Hearing Beth speak caused his stomach to tighten. He had been stuck in a trance thinking about what to say to her. What could he? He certainly couldn't just explain the truth.
He kept his mouth shut as he continued to take her up to the entrance of his home. Once they were inside he couldn't think of a better way to start a conversation than the same move a good host would make naturally; "do you want a drink?"
Beth blinked and looked at him, taken aback. He gestured to the very extensive bar that he had in what he used as his game room for hosting and entertaining guests. It seemed as though Beth was rooted to the spot. He realised he needed to start right from the very beginning if he was going to earn her trust.
"My name is Ronan."
She seemed to soften the tiniest bit but still seemed uneasy, understandably, he thought, but he really wished she would take him up on his offer.
"How about you pour your own drink?"
This seemed to get her attention. She started walking slowly towards him and his heart rate picked up a little. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen and he was nervous. As she cautiously made her way in his direction he simply watched her. Her fluffy golden brown hair, a dusting of freckles all over her face but condensed across her nose and under her eyes, eyes somehow golden with green suns, a shiny but simple nose ring, and glasses that were subtle yet perfectly complimented all that light brown pigmentation.
She was suddenly very close to him, and he noticed himself holding his breath as she passed him and continued towards the bar. He watched as she made for the vodka and mixed it with cranberry juice. He followed and poured himself a glass of whisky after asking her to take a seat in one of the armchairs by the fireplace in the room.
Before taking his own seat he knew he needed to say something very uncomfortable. "Before anything else; I know you have a cell phone and I would like to know whether you have a laptop or anything else in your bag. I'm going to need all of your electronic devices."
Her gaze lingered on him for just a moment before retrieving both her phone and her MacBook and showing him her bag, although he barely glanced inside. She had shown barely any expression on her face and she hadn't spoken a word since introducing herself. Ronan hated not knowing what Beth was thinking.
Satisfied with the completion of this task, Ronan went to take his seat across from the girl whose future he held in his hands. Beth simply held her drink in both hands looking at him, and to his surprise she spoke.
"I wouldn't say anything, you know, to the cops or anyone."
At this Ronan felt a stab of guilt but replied, "it's too late now. I am sorry this is how it had to be, but the house is yours now too. You are free to explore as long as you do not enter any rooms I keep locked." He saw Beth turn her head slightly down at this and felt even more guilty. "I don't want to make you feel like a prisoner, I want you to be as comfortable here as you can be. You just must understand that I couldn't allow you to leave after what happened."
Ronan's nerves were only increasing, he was growing extremely aware of the fact that he had no idea what she was thinking or how she was feeling and he hated this uneasiness inside of him caused by that lack of knowledge. He wanted her to know more too, he really wasn't looking for a prisoner in her.
"I'm sure you have a million questions?"
Beth looked up at him, eyes slightly wide."How can you afford this house and those cars?"
"I do business, I am a supplier of many high-value goods."
"Alright then, what about tonight?"
Ronan stood up and faced into the fireplace, his face darkened and he put his hands behind his back. "That was an old business partner. He tried too hard to sell me another type of... good." Although it was clear from his body language that whatever it was, there was nothing good about it. "Something vile, inhumane, and cruel. I insisted that I would never deal with such business but he persisted so... I threatened him. One thing led to another, and you saw what happened."
Beth hesitated a moment and then finally asked, although Ronan was sure she already knew the answer, "what did he try to sell you?"
Ronan turned to face her directly before answering "people. Children". He spat that last word out as if it tasted disgusting to say. He had never felt so sick as when thinking about what goes on with the market involving children. It was wrong in every sense of the word. Children are innocent and vulnerable. No innocent person should be condemned to a life like that, let alone a child.
Beth looked down into her untouched drink and Ronan was sure that he had scared her. That his life was not ever something she could live around and he was nervous that she may end up feeling like a prisoner regardless of what he just said he feels about that sort of thing. She brought the drink up to her lips and downed half of it before resuming her questioning. "What are your plans for me?"
At this, Ronan became hopeful he could make his plan sound like a life she could grow accustomed to. "You will live here, with me. You are free to explore and roam freely but you will have to stay on this property. Although when I travel I will take you with me, I do have a second residence, and I will bring you with me on any day trips or excursions that are non-business related so that you don't feel too cooped up. You will have your own room and anything you may need, but no electronic devices or anything you can use to contact the outside world. I will get you tv and music. Tomorrow I will take you shopping for basic needs such as clothes. Any questions?"
Ronan watched as Beth opened her mouth slightly, her cheeks turned pink, and she looked down and shook her head. He absolutely hated not knowing what she was thinking. "You have something to say. Say it."
Beth looked him directly in the eyes before asking "so I'm like a pet?"
He understood why she had blushed upon thinking this, because he felt his own cheeks grow hot. He went to take another sip of his drink and watched as Beth did the same, finishing hers. There was a moment where Ronan felt an incredible awkwardness. He has always been so cool and sharp witted knowing exactly what to say in every situation, but he was completely tongue tied for the first time. He looked at Beth and she was looking at the fire, eyes unfocused.
"Do you want another drink?"
Beth turned her head from the fire to face him. "I'm not a big drinker, do you have weed?"
This is not something Ronan was expecting to hear but he was more than happy to comply. "Of course."
He got up and opened a cabinet that was at the bar, pulling out a tray carrying everything he used to roll his joints and went to sit back down and roll a couple where Beth could watch him. Rolling was second nature to him but he was hyperaware of every move that he made knowing he had the eyes of this beautiful girl on him.
After he had rolled the second one he grabbed them and his lighter and stood up. "I'm gonna show you to the back."
He guided Beth through his home, watching her admire the house along the way. He really hoped she would learn to love it here. They got to his back door that opened onto a massive deck complete with a hot tub and coloured LED lights. Ronan went to lean on the railing where he had an ash tray and Beth followed, going to the other side of the tray.
Ronan lifted the joints and handed one to Beth, watching with butterflies in his stomach as her hand reached towards his outstretched one. When she grabbed it from him, their fingers brushed together and that tiny touch felt electric to him. He knew instantly that any more of this sensation would do dangerous things to his body and that it was a huge risk.
He lit his own joint and then put the lighter on the railing next to Beth. She picked it up and put the joint between her lips, using her now free hand to protect the flame. Ronan watched as the flame illuminated her face in a golden light that looked striking on her. He noticed that holding the joint between her lips brought out dimples in her cheeks and that her freckles seemed emphasized in the light.
They smoked in silence and finished right at the same time. "I'll show you to your room then?"
Beth looked up at him and nodded. He had a beautiful guest room that he knew would do perfectly and proceeded to show her back inside. They made a few new turns and eventually ended up in front of a door at the end of a wide hallway. Ronan opened the door for her, stepping in so he could turn and see her expression.
Her eyes went huge as she looked around the room. It was a massive space with a king size bed in the middle of the left wall that you could barely tell was a king with how much space there was left over in the room. The wall opposite to the door was filled with windows so that you could look out towards the forest from anywhere in the room. The wall to the right also glass, but looking into a room that was just a massive shower. All the furniture was black and the walls were a slightly dark purple-grey. The dark colours gave the huge space a cozy feel but the open feel created by the windows and shower made it impossible to ignore the grandness of the room.
Beth looked back to Ronan with her mouth slightly open. Ronan just laughed a tiny bit and said "I already have these here for you" and gestured to the bed where there were a t-shirt and sweatpants. "They were mine but they're yours now, we'll get you something of your own tomorrow. And don't try to leave the house, it will not work".
He turned to make his way out of her room. He felt so anxious about leaving her alone despite being sure she was safe, secure, and stuck in the house. He paused for a brief second with his hand on the doorknob as he was about to leave before turning his head and saying "goodnight", then with that, he left.