Page 59 of Wicked Shadows
They disconnected, and Tanya relayed the conversation to Danny and her sons. With a new understanding of what was at stake and how far the studio was willing to go to hide their involvement, the family of four silently reflected on the dangerous situation they were in. And how much worse that danger was for Elle and Devon.
“Mary Ellen Gallie will love this scoop,” Mark chortled when he envisioned her reaction. “You know this could backfire on us. Every major news outlet in the world will run the edited versus unedited versions day and night. The internet will break from people on social media. What if exposing their lies just makes them mad?”
“Son, I’ve considered that too, and I’ve decided I’d rather lose her knowing I did everything I could to fight for her than lose her because I just rolled over and let them run over me,” Danny replied solemnly. “Your mother and I talked about this very scenario all night. Beth’s family agreed. We’d all rather do anything than nothing at all.”
They remained silent for the remainder of the ride, each fortifying the resolve needed to see the plan through. Trusting that Devon and his friends knew what they were doing and wouldn’t advise them wrong. Brokenhearted over the fate of one of their own and livid they couldn’t do more, the feeling of helplessness that saturated the interior of their car was stifling.
* * *
Elle wokewith a start but couldn’t force her eyes to remain open. Throwing the covers back, she swung her legs off the side of the bed, her vision blurry, but the panic of being late to the set controlled her movements. If the sun was already peeking over the horizon, she was already late for work. Apparently so was Beth since she hadn’t pounced on Elle yet.
“Beth!”
The memories came rushing back to her. The strange house. The terrifying man who stopped her escape. The elegant mansion that was her prison. The spray that rendered her unconscious—twice—with merely a misting.
And Beth, her best friend, was nowhere to be seen when Elle left the sound stage late that night she was abducted. Terror filled her chest at the thought they didn’t take Beth also but did something far worse to her. Elle had to force her body to comply with her will to move. Finding Beth was her first order of business. They would escape together—two heads were better than one.
She padded barefoot across the ornate wood floor toward the door. While holding a deep breath, she slowly turned the knob and was both relieved and surprised to find it wasn’t locked from the other side. The soft squeak of the hinge made her freeze in place and actively listen for her captors.
Without opening the door wider, she slid through the narrow opening into the hallway. She decided to check each room behind the closed doors in the long corridor. If they put her in one, maybe Beth still slept in another. The first few rooms were empty, but set up nearly identical to the one she’d snuck out of. The view waiting behind door number four reduced her to tears.
Tied to the four-poster bed was her best friend and confidante, still deep in slumber and blissfully unaware of their current situation. Elle rushed to her side and began tugging at the ropes to free her. Beth’s head lolled to the other side, as if she were simultaneously trying to sleep and wake.
“Beth,” Ellie whisper-shouted at her. “Beth, it’s me. Wake up. We have to find a way out of here.”
Beth’s mumbled reply was incoherent, leaving no doubt she’d been drugged. The struggle between leaving without her and bringing help back, or staying with her until the effects wore off enough for Beth to stand was unbearable. Elle kept working at untying the knots while she weighed the pros and cons of each, hoping Beth would become coherent in the meantime.
When she’d finished with the last figure eight knot, Beth’s arm fell limply against the bed. “What have they done to you?” Elle whispered through her tears and pushed the hair out of Beth’s face.
“We just helped her sleep. She’s quite combative and feisty when she’s awake.”
Elle jumped and whirled around to find a distinguished older man in a butler’s uniform standing in the doorway.
“I assure you, no one has harmed or assaulted her in any way. The ropes were used for her ultimate protection. She has already slapped two of our staff members. Should she assault the wrong man, I cannot guarantee her safety.”
“Where are we? Why have you taken us? Just let us both go, and nothing else has to happen. I’m sure my disappearance is all over the news. People everywhere will be looking for me. She’s my makeup artits on the set and my best friend from childhood. They’ll know something is wrong. You’ll never get away with this.”
Elle rambled on, not taking a breath between sentences as she tried to convince her captor of the folly of his plan.
He smiled at her, the kind of sneer that confirmed she was wasting her breath by trying to convince him to let her go. She knew then she wasn’t the first person they’d abducted, and she likely wouldn’t be the last.
“I’ve been sent to bring you to the media room. There’s a documentary of sorts my employer would like for you to watch. If you come quietly and willingly, there will be no need for your own restraints.”
“What about Beth?”
“She will be here when the documentary has concluded, likely beginning to awaken by then. You may rejoin her at that time if you wish.”
Such a cordial captor, Elle thought as she followed him to the high-tech-equipped media room. The chairs were arranged in theater seating, plush recliners providing clear views of the wall-sized flat-screen TV. The surround sound system added to the theater experience, topping off the opulence and wealth of the state-of-the-art room.
The butler placed a glass of water on the table beside her and moved to the back of the room while her eyes remained glued to the enormous screen. The vibrant colors lit up the screen as Mary Ellen Gallie greeted her viewers.
“Hello, and thank you for joining us tonight. We have a full show, so I’m going to jump straight in without delay. As many of you saw earlier this morning, Elle Sinclair’s family has arrived in LA, adamant she and Jax Hart havenoteloped. They insist something terrible has happened to Elle.
“The family confronted Timeless and Classic Entertainment executive Barry Jacobson, and Hollywood Biz News was there to capture part of it live for you. During that confrontation, Mr. Jacobson claims he spoke to Jax Hart today and that Jax will make sure Elle contacts her family as soon as possible. According to the studio executive, Elle was ‘indisposed’ at the time he spoke to Jax.
“I’m excited to tell you we have a recorded message from Elle to share with you and with her family. It was emailed to the studio just minutes ago with a note saying the internet service is spotty at their secluded resort, but the local news channel was kind enough to record her message in return for autographs for the staff.
“It’s now my pleasure to show you this message from Miss Elle Sinclair. Or should I say, Mrs. Elle Hart? Let’s watch.”
