Incite Me

Chapter 14

Silence. The piercing, aching silence hummed inside my eardrums as I held the cell up to my ear, waiting for the call to finally connect. For a second, I considered slamming the phone into a wall and running out of the house to look for my best friend. Jack sat on the couch staring at the flashing screen of his laptop, occasionally throwing short glances at me as I stood frozen leaning against the cold wall. The line crackled and the voice from hell answered, making me hold my breath in for as long as I could. 

"I was just thinking about you." Daniel spoke in low monotone. I could feel him smiling which made my stomach churn with a queasy spell clouding my gut. 

"Pass the phone to Ian, I want to make sure he's ok!" I screamed into the phone, unable to fully control my hysteria. 

"He won't be if you don't come to me."

"Pass. The phone. To Ian." I repeated myself, this time clearer and more content. 

Phone rattled and the line stayed quiet for a second, before inaudible mumbles could be heard when someone started to breathe into the receiver. "Ian!?"

"I'm here, Sam. I'm fine." 

I could exhale just a little easier all of a sudden. "Thanks God! Where is he keeping you?"

"I don't know, he had a bag over my head. But I think we're in..."

"Ok, that's enough." Daniel took over and laughed rather hoarsely.

I had to keep the cell an inch away from my ear not to get that stinging laughter to linger in my head longer than it needs to. "I need to know where I have to come meet you." I looked at Jack who just nodded and gave me a single thumb up for the encouragement.

"Come to the gas station in the corner of West Alondra Boulevard. If you come with the company - Ian dies. I'll see you in half an hour."

Daniel was about to hang up so I had to do something to keep him on the line for a minute longer. Jack tapped his wrist, indicating that he needs more time. I rolled my eyes and swallowed past the icy lump in my throat, before focusing my entire strength on the conversation with Daniel. "Ok, I will come. You'll get to have your revenge." I spat in the phone and pushed myself off the wall. "What will you do to me? Rape me again? Skin me alive?" My free hand clenched into a fist as I tried to resist the urge to punch something or someone. 

"If I tell you now, I'll ruin the surprise." Daniel smiled into the phone in utter satisfaction. How can he be so disgusting? Daniel I knew back in the Academy might have been insane but this was his new level of deprivation. 

I quickly waved to Jack who sat with his eyes focused on the laptop screen. He looked at me through his thick dark eyelashes and nodded before mouthing - "GOT IT."

"You won't get the satisfaction of breaking me again, Dan!" I conceded under my breath and killed the line. 

"Well done!" Jack smiled and patted the space on the couch for me to sit down, "We've got him!"