My Captivator

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter 18:

Caleb:

I was exhausted and hungry. Sleep was on my tail and I needed to rest, but I also needed to find my sister. I had to keep moving. I walked on for another mile or so and that was that. My ankle was throbbing and going numb, which was a sure sign of I needed to sit down. Limping over to a large tree I sat down and leaned up against it. Slowly, my eye lids fell and I relaxed. The throbbing in my ankle continued, but wasn't as severe as it had been. I breathed in slowly and yawned, stretching to get comfortable. Then, I crossed my arms and laid my legs out in front of me. The river wasn't too far away and the sun casted a bright ray of warmth on me as a soft warm breeze blew against me.

The flowers that surrounded me on the forest floor were an amazing smell factor. I wasn't sure on what kind of flower they were. My knowledge and smarts were for computer skills only. I am not stupid, however. I learn easily. In fact, when my father gave orders to two men to teach me how to fight, I learned within a month how to escape most combat situations.

Something shuffled behind the tree. I stiffened and my eyes widened. Waiting, I sat as still as possible. The shuffling stopped and I grabbed the stick I had been using as a crutch. Slowly, I peeked around the tree. A small shoe poke out from behind it and my breath caught. I sat back against the tree and thought for a moment. It had to be Kairyn. Merrick's feet weren't that petite.

I peeked around the tree once more and then leaned out further when I noticed she was gone. Then I stiffened. Out of my peripheral vision, I spotted her holding a knife to my back.

"Don't move." Her voice was small and shaky.

"Kairyn." I spoke as I turned around to her, slowly sitting back up against the tree. Looking up at her, she had small scrapes and cuts along the sides of her face. Bruises covered her arms and her jeans were ripped. Her green eyes, eyes like mine, were starring daggers, much like the one she held to my face.

"Why are you here?" She asked shoving the knife closer. If she would just come a little closer, I could grab the knife from her.

I glanced at the knife then to her. I didn't know what to say. 'Sam threw me out'; 'Good ole' dad disowned me'?

"Answer me." She twisted the knife with her hands. "Did you follow me? I thought I said I didn't want anything to do with you." Her words were salt on my wounds.

"Sam got rid of me when I didn't bring you to him." A speck of emotion flickered in her eyes and for a minute she lost focus on me.

"He what?" She tilted her head to the side. Concern flooded her eyes.

"He knocked me out and threw me off the bridge." I answered.

"But what about being a family? Doesn't that mean anything to him?" Her voice rose.

"Apparently he only wants you." My own voice was cold.

She stood there thinking, unknowingly lowering the knife. I shifted and the knife stared me down again. Her gaze was hard to read. She seemed almost hurt at what had happened to me, but yet she held the knife.

"How do I know you aren't lying?" She was smart.

"Trust me." I tried.

"The last time you said those two words we ended up upside down in a ditch." Her voice cracked.

"Last time I thought I could trust our so called father. Things have changed, Kairyn." I spoke calmly, trying to give her reason to trust me.

"That doesn't mean people have." She narrowed her eyes. "And he's not my father."

A small bird flew from a bush next to the tree and Kairyn jumped, moving the knife from my face. I had an opportunity to grab the knife, and I did. Jumping up, I grabbed her wrist and she spun quickly to hit me with her free hand. I moved swiftly and grasped her other wrist, now holding both in my hands a foot apart. I starred her in the eyes.

"Let me go." Her tone was meant to be threatening, but I knew otherwise.

I maneuvered my hand on her left wrist and pressed my thumb into her arm. Her grasp on the knife released and the weapon fell to the ground. Her jaw dropped and her gaze went from me, to the ground, to me again. Her eyes watered. She was angry and scared.

"Why can't you guys just leave me alone?" Desperation poured through her. "I just want to see my family again. Is that too much to ask?"

My teeth clinched and my jaw tightened. We were family, biologically speaking. Why wouldn't she let me in? That's all I wanted. Was that too much to ask?

I released my grasp on her small wrists and she pulled away quickly. Neither one of us talked for a moment. She studied me and I studied her. She then glanced down and noticed my ankle beneath my rolled up pant leg. She blinked rapidly then fiddled with her fingers. And, as if to brighten the mood, as if nothing had happened, as if she had suddenly gotten over our escapade and forgiven me, she spoke. "What happened to your ankle?"

I breathed in deep and looked to the side, wondering what to say. I didn't know, after all, what had happened to it. "I think it's broken. I woke up on the edge of the river bank and this is how it looked. It's gotten worse actually."

"And you've been walking on it?" She gasped. "Do you know how stupid that was?" Her words stunned me. She actually cared. "Caleb," her use of my adopted name caused me to relax a bit, "you . . . you shouldn't have done that."

"What was I supposed to do? Lay there and die? Wait for Samuel and his men to find me? Yeah, no thank you. I've had enough father-son time."

Kairyn looked down. "You need to rest it." She finally muttered.

"That's what I was going to do but then I finally found you."

Her eyes met mine. "You were looking for me?"

"Yes." I spoke with my hands. "I wanted to make sure you were alive. That was a far drop off the bridge. I was," I paused and then rolled my eyes, "I was worried about you."

"Ha! Worried about me?" She scoffed. "Just hours ago you were about to hand me over to an insane man who claims to be my father!"

"No I wasn't!" I yelled frustrated. How on earth did Agent Stone make it this long with her if this was what she was like when drama hit? She started to speak again but I spoke first. "I was going to tell you to jump, Kairyn. I was going to try to help you out of that situation. I didn't want you hurt again. So . . . I was going to tell you to jump." I tried to catch my breath. "It doesn't make sense, but has anything made sense in the past few months?" I shook my head, smiling with sarcasm.

"You mean . . . you were trying," in unison we said, "to help."

"Yes." I clasped my hands as she finally started to understand. "I was trying to help you. Not at first, I confess, but when I saw Stone fall, when you lost him, I couldn't bear seeing you in pain and that is all that Samuel Turner is made of, pain, pain, and more Pain. You deserved better than us Kairyn. I know that early this morning I was trying to capture you, yes that happened and that was me, and yes, I realize that I am the one who gave out your coordinates . . ."

"Wait, what? You? You told them where we were?" Her expression grew angry.

"Yes." I responded, stopping her next outburst. "I did those things, Kairyn. I know they happened not too long ago but you have to believe me when I say that they are in the past. I know that people don't change within a few short hours, but their plans do. Do you get what I'm saying?" She breathed in slowly and let it out. "You are all I have left. You may not see me as your brother, but you are my sister, my family. I am not on their side anymore, Kairyn. I want to help you. Will you let me do that? Please?" I tried to be as sincere as possible.

She studied me, looking for any sign of falsification. She must have believed me for the edge of her eyes crinkled slightly. "Help me find Merrick."