Silk

by Heidi McLaughlin

  “You like her, don’t you?” I asked slyly.

  Mason sighed, trying to hide a smile. “There’s just something about her that’s wild and free. She’s lost so much here recently, but she still has that fire in her eyes that I saw when I first met her. But …”

  He stopped mid-sentence and it didn’t look as if he was going to elaborate so I asked, “But what, Mase? What were you going to say?”

  “It’s just it’ll never work,” he blurted out. “She’s in California and I’m here. The distance just isn’t doable. It would never work.”

  I patted his arm. “I understand completely. I just think she would be a good one for you.”

  He sighed and when I glanced up at him his lips quirked up into a half-smile. “Yeah, she would be a good one.”

  If only.

  As we entered Daniel’s house, my eyes went wide at the amount of people he had flowing around. There had to be at least a couple hundred with the amount of people outside and in.

  Mason tilted his head toward me and said, “Well, this should be fun. I wonder what all of these people are going to say when I arrest their host.”

  I rolled my eyes at him and searched the crowd. I saw a few people I knew, but they were mainly Daniel’s douche bag friends that I never particularly cared for. Brett was over in the corner talking to a group of men, and when he saw me he smirked and joined back in the discussion.

  “Do you see Daniel yet?” I whispered.

  “Mm-hmm … and he’s coming this way,” Mason revealed, nodding his head in the direction Daniel was approaching.

  When I turned to look at him his smile was radiant, which meant he was probably close to being drunk, and for a moment he didn’t look like the embezzling thief and liar that he was. “Oh, Mel, you look stunning tonight,” he purred, taking my hand so he could pull me to his side. He glanced over at Mason and nodded his head. “Mason,” he acknowledged.

  My cousin smirked and acknowledged him back, “Daniel.”

  “I’m sure you won’t mind if I take Melissa away from you now would you? I’m sure there’s lots of young ladies here that would love to keep you company,” Daniel uttered with a fake smile.

  Mason glared at him, but turned a softer look to me, raising his eyebrows for direction. I nodded. “It’s okay. I’ll find you in just a bit,” I reassured him.

  His devilish smirk was spine-tingling, and he focused it on Daniel. “Yes, you will.”

  Daniel steered me away with his hand on my lower back like it belonged there. I sidled out of his grasp, but he chuckled and put it back. “Brett’s not going to see, baby,” he teased. “He’s too busy to notice anyway.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You love playing with fire, don’t you?”

  He chuckled. “Yep, and you’re what ignites it.”

  Remembering what Claire said, it all made perfect sense. Deep down I could sense that Daniel was just trying to use me to get what he wanted. I had known it all along, but I was done letting him play games with me, and I was done playing them.

  Gripping Daniel’s arm, I pulled him down the long hallway, not knowing where I was going, but hopefully to somewhere I could talk to him and get some answers. “So soon, baby,” Daniel muttered mischievously. “I figured it would take a while.”

  “Trust me,” I growled. “It’s not what you think.” When we got to the end of the hall, I flipped on the light in one of the rooms and pushed Daniel in it. Of all the spaces I could’ve picked, I had to pick the one with the massive king size bed.

  I slammed the door and put my back to it. “I’m done, Daniel. I’m not going to let you play games with me anymore.”

  A surprised look crossed his face, but then it turned serious. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  I sneered,. “I’m talking me, you idiot. Stop trying to make it look like you want me back. You want something from me, don’t you? Maybe money perhaps …”

  “And why would I need your money?” he asked, tilting his head to the side, studying me. “If I recall correctly I think I’m the one who has more money than you. Is it so bad that I wanted you back? Why does there always have to be an ulterior motive with you?”

  He stalked closer to me, almost predatory, and caged me in with his hands against the door. My insides screamed for me to get away, that the look in his eyes weren’t just a simple I want to fuck you look. I swallowed hard and sputtered my words, “You may want to get me in bed again, Daniel, but I know that’s not all you want. You’re using me for something and I want to know what it is.”

  He leaned lower and pinned me with a steely glare. “You have no clue what I want, Melissa. I want it all … I want you. Stop fighting me when I know you want to give in. You’re trying to make up excuses not to come back. Are you scared of me, baby?”

  Pressing me hard against the door, he grasped my chin and was about to kiss me when I heard Brett’s angry voice along with someone else’s; he was in the room next to us. What the hell was he doing and who was he with? Immediately, Daniel cupped his hand over my mouth to keep me quiet.

  “Not a word,” he whispered in my ear.

  Whatever was going on next door wasn’t good, but I listened just as intently as Daniel was. Who was in there with him?

  “How could you not tell me?” Brett asked angrily.

  The other voice replied in a softer tone, but I could tell it sounded like a man in his later years, “I tried, but you never answer your phone when I call. This was the only way.”

  Brett scoffed. “Do you have any idea what you’ve gotten yourself into? Do you even know about the guy you’re dealing with?”

  Daniel stiffened and closed his hand tighter over my mouth, breathing hard and gritting his teeth.

  The other man spoke, “I know he’s a man that will do anything to get what I want and that’s what he did. He got me you, right here, and right now. I didn’t know of another way.”

  Brett growled, “Are you fucking kidding me? Daniel is a scam artist and a thief. The land he wants to build your billion dollar mansion on isn’t even his land. It’s his sister’s and he owns no right to it. You have no clue what he threatened my girlfriend with just to keep her mouth shut, not to mention the money he stole from his other clients just to make this possible.”

  “What the fuck?” Daniel hissed quietly, glaring at me with his rage-filled brown eyes. “You told him?”

  I closed my eyes in response and squeezed them tight. Daniel grabbed a fistful of my hair and jerked my head back, hard. “Open your eyes and answer me, dammit.” Reluctantly, I opened my eyes slowly. I had no clue what was going to happen now.

  “Did you tell him everything?” he asked. When I nodded, he gripped my hair harder, making my muffled gasp sound like a whimper. “Fuck, fuck, fuck …” he repeated anxiously. “What am I going to do now?”

  The other man’s voice next door grew louder. “Look, I had no clue Daniel was going to go through extreme measures to get me what I wanted, much less commit fraud and embezzle money. I’ll call my people now and get it all handled.”

  “Yeah, like you handled Mom,” Brett countered.

  Wide-eyed, I gasped when the realization of who Brett was talking to sunk in. Tears began to build behind my eyes, and my chest ached. Brett wasn’t with just anyone next door; he was with his father. His father was the investor who wanted to build on the land in California. He set the whole thing up so that he could get Brett in the same room with him and talk to him.”

  Daniel ran his free hand over his face and through his hair. “Holy shit, my investor is Brett’s father. He’s a senator for Christ’s sake. They’re going to take everything from me.”

  Next door, Brett’s father sighed. “What happened to your mother haunts me to this day, son. I loved her and I pray every day for forgiveness.”

  Brett snapped, “Well … all I can say is that you need to keep praying.” There was a long pause and then I heard Brett speak again. “Look, I need to find Melissa.
Daniel is being taken into custody tonight and she’s with him somewhere. I have to make sure she’s okay.”

  “Brett, wait!” his father called out. The door opened and I could hear Brett’s angry steps pounding on the hardwood floor as he stormed down the hall. My hope of getting away from Daniel was quickly walking away from me. When Brett’s father also left the room I had no clue what was going to happen to me now. Daniel’s eyes were on fire and he was shaking with rage.

  He jerked me away from the door and pushed me further into the room. “I thought you didn’t like playing games, Melissa. You’ve been playing one with me this whole time.”

  I snarled, “I told you I would get to the bottom of this whole land of yours deal and I did. Did you honestly think you were going to get away with it? A forged will, Daniel … really? Oh yeah, and before I forget, I had you recorded on a live wire on how you were going to threaten me. So whatever you had planned to screw me over you can forget it now. It’s over.”

  “You fucking bitch,” he hissed vehemently, charging toward me. There was no escape out of the room, except a window behind me, the bathroom off to the right, and the door I came in through. I couldn’t get past Daniel so I charged for the bathroom. Pulling out my phone, I speed dialed Brett, but I lost my footing when Daniel tackled my legs, sending me straight to the floor with a loud thump. The breath whooshed out of my lungs and I wheezed, trying to fill my lungs with the air I lost.

  My phone skittered out of my hands, but I could hear Brett’s voice come over the line. “Melissa? Melissa, where are you?”

  I was gasping for air and couldn’t scream for help before Daniel took my phone and slammed it up against the wall, breaking it into a million pieces. “No,” I cried, my voice all raspy.

  Daniel flipped me over and pinned me to the floor. “Well, I guess it looks like you’ll be coming with me, my love. I’m sure I’ll grow on you over time just like before.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you,” I hissed.

  He grinned down at me, an evil smile that made my blood turn ice cold. “Oh, yes you are, baby,” he purred, but then he pouted his lips and ran his hand down my cheek. “Although, I do hate what I have to do next. You’ll forgive me though when you wake up.”

  My eyes went wide the second he lifted me up aggressively and wrapped his arm around my neck, squeezing tight. I couldn’t speak, think, or breathe. I could barely keep my eyes open as the pain from his hold seared all the way down my body. The black abyss crept up on me and I found myself falling deeper into the unknown of that darkness.

  I thought I screamed out, but as I was being hauled over Daniel’s shoulder, I realized no one heard me. I was being carried away from the crowd and all the chatter; I could tell because the voices and sounds were getting fainter. Daniel was taking me away from everyone I loved and I had no clue where we were going.

  All I knew was that the darkness was taking me … fast.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  I could hear Daniel scrambling around, but I couldn’t see a thing. My eyelids were too heavy to open and I couldn’t move my body. I was lying on a bed until I felt hands wrapping around my waist and then being hauled again over his shoulder. I was nauseous and I would’ve given anything to have the world stop spinning. My head ached, but there was one emotion that I could feel above all else … anger.

  He was going to pay for what he did to me.

  I heard a car door being opened, and then I was laid out on the backseat. I was expecting to be thrown, but thankfully Daniel had a little bit of decency left in him. I still couldn’t move or I would’ve attempted to get out of the car. My only hope was that Brett heard my struggle on the phone before Daniel smashed it up against the wall.

  While Daniel was driving he called someone on his phone sounding frantic, but I could only hear his side of the conversation. “Jacob, get out of my house now. The police were going to arrest me tonight and if they find out you helped me then you’re next. You know where to meet me. I’ll be driving so it’ll take me longer to get there.”

  He paused to listen, and I could hear the voice of the other person over the line, screaming. Daniel growled, “You were the one who helped me jackass. I can’t help it you accepted the money. That’s your own fucking fault. Listen, do what you want, but I’m getting out of here.”

  He slammed the phone down in the console. “Idiot,” he mumbled.

  It wasn’t long before we parked and I was being hauled out of the car. Daniel carried me in his arms this time and I didn’t dare open my eyes for fear he would see. The moment he opened the door to where we were at I knew exactly where he had taken me. The smell of apples and cinnamon was my favorite, and it was the only fragrance I ever used in my home.

  How the hell did he get a key to my house? I had the locks changed as soon as he was completely moved out, and I know he didn’t have time to get my keys because I didn’t have them on me.

  He carried me up the stairs and I knew exactly where he was going … my bedroom. Laying me on the bed, I slowly opened my eyes to see him moving my favorite arm chair out of the way in the corner. What was he doing? When I reached up to wipe the hair off my face, I realized I was still wearing the watch on my wrist that Mason gave me; the one with the tracking device in it. If I kept it on he’d be able to find me no matter where Daniel took me. I just hope he started looking for me soon.

  Once the chair was out of the way, Daniel took a knife out of his pocket and jammed it into a crease in the hardwood floor. When the boards loosened, he pulled out stacks and stacks of cash and loaded them in a duffle bag off to his side. Without looking at me, he sighed. “I know you’re awake, baby. Look, I’m sorry I had to put you out but it was necessary. I had no way of getting you out of the party without alerting your cousin, and of course your boyfriend, who you neglected to tell me you were still seeing. Shame on you by the way.”

  Groaning, I sat up on the bed, and clutched my aching skull. “I had no choice, Daniel,” I hissed. “What did you expect after you threatened me? For me to just sit here and do nothing?”

  He picked up the bag full of money and glared at me. “I knew you wouldn’t just sit there, but I didn’t know you’d actually have the balls to come clean with Brett. Either he’s just mesmerized with you in bed or he’s really in love with you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “He’s in love with me, Daniel. Something you never were.”

  He chuckled. “Why do you think I went through all this trouble to get you back? It may be in my own way, but I do still love you. That’s why you’re coming with me. I’ll even forgive you for betraying me.” He seriously was delusional.

  He quickly ambled over to my dresser and started packing some of my clothes in one of my suitcases. “Are you crazy? I’m not going anywhere with you,” I snapped angrily.

  He continued to throw clothes into my luggage. “You don’t have a choice. You see, you’re a part of this now. If I go down, you go down with me. What do you think the authorities will say about the bank account in your name? All I have to say is that you were in on this whole thing with me and it’ll be your word against mine. Your cousin might not be able to get you out of this one. Not to mention the stolen money you had stashed away in your room,” he added slyly.

  Sliding off the bed, I tried to stand on my feet, but they buckled underneath me. Daniel caught me in his arms and steadied me on my feet. “Believe it or not, baby, you’re coming with me; even if I have to drag you out of this house kicking and screaming. Although, I can always knock you out again and take you that way,” he suggested. “Is that what you want?”

  And he would do it, too. I was no match against him and if I fought I knew I would lose. As much as I considered myself as strong as the heroine fighters I read about, I also knew that I didn’t want to be knocked out right now. I needed to make sure I knew exactly where we were going and figure out a way to get away. I couldn’t rely on the watch to save me.

  Lifting my chin, I glowered at him a
nd snatched my bag out of his hands. I grabbed a long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans to change into. When I went into the bathroom, Daniel followed me.

  “This is absolutely ridiculous,” I mumbled under my breath. I changed quickly while Daniel stared at me like a starved animal. I also packed a few of my toiletries even though I knew I wasn’t going to need them. If everything went smoothly, we probably wouldn’t even be leaving my driveway.

  When we got outside, Daniel pressed the key fob to crank up the car. It was one I didn’t recognize as being his, and when he caught me staring at it, he chuckled. “I bought it so it couldn’t be traced by the license plate. So when it’s scanned it’ll come up as Andrew Whitaker.” When I glared at him, he winked and gave me an evil smile and shrugged. “Hey, I was prepared.”

  He hastily opened the door to the silver BMW M5 and pushed me in, slamming the door behind me. My eyes went wide when I noticed it was a manual transmission vehicle. It’s a good thing I learned to drive one. When I had time to compose myself, he was already in the car and speeding us out of the driveway. The second we got to the main road, he slowed down and drove the speed limit, downshifting to a lower gear.

  “Where exactly are we going?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

  Daniel scoffed, “Like I’m going to tell you that. Just sit tight and enjoy the ride. You might as well get used to it because you’re going to be with me for a long time, baby.”

  The thought made me shudder. “What if I don’t get used to it? What will you do with me then? Do you really think I can live a happy life with you on the run? Are you really that delusional?”

  Daniel clenched his jaw and gripped the steering wheel with a punishing force. His anger radiated through the small space of the car, and for the first time in my life I was seeing a completely new side to him. I had never seen him really angry or coiled up so tight, and I was never afraid of him until now. He swerved over to the side of the back country road we were on and slammed on the brakes, making me jolt forward. I felt like I was going to throw up from the sudden onset of stopping.