Chapter 5

Meredith

 

I had thought I had left it behind in New Orleans.

Images of the woman laying in her own pool of blood and a man with a bloodied knife in his hand assaulted my brain. I looked at him, and he stared back at me. I was breathing heavily, and the lady from yesterday had already left.

His blue eyes narrowed down on me, pinning me in an intense gaze.

This man was dangerously beautiful; his pointed nose sat on his pink lips, which had been pressed into a thin line. His jaw looked hard and square, his forehead smooth, and his skin olive. His full brows accentuated his beautiful looks; his hair was pulled backwards into a small bun; and his features left me mesmerised. I stood afloat; fear was running through my veins. He pushed himself off the railings elegantly and went to take a seat on one of the chairs, and I’m left to wonder how such a cold-hearted killer could be this attractive.

"Come sit with me," he said in a soft yet firm voice that made really wild thoughts roam in my head. I may just willingly give in to being this man’s slave.

I lift my heavy brick feet and walk towards him, settling into the seat opposite him. The strong scent of masculine perfume clouds my nose, and I can’t help but lower my head a little at the intensity of his gaze.

"Now sit leaning into the chair completely, your hands above your head." My head shot up in disbelief.

What the fuck? Was he some sort of sick photographer that got the images of lean girls in their most uncomfortable moods?

His ocean-like orbs narrow down to slits in me, and I move to comply. Just as he says, I lean into the chair until my back touches the furniture and pull my arms over my head. The hem of my gown rode up past my mid-thighs, and the rough fabric grazed my nipples, hardening them. God, being in this man’s presence was sexually energising.

Dying from embarrassment, I shut my eyes, waiting for his next instructions, the words of my captors playing afresh in my head.

 

"Stay good, and you may just make it to the week's end."

But the next thing that happened made me want to throw away the advice. The feeling of two hands that didn’t belong to me fondling my breast from my shirt made my insides shiver, and my eyes shot open.

It felt good, but so wrong.

"What are you doing?" I asked quickly, moving my hands towards him to knock it away, but he held both of my hands together and shoved them back up into my head, pinning it in place. "Your curiosity led to this new path; I’m going to be doing more than just feeling your breasts." The word sounded so foreign coming out of his lips, and it made my face flush and my body heat up.

He leaned in to check my temperature, placing the back of his palm on my forehead, and then let go of me.

"Henceforth, you do as I say; failure to comply with an order would force me to put you in the same position as I’d put the other woman." I gulped, looking up at him before managing a stiff nod.

Maybe it was disobedience that had made him kill the other woman, and I just had to comply and agree to let him use my body.

Oh heavens, how did things go from me being super excited to graduate from a prestigious school to forcing myself to willingly let a stranger sleep with me? Maybe for my life I would, because there’s still a small part of me that's extremely scared of him. How on earth had he known where I’d be and who I was? I was more than certain he had not even seen my face that night.

"How did you know where to find me?" I asked

He released me and settled back properly into his own seat.

"You’d be released into school environments and placed under strict observation. If you spill a word about what happened to the cops, the FBI You wouldn’t like the result." I fell to my knees in gratitude. I’d expected to give up on my education and spend the rest of my life offering myself to this man. He was somehow thoughtful, or is that my mediocre perception of him?

I tried to remind myself that he had taken the life of a lady roughly three days ago and definitely wouldn’t hesitate to take mine.

"Thank you, sir," I said, and he pulled me to my feet.

"Freshen up, eat some food, and lie in whatever way you can to cover up for your lost time. I’ve got my eyes on you, Meredith, he said, and with that, he walked away from my presence.

I almost cried in joy at the news.

My words come back to haunt me—the words I’d said to the men at the warehouse: for the love of my life, I was going to shut up and pretend I had no idea that hundreds of other girls could be saved, but because I prioritise myself more, I’d not offer up any information.

The bitterness that filled my heart at the realisation made me cry harder, but not out of joy; this would be another form of punishment. I knew I could save others, but I was choosing to keep quiet.

What would I tell Mom? Goodness, they must have my phones and other personal belongings. How do I face my roommate? The image I hadn’t even begun to build has been torn down before I’ve even had the chance to do anything.

I finally got up weakly, stumbled to the room I was kept in, and managed a shower. By the time I got out, there were new clothes lying on the bed and food covered up in a silver tray on the bed.

I put on the clothes that felt too loose and proceeded to eat my first meal in days. Just as I finished, an unusual feeling of tiredness overcame me, and I gave into it only to wake up in a moving car.