Page 117 of Pretend
Are these side effects from him drugging me?
I pinch myself, rub my arms, and close my eyes over and over again to see if my horrid scenery will disappear. But when I open my eyes, nothing changes.
Something inside me decides to check his pockets. I head back to his room to check his pockets and find my hair. My curls. The same curls he texted me a photo of.
It’s him. He’s the one that’s been watching me.
I start grabbing my clothes quickly but quietly. And just when I’ve put on my shoes, I’m opening the bedroom door. My heart thundering, and fear sets into every particle of my being.
I stand there, my hand on the doorknob, and I want to run.
But I’m paralyzed for some reason. The shock has caught up to me, and I feel like I’m about to fall over and faint, the nausea overpowering my movements.
“Alessia.” He calls out for me.
“It’s you, you’ve been watching me. The one who sent me those flowers. You cut a piece of my hair off.”
“Alessia…don’t do this.Don’t run.”
I elbow him in the stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs, and a loud, pained grunt follows.
I take advantage and swing the door further open, bolting out as fast as I can, and start to run for my life.
46
ALESSIA
I’m scrambling,banking left and right until finally I get a hold of my common sense and head towards his living room. I’m running barefoot, and remember that I don’t have my car, phone, or wallet.
I let myself get consumed by our magnetic chemistry even though he did unspeakable things to get me here. He had me under his spell, and I forgave him too quickly. I let him fuck me. Hell, I chased that feeling of being wrapped into this delusional man, too.
And now?
Is he the one working with human traffickers? Did he turn in Ari and Grim for money?
Was he going to do the same to me?
My heartbeat races dangerously palpitating, and I have to think quickly. I run to his kitchen and I remember seeing handguns in almost every corner of his house. The man likes his firearms.
So, I look into the kitchen drawers and, at the same time, wait for Daegan to come out of the hallway to grab me or hurt me.
I lunge for his pantry, and to my surprise, I find a Glock 42. It’s hidden behind pasta boxes, but still. The dark green design stands out, and I reach for it. I check if it’s loaded and see that there’s one bullet in the chamber.
“Alessia! Please, listen to me.” Daegan begs, his dark falling over his bright eyes that are darkening with desperation. He grips the kitchen counter, and I raise the gun to him.
“Why do you have my hair in your pocket, Daegan?”
“Alessia, please put the gun down, baby.”
“Why do you have pictures of me, Creature?!”
He stiffens like I had already shot a bullet through his chest at my words.
“Don’t call me that. You’ve never called me by my operator name, so don’t you start now!” He snarls. “Don’t act like you’re not in love with me because you know me, Alessia. I’m not here to hurt you!”
“I really don’t know you, though.” My lips tremble as I place my finger on the trigger. “Did you bring me here on purpose? Are you the one that’s trying to capture me for money? To give me up for human trafficking? What? Was the money you got for Danny and Ari not enough? This was all a lie?!”
“NO!” He roars with disbelief like he can’t register my accusations because they’re too shocking.
