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The tears start again, and I feel like I’m choking. “So you’re kidnapping me now? You saved me just to kidnap me yourself. Let me go. I’ll go back to Ohio, and you’ll never hear from me again.”
“You won’t be safe anywhere, Hannah. Not until the threat is over. I’m not kidnapping you. I’m keeping you safe.”
“Please,” I beg. “Please let me go. I have a cat and a life.”
“You can get your cat and everything you need from your apartment. But the men who took you will most likely try to take you again because they think they can use you to get to me. Or they’ll just want you dead as a loose end.”
“What are you?” I ask through my tears. “What am I caught up in?”
“It’s best you know as little as possible. You can return to your life once the threat is over and dealt with.” He reaches for my hand, but I pull away from him, hugging my knees and sobbing.
“This isn’t fair.”
Luka gives me a sad smile. “Life generally isn’t fair. Look, it’s the middle of the afternoon, and you probably haven’t had anything to eat, so let’s get some food in you.” He stands up and waits for me.
I wipe my face on my sleeve and slide out of the bed. My trainers are next to the bed on the other side, so I go there and slip them on. I hug myself and follow Luka out of the bedroom.
I wait for him to be distracted before I push past him and run for the door. As I open it, I run into the back of a large man.
I remember him from the morning.
Monty.
He turns and looks at me. “I’m afraid I can’t let you out, ma’am.”
Luka chuckles. “I give you credit for bravery. Not a lot of people push me out of the way. Come on and eat something.”
I notice the gun that Monty is carrying, and I promptly go to the dining room table where Luka is sitting.
“I had the cook make us some steaks with fried eggs and chips,” he motions to the table. There’s apple juice if you want some; otherwise, I can offer you sparkling or still water.”
“Apple juice is fine,” I say quietly.
He pours me some, and I sip on it as we sit there in an awkward silence.
Monty leaves to stand outside again, and Luka smiles. “See, it’s just like doing normal things; you’ll just be doing them at my place.”
“Like a prisoner?” I ask quietly.
“Like a guest,” Luka says with a smile. “Like best friends staying over.”
“You’re not my friend. I don’t even know you,” I say sadly, feeling the tears well up inside me again. “All this because you decided to bring me to your house last night.”
“I was saving you,” he says quietly. He looks at me thoughtfully. “I am drawn to you like a magnet, but I didn’t mean to upend your life, Hannah.”
“Then let me go. I’ll move back to Ohio, and this will be over,” I plead again. How many times have I asked to be let go today?
“I am not holding you prisoner, Hannah. I am keeping you safe. I promise it’s for your own good. I will resolve this as quickly as possible, and then you don’t need to move to Ohio. You can just resume your regular life, okay?” Luke sits back as the cook brings two plates to the table.
The food does look good, and I am hungry. I pick up the cutlery, and I begin to eat. Luka eats his food hungrily, but in moments, I’m reduced to picking. As hungry as I am, how do I know the food isn’t drugged? Would Luka drug me? What have I gotten myself into?
Luka notices me picking at my food and frowns. “Is something wrong?”
“I just… I want to go home and go back to my life,” I mutter the words quietly.
“I’m doing this to protect you,” Luka says. “If I don’t, they could kill you or your family.”
I look up at that. “Why would they go after my family?” I ask worriedly, thinking about my cousins.
