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Silas had said I’d needed protection. Now I understood why.
The car hit a pothole and I smacked my head rather hard. I blinked and groaned as the car hit another. I did my best to crawl away from the side of the trunk. Although it was clean, it was pretty small and there wasn’t a lot of room, but at least my feet weren’t tied.
The glow of the back lights was bright. Although I felt a bit bleary-eyed, I kicked the taillight hard, causing it to pop and bounce onto the street below. For a long minute, I forgot to breathe as I waited to see if the occupants of the car had heard. When the car kept driving, I grew braver. Behind my back, I twisted my hands back and forth, forcing the ropes to loosen. Whoever had tied me hadn’t done a particularly good job and within a few moments I was
able to free one hand and then the other.
Now that my arms were free, I reached out of the trunk and tried to reach the handle. My fingertips just brushed against it and I twisted enough so that I could get a single finger beneath it. With tremendous effort, I flicked it and the trunk popped open. The car slowed down and I drew my arm back inside.
Carefully, I pushed the trunk up just the slightest bit and peered out. It was obvious that the sun had fallen and that we were still in the city. Although I couldn’t see in front of the car, it looked like we’d driven up to a light. When it came to a complete stop, I lifted it high enough for me to roll out onto the street. Quickly, I clicked the trunk back into place. No one on the street appeared to be paying attention, so I crept between cars and made my way into the center of a crowd on the sidewalk. I was careful to keep my head down and at the earliest opportunity, I slipped down an alleyway and let the shadows of the night swallow me whole.
I was familiar with this part of the city. There was a small bar I’d performed at several times when I’d first arrived in New York. The back door was open as it always was. I made my way into the area backstage. There was a lone phone in one of the rooms and I picked it up.
I didn’t know Silas’ number. I didn’t even know what his address was.
Instead, I just said his name and the dial tone stopped. Something clicked on the other end and it just started ringing. Someone picked up on the other end.
“Silas?”
“Kitten,” he answered, and I breathed an incredible sigh of relief. “Are you safe? I’m triangulating your location right now.”
“Yes, sir,” I replied.
“I’m coming to get you. Don’t go anywhere,” he ordered.
“Yes, sir. I’m sorry for running,” I muttered, feeling an insane sense of guilt wash over me because of it.
“Don’t worry, my pet. We’ll deal with your punishment when the time comes, but first, I want you back in my lap, safe and sound and entirely bare for me,” he demanded.
“Yes, sir,” I replied.
“I’ll be there to collect you in fifteen minutes, little kitten,” he replied.
“Sir?”
“Yes, kitten?” he asked.
“I’m scared,” I whispered.
“I know, my sweet girl. We’ll deal with it together,” he answered. “Now, find somewhere to kneel and wait for me. I’m already on my way.”
“Yes, sir,” I whispered. I hung up the phone and knelt down beside it on a blanket that was on the floor. The entire world felt so far out of my control that following his instructions gave me a certain measure of relief. Someone else was in control. I didn’t have to be.
I’d wanted to escape him, but everything had changed in the span of a few hours. Night had fallen and I’d learned that everything about my past had been a terrible lie. It was no longer safe to walk the streets. I knew that now.
The only safe place was Silas’ arms, even though that also meant that I was going to spend quite a bit of time over his knee as punishment.
My bottom clenched hard and a tendril of terrible fear simmered deep inside my core. I laid the back of my hands on my knees and closed my eyes. I focused on my breath and before long, the door opened, and Silas walked inside.
I whimpered and he shushed me gently. He squatted in front of me and lifted my chin, turning my head from side to side as he inspected me.
“Did they hurt you?” he asked softly.
“No, sir,” I whispered.
“Good,” he replied. Without asking, he gathered me in his arms and carried me out of the bar to a waiting car. He held me and I curled around him. He didn’t say a word as the vehicle pulled away. Instead, he just held me and petted my skin.
When we returned to his penthouse, he didn’t put me down either. Instead, he carried me all the way inside, into the elevator, and all the way up until we walked into the entryway. He strode into his bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed, wrapping his arms around me even more firmly than before.
