Page 13 of King of Wrath
“I told you, we’re going to help each other.”
“How are you helping me?” I breathe through my nose, trying to keep my head. I’ll die silent before I allow him to use me to hurt my family. I may not love Toni but there are people who should be protected. My sister’s face fills my thoughts.
“Where were you going? You snuck out for a date. Why go to the airport?” I let out a breath and lift my head, trying to figure out what he wants.
My stomach pitches with the movement. “I think I might be sick.”
Something cool touches my hand and I snap my eyes open to see a bucket in front of my face. He even thought to bring a vomit bucket.
I take the plastic container and hold it below my face. The car hums along and I realize that I should be watching where we’re going. Paying attention.
But my head is pounding, and my stomach is rolling. It’s been silent for a few minutes when Jake speaks again. “See, I think that you were running away.”
I don’t open my eyes. I’m still trying to control my stomach. “Maybe I’m just wild.”
He gives a small laugh. “You socialize once a week at the same place at the same time. Other than that, you’re rarely seen socially, except with your father. That’s your version of wild?”
My father…
It’s not lost on me this man knows my whereabouts, my habits. Should that make me feel better? This is all very methodical. Planned. Does that make him more or less likely to hurt me? “I don’t…”
“See, I think I was right, and you were running away from Toni.”
I can barely focus as I sink my face deeper in the bucket. “What if I was?”
“Well…in that case, you can think of this as me helping you.”
My eyes pop open and I sit up, intent upon telling him where he can stick his help. But my stomach pitches again, this time not to betamed, and I’m grabbing the bucket as the contents of my afternoon snack land in the plastic container.
“Shit,” he says as he pulls the car over. I retch until there is nothing left and I’m panting as my heartrate slowly comes back down. Silently, he reaches back. “Give me the bucket.”
I hand it over the seat, no fight in me, and he opens his door, dumping the contents on the side of the highway.
What weird universe am I living in right now? Part of me wonders if this is my moment to escape, but my head is swimming, my body weak, and honestly, I’m never getting into the front seat, past him, and out the door. I need to pick a better moment.
Instead, I wilt back into the bench seat, wrapping my arms around myself. I don’t even realize I’m shivering until he shrugs of his jacket, a buttery leather, and drapes it over my torso.
That calms something inside me. If rape and torture were his game, would he be placing clothing over me to keep me warm?
I pull the jacket tighter about my body when the scent of it hits my nose. It’s spicy and masculine with a touch of cigar scent laced through it. It smells amazing. I want to curl into that scent.
Weird, since the man who carries it is my kidnapper. “What did you say your name was?”
“Jake.”
Jake. Jake is not one of Mason’s brothers. I know their names. Leonard. Roman. Jake is the…uncle. “How come you told me your name?”
“I’m not here to hurt you, Nia. Like I said, I want us to help each other.”
“And the gun?”
His eyes meet mine in the rearview again. The same shock runs through me, but I’m not so scared this time, more curious. Interested. And confused. How does he think I might help him? “Just a way to make sure we had enough time to make sure we really talked.”
The questions swirling in my thoughts help to add a bit of rigidity to my muscles. “How can you help me?”
“If you wanted to run away, disappear, then I’ve done you a large favor. Because you just left Vegas without a trace.”
“That’s supposed to comfort me? That no one can find me and I’m with a strange man who stole me?”