Saving Me

by Scarlett Haven

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Tuesday, January 9

  Wednesday, January 10

  Thursday, January 11

  Friday, January 12

  Saturday, January 13

  Sunday, January 14

  Monday, January 15

  Tuesday, January 16

  Wednesday, January 17

  Tuesday, April 17

  Author's Note

  More books by Scarlett

  Find Me Online

  Saving Me

  Spy Chronicles, Book 4

  Scarlett Haven

  Copyright © 2018 Scarlett Haven

  http://scarletthaven.wordpress.com

  All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, places, events, or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  Tuesday, January 9

  Prison.

  I have no idea how I am still alive. Or better yet, why I’m still alive. But here I am, still breathing.

  Maybe they want to draw out my inevitable death. Maybe they want to make me suffer. They chased me down for months, and maybe this is part of the thrill for them. Making their victim as scared as possible before they do the deed.

  Yesterday morning, I was taken by the very person I’ve been running from since I left Florida.

  Steven...

  Wait, I don’t actually know his last name. Sebastian’s last name is Soto, but that is his mother’s maiden name.

  Lex Luthor?

  Am I still calling him that?

  No, I’ll call him Steven. Though I haven’t seen him since we left Pops’ house.

  Pops...

  I hope he’s okay. When I last saw him, he was lying down in a pool of blood. He didn’t look so good, but I can’t be certain.

  I try not to think about Sebastian though. I know he’s okay. I made sure of that. It’s the reason why I left with Nolan in the first place—to make sure that he was okay.

  He must be completely freaking out right now. His worst fear has come true. I’m in the hands of his biological father. I can’t even imagine what he’s going through right now.

  I am locked in a bedroom. There is one window in the room, but there are bars on the outside, meaning I have a zero percent chance of escaping. There are two doors—one that leads to the outside. It is locked from the other side. The other door leads to a windowless bathroom.

  The bedroom I’m in is actually pretty big. There is a nice bed with a fluffy, white comforter on top and a TV hanging on the wall in front of it. There is a bookshelf full of books—I recognize a few titles. I actually wouldn’t mind reading a few of them. If this were any other situation, maybe I would read, but I’m not sure I could concentrate long enough to read anything right now. There is way too much going through my head—like, will my death be painless, or are they going to make me suffer first?

  I sit down on the bed, knowing that pacing back and forth won’t do any good right now. I prop up a few pillows behind my back so I can relax. I pick up the remote to the TV and see that there are a few apps—Netflix, YouTube, and a few other popular ones.

  I’m their prisoner. Why do I have Netflix?

  I flick off the TV, feeling confused and frustrated.

  Why am I just locked in here?

  There is a noise at the door and I look up to see Nolan walk in. He’s carrying a tray of food. He sets it down on the ottoman by the end of the bed.

  “Food,” he says, nodding to the tray.

  There is steam coming off the food, and I’m surprised. Not only is he feeding me, but he’s feeding me warm food.

  It smells so good.

  “Thanks,” I say.

  I’m not sure why I thank him. But maybe I will be treated better if I treat him well.

  Once upon a time, Nolan was my friend. Out of all the guys, I was the closest to him. And I like to think that he was close to me, too. Maybe I can use our past friendship to my advantage.

  “No problem,” he says. “Are you comfortable in here?”

  I nod. “A little antsy.”

  “Steven is leaving tomorrow,” he says. “So maybe after he leaves I can take you outside for a run or something. But only if you promise not to run away.”

  “Of course,” I say, nodding enthusiastically.

  He should know better than that, though. Because if I get the chance to get away, I will take it.

  “I’m going back out there. Just... eat. Maybe watch a show or something,” he says.

  “Are you going to kill me?” I ask before he can shut the door, because I just need to know.

  “No,” he says, shutting the door. I hear the lock click, letting me know that I am once again trapped.

  He’s not going to kill me. There is that, at least.

  But then again, was it ever really Nolan I was worried about killing me?

  No.

  It’s Steven.

  He’s the one I’m worried about.

  He’s the one who has chased Sebastian and me around the world, never letting us have a moment’s peace.

  I grab the tray from the ottoman. I wasn’t going to eat it, but I really do need to keep up my strength if I’m going to get away. Plus, it smells amazing.

  I flick on the TV, putting on some stupid show while I eat the food that Nolan gave me.

  My prison could definitely be worse.

  Maybe, just maybe, I will survive this.

  Wednesday, January 10

  Revenge.

  I slept really good last night.

  I am not sure how I slept. But with my stomach full and some show playing softly in the background, I managed to pass out; and when I wake up, there is light coming in the window, letting me know it’s morning.

  Sometime during the middle of the night, the show shut off and the TV has a screensaver, showing the time at just after seven in the morning.

  Wow, I must’ve been exhausted. Last I remember, it was about eight o’clock at night.

  There is a knock on the door before it opens up. I look up and see Nolan walking in with a tray of food. The tray from last night is gone, meaning that he, or somebody else, had to come in here while I was asleep to take it away.

  “Hey,” he says.

  “Hey,” I say, sitting up.

  “I brought breakfast,” he says, bringing the tray over to me.

  Breakfast in bed?

  As a prisoner?

  “Thanks,” I say.

  I don’t hesitate to eat today. Nolan said we might be going on a run today and I’m going to need the energy, especially if I’m going to attempt an escape.

  “Steven is leaving early this morning,” Nolan says, taking a seat on the ottoman at the end of the bed.

  “What is he doing?” I ask. “I mean, I am not sure what exactly he does, other than chase me and Sebastian around the world.”

  “He’s still chasing Sebastian,” he says. “He never intended on letting him go the night we got you, but things were so chaotic. Sebastian got away. So did that old guy.”

  “Pops is okay?” I ask, sitting up straighter. I need to know.

  “I don’t know,” Nolan answers.

  My heart sinks, and I pray he’s okay. He has to be. But since I have Nolan in here talking to me, I decide to use it to my advantage.

  “What are his plans with Sebastian?” I ask.

  “Nothing good,” Nolan says. “I think Steven has convinced himself that Sebastian and he are going to be some kind of father-son duo.”

  “Bass would never go along with that,” I say.

  “I don’t think he will have a choice. Steven will kill him if he doesn’t
comply. Which is why you’re here,” he says. “He can threaten to hurt you if Sebastian doesn’t go along with his plans.”

  My chest hurts at his admission.

  I hope Steven never catches Sebastian. Because Sebastian would do anything to save me, and that isn’t what I want for him. I don’t want him to be under his father’s thumb.

  “So, what is the deal with you and Bass anyway?” Nolan asks. “I thought he hated you, but then I find out the two of you are running around the world together. And alone. Which I didn’t expect. Isn’t your dad, like, super protective?”

  “He trusts Sebastian,” I say.

  “You two are close,” he says.

  I nod. “We got close after he saved my life. Twice. We got into a situation at Spy School... I mean, you remember. You were there.” Shooting at us. “Anyway, after that we had to run. I don’t think my dad’s plan was for Bass to take me alone, but it’s what happened. He protected me. And I guess we kind of got close during all that.”

  You know...

  Besides the whole him pushing me away thing. Once we finally got past that, I was freaking kidnapped.

  “So, you’re friends,” Nolan says.

  I nod.

  “He’s more than your friend,” he says.

  I look at him, wondering how he knows that.

  “You haven’t changed at all,” he says. “You wear your heart on your sleeve. I can see everything you’re thinking written on your face. Which is perfect. At some point during all this, Steven is going to want to talk to you. When he does, please, act like you do when it’s just you and me. Let him see that you are scared of him.”

  “Why?” I ask.

  “He likes to feel powerful. And if he thinks you’re not scared, he will do something to make sure you feel scared,” he says.

  “Why should I trust you?”

  “You have no reason to,” he says. “But once upon a time, you did. And I think deep down, maybe a small part of you still does. Follow your instincts, Serenity. It will save you in the end.”

  I don’t want to trust Nolan, but I do a little. Because, if it wasn’t for him, I would’ve ended up here a long time ago. He is the one who let us go in Australia. He didn’t try to take me privately. He did it in public, somewhere he knew he could be defeated. There has to be a reason for that.

  Why do I get the feeling he’s done all that on purpose?

  “Don’t let me down, Nolan,” I say.

  “I won’t,” he says.

  “Is Steven going to kill me?”

  “No,” he says. “I am not going to let him do that.”

  “What about Sebastian?”

  “I don’t know,” he answers. “But I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure both of you are okay.”

  “Why do you even care?” I ask. “You’re the one working with him. I just assumed that you wouldn’t care what happens to me or Sebastian.”

  “Just because I’m working with him doesn’t mean that I agree with everything he does,” Nolan says.

  I want to smart off to him.

  To fight with him.

  But I don’t, because I need to gain his trust if I’m going to have even a small chance of escaping.

  “Do I get to get out of this room today?” I ask. “After he leaves?”

  “Yeah,” Nolan says. “But I don’t want you to think you can escape. There is no chance of that happening. Please, don’t even try. Not today.”

  I nod, letting him think that I am going to be a good, compliant prisoner. But if there is even a slim chance I can escape, I’m taking it.

  “Remember what I said about wearing your heart on your sleeve?” he asks.

  I nod.

  “There are guards. A lot of them,” he says. “They are on a shoot to kill order if you try to escape. Just because Steven wants you alive doesn’t mean he cares if you live or die. If you try to escape, you will die.”

  I swallow hard.

  Do I trust what he’s saying?

  Do I have a choice?

  “Why does he even want me?” I ask. “I’m just a seventeen-year-old girl. I’ve barely even had training. I’m nobody.”

  “You’re Michael Sinclair’s daughter,” Nolan says. “You are the daughter of the man who took everything away from him.”

  “Jennifer was the one who left Steven,” I say. “My dad just helped them hide after Steven started stalking them.”

  “Exactly,” he says. “Steven wants to do the same thing to your dad that he did to him all those years ago.”

  “It’s been fourteen years,” I say. “Shouldn’t he move on?”

  “Steven has spent the last fourteen years with nothing but revenge on his mind,” Nolan says. “He’s not going to give this up.”

  When he puts it like that...

  “Eat your breakfast,” Nolan says. “I’ll be back to get you later. We can pick up on your training wherever you and Sebastian left off.”

  At least Nolan is going to keep working with me and keep training me.

  I hope he doesn’t think I’m going to join his side, though. I really, really hope that isn’t what all this is about... that Steven has some kind of sick fantasy of Sebastian and me joining him to take my dad down, because that isn’t going to happen.

  Nolan leaves the room, locking the door behind him.

  While I finish my breakfast, I think about what he said about armed guards.

  Would Steven really have me shot, after all the work he went through to capture me alive?

  I already know the answer is yes.

  There really isn’t a chance of me escaping.

  My only hope now is Spy School.

  Surely my dad will rescue me. I have to believe that. I just have to hold on for a little while longer.

  If I know my dad, he’s already got a plan—that he’s had a plan from the beginning just in case I got caught.

  I can survive this.

  And until I’m rescued, I can take comfort in the fact that Sebastian is okay.

  Shoot to kill.

  I end up turning on the TV in my room and watch this cute show on Netflix. Mostly out of boredom, but also because I need to focus on something besides the fact that I am, literally, in the enemy’s house.

  And Sebastian.

  My heart breaks, thinking about him.

  I imagine that he’s just freaking out right now. He doesn’t know if I’m alive or dead or being tortured. I wish I could let him know that I am all right—all things considered, I think things are pretty good.

  There is a knock on the door, and I am hoping it’s Nolan. A few seconds later, the door swings open.

  “You wanna go for a run?” Nolan asks, sticking his head in the door.

  I flick off the TV. “Yes, please.”

  I am used to working out and training everyday with Sebastian, so being trapped in this small room is getting to me. At least Nolan is letting me out to run. I’d hate it if I had to start my training all over again. Not that I would forget the things I’ve learned, but that I’d have to work up my stamina again. That’s the worst part of working out.

  I sit down on the ottoman and put on my tennis shoes.

  “I’m ready,” I say, standing up.

  “Okay,” Nolan says, but doesn’t move from the doorway. “Please, remember what I said about the guards.”

  “Why should I believe you about the guards?” I ask.

  “I know you don’t have a reason to trust me,” he says. “But I am not lying to you. And I really don’t want to have to explain to your dad why you are dead.”

  “Why would you have to explain anything to him?” I ask. “Wouldn’t you have to explain it to Steven. He’s your boss now, right?”

  “Whatever,” he says. “Just please, listen to me.”

  As much as I hate it, I will trust Nolan on this. He seems sincere, though it’s hard to tell. He’s been to Spy School. I’m sure he’s taken plenty of drama classes, or maybe even a class on how to l
ie, if that’s a thing.

  “I won’t try to escape today,” I say.

  But only because if I tried to escape right now, I probably wouldn’t make it far. I need to gain Nolan’s trust and I need a plan. I can’t just go running off with no idea what I’m doing. I will be patient.

  “Today,” he says, grinning at me. “I love your wording.”

  He opens the door farther and turns to walk out of my room. I follow behind him.

  “As long as you don’t try anything stupid, I am going to leave your door unlocked so you can roam freely tomorrow,” he says. “I need to know that I can trust you, first.”

  “I already told you, I’m not going to do anything stupid today,” I say.

  I didn’t realize how big the house was. When we got here I was asleep. Nolan’s favorite thing to do is give me a sedative. So, I have no idea where we even are. For all I know, we hopped on an airplane and are in a completely different country right now.

  “Do I need a jacket?” I ask, as we walk down the stairs.

  “Nope,” Nolan says. “It’s warm outside today.”

  I’ve been wearing a hoodie because they keep this house freezing cold. I keep it on though, just in case.

  I notice, as we walk through the house, the absence of other people.

  “Are we alone?” I ask.

  “No. There are a few live-in staff around here somewhere,” he says.

  “And the guards outside?”

  “Yes,” he says. “You’ll see them when we go outside.”

  “Am I safe?” I ask.

  “As long as you stay by me, yes.”

  I nod, trying not to freak out.

  I’ll be fine.

  Right?

  “So, where are we exactly?” I ask. “Are we still in the United States, or somewhere else?”

  Nolan stops at the door and turns to me. He smirks at me. “Nice try.”

  I want to punch the smirk off his face.

  Except, I’m trying to gain his trust.

  If I punch him, I probably won’t be allowed out of the house for this run.

  Still, it’s tempting.

  He opens the door and I see green outside, making me stop my train of thoughts.