Page 8 of The Debt

Chapter 5

The party was over and there she was standing on the outside of the mansion like an idiot. Everyone was leaving except for her. Vasco sent the driver home and he had already left. If she was to return home she would need to call a cab. But she knew what Vasco’s plan was. He’d made it so that she would have to go with Archer. The trouble was, she didn’t see him anywhere. Now it appeared that she was stranded.

She’d failed her mission and she couldn’t say that she wasn’t pleased. After meeting a man like Archer, she wanted the few moments they spent together to be special and not ruined by Vasco’s evil plans. Although she would give anything to be whisked away by Archer, she was especially pleased that she didn’t have to do so deceptively.

The only thing left for her to do now was to call that cab and face Vasco’s wrath. She’d faced it many times before and she could not imagine it being any worse than on previous occasions. With the cab on its way she waited, trying to come up with a plan to appease her master. She knew deep down the only thing that could pacify Vasco was allowing him to have his way with her and she was not looking forward to that.

He’d made it a point to warn her of what he would do to her when they arrived home. But she wondered how far he expected her to go with Archer. Was she expected to only get him drunk enough to talk, or should she have one further? It was too late to find out now, she would just have the bear the consequences of disappointing Vasco.

The cab only just pulled up at her feet when someone moved up behind her and gently took her elbow. Mira turned, half expecting to see Vasco, but the unmistakable electrical charge between her elbow and the one touching her, told her whom it was before she fully faced him.

“You haven’t gone home with Vasco?” Archer asked. “Why?”

“He left without telling me.”

“Come, let me take you home,” he said. “I’d rather see you home safely than let you go with some stranger.”

“It’s a cab, people take them all the time. I’ll be okay.”

“Come,” he insisted, nudging her towards a dark sedan.

Pausing, he let go of her arm and walked over to the cab. He and the driver spoke a second before he reached into inside jacket his pocket and pulled out a wallet. Then he handed the cab driver some money and watched him pull away. Back by her side in a minute, he guided her to the awaiting car.

Mira had thought that someone like Archer would have a chauffeur. She wasn’t disappointed that he seated her in the front passenger seat and then got behind the wheel. It would have been awkward for her with a third person in the vehicle.

“Where to, my lady?”

Mira didn’t feel like facing Vasco tonight. She would have to answer a thousand questions including why she didn’t accomplish his mission. No, she was going to play this game her way and to hell with Vasco.

“Where ever you are,” she replied in a quiet voice, her heart racing uncontrollably. “I want to go with you.”

Archer cleared his throat. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“My home is out of the city, so I have reserved a suite. I can book you a room it you like.”

“That’d be great,” she smiled.

This wasn’t turning out so bad after all. Archer was the kind of man that wouldn’t take advantage of her, offering to get her a room. Some men would have jumped at the first chance to take her to their suite and get inside her panties. Not that she wouldn’t want to be with Archer, but it was way too soon for that.

The ride was short and in silence. Mira believed that Archer could read her thoughts. They’d glanced each other’s way a few times before he reached over and took her hand, while steering the car expertly with the other. It was then she came to the conclusion that the man already knew her more than anyone ever did, including Vasco. Perhaps she was only being naïve. How was it possible that someone could know another person this quickly? She dismissed the thought as being frivolous.

The atmosphere in that car was so sensual that she didn’t want to ruin it with empty words. When Archer took her hand, she clasped his between both of hers, trying to convey how she felt through her touch. Could a girl fall in love so easily? Could she want to go away with someone after one night and never look back?

Having never been in love, these weren’t questions she could easily answer. The feelings developing inside her weren’t ones she could define either. What Mira was certain of was that she was drawn to Archer by an invisible force. She liked his presence, the way it made her feel.

“We’re here,” he announced cutting through her thoughts. “Are you sure you want to spend the night in a hotel instead of going home?”

“Home?” she blurted out. “I have no home.”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Mira regretted them. It was not her intention of venting her frustrations on a stranger, let alone a man she just met – a man she found extremely attractive.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to say that.”

“Mira, I know we don’t know each other very well, but if there’s something you want to talk about, I am here.”

“I’m fine, really.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “Yes, I’m sure. I’m a little tired. Now can we book that room, please?”

“Of course.”

That was an awkward moment which Mira did not wish to repeat. This wasn’t something she could just dump on Archer. This was her problem and she needed to find a solution before she went crazy. No – what she needed was to find her father before she went nuts. The burden of her situation weighed heavily on her chest and at that moment what she wanted was for this stranger to hold her in his arms like he did earlier.

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