Page 25 of Save Me

“What on earth are you talking about?! Are you crazy or just high?! And what the hell do you know about my family?” I am really beginning to think this guy is nuts!

“Oh, believe me, Malcolm, I know more about your family than you think!” He leans in closer with a look of pure evil in his stone-cold eyes, silently telling me he won’t accept anything less than my complete submission in the matter. “She is what I need, and now that I’ve met her, she is what I want. What do you say?”

“No, absolutely not!” I spit out at him, feeling beyond angry that he thinks I would agree to such a thing. “She’s my little girl and I respect her enough not to force her into something against her will.”

“So, you will bankrupt your entire family? Beth will be well taken care of; I can assure you of that. She will want for nothing, and I will give her love and affection when, and however she needs it. In fact, maybe she should have the chance to decide for herself. She has agreed to meet me at your office tomorrow morning.”

“Only because she doesn’t realize what you’re offering!” I snap back argumentatively.

“Precisely,” he replies, then leans back against the chair, “let her hear for herself, then you can both make a decision. You’re not getting any younger, Malcolm. Imagine having to start out all over again, and not just you, but your entire family. This is the only offer I am making, Malcolm, think about it.”

His words have rendered me brain-dead, even as I try to contemplate any option other than the one which he is offering. How can I even think of sacrificing my little girl to a monster like Lawrence? I find myself having to breathe in and out with greedy gulps of oxygen just to stop myself from passing out. I then close my eyes, trying to calm the storm that’s now raging inside of my head because this is completely senseless. The man before me is insane!

What choice do you really have, Malcolm?

When I open my eyes again, he’s sitting back comfortably inside of the armchair, waiting patiently for my answer. However, from his expression, I can guess that he already knows what it is. He knew from the moment he met me that he was going to trap me into offering up my only daughter as payment for my stupidity. He’s made it so that I have no other option than the one he’s now giving me. Either way, I’m ruined, which means Jen and the kids are ruined too. If I agree, it’s not my decision to make, but then I’m leaving Beth with very little choice if I let him put it to her. She would be sacrificing herself for all of us, for my mistakes. What’s worse is I know, before he even tells her the details, that that is exactly what she will do.

“Fine,” I whisper, hating myself with that one small, loaded word. “We will meet you tomorrow. It is her choice though!”

“Of course!” He smiles with self-satisfaction, for he too, knows that she will. Even after having only met her for about five minutes, he knows. “But if she agrees, I will need your complete support with the conditions set out in this new proposal, or I will revoke it, and you will lose everything!”

I close my eyes and nod my head slowly in reluctant agreement. He proceeds to get up to leave, complete with a beaming grin and a healthy bounce in his step. The monster is suitably satisfied in his more than easy manipulation of yours truly. I was wrong; he is much more dangerous than his father.

Just before he reaches the front doorway, Beth comes into the hall and casually waves goodbye to be polite, then runs back upstairs without a care in the world. Oliver watches her every move.

“She really is beautiful, Malcolm,” he says with a lustful smirk. “Enjoy your Sunday!”

What the fuck have I done?

Chapter 9

Beth

“You gonna be ok, water baby?” Bodhi grins at me. “I could take you back to mine and have Annie serve us all afternoon.”

“Yeah, right!” I giggle, knowing that Annie would slap him silly if she heard him suggesting such a thing. “Thank you, but I better get back and let the folks know that I nearly died today.”

As I lean down to casually talk about my drowning incident through the car window, I notice Xander getting out and rounding the front to stand behind me, causing tingles of nerves to crawl up my spine. Bodhi looks over my shoulder to find him waiting and smirks to himself before giving me a cheeky wink. I jovially mouth ‘shut up’ to him before finally kissing him on the cheek to go.

“Thanks, Bodhi, I’ll see you later!” I smile, tapping the top of the car before he gives Xander a wave and drives off in a flurry of dust and sand. I wait there for a little while, staring at the car as it gets smaller and smaller before forcing myself to face the boy behind me. As soon as I do, my traitorous natural instincts to laugh nervously and blush has him chuckling smugly to himself. I sort of nod my head before about turning to begin my walk home in the late afternoon sun, all the while digging into my bag to try and find my phone.

“If you’re looking for your phone, I think you’ll find it at the bottom of the pier, swimming with the fish!” Xander informs me from behind, sounding much closer than where I had just left him on the sand.

“Marvellous,” I mutter with irritation. “Are you following me?”

“I’m just taking in the fresh Californian air! If you happen to be going in my direction, then so be it!” he replies, looking both laid back and confident in his saunter alongside me.

“Listen, Xander, I’ve been through a lot today, and I really am grateful to you for saving me, but if you don’t mind, I would rather just walk home alone.”

“Trouble is, Moneypenny,” he sighs theatrically, “I need to make sure you get home without being blown up, kidnapped, or drowned. I’m just that kind of guy, and you do seem to get yourself into a lot of trouble!”

“Moneypenny?! Really?” I raise my brow while he sports one of his cheeky grins my way. “I’ll be fine, Captain America!”

His grin morphs into laughter, so I have no choice but to smile along with him.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to try anything on. I’ve been warned, remember?” I wince with a sigh over the thought of Oliver losing his shit with him outside of my hospital room. The last thing I want to happen is for someone else to get involved with all my crap. “Besides, you’re not my type in the slightest.”

“I’m sure I’m not, given your propensity for groping more appeasing girls in the school parking lot,” I retort with my own cheeky smirk.

---