C4 THE HORRIBLE HIDEOUT

Thomas's speed was becoming unbearable and doesn’t seem to care about anything, his life or that of Annie; all he cares about, for now, was to get rid of the car right behind him, the car that he felt was tailing him and nothing more.

“What a hell are you talking about?” Annie's voice seems to find some strength. “I have no bodyguard and you are a bloody liar—” she protested and she lifted her legs to hit the driving seat from behind.

“Called me a liar?” He frowns at Annie.

Thomas had been admiring how sexy Annie had become all through the months; he had not set his eyes on her. She looks so juicy, he thought as he licked his lips in lust.

Annie could see Thomas burning fury as he drove. He kept on driving so fast and at the same time looking nervously at the fuel gauge. Annie could read his mind, but what she knew, she can’t see inside of him now, was where he was taking her. Thomas had grown to look more like a monster than a human those old scars on his face tell more of a monster he became after he left law school.

There was no doubt that he had changed and there was nothing on him that could create attraction to ladies, but a frightening distraction because he looked different.

The car ran faster, everything she bought from the shopping mall scattered on the floor of the back seat. She felt everything tumbling on her now and as she struggled to lift her eyes, she noticed a car behind them. The car that she was certain Thomas was struggling to escape from.

Was it the police?

The car doesn’t look like one!

Or does it?

No siren, no logo, color, nothing to show—

Her thought reawakens, looking set to lay more pressure on Thomas to set her free.

“Stop the car or I shout for help and you won’t like it?” she demanded angrily.

Thomas glared at her, his eyes were bloodshot and that gave Annie more worries if only what she sees through his eyes of Thomas was real.

Fears crawling like scorpions within his eyeballs!

What bodyguard? And not the Police, but then—

Then what?

Her thoughts spark once more, she was determined to put more pressure, “Stop Thomas, I want out—” she screamed and this time piled up tension on Thomas who kept o looking at her as he drove.

“I am not so sure Annie, you are a millionaire’s wife so you can have everything and anything, so just shut up and let me drive to hell if I like—”

“Hell,” Annie broke in sobbing “so you want me dead, Thomas?”

Thomas laughed, “I want us dead and go to hell and get married far away from Donald and Karie, so we could settle our score in hell.” He laughed out loud this time, and that expressed not only how dirty his thoughts are, but how evil his heart had grown to become all these past months, Annie thought as she watched him lift his mouth up to laugh like a dog who was barking against an enemy.

Annie narrowed her eyes to the past and was shocked to know that Thomas had all these in mind many years after. Thomas had left the city when she got married to Donald and now he is back to settle the score?

What score?

Was he out of his mind?

Apart from the blame he put on her for his suspension from law school, he wanted a relationship that Annie refused. He proposed, Annie declined and now he thought the right thing to do was to kidnap her and do what with her?

Annie started screaming but it was the wrong timing. Thomas noticed the car had stopped trailing him. He drove into a quiet street and a few seconds later, pulled the Jeep to a halt and then jumped out to open the back door for Annie.

“Cool Jeep you got here, I thought it was a car all this while. I thought of having one like this, but you guys frustrated me. Peter is now on the run, he escapes a hole in his head a few weeks ago, but you—” he shrugged and pulsed. “I am not so sure.” He pulled Annie out of the Jeep with the handcuff on her wrist. Annie screamed in pain.

“That hurts,” she shouted.

“Nobody can hear you. This is a lonely place. Only a few people live around here and nobody care who shouts or not, they are all used to shouting.” He shuddered and then smiled. “So, I suggest you save your strength and cooperate.”

The pains in Annie’s wrists were now eating deep into her bones and spreading through her veins. She felt blood wasn’t circulating to that part of her body anymore. She was losing strength and her mind seems to be failing her now.

**********

The apartment smelt bad, now she remembered how she got in minutes ago. Thomas had forced her into his tiny apartment and never pitied her or her swollen wrists.

She had also watched Thomas give her water in a water bottle and poured the remaining on her hair to get her wide awake.

Annie’s woken eyes moved around the apartment for a while. It wasn’t an apartment that looked well-kept.

The air around stinks and empty beer bottles were on the table and on the floor. Stale food was on the table and the furniture in the sitting room was out of fashion.

And the air around the apartment seems to have this offensive odor that wants to make her throw up. She tries to fight it especially when the breeze outside forces its way into the sitting room and tends to rotate the smells in a way that often makes it more offensive.

She had thrown up twice already but only a little bit of saliva came out.

The thought of having her breakfast before setting out for Desandra shopping mall drove in but the pains around her wrists, now swollen, made her crush the thoughts as soon as they came.