After a while it was Liliana’s turn. She picked me up one day, and we rode to this empty storefront in town. When she opened the door and turned on the lights, I almost had a coronary. There were boxing bags and a large mat in the middle of the floor. She looked at me as she put her hair in a ponytail.
“I’m going to make sure you never get kidnapped again. No one will ever put their hands on you and get away with it. I will teach you how to defend yourself.”
“Your brother showed me how…” I told her, and she shook her head and laughed.
“My dear brother showed you like he was your boyfriend. I’m going to show you like you are my enemy.”
The next thing I knew I went down hard on my back. The air was knocked out of me, and I struggled to breathe trying to get the wind back in my lungs.
Liliana leaned over me and shook her head. “See what I mean… Don’t worry, sis, I’ll get you right before you know it.”
It took her about a month, and before I knew it I felt fifty percent like myself. The other fifty you ask… well let’s just say I’m still waiting for him to come back.
I felt so blessed to have this family in my life. This wonderful family took me in without even knowing who I was. They just took Josh’s word, and that was good enough for them. As I mentioned, I began to see pieces of me come back… I’ve found my confidence in myself again. Now don’t get me wrong, I still have nightmares, and I can’t sleep for long periods of time, but during the day I’m able to function like a normal person. I don’t think every person that I see is out to grab me nor do me harm, so that’s progress.
The doctors are very pleased at my physical recovery, and the therapist that I see thinks she can get me back to the way I used to be. I smiled when she said that, giving her positive upbeat emotions for the sake of doing it. I knew deep down that there was only person that would be able to bring me back completely.
I never imagined I’d miss him so much. Malcolm gave me the watered down version of how I was rescued. He told me that Josh was the one that found me in some sub–basement that looked to have been created just for me. Once he found me, he stayed by my side until he had to leave, and he sent me videos and emails while I was in a coma that I’d practically memorized.
When I needed to hear his voice and see his face, which had been every second of every day, I played a video of him, which is what I’m about to do right now. I went back into the bedroom to retrieve my IPAD. Once I was settled back in the patio chair, wrapped in the covers, I found one of Josh’s videos and pressed play.
His handsome face appeared and he smiled in the camera. I guessed he was using his phone to record. The video was shaky, and the sound wasn’t that good. But it did the trick.
This was the very first video he made.
I smiled and touched the screen as he said, “Sweets, I want to first apologize for not being there when you finally woke up. I hope you can forgive me, and I really hope you let me make it up to you.”
His smiled turned devilish, which no matter how many times I watched this I still blushed.
His smile went away, and his features suddenly grew serious. “I miss you so much, baby. I’ve never been more afraid of anything in my life, but the thought of losing you seeing you lying there hurt…” he let that thought hang in the air as he ran his hand through his unusually long hair. “So even though I’m gone, I have left you in capable hands. Ma and pops will take care of you, and Malcolm will keep you safe, not that you need to worry, but it makes me feel better knowing he’s there. Now a few rules… Don’t let my sister corrupt you.” He shook his head and laughed. “She thinks she’s Jackie Chan or something, and she’ll probably try and teach you something… tell her no.” I smiled, too late for that… “And please don’t believe all of the stories my mother may tell you about me as a kid. They aren’t true. I was a saint.”
That made me chuckle too. His mom had told me all about Josh as a kid and all the fights he got into because of his temper, and I believed every one. Putting him into martial arts she said saved him by teaching him some self–control, otherwise, he would’ve probably been in prison or worse.
Josh continued, “I’m hoping I can wrap this assignment up sooner rather than later and get home to you. Until then baby, every free time I get, I’ll make sure to email you or send you a video. Let me tell you in advance, some of the video might be a little explicit since I haven’t touched you or been inside you for a long time. Just thinking about you, tasting you again, holding you, shit baby, I’m getting turned on just thinking about you…” Josh adjusted himself and closed his eyes. I heard a knock, and his eyes opened quickly. He said, “I gotta go, Sweets… Please know that I will be very careful so I make it back to you in one piece. And I love you with all of me. See you soon.”
The video ended, and I stared at the black screen. I quickly started the next video, feeling the emptiness inside start to take over. I needed to see his face and hear his voice. I watched all the videos at least ten times, including the dirty ones, since Malcolm gave them to me a week ago. He was definitely true to his word and sent me a pornographic video of him talking dirty to me as he relieved himself. The video was only of his face, but I saw the pleasure overcome him every time he came, and after a while I started touching myself too as he told me all the ways he would make me come when he got home.
When I would close my eyes, the only time I was okay with the darkness was hearing his voice tell me how much he loved me and hearing him get off by just thinking about the way I make him feel. It was our dirty time together, and I treasured it just as I did the other videos and emailed love letters he sent.
During the other videos he would tell me so many stories about him growing up and about his siblings. I haven’t met Shane yet, and he told me he was with him. I did, however, see him in one of the videos. He barged into the room Josh was in while he was making the video.
He snatched the phone from Josh and said quickly, “Hey, Sweets, I’m Shane…”
“You don’t get to call her Sweets…” I heard Josh in the background say.
Shane smiled. “I can’t wait to officially meet you. My little brother has kept you to himself for far too long. Malcolm says he doesn’t deserve you, and I have no doubt its true. So if my brother ever steps out of line, let me know. I’ll handle him.”
“You fucking wish you could handle me, now give me back my phone.”
Shane laughed. “Stop being a pussy, we got work to do… say goodbye to your woman.”
The phone was hurled in the air, and the picture was scrambled for a second then it focused on a frowning Josh.
He looked at me or rather the screen. “Sweets, you may not be able to meet my brother if he keeps this shit up.”
“Yeah, keep talking, pussy…” I heard Shane say then laughed… and said, “Don’t worry, Sweets, I’ll make sure he doesn’t mess around and get hurt.”
Josh shook his head and looked at the phone.
“Do you see why I don’t hang around my brothers… juveniles?”
Shane laughed and I heard him say… “Does she know about the baby powder incident?”
Even though Josh was shaking his head trying to be serious, I could see the grin he was trying to keep at bay. I knew just by talking to him how much he loved his family. They were the most important people in his life.
“Sweets, I have to go, as you heard… I also have to say goodbye for a little while. We are going dark, so I won’t be able to send you videos. The moment I get done I promise I’ll call you or send you another video. Love you, Sweets.”
That happened to be the last video he sent me. I got emails from time to time but no other videos were sent.
I put my IPAD down finally and sat there looking out as the sun kissed the horizon. Later today the Coopers are having a huge dinner. It’s the anniversary of Josh’s parents today. They’ve been together for forty–five years, and what I love about them is they still seemed to be deeply in love. It doesn’t matter who’s around them, Pops has no problem putting his hands and lips all over his wife. Sometimes I will see them cuddled in each other’s arms, touching and kissing each other. It makes me think about Josh and miss him even more.
Anyway, this night isn’t just about their anniversary. I will be seeing my family for the first time in over five years. Malcolm told me there were a few issues between Josh and my family. I vaguely remember him telling me that he met my parents and they didn’t like him. Well according to Malcolm, they really don’t like him now. Apparently I was taken from Pittsburgh to New Jersey by my kidnappers. When I was found, they took me to a hospital in New Brunswick. It was then that Josh took over. I had filled out my will and power of attorney when I read Josh’s. I also named Josh as my beneficiary and the person that would be in charge of everything I own as well as my well–being in the event I couldn’t.
So Josh, being the guy that he was, banned my parents from seeing me and making any decisions on my behalf. Apparently Nickels gave him all the documentation he needed, and my parents were helpless to stop him.