Chapter 1

This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not here. Not to them. They had moved from their home in their Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago because it had just gotten too dangerous. Too many shootings, too much gang violence, it just wasn’t a safe place to live and raise a family anymore. So a few years back, Charles packed up all their belongings and he, his wife Amy, and their daughter Sarah, moved to Council Bluffs Iowa, just across the Missouri River from Omaha, Nebraska where Charles worked as a financial planner and insurance salesman. It was farther to drive to work than it was back in Chicago, but that’s what Charles wanted – he intentionally put his family in a small, quiet neighborhood, even if it meant he would have a longer commute. Anything to see that they were safe.

So why was this happening to them now? Charles had gone off to work as he had a thousand times before. He left for work about 7:00 am so he could be at the office around 7:30 or 7:45 depending on traffic. That day held nothing special for them, it was just another ordinary spring day. Sarah, now seventeen, was looking forward to the end of her junior year in high school and starting as a senior after the summer break. Amy was getting ready for another day of housework and looking forward to a quiet weekend at home with Charles.

But nothing good lasts forever, and evil is a creeping vine looking to ensnare anyone it can get hold of. Charles and Amy had thought they had escaped the dangers of the city when they left Chicago. They couldn’t have been more wrong...

Amy lay in bed after Charles left for work, hoping to get a few more minutes of sleep before having to get up and start the day. The room was the perfect temperature for sleeping – cool, but not cold – and Amy had just drifted off into that deep, peaceful sleep that makes the world go away.

Suddenly a gloved hand clamped over her mouth brought Amy crashing back to reality and her dreams turned into heart pounding terror. Instantly, she began thrashing against her unseen foe, in the dark of her room she couldn’t see who it was, only that they were not supposed to be there! Her opponent jumped onto the bed, straddling her and pinning her arms down to her sides with his legs.

“Stop fighting me or I’ll kill you!” he hissed in her ear as he leaned over her. Amy was terrified – back in Chicago she’d had a couple “incidences” – once when a strange man was following her and another time when she’d had her purse snatched. But she had always felt safe once she got home and the doors were locked. Now, here in what was supposed to be a safe small town, she was being attacked in her own bedroom! The whole situation might have been ironic to her if she wasn’t being held down with a hand over her mouth and a knife to her throat!

The thought of being raped or killed sent chills up her spine and she stopped struggling in an instant. She wasn’t going to argue with this man who had so quickly and completely overpowered her.

“Don’t even think of trying anything, bitch, I don’t want to have to hurt you, but I’m not going back to prison for you or anyone else. Got it?” he said. His voice was harsh and cold, as if he had no feelings about what he was doing. That scared Amy all over again. A man that had no feelings, had no sympathy and could not be bargained with. Amy nodded her head saying she understood. “Now am I going to have any trouble with you?” he growled again. Amy shook her head no. He slowly lifted his hand off her mouth. Amy tried to see his face, but it was too dark in the room and she was too scared.

Without another word, he went straight to his work. Still sitting on top of her to keep her from fighting, he pulled one arm out from under him and tied her wrist securely to the headboard with ropes he had brought with him. Once the first wrist was securely tied, he repeated it with the second wrist. He checked each knot to be sure it was strong and that she couldn’t get to the knots to work them loose. When he was satisfied with his work, he set the knife down on the nightstand.

“There, that ought to hold you. Now what’s your name?” he asked. His voice had softened some and wasn’t quite as threatening.

“A-Amy,” she said quietly, just barely above a whisper.

“Good girl. Okay, Amy, is there anyone else in the house?” he asked.

OH MY GOD! Amy thought, Sarah! Amy’s heart stopped. Sarah was asleep in her bedroom just down the hall. “Please! Don’t hurt me. Take whatever you want. I promise I won’t yell or scream. I won’t even call the cops!” she said, trying to divert his question.

He chuckled sarcastically, “Amy, by the time you get loose, I’ll be so far from here, the police won’t be able to find me. Now, I am going to ask you again, is anybody else in the house?”

Amy shook her head no. He pressed the knife to her throat. “If you are lying to me bitch, I will come back here and it will not be good for you. And it won’t be good for anyone else I find. Now, then, if I search this house, will I find anyone else here?”

Amy started to cry. She knew he meant business and she had to tell him the truth. “J-just my daughter, Sarah. Please! Please don’t hurt her!”

He looked down at the bound woman. “How old is Sarah?” he asked.

Amy wanted to die right then and there. She wanted to tell him Sarah was just a little girl. Maybe then he would leave her alone. But she knew that he was going to check and when he found out she lied...

A sudden slap across her face brought her attention back in focus. “When I ask you a question, Amy, I expect an answer right away. Do you understand me? You don’t want to make me mad do you?” he said grabbing her throat and squeezing hard enough to make it difficult for her to answer.

“No sir,” she squeaked.

“Hmm, ‘No sir’ – I like that. Shows you understand your place. Now let’s try that again. How old is Sarah?” he repeated the question.

“Seventeen! Sarah is seventeen, sir. Please don’t hurt her! You can do anything to me you want, but please don’t hurt her! Please!”

He looked at her and smiled. He reached up and took hold of Amy’s skimpy pink panties. As she looked wide eyed at him, he pulled them off her in one swift move and balled them up in his hand.

“Open your mouth,” he said.

Amy looked at him panic-stricken, “Please! Please, sir, don’t do this!” she begged.

But he wouldn’t be swayed. He slapped her face again. “I said open your mouth. Or would you like me to open it for you?”

Amy opened her mouth reluctantly. He forced the balled up panties into her mouth, stuffing her mouth full of the garment until she nearly choked on it. Then he took some duct tape and put it over her mouth so she couldn’t spit them back out. One final check of her wrists and he turned and left the room.

Amy thrashed wildly on the bed, screaming into her panty-gag for all she was worth. She knew that this evil man had gone to get Sarah. God knows what he was going to do to her! Amy kicked and bucked and struggled with all her might and motherly resolve to get free. She had to warn Sarah, even if it meant she would get hurt or worse. But the ropes held and the gag in her mouth made screaming futile as well.

Tears of fear and frustration filled her eyes and rolled down her cheeks as she lay there on the bed helpless to protect her daughter. Time seemed to stand still for Amy while he was gone. She couldn’t hear anything because he had shut her door, but her mind imagined all manner of horrific scenarios where he would be attacking her and...

Suddenly the door swung open and she saw him. He stood there for a moment in the doorway before he pulled Sarah into the doorway in front of him. Sarah stood there, her eyes wide with terror and a piece of tape across her mouth as well. He held her there by the ponytail Amy had put in her long brown hair herself.

The man pushed Sarah roughly into the room and over to a chair. “Sit,” he said, pushing her down by the shoulders into the chair. Then he reached into a small green canvas bag he had brought with him and pulled out some more rope. He tied Sarah’s ankles to the legs of the chair, then he tied her knees to the chair arms, spreading them as wide as the arms would allow. He pulled the young girl’s arms around behind the back of the chair and tied her wrists together, securing them finally to the back of the chair. Sarah was securely bound to the chair now with no way of getting free.

He turned back to Amy with a couple more pieces of rope. He grabbed her ankle, pulling it straight out and stretching her full length on the bed. He tied her ankle to the post at the foot of the bed and then the other one to the other foot post. Amy was now tied spread-eagled on the bed with her daughter, Sarah, tied to a chair watching her.

He pulled the drapes down over the windows, making the room even darker than it was. He moved over and flicked on the light, and at first the light was blinding. But as the two women’s eyes got used to the light, they could start to see their attacker clearly for the first time. He was a good sized man, a little over six foot tall. He was well-built with broad shoulders, a deep, powerful chest, and large, strong arms. Amy looked up at him and saw he had dark hair, a stubble beard and blue eyes. His eyes seemed to be able to see straight into her soul and she was almost transfixed as she looked at him. Had the situation been different, she could have easily been attracted to this intruder. But the man was not there for a social call and within a moment, her admiration is wiped away.

“Okay ladies, here’s how this is going to work. First off let me assure you that I am not your average ‘smash and grab’ home burglar. I am not a common thug who looks for an opportunity and kicks in the door, steals what he can grab, and runs off into the night.

“No, I have been watching you and this house for some time. I know your schedules and your routines. I know that your husband left for work at 7:00 this morning, the same as he always does. I know he won’t be back until around 6:00 tonight, which will give us plenty of time for fun.

“I know this neighborhood’s routine too. I know that most people here work, so the neighborhood is very quiet during the day. The nearest neighbor that is home during the day lives three doors down and around the corner. So your screaming for help is of little use too.

“Your husband was very thoughtful to leave the side door of the garage unlocked, and I have pulled my car into the garage where he parks so no one can drive past here and see a strange car in the driveway. And pulling the drapes down over the windows hides the lights and what is going on inside the house.

“So you can see, I am a smart and well-prepared man. And that just leaves you two. As I said, I do not plan on going back to prison for you or anyone else, so I am only going to tell you this one time: If either of you give me any trouble or try to get away or call for help, I will kill you both.

“If you try anything, Amy, I will kill Sarah in front of you, then I will kill you. And Sarah, if you try to be a hero, I will kill your mom while you watch, and then I will kill you. And I’m not talking a quick and easy killing, I will make you both suffer before you die.

“Ladies, I do not want to hurt either of you and if you play along, no one will get hurt. But with my record, I will go to jail for burglary the same as I will for murder. So let’s all play along and this will go quicker and with less trouble. Do we have an understanding here?” he said.

Amy and Sarah both shook their heads yes. “Good. Now I think we can start by taking these off,” he said as he removed the tape from Sarah’s mouth and then the tape and panty-gag from Amy’s mouth.

“Wha-what do you want from us?” Amy asked. “We don’t have a lot of money or jewels or anything like that.”

“Now Amy, didn’t I just go through the whole thing about how I’m not a stupid burglar? I know who you are and I looked up your address on the Internet. I know your husband is a very well-respected financial planner. You live in this very nice house and I have seen your husband driving that sharp BMW he has. You can’t tell me that you are having to scrape and scratch to pay your bills!

However, now that I’m here and I see the two of you, I think that business can wait for a bit. There’s more things of value here than just money and jewels!” he said. He took the knife off the nightstand and walked towards Sarah. Amy started struggling to get loose. He turned back to her.

“Easy momma! I’m not going to hurt her,” he said, pointing the knife at Amy.

Sarah sunk back in her chair, cringing in fear as he approached her. Her eyes reflected the terror Amy felt, and she kept looking at her mother for help. However, there wasn’t anything Amy could do but watch this man as he approached her daughter, the knife in his hand.

“Please, sir! Please don’t! Take me! I’ll do anything you want, I swear, just please don’t hurt my little girl!” Amy pleaded desperately. But he had Sarah in his sights and her pleas fell on deaf ears.

Sarah froze, trembling as he walked around behind her. He wanted Amy to watch as he tore her flimsy blue nightie to shreds and removed it from her. He could have simply untied the little string that held it together in the front, but that would have been too easy. Instead he used the razor sharp knife to cut the spaghetti straps. Then he cut down the sides from the armholes to the bottom hem, and finally he cut the knot in the front tie instead of untying it, leaving the thin little babydoll in ribbons. He lifted it off her and tossed it at Amy, making it land on her lap so she could see her daughter’s covering destroyed.

Amy, like most mothers, still tried to hold on to the image of her daughter as the little six year old girl playing with her dolls and having tea parties in her bedroom. She didn’t want to admit her child was growing up because that meant she was growing old. But laying bound on the bed and watching this man rip away her clothes made her see Sarah for what she was. And as Sarah sat there, bound to the chair in just her blue bikini panties, Amy realized she had become quite a beautiful young woman. She had her mother’s soft skin and her mother’s sexy appealing figure. And apparently, their antagonist thought so as well.