I know. I've been a very bad writer lately :( I'm sorry, but I love all of you for being so patient and kind! I've just been in and out and busy with stuff so I never got around to it. Plus I lost my way some and I'm still trying to find it
RECAP OF CHAPTER 28 (It's lengthy so you get back into the flow of things)
“SHUT UP!” he roared. “You don’t know anything! But anyways, luckily for you, since you detest my presence so much, you can be rid of me. I’ve decided that I’VE put up with you for far too long as well and you’ve exceeded my patience. And frankly, you haven’t served the purpose I intended you to. You’ve only been a mooching parasite.”
“So I suppose you don’t want to hear what I know then?” I said immediately, knowing what he was insinuating by getting rid of me.
“Oh so NOW you know? And what is it that you seem to know MY DEAR?”
“I know who wants to bring your company down and how.”
Damon froze completely for a few moments before he narrowed his eyes and staled toward me.
“You knew all this time didn’t you? You knew any you didn’t tell me, did you bitch?”
“Calm yourself nincompoop. I only remembered after I got crushed in your BMW. How’s that for a tradeoff? Your car for a couple of secrets.”
“Well let’s see how worthy the tradeoff was, kitten.”
“Not so fast, I want some assurance.”
“Of what?”
“Being able to stay here. You’re right. It’s not as bad as I make it seem and I’d rather not be sold like some kind of doll or something, so if I tell you, I want to be able to stay here. Really I want to go home but I figure you probably won’t be so generous.”
“I guess you are a little smarter than I give you credit for. You’re right; I won’t let you go home. I made that clear from the moment you learned too much. I don’t trust you enough to not blab everything, but I suppose I can trust you enough with this little deal of yours. So I concede, but only if what you know is—how did you put it? Oh right—worthy of totaling my BMW.”
I grinned and repeated everything I remembered from the night at the bar. When I was finished Damon seemed absolutely demonic with the smirk on his face and the anger radiating off of him.
“That conniving, backstabbing bastard! And to think I thought of him as family.”
“So was it worth your BMW?”
“Oh most definitely.”
CHAPTER 29
“One more thing,” I said before he could leave, “I still want Jayden back.”
He sighed, “You’re so loyal to your friend. Too loyal. If I were you, I wouldn’t trust that girl. I bet she’s stabbed you in the back plenty of times and you don’t even know about it.”
“Just because you’ve had some shitty friends in your life, Damon, doesn’t mean mine are. I’ve told you before, Jayden always had my back in my worst moments, in the times I wanted to just die, end the suffering and torture my father put me through, but Jayden pulled me though. She made me strong. She made me who I am. And if I were to turn my back on her now, I would never be the same again. I would never forgive myself which is why I wanted to team up with you. It seems to me that you have some bitter feelings toward a certain boy in this house that you want to take out, and I obviously want to get my best friend back.”
“Yeah, so what?”
“How about a partnership? You help me get Jayden back and I’ll help you shred Bax and his company to pieces.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.”
I smiled as we shook hands to seal the deal.
“When can we go get Jayden?” I asked.
“Well it’s going to take some time and careful planning.”
I raised an eyebrow at him, “Planning? What do you mean? Can’t you just call up the dude that has her and tell him there’s been a mistake and you need an item recall or something?”
“Item recall?” he laughed, “Now who’s making women seem like objects.”
I rolled my eyes, “Oh shut up, you know what I mean.”
“Yeah I know, it’s just funny. Anyways, no. It’s not so simple—“
“Why not?”
“Well if you would just shut up for a minute I’ll tell you.”
“Sorry,” I said making the motion to zip my mouth shut.
“How do I put this,” he muttered to himself, “I’m not the ringmaster of this whole operation.”
“Wait…what?”
“I don’t own this whole business or whatever you want to call it. I’m just an accomplice.”
“Then how did you get involved in all of this? I find it rather hard to believe that you would need the money from it considering the profits from your own company.”
“You’re right. I don’t need it. I was forced into it. Or rather, blackmailed into it.”
“How so?”
He chuckled, “I don’t really like to talk about it kitten. Maybe one day I’ll tell you, but right now, you need some rest.”
I pouted.
“Don’t give me that face. You know you need the rest too. You’ve had a pretty rough time these last 24 hours and you’re still healing. Nadya would have my head if I kept you up with stories. Get some sleep. We’ll discuss our plans later.”
“I won’t be able to sleep now,” I yawned, “I’m wide awake.”
“Just listen for once, Alaure. It’s for your own good.”
The sound of my name sent a slight shock through me, so I nodded and sank back into the bed, wincing as more pressure was applied to my bruises and cuts.
“Hold still,” Damon ordered gently as he lifted up the sheets to tuck me in snugly.
“Better?” he asked.
“Much. Thank you,” I smiled.
He brushed some loose strands away from my face and pushed back the hair above my forehead a few times making me close my eyes from the relaxing feeling. The gesture reminded me of my mother except my mother’s hands were softer. Damon’s were slightly calloused, rougher.
I sensed the room’s light fade into darkness and just as I was almost fast asleep, I felt the warmth of soft lips pressed against my forehead, just like my mother used to.
After waking up and going back to sleep several times, I finally felt rested enough to drag myself out of bed and get some food. It was 1:00 AM and I wasn’t about to wake Nadya up just to make me food so I decided I would just enjoy a nice bowl of cereal. Ignoring the soreness of my muscles, I made my way downstairs.
While my head was becoming less groggily as I walked down, my thoughts drifted towards the conversation I had with Damon earlier. I wondered if I made the right decision telling Damon everything. I worried that I had just signed my soul to the devil. I had no idea what I was getting caught up in. What by telling him I was endangering someone?
No. That’s ridiculous. I’m thinking too much about ‘what ifs’. If I hadn’t told him, my own life would be shredded to pieces. I shuddered at the brief image of being forced to be someone’s possession, someone’s whore. I closed my eyes and tightened all my muscles when I thought about what might be happening to Jayden. No one deserved that kind of lowly treatment. It was absolutely repulsive. Maybe teaming up with Damon wasn’t such a bad thing. After all, if I kept my eyes on the goal maybe having an ally could be helpful.
I walked into the pantry and pulled out a box of Coco Puffs. When I walked back out I noticed a dark hunched-over figure in the darkness.
“Alaure?” it said, putting its head up.
I jumped and let out a small yelp of surprise.
“What are you doing up this late Bax?” I asked, turning the light on, one hand still over my erratically beating heart.
“I couldn’t sleep. You?”
“I just woke up.”
“Oh,” he said before we both returned to silence. I grabbed a bowl and a carton of milk and poured the contents in, feeling the gaze of Baxter’s eyes on my back. I sat down in my usual spot by the window, getting lost in my thoughts as always, when Bax wordlessly came and sat down next to me.
When he didn’t say anything I turned to look at him. “Can I help you?”
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it again. Then he opened his mouth again, but before he could close it I blurted, “Just spit it out already or leave me alone.”
“I’m sorry,” he said nervously.
“For what?” I sneered. Rejecting me, playing with my heart, or bringing me here just for eavesdropping?
“For not liking you back.”
I laughed mirthlessly, “You don’t have to like me. You’re not obligated to like me or be my boyfriend just because I like you. You don’t have control over that. But what you do have control over is playing with my feelings. You had control over leading me on. You had control over kissing me. You had control over flirting with me. You could have left a clear line between friendship and something more but you didn’t for whatever twisted fun you had over it.”
“I don’t get why you’re getting so upset over me kissing you. Plenty of people kiss for the hell of it.”
“Yeah well I’m not one of those people.”
“I’m sorry for hurting your feelings, Alaure. I never meant to. I’m not the bad guy here. I don’t want you to antagonize me.”
That got me thinking. He was partially right. Honestly, other than leading me on, what HAS he done to me? Was that really such a bad crime? Sure it was rather heartless, but it’s my own curse that I have such a weak and timid heart. I never tasted love. I was never good enough. Eventually I had just given up, lost myself in my books. It was easier that way.
Could I really hold so much over Bax for such a small thing where I was teaming up with Damon who had done so much more. I was just being bitter. Wasn’t I?
“Please forgive me Alaure. There’s not enough room in this house for hate,” he joked, a light smile playing on his lips.
I offered a small smile but also thought back to the vicious look on Bax’s face when I woke up after the accident. Suddenly my mind led me to another thought. What if Damon really was the bad guy? Okay, so he wasn’t the leader of the whole human trafficking thing, but I didn’t know a whole lot about Vanguard Industries and maybe Bax stopping him was a good thing. I honestly couldn’t trust either of them fully at the moment. I had to be careful until I was sure.
I sighed. This is why I hid myself in textbooks. It was much easier. There were straightforward answers and it was safe. After everything I had endured in my life all I wanted was safety and assurance. I didn’t want to play this game of risk.
“Baxter, I can’t forgive you just yet, but I can choose to be less cold. You’ll have to prove to me that you deserve my forgiveness and trust and that will only come with time.”
He sighed, “I can work with that. I really am sorry though, Alaure.”
He stretched out his arms and leaned in. I smiled slightly and returned his embrace. He got up to leave, but stopped at the door frame. “Thank you, Alaure. I can finally go to bed now.”
I smiled and nodded in acknowledgement, but as I turned back to my cereal to continue eating I couldn’t help the thick fog of confusion that suffocated my brain. I didn’t know what to think or who to really trust anymore.
Whatever. Let me just get Jayden back first and I’ll go from there.
Once again I am SO SO SORRY for making you wait 2 freaking months. Please forgive me. :( I know this chapter isn't the best but I'm still trying to regain my motivation and drive. I'm slowly getting there so just bare with me.
Also THANK YOU once again for being so patient and loving!