Page 55 of Capturing Ava
I could spend my days with him and never utter a word. He never asked me if I felt anything for him, he never asked me for anything, he was just happy with how things were, never pressuring me to give him what I couldn’t or wasn’t ready for. I could spend forever, never admitting to him or myself his, I felt, and he would still never force out the words he was already aware of.
Then excitement runs through my body. I didn’t want to spend forever as his captive; I didn’t want to spend forever, never telling him I loved him. I wanted him to know that despite everything; I felt something for him, too. I couldn’t let fear stop me from telling him. If I didn’t do it now, then I knew I would never do it.
I’m going to tell him.
Pushing my hand on the handle, I thrash open the door with excitement running through my veins. I can feel every vibration of excitement pierce my body and I rush into the hallway, running towards his room. I feel powerful hands grip me from behind. I can feel his tight grip as my body is crushed against his.
“Nikoli will be so happy to see you.” I hear his slimy voice in my ear and fear shoots up my spine. I don’t speak, the only thing I can do is shake my head.
I can’t move. I’m standing crushed against his body and I can feel the tremors of excitement dissipate. and that excitement is quickly replaced by something I hadn’t felt for years. Fear. Not just normal fear, but fear that makes you want to crawl back into a hole you thought you’d never have to hide in again.
He had found me.
I feel his hand snake up my body, but not sexually. He snaked his hand up my body in a domineering way. He had found me and I knew this time I would never escape. As his hand moves closer to my head, I can smell something pungent coming from the clean handkerchief he holds in his grasp.
Opening my mouth, I know what I need to do. I need to scream; I need to alert Chase to the danger I am in and help myself, but as my mouth opens, no sound comes out. Of all the times my body is paralysed with fear, it chooses now.
Scream, scream, scream. I will myself to scream, shout, and make any noise, but with my mouth opened nothing comes out, not even a whimper.
“Don’t worry. You will be back home before you know it.” His slimy voice threatens. While bringing his hand closer to my mouth.
“I never got to say I love him.” I finally mutter before I feel his hand pressed hard against mine and the fumes from the cloth he holds in his hands hit my body instantly, making my head spin.
The only words I had to speak were ones spoken with regret. I would never get to tell him how much he meant to me. I would never get to tell him he had saved me. I would never get to tell him anything because now I had to go back to the nightmare I thought I had escaped.
Nikoli had stolen that from me, too. He had stolen my chance to tell Chase that I loved him. I had waited too long and now he would never know. He would think I had run away and now he would never know.
I can feel my eyes slipping and the darkness coming. I knew I didn’t have long until the darkness consumed me and the same thought travelled around my head as if I have played it on a loop.
He would never know.
EPILOGUE
NIKOLI
Pacingtheroom,Ifinally found her. My little girl was coming home and I couldn’t wait to see the look on her face when we came face to face. Still wasn’t sure how she had escaped or evaded me for so long, but that no longer mattered.
Ava was coming home.
Chase thought he had outsmarted me, that he could keep my little girl hidden from me forever, but what he hadn’t realised was—in the end, I always win. I thought he would have accepted my truce. Shit, even offered the stubborn bastard a reward, and he had still left me in silence. It wasn’t easy finding where he had her hidden, but when I found her, I knew revenge on that low life didn’t matter. Losing her would be vengeance enough.
I had found her first. He couldn’t keep her. She belonged to me and this time I would make sure she never slipped through my fingers. When she came back home, she wouldn’t be leaving.
Of course, I knew he would come looking for her. That was something I was rather looking forward to. Then she could watch him die at her feet. That would be her last lesson for defying me and running away. Take away their safety net and they would never feel safe again. The only safety net Ava would ever get to depend on again was mine, but she would have to earn that.
“You found her then?” I hear Audrey interrupt my manic thoughts.
“Did you ever think I wouldn’t?” I smirk.
“No, of course not, father. You are brilliant. I knew you would find her.”
“Oh, don’t butter me up, child. Don’t think I didn’t notice your disappearance, too.”
“I was sad. She was my only friend.” Her eyes are full of sadness and I take a step back. I guess I had never thought about how Ava’s disappearance would affect her.
“Of course you were.” I put my hand on her shoulder. “Well, we are all back together again. Like a joyful family reunion.” She nods and walks away from me.
Audrey had been like a ghost since Ava had left. It was like I had lost both my girls, but Audrey would still come if I asked too, but a niggling feeling still gnawed at me that Audrey didn’t want to be here. Now that Ava was coming home, I knew she would never leave and finally, I would have some order back in this house.
