Page 69 of You Belong With Me

I smirk at him. “Good boy. If you don’t, I’ll make sure that both you and Alana suffer the consequences.”

Andreas nods, and I can feel the tension in the room ease slightly. He knows now that I’m not playing games and that he needs to do whatever it takes to keep himself and Alana alive.

I turn to Alana and give her a small smile. “Don’t worry, my dear. You’re safe for now. But remember, if you try anything foolish, I won’t hesitate to make an example out of Andreas. Now!” I clap my hands, ready to get on with our first date. “Let’s go in and have dessert!”

Alana hastily wipes away her tears as I pull her toward the door we came through. As we walk, I can feel Andreas’ eyes on us. He knows that he’s in my power and that I have the control to end his life. For now, that should be enough to keep him docile. I have time to plan what to do with him. Tonight, I just need to focus on getting Alana to fall in love with me. I take Alana’s hand and lead her up the steps, not bothering to look back as we leave Andreas alone in the dark garage.

51

Chapter Fifty One

Alana

The man from the bar, the man who kidnapped Andreas and me, leads me back to the dining room table. Once I sit down in the plush chair, he hooks my handcuff to a bar under the table and leaves me alone to go make our dessert.

I wrack my brain, trying to remember what his name is. He paid with a credit card before. I just never paid attention to it because he was always so quiet. A few minutes later, he returns with two dishes of gelato. He sets one in front of me and then takes a seat across the table.

I take two small bites, and once I work up the courage, I ask, “What’s your name?”

“Darien,” he replies as he spoons a bite of the cold treat into his mouth.

“What do you do for work? I noticed you were always on your laptop when you came into the bar,” I say, trying to learn more about the man sitting across from me.

He shrugs his shoulders and says, “I work in IT for a few companies across Indianapolis. I’ve worked from home for a few years, and I’ve always helped my parents run this farm.”

I force a small smile before I ask him my next question. “Where are you parents now?”

A strange look passes over his face, and I worry I pissed him off. He shakes his head and answers, “My dad died two years ago, and my mom passed less than a month ago. It’s just me here now.”

I nod, my mind racing as I take another bite. The name Darien doesn’t ring a bell, but I can’t imagine why he would lie to me at this point. Fuck, I just want to go home. I want to wake up in my bed, and I want to call Ashley and Ricole and tell them about the terrifying nightmare I had about getting kidnapped. I push the gelato away from me, overwhelmed by everything that has happened tonight.

“You don’t like your gelato?” Darien asks me.

I roll my shoulders to relieve the tension and exhale slowly. “It’s been a rough couple of days,” I say truthfully. “My body feels like I got hit by a truck, and I can’t seem to shake this fatigue. Not even food sounds good right now.”

Darien’s face drops and his eyes harden. He speaks through gritted teeth. “You should be grateful for the fact that I’ve kept you safe, bitch. Don’t forget that.”

The sudden ferocity of his voice catches me off-guard, and my muscles tense in surprise. He softens his demeanor slightly before continuing, a hint of anger still lingering in his tone. “Now eat your gelato if you don’t want to hurt my feelings.”

I try to muster up a smile as I pick up my spoon and take another bite.

“That’s a good pet,” he coos. “I just want you to appreciate all that I’ve done for us to be together.”

His tone scares the shit out of me. I don’t want him to be angry, so I finish the gelato quickly. Darien smiles at me in approval and rises from his chair.

“I do appreciate it, Darien. Thank you,” I appease him nervously. He has a look in his eye, and after all he’s done to make this happen, I don’t doubt that he’ll walk out to the garage and put a bullet in Andreas’ head. The longer we both stay alive, the more likely it is that we’ll get the hell out of here.

He unhooks my handcuffs from the table before offering me his arm. I take it hesitantly as he leads me to a different bedroom than before.

Darien unlocks the door and pushes it open. Soft light filters in from a lamp on a nightstand next to the bed, casting shadows across the room. The bed is larger than the one in my apartment, with silky sheets and plush pillows tucked neatly into place against the white headboard. On either side of it are two paintings, one of a field of flowers with a bright yellow sun setting behind them, and another of a river flowing through an enchanting forest beneath a clear night sky filled with stars.

“Rest,” he says softly as his fingers gently brush back some strands of my hair away from my face. “You deserve it.”

I’m too stunned to respond as he leans down and kisses me. I hold back my revulsion to make sure I don’t enrage him. As he pulls away, I see that his face is filled with a strange kind of tenderness. He helps me slip off my shoes and unzips the back of the sundress I’m wearing.

Fuck, this is it. He’s going to make me take off my dress, then he’s going to force himself on me.

I have to remind myself to breathe as the dress slides the dress up my body and over my head.

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