia took her place at Samuel’s side and giggled softly when he wrapped his arm around her waist.
“Her insurance? A few million maybe?” Samuel shrugged like the thought of money really didn’t matter to him. Did he seriously want her out of the picture that much?
“I won’t bother you Samuel. I promise. Please don’t kill me.” Her plea was obviously falling on deaf ears. She stood there trembling. She was afraid, angry, broken and so terribly weak. She watched Samuel plant a long and deep kiss to Sophia’s lips. It rose up a feeling of sickness inside of her but not because of jealousy. She couldn’t believe that soon enough her blood would be on their hands without them even caring.
“Elena, come here.” Jared’s voice was the most commanding that Elena had ever heard before. He was standing near the living room. He wasn’t the kind of man that most people would fear but the darkness that had filled his eyes made both Samuel and Sophia back up a little away from Elena.
“Come to rescue the damsel, Jared?” Sophia asked, her hand resting on her hip as she slowly and seductively made her way to him. She put her hand on his neck, smiling up at him in the most alluring sort of way.
“You’ve been with him the whole time, haven’t you?” He hissed out the words as he stared at her, his eyes unmoving and cold.
“What do you have in your pocket?” Sophia questioned, brushing off the anger burning in his eyes.
Jared lifted his hand from his pocket, his cell in his grip. “The police will be here any minute.” He stated, looking behind her to Elena who was nearly frozen with both fear and confusion.
Sophia sighed and shook her head before stepping back. “Looks like we’ve got a couple of smart ones.” She replied as if the idea held no chance of impressing her.
“What do we do with them?” Samuel asked.
Sophia glanced back at Samuel, a knowing smile on her lips. She was about to speak but Jared reached out and took hold of her, his arm wrapping tightly at her neck. She let out a cry and he hissed out for her to be quiet.
Elena gasped but ran to Jared’s side anyways when he gestured her towards him.
Jared looked down at Sophia as he held her. Everything flashed in his eyes, the memories, the anger, the betrayal. Elena thought then that he was going to kill her but he forced her towards Samuel and she collapsed in his arms with a fit of coughing. Jared reached out and gently took hold of Elena’s hand. He looked down at her with reassurance as the sound of sirens came blaring through the opened windows.
“You’re going to be in for it too!” Sophia called out to him causing him to glance towards her again.
“I will.” He agreed with a nod. The truth ached in Elena’s heart and she tightened her hold on his hand. “But that doesn’t matter because she’s alright.” He stated before leading Elena away towards the front door.
Again his eyes filled with assurance with quiet comfort as he opened the door and raised his hands above his head. Elena looked out and saw the street outside the house swarmed with police. Her freedom came with the sun blaring in her eyes and guns pointed in her direction. It was hard to shake the fear that still clung to her.