We stopped at an abandoned home to sleep. Alex's enforcer had went off into the woods to hunt some game for us to eat. The rest of his people had already retired to beds, the floor, or the couch. Alex took the master bedroom. He let me take the bed while he kept himself occupied rummaging through the space for something useful. He let me call my sister. Now I just laid in bed and waited to sleep. The air surrounding us was heavy. It was thankfully broken by his enforcer coming inside with two bowls of soup. She set them down on the nightstand and put two sodas between them. We thanked her and grabbed our food. Alex sat at the foot of the bed to eat his.
"I didn't ask; are you allergic to anything?"
"No."
I shoveled a large spoonful into my mouth. I could taste vegetables and the heavily salted meat but it felt bland. I did enjoy the warmth. As I chewed I watched Alex. His face was harsh and his body tense.
"She'll be fine."
I drank the broth. When I put the bowl down I saw that his expression has softened and his attention was devoted to me. He looked like he was about to speak but he turned back to his food. I finished off my meat and vegetables. I then set the bowl aside and moved to him. He wore a thin white shirt so it wasn't difficult to work my fingers through his muscles. Quickly his chest deflated. He set down the bowl and pulled his shirt off. The muscles in his back were defined. They were blanketed by a black tattoo of a dark angel. My hands moved to his neck. My thumbs rubbed circles on either side of his spine. I considered whether I could strangle him or not. It was unlikely.
"Planning on strangling me?"
I couldn't hold back the laugh, "You're scared of little me?"
"Not even close."
"I could use that, you know."
"I'm sure you could, my puppy."
I guided him to lay on his stomach. I hovered over him to massage his lower back. I couldn't help my smile as I watched his profile broadcasting his calm.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Your daughter needs you to be level headed."
"I know."
"Do you want to tell me about her?"
"She's perfect. Brightest smile I've ever seen. She's so smart, friendly, and funny. She was friends with everyone in school."
"What did you do back then?"
"I was studying a trade."
"Oh?"
"Carpentry."
"Before that?"
He took a long pause, "I was a hitman. The birth of my daughter led my boss to take pity on me and let me retire."
"What about her mom?"
"She died before all this."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be."
I climbed off and handed him his shirt. I crawled back into the bed as he pulled it on.
"So, is Layla why you took me?"
Alex was sitting at the end of the bed. He turned to eye me.
"No. Why?"
"I guess I was curious," I said, and when he turned his back to me again I asked, "Why did you take me?"
He didn't face me this time when he muttered, "Does knowing that change anything?"
"Yes."
"You interested me. It can be nice to have someone so fiery around," He turned then, his gaze filled with purpose, "And you're beautiful."
"If you think you have a chance with me now you're insane."
"I didn't say I was going to pursue you."
"Mhm, sure."
I turned onto my side and closed my eyes to sleep. In the morning I opened my eyes and was met with a tall, slim woman sitting in the corner. My brows pinched together and I sat up.
"Where's Alex?"
"He's gone to get Layla."
My eyes bugged out of my head. He'd be gone for another day and I could feel the chain securing me to the bedframe.
"Why did he leave me here?"
"He wanted me to keep you safe."
"Then why did he bring me on this trip to begin with?"
"I guess he wanted to have you around."
I nodded. Looking down I noticed my leash was gone. My hands were free. Clearly Alex trusted this woman to watch me closely. She was armed. Even without a weapon she looked strong. She was short but lean and toned. She wore a tank top that let me see her impressive muscles.
"Who else is here?"
"Don't try anything with me."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You're thinking of how to escape. He humors you for whatever reason but I won't."
I leaned back. A moment of silence passed and I felt the discomfort swell until I was being suffocated.
"So, how did he lose her?"
"How is that your business?"
I rolled my eyes and stood to rummage through the remains of the room. I felt her eyes on me the entire time. I pocketed some earrings, a necklace, a box of matches, and a small survival book. I moved on to the closet and pushed aside the clothes to look through the shoe boxes. Eventually I came to a false floorboard. I paused. Holding my breath I eased the compartment open silently. With shaking fingers I lifted the lid off of a box to reveal a gun. I used my free hand to jostle boxes to cover the sound as I loaded it. Still not breathing I stood and turned to point the gun at the guard. Her eyes turned murderous but she raised her hands above her head.
"Unload your gun and place it on the floor."
She did as she was told.
"Give me the keys to your bike."
I walked forward and held out my hand. She tossed me the keys. I put the barrel of the gun to her back and together we walked outside, finding the rest of the house empty. She pointed me to her bike and I climbed on. Revving the engine I sped away from her and onto the highway. I drove as fast as I could. I could hear my heart pounding in the back of my head and my chest burning with every razor sharp breath.