Stolen Secrets

Stolen Secrets- Chapter 14

I looked down at my still bruised wrists. “I hope he’s safe.”

“He will be,” Jeff assured me. I nodded then laid down again to continue my homework. A moment later I felt the bed dip as Jeff laid back down as well.

~Jeff~

I lied to Natalie, I feel really bad about it. Last night George had told me that they were going to start lessening the amount of protection the cops provided them. The cops had been to the house and arrested the people they found there, and they were now waiting for a trial. Natalie still hasn’t spoke up yet about how many people had kidnapped her and what they looked like. I’ve tried to get her to talk about it, but every time I do she goes silent.

But at least she is talking to me. Not much but she is. Slowly she is getting over whatever fear she had about talking when I first found her. She doesn’t say a lot at a time, but it’s more than a one word answer.

Since they haven’t had any more attempted attacks on George or Natalie, and no further communication from the kidnappers, the cops are cutting back some of their protection to put it to use somewhere else. George and Natalie in the cops’ eyes are completely safe.

Now instead of their being a guard 24 hours at their door, there will be one stationed from three in the afternoon until eight the following morning. It will be in two shifts and the hours work out so that there is only someone there when Natalie is home.

Natalie will have a guard with her on the way to and from school, same with George. Just at school and at work, there will be no guard. It’s cutting back a lot, George used to have a guard with him at all times, but the cops say there is no point in having extra guards when there is no threat and they could be used elsewhere.

The people they have arrested are two men and a woman. The cops found out that they were using fake names and can be linked to other crimes. But none of it is confirmed, and all the names are assumed. The only witness they have been able to find to anything is Natalie, and she isn’t speaking.

I’m not supposed to know any of this. But since I brought home Natalie, George has been trusting me lots. He has been slipping me all the information he knows, he says that if anything happens to me, he wants me to be able to keep Natalie safe.

But I don’t know why I would need to keep Natalie safe, George is very protective of her right now. With his wife gone, Natalie is the only thing he has left. If he is gone, Natalie is left an orphan once again. No one wants that to happen to her.

The cops let both George and I off with a warning for the other day. Mine was for going completely against police order, and George’s for giving out confidential information. If they knew what was happening now, George could be in some trouble. Good thing no one plans on telling them.

While we were studying, Natalie fell asleep. She had had her arm flat on the bed with her head resting on it. One minute she had been writing, the next she was fast asleep.

I’m really scared for her. Not only is her skin crossed repeatedly with scars and darkened with bruises, but she doesn’t eat a lot.

I know she is a girl and stuff, but I’ve seen her eat before, now she only takes a couple of bites and calls herself done. I want to talk to her about it, but I’m scared she will cut me out.

I don’t know what they did to make her not eat. She confirmed that they had fed her, but I don’t know how much. It probably was very little. If it had been, than her body would had started to adapt to that amount and shrink her stomach so she can't eat so much.

Bruising, cutting, and mentally torturing someone is terrible. But making it so they can barely eat or talk? That is beyond cruel.

I moved the textbook from under Natalie’s head. I took the pencil from her hand and removed my stuff from the bed as well. I gathered the rest of the various things that had been scatted over the bed and piled everything on the small desk she had in the corner of her room. I looked around for something I could use as a blanket for her.