After the first night, Victoria had lost track of the time she had been inside that room.
She would hear noises or Zacky’s footsteps from time to time, but without a glimpse of light, she couldn’t tell if it was night or day.
At first she had tried to explore the room, taking unsure steps and stumbling, her hands stretched out before her, probing the walls. But there was nothing inside that place apart from empty shelves, so all she did now was sit in a corner and wait.
A million thoughts had crossed her mind during that time.
First, the thought that he was going to open that door at any minute and take her to the bedroom haunted her mind. Then when silence had settled inside the house, Victoria realized that she was actually going to stay inside that room for the whole night. And now that her stomach growled for the tenth time, she started to fear that Zacky was going to leave her starving to death.
Suddenly she regretted trying to escape.
Victoria curled into a ball, her head touching her knees. She heard the front door opening and then closing, followed by footsteps. They stopped right in front of her door and after a few moments, the door opened and the lights flipped on. Victoria winced at the sudden brightness.

“You can get out now.” Zacky looked down at her and held out a hand to help her get up. She blinked several times slowly before finally deciding to take his hand.
Her butter soft skin against his made Zacky’s insides soften.

“You should get changed.” His tone had lost some of the harder edges. Victoria glanced at one of the windows before looking back at her feet. Dusk had already settled in, which meant that she had spent at least one full day inside that place. “I’m going to need your help with some things.”

She chewed her bottom lip, and her hands slid in and out of her pockets as if she wasn’t sure what to do with them.
She moistened her lips. “Can I eat first?”

A heavy silence settled between them. Zacky shifted, being caught off guard by her question. He cleared his throat. “Just hurry up and meet me when you’re ready.” He turned around and walked down the stairs.

Victoria opened the bedroom door and closed it quietly, sighing deeply once her body leaned against it. She never thought that she would think that, but she was actually glad to be in that bedroom again.
She picked her clothes, which were now tidied on the closet, and walked towards the bathroom for a quick shower.

Victoria’s stomach rumbled as she raised a slice of pizza to her mouth. She could see the ocean from the kitchen window and, for a moment, she relaxed.

Like everything in life, planning was the key to effectiveness. Zacky knew that, he had learned it the hardest way five years ago.
In the past he had been led by impulse, by emotions, but not now. Everything was perfectly planned, so he knew that time was running out. It was just a matter of days - he estimated maybe a day or two - until police started a state-wide search for him.
That was why he had sold his house in Los Angeles, buying then this one and paying a little extra so that his name wouldn’t appear in the contract.

He took a long pull on his cigarette and let the smoke seep slowly from his mouth and nostrils. Victoria appeared at the hallway and stared at the huge amount of boxes.
“What’s inside the boxes?”

“Carry them upstairs.” He placed the cigarette between his lips and picked up a box. Victoria followed him and her confused look deepened once she saw its content. Food. They were all filled with food - beverages, canned products, pasta, and cereals – enough to supply an army.

“What’s all this for?” She asked, struggling to carry one of the boxes up the stairs.

A grin tugged on the end of his lips. That was just another part of his plan.
After tomorrow, he wouldn’t leave the house anymore, it would be too dangerous. So he had bought everything they needed to lay low for a few months.
Now he just needed to do a couple of things before his plan was completed. Kill Emily and ditch her body along with his car, leaving no traces behind that could connect him to her killing, nor to his whereabouts.

Emily was about to enter her dorm when her cell phone buzzed.
She immediately recognized the voice of the female officer on the other side of the line. “We’re sorry to disturb you at this time of the night, but we need you to come to the station.”

She retrieved her keys from the key lock and walked away from the door. “What happened? Did you find out anything about Victoria?”

“You should come as quickly as possible.”

Fifteen minutes later Emily burst into the campus police station. A young officer led her to a room and told her to wait. She was expecting to see the police officer she had talked to so, when a tall, barrel-chested man with a military haircut and broad shoulders entered the white windowless room, her brows knitted.

He was holding a worn out brownish case file. “Hi. I’m detective Sanders from the FBI.”He said without tossing her a glance.

“FBI?” She wanted to keep her voice calm, but a shrill of panic twisted its way around the words. “What is going on? Is this about Victoria? What happened to her?”

“I’m sorry Miss Hunter, but I’m the one who asks the questions here.” He radiated a raw energy and a don’t-fuck-with-me demeanor that intimidated most anyone.
He signaled her to sit and so did she. His eyes scanned the case file for a few more seconds before sitting on the other end of the stainless-steel table.
“How long have you known Victoria Jacobs?”

“Since the beginning of the semester.”

“And the last time you saw her she was leaving the campus and planning on going home, right?”

“Yes, I’ve already explained everything to the officers. What’s going on?”

“Victoria has been missing since that night. She never got to San Francisco International Airport. This case is now under the jurisdiction of the FBI.”

“It was Zacky wasn’t it?” Every nerve in her body tightened to the point of snapping.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he lowered his gaze and took a photograph from the file. “Do you recognize this man?” He slid the photo towards her and she stared at it for a while.

“I’ve never seen him in my entire life. Who’s he?”

“He was the only witness in the attempted kidnapping case against Mr. Baker.” He took a second photo and placed it next to the first one. “How about this girl?”

Emily felt her stomach tangling. She didn’t know who she was, but she didn’t need to. “Was that the girl Zacky tried to kidnap?” Her voice faltered.
She didn’t need to hear his answer. Looking at that picture was like looking at a photo of Victoria’s long lost twin.
They shared the same skin tone, same eye color and even same nose shape. Victoria’s lips were a bit fuller and that girl didn’t possess the same blazing red hair Victoria did but still, she had auburn hair.

“The resemblance is extraordinary isn’t it?” His grin held no mirth. She nodded quietly, the fact stirring unease.
A sad, knowing smile tipped the edge of her lips. Victoria had been on Zacky’s radar ever since the first time she set foot on Stanford Campus.

“I’ll get in touch with you if something turns up.” His rough voice made her look back at him. He got up and Emily mimicked him. He opened the door for her and she left.

He closed the door silently and moved towards the table. Pressing the tips of his fingers onto the table, he stared at the photo of the man in his late twenties that he had showed to Emily. Maybe it’s time to pay Mr. Haner Jr. a visit.

Notes

Look who decided to appear as a detective!
I hope you've all liked this chapter and thanks for reading, subscribing and leaving comments :)