Page 5 of Sleepless Pact
Good luck with that.I already snuck it out of her bag before she could wake up.I’m sure she won’t need it, and there’s no need for her to call for help.Or try to leave me.I never thought I’d be capable of kidnapping anyone, but here we are.
“Home sweet home,” I say as the elevator doors open and reveal the foyer of the penthouse.After I enter the code, we step inside, and she wobbles a little on her feet.“Come on, let’s get you comfortable.”
“It’s beautiful,” Audrey says mostly to herself as I practically carry her over to the couch and then tuck some blankets around her when she sits.
“In case you don’t remember, you can change anything you don’t like.”I’m testing the waters to see what kind of response I get from her as I put extra pillows behind her head.
“Oh, yes, of course.”She smiles up at me when she lies back comfortably.“Thank you.”
“Sit back and relax.I had the chef prepare some soup for you.It’s your favorite.”
“Chicken noodle?”I want to laugh when she says it like a question.
“Exactly.”The smile I give her is genuine because I am loving this game.Does this make me a monster?It’s best not to answer that and instead focus on how much fun I’m having.“I’ll go and get it.”
When I check the oven, I see he’s left four different kinds.Broccoli cheddar, tomato, French onion, and of course chicken soup.I pull the chicken soup out and spoon it into a bowl for her.After that, I grab some of the crusty bread he made and get her a glass of milk.Thankfully, I overheard her tell the doctor she doesn’t have any allergies, and she needs all the calories she can get.When I saw her arms and legs in the hospital gown, she was so thin it made me angry.
Audrey is running from something, and I just so happened to be the one that got in her way.Luckily for her, I’m not some crazed psycho.Well, at least compared to a mass murderer.I might have some questionable connections to the mafia, and I’ve done my fair share of dirty deeds, but I’m not going to kill her.No, I’m going to take good, good care of her.
Then I’ll find out who starved her, and they’ll regret harming one hair on her head.
“Thank you.”She smiles up at me with a soft smile of appreciation when she sees the meal, and my heart clenches.When was the last time someone was kind to her?“Aren’t you going to eat?”she asks after I place the food on a tray in front of her and take a seat in the chair next to it.
“Not right now.I want to take care of you first.”
“Oh.”Her soft cheeks flush as she looks down at the food and begins to eat.At first she’s hesitant, but after the first few bites, she begins to eat faster.
What I want to ask is how long it’s been since she had a full meal, but that would end the little game we’re playing.So instead I stick with the here and now.“After dinner I’ve got ice cream.”
“Ice cream?”Her eyes light up like a small child.“I can’t remember the last time I had it.”She stops herself and lets out a little laugh.“Of course, I can’t remember anything.”
“It’s your favorite flavor.”I grin as I sit back in the chair.
“Chocolate?”
I nod, feeling relieved that I asked the housekeeper to pick up several kinds, and that was one of them.
She’s quiet for a long moment, and then she lets out a long sigh before putting the spoon down.“Phillip, thank you for taking care of me, but—”
“Why don’t we pretend we’re strangers?”I cut her off, sensing that she was about to confess her little lies, and I’m not ready to let her go.Ever.The easiest way for me to keep her is to make it so that she doesn’t want to leave.That shouldn’t be too hard.“That way you can get to know me until your memories come back.”
“Maybe?”She looks down at her almost empty bowl of soup, and I nudge the bread in her direction.
“It will be fun.You eat, and I’ll talk.”
“Okay.”Her voice is quiet, but she tears off a piece of bread and begins to eat.
“I work as a broker between rich people and the things they want.”Her eyes widen, and I smile at her reaction.“It’s a very lucrative career.”I sit up a little and take off my jacket.She tracks every move I make as I toss it on the end of the couch.“People with a lot of money want stupid things, and my job is to hunt them down.”
A small laugh leaves her as she cocks her head to the side.“What kind of stupid things?”
“Well, not all my clients have more money than brains but one of them recently had me track down a He-Man alarm clock he had as a child.”
Her brows furrow for a second as she thinks this over.“Couldn’t he look online?”
“Not when you’ve got limitless means at your fingertips.”I lift one shoulder and shrug.“It keeps me in the lifestyle I’m accustomed to, so it’s not so bad.Sometimes I get interesting items like art and jewels.”
“Jewelry?”Now her eyes really light up.