Page 29 of Kept By the Bratva
I shook my head as I sat in the car’s seat. “Please. You had your fun last night. I won’t tell anyone I saw you. I don’t even knowwhoyou are.”
He started the car and grunted. “I told you my name.”
“Yeah, after lying about it before.”
“I need to maintain stealth for occupational hazards.”
I smirked behind the blindfold. What the hell did that mean? It was a wordy answer that was intended to reveal nothing.
Fear remained strong, and I couldn’t swallow enough to dislodge the clump of panic I felt suffocating me. Being moved was bad. I recalled from self-defense classes back in junior high that the chances of rescue were reduced with multiple moves.
“I want to go home.”
“Which home is that? Huh?”
I gaped in the direction of his voice. “Are youmockingme?”
“I looked for you. You weren’t at the apartment you brought me to that night.”
I refused to let the thought of his missing me and seeking me out fill me with anything good. I didn’t care. I couldn’t care if he’d missed me after our night together. He was bad news, and my baby and I couldn’t stick with him.
“I moved, not that it was any of your business.” I groaned, shaking my head.
“What?”
“I didn’t pay rent on my new place.” I did the math. I had been taken for two days now? When I’d tried to deal with my bills before my work shift the other day, the online payment site was glitching and I figured I’d try it later—as in yesterday. “It was really hard to even get that place with the waitlist. And now I’ll lose it.”
“You’re not going home.”
I didn’t want to accept that. I’d struggled with the identity crisis in the bathroom. The before and after. I’d never go back to my little crappy apartment again. It wasn’t nice, but it was decent. There, I had my freedom and independence, privacy and the knowledge that the space was mine alone.
“I’ll lose my job,” I said, letting the thought hit me.
“So what?”
“I… I…” I bit my lip to stem the urge to scream. I’d busted my ass for the little I had. I did everything I could to take advantage of every opportunity that came to me, and now he was taking it all away.
I’d never see the animals again. I’d never have little breaks from dealing with customers to go play in the puppy room. I won’t see Missy and enjoy our inside jokes about our coworkers. Nothing. My life was…
He stopped. I’d been so sucked into my mind and worrying that I had no clue how long he’d driven for, but I tried to pay attention now as he guided me out. His hand was firm in mine but not with a painful grip. I knew better than to try to run, and I followed him through another building, stepping on carpet instead of concrete and walking up steps that had handrails.
“You’ll be safe here,” he said.
I huffed. “Like I’ll take your word for that.”
“Why?”
I shook my head, stumbling on a step and hating how quickly he caught me.
“Because you’re a liar. Nothing but a liar. And a criminal. A thug.”
We walked on. “Believe what you want of me.”
“It’s not a matter of believing. Isaw. I heard. You told me you were another man. You—Why did you follow me at that club? You stalked me in that alley, didn’t you?”
“Whereyoukissed me back? Yeah, that was me.”
I shook my head, aggravated. “Why? Why all the lies? Why all the duplicity and all this?—”