Page 32 of Back In the Shadows

The knowledge that my knife was strapped to my leg was the only thing that gave me comfort. When I hunted down the motherfuckers who took Ella, they would find out exactly who I was. A fucking monster.

16

ELLA

I stared at the pretty woman in front of me. My best guess was that she was a few years younger than I was.

“Help me,” I pleaded in a hushed tone as I pressed my palm against the cold glass between us. My frantic gaze darted around the room, searching for any sign of Xavier, but he was nowhere to be seen. “I’ll give you anything,” I promised, desperation coating every word as I begged for her aid. “My husband is wealthy. I can pay you.” The weight of my plea hung in the air.

Suddenly, a blinding beam of light illuminated the space, followed by the thud of heavy footsteps. The woman’s expression turned to fear as she backed away from me and shook her head.

“Fiona, what are you doing here?” Xavier asked, his tone pinched.

Fiona turned her back to me as Xavier entered the kitchen.

He fidgeted with the front of his shirt before he continued. “I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

“Clearly. But if you knew I was coming, how in the hell would you have hidden that?” She pointed in my direction. “Are you fucking out of your mind? You’re smarter than that.”

Xavier stalked toward her, fuming. “Watch your mouth, or I will close it for you.”

She snapped her mouth shut so hard I heard her teeth click together.

Fiona reached out and gently touched his shoulder. “I’m sorry. That was mean to say. It just caught me off guard. Does the boss know you’ve kidnapped someone?”

Xavier sneered at her. “Oh, he knows. It was his idea. He gave her to me to love and protect.”

“So you’re keeping her in a cage against her will?” Fiona frowned. “Hon, you can’t do that. It’s not okay.”

Xavier turned on his heel and stomped away. “Who says? Society? What the hell do they know?” He ran his hand through his messy hair, his expression bewildered.

Please, please get through to him.My hope was dangling by a thin thread as she continued to talk to Xavier.

“You know I love you, and I don’t want to see you hurt. I don’t think the boss thought this through. I mean, what if she escapes? They’ll come for you and lock you up for the rest of your life. It would break my heart. You deserve better than … this.” She motioned to the shitty living quarters. “You deserve to be happy and see the sunshine.”

Xavier blinked at her as if she were speaking in a different language. “You’ve never said those things to me before. Fiona is usually catty.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “What do you want?”

Fiona’s chest heaved with her deep breath. “I came by to see if you needed food or supplies since you rarely leave this place.”

His expression brightened immediately. “Twinkies. I would love a Twinkie.” He clapped his hands like a little kid. Xavier strolled over to me and leaned down. “Ella, do you want a Twinkie too?”

I gave him a soft smile. “And milk?”

“Yes! And cookies so we can dunk them during date night. What’s your favorite?”

I pretended to think for a minute. I needed protein, not sugar, to keep my strength up. The measly soup he’d been feeding me wasn’t cutting it.

“Chocolate chip, but even more than that …”

He looked at me expectantly.

“I would give anything for a hamburger and fries. Do you know how to cook that? Maybe we could have a proper dinner on date night?” I suggested.

“He makes the best hamburgers I’ve ever eaten,” Fiona said from behind him.

“Really?” My mouth watered at the idea of a fat, juicy burger. “And do you like lettuce, tomatoes, and mayonnaise?”

Xavier nodded, clearly excited with planning our meal and evening. At least for the moment, I was dealing with an innocent child. I wish I saw this part of him more often. It might be easier to talk him into letting me go.

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