Spark

by J Marie

  “A conversation for another time,” he quipped. “Now, if you don’t do as you’re

  told, Holly’s death will not be quick. It’ll be slow. And you will watch. Is that what

  you want?”

  I nearly screamed in frustration. He was such a bastard.

  Tears instantly burst from my eyes, sliding down my face in heavy droplets as I

  concluded that I couldn’t do anything for Holly, that fighting Darren would only

  make things worse for her. I was so useless in a world that was not my own.

  “You’ll send me back weeks of recovery,” I tried to rationalize with him.

  “You’ll bounce back. You always do,” he countered quickly, not a hint of

  emotion in his voice.

  I gulped back my fears as I tried to come up with another way to save her. Darren

  was done playing games. I was physically well again; it didn’t matter that I would be

  a miserable little fuck once we got back to the estate, as long as I did what I was told

  … There had to be something else I could do here.

  “Just let me keep her,” I replied, desperation now getting the best of me.

  Darren instantly scowled at me, his brows furrowing in confused anger. Yeah,

  Holly annoyed the shit out of me, but if keeping her around meant keeping her

  alive, then I would do it.

  “What?” he asked incredulously.

  “Let me keep her. She can keep me company at the estate when you’re gone and

  help me maintain a better mentality for my life. She’s still useful, Darren. She

  doesn’t have to die.”

  Darren released a heavy breath as he considered my words. The glare he was

  giving me didn’t give me much hope, but then his shoulders relaxed while his other

  hand reached up to my face to wipe away my tears with that pad of his thumb.

  “No, Jaden. You are enough of a liability as it is. I will not take on a second, nor

  will I allow Holly to be your crutch. End of conversation. The only thing you will

  decide is how Holly dies, slowly and painfully, or quickly without a struggle. Which

  is it going to be?”

  I felt my heart breaking all over again. No matter how I tried to rationalize it, no

  matter how many times I tried to look past the evil lurking in his eyes, Darren had

  no redeemable qualities. His well of sympathy had dried up long ago, or maybe it

  had just never filled in the first place. He was a monster, bred among monsters, and

  he never ceased to unleash his terror on another, and I had to stand by and witness

  it all.

  On a choked sob, I released Darren’s wrist, his hand remaining against my

  throat as I dropped my hands lifeless at my sides, surrendering my fight and giving

  him my choice of the lesser of two evils. If Holly had to die, I would prefer it to be

  quick and painless rather than slow and grueling.

  A smug smile curved along Darren’s face, and I couldn’t help but respond with a

  disgusted scowl. “That’s my good girl,” he approved, and then, tightening his grip

  on my neck, he turned, taking me with him and threw me across the room, far away

  from the door. I rolled on the floor, several pieces of the broken ceramic vase

  cutting into my skin, as I caught myself against the hardwood.

  Darren glanced at me for only a second before he opened his office doors and

  stepped out. “Watch her,” he ordered to whoever was outside, and I felt the panic

  and regret come over me again. Scott and Hank immediately stepped inside, but I

  was already on my feet, heading for the open doors.

  “No, wait!” I shouted again, suddenly changing my mind and still wanting to

  argue like the dumb shit I was. Even though Scott had already shut the door, I, for

  some reason, imagined having a better shot at escaping the two of them over one of

  Darren. I was wrong.

  “Darren, wait!” I shouted, heading for the door and attempting to bypass Scott

  and Hank. Scott’s arm quickly snaked around my waist and pulled me away. I

  clocked him in the face with my elbow and kicked Hank right between the legs as

  he approached me. As each second ticked by, I knew Darren was getting closer

  while Holly’s life expectancy exponentially shortened.

  “Wait! No! Please! Get off me!” I shouted, squirming in Scott’s arms as he tried

  to get me under control while Hank fought to regain himself. Now that the decision

  had been made, my panic set in. My breath was unsteady, and my blood rushed

  with fear knowing Holly was about to die. And the fact that there wasn’t shit I could

  do about it hurt far more than I wanted it to.

  I fought harder against Scott, kicking, scratching, punching, and elbowing

  everywhere I could, but he would not let go. Hank finally seemed to get a hold of

  himself as he marched toward me, grabbing my wrists when suddenly a gunshot

  went off somewhere in the house, immediately ceasing my fight. I froze instantly,

  tears inadvertently spilling down my cheeks as I centered my attention on the

  announcement of Holly’s death.

  In my moment of brief distraction, I felt something poke into my skin and jerked

  my head down to find Scott had injected a needle into my arm. A wave of dizziness

  overcame me, and I felt my knees buckle.

  “You fucking bas…” was all I could manage to say before my mind went blank,

  and I fell completely into darkness.

  19

  RETURN

  TwoDaysLater

  I was numb, hopelessly and utterly numb. I had cried so much in the last day, I

  couldn’t feel anything anymore. I sat on the edge of my bed, my short legs

  hanging off the side while my feet dangled a few inches above the floor. My hands

  gripped the edge of the bed as I stared out the window of my suite, watching the

  rain pebble down the window. Today was supposed to be a good day, the start of

  something fresh … because today we were leaving the island. Instead, it was a sad

  reminder that one less person was leaving … or had already left.

  After I’d woken from my drug-induced slumber, I found myself in Darren’s bed.

  He’d been sitting in the chair adjacent to me, waiting for me to wake. I’d turned

  away from him, unable to look at his gorgeously demonic face, and tried my hardest

  not to cry in front of him. Eventually, he’d gotten up and fucked me the entire

  night, reminding me of what I was and who I belonged to. He’d dragged me across

  his knee to strike my ass thirty times for attacking him and then bent me over to

  fuck me from behind. I refused to participate, keeping my face stone cold and

  emotionless, even when he’d force me to look at him while he emptied himself into

  me. And throughout all the hate, all the pent-up rage and despair, I’d still managed

  to lose count of the orgasms he compelled from my body. I’d told him the least he

  could do was get me off after all the shit he had done. That had earned me another

  set of twenty over his lap. Even as I sat here, my ass was still stinging.

  Luckily, I hadn’t seen him yesterday. He’d left to make sure everything was

  prepared at the estate for my return, meaning he wanted to make sure all the new

  security provisions were executed properly. My suite had already been packed up

  and put away, looking like I was moving out of the damn place completely. Hank

  and Blondie were still sitting in their usual
seats near the door while they watched

  me. Darren had arrived on the island several hours ago; we were just waiting for the

  plane to be refueled while pilot rested up. I’d been praying like crazy before he got

  here that the damn thing would crash, only to be swallowed by the ocean and never

  seen again.

  Another hour went by, and I still hadn’t moved from my bed. The rain had

  stopped, but the remaining water droplets still clung to the window, sliding down

  like the ones on my cheek. I hadn’t asked what happened to Holly because I hadn’t

  wanted to know what Darren had done with her body. He hadn’t even asked me if I

  wanted to pay my last respects. He just tossed her memory to the dirt like she’d

  never meant anything. Fucking bastard.

  “Miss Jaden,” Hank said, pulling me from my thoughts. “It’s time.”

  So it was.

  I nodded, standing without issue as I walked over to the door, Blondie opening it

  so I could walk through. My long cream-colored floral dress drifted over the floor as

  it flowed around me, and I wondered why Darren had requested I wear a longer

  dress. He usually preferred to have my legs visible, not to mention shorter dresses

  meant an easier chance of exposing myself and keeping my physical fight to a

  minimum if I didn’t want to see more bloodshed than necessary.

  Hank and Blondie escorted me outside where a car was waiting to drive me to the

  runway. It was only a ten-minute walk from here, but I suppose they preferred the

  two-minute drive instead. Ushered into the backseat of a pretty black Audi, Hank

  took the driver’s seat while Blondie sat in the front passenger. I rolled my eyes

  when the child locks engaged the moment the car started. Like I was going to jump

  out of a moving vehicle and flee.

  Idiots.

  When we reached the runway, my eyes fell directly onto the small private jet

  with the name Air Guard on the side with the triangular symbol I saw on the

  letterhead in Darren’s office. Hank pulled the car over and opened my door for me.

  I ignored his hand when he tried to help me out, gathering my skirt in my hand

  instead. The stairs to the jet were already open, and I found myself getting nervous

  as Hank shut my door. I’d actually never flown before. All my family vacations as a

  child, which weren’t many, had been by car, and I’d been too damn busy with

  school and work to vacay anywhere requiring a plane ticket. I didn’t even have a

  damn passport.

  My breath caught in my throat when I saw Darren step out of the plane and onto

  the tarmac where he waited for me. I found myself unwilling to move from the car.

  “Miss Jaden,” Hank suddenly said still standing by the door. I looked over at

  him, unable to hide the scowl on my face. “It has been a pleasure watching over

  you,” he said with a warm smile.

  “Fuck you, Hank,” I scoffed and headed toward the plane.

  Darren’s eyes watched my every move as I made my way toward him. I felt my

  body vibrate with rage, as he looked me up and down in obvious approval of my

  appearance. When I reached him, my eyes immediately darted from him to the

  plane, unable to stand that possessive look in his gaze.

  “Ready to go home?” he asked, barely able to hide the smugness in his voice.

  Of course, I had to say yes and force myself to admit that his estate was my

  home. It’s what he wanted to hear.

  “Yes, Darren,” I replied sadly, my eyes still locked on the plane.

  I suddenly felt him grab me and pull me to him, my hands coming up to stop at

  his chest to maintain some distance while my mouth released an anxious gasp.

  “Look at me when you speak to me,” he said, his voice sharp and demanding.

  My eyes instantly snapped up to his, the warning in his tone enough to curb my

  stubbornness but not enough to hide my glare.

  “Yes, Darren, I’m ready to go home,” I clipped angrily.

  On a smirk, Darren dipped down and wasted no time claiming my mouth in an

  intense kiss. I gripped his arms as I held myself up against him, maintaining my

  dignity as I gave him what he wanted.

  When he was done, I felt myself failing to find my breath. He was still a hell of a

  kisser.

  “Go,” he said, turning me toward the plane, and my nerves immediately reached

  a new level as I took the first step up the stairs.

  Ducking his head into the cabin, Darren ushered me in, and I found myself

  surrounded by a cream-colored cabin of leather seats, carpeted floors, and

  mahogany cabinets. Darren guided me to a single seat by the window, and I sat

  down while my eyes traveled everywhere, noticing everything I could. My first time

  on a plane, and it would have to be a damn private jet of obvious luxury and

  comfort. Darren took a seat across from me, crossing an ankle at his knee. He

  pulled out his phone to make a call.

  “We’re on our way,” he said to whoever. He was silent for a moment as he

  listened to the person on the other line. “We’ll discuss it when I get in,” he said

  and then hung up.

  An unfamiliar popping sound came from across the way, and I shot my gaze over

  to notice the stairs had been pulled in by some guy who wore what looked like a

  pilot’s uniform. I could feel Darren’s eyes on me as I watched the guy latch the door

  when it dawned on me I probably shouldn’t be staring at him, mostly because he

  had a penis and all.

  My eyes traveled back to Darren’s, and I found him absolutely glaring at me.

  Anxiety flooded my veins while I felt myself shrinking back into my seat, my gaze

  shifting apologetically to the floor. He seemed to relax after that.

  A few short seconds later, the same man who had drawn my attention earlier

  came over to our seats and addressed Darren. I kept my eyes on the floor.

  “Excuse me, sir, the captain is about ready. We’ll be taking off shortly,” he said.

  “Thank you, Max,” Darren replied with a nod, and the man left without another

  word.

  As soon as I heard the man enter the cockpit, the engines of the jet roared to life,

  and my pulse quickened. I’d heard takeoff was similar to a roller coaster ride, and

  though I loved roller coasters, they were only a few seconds at least and not

  hundreds of thousands of feet in the air. I felt myself grip the edge of the chair as I

  closed my eyes and tried to focus on my breathing. I’d dealt with so much worse, so

  why the fuck was I so nervous?

  Because in a few short minutes, nothing but thousands of miles of air will be

  below you… and you could blow up.

  “Jaden,” came Darren’s voice, and I immediately opened my eyes to

  acknowledge him. “You seem nervous,” he said, his eyes focusing solely on me.

  “I’m fine,” I retorted, looking away.

  “If you prefer your lying ass to spend the twelve-hour flight over my knee, I can

  easily make that happen,” he threatened, his eyes cold and menacing.

  Oh, just give it up, Jaden.

  I took a deep breath before I finally opened my mouth. “I’ve never flown before,

  okay?”

  Darren cocked an eyebrow in response. “Seriously?”

  I turned to glare at him. “Oh, didn’t know that one, huh? I thought you knew

  everything,” I retorted
irritated.

  “Watch it,” he warned, his tone dark.

  I turned my eyes away from him back to the window.

  “How is it possible you’ve never flown before?” he asked, still shocked by my

  revelation.

  I furrowed my brows. “I can’t tell you. You’ve forbidden it.”

  “Unless I ask you, specifically,” he growled.

  I exhaled an annoyed breath as I stared him down. “Family vacations were

  always by car since we all loved road trips. And since then, I’ve been too busy with

  work and school to take any time off.”

  Just then, the plane started to move down the tarmac, and I felt myself jolt

  again. Darren smirked and then stood up, walking over to the bar in the corner.

  What was he doing? I knew we weren’t moving very fast, but we were about to take

  off. Shouldn’t he be sitting down? I peeked out the window to find the jet moving

  along the tarmac, rain still falling on the windows. I heard Darren clear his throat

  next to me and turned to find him holding a shot glass of dark liquid.

  “Here. It’ll take the edge off,” he said.

  I hadn’t had a drop of alcohol since Thanksgiving. Fuck, yes.

  I grabbed the shot and slammed it back before handing it back to Darren. He

  then took my hands in his and pulled me from my seat.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, my nerves coming out through my voice.

  “Come here,” he said and sat down, pulling me on top of his lap.

  “Is this a good idea? Shouldn’t we be buckled in?”

  “Well, now this is an interesting side of you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so

  anxious over something so minuscule.” He chuckled as he looked down at me.

  I scowled at him as my cheek reluctantly rested against his shoulder, my legs

  pushed up to my chest.

  “And here you thought you knew everything about me,” I responded.

  Darren laughed. “You continue to surprise me every day, Jaden. It’s never dull

  with you around.”

  “I doubt your life was dull to begin with.”

  “Maybe I didn’t realize how dull it was until you came along.”

  “Please; you said it yourself. I’m the biggest pain-in-the-ass liability you’ve

  ever had.”

  “You may be a pain in the ass, princess. But you’re my pain in the ass. And I

  wouldn’t have it any other way.”