“Maybe you’re the one who drank too much,” I shot back, hating how much I sounded like a whiny little child.
Nic stomped towards the door and slammed it shut behind him without saying another word. That’s how easy it was to flip his switch and send him running off to hide. It wasn’t the first time it had happened, so I was getting used to it. But he seemed especially tense lately. Maybe because he knew I was right. It couldn’t go on like this forever. But he had the advantage of controlling which way it all went...unless I thought of something soon. Like another escape plan if I decided to risk him sharing that damned tape with everyone.
I cleaned up everything he left behind and turned out the light before climbing under the blankets on my mattress. I never seemed to notice when Nic and I were in it together, but when I was alone at night, trying to fall asleep, I realized just how uncomfortable it was. Another thing that would have to change as my pregnancy went on. I laughed to myself at the thought. As if I could stay in this place until my baby was born...As if Nic would even keep me around after he knew.
Or maybe I was afraid that he would. He might decide he owned me more than ever if I was carrying his child, and he might never let me see my family ever again. I wrapped my arms tightly around my stomach and cringed at the thought of my child never knowing my mothers and sisters, and them never knowing my child. It was a heartbreaking idea to fall asleep to.
Chapter 17
Nicholas
I could tell Jada was hiding something. She must have thought I was an idiot to fall for her little stunt of pouring the tequila down the sink. It left me reeling with questions...Why was she afraid to let her guard down around me?
I locked myself in my room and buried my face in my hands. Of course, she was afraid to let her guard down. I had kidnapped her and was holding her hostage. I blackmailed her with that sex tape. She had every reason to hate me. So why didn't she? Instead, she was trying to get me to confess to some sort of feelings for her while pulling shady tricks behind my back.
Maybe the guys were right. All of this could have just been a part of a big manipulative scheme to get out of here...To get away from me. And I couldn't blame her. The guilt was starting to take its toll on me, and I knew I had to figure out what to do soon.
I stuffed a pillow around my ears to drown out the noise of the partying in the next room. I wished I wouldn't have let my temper get the best of me. I could have stayed with Jada. No one would have noticed. I wasn't naive enough to think we could ever have a real relationship where her family accepted me or us. But more often, I was starting to fantasize about us having some kind of life together. One far away from this stupid hideout and all the ridiculous things that had brought us together in the first place.
It was crazy to think I used to go to bed dreaming about vengeance against the Garcias, and now my chance to have it was right in front of me, but I couldn't take it. I knew if Paul couldn't have Jada, however that came about, he would find a new rich bride in no time. That's what he was conditioned to do, and a person's ability to love could only go as deep as the amount of sorrow and pain they had also endured in their lives. I knew about those things in a way Paul never could, so no one could love Jada deeper than me. If that's what these feelings for her even were.
I drifted off to sleep with stupid notions of Jada and I starting a family together. I could sell off all my properties and liquidate all of my assets and get out of the life of crime. It would almost be enough to give her everything that Paul could...just without the social standing. Was I crazy to think Jada didn't really care about what people thought of her or us? I had devoted so much to keeping her imprisoned with me that I hadn't learned enough about what she wanted or cared about outside of sex.
The next morning, the guys didn't harass me on my way out the door. They just shot me dirty looks, which I could tolerate. I wasn't going to see Jada anyway, which they would have been both surprised and happy with if they knew. I decided I needed to take a walk to get some fresh air. I pushed past the overgrown tree line along the edge of the property and wandered through the woods for a while, trying to clear my head.
As I walked, I came across the place where I had found Jada when she tried to escape. I wondered if maybe I should have just let her go. That would have been the decent thing to do if I really did love her. But whatever I felt for her wasn't as selfless as that. I wanted it to be, but it simply wasn't. Suddenly, it all meant nothing if I didn't have her for myself in the end. But I had built a horrible cage for myself where that was probably the most impossible outcome of all.
After a while, I reached a cliff that overlooked one of the main highways. It was only a couple of miles from our hideout, and it was lined with cop cars. They had a roadblock set up and weren't letting a single car past without searching it. I knew they were still searching for Jada in full force. It was infuriating to think if she had gone missing when she was just another woman living in poverty, they would have given up trying to find her a while ago. But thanks to her connection with the Garcias and her newly acquired wealth, they weren't going to give up until they had some answers.
The search party was getting too close for comfort, and I knew I had to warn the others. Time was officially up. If I didn't make a move soon, they would find us and throw us in jail, sending Jada right back into Paul's arms. I would have no power over what happened then, and it wouldn't matter how I felt about her or what I called it. Love or not, we would have no way to be together.
I rushed back home, but before I could face the guys, I had to see Jada one more time before everything changed. I couldn't let the fight we had the night before be the last memory she had of me before...whatever came next. Even if I didn't know what that was yet.
She was standing barefoot and staring out the window when I walked in. I had brought in rugs to cover the concrete floors so she could feel more comfortable. The little shed was starting to look like a real home, and it was a far cry from any hostage holding cell I had ever thrown together before.
The sun lit up along the edges of her face with a warm glow. Her black curls hung loosely around her shoulders, and she was wrapped in a colorful knitted shawl I gave to her. She was beautiful, as always. I was hit with the realization that I almost didn't care if she was manipulating me like the guys said. It was almost worth it to hear her say she cared for me, even if it was a lie.
"You're back," she said. "It's later than usual. I was starting to think you weren't coming to see me tonight."
My heart broke as I wrapped her in my arms and kissed her forehead. The thought of going a day without her was hard to swallow, but one way or another, I would have to face that as reality all too soon. And the guilt of seeing her all caged up, staring longingly out the window, was another thing that was too hard to take.
I stared into her eyes and realized, I did love her. But I just couldn't bring myself to say it. I worried the words might be wasted, depending on what I decided to do. If I carried through with our original plan, she could never believe that I truly loved her. I was having a hard time believing it myself in the face of what was expected of me.
"What's wrong?" she asked, stroking the stubble along my jaw.
I couldn't answer. All I could do was pull her mouth to mine and let my body say all the things I couldn't bring myself to put into words. We tumbled into her bed and spent what could be one of our last afternoons together ravaging each other's bodies.
I let her have more control than usual. She climbed on top of me and straddled her legs around me, using my body in whatever way she saw fit. Time seemed to slow as she moved over me with her perfect naked flesh on full display. Her breasts bounced with every thrust, and she was completely without reservation. I loved seeing her uninhibited, wild, and free. She deserved to have that in every area of her life...not just in bed.
She rode me until she came, and then I laid her down to unleash more on her than I ever had before. I had a desperate need to make her understand. It
was futile as far as her heart was concerned, but the least I could do was give her body the pleasure she craved and deserved. I relished in the sound of my name falling off her lips and the way her nails dug into my skin. My entire back was filled with bloody scratches from our times together, and I found myself hoping at least some of them would leave a scar...something to remember her by.
She pulled me down to her lips as I thrust into her and whispered, "I wish we could just stay like this. I wish there was a pause button to be suspended with you here forever."
I moved faster and deeper, pushing us both to the edge. She would never know how deeply I wished for the very same thing. Our fingers interlaced as the pleasure washed over us at the same time, our bodies shivering together. She bit into my neck to suppress her cries, while I buried my face in her hair. As it all faded, I laid there for a long time watching her drift off to sleep.
I didn't want to leave her, but once she was in a deep sleep, I took my chance to sneak out. I reluctantly left her and returned to the house where the guys were all gathered around the card table. I did my best to ignore them while I stepped into the kitchen to talk to the maids who were preparing dinner.
"You'll have to find a different route for getting groceries," I told them. "There's a roadblock set up along the main highway, and I don't want to risk them finding out we're here."
The main room fell silent, and I knew all the guys had heard my warning. Several of them slammed their stacks of cards to the table in exasperation.
"You know what that means," one of them said. "They'll be going door to door around here soon. I'm surprised they haven't already."
"They'll search the shed."
"The whole plan will be fucked."
I threw up my hands to silence them. "I got it, okay? I am well aware of what this means. I promise I'll take care of everything tomorrow. I mean it this time. No one is getting caught, so don't go getting your panties all in a twist."
I grabbed another bottle of liquor from the countertop and turned around to leave.
"Where the hell are you going? Why wait until tomorrow?"
"I'll be in my room," I snapped. "I have to think."
I knew they were more dissatisfied and restless than ever, only adding to the urgency of my situation. As promised, I locked myself in my room and turned to my bottle of booze for advice. It wasn't the best way to make big decisions, but every possible path in front of me seemed awful. So it didn't really matter how I decided...just that I did. And fast.
I couldn't bring myself to take hostage money and turn Jada back over to the Garcias. I knew I'd lose her forever then. And I couldn't keep her hidden away from her family and the rest of the world forever. Even if she wanted to be with me, she would miss her mother and sisters too much to give them up forever.
Her fantasy of introducing me to them seemed preposterous, but if she wasn't lying...then she did see some potential for us to have a future together. There was only one way to find out if she really meant it or not.
I decided the next morning I would go and tell her everything. I would confess about my sordid history with the Garcias, my plot for revenge, and how she tied into it all. Then, I would let her go. She could turn me in if she wanted to. If she told Paul everything, his family would make sure I was sent to prison for the rest of my life...if they ever caught me. I would have to spend the rest of my days on the run.
But was it crazy to think she might not turn me in? I fantasized about her returning home to show everyone she was okay and then coming back to me. I could take her to my manor and we could have a normal life together...as normal as a life with me could ever be.
Chapter 18
Jada
I woke up at some point in the middle of the night to find that Nic was gone. Something felt off...different. The way he made love to me was different than any time before. He was more tender and gentle. I enjoyed it, but it gave me a bad feeling. It felt like a goodbye, and the anxiety of it kept me from falling back asleep.
I went to my window and figured it must have been somewhere close to midnight. I wouldn’t see Nic again until in the morning, most likely. Whatever was going on with him, there was nothing I could do about it locked behind those four tiny walls.
I gathered my clothes from the floor, where Nic had tossed them, and got dressed before making myself some tea. Aside from the sounds of the crickets and frogs outside my window, all I could hear were the sounds of music coming from Nic’s house. But it was still too quiet. The nightly drinking was in full swing, but the guys must have passed out early. I couldn’t hear their usual laughing and roaring arm wrestling matches or angry poker games.
The door to the house suddenly slammed against the siding, nearly making me spill my tea. I heard footsteps coming toward the shed. Nic was coming back, which I wanted to be happy about. But why did he sound so angry? Then I heard the other footsteps. It was a whole group of them coming to my door. I slowly stood up from the table, bracing my hands against it. This had happened before, but Nic always came barreling out to beat them all off. Where was he? Why wasn’t he doing that this time? My heart pounded as I waited to see what they would do.
A loud bang came from behind my door, rattling the whole structure. It was followed by another and another until, finally, something on the frame shattered, and the whole thing burst wide open. I shuffled backward in fear until I felt the wall behind me. All of the men from the house came filing in one by one. They looked angry and ravenous, eyeing me up and down. One of them towards the front was holding a video camera. There had to have been at least ten of them. They were sweaty and dirty, most of them missing teeth. The sight of them and how they looked at me made my stomach turn.
Before I had a chance to ask where Nic was, they started closing in on me. He wasn’t coming to save me fast enough. Two of the men lunged forward, each one gripping one of my arms. Another guy stood in front of me and reared back, slapping me across the face. I struggled to get free, but they were too strong. With the second blow, I felt blood in the corner of my mouth. The third one made my eyes water up, and I was certain I either had a broken nose or a black eye.
They pulled over a chair and shoved me down into it, tying up my hands and legs. I had been so shocked and caught off guard by their sudden beating that I hadn’t gotten out a single word. But finally, I was able to pull myself together enough to ask what the hell was going on.
“We’re going to make a little video,” one of the men replied with a wicked smile. “The video your buddy Nic was supposed to make a while ago, but never did. We’d beat you just for fun, but we do need it to look like you’re in bad shape in order for this to actually work.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked with my head swimming. “What video?”
“You were never meant to be an extended house guest here. Your purpose here is to be held hostage for ransom money, and that’s that. So we’ll make this little video and send it off. Once we’re paid, you’ll go home. If you’re still alive by the time we’re through with you anyway. We’ve all been awfully bored and lonesome around here while you and Nic have been screwing around, wasting time.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Where’s Nic?” My neck wobbled from dizziness, and it was getting harder to see as one of my eyes swelled up. My mouth was filled with the taste of blood, and I could feel my lip getting just as big as I imagined my eyelid to be. “I’m supposed to be with him. Not you. He’ll kill each and every one of you when he sees what you’ve done to me! If you go get him now, I’ll ask him to take it easy on you.”
They all burst into laughter. “Oh, he does have you all sorts of confused, doesn’t he? Sweetheart, Nic was the one who sent us here. We’re in charge of things now. You may be able to talk him into doing whatever you want, but we’re not so easily persuaded.”
They shuffled the room around, setting up the video camera on a tripod in front of me. I remembered the hidden camera Nic installed. They said someth
ing about a video he was supposed to make. I hoped he hadn’t shown it to them. It was hard to make sense of what was happening with the throbbing pain in my head.
“I don’t believe you. Nic would never approve of you all being in here like this. I’ve seen him beat you all away from my door before. He’ll come in any minute and do it again.”
They erupted into laughter again, even louder than before. “Whether he approves or not, he’s not the boss of us anymore. And if he was coming to save you, he would have done it by now.”
I could see several of the guys whispering in the corner, and I knew they had done something to him. “Where is he!? What have you done!?”
“Enough questions. We’re making this video now. Unless you want us to beat you up some more first? You’re going to look straight into that camera and tell your fiance that your life is in danger. Give it a good cry, and we might take it easy on you after. Be sure to tell him how much you love him and how you need him to do what we say so you can come home.”
Flashes started coming back to me. In the beginning, Nic had said I would be okay as long as Paul loved me, as long as he did what they asked. I didn’t understand him then, and he hadn’t said anything about it since.
“What does Paul have to do with any of this? You want ransom from the Garcias?”
They stared back at me with wide eyes. “Good lord. She really has no idea why she’s here.”
“Did you think Nic just had you here for fun?” a guy in the corner laughed.
“He’s been out on a vendetta against the Garcias for years now. Why do you think he hunted you down at that party? He was supposed to kidnap you then but decided to wait until your wedding day. You’re his ticket to revenge and our meal ticket.”
I didn’t know if it was the pain shooting through my face or the way they talked that made it so hard to understand, but I was starting to think I was just in denial. Maybe another layer to the Stockholm Syndrome I was worried about having. My brain didn’t want to process a single word that fell from their lips, but the more it sank in, the more stupid I felt.
Stolen Pregnant Bride (Olive Skin Devils Book 3) Page 12
