The guy who beat me casually stops at the bottom of the stairs and places his hands on his hips looking at me.
Jude comes into the foyer and looks at me hiding behind the huge guy at the door. He looks at me, and then at the guy with a busted nose. “What happened?” he asks the guy.
“I went into her room, like you told me, and she screamed and launched herself at me. I pushed her off me, and she slammed her head into the side of the wall. Sorry, Boss, but she attacked me.”
“Bullshit,” I yell. “That’s not what happened, and you know it. You grabbed my hair and dragged me off the bed.”
He rolls his eyes at me and shoves his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, ‘cause I don’t value my life after this.” He points to his nose then shoves his hand back into his pocket.
Jude looks to me, his eyes squinting. “Come here, Lexi.” Meekly I shuffle forward to stand in front of Jude. He grabs my chin and moves my face so he assess me for himself.
I’m in a vision. Jude’s sitting in his office looking over a stack of paperwork. He’s massaging his temple with his left hand as he lets out an exasperated sigh. His cell phone rings beside him, he stops what he’s doing and picks his phone up.
“Yeah,” he answers the phone in a dead serious tone.
I lean in to listen to the conversation. Closing my eyes, I focus on the phone call. I use all my energy to try and hear the other person. “ . . . done.” Is all I hear.
“Good.” Jude ends the call and tosses his phone on the huge desk. He leans back in his chair and runs his hand over his face, then his hair.
Standing in his office I watch him, and his reaction to the phone call. A small smile pulls at his lips, and he looks up at the ceiling to his right. “I told you, I’ll always look after you.” He keeps looking up for a few seconds, before moving his chair forward and going back to his work.
“This most certainly looks like a run in with a wall,” Jude says while studying my face. And I’m back to the now.
“Yeah, that’s what I said, Boss.” He cockily smirks at me, and I want to smash his head in.
“Only one problem,” Jude ‘tsks’ as he turns to look at Mr. Cocky.
“What’s that?”
“I have a video feed from her room, and I know exactly what happened.” Out of nowhere, four heavily armed men appear. They surround the cocky guy and wait. Jude lifts his hand and flicks it toward them. “You know what to do,” he says. With his hand to my back, he turns us around and leads me away from the foyer.
“What are you going to do?” I ask as I look over my shoulder to see the men dragging Mr. Now-Not-So-Cocky away.
“He was warned.” He doesn’t answer the question, but at the same time he tells me enough for me to piece it all together.
“Jude, no!” I stop walking and grab onto his covered arm. “You can’t kill him.”
“I’m not going to kill him,” he responds with a smirk.
“I thought . . .” I shake my head and take a deep breath. “I thought you were going to kill him.”
Jude smiles at me and leads me toward the direction he wants me to go. “No, I’m not going to kill him.”
It dawns on me, and I sigh with hurt. I stop walking and look up into his dark eyes. I pay particular attention, because they’re so dark, I’d say they’re black, and I’ve never seen black eyes before. “I don’t want to be responsible for his death. Please, don’t,” I plead with Jude.
“You have nothing to do with what will happen to him.”
“Jude,” I huff with irritation. “Knowing it’s because he did this . . .” I point to the side of my throbbing face, “ . . . means I’m responsible for his death.”
“Did you ask him to open his hand so you could run, face first, into it?”
“Well . . . no, that’s ridiculous.”
“Did you ask him to drag you out of your room by your hair?” I shudder and look away from Jude, opting to not answer.
“Why did he do that? Is that how people like you treat women?”
“People like me?” He again starts in the direction he wants to take me. “What does that even mean?”
“Who are you trying to kid? You kidnapped me, without any remorse. You’ve threatened everyone I love, again without any remorse. But that guy smacks me around, and you give an order to, I don’t know . . . hurt or kill him.” The heaviness sits on my chest. I’m part of something I don’t want to be a part of, but I’m here and I have to live with whatever is going to happen to me. Or I have to live with the consequences. I look around because it feels like we’ve been walking for half an hour, even though I know it’s only been a few moments. “Where are we going?” I stop walking, looking around me.
“This way.” He gestures toward an opening at the back of the house.
This place is beyond massive. It’s like a mansion on steroids. “Do you live here alone?” I ask as we head out to what is a huge, open kitchen.
“No, I live here with you.”
I squint my eyes at him and shake my head. “It’s not what I meant. How many people live here?”
He gestures to a large wooden table, big enough to seat at least twenty people. At the head of the table, there’s a cake with one candle burning in the middle of it. “Happy birthday, Alexa.” He touches the curve of my back and pushes me forward slightly.
“You got me a cake?” I turn to look at him, both his eyes, and his mouth are smiling. “Is it poisoned?”
He lets out a full belly laugh. “Make a wish, and I’ll eat the first piece.”
“Making a wish is redundant at this point in time, don’t you think?”
“Wishing is free.”
“But I’m not.”
“You’re as free as you can be,” he says solemnly.
I lean over and blow out the candle. “I want to see my mom and dad again, Jude.”
“I can’t allow you do that.”
A tear falls from my eye, and I quickly wipe it away so he doesn’t see that he’s made me cry. “I hate you so much,” I manage to whisper through a controlled sob.
“Eat some cake.” He pushes the cake toward me.
I look him straight in the eyes and straighten my shoulders. “You’re pretending to be a decent guy, but there’s nothing good about you.”
He bites on the inside of his cheek before he replies with, “I know who I am, Lexi, I’m death. And you’re my sickle until I no longer need you.” My body wants to buckle under his cold words. “Make no mistake at all. I am and always will be darkness. I’m going to do everything in my power to use you, but not to ruin you. You should never be in my world, but you are. And you’re in my world because of what you can do, not because of who you are.”
I have nothing to say. He’s just said in no uncertain words, I will be his weapon for as long as he wants me to be. “I can’t do this, Jude. I can’t be here.” The tears start to well again and I’m seconds away from losing it in front of him. “Please, let me see my parents. I’ll tell them I’m okay. They’ll be going crazy trying to find me. Please?”
He shakes his head, and sticks his hands in his suit pants. “No.”
“Please?” I shamelessly beg. “I’ll tell them I’ve met someone and I’m moving in with them?”
He takes a deep breath, and offers me a sympathetic smile. A smile that speaks volumes. The words are loud even though nothing is being said. I know the answer, and I don’t even need to hear it.
“Please?” I beg again.
He drags a chair out and sits down. “Have some cake.” He moves it closer to me again.
My veins pulsate with anger, and my heart snaps with sadness. Is it possible to have a broken heart and be seething with rage in the same heartbeat? Well I fucking am.
“Screw your stupid cake.” I pick it up and throw it at him. “Let me see my parents.”
Jude doesn’t even flinch, he simply sits in the chair, wearing the cake. He dips his finger through the frosting and licks it. If he wasn’t an a
sshole, and if he wasn’t keeping me hostage, then watching him lick his finger may have been strangely erotic. But, the fact is, he is an asshole, and he is keeping me against my will.
“You can go anywhere on the property you like. If the room is locked, you’re to stay out of it. The moment your feet are off the property, I’ll make the phone call.”
“I just want to see them,” I scream in his face.
“Anywhere you want to go, you can.” He stands from the seat, and the cake falls to the floor. “One step off my land and you know what will happen.”
From his chest to his knees, he’s covered in cake. “Just let me go.” In a futile attempt at getting through to him, I cry and stomp my foot. I can only imagine how I look, but I really don’t care. I just want to see my parents.
“Happy birthday, Alexa. I have a special dinner planned for you tonight. Please join me in the foyer at six.” He’s talking to me like I want to live here, like I want to be part of all of this.
“No, I won’t. Just let me go home.”
“I’m going to change then I’ll be in my office if you require anything.”
He steps away and leaves me crying in the dining room. Sinking to the floor, I gather myself into a ball and sob. This is seriously screwed.
When my tears finally stop, I look up and out through the back glass sliding doors. The entire kitchen wall is glass and overlooking a mammoth pool. Beyond the pool is acres and acres of superbly manicured, thick, green grass.
Jude has made it clear to me. Crystal clear. I leave, he’ll kill my parents and best friend. I stay, they’ll live.
He says I have a choice, but we both know, I don’t.
I didn’t feel like a special celebratory dinner last night, so when Jude sent for me, I told the new thug I wasn’t feeling well.
Jude left me alone.
He knew the truth, even though I didn’t say it to him.
I wanted to spend my birthday with my parents and Dallas. Not Jude. He isn’t my best friend or anything special to me.
The sun has broken through the window and is slowly getting higher in the sky. Lying in bed, I stare at the beauty of nature but feel like I could burst into tears. This is such a screwed-up situation.
Jude is treating me well, for a caged animal.
Caged in the way that there are dire consequences attached to me leaving.
I feel so helpless. So alone.
The door unlocks and swings open. I don’t even care enough to see who enters the room. It could be Satan himself come to take me to the depths of hell, and I wouldn’t care.
“Lexi, how are you today? I missed you at dinner last night.” Jude sits on the end of my bed and stares at me.
“Wasn’t hungry,” is my only response as I continue to gaze outside.
“Are your living arrangements satisfactory for you?”
I look over at him and roll my eyes. “Seriously? And what would you do if they weren’t? Let me go?” Turning my head again, I stare outside.
“I’d like to make it as comfortable as possible for you.”
“Jude, what do you want? We’re going around in endless circles here. I want out, you want to pretend to be nice so you don’t scare me but you won’t let me go, because I’m too valuable to you. Which brings me back to my original question, what do you want?” He lifts his eyebrow at me, and smirks. “When you do that,” I point to his face. “ . . . I wanna smash your head in.”
He chuckles at me, which makes me even madder. “Well then, I’ll cut to the chase. You’ll be accompanying me to dinner tonight.”
“And the purpose of this dinner?” I’m not an idiot, I know he wants to use me.
“I need you to touch a man named Alfred and tell me what you see.”
“And how much of a choice do I have in this?” I stare into his dark and dangerous eyes.
“As much as you want. You always have the choice to say no.” He takes his phone out of his pocket and slides his finger across the screen.
I know what he’s doing. The tears prickle my eyes, but I hold them in. I push the hate as far down as I can, cornering it in a part of me that will keep it at bay. “You’re a pig.” I turn my back on him.
“I’d be delighted if you could join me tonight. I’ll have appropriate clothing sent up to your room.”
I feel the bed move and know he’s leaving. “I shouldn’t have come after you to tell you about the dock.”
“You’ll learn that I may be cloaked in darkness, but with you, I’ll only give you my light.”
“You’re a walking, talking, sack of contradicting shit. You’ll only give me your light, but you’re more than prepared to give the order to kill everyone I love. There’s no light in you, Jude. Your flame has been extinguished by your black heart.” He’s still in my room. “I’ll be ready when you want me to be.”
“Be downstairs by eight. The appropriate attire will be sent to you. If I’m missing something, please let me know.”
“You’re missing a soul.”
He clears his throat, and then I hear the door latch closed. Closing my eyes, I try and go back to sleep. I hate this life I’m living, if that’s what it can be called.
Washing my hair in the shower, I hear someone come into the bedroom. Panic should quickly rise, but it doesn’t. I know, if any of these men wanted to hurt me, they would’ve done it already. And the one man who did hurt me isn’t breathing any more.
It’s stupid, I should be worried about my safety, but strangely, my brain has decided to accept that as long as I’m here Jude will make sure I’m safe.
Don’t get me wrong, I still don’t want to be here, and I am, in fact imprisoned. I want to go home, and I want to see my parents, but I know that will never be possible.
Dragging myself out of the shower, I wrap a towel around my body and one around my hair and head into the bedroom.
On the bed is a huge white box with a vibrant blue ribbon wrapped around, and a small white box with no ribbon.
Seriously, dude, this isn’t a date.
Untying the ribbon, I open the box and find a green evening gown. I should be excited about the beautiful dress, but I’m not. I have to look at this situation as work. He’s paying, in the form of not killing the people I love. In return, I provide a service.
I lift the dress out of the tissue paper it’s wrapped in and look it over. There’s no denying it, the dress is gorgeous. It’s long and fitted, and has sheer, nearly transparent chiffon sleeves. Whoever selected this chose wisely, because it’s something I’d pick for myself.
I drape the pretty dress down over the box it came in, and open the other. It has a pair of gold, strappy heels. Again, beautiful and something I’d pick for myself. The heels aren’t too high, but enough to add some height to my nearly five foot eight frame.
Swinging one of the shoes around on my pinkie, I toss it on the bed. “You know, Jude, you’re quite disturbing. You know my size, and you have good taste. The disturbing part is you know these things.” I smile to myself, and know he’s listening and watching me. “I’ll bet you’re gay. Gay men always have great fashion sense.”
I walk into the bathroom, and drop my towel at the door. No use in modesty, I bet the sick bastard has a camera in here too.
It doesn’t take me long to blow dry my hair and straighten it, and to apply a thin layer of makeup. I’m not doing this for him, I’m doing it because I’ve decided I’m going to treat it like employment, where the currency traded is my services for my parents’ and best friend’s lives.
I’m going to work.
Getting ready, and going to work. That’s exactly what this arrangement is. Me working for him.
Naked, I head into the bedroom and put on underwear he bought for me. When I’m ready, I slip on the dress. It’s beyond gorgeous, and the long chiffon sleeves end in a V with a thin piece of elastic wrapping around my middle finger to keep it in place.
Sitting on the bed, I slip my feet into the pretty shoes, buc
kle the straps, and stand. Other than the medicine cabinet mirror in the bathroom, there’s nothing here I can see myself in.
There’s a knock on the door, and the regular meathead comes in. “Miss Murphy, the boss is waiting for you downstairs,” he blankly says.
“Considering I’m going to be living here for who knows how long, can you at least tell me your name?”
He crosses his arms over in front of his chest and plants his feet hip width apart. “The boss is waiting.”
Rolling my eyes, I walk past him. I want to shoulder-butt him, but he’s built like he’s a tank, and I’d more likely hurt myself than him.
Heading out of the room, I walk along the hallway and down the grand staircase. Jude is dressed in a tuxedo; his jet-black hair is styled to the side. He impatiently looks at his watch then turns to search for me.
I’m half-way down the stairs when he notices me, his eyes widen and his lips pull up into a smirk. “Wow, you look absolutely stunning,” he says. His eyes travel the length of my body, taking in the dress he bought.
A small, stupid-ass flutter trembles in my stomach. I’ve never had a man look at me the way he is right now. Although completely flattering, I know the truth behind his handsome appearance and dark and dangerous eyes. “Thanks,” I reply curtly. “You look alright too.”
“You’ll definitely be the one who’ll have all the attention.”
“Great, attention, exactly what I crave,” I say sarcastically.
He places his hand to the small of my back, and leads me to the front door. “Wait, where are your gloves?” he asks stopping by the front door.
“Gloves? There weren’t any in the box. Anyway, I can’t wear gloves with this dress. It wouldn’t go.”
“You have to wear them, so when you shake people’s hands, you don’t get a vision until you meet Alfred.”
“Jude, gloves don’t go with this dress. I’m not wearing them. Easy solution to this, I won’t shake anyone’s hand. Anyway, how are you going to introduce me? Oh, this is the girl I’ve kidnapped and keeping against her will?”
The Gift: The Butterfly Effect, Book 1. Page 9