His Price (21 page)

And with my eyes open wide, I prayed someone would look out into the driveway, or step outside and see him taking me. Desperately I wanted to see Hegan, see his face emerge through that front door.

But there was no one. I was outside in fear of my life, and everyone in there was partying without a clue.

Crossing through the hoard of cars, Stefan approached my beat up sedan. “Key?” He angrily spat out.

“I, I don't have it. The valet does.” My spirit started to lift, a sense of relief began to flow. We couldn't go anywhere without my keys, and inside I laughed at him.

“That's right, you don't. I do.” Dangling them in front of my face, I didn't have to see him to know he was smiling.

Fuck! He grabbed my keys. Motherfucker!
Looking around, I thought about running, but he had a gun. If I took off he could shoot me easily, I was in heels. The exact opposite of what you would need to run through the snow and ice.

The clomp of feet hit the pavement, echoing across the frozen driveway. “Stefan? Is that you?” Anthony had appeared through the row of cars.

Thank you, thank you.
I thought, glancing up at the starry night sky.

Whispering into my ear, he said, “Don't say a fucking word.” Clearing his throat, he turned towards the young man, hiding the gun between us. “Yeah, it's me. I'm taking Noella to her family. There was an emergency and she needs to get there quickly.”

“Oh, okay. Well I hope everything's alright.”

“Yes, me too. She's a bit worked up, so I'm going to make sure she get's to Bernadette safely.”

Every piece of me wanted to yell and scream, but the hard metal buried against my back held me silent. My lungs were inhaling slowly, trying to force down the icy air. I had to keep calm, had to.

It was the most important thing for me to do, risking my life wasn't an option.

“Alright, Sir. Good luck, Noella.” And like that, he was gone. We were alone again in the cold dark night. The one chance to get me out of Stefan's grasp had just walked away.

“Get in.” Stefan grabbed the driver's side door and pulled it open.

“I thought you—”

“No, you're driving. And I'm going to tell you where to go.” Placing his hand on my head, he pushed me down onto the seat and shut the door. Climbing into the passenger seat, gun held firmly at eye level, he shoved the key in the ignition. “Start it and drive.”

The shivers that had riddled my body from the cold had disappeared. I was numb. But not from the weather, it was my mind shutting down all my feelings, sending me behind my interior walls.

I couldn't let myself feel the true fear that wanted to settle on me. My walls had always been there to protect me. They saved me from feeling; all the horrible things that had been thrown my way, all the disappointments that seemed to shadow my every move. Until Hegan, he'd knocked them down; opening me up to the pleasures of life I didn't think existed.

But here, I needed to build them back up.

Stefan wasn't going to get to me, I wasn't going to let him. No matter what he threw at me, I wasn't going to let him break me down.

“Where are we going?” Gripping the wheel, I turned out of the driveway, away from safety and towards the unknown.

“Didn't you hear me tell Anthony?” His snake-like fingers crawled across his jaw, rubbing his chin. “We're going to Bernadette, keep you away from here.”

“Why, Stefan? Why are you doing this?” I asked, keeping my eyes on the road. I didn't want to look him, didn't want to see the face of a monster.

“Frankly, Noella, I need you gone. It's that simple.”

“Simple? This is simple?” Rolling my eyes, I squeezed the wheel tighter, knuckles turning the same color as the snow. “Why do you need me gone, Stefan? Huh, tell me why?”

“Look, I don't know how well you know that boyfriend of yours. But he's supposed to have a kid, and I can't let that happen.” His tongue made a sickening slurp as he inhaled through his teeth. “That's why he's with you, he needs you to have a baby.”

“And? I already know that. But what does that have to do with you?”

“You know that?!” His body twisted in the seat, brows furrowed. “Why are you here then?”

“I'm with him because I want to be. And this whole thing is none of your fucking business anyway.” My lower jaw shot out, teeth biting down hard. “You know Hegan's going to come look for me,
he will.”

“Is that so? See, that's what you don't get. That's what none of you get, no one can see what I deserve. I deserve all of it, Noella! Not Hegan!” His voice blared into my ear.

Cringing, my shoulders shot up. “What are you talking about?!” Slamming my palm on the steering wheel, I jerked my head in his direction. “Your the butler! Why do you think Hegan doesn't deserve this?”

Lowering his head, he shook it side to side. “This should have been my life, he takes it all for granted. He doesn't appreciate anything his father has done for him.” Dragging his hand through his hair, he said, “This is mine, it should all be mine.”

“You're fucking crazy, you know that? You have a good life, a good job. You don't need to be jealous of Hegan.” My chest lifted heavily, throat feeling as though it was thickening. Stefan was coming undone, a loose canon. I was watching him lose his mind slowly beside me, with a gun still set on my head.

“No. I didn't come here to be a butler, that happened accidentally. I came here to meet Brandon. But, when I got here, he thought I came to interview for the position as butler.” I watched his arm start to shake, trembles filtering in from his shoulder. “Alright, shut up! Just shut up and drive, Bitch.” His piercing black eyes glistened under the streetlights.

“Stefan, please tell me why you're doing this. I don't want you to hurt me, my mother needs me. You know she's sick, don't do this to her.”

Shifting my eyes, I was looking down the barrel of the gun. He had lifted it to my temple, hovering it just above the flesh. “Drive. No more talking, unless it's me telling you where to turn.”

Swallowing a large gulp of air, the oxygen mixed with the taste of acid from my throat. The hot grit scraped down to my lungs, the stinging sent a wave of electricity through my body.

All I wanted was Hegan, I needed him there with me. Needed him to swoop me up in his arms, and save me from the insanity beside me. His face was forming in my mind, the wonder if he was looking for me had taken hold.

I wasn't going to let Stefan drag me down, I needed to be strong. I was strong, and always had been. He could try and keep me trapped, try and wriggle his fingers in between Hegan and myself.

But, deep down, I knew there was something between us. All of this had started as a messed up story, a fucked up proposition and demand for me and my body.

Now, now it was real. It wasn't about what he could do for my mom and my family anymore.

I knew I...

I loved him.

And hopefully I'd get the chance to tell him more than that.

Hegan

M
y head was pounding, chest aching. Noella wouldn't have left without telling me, I knew that. We've grown close, a lot closer than I ever expected. My stomach was in a ball of knots, turning and grinding against my insides.

I have to go find her. She would've never left without finding me first.

Pressing my feet to the pavement, the ice crunched against the soles of my shoes. Each crack was enhanced by a thousand, snapping through my body, and hitting my nerves.

When I find him, he's going to wish he never fucked with Noella; with what was mine.
Throwing the front door open, I pushed through the crowd of people to the closet. Searching through the mass of jackets, my fingers swiped across a smooth fabric. Gently, I pulled the coat out; it was Noella's.

She doesn't have her jacket, why doesn't she have her coat?
Running my fingers over the black suede, my mind was a mess of horrific images. She had left with Stefan, left without anything to keep her warm in the cold air. Tearing the coat off the hanger, I draped it over my arm.

She didn't go willingly, I knew that. There was no way in hell she would have just gone outside with no protection from the weather. A hard bulge pressed against my hip, reaching my hand into the pocket, I pulled out her wallet and phone.

My heart sank. I couldn't breathe, the air wouldn't go down. No matter how hard I tried to force my lungs to take it in, the oxygen couldn't break the seal of my throat. The entire room turned to black, my eyes coating in a shade of red.

Stefan is dead.
Forcing my head to clear, I knew I had to get to her. She was in danger, he had taken her, and I was going to get her back.

Glancing around the room, I looked through the faces, searching for my father. For everything he hadn't done for me since I was born, he was going to help me right then and there.

Finally, I spotted him leaning against the far wall, with an ice pack clinging to his jaw. My mother was caressing his shoulder, whispering into his ear. My dad was motionless, except for his chin moving side to side beneath the ice. I had hit him pretty hard, he was definitely going to feel that for a few days.

Making a direct line for him, the people in front of me were a blur. Voices chimed into my ears, but the sounds were a blend of just wordless tones. I wasn't stopping for anyone, a fire was burning inside me, and there was no calming the flames.

Half way across the room, I broke into a run. My dad's eyes enlarged, his back stiffening against the wall. Pressing a hand to my chest, my mother stepped between us. “Hegan, enough! No more fighting!”

Wrapping my fingers around hers, A worried expression fell over my face. “He took her, he took Noella.” Looking over my mother, I stared at my dad. “Did you tell him to do this? Why, huh? Why did you have him take her?”

“What are you talking about?” My mother glanced between us, brows raising high. “Who took Noella?”

“Stefan, he took her and I think he's bringing her to your boat. Where is it?!” Rocking on the balls of my feet, fear had started to roll up my spine. I could taste it, a mix of rotten meat with sour lemon. The flavor was creeping to the surface, coating my mouth.

“Hegan, why would he take her? Maybe she needed to go somewhere, the poor girl was just embarrassed.” Cocking her head, she glared at my father.

Holding up her jacket, I yanked the items from the pocket. “Without her jacket? With out these?” Shaking the wallet, I stepped in closer to my father. “Where is your boat docked?”

“Hegan, I didn't tell Stefan to do anything with Noella. Look I'm sorry, but—”

Cutting him off, I said, “But nothing! Where is your fucking boat?!” I had been so fixated on us, that I hadn't noticed the entire party had stopped. Every eye was set on us; on me. But I didn't care, let them gawk at me; none of them meant a fucking thing to me.

“It's at the marina, dock twenty.” My father placed his hand over my shoulder, squeezing firmly. “Go, go get her.” Letting the ice pack fall from his chin, he jammed his hand into his pocket, pulling out his keys. “I'm calling the police, but you go get her. I know you really care for her, Hegan. And I'm sorry, I shouldn't have acted like that.”

I didn't know what to say. Never in my life had my father admitted he was wrong, or apologized for something he'd done. It didn't matter if his wrong doings were thrown in his face, he never admitted to them.

But now, right that moment, he did.

“Thanks,” I said. Curling my fingers around the warm metal, I turned and ran through the room. I didn't stop, I ran until I hit his car. With the cold handle in my grasp, I flung the door open. There wasn't time to think, only time to act.

Noella needed me, that was all I could think about. And nothing was going to stop me from saving her. My father was serious, he hadn't told him to take her. If he had he would've said it, he would've gave some lame excuse for his actions.

Except, he was just as shocked as I was. His face hung, eyes filled with the same fear I had tasted. Stefan had decided to do this on his own, it was his idea to take her, no one else.

My foot slammed down on the pedal, tires peeling out on the ice as I tore out of the driveway. For the first time in my life, I realized I had meaning; an actual purpose that was more than just money and pussy.

Noella; Noella was my purpose. She was the one thing I'd finally found that actually brought me happiness. She made me feel, really feel. It's hard to explain having gone an entire lifetime with no true emotions.

But she breathed a new life into me, gave me a new outlook on the world. I was meant to find her, she was meant for me.

Watching the road, the lines meshed into one large strip, the lights flying by in a flash. The marina was a fifteen minute ride, but it felt like eternity. The car couldn't go fast enough, no matter how hard I pressed my foot down, the dial was in slow motion.

Fuck! Come on!
I wanted to wish myself there, wish myself standing there on the dock. She needed me now, not after he did whatever he was planning. And I wasn't exactly sure how long they had been gone for.

I was counting down the exits in my head, only two left, that was all that stood between the marina and me. Gripping the steering wheel tighter, my blood was boiling inside my veins. I could feel the heat stir up deep inside my muscles, straining against the skin.

The one thing I couldn't wrap my head around was why Stefan had done that. He had stolen her, yanked her from my home, and right out from under my nose. I hadn't seen this coming, never did I expect he would run off with Noella.

But he was going to understand how bad he fucked up. A piece of me hoped the cops got there before I did, for his sake. It was only a small piece of me that wanted that, the rest wanted to beat the living shit out of him.

And that's exactly what I planned on doing.

Pulling into the marina, I turned the car off and took a deep breath. Stepping out of the car, the only sound around me was the waves crashing against the deserted boats. It was an eerie silence under the crisp clear sky; the stars were sparkling, moon shining down with a blazing glow.