Page 65 of Caffeine & Chaos
As she turned the corner, she heard the familiar chime of the front door opening. That damn lock was always giving her trouble.
She turned back around the corner, projecting her voice towards the entrance, “I’m sorry, we’re closed for the night, you’ll have to come -” her heart stuttered in her chest as she recognized the form in the doorway.
Travis.
He ran his hand through his hair and attempted the boy next door smile that he had no doubt perfected over the years. He was less smooth than usual, and although it was another staggeringly hot night in Miami, he looked more clammy than sweaty. Nervous perhaps. Before she could react, he stepped forward, attempting to look nonchalant.
“Nadia,” he greeted her with an awkward smile. “Fancy meeting you here.”
Something wasn’t right. Nadia forced a smile, her voice betraying none of the unease that churned within her. “Travis,” she replied, her tone light, almost playful. “What are you doing here?”
Travis shrugged, his eyes glinting. “Just thought I’d stop by and say hello. Catch up, you know?” He took one of the stacked chairs and set it down.
As he spoke, Nadia’s instincts screamed at her to run. Something definitely was not right. She pretended to wipe down a spot and positioned the counter between herself and him.
“That’s such a nice gesture, you really are a sweet guy. Why don’t we set up a time on another night? I’m beat, I worked a double today, and I just doubt I’ll be any fun tonight,” she said as her hands explored the shelf just under the counter, searching for anything she might be able to defend herself with.
“I don’t think so,” Travis’ grin dropped from his face, fully unmasking his sinister intentions. Travis vaulted over the counter, his movements fluid and controlled, and instantly she knew that her worst fears had been realized.
With a surge of panic, Nadia tried to back away, but Travis was upon her in an instant, his hands seizing her wrists and forcing them behind her back. She struggled against him, her heart hammering in her chest as she realized the trouble she was in. Those muscles she had once admired were weaponized against her, his strength overcoming her. He smothered her mouth with his, forcing her lips apart, allowing his tongue to slither in. Repulsed, she turned her head forcefully, breaking her face away from his, but earning a violent hair pull in the process.
“You...” she gasped, her voice trembling with a mixture of fear and disbelief. “You broke into my apartment.”
Travis’s grip tightened, his smile morphing into a chilling sneer. “Guilty as charged, sweetheart,” he whispered, his breath hot against her ear. “But don’t worry. I’ll take good care of you.”
As a zip tie appeared in his hand, Nadia’s mind raced with desperation, her thoughts consumed by the realization that she was trapped—trapped with a man whose affection had turned to obsession, whose desire had twisted into something dark and dangerous.
And as the plastic tightened around her skin, binding her hands together with unforgiving finality, the depths of Travis’ obsession hit her like a ton of bricks. The gifts in yellow paper, his showing up at the café, and then later at Il Gabbiano’s. All carefully calculated moves to appear like a harmless ‘nice guy’.
Travis dragged her over to the wooden chair he’d set down and slammed her onto it. In a last-ditch attempt to break free of him, Nadia twisted her head and bit down on his forearm.
“You bitch!” He screamed, blood trailing down his arm as her teeth found their purchase.
The next thing she knew a hard blow struck her in the temple. Her vision narrowing to pinpoints, she clung to her consciousness, terrified to awake later on to find herself in some dimly lit basement, far from prying eyes.
Travis’ fingers worked quickly to tie her ankles to the chair legs and secure her wrists to the backrest.
Nadia could only watch in horror as Travis loomed over her, his eyes gleaming with a savage hunger that sent a shiver of revulsion coursing through her veins.
Him.
Ryan’s grip tightened on the binoculars as he peered through the windshield of the sleek black Mercedes, the cool leather of the driver’s seat providing little comfort against the sweltering heat of the night. His gaze was fixed on the café across the street, his heart pounding with a volatile mixture of jealousy and anger.
He had seen her, his Nadia, moving through the café after closing hours, her silhouette illuminated by the soft glow of the lights that lined the coffee stations along the back counter. And then, moments later, he had seen him; a shadowy figure, lurking in the darkness, likely weary of the security detail he’d been tipped off to.
Ryan’s jaw clenched with fury as he watched the man enter the café, his movements swift and purposeful. He knew who he was. Travis, the foolish boy who thought he could steal his Nadia. And as the seconds ticked by, each one stretching out like an eternity, Ryan felt his rage simmering beneath the surface, threatening to boil over at any moment.
But then, just as he was preparing to confront them head-on, a commotion erupted inside the café; a struggle, violent and chaotic, unfolded before his eyes. Ryan’s breath caught in his throat as he watched, his anger giving way to an intense sense of urgency.
Armand sensed his tension, picking up on the subtlest change of anger to fear. “Sir?” He said questioning.
Without a word, Ryan reached into Armand’s inside jacket pocket, his fingers closing around the cold metal of a handgun—a Glock twenty-two. He was a skilled marksman and was no stranger to shooting the weapon. With a steely resolve, he slipped out of the car, his movements swift and silent as he made his way around the back of the building.
Armand silently slipped from the vehicle as well, circling around and watching Ryan for an indication of what was happening. Ryan motioned for him to move around the back, along the opposite side of him.
Ryan ran low along the brick of the building, his senses on high alert. He could hear the muffled sounds of a struggle from within, and then deafening silence. Nadia was in trouble.
With a deep breath, Ryan turned around the corner of the building, his heart pounding in his chest as he stepped into the darkness. And as he moved forward, his grip tightened on the gun in his hand. Ryan raised his pistol as a figure emerged on the other side.