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SAGE
After going grocery shopping, I spent the rest of the day in my apartment getting my plan together. I could have done it sooner, but I’d have to leave Michigan. For the past four months, this place had kept me safe. And I was terrified to leave my bubble. The research had kept me busy, and I wanted it all strategized out before leaving.
There was a knock at the door. The sound used to paralyze me, but neighbors were always knocking to see if I wanted to join a party or barbeque. I got up and looked through the peephole, seeing the top part of a hat that had the college mascot on it. Twisting the lock, I cracked open the door.
“Hi—” I started to say until I saw his face. With a shriek, I tried to slam the door shut, but it was too late. His hand already gripped the door. I leaned my body against it, trying to make him pull his hand back. Instead, he rammed the door so hard that I flew back and landed on the floor.
“Hey, Sage.” He grinned as he took off the hat and tossed it on the table.
I pulled the skirt of my sweater dress down as I got back on my feet, and I immediately tensed in a defensive pose. My heart was straining against my ribcage while that night up north rushed back to my head. I had let my guard down just opening the door like that. It had been months, and I had been so confident this place was safe.
My eyes went to his bare arm, and once I saw what I was looking for, I met his gaze again.
Niko.
He stood in front of the door with a smirk on his face. His sharp green eyes studied me as I stood rigid in front of him. He looked the same as the last time I saw him, except his black hair was a bit longer and messy from being under a hat. A flashback of being in Lacey’s room at the house up north darted through my mind. Once again, I was stuck with him blocking the only exit. I glanced at my bag that was on the floor next to the couch. If I could reach the stun gun, I could have a chance. Unless he hadn’t come alone.
“Nice place. Very cozy.” Niko watched me closely, as if waiting for me to try to get past him to the door.
“How’d you find me?” I asked, raising my chin. I refused to cower and would fight just as hard to get out of this as I had up north.
“I have to be honest, Sage. I miss the red hair. Brown just doesn’t suit you,” he replied, ignoring my question.
I didn’t say anything and waited for him to keep talking. Of all the times I imagined them finding me, I never pictured Niko showing up by himself. The cold demeanor he had up north was gone. Instead, he was acting like the arrogant asshole I’d known for years. Like nothing had changed.
“Sit on the couch. We need to talk,” Niko demanded, losing his smile.
“If you think I’m going to leave with you—”
“Whoa,” he interrupted me, throwing up his hands. “I didn’t say anything about taking you anywhere. Just want to talk, okay?”
It was a standoff. I didn’t trust that he just wanted to talk, and he didn’t move away from the door. After a minute of silence, I broke first and backed up until I hit the couch. The only reason was because my bag was closer, and having the stun gun would dramatically change my odds for the better. I sat down stiffly, with my muscles taut and ready to move when the chance presented itself. Niko grabbed a chair from the table, set it a few feet away from the couch, and sat down. Making sure he was between me and the door.
“Smart choice,” he murmured as he took a short piece of rope out of his pocket and set it on the arm of the couch.
My stomach clenched, and I inched down the couch, farther away from him. I had no idea what he had planned or why he’d come alone. But when I stared at the rope, all I saw was the reason for fighting. It was my life. Even as shitty as it was right now, I was still free. And I wouldn’t give it up easily. Niko chuckled, and I looked back to him.
“Don’t worry. Like I said, I just want to talk. But I wasn’t sure how you’d react, so I had to come prepared. Just in case.”
“You didn’t think you could handle me without help?” I raised an eyebrow, wanting to get under his skin and throw him off.
His jaw clenched, and he looked at me warily. “I found you over a month ago. I know what you’ve been doing. Taking those classes at the gym. I don’t know the new tricks you’ve learned. Better to be careful than a girl getting the drop on me. Wouldn’t be able to live that one down.”
I was stuck on the first thing he said. “A month ago?”
“Yeah. You did so good covering your tracks in the beginning. Not using your card or driving your car. I’m guessing you’re using a prepaid phone?”
I pressed my lips together as my eyes darted to the door. I was sure others were waiting out there to take me away. If they had known for a month, they’d had more than enough time to plan this out.
“You even dyed your hair. Smart girl. I thought you might, but it’s hard to picture you with any other color than your red.”
“Then how did you find me?”
He flashed me a grin, and it sent hot fury racing through my veins. He had been watching me for at least a month. All this time, I thought it was safe. Before I could say anything else, his phone went off.
He pulled it out of his pocket and started to read the message. Looking at my bag that was less than two feet away, I knew this was it. He was distracted.
“Hey—” he protested as I lunged. My hand was inside the bag, my fingertips brushing the stun gun, when arms wrapped around my waist. He lifted me and spun me away from the bag.
“Really? I thought you wanted to do this the easy way,” he said once he was between me and the stun gun. “What’s in the bag, Sage?”
The second he set me down, I slammed my foot down onto his as hard as possible. His arms loosened enough that I was able to turn and face him. I grabbed him around the neck and pulled down before digging my knee into his gut. Just as I had practiced at the gym all those times. I did it perfectly, and it worked.
“Shit,” Niko groaned out as he doubled over, stumbling away from me. I reached for the bag and grabbed the stun gun. He got a glimpse of it right as I touched it to his skin, and his eyes went wide.
“Don’t—”
He didn’t even get to finish what he was saying before I stunned him. The crackle of electricity filled the room, and I kept it pressed to him. He grunted and tried to stay standing. But after only a couple of seconds, his legs collapsed. I shoved him back and he fell onto the couch.
Spotting the rope, I quickly made a decision. The effects of the stun gun wouldn’t last long. He was on his side, and I pushed him onto his stomach, with his legs dangling off the short couch. I put his hands together and wrapped the rope around them. Keeping his hands together as I tied it was difficult. I knotted it as tight as I could before stepping back.
