Chapter 40

CHAPTER FORTY

Adriana

“Cole seemed to enjoy his birthday.” Heather comments Monday morning as we get ready for our Zoom meeting.

“He did. I gave him shit for not telling me about it, though, yesterday.”

“Good for you A!” Heather says.

“Thanks, but he explained why and how it doesn’t feel that way now.”

“Awww. That’s cute. I knew he would be okay with it.” Heather tells me.

“You were right, boss lady. Yeah, it was a total swoon moment.”

“I want details after the meeting.” Heather tells me.

“Of what?” I ask.

“How he was so happy and thanked you! Well, not all the details,” she says, shivering and making a gross face.

I can only shake my head up and down as I laugh at her antics before we get on screen.

Our meeting was a success, and now we are sitting by the pool. Heather and I are just bullshitting when her phone rings and she looks to see who it is.

“I have to grab this. Be right back,” she tells me and gets up from the table to head inside.

I enjoy the feel of the sun on my skin while smiling up at the sky. I wish my parents were here to meet these incredible people in my life.

Heather comes back out from the house and sits down in the same chair.

“Would you hate me if I asked you to drop the mascot costume off by yourself at the stadium? That was my doctor, and they had an appointment open up.” Heather asks.

I know I’m not supposed to go anywhere alone, but it’s the stadium and I know everyone there. Cole might even still be there, so it should be fine.

“Of course. Is everything okay?”

“Yes, we might have more to celebrate tonight besides you being in love and bringing sexy back.” She tells me with a huge smile.

Oh! I know she said that she and Ty were ready to start their family and I wonder if this is the beginning.

“Okay, let’s head out. We should be back around the same time.” She tells me.

We walk to the driveway together and Heather gets the mascot costume out of her car to put in the backseat of mine. Once it’s secure, we wave to each other and we go our separate ways.

I drive to the stadium and see that the lot is almost empty. The guys must be done with practice for the day. I’m able to snag a parking spot close to the door. I get out of my car, grab Grover, and head inside.

I have to bring him to the closet where the baseball gloves were, so it’s a bit of a walk. I make it to the closet and hang the bottom of the costume first, then the head. Just as I have it on the hook, I feel pain radiate from the back of my head and everything goes black.

Where the fuck am I? Why is my head pounding? Racking my brain trying to think about what happened prior to me waking up, but it’s not connecting. I see nothing but blackness. I can’t even tell if my eyes are open or closed. When I attempt to move my hands, they remain motionless. I feel pain in my shoulders and realize that my hands are behind my back and it feels like a ziptie is around them because every time I move I can feel the plastic digging into the skin of my wrists.

I try to get my brain working, but it’s foggy at best. I try to move my legs but they’re ziptied too and I’m laying down on a hard floor. I couldn’t tell you what type of flooring it is, either. I just know that I can feel the cold run up my spine. It’s eerily quiet and I want to speak, but I’m too afraid to let on that I’m awake because I don’t know if or who is there. I don’t know if security is still here inside the stadium or just patrolling outside since I don’t know what time it is.

I’ve never been more scared in my life. Not when either of my parents died, not when I had to move across the country, and not when I decided to give my heart over to Cole.

I’ve been reclaiming my life and Cole has been such a huge part of that. My mind can’t help but spiral as I think about Cole and if I’ll ever see him again. I know I wouldn’t be okay if this was the other way around and he didn’t make it back to me .

I love you, Cole Evans . Don’t forget about me.

I wake up to footsteps coming to me. I must have passed out because I don’t remember falling asleep. My head hurts a little less and I’m starting to think more clearly. The fog is lifting. I try to move and remember I can’t when the pain hits my wrists.

“Oh good, you’re awake. It’s about time.”

No. No fucking way. Why would he be here? This isn’t making any sense. I know my brain isn’t firing on all cylinders right now, but if that’s the voice I think it is, then Cole is going to go crazy. I don’t even know what I would have done to make him hold me hostage at this point.

Lights come on and I squint my eyes to allow them a few seconds to adjust. My eyesight is a little blurry but it could be from my head still pounding, even if it’s not as bad as before. My eyes come into focus and I use my peripheral vision to try to figure out if I can recognize anything to clue me in on where I am. Not that I can do much about it at the moment, but if I can figure out how to get out of these zip ties then I could have a chance.

“Surprised?”

I slightly shift my head to the right to look at the man who is standing in front of me. And the pit in my stomach just got worse because the voice I heard is exactly who I thought it was. This is not going to end well, no matter what happens. I’m not the praying kind normally, but I pray that someone finds me before I die or worse. Cole’s entire career or the rest of his life with his family can’t be ruined because of me. I already know what will happen. He won’t stop. He won’t stop, no matter what to hurt him for whatever happens if I’m not here.

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue? Or are you just in shock that I could grab you from under your precious Cole’s watchful eyes?” Dylan Crawford says.

I don’t respond. I can’t give him a reaction. It’s what he wants and I refuse.

“Answer me!” he yells, spits, flying out of his mouth.

He visibly becomes more angry the longer I don’t respond to him.

“You don’t have to answer. You just need to learn your lesson. And it’s going to happen right where you made the wrong choice. I always get what I want. No one stands in my way.”

The wrong choice? Oh fuck. This is because I shot him down? Are you fucking kidding me?! I can’t even process this completely. This shitty excuse of a human being is beyond entitled. Who does he think he is that he gets whatever or whoever he wants, no matter what? Was he not told no as a child? That wouldn’t surprise me.

I don’t know how long I’ve been gone, but I’m sure at this point Heather and Cole are at least looking for me. I hope at least it’s been long enough that they would look because, if not, I’m royally fucked and on my own more so.

“You look confused. I guess I hit you pretty good in the back of the head with that wooden bat,” he admits.

No wonder my head is throbbing. Dylan’s laughter turns dark, and it seems he's become unhinged. He pauses and looks me dead in my eyes.

Dylan takes a step towards me and I flinch. He makes me sick and if he thinks that I’d willingly be with him now he’s out of his mind.

“Well Adriana, you get to make the right choice or suffer the consequences.”

I stare past him, and that’s when I see a sliver of a banner. It’s a banner I’ve seen only a few times because it’s not in an area of the stadium that I would normally go to. We must be in the hallway that leads to the equipment for the field maintenance department. Okay. Think Adriana. If you can get away, where do you go? Which way do you run?

“Do you hear me, bitch?”

Still refusing to give him the satisfaction of answering him, I continue to stare past him. I don’t want to give up hope.

Dylan shakes his head and walks the last few steps to be directly in front of me. He crouches down and reaches out to grab me. I try to move, but I can’t. He moves me so that my legs are in front of me and my back with my hands are touching the wall.

“That won’t do. Maybe you need another nap.” He finishes and I don’t even see the punch coming. I feel it on my face first and then my head when it hits the wall. The light is darkening and I feel myself start to slump to the side.

Everything goes black and all I hear is a ringing.