Penny's POV
Merlin went out to get more booze after he hit me a few more times. He left me with Wanda. She took the gag out of my mouth and brought me a glass of water. "Thank you" I said.
"I'll have to put it back when we hear him coming. I talked to your husband, I can tell he is really upset. He asked to be able to speak to you to know you're ok. I had to tell him that he couldn't."
"I wish I could talk to him, if nothing else to tell him that I am sorry for the last thing I said to him." I felt tears start to well up in my eyes. They burned.
"I wish I could help you do that. I wish I had never helped Merlin do this. I can't stand what he is doing to you."
"Then go to the police, tell them where I am, better yet untie me and I'll get out of here."
"Don't you understand, he would kill me?" Wanda said, I could see that she was terrified.
"Wanda, either way he is going to kill both of us."
"No, we are going to run away together with the money." I could tell she didn't even believe her own words.
"I'm sorry to tell you this, but that is not what is going to happen. Even if it did, do you want to live your life in fear and wondering when he would just not stop and beat you to death. You could save both of our lives."
"I didn't know he was going to do this to you or that he would probably kill you anyway." She said.
"Help me, my husband and I will give you money to get away from Merlin and away from going to jail. You can start a new life. There was a time I thought I couldn't get away and because I didn't, I lost a child and any chance I had of having more children. I can tell that you are a good person and I know you were forced into this." Wanda was my only hope, I had to convince her.
Just then we heard Merlin pull up, she put the gag back in my mouth.

He cracked open one of his fresh beers and grabbed a bottle of whiskey, two fisted drinking. The more drunk he was, the more he would beat me or do even worse.
Wanda suggested "Merle, couldn't we just take the gag out of her mouth? That has to be pretty uncomfortable and maybe I could give her something to eat and drink."
He put down his beer and whiskey. He got up and slapped Wanda "Do you think I really give a shit if that bitch is comfortable or needs to eat? Don't let this slut get to you." Then he back handed her in the face and me too, before sitting back down to watch TV and resume his drinking.
"Wanda, I need you to go buy two more of those pay as you go cheap cell phones."
"I don't have any more money, Merle."
"Damn useless woman, here! It's only right that Penny pay for it with the cash she had on her." He threw some cash at her. She picked up the money and turned around and looked at me with pity in her eyes. "Make sure it can take and send videos too." Merlin commanded.
"I'll be back as soon as I can." She said. I think she was telling me more than him. But I knew it was going to take her awhile.

As soon as she left, Merlin sat back down to drink and watch more TV. Then he all the sudden stood up grabbed a butcher knife from the kitchen and came over to me.
"I think you and I need to chat, reminisce about old times." He ran the knife down the side of my cheek. "I'll take the gag out, but if you scream I will slit your throat. Do you understand, Bitch?"
I nodded yes and he removed the gag.
"You have held up well all these years, just as pretty as the day I met you. Did your fancy husband get you liposucked and plasticized?"
"No" is all I said.
"I'm surprised the holier than thou Penny Jenkins, has a tattooed husband and tattoos herself."
"My name is Penny Haner." I just stared straight ahead, I refused to make eye contact with him.
"Excuse me, your majesty. You should go by his stupid fake name. You could be Penster Gates!" He laughed right in my face, his disgusting breath made me want to vomit.
"Don't call me Penster, but I'd rather be Penster Gates than Penster Cooper." Talking to this man made my blood boil and I couldn't help but say things I shouldn't under the current conditions.
"How did you get yourself a rich famous husband like that?"
"Just lucky, I guess." I was not about to actually dignify him with an answer.
"I know what that means, it's true that you met him at a casino." I was shocked, it must have shown on my face. "Surprised? I know all kinds of things about you. Even before you were public news, I've been keeping tabs on you. How do you think you ended up getting hit in the head with a guitar?"
"You?" I couldn't believe it.
"That's right, stupid kid fucked up and ran before he finished the job. I think it's ironic that he almost killed you with a purple guitar. Then your boyfriend/now husband threatened him and got him to plead guilty, that actually helped me because the kid never had to go to court and possibly get connected to me."
"Brian didn't, he wouldn't have." I didn't want to believe it.
"Believe it, sweetheart. Your Lover Boy broke the law. He did help you stay alive a little longer though. I knew I would get paroled soon and I wanted you gone before I got out, so there was no way they could say I did it. Of course then you got the security system and moved into that big fancy house and I decided that I would just take care of it myself and make some money too."
"If Brian did that, it was to protect me, you wouldn't understand because all you know how to do is hurt people."
"Aww, Prince Charming saved the fair damsel. He's not going to be able to do that this time. He'll be better off without you. You are obviously making him stupid if he's letting you have purple hair." He grabbed my ponytail and acted like he was going to cut it off with the knife.
"He doesn't try to control me; he loves that I love purple." I said
"Now I know he's an idiot. Do you know how I've felt the last 20 years every time I see something purple?" I just shook my head. "I have wanted to destroy it and when I can, I do!" He then ripped my purple tank top and pulled it off shredding it into pieces. Thank God I had a black bra on, but I was still terrified of what he would do next. Then he saw the tattoo on my ribs.
"Aww, isn't that sweet? B&P and its purple, how precious! I bet lover boy has one just like it." I just sat silent looking straight ahead. "Now he'll have something as disgusting as you are to remember you by. You know, I should destroy that purple too." He ran the knife along my ribs across the tattoo."
"Merlin, please just let me go."
"Fuck no baby! You are two birds with one stone for me, lots of money and revenge all in one shot. Isn't 'Syn' a little young for you? You need a real man, not that boy."
"He is more man than you will ever be or have ever been." As soon as the words came out of my mouth I knew I shouldn't have said it.
"I am sick of your smart ass mouth. Maybe you need to be reminded of what a real man is like! You know what? Maybe we can make you a three in one." He cut the ropes around my ankles and hands actually cutting me some in the process. I tried to get up and run away but he grabbed me by my ponytail and drug me to the couch throwing me down on it. He was trying to get my shorts off.
I started to yell "NO!" and kick him. He held the knife to my throat.
"If you so much as make one more whimper or kick one more time I will slit your throat and fuck you anyway." He pulled my shorts and panties off and was undoing his pants.
Just then the door opened, it was Wanda. "Merle! What are you doing?"
He zipped his pants back up and said "I was just trying to show this ugly bitch what a real man can do, but she is so ugly I can't even get hard." He threw my clothes back at me "Tie her back up and put something on those cuts, before she bleeds all over the fucking place."
I quickly dressed, Merlin grabbed me by the hair again and drug me back to the chair. Wanda bandaged the cuts on my ankles and wrists. "Luckily they aren't too bad." She whispered.
"It doesn't really matter, in less than 24 hours I am going to be dead." I couldn't help crying at that point.
"I am going to help you; I can't let him do this. You are right, he will kill me too." She said.
"What the fuck are you doing over there Wanda? You don't have to bandage her up all pretty!"
Wanda finished tying me and put the gag in my mouth. I was in even more pain and even more scared, but for the first time in two days I had hope.

Wanda's POV
I never wanted any of this. Merlin has ruined my life, in the 3 months since he got out of prison I have lived in fear. I thought that if I helped him with this, maybe I could take my part of the money and leave. But Penny's right, he will probably kill me too. I didn't know what to do, but I had to figure out a way to get us both out of here. I couldn't go to the police, there was only one person I could go to.
"Wanda, get your dumb ass in here!" Merle was up from being passed out on the couch.
"Yes Merle?"
"His 24 hours are almost up, I need you to make a video of her so her husband knows she's still alive, she can say whatever mushy bullshit she wants as long as she doesn't say anything that identifies me. I'm going to get some beer, I'll be back in 20 minutes, it better be done when I get back."
He left and I went to Penny. I took the gag out. "Did you hear that?"
"Yes, let's get it done before he gets back. If we have a few extra minutes can I call Brian?" She said. "I just need to hear his voice, it could be the last time."
"I can't do that, Penny." As the hope of that small happiness left her, you could see defeat in her eyes.
I grabbed one of the cell phones Merle had me buy and at least tried to fix her ripped shirt a little, but Merlin had torn it to shreds."
By the time she was done, I was in tears. I could only wish I had love in my life, like they obviously did.
"He's probably going to be back soon. What hotel and what room number were you and your husband staying at? After she told me, I dialed her husband's phone number that I had memorized. "I owe you at least this much Penny, but you can talk only a couple of minutes. I have to put the gag back before he gets back in the house." I held the phone to her ear. She thanked me, with a spark of joy in her scared blood shot eyes.

Penny's POV
The phone barely rang before Brian answered.
"Hello?"
"Bri, it's me."
"Oh my God, Are you free? Tell me where you are."
"No honey, I am not free and I don't know where I am. I can't talk very long, I wanted to hear your voice and tell you I'm sorry for what I said to you. I love you and no matter what happens, I always will."
"I love you Baby, we are going to get you out of there. Please don't give up."
"Brian, I don't know if you can get me out of here. Don't give him the money, he plans to kill me no matter what. It's Merlin, my ex-husband. This is my fault. I should have told you."
"This is not your fault and I am not going to give up! You are coming back to me. Has he hurt you?"
Just then we heard Merlin pull up.
"Brian, I've got to go. Tell Chloe and my family that I love them. I love you."
Wanda ended the call and put the gag back in my mouth. She wiped the tears from her face and deleted the call history on the phone. Merlin walked in and she still had the phone in her hand.
"Did you get it done?" He asked.
"Yes Merle, I was just double checking that it looked okay. Do you want to see it?"
"Fuck no, I don't want to listen to her mushy bullshit lies. As long as she didn't say anything about me, I'm good."
"She didn't."
"It's show time, darlin'. Are you clear on the plan?" He said.
"I go somewhere on the other side of town and call him and send him the video. I text you that it's done, ditch the phone and then pick up the money. If I am not back here with the money within 45 minutes of my text to you, you are going to kill her and take off."
"Very good. You're not as stupid as I thought. Now get going."
Wanda looked at me and just nodded. I knew she was scared, I just hoped she would do the right thing.

Brian's POV
I waited for the call, the police had my phone tapped and were stationed in the next room. Tess, Matt, Zack, Johnny, Allen and Jay were with me.
My phone rang and it was Penny, I only got to talk to her a couple of minutes. Then she said she had to go.
"Penny? Penny!" She was gone.
"That was Penny?" Tess asked. I nodded. "Thank God, she's still alive. "We were all relieved for that much.
"The police should have her location from that call." Matt said. "This is the biggest breakthrough yet. Brian, they are going to be able to find her now."
Fifteen minutes later one of the officers knocked on the door. "Mr. Haner, I'm afraid we weren't able to get a trace on the location of the phone that your wife called from. We will continue to try, but it could take some time."
"She doesn't have time! I am going to pay him this money and you bastards better find my wife in the meantime or all I can do is hope that this lunatic decides not to kill her."
"We will keep working on that call and wait for the call from him or the woman. Hopefully, we can get something from that." The officer left and everyone looked at me, they waited for my reaction.
"I can't believe this!" I punched the wall. "I can't just wait here and do nothing. She sounded so weak and tired on the phone, she's giving up. I know that he has hurt her, she didn't say it but I know. Jay, have you heard from the guy we hired?"
"He hasn't been able to get anything either."
Matt put his hand on my shoulder, "I don't know what we can do. We have nothing to go on. The police and the private investigator can't even find anything."
"I need a miracle."

There was a knock on the door. Johnny opened it and a woman with bruises on her face stood there.
"I need to speak to Synyster Gates, I mean Brian Haner." She recognized me standing behind Johnny, she looked past him at me.
"I have been with your wife and I want to help you get her out before it's too late."
I had her come into the room.
."What's your name?" I asked.
"It's Wanda"
"Did you help her call me?"
"Yes, but I am also who helped Merlin take her." You could see her shame and regret.
"You took a big chance coming here, you will be arrested."
"I know, but I would rather do the right thing than Penny and I both ending up dead." She told us Merlin's plan and what she was supposed to do. She needed to text him soon that she had contacted me. When she did, it would start the 45-minute countdown.
"Can I see the video before you text him?" I asked.
"Of course, but brace yourself for how she looks."
She handed me the phone. There was my Penny, I could barely recognize her. Her face was swollen and black and blue with multiple cuts and she didn't have a shirt on. I could see the tattoo that I had been so terrified about being visible earlier. I had to walk into the other room to watch it alone.
"Brian, I want you to know how much I love you. I would give anything just to see your face and hear your voice one more time. You have given me more love in the past 4 years than I ever knew could exist. Thank you for making me whole and my life complete. I will leave this world knowing that I was truly loved.”
“I want you to move on when I'm gone. Find someone and be happy, that's what I want for you.”
“Jimmy and I will be watching over you. Goodbye my love, my soulmate.”

Notes