Page 80 of Spark
“The necessities, Miss Jaden,” Clive answered without moving from his position.
“Yeah, but what are the necessities? I don’t have any winter clothes.”
“Your clothing will be provided for you. Just bring what you think you’ll need to keep up your appearance.”
“Like your hairspray,” Owen added with a smug smile.
I scoffed at him. “Hairspray can make an excellent flame thrower, Owen. Just remember that,” I snapped and shut the door on them.
Asses.
Trudging over to my closet, I grabbed a good-sized duffel bag and headed into my bathroom. I packed my flat iron, curling iron, hairspray, my face wash and moisturizers, toothbrush and hairbrush, some makeup, and hair ties. Thankfully, there was enough room for my tablet and iPod. The bag zipped closed easily and sat on my bed looking sad and lonely. It was weird not having a larger secondary bag containing my clothes. I didn’t care for any of the clothes in my closet currently, and I was curious about the change in my wardrobe when we got to wherever the hell it was that he was taking me.
I really shouldn’t let myself get excited. This trip was just another form of manipulation, Darren’s way of buying my affection, and I hated that I’d have to fucking reward him for it. I had to try to enjoy myself, give him the illusion that I was blissfully ignorant of his methods of “persuasion” when it came to winning me over. He’d lose, but I doubted he wouldn’t be able to surprise me nonetheless. I had no idea what to expect, but I had a feeling it was going to be nothing like what I was expecting.
I didn’t see Darren for the rest of the night or even the following morning for breakfast. I went through my normal routine for the day, working out for my singular solid hour, showering, lunchtime, and a stupid-ass painting session before I was finally called away to clean up and meet Darren downstairs in ten minutes.
After washing up in my bathroom, I came out to find Owen and Clive standing in my room.
“Ready?” Clive asked me.
“Yeah,” I replied, suddenly nervous.
Clive nodded then took my little travel bag from my dresser while Owen led me out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Darren was talking on the phone as he paced in the foyer, glancing at me only when I finally stood on the final step. I waited for him now while Clive and Owen went to load our luggage into the trunk of the car.
“Excellent. I’ll come by to pick it up in two days. Thanks,” Darren spoke into the phone and hung up.
So not only were we going somewhere unknown to me, Darren had business to attend to there. Great.
Pocketing his phone, he turned to me still standing on the last step, and I found myself suddenly irritated by the fact that even though I was a step higher, the motherfucker was still taller than I was. He smiled, knowing what I was thinking, and placed his hands on my hips, pulling me toward him.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“I guess,” I said with a shrug. Not like I had a choice in where I was going anyway.
“You’re going to love it. I promise,” he gleamed.
“I’ll decide that,” I said with a smirk, but Darren just smiled in his usual “challenge accepted” sort of way.
“Come on,” he said, taking my hand and tugging me out the door and into the car, another sleek BMW. Clive and Owen stood off to the side, watching closely. Were they not going with us? I couldn’t help but notice the exact same car idled in front of ours and another was behind it. I didn’t know if I should feel better knowing we had backup in case of some kind of attack, or worse, that we needed it in the first place.
Scott was already behind the wheel while Darren ushered me into the backseat. Strapping myself in, I stared out the window. Waiting only a few seconds before the car took off, I watched as we left my shadows and pretty cage behind. I wondered what the newest temporary one would look like.
Darren was mostly silent as he studied his tablet, his eyes focused and determined as he read whatever he was reviewing. At one point, he even pulled out the stylus, made notes, and sent it off. I was such a snoop, but I couldn’t help it. I just hoped he didn’t catch me doing it.
The car was luxurious and comfortable with all its soft black leather and dark tinted windows. The glass windows seemed much thicker than usual, and my heart skipped a beat when I suddenly realized they were bulletproof. I sat back in my seat, suddenly feeling all the blood drain from my face, and I came to remember that being with Darren automatically put me danger. He wasn’t the only threat to my safety—his enemies were. And the moment I married him, the target on my back would suddenly triple in size. Fuck.
About thirty minutes later, we arrived at the tarmac where Darren’s private plane was waiting. I groaned aloud, remembering the last and first time I had ever been on a plane and the lack of joy I experienced during my travel.
“Everything will be fine, Jaden,” Darren said, his eyes still transfixed on his work as he typed away in an email.
“As long as you don’t have any ties to terrorist groups who could shoot us out of the sky,” I retorted.
Darren shrugged. “They’re not that stupid,” he said plainly.
I felt my jaw drop.
The car pulled over to stop, and Scott quickly exited to open my door, which was under child lock, of course. The men from the other cars loaded our baggage on the plane, the same plane I suddenly had no interest in boarding, no matter where it was going.