Willing Captive (21 page)

My tears come harder
knowing his friendship was all an act.

Betrayed and
deceived, I don’t know how I’ll ever get past this.

Knowing I shouldn’t
ask, but having to, I beg, “Tell me what happened the first time I
was taken.”

Nox shakes his head.
“Lily-”

I cut him off with,
“Please. I need to know. Maybe then I’ll understand all this.
Please help me understand.”

Nox rubs a hand over
his face and sighs, “Okay, baby. I don’t know all the details, but
I’ll tell you what I know.” Clearing his throat, he starts, “Your
dad mentioned it when we first spoke over the phone, and when I
couldn’t find a link with the information he’d given me, I thought
he was just being paranoid.”

Sounds like my
dad.

“
He said that you were thirteen and you were at the warehouse
on a Saturday. You climbed a tree because, apparently, that was
your thing back then.” Smiling at me, he pushed my now-damp hair
away from my face. “And you fell. Only you didn’t.”

I remember that! I
broke my arm and passed out.

I’m confused.

Nox explained, “You
were pushed, Lily. When you fell, you fell hard, and passed out.
Your dad said he never let you go far and always said for you
to-”

We both said, “Stay
close.”

My dad said that to
me daily.

He nods. “He saw the
whole thing, baby. And I heard it in his voice. The fear. It’s
likely something he’ll never get over. Watching your kid be drugged
and stuffed into the back of a van; I can’t even imagine what that
would be like.”

My voice shudders,
“No. No, that’s not what happened. I fell. I broke my arm and
passed out. I woke up in the hospital.”

Nox takes my hand as
he gently utters, “Baby. Yeah, you woke up in hospital. A week
later.”

My stomach dips and
my mouth parts, expelling a quick breath with a whoosh.

Feeling the color
drain out of me, I ask, “Who was it?”

Nox shrugs. “Not
anyone known to your father. An employee and his wife. Your dad got
a lead early on from another employee who’d overheard something
shady, and you were found the next morning in a cabin not far out.
The wife was hysterical because you wouldn’t wake. She all but
threw you to the medics that arrived, begging for them to help. A
bit ironic that the person putting you in harm’s way didn’t want
you harmed at all.”

He continues, “But I
guess desperate times call for desperate measures. See, they had a
son who was ill and needed money for an organ donation. They tried
to get the money from other sources, but they just couldn’t get
enough. They ran church fundraisers, appealed for help on
television, even asked your father for money, which I’ll add, that
he gave twenty-thousand dollars to. It just wasn’t enough. So, they
tried for a ransom.”

Not caring about my
story any longer, I ask softly, “What happened to him? The
son.”

Nox shakes his head
slowly and I’m suddenly overcome with emotion for this family I
don’t know. Lowering my face into my hands, my body shakes with
silent sobs.

He adds, “The
husband and wife got jail time, but the husband took most of the
wrap, so the wife got a suspended sentence with the help of your
father. Not long after the husband was jailed, the son took a turn
for the worst and didn’t make it in time for surgery. The wife
killed herself a week later, and a week after that, the husband was
also found dead in his cell.”

I can’t listen
anymore. I choke out through shuddering breaths, “Stop. No more. I
can’t. No more, please.”

That
is a
tragedy. A goddamn tragedy.

I’m overwhelmed by
this information. And suddenly, nothing in my life seems all that
bad anymore. Still sobbing, I whisper, “Why wouldn’t anyone help
them?”

Nox’s face turns
soft. “People tried to help, baby, but sometimes it’s not
enough.”

Anger surges through
me and I shout, “My dad could’ve helped them! He could’ve given
them the money! The whole amount! We’re fucking rich, Nox!”

He looks me in the
eye. He doesn’t respond. He can’t argue. He knows what I just said
is accurate.

He holds me while I
quietly cry myself to sleep.

***

“
Baby, wake up.” This is whispered into my ear. I groan
quietly and swat at the face by my ear, clipping his cheek. Nox
chuckles, “C’mon, princess. Get up.”

My puffed and gritty
eyes open and the room is completely dark.

As
in,
no
sunshine
dark. I
look to the clock on the nightstand and it reads 5:47
am.

What the effing
eff?

Pushing Nox away, I
mumble, “Go away. Sleepy.”

His arms come around
my waist, and he chuckles huskily, “Good morning, baby.”

I
scoff, “This is
not
morning,
Nox! This is the ass-crack of dawn.”

Pulling me close, he
says, “Now you’re up, you can kiss me.”

Although that sounds
mighty fine, reality reminds me to remind him, “You know, I have
cotton mouth so bad, that my morning breath would make you pass
out. So, no. And I’m pretty sure I have drool dried around my mouth
from crying all night, too.”

Pulling my head into
his chest, his body shakes with silent laughter. And I smile,
wrapping my arms around him. Still thoroughly amused, he agrees,
“Point taken. But once you brush your teeth, I get a kiss. Now get
up and get dressed. We don’t have a lot of time.”

What?

At
this point, my confusion is such a constant state that people would
have to start classifying me as
special
. “Where are we going?”

Getting out of bed,
he states, “It’s a surprise. So get your shit together. And make it
quick.”

Rolling out of bed,
I put on my best sultry voice, “Oooh, baby. I love when you get
mean.”

“
Lily.” A firm warning.

We
both shower and dress in a jiff. I put on a pair of sweats and a
tank, but Nox takes one of his jackets and throws it over my
shoulders. He dresses in his usual black cargo pants and a black
tee, but adds a jacket and baseball cap. And,
sigh
, he looks like he just stepped out of a fitness
magazine.

Reaching forward, I
link our fingers. He whispers on a squeeze of my hand, “Gotta be
quiet.”

We creep through the
house, and as we reach the front door, I narrow my eyes as Nox
picks up a pre-prepared bag left in the hall. Out through the front
door, he walks us to a creepy-black stalker van, and my heart skips
a beat.

We’re going out. As in,
out
!
I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.

I
all but skip to the van and Nox smiles big, shaking his head at me
like I’m a dork. I even get to sit in the front seat.
Sans
blindfold!

Just as I buckle up,
Nox pulls something out of his pocket and my face falls. “No!”

Nox gently pulls me
to him, kisses my lips softly, and places the blindfold over my
eyes.

Shit. And I thought
we were past that.

Pouting with my arms
crossed over my chest, Nox says, “You can pout all you want now,
but as soon as we get out the car, you better lay one on me.” He
adds, “You have no idea what I’m risking by sneaking you out.”

And it’s then I
realize how much of a turd I’m being. Putting my arm out to my
side, I feel for Nox. Finding his arm, I follow the trail down
until I reach his hand and link our fingers. I apologize quietly,
“I’m sorry, babe. I know I’m not being fair. It’s so easy for me to
forget that I’m still being protected. Sometimes, I just want to be
me again, you know? Without the dramatics and over the top
security.”

Lifting my hand to
his mouth, he kisses my palm, and silently drives us on.

We drive for around
half an hour. I know this because Nox won’t let me turn on the
radio due to the fact that I’ll easily figure out where we are, so
I spend the time mentally counting the seconds.

I count twenty-seven
minutes and three seconds, total, before the van comes to a stop
and Nox gets out. He opens my door and I lift my hands to remove
the blindfold, but he stops me with, “Signs, babe. I’ll tell you
when you can take it off.”

As soon as I step
out of the van, I hear it. The swirling. The crashing. The soft
buzz in the air.

Breathing deeply, I
smell it too. A huge smile breaks out on my face and I bounce
excitedly. Nox says in mock sternness, “Uh oh. You’re ruining my
surprise.”

Holding his hand
with both of mine, I beg quickly, “Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!”

He bends down to
remove my shoes and socks; we walk forward a little while, and my
feet come into contact with cool, smooth sand. I mentally squeal
but laugh out loud.

Nox stops suddenly
and firmly says, “Do not remove the blindfold, Lily. I’m warning
you.”

Placing my index and
middle fingers at my forehead, I give him a salute and wait
patiently. After a minute, he guides me with a hand on the small of
my back. I hear him sit, and gently, he pulls me down to sit on the
blanket, between his legs.

He pulls up the
blindfold and I gasp softly.

The ocean.

I
love
the ocean.

Smiling like an
idiot, I push back into his body. He wraps his arms tightly around
my middle and presses his lips to my cheek. His breath warms me.
“’Kay, babe?”

I answer quietly,
“This is the best thing anyone’s ever done for me.”

He responds just as
quietly on a body squeeze, “You’re welcome, princess.”

We sit and watch the
ocean, allowing the sights and sounds to wash over us and take us
away from reality.

Right now, we’re
just Nox and Lily.

Not protector and
protected.

The beach is
deserted. And this is our happy place.

Our bubble. Us
against the world.

A thought suddenly
comes to mind. “What’s your name?”

He stills behind me
and I wonder if I’ve somehow screwed up by asking. I think it’s a
fair question.

Nox grumbles, “It
doesn’t matter. I’m not him anymore.”

Leaning my head to
the side, I kiss his chin and admit gently, “It does matter. It’s
important to me. I want to know you.”

A long silence
follows.

Then finally, “Adam
Christian Taylor. Born March eighteenth, nineteen eighty four in
White Deer, Texas to a single mother, Clare.” The southern twang
I’ve heard escape his voice so many times comes out to play.

Wow
.

Oh wow!

Turning, I kneel in
the space between his legs and reach up to cup his cheeks. He
watches me cautiously, but I smile, then flip off his ball cap.
Leaning forward, I peck softly at his lips and say between kisses,
“Hi, Adam. I’m Lily.”

His hands span my
hips and he presses his lips deeper into mine. Against them, he
smiles and simply says, “Hey.”

We kiss softly,
unrushed, for a long time, and it’s out of this world. But
something’s bothering me. Pulling back a little, I ask, “Is it bad
that I still want to call you Nox?”

He
shakes his head and replies, “Is it bad that I still want you to
call me Nox?” I shrug and he utters, “Adam’s all but gone,
princess. He’s just a memory to me. I’ve been Nox for a long time.
I
am
Nox.”

Nodding, I say
honestly, “I don’t care what you call yourself.” Placing my palm
over his heart, I add, “You’re still the same man in here.”

Rolling his eyes, he
whines loudly, “Lily!” It’s so out of character for him that I
still.

I
have no idea what I’ve done wrong, so I shrink back and he catches
it. He points a finger at me, “Don’t. Don’t do that.” Then he
sighs, “Fuck
me
.” Placing
my hair behind my ear, he murmurs an awestruck, “So much sweet
tucked behind the fierce. I don’t know what to do with you, girl.
You’re killin’ me.”

I blink. My response
drips sarcasm. “Would you like for me to spit on you to even it
out?”

Then he smiles.
Bright and all teeth. And I want to drown in that smile. From now
‘til the end of time.

I whisper, “It would
be totally stupid for me to fall in love with you.”

His smile
fades, but only a little. He nods in agreement. “It would be
totally stupid.” He pecks my lips once, twice, three times. Pulling
back, I look into his deep-blue eyes and see nothing but sincerity.
He adds gently, “Can’t help who you fall in love with,
princess.”

Oh shit.

The bridge of my
nose tingles. My eyes mist and I bite my lip, trying to hold it
together. I sniffle. “Best day ever.”

Nox looks at my
face, wide eyed. “Clearly, what with all the crying and shit.”

A bark of laughter
escapes me. I smack him. “Ass.” Then I add, “Wanna be someone else
for today? Just today?”

His eyes crinkle and
he says in his most southern accent, “Sure thing, darlin’. I’ll be
Hank and you can be Maude.”

The laughter bursts
out of me. I laugh so hard, I double over, resting my forehead on
his shaking shoulder.

He turns me around
and sits me back between his legs. His arms cinch around my waist
and he buries his face into my neck. He says a muffled, “Don’t
wanna let you go.”

My heart swells. I
whisper back, “Then don’t.”

***

Running into Boo’s
room, I slam the door shut behind me.

She turns to me,
looking stunned. Panting, I whisper hiss, “How do I do sex?”

The shocked look on her face fades. She motions to the bed and
smiles big, “Take a seat. We have much to discuss.”