Tethered Read online

  Charleston, SC

  www.PalmettoPublishing.com

  Tethered

  Copyright © 2021 by A.K. Chatham

  All rights reserved

  No portion of this book may be reproduced,

  stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form

  by any means–electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording,

  or other–except for brief quotations in printed reviews,

  without prior permission of the author.

  First Edition

  Hardcover: 978-1-63837-667-5

  Paperback: 978-1-68515-219-2

  eBook: 978-1-63837-669-9

  Contents

  Chapter One The Cave Continued

  Chapter Two Summer

  Chapter Three Camp

  Chapter Four Wake Up Call

  Chapter Five Summer’s End

  Chapter Six Home Again

  Chapter Seven Happy Birthday

  Chapter Eight Day of the Daughters

  Chapter Nine Sting of the Truth

  Chapter Ten Aunt Mildred

  Chapter Eleven Thanksgiving

  Chapter Twelve Living the Life of Ana

  Chapter Thirteen Christmas Holiday

  Chapter Fourteen Gone For Good

  Chapter Fifteen Confession

  Chapter Sixteen The Upper Field

  Chapter Seventeen Living with Lies

  Chapter Eighteen The New Year

  Chapter Nineteen The Final Goodbye

  Chapter Twenty No Turning Back

  Chapter One

  The Cave Continued

  Ana lay motionless on the cold dirt floor, her last drop of energy spent praying, asking God for strength enough to fight for her life. She was chilled and wet on the clay ground, her hands bound, her body filthy covered with grimy red clay. Her mouth was dry, and dried blood rimmed her lips. She appeared lifeless, helpless and broken. Yet, she lived. Sleeping, her body rested as her mind dove deep within the depths of her subconscious, and she dreamt. Memories flooded her dreams; voices spoke softly to her. From the freezing floor of the dark cave, someone, something, touched her from the inside. Like a flame was lit and was now burning inside the chambers of her heart. This force warmed her and awoke her, bringing her back to consciousness. When her eyes opened, she remembered where she was. She heard her captor behind the door. Ana wasn’t afraid; the fear had fled. She was angry and ready to fight. Ana sat up and managed to pull one wrist from the rope. She clenched her jaw and stared at the door, waiting. When he kicked it open, she looked him dead in the face.

  Meanwhile, Jeffrey and Phillip had ridden on horseback to the backside of the mountain. They had topped the hill and had climbed down. They hadn’t seen a vehicle, but this was the right place. Jeffrey had an uneasy feeling, and the hair began to stick up on his arms as he neared the entrance. He and Travis had been here together years before. “Are you sure you want to go in? Should we wait on the police?” Jeffrey asked, already knowing the answer.

  “I’m going in,” Phillip said.

  “Here,” said Jeffrey, handing Phillip a pistol. Jeffrey, his gun now drawn, put one foot in front of the other to begin the descent into the cave as Phillip followed closely behind him, once again in this lifetime, determined to find his missing child. The cave became narrower. As he recalled, the cave had two doors and two chambers; it had been used as a hideout at one time and then for storage of ammunition. An old wooden door separated the chambers. They stopped just shy of the half-open first door. Gazing in carefully and hidden by a jutting rock, they saw Travis. Although Travis was looking directly at them, he couldn’t see them in the darkness. He was standing and mumbling something to himself, holding a bottle of whiskey in his hand. Holstered on his right side was a gun. They watched, each man holding their breath. Jeffrey could feel Phillip's chest pushing against him, understanding he wanted to attack Travis. Jeffrey held him in place and shook his head slowly. Travis turned and kicked the second door open; it closed behind him after he entered the next chamber. A lantern lit the empty room. Jeffrey carefully walked inside. He saw nothing of importance except for a crack in the second door. Cautiously, he peeked through the crack. He thought he saw something, but it was too dark to see clearly. Phillip, now behind Jeffery, feared what they were going to find. They heard Travis speaking, and another sound they assumed was a blow to Ana. Phillip jolted toward Travis, but Jeffrey held him in place, stopping him from going through. The last minute had felt like an hour.

  Jeffrey wanted to move, but he didn’t, not yet. He had to get Travis without catching Ana in the crossfire. Jeffrey crept closer to the door as silently as possible. He opened the door slightly and saw Ana lying on the cave floor. He looked at Phillip and nodded, signaling him to come closer. His breath was visible between them as damp mist. Jeffery held out his arm, placing it on Phillips's shoulder, then he squeezed. Phillip felt his warning and looked at him, then nodded. The darkness hid his face, but Jeffery could see the glint of his eye as he stared at him. Jeffrey was somewhat reassured, but he still kept his shoulder between them. He needed to protect him from himself.

  Ana screamed; Jeffery and Phillip both jumped. Jeffrey kicked open the door, and as Travis turned, Phillip blinded him with the flashlight. Travis pulled his pistol and reached hard for Ana. He clutched her to him and pointed the gun at her head. Ana squinted and winced in pain, pulling away from him.

  “Let her go,” Phillip said.

  “Never,” Travis yelled and moved the gun upward.

  Phillip yelled back at him, attempting to distract Travis.

  “Ana, down!” Jeffery ordered.

  Ana bent her knees, used the weight of her body to pull herself down, and turned her head away from Travis. Jeffery took his shot, and he didn’t hesitate. Travis's body dropped to the floor.

  Ana thought she was dead. Travis had fallen on top of Ana, pinning her to the floor. Suddenly bright yellow light came into the room, along with more voices. Ana looked down as blood poured out of his chest and onto her legs. The hot liquid oozed onto her bare skin, and she gazed at him in shock. His head bobbed as it laid off to the side, unsupported. She tried to sit up in order to get away from him. Travis's eyes were open, and he was gasping for air. It was just like a movie; blood came out of his mouth, and he gagged on it. He breathed twice more, then his eyes rolled back in his head, and he was dead.

  A police officer was now in the room. During all the whirlwind commotion, they had pulled Jeffrey and Phillip outside of the room. “He's dead, and she's alive,” the officer announced. The officer pulled Travis's body off her, letting it flop hard on the floor. Ana collapsed back to the floor, falling on her elbows, and began backing away toward the wall. She was nearly naked, wearing only her underwear, which was torn and very dirty. Her skin was completely covered with layers of dirt, sweat, and blood. The officer looked at her like she was a rabid raccoon. He called back to the others, “Get the Duke. We need to get her out of here.”

  Phillip forced his way into the room. He saw Ana, then looked back to find Andrea standing in the doorway.

  “She's alive! Oh, thank God!” He said.

  Ana was in shock, and her vision seemed off. Phillip bent down to pick her up, and Ana put her hands up to stop him. Her response startled him, and he looked to the doorway for help. Andrea pushed through the police when she saw his distressed face. She saw Ana holding her hands up and ducking her head as Phillip crouched down in front of her. He shrugged his shoulders in response to his wife questioning look.

  Andrea kneeled in front of Ana and gently said, “Ana, it's me. It's Mom. It's okay. We’re going to get you out of here.” When she heard her mother's voice, Ana closed her eyes and started to breathe more rapidly before bursting into tears. Andrea bent over her, at
tempting to cover her naked body.

  Phillip took off his shirt and wrapped it around her body, then reached down and picked her up.

  “It's going to be okay, Ana. We’ve got you.” He whispered to her.

  “Sir, please wait! We need to clear the press before you exit,” the officer said.

  Phillip looked right at him and said, “I’m getting her out of here now even if I have to push through them myself.”

  “Yes, Sir.” The policeman said, letting him pass. Andrea followed behind.

  Outside of the cave, the sunlight forced Ana to hide her face. She could only see silhouettes of people and her head ached with the exposure to the light. There were cameras snapping photos around her. The police were pushing them away. An ambulance was waiting with the doors open. Phillip stepped in with Ana in his arms and placed her on the stretcher in the back of the ambulance. The medics covered Ana with blankets and took her vital signs. Phillip exited, and Andrea entered. He shut the doors immediately behind her.

  “I want to go home, please!” Ana begged them

  “Ana, please!” Andrea said, trying to calm her as Ana flailed her arms at them.

  “You have to be evaluated, ma’am. Please tell us where you’re injured, Ms. Hutchinson,” the medic said.

  “Everywhere. Please, I want to go home now!” Ana said, looking at her mother for understanding.

  “You can’t go now. We have to wait until you’re evaluated,” Andrea said with tears streaming down her face. It was agonizing for Andrea to see Ana in this state.

  “I want to shower! May I please?” Ana asked as she laid her head back, feeling disgustingly dirty, tears now hot on her face.

  “I know. As soon as we can, my love, I promise.” Andrea reassured her by holding her hand and stroking it.

  The medics, one male and the other female, looked at each other suspiciously. “Yes, as soon as the doctor says so,” the male medic said. Andrea observed their body language, and she, too, was concerned that Ana had been sexually assaulted.

  When they arrived at the Emergency Department, Ana had calmed. The male medic gave an oral report as they transferred Ana to a bed in the Emergency Department. “This is Anastasia Hutchinson, a seventeen-year-old female who was held hostage by a twenty-five-year-old male at gunpoint for approximately eight hours. She has an obvious head wound that has stopped bleeding and multiple abrasions and bruises all over her body. Medical history is unknown.”

  The nurses looked at each other, almost in disbelief. One of them pointed at Andrea and blurted, “This is Anastasia Hutchinson, the missing baby, and you’re the Duchess?”

  Andrea answered, nodding humbly as she wiped her eyes, “Yes, ma’am.”

  Ana looked hard at the nurse who was taking her vitals. “As soon as we get her situated, you may be at her bedside,” the nurse said to Andrea.

  The doctor and both nurses were female. The doctor began to assess Ana. “Is your name Anastasia?” She asked.

  “Yes,” Ana responded. The doctor asked her some other questions to evaluate her alertness and memory. She looked into Ana's eyes with a penlight and then examined her head. “Did you lose consciousness when you were struck in the head?”

  “No, I was trying to call my mom,” Ana responded.

  The doctor nodded. She looked at her arms and legs, noting bruises on her thighs and wrists. “Were you tied to something?”

  “Yes.”

  The nurse closed the door and stood in front of it. The doctor nodded to Andrea and then looked at Ana, attempting empathetic confidentiality. “Mrs. Hutchingson will you please give us the room?” the physician asked. Andrea nodded yes and looked at the floor. Ana looked anxiously at her mother. “I will be right outside,” Andrea said softly then left the room. After the door had closed the doctor asked, “Were you raped or sexually assaulted in any way?” the doctor asked, standing close to the bed.

  Ana didn’t respond.

  “I need you to try and remember. I can see by the bruises on your legs that you were likely assaulted. Were you, or are you in pain?”

  Ana looked at the doctor and her lip quivered. “Yes, I think I was raped.” She closed her eyes, and a tear streamed down her cheek. The doctor patted Ana on the shoulder and walked out. Andrea was waiting outside the door. “You can go in now, I think she needs you,” the doctor said.

  Andrea walked over and pulled Ana's body close to her. “Oh, Anastasia, I’m so sorry.” Andrea said, she knew what had happened to Ana even if she didn’t hear the words. Andrea cried for her daughter, both of their bodies jolting from their sobs.

  “Momma, I’m so sorry. It's all my fault,” Ana said through tears.

  “No, why would you say that?” Andrea asked.

  “I should have never been involved with him.”

  “This was not your fault,” Andrea reassured Ana.

  Ana laid on her mother's chest and eventually stopped crying. The doctor and two nurses returned.

  “Ana, before I let you go home, I have to examine you,” the doctor said. Ana nodded. The nurses cut Ana's underwear off, then put them in evidence bags. A police officer knocked on the door, and the doctor went out. When she entered the room later, she stated that they could wash her body after an internal exam. The doctor pulled Andrea out into the hall. She explained that since the assailant was deceased, she would not require a rape kit unless Ana wanted it. Then she asked if Andrea would discuss this with Ana.

  “I don’t want to put her through more trauma, but we must ask her,” Andrea said. Andrea and the doctor entered the room. The doctor then explained the process. Ana looked at her mother for guidance.

  “It is your decision,” Andrea said.

  “He is dead. I don’t want it,” Ana said.

  “Understood. I will order a scan of your head, do a quick pelvic exam, test for STDs, and pregnancy. Ana are you sexually active?” the doctor asked.

  “No, she's a virgin,” Andrea said quickly, almost defensively.

  “Mrs. Hutchinson, even if your daughter was, unfortunately, I believe she isn’t anymore. This is simply protocol,” the doctor explained nicely to Andrea, acknowledging her fragile state.

  Andrea nodded, then walked outside the room. Andrea was beside herself, in shock, trying to process the events that had transpired.

  In the room, the doctor asked Ana, “Is there any chance you could be pregnant?” the doctor asked.

  Ana thought about Castin; however, she couldn’t recall the details of their sexual encounter. Ana became anxious as she remembered the sexual encounter they had shared. They had really done it; she felt like such a slut. She didn’t even know him, she thought. Ana felt humiliated and disgusted with the decisions she had made. Ana faced the realities of her situation in secret. If the situation wasn’t terrible enough, she now felt laden with guilt. Although every time Ana thought about Castin, Ana couldn’t help but want to see him. He was not what she regretted, just the decisions that surrounded him.

  “Ana, is there any chance you could be pregnant?” The doctor asked again louder.

  “Well, I guess, right?” Ana started, then her mother walked in the room, “–– no, no chance, I mean before tonight.”

  The doctor noted her reaction, then looked at the nurses. “Order a blood and urine pregnancy test, please.” Andrea had heard Ana's response but thought nothing of it. The nurses attempted to clean Ana as much as washcloths could, then the doctor returned to do the exam. Andrea held Ana's hand.

  “You’re swollen. Do you have any pain?” the doctor asked.

  “Yes,” Ana said.

  “Unfortunately, you could be sore for a couple of days, but if the pain persists, then you will need to be seen by your gynecologist. However, I see nothing abnormal.”

  “Can you tell if he…?” Ana attempted to ask.

  “I do see what I assume is semen, but I won’t know until it is under the microscope,” the doctor said.

  Ana exhaled heavily. Her head scan revealed no
bleeding, and after observation, she was released. She had a concussion. The laceration on the back of her head was closed with staples.

  As they put Ana in the car, a nurse bent down close and said to Ana, “I prayed for you and your mother many times over the years. I have a son who was born around the same time as you were. I will continue to pray for you.”

  Ana looked up and smiled. Not knowing what to say, she said, “Thank you, ma’am.” The nurse responded with a grateful smile. Andrea heard the nurse's comment and was moved to tears. She reached out and hugged the nurse. Both women had tears in their eyes.

  Diane and Jeffrey were at the estate awaiting their arrival. Phillip opened the door, and Andrea walked Ana in slowly. “We’ll be upstairs. Ana is going to shower and lie down.” Andrea announced.

  “Let me know if you’re hungry, Ana, or if you need anything,” Phillip said to her.

  “Yes, Dad,” Ana said. Ana felt sore all over, like she had been hit by a moving van. Phillip left the room. Andrea turned on the shower, and Ana started to undress cautiously, grimacing.

  “Let me help you,” Andrea said gently. Ana dropped her hands to her sides and exhaled heavily. Andrea undressed her daughter as modestly as possible, then Ana sat on the shower bench and tried to relax. Andrea saw Ana's large hematoma and the laceration on the back of her head and then marks on her neck as she washed her hair. Ana didn’t want to move from the soothing hot water. Her body was aching. She stayed in the shower alone for quite a while. Then her mother and aunt assisted her in dressing into loose pajamas, and Ana laid down in her bed. Phillip had brought her soup and milk. Ana couldn’t eat. Andrea laid down with Ana.

  “I’m sorry, Mom,” Ana said.

  “Please stop apologizing. Just rest.” Ana slept hard until the following morning.

  Ana woke up at eight a.m., she was gasping for air, and her hand was grasping her throat. She remembered what had happened. Ana screamed.

  Her mother came bolting into her room. “Anastasia, you’re at home. You’re safe.”

  “I couldn’t breathe. He was choking me,” Ana said, looking frantic. Ana was sweating and in pain.