Laced

Laced - Chapter 54 (The Riverwalk)

"Jill? Jill, it's going to be okay. Are you okay?" Her hands covered her face, and she was still shaking, silently crying.

She nodded, and her hands began to wipe at the tears that covered her face. "I-I-I think s-so." Her breathing is ragged, and I can tell she's trying to get herself together.

"Thank you, both." She hiccups, and genuinely smiles at me. "I didn't know how much l-longer I was going t-to last here." When her eyes meet mine, I realize that the bright jade color is a huge contrast to her pitch black hair.

"You don't have to thank us. I'm just happy that you're okay."

She smiles at me again, and her arms come up around herself, as if she's just barely holding herself together.

When Zayn comes back to us, he approaches us carefully and slowly, as if he's unsure if he's intruding. I nod at him, telling him that it was okay to come.

"Are you girls ready? I just paid the bill, we can leave now."

Jillian speaks up, her voice low. "What about the tracking cuff?" She states, pulling her wrist up.

Zayn brushes away her worries with a small smile. "Don't worry about it, we'll get it off for you once we get you to the mansion, and put on a fresh, new, one."

To make light of the mood, I also smile at Jillian before speaking up. "That's right. And they're much more fashionable, too. They're red, with little diamonds in it, not like these."

I look up to see Master Zayn frowning at me, and I flash him a confused look.

"You don't have a tracking cuff on?" He realizes, looking down at my arms. Both were bare, except for the pink white gold Cartier Love bracelet around my wrist.

"No, I guess not." I suddenly realize. "I think we forgot to put one on after I fractured my wrist."

Jillian looks to me, surprised. "You're a slave, too? I automatically assumed that you weren't because I didn't see a cuff."

"Yeah." I slowly nod, but my attention is still on Zayn. He's quiet, much too quiet, and I can tell that the fact that I wasn't wearing a cuff bothered him.

"Let's go?" Master says once more. "Niall, one of my most trusted slaves, will be here in less than an hour to pick you up from the Government building. By the time we walk there, he'll be here." He explains to Jillian.

She nods respectfully, and stands up. "And to answer your earlier question, Sir, I do not have any stuff to take with me. Everything I have is on my back."

He quickly nods. "Both of you, stay near me. Don't talk to anyone, don't make eye contact, and don't leave my side. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir." Both Jillian and I say in unison. He flicks his head, motioning for us to follow him, and so we do as he leads us out of the café.

--

Zayn's POV

I pulled my phone out of my pocket - the vibration had notified me that someone was calling - Niall. We'd been walking for about thirty minutes in the direction of the Government building, and now we stood directly in front of it.

"Yes?" I put the phone to my ear.

"We're outside, in the Range Rover." Niall says through the speaker.

My eyes scanned the parking lot, and sure enough, there was the car, pulling up into the lot and driving towards our direction.

"Alright." I reply, and hang up.

When the car rolls up next to us, both the passenger door and the backseat door open, revealing both Niall and Perrie.

"Why'd you bring her?" I snapped at Niall, who shrugged and walked up to me calmly. Over the time that he'd gotten closer to me not only as a slave but as a friend, Niall had also lost some sense of slavery, so he could and did often push the limits that I had set up, knowing that he could sway me by a little.