Page 23 of Toy

5

Jolie

My fingers flewover my phone keyboard as I finished my last text to Mason. Before I could hit the send button, a large rough hand closed over my mouth, and I almost dropped my phone in shock.

At first I thought it was Mason, playing some sort of game we hadn’t discussed yet. Then my mind began to whirl frantically as my senses took everything in, telling me that the person’s scent was unfamiliar. Different. So was the feel of his hand.

It was a stranger.

My heart raced and my knees felt weak as adrenaline spiked in my blood. I didn’t scream or struggle, though. I knew very well by now that it would only make things worse for me.

My assailant ripped the phone out of my hand and threw it at the opposite wall. There was a crack as it smashed against it and clattered to the floorboards, but I still didn’t scream. That was what he wanted. If I panicked, it would be easier for him to overpower me.

I wouldn’t go easily. Not this time. Not ever again. He might take me, but I would make him regret it.

I took a deep, centering breath through my nose. Then I lifted my right foot and stamped the heel of my shoe down on my attacker’s toes. He let out a grunt of surprise and reflexively loosened his grip on me. I took the opportunity to jab one elbow backward, hitting him right in a sensitive spot below the ribs before ducking out of his arms.

I ran into the kitchen. My celebratory dinner for Mason was simmering on the stove, right next to the knife block. I grabbed the biggest blade and whipped around to face my attacker.

At the sight of his face, I almost dropped the knife.

“Danny?” My eyes widened as I took him in.

He was taller than I remembered and his teenage lankiness was gone, replaced by thick, ropy muscle. His face looked harder too. Meaner. But in the end, it was still Danny Miller, the little boy from my early childhood. We met at church when we were five or six, and later, when our fathers started New Eden, I was betrothed to marry him once I reached fruition. It was only when Mason showed up that my father changed his mind about that.

“Hi, Jolie.” His lips twisted into a sinister grin. “Long time no see.”

“What are you doing here?” I asked. I already knew, but I was trying to stall. Mason would probably be home within the next twenty minutes, so if I could distract Danny for long enough, I might have some hope of escaping this situation unscathed.

“I’m here to take you back,” he said.

“Why?”

He rolled his eyes. “Oh, please. You know exactly why,” he said. “You belong to us.”

“No, I don’t.”

He sneered. “Yes, you do. Once I’ve returned you to your rightful place, you’re going to be our pretty little plaything for a while. Just like you used to be. When we’re done playing with you, we’ll punish you for your crimes, as is our right. We’re your true owners, after all.”

“You don’t own me, and I’m not a toy,” I said stiffly.

“And yet you behave like one with your boyfriend,” he said, lips curving into a wily smile. “I’ve been watching you both for a while, and I’ve heard him call you his little fuckdoll or fucktoy more than once.”

I gulped. “How did you get past the security team?”

“A little bit of this.” Danny held up what looked like a dart gun. “And a little bit of observation. Pretty simple, really.”

“Observation?” I said in a confused tone, even though I knew exactly what he meant. I needed to keep him talking, even if that meant asking a hundred stupid questions.

“I’ve been watching your apartment for the last couple of weeks. I figured out the exact placement of every security guy you hired, and then I shot them from a distance. They never even saw it coming, except the last guy who was right in front of your door.”

I gulped. “So they’re dead.”

Danny shook his head. “No. Just sleeping for a while. Like you will be soon.” He waved the dart gun at me, lips curling up with amusement again. “You’ve been a slippery little rat to catch. Your father should’ve never sent Tom to get you. He was strong, but he was stupid, wasn’t he? Not like me.”

I boldly waved the knife in his direction to keep him at bay. “You’re right. You’re smart. Even so, you’re making a big mistake right now. You shouldn’t be here,” I said. I drew in a quick breath and jutted my chin forward. “But we were friends a long time ago, so I’m going to give you a chance to do the right thing and leave. Just do it now.”

He laughed. “You’ll give me a chance? How generous. It’s almost as if you believe you have any control over this situation.”

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