by Kitty Parker
"You said I could stay." He said looking confused.
"No. I meant why are you here in this place."
"Oh, I guess it's my home. I've been here ever since my parents died when I was thirteen. Aidan found me on the streets and brought me here."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I'm better of here than I was with my parents, they were drug abusers. Besides I like it here. Don't you?"
"I don't know. I mean at first I hated it. Then I found out the truth about my parents and now I just don't know. I mean where would I go if I escaped? I couldn't go back home, because there is no home back there for me anymore. I don't know what life has in store for me now. Everything changed that night Andrew took me away."
"I get what you're saying. At first I didn't like it here either. The people scared me, but then I got to know them and learned that under their rough exteriors, were real people, people who cared, had feelings, and most of all they cared about me. No one had ever cared about what I did, or what happened to me. It was the first time I had ever really had a family." He said looking me straight in the eye.
This guy was sincere, and he was honest. He knew what I was going through and it was obvious he wanted to help me get through it. For that I was grateful, and for that I offered him my friendship.
"I should go now. If Andrew found me in here, he would go nuts."
"Why?"
"Isn't it obvious?" He asked standing up from his chair.
"What?"
"He would do anything and everything to protect you, from anyone and everyone. He really is a good man, no matter what he has done in his past remember that." He said as he closed the door.
He was right, Andrew had feelings for me and I had feelings for him. However that was the one thing that scared me about him, he would do anything and everything to keep me safe, even if that meant hiding his past from me.
I knew he had killed people but what I didn't know was why. Was there a reason, a good reason? Had he been protecting himself, or saving another person's life, or had he done it because it was his job? If it had been because it was his job, then he was just as bad as any other murderer out there. God I hope he had a good reason.
Chapter 13
Bored. Bored. Bored. I was so bored. Mason had left after our short conversation, and my guess was that Andrew was still asleep. I didn't want to wake him up, then I would look like a little kid that had woken their parents up to play with them.
My eyes wandered around the room that I had grown accustomed to. Nothing had changed, at all. Nothing added, nothing taken away, the same room I had been given. The room was the polar opposite of my life. It was the same, it didn't change. My life on the other hand had not stopped changing; it was always different.
My eyes fell onto the door, more specifically the door handle. Maybe something had changed. I quickly climbed off of my bed and ran to the door. I jerked the handle and the door sprang open.
I stepped out into the hallway expecting to see someone out there and immediately be put back in my room. I was met with and empty hallway. Thank God. I shut my door behind me and quickly walked down the hall until I reached the stairs.
Once again I could either go down to the first floor or up to the third floor. I turned and headed upwards. I know that I shouldn't be going up to the third floor. Jett had made that VERY clear the last couple of times, but there was something up there that I needed to see, I just knew it.
I stepped off of the last step and saw a bare, empty hallway lined with the same doors that were undoubtedly STILL locked. I walked to the first door and jiggled the handle, locked. The second door proved the same thing. I pulled on the third one, with the same result. Hey a girl could try.
I gripped the handle of the fourth door and turned. It lazily swung open to reveal a small room. It looked exactly the same as the file room I had been in before. Walls lined with file cabinets holding secrets that would never be revealed. I again looked for the T's to see if there was anything else on my family or me I opened the drawer and saw it. It was right up front. I pulled it out, to find that it was a great deal smaller than the one I had already seen. This time the label read Tavor, Emma. This was my file.
I hesitantly opened the cover of the file. Did I really want to know what was in here? You bet your ass I did! If they had something about me that I didn't know about I wanted to know! I didn't want anyone else to know more about me than I knew about myself. I pulled out the first page and began to read.
Name: Emma Tavor
Height: 5'4
Weight:104 pounds
Eye Color: dark brown
Hair Color: dark brown
City: Beverly Hills
State: California
Address: 7356 Branshire drive
School: Beverly Hills High-Graduated
Notes:
2/12/04
Today I have been given this assignment. I am to gather as much information as possible on the intended target. Tomorrow two other men and myself are flying out to Beverly Hills, California to begin our assignment.
3/17/04
After over a month in Beverly Hills, California I have discovered a lot of useful information. The target seems to be rather distant from both her father and mother, her father is rarely home, but when he is they hardly talk to each other. Her mother appears to be a shopaholic and is fond of alcohol. She has no siblings. As far as we can tell she is still too young to begin training to take over after her father.
8/3/04
We are planning to take another trip out to Beverly Hills, California.
10/23/04
It has been discovered that the target is still oblivious to her father's business. This is understandable. She is still too young to begin training.
2/15/05
It seems that her father has held off training her in the family business. He has been gone for three months. We have other people assigned to his case.
6/18/05
Plans have been made to follow the family on their summer vacation. We plan to leave in two days to Europe where we will continue to follow them.
6/19/05
Plans for Europe have been canceled, due to the fact that the family vacation was canceled because of an issue her father needed to take care of.
1/16/06
We have started to make plans for the kidnapping.
8/23/06
We had planned for the kidnapping to take place next month, but it has been postponed until next year due to complications.
5/3/07
The final assignment will be carried out in exactly one month.
6/2/07
We have readied ourselves for the final stage tomorrow. When she returns from the party we will take her.
6/3/07
It was easier than I had expected. She came home alone. We took her from her room. She is currently locked in a room on the second floor.
6/4/07
She knows nothing! This was not expected. She is completely oblivious to her father's actions. My father has sent a request for ransom.
6/6/07
Her father denied the ransom request. I don't know what we are going to do with her. She will remain here for now.
6/7/07
She is still here. Today she made an attempt at an escape. It failed.
6/9/07
Jett found her on the third floor coming out of the file room. She read her father's file.
6/10/07
What is wrong with me? Why do I feel this way towards her? The day she arrived here I couldn't have cared less what happened to her! Now here I am thinking and worrying about her every minute of every day.
I couldn't believe this. Andrew had been watching me for the past three years. How dare he write those things about my life or me! Those were mine! My private life! I slammed the cover closed on the folder only to have a few pictures fall. I swiftly bent down to pick up the pictures and place them back in the folder. I stopped dead.
These
pictures were of me. In one of them I looked like I was fifteen, I was sitting on my bed in my room doing homework. Another pictured me at one of my father's parties. However the one that stopped me was the last one.
It was a more recent picture. I remembered that night. It was the night of the party. I was in the dress my father had given to me and I was looking at myself in the mirror brushing my hair. I was completely oblivious as to what would happen that night. It was a picture of me the night my life had changed.
I threw the pictures back into the folder and shut it away in the file cabinet. I ran out of the room closing the door behind me. How could I have been so stupid?!?! He had been watching me for three years and I had never even noticed! I made my way back down the stairs. I needed to be in my room. It was the same, it didn't change. I needed something stable in my life right now and if that were my room then it would have to do.
I pulled open the door, prepared to see the same room. One thing was different. Andrew was standing in the middle of my room. That one small change threw everything off.
"Where did you go?" He asked rushing over.
I didn't answer him. I just stared.
"Emma, where did you go? I thought you had left." He said reaching for me.
I backed away.
"What's wrong?" He asked taking a step closer. He reached out and grabbed my shoulder.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" I screamed jerking away from him.
"Emma! What's wrong!"
"DON'T COME NEAR ME!"
"Emma-"
"GET OUT!"
"I-"
"GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!" I repeated over and over. I didn't want to look at him. He had done this to me; he had been the one that changed my life.
He pulled me to him and wrapped his arms around my struggling form. I pushed against his chest, kicked him in the shins, and thrashed around trying to break free of his embrace.
" LET GO!" I screamed.
"Emma. I'm sorry."
"LET ME GO!"
"I'm sorry for whatever I've done to you."
"NO YOU'RE NOT!"
"I'm sorry."
"Let go."
I could feel myself breaking down. The man that had been the cause of my pain was here. He was the one holding me as I began to cry. He was the one whispering that he was sorry over and over into my ear as I wept. He was the one that I held onto as my world dropped out from beneath me. He was the one that was there for me. He was the one that cried with me.
I remembered what Mason had said to me. He really is a good man, no matter what he has done in his past remember that. I believed him. If this man were so terrible then he wouldn't be holding me, apologizing, or crying with me. Andrew was a good man.
He had changed. He had changed from cold and uncaring, to warm and compassionate. Maybe change was a good thing in my life. Maybe all change wasn't bad change. We both had changed: together. I just hoped that this change was going to be final and that he wouldn't change again.
Chapter 14
My head had been smashed in with a hammer, or at least that was what it felt like when I woke up. My hand immediately went up to grab my forehead. Instead I found my hand touching a soft, damp, cloth. I pulled the wet rag from my forehead and sat up slowly. I was in my room; the only light coming from the slit in the curtains that had been pulled closed. I took several deep breaths to try and regain my thoughts.
"Feel better?" A deep voice asked from beside me.
I turned my torso and found myself facing Andrew.
"Yeah. What happened?"
"Well, you sort of had an emotional break down and then you blacked out." He said running his hand along my arm.
"Oh. Yeah sorry about that." I replied embarrassed.
"Don't worry about it. It's fine." He said giving me a reassuring smile.
I returned the smile and laid there in silence my back propped up against a mountain of pillows, Andrew continually stroking my arm softly. This was what I needed, comfort, a person that cared about me by my side.
"You should probably get some more sleep." He said standing up from his chair.
"Mhm." Was all I managed closing my eyes and falling back into a peaceful slumber.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Yeah she's still here." A low voice answered into a phone.
"Yeah."
"No."
"Shouldn't be much longer."
"I'm trying okay! It's kind of hard when- -"
"I'm sorry. Yes, that will be fine."
"Thank you." With that the man flipped his silver cell phone closed and slunk back into the mansion, unnoticed; just as he had hoped.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I awoke what I was guessing several hours later, due to the growling of my stomach. To my surprise Andrew had returned to his prior resting-place by my bedside. He smiled when he saw that I was awake.
"Hungry?"
"Starving." I replied swinging my legs out from under the covers and placing them on the floor.
Andrew stood up and led the way down to the familiar kitchen. He pulled out a loaf of bread and grabbed a jar of peanut butter and a jar of jelly. I sat there amazed at his actions. He handed me the sandwich, which I accepted with a thousand-watt smile on my face.
"What?" He asked sitting down next to me.
"You made it yourself." I said taking a bite.
"Yeah."
"You didn't make someone else do it for you." I stated proudly.
He let out a deep chuckle and his eyes lit up. "I decided to give Allen a break every once in a while."
"I'm glad."
"Me too."
We sat in silence as I finished my sandwich; our eyes never left each other, not even for a second. Our smiles still plastered on our faces we moved closer to each other, the distance between us slowly disappearing.
"Can I kiss you?" He asked in a husky whisper.
"Yes." I replied in a soft breath.
Our lips met in a soft gentle kiss, barely touching. Eyes closed we both deepened the kiss needing each other more than anything in the world. His large hand came up and cupped the side of my face while mine moved to rest on his broad shoulder.
His tongue ran across my bottom lip and without hesitation I parted my lips to allow him into my mouth. His tongue slowly massaged mine as it brought it to life and it returned the favor.
We broke apart at the sound of a man clearing his throat in the doorway. Jett was standing there with his arms crossed, a smirk playing on his lips. My face became hot and I tried my best to hide it with my hair.
"Having fun?" He asked walking over and opening the refrigerator to retrieve an apple.
"Shut up." Andrew replied.
Jett only laughed as he bit into his apple.
"Just don't get too crazy." He said walking out of the kitchen.
My face became redder if that was even possible. That had to have looked REALLY bad! Someone comes in to get something to eat and finds two people eating… each other's face! Yeah real appetizing.
"Sorry about that." I whispered.
"Don't be sorry. It's not your fault that Jett has terrible timing." He said waving his hand in the air.
"Do I have to go back to my room now?" I asked dreading the answer.
"Actually I meant to talk to you about that. We've decided that as long as you DON'T go up onto the third floor again than you're free to come and go on the first and second floor."
I let out a high pitched squeal and jumped up from my seat. I wrapped my arms around his neck and squeezed the ever-living out of him. At first he was startled but then returned the hug.
"You don't know how much that means to me! I was soooooo bored in that room all the time!"
"Just promise that you won't go up to the third floor again." He said becoming serious again.
"Promise." I said giving him another squeeze. "Now why don't you give me a much needed tour
?" I said pulling him up from his seat.
An hour and sixteen minutes later I collapsed onto a black leather couch in one of the living rooms, which one? I didn't even care. Andrew had showed me the entire house, save the third floor. This totaled to be four living rooms, 9 bedrooms, (excluding mine) three bathrooms, a study, a library, the break room, and the verandah.
"Do you even use all of those rooms?" I asked him as he plopped down beside me.
"Yeah. Why wouldn't we?"
"Maybe cause there's like a billion and two of them!"
"I don't think there are quite that many."
"You know what I mean." I said rolling my eyes.
He let out a small chuckle and continued to stare at me with those intense emerald orbs of his.
"What?" I finally asked.
"I don't think I've ever met another girl like you."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"I don't think I've ever met a boy like you, especially under these conditions."
"I'm glad."
"About what?"
"That you haven't met another guy like me. That means that I'm special." He said with a boyish grin that made him seem years younger.
"I guess that makes me special too." I replied with the same smile.
"You are definitely special, that's for sure."
I felt his fingers slide over mine as he laced them with mine and began to play with them. His touch was so gentle, so soft, as if he was afraid of breaking me like a piece of glass. Again I looked up and was met with his eyes. I was certain there were none like them in the entire world. They were perfect.
Slowly our lips found there way to each other for the second time that day. This one however wasn't as intense and long. It was a simple peck and that was enough for me. Just to be close to him was all I needed. We both pulled away and rested our foreheads against each others.
"Why do you make me feel this way?" He asked me.
"Like what?"
"Like I want to keep you all for myself and not let any one in the world ever have you."
"I get that same feeling to." I confessed.
"You do?"
"Yeah."
He pulled me into him and wrapped his arms around my waist. I sat with my back against his chest resting my head near his heart. I listened to the slow steady beat of his heart and closed my eyes.
