by Ella Miles
The boy starts talking, and I assume they are saying their vows to each other. I can’t hear a damn thing from up here though.
The boy stops talking, and it seems it’s Nina’s turn. She opens her mouth and then stops. She glances up, and I know she sees me. Her entire gaze focuses on me. Her eyes turn to fire as she looks at me, and then she smiles. She knew I would be here. She was expecting me to be here. This is her trying to take control back.
She grins with her perfect red lips and then turns back to the boy. She says, “I do,” slowly and deliberately, making sure that I can read her lips and know exactly what she said. That, even though she knows I’m here, she is still willing to marry a boy she barely knows rather than be taken by me.
She’s going to fight. I know that. She’s not like the others who were much more willing to go along with our games as long as it meant getting to fuck some of the hottest and wealthiest men in the world. Nina is going to fight for her life.
My cock is rock hard as I think about her fighting me while I fuck her. Last time we were together was fantastic, but she didn’t fight. She enjoyed how dirty I fucked her. This time though, she is going to fight back, and I can’t fucking wait.
Nina glances back up at me again with a sly smile on her face before she lets the boy kiss her. She thinks it is going to make me mad to see her kissing someone else. Maybe it would piss me off a bit if she were kissing someone I actually saw as a threat. But I doubt it.
I wanted her to get married. I wanted her to move on with her life before I came for her. It’ll make it all the more enjoyable for me when I rip her from him.
Eden whoops and hollers when the officiant pronounces them husband and wife, and then her groom sweeps her off her feet and leads her down to the beach and into the ocean.
I shake my head, watching him. He’s such a kid. No woman wants to be dunked in the ocean after getting married. I’m sure plenty of girls might enjoy that. Nina might have even enjoyed that seven years ago. But she is all woman now, and I can see behind her eyes and fake smile that she doesn’t want a boy to play with. She wants a man to protect her.
Too bad she couldn’t find one in time.
I hear the door to the hotel room open as I walk back inside.
“Who are you?” a man asks as he stands next to who I assume is his girlfriend. He doesn’t bother to protect her at all from me. He just stands there, confused as to why I’m in his room.
I walk past them. “You should have your door lock looked at. Otherwise, anyone could get in here.”
I wait until dark to find her again.
I give her a few hours with her new husband to realize what a mistake she just made. And to think about me.
I wanted to give her time to obsess. To try to formulate a plan and realize that there is nothing she can do to prevent me from getting to her. That, by the end of the night, she is going to be mine, not his. And that she is going to be the one who chooses me over him. She will have no one to blame but herself.
I walk down to the main dance club near the hotel. I know that is where Nina and her boy toy went. I know they want to celebrate their newfound love. And that is the only place nearby where they could go.
It’s not a smart move. It makes it far too easy for me to find her, but she’s tired of running. I know that because it was easy to find her before, but now, even an idiot would be able to find her. She used to only pay with cash, she never used her real name, and she did nothing that tied her to her old life. This time, she used a credit card and her real name.
I walk into the dance club that is far too loud for my taste and filled with far too many people. I will never understand why people enjoy going to places like this. Is it the attention they get? The desperate need to forget about their pathetic lives? I don’t get it. I would rather stay at home and drink alone than be here.
I smirk. But then again, I don’t drink alone very often. There is always a woman in my bed to drink off of.
I immediately spot Nina and her boy in the middle of the dance floor. She is dancing wildly, like the night I saved her. She is acting just as foolish as she was that night.
I shake my head. She might be all grown up, but she still has a lot to learn.
I get a glass of scotch while I wait to make my move. They dance for a long time, clueless that I’m here. Finally, the boy leaves Nina alone to go get them more drinks. I down the rest of mine and then walk over to her.
I grab her waist and pull her to me.
“I wasn’t sure if you were ever going to come. But then again, it’s you, and you always did just have one move,” she hisses angrily into my ear before I spin her around and take her in my arms to dance with.
“And it seems you only have one move yourself, my beautiful Nina. Why dance if you knew this was where I would come for you?”
“It’s my wedding night. Why shouldn’t I dance?”
I move her in my arms to the beat of the music. Her body fitting perfectly.
“Because it’s stupid. Just like getting married was stupid. Just like running or standing your ground and fighting. You are not going to win, no matter what you do.”
She frowns. “I might not win, but I’m not going to make it easy for you to take me.”
I grin. “Good. I’m counting on it.”
“You should go. Heath is going to be back with my drink soon.”
I laugh. “His name is Heath, huh? I had him pegged for a Bobby or something. What are you doing with him, Nina?”
I hold her close to me, so I can get a clear answer out of her.
“I love him—”
“Bullshit.”
She doesn’t react. It isn’t the first time someone has told her their true thoughts about him. Where is her friend Eden? I glance around the club, but I don’t see her. She always seemed like the honest type.
I pull Nina closer to me so that her eyes are just inches away from me.
She doesn’t pull away like I expected. In fact, she hasn’t fought me the entire time I have been holding her in my arms. She said she would fight, but I’m not convinced yet. I need her to fight. Hard. Like her life depends on it.
“What are you doing with the boy?” I ask again.
Her eyes smile just a little, like she is hiding a secret I will never understand.
“I. Love. Him.”
“Bullshit.”
She cocks her head to the side. “You can believe what you want, but it’s the truth.”
“Your friend Eden doesn’t believe you either, does she?”
She frowns and pulls away a little. I’ve hit a nerve.
“It doesn’t matter what Eden thinks.”
“Where is Eden? She must be around here somewhere. She wouldn’t have left you alone, not tonight. Not after you saw me at your wedding.”
Her eyes widen, and I can feel the fear pulsating off her body.
“I didn’t see you at my wedding.”
“Stop lying, Nina. You looked me in the eye—twice. You were putting on a show for me at your wedding.”
“I…didn’t…” She looks down and then defiantly back up at me. “I didn’t know it was you at the time. I thought it was my imagination. But, of course, you were there on the balcony. Stalking me. Obsessing about me.”
I grin. “I’m not the only one obsessing, Nina. You’ve been obsessing about me from the second you saw me.”
She tries to rip her arms out of mine, but I hold her tightly, loving the feeling of her body pressed up against mine. Loving the feeling of her struggling in my arms.
“And it’s clear you’ve been obsessing about me for the last seven years.”
She struggles harder in my arms. “Let me go, you jerk. I have not been obsessing.”
I laugh. “Stop lying, Nina. I know you too well for you to lie to me.”
“You don’t know me at all. We fucked one time. You barely talked to me before that. And, even if you had, don’t you think I’ve changed in the seven years since?”
She hasn’t changed in seven years, but I have. I’ve turned into more of a monster than I ever thought possible. She is no longer safe, not even with me.
I let her go for just a second, playing with her, letting her think she has a chance against me. And then I grab her back, firmly pulling her into my arms.
“I know everything about you, Nina. I know you never finished your grad classes. I know you haven’t taken a job even remotely related to art history. I know you never stay in any one place for longer than six months. You’ve been to Texas, Maine, Vermont, Montana, Oregon, Nebraska, South Carolina, Mexico, Canada, Massachusetts, and now Florida. You had a cat for about a year before he died of cancer; that was bad luck since you got the cat to keep you company. And I know you have known Heath for only six days and that he’s at least ten years younger than you.”
“Eight years. He’s only eight years younger than me.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“But you’ve made your point. You have been following me for seven years.”
“I know more about you than you do. I’ve studied you, prepared for seven years for the moment when I could finally claim you as mine.”
“I will never be yours or any other man’s. I am not property. I’m a woman who is fully capable of taking care of herself.”
I cock my head to the side. “That might have been the truth. You were a very capable woman who had a whole future ahead of her at one point. But not anymore. You used to belong to yourself. Now, you belong to me and my family.”
“You’re an evil monster, you know that?”
My lips twitch a little and then curl up into a dark smile. “I’m much worse than you could ever imagine. But you have no one to blame but yourself.”
“No. I never asked for this. All I wanted was a good fuck. Not to be kidnapped forever and used as your plaything against my will.”
She tries to pull away, but she still doesn’t understand that she will never have that option again.
“You don’t get to pretend that I’m the bad guy and that you have no blame in any of this. I warned you multiple times to stay away. You started all of this, not me.”
Nina just stares at me. She knows I’m telling her the truth, and that’s why it’s so hard for her. Her obsession got her into trouble.
She glances over my shoulder. “Heath is coming back soon.”
“He can’t protect you.”
“What?”
“The boy can’t protect you. That’s why you married him, isn’t it? You were tired of running, tired of being alone. You thought, if you were married, then I would leave you alone. Or at least, if I came, you would have someone to protect you. Someone who would call the police when I kidnapped you. Someone who would never stop searching for you.”
She doesn’t say anything.
I grin. “You don’t fight me when I’m right. It’s how I know that I’ve figured out the truth.”
“The truth is that I love Heath, and he loves me. That’s it. We eloped because we love each other, and there was no reason not to get married.”
“He can’t save you. No one can.”
“You’re wrong.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Yeah? How am I wrong, Nina?”
“Because one person can save me.”
“And who is that?”
“Me.”
3
Nina
How can Arlo know me even better than I know myself? I hate that he knows me so well.
I hate that he already thinks he has my whole plan figured out.
I hate that he thinks I don’t love Heath.
I hate how he is holding me so close, like I’m his to do what he pleases with.
I hate how he looks at me like he can control me with just his eyes.
I hate the smell of his aftershave, how it is the only smell I will remember from tonight.
But, most of all, I hate how my body still reacts to his. Every nerve inside me is on fire, begging for him to touch me, hold me closer. My heart is fluttering far too fast in my chest for what is healthy for me. My breathing is uneven, making it hard for me to think. My body loves him even though I hate him. And I don’t know how to get my body in line with my heart.
“Leave me alone, Arlo. I’m not afraid of you anymore. I might have been, but it was because I was a scared little girl who still believed in horror stories. I don’t anymore.”
Arlo pulls me closer every time I say something he disagrees with. I should stop provoking him; it just makes him hold on to me tighter. But I can’t stop myself because I hate him and also because I love it when he holds me closer. I can feel more of his hard body, and it gives me a better angle to rip his throat out if I so choose.
“Oh, my Nina, you have no idea what horrors truly exist in the world. But you are going to find out.”
He’s going to make his move soon. I know it.
I beg Heath to get back to me soon. To stay with me. To protect me. But I know he can’t really protect me. I know the only person who truly can is me. I just have no idea if I’m strong enough.
“Bullshit,” I say, repeating his word from earlier.
His eyes search mine, looking for something but I don’t know what. Is he looking for fear? The fear is oozing out of every single one of my pores, so it shouldn’t be hard for him to find.
“Kidnap me, Arlo, and show me how horrible you are. Show me exactly what kind of evil monster you are.”
I need to keep my mouth shut. Nothing I say is going to improve my situation. But it makes me feel better. It makes me feel like I have some amount of control even though I have none.
Arlo shakes his head. “No, Nina, I’m not going to kidnap you. You are going to come with me willingly.”
And then he lets me go and disappears into the night, leaving me alone on the dance floor.
What the hell was that?
I wait for Heath to return with our drinks while I search to find where Arlo went, but I can’t find him. Anywhere.
I head over to the bar to look for Heath, but he isn’t where I last saw him. I fibbed when I told Arlo that Heath was coming back. He was still waiting at the bar for our drinks.
I walk all the way around the circular bar. He’s gone. I know it. I feel it, but I can’t let him go.
“Excuse me,” I say to the bartender.
He ignores me and continues to serve the dozens of people who were here before me. I glance down at my wedding dress that is covered in sand and seawater after being dunked in the ocean. I look like a mess, but I’m still a bride, damn it. It’s still my wedding day, and I think I deserve something for that.
“Excuse me! Today’s my wedding day, and I could really use your help,” I say, fed up and frustrated.
The bartender finally turns his attention to me, and when he sees that I am in fact wearing a wedding dress, he rushes over.
“How may I help you?”
“My husband came over to get our drinks about ten minutes ago. He was standing right here at the bar, and then he just disappeared. He’s dressed in a dirty tux. He’s the hottest man in the bar—tall, fit, and blond. Have you seen him?”
He nods. “He just left with one of the other hottest men in the bar tonight.”
My heart stops. Arlo. He has him. I don’t know how, in the split second that he disappeared into the crowd, he managed to get Heath. But he did.
He’s testing my love.
I could just leave. I could run again and let Arlo have Heath. That’s what Arlo wants to see. If I love Heath.
Damn it!
There is no way he is getting away with this. He will not take Heath from me. He’s mine.
I run out of the bar even though I have no idea where to run. I have no idea where Arlo took Heath.
I pull out my phone and call Heath’s phone.
It rings once.
Twice.
Three times.
“What can I do for you, Nina?” Arlo’s voice answers.
; “Where is Heath?”
“You lost your husband already and on the first day? That’s not a good sign, Nina.”
“I know you have him, Arlo. I know you kidnapped him. Now, where is he, and what do you want? I’m not in the mood to play games, Arlo.”
“Oh, but I am, Nina. All I do is play games. So, you’d better get used to it.”
“Where is he?”
“Relax. He’s right here, Nina.”
“Run, Nina! Go to the police. Run away. I’ll be fine. Just run while you still can!” Heath shouts into the phone.
“See? He’s completely fine, Nina,” Arlo says.
“Let him go.”
“Now, what fun would that be?”
“Let him go. I’ll do whatever you want. Just don’t hurt him.”
I can practically hear Arlo smirk on the other end of the phone.
“I don’t think you should do that, Nina.”
“What do you mean? I’m giving up. You win. Don’t hurt him.”
“I think you should listen to your husband and run.”
“No.”
“Are you sure, Nina? Are you sure that Heath is worth saving when you could still save yourself? Isn’t that what you said you were going to do anyway? Save yourself? So, do it.”
“No.”
Arlo sighs. “So, you really do love Heath then? Is that it?”
“Yes.”
“Well then, meet me at the SPB private airfield in ten minutes, but just know you can save only one person. You can either save Heath or you can save yourself.”
The phone call ends, and I shiver despite it not being the least bit cold outside. It’s not even a question of whom I’m going to save. I already know, and so does Arlo. I’m going to save Heath.
4
Arlo
I already know whom she’s going to save. I hope like hell that I’m wrong because the boy isn’t worth saving. I know that. He knows that. Even Nina knows that.
But I know her too well.
I know she is going to get in the first cab she can find and race over to the airfield to save the day.
I glance over at the boy who is riding in the backseat of the blacked out Mercedes with me. He doesn’t deserve her love or her saving.
