Guilty By Association

Chapter 30 - Almost Good

Chapter 30 – Almost Good

Kelsey hated to admit it. It made her hate herself. It made her feel guilty. It made her feel a whole bunch of things that would probably cause her to freak out, but she had to admit it.

Caleb Rocha’s house was a place she could get used to.

It was plain and simple. She’d never been inside of a place like it before. It was the nicest house she’d ever been inside of. She could actually get used to living there.

She pushed that thought out of her mind before she thought about it too much. She wasn’t in some kind of paradise. She was kidnapped. This place should feel like hell to her.

Yet, she’d been here for who knows how long and no one had attempted to harm her in any way. She was kidnapped by L.A.’s largest gang’s boss and she was still in one piece. The only problem was that this place wasn’t something she wanted to break out of.

But Kelsey was a strong woman and she wasn’t going to let this place’s grandeur get to her.

The place was beautiful, though. After her past few meetings with Caleb, she didn’t think that he could really be living in a place like this. It made sense, though. Caleb Rocha was rich. Of course he would spend his money on his luxury.

The place looked like the image had been taken out of some designer magazine, a guide to creating the perfect house.

She looked around. The sofas were luxurious. It was a classy leather L-shaped piece that faced a large window that had a view of the dark blue waters that were beyond. The floor was wooden and glossy, unlike the one in her father’s house, which was scratched on. It had been there for a long time. Here, it seemed brand new, or like it was barely used.

There weren’t any personal items either. There was a lamp, a coffee table. Kelsey’s eyes fell on a large leather sofa seat that resembled a two-person bed. It, too, faced the ocean. But there was nothing that hinted who the place belonged to. Even the painting on the wall was a generic one, of a forest.

“I spent a lot of time and money on this place.” Caleb said behind her. There was no smugness in his voice. He sounded like he was just having a conversation, a one-sided one. It was almost like he was talking to himself. “Hardly anyone knows I live here.”

Even Kelsey didn’t know where ‘here’ was.

“Why did you bring me here?” She asked him, not looking at him. Instead, she stared out the large window at the vicious, blue waves, crashing against the cove. It was unlike a beach. On a beach, the waves just splashed, but on the cliff, they crashed. It was loud, not soothing. Yet, they brought on an eerie calmness that couldn’t be explained, not by Kelsey.

“You live here, now.” He said, simply.

Kelsey looked around. The security that had been needed to get here had vanished, or returned. She didn’t notice. She was too in awe by what had to have been the most expensive house she’d ever been around. But now, she realized with a startle, that she was here alone with Caleb Rocha. Had he sent everyone else away?

“Where is everyone else?” She asked, looking around, making sure one last time.

“I sent them all away.” He said. “No one’s allowed to be in here except me, and whoever I bring here. I don’t allow them to come here. Besides, they have things to do, people to keep watch on, deals to make. I go out when I want to. They never come here.”