***
When he returned to take her untouched tray, he looked amused. Pissed, she hadn’t eaten, she snapped, “I’m bored. If I’m going to put up with you, I want something to do. Jimmie gave me something to do.”
He huffed and left out the room. Tanae cursed under her breath. It would be so easy to hate him.
Lynx returned suddenly, put a book down on the bed, and left just as quickly as he had appeared.
Looking down at the book, she read the title: The ABC’s of Sign Language.”
Picking up the book, she began to read and practice.
When Lynx returned with dinner, she was able to communicate with him out loud and with her hands.
“I have an idea about my father,” she said.
He looked very wary but was a little impressed with her communication with him. “What?”
“You’ll have to join me for dinner and tell me things if you want to hear my plan,” she said.
Narrowing his dark eyes at her suspiciously, he left out the room but returned minutes later with a card table and chairs. After setting it up, she sat down with her food but noticed he didn’t have food with him.
“Where’s your plate?” she asked.
“Not hungry.”
Looking down at her food, she wasn’t sure if she should eat it or not, remembering his words from this morning.
“What about father?”
“What did he take?” she asked.
“Some patent papers and chip in box.”
Tanae remembered the box her father had locked in his safe. “Would that be an old rusted green metal box?”
His eyes lit up as he nodded. “You saw it?”
She didn’t answer, but it was her turn to smile.
He looked upset that she didn’t answer. “Tell me.”
Knowing she had the upper hand she stood up from the table and went to the bathroom to run her bath water. If she wasn’t going to eat, she might as well clean up. He came to the bathroom and turned her around.
“Tell me,” he signed again.
Tanae pushed him away from her. “After the way you treated me?” she asked incredulously. “You don’t deserve it. You’ve been playing with my head, and you’ve treated me like you’re better than me.”
“You don’t treat people like that?”
Already knowing the answer to that one, she turned away and continued to run the bath water. “Besides, why should I help you when you are just going to kill me?”
Lynx slammed his fist into the wall in frustration. She looked out the corner of her eye to see if he was looking at her. She grabbed her towel and tossed it in the bath.
“Aren’t you leaving yet?” she asked impatiently starting to unbutton her shirt.
He stormed out the room, and she smiled triumphantly knowing he would be back.
When she finished her bath, she could tell he had come back in while she had been in the bathroom because the card table and chairs were gone, and so was her dinner.
Her stomach growled in protest, but she didn’t sweat it. He’d eventually come around when he realized she was the only way to get out of this mess. Putting on her pajamas, she sat on the bed and waited, but soon fell asleep.
Shaking her violently, she came awake and looked up at Lynx who was wet all over. Obviously, he had left, and it must have been raining outside. He hadn’t bothered to take off his jacket as he shook her again.
“I’m woke!” she screamed and knocked his hands away annoyed.
“Tell me,” he signed.
She shook her head. “Not until we work out a deal. I want my freedom.”
He looked away as if contemplating what she wanted. “You’ll tell.”
“I won’t,” she promised.
“How can I trust you?”
“All I’ve got right now is my word, Lynx. My father certainly doesn't give a damn about me, and obviously, I can assume since no one's made any effort to find me or look for me, no one else cares about me. I’ve depended upon my father for so long; I don’t know what else to depend on except myself. You’ve got to trust me. Why would I turn you in if you’re doing the right thing?”
“You’re a selfish, spoiled child.”
Tanae had to smile at that. “I was, I’ll admit, but being in here and finding out my father could care less about me have changed me a lot, Lynx.” She was very sincere in her words, plus being this close to him made her remember their kiss and how her body had felt. Moving her hands down to his wet jacket, she started to unzip it. “I’ve changed a lot, Lynx,” she whispered looking up in his eyes.
He leaned forward just a little as her hands enclosed around his neck and her lips pressed against his. It didn’t take long to get them both to the point they had been at earlier that morning, and she didn’t care that this man was her capture. All she cared about was that she wanted him in the worst way.
Removing his drenched clothing, Lynx rejoined her on the bed and kissed every inch of her skin from head to toe. She revealed in his mouth giggling to herself that she didn’t care if he ever talked because he could use his mouth in the most wonderful way making her feel good all over.
They cared nothing about their surroundings as they found pleasure in each other. Although Lynx couldn’t speak, he found other ways to communicate to her that he enjoyed her body and the things that she did to him. Tanae couldn’t get enough of how expressive he was, and she wanted their experience never to end.
Soon they were exhausted and laid in each other’s arms. He stroked her open palm lightly signing her name occasionally. They weren’t sleepy but enjoyed each other company and proximity.
“I lied to you,” he signed.
She frowned and looked up at him. “About what?”
“Why I kidnapped you.”
Tanae waited for him to continue.
He took a moment to begin his explanation. “They weren’t going to ask for money, but they needed money to pay me. I need money, but I do believe the truth.”
“What did you need the money for?” she asked.
“New technology will make me talk. Repair throat. Don’t have money for the operation.” He looked ashamed. “Tried to raise money, but take too long. Even if I sold my share of business?”
“Your family couldn’t help you?” she asked.
“Did not want to ask family. Not as close to them. My parents were not close before died. Raised by foster parents.”
She took a deep breath mentally digesting all the information he had just told her. He watched her carefully trying to read her thoughts. “I’ll get the box for you, but I don’t know about the money, Lynx.”
“Doesn’t matter. Money doesn’t matter if you can get box. They will sue him in civil.”
“Not if I press charges.”
“You won’t,” he signed arrogantly. “I give you freedom, you give box to me and not press charges.”
Tanae got out of bed and found some clothes to wear. “Fine. Take me to my home, and we’ll go get it.”
He watched her intently as she dresses. Tanae was not ashamed of her nakedness in front of him, which he couldn’t take her eyes off. “Won’t they wonder why you are home with a strange man?” he asked suspiciously.
She dressed in the worn gray jogging suit and old tennis shoes. “You won’t go in with me. I was born in that house. I can sneak in and out of it without anyone seeing me.”Lynx didn’t look as if he liked her plan. “How can I know you will come out with the box?”
“You’ll just have to trust me.”
He got out the bed and dressed hurriedly. Picking up her blindfold, he handed it to her.
“After what we just talked about, you’re going to make me put that on?” she asked angrily.
“It’s the only assurance I have that you won’t be able to find me,” he said.
“But I’ve seen your face!” she stated incredulously.
“Do it!” he ordered.
Snatching the blindfold, Tanae tied it over her eyes and then allowed him to wrap her up in the blanket on her bed. Picking her up over her shoulder, she groaned at his roughness. She was taken down a flight of stairs and put into the back seat of a car where she was driven for a very long time until the vehicle stopped.
He unwrapped her from the blanket and helped her get the blindfold off. When her eyes adjusted to the light, she realized he was parked near the alley behind her home and knew he must have been watching her the night she snuck out of the house because this was near where her vehicle had parked.
“How long?” he asked anxiously.
She remembered asking him that same question and how coldly he had treated her but decided not to do the same to him. “It should take me about fifteen minutes. If I’m not back by then leave,” she ordered.
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “You’ll bring it.”
“If it’s in the safe still I will bring it.”
“You think he could have gotten rid of it?”
She knew her father well. “I think that would be something he would make sure that he kept very close to him if it was important to the initial research.” Moving her arms around his neck, she kissed him passionately.
He didn’t resist and returned her kiss with just as much affection. “If can’t get it in the fifteen minutes, I’ll hide it behind the garage, and you can get it later.”
Looking deep into her eyes, she could tell he was more concerned about her safety. Caressing his cheek and assured him, “I’ll be fine, Lynx. I promise.” Getting out of the car, she handed him the blindfold. “If I don’t see you again, I…” She didn’t know what to say or how to say it.
He stood in front of her and brushed her lips tenderly. “Hurry.”
Turning away, she started down the alley but turned to look to see if he was still there. Lynx’s car had disappeared. She continued to the house and found herself inside easily using one of the basement windows her father’s security never checked, which she had cut the alarm cord a long time ago. No one was in the basement at this time of night, and she was able to make it up to the kitchen. The house butler was just closing the kitchen up for the night, and she was able to sneak past him and get down the hall to the library before anyone saw her. The library was dark, and she didn’t need any light to make it over to the wall safe. Getting in the safe was even easier because her father always used the same code for everything he did, which was the date Tanae’s mother had died. When the safe opened, she felt around and smiled triumphantly feeling the old metal box. Grabbing it quickly, she snuck back down to the basement and out to the backyard.
There was no one around when she got to the garage, but she still placed the box where it couldn’t be easily found and went back in the house. She found her father in the dining room sitting down to dinner with her stepmother and his lawyer. Everyone looked shocked to see her, and when she preceded to him, his security darted in front of her to stop her.
“Tannie?!” her father said surprised. “You look well.”
“As if you cared,” she sneered. With all her might, she backhanded him across the face. “You’re going down, Daddy. Your days of lying and deceiving are over.” She walked out the room and went upstairs to her room to pack her things. No one stopped her as she came back downstairs, but just as she was about to leave out the back balcony doors unsure about her future, her father screamed her name and charged out the library and came back to where she was.
“What have you done?! What have you done?!”
“Gained my freedom,” she said and slammed the door behind her.
As she walked away from the only home she knew, fear and loneliness gripped her. Each step away from her life gave her hope and strength for the future. Stopping in the back of the garage, she saw the box was gone and knew Lynx had most likely picked it up.
If she saw him again, it would be nice, but she had a feeling, the pleasure he had taken in her body had not meant the same as her. Tanae tried not to let this bother her as she walked away from the only life she knew into a brand new life for herself.
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WHAT’S NEXT FOR HEART OF DETROIT?
SILENT LYNX will continue, where you will meet the whole family! That includes the Heart of Chicago family, and there’s also the Sword line (the Europeans).
Often Lethal and Onyx will appear in other stories by this author as needed.
HINT TO READERS: Keep up with the Bellini series too to find out what’s going on in this family.
Keep a lookout for more small novellas or short stories that will often feature Hearts.
To find out what’s happening with this author, check out her website & subscribe for updates at:
https://SylviaHubbard.com
About this author:
Detroit Native, Sylvia Hubbard, is a diehard romance/suspense author. In 2005, Sylvia Hubbard was the recipient of The Detroit City Council’s Spirit of Detroit Award for her efforts in Detroit’s literary community, voted Romance Book Cafe favorite author and her book Stone's Revenge was voted best African- American Mystery by Mojolist.com. The Author is also founder of Motown Writers Network, which offers literary education and events in Detroit, Chief Producer for The Michigan Literary Network Radio Show and speaks on Internet Marketing and Promotions for Writers and Authors.
She resides in Detroit as a divorced mother of three.
She writes a blog called How To Love A Black Woman, which is described as her manual for loving her, and speaks on Creative Intimacy for couples, being a busy single mom and more!
She’s written over 40 novels with more to come and always available to speak at any event on literacy, writing, publishing and mommying!
Related Links:
https://MotownWriters.com
https://HowToEbook.org
This author thanks you for your support to her literary endeavors. There are more books to read especially the Heart Family and the Cytee Brothers. You can also check out Kmberly and Jaelen Gates story in the full length standalone book called Stealing Innocence I. Check out and collect over forty stories for your reading pleasure. Visit her website now. https://sylviahubbard.com
Support this author, by downloading or purchasing more books from her, reviewing this book from place of purchase and/or then sharing this author on your social network to encourage your reading friends to purchase her work. Thank you in advance for your support.
Connect Online to Sylvia Hubbard:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SylviaHubbard1
Website: https://SylviaHubbard.com
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https://sylviahubbard.com/fictionbooks
Happy Reading.
Silent Lynx: Heart of Detroit Series Page 7