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.”
“I’ll agree to your terms on the condition that you don’t just release them into the middle of the jungle…take them back to the base where our school trip was staying and release them to our school…and if our school isn’t there any more, have your men take them straight to the airport so they can get safely home.” Carmen kept her eyes low, and avoided Cody as she spoke, stunning him into silence for the longest time.
Eventually, without an answer, Carmen lifted her gaze to meet his and Cody realised that she was waiting for his agreement. But he could barely think straight; did she really think him capable of hurting her friends? He rather liked Godfry and the poor kid was hopelessly in love with Harmony, he wouldn’t ruin that for anything. He was a bit of a romantic sop himself. So, continuing to play along and see what she really thought of him, he asked if she had any conditions regarding her own treatment, curious to see what she might say. “I’ll stay with you…if…you don’t hurt me, in any way shape or form, including physical beatings, drugs, or anything else. I won’t be shared with anyone…I’ll be yours and yours alone and if you go against any of these conditions, I’ll leave the first chance I get, promise or no promise.”
Carmen looked so ashamed of herself as she spoke that Cody could feel a rising anger in the pit of his stomach. He couldn’t believe that she actually thought him capable of such things. It was unreal. Hadn’t he proven to her already that he would never hurt her? That he loved her? He almost wanted to give her a good shake to wake her up to reality. But he didn’t, he contained himself and found the severity of the true meaning of her words; if he did anything wrong she would run and he might never find her again. So he accepted that whether he got to keep her safe and with him or whether he was forced to let her go, he was eventually going to lose her.
“Since neither of us are in a position to argue, I agree.” The words came out in a very pained, strangled voice that Carmen didn’t understand. But Cody couldn’t tell her that she had broken his heart. He would look as soft and pathetic as he felt. “Excellent.” He forced a smile and surprised Carmen by getting off the bed and heading towards the door. She had thought she was agreeing to let him sleep with her, but if that was the case, why was he leaving? She didn’t understand.
“You get nothing from me until Harmony and Godfry are safe. Give the order to take them home and let Harmony call me once she’s safe and then…and only then…can you get what you want.” Carmen called out threateningly, a quiver in her voice that spoke of how little she was able to comprehend. And although he didn’t really feel like it, Cody laughed, playing up to the image she had of him, as the monster to her fairytale. It was heartbreaking and insulting, but he played the part well enough to convince her that he was nothing more than a tyrant, out for what he could get. He used his mobile to call out to Farrow, the guard looking after Harmony and Godfry, and told him of Carmen’s terms. He was to released Harmony and Godfry either in the reserve and back in the case of their teachers, or at the airport where they could fly home. He also relayed the message that Harmony was to call his private mobile as soon as the plane landed and that she would get to speak to Carmen.
“You might not want me right now, but I damned well deserve some appreciation. You have no idea the sacrifice I’m making for you.” Cody stopped at the door, holding it open with one hand, determined to let Carmen knew that what he was doing, was all for her. He was trying to wake her up from a dreamland where she thought everything was all sunshine and daisies, where she could get away with denying her feelings for him. But it wouldn’t last; it couldn’t. He ignored the confused look she gave him across the room and left, slamming the door behind him in frustration. He knew better than anyone that the moment the door closed behind him, Carmen was lost to him. At least for the foreseeable future if not forever. There was no real reason to keep her with him anymore, if she continued to think him cruel and put him in the same category as those sick bastards who had hurt her. What was the point? She wouldn’t love him now. She would keep fighting it until the day she died. And it pained Cody to know it. It killed him to know that he had rescued her from being lost and starving, that he had protected her and her friends from dehydration, starvation, snakes and predators. And she still thought him beneath her. She still convinced herself that she hated him. Whether he sent her home to her family or gave her back to her University class, whether he kept her with him as a prisoner or as his lover, it really didn’t matter. She was lost to him now.
Cody retreated to his study in a mood, avoiding contact with any other human being for the rest of the day. Thankfully, he had business to attend to and he had already delayed too long. Immersing himself in that, instead of Carmen, was one way to pass his time that he didn’t mind. He was just settling down in his office for some R&R for ten minutes, collecting his thoughts and contemplating where to start, when the phone interrupted his quiet, peaceful thoughts. Cody answered, letting out a deep sigh as he heard the muffled shouting in the background, well accustomed to the chaotic sound of the shipping yard that dealt with most of his more valuable art pieces. “Mr Tarasova, you hear me up there?” An unfamiliar voice called through the ramble behind him, covering the mouthpiece to shout at two of his workers who were seemingly unable to read, handling one of the priceless art pieces with little care, the box sitting upside down with the clear words ‘this way up’ facing the wrong way. “Mr Tarasova?” He asked once more.
“I’m here…what’s going on?” Cody sighed as he tried to make out the voice in the shamble on the other end of the phone. He had nearly forgotten all about his latest museum venture, how he had planned to open up his own museum in town and fill it with only his own archaeological finds. He had sent a team out three years ago on a hunch and some loose research information only to hit the jackpot; it was going to make a great first exhibition for when he opened his museum in two years time. Finally a legitimate business that was all his own. Remembering that, he became aware that he was due another delivery from the latest discovery site which he himself had funded, finding the thought of a lost pirate ship, suddenly found after an earthquake, off the coast of Greece, a magnificent find.
Even more so when the head of the discovery team had been so thankful for his generous contributions…his faith in them over the past three years as they followed anonymous leads and old maps in search of the original burial sight to make sure that none of the history was lost, never questioning anyone when they asked for more money…had offered him the first glance at the overall find and his pick of one item for his own private collection. And he was sitting on the edge of his seat, waiting to find out if they had finally finished up their catalogue of the objects they had found and were finally shipping the items out to his museum to be properly taken care of before being sold to others, to share the find with the world.
“’Pologises about that boss, we’ve got a ruddy bad connection and these new lads are eejits.” Ezra frowned to himself, lifting off his baseball cap to scratch his forehead in a confused frustration, his Scottish accent slipping through in enough places to remind everyone of his homeland. He hated getting new employees, their hands were all smooth and they were always asking when it was time to eat; it was like being back at school. What he wanted, were men…men with calloused hands and who weren’t afraid to break out a sweat to earn a day’s pay. “We got the new co-ordinates in from that team up in Greece…” He explained, flicking through his notebook to find the relevant information, trying to decipher his own handwriting, now thinking that his mother had been right and he should have become a doctor.
Cody smiled in fondness for his colleague’s good nature, uplifting his own from frustrated to nothing more than a mild upset that he would deal with later. Ezra found the information he was looking for, underlining it with his finger as he tried to tilt it to what little light they had through the pounding rain. That was the one problem with working at the docks, it was always raining. “That’s it. Alfred tried to call that stupid contraption earlier but it kept beeping and he gave up. He says the catalogue is on it’s way to you cause they’re having problems wi’ the haulage company up their end. Something about the heavy load and no being able to tell anyone what’s in it. So it’ll be another week, at least until it gets to us.” Ezra explained, flicking shut his notebook before slipping it into his back pocket with a frown that said he should have known better to curse the rain, as the heavens opened and the sky clapped with thunder.
Writing down the all important information that had just been relayed to him, Cody thanked Ezra for taking the trouble to phone him at home and fill him in on the progress, spending less than a minute on casual conversation before Ezra started swearing loudly at one of his younger workers as he dragged a museum crate with the clearly marked word ‘fragile’ from one spot to another, along the rain soaked ground. Without warning he hung up, leaving Cody mulling over the new information he had been given, switching on his phone to see if Alfred’s message could shed any more light on the matter. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much more to say than what Ezra had already told him.
*****
Carmen lay there, on Cody’s bed, cursing herself for what she had just done. She knew exactly what she had agreed to but found Cody’s reluctance to spend any time with her, doing what she had agreed to, highly suspicious. She knew that she hadn’t had much choice; Harmony and Godfry had never asked for the predicament they were in, that was all her doing with her stupid, failed attempt at escape. Now it was her turn to take responsibility and clean up the mess she had made. And she was going to have to keep on her toes, if Cody kept acting up. She wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted, since he could easily have pressed his advantage when she had first woken up and enjoyed that long, passionate kiss he had treated her to. Or when he had kissed her stomach and she had been putty in his hands. Before she knew what he wanted. But he didn’t and that made her even more frightened of him than ever.
Carmen knew that Cody was attractive, that she was falling very badly for him and his sweet smiles, passionate kisses and charming talk. Over time, she knew fine well that she would have no choice but to love him, but that had been her entire reason for escape. She didn’t want to love him. Yet, she had turned him into a killer. That nameless man who had tried to hold her back while his two friends mauled her, no matter how much she had hated him and what they had planned for her, she couldn’t condone killing. But the look in Cody’s eyes when he looked at her afterwards…that look would haunt her forever. He had been so afraid, so concerned for her safety. He had protected her just when she needed him. He had saved her countless times and now…now she was his prisoner.
She convinced herself, as she lay there, thinking over her new situation, that if she could just make herself want him and love him sooner rather than later, she would suffer much less emotional and physical torment. The only problem was, that by doing so, she was relegating herself to a fate she didn’t want; she found him completely charming and what would happen to her if it was no longer a coping mechanism? What would happen if she truly learned to love him? Cody had already promised, and proven that he would never hurt her, use her or mistreat her, and she had always known it, finding his seduction of her sweet and charming as always. If she made herself love him, would it really be a lie, or would she be completely consumed by him?
*****
Cody was jolted from his paperwork just after five o’clock by the ringing of the doorbell, letting out a deep sigh as he pushed his folder to the centre of his desk and got to his feet. He couldn’t imagine what else could happen in one day but he knew that he was going to have to abandon everything soon so he could get ready to go deal with Carmen again when he turned in for the night. All he had been doing all afternoon was going over the necessary paperwork for Alfred’s expedition, sorting everything out into it’s necessary place and making sure that everything added up. If he was honest, it was beginning to make him tired and the sound of the doorbell ringing again as he entered the hallway, was a welcome wake up call, reminding him that he still had a long night ahead of him. Opening the door he was greeted with another delay in his day, a FedEx delivery man addressed him with a smile, before glancing down at his clip board. “Mr Cody Tarasova?” He wondered, his smile increasing when Cody nodded and accepted the offered pen to sign for the delivery. “Have a nice day.” He nodded before turning and walking backing to his van.
Cody couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh, knowing fine well that the item that had just been delivered was nothing else but the new catalogue from Alfred, allowing him an advanced look at the items they had discovered on board the ship. He was trying so hard to have a good day, despite his argument with Carmen, but it wasn’t working. And he could just imagine what kind of night he was going to have. Sleepless, no doubt. Whether Carmen was beside him or not, he was sure that her view of him would keep him awake all night, wondering how his life had come to such a thing. Hadn’t he spent his whole life, from the age of sixteen, fighting against such an image? Hadn’t he done everything he could to stay away from his uncle’s illegal dealings and make a better life, a more legal life, for himself? To distract himself, he tore open the package and pushing aside his thoughts, to focus on the task at hand which he knew was going to make him even more tired. But if he didn’t do it now, then he would have to do it later and he felt it was time, since his mind was already on the subject.
Finding that the stress of his day was beginning to frustrate him, Cody decided to nip into the living room and grab a new packet of cigarettes, an indulgence he rarely allowed himself. But if anything, Carmen had driven him to it. But when he walked over and turned the handle, the door was locked. Frowning to himself, Cody realised he hadn’t previously locked the door, fishing in his jean pockets for the key, unlocking it as he slipped out the note of explanation from the package, with an updated report of Alfred’s findings. He was glad to see that things were progressing along the right lines, apart from the slight delay with the haulage company. And yet, as he stepped into the room, distracted by the note in his hand, he was surprised to hear whispered voices coming from further inside the room. To his surprise Fritz was backed into a corner by the maid Valentina, while she tried and seemingly failed to whisper sweet nothings in his ear. Maybe Cody had kept him too sheltered for his own good? “Hey kid, can you find my cigarettes? And you, missy, have work to do.” He decided to save Fritz, since he looked completely mortified by Valentina’s advances. Thankfully his words had the desired effect, his maid was shocked to be discovered flirting with one of his men and ran off to get back to work, while Fritz let out a sigh of relief and thanked him for rescuing him.
Taking the cigarettes from the kid, before he left the room, Cody’s thoughts returned to Carmen. Was she the too innocent Fritz, being pounced upon by the over experienced maid? At that moment, it certainly felt like it. But before, all those other kisses, their conversations, lying next to her night after night…it had never felt like he was the monster and Carmen was his prey. Not until now. Pocketing his cigarette packet, he closed the door behind him and returned to his study, intent on thinking of nothing, for the rest of the day, but the museum catalogue in his hand. Carmen would have to wait and sulk in his room.
But then another thought came to him…did he want to share a room with her when she hated him? Maybe giving her her own room would be a sign of kindness? Then Cody remembered all the other signs of kindness that he had shown her since they had met and he decided not to bother; if she hated him so much, she would just have to suffer him in silence. He wasn’t going to change his life to suit her, it was about time that she realised that her actions affected other people, not just herself. And he was the very person to teach her such a harsh lesson. He was certainly in the right mood for it.