Sorry for the massive delay!! Been very busy, but I wanted to finish Molly's story.
Thanks again for all of the good comments. Been a blast to write this!!
Molly pulled against her bonds. She could hear her father talking to the men outside. She tried making noise through her gag, to attract their attention. This was her only chance.
It was then she heard the fight. There was a scuffle going on outside, and a second later she heard some muffled blows. It seemed that the coastguard were fighting her father.
“Mmmmm!” she cried, struggling some more.
Suddenly, the door to the cabin swung open. A young coast guard officer stood there, looking down at the scene. He looked dishevelled and shocked, as though he couldn’t drink in what he was seeing.
“Are you Molly?” he asked, rushing into the room.
He bent down, slowly pealing the gag off her mouth. Molly coughed slightly, tears coming into her eyes.
“Please,” she whispered. “Please help me.”
The young man nodded, carefully lifting the chair back up.
“Don’t worry,” he said, pulling out a small switch blade. “There’s police all over the local ocean, and I had three more guys on that boat. We’re going to get you out of here.”
“T…thankyou.” Molly couldn’t believe what was happening. She was saved!
The man smiled at her, reaching behind to cut her hands free.
“Step away from my daughter please.”
A cold voice sounded behind them. The coast guard caught Molly’s eye, looking uncertain. He quickly pushed the knife into her hand before standing up.
Brian stood there, looking a little bloodied but otherwise unharmed. His face was burning red and he was breathing heavily. Molly had never seen him look so dangerous.
“You just stay right there, pal.” Molly’s would be rescuer slowly walked towards her father. Molly weighed him up. He was quite a big guy and looked like he could handle himself, but from the look of it Brian had fought off three men outside. And won.
“I’m going to give you one chance,” said Brian, not moving. “Get back on your boat and leave. Your mates are going to need some help, but I think they’ll be fine.”
The young man hesitated, looking outside.
“Let me take the girl,” he said.
Brian shook his head. “She’s staying with me.”
Molly swallowed, feeling around with the knife. Her wrists were aching awfully and it was difficult to navigate the tool. She had to find an angle she could cut at without hurting herself.
“Can’t let that happen,” replied her rescuer confidently.
“OK.”
Then her dad charged. Molly could barely see what happened but within minutes the young man was on the floor, seemingly out cold. He had tried to put up a quick fight, but her dad moved like lightning. And he was much stronger.
“What… what have you done?”
Brian didn’t look at her. He turned back to the boat’s controls, calmly starting it up again.
“What have you done? The guys outside…”
“Thrown them all back onto their boat,” replied her dad. “But there will be others.”
“Is he…”
“He’ll live. If he’s lucky.”
Brian turned round to her.
“How’s about we do a deal. You be a good girl, and I don’t do anything to him.”
Molly swallowed, then nodded. She’d managed to position the knife as she wanted it and began to cut.
The young man stirred slightly. Both Brian and his daughter noticed.
“Let me check him over,” said Molly. “Please!”
“Shut…”
It was then they heard the helicopter. It must have been right over the top of them, loudly penetrating through the small cabin.
“You hear that?” coughed the young man, sitting up slightly. “It’s over bud. You need to think about what you are doing.”
“Listen to him!” cried Molly. She could feel the ropes around her wrists loosening. She gritted her teeth as yet another jolt shot through her wrists.
“I don’t think so.”
Brian grabbed hold of the controls and Molly felt the boat surge forward. The sound of the helicopter did not fall away.
“You can’t get away. Dad!”
Molly glanced at the young cost guard again. He was trying to sit up further but it looked like he was feeling dizzy. Molly continued to saw at her bindings.
“Shit!”
Brian was looking out of the window, getting more irate by the second. Molly followed his gaze. More boats were out there. They were starting to surround them.
“Told you,” said the young man. “Seriously mate. You need to stop. You’ll only make this worse for yourself.”
Brian glanced back, grinning.
“Do you really think it could be any worse?”
He stepped away from the controls, advancing on both of them.
“Come on. Mate. Tell me. How can I make this worse?”
The young man’s confidence seemed to balk slightly. He slunk away as much as he could.
“I mean, I could just throw you off the boat. Right now. Guess that would be worse, wouldn’t it? What do you think, Molly?”
Molly forced herself to meet the gaze of her father. She felt as though he was on the verge of doing something crazy.
“Yeah. I could throw you both off.”
He kept still, surveying them.
“Or, you could both keep quiet. Whilst I think things through.”
He turned away from them, just as the rope finally snapped apart.
Molly felt it come off her wrists, trying not to react as blood flowed into her hands. She kept her hands gripped together behind her, trying to send a private message to her would be rescuer. He looked to be on the verge of consciousness.
She looked down at her legs, one still taped to each leg of the chair. She applied some slight pressure, trying to be as discreet as she could. Her foot moved slightly but did not come free. It might eventually, but she’d need more force. And she couldn’t do that with Brian standing just there.
She didn’t think she could reason with him either.
“I can’t think with this damn helicopter!” spat Brian. “Sod it!”
He lunged forward, picking the young man clean off the floor.
“See if our new mate can get rid of these sirens.”
Brian stomped out of the cabin, leaving Molly sat in her chair.
“Okay!” Brian called out to the boats. “I need you all to keep your distance! I have hostages!”
Molly quickly started cutting at the tape around her feet, her heart beating furiously. She glanced outside and the back of her father, who was easily holding the young man in front of him. Her eyes then turned to the flare gun box, now very accessible.
“I said stay back!”
Another voice cut through the air. This one on a megaphone.
“Nobody wants anyone to get hurt. You’re in charge. But we need you to calm down.”
“I am calm!”
“Sir, we need to confirm who you have with you. We recognise Mr Parks, there. Do you also have a Molly Johnson?”
“How do you know that?” demanded Brian.
“Sir, I’m going to need to see proof that she’s okay.”
“I… you’re not making demands here!”
“Sir, you are completely in control. But I need to know that Molly is okay.”
“Fine!”
Brian threw the young man down on the floor and raced back into the cabin. To find his eldest daughter standing there, free, waiting for him. Pointing the flare gun.
He paused in the doorway.
“Put that down, Molly.”
“Don’t move!”
“Put that down, you stupid girl!” He advanced on her, but Molly held her ground.
“You fire that in here…”
“Yeah. We’ll both probably be in big trouble. But at least you won’t be able to hurt anyone else!”
Brian opened his mouth, then closed it again. Molly tried to hide she was trembling all over. She imagined as she must look to him. Small, dishevelled, dirty, red bands around her wrists from when he’d tied her up for days.
“You wouldn’t…”
“Yes I would.”
“No, I know you…”
“No you don’t. You never could be bothered to know me. You decided the best way was to kidnap me. You’ve no idea what I will do.”
“You’re just a stupid little girl.” His look turned deadly. “If you make me take that off you, I’ll hurt you.”
“I’ll fire it before you get the chance.”
Molly stood her ground, gazing up at the monster that was her father.
“Bet you can’t stand it, can you?” she whispered. “That someone has the courage to stand up to you.”
Brian’s look changed slightly.
“I remember being in a similar position to you,” he said. “With my daddy. A long time ago.”
He took a step back and raised his hands.
“Funny,” he said. “You’re more like me than you realise.”
“I’m nothing like you,” spat Molly. She kept the gun ready. Her hands were starting to shake.
“Maybe not.”
Brian smiled. For the first time since Molly met him, it didn’t look like it was hiding something worse.
“You realise how much trouble I’m in if I go back,” he said.
“I know,” replied Molly.
“So tell me, Molly. Why should I just turn myself in?”
“Because it’s time you started accepting responsibility. For me. For Steph and Brad. For everything.”
Molly swallowed. She felt like she was going to fall over at any second.
“You take care, girl.” Brian smiled again, then turned round and walked out of the room. Molly watched him go onto the deck, then kneel down with his hands on his head. It took five minutes for the boats to approach the cabin. Another five to arrest him.
Molly shrank to the floor, the gun clattering out of her hands. That was how she was when they found her, helped her to her feet, wrapped a blanket round her and put her on a boat. She didn’t say anything as she got back to the mainland, put in an ambulance, and taken to the hospital. She said nothing when her mother arrived to see her, pulling her into a big hug. It was only hours later, when the hospital gave her a clean bill of health and she was on her way home, that she spoke.
“Mum?” she whispered.
“I’m here,” replied Bethany, smiling at her. Her voice was full of kindness, not at all like that horrible hallucination from before.
“Is it over?”
Molly caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She was dirty, and looked tired. So tired. But she’d survived.
“Yes,” she answered her own question. “It is.”
Six months later
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
Bethany’s voice cracked through Molly’s car as she drove down the road. Molly sighed.
“For the last time, yes. It’s fine.”
“I should come with you.”
“No,” said Molly, smiling despite herself. “I need to do this. You know that.”
“Okay. Well I’ll see you tonight. Don’t be too late!”
“I won’t.”
Ten minutes later, Molly pulled her car into the space. She quickly checked her reflection, starting to feel nervous. She’d dressed smartly, in a dark skirt, shirt and tights. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, showing a confident, young face. Molly couldn’t even think why she’d wanted to look this good today. Maybe secretly, she had something to prove.
The café was a short walk from her car. She went in and quickly sat down, ordering a coffee. She stirred the hot liquid slightly, glancing at her wrists. They were fully recovered now but she remembered the days after she’d gotten home. Ironically, the cream she’d been given had worked wonders, but they’d been sore. She’d been sore all over. Hurt, on the outside and in.
She remembered sitting in her room, barely able to believe she was home. She remembered thinking that she wanted to curl up in her bed and never leave it. She remembered the horror of the memory of her captivity. Of not being able to move. Of not being able to do anything for herself…
Molly shook her head, blotting out old thoughts. And looked up to see Steph standing looking at her.
She was just how she remembered her. Shoulder length hair, thin, pale. And nervous.
“Thanks for coming,” said Molly, smiling.
Steph sat down, returning her smile. She didn’t say anything.
“Are you hungry?” asked Molly. “We could…”
“No, I’m… I’m fine.”
Steph smiled again, but she seemed to want to look anywhere but at Molly.
“So… how have you been?”
“Okay, I guess. You?”
Molly swallowed. This was even more awkward than she’d feared.
“I’m at Uni now. Closer to home though. Mum wanted me closer. And I kind of did too.”
“How is it?”
“It’s okay. It’s pretty great actually. I’m learning so many things. I’m loving it.”
Molly sipped her coffee. Now she was struggling to look at her sister.
“Molly,” said Steph. “Why did you ask to meet with me?”
Molly swallowed her drink.
“I just wanted to… see how you were. I thought…”
“Well, I’m great,” replied Steph. “At a halfway house now. But they’ve been really great. I’m at a new school, thinking of going to Uni myself actually.”
“That’s good!”
“I never… I mean I never had a chance to thank you.”
“You didn’t need to.”
“Yes I did!” cried Steph. “If you hadn’t have told them what you did, I’d probably be in prison now. Like Brad. And…”
“I told the truth, Steph. You helped me. Hell, you calling the police saved me! You don’t owe me anything.”
“Are you kidding? I owe you everything! What we did to you…”
“That’s why I wanted to meet you!”
Molly took a deep breath.
“I want you to know, Steph, that I’m okay! That you can’t spend the rest of your life feeling bad. That it wasn’t your fault.”
“I tied you up. I kidnapped you. I started this!”
“You were scared. He was a monster, Steph. And you can’t let this control your life. You need to move on.”
Steph wiped her eyes with trembling hands.
“How can you want to know me?”
“Because… you’re my sister. And you deserve better. We both did.”
Molly took Steph’s hands in hers and smiled.
“If you want,” she said. “If you’d like. I would like to get to know you properly. To spend some time with you. If you want.”
Steph looked surprised.
“But, I mean, why…?”
“Because he hurt us all. Brad’s in prison, but I know he's getting help. He’ll be out one day and he’ll need his family. That’s us, Steph. Me and you. We can be that.”
Steph sniffed. Her hands trembled.
“And there’s more,” said Molly. “I know where Ollie is.”
“You… you do? But how?”
“Let’s just say my mother has connections. He’s happy Steph. He has a family, and he’s happy. But I think he’d quite like to see you. We can make that happen.”
Steph started crying fully then. She hugged her sister, who returned her embrace with a smile. Molly took a deep breath. She didn’t feel any tears herself. She was done crying over this.
“Wait,” said Steph, pulling out of the hug. “What about…”
“I don’t think I can know him, Steph. Not yet.”
Steph nodded, wiping her eyes some more. And that was all that needed to be said. Brian was in prison. Where he would be for a while.
“So, what happens now?” asked Steph.
“Well,” replied Molly. “I’m actually kind of hungry.”
Steph nodded, eyes going to the menu. Molly smiled, taking another deep breath. She looked once more at the girl that had started her nightmare. At the girl who needed her now. At her sister.
And thought maybe things would get better after all.
Stolen (FMM/F)
I've enjoyed this story since its beginning and am glad it got such a fine conclusion.
I look forward to your future work.
I look forward to your future work.