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I shut my eyes and fight the tears that threaten to fall. I will not cry, I will not give whoever took me the satisfaction of breaking. I know I’m stronger than my tears, so I close my eyes. Damon’s face appears in my mind’s eye. God, I might never see him again. I shake my head, feeling my tears start to fall. I can’t think about that right now. I have to figure out a way out of this.
All of a sudden, the door at the top of the stairs creaks, and I hear footsteps descending toward me. Heavy footfalls echo in the small space as Converse sneakers enter my line of sight, followed by faded blue jeans and then a loose-fitting Rolling Stones t-shirt. I don’t even register his face until he bends over to look me in the eyes.
“Recognize me?” he snarls as my eyes widen. It’s the guy from the coffee shop, the one that gave me the creeps. My brows crease in confusion.
“Little confused?” he growls as a shiver runs through me. The tone of his voice makes my body recoil as my back hits the wall behind me. I say nothing, not wanting to anger him more, even though I have no idea why I’m here, or why he’s looking at me like I’m the scum of the Earth.
“Let me tell you a little story,” he starts, taking a chair and straddling it to sit before me. “I came across a video one night of one of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen doing a makeup tutorial. I knew immediately that she was it for me.” I cringe, and his eyes flare in anger when he sees my reaction.
“So I did what any sane man would do, I searched for you online. I’ll tell you one thing, you hid your real identity well, but I found you eventually.” I think of Damon and how the thought of him searching for me after our one night together made me feel wanted, sexy even. This? This just makes me feel dirty.
“Once I found you, it didn’t take me long to discover your routine. Once I found out you went to the same coffee shop almost every day? It became a no-brainer…”
I shake my head in disbelief. “So…what? You thought stalking me and working at a place I go to often would make me fall in love with you?” I can hear the attitude in my voice, and I know if I don’t rein it in, it will come back to bite me in the ass.
He laughs, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. “You’ve been the one watching me, haven’t you?” He just smiles, and I know I’m right.
“All those days, I thought I was going insane. It was you….”
“I have to admit, I loved watching you look around, wondering what was causing that uneasy feeling inside you.” My wrists burn as my hands twist in my lap. It takes everything I have not to lunge forward and try to pry his fucking fingers from his hands.
“What did you think would happen? Did you think I would see you and fall in love?” I ask, genuinely perplexed as to what he thought would be the outcome of all of this. He smirks, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
“I hoped for that, yes. And I was getting so close. You smiled every time I gave you your order, and I even caught you staring at me a few times.” I should tell him I wasn’t looking at him, probably just trying to read the menu behind his head. But I decide against it.
“But then I saw you come in with that lug, and I knew I had to make my move.”
“You mean Damon?” I ask, and before I know it, the chair is across the room, clattering against the concrete wall, and he’s right up against the cage.
“NEVER say that fucker’s name around me…got it? He doesn’t love you the way I do!” he yells, and I nod slightly, hoping he calms down enough to talk more. From my extensive watching of Criminal Minds, I know the more the bad guy talks, the more you can learn.
“I can’t believe you would choose someone like him…” he snarls, and I stay silent. “You know you would be happier with someone like me. I watch all of your videos. I even left you comments, telling you how hot you are.”
I keep my face impassive but inside, I cringe. Does he really think telling me how hot he thinks I am is the way to get me to fall in love with him?
“Why did you take me?” I ask with more force than intended. “If you claim to love me, why hurt me?” My fingers trace the outline of the gash on my head, feeling the dried blood flake with every pass of my fingertips.
He sighs, his body visibly relaxing as his hands rub over his face in frustration. “I didn’t mean to, but I knew you would never come with me, not with him in your life. So, I did the next best thing.” I can’t believe he’s talking like what he did was nothing but an inconvenience.
“I’ve been waiting for you for months. It might take time, but you’ll find we’re perfect for each other.” He gives me one last look before he turns around and makes his way back up the steps. Right before he disappears from sight, he looks back, giving me a smile that I feel down to my bones.
“I’ll be back, beautiful.” With that, he opens the door and leaves me in silence.
What the hell am I going to do?
18 DAMON
“WHERE IS SHE?” I yell into the room full of people I love, yet the most important one is missing. Clara’s been gone for over three hours, and I am no closer to finding her than I was when JJ called to tell me that she never showed up for their coffee date.
“Damon,” Mama Jenn whispers, her hand on my arm. “You need to stay calm. Yelling at everyone won’t bring her back any quicker.” I roll my eyes, knowing if I yell enough, people will work quicker, and that’s exactly what I want.
“What I need is for someone to find her!” I yell again, hoping to God someone has some good news. I look around the room and see all eyes on me. Liam’s holding JJ close to his side while she wipes at her tear-stained cheeks. Both look equally as worried as I feel, but it’s Mama Jenn that pulls me out of my head and brings me back to reality.
“Did you call Jamie?” she asks, knowing he’s the only one I would trust with this. I nod, feeling the anger turn to desperation in my chest.
“I called him over an hour ago, and he’s still looking into it.” Jamie’s one of the best in the business when it comes to finding people who don’t want to be found. He’s the one I had on the back burner to use if I wasn’t able to track down Clara on my own.
“You need to stay calm, getting angry at everyone is not the way to make things better…you know that.” She gives me that mom look that I’ve become so accustomed to, and I sag in defeat.
