Page 57 of Capture
Immediately, she melted into my embrace as her soft hair brushed across my cheek, and her small hands latched onto my forearms. At first, my body tensed because it seemed so unnatural to waste time hugging someone, but when she sighed, closed her eyes, and breathing slowed, a growing fondness overcame me.
We were attached in this cocoon as I rocked her body until she fell into a deep sleep. I then gently released her grip on me, pulled back the sheets, and laid her inside. As she slept, I tidied the food mess, all the while my gaze kept traveling upwards at the fly shit on the ceiling.
She was right. This place needed an upgrade.
After picking up every piece of food and returning it to the plate, I removed it to take it back to the kitchen. I then checked her laundry basket to see if any clothes needed to be washed, scanned the room to see if there was anything I could help her with, and finally left the room.
As I turned to lock the door, something inside stopped me. My hand gripped the handle as I patted the key in my pocket with the other hand. It was time to free the sparrow from her cage.
With a heavy heart, I left it open a few inches to show her that I had given back her freedom and she could go wherever she wanted.
I didn’t want to do that as I was fearful that I’d never see her again, but it was cruel to leave her in there. We become used to her always being there, but it wasn’t by choice. We imprisoned her.
I wanted, no, needed her to decide for herself. How much did she really want to work here and be part of the Kaiser family again, or was it a fake story to convince us to trust her and, in the end, let her go?
I guess, there’s only one way to find out.
26
With no concept of time, I could only determine if it was day or night by the light streaming through the cracks of the door. Sometimes the light was brighter as the sun seemed to shine directly onto the door, and I’d press my hand against the wood to feel the warmth against my skin.
I maintained the exercise routine to keep the blood pumping, which helped improve my mental health to a certain degree. After several star jumps, sit-ups, and running on the spot, fresh positivity would surge through me, where I’d be certain that everything would be okay.
But as time drifted and I stared at the stains on the walls, the ol’ black dog would return, and as soon as I succumbed to dying alone in here, I’d force myself to exercise some more.
I was in the middle of doing a hundred press-ups when I heard footsteps outside growing louder, followed by the sound of the door unlocking.
Without a word, the masked man swung the door open, showing me they were armed to warn me to keep clear, then dumped more fast food down the steps.
I’d eaten enough cold McDonald’s cheeseburgers to last me a lifetime, but I was hungry and needed to keep my strength up because I had no idea how long I’d be here. Even though every time they dropped food, it was in my nature to attempt to disarm him, that might ruin the plan of Mikael and Ronan ransacking the place once they find me.
Fuck, it’s been long enough. Maybe it felt long because I was alone with nothing to do, and it was cold all the fucking time. I bit into a cold, tasteless cheeseburger and swallowed it down, thinking of Annika, which warmed my spirits a little.
Footsteps padded on the dirt outside my door, and I paused mid-eating, curious to know why they returned. The door swung open a crack, and a balaclava-covered face peered down at me.
“They don’t give a shit about you,” he snarled mockingly. “And don’t want you back, so we’re digging a hole to dispose of your body.”
“Sure, bro,” I cocked my eyebrows to mock him back, because I knew Mikael and Ronan would come through for me. We had a plan.
“They tried to negotiate the very generous offer we put on the table, but ah, unfortunately for you, we don’t negotiate,” he laughed.
“What?” My voice was croaky from not speaking and breathing in dank, cold air, so I cleared it and asked, “What was the generous offer?”
He hesitated, and I assumed he was a lackey who wasn’t permitted to share important information, but he caved anyway: “The club and several million in cash.”
“Predictable,” I chuckled, “There’s always more than one way to travel to Timbuktu.”
“What?” he snorted.
“Nothing,” I smiled.
He lingered for a few seconds, trying to figure out why I wasn’t upset that my family had dumped on me. But this was the plan. We knew they’d make a lame offer of blackmail, but if Ronan received the GPS location, then all should go down as planned.
IfRonan received my GPS location. What if he didn’t receive it? It was a persistent, haunting thought. But then, why were they negotiating? Maybe the GPS wasn’t working.
The masked man was still watching me as the lifeblood seemed to drain from my face, and that’s when he started laughing. “Ha ha, your own family places a higher value on that club than you. Haha. Your own family hates you.”
He slammed the door on my sad face as I finished off the burger. No matter what paranoia claimed my mind, I had to keep returning to the fact that Mikael would never abandon me. Annika would be on his back if she knew about it. Ronan would never allow me to be currency for the club. Never.
