FIVE

Kiera’s POV

Shoot me!

My eyes flew wide open and I almost choked as the words fell out, “Y.... you’re the homeless guy from the grocery store!”

My mind instantly swallowed itself, struggling to understand how this could be possible. 

I blinked  rapidly, shaking my head, wondering if I was hallucinating due to the immense stress that I'd been through today.

He took a few steps closer but I retreated.

“I know it all seems impossible to you right now, I know you have lots of questions but I need you to calm down. I’ll explain everything to you once you’re settled and in a good frame of mind,” he said.

“No, I need an explanation now,” I insisted.

Right then, the ringing tone from his phone interrupted, and he excused himself to answer it.

A couple of minutes went by and there was no sign of him. I tried opening the door only to realize that it was locked.

“F*ck!” I cussed, kicking the bedside drawer, causing the lamp to fall and shatter. However, something caught my attention. There was a small booth picture lying on the drawer. I guess it was beneath the lamp.

Taking the picture, my eyes swelled in their sockets when I saw Elise and the man together in the photograph. Suddenly I threw the picture on the floor.

“No… I’m imagining things. How are they connected? Is Elise behind all these? Has she not tortured me enough? What else does she want from me?”

 My heart pulsated with fear as I hastily searched for a way to escape.

As I peered through the window, I didn’t miss the chance to catch a glimpse of Gabriel hastily entering his car and exiting the mansion. If I had any chance of escaping, this seemed like the best moment. I noticed that the mansion was heavily guarded as I spent 30 minutes at the window, closely watching the guards, and observing that they swapped positions every 10 minutes—a pattern I was able to track using the wall clock in the room.

Without wasting a split second, I grabbed every piece of material I could find. Bedspreads, pillowcases, towels, I even had to take off my dress to incorporate into a rope, leaving me with just the lingerie on. Once I had assembled a long enough rope, I waited until about five minutes before the guards were set to swap positions, then I secured the end of the rope to the window rail and cautiously began climbing down, taking care to avoid being seen by anyone.

As my feet met the ground, the wound on my thigh caused a sharp, painful sensation, and I couldn't help but whimper.

Hiding behind the grass, I waited until the guards were about to swap places. Seizing the opportunity, I made a run for it without thinking twice, and just as I was heading towards the gate, a guard spotted me and triggered the siren.

All too sudden, he and one other guard came after me. Hindered by the pain from my injury, sprinting proved challenging, and it wasn't long before they caught up with me.

“LET GO OF ME, YOU MORONS!” I screeched as they gripped my hands, hoisting me off the floor.

Suddenly, I saw another man walking towards us, his expression all too scary.

“We caught her trying to escape, Sir,” one of the guards relayed.

He nodded, and without uttering a word, he took out his phone and placed a call.

“We have a situation. You need to come home now,” he said, ending the call.

 *****

Gabriel’s POV

As I answered the call, my informant’s voice came through.

“I have news on Miguel. Meet me in an hour at our base.”

Immediately, I stormed out of the room heading straight to my quarters. Swiftly, I  changed into another outfit before heading out.

“Start the car, Marco. We have no time to waste.”

As I settled in the car, all my thoughts were consumed by Kiera. I knew she needed answers to her questions, but I couldn’t risk providing her with answers if she’s not in a good state of mind, because there’s a huge possibility she would not trust me, given the traumatic experiences she had endured.

Just then, my phone chimed, disrupting my thoughts.

Retrieving it from my pocket, I read the message from a secure number.

[Time’s running out]

[I'll be there in 20 mins] I typed and sent it quickly, deleting the message at once.

My contact with my informant was limited for security precautions. He would never call, unless it was a matter of utmost urgency, and all our messages are deleted immediately after sending or receiving.

“Drive faster Marco, and stop being a f*cking girl!” I yelled at him.

I kept looking at my watch to keep track of the time, and my jaw ticked as I shoved the phone back into my pocket tapping my feet anxiously.

A few moments after, my phone started ringing, and I abruptly reached for it, hoping that it would be my informant. However, when I checked the caller ID, it was from Lewis, my right-hand man.

“We have a situation. You need to come home now,” he said, ending the call.

I knew immediately it had to do with Kiera.

 “Turn the car around now! We are going back home,” I instructed Marco.

***

In less than 30 minutes we were back at the mansion.

I had texted my informant that something came up and I wouldn’t be able to make it and requested for a reschedule.

As I stepped into the mansion, I saw two of my guards, forcibly holding Kiera by the elbows, and I couldn’t determine what was more upsetting. Whether it was the fact that I had canceled on my informant or that these two nincompoops had the audacity to lay their hands on her. And what the f*ck happened to her dress? Why was she in the lingerie she wore back at Lair of Pleasure?

“Take your bloody hands off her,” my voice rained thunder, as I walked towards them, and they suddenly freed her.

In a flash, Kiera clung to herself. The shame in her eyes was crawling at me, and I instantly took off my jacket to shield her.

Did these bastards have no regard for a woman?

“But she tried to escape, Boss,” one of them said.

The intense gaze in my eyes was enough to zip his mouth shut, and he instinctively swallowed hard.

“They're telling the truth Gabe, the young lady was caught escaping,” Lewis defended.

“I didn’t remember asking for your input Lewis,” I snarled, my gaze lingering on him for a while before I turned to face Kiera.

“Why did you try to escape?” I questioned, curiosity threading through my voice.

For a moment, she said nothing, and then, as if possessed, she burst into uncontrollable laughter. My gaze narrowed at her, as I tried to place my finger on what was going on in her head.

“Why did I try to esc…. escape?” She said in between her fits of laughter.

“Did you really expect me to stay under the same roof with you, a con artist, a liar? I don’t even know who you are…Who the heck are you? I am no guest of yours, I'm here as your plaything, your prisoner. You even went as far as locking me inside the room, and let me ask, don’t prisoners try to escape?” She asked, her laughter dying down as her tone turned serious.

I scoffed, admiring her fiery spirit, yet I didn’t have the zeal to speak to her in the presence of anyone.

Before she could utter another word, I lifted her off the floor and placed her on my shoulders.

“Drop me down…. Drop me down,” she shrieked, throwing her fists at my back.

I didn’t care as much to listen to her. Carrying her upstairs, I headed for her room, and when I got to the door, I dismissed the guard stationed there.

She persisted in her screams as I entered the room, but her voice faltered in her throat when I tossed her onto the bed and positioned myself right over her.

"What happened to your voice?" I asked tauntingly, yet she remained silent, her eyes shifting trying to avoid my gaze.

I moved myself closer to her, our lips almost touching. I felt her breath hitch, and her shifting eyes finally fluttered shut.

“You should count yourself lucky that I have a soft spot for you. But, if you so much as contemplate escaping again, I won't just barricade every exit in this room. I will shutdown every source of oxygen, and even Rapunzel would be a more privileged princess than you,” I said, lifting myself.

I caught her cautiously peeking through one eye, and quickly snapping it shut again, like a little shy girl, and I let out a short, almost amused chortle that didn’t quite reach my eyes.

“I've dismissed the guard at your door," I said evenly, "So you're free to do whatever you wish but do not force my hand. And ummm.. I’ll have one of the staff bring you something to eat and a change of clothes for the night,” I added, walking towards the exit.

“How do you know Elise?” Her voice sliced through the quiet, sudden and sharp, like a dagger thrown without warning.

My jaw clenched at the mention of that name, and I held my words for a few seconds before speaking,

“Get some rest. Tomorrow's gonna be a really long day,” I walked away, without casting another look at her.