by Alaska Jones
“I think it was a Maybelline ad. I didn’t have a chance to tell you that before, but maybe now you can actually use it to find me.”
You moron! I ready myself to turn around and run back to the apartment when I see something down the road.
There really is a Maybelline billboard at the intersection. It’s huge, bright… and it’s hanging down the pole. My eyebrows rise as I watch a man unhitch the last two ropes and get off the ladder, while the other two take out a new ad.
I shake my head and grin as I join the traffic. There’s no reason to worry about her for the rest of the day. Even if she does try something, it won’t work. Not today.
Chapter 16
Jenna
“So he just gave it to you?” Tina’s doubtful voice makes me roll my eyes.
“No, he danced a happy little jig, too,” I say as I sprawl on the bed.
She sighs. “Don’t you get all sassy. I just think it’s suspicious that he gave you the phone back, with everything that’s happened and all.”
“Why? What can I do with it? He’s right, I’ve already told you everything I knew, and I can’t even look out the window now. See it as a…” I wave my hand, as if she can see me. “Peace offering. He’s not comfortable with me being here, I told you. With the phone, I can bug you instead of bugging him all day, and he knows it.”
“Okay, you’re really starting to creep me out. Do you hear yourself? Some freak is keeping you hostage, and you’re defending him! Told ya, Stockholm syndrome! Next thing you’ll say, you wanna stay there with Mr. Creeperson!” I hold the phone away from my ear, grimacing at her volume.
“You’re freaking out like it’s you who’s been kidnapped. First, he’s not a creep. Second, I’m not defending anybody. I’m trying to explain to you why giving me the phone back makes perfect sense, so you’d stop being such a pain in the ass.” The only response I get is an irritated growl. “And about staying here, I actually have something to- ”
“WHAT?”
“Stop interrupting me! He said something earlier, and it was like he pulled it out of my head. All this time, I’ve been the irrational one. I’ve done nothing but freak out and get in his way. But think about it, isn’t he right that the safest place for me right now is here? People are looking for Anthony, and Charlie’s pretty much in the dark about all this. The man’s saved my life twice now, and he seems like he knows what he’s doing, so why not just go along with it?”
For a moment, there’s only silence. “Oh. My. God. The guy’s a killer, Jenna!”
“So what, he’s automatically wrong about everything?”
“He put you in an actual cage, and you’re telling me you’re fine with it?”
“And I climbed out the window and would’ve sprayed my brains all over the street if it wasn’t for him! Yes, I’m pissed about the grid, but it doesn’t mean I don’t see the logic in it!”
“Oh my God…” she repeats in a defeated manner. “I just… I can’t believe this is the Jenna I know. The Jenna that put a guy in a hospital because he grabbed her leg on stage. How come some stranger could persuade you that this is okay?”
“That’s the thing, he didn’t. It’s my decision, Tina.”
“Okay.” She changes her tactics. “Then let me ask you something. Promise you will answer honestly.”
“Fine.” I roll my eyes. “I promise.”
“Is he attractive?”
I sit up straight, completely unprepared for this. “W-what?”
“You heard me, girl. This… Cage, is he attractive or not?”
“Um… I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it.”
“Stop bullshitting me and answer the question! The man’s either attractive or not, you told me that! Is he?”
“Okay, okay!” I give up under her commanding tone, knowing that the best way out is always through. “Yes, he’s tall and dark and brooding, and he’s got the body of a Greek god. You happy?”
“A-ha…” There’s a speculative silence on the other end, and I brace myself for more interrogation, starting to doubt that this is better than sitting alone in silence. “How tall?”
“Very,” I speak through my teeth.
“Like, Brock O’Hurn tall?”
“No, he’s perfectly tall, okay? Can we talk about something else now?”
“Sure. Here’s an idea. Imagine he’s someone else and not the maniaс that’s hunting your ex, would you do him?”
I let the phone fall on the bed and rub both hands over my face with a groan. “Please don’t say that ever again,” I say as I pick up the phone again.
“Okay. How about… climb him like a tree?”
“Seriously- ”
“…ride him like a pony? Let him pillage your village?”
“Oh Jesus, Tina! Now you’re just mocking me! I answered your question, what else do you want?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” her voice turns serious again. “I want you to admit that your horny ass is getting in the way of your safety! If it was some old creep with a wooden leg and one eye, you’d be digging your way out right now. But because it’s Mr. Tall And Dark, you’re not thinking straight. And that means, I have every right to be worried and do everything I can to get you out, including hunting down that freak of yours and beating him to death with my purse!”
“Yeah, good luck with that.” I roll my eyes skyward, getting off the bed and taking a towel out of the wardrobe. “Let me know how it goes. I could use a good laugh these days.”
“I’m serious!”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m gonna go take a long, hot shower, and I got a room to clean. Bye-bye.”
“Oh, now you’re cleaning there?? Jenna- ”
I hang up, smiling at the thought that I’ve never heard Tina so pissed before. Sure, we’ve had our share of trouble at the club, but promising to hunt someone down and kill them is a whole new level. But as I stand under hot water, I can’t help but agree with her – Cage is the reason I’m okay with all this. Were it any other man, I wouldn’t have stopped fighting.
I force all thoughts out of my mind, feeling bitter. After everything that happened today, all I want is some quiet time.
I duck my head under the water, and my thoughts wander to the first time I saw Cage here in the bathroom. Tina can say all she wants, but if she saw him the way I’ve seen him, shirtless in bed next to me, naked and wet, terrified at the sight of me in the window… Well, she would probably change her opinion in a second.
I relive the memory in my head, remembering how he held me, even if just for a few moments. Even if he yelled at me afterward. Even if it will never happen again. Still, something passed between us in that moment, and as much as I want to forget about it, I can’t. His presence has always been overwhelming, but so close to me, with his breath warm on my skin, this single memory casts a shadow on all my romantic memories combined.
Forcing Tina’s disapproving voice out of my head, I allow myself to think about him some more. The shape of his back, the ink on his skin, the casual ruggedness that suits him so perfectly. Without thinking, I slip my hand between my legs, wishing, just for a second, that the dream I was so terrified of at first came true.
I remember waking up in shock; now, I want nothing more than for him to open the glass door and step inside. I swallow a moan, catching myself at the last moment in case he’s home already. My fingers move faster as I imagine him there with me, entering me from behind, sliding his long fingers down my chest, moving against my body in a smooth rhythm. The warmth inside me becomes unbearable, until finally, I press my back up against the wall, riding out a wave of ecstasy unlike any I’ve experienced in a long time.
I smile, thinking what a perfect revenge it is. I can use the image of him any time I want, and he can’t do anything about it.
Not in a hurry to return to the bedroom, I take my time washing my hair and scrubbing my body. An hour later, I wrap myself in a big white towel and open the bedroom door. There’s another Greek yogurt
waiting for me on the nightstand, and the place is filled with a mouth-watering smell that I recognize with a surprise.
“Are you making pasta?” I ask, peeking through the grid.
“Yes,” his voice sounds distant, and I imagine him standing behind the fridge door in the kitchen. Preferably, shirtless.
“Yum!” I respond to both thoughts at once and hurry to clean up the mess so I can eat and watch TV.
It is then that I pause, as if my feet have suddenly frozen to the floor. Tina was right. Scarily, disturbingly right. I’m too comfortable here. I keep forgetting I’m in danger. Damn, I forget my own name when he’s in the room with me. For a second, I pray for Charlie to find me, because I have to get out, if not for mine, then for my heart’s sake.
But then it hits me that I would never see Cage again. Never find proof that someone so beautiful can’t be evil. Never know if, killer or not, there’s a human side of him that I could…
I curse, cutting off the thought. Get your shit together.
Finding distraction in cleaning, I lose track of time as I pick up the overturned furniture, reorganize my things in the wardrobe, and remake the bed. By the time I’m done, my hair is almost dry, so I go behind the opened wardrobe door to put some clothes on. And since it was his decision to spy on me through the grid all day, I show no mercy and put on the sluttiest shorts and top I have. The thin beige cotton without a bra should give him a heart attack or two.
I step out from behind the door and almost jump out of my shorts when I find Cage’s looming figure right in front of me.
“Jesus Christ! Don’t ever sneak up on me, or you’ll have one more body to bury in the woods!” I spit out, instantly irritated.
He arches a brow, putting down the plate he’s holding. “I don’t do that.”
“What, sneak up on me? You do it all the time!”
“Bury bodies in the woods. And if I snuck up on you, it was accidental. I…” he loses his train of thought as his gaze slides over my body, changing from carefully blank to hungry, and I can barely hold back a smug smile. “Nevermind.”
He’s out the door before I can enjoy his smitten face, but then I notice the plate of veggies.
“Hey!” my exclamation makes him pause in the hallway. “Where’s the pasta?” I grimace inwardly at my whiny tone.
“It’s heavy on the stomach. Better safe than sorry.”
“Better hungry than veggies again,” I parry snidely, but he’s already gone.
I flop down on the bed, my mood turning sour again. It seems I will have to come up with a revenge plan for the whole grid thing, just to make myself feel better.
After all, the fact that I’m a prisoner here doesn’t mean I have to be bored all the time.
Chapter 17
Cage
It’s eight in the morning, and standing under the hot water in the shower, I risk falling asleep on my feet. Six hours of sleep is more than I get on most nights, but I’m still weary, and the shower is relaxing. I consider switching to cold water, when a gust of cold air reaches me out of nowhere.
“Morning, roomie!” I nearly jump at the sound of Jenna’s voice and look over my shoulder at her striding cheerfully across the bathroom to the sink. What the…? I stop myself from turning around, realizing I forgot the towel on a peg outside the shower stall. And now I’m trapped in here, butt-naked. “What’s for breakfast?” she asks, not too shy to stare at me as she grabs her toothbrush.
“Um… I don’t know yet. Could you wait in the room while I finish showering?” I smack myself inwardly for the polite tone, when I should’ve just scared her away.
“Why?” she exclaims over the toothbrush, casually leaning up against the wall. She’s here to chat, oh God, no. “If we’re roomies now, we should get used to doing everything together. It’ll save us a LOT of time, you’ll see.”
Speechless, I shoot her an incredulous look, only to tense when I see her walk over to the hallway door. Time slows down as I watch her reach out to the keys that I left carelessly in the door. She fiddles with the keychain, while I mentally prepare myself to chase her down the street naked. Hell, when I catch her sorry ass, I’ll make it worth my while. But she just drops her hand.
“Nice keychain.” She winks at me, wiping her face with a towel before heading out. “Nice package, too.”
I twist my hips to the wall, mouth open in surprise. What game is she playing?
After finishing my shower in a hurry, I grab a towel and stalk into the kitchen. When I drop off her particularly plain oatmeal on my way out, she takes it with a theatrical kind of absentmindedness and returns to the TV without a word. I wouldn’t have given it much heed before, but now I can’t get rid of the feeling that she’s up to something.
So I take off my suit jacket and double-check the address and name that I’d written down earlier, clean up the table, and put away the things I generally shouldn’t leave lying around. Then I decide to change my shirt, which is also a perfect excuse to see what she’s doing in there.
Except, she’s not in the bedroom when I come in. The bathroom door is open, and I frown at it as I notice that the bowl I brought her two minutes ago is not on the nightstand. What, she’s eating breakfast in the bathroom? The water that she always leaves running to let me know she’s in there isn’t on, so I curse under my breath and stride inside, finding her bent over the toilet with an empty bowl.
She looks up at me and freezes, so totally busted. Slowly, she pulls down the toilet handle and puts the bowl into the sink. I keep my face composed, but my anger escapes when I open my mouth to speak.
“What did I tell you about throwing out the food?” I grind out through my teeth, taking a step inside, while she slinks away to the opposite wall.
“This is not food,” she snorts.
“Really?” I roll up my sleeves, and she swallows hard, following the motion with her eyes. “What else was not food, in your opinion?”
“All of it,” she says with a shrug and starts walking toward me. “Listen, I appreciate you saving my life and all, but…” Without a warning, she sprints past me and into the bedroom. I curse, skidding on the tiles in my socks, but catch up to her before she makes it to the door. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I pull her back and throw her on the bed.
“Seriously? We’re back to this again?” I growl, reaching under the bed for the rope with one hand, while the other is holding her down.
“I guess we are.” Her teeth sink into my skin, and I pull my arm back, swearing. She twists, kneeing me in the stomach, when she should’ve run. In a second, I’m in control again, sitting on top of her kicking figure.
“I could do this a-a-all day…”
I take a moment to catch my breath, pinching her chin between my thumb and index finger. Her furious gaze could burn a hole in my skull, but we break eye contact when she arches her back, trying to throw me off. Needless to say, it has a totally different effect on my body.
“Stop that,” I point my eyes at her hips, lingering on those sexy shorts of hers for the hundredth time in two days. Thank God, she has at least put on a bra.
“Stop what?” she hisses, sticking her right hand under her back when I grab the left one.
“You know what.” I press harder on her hips, but she shifts under me again, this time from side to side.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she chirps with feigned remorse. “Am I making you uncomfortable?” She struggles to free her arm, but I ignore her, too busy prying her forearm from underneath her back.
“Not as uncomfortable as you’re gonna be if you don’t… stop… moving.”
I’ve finally got her pinned to the bed, but something in her eyes tells me that the game is not over. Her cheeks flushed, she breathes heavily, drawing my attention to her boobs. How come she can’t find something better to wear now that she’s got her clothes, I don’t know. It takes me a minute to tear my gaze off of her body, and when I look her in the eyes in suspicion, she quickly looks away.
/> “Weren’t you going somewhere?”
I shrug my shoulders, using her distraction to wrap the rope around her ankles. “It can wait. Maybe I’ll watch some TV first. This feels quite comfortable.”
She gives me a skeptical look. “You’re not really gonna sit on me all day, so let’s skip the charade.”
“Oh, you don’t know me…” I murmur, liking the way her eyes widen when I hook her top with my thumb and pull it up to distract her. Next second, I pull at the rope behind my back, tying the knot. “Tomorrow, we’ll start the day with this, just to save the time. Deal?”
“Screw you!” she hisses in my face.
I reach under the bed again, only to find there’s no rope left. “Where’s the other one?”
“No idea,” she snaps with an angelic face, but her glittering eyes tell me she knows exactly where it is. I don’t waste my time on another argument though, remembering there’s plenty of rope in the living room. The knot I used on her feet is tricky enough to hold while I’m gone.
“Be right back. Don’t go anywhere.” I get off of her with a wink, and she rolls her eyes.
I walk out and snap the padlock shut, only to realize that my pants pockets are empty. There’s nothing on the floor or the bed, and I know I couldn’t have dropped the keys in the bathroom.
“Jenna,” I say.
“What now?”
“I know you have them.”
“What?”
“The keys.”
“The keys?” She lifts her head, frowning at me. “Why would I have your keys?”
“I don’t know!” I throw up my hands. “You’ll have to give them up eventually. Stop wasting my time.”
With a martyred sigh, she sits up and stares at me. Then, slowly, her left hand comes up from behind her back, holding the key bundle.
“I’m sorry, is this what you’re looking for?” She bats her lashes innocently, pink lips stretching in a grin.
I let my mask of calm slip away, revealing the hard scowl that mirrors my mood. “I’m done playing games, Jenna. Give me the keys.”
“Chill. I’ll trade you,” she says, arching an eyebrow. “I’ll give you the keys if you-u-u…” She plays with them, taking a moment to think. “Oh, I know! I want pasta for breakfast.”
