Stockholm Syndrome by JB Brooks

tried to pull away.
    “Look at me, Evelyn.”
    Her eyes met his, fathomless blue lakes of tears.
    “I swear I didn’t know. I’d never, never have done it
if I’d guessed. I didn’t want to hurt you. I wanted to pleasure you.” I
still do, he thought desperately. I’d like to give you so much pleasure
that it burns the memory of last night right out of your mind, and you never
think of it again.
    His mobile rang. The moment was shattered.
    “Shit! I have to take this call. It’s one of my business
partners from South Africa. We’ve been missing each other for the last few days
and it’s important.” He spoke into the phone. “Hello, Bryce. Good to hear you,
mate. Just give me a moment, I’m going to my study.”
    ***
    Evelyn was left alone at the kitchen table. For a crazy
moment she considered running out the door, but it was dark, and she was
barefoot. The cars were out there, but even if they weren’t locked, she didn’t
know how to start them without the keys. There was nowhere to go. Panicking
would do no good. She had to think .
    She dropped her head into her hands, massaging her temples.
Owen was leaving in the morning. That meant she’d be all alone with Mason, and
that was very…unsettling.
    She got up and started scraping off the dirty dishes and
packing them in the sink to distract herself. A moment later the kitchen door
opened and Edna waddled in.
    “Oh no, sweetie, have they left ya all alone? And leave that
now, you’re a guest. I’ll take over!”
    Evelyn’s heart began to thump. She grabbed Edna’s hands.
    “Edna! Edna, listen to me! You have to help me. I’m not a guest. Mason’s kidnapped me. He’s brought me here against my will. You have
to help me get away!” Tears welled up in her eyes and she let them run down her
cheeks unchecked. She had to win the woman over.
    “What? What’re ya saying?” Edna’s simple face was a blank
mask of surprise. She pulled her hands out of Evelyn’s grip.
    “I’m saying he kidnapped me, Edna. No, listen to me!
He brought me here tied up in the back of Owen’s van. He’s broken my mobile.
I’m supposed to be in Africa.” The words tripped off her tongue. “There isn’t
time for this! He could come back any second. I need a phone, Edna, quickly!”
    “Africa? But it makes no sense. Ya don’t look kidnapped, and
youse all seemed so friendly at dinner. Why would Mason kidnap ya?”
    “I… He… It’s complicated.” She wanted to grab Edna and shake
her. “Look, will you just give me a phone, please?”
    “Who’d ya want to call?”
    “The police. Triple zero.”
    “Oh now, hang on.” Edna backed up a couple of paces. “We
don’t want trouble here.”
    “No, we don’t want trouble,” declared an icy voice behind
her.
    She spun ’round. Mason stood in the doorway, expressionless,
arms folded across his chest.
    “Edna,” he said, “fetch George, and go to my office. I’ll be
there shortly.”
    “No, wait, Edna!” But it was too late. The woman slipped
hurriedly out the back door.
    “Come, Evelyn.”
    She stood mulishly, refusing to look at him, disappointment
bitter in her throat. He approached her slowly, allowing her plenty of time to
move, and when she didn’t, he picked her up. She kept her face turned away as
he carried her to her bedroom, placed her on her feet just inside, and left,
locking the door behind him.
    ***
    Evelyn lay in bed, exhausted but unable to sleep. She was so
confused. Why, oh why hadn’t she told Edna that Mason had raped her? She sensed
that if she’d told her, it would have tipped the elderly woman’s sentiments in
her favor, but instead she’d hesitated at the critical moment, and now the
opportunity was lost. By this time, Mason would have told them his side of the
story, whatever that was, and they wouldn’t listen to her.
    Was she ashamed? She worked at a family counseling center.
She’d encountered domestic violence and she knew the heartbreaking myriad ways
victims battled