Mad Summer Love

Pain

Maddox was driving around aimlessly, he had no idea where Frank was taking Summer and thinking of what he might do to the woman he loved made him sick. The phone buzzing in his pocket made him jump and he pulled over to fish it out, Frank's number flashing on the display.

“Where is she, Frank?” he yelled into the phone as soon as he hit accept. “If you hurt her…”

“Shut up, Maddy. Game's over. Now I am going to make sure you give me what I want.”

“Fine, Frank. Just tell me where you are.”

Frank laughed into the receiver. “No. I don't think so, not yet. First, I am going to make sure you don't even think of pulling anymore of your tricks. Wait where you are. I will call you back in 10 minutes.”

The line went dead before Maddox could protest.

****

Summer listened to Frank's conversation with Maddox and when he hung up, she panicked internally, terrified of what might happen next.

Frank grabbed Summer by the arm and pushed her roughly into the house, dragging her to Maddox's study where she was first reunited with him. He sat her heavily in the chair she used to interview Maddox on that momentous day. He tied her hands tightly to the arms of the chair and then her ankles to the legs with some rope another minion of his brought in to him.

“Now. You're going to help me get Maddox to do what I want. Don't worry, you don't have to say anything, you just have to scream and I can help you with that.”

Panic coursed through Summer again. What did he mean, he'd help make her scream?

Frank grinned menacingly at her silence. Finally she was beginning to understand her predicament.

He leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Tell him where you are and I will kill your daughter when we find her.”

Summer froze at his threat. There was no way in Hell she could let her daughter be harmed in any way.

Frank picked up the phone again and dialed Maddox's number. The answer came before the end of the first ring.

“Hello, Maddy. It's time,” Frank stated as he put the phone on the desk and clicked the speaker button.

Without warning he reached over, grabbed one of Summer's fingers and yanked upward. It cracked loudly as it broke.

Summer screamed out in pain, her eyes filling with tears.

****

Maddox winced into the phone.

Looking at Madison he tried to keep his composure for her sake, but fear and rage were boiling under his skin.

“Madison, I need you to crawl into the backseat. There are some headphones there and you can listen to music while Daddy talks, OK. I promise it will make you feel better.”

Madison could hear her mother scream through the phone and knew it was bad, but she nodded and did as he told her. She searched until she found the headphones, plugging them into the jack in the car. The car's radio came through, drowning out any other noises she could hear, including the yelling she knew would ensue between her father and whoever was on the phone. She sat there quietly crying to herself, praying for her mom to be OK.

Once Madison was settled, Maddox put his ear back to the phone. “Listen, Frank. We can settle this. Just you and I. You don't have to hurt her. Just tell me where you are.”

Frank's voice came back like venom. “No, Maddy. I am just getting started. When I do finally tell you, you will come, and you will beg to give me what I want. You know, Maddy. She is an attractive looking thing. Maybe after I am done breaking her, I will give your daughter a brother or sister. I bet Summer would enjoy that, no matter how much she protests.”

Maddox's chest seized. He started to scream at Frank, telling him he'd kill him, but the phone went dead.

****

Frank turned to Summer, stroking her face with the back of his hand. He grinned at her, his eyes full of malice. “It seems your boyfriend still has some fight in him. Why don't you and I find a way to change that?”

Summer turned her head away from Frank's touch. She heard what he had insinuated and her heart sank at the thought. She was unsure of what to expect next, but she knew it would be painful, whatever it was.

Frank grabbed Summer's face violently and forced her to look at him.

“Not so tough anymore,” he said looking at her, his eyes tracking down the deep neckline of her dress, like an animal eyeing his prey.

He put a hand on her throat near the top of her chest, feeling her heart pounding.

“Your heart is racing. Are you scared or excited about the prospect of a real man?” he smirked at her.

Dread settled in Summer's chest, but she couldn't let it show. His hands on her, made her sick and her face hurt where he was grabbing her.

She gave him a scowl and her words came out with a bite. “Show me a real man around here and I'll let you know.”

“I think it's time to call Maddox back,” Frank said, slapping her across the face.

Summer gasped, her face burning where he hit her.

Frank picked up the phone and pressed the recall on Maddox's number. “Have you calmed down?”

All Summer could hear was Frank’s side of the conversation, but she could only guess at what Maddox had to say.

“Shut up. You and your little w***e have big mouths,” Frank said into the phone as he began to untie Summer.

She thought about running, only to decide that was a terrible idea because she wouldn't get far. When she was free, he slammed her against the desk, pinning her face against the cold wood. Pain radiated over her entire body at the force.

“Fine,” Frank said into the phone, then the big man held it up to Summer’s ear. “He wants to know you're alive.”

“Maddox?” she sobbed, unable to contain it now. “Madison, is she…”

All she could think about was if their daughter was all right.

"She’s OK. I have her with me,” he replied. “Are you…”

Frank pulled the phone back before Maddox could finish his sentence, setting it on the desk and tapping the speaker button.

“There, Maddy. See? She's alive and now you can hear her. She's been a real pain in the ass - you both have. I was considering being done with this. I thought breaking her finger would be enough, but now I just want to hurt her.”