Page 66 of His Black Onyx

Chapter 32

Malia

His inquiry surprises me, and not in a good way. Nate tries to be nonchalant about his question. He doesn't stop eating as he awaits my response, but I can still tell that this has been bugging him for a while. I regret ever mentioning Jayson's name and possibly putting him and my best friend in danger because of it.

A flutter of fear grips my heart. "Are you going after them?"

Nate locks me in place with his unyielding gaze.

"Should we?" His facial expression is stern.

I shake my head.

"No, please, don't hurt them! I know what I said earlier, but… that was just, you know, like your boss said. I was trying to intimidate you, it was an empty threat. Jayson and Liliane can't… they have no idea what happened to me, and I doubt that there's anything they could do to find out where I am, or that it's you that has me, or harm you-"

"Harm me?" he cuts me off, laughing darkly. "You think I'm scared of that guy? You should just focus on worrying about him, Malia."

I try to ignore the hint of euphoria that washes over me when he addresses me by my real name. It's a faint spark, nothing more, and it doesn't come close to minimizing the terror I experience after realizing that I may have put my friends in grave danger.

I feel so stupid, too. Nate was trying to intimidate me by making threats against my family when all of this started. I soon discovered those threats were empty, and that was because he didn't know anything about me.

And instead of using that knowledge to my advantage like I planned, I ended up giving him the name of someone whom he could make real threats against. While he may have nothing on my parents, he now knows the name of my best friend's husband, a name that is so easy to research because Jayson isn't just anybody.

I'm such an idiot!

"Why was he the first name you mentioned after you woke up?" Nate asks.

"Because they were the last people I saw before you took me," I say, shrugging. "I was with them when this happened."

"Yes, and do you remember what you said to me when we first spoke?"

I shake my head, unsure where he's going with this.

"You asked me whether they put me up to this," he reminds me, speaking slowly and emphasizing every syllable. "What on Earth would make you think that your friends could be involved in this? Did you think it was some kind of prank they pulled on you?"

I evade his piercing gaze, vowing to choose my words carefully. I don't want him to know more about them than he already does, but there's an urge inside of me to share. I've never been able to share my experiences with anyone, and as twisted as it may seem, Nate seems like the perfect person to talk to, because he is an outsider to my life, someone who doesn't have any expectations or prejudice about who I am or should be.

But still....

"You wouldn't understand," I say in a low voice. "I know it sounds stupid, but I thought this was karma, I thought I deserved this. A part of me still believes that, I think."

He sneers, shaking his head.

"Karma, huh?" By the tone of his voice, it's obvious that he thinks I'm being silly. "What did you do that makes you think you deserve to be kidnapped by a bunch of 'criminals', as you like to refer to us?"

I frown. The smile on his face lacks the compassion I was hoping for. It's nothing but condescending, ready to belittle everything I may be about to tell him. And it kills my urge to share in an instant.

"Never mind," I say, looking away. "I know now that I was wrong anyway."

His eyes rest on me as if he's waiting for further explanation, but I'm not willing to admit anything more. If he can limit what he shares with me whenever and however he wants, so can I. In fact, it feels satisfying to leave him hanging like this.

But there is one craving I cannot ignore, a desire to shock him a little, to regain what little power I have in this situation. Something that will make him understand that I'm not as stupid as he believes me to be.

"But there's something else that I'm quite certain about," I say in a tone that I hope sounds at least a little ominous.

It catches his attention and his eyes widen with curiosity.

"And that is?"

"Your early threats were empty. You knew nothing at all about me when you took me, and you knew nothing about my family. Your intimidation tactics meant nothing when you threatened to kill them."

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