Page 27 of Captured Pawn
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Seriously? You kidnapped me! You beat me. You’ve had me locked up for days. You…”
My voice trailed off before I could finish pointing out that he’d shoved things up my butt and had given me an orgasm. Saying it out loud would only make it worse.
“I never beat you,” he countered, finishing a bite of salad before adding, “Trust me, those were love taps compared to what you deserved. You’ve been a brat.”
“Yeah, well, I’m sorry. I don’t know what the proper etiquette is when being kidnapped,” I retorted before taking another bite of the heavenly pasta.
That shut him up long enough that we could both take a few bites of food in silence before I finally pressed him for answers.
“What exactly is your end game here, Nick? I get it. You promised Matty to protect me, but even you have to know you can’t keep me locked in this bedroom forever. As much as I appreciated you bringing me the bathing suit today, I have none of my things here. And I can’t just abandon my security business.”
“You can’t go home. It’s not safe… yet.”
“I have no idea what your business has to do with me, but… say I believe you, what exactly is your plan to make it safe?”
He threw his fork down with a thud. “I’m working on it, okay?”
“No… it’s not okay. I need answers.” When he didn’t answer I added, “Ideserveanswers. To know why Matty died.”
“It’s business. My business, not yours,” he answered, his voice growing louder as if that would scare me.
“Bullshit. The second my brother died working for you, it became my business.”
For the first time since the cemetery, I sensed a small vulnerability in my captor. Knowing how close he’d been with my brother, I suspected it was guilt weighing on him. But as much as that revelation should have made me happy, it didn’t. In a sad way, it made me feel closer to him, knowing he’d loved my brother as much as I had.
Whatever the reason for his change in demeanor, I couldn’t pass up the chance to try to get answers. A pregnant silence fell between us, which gave me hope that he might finally talk to me.
“Finish eating,” he finally barked, his bossiness returning.
I was tempted to argue, but I swallowed my complaint with my next bite of pasta. I’d tried talking back and it hadn’t gotten me any closer to going home. Maybe he’d keep his guard down if I did as he asked instead.
We ate in silence for a few minutes before I tiptoed back into the conversation.
“Can I at least have my phone? Maybe my computer?” I asked quietly.
“I’ll think about it.”
“And my clothes… shoes…”
“I said I’ll think about it,” he barked. The Nick I recognized was back.
“Yeah, well, you wouldn’t need to think about it if you’d let me go home. It’s clear you don’t want me to be here any more than I do,” I snapped, starting to lose my patience again.
“It doesn’t matter what we want. I made a promise and I keep my promises.”
“I somehow doubt Matty made you promise to keep me locked up against my will.”
“I told you, it’s not safe for you to go home yet.”
“And I asked you earlier what the plan was to make it safe.”
We were right back where we’d been ten minutes before and again, he got quiet. I studied him as he pushed his food around his plate with his fork.
He looked nervous. Nick Knight… nervous. Interesting.
When he finally looked up into my eyes, my breath hitched. His dominant mask had fallen, leaving behind someone I barely recognized.
“I don’t know who to trust,” he said so quietly, I wasn’t sure I’d heard him correctly.
