Chapter 15 | The captors
It only took about one year to have Dominic tangled in Cara's heartstrings as she'd planned. One year filled with pretty words that concealed ugly truths and fleeting touches that veiled desires for control. Endless talks about a convoluted future when all she wanted was his wealth.
And minorly, him too. He'd be useful.
Today, the final stage would start. It was going to be a tough day for Dominic's sanity and Cara wanted to make sure it went as horribly as possible. She'd feel bad for him, only she believed her greater purpose was more important than one person. Or two. It wasn't like she was kicking them out in the end anyway.
Cara had been sitting on her bed, musing over her future, her family, when someone knocked on the door. She knew who it was. She'd told Dominic to come over. A surprise awaited him. Pleasant for her, unpleasant for him.
Dominic's expression faltered as soon as he stepped into her bedroom. He frowned and eyed her hair. It'd been chopped off, now hanging above her shoulders.
"Why did you cut your hair?"
Cara raised a nonchalant shoulder. "Because I wanted to."
"I liked it long."
"It wasn't long, it was average."
As a person with anger issues, Dominic would've liked a warning before she'd do that. When familiar things suddenly spun around, he'd suffer for a while to adapt. Something about the length of her hair had been comforting. He didn't like the sudden change.
Dominic felt something in his chest. Anger. Ever since he'd become closer to her, he'd been relatively calm. "You promised you wouldn't cut it."
"So? I broke the promise. My hair, my business."
Dominic noticed her attitude was a bit different today. Closer to how it'd been when they'd first met. Sharper. His fingers curled slightly. "Why are you acting like that?"
"Because you're freaking out over something stupid. Get over it. My hair will grow again."
Now she was pissing him off. He said, teeth gritted, "At least tell me before. You know how I am. It makes me angry." His voice loudened, slowly but gradually. "How hard is it to actually tell me before you do stupid shit—"
Dominic couldn't even continue before he felt Cara's hands grip his arms and pull him over onto the bed, strong and forcefully. Sitting at the edge of the bed whilst she stood between his knees, she towered above him, short blonde hair slipping forwards.
"My hair will grow again. Understand? It won't stay short forever. Get that in your head." She leant forward, nose to nose with Dominic, green eyes wide and furious. "Stop getting angry at stupid things. That's not good for your health."
She said the last sentence like she cared about him. Her voice had softened in time to fool him. Dominic was still frowning, but he said nothing.
When he opened his mouth, she cut him off by hopping onto the bed, leaning against the headboard, then pulling him towards her. Dominic wordlessly let her maneuver him. He didn't realize it, but she did it in more than one sense.
Dominic looked up at her. "Why did you just flip out on me?"
In reality, Cara cut her hair for the sole purpose of making him angry. Disorienting him. Anything to mess him up. Not that she'd admit that. She noticed the skepticism in his eyes and quickly reached a hand out, stroking his cheek.
"I'm sorry, I just want you to learn to control your anger. I thought this would help." Cara stared straight into his eyes, deceitfully soft. "I didn't think you'd hate it."
"It's fine." It wasn't fine but Dominic bit down the anger for her. "I'm sorry I got angry." When silence outweighed, he felt like it was the prod, and he lifted his chin, tried reaching up to her lips. They'd admitted they liked each other but until now they'd never even kissed. Cara wouldn't allow him. He didn't understand why.
Cara knew what he was trying to do, and for the first time, she didn't jerk away or push him off. She cupped his cheeks and lowered her head like she was cooperating. Dominic almost had hope. But then, before their lips could collide, Cara angled her chin aside and quickly kissed Dominic's jaw, the edge of her mouth tantalizingly close to the edge of his.
Dominic scoffed. He looked at her through a frown. "Why do you do this to me?"
Keep him tempted. Cara arched a brow ever-so-subtly and shrugged, letting one finger trace his bottom lip. "Funny how one year ago, you freaked out when you thought I wanted to kiss you."
"We barely knew each other back then," Dom said, eyes subconsciously rooted to her finger on his lip. He forced himself to look at her instead. "But now I know that you like me. And so do you. Why can't we kiss?"
Cara's grin was sly and purposeful. Way beyond Dominic's perception. "We'll do everything you want when we get married."
Dominic frowned. "But that's too long." He leant the side of his head against her shoulder longingly and sighed, eyelids dropping. "We're still too young for marriage."
"What, aren't you committed? You don't wanna marry me?"
It came out a bit too accusing out of her mouth. Dominic felt guilty. He loved her and he'd marry her but not too fast. "Of course I wanna marry you. But... you're only seventeen, Cara. You haven't even finished school yet."
She'd been holding his hand but she let go. A silent warning. "Just say you don't wanna marry me."
"That's not what I meant. Why do you keep insisting on it?"
Cara took a long breath before answering in lies, "Because I'm not like my mom. I don't just have fun with a man and leave. I'm serious about this, about us. Aren't you?"
"I am, Cara. I am." Dominic sighed and relaxed against her. Absently, he reached for her hand and traced the shape of her knuckles. Cara could tell something was worrying him. He snorted all of a sudden, smiling bitterly to himself. "But Dad's gonna beat me to it. Again."
Cara's heart dropped. "What do you mean?"
"I think he's going out with a woman. I'm sure she'll marry him for the money. No sane woman would want an old man like dad. He won't live too long."
Cara pulled him off her with alarming speed. She stared straight at him, worried eyes, furrowed brows. "Why are you chill about this?" If she didn't mind seeming too suspicious, she'd be pulling her hair out. Her money, her plan, her future. "That's your money. Our money. You're just gonna let a bitch come and steal it—"
"I mean, what can I do? I don't care."
"You don't care? Oh, for God's sake!" She made a noise of exasperation. When she realized she'd overreacted, she sighed and cupped the side of Dominic's neck, leaning closer. She mumbled, "Dom, you need to care. How are we gonna give our babies a good life if a bitch just steals our money? This money is your right. You suffered with him all these years, you deserve to at least take all his money and belongings when he dies. Right?"
"Right." The way she put it out, Dominic felt like an idiot for letting it happen. "Right," he absently repeated, frowning to himself. "Hell. I'm taking all his shit."
"That's the spirit. Promise me you'll do everything to take all his property and money. Don't let anyone take it. It's yours, ours. Our babies'. Remember."
Babies. Kids? Was she thinking that far already? Dominic stared at her for a while, frowning apprehensively. He couldn't stop his father from getting married but he could guarantee that all the money and properties would be his regardlessly. A pen, a paper, and a threat. If things got too bad, that was.
"Yeah, I promise."
Dominic shook his head as if to discard the thought and relaxed further, repositioning himself so that he sprawled onto the bed with his head on her lap. Now he was closer to the edge.
Cara slowly messed with his hair. They remained silent for a while. "What're you planning to do in university?"
Dominic sighed. "I'm not sure yet."
"How come? It's about your future."
"Yeah, I kinda don't have my future planned out yet."
Cara smiled down at him but he didn't see it. "It's funny that I'm younger than you but I've got my future entirely planned out already."
Her voice seemed to imply something else, something more. Dominic turned so he could face her. "Aha? What does it include?"
"You."
She winked, curving a palm over his cheek and down his jawline until she cupped his chin. She raised a brow as if challenging him when she noticed the weird expression on his face. "What? You said you're gonna marry me. No backing out now."
She managed to make it sound like a joke but Dominic took it seriously. "Yeah," he agreed nervously. "I just meant... career-wise. But that works too."
Cara patted his head, gesturing him to turn again. Dominic did. Now his back was facing her. When he looked over the edge of white matress, he noticed the top of a suitcase just beside the bed. How hadn't he noticed it?
"What's that?" He raised his head and nodded at it. "Why's there a suitcase?"
Cara smiled inwardly. She curled a strand of his hair around her finger, gentle like an apology. "Uh, yeah. About that. I'm gonna travel. Dad and I are going on a vacation. Only two weeks."
The shock she'd intended to induce was clear in the frown on his face, the downward tug of his lips.
Dominic sat up impetuously. "What? When? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Now. When my dad comes, I'm going with him to the airport."
"Why didn't you tell me before!" The disdain in Dominic's voice almost made her feel bad. He waved his hand exasperatedly. "Why are you doing this? First you cut your hair and now you're gonna travel and now I know? What the hell? I don't want you to travel."
Cara couldn't be happier but she he hid it underneath a skillfully woven deceitful smile. Her fingers found his hand and led it up to her lips. She kissed it, slowly, letting her mouth linger against his skin to keep him calm whilst mumbling, "I'm sorry, I didn't know how to tell you."
Dominic sighed. Anyone else behaving like her and he would've punched them long ago. But this was Cara. Sometimes he wondered what kind of witch she was to be able to hypnotize his heart like that.
"Cara." There was no particular purpose behind saying her name. Dominic seemed wistful more than angry. Anger would come later. After she'd disappear. Withdrawal. From Cara or from tranquilizers? At this point, he couldn't tell. He said, low and pleading, "Don't go."
"I have to. You have to learn how to live without me for a while." Cara knew better than anyone that he couldn't do that. And she knew he was more attached to the tranquilizers than her. She leant her forehead against his, hands curling around both sides of his neck, fingertip tracing a pointless shape into his skin. Coaxing. She was best at it. "I know—"
Her father's voice was a call for departure. "Cara? I'm here, come on, we need to leave now."
She sighed and pulled away. Smiled. It comforted Dominic, a part of him at least. The rest of him was tense and anxious. He'd improved lately because of Cara's presence (and constant supply of tranquilizers). But now he was scared of relapsing like an addict, of returning to older habits.
They went to the foyer where Cara's dad was waiting. Dominic awkwardly shook hands with him. He could tell that this man didn't like him—those scrutinizing side-glances where pretty much a giveaway—and he only went along because Cara was his only daughter and she'd said she liked Dominic.
The three stepped outside the house, standing in the garden, trying not to choke on the awkwardness.
Dominic watched Cara's dad lock the front door. He felt his heart race at the thought of departure. He hated it—having to leave someone he loved. It reminded him of his mom's loss. Dominic desperately tried to swallow down the anxiety but Cara noticed his hand shaking.
The signs started and she hadn't even left yet. Two weeks and he'd be destroyed. Cara smiled covertly.
She turned over to Dominic whilst her father put the luggage in the car. She leant close, too close, but didn't touch him as she told him, "It's gonna be fine, I promise. I'm coming back soon. And if you feel your anger's getting out of control, I left a small box in your room when I was over last time. It has tranquilizers in it, okay?"
All she spoke were lies. The box was empty. She purposely didn't leave tranquilizers for him.
"Okay." Dominic's voice almost shook. Almost. So much could go wrong in her absence. He held himself together. "Please don't take too long."
"I won't. Only two weeks, I know you can do it." I know you can't do it.
Dominic expected her to hug him now,
kiss him on the cheek. A caress. The slightest thing. But nothing. She left him hanging and headed to the car with her dad.
As the engine purred, she smiled at him a final time and waved. She left him tempted, needing, wanting. Her and her tranquilizers. That was how she'd keep him like a pet beside her.
Dominic watched the car move across the road, meet the horizon, then disappear. He hoped things wouldn't go too bad without her.
In reality, they went really bad.
That day, when he returned home, he'd been able to control himself. He tried not to talk to his father because he could trigger him fast. He spent time with Lou, distracting himself from Cara's absence.
A few days later, he started feeling the withdrawal effects. He couldn't pretend his dad didn't exist or that Cara was still there to help him calm down before he'd do anything drastic. The anger started building up again according to the blueprint Cara had drawn.
Four days. Dominic had been fighting the urge to go back to the garage place. He'd stopped going there when he'd been with Cara because she told him not to. Now he couldn't resist the temptation.
One week made him realize he was losing it. Going to the garage became a habit again. He dislocated a boy's jaw when he taunted him about Cara leaving him. Dominic returned home that day with his blood boiling, lava running in veins, and jaw clenched hard. Like a desperate addict, he searched his bedroom frantically until he found the box Cara'd left, only to open it with shaky wanting hands and realize it was empty.
That was when he came to the conclusion that he'd become addicted to the tranquilizers like he'd become addicted to Cara's presence. Neither were here at the moment. It was a trigger, the finger to fire, the knife to cut. He lost it. Angry but with no tranquilizers, heartbroken but with his lover not even picking up phone calls.
So Dominic went down to the basement and trashed it entirely. He didn't leave a single thing unscathed. Every article, whether valuable or not, now a thousand pieces across the floor like his heart. He kicked the crates and boxes, sent them flying across the room. When he finished, his heart was still aflame and his anger still hadn't been quenched and he wondered if he should take down the walls too.
He turned around, breath heaving like he'd run a marathon, sweat trickling down his temple, only to realize Lou had been watching him.
"Oh, oh shit. Lou? The hell are you doing here?" Dominic took wide steps towards him past the broken shards and reached for his hand. He pulled him towards the door.
"Dad's gonna be angry," Lou said, eyeing the mess worriedly. He jerked free from Dom's hand and crouched down then started picking the broken shards.
This had Dom gasping. He caught his arm and pulled him back, urgently snatching the shards from him. "Lou! Idiot, you'll injure yourself!"
"You're the idiot! Dad's gonna be angry. I don't want you to fight. I don't want you to get in trouble."
For the first time in more than seven days, Dom finally smiled. Not quite fully. Only the edge of his mouth lifted. He sighed and crouched down, forcing Lou closer until he could rest his chin on top of his head. He closed his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Lou. I'm so sorry."
Lou caught that Dom's voice was shaking. He said, "We need to clean this."
Dominic chuckled even though he wanted to cry. "What's with all the worry, señor? Don't worry about this shit. I'll clean it up and dad won't say a thing."
Lou didn't react. He just stared up at him, biting the inside of his cheek. He wanted to relax because Dom wouldn't lie to him but he still felt uneasy.
Dominic led Lou along to the bedroom. They sprawled onto the bed, facing each other. Dominic's heart constricted slightly. The bitter nostalgia of spending time with Lou curled around his throat. Ever since he'd become closer to Cara, he'd been subconsciously drifting away from Lou. He only realized it now, staring straight into young amber eyes that depended on him, young Hispanic face that painfully resembled his mom's.
Lou was young but he'd noticed the situation. And he didn't like it. It was a shock for him. All his life, he knew his brother was mostly tense and angry except with him. Then Cara appeared, and over time Dom chilled. Then Cara disappeared again, and Dom lost all his shit.
Lou had silently spectated it all. He'd seen him come home late at night, bruised knuckles and ripped flesh. Just like he'd seen him almost pull his own hair off his scalp and just like he'd seen him now trash the basement. It hurt, but he convinced himself it didn't.
Dominic spread out one arm. Lou scooted onto it and let Dominic pull him to his chest. Now, without Cara, without their mom, they had no one but each other—and even that, they were losing.
Lou whispered, "I don't like Cara."
Dom's voice was bitter like his mom's death had become. "I know, Lou. I know. I told you not to like her."
"Then why do you like her, Dom? If you told me not to?"
Lou didn't consciously mean it but he'd unawarely accused Dominic of hypocrisy. Dominic knew it, except at this point he couldn't back out. He opened his mouth but he heard his father speak:
"Dominic! What the hell did you do in the basement!"
Dominic felt Lou tense between his arms. He tried to smile at him then looked at the closed door even though he couldn't see his father. "I trashed it, obviously."
"Why the hell—"
"I don't know. I'm gonna clean it up, when Lou sleeps."
"You—"
"I said I'm gonna clean it up." Dom didn't even yell. He didn't have the energy anymore and he didn't want to scare Lou. "For God's sake, dad. I said I'm gonna clean it up, okay? Just leave us alone."
Silence. Then his father mumbled, "I can't wait for you take make another mistake so I can finally send you to an asylum. That's where insane people like you deserve to be."
Dominic let the words sink in. He stared at the ceiling. Cara and her tranquilizers—his one way ticket out of the asylum. He was not willing to enter that place and he knew what it meant. Whether he liked it or not, there was no backing out.
"I don't want you to go to an asylum, please," Lou pleaded, holding onto Dom's shirt like he was holding onto life. "I don't know how to live without you, Dom.
"I won't go, Lou. I won't." At least not if Cara remained by his side.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*
Dom looked like he'd caught some sort of influenza yet he was trying to curb the effects. Sitting on a cold metallic seat in the airport, knee constantly bouncing, fingernail captive of his teeth. People gave him worried looks but then they recognized him and thought, oh, we know he's not right in the head.
Any minute now and Cara would show up. It'd been two weeks since she'd left.
When Dominic looked up after what felt like lifetimes, he studied the swarms of people flooding in from the arrival. Until golden locks caught his vision, green eyes clicked with his. He perked up like a puppy then quickly progressed to stand.
From the short distance separating them, Cara could already see the dark shadows hanging underneath Dominic's darker eyes. Exhausted face, pale skin. He hadn't slept for days. She didn't have to hide the conniving smile—it could look like she was smiling at the reunion.
Dominic didn't really give a warning before surging forwards, seizing her waist between his arms and lifting her feet off the floor. Her suitcase was almost knocked down.
"Dominic," she mumbled, trying to drop back down. He could've almost suffocated her with his iron grip that wordlessly emanated how desperately he'd needed her—her presence, her scent. Her tranquilizers? She'd guess that he was confusing the fact that the tranquilizers calmed him with her doing it. "Dominic, put me down."
Dominic did. Cara expected to see on his face what she'd felt: desperation, helpless need. But he was frowning instead, breath heaving.
"Don't ever leave me like that again." Dominic's voice was sharp like a threat. He slithered a hand to the side of her head, grasping her hair in what looked like an affectionate gesture but his strength made it feel otherwise. He pulled her closer, closer, thunderstorm eyes boring into hers. "I was about to lose my mind without you. I need you."
She loved what she heard but his grip was distracting. She fidgeted. "Dominic, you're hurting me. That hurts. There are people here, careful."
"I was hurt too, Cara. You don't know how much I suffered in those two weeks. I couldn't find the tranquilizers. I couldn't sleep. I went back to fighting. I dislocated a boy's jaw. I did everything I stopped doing when I was with you." For a mere second, he tightened his grip and added, "You can't leave me anymore, I won't let you."
For the first time, Cara was almost scared of Dominic. Of his strength, one thing he'd win with. Almost. But it was her ultimate victory today nonetheless. He finally loosened his grip. She stared at the destruction in flesh, bruised knuckles and cut face, and she'd heard it in words. The final stage was a success.
"The tranquilizers?" She pretended to be surprised. "Your dad must've figured it out and thrown them. But I wanted this to stay a secret—"
Dominic threw his head back. "Dad. Of course dad. That asshole. I'm gonna kill—"
She pressed a finger to his mouth. Her heart shot for a second. "Don't say that. Never. Don't ever try to kill him. That won't help. You'll just spend your life in prison." And ruin my plan.
Dominic stared. "No promises—"
"Dominic. I'll leave you. I won't marry a murderer."
Dominic hadn't actually meant it and he was surprised she took it that seriously. "I won't, I wouldn't do that. Just like I won't let you leave me."
Cara gradually smiled. Everything worked so well. She wanted to reward him. She heard his sharp breath when she kissed his throat. "Never, I'll never leave you. Not if we get married. I need you too, Dom, I need you too."
Both hanging onto each other, both hanging onto silenced needs. The puppeteer needed her prop but this puppet couldn't survive alone.
I need you for my plan facing I need you for my sanity.
Except Cara didn't care about his sanity.
*_*_*_*_*
hey hey! this chap shouldve made what cara wants a bit clearer. Hopefully things are kinda starting to make sense to everyone. From everything you've read, watcha think her plan exactly is?
next captors chap is gonna be straight after the flashback in TB!
thank you so much for reading/voting/commenting, it means a lot <3