I pull myself out of my paralysis and turn panic stricken to the bartender who is observing us from unfathomable eyes.
"Help me!" I call out, turning in Alice's grip. "This man wants to kill me."
"He doesn't understand English, kitten," Alic whispers in my ear. "Nobody here understands you. I take it, you don't speak Spanish. No one here can help you. If you make a scene, I'll be forced to kill all the witnesses. You want their lives on your conscience?"
I sob in horror as I realize that even here, in the midst of people, I am not safe from my kidnapper. My strength leaves me and I crumple against Alic, who holds me pressed against his hard body with one arm around my middle. He speaks in Spanish to the bartender while I sob in his shirt. I notice in passing how his hand slides up and down my back in a soothing way. The blood roars in my ears. I am in shock. I am barely aware how Alic says goodbye and leads me out of the bar.
Chapter 5
Alic
My kitten is calm as we drive up the road to the house. At first she sobbed, but then she became quiet at some point. I feel the urge to comfort her, but I realize how absurd the thought is. It is me she fears. And rightly so. I cannot comfort her. Only distract her. Besides, I must now explain the situation to her and punish her for her attempt to escape. The thought makes me hard. I already have a few ideas what I'll do to her. But first she needs an explanation, so she understands how hopeless her situation really is. Escape is impossible for her.
When I arrive at the house, I turn off the engine and get out of the car. I walk around the jeep and open the passenger door. Heather is still sitting motionless in her seat. I unbuckle the seatbelt and lift her out of the car, kicking the door with my foot. Holding her close against me, I carry her to the house. Rosa opens us, and steps aside to let us in. After closing the door behind us, she comes running behind us.
"Is everything okay with the girl?" She asks in Spanish.
"Yes, just exhausted. I guess dinner's off tonight. If we get hungry later, I can heat it up in the microwave. You can retire now."
"Are you sure, niño?"
"Yes, we can manage on our own. Now look after Pablo. He sees far too little of you."
Rosa laughs out loud.
"As if the idiot misses me. As long as the Internet isn't down and he can watch his sport, he doesn't need me."
"Don't be too hard on him, Rosa. He works hard, so he deserves his time off."
"Which is why I don't have to go home before ten," Rosa replies stubbornly.
I give her a stern gaze and she raises her hands, surrendering.
"All right. I'm going. I'll see you tomorrow."
Heather
I feel apathetic, completely drained. I used up all my strength when I escaped and now that everything was in vain; I don't even have the energy to fight Alic anymore. Motionless, I lie in his arms as he carries me into the house. I realize that he is talking in Spanish with an older woman who is probably the cook or housekeeper. Is she aware of what kind of monster her employer is? She's laughing at something Alic said. Apparently she has no idea that he is a psychopathic killer, otherwise she would hardly be so casual with him.
We leave the woman behind and Alic carries me up the stairs. At the top, he takes me to the room where I woke up before. He lays me down on the bed and pulls me into an upright position so that my back is against the headboard. Then he takes off my jacket and drops it on the floor, before sitting down on the edge of the bed. He takes my chin in his hand to get me to look at him. I try to see through him, but there is something hypnotic about his gaze and I cannot block out my kidnapper/would-be-killer. So I do the only thing I can do in this situation. I close my eyes.
"Look at me, kitten!" Comes Alic's sharp command.
I squeeze my eyes even tighter. I don't want to look at him. No, I can't look at him. I'm too scared of what he will do to me. And I'm even more afraid that my body will betray me again. That it will react to Alic’s caresses despite the prospect of a violent death.
"I said. Look! At! ME!" Alic repeats, now pressing my chin so firmly that I fear he will break my jaw. With a whimper, I open my eyes. Immediately, the pain disappears as he releases the pressure of his fingers. "Good pet," Alic says calmly. "Eyes on me! We need to talk, and I want to make sure you're present and listening well."
I squint as tears stream from my eyes.
"Sshhh. Settle. Tears won't help you. Be strong. I know you can be strong." He wipes away a tear with his thumb and his gaze is now almost tender. He lets go of my chin and takes my hands in his, without breaking eye contact. "Okay. Now will you be good and listen?"
I nod.
"When I ask you a question, I want a verbal answer. Loud and clear. No nodding or head shaking. Let’s try again. Will you listen carefully to what I have to say?"
"Yes," I answer in a smothered voice.
"What? I didn't hear you!"
"YEESS!" I repeat louder.
"Yes, Master."
I stare at him. The guy's nuts. What's the point of this? Does he think he's Mr. Grey or what? When I say nothing, he grabs my chin again and leans forward, until we're almost face-to-face.
"YES. MASTER!" He says threateningly. "Say it!"
"Yes, Master," I spit at him, hatefully.
"Last chance. If you don't want to face more punishment."
Punishment? My heart pounds in my chest. Alic will punish me for running away. Of course, I should have realized that, but somehow I've blocked it out until now. But now the knowledge is hanging over my head like a hatchet.
"Yes, Master," I say meekly. For the time being, my fight is gone again.
"Good pet... That was much better," says Alic contentedly, and lets go of me to sit upright again. "So. About your little adventure. I knew you'd try to run away. I wanted to give you a chance to try, so you could experience first-hand how impossible it is." He takes a break and puts his big hand on my cheek. I resist the mad impulse to lean into his hand. "You can't run from me, kitten. I always find out where you are. I can track you all over the globe."
I suddenly feel nauseous as I begin to understand what Alic is trying to tell me. When he says he can track me around the globe, it can only mean one thing. He must have implanted me with a tracker.
Alic nods. He must've seen that it dawned on me what he has done. Hatred boils inside of me. Not enough that the son of a bitch drugged me, kidnapped me and wants to kill me. Now he's planted something in my body. With an enraged outcry, I raise my hands to scratch his face. Unfortunately, I don't make it to my destination. He intercepts my hands by closing his fingers tightly around my wrists. I fight him, but he is much too strong for me. He takes my two wrists in one hand and holds them over my head, while he closes the now free hand around my throat, squeezing. My eyes are burning. So are my lungs. My heart is fluttering as my gaze collides with Alic’s, and we fight a silent duel.
"Settle, kitten," he says in his hypnotic voice, intensifying the pressure around my throat. "Settle!"
My body becomes soft and yielding as I obey his command. The pressure around my throat loosens, but Alic still won't let go of me. A single tear rolls down my cheek and Alic leans forward and licks it up. His face stays close to mine for a few heartbeats, so close that hardly a draft fits between us. His breath is warm on my skin. My nose fills with his scent, giving me a feeling of security and safety. I don't know how it is possible that his scent causes such an insane reaction in me. He is not safe for me. So why do I feel this way?