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I filled the car up with diesel before heading into the shop and scanning the food on offer. It was mostly junk food, easy to eat while driving. What did Esther like? I pushed down the concern, telling myself she should be happy with whatever she bloody well gets. But I couldn’t ignore the fact that I wanted her to at least have something she liked. Every few seconds I’d glance back up to the car, making sure no-one approached it, and that she didn’t do anything stupid like yelling at a passer-by. The fuel station exterior remained blissfully deserted, thankfully.
Ten minutes, and one laden basket later, I paid for the fuel and food, heading back to the car. Esther sat still in her seat, looking straight forward as I opened the door. I sighed and heaved my bag into the spot between our seats.
‘Hope you’re hungry,’ I said, grinning as her stomach responded when she failed to.
SEVENTEEN
ESTHER
I looked around desperately for something to separate my belt loops from the seatbelt when he left me in the car. There was nothing that would cut through cable ties. I puffed and panted and tried to pull at the ties with my bound hands, but all it did was hurt.
Frustration zapped my energy as I struggled uselessly. I needed to get away. Within hours we’d be in Barcelona, being shoved onto a plane bound for Glasgow. Within a day, I could be in Harold’s clutches. Dread clawed at me at the thought. No fucking way.
Alec had taken the keys but left his wallet. I opened it with one of my bound hands and grinned as an idea formed. I might not escape, but if I could slow down progress enough so he’d miss the flight, and destroy his capability to book another... well, that might buy me time.
To hinder him booking more flights, there were two things I’d have to remove: his funds and his communication. He’d taken his phone with him, but usually placed it in the centre console as he drove so it didn’t dig into his ass. I’d deal with that later.
Stealing a look at the shop, I saw him still browsing. I had to work quick.
I pulled out the cards in there. There were a few. My fingers ached as I turned them painfully against my bonds, until at last, one by one, they snapped. Using the sharp edge where he’d cut the long strips from the cable ties, I scratched into the chip’s surface on each broken card, doing my best to make every single one unreadable.
My fingers trembled as he walked up to the counter in the store to pay. Shoving the cards back in and sitting them just so, so they looked intact unless you pulled one out, I paused when a photograph fell into my lap. It was a little Alec; I was sure. His face was younger, and sweet, and he smiled like I’d never seen him smiling before. A real, open, sweet smile. He was sitting on a woman’s lap, while a man who looked a lot like Alec slung his arm around him. Alec couldn’t have been more than three or four. What had happened to the cheery soul who beamed? Nowadays, Alec rarely smiled, and never with such openness. He was careful, measured and cold. Mostly. With my brothers, he was a touch warmer, always looking for their validation. I had always presumed that it was for business reasons. Maybe there was more to it?
I cursed as he left the shop, shoving the photograph back in and placing his wallet where he’d left it, praying he wouldn’t check the cards for a while. The phone would be my next mission, and then delaying tactics. I just had to make him miss the flight.
The door opened and Alec thrust a very full bag of food into the middle of the car, sliding himself in beside me.
‘Hope you’re hungry,’ he said, grinning at me as he closed the door behind him.
‘I’m not.’ Mostly because nerves were tumbling around my stomach, filling it to the brim with butterflies.
‘Too bad. You need to eat. I won’t let you starve yourself.’
I hadn’t eaten since the churros the previous day, and my stomach growled despite me.
‘What do you want? Crisps? Chocolate? Fruit? A sandwich?’
He took item after item out of the bag, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
‘Can you cut my hands free? The rice dish looks good, but I’ll make a mess if I try to eat like this.’ Anything for a step closer to freedom.
‘Don’t worry, I’ll feed you Princess.’
Heat flushed upward at the very idea. ‘You will not.’
‘Your choice. You can just watch me eat if you prefer.’
I pursed my lips as he opened a packet containing a hot, meat filled pastry. Steam wafted up from it as he broke a piece of flaky, buttery pastry off and put it in his mouth. The bliss that washed over his face was enough to tell me it was good. As the spiced smell filled the car, my stomach gave a great, angry growl. Looking to the front window, I did my best to ignore him, but with every bite he took, my stomach revolted more aggressively.
When there was only a small bite of the pastry left, he held it out to me and waited.
Swallowing hard, I dragged my eyes from the morsel of food to his face. Heat filled my cheeks as I gave in and turned toward him, leaning forward and accepting the food from his fingers.
‘Oh my god,’ I mumbled as the butter filled pastry hit my tongue. The meat was spicier that I’d been expecting and my mouth watered. Fuck, I really was hungry.
Shame caressed at the edges of my mind, telling me I shouldn’t be eating from my captor’s fingers. That it was dirty and demeaning. But as he broke apart a sweet nut filled pastry, I kicked those feelings to the side. It was by and large the most weirdly intimate thing I’d done with a near stranger, way more intimate that the rushed blow job I’d given him before escaping my marriage.
His pupils dilated as I took the food from him, licking a piece of the nutty mixture from his fingers and groaning with delight as the sweet, creamy flavour suffused through me. My stomach fluttered at the intensity of his gaze as he watched me eat, giving me more and more of the food until he was hardly eating at all, just feeding me.
