Page 41 of Submit

Do they think Will would hurt me?

Killme?

I remember how tightly he gripped my arms after my lesson last Saturday…maybe he would.

I feel the tears threaten to spill over and despite my best efforts to blink them away, one escapes and rolls down my cheek.

“He’s probably having you followed just to make sure that’s still the case. People tend to get more paranoid the closer they get to reaching their goal.” Casper reaches up and wipes a tear away with his thumb which causes a shudder to rip through my body. His soft, caring touch encourages more tears to follow the first and before I can register what’s happening, Casper has pulled me onto his lap. My face is buried in his neck as my tears darken his t-shirt. My legs are across his thighs, my dress riding high, exposing more of my own.

Despite my rising hysteria, I can’t help but notice that sitting on him is like sitting on a slab of granite.

“I’ll give you two a moment. I’ll be back shortly.” Somewhere in the background, I hear whispered words that I can’t make out over my sobs and a door closes.

Casper rubs my back with one hand while firmly gripping me to him with the other. The pressure makes me feel better and after a minute or two, I’m able to get my breathing back to normal and the tears stop.

“Libby, I won’t let anything happen to you,” Casper says with an incredible amount of conviction in his voice.

“I trust you. Just help me out of this nightmare.Please.”

Fifteen

AFTER GETTING MYSELF under control, I reluctantly climb out of Casper’s embrace and back onto my side of the couch. My heart and soul rebelling at leaving the comfort of his lap. I’ve never been sold on the idea of soul mates or that forever kind of love, but something about the connection I feel to Casper - a man I barely know and the parts Idoknow should scare the shit out of me - makes me think that maybe I was wrong. I know I trust him entirely and would follow him anywhere which isinsane, but there you have it.

It feels like the more I learn abouthim, the more I seem to findmyselfin the process.

Casper takes my hand in the space between us and I’m grateful for the connection. When Beatrice comes back in a few minutes later, she refreshes my tea and her eyes catch our hands. She tries to hide a small frown, but I see it turn the corners of her mouth down. Casper must catch it too because he gives me a light squeeze and then lets go.

“I’m sorry to turn your life upside down like this, Libby,” she says.

“I appreciate the truth, Beatrice. No matter how shocking.” I try to give her a warm smile and I hope it comes out as more than a grimace. Unexpectedly, a chill runs through me and my shoulders quake as it runs down my spine - a reaction to learning about my new reality. I grip my tea cup harder trying to soak in its warmth. “I asked Will to get my passport back. He got irritated and told me that whoever has it would give it to me when they’re done. At this point, I know he’s lying, but I don’t know why he’s trying to keep me here. If he doesn’t love me, why not just let me go back to the States? I have no family. I hold no value to him as a hostage.” I feel my voice starting to rise again.

Casper and Beatrice share another glance. This time, it’s Bea who nods slightly.

Oh goody. More truth.

Casper leans forward to grab something else out of the folder on the table. I see his back muscles through his thin t-shirt and marvel at the fact that I can be even remotely turned on right now. Maybe adrenaline acts as an aphrodisiac?

He hands a clear, color photograph of a woman to me. She’s not looking at the camera but has her head turned to the side like she’s glancing over her shoulder and only her profile is in view. She looks worried but also seems unaware that she’s being photographed. I’d put her in her mid-fifties. The last thing I notice is that she appears to be in an airport, if the large sign behind her is an arrivals and departures board like I think it is.

“Do you recognize her?”

“No.” I don’t even hesitate. My facial recognition isn’t great. I can barely remember what my professors looked like from classes three years ago. At this point, I’d recognize Harper, Elaina, Johanna, Alida, Elke, and that’s about it. The woman in the picture isn’t any of them. Her face holds no familiarity to me. Her skin tone and dark hair remind me of my own but that’s where the similarities end. I can tell her nose is too large to be similar to mine and although her profile isn’t unattractive, her eyes appear to be ovals to my almonds and her lips are thin where mine pout.

“We don’t know who she is either but our search has discovered that she’s been watched by V&V Industries for a few years now. After carefully digging into my own family, it seems they are interested in her whereabouts also. Right now, she’s a mystery but we intend to find out who she is. She’s either causing trouble or about to be in the middle of it.”

He puts the photograph back on the table. I guess that’s all he has to say about the mystery woman.

“Libby, forget about your passport. We can file for a stolen passport with the embassy. You need to get away from Willem,” Bea says, almost pleading with her eyes.

Don’t have to tell me twice.

I nod, feeling like a shell of myself. “Johanna said I could stay with her. She knows Will and I are in a bad place.” Figuring the whole truth might as well be out there I turn to Casper, “She also correctly guessed that we kissed in the gear room and is pretty certain something is going on between us.”

“Shit,” Casper growls.

“Cas, youhaveto be more careful. You know how this could end,” Bea scolds him.

He bites his tongue but gives her a stern look and a nod of agreement before turning away from me, slightly causing my insides to freeze.

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