even less than that. It made her blood boil to think of his uncaring attitude when she’d called him. What do you expect me to do about it? Hell, Abigail, she’s a grown woman! Did you think she’d stay in the nest forever? Let her go and get a life of your own! I have patients waiting - I don’t have time for your hysterical bull right now!
It was par for the course, in his case.
While it was true that Eva had her hands full with school and had just been terminated from her job, there was no reason to think she’d been overburdened. Her bank account had over five thousand dollars in it, so the loss of part time employment shouldn’t have been upsetting enough to push her over the edge. It made no sense. She’d always been such a practical, dependable girl. And yes, she knew how to take care of herself, but still...
The world was a scary place.
If only she’d call. Just to let her know she was safe...
~ *~*~
No longer confined to her bedroom, Eva was free to take her meals in the dining room, though she preferred the cozier warmth of the small kitchen. The house always felt chilly to her. Even the heat from the gas fireplace didn’t penetrate the constant bite in the air. And whenever Julian happened to be downstairs, he turned it off anyway. He seemed immune to the cold.
Inspection of the rest of the house revealed little. His bedroom door was kept locked, as was one of the downstairs rooms. Those were forbidden to her. Beyond that there was only the library, Lainie’s room, a small laundry room, kitchen and dining room. A search of the grounds proved just as fruitless. The Cherokee was housed along with a snowmobile in an enclosed garage that was also kept locked, and the one tiny window was too small for her to wiggle through even if she did somehow manage to locate the keys. The wolves watched from a distance, their tongues wagging as if they were laughing at her.
No computer. No phone. No means of reaching the outside world. If it weren’t for the television in the living room, she might have begun to believe the rest of the lucid world had been sucked into some parallel dimension. She half expected Rod Serling to suddenly appear in the background to deliver some clipped monologue. Thank God for the familiar and comforting sounds of sitcom reruns and laugh tracks. They were a symbol of normal, routine everyday life.
The antithesis of what her own life had become.
And yet, in some strange way, things here were not as abnormal as they should have seemed. Lainie treated her as a revered houseguest and Julian, while aloof, was still cordial. On the surface nothing was out of the ordinary - it was what lurked beneath the surface that filled her with apprehension. She was, after all, a hostage. And this was no bed and breakfast.
She was curled up on the plush sectional sofa one afternoon with a novel she wasn’t particularly interested in when Lainie came breezing in.
“I’m away for the messages. Is there anythin’ ye’d like?”
Eva gave her a blank look. “ Whose messages?”
“She means she’s headed for the store.” Julian, just coming down the stairs, translated.
“Oh.” The Scottish certainly had a colorful way of putting things. “Um...I’d love a Coke, if you don’t mind.”
“ O’ course, dear.” The woman reached for the set of keys Julian held out to her. Eva eyed them wistfully. “I’ll be back soon enough.”
“Wait - I’ll come with you.” It was a ploy she didn’t expect to work. And it didn’t.
“You’re not going anywhere.” His voice was stern, and the way he said it made her want to hurl something at his head. Who did he think he was, anyway? She was sick of taking orders from him. Since when had he been appointed supreme ruler of the universe?
“Did I ever tell you what a barbaric philistine you are?” she said, once the front door had closed behind Lainie.
He stifled a yawn. “Is that so.”
“Yes, that’s so ! What makes you think you can
It was par for the course, in his case.
While it was true that Eva had her hands full with school and had just been terminated from her job, there was no reason to think she’d been overburdened. Her bank account had over five thousand dollars in it, so the loss of part time employment shouldn’t have been upsetting enough to push her over the edge. It made no sense. She’d always been such a practical, dependable girl. And yes, she knew how to take care of herself, but still...
The world was a scary place.
If only she’d call. Just to let her know she was safe...
~ *~*~
No longer confined to her bedroom, Eva was free to take her meals in the dining room, though she preferred the cozier warmth of the small kitchen. The house always felt chilly to her. Even the heat from the gas fireplace didn’t penetrate the constant bite in the air. And whenever Julian happened to be downstairs, he turned it off anyway. He seemed immune to the cold.
Inspection of the rest of the house revealed little. His bedroom door was kept locked, as was one of the downstairs rooms. Those were forbidden to her. Beyond that there was only the library, Lainie’s room, a small laundry room, kitchen and dining room. A search of the grounds proved just as fruitless. The Cherokee was housed along with a snowmobile in an enclosed garage that was also kept locked, and the one tiny window was too small for her to wiggle through even if she did somehow manage to locate the keys. The wolves watched from a distance, their tongues wagging as if they were laughing at her.
No computer. No phone. No means of reaching the outside world. If it weren’t for the television in the living room, she might have begun to believe the rest of the lucid world had been sucked into some parallel dimension. She half expected Rod Serling to suddenly appear in the background to deliver some clipped monologue. Thank God for the familiar and comforting sounds of sitcom reruns and laugh tracks. They were a symbol of normal, routine everyday life.
The antithesis of what her own life had become.
And yet, in some strange way, things here were not as abnormal as they should have seemed. Lainie treated her as a revered houseguest and Julian, while aloof, was still cordial. On the surface nothing was out of the ordinary - it was what lurked beneath the surface that filled her with apprehension. She was, after all, a hostage. And this was no bed and breakfast.
She was curled up on the plush sectional sofa one afternoon with a novel she wasn’t particularly interested in when Lainie came breezing in.
“I’m away for the messages. Is there anythin’ ye’d like?”
Eva gave her a blank look. “ Whose messages?”
“She means she’s headed for the store.” Julian, just coming down the stairs, translated.
“Oh.” The Scottish certainly had a colorful way of putting things. “Um...I’d love a Coke, if you don’t mind.”
“ O’ course, dear.” The woman reached for the set of keys Julian held out to her. Eva eyed them wistfully. “I’ll be back soon enough.”
“Wait - I’ll come with you.” It was a ploy she didn’t expect to work. And it didn’t.
“You’re not going anywhere.” His voice was stern, and the way he said it made her want to hurl something at his head. Who did he think he was, anyway? She was sick of taking orders from him. Since when had he been appointed supreme ruler of the universe?
“Did I ever tell you what a barbaric philistine you are?” she said, once the front door had closed behind Lainie.
He stifled a yawn. “Is that so.”
“Yes, that’s so ! What makes you think you can
Similar Books
