Between Darkness and Dawn

11.

For two days, Carmen was slow to recover but recover she did. Much to Alejandro’s amazement. She barely spoke to Cody, except to ask what had happened. He figured she was still mad at him, and so he let her be mad for a while. She was confined to bed for those two days, to make sure that she was well recovered and, sure that she was over her fever and cold sweats, Cody began sharing the bed with her in a silent reminder of her predicament. Again Fritz popped in and out, hoping to speak to her, but she wasn’t speaking to anyone, except to answer questions about her health. So mostly, they each left her alone to her mood. Cody would lie on the bed with her, reading while she slept, or doing paperwork for the antiquities business he now ran. It felt like an eternity, of just lying there with his arms around her, watching her sleep as he thought about how much he loved her and how close he had come to losing her. How close he still was to losing her. He had no doubts that if given the choice, Carmen would leave him immediately, hoping that it would destroy any feelings she had for him; he seemed to be the only one who knew how strong they really were. If only she wouldn’t let herself see it too.

By the time a week had passed, Carmen was back to normal. And waking up to her, day after day, had pushed Cody to the limit. He could feel her next to him, stirring awake and he couldn’t stop himself from gently brushing his hand through her hair, waking her. Carmen looked up at him with uncertain eyes until the moment he kissed her; all resistance left her as she closed her eyes and appreciated the lingering, passionate kiss he treated her to so suddenly. When he pulled back and stared at her with a faint smile, she mentally scolded herself for giving him yet another victory.

“I would say you’re safe enough for me to let your friends go, don’t you?” He asked to her surprise, making her curious enough to wonder why he would do such a thing. He was giving up one of his trump cards, for what?

“And what do you expect to get in return?” Carmen retaliated, answering his question with another one, convinced that he had always intended to use her friends against her. Not for the first time since meeting him she felt like a prisoner, caught in a trap he had set to catch her when she least expected it. And because she obviously thought of him as a monster, Cody decided to play along.

“I think that’s obvious, don’t you?” He replied with a knowing smile, placing his hand on her stomach and slowly pushing up the shirt she wore. It was one of his and he loved seeing her in it, but as much as he enjoyed looking into her expressive eyes, he decided to really torment her. If she wanted to play the victim, then that was fine, he would give her a reason to. He pulled back from her just enough to dip his head and plant a tender kiss on her exposed stomach, ignoring the way she said his name in a warning tone. Cody would have backed off to make her happy, but right then, he wanted to prove to her that victim or not, she still loved him. “Unless you have another way to get them to safety, without going through me?” He asked teasingly, knowing fine well that she didn’t have another way out. Nor did she have a clue what was happening to Harmony and Godfry. For all she knew they were dead, so when she asked how she was supposed to know they were still in danger, and that he hadn’t hurt them already, he actually congratulated her. “You’re a smart girl for thinking that way…but you can always trust me to keep my word.”

Cody settled the matter by reaching across to the bedside table and lifting his phone. He moved back to kneel over her, pressing multiple buttons before handing the phone to her. There was a live video feed of the tent where Carmen had once stayed with Cody, with her and Godfry sitting huddled together, Harmony crying as an armed guard watched over them. Carmen could see that they weren’t hurt but that they hadn’t been released either, and so she handed the phone back to Cody, knowing full well that her submission was the key to getting them released.

“What are your conditions?” She wondered, sounding very businesslike.

“They’re simple…stay here with me until I release you…do anything and everything I say and I’ll let your friends go.” He promised as Carmen looked up at him, somehow sure that he wouldn’t intentionally hurt her because he wants her for himself and he knows that she could be difficult if she wanted to be. She surprised him by asking if she could make a condition of her own. “You can try.”