Trapped

Blaine stared at her in confusion.

“Did you even realize how important this would be for my career?” Ariel was looking at him with fire in her eyes. “I am the first woman who has done something like this in these parts, and at barely twenty-four. Why add my name to this if you never intended me to reap the benefits?”

“I do not want to talk about this here.” He said, “Let’s g…” But she cut him off.

“Run away. That’s what you do best. I have said my piece.” She turned around, and he grabbed her arm.

“When did you become so unreasonable? What do you think would have happened to that same career if she brought up the video of Ruby screaming the roof down that I got you pregnant? Or can you not see where the host was headed?”

“Don’t you dare mention my mother’s name,” she said through her teeth.

“Why. We had a history even before you were born,” he said, suddenly very furious, and she slapped him.

“You are shameless,” She said, and began to walk away. 

He stared at her with rage and decided this was it. 

It was enough to put up with Ophelia, but he was not going to have to deal with any other unreasonable woman just because they bore his children.

He was going to march her up to Sullivan’s house tonight and take his son, even if he had to shoot his way in.

“Time’s up. Take me to Oliver.” he said, and she whirled around and was about to yell something at him, but she held herself still and balled her fist beside her.

“If my son was alive, why the hell do you think you deserve being with him? What value would you add to his life?”

“What?” Blaine squinted, “I am his father!” he thundered. 

It was a good thing it was nighttime, and this building was in a reserved area, but there were staff here, staff members who loved internet gossip like the next common person. 

And they had enough scandal to last a lifetime. He did not need more, so he began to crowd her toward the car.

“Does not count for much. Your being his father helped nothing when I was bleeding to death on that floor.”

“People are watching, get in the car,” he said, standing before her. 

That stopped her, and she looked up at him, squinting in disbelief.

Then she sighed heavily, shaking her head, “Of course, that’s the only thing that would matter to you.” 

She suddenly hurried around and was asking her chauffeur to step away, even as their assistants began to run up, and their guards started to converge around them.

“What are you doing?” he asked in horror as he watched her get into the driver’s seat. 

She was clearly furious, and driving in this state could only lead to one thing. 

He did not want his son to grow up without his mother.

Without thinking, he pulled open the passenger door before she could lock it, and she ignored him as she pulled out from between the convoy cars at great speed but somehow without bumping into any of the cars.

He had no idea that she could drive this well, because as soon as she got on the road, she became a race car driver.

“Ariel, slow down.” He barked, but she did not even look at him as she kept her foot on the gas pedal.

“I know you are upset.” He tried for calmness and, without looking at him, she said, “Please stop talking.”

“Ariel.” 

She stepped on the accelerator, and he found himself slamming back, hard against his seat. 

He turned to look at her. 

Was this woman crazy after all? Was she not who he thought she was?

What was his deal with crazy women then? Ruby, Ophelia, now Ariel.

“Who the hell do you think would take care of our son if you killed us both?” He said, and that did it.

She began to let her leg up gradually, but it seemed fate was determined for them to crash that day because suddenly, something heavy slammed into the car from his side, just as a truck drove past them, blocking them from view of their guards who were driving fast behind.

“Blaine. Damn it, open your eyes Blaine!” 

He opened his eyes to Ariel’s screams, and although his vision was blurry, he immediately saw the blood stains on her clothes. 

And the double handcuffs that bound both of them together with a short connecting chain.

He gasped, moving close to her even though he felt light-headed. 

She was hitting her door, trying to push it open so she could get out. 

That was when he finally noticed they were not on the road where something had smashed into her car.

They were in another place, a strange place, and their car was suspended in the air, and moving even higher. 

It was like they were being fork-lifted.

“No!” Ariel was crying now, screaming and hitting the door.

Although he was still clueless and confused about what exactly was going on, the fear in her eyes was all the proof he needed to know that they were in real danger.

“I don’t want to die. He is going to crush us to death Blaine. Do something.” Ariel was screaming in panic, and he could not think, did not know what he was supposed to do because he still did not understand what was going on in his light-headedness.

But one thing was clear: Ariel wanted that door open, so he leaned over her and began to slam the door with his shoulders. He was crushing her under his weight, but she did not seem to notice in her panic.

“I do not want to die like this.” The woman was almost hyperventilating now, and in all the heat and confusion he felt his vision blur again. 

But he did not stop slamming against the door again and again.

The good thing about the cars they drove was that it was hard for a robber or assassin to get through to them. 

The bad thing about the same cars was when their owners were trapped like that, it was impossible to get out too.

Despite how much he slammed against the door, even as his arm began to ache from what he suspected was a sprain, the door did not bulge.

And soon their car dropped with a loud thump on a flat metal surface, high, high above the ground.