by Ella Miles
She frowns. “I might not win, but I’m not going to make it easy for you to take me.”
I grin. “Good. I’m counting on it.”
“You should go. Heath is going to be back with my drink soon.”
I laugh. “His name is Heath, huh? I had him pegged for a Bobby or something. What are you doing with him, Nina?”
I hold her close to me, so I can get a clear answer out of her.
“I love him—”
“Bullshit.”
She doesn’t react. It isn’t the first time someone has told her their true thoughts about him. Where is her friend Eden? I glance around the club, but I don’t see her. She always seemed like the honest type.
I pull Nina closer to me so that her eyes are just inches away from me.
She doesn’t pull away like I expected. In fact, she hasn’t fought me the entire time I have been holding her in my arms. She said she would fight, but I’m not convinced yet. I need her to fight. Hard. Like her life depends on it.
“What are you doing with the boy?” I ask again.
Her eyes smile just a little, like she is hiding a secret I will never understand.
“I. Love. Him.”
“Bullshit.”
She cocks her head to the side. “You can believe what you want, but it’s the truth.”
“Your friend Eden doesn’t believe you either, does she?”
She frowns and pulls away a little. I’ve hit a nerve.
“It doesn’t matter what Eden thinks.”
“Where is Eden? She must be around here somewhere. She wouldn’t have left you alone, not tonight. Not after you saw me at your wedding.”
Her eyes widen, and I can feel the fear pulsating off her body.
“I didn’t see you at my wedding.”
“Stop lying, Nina. You looked me in the eye—twice. You were putting on a show for me at your wedding.”
“I…didn’t…” She looks down and then defiantly back up at me. “I didn’t know it was you at the time. I thought it was my imagination. But, of course, you were there on the balcony. Stalking me. Obsessing about me.”
I grin. “I’m not the only one obsessing, Nina. You’ve been obsessing about me from the second you saw me.”
She tries to rip her arms out of mine, but I hold her tightly, loving the feeling of her body pressed up against mine. Loving the feeling of her struggling in my arms.
“And it’s clear you’ve been obsessing about me for the last seven years.”
She struggles harder in my arms. “Let me go, you jerk. I have not been obsessing.”
I laugh. “Stop lying, Nina. I know you too well for you to lie to me.”
“You don’t know me at all. We fucked one time. You barely talked to me before that. And, even if you had, don’t you think I’ve changed in the seven years since?”
She hasn’t changed in seven years, but I have. I’ve turned into more of a monster than I ever thought possible. She is no longer safe, not even with me.
I let her go for just a second, playing with her, letting her think she has a chance against me. And then I grab her back, firmly pulling her into my arms.
“I know everything about you, Nina. I know you never finished your grad classes. I know you haven’t taken a job even remotely related to art history. I know you never stay in any one place for longer than six months. You’ve been to Texas, Maine, Vermont, Montana, Oregon, Nebraska, South Carolina, Mexico, Canada, Massachusetts, and now Florida. You had a cat for about a year before he died of cancer; that was bad luck since you got the cat to keep you company. And I know you have known Heath for only six days and that he’s at least ten years younger than you.”
“Eight years. He’s only eight years younger than me.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“But you’ve made your point. You have been following me for seven years.”
“I know more about you than you do. I’ve studied you, prepared for seven years for the moment when I could finally claim you as mine.”
“I will never be yours or any other man’s. I am not property. I’m a woman who is fully capable of taking care of herself.”
I cock my head to the side. “That might have been the truth. You were a very capable woman who had a whole future ahead of her at one point. But not anymore. You used to belong to yourself. Now, you belong to me and my family.”
“You’re an evil monster, you know that?”
My lips twitch a little and then curl up into a dark smile. “I’m much worse than you could ever imagine. But you have no one to blame but yourself.”
“No. I never asked for this. All I wanted was a good fuck. Not to be kidnapped forever and used as your plaything against my will.”
She tries to pull away, but she still doesn’t understand that she will never have that option again.
“You don’t get to pretend that I’m the bad guy and that you have no blame in any of this. I warned you multiple times to stay away. You started all of this, not me.”
Nina just stares at me. She knows I’m telling her the truth, and that’s why it’s so hard for her. Her obsession got her into trouble.
She glances over my shoulder. “Heath is coming back soon.”
“He can’t protect you.”
“What?”
“The boy can’t protect you. That’s why you married him, isn’t it? You were tired of running, tired of being alone. You thought, if you were married, then I would leave you alone. Or at least, if I came, you would have someone to protect you. Someone who would call the police when I kidnapped you. Someone who would never stop searching for you.”
She doesn’t say anything.
I grin. “You don’t fight me when I’m right. It’s how I know that I’ve figured out the truth.”
“The truth is that I love Heath, and he loves me. That’s it. We eloped because we love each other, and there was no reason not to get married.”
“He can’t save you. No one can.”
“You’re wrong.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Yeah? How am I wrong, Nina?”
“Because one person can save me.”
“And who is that?”
“Me.”
3
Nina
How can Arlo know me even better than I know myself? I hate that he knows me so well.
I hate that he already thinks he has my whole plan figured out.
I hate that he thinks I don’t love Heath.
I hate how he is holding me so close, like I’m his to do what he pleases with.
I hate how he looks at me like he can control me with just his eyes.
I hate the smell of his aftershave, how it is the only smell I will remember from tonight.
But, most of all, I hate how my body still reacts to his. Every nerve inside me is on fire, begging for him to touch me, hold me closer. My heart is fluttering far too fast in my chest for what is healthy for me. My breathing is uneven, making it hard for me to think. My body loves him even though I hate him. And I don’t know how to get my body in line with my heart.
“Leave me alone, Arlo. I’m not afraid of you anymore. I might have been, but it was because I was a scared little girl who still believed in horror stories. I don’t anymore.”
Arlo pulls me closer every time I say something he disagrees with. I should stop provoking him; it just makes him hold on to me tighter. But I can’t stop myself because I hate him and also because I love it when he holds me closer. I can feel more of his hard body, and it gives me a better angle to rip his throat out if I so choose.
“Oh, my Nina, you have no idea what horrors truly exist in the world. But you are going to find out.”
He’s going to make his move soon. I know it.
I beg Heath to get back to me soon. To stay with me. To protect me. But I know he can’t really protect me. I know the only person who truly can is me. I just have no idea if I’m strong enough.
“Bullshit,” I say, repeating his word from earlier.
His eyes search mine, looking for something but I don’t know what. Is he looking for fear? The fear is oozing out of every single one of my pores, so it shouldn’t be hard for him to find.
“Kidnap me, Arlo, and show me how horrible you are. Show me exactly what kind of evil monster you are.”
I need to keep my mouth shut. Nothing I say is going to improve my situation. But it makes me feel better. It makes me feel like I have some amount of control even though I have none.
Arlo shakes his head. “No, Nina, I’m not going to kidnap you. You are going to come with me willingly.”
And then he lets me go and disappears into the night, leaving me alone on the dance floor.
What the hell was that?
I wait for Heath to return with our drinks while I search to find where Arlo went, but I can’t find him. Anywhere.
I head over to the bar to look for Heath, but he isn’t where I last saw him. I fibbed when I told Arlo that Heath was coming back. He was still waiting at the bar for our drinks.
I walk all the way around the circular bar. He’s gone. I know it. I feel it, but I can’t let him go.
“Excuse me,” I say to the bartender.
He ignores me and continues to serve the dozens of people who were here before me. I glance down at my wedding dress that is covered in sand and seawater after being dunked in the ocean. I look like a mess, but I’m still a bride, damn it. It’s still my wedding day, and I think I deserve something for that.
“Excuse me! Today’s my wedding day, and I could really use your help,” I say, fed up and frustrated.
The bartender finally turns his attention to me, and when he sees that I am in fact wearing a wedding dress, he rushes over.
“How may I help you?”
“My husband came over to get our drinks about ten minutes ago. He was standing right here at the bar, and then he just disappeared. He’s dressed in a dirty tux. He’s the hottest man in the bar—tall, fit, and blond. Have you seen him?”
He nods. “He just left with one of the other hottest men in the bar tonight.”
My heart stops. Arlo. He has him. I don’t know how, in the split second that he disappeared into the crowd, he managed to get Heath. But he did.
He’s testing my love.
I could just leave. I could run again and let Arlo have Heath. That’s what Arlo wants to see. If I love Heath.
Damn it!
There is no way he is getting away with this. He will not take Heath from me. He’s mine.
I run out of the bar even though I have no idea where to run. I have no idea where Arlo took Heath.
I pull out my phone and call Heath’s phone.
It rings once.
Twice.
Three times.
“What can I do for you, Nina?” Arlo’s voice answers.
“Where is Heath?”
“You lost your husband already and on the first day? That’s not a good sign, Nina.”
“I know you have him, Arlo. I know you kidnapped him. Now, where is he, and what do you want? I’m not in the mood to play games, Arlo.”
“Oh, but I am, Nina. All I do is play games. So, you’d better get used to it.”
“Where is he?”
“Relax. He’s right here, Nina.”
“Run, Nina! Go to the police. Run away. I’ll be fine. Just run while you still can!” Heath shouts into the phone.
“See? He’s completely fine, Nina,” Arlo says.
“Let him go.”
“Now, what fun would that be?”
“Let him go. I’ll do whatever you want. Just don’t hurt him.”
I can practically hear Arlo smirk on the other end of the phone.
“I don’t think you should do that, Nina.”
“What do you mean? I’m giving up. You win. Don’t hurt him.”
“I think you should listen to your husband and run.”
“No.”
“Are you sure, Nina? Are you sure that Heath is worth saving when you could still save yourself? Isn’t that what you said you were going to do anyway? Save yourself? So, do it.”
“No.”
Arlo sighs. “So, you really do love Heath then? Is that it?”
“Yes.”
“Well then, meet me at the SPB private airfield in ten minutes, but just know you can save only one person. You can either save Heath or you can save yourself.”
The phone call ends, and I shiver despite it not being the least bit cold outside. It’s not even a question of whom I’m going to save. I already know, and so does Arlo. I’m going to save Heath.
4
Arlo
I already know whom she’s going to save. I hope like hell that I’m wrong because the boy isn’t worth saving. I know that. He knows that. Even Nina knows that.
But I know her too well.
I know she is going to get in the first cab she can find and race over to the airfield to save the day.
I glance over at the boy who is riding in the backseat of the blacked out Mercedes with me. He doesn’t deserve her love or her saving.
But, somehow, I think she does love the boy. I just don’t understand how.
Stay away, Nina.
Save yourself.
It’s your last chance.
If you get on the flight, you have no chance left.
Save yourself. Because, once you are back in Italy, I can’t protect you anymore.
5
Nina
The cab pulls up in the airfield parking lot.
He tells me what the fee is, but I don’t hear him. I just pull out all the cash I have, well over a hundred dollars, and hand it to him, knowing that it is more than enough to cover the fare.
I climb out of the car and expect my heart to be racing. I expect my legs to be so weak and shaky that I’ll struggle walking out to the plane. None of that happens though.
Instead, I feel calm. I feel like I was meant to do this. I feel ready.
I walk into the small building that sits outside the airfield.
“I’m here to meet Arlo Carini,” I tell the receptionist behind the desk when she sees me.
She smiles at me. “Going on your honeymoon?” she asks, looking at me in my dress.
“Something like that,” I say without smiling.
She nods. “He’s already on the plane. It’s the first one on the right. I can walk you out.”
“That won’t be necessary. Thank you,” I say and walk away. I go through the double glass doors and then out to the first plane on the right.
I don’t know if it is a large plane or a small one. If it’s painted white or red or green. I couldn’t tell you one detail about it. My sole focus is getting on the plane and saving Heath because I fell in love with him the moment I saw him.
“Can I get a whiskey gorgeous?” a man asks from behind me.
I sigh. Being a bartender sucks. I have to talk to people all day and get hit on constantly, which wouldn’t be a problem if I actually could focus on any man. I can’t. All I can think about is running from Arlo. Doesn’t matter how good looking the man hitting on me is, I don’t want anything to do with them. I need to find a job that doesn’t involve having to deal with annoying men all day.
I grab the whiskey and pour it into a glass and then turn around to disappoint my latest charmer.
My jaw drops when I see him.
He’s tall, muscular, has long blond hair, but so have plenty of the other men that have gone after me. What’s different is his eyes. They are large and bright and caring. I wasn’t expecting kindness when I turned around. I was expecting another drunk man that I would have to fend off.
“Here’s your whiskey,” I say setting the glass down on the counter.
He grins handing me some cash. “Keep the change.”
I smile and nod and try to look away from him. It should be easy since there is a whole bar full of people waiting for me to get them drinks, but I can’t. I’m drawn to this man in a way that I
haven’t felt in seven years. I feel a hint of my old self back. The tingling in my hands when I look at him, my cheeks flush, and my heart races. I forget about everything but this man for just a second. My obsession with a complete stranger takes over giving my body a break from constantly obsessing about when Arlo is going to come for me.
I thought my obsessive tendencies were a curse. When I want something, I will do anything to make it happen. It just so happens that most of my life, my obsessive tendencies have focused on men. I obsessed briefly over saving my father when he got sick, but when he died, my feelings locked on to the man in my life. Any man that I found attractive and wanted.
When Arlo threatened my life, my obsession changed to surviving. Living a life in fear. But looking at this man, for the first time, I feel something other than fear. Something other than the need to survive. I want to live again. I want to love. Feel loved. I want him.
I close my eyes. I can’t have him. I can’t drag anyone else into my nightmare of a life. But it feels good to know that the old me is still in there somewhere. That I can do something other than be on high alert that Arlo and his family are going to come bursting through the door and kidnap me.
When I open my eyes, the man is staring at me.
“Here,” he says holding the drink out to me.
“Is something wrong with it?”
“No, but I think you need this more than me.”
I take the whiskey from him and drink it. I should have learned my lesson to not drink drinks from a stranger. He could have put anything into the drink when I had my eyes closed. But I’m tired of always being on edge. Always fearing that the world is out to get me.
“Feel better?” he asks.
I nod. “Thank you.”
He grins. “I’m Heath.”
“Nina.”
“Nina,” he says, grinning even brighter. “Do you trust me, Nina?”
My heart stops. Did Arlo send some stranger here to kidnap me? I look into Heath’s eyes though and I know he isn’t dangerous. He’s the opposite of Arlo. He’s light where Arlo is dark.