Just a Click Away

Chapter 30

After much careful thought and prayer, Leslie decided to give Greg a call on Friday evening. She knew that they really needed to talk, and she was beginning to feel very discouraged that he had not called or texted at all since the last time she had seen him. She had sent him a text the day before and hand not received a response. It was as if he had dropped off the face of the earth, because she had not seen him or heard from him in almost 48 hours. Something had to be done to try and restore the communication they had lost.

Her heart was heavy with concern. What if Greg had been so hurt by her communication with Adam that he wouldn't forgive her? How could she ever manage a life without him? All of her plans for the future included him, and it felt as if her world was crumbling down around her as she tried to imagine a life without him by her side.

Deep down she knew that he loved her. He had both told her and demonstrated to her constantly how much her cared, so how was it possible that he could so completely shut her out of his life. Her mind was always occupied with thoughts of him, and as she pulled into her parking spot outside of her apartment building, she knew she could wait no longer to call him. Noticing his pickup parked in it's usual spot, she said a silent prayer that he would answer the phone.

After dialing his number, her heart fluttered with anxiety as she listened to the ringing on the other end. With a sinking heart, she heard Greg's voicemail message begin to play. When she heard the beep, she choked back tears and swallowed the growing lump in her throat. "Greg, this is Leslie. I really think we should talk. You have no idea how much I miss you, and I need you right now. Please call me back." Hitting the button that ended her call, she gave way to the flood of emotions that she had been holding back all day. Tears coursed down her cheeks as she felt for the first time that Greg no longer cared for her.

Once she had pulled herself together, she climbed out of the car and slowly made her way to her apartment. Each step she took felt like she was walking in slow motion, and each breath felt labored and weary.

Finally she made it to the top of the steps, tears pooling in her green eyes. Opening the door, she felt her skin crawl. "Something is not right here..." Her thought was cut short by a gloved hand clamping firmly down on her mouth. She felt another hand grab her by the waist and puller her fully into the living room. The door slammed forcefully behind her, and warm breath tickled her ear as she heard a voice whisper, "I told you I would come for you, Leslie. I always keep my promises."

Unable to cry out for help, Leslie did her best to fight the strong arms that held her so tightly. Just as she thought she might be breaking free of his iron grasp, she felt cold, thin metal press against her neck.

"Don't struggle any more, my love. There will be consequences if you do." His voice was a low, menacing hiss in her ear.

She stopped struggling, and did her best to keep her breathing even. With her heart still beating wildly, she let her eyes scan the room. Where was Waldo? Heaving a sigh of relief, she saw that her bedroom door was closed, and she could hear him whimpering through the door.

Feeling her captor lift her off her feet, he carried her over to a dining room chair and set her down. Gently, he pulled her arms behind the chair and she felt him lace a plastic zip tie around her wrists as he secured her arms to the chair. The knife was still in his hand, and he brushed the cold blade against her cheek before he kneeled down in front of her.

Keeping her eyes on her lap, Leslie tried not to look him in the eyes, but she felt the blade under her chin lifting her head up until she was looking into the dark eyes of the man who had haunted her dreams for months. "Jack!" She gasped.

"Yes, my darling, it's me. I told you that I would come for you, but you didn't wait for me. Who is the man you have been getting so cozy with? Don't think I don't know about your little date to the skating rink, or your visit with his mother yesterday."

Tears began to fill Leslie's eyes and fear took hold of her heart as she lowered her head. Would he hurt Greg or Alice? What should she do?

"I will take those tears as remorse, and we will try and forget about your little affair. When you blocked me online, I just assumed that you thought you could never be good enough for someone like me. What you didn't know is that I instantly knew that you would be mine forever. I loved you from the very first moment I saw you. We will stay here at your place until tomorrow night, then I will take you to my cabin in Colorado just like I said I would." He stroked her cheek with his finger tips and leaned down to kiss her cheek.

Automatically, Leslie shrunk away from him, and he once again pressed the knife against her throat. "Don't fight this, Leslie. You must know that we were meant to be together, just like I knew it the first time I laid eyes on you." Leaning down once more, he kissed her forehead before tying her ankles to the legs of the chair with zip ties he fished out of his coat pocket.

"No, my love, there is no use fighting." He stuffed a sock into her mouth and stroked her blond hair tenderly. "When I am confident that you won't fight me, I will be happy to untie you. The sooner you realize what a wonderful life we will have together, the sooner we can start planning our future."

With silent tears making trails down her cheeks, Leslie closed her eyes and prayed for deliverance from whatever fate this monster had in store for her. "Give me wisdom, Father. Please don't let him hurt me."

Leslie's cell phone began to ring, and Jack reached into her pocket to retrieve it. She cringed at the feeling of his hand brushing her leg. After he check the caller id, he asked, "Who's Greg? Is that the name of the man you tried to replace me with? If it is, I will have him come over and pay us a little visit. I know he would be over here in a heartbeat if you asked him to come." His eyes flashed with cruel intentions.

Forgetting the sock that was in her mouth, Leslie tried to speak up. He smiled at her as he took out the gag; allowing her to speak. "What is it my love? Would you like to call him back and tell him to come for a little visit?"

In that moment, Leslie knew she would have to play along with this sick man's game in order to keep Greg and his mother safe. "No. I don't want to see him anymore. He knows it's over between us, but I don't think he wants to accept it." Her voice trembled as she did her best to maintain eye contact with the unstable man that kneeled before her.

A demented smile turned the corners of Jack's mouth. "Is that so? Well, he had better accept it very soon if he knows what's good for him."

"I'm sure he'll figure it out." Leslie's words tasted like poison on her tongue. "After all, you are the only one for me...right?"

"That's right." He stroked her cheek once more, and her heart filled with dread when she saw a hungry look in his brown eyes.

"Please Lord, keep me safe. Don't let him hurt me."

A sigh of utter relief was pushed from her lungs as he returned the sock to her mouth. Still giving her a look that made her skin crawl, he pulled himself up to a standing position and kissed her cheek again.

When she saw him walking to the bedroom door and turn the knob, she prayed that Waldo might somehow defend her from the barbarian that had made her a captive in her own home. Waldo came bounding out in Leslie's direction, but stopped dead in his tracks. Instantly sensing that something was very wrong, he turned to the stranger with a low growl and barred teeth.

Lunging at the intruder, Waldo clamped his jaw around Jack's left arm.

Before Leslie had the chance to hope, Jack took the knife in his right hand and plunged it into Waldo's spotted back. Tears flowed unchecked as she heard Waldo's yelp of pain fill her ears. Sobbing uncontrollably, she lowered her head, but her ears could still detect the sound of the knife continuing to stab her beloved friend. After minutes that passed like hours, the apartment fell totally silent.

Head still bent down, Leslie saw the monster's bloody boots come walking toward her. She had no strength to fight him as he lifted her tear-stained face. His eyes bore a look of glee, and small spatters of blood covered his face and coat. "Don't cry, my darling. He would not have been able to come with us, and as you know, I want you all to myself. Just learn a lesson from this...don't cross me...don't ever cross me."