Catalyst (13 page)

“Is this why you keep bringing up yesterday? Because of Noah? You were supposed to be in Dallas, I thought?” I huff out and can’t help but wonder how well I really know Maguire and wonder how well he knows me.

“So because I wasn’t around for one damn day, you decide to move on? Noah is a player, sweetheart. He hops from one bed to the next. Do you want something temporary or something forever?” He laughs at me while shaking his head. “Don’t be so naïve, Tinsley. Noah sees you as a challenge and nothing more.”

Hearing Maguire’s hurtful words is like a punch to the gut. I know Noah’s been with other women, but I seriously doubt he’d throw our friendship away for a night in the sack. I remind myself Maguire’s the crazy one is in this situation, though, and know he’s saying what he is to get a reaction from me.

“You think this is going to get you forever?” I look around the bedroom. “I’m in the bedroom Liam and I used to sleep in. You kidnapped me and think that now,
now
I should realize we’re meant to be together? You’re meant to be locked up with the key thrown away. You don’t deserve me, you bastard.” I’m screaming at the top of my lungs by the time I finish. I feel relief but know there’s going to be a shit storm to pay.

“I’m sorry. I guess you didn’t realize that your opinion doesn’t matter right now. Until I can see a real change, this is how it’s going to be,” he says as he slaps me across the face. I turn to stand back up, but that’s when I feel it.

The quick burn and warmth originating from my arm. Collapsing on the bed, darkness consumes me and makes me free.

Maguire

SHE’S MESSING WITH
my head. Playing sweet and understanding before showing her uglier feelings toward me. I had thought for a moment that we were making progress.

Tomorrow, she’ll realize how it’ll benefit both her and Noah if she cooperates.

I swear she still feels something for me. That lingering chemistry is what I’m tethering myself to, and as long as we keep that spark alive, we have a chance. She might think I’m crazy, but her body wants to surrender to me. The back and forth will get easier with time.

She’ll learn quickly that arguing with me will only get her one place. Deep sleep. I’m not putting up with her bullshit whining. I don’t need to. She’ll learn quickly enough, or else Noah will be the one who pays.

Thinking back to our shower, it took everything in my power not to slip my fingers inside her. Her soft skin rubbing against my cock was almost enough for me to lose it, but I kept it reeled in. I’ll have her again, no doubt.

I’m not a bad person.

I know what I want and will do whatever it takes to get it.

I’ve had a taste of her, and I know how worth it she’ll be to have again. She’s just confused right now, and that’s okay. With Noah out of the picture, she’ll slowly fall back in love with me. She’ll see all I’ve done just because of my love for her.

Watching her sleep, her breasts swayed over to the right as she lies on her side. Beautiful pink nipples just begging to be sucked and nipped. It’s only been a few days since we were together, and I can’t help but wish we could go back to simpler times—where we could go out on dates and be in public.

Eventually, we’ll get back to that point. I unlocked the handcuffs while she slept but reattached one of her ankle chains. I’m not risking anything at this point.

Making my way downstairs, I call Jameson, my go-to guy to get a job done quietly. He’s been put in charge of handling Noah. Not that I really care about his well-being, but I need him alive right now. He’s my leverage, and if he dies, well, I’ll have to work harder.

“Any updates?” I ask quietly, knowing Tinsley will be asleep for a few more hours but not wanting to disrupt her sleep.

“Not many. He passed out after about a half hour of—discussion. Been out cold since. He’s breathing okay, though, and nothing was done that won’t heal. Eventually,” Jameson tells me, and I know exactly why I hired him. He’s to the point, quick, and loyal.

“I’ll check in tomorrow. Keep him alive.” I end the call and contemplate tomorrow’s agenda. I’m not a patient person. The longer this takes, I know the worse it’ll be for her.

All I want at the end of the day is to be happy with her and settle down. It isn’t some sick or twisted dream, per se. She makes me do crazy things, and now, I’m vested in her. Parts of her are intertwined through all aspects of my life, and I’ve put too much work in not to have her.

I love that girl. And one day, she’ll love me too.

Tinsley

I WAKE UP TO
the sounds of a movie playing. As I slowly open my eyes, I quickly notice that we are no longer in his bedroom. Instead, we are in his living room on the couch in a position that looks like we’re snuggling.

Except I’ve been passed out because the fucker drugged me.

Trying to stay as still as possible, I try to acquaint myself with my surroundings before he notices I’m awake. There’s a bowl of popcorn on the table in front of us along with two water bottles. The blinds are closed and the curtains are pulled shut, but light peeks through the edges.

How long have I been out? I’m losing track of what time of day it is or, for that matter, what day it is at all.

His room is tidy, no trash or disarray anywhere to be seen. I have a blanket over me, and I am leaning on his shoulder with his arm wrapped around me.

“Sleep well?” he asks, rubbing my outside shoulder lightly. There’s no hint of anger or conflict when he speaks.

“How long have I been out?” I ask quietly. My head pounds as I speak. The damn drugs are messing with my body.

“Long enough.”

Grumbling, I reply, “That’s not an answer.”

“It’s what I have to offer someone who hasn’t been so nice to me. You’ll learn.” Reaching in front of us for the popcorn, he ends up pulling me with him. Again, as if I’m some sort of rag doll.

My thoughts wander to Noah and how he is, if he’s thinking about me at all, or if he’s noticed I’ve been out of touch far longer than usual. Besides work, I’m never away from home all that long.

After Liam had passed away, it became a habit of mine to make my apartment my home base. I’d run out to get what I needed done and get back. Grocery store runs, bank runs, work runs. Occasionally, friends were mixed in with that, but it quickly became my security blanket.

Maguire had been the catalyst for me getting out of the house more and for me letting go of the past. I took a chance on him and look where it got me.

He wants me to be nice, so I will. Mainly because I don’t want him to drug me anymore. There’s also the hope I’ll be able to get out of his home, alive and unscathed.

“What are we watching?” I try my damnedest to sound sincere and submissive.

He looks at me as if I should know just by the few minutes we’ve watched. Finally, he answers. “
In Time
.”

This means nothing to me. It doesn’t mean anything until I see Justin Timberlake, and I realize I saw this movie a while ago. I allow myself to relax and enjoy the movie, having nothing else to do. He shares the popcorn with me. Hesitantly, I take a bite but figure that if he had done something to it, he wouldn’t be chowing down on it too.

Time passes by and the movie is almost over. It isn’t until the last five minutes that I realize the girl in the movie and I have a connection. We’ve both basically been taken and have certain feelings toward our captors.

I repeat over and over to myself that I won’t fall for Maguire. I keep reminding myself how sick he is and how he can’t be trusted.

I won’t be the victim. I won’t fall for him.

I have to play the part to break free.

We end up watching random cooking shows for another hour or so before he sets the remote down and stands. Looking up, I wonder what’s next on our ever so exciting agenda.

He smiles and mouths ‘I’m sorry’ before picking me up like a child and carrying me upstairs, like a child.

He carries me gently to the bed and locks my ankles and wrists.

However, this time, I don’t fight it. I don’t rebel. I simply watch as each cuff locks into place, rubbing my already broken and raw skin. I smile timidly as he looks down at me and walks away.

Once he’s in the hallway, he hollers to me that dinner will be ready in half an hour.

So I wait, alone in his bed, and listen to him cook downstairs.

I’m stuck in my head, and I’m seriously getting tired of being alone with my thoughts. Wondering what will send Maguire over the edge. Or what he’ll do to me if he realizes I’m pretending to care about him and am biding my time to run away. Thoughts of him keeping me as his property scare me to death.

I need sunshine. I need social interaction.

I need Liam.

Time passes by quickly, though, and I’m startled when he comes back into the room with one plate and two drinks.

Such a strange man.

He sits me up, just like last time, and cuts my food before feeding it to me. I can’t help but moan at how delicious it tastes. He put some type of herbs over the pork chop and cooked it perfectly. Alongside some broccoli and skillet potatoes, he made a damn good dish.

We barely talk. What we need to say is done through our actions and our eyes.

I can see the love in his eyes. Right behind it, is something darker. He’s always gentle with me as long as I’m being nice.

What scares me is that he sees his future with me in it. Once I get away, I hardly doubt I’ll be safe. He’s gone through detailed measures to keep me here, so I know he won’t quit without a fight.

Not knowing how far he’ll go, I pray that something bad hasn’t happened to Noah.

My curiosity gets the better of me after dinner, and I break down and ask him.

“Did you bring my phone with you? You know, when you picked me up from my home?” I try to make it sound like the fucker didn’t kidnap me. Even though that’s exactly what he did.

“Mmmhmm,” he replies as he runs a bath.

“Have you checked it for messages? You wouldn’t want people worrying.” I try to sound helpful and not suspicious.

“No one’s texted you.”

That hurts. Both Shannon and Noah haven’t noticed a damn thing wrong. Some friends they are.

“Thanks,” I mutter, but I’m breaking inside. My hope was that someone would come for me. If no one is looking, I might as well be dead.

Maguire comes back into the room and unlocks my chains before lifting me up and carrying me into the bathroom. He doesn’t handcuff me this time, but I realize he locks the door with a real key. He undresses before stepping into the tub filled with hot water. It’s sad how I don’t even realize I’m still naked like it’s my new norm. He helps me get in after him, and I have nowhere to sit except for between his legs.

It’s intimate. It’s what we’ve done before, just last week. He fucked me in my bathtub and after, we fell asleep in my bed without a second thought. It was a normal thing for two people in a relationship to do.

Now, it makes my skin crawl, but I try to hide it.

He’s recreating our dates. Sure, the movie was a different movie but many nights we sat on my couch, eating popcorn while I snuggled up to his side.

I’ve ordered pork chops with broccoli at a restaurant with him before.

Holy fuck.

He’s calculated. He has a plan.

A plan for me.

For us.

I rest against him, trying to wrap my brain around the complex man behind me. Maguire uses a loofah to clean my shoulders and arms. He’s methodical, working his way down my left arm before working back up and cleaning the underside of it. He does the same for my right arm.

I can feel his heart beating against me, slow and even. It’s almost as if this isn’t out of the ordinary for him. That he isn’t worried about me running or trying to hurt him. This is a part of his day.

“Thank you for not running. I’d hate to have to punish you. I’m sorry your poor ankles and wrists are so raw. I’ll try to leave them off a bit more if I know you won’t run.”

I nod my head slightly. He says nothing else as the water around us turns lukewarm over time.

I have so many questions swirling through my head but am terrified of some of the answers. He’s been so quiet compared to how we used to be. We used to talk about anything and everything and now? Now, I’m scared to say anything. I think he knows this. He’s been letting me acclimate to this, this new
us
.

Thoughts of what would happen if he hadn’t kidnapped me. If in some alternate reality, we ended up staying together and got married. What if I hadn’t chosen Noah?

I know that deep down, me choosing Noah was the catalyst for Maguire’s actions. He knew he was going to lose me, and in his head, that wasn’t an option.

“Where’s Noah?” I blurt out, needing to know. I feel his body stiffen for a moment, but he doesn’t answer me. “Maguire?” I insist.

He sighs and finally answers me. “He’s around.”

“Around?” I try not to sound too worried, for Noah’s sake.

“He’s where he needs to be. When he’s close to you, your mind becomes clouded with uncertainty and false hope. Noah is a reminder of the life you used to have. You need a fresh start. We’re together now, and that’s what matters.”