Page 5 of His Captive

He looks uncomfortable, almost as if socializing is a struggle for him. Occasionally his eyes look up and find me, his blank stare lingering on me until I back down and shyly look away from him.

Positioning myself in the doorway that separates the entertainment room where the party is being held from the hall. I keep checking over my shoulder for the signal, at the same time going over and over the plan in my head.

See the signal. Walk out of the front door. That’s all I have to do. Just walk out the door.

I watch middle-aged guy and Rick disappear into Ethan’s office. Meaning computer genius kid has done his job and shut off all the security cameras.

A quick glance back over to Ethan sees him talking to a middle-aged woman, diamonds dangling from her like a Christmas tree. Doing a much better job of keeping his attention than I ever could.

My anxiety continues to build while I wait for the signal.

Just walk out of the door...

Nobody will be there, security will be dealing with the ‘disruption’ out in the stables. The plan will work.

It has to work.

“These look delicious.”

My head whips around to the short, bald man, whose hand has reached out to the platter I’m holding. He takes one of the canapes and pops it his mouth, a satisfied hum following as he chews. Another glance behind me catches Rick waving his hand from the office door, signaling that they’re about to leave through the office window.

Walk out the door, that’s all I have to do. Just walk out the door.

“I’ve always wondered how you make these look so appealing. You must spend so much time on presentation,” the man carefully assesses the next item he plans to eat.

“I wouldn’t know, sir, I just serve them,” I respond, trying to remain polite but also knowing that I have to move. Fast.

“Is there avocado in these?” he queries pointing to one of the appetizers.

“You know what? I’m unsure. Let me pop into the kitchen and check for you,” I take the tray with me, starting to back out of the room. Turning when I make it into the hall, all my focus set on getting to that door.

The distance between me and my exit seems a marathon away as I pace across the marble floor. And the sudden sound of footsteps behind me encourage me to speed up. I loose the tray out of my hands. It falls onto the floor making a loud crash that travels up through the ceiling and echoes along the walls.

I don’t look back to see who’s behind me, just keep on moving forward. I reach out my hand when I’m close enough, wrapping my fingers around the brass handle of the door, and my heart thuds as I pull it open.

Rick’s upper body is hanging out the side door of the van, the engine already running and although the blood rushing past my ears prevents me from hearing him, I know he’s yelling at me.

I take my first step out into the cool air, and that’s when I feel it...a sturdy arm crushing around my middle, snatching me back and slamming my shoulders onto a solid chest.

Rick scowls, his head shaking his disappointment in me as he rolls the side door closed and the van’s tires screech loudly and speed away.

They’ve left me.

Warm breath touches against my ear, its heat causing a fine mist as it meets with the cold air encircling me.

And I know...from the way my body tingles and my stomach dips, I know who’s holding me. The rough jaw that prickles against my cheek is just the confirmation of it.

“Oh dear.” Ethan’s gravelly tone vibrates right through me, changing the beat of my pulse. He gets distracted when two men dressed in black suits run from the side of the house.

“Mr. Shaw... are you okay, sir? There was a disturbance round back, and the radios went down,” one of them explain. Both the men are absolutely huge, with matching buzz cuts, and mean faces which I struggle to tell apart.

“No, everything isn’t o-fuckin-kay. The caterers have just hightailed. Something's wrong.” Ethan sounds murderous, his grip on me seeming to crush tighter.

“Though, they did leave something behind in their hurry to leave.”

His free hand slips along the front of my body and wraps itself around my throat. I try to fight him off, struggling against him, but his strong arms hold me firmly in place.

“Tristan, check the CCTV. Joel, get all those fuckin people out of my house. The party's over.”

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