Page 114 of Spark

“Okay,” I said with a nod.

“Can you be ready in thirty minutes?”

I turned my head to look at myself in the mirror and nearly cringed. I looked like a wreck.

“I think I can manage that,” I said, my eyes assessing the stringy wet ends of my hair that were clinging to my jaw and neck.

“Good,” Darren said with a smile and kissed my forehead. “I’ll see you shortly.”

He then left me alone with a still damp puppy and a slightly damp pussy.

Damn him.

After taking ten minutes to get Camaro’s ass dry with the hair dryer, I unclipped my stringy damp hair and braided it into a loose braid down one side of my neck. After applying some light makeup, I rushed into the closet, ignoring Camaro as she playfully nipped at my ankles. Changing out of my wet black leggings, I switched for another similar pair and a long dark burgundy sweater dress and black knee-high boots. Grabbing my black wool pea coat, leather gloves, and begrudgingly, the stupid purple poofy hat, I laid everything on the bed and placed Camaro in her crate. She whined and barked while I slipped into my coat, but she would have to endure in her cage just like I would. A few short minutes later, another knock came on the door, and one of the guards who stood outside the door addressed me.

“Are you ready, Miss Jaden?” he asked, his voice hopeful. I could tell he didn’t want to tell Darren I would be holding him up.

“Yes, I’m ready,” I replied, yet I didn’t feel ready. I felt nervous, excited, and apprehensive.

Following him out the door, the second guard trailed behind me, and I felt my heart flutter as we made our way down the stairs. I hadn’t been out in public in nearly six months, and I’d have to pretend that everything was okay. I’d have to ignore opportunities for escape and do my absolute best to keep to myself. Fuck, this was going to be hard.

When we got down to the foyer, I found Darren deep in conversation with Scott. Upon my arrival, their conversation abruptly ended as Darren looked me over. He nodded slightly to Scott and my guards, and they all filed out through the front doors. The moment they were gone, Darren’s eyes practically swallowed me whole. He seemed angry, brooding in a way that had me wanting to take a step back.

He walked toward me slowly with purposeful intimidation. With his long black pea coat, black turtleneck, and black leather gloves, he looked like a damn hitman moving in for the kill.

“I don’t want to ruin this by disrupting your optimism, but I hope I don’t have to discuss with you the consequences of disappointing me while we’re in public,” he said, his face stern, but there was a hint of regret in his eyes. He seemed like he really did want me to enjoy this.

“No, there’s no need,” I said, shaking my head for emphasis. I knew exactly what would happen if I fucked up. No explanation necessary.

He sighed, seemingly satisfied with my answer, and relaxed. “Good girl,” he said with a small smile and kissed me on the forehead. “Then, let’s go.”

He placed his hand on the small of my back and led me out the door to the two black idling Range Rovers. One of the guards opened the door to the last SUV, allowing Darren to usher me in while he slid in after me.

The drive to Anchorage had me more excited than I wanted to admit. I had mentally discussed with myself that there would be no thoughts of escape or pushing Darren’s leniency. I would use this as an exercise to gain his trust. If I could get through this sans fuck-ups, then maybe he would let me out more often. And then I could really make my move without being suspected of it.

I silently bounced my knee while wringing my gloved hands in my lap, my mouth quickly becoming dry as I stared out the window, anxious as fuck. A few moments later, I felt Darren’s hand press down on my knee, promptly stopping it from bouncing.

“Relax, Jaden. Everything will be fine,” he said, a slight laugh leaving his lips.

Suddenly, I felt myself wishing to be back inside my room, hidden away from the potential disaster this event could turn out to be.

Breathe, Jaden. You’ve got this. You’re not ceramic. You’re fucking steel.

43

Out

By the time we got to the town, I felt calm enough as we parked on what seemed like the main street of the city and got out.

Taking my hand in his, Darren had a slight smile on his face as we began to walk the street.

“What are we doing?” I asked, suddenly wanting to know everything so nothing would surprise me.

“I thought you might like to walk the town and see it for yourself,” he said genuinely.

“Okay,” I said quietly.

For the next hour, Darren and I walked the streets of downtown Anchorage, drinking in the atmosphere of their beautiful winter wonderland. The city’s Christmas decorations still lingered over the streetlights and businesses, Christmas lights strung everywhere with a giant lit up and highly decorated Christmas tree in the center of the city. Seeing the mountains in the background of the city had me wanting to do all kinds of wilderness exploring, even with my latest near-death experience. I was confident that should a threat arise, it wouldn’t last long around Darren. I hated how comforting I found that. I didn’t want to rely on Darren for anything, least of all my safety.