Chapter 2

Six months later, they were in court. Alan had his dad hire the best defense attorney possible for himself and Jagger, who recovered from his gunshot wound. All the money in the world wouldn't have gotten them off. A jury only took four hours to deliberate and found them both guilty on all counts -- kidnapping, carrying a concealed weapon, illegal use of a controlled substance, rape (for Jagger) and attempted rape (for Alan). No charges were ever filed against Mandy. She didn't appear in court, opting for a written testimony instead.

The sentences were handed down, and Tyler and Samantha breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the nightmare was over. On the steps of the courthouse, Samantha threw her arms around Tyler and thanked him again for saving her life.

"It's no problem, baby. I love you!"

"I love you, too!"

They drove back to Tyler's house in silence. As they pulled in the driveway, Samantha began to speak, but Tyler interrupted her. He turned to her then took her hand in his.

"I love you, Samantha. Will you live with me?" he asked. He wasn't expecting the reply she gave him.

"No."

"But I -- "

She put a finger to his lips. "I'll only live with you on one condition."

"What's that?" he asked, confused.

"You make me your wife," she replied with a smile.

His heated kiss was his reply to her as he pulled her across the seat and into his arms. He broke the kiss briefly, "Wait a minute, isn't the man supposed to propose?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah, but I've never been a traditional kinda girl."

"Let's get outta here and go inside, love."

"Only if you take me straight to bed."

He helped her out of the car, cradled her in his arms and carried her into the house then into the bedroom. As he laid her down gently on the bed, she pulled him to her, whispering in his ear.

"It's a good thing you said yes." She placed his hand on her belly. "You're gonna be a daddy."

With a tear in his eye he gently rubbed her belly and whispered, "I love you, Samantha, thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Thank you for making me the happiest man in the world!"

She could feel the fire and the passion in his kiss, just as she did the first time they kissed all those months ago. She wrapped her arms around his waist and caressed his back under his shirt. She knew she loved this man more than life itself, and the tiny life now growing inside her was proof of that love.

Slowly they undressed each other, enjoying the feel of their bodies pressed intimately together. She felt his lips trace down her body, stopping at each nipple and sucking softly before he brought his mouth back up to hers. He rolled over on the bed and pulled her on top of him, both still engaged in a feverish kiss. She kissed along his neck and up to his ear, nibbling softly and feeling him quiver beneath her.

"Oh God, Sam," he uttered.

He put his knees up with his feet resting on the bed, allowing her to lean back against his legs as she took his length deep inside her. "You feel so good, Ty," she whispered as she glided up and down on his rigid shaft.

She quickened her pace and felt his hands on her breasts, caressing them softly, rolling the nipples gently between his fingers. She leaned down to kiss him again as the movement of their hips increased. She let out a soft moan into his mouth when he hit that spot that always brought her to the edge. Tyler reached one hand down between them, his thumb gently grazing her hard clit, causing her orgasm to jolt through her.

"Tyler, Oh God! Tyler!" she screamed as he thrust himself once more into her, releasing his hot seed deep inside her convulsing pussy.

She collapsed on top of him, her head resting in the crook of his neck. She could hear his heart beating rapidly as their bodies recovered. She felt his arm slip around her waist. They dozed off, exhausted but sated and happy.

They woke a few hours later to the phone ringing. It was Tyler's mother inviting them to dinner. They accepted then showered, got dressed and drove over to Sam's to get her a change of clothes.

As they drove home from his mother's house, they talked about baby names and when they would get married. "You know, since you proposed to me, shouldn't I get a ring?" Tyler teased.

"I think we can work something out, love," she said, taking his hand in hers. "What I need to do first is call my brother and see if he still wants to buy my house. I'll call him in the morning and call for a moving van, too. Some of my stuff might end up in storage."

"Just rent a truck, Sam. I can get Charlie and Larry to help us move. I've got lots of room in the basement, so any of your stuff we don't have room for, we can store in the basement. There's no need for you to rent storage space," he told her, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it softly.

"That sounds perfect! Right now, though, I'm exhausted and all I wanna do is sleep. I love your mother, but she ran me ragged this evening."

Tyler chuckled softly. "Yeah, she's good for that."

"We can make our calls in the morning," she told him as they pulled into his driveway. They walked to the door hand-in-hand again, pausing briefly to share another heated kiss.

"What was that for?" she asked as they broke the kiss together.

"You make me happy!" he said, looking deep into her dark green eyes.

"I love you," she replied, pulling him into her for another kiss.

"I love you too," he said against her lips. They heard a rumble of thunder in the distance and felt a few raindrops. Reluctantly, they broke their kiss then headed inside.

After a few months of living together, it was as if they'd lived together for years. They got along great and fell more in love with each other every day. About five months into her pregnancy, Samantha was finally starting to show. Every morning when Tyler woke up next to her, he kissed his bride-to-be then gently kissed her stomach and said "I love you" to his unborn child.

As they sat at the breakfast table one morning, glancing at the television every now and then, they saw a news story flash an image of Alan across the screen. Tyler stood and turned up the volume on the TV then turned to look at Samantha and saw a look of fear in her eyes. He sat back down and watched with her.

Alan Lee Wagner has won an appeal in an Oakland County court. The convictions of carrying a concealed weapon, kidnapping, illegal use of a controlled substance and attempted rape have been overturned. The convictions against Jagger Dean Mitchell are still in appeal by his attorney. As you'll recall, Wagner and Mitchell were convicted for --, Tyler turned the televsion off, returned to Sam and gathered her up in his arms.

"It'll be okay baby," he whispered. "I won't let him hurt you." She shook uncontrollably, her face buried in his chest.

"How can this happen?"

"I don't know, Sam. But we'll get a restraining order. I promise he won't hurt you." He kept his tone soft and soothing.

He carried her to the bedroom and laid her down gently on the bed. Reaching for the phone with one hand and pulling the covers over her with the other, he dialed the number for his job and called in sick to take care of her.

Tyler placed the phone back on the charger then climbed into bed beside her, pulling her to him and holding her tightly while she cried into his chest. After several minutes, he felt her breathing deepen and knew that she'd fallen asleep. Slowly getting out of bed, he turned the ringer off on the phone in the bedroom then headed back out to the kitchen.

He propped his elbows up on the table and rested his head in his hands. Tyler closed his eyes, wondering how he could protect her from Alan. He couldn't lose her now and didn't even want to think about how his life would be without her. He got to his feet, grabbed the phone and called the police officer who arrested Alan. They couldn't give them any kind of personal guard, but the cop told him to keep the doors and windows locked and call if they saw anything suspicious.

"Yeah, thanks a lot," Tyler said sarcastically then hung up the phone.

As he was placing the phone back on the charger, it rang. He looked at the caller ID and it read UNKNOWN. He pushed the talk button and brought the phone to his ear, but didn't say a word. There was a long silence and just as Tyler's finger hovered over the button to end the call, he heard Alan speak.

"You better keep her under lock and key pretty boy," Alan said then the line went silent.

Tyler immediately called the police again and was told they would send a squad car to his house. Unsatisfied with their response, he went into his room and fired up the computer. He did a search of bodyguards, looking specifically for someone who could watch over Samantha when he wasn't able to. When he found the website he was looking for, he browsed through the profiles of the bodyguards and finally located one in their area after about a 45 minute search.

He called the bodyguard at the number provided on the profile and made arrangements for him to start immediately. He heard Samantha rustling in the bed behind him and quickly shut down the computer then went to her side while she pushed herself up on the bed to lean against the headboard.

"Whatcha doin'?" she asked, her voice raspy from sleep.

"Just checkin' email."

"What's wrong baby? You're shakin' like a leaf."

He pulled her close and hugged her tightly as he spoke quietly, "Alan called here a little while ago." He felt her grip around him tighten. "I was just online looking for a bodyguard for you."

"Did you call the cops?"

"Yeah, they're sending a squad car, but I don't think they'll do much else. That's why I called a bodyguard for you, hon. I don't want anything to happen to you and I can't watch you every minute," he said, his voice shaky. "Joe, the guy I talked to, told me he can. That's his job."

"No! I don't want some strange man following me around!"

"He's trained to protect you, Samantha. Alan is free now, I don't want him coming after you. With Joe around, you'll be safe! Please do this for me, at least until we can get Alan back in prison where he belongs." He broke their embrace and cradled her face in his hands. "Please?" he repeated.

"I'll meet with the guy. I make no promises beyond that, Ty. I'm just not crazy about the idea of some strange guy hanging around."

Joe came by the house the next day and explained what his job would entail. He set Sam's mind at ease a bit, assuring her he doesn't follow her around like a normal bodyguard would. He recommended that Tyler get a home security system and offered his help when it came time to install it. Joe did a daily patrol around the house and made sure there was no way someone could slip inside unnoticed.

He followed Samantha to work but kept himself out of her sight while he still kept an eye on her. She knew he was around somewhere and while it made her feel a bit safer, she was still looking over her shoulder constantly. She knew Alan was pretty sneaky and could find ways to get to her.

Another month had passed and even though Tyler had changed all their phone numbers, they still ended up getting mysterious calls. They suspected it was Alan toying with them. As he drove home from work one evening, he turned onto his street and his heart sank at the sight he saw. There were several police cars in front of his house and an ambulance in the driveway.

Tyler pulled up in front of a neighbor's house and ran to his front door. He darted into the house calling out for Samantha. "There's no one in there," a voice said behind him.

"Where the hell is she?" he snapped. "And where's Joe?"

"Joe's right there," the officer said pointing to the stretcher being put into the back of the ambulance. "He was shot twice in the chest. We don't have any suspects and when we entered the house, no one was inside."

"Did anyone see or hear anything?" he barked at the cop.

"We've questioned your neighbors. No one saw anything."

"Where the hell is Samantha?"

"Sir, who's Samantha?" the officer asked.

"My fiancée! Joe was supposed to be protecting her!"

Tyler proceeded to fill the officer in on what had happened to them and why he hired Joe. The officer took notes and called in an APB for Samantha, then gave a description of Alan and told the person on the other end of the phone that Alan was to be considered armed and dangerous.

While the officers did their job, Tyler tried to call Samantha. He immediately got her voice mail and closed his phone without leaving a message. He called her mother then her brother and informed them of what was going on. He told them that if she showed up to keep an eye on her.

"Baby, where are you?" he said as he walked into his house.

Samantha woke up in what looked to her like a van, her hands and feet bound with duct tape. She turned to see two small windows on the back doors of the van and scooted closer to look out. She heard a voice behind her and fear shot through her entire body.

"Get away from the window, bitch!" Alan barked from the driver's seat.

"Alan, please. Let me go."

"Oh no. It's payback time, girly! That pretty boy of yours is next!"

"Leave Tyler alone, Alan. You've got me. He has nothing to do with this!"

"He has everything to do with this. If he hadn't called the cops, I wouldn't have ended up in jail."

She felt her cellphone vibrating in her pocket. She knew it was Tyler trying to call her. Samantha briefly wondered why Alan hadn't taken her cellphone from her before he broke into the house. She turned again and saw Alan watching her from the rear view mirror.

"This tape really hurts, Alan," she said. "Can you remove it? I promise I won't try anything." Samantha thought if she could get her hands free she could at least try to send a text message to Tyler without Alan noticing.

"Yeah, sure. Just let me call the cops and turn myself in first," he barked. "Get real!" he added, laughing as he turned onto a dirt road.

She recognized the road they were on. Alan's parents owned some land out here and she remembered there was a small hut that Alan had built several years ago when he wanted to get away from it all.

"I know you know where we're going, Sam. Don't try anything stupid. One wrong move by you and pretty boy dies!" he said, pulling up in front of the old hut and turning off the engine.

The back doors of the van flew open and Alan reached in and removed the duct tape from her hands and feet before he pulled Samantha out of the van. He pushed her in front of him toward the hut. When she turned to look at him, she saw a gun in the waistband of his jeans. Turning back to the hut, she took a step up and her foot fell through the porch.

"Get up!" he snapped, jerking her to her feet. She winced at the pain in her ankle then looked down and saw blood. He pushed her through the door of the hut then sat her down hard in a chair in the corner. "Put this on!" he ordered, handing her a shackle for her ankle. He fastened one end of the shackle to a metal hook sticking out of the floor while she clasped the other end around her ankle.

"What do you plan on doing to me?"

"Keeping you here until you realize that you belong to me. That's just for starters."

"I don't BELONG to anyone, especially not you!" she hissed. He slapped her hard, causing her head to fling to one side.

"Lose the attitude with me, bitch! I don't think you're in any position to argue," he barked as he pulled a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and cuffed her hands behind her.

He felt the outline of her cellphone in her pocket. He gave her a smug grin then pulled it out and tossed it on a table across the room. "Thought you were gonna get away with keeping that, huh? Not a chance."

"I'm pregnant, Alan. Please don't do this. If you let me go, we can work something out!"

"I know you're pregnant, Sam. I don't want to hurt you or your baby, but I do want you to realize that should be MY child you're carrying," he said as he sat down on the bed just a few feet away from her.

Samantha figured if she played along with him, maybe she could get out of this situation quicker. "I do wish it was your child, Alan," she said softly, looking at him with a seductive look in her eyes.

"Stop tryin' to charm me, Sam. I know better," he hissed. "I've gotta go get some supplies. All that's here right now is some bottled water." Alan walked to a small refrigerator, opened it and pulled out a bottle of water for her. "If you can figure out how to open it with your hands cuffed, you can drink it!" He laughed then dropped the bottle into her lap. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and grabbed her cellphone then closed and locked the door behind him.

She looked around the small hut, trying to figure out how she could escape. She saw a phone on the wall near the small refrigerator. Samantha looked down at the chain to determine how long it was. She scooted her chair along the floor and was disappointed to find out it was just a few inches shy of her being able to reach the phone.

"DAMN!" she said aloud.

When she leaned over to get a look at the chair she was sitting in, she saw it wobble beneath her. Thinking it would break after being slammed into the floor a few times, she tipped sideways, turning so her back hit the floor, careful not to fall too hard and possibly lose the baby. The chair creaked, but didn't break. She struggled to pull herself up right.

Using her unchained foot, she began kicking at the leg of the chair. She felt it buckle slightly and stopped kicking. She shifted all her weight to the weakened leg, hoping something would break free. She heard a loud crack and fell to the floor, her hands coming free from behind the chair, but still cuffed. Wiggling the remnants of the broken chair free, she walked to the phone on the wall and leaned in as far as she could. Using her head to take the phone off the hook, it landed on the top of the refrigerator. Samantha leaned in again and used her nose to dial 911.

She bent over and put her ear to the phone then cursed under her breath when she realized there was silence on the other end. Yeah, why would he leave me here with a working phone? she thought as she crossed the floor and sat down on the bed. She heard a car outside and knew it was Alan returning. Oh, he'd be happy to see that she tried to escape.

"Someone's been busy," he said, looking at the broken chair on the floor. "Nice try, Sam. Do you really think I'm that stupid?" he asked pointing to the phone on the wall as he walked over to hang up the receiver. "This thing hasn't been connected in years."

He put the food in the refrigerator and removed the gun from the waistband of his jeans then placed it on the table near the door, along with her cellphone. Walking back to Samantha, he picked up the bottle of water he'd given her earlier, opened it and held it to her lips. "C'mon, I know you're thirsty. Just drink," he said, tilting the bottle slightly. She drank the water offered her, almost gulping it before he pulled it away. "Easy slugger, don't wanna get sick," he said as he placed the cap back on the bottle.

"Alan, please. I feel so helpless. Take these cuffs off me. It's not like I can go anywhere with this -- thing on my ankle," she pleaded.