Page 2 of Wanted
“That’s a lie.” I shook my head. I crafted the plan. I didn’t tell anyone about it. I faked an overdose to distract everyone from my intentions. I did this. I brought myself here. My guard helped me. He didn’t do this for anyone but me.
“It’s not. Spencer must think you’re owed to him because Mandy will be staying in the palace. Aram didn’t want to give you away, so Spencer stole you away. He will start looking for you,” Jordan explained. He tried to turn on the light in the abandoned house, but there didn’t seem to be any power. “I was sent by Travis Cross. He’s an old friend of mine. He realized what you were doing before the wedding, but he didn’t think you’d fly to Chicago. When you did, he knew something was off.”
“Why couldn’t he tell me himself? Why did he let me come all the way here? I don’t believe you,” I mumbled, heaving. I was Kamila Ruby Wraith. I had friends. I had power. It was hidden, but it was there. I was my father’s child. I was ruthless when I needed to be. I wouldn’t cower in front of a stranger. Lying to myself had never been more challenging.
“Travis has ordered to keep you safe. You’re not to leave the premises of this place. People will start looking for you, Spencer, and Aram alike. It’s not safe for you to be seen anywhere because you’ll be taken away.” He walked away from the small entrance hall, leaving the overnight bag and my backpack at my feet on the dirty floor. I stood there, frozen.
“I didn’t leave Katantia to become your prisoner,” I told Jordan. “I don’t even know who you are. You’re a liar for all I know.”
“Travis killed your mother on the first of June, 2002, by injecting her with a lethal dose of liquidated painkillers. He left her in an overflowing bathtub for the world to see,” Jordan spat.
My knees turned to butter. I held unto the wall to stabilize myself. Tears left my eyes, and I found it hard to breathe.
“Who are you?” I muttered.
“I’m Travis’ friend. I always had his back when he asked for help,” Jordan explained. “And he’s always had mine.”
He made the rounds in the one-story house, checking the rooms, while I hovered in the entrance hall like a ghost. Sobbing to myself, I grew disappointed. I had intended to do this on my own. I wanted to escape my past and not be trapped by it even further.
“If I fuck you, will you let me go?” I asked bluntly when he reappeared. He didn’t kick off his shoes.
“What’s the matter with you?”
“I asked you a fucking question. Answer it,” I insisted, wiping the tears from my cheeks.
“I’m not having sex with you in return for anything,” he responded firmly.
“Am I not your type? I can do it all. I’ve done it all. I can please you in ways you haven’t even thought about,” I offered. A Katantian whore was on the loose. Nobody owned me. I wasn’t an object anymore. I had left my family behind.
“Is that what they teach you in Katantia?”
I nodded. He made me, a very tall woman, feel small. Next to him, I felt like a miniature. I had never fucked a man this enormous. I might benefit from it. “Next to maths, we get anal and blowjob conduct lessons. That’s how we do it.”
“Yeah, that’s not happening.” He shook his head, picking up the overnight bag and my backpack. “I brought some sheets for you to sleep in. Tomorrow, I can start working on the house to make it more bearable.”
I sniffled pouting. I despised pouting. It was beneath me. “I won’t be able to sleep in this amount of dirt. I stress about it.”
“Well, at least, you’re still here.” He turned away, heading down the hall. “Water and electricity will be back on tomorrow. In the meantime, fix your attitude. Be grateful you have a roof over your head. You’ll be sleeping with the handcuffs because I don’t trust you yet.”
“I’ll suck your cock if you get rid of the handcuffs,” I suggested, negotiating in ways my father taught me. My heart was beating its way out of my chest.
Jordan chuckled, but he didn’t lean into my offer. He led me to the room I’d be sleeping in. Unfortunately, it was in the same state as the rest of the house, and I figured I’d have a panic attack in it. Jordan studied my reaction, deciding to make my bed for me. Catatonic, I allowed him to lay me down on the bed in my filthy body and clothes that I hadn’t changed from my travels.
“I won’t leave your room tonight, just to be safe.” He sighed, lowering his head. “I know you don’t feel comfortable. It’s just one night. We’re hiding in plain sight for now. Everything will be settled soon.”
I curled up to the side, observing the handcuffs on my wrists. I swallowed back a sob.
I shut my eyes, but I didn’t fall asleep.
The bed ate at my skin, one piece after the other, clawing at me.
♥♠♥
Jordan did as promised. He started working on the house early in the morning after a long tiresome night of no sleep for either of us. He left the house for a short while, handcuffing me to the bed during his absence. To my surprise, when he returned, he turned out to be as precise with cleanliness as I was. He took care of my room while I was handcuffed to the bed. I offered my help as a gesture of gratitude, and surprisingly, he accepted.
At the end of my second day in Chicago, I’d finally showered after maniacally cleaning every surface for three hours in the small bathroom attached to my bedroom. Jordan had brought me the supplies I needed from a grocery store. After my shower, he turned on the news in the living room. The television was as old as my late grandmother, but it played the channel without any difficulties.
The news had broken all over the world. My guard’s identity had been revealed to the public, and the main claim was that he had abducted me. They didn’t know he was dead in the streets of Chicago just yet. Jordan had shot him in the face, mutilating him thoroughly beyond recognition.
