What You Don't KNow

Emily Lockhart was at the kitchen bench of her brother’s kitchen, mixing a cake batter from scratch for her nephew’s fifth birthday party. Brady loved milk chocolate, much like most kinds, and this recipe was full of it. She’d already whipped the buttercream that went in-between the two layers and also covered the outside of the cake. A few rosette swirls and a Happy Birthday written in white chocolate would finish it off nicely.

His parents had ordered enough pizza for lunch to feed a small army. The back patio was turned into a children’s party room; a colourful table with matching chairs, balloons, streamers, presents piled up tin the corner, drinks and snacks on standby. There was a small bouncy castle set up out in the garden, next to the swings, plus a ball pit. Brady’s three best friends and about nine or ten school mates were invited. Some of the children had either single mothers or stepparents attending.

Emily poured the batter into greased and lined tins, then placed them carefully in the oven. She washed her hands and hung the apron back up on its peg. Sharon came into the kitchen, smiling as she held baby Eve. “Thanks for doing this, I appreciate it.” “It’s no trouble.” “You really do make the best desserts.” “I learned from the best and that is why I took over running the family bakery instead of my brother.”

Michael had ended up studying law and by the time he was twenty-seven, he’d become an accomplished prosecutor. Sharon was a music teacher at a local high school. They were together for three years, got married and decided they were ready to have their first baby. It wasn’t as simple as the couple had hoped; there was a miscarriage, which of course paused things in that department for a while. Michael was the one who found his wife in the bathroom, doubled over in pain with blood dripping on the tiles. He saw in the hospital how traumatized Sharon had been when the doctor confirmed that she lost the baby. So, he did not push her, he just let her come to the choice on her own and eventually they agreed to try again.

Emily and Michael’s mother Ariel inherited Metaloni’s Bakery from her parents. It was always a hit, especially with the locals. New stores and cafes popping up all around, made for some stiff competition, but the bakery more than held its own as the years went by. Emily started working there full time from the moment she graduated. She had keen eye for design as well, suggesting a revamp of the whole premises, which only made the business even stronger. She didn’t have much of a sweet tooth, so it was very easy to be around biscuits, cakes, muffins, pastries and any other baked goodies she could come up with. Her cake decorating skills also won some awards.

With regards to her own romantic history, or lack thereof, Emily used to struggle with her adverse reaction towards being physically intimate with a person and gender was definitely not the issue. Then after she finished school, Emily met and started talking to someone at work, a new girl named Rain, who was once known as Raymond. From these conversations, she was able to figure out her true feelings. Rain introduced her to like minded people within her own community. After all of these years of not understanding, Emily felt like at last she had found a place where she belonged. Her brother was the person whom she confided in first, while trying to decide if it was a good idea or not, to tell the others in their family. Ariel had known for quite a while that Emily was keeping a secret from her. During late night talks with his wife, Steven also started to wonder himself but did not wish to jump to any conclusions.

Everything came out rather unexpectedly, at a Lockhart gathering for New Year’s Eve. Valerie asked about her cousin Emily not dating. She wasn’t trying to be nasty; she was just concerned. “What is going on with you? You’re twenty-five years old, surely there must be a special somebody who has caught your attention. Wait a minute, I hadn’t thought of this until now…but are you alright? Did someone hurt you?”

Emily knew Michael wanted to speak for her and perhaps try to politely steer things away from the topic, because it might make her uncomfortable. But she placed her hand over his and squeezed it gently. She could do this. He smiled and kept holding on, offering his support. “I think I am finally ready to let you know what I have been dealing with. No, I haven’t had a bad experience that I wont share. Of course, young people can be cruel, and there were school bullies back then, but they soon left me alone once they realised that I could defend myself, both with words and my fists if necessary. When puberty hit and my body started to change, I never once felt anything that could be called sexual attraction, towards guys or girls. I didn’t really have a crush on a person or want to date either. To put it rather simply, I just wasn’t interested. This did not change one but, even when I became an adult.”

The dining room was silent for a couple of minutes, but the atmosphere wasn’t awkward or tense; perhaps Emily’s fear of rejection really was going to be unfounded. She dared to hope this was the case, as she noticed Valerie’s younger brother Mathew take a deep breath, let it out slowly and begin to speak. “Well, there’ s no going back now. Since my cousin looks like a whole weight load of stress has been lifted off her shoulders in revealing the truth about herself, I have my own confession. My best friend Raylan and I are together and have been an official couple for the past eight months.”

The remainder of the evening was spent asking more questions and getting direct answers. Nobody insulted each other or got upset about the things that had been spoken of. It was well past two o’clock in the morning before anyone even thought about leaving. So, in the end Emily had no reason to be concerned; a newfound closeness had started to bloom between them all and it certainly appeared to be welcomed with open arms.

*********

Once or twice a month, Emily and Michael would have the whole day to themselves and usually took turns driving home after they’d had dinner somewhere. They each had their favorite spots…

On a Saturday in mid-August, the siblings were leaving Slaven’s Italian style restaurant and walking to the car park around the back side of the small but very popular eating place. Michael lowered his tone as they passed by a couple of suspicious looking guys, sharing cigarettes. “Something doesn’t feel right here.” Within seconds, a dark van suddenly pulled out of its spot, stopping in front of them and blocking their way to Emily’s car. They were quickly grabbed from behind and knocked out with a horrible smelling wet cloth placed over their mouths.

*******

Emily opened her eyes and saw that she was the only one who had woken up. She sat still for a few moments, allowing her vision to adjust. The room was not totally dark, despite it being nighttime still. There was very weak lighting up above her. She could make out vague shapes which looked like boxes covered in sheets of tarpaulin. There were also three storage containers. The windows were dirty and dusty. Their phones had been smashed, and the contents of her handbag lay scattered on the floor.

She couldn’t help but think that perhaps she should have seen this coming; her brother had successfully convicted some pretty dangerous characters during his rise to the top. She had another glance around her and spotted two things which might help them: handcuffed to chairs with their hand in front, legs not bound? Mistake one; would definitely be easier to get loose. Alone in a room together? Mistake two; there was the chance for them to work on how to escape.

What the men who kidnapped the Lockhart siblings probably failed to realise, due to the lack of proper research, was this; their father Steven had once worked for a powerful and rich family, the Talbots. It was only a leukemia diagnosis which forced him to retire young, although there had been several near-death experiences, which of course came with the job. His devotion to duty and unwavering loyalty was never in doubt; he was rewarded most handsomely. Few outside of the handful of people he trusted completely, had any idea of just how well-liked Steven had been while working for the Talbots. Given what their father used to do for a living, it would stand to reason that he would find someone to teach his children skills, which could be called upon at the opportune time.

Movement across from her, told her that her brother was now awake. He whispered to her. “Are you okay?” “Other than feeling a bit woozy, sure.” Emily was able to twist her hand slightly and tap the tiny button on a bracelet she wore every day. “It’s done. The cavalry is alerted to our situation.” “Great. These cuffs are kind of tight, but I can try to unlock yours first. They didn’t check if we were armed.” “You brought your pocketknife too?” “Yep.” The second they were free, they carefully opened a couple of windows to make it look like they’d managed to get out and run away, then ducked inside a storage container, leaving the door ever so slightly ajar, just like it had been before. Michael had quit smoking, but he still kept a lighter in his pocket out of habit, so he used it to search for a makeshift weapon more effective than a small knife. About five minutes later, they heard a different door creak open, and string of curse words followed.

From their hiding spot, they could see a group of six men. Emily picked up a crowbar, while Michael held up a long piece of scrap metal. What the brother and sister needed, should they be discovered, was the element of surprise. The guy in charge immediately barked out strict instructions. “They can’t have gone far. Find and bring them back.” Michael explained in a soft tone to Emily, as the men separated and hurried out of the room to obey their boss, that he recognized the man ordering the others around; Ethan Grayson. He was the brother of a high-profile gang leader named Donnie and ran the legitimate side of the family business. By all accounts and judging by their current predicament, the brothers were close. Ethan was out for revenge because Michael was the one that put Donnie behind bars. Neither he nor Emily wanted to imagine what kind of harm Ethan was planning to inflict upon them.

Emily recalled catching sight of another door tucked away in the corner, when she was busy taking in her surroundings a little earlier. Still, she hesitated in mentioning it to Michael. Sure, if someone chose to return and check the room as they attempted to flee, the two of them could fight their way out; they did need to get as far away as possible from this place and soon. But was it really worth the risk? Maybe it was a better idea just to stay where they were and wait for rescue….

TO BE CONTINUED.