Page 30 of Protection for Rowan

The reality was no one knew where she was. Shine would have no clue where she’d disappeared to, and none of her friends knew about any of this. She was lost to her friends, and it would be too late by the time anyone discovered where she was.

She had the feeling that Charles hadn't thought this all the way through. Once he realized he couldn't release her, it would be too late. The only logical step he could take would be to kill her. He had mentioned more than once she had to sign off on the paperwork, and then he would let her go, but he hadn't provided any paperwork for her to sign. She had serious doubts that he would ever allow her to leave alive.

Maybe he didn't even realize what he would have to do. He could be totally ignorant of the options. Or perhaps his play the whole time was to keep her captive and never let her go. She had thought he was messed up, but she'd missed some important clues showing that he was even more deranged than she'd first thought.

“Ah, you’re awake,” Charles said as he entered the cabin.

She said nothing as she kept her gaze on him. She’d thought about playing a game, telling him exactly what he wanted to hear, but what would that gain her? He couldn’tever let her go. He had to know she would tell people what he’d done.

“You know, it will be easier if you talk. It helps pass the time. We could discuss our favorite sports. I love watching baseball. I know some people say it’s boring, but if the players are good enough, it’s not boring at all. If they are good, they’re very calculating.”

She wanted to scream at him and tell him to shut up, but she held back. Yelling wouldn’t solve anything.

"I brought chicken and some ice cream. I know you'll love the ice cream. It's one of those treats we never get too old for."

She swallowed the anger and bile, trying to respond evenly. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll fix us a plate. You know, the days are getting shorter. I imagine we’ll need a fire in the fireplace before too long. I wonder if it snows here. I’ve always loved the snow. Unless I’m driving, then I hate it.”

She wondered what the hell he was thinking. She was captive, and yet he acted like they were friends. Whatever problems she’d seen while doing his evaluation hadn’t been everything. He’d done a good job hiding his true self.

“Do you need to use the bathroom?”

“I need to change clothes.”

“I brought a change for you. Why didn’t you change when you showered?”

She narrowed her eyes, wondering if he really was an idiot in addition to being a total jerk. “I can’t get my pants off or new underwear on because of the chain.”

He glanced down at her ankle, his lips thinning. “Do you want green beans?”

It was like he couldn't address the elephant in the room. "No, thank you."

He continued talking about nothing important as hemade up a plate for her and then placed it on the table. The chair he wanted her to sit in was next to the end of the table where he would sit. She didn’t want to be that close to him. She hadn’t done anything so far to show how much she disliked him.

Slowly, she moved, the chair scraping on the wood floor, leaving a few marks. She wasn’t doing it on purpose, but the chain was heavy, and it scraped when she tugged it across the surface.

The closer she got to the table, she had to drop the part of the chain she was holding up. The pressure on her ankle increased with each step. She winced as she took another step toward the table, and Charles frowned. What did he expect? She was dragging along deadweight with the chain, increasing the risk of wounds and sores developing. Already, she could tell the shackle on her ankle was opening the skin.

She sat, looking at the plate he'd fixed for her. A part of her wanted to toss the food to the floor, but she knew she needed to eat. If she didn't eat and found a way to escape, she wouldn't be able to keep going.

The chicken wasn't bad. Obviously, he'd picked it up from a store, though he tried to present it as his own. The mashed potatoes were good.

She ate slowly, chewing each bite, trying to keep her mouth full so she couldn’t talk. What could she say? She wasn’t doing anything during the day. Her life had winnowed down to the four walls and nothing else. She was trapped, desperate for escape, and at the mercy of a madman.

After she finished eating, Charles grabbed her plate and cleaned up. She wondered what he was trying to prove. He’d taken her hostage and had chained her to the floor of this cabin. She would have to chew off her foot toleave. She’d tried to find a way to get the chain off her ankle, but she was at a loss. There was nothing to help her at all in the cabin.

Sadness overcame her, and she hunched at the table, trying to keep the tears at bay. Rowan didn’t want to give this jerk the satisfaction of knowing how depressed she was.

“What’s wrong?”

His question made her irrationally angry. She wanted to scream and tell him to fuck off, but she wasn't sure how he would respond. He wasn't rational himself. The man had some serious issues, and his response could range from ignoring her to violence.

“Nothing.” She stood and pushed in the chair, moving carefully to reduce the damage from the shackle. She moved to the couch and sat, trying to keep her emotions level.

Charles came over, a glass in his hand. “Drink this.”

It looked like tea, but she wasn’t thirsty. “I’m fine.”

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