Spark

by J Marie

  woods.

  “Darren, I’m sorry. Look, I won’t go near them, just—”

  “Do you have any idea how dangerous that could have been for you?” he said

  sharply.

  I scoffed. “I think I can handle a couple of little foxes, Darren. I don’t really view

  them as that dangerous.”

  “Hence why you don’t get to make any decisions regarding your safety. They

  could have attacked you. They could have had rabies, for fuck’s sake.”

  “They’re just foxes.”

  “They’re wild animals. And wild animals will not hesitate to protect their young.

  You will stay out of the woods until I can figure out what to do with them. End of

  discussion.”

  I groaned aloud, not caring if he heard me or not. I recognized the tone in his

  voice—the one that told me to shut up and deal or find myself over his lap.

  Darren led me out of the woods, his hand against my shoulder, pushing me

  along, and I tried hard not to let my agitation get the best of me. If he killed those

  foxes, I swore I’d take it out on his face.

  When we reached the house, Darren left me with my guards and turned to leave,

  but I had to protect those foxes. I couldn’t let him walk away just yet.

  “Darren, wait,” I pleaded, grabbing his forearm to stop him. “You’re not going

  to kill them, are you?”

  He stared down at me, the intense anger in his eyes enough to make me regret

  my decision. Instead of answering me, he turned to my guards. “Take her

  upstairs,” he said to them and walked off, pulling away from my grip without a

  second glance.

  I felt my mouth drop open in shock at his blatant dismissal as Clive and Owen

  each grabbed one of my arms and tugged me away from Darren and off toward the

  stairs.

  “Darren, wait! Please don’t!” I shouted at his back as I was carted away on his

  orders, but he never answered. Clive and Owen had to practically drag me toward

  the stairs by the time I stopped fighting them and finally broke free of their grip.

  “Fuck off me,” I snarled, shrugging them off as I huffed my way up the stairs

  and to my room. I slammed the door shut in their stupid faces.

  Folding my arms across my chest, I paced my room. I was so fucking pissed I was

  ready to flip every piece of furniture over in my room. I knew he’d find a reason; I

  fucking knew it. I kept pacing until I decided I needed an outlet before I really did

  destroy something.

  Changing into my workout clothes, I tightened up my Nikes and pulled the door

  open to find a very tall set of roadblocks. Clive and Owen were both standing in

  front of the door, their backs to me as they watched the hallway.

  “Move. I’m going to work out,” I announced, hoping they’d take the hint.

  “You’ve already had your workout today,” Clive replied without turning around.

  “I don’t care. It’s what I want to do.”

  “You haven’t been cleared access to go downstairs,” added Owen.

  “Then fucking get it!” I shouted, ready to bulldoze the two of them down. I

  didn’t care how big or tall they were; I’d find a way around them.

  Clive sighed as he said something into the Bluetooth that I couldn’t hear while I

  waited, impatiently shifting from one foot to the other. After a few moments, he

  finally spoke again. “You’ve been granted one hour, but—”

  That was all the confirmation I needed to easily slip between the two of them

  and hurry my way over to the stairs, my feet pounding against each step as I made

  my way toward the gym. I didn’t bother to grab my wraps; I just quickly slipped on

  my gloves, the same ones from the island, and immediately slammed my fist into

  the first bag I saw.

  Clive and Owen watched from a distance, one hand over the other in front of

  them while I beat the shit out of the bag. The chains suspending the bag clanked

  against each other as I kicked and punched until my arms and legs ached from

  exhaustion.

  Turning away from the bag, I paced in front of it as I tried to catch my breath. A

  thin sheet of sweat already covered my body as adrenaline rushed through my

  veins. I kept my hands at my hips, eyes on the bag like predator and prey, waiting

  for my heart rate to slow before I went at it again.

  “You should calm yourself, Miss Jaden.” Clive snickered. “We wouldn’t want you

  to break a nail.”

  “I’m sorry, Clive, all I heard out of your mouth was you offering to trade places

  with my punching bag,” I snapped.

  A smirk formed on both their lips, and I wanted nothing more than to punch it

  off their faces. “It is unwise to taunt the men tasked with protecting you,” Owen

  said smoothly.

  I sneered back. “And it’s even more unwise to taunt me, considering what I did

  to my last bodyguard, or did you guys not hear about that?”

  “What happened to Benito was his own foolish fault. And that decision was

  carried out by Mr. Davis, not you,” Clive defended.

  “And who do you think reinforced that decision?” I replied coldly.

  I could see them both becoming angry now. Good. I was glad to see I could get to

  them.

  “If a flaw is discovered in a soldier of security, then it must be handled

  immediately. Whether you or Mr. Davis discovered that flaw makes no difference. It

  is an honor to protect that which matters most to our leader, a job that will be done

  with absolute perfection. To be anything less would directly validate a severe form

  of disciplinary action to reinforce and ensure the understanding that the subject

  must be well protected always no matter the cost,” Clive said confidently.

  I raised my brow. “No matter the cost?”

  They both nodded.

  “What if the cost was your own life?” I asked, wiping the dripping sweat from

  under my chin.

  “Then we would gladly take the bullet,” Owned replied.

  “Really,” I said, having a hard time believing them. “You both would die for me.

  You don’t even know me.”

  “As I’ve stated before, it is an honor to protect that which matters most to our

  leader,” Clive repeated.

  I turned back to the bag. “Honor.” I scoffed. “I didn’t know there was honor in

  working for a man who sells women as sex slaves.”

  I took the rest of my heated rage out on the bag, slamming my fists and feet into

  it with everything I had. Inevitably, I was forced away from it and banished back to

  my room to prepare for dinner, which I ended up having alone. Shocker there.

  26

  MISTAKENINTENTIONS

  F or the next two days, I was banished from going outdoors, forced to remain

  inside while I watched from the windows as different men in special uniforms

  came and went from the trees. I wanted to attack them. I wanted to stop them from

  interfering with the innocent animals I knew they were hurting. Clive and Owen

  tried to keep me away from the windows as often as they could, making sure I was

  preoccupied every minute to the point where I was exhausted by the end of the day.

  They wouldn’t answer my questions as to whether the animals were being

  exterminated or simply relocated, and it was killing me.

  Darren was smart to stay away from me for th
ose two days. It would have been

  nothing but fighting, but apparently, he was away on business. How convenient. He

  didn’t even tell me that he was leaving, but then again, I didn’t really care that he

  hadn’t. I hoped he fucking died.

  It was the weekend before I could finally go back outside, but only when Darren

  was home and chose the time. I’d been reading in my room when Clive told me I’d

  been given the go-ahead for my woodland walks, and I immediately jumped to my

  feet. I power walked my ass all the way down the stairs and to the back door, trying

  not to seem too anxious as I almost ran into the woods as soon as I was on the

  grass.

  Safely behind the shade of the trees, I took off at a dead run, heading straight for

  the fox’s den. My lungs burned in my chest as I pumped my legs through the

  woods, hope driving me forward that my furry little friends were still alive.

  Reaching the den, I came to a quick stop at the tree I hid behind and peered around

  to instantly hunch in disappointment as I looked over the now destroyed den.

  Stomped out completely, nothing was left of the little burrow, just a kicked-in

  mound of dirt and grass.

  Slumping to the ground, I pulled my knees up to my chest to rest my cheek on

  top of my knees. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted to release all my

  pent-up rage on Darren’s stupid face with a spike covered baseball bat, but I knew

  only one of those options was available to me. Screaming would just bring my

  shadows to me and upset Darren, and the spike covered baseball bat wouldn’t likely

  end well for me. After a few moments of self-pity, I wiped the dampness from my

  eyes and stood up. I needed a distraction, something to take my mind off the

  oppression that was my life.

  Walking around for a while, I finally came across the perfect branch for a bo staff

  hanging low from a tree. No fucks given about Darren’s rules, I climbed up the tree,

  jumped to the branch, and pulled it down as hard as I could until it snapped. I

  landed on my feet easily and pulled the remaining pieces of the branch from the

  tree. It was a little heavy, which was perfect, as was the length. Pulling each of the

  smaller branches off, I worked the branch until it became one single long stick. But

  it was still uneven.

  Leaning the branch against the tree, I made my way over to the stream and

  scanned the water for the perfect rock. I had to walk up and down the stream for a

  while before I caught my foot on the edge of a sharp rock, scratching my ankle.

  Bingo. Bending down and ignoring the scrape on my skin, I wedged the rock from

  the muddy bank, pushing and pulling it as best I could until the mud finally

  released my target. The rock was a lot bigger than I thought it was. Like plucking a

  damn iceberg from water, it was much bigger at the bottom than I thought. But I

  was strong, and I carried that heavy bitch all the way back to a good hiding spot so

  that I wouldn’t have to worry about someone sneaking up on me.

  Grabbing my branch, I whittled it over the sharp edge of the rock until the

  broken nubs of the smaller branches were gone, and it was nothing but a smooth,

  broad staff. The ends were still fucked up, but over time, I could whittle the ends to

  a point, but I was low on time as it was.

  With only about twenty minutes left, I made my way to the middle of the

  clearing and tested my makeshift bo staff out. The aerodynamics were off, but the

  weight was good, heavier than usual, and flowed nicely in my hands. Heavier was

  better out here, considering it was excellent strength training. Not to mention, the

  next time I got my hands on a real bo, it’d be a hell of a lot lighter, which meant I’d

  be a hell of a lot faster.

  It was easy to lose myself in the bo. Twirling it in my hand and around my body, I

  forgot all about everything beyond that clearing. Meditation had nothing on this.

  This gave me something to do, something else to focus on instead of merely the

  sound of my own heartbeat and breaths. I loved the feel of the bo. Even if it was

  uneven and rough, it was the perfect distraction.

  A few short minutes later, the timer on my watch went off, reminding me I only

  had five minutes left. I quickly found a good spot to hide the bo in the grass and

  jogged my way back to the estate, emerging from the trees right on time. I found

  Clive and Owen standing on the patio waiting for me, and I didn’t even bother to

  acknowledge them as I trudged past them and into the house.

  A scowl immediately lit up on my face as I saw Darren standing near the hallway

  with Scott, signing some papers on a clipboard and discussing something. I didn’t

  even hide my disgust as I walked past him, heading for my room.

  “Jaden,” he said, taking my forearm in his hand. He almost sounded apologetic.

  “Fuck off,” I snapped, swinging my arm out of his grip and continuing my pace.

  I didn’t make it very far before I was slammed up against the wall, Darren’s hand

  ready to crush my throat at any moment.

  “The fuck did you just say to me?” he growled, and I felt my entire body respond

  with heated fear and anger.

  “What did you do with them?” I snarled back.

  “With who?”

  “My foxes! Did you kill them? You did, didn’t you!”

  His gaze went from intense to furious.

  “What have I told you about making accusations?” he barked, his fingers

  squeezing around my neck for emphasis.

  I winced at his voice, chewing on the inside of my cheek to avoid answering him.

  I knew where this was going.

  “Answer me, Jaden,” he warned, his voice turning deadly and convincing mine

  to quiet.

  “Not to make them,” I grumbled.

  “That’s right, so stop trying to presume everything around you. Whatever it is

  you think you might know here, you’re wrong, so stop torturing yourself with

  assumptions. If there’s something you want to know, ask me.”

  “Yeah, right! Like you don’t enjoy leaving me in the dark! For the first couple of

  months, you wouldn’t even tell me where we were until I finally found out for

  myself.”

  “I said you could ask. I didn’t say I would answer.”

  I scoffed, smothering a laugh at the back of my throat.

  “But you’ll never know what information I will willingly give you until you ask,”

  he continued, that knowing shark grin playing at the corner of his lips.

  “Fine,” I said, trying to calm myself down. “Please … tell me what did you did do

  with the foxes?”

  “Your foxes, along with all the other wild animals deemed threatening, have

  been relocated to a wildlife sanctuary where they can live in peace without the

  disturbance of humans.”

  I could feel my eyes beginning to water as shock took over. He’d spared them.

  He had actually chosen life over death for the first time since I’d known him. I

  gulped back my anxiety, my dry throat burning with fear as I looked up at him.

  “I didn’t know you were capable of administering mercy to innocent animals

  with no purpose,” I murmured cautiously.

  His glare was absolute malice. “Believe it or not, I can be, and I did so to spare

  you the pain of knowing th
ey were killed to keep you safe. It would have been a hell

  of a lot easier, but no, I let them live for you because I know it’s what you wanted. It

  was either you or them, Jaden, and I knew you wouldn’t have the heart to make that

  decision, so I made it for you so you can continue to safely enjoy the woods that you

  clearly love so much.”

  I let my eyes slowly falter from his, too angry to hold them up anymore. I was so

  pissed, but I was even more pissed off because, in a way, he was right, and I didn’t

  want to admit that. I was thankful he had them relocated and not killed, and even

  more surprised he’d done it to keep me happy. And what made me even angrier was

  that I understood why he did what he did because if it had been my child out there, I

  would have probably done the same thing. The only difference was I wasn’t a

  fucking child, yet he kept protecting me like one.

  Darren could see the turmoil rotating in my eyes and finally took back my

  attention.

  “Now, I want an apology for your outburst, and then you’re going to thank me

  for not killing the foxes and providing you with a safe environment to make peace

  with your miserable life,” he growled.

  I pursed my lips before blowing a piece of loose hair from my eyes. His hand was

  still wrapped around my throat, reminding me I wasn’t going anywhere until he got

  what he wanted, as per usual. Fucker.

  “I’m sorry for my outburst,” I said, biting into the back of my tongue to feel the

  sting. “And thank you.”

  “For what?” he pushed, the intensity in his gaze growing.

  I tried to suspend the huff I knew was ready to reveal itself and likely piss him

  off even more. “For not killing the foxes and providing me with a safe environment

  to make peace with my miserable life,” I grumbled.

  “You’re fucking welcome,” he snarled. “Now, get your ass upstairs and wash up

  for dinner. I want you in heels tonight.”

  I grimaced but didn’t argue. I bit my tongue instead until I was all the way

  upstairs and safely in my room, slamming the door behind me while Clive and

  Owen stayed outside.

  I couldn’t believe how hard I’d lost that argument. Normally, I had valid points

  and could easily spar with Darren until he got fed up with my disobedience and

  silenced me for the night. His word was law but only because his laws made sense