Nick is waiting for Lisa to come out of the bathroom in a chalet he’s rented in the woods because he wants to keep her prisoner and make her pregnant with his child. Lisa had managed to phone Alan on her mobile while Nick wasn’t looking, but they got cut off just before the unmarked car that’s following them loses sight of them. Alan is on his way to area that Lisa’s car was last seen with Eve Brookes and Dave Wilson from Chelmsford police station. This chapter starts as they approach the area Lisa’s car was last seen
 
     By the time Dave pulled into the turn off for Short Grove, Alan was beside himself with worry. He was convinced that Lisa was already dead. Her car still hadn't been found, and there were hundreds of dead end roads in the woodland area to search.
 
     A voice on the radio broke the silence. Eve picked up the handset in case it was bad news because she didn’t want Alan to hear the conversation. Eve had asked someone to check with all the major credit card companies to see if Nick had booked any kind of holiday accommodation in the U.K. He had, and they now had the address of the 'love nest' Nick had referred to. Eve assured Alan that it wouldn't be long before he would see Lisa again because the SWAT team was already on its way. He had no option but to sit in the back of the car and pray they would get there in time.
 
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After ten minutes, Nick hammered on the door, sending the vibration of his fist on the wood through Lisa's body.
 
     “You’ve got two minutes, Lisa - then I'm coming in there. OKAY?”
 
Lisa tried to speak but her vocal cords were paralysed with fear.
 
“I mean it, Lisa! I'm going to count to fifty, and you 
better be out here before I’ve finished.”
 
     “ONE…TWO…THREE…FOUR…FIVE…SIX…”
 
     Lisa put her hands over her ears and stood up, her heart beating loudly in her chest. The thought of Nick coming into the room and ripping the clothes off her forced her to pull herself together. Her fingers trembled as she started to get changed. By the time Nick had reached forty-five, she was opening the door.
 
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      When they arrived at the end of the driveway, Eve told Alan to stay put in the back of the car. He watched as she got two bullet proof vests from the trunk of the car before she and Dave put them on. Alan also noticed she had a gun in a holder around her waist that Dave had handed her when they left the station. Seeing Alan staring at it, she tried to placate him.
 
     “It's only a precaution, Alan. We've got trained marksmen down there. We'll have her out in no time, I promise you.”
 
     Alan watched as Eve and Dave skirted around the trees by the track that led to the chalet. As soon as they had disappeared from sight, he got out of the car. There was no way he could stay there and wait. Irrespective of the danger, he had to get as close to Lisa as he could.
 
     Eve looked over her shoulder at Dave once they were a safe distance from the car and lowered her voice to talk to him.
 
     “I thought you'd better know that the holiday chalet wasn't all that turned up on Nick Corday's credit card.”
 
Dave stared at her questioningly.
 
     “Why - what else did he buy?”
 
Eve unclipped the safety catch on the gun at her waist.
 
     “Ammunition for a revolver. He's armed in there.”
 
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     Still counting, Nick was sitting on the bed as Lisa walked hesitantly out of the bathroom. When he saw her, he stood up and he picked up the gun and a leather box from the bedside table. He walked towards her, an appreciative smile on his face. It was just as it had been when he’d given her the gifts at the hotel. On that occasion, she had worn them to please him. But this time, she was his prisoner, and she didn't want him to touch her.
 
      He put the gun down on the table beside her, and opened the leather box, taking out the necklace just as he had before. When he came up behind her, he gently pushed her hair to one side over her shoulder, exposing the back of her neck. After he had closed the catch on the necklace, she felt his warm breath on her skin before he slowly kissed her above the clasp, just as he had done at the hotel. The revulsion she felt made every nerve ending in her body react, and this time, a very different type of shudder passed through her.
 
     Lisa felt her body freeze as he turned her around and untied the velvet bow that held the front of the robe together. That done, he slowly eased it off her naked shoulders and dropped it to the floor behind her.
 
     “God, you're even more beautiful than I remember, Lisa,” he gasped passionately in her ear as he pressed his body against hers. He nuzzled her neck with his lips and caressed one of her breasts through the fine silk. Lisa tried to pull away from him, but he held her in a vice like grip from behind while he carried on kissing the back of her neck. Lisa closed her eyes and just prayed for it all to be over…
 
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     Alan had waited behind a hedge, fifty metres or so from the chalet, for over ten minutes. Nothing had happened. Every second was agony, and eventually, convinced that the police had waited too long to act, he pulled his mobile out of his pocket and stared at it. He waited another minute before pressing the last call redial key…
 
 
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     Nick had turned Lisa around to face him and was slipping one of the straps off her shoulder when her mobile went off. At first, Nick ignored it, but when it didn't stop, he cursed under his breath and pulled the phone out of his pocket. After reading the number on the screen, he thrust it under Lisa's nose and asked her who it was. Seeing that it was Alan, she pretended not to know.
 
     “Everyone knows I'm driving up to Scotland today, Nick. If I don't answer it, whoever it is might think I've had an accident and ring my parents.” She suggested in the hope that he would let her answer it.
 
     “Well, answer the bloody thing then,” he snapped impatiently, handing her the phone.  “And remember, Lisa, I'm listening to every word...”
 
Lisa felt the trembling start again as she pressed the green answer key and raised the phone to her ear. She just hoped against hope that she could think of a way to tell Alan where she was, without letting Nick know.
 
     “Lisa, are you okay…?”
 
At first there was silence at the other end and then she falteringly answered.
 
     “Yes, I'm fine. How are you?” she asked as calmly as she could.
 
      Alan could hear the terror in her voice and wasn’t surprised. He knew Nick couldn't be far away. He lowered his voice to a soft whisper.
 
     “Lisa, just hang on. We know where you are and the police are outside...”
 
Lisa let out a gasp of relief, which made Nick look at her suspiciously.
 
     “Who is it?” He demanded.
 
Lisa hesitated for a moment before she answered.
 
     “It's Alan…” she admitted when she realised that Nick’s outstretched hand would mean he would find out for himself.
 
Nick grabbed the phone from her, a smile of victory on his face.
 
     “Hello, Alan! It’s Nick here. Can I help you?”
 
Alan tried to stay calm, conscious that he could put Lisa in more danger than she already was.
 
     “I want to speak to Lisa, Nick. Is that a problem?”
 
Nick looked over at Lisa and saw the confusion on her face. He couldn't have wished for a better outcome. His hatred for Alan knew no bounds.
 
     “No, it's not a problem. We were just about to hit the sack though.  Your timing is a bit inconvenient.”
 
     Alan stared at the phone, not knowing what to do. He came out from behind the bushes and started walking towards the chalet, the tears blurring his vision.
 
     Nick looked back at Lisa's anguished face and ran his finger down her cheek, determined to make Alan believe she wanted to be there.
 
     “I can understand why you're interested, Alan. She is so gorgeous. I'm so glad that she's chosen me, instead of you.”
 
     Alan closed his eyes for a moment and tried not to lose it completely. If Nick knew that the chalet was surrounded, he might hurt Lisa, or worse, kill her.
 
     “Where are you Nick?” Alan asked, trying to sound as though he had no idea.
 
     Lisa watched as Nick, mobile phone still at his ear, picked up the gun from the table and started circling her left nipple through the silk with the cold, hard steel.
 
     “Lisa and I have gone away together for a few days - haven't we, darling?” Nick moved the barrel of the gun back up to her throat with one hand, and the phone to her mouth with the other.
 
     “Yes,” she stammered as convincingly as she could. 
 
Pleased with her response, Nick put the phone back to his ear.
 
      “God, it's going to be a long night, isn't it, Babe?”
 
     Lisa shook her head with disgust until the gun returned to her throat. She didn’t doubt that Nick was capable of killing her, especially if he could torment Alan at the same time. For that reason only, she answered obediently.
 
     “Yes, a very long night…”
 
      There was silence at the other end of the phone while Alan desperately tried to work out what to say or do. Turned on by the thought of torturing Alan at the other end of the phone, Nick carried on regardless.
 
     “I'm touching her breast at the moment, Alan - and it feels so, so good…”
 
Alan couldn't take much more. The thought of what Nick was doing to Lisa made him feel physically sick. 
 
     “Leave her alone you bastard!' he shouted insanely down the phone as he looked frantically around for Eve outside the chalet.
 
     Nick burst out laughing when he heard the agony in Alan's voice. He moved the gun from Lisa's breast and started running it down her abdomen, a sick smile on his face.
 
     “But you don't understand, Alan. This is what Lisa wants. Don't you, Lisa?”
 
Nick thrust the phone up to her face again.
 
     “Yes…” she replied holding back a sob. She didn’t know how much more she could take before breaking down.
 
     Lisa cried out when Nick pushed the barrel of the gun into her ribs and motioned for her to lie down on the bed.
 
     “God, Alan. She's going to enjoy this so much. It might have taken me nearly a year to get her back, but I can assure you, I’m going to make this a night that she’ll never forget...”
 
Alan broke into a run, oblivious of the police marksmen who were positioned in the trees around the chalet.
 
     “If you touch her again, I'll fucking kill you!” Alan shouted down the phone.
 
     “Oh yes? You and whose army, Alan?'
 
     The cold sarcastic tone of Nick's voice made something snap inside Alan and, as he approached the front of the chalet, he threw down the phone and shouted Lisa's name at the top of his voice.
 
        Realising that Alan's voice had come from outside, Nick knocked Lisa to the ground with the butt of his gun and made for the chalet door. Lisa tried to get up and stop him, but he had already opened the door and aimed at Alan by the time she had staggered to her feet. Lisa heard two shots and watched Nick fall to the ground in front of the chalet as she stumbled towards the door. There was a moment's silence before she ran out and saw Alan lying on the ground three feet away from him, his eyes closed.
 
        The cry that came from Lisa's lips was like that of a tortured animal. As though in a dream, she ran towards Alan and fell to her knees beside him and cradled his head on her lap. As the police rushed towards them, Lisa kissed Alan gently on the lips.
 
      “I promise I'll love you forever,” she cried, her tears coursing down her cheeks, every salty droplet saturated with the love she felt for him.
 
     “I bet that I'll love you for longer than forever…” he whispered back, and slowly opened his eyes.
 
 
                                                                                                 

                                                                                    The End
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                                                    Postscript

 
     The sun was shining in a clear blue sky, and Gerry was delighted. The wedding was going to be lovely.
 
     They had managed to get permission to hold the ceremony on the lawn in front of the hotel if it was fine, and he had organised a rose entwined bower for the bride and groom to stand under for the ceremony. The Library was set up as usual, just in case it rained, but it wouldn't be necessary to have the ceremony there because the gods were smiling down on them.
 
     The groom was in the bar with the best man, and Gerry took them through a glass of champagne to calm their nerves. Only the best man would drink it because the groom had sworn never to drink alcohol again after a tragic accident the year before.
 
     It wasn't a big wedding, only seventy or so, but most of the guests were from the bride's side because the groom was from down south, as was the best man. Although it wasn't a big wedding, there were five bridesmaids, and they were all dressed in white, which Gerry thought was a bit strange until he saw the bride walking slowly towards them on the arm of her father.
 
     She was wearing a beautiful long red dress…