Held

Coleman stood there unable to move. He checked his watch and fumbled with it momentarily. Both of them saw the glow of a green light and followed it to the living room. As they walked in, a video began playing. "Oh, my God," Holly said hollowly.

"Who are they?" Coleman asked.

"My niece and nephew," she mumbled. Her eyes were fixed on the images in front of her. They appeared to either be live or very recent. They were playing in a park. Next to them, a man was sitting on a bench holding a newspaper. The front page headline read, "Convicted Teacher Escapes." Her photo was centered above the fold.

"That's you," Coleman said coldly. "So he's telling the truth? Did you really do those things?" he asked.

"No! I didn't do anything! All of them got together and made up a story. They rehearsed the details over and over and during the trial they all said..."

Unable to stop himself, Coleman again fumbled with the Rolex. The siren blared. It went on for what seemed like forever before the room fell silent.

Holly was sobbing. "I didn't do it. I didn't do any of that. I swear. None of it."

Coleman's face showed that dazed look again. He couldn't think. He wanted to believe her. But a jury had heard her case and convicted her. More importantly, he'd been told—no, ordered—to rape her. But he was also fighting an innate need to protect her. That feeling was very strong. He felt the room closing in on him. His field of vision was beginning to narrow. He knew that within minutes the pain would come. Pain so intense he'd vomit if he didn't get the medication in time.

"I can't do this!" Coleman screamed.

"Do what?" Holly asked. "Pete? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Coleman turned and made it to the door then felt his way to the keypad and punched in the numbers by feel. "Pete? What's going on?" he heard her say. She was only a few feet away but it sounded muffled as though she was far, far away or talking into a tube.

He made it upstairs into his bathroom and found the medicine cabinet. His vision was down to a narrow point, but he turned his head sideways and was able to read the label. He ripped open the box and punched out a single tablet. He kept a diet Coke next to the medicine chest on the sink counter just in case. The caffeine helped relieve the symptoms. He drank as much of it as he could in one drink, then killed the bottle before stumbling into the bedroom. A few minutes later, his vision was gone. Moments after that, the pain came. Searing wave after searing wave. The nausea was so bad he couldn't move. Just turning over would cause him to vomit. After what seemed like hours, the medicine began to take effect. It never eliminated the symptoms, but it always helped. The relief was wonderful. It was just enough to let him fall asleep.

When he awoke, the pain was gone. Most of the time, it lingered. Sometimes for days. But occasionally, this happened. When it did, it was the sweetest relief.

Coleman sat up and tried to think. The previous night was a blur. He remembered going to the basement and seeing her but he couldn't remember anything else.

Holly woke up still wearing the white silk robe. She'd been up for several hours, had coffee, made breakfast and in all that time, there'd been no blinking lights, no "direction from on high." While the autonomy was a welcome relief she couldn't help but wonder what it meant. Was something ominous brewing? Had this person, this...Voice...hurt Coleman for not raping her? What if he'd killed him? Would she die...alone...in this God-forsaken "paradise?"

In the absence of orders, she decided to do what she felt like doing and that included taking a shower and changing clothes. Except that the water wouldn't turn on. Holly felt the frustration boiling inside of her. It was right below the surface. And yet, on whom would she release it? There was no one around on whom she could vent. Exhausted, she lay down on the bed and waited. For Coleman. For a green light. For...The Voice. Even death began to seem like a better alternative than life in this place because this wasn't life.

At some point, Holly awoke to the sound of his voice. "Holly?" she heard him say. She opened one eye and there was Coleman standing next to her. She opened the other eye then realized she'd fallen asleep. He wasn't wearing the gym clothes nor the Armani suit, but he was dressed rather nicely. It was then Holly didn't care what he was wearing, she just needed someone to hold. Someone to hold her before she came apart at the seams.

"Pete! Oh, my God. Are you okay?" she said as she sat up. "I was so worried about you. What happened last night?"

"I don't remember," he told her. "I came down here to see you for some reason and then..."

She slid her legs off the bed and sat on the edge. "Here. Come sit down, okay?" she said patting the area next to her. Coleman sat next to her and Holly put her arm through his and leaned her head on his shoulder. "You don't look well, Pete. I thought something was really, terribly wrong and then this morning...there were no lights, no sounds, and I thought...I thought maybe..." For the first time in several months, Holly began to tear up. She started to sniffle and then the tears came.

Coleman put his arm around her and said, "Hey, it's okay. I'm here."

Holly couldn't stop the flow of tears. "I was so scared. I thought maybe he'd...hurt you."

"No, no. I'm okay. I get these headaches sometimes. They come on out of nowhere and I can't see and then there's the worst pain and..."

Holly managed to get control of herself as she said, "Those are migraines, Pete. My mom gets them. She has the same symptoms. Sometimes she's down for several days with them." She took his hand and squeezed it tight. "I was SO scared. I thought I'd lost you."

Coleman sensed she was trembling. He turned to look down at the top of her head when she looked up. It was...Bonnie. She was alive and she was here...with him. He was having trouble making sense of it the way he did with so many things lately, but it was her. He was sure of it. The eyes, the hair. Even the scent of her shampoo. It was Bonnie.

"Pete. If I'd lost you..." Holly couldn't stop the tears from starting again. "If you'd died..."

He turned to face and said, "I'll never leave you, honey. You know that, right? I made a vow before God and man."

Holly didn't understand why he called her 'honey' but it had been SO long since anyone had said a kind word to her. Since anyone had touched her or held her or...

"Pete?" she said softly. "Would you...hold me?"

Coleman was having trouble processing something. She looked like Bonnie but the voice wasn't the same. It was soft and feminine but it didn't sound like her. But it was her. It had to be. He'd never be alone with another beautiful woman.

"Of course, I will? You know you don't have to ask," he told her as he put his arms around her. Holly's eyes closed as he gently stroked her back and her hair. The sensation of another human being's touch was overwhelming. It was like water to someone who's been in a desert wandering around and literally dying from a lack of water.

She held him close and ran her hands up and down his back, as well. She was drinking in his touch letting it fill the emptiness in her heart. Her heart. It was beating fast and other parts of her body were also responding to the warmth of this man. "Pete?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Would you..." she looked at him, her eyes darting back and forth between his. "Would you...kiss me?" Coleman stroked her cheek and smoothed her hair before leaning in and kissing her on the lips. When she moaned softly, Coleman knew it was her. He hadn't been with her in so long. He'd missed her so much. And now she was here with him again.

He pushed her back on the bed and rolled on top of her. He was so hungry for her and Holly had never wanted anyone more than she did this handsome, older man. She didn't give a damn about his age. He was kind and caring and she was desperate for his love and attention. It didn't matter whether or not it was just physical. She had to have him inside her. She needed him inside her. She needed him more than she'd ever needed anything.

Holly took his hand and put it on her full breast and said, "My God, I want you!"

Coleman recognized Bonnie's large, C-cup breast in his hand as he gently squeezed it for the first time in...how long? When she moaned again, he was certain it was her. Moments later, both of them had shed their clothes and Holly had pushed him over on his back. She was on top kissing him passionately while her hand made its way to the place she most wanted on his body. She felt him growing in her hand. "Mmmm. You feel so good to me, Pete," she whispered to him.

She kissed his face, his neck, his chest, and his stomach all the way cupping him with her hand and stroking the length of his shaft. She ran her hand down its length and back underneath his balls as she took him into her warm mouth. "Oh, my God," he moaned. "Oh, honey. That feels so good! I can't remember the last time you did that for me."

Holly heard what he said, but it didn't fully register with her. She was lost in a sea of her own deepest needs and all she could think about was having the large, thick cock in her hand deep inside her pussy which was already drenched with her own juices. She sucked hard and deep. She played with the head using her lips and tongue in all the ways she'd learned to do. She was thrilled when Pete's strong hand pushed her down and held her there. She'd never thought of herself as being very submissive. She was a modern, progressive woman who was the equal of any man. But for whatever reason, she needed him to be in charge. To make her do what he wanted because that was what she wanted. She was a cauldron of emotions swirling around in a charged-particle field ready to explode.

"I need you inside me, Pete," she blurted out as he released his hold on her. Her saliva was thick and there were long, heavy strands from her lips to his cock.

He reached up and grabbed her under her arms and pulled her on top of him. She reached between her legs and found him. She raised him up slightly then slowly and wonderfully sank down taking him inside her. She hadn't had sex in well over six months and that was a hook up with a fellow teacher and nothing more. She was sure she'd need to go very slowly taking him in an inch at at time, but she slid all the way down without any pain. "Oh, my fucking God!" she called out. "Oh, shit!"

Holly rocked and lifted herself up then lowered her body down. In and out. Holding him all the way to the hilt and pushing until his fat cock hit her clit. Then she'd slowly raise up letting it run across her love button all the way to the head then back down. Holly repeated this until she couldn't wait another moment. She gasped, then screamed, "Jesus! I'm gonna fucking cum! Oh...my...God!!"

Pete couldn't remember the last time he'd been with his beautiful wife, but he knew it had been a very, very long time. As she shuddered, he let go and sent streams of warm, sticky cum inside his gorgeous wife until she stopped moving and lay on top of him, panting and kissing his face and lips.

Once he was finished, the confusion began to creep back in. He watched as Bonnie's face turned slowly back into Holly's. He wasn't afraid, but he also couldn't understand how he could have cheated on his wife no matter how attractive the other woman might be. What would make him do something like this? How could he betray the woman he loved?

He felt the room closing in on him. Holly saw the change in his face and said, "Pete? Is it happening again? Are you okay?"

Coleman didn't answer her. He just gently pushed her to the side and stood up. He fumbled for the wall and once again, made his way upstairs without the aid of his sight.

The next day he awoke unable to recall what had happened the night before. For the first time he could remember, Pete Coleman felt afraid. "What the hell is happening to me?" he thought as he lay in bed staring at the ceiling. He was startled from his pity party by the sound of The Voice.

"I told you to rape her," it said in that staccato, metallic sound. "She's a whore. She hurt all of those boys and she deserves to feel the same pain they felt."

Coleman was shaking as he sat up. He was also sweating again. He threw off the covers and jumped in the shower. He couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten and he was starving. But he didn't want to be alone.

Once he was dressed, he went back downstairs and found Holly who was still in the white robe. "Hey," he said once she saw him.

"Pete! Oh, my goodness. I've been so worried," she said. She cautiously approached him then put her arms around his neck.

He held her back but something was wrong. "Have you changed clothes?" he asked.

"No," she said. "The water's been off down here for two days. I can't shower or even, you know, clean up properly." She stepped back to look at him. He really was a very handsome man but he looked so...so confused again.

"The water. Yes, the water. I'll go upstairs and tell him...no, I'll ask him to turn it on for you."

"No, Pete. Please don't leave right now. Please. I don't want to be alone."

Holly made breakfast for them but Coleman was distant. He responded but his answers were...hollow. Holly used bottled water to make their coffee as she'd done earlier to at least brush her teeth.

Holly sat on his lap and said, "I'm worried about you, Pete."

"You are?" he said without really understanding. "Why are you worried about me?"

Holly held him close and said, "I'm not sure you want to hear the answer to that."

When she released him she stared into his eyes. He was looking back but she could tell he wasn't seeing her. "We need to get you some help," she said as she stroked his thick hair. "I don't know what's wrong but you need a doctor, Pete. I can't lose you because..."

Holly literally jumped when she heard voices. "Down here!" she heard one say. "Through this door!"

She stood behind Coleman as two men in suits entered the room. "He's here. So is Prescott!" the man hollered.

The second man said, "Mr. Coleman? Are you okay?" Pete stared at the police detective and mumbled, "Yes. I'm fine. But don't hurt my...wife."

The detectives looked at one another and said, "Mr. Coleman. I'm Detective Renner. Do you remember me?"

Coleman shook his head. "No, sorry. I don't."

The detective sat next to him as two other men entered the basement. "Sir, I was the one who told you your wife had been...abducted and...murdered. Do you remember that, sir? This isn't your wife. This is Holly Prescott, the woman you abducted several days ago."

"Abducted?" Coleman said. "No, she's Bonnie. That's my wife."

A third man followed by a fourth who'd entered the room along with two EMTs were standing next to him. "The EMTs asked Holly to sit down so they could check her out while the older of the two new men said, "Pete, it's Dr. Edson. Do you recognize me?"

Pete shook his head. "No. How do you know me?"

Dr. Edson turned to the fourth man who was Nate Montecci, his attorney for the last 20 years. "I'm guessing the tumor's gotten larger and it's affecting not only his cognitive abilities but his memory, as well. We need to get him into surgery as soon as possible."

"But the other woman. He killed her. I had to dispose of the body. You have to find her!"

Pete's physician put his hand on his shoulder and said, "There's no body, Pete. That was what they did to your wife. I'm so sorry to have to bring this up but you have to understand you didn't hurt anyone or do anything wrong."

Chapter 3

When Pete opened his eyes, he saw Holly standing next to him. "Pete? Can you hear me?"

He was groggy but his head was otherwise clear. "Ms. Prescott. Yes, I can hear you. Where are we?" he asked as he looked around. "How did I...we...get here?"

Pete saw a man stand up and move toward the bed. "How do you feel, Pete?"

"Nate. It's good to see you. Did I have another...episode?"

"I'm afraid so, my friend. This one was bad. No one's seen or heard from you in over four months. But your efforts paid off. Ms. Prescott has been cleared of all charges."

It was still foggy, but it was coming back to him now. His son, Michael, was one of the four boys she'd been accused of having had sex with. Initially, he'd believed his boy when he told him about this attractive teacher who accompanied them on a road game in her role as cheerleading coach. He claimed she'd given him and a friend drugs and alcohol then seduced them in her room. When she was arrested, he was relieved. Until, that is, he overhead his son talking to the other boy. Something he said didn't sound right and Coleman had hired a private investigator to look into the situation.

He'd gotten so caught up in the events he'd missed two days worth of the medication he depended on to ward off the side effects of the brain tumor he was scheduled to have removed. With the medication, he was able to stay grounded in reality. Without it, he began to drift into another world of voices and paranoia.

Most of it was a blur, but he remembered moving to the safe house he'd had built after the abduction and murder of his wife, Bonnie. No one else knew it existed because he felt the only way he could protect himself and those he loved was to have a completely unknown location. When he disappeared without warning, those who knew him understood immediately what had almost certainly happened due to his mental state. What they couldn't know was where he'd gone.

They also knew he was extremely good at remaining hidden and had it not been for someone catching a detail of his abduction of the van Holly was riding in after reviewing it dozens of times, they may never have found him.

The private investigator Coleman had hired uncovered information confirming what Holly said. These two boys, plus two from the previous year, had all been close friends. One of the boys from the previous year had been failed by Ms. Prescott and when he'd approached her to see about getting her to pass him, she'd told him no. He then tried to get rough with her and she'd threatened to call the police. His father was a wealthy man and the embarrassment was too much for him to bear. So he essentially blackmailed the other three boys into joining him in accusing her of having had sex with each one of them before they turned 18 as well as having given them drugs and alcohol. The charges were false, but Holly was advised not to testify while everything each of the boys said in court matched flawlessly and the jury had believed them and voted unanimously to convict her on all counts.

While the investigator was busy getting Holly's conviction overturned, the rest of the Seattle Police force was trying to track down the man in the City of Seattle ball cap who'd staged the abduction of Ms. Prescott and the van she was in. The clue came the chairman of MicroSoft himself saw the still frame of the video. He'd seen one of his top executives, Pete Coleman, a former city engineer, wear it numerous times. His phone call to the police and an offer of any and all assistance allowed them to track down his safe house in a matter of days.

"I knew you were innocent," he told her. "I didn't know how, but I just knew."

She took his hand and said, "I can't thank you enough, Pete. I owe you my life. Literally."

"I'm sorry for the way I behaved, Ms. Prescott."

"Ms. Prescott? Pete, have you forgotten?"

Coleman's head and neck were immobilized so he couldn't shake his head. He just said quietly, "Of course not. That part was very real and very...wonderful. But now that you know the truth, all I can do is ask you to forgive me. My feelings were real but I honestly thought you were...her."