She jerked her foot and looked up immediately. When she realized it was him touching her she relaxed tremendously. He carefully kept his eyes on his empty plate, grateful that Rodriguez was taking a drink of water and not paying any attention to either of them at the moment.
"Get this bitch out of here. She's getting on my nerves." Rodriguez snapped, going from cheery to agitated without warning over her audible cries. As the men in suits worked to clear the table, the other two came from their spot at the edge of the room and grabbed each of Jessica's arms, pulling her to her feet and leading her out of the room.
"Hey, she's mine. She stays here." The highest bidder claimed, speaking the first words Kyle had heard from him.
"Not until you make your payment." Rodriguez informed him coolly.
Her hysterics echoed down the hall. Kyle wondered where they were taking her and began to grow more ill at ease. He hated having her out of his sight in this place, even for a second. What if the man paid and left with her? What if he never saw her again? His window of opportunity was swiftly closing.
Shit. Time was running out.
"I have some business to attend to, gentlemen." Rodriguez announced after one of the servers whispered something hurriedly in his ear, excusing himself from the group. "Please. Enjoy dessert."
At that, the servers bustled back to the table with small plates of what appeared to be custard. Rodriguez grabbed Kyle's arm and pulled him from his seat. The two exited the room together, walking at a brisk pace.
"Your family has declined to pay our ransom request." Rodriguez informed him when they got to the dark hallway, not slowing his pace.
No surprise there. Truthfully, Kyle would've been more shocked if they had offered some money in exchange for his life. His mother didn’t have it and his father didn’t care.
"You know what that means." The cunning voice taunted.
He sure did. They were going to kill him. Not the first time he faced death but it put him on edge and sent his heart plummeting to his feet nonetheless. He kept his mouth shut, having nothing to say to the man that held his life in his hands. He wasn’t one to beg. They rounded the corner and kept their pace brisk.
"I was thinking a beheading..." He revealed, trailing off to allow the message to sink in. "But then I decided that was too fast."
His chuckle echoed through the hall, wracking Kyle's body with chills of dread. What would Jessica think of him if he was killed before he was able to make amends? What would happen to her if he wasn't around to get her to safety? Would she spend the rest of her life with the man who had just purchased her like a pet?
Kyle decided to take this new twist and run with it. Despite the looming threat to his own life, he still felt the strong drive to protect Jessica in every cell of his body. At the very least, he couldn't die with her still thinking he was a careless asshole.
"Burning sounded much better." Rodriguez beamed.
The threat of being burned alive brought Kyle's thoughts back to the present.
“I could be an asset to you.” He lied.
“Hardly. I intend to bleed you dry of all information you have that could prove useful to me. After you talk, what use would I have for you?”
“I won’t tell you anything without working out a deal.”
“You will. Everyone talks in the end.”
Before they rounded yet another corner, they stopped walking and stood in the dim light that was shining from a half opened door. Rodriguez held up a small video camera he had been carrying to the light.
"To record the show." He explained. "You're going to be made an example of for anyone else who tries to shut my operations down."
Kyle looked away from the camera, trying not to imagine what it would feel like to be doused in gasoline and burned to death. He always thought if he were to die in some foreign country it would be from a gunshot wound, maybe a bomb blowing him to pieces. Nothing like this had ever seemed probable.
He thought of his family and doubted a single one of them would care. Jessica, on the other hand, would be devastated if she saw such a horrific thing happen to someone, much less him. There was no question about that. She may not want to admit how much he meant to her but he knew even without the words that she felt the same deep connection he did. It had always been there and it seemed that the time spent apart had done nothing to snuff it. If she ever saw a video of him being tortured to death, he knew a part of her would die as well. And he was certain the sadistic bastard would make sure she saw it. He thrived on suffering.
"It's almost a shame that it came down to this. I was beginning to like you." Rodriguez admitted with a somber smile that seemed mildly regretful at best.
Kyle wasn’t comforted at all by the shred of remorse that equaled what one would feel euthanizing a stray cat they found outside. His mind once again shifted to his plan. This appeared to be absolutely the last chance he had to make it work. He knew he had to create his own opening since one had yet to appear.
"Do I get any last requests?" Kyle asked, hoping to take advantage of the fact that the man, for whatever reason, claimed to vaguely like him.
"Such as?"
"Some time with that girl."
After a stretch of silence with Kyle holding his breath in anticipation, he began to think he wasn't going to get an answer.
"Change of heart?" Rodriguez responded in a guarded tone. He said it in a way that indicated he may be questioning Kyle's entire act. His heart froze as he scrambled for an answer that would get him what he wanted.
"No." Kyle responded carefully with an air of nonchalance, not wanting to sound as anxious and as desperate as he felt inside. "I just want to have a little fun for the last time. And with her attitude? I want to give her what she deserves."
He smirked at the double meaning of his comment. He did want to give her what she deserved. Freedom. Rodriguez took it as a smirk laced with terrible intentions, as he expected him to, and returned one of his own.
“She’s already been purchased but we have others girls on the property. You can have your pick from those.”
“Your boys said the other ones don’t compare. Besides, I’ve been trying to fuck her for the past week and the ungrateful bitch shut me down every time. It would be nice to teach her a lesson.”
“You have fifteen minutes.” Rodriguez caved after a lengthy look of scrutiny.
Chapter Thirty-Five
The door swung open and Jessica spun around to see Alex looming in the doorway. Behind him stood Kyle. She felt marginally relieved that she wasn't completely alone with the sadistic monster. Her relief quickly diminished when he began talking.
"Our friend here has a final request." He informed her, gesturing to Kyle.
Final request?
Her face drained at the same time her stomach turned to ice. Her eyes darted between the two men in confusion, waiting for further explanation or for the meaning of 'final’ to sink in.
"Go ahead and have your fun." Alex commanded, stepping back but remaining in the doorway.
"Kyle?" She asked, uncertainty still clouding her mind.
The hair on her arms prickled as he took several intimidating steps toward her. For the first time in her life she was actually afraid of the man that stood in front of her. Fear for his life coupled with the immediate fear of him was nearly impossible to swallow. She wanted to ask him what was going on but instead took a step back, desperately wanting to put more space between them.
He felt like complete shit over the terror he was causing. How could she not know in her heart that he would never treat her this way? The fact that she believed this betrayal as easily as Rodriguez had broke his heart. Didn't she remember he was the one she could always count on? When other guys weren't treating her right, who was the one to always step in?
For every one step she took back he made two large steps forward. Her reflexes finally kicked in and she scrambled backwards until she bumped into the wall. Her breath quickened as she realized she
was literally backed into a corner. A ghostly whiteness spread over her face and chest.
Knowing that Rodriguez stood in the doorway watching his every move made Kyle uneasy. This certainly wasn't how he envisioned this moment. He had been banking on the two of them being alone so he could finally come clean and find a way out together before it was too late. Hoping the sick fuck would leave soon, Kyle knew he had to handle this situation carefully as to not arouse suspicions. That was the only way this could possibly work.
"Don't run away from me." He warned, forcing his voice to sound threatening. He ambled closer, towering over her. With widened eyes she frantically looked around for a place to get away.
"You don't have to do this." She whispered pleadingly. "Don't."
He took another step toward her and, all too aware of the set of eyes still on him, closed the gap between them. Their proximity was close enough for him to hear her uneven breaths.
"Actually I do." He responded loudly, knowing Rodriguez would hear him. "And trust me, I'm going to love every second of it."
He hoped his slight emphasis on 'trust me' might speak to her through his act but he could see that her fear was doing nothing but grow. He wondered if Rodriguez was ever going to leave or if he wanted to sit there and watch the whole show. Kyle’s stomach turned with disgust.
"You don't mean that." She insisted shakily, clearly unconvinced at her own words. "I know you don't mean it." She folded her arms uncomfortably over her chest, shielding herself from him, as tears welled in her eyes.
Dammit.
She was desperately trying to convince herself that he wasn't turning into a monster but she was having a hard time. He wanted nothing more than to convince her of that same thing but he needed for them to be alone before he could risk it. Realizing it must appear strange to Rodriguez that he simply stood in front of Jessica and wasn't making a move, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her to him.
She let out a sharp shriek of surprise at his actions. Having never put his hands on her in a threatening manner, he knew she must be confused and shaken. He wasn't sure what experiences she had since they parted ways years before, but he specifically remembered two separate boyfriends she dated in high school who got physical with her. He had come to her rescue on both occasions. She didn't seem to know what to make of him being her attacker. He hated that he even had to play the role.
He knew he had to stop scaring her and accepted the fact that Rodriguez might not ever leave the room. He had no clue how far he was going to have to take this performance and wasn't willing to leave her completely in the dark any longer. He grabbed her other wrist with his free hand and pulled her flush against him. As he expected, she continued to struggle to free herself from his grip. He kept an arm wrapped firmly around her, careful not to squeeze too hard as she fought to get away.
Eight Years Ago
“Tar Heels is a stupid name for a football team.”
“Take that back.” Kyle warned Jessica playfully.
“No.” She smirked. “I mean it. It’s really stupid.”
Kyle jumped up from the recliner in her living room and lunged toward the couch she was laying on as they watched the football game. She erupted in a fit of giggles and pulled the throw blanket over her for protection. They had been very physically distant over the past several months, avoiding their usual play fights, hugs and any other contact.
Things had certainly gotten awkward since he caught her changing the day James moved into his dorm. If he could go back and punch himself in the face for being dumb enough to walk into a teenage girl’s room without knocking, Kyle would. But for now, that awkwardness melted away and they went back to their old ways.
He pulled the blanket out of her hands and gently lifted her arm away from her body. She already knew he was planning to torture her mercilessly with tickles to her ribs until she took back what she said. She curled her body in an attempt to cover the most ticklish spot she had and suppressed a silly laugh.
“No! Please!” She begged, fighting off the laughter as he easily reached her ribcage and began tickling ruthlessly.
He was struck with an odd sensation in his chest at the sight of her laughing uncontrollably. A sensation he had never felt before the hundreds of other times they had played in this way. In fact, he had never felt it before in his life. He couldn’t quite pinpoint what that feeling was but the smile slowly faded from both of their faces around the same time and he backed off the couch.
“I’ll let it slide this once.” He joked, returning to the recliner with legs that felt numb.
They finished watching the game, not addressing the hurricane of unfamiliar emotions that were swirling inside of him. Part of Kyle knew in that moment that he was seeing Jessica in a whole new light. Seeing her as more than just the best friend he spent his days with. But he pushed that inner-confession deep within his subconscious, not yet ready to think about the implications it held.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Even though he firmly seized her arm, refusing to let go, and had predator-like body language, she noted to herself that Kyle’s touch was gentle. He wasn't physically hurting her whatsoever, unlike the men who put bruises all over her arms from where they grabbed her. In fact, he even avoided touching those bruised areas, opting for her wrists and forearm instead.
She saw tiny bits and pieces of the gentleman she knew him to be mixed with this sinister version. Either way, he was scaring the hell out of her. Unable to get her wrists free, she felt bile rise in her throat. She swallowed hard, trying to fight the urge to throw up. He pulled her closer to him and, despite her resistance, her body was merely inches from being pressed against him.
In a last ditch effort to get away, she kicked him in the shin as hard as she could. She wished she had kept on those bulky heels that now sat in the corner. They could’ve come in handy. He grimaced slightly but other than that hardly seemed to feel it. She had been hoping he would at least loosen his grip enough for her to break free and buy herself some time to escape. To where, she had no idea. Struck with an even better idea, she swiftly raised her knee but he blocked it before it hit where she knew he would feel it.
Trying to twist out of his grasp also resulted in failure time after time and she was growing increasingly exhausted. He had a good sixty pounds on her and she was at a distinct disadvantage. What really got to her was that the muscles in his arms were fairly relaxed; he was hardly even putting effort into subduing her.
She had always known he was stronger than her, but she had never realized how much. It had never been relevant prior to this. They had never once been in any physical altercations that weren't purely for play. Clearly, during their play fights he had been generous in downplaying his strength, letting her think she won more often than not.
Each time she tried to pull away left her weaker than the last until she was left breathless and drained. She could hear Alex's amused laughter in the hallway as he continued to get entertainment from what was happening. She felt positive he put Kyle up to this. How else could he possibly do something like this? Had he really changed that much since high school?
She swung her foot into his ankle in one last attempt to knock him off balance, knowing it wouldn't work even before she tried. An odd sense of pride swelled inside of him that she was putting up such a fight. He was happy to know she had learned to stand up for herself in his absence. Impressed, he broke out in a grin that he quickly concealed, recognizing that it probably came off as creepy under the current circumstances.
With Rodriguez still lingering in the doorway, Kyle paused, unsure what to do next. It was almost impossible to keep the impression that he was a dickhead going much longer without truly becoming one. He absolutely wouldn't do any of the things he had implied he would do in order to get into the room.
It was inevitable that he was eventually going to run out of harmless scare tactics. If Rodriguez didn't leave soon, he was going to call Kyle's bluff. That bluff was all he ha
d to work with at the moment. With this fresh awareness, he knew he had to do something, anything, to remain convincing. He pushed Jessica sideways toward the dingy mattress that sat suggestively against the wall.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" She cried out, stumbling as her legs hit the side of the soft mattress.
This renewed a burst of energy inside of her. When trying to jerk from his hold failed yet again, she lifted her leg to kick him. Anticipating the kick, considering she had done it several times already, Kyle slid his foot behind the one she balanced on causing her to fall backwards. In turn, he leaned forward to lower her for a more gentle impact, his knees pressing into the sagging edge of the cheap mattress.
She bounced back onto the bed, pulled one wrist free and scooted back. He automatically released her other wrist before they broke it in their struggle. She didn’t stop until her head bumped the wall behind her. Kyle pinned her down and straddled her around her waist, holding the majority of his weight off her using his thighs. He towered over her and took hold of both her wrists again, pressing them into the mattress above her head. It had to look like he meant business.
Coming to terms with the fact that she was not strong enough to fight him off, and having nowhere to go even if she could, Jessica's body went limp in absolute defeat. Kyle leaned into her, their faces side by side and less than an inch apart. With his back to the opened doorway, he knew he blocked Rodriguez’s view.
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