The Time in Between: Chapter Nine

Comments:
Alumina: hahaha sorry for all the cliffhangers! i don't really plan it that way, it just always ends up working out like that. lol but thanks for the encouragement, glad you love it :)
Cass: haha your comment made me laugh :) glad this is popcorn worthy. Thanks so much hope you like this chapter!
Angel Dawn: well, here you go :) you find out a lot in this chapter!
Melody: thanks for the comment, hope this chapter doesn't disappoint!

Chapter Nine (TWO WEEKS LATER):

Levi:

"Levi, you need to get up. You can't just stay in bed all day...plus there's someone here to see you."

Levi covered his eyes with his hands, rolled over and groaned. Why does it matter? Nothing matters anymore. Not without her.

It had been two weeks since Kayleigh's death. After the phonecall, Levi had called the police, naturally. Upon finally locating the apartment where Brad had kept Kayleigh, the police discovered the scene totally wiped clean of any traces of Levi's father. True to his word, he had completely disappeared.

And strangely enough, so had Kayleigh's body. This puzzled the police; why and how Brad was carrying around Kayleigh's body with him was a mystery to everyone.

Because there was nobody, the funeral had been closed-casket. As if going to Kayleigh's funeral wasn't hard enough, the fact that they never found her body made it ten times harder. There was no closure for Levi. Almost as if she might still be...

When Kayleigh died, Levi felt as if he had died right with her. Nothing mattered any more. He didn't care about anything, never felt like going anywhere. His chest physically hurt, as if she had torn out a piece of his heart and taken it with her. Which he knew she had. The slightest things that reminded him of her completely set him off, and he would go into a depression for hours.

"Levi, did you hear me? Get up. Now."

Good old nurturing mother, he thought sarcastically. Kayleigh's death had hardly seemed to affect her. Then again, Levi didn't even think she would show that much emotion if he himself died.

Groaning yet again, Levi eventually rolled over and toppled out of bed. He grimaced slightly when he caught his reflection in the mirror. Dark basketball shorts, no shirt. Red-rimmed eyes and ruffled hair. He hadn't shaved in days. What was the point?

Jogging downstairs and to the front door, he wanted to throw up when he saw who it was. None other than the infamous Jordan.

"Levi," she said his name quietly and sadly, a slight pout on her lips. "I'm so sorry."

He looked her up and down in disgust. Perfect tan, skin-tight jean shorts and a black halter top; manicured nails and freshly done hair. Funny, she didn't look sorry or upset in the least. In fact, she seemed quite perky, although she was trying to subdue herself.

When he didn't say anything, she resolutely continued. "I thought I'd come over to see how you were doing...maybe I could come in so we could talk?"

Levi wanted nothing more than to shut the door in her face. However, he mustered up some manners and nodded slowly. "I guess. Come on in."

His mother had wandered upstairs, probably to watch television in her bedroom like she did practically all day, every day. So they had the downstairs to themselves. Levi walked over to the couch and sank down wearily. Jordan plopped down next to him, altogether too close for his liking.

"So...how are you doing?" She batted her eyeslashes and furrowed her eyebrows in an attempt to look concerned. Levi wanted to throw up.

"How do you think," he mumbled, rubbing his temples with his hands.

Jordan put her hand on Levi's arm, and he flinched. "Levi I'm so sorry. I can't imagine how upset you must be...I feel horrible for you. I know how close yall were."

"Close?" Levi laughed bitterly. "Close? I loved her, Jordan. I loved her," he continued, with an emphasis on her, "and I will always love her."

"I know you feel that way now..." She whispered, rubbing his arm lightly with her hand.

That statement, said so softly under her breath, enraged Levi. "Get out!" He yelled; she jumped in surprise. "I can't believe you, Jordan. It's been two weeks since she...since she's been gone and you come here trying to seduce me? You are unbelievable. Get out, now."

Jordan stood and began walking toward the front door slowly. "I'm sorry Levi. I didn't mean any harm. Hey, listen. My parents are out of town; I'm having a little party at my house tonight. You should come. Get your mind off things." She paused, but he didn't respond. "Any ways, text me and let me know. Hope to see you tonight." And with a slight smile, she was gone.

Levi went upstairs to get back in bed.

Kayleigh:

The two weeks since she had been kidnapped, almost killed, then pawned off like a piece of jewelry seemed to have gone by in slow motion. Yet at the same time, when she tried to think back, her old life seemed oddly distant and in the past.

Then again, everything seemed fuzzy and distant nowadays. This was probably due to the fact that she was constantly on a low dose of drugs to keep her calm and submissive. They put it in her food, she knew. But what was she supposed to do? She had to eat.

Ever since the day in which she had been taken by the two men, Kayleigh had been living in hell. The two men's use for Kayleigh was simply for their own pleasure. They had taken her to one of their own apartments, and simply put, she had become a sex slave. For them, and for the occasional thug they did their "business" with.

She had fought it, at first. She bit them, kicked them, tried to run away. But they were too strong, and her hurt leg was still too weak. When the fighting continued, they had started the drugs.

And now, here she was. Stuck in a disgusting, cramped, muggy bedroom for most of the day. Her mind hazy, her heart hurting. Moving her head to the side, she rested it on the dirty pillow and squeezed her eyes shut as she heard the bedroom door open.

"Don't act like you're sleeping," a rough, gritty voice said with a short laugh. There was silence, then Kayleigh felt the weight of one of the men pressing down on top of her. She felt like throwing up as he grinned down at her, kissed her roughly on the cheek, then whispered, "I'll be right back. Then we'll have some fun."

He left the room, for who knows what reason, and a tear escaped Kayleigh's eye. She wished that her head didn't feel so heavy, and her eyelids weren't so droopy, and that it didn't take so much effort to think. She wished she were back in the real world, with her family. And Levi. Who would never treat her like this.

She rolled over slowly, wanting to scream out in frustration, when her hand hit a lump on the bed. She looked down in shock to see a phone. Did he really...leave his phone? The importance of this fact shot through the haze in her brain, but her body was still slow to react. It must have slipped out of his pocket when he got off the bed. What should she do? Why was it so hard to think of something to do?

Forcing her mind and body to work together, she lifted her hand, grabbed the phone, and stuffed it under the mattress. Once he was done with her, once they were both gone on one of their runs, she knew the phone could save her. As long as he didn't find it, and as long as she could come out of this haze long enough to think of a plan. Her heart was racing as the man walked back into the room.

"Where's my phone? I can't find it." His eyes rested on her. "You didn't take it, did you? Well, we're about to find out if you've got it hidden in your clothes anywhere." He grinned an evil grin, and Kayleigh let the drugs begin to take her back to a safe place while he had his way with her.

Levi:

As he climbed into his truck, Levi still couldn't believe he had actually talked himself into going to this party. A major part of him wanted nothing more than to run back inside, climb in bed and continue to mourn the death of the girl who meant the world to him.

In fact, he had not planned ongoing at all. But then Jordan had persisted to text him and ask if he was coming, and his mother's words rang in his ears, "...you can't just stay in bed all day..."

Maybe, for once in her life, his mother was right. Levi was doing nothing but torturing himself by staying in bed and constantly thinking of Kayleigh. So, though he still didn't really feel up for it, Levi had showered, shaved, put on some real clothes, and forced himself to go.

Before he knew it, he had arrived at Jordan's house. It was dark out; there were cars lined up and down the curb and in the driveway. He could hear the bass thumping a steady beat from the sound system inside, and a few people milled around on the front porch.

His chest started to tighten and he felt a lump form in his throat. I can't do this...I really can't do this. Maybe he wasn't ready. Just the thought of having to walk inside and talk to a bunch of people made his nerves go crazy. They would all ask how he was doing, all act like they cared, all pretend to know how he felt. But they didn't, they couldn't begin to understand...

"Levi! It's about time!" And suddenly he was stuck here. Jordan had spotted him.

She came sauntering over to him, hips swaying seductively as she walked, and flashed a playful smile. She was wearing a black, halter-top cotton dress and her long blonde hair flowed freely. She looked good, and she knew it.

Levi fought back the nausea he was feeling, and stepped out of the car with a quiet "Hey," to Jordan. Despite his tentative reply, Jordan grinned and grabbed his hand, practically dragging him inside.

Once through the doors, Jordan immediately went off to greet people and flirt with more guys. Levi looked around, not knowing how to act. The lights were low, the music was blaring. A lot of people were dancing, some milled around or sat on couches with drinks. A game of beer pong was going on.

Beer, he thought quickly, I need a beer. The tightness in his chest and the lump in his throat came back as he made a beeline for a large cooler he spotted on the back deck. A few people he recognized from high school gave him quiet greetings of "What's up, man..." and "Hey how are you?"

He tried to smile, blew past them, and desperately grabbed a cold beer can. Within a few minutes he had chugged the whole thing and was reaching for another. He had to calm down, quickly. I shouldn't have come.

Now on his third beer, Levi felt his nerves start to loosen up. He could breathe again. Making his way to the steps on the back deck, Levi sat down and looked around. People stood around talking; a couple kissed drunkenly underneath a tree, somewhat hidden in the darkness of the backyard.

And then he felt a gentle hand run down his shoulder. He looked up to see Jordan sliding down to sit next to him. "Hey there, handsome," she grinned, not letting go of his arm.

Levi gently shrugged her off and responded with a simple, "Hey what's up, Jordan."

"How's the party?"

"It's pretty good, I'm just...I don't know...I was ready for this. I don't know if it was a good idea to come." He took another swig, finishing off the can.

Jordan shook her head. "You, sir, are just not having fun yet. Come with me." Before he could protest, Jordan was dragging him off the steps and back inside.

In the kitchen, a few select people were opening a bottle of vodka and getting out shot glasses. "Two more, guys," Jordan announced. A shot glass was shoved at Levi, and although it was against his better judgment, he took it. Honestly, he liked the way the alcohol was making him feel. It was loosening him up, helping him forget about how miserable he was....

Four shots and a few beers later, Levi was completely drunk. His balance was off, his vision was blurry and his mind was hazy...and it felt good. Anything to keep him from feeling lost and lonely.

"Come dance with me," Jordan whispered. He willingly followed her to the dance floor, where couples were dancing and grinding to the steady beat of the music.

Jordan grinned slyly up at him, pushed him up against a wall, and began to work her magic. She knew how to work it, no doubt about that. Her back was up against him, and they were both moving to the music, she was swaying her hips just right...

Warning bells went off in the back of Levi's mind. Warning bells that may have been recognized, had he not been completely drunk. He couldn't think straight, couldn't remembered why this was such a bad idea. All he knew was he liked what he was seeing and he liked how he was feeling. This was the first time in weeks that he didn't feel like killing himself.

Levi spun Jordan around so that she was facing him as they continued to dance. He laced his arms around her waist, and her arms wound their way around his neck. "You like this," Jordan whispered with a seductive grin.

And suddenly their lips met. Crashing together, their tongues were soon dancing, exploring each other's mouths. Levi was pressing Jordan up against him just as hard as he could.

When she told him to follow her, he drunkenly obliged. His hormones were raging full-force by the time they made it to her bedroom. He stumbled in, and she shut the door behind them.

Their lips locked again, and they fell back onto her bed in a flurry of heated passion. Not exactly remembering how quickly it happened, Levi suddenly noticed that his shirt was off. Jordan kissed his jawline, his neck, his stomach...he groaned as the kisses fell teasingly lower.

"I'm so hard," he moaned, grabbing her hair and pulling her back up to him for another kiss.

"I'll find that out for myself," Jordan whispered with a wink. She paused for a moment, toying with the button on his pants.

Kayleigh:

They were gone. Finally, both the men had left to go on one of their runs. Now, why had it been so important for them to leave...

The phone. Her fuzzy mind wrapped itself around that one fact. Although it was hard for her to concentrate on anything, she forced herself to think for a moment. She reached under the mattress and grabbed the phone. I have to get help. I need to text Levi.

It was hard enough for her to remember his phone number, but once she started the text, she realized she needed to tell him where she was. Think, Kayleigh. Think. You saw where you were when they brought you in.

Campbell. She was on Campbell Drive. She remembered this because when she first saw the street sign, it had reminded her of the soup. Now the numbers...was it 1945? Or maybe it was 1495.

Taking a chance, her heavy fingers slowly texted Levi, "It's Kayleigh. Help me. 1945 Campbell Drive." Send.