Yeah, it’s not worth it. I want to go outside.
We walk outside, to the back of the house. It’s then that I realize we are, literally, in the middle of nowhere. I don’t see any houses as far as the eye can see. There is a backyard, but it opens up into the woods.
Something sparkly catches my eye and I look over to see a pool.
Nolan was right—I don’t need a hoodie. I slip it over my head, putting it on the rail of the house.
We’re somewhere warm.
Which means we might still be in the US.
Maybe we’re in Florida.
It would explain why it feels like it’s ninety degrees outside in January.
“Is that... salt water that I smell?” I ask Nolan.
He ignores me. “How far can you run?”
I shrug. “Depends on the day. Sometimes Sebastian and I run fifteen miles, others we run five.”
“Fifteen miles,” Nolan says. “That’s good. How fast can you run a mile?"
“Again, depends on the day. On a treadmill, I can do a mile in about six minutes. But in real life, it depends on the terrain,” I say.
“We should time you,” he says, pulling a phone out of his pocket.
I eye the phone.
I wonder if I could get it off him and somehow get a message to Sebastian.
But I doubt it.
Nolan is good. Really good. And while I tease Sebastian about tackling him on the beach, if he was really trying, he could’ve won easily. Nolan and Sebastian are about equal in strength. I have a zero percent chance of overpowering him.
Nolan and I take off for a run through the woods, and I’ve got to be honest—even if I were trying to escape, I don’t think I could. This place is a maze, though I’m sure it’s confusing on purpose. Nolan seems to know exactly where he’s going, though.
He is seriously just like Sebastian in the way that he’s good at everything.
Except he’s on the wrong side of this war.
As we run, I stay a few feet behind him. I don’t have any problems keeping up with him. I’m proud of myself for this. I feel like the last time I saw Nolan, I was this underweight, out of shape, scared little girl. But I’m not her anymore. I’m strong and I don’t need him to protect me.
I’m not sure how long we’re outside, but eventually we end up in the backyard again and Nolan is pushing a button on his phone.
“About six and a half minutes per mile,” Nolan says. “Not bad.”
I’m not sure what is good for a mile, so I just nod like I know what he’s talking about.
“It’s good for your age,” he says. “I bet you could even run faster if you tried.”
I shrug. “Maybe.”
“By the way, you’re looking really good,” he says.
I narrow my eyes.
“I mean, you’ve gained weight,” he says. “You we’re so skinny when we first met. You look heathy now. Less sickly.”
I roll my eyes. “Whatever.”
“Let’s get you back inside,” he says, motioning me ahead of him.
I go inside, not trying to run away. Not today. One, because I’m tired after that run and I’m not sure that I could run away right now. Two, because I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t get far before Nolan would catch me. And three, because he wasn’t lying about the guards with guns. Which makes me think—maybe he wasn’t lying about their shoot to kill order if I try to escape.
I’m not taking the chance right now.
Thursday, January 11
Help.
When I wake up on Thursday morning, I notice that my door is cracked.
Nolan did say he was going to leave my door unlocked today—it’s my ‘reward’ for not trying to escape.
I’m going to use this advantage he’s giving me to plot my escape.
I put my hair up into a messy bun, not feeling like messing with it today. I brush my teeth and get dressed for the day. Since I’m not leaving the house, I just put on a pair of yoga pants and a hoodie.
I find it disturbing that I have a closet stocked full of clothes my size. Steven must be serious about wanting to keep me here for a long time.
Does he really think he’s going to convince me to join his side?
Or maybe I’m supposed to be motivation for Sebastian to join him. Maybe that is the only reason I’m still alive—because he sees how much his son likes me.
When I walk out of my room, I go the same way as yesterday, towards the stairs.
This house is huge. Really huge. I could easily get lost in here. I try to memorize the layout as much as I can. It will come in handy later, when it’s time to make my escape.
When I walk down the stairs, Nolan comes around the corner.
“Hey, I thought I heard you,” he says.
I don’t know why I thought Nolan was going to be mean to me. Maybe because the last time I saw him, aside from in Australia, he shot Gage. But when I’m here with him, it’s so easy to forget about that. I have to remember that he is a monster.
“Hey,” I say.
I have to be friendly with him. I have to gain his trust.
“You want some breakfast?” he asks.
“Sure,” I say.
I follow him through the house and somehow wind up in the kitchen. He motions to the island in the middle of the kitchen, telling me to sit on the barstool. I sit there and watch him as he gathers ingredients.
“You know how to cook?” I ask.
“I was on a team with five other guys,” he says. “If I didn’t know how to cook, I would’ve starved. Or been forced to eat Twinkies.”
I laugh, thinking about Brett and how he always has a box of Twinkies with him.
I haven’t seen Brett since he left New Zealand. I miss him.
“Do you still like Twinkies?” he asks.
I shake my head. “No, but don’t tell Brett. I think they only taste good when you are seriously deprived of calories.”
Nolan laughs.
And for a second, it feels like it used to.
Before...
And I have to keep reminding myself that this is the guy who shot Gage. The guy who gave me a concussion. The guy Sebastian had to fight to save me. He’s working with the enemy and he is not my friend. Not anymore.
“Is Sebastian okay?” I ask, as he stands at the stove, facing away from me.
“Steven had a lead on him,” Nolan says. “He’s gone to check it out, but I doubt anything will come of it.”
“What makes you say that?” I ask.
“Because I happen to know the lead was fake,” he says.
“Then why didn’t you tell him?”
“I figured you’d be happy about the fact that he’s not here,” Nolan says. “If he was, you’d be locked in your room right now.”
Good point.
“Why are you being nice to me?” I ask. “Is this some kind of trick? Like, you think if you’re nice to me that I’ll turn my back on Sebastian, my dad, and all my friends to join your side?”
“No. I know you won’t do that,” Nolan says. “But it is for the best if you at least pretend like you’re trying whenever Steven is around.”
“Will he be around a lot?” I ask.
“No. He’s never home for more than a day at a time,” he says.
There’s that, at least.
A couple of minutes later, Nolan sets a couple of plates of food in front of me. There is a plate with French toast on it, there is a bowl of fruit, and a plate with eggs and bacon. Apparently, he still remembers how much I like to eat.
“Do you milk or juice?” he asks.
“Water,” I answer.
He grabs a couple of bottles from the fridge and hands me one.
“Eat up,” he says.
I smile entirely too big at the spread in front of me. I go for the French toast first, then the eggs, bacon and the fruit last. Nolan doesn’t say anything the entire time I’m eating, but I’m vaguely aware that he’s watching me.
�
�That was amazing,” I say, sitting back in the chair. “Maybe you should quit your current job and become a chef.”
He laughs.
I didn’t mean it as a joke, but I’m pretty sure he knows that.
Nolan is too nice of a guy to be working for Steven.
You know, aside from the whole shooting his best friend thing.
“What’re the plans for today?” I ask.
“Maybe after you’re not stuffed, we can do some training,” he says. “We can pick up wherever you and Sebastian left off.”
I nod, knowing that I do need to keep my training up.
“Other than that, you can do whatever you want. Feel free to explore the house,” he says. “Just don’t try to leave, please. I’m not joking when I say the guards have a shoot to kill order, okay?”
I nod, letting him know that I believe him.
And for some reason, I truly do believe him.
But someday they are going to let their guard down. Someday, something will happen and I will find a way to escape. Of that I have no doubts.
“Look, I know you. And I know how the mind of somebody who goes to Spy School works,” he says. “You should know that the guards change shifts at a different time every day. So, please don’t look for weaknesses in Steven’s system. Trust me, he’s been planning for this a long time, and a seventeen-year-old girl is not going to figure it out.”
“So, you’re saying that I’m going to be stuck in this house forever?” I ask.
“No,” he answers. “I’m just saying, if you’re going to have any chance of escaping, you’re going to need help.”
But help from who?
Nolan gets up, leaving the kitchen, and I sit there for a moment longer, wondering what he meant.
Does he mean that he’s going to help me escape? Because it kind of seemed like that, but it doesn’t make sense. Why would Nolan help me escape? He’s on Steven’s side.
Right?
Back to prison.
Since Nolan said I am free to explore the house, I decide to walk around. I know where the back door is, but I haven’t found the front door yet.
Geez, just how big is this house?
I’ve seen big houses on TV—the kind that celebrities own. Or, you know, Iron Man. But I’ve never seen one in real life. For a moment, I wonder where Steven got all his money, but then I realize he probably stole it. He seems like the kind of guy who would take something that doesn’t belong to him because he feels like the world owes him, even though it doesn’t.
I think my dad is rich. I’ve never actually talked to him about his finances, but I know he owns private jets, helicopters, and lots of cars. Our house at Spy School is nice, but not huge. It’s perfect for the two of us. But I wonder... maybe he could afford a house like this.
Dad seems like the kind of guy who lives below his means on purpose.
I wonder what Sebastian is up to right now—I wonder if he’s doing okay. If I know him, he’s remaining calm on the outside, but inside he is freaking out about me being taken. He’s probably blaming himself.
I just wish I could talk to him and tell him that I’m okay. Though I’m not sure that assuring him that I’m okay would be enough to calm him down. I’m with his dad, the very man he’s been running from his whole life. I’m with Nolan, and Sebastian has always hated him, even before he shot Gage and tried to kidnap me. I’d be equally freaking out if our roles were reversed.
Bass is looking for me. That I know is true. I also know that if he wants to find me, he will. I take comfort in that, but it also frightens me. While he’s looking for me, Steven is looking for him. I just hope he doesn’t get distracted and mess up.
Who am I kidding? It’s Bass. He’s not going to get caught by Steven.
The only reason I am here is because I decided to stay and fight—I refused to leave. It’s my fault.
Next time, I will listen to Sebastian.
No, there won’t be a next time. When I get out of here, we are going to end this.
I walk around the corner and see a large double door.
The front door.
I can see into the front yard, there are cars lined up in the huge driveway.
Just how many people are here?
Escaping seems impossible.
But certainly, it’s not, right?
“There you are,” I hear.
I turn around and see Nolan.
“You’ve got to get back to your room,” he says. “Steven is on his way back and will be here soon. It won’t be good if he sees you out of your room.”
Back to being a prisoner, I guess.
“Do I really have to?” I ask.
“Sorry,” he says.
I follow Nolan back towards my room—my prison, and I try to memorize the path. I am going to escape from here—tonight if I can.
The path is actually pretty simple to my room. I won’t have a problem finding my way later.
When we get to my door, Nolan opens it up so I can step inside. I sigh before going in. I don’t want to be locked in here, but I know it beats the alternative—being out there when Steven is home.
“Did his lead not pan out?” I ask.
Nolan grins. “Nah, turns out the trail was cold.”
“So, Sebastian is safe?”
“Yes,” he says.
“Good,” I say.
“Serenity, I know you don’t trust me, but please stay in here. Steven is not a forgiving man,” he says. “And I will protect you from him as much as I can, but he’s a lot more powerful than I am.”
I nod. “I will be good.”
It’s a lie.
I don’t plan on being good.
I don’t plan on staying in this room.
Nolan looks at me like he knows exactly what I’m planning.
“I’ll come bring you dinner later,” he says, shutting the door.
Before he walks away, I hear the click of the lock.
But what Nolan doesn’t know is that I haven’t just spent the last few months running. Sebastian has also been training me. And picking a lock is something that I have no problems with.
I walk over to the one window in my room. I look out, around the bars. From here, I can get a good look at the front yard. I watch as a very expensive looking car pulls up. Steven gets out of it, wearing a suit and dark glasses. Somebody, a guard I’m guessing, greets him.
From here, I can study him more carefully. While Sebastian looks a lot like his mom, I can also see that he looks like his dad, too. The dark hair he definitely got from his dad.
As much as I hate to admit it, he’s not bad looking for an old dude.
I mean, he’s not that old. He’s about the same age as my dad is, who is only nineteen years older than me. He’s still in his thirties.
I wonder why Steven never got remarried. Though, now that I think about it, maybe he did. I’m not sure of that.
No. If he had gotten remarried, he wouldn’t be so obsessed over a woman who left him over thirteen years ago. Plus, I highly doubt his new wife would be okay with it, either.
Still, he’d probably be a great catch for somebody out there. I mean, maybe there is some woman out there who is equally as evil, just waiting for a man like him.
Ew.
Okay, I think I’ve watched too many cheesy romantic comedies. But there isn’t a lot else to watch in hotels. Granted, most of the movies I watched weren’t even in English. It’s probably better that way. It’s more fun to imagine them saying what you want them to say.
Steven walks inside the house, so I walk away from the window.
Tonight, while everybody is asleep, I am going to find a way to escape.
Friday, January 12
Escape.
I wake up to the sound of rain against the side of the window. There is a flash outside, followed by thunder. I look at the clock and see that it’s just past one in the morning—I hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but now seems like as good a time to escape as any. Or, it
did. Now that I’m noticing the rain, I’m not so sure.
It’s cold in my room. Well, it’s always cold in here. But I can’t wimp out now. A storm is probably the perfect time to escape. I get out of bed, immediately missing the warmth of the covers.
After getting ready, packing a few bottles of water I have in my room and a change of clothes into a bag, I go to pick the lock. It takes me nearly five minutes to pick the lock before I finally hear it click.
I’m so glad Sebastian forced me to learn how to do this.
I open the door as quietly as possible and stick my head out into the hallway. There is nobody out here—the only sound is of the rain and thunder.
I can do this.
I slowly walk into the hallway, shutting the door behind me. As I walk, I tiptoe as quietly as I can, scared to make a noise. If Nolan is right about Steven not giving second chances, I really can’t get caught. If I do, I would have to pay with my life.
As I walk down the stairs, I hold on tightly to the banister. Because, if I were going to fall down stairs at any point in my life, today would be the day. I would fall and wake up the entire house, and then I would be as good as dead.
When I get to the bottom, I let out a sigh of relief as I walk towards the front door.
I wonder if that guard is still outside. Certainly not with the thunderstorm. But I still worry that he will be there when I open the door.
What will he do? Will he hesitate to shoot me? If he does hesitate, am I strong enough to fight him? Strong enough to get the gun away from him? I haven’t been training my whole life like a lot of these guys probably have, and I am completely out of my element.
For a moment, just a split second, I wish Sebastian was here. He’d know what to do. But I reject the thought immediately. I don’t want him here, even if it means that I am going through this alone.
I take a deep breath, reaching for the handle. Just as I am about to unlock the door, a hand reaches out and grabs mine. I let out a yelp.
“Shh...” a finger goes to my lips.
It’s then that I notice Nolan.
I let out a sigh of relief. So far, he hasn’t given me any reason to think he’s going to kill me, but who knows.
Saving Me Page 2
