Chapter 5

5

Evenie

“ N o, no, no! Don’t do this!”

I beat my fist against the steering wheel as the old truck came to a slow roll. As I pulled off to the side of the road, I realized that the gas tank was empty. I’d only been driving for about twenty minutes, and I was still deep in the countryside. All I could see ahead of me were miles and miles of trees.

I dropped my face in my hands and cried.

How could I possibly get freedom only to get stuck on the side of the fucking road? I looked around. It was still early, and there weren’t any cars on the road. The sign I passed said the nearest town was about fifteen miles away. There was no way I could walk that far. Grabbing the phone from the passenger seat, I pressed the button to unlock it.

My heart sank when I saw it was on one percent. With a hopeful heart, I dialed 911.

“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”

“Hello? My name is Evenie Lewis. I was kid—”

The line went dead. I pulled the phone from my ear, only to find that it was dead. Frantically, I searched for a charger, but there wasn’t one.

“Fuck!” I screamed.

Burying my face in my hand, I cried profusely. Why hadn’t I called for help when I left the house? I was so focused on getting away that it hadn’t crossed my mind. I was free but still very much trapped. I wanted so bad to just give up right then.

“Pull it together, Evenie,” I told myself. “You have two very good reasons to fight as hard as you have the last ten years.”

Tyrion and Summer Rose were the reason my very existence was still intact. I would have ended it so long ago if I hadn’t had faith that I would make it back to them. I had to hold on to that, or I would surely perish. Gathering myself, I slipped the wallet into my pocket and climbed out of the truck to begin walking. I had no idea where I was going, but I couldn’t be a sitting duck.

As I trekked down the road, I kept looking around, praying that Leon hadn’t miraculously recovered from whatever caused him to take that fall and come after me somehow. I’d been walking for about thirty minutes when I saw a set of headlights in the distance. My pace quickened as panic set in. The closer the car got, the more anxious I became.

That was until I was able to make out what kind of car it was… the police. My heart began to race as I stepped into the middle of the road, waving my arms like a mad woman.

“Stop! Stop, please!”

The car slowed and pulled off to the side of the road. The officer that got out was a tall, brown-skinned woman with locs down her back. She rushed onto the road and ushered me over to the grass.

“Are you okay, ma’am?” she asked.

I shook my head. “Please… you have to help me.”

I knew I must have looked crazy with all the snot-nosed crying I was doing. I could barely get the words out. The happiness of seeing an officer and knowing I was finally safe was overwhelming. I collapsed to my knees, crying profusely.

“Honey, I need you to calm down and tell me what’s wrong,” the officer said, reaching for me.

I allowed her to help me up from the ground. She led me to the front passenger side and opened the door before guiding me in. She then opened that back door, returning with a bottle of water. Uncapping it, she handed it to me, and I took a long sip.

“My name is Officer Hilbert. What’s your name, love?”

“Evenie. Evenie Lewis.”

“Nice to meet you, Evenie. Can you tell me where you’re coming from?”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out Leon’s wallet, retrieving his license.

“This man kidnapped me. He thought I was his wife, a woman named Lisa. I’ve been held captive in his basement for ten years.”

I handed her the license, and her eyes immediately widened.

“Shit.”

“You know him?”

She nodded. “Leon Kane. His wife left him because of his mental health issues. She died trying to get away from him. Plowed right into an eighteen-wheeler. The car exploded, and he saw the whole thing. He hasn’t really been right in the head ever since.” She looked at me curiously. “You do look like her.”

“I know.”

“Where is he now? How did you get away?”

“He opened the door to bring me food and he just… collapsed. I don’t know if he’s dead or alive. I just ran. I took his wallet and keys and drove until I ran out of gas. I’ve been walking for a little while now.”

She nodded. Reaching over me, she grabbed the radio.

“Dispatch, this is unit 572.”

“Go ahead, 572.”

“I need officers and rescue at 1071 Oak Trail Road immediately. I have a witness here who says she was kidnapped and held captive at that location. Suspect may be unresponsive.”

“Got it. Rerouting officers and emergency personnel.”

“Copy that. I’m bringing the witness in.”

“Copy.”

She hung the radio up. “Let’s get you some place safe.”

“I just wanna go home.”

“I know. We’re gonna do everything we can to make sure you get there.”

She offered me a sympathetic smile as she closed the door. I strapped myself in and relaxed in the passenger seat. Finally, I felt safe. Maybe, just maybe, I would be home soon.

I sat in the interrogation room, warming my hands on the mug of hot coffee. After being taken to a local hospital for medical clearance, Officer Hilbert brought me to the police station. I’d told my story to three different people, and I was beginning to get frustrated with repeating myself. I could understand needing the full story, but either relay the message, record my statement, or gather everybody who needed to hear it in one room.

I’d been told Leon’s story several times, and it seemed to me that everyone felt a little sorry for him. Apparently, he’d spent time in and out of the psych ward before and after his wife’s accident. He was on medication, and he was doing okay until the anniversary of her death came around every year. When he took me, she hadn’t been missing at all. She’d been dead for three years. Every year, he went looking for her.

That time, he found me.

According to the officers, he’d left the state for a little while to escape the memories and had just come back two months before he snatched me up. It wasn’t clear if he was taking his medication at the time, but if I had to guess, I would say he wasn’t. Mentally competent people didn’t just kidnap a complete stranger for no reason.

The door opened, and Officer Hilbert walked in with that same sympathetic look on her face.

“How are you doing in here?” she asked.

“I want to go home.”

She nodded. “We were able to verify your disappearance.”

I frowned. “Did y’all think I was lying?”

“No, ma’am. We just needed to make sure you were who you said you were so we could locate your family.” She sat back in her seat and looked at me with sad eyes. “Mr. Kane didn’t make it. They think he had a heart attack.”

I stared blankly at her. I didn’t care that the man was dead. He’d taken ten years of my life. Ten years of my time with my husband and child were gone. I missed everything surrounding Summer Rose. That was time I couldn’t get back. Mental health or not, I was still the victim here.

“When can I leave?” I asked.

“Soon. Who would you like us to call?”

Without missing a beat, I answered, “My husband, Tyrion Lewis. The address is 424 Fox Trail Drive in Grand Hills. Am I anywhere close to there?”

“That’s about a two-hour drive from here.”

I dropped my head in my hands. This whole time, I’d been two hours from home. If that wasn’t ’bout a bitch, then I didn’t know what was.

“I’ll give you some time to process all this. I’ll get someone to contact your husband.”

“Thank you.”

She left me with a smile. Once the door closed, I picked up the coffee cup and took a long sip. My nerves were on ten. What if Tyrion didn’t want to come get me? What if he thought this was all some cruel joke? I’d held onto my love for him, but what if he didn’t love me anymore?

The thought of that made me cry.

All I wanted to do was go home to my husband and my child and start all over. I had so much to learn about Summer Rose, and I prayed she would be receptive. I wanted to fill in the gaps of my absence with all the love I never got to give her and her father. While our time together had been cut short, we had the rest of our lives to make up for it… at least I hoped we did.

Time seemed to tick by as slow as possible before the door opened, and Officer Hilbert motioned for me to follow her.

“He wants to speak to you.”

I swallowed hard. “He—he does?”

“I don’t think he’ll believe us until he does.”

I’d waited for this moment for so long, and now it was like my feet were cemented to the floor. I simply stared at her until she walked over to me and extended a hand.

“I know this is moving fast, but you waited ten years for this moment. You’ve got this.” She guided me to my feet. “Come on.”

I allowed her to lead me out of the room. My heart was pounding as we navigated the hallway to a private office.

“Just press the flashing button to connect the call,” Officer Hilbert said as I took a seat.

I nodded as she backed out of the office and closed the door. For a moment, I just sat there staring at the phone, too afraid to pick it up. Every night I dreamed of the moment I would hear this man’s voice again. Now that the moment had arrived, I was terrified. Still, with a trembling finger, I pressed the button and picked up the receiver.

“Tyrion?” I whispered.

I could hear at the moment his breath caught in his throat, and the line went silent.

“Tyrion?” I said a little louder.

“Evenie… is that really you?”

“It’s really me.”

His audible cries both broke and healed my heart. He really did miss me. He hadn’t forgotten about me.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this moment,” he declared through his tears. “Oh God, I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too. I thought about you and Summer Rose every single day.”

“How are you? Are you hurt? What happened to you? Wait! Don’t answer. I’m on my way. I’m leaving the office right now. Just wait for me.”

I could hear him shuffling about in the background. Then I heard a loud thud.

He groaned. “Shit!”

“What happened?”

“I tripped over my own two feet.”

I giggled, a first in a long time. He’d always been on the clumsy side when he was excited.

“Damn, I’ve missed your laugh,” he said.

“I’ve missed watching you fall over random things.”

I could hear the smile in his voice. “I’m still just as clumsy as I’ve always been.”

“Please be careful on the road, Tyrion.”

“Say my name again.”

I smiled. “Tyrion.”

“I can’t wait to see you.”

“I can’t wait to see you, either. Be safe. I’ll be right here.”

“I’m getting in the car now. I’ll be there as fast as I can.”

“Okay.”

“Ev?”

“Yes?”

He was quiet for a moment. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

We disconnected the call, and my head dropped in my hands. This was too good to be true, but it was happening.