Unfold Me (6 page)

“Kitten, where are you?” Archer calls, and a wave of nausea rises in my throat. My chest constricts and I press my hand over my mouth not to make a sound. He’s not here. He can’t be. But the shocked look in Isaac’s eyes tells me that yes, somehow Archer’s in my home. I pinch myself just in case I’m dreaming, but I don’t wake up.

“Come on, Kitten, where are you hiding?” Archer repeats, his footsteps coming closer.

“Stay here,” I whisper to Isaac, who looks at me with narrowed eyes full of suspicion. My head is swimming as I stumble into the hallway.

“Ah, there you are.” Archer’s lips spread into a smile. He’s as handsome as ever, his dark hair perfectly combed, his suit and tie impeccable.

“How did you get in here?” I ask quietly, stopping in the middle of the hallway, at a safe distance from him. My heart is beating so loudly that I can barely hear anything else.

He lifts his hand and waves a key. “I told you I could get in anywhere I want. Nothing can stop me.”

“You’re not supposed to be here. We... we have a deal.” I glance toward the living room. My gun is in the safe in there, but if I start running, Archer will follow me, and he’s quick... He’s always been good at catching me before I could do anything.

“I know.” He takes a step forward. “Doesn’t mean we can’t talk.”

“What do you want?” I back away as he approaches, but then I steel myself and lean against the wall. He steps so close to me that I can smell his cologne, and goose bumps break out on my arms.

“I heard a rumor,” he says, “that you have something of mine.” The way his eyes travel over my body make me both sick and excited.

“There’s nothing in here that belongs to you,” I say, keeping my voice as steady as possible. “You’re mistaken.”

“Are you sure about that?” The corners of his lips quirk up and he leans against the wall right next to me.

“Yes.”

“Okay.” He lifts his hand up, but he’s still smiling. “Let me rephrase that. You’ve got something I wanted.”

“Oh?” I raise an eyebrow at him. “Well, that’s too bad, because it’s mine now.”

“So it’s true. It really was you who bought that slave at the auction.” He tips his head to the side. “I have to admit I was surprised to hear that. I mean, what would you do with a slave?” He chuckles. “Unless... you knew I’d find out... and that I’d come see you.” He leans forward until his lips almost touch mine. “I thought you missed me.”

“You were wrong.” I swallow hard.

He straightens his back, eyeing me. “What game are you playing, Kitten? You know I’m watching your every move.”

“I didn’t violate our deal,” I say. “I don’t remember that you ever forbade me from buying a slave.”

“True.” He grins. “What are you going to do with him anyway?”

“That’s none of your business.” I glare at him.

“You don’t have it in you, Kitten. You were born to be a slave, not a master.” His hand hovers near my face, but he doesn’t touch me. I lean my head toward his hand, but catch myself at the last moment. The satisfied smirk on Archer’s face tells me that he can see that, yes, one part of me did miss him.

“Funny you say that.” I give him a look through my eyelashes. “You see, I finally found my true self, and it wasn’t thanks to you.”

“Don’t tell me you forgot how you begged me to fuck you. How you moaned when I was inside you...” He lowers his hand onto my breast, and I yelp. He’s not supposed to be touching me, but there’s no one here to see this small violation of our deal. It’s not like there’s a way to prove it. A shudder runs through my body as he slowly and gently lowers his hand down my stomach and slips it into my pants.

“You want this,” he says. “I know you do.” 

“No, I...” I blink, gasping for breath, then notice a shadow in the corner of my eye.

Archer turns his head, and I follow his gaze. Isaac is standing in the middle of the hallway, his mouth hanging open.

“Let go of her!” Isaac yells.

“Hello, Isaac,” Archer says softly, pulling his hand out of my pants, and I close my eyes for a moment in relief. “It’s been a while.” He starts toward Isaac, whose eyes are wide.

“What’s the matter? Did you think I’ve forgotten you?” Archer laughs.

“You son of a...!” Isaac growls, lifting his fist.

“Nuh uh.” Archer waves his hand. “If you lay a finger on me, I’ll make sure you and everyone you care about regret it.”

Isaac lowers his hand and glances at me, his eyes troubled. Archer reaches out and places his hand on Isaac’s cheek. Isaac flinches and tries to move his head away, but Archer grips his chin, his nails digging into Isaac’s skin. “Maybe your new mistress will let us repeat our good times.” His other hand trails down Isaac’s chest. I don’t waste a second; I dash for the living room. My hands are shaking as I open the safe and grab the gun.

“Let go of him,” I say, pointing the gun at Archer’s back. His hand squeezes around Isaac’s throat, who is trying to push Archer away, but Archer’s other hand is going for Isaac’s crotch. When he glances over his shoulder, he suddenly lets go of Isaac, who falls back, coughing.

“What are you doing with that, Kitten? You’re not going to shoot me.” Archer spreads his arms, a smile playing on his lips.

“You broke into my home.” I aim the gun at his head.

“You wanted to see me. Don’t deny it.” He comes closer, and I grip the gun as if it were the only thing keeping me alive.

“Just leave.” I wish I could just empty the gun into him, but I can’t. If I do that, Archer’s men will kill my family, and I can’t let that happen.

“Okay. It was nice seeing you too.” He laughs, putting his hands in his pockets, and strolls to the door. “If you change your mind you know where to find me. We can always... do whatever you want.” He winks at me. As he opens the door, he glances over his shoulder. “Oh, and if you’re really serious about being a mistress, maybe you should come to one of my parties.” He bursts out laughing, then closes the door.

I drop the gun and sink to the floor, my whole body trembling. I’m vaguely aware of Isaac coming toward me, but when he crouches in front of me and reaches out, I back away and hold my hands up. “Don’t touch me!”

His brow is creased with worry, but he gets up and walks away. I pull my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around them, leaning my chin on my knee. As I rock back and fort, I can’t stop thinking about Archer.

I’m lying in the darkness on the cold floor of a dungeon. My bloody hand is cradled to my chest. I’ve cut myself on the metal cage while I fought with my captors. My stomach is rumbling, and I can’t remember the last time I ate something.

When the door of the small room I’m in opens, I squint because there’s suddenly too much light. But when I can finally see again, I notice a tall man standing in front of me, and unlike the others before him, he’s not wearing a black mask. I pull myself up, readying myself to jump on him, but behind him is a masked man with a gun in his hand. The gun is pointed at me. My heart skips a beat. They’re going to kill me. They must’ve gotten sick of me constantly fighting them.

“Please. Don’t hurt me! I just want to go home,” I sob, curling into a ball.

“Shh,” the man says, crouching in front of me. He’s wearing a black suit and his eyes are so incredibly blue. He reaches out to me, and I back away, but when he lowers his hand on my cheek, there’s no pain. I just watch him, my whole body trembling. “Listen to me,” he says, tipping my chin up so his eyes meet mine. “You have a choice. You can come with me and do as I say, and I’ll take care of you and make sure that no one hurts you. If you don’t want to be mine, you can stay here and take your chances with these men.” His eyes bore into mine. “So what do you say? Are you coming with me?”

“Yes,” I whisper. All I want is to get out of here, to take a hot shower, and eat something. Because if I stay here, I know I’m going to die. I’m already getting too weak to fight. Not that my scratches and kicks earn me anything other than more bruises and cuts.

A smile breaks out on his lips. “Good.” He shrugs out of his suit jacket and drapes it over my shoulders, then picks me up into his strong arms. As his warmth envelops me, I close my eyes and rest my head on his shoulder.

“It’s okay. You’re safe now,” he says as he carries me through the dark hallways.

I rub my forehead and lift my head to see Isaac approaching with a glass of water. He sets the glass on the floor next to me, then goes back to the kitchen without a word. I sigh, banging my head lightly on the wall.

One more person knows my secret now, thanks to Archer. I wish there was something to get him out of my life once and for all, but I’ve been thinking about it for two years and I still haven’t found a way to do it... or figured out if that’s what I really want. I shake my head. I have to stop thinking about the man who stole my life. But first, I have to call someone to change all the locks.

The sole thought of Archer being able to come in here whenever he wants... He might not be able to force me to have sex with him without violating our deal, but Isaac... I don’t want him anywhere near Isaac. Gathering my strength, I lift myself to my feet and wipe the tears from my face in one angry swipe.

I hesitate before the kitchen door but finally steel myself and go inside. There’s no point in avoiding the inevitable conversation that I need to have with Isaac about what happened, and now that he knows the truth about me, maybe he’ll be more willing to talk to me. Maybe.

Isaac is sitting at the table, absently tapping his fingers against its wooden surface. When he looks up at me, his face is clean of all emotion. I head over to the counter and pull out a bottle of vodka, then pick up two glasses and place them on the table in front of him.

“We need to talk,” I say, taking a seat in the chair opposite him. He just watches me, so I pour some vodka into his glass and then into mine. Taking a big gulp, I let it burn its way down my throat.

“How...?” Isaac starts to ask.

“How do I know Archer?”

He nods.

“It’s a long story, but hey, only like three or four people know about this, and you’re one of them, so I might as well tell you the whole truth.” I stare at my glass. “That is, if you want to hear it.” I glance at him.

“I do.”

“Okay, here goes.” I’m stalling because I don’t even know how to begin. “One day on my way home, a black van pulled up next to me. There wasn’t anyone on the street, so I quickened my pace, but a group of men came out and...” I run my hand through my hair. “...and they took me. I couldn’t fight them all, and they just shoved me into the van and stuck a needle of something into my arm, and then everything went black.”

Isaac grimaces.

“The next thing I know, I wake up in a dark dungeon that smells of dampness and piss. My attackers keep coming back, black masks covering their heads, and they keep telling me I’m a sex slave now and should do as they say, but when they try to touch me or force me to...” I fiddle with my fingers. “I scratch, I kick, I scream, and hope someone will come for me... but days pass, and I know no one is coming to save me. No one knows where I am, and my attackers stop giving me food and I just... I know I can’t fight them anymore. Then Archer comes and offers me a way out... He promises not to let anyone hurt me if I just agree to be his. Guess what I did.” I avert my gaze.

“You didn’t have a choice,” Isaac says, and I meet his intent eyes.

“I know. I just...”

“You wish there was something you could’ve done,” he says quietly, and I nod.

“So, yeah, Archer took me to his... place or I don’t know where, but I suddenly felt safe, even though he... what he asked me to do, and what I had to do in order not to displease him...” I shake my head. “I was his slave, and my life changed completely.”

“How did you get free?” Isaac tilts his head.

“After three months, Archer informed me that my father was looking for me, and that was when Archer found out that I wasn’t just any girl, but the daughter of one of the richest men in the city. He couldn’t exactly keep me, and my father’s investigators were coming closer and closer... so Archer offered my father and me a deal,” I say bitterly.

“A deal?” Isaac frowns. “But your father could’ve taken Archer out...”

“Yeah, he could’ve, but... Archer has videos of me... videos that I don’t want anyone to see,” I say. “If he gets arrested because of me, or if I or my family reveal anything about him, Archer’s men will release the videos, and I can’t... I can’t let that happen. If people knew the truth about me, I don’t think I’d ever be able to face them again. And the scandal would be too much for me and my family, and... Archer used that.”

“But you were a victim. How could the videos ever....?” Isaac narrows his eyes at me.

I pour more vodka and take a sip. “Because... that’s not what it looks like on those videos.” I can’t believe I’m telling him that. I haven’t told that to anyone. “You know, when Archer was nice to me, I kind of... I kind of liked it, and what he did to me... some of it... excited me.”

Isaac’s eyes fill with sadness and I know he’s probably the only one who can understand how I feel. “So your deal... you agreed to do what, exactly? He’s still terrorizing you in your home.” There’s a hint of anger in Isaac’s voice.