Pink Shades of Words: Walk 2016 (25 page)

Holding up two, he murmured, “I can’t decide.”

“The black and white one,” I suggested. “Very classic.”

“Yeah, but it’s kind of fancy for staying in, don’t you think?” He frowned as he considered the options.

“So take me out.” I shrugged, trying to act as though it were no big deal, when obviously my life hung in the balance.

Herman stared at me a moment. “I don’t know. I kinda wanted us to stay in.”

“You didn’t strike me as a jealous and insecure man.” I gave him a sideways glance. “Maybe I’ve been all wrong about you.” My eyes scanned the walls until I found the perfect words. “All a girl really wants is for one guy to prove to her that they are not all the same.” Then I looked up at him seductively, the way I’d seen Marilyn pose in countless pictures.

“I’m nothing like those other guys,” he grumbled.

“Good. Then we’ll go out.” My mind raced at the possibilities. Somewhere public. Somewhere I could truly escape. “There’s an art walk tonight. We should go. We’ll come back here after.” Keep in mind, when I said ‘we,’ I pretty much meant the police and me, but I didn’t need to share that technicality with him.

“Yeah. After.” He nodded clumsily. Thank goodness for valium.

As quickly as they worked, they could wear off. We needed to move faster. Turning around, I asked, “Unzip me so I can change?”

Clearly he wasn’t accustomed to his victims being so malleable. I watched as he swallowed hard and then struggled not to flinch as he touched me. His fingers fumbled with the metal pull, but finally he managed to inch it down past the widest part of my hips. Slowly I turned. “This will go faster if you let me help.” I held out my wrists, hoping he might uncuff me.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the key and carefully unlocked my wrists. “Don’t get too used to it. We’ll be wearing these in public.”

I nodded thoughtfully. “Of course, I wouldn’t want to lose you.” My words weren’t a lie. This guy wasn’t going to get away. I’d see to it he never hurt anyone again...if at all possible.

In minutes, I was naked except for my matching bra and panties. Herman’s hands were shaking as he passed me the dress and I pulled it over my head. He could barely work the zipper by the time I turned to him for help once more. Then I stuck out a foot.

“What’s that?” His face scrunched up as he stared at my naked toes.

“Shoes. I need shoes. I can’t very well walk around in public without them.” I smiled seductively, I hoped. My face felt heavier with all the makeup and the lingering effects of the drugs, including the pill currently dissolving under my tongue.

“Oh, of course.” He gave me a quick and awkward hug before he ran to the car again. “I’ll be right back!” He called over his shoulder before he door slammed behind him.

I wasn’t worried. In fact, I was happy to have a few seconds alone in the house to find a weapon, maybe search out a phone. Exiting this room, I peeked into the next bedroom, but it was completely empty. The room to the left was a bathroom, so I stepped inside, opening the medicine cabinet. A quick scan showed it was mostly outdated over the counter meds and hemorrhoid cream. Poor mom.

By the time the front door slammed again, Herman was closing in on the bathroom so I decided to play it off. “Hey,” I murmured as he nearly passed me on the way to the room where he’d left me.

“What are you doing in here?” He grumbled as he grabbed my wrist.

“I just wanted to see how beautiful you made me.” I pouted at him and batted my eyelashes. “You didn’t show me. I wanted to look nice for you.” His grip loosened.

“I didn’t even think about it. I’m sorry.” Herman rubbed his hand up and down my arm. “The others didn’t care.”

“You should know by now, I’m not like the other girls.” I smiled as I stuck out my foot for him to push my shoe on. He squatted low and I heard a pop.

“My knees are bad,” he explained as he helped me get into my shoes. Once they were on, I held out a hand to help him up. Smiling, he took it.

When I started to exit the room toward the front door, he shook his head. “But the art crawl.” My face fell. There was no hiding my disappointment.

“Oh no, Norma,” he cooed. “We’re going, but you’re not ready yet.”  He tugged me back to the bedroom. Everything in me wanted to pull away, to fight and run, but I needed to trust I hadn’t misread the situation. I might only have one shot at this escape. I couldn’t blow it by fleeing too soon.

Once inside the room again, he motioned for me to sit in the chair. The very idea of being locked in again terrified me, but I simply swallowed and sat. The other option was the bed and I definitely didn’t want to give him the wrong idea. Then I crossed my legs seductively and hoped he’d forget to cuff me.

For a moment, Herman paused and shook his head as he stared at me much like I stared at desserts in the bakery case. Then I nearly heaved a sigh of relief when I watched him disappear into the closet. Seconds later, he returned with a blonde wig and pulled it onto my head. I sat still while he adjusted it and finally stepped back to admire his work. “You’re perfect,” he murmured, his eyes alight in wonder.

With some effort, I managed a smile.

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C
HAPTER SIX

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A
ll of ten minutes later, we were settled into his car and were driving towards NoDa for the art crawl. It ended at nine and we were closing in on eight. Worse, I’d never been before. Would I run into anyone I knew? Would there be police around? Would I somehow be able to manage an escape? How the hell was I supposed to balance keeping Herman happy and comfortable enough to let his guard down while finding a way to live? These were the thoughts I struggled with as we finally reached our destination.

Surprisingly enough, we had no trouble parking. The biggest challenge would be hiding my excitement, trying to remain calm when really I wanted to run screaming from the car into the arms of the nearest person. So when Herman stepped out of the vehicle, I waited patiently, since he had me handcuffed to the handle. As he opened my door, I slowly found my footing and waited patiently for him to secure the cuff to his wrist.

When I glanced about, I realized the streets were all but vacant. We needed to get onto North Davidson and join the art crawl before I’d have a shot at running into someone. Still, I tried to act casual as we walked to the first venue.

“I’ve never done this before,” Herman commented as he squeezed my hand.

I forced a smile. “Me neither. This will be fun.”

“Then we’ll go back to the house.” This time he rubbed his palms together which jerked my arm around and made me shiver. “Are you too cold?”

Cold was the very least of my problems. I’d be dead and cold if I couldn’t find help. Shaking my head, I murmured, “Nope. I’m great.”

We came upon a couple that was so engrossed with each other, no matter how long or hard I stared, I couldn’t seem to get their attention. What must it be like to be so lost in someone the rest of the world melts away? Tears stung my eyes. This might be harder than I anticipated. We took a few more steps and literally ran into a couple coming out of a nearby building.

“Sorry!” The girl giggled as she bounced away.

Reaching out with my free hand, I tugged on her coat. Her eyes met my face and I mouthed, “Help me, please.”

Her face scrunched up as though she were considering what I’d said. Then she glanced at Herman, and broke out into laughter.  She nodded and walked away. Yeah. I suppose she thought it was a bad first date. This was getting me nowhere. I had begun to lose hope. My spirit was broken. My stomach was grumbling, yes, even at a time like this.

Overwhelmed with sorrow, I kept my head down as we walked a block. We were about to enter Peddler’s Post when I saw a car I recognized. My eyes narrowed in on the lime green Kia Soul. Even in a city the size of Charlotte, there couldn’t be too many of those around. I peeked at the license plate as we walked by: RONZRYD. What the hell was he doing here? This time, I might actually be happy to see him. My heart raced as I imagined throwing myself into his arms. Then we turned a corner, and I froze, stumbling slightly as Herman tugged me along.

Roan already had someone in his arms. They were kissing. As I stomped my foot and cleared my throat, he saw me, grabbed the girl’s hand, and bolted in the opposite direction crossing the street to avoid me.
The lousy bastard
. I balled my hands into fists at my sides and took a deep breath, filling my lungs with all the oxygen I’d need to shout and out him as he scampered away. Before I could let out so much as a squeak, Herman had leaned in and plastered his lips to mine.

“What are you doing?” I spluttered as I pulled away.

“I thought you wanted a kiss,” he explained weakly. “You stopped walking. You were staring at the couple making out.”

I sighed angrily. “My hands were balled up at my sides and my face was contorted in rage, but somehow you thought this translated into desire? Jesus, Herman. No wonder you’re so fucked up. You can’t read body language at all!” I stomped away yanking him with me as we entered the building I’d seen Roan rush into. “Try to keep up,” I snapped.

We had moved several feet inside the door of Amelie’s Bakery when I planted my feet and scanned the room. Sure, there was a possibility Roan hadn’t recognized me, but he was still cheating, dammit. Suddenly, I’d forgotten all about my precarious situation with the psycho attached to my wrist and remembered everything about what was wrong with my relationship with Roan.

“He’s cheating on me. He’s been fucking cheating on me.
This
is why our sex sucks and he has all the ugly excuses,” I grumbled as I charged toward Roan.

“Slow down,” Herman hissed. “You’re making a scene.”

My eyebrow shot up. I didn’t know if it was the public place or my anger that had given me this sudden burst of courage, but I’d use it to my advantage either way. Swinging my arm, I whipped my captor around in front of me and grabbed him by his lapels. “You think I’m making a scene
now
?” We were practically nose-to-nose. Herman wasn’t a big man and in my platform heels, we were pretty evenly matched. He whimpered and shook his head. “I didn’t think so. Stay out of my way.”

“It’s gonna be hard with the cuff,” he whispered.

“You should’ve thought of that earlier.” My words were barely audible through my gritted teeth. I released him suddenly and he stumbled slightly as he found his footing. “Drug me, kidnap me, threaten to rape and murder me and think I give a
fuck
if I make a scene. Goddam moron dressed me up like some Marilyn Monroe lookalike and
then
worries I’ll attract too much attention,” I muttered angrily under my breath.

As we approached, Roan had his back to me. Angrily, I tapped him on the shoulder while his girl stared at me, her perfect little lips forming a giant ‘O.’ He whipped around, a frustrated look on his face. “What?”

Instantly, my hands were on my hips. “What? We’ve been dating over a year and all you can say to me when I catch you with someone else is ‘what?’ Seriously, dumbass.”

Roan’s brow furrowed as he studied me. “Delilah? Is that you?” A new understanding dawned and he grinned at me. “It looks nothing like you!” He ran his hands down my arms while Herman shifted uncomfortably. “New hair. Different makeup. Unfamiliar dress...”

“Fancy jewelry,” I interjected as I lifted my arm and pointed out I was handcuffed to the douche beside me. “More importantly, who’s your arm candy?” I glared at the girl beside him who had the good sense to shrink against the wall. Let’s face it, I was behaving like a crazy lady and it was no act.

“Excuse me, but you’re going to have to take this outside or we’ll be forced to call the police,” a woman murmured quietly. She wore a nametag and obviously worked for the bakery.

My eyebrow arched again and I crossed my arms awkwardly over my chest, which had Herman’s hand touching my boob. In frustration, I shook my fists and dropped them to my side. “Call them,” I responded angrily. She shrugged and started to slink away, but I stopped her. “I’m serious. This guy tried to kidnap me. Call the police.”

By now, Herman was in a panic. He had reached into his pocket to find the key. It was almost painful to watch. Involuntarily, my eyes rolled. When he pulled out the key and started to work the lock, I kicked him in the shin. He doubled over, yelping in pain, and I grabbed the key and stuffed it in my bra because I’m classy like that, but mostly because I refused to let him get away.

“Oh no. You’re staying,” I warned him. Then I turned my attention to Roan who had started to sneak off while I was distracted. “Get back here
now
, Roan.”

“Babe,” he began nervously, “you have a lot going on. Why don’t I leave you to it and we can talk later?” He turned, and nodded for the girl to start walking.

“I have a better idea. Why doesn’t
she
leave and we can talk
now
?” I glared at her meaningfully. Her eyes widened and her chin bobbed. She seemed quite happy with my suggestion. Then I tapped her on the shoulder. “For the record, I’m not mad at you. I’m not dating you. It’s him I have a problem with.” I jerked my thumb at Roan. The poor girl visibly heaved a sigh of relief and rushed out of the building.

Roan leaned against the wall and groaned. “Now what?”

“Now we’re through.” I shrugged.

“We’re done? Just like that?” His hands flew up in the air. “You want to throw it all away?”

“Well, you did cheat on her,” Herman muttered. Then he glanced at me. “I’d never cheat on you.”

I shook my head with my eyes closed before I stared him down. “That’s very kind of you, Herman. So you’d rape and murder me, but not cheat on me. Glad to see you have a code.”

Moments later an officer came over to us. “What seems to be the problem here?”

For a second, I was speechless. The second he looked at me with those deep blue eyes, I was at a loss for words. Plus, he was wearing that uniform a little too well. I reached out with my free hand and tugged at his pants to see if they would break away. He backed up hastily and unsnapped the holster of his gun while his hand hovered over it.