Ignite Me (A Burning Desire Novel) (33 page)

He pauses, browsing the room, “We still need your help
though.”

I look up at him, “Anything.”

“I need you to keep the police away, especially once
Helen, Keith, and my father are here. We will update you as much as we can.”

Alec stands up and walks to Landon, “I’m coming with you.”

“So am I.” Simon echoed.

Landon shook his head, “You can’t. Just Jude. Not open for
discussion.” He says quietly.

The vibration of his phone put an end to the conversation.
Landon looks at it, “They’re here. Let’s go.” He says addressing Jude.

I run to him, “I’m sorry. Please bring her back.” I beg
apologetic.

The two men disappear behind the elevator doors, leaving
the rest of us to wait patiently and pray that Clea will survive what she was
going through at that moment.

A screeching, teeth gritting noise woke me up from a
horrifying nightmare. Except it wasn’t a nightmare. My heart hammered in my
chest at the realization. I was kidnapped, by Caden… and Audrey? I blinked
rapidly, gaining consciousness of my surroundings. My hands and legs hurt, they
were tied to the chair. The ropes made it hard for me to move even an inch,
just to relieve the pressure.
 
I
felt a pounding in the back of my head.

“No. Not again.” I whimpered thinking about what Caden had
put me through in the past.

Summoning every inch of my body to fight the ache caused
by the ropes, I tried to force my arms out of the ties. It was pointless. I was
trapped in this dark room. It was a bedroom; a wooden poster bed hogged most of
the small space, with a one nightstand on the left side. I was on the right
side, strapped to a chair.

My eyes fell on my reflection; I looked helpless, dry
blood all over my legs, and arms.
 
Tears burned over my cheeks and I cried out over the tape on my mouth.
It all came back to me in flashes. The club, I started feeling dizzy inside the
restroom stall. I walked out to wash my face and freshen up cursing under my
breath for drinking too much.

When I walked back out, I fell on my knees, unable to hold
my weight. A strong hand grabbed me. I remember I thought it was Landon, but
the feel was different, harsh and callused. The voice was raw and hard.

“Slow down kitten.” The man had said to me before carrying
me.

Audrey appeared behind a closed exit door. Her smile was
triumphant. I didn’t recognize her, although her features seemed familiar, even
under the mask. She removed it and murmured, “You should never take drinks from
strangers, kitten.”

She said kitten. They both did; her and the other man, as
if they were instructed to. Probably by him; Caden was the reason I was here.

Trying to assess the whole situation, Landon’s face
flashed in front of me. I wanted to run to him, to crawl into his arms and
erase the memory of this nightmare. I needed him. I thought about what he was
going through. He must be worried, I’m sure he is. I hoped he wouldn’t be
blaming himself.

Jude. He will find me. They both will.

Tears prickled again and I whined, breathless and
hopeless. I shut my eyes close, trying to calm myself. I had to be strong; for
my mom, my nana, and for Brandon and Jenna. I saw their faces, smiling at me.

Why was I here?

What was Caden doing with Audrey? How did they come to
know each other?

Overwhelmed by so many questions, I focused on my
breathing, but failed to calm my fury. My mind ordered my body to move; I thrashed
and bounced over the chair until it fell to the side, taking me with it.

After a beat, I heard footsteps running in my direction.
The bed blocked me from seeing who walked inside the room.

“Good. You’re awake.” Audrey said, “She’s awake.” She
yelled straightening the chair.

She stood there, outfacing me with a defying glare.
Glancing up, I looked right through her to find Caden standing at the door, our
eyes connected. It made the hair at the back of my neck stand. He was cold, hard,
and empty, like looking into a void. His smirk was nauseating and disgusting.

“Well would you look at that?” He walked towards me, “My
Little Kitten is throwing me a nasty look. I missed that.” He added, addressing
Audrey.

She returned a cold smile and moved to the nightstand,
“Let’s get started, we’ve wasted enough time waiting for her to wake up.”

Caden smirked again, “You’re so impatient.”

He pulled her hand and stilled her back to his chest, “I’ll
start whenever I want to. We agreed on this, you’re here to get what you want
and leave.”

The rasp in his voice was vicious and commandeering, but
oddly intimate. Caden slipped his hand down her stomach and under her skirt.

She moaned loudly as he pushed his hand forcefully,
seemingly ripping through her, as she rested the back of her head on his
shoulders.

I couldn’t watch them so I shut my eyes close and prayed
for my eyes to be removed or for God to make his nightmare go away.
A cold hand came in contact with my chin and pushed it away, “Oh.” She said, “Poor
little Clea. Are you jealous?”

I couldn’t contain my snort even under the terrifying
circumstances.

“What’s that?” Caden asked, stripping the tape from over
my mouth.

I ignored him, and the pain, focused on examining the
room, and outside the window. There had to be a way out.

Caden brought his hand on my cheek and I turned away,
fighting it off, moving the chair with me, “Get your filthy hand away from me.”
I fumed.

“Hear that Audrey? I think you’re right. Kitten really is
jealous.” He said with a mocking tone.

“Don’t call me that!”

I wanted to spit on his face. He was nauseating. The
suggestion alone made the pit of my stomach freeze.

“You two deserve each other.” My voice was full of hatred,
no fear whatsoever. I’d rather die than give them the satisfaction to hear me
begging.

“We do, don’t we?” Audrey turned to him and kissed him.

I looked away, refusing to be haunted by such an image. I
felt sick to my stomach at their display, unable to watch them, hear their
disgusting groans. I had to find a way out.

I couldn’t believe that after all the time it took me to forget
what Caden had put me through; he was doing this to me. I was dragged by two
psychos and brought here to be at my ex’s mercy. I struggled to make sense of
my course of thoughts, my mind running back and forth between the people I
loved, Landon, Jude, Mom, and trying to understand the motive that encouraged
Caden to take me, with the help of Audrey. I was a real mess; replaying all
those training sessions in the back of my head, looking for a way out, any
possible escape route.

It was all too overwhelming, “I don’t understand why
you’re doing this.”

“You don’t?” Audrey echoed with a snort.

I shook my head.

“Trust me Kitten, you will.”

I winced, I hated that word, “I said… Don’t call me that…”
I shrieked.

Audrey laughed, “Oh, you’re right. She does have claws.”

Caden shrugged with a smug smirk, “I told you.”

My lungs heaved for breath. I was taken by a panic attack,
angry and helpless, “Why are you fucking with me? What do you want?”

Pushing her hair on the side, Audrey leaned down and spoke
inches to my face, “You think this is ‘fucking’ with you? This is just
foreplay… aren’t you used to Landon’s games; the long foreplays, the teasing,
the torture, and the build up? We have big plans for you Clea.”

I jerked. My heart raced with anger, “Plans? What plans?”

Audrey was about to speak gain, but Caden interrupted her,
“Allow me.” He said.

Flexing his knees to level his gaze with mine, he spoke
with irrefutable confidence and viciousness, “As Audrey said, we have plans for
you kitten. We came to an arrangement a few weeks ago, she was supposed to
succeed in wrecking your relationship with Mr. Davis, and I was about to have
my revenge.”

I frowned, disgusted by his tone, “Revenge. You want
revenge? After what you put me through? What you did to Jude? You are
delusional.”

He chuckled, “What I did to Jude? What I did?” He paused,
seemingly furious, “I was the one who ended up visiting the ER, not to mention,
the little visit your boyfriend paid me later on.”

He walked to me and spoke to my face, “So you see, I’m not
delusional, and you’re here, aren’t you. I’ll just take my due and be on my
way.”

I didn’t understand, “Your due?”

He nodded scornfully, “Well, not exactly kitten. It is my
understanding that you ended up giving your virginity to Landon Davis. I’ll
just enjoy being inside your pussy, erasing the touch of his hand, haunting you
like you haunted me for the past year.”

He stood up, “You were such a tease, causing me to have
the longest case of blue balls ever. I couldn’t touch my wife; I hated the way
she smelled, the way she dressed. I fucked lots of girls on campus, but you
were the one girl.” He snorted, “Offering your heart, when all I wanted was
your tight virgin cunt.”

I closed my eyes, calming my fury.

He continued with a repulsing hoarse voice, “I won’t lie,
you did test my patience, pushed my limits. I became obsessed with images of
you, naked, riding me, under me. And when I wanted to take what was mine, you
pushed me away, ruined my marriage, my career, and killed my son.”

I couldn’t believe the words getting out of his mouth, he
was crazy. Sick fuck.

He turned around, “And then, instead of redeeming
yourself, you go fuck Landon Davis after what? Two weeks? Three, a month? I
waited seven fucking months. Seven. Fucking. Months. And mister money bucks
appear, and you give it away in a blink of an eye, like the little whore that
you are.”

My head throbbed, anger rushing through my being and
making my blood boil out of my skin, I was about to explode when he spoke
again.
“After the little stunt your boyfriend pulled on me, getting me fired from
another job, turning my wife against me, again, I had all the time in the world
to focus on all the ways I could ruin you. Then, a miracle, Audrey appeared in
my life. She’s not easy to be around; she’s way too possessive and a little
wild in the sack.”

Audrey smiled, as if cherishing the description, “I
totally rock your world professor.”

He nodded and sat on the bed, crossing his legs, “Tell me
Kitten. Do you like it when he fucks you. Audrey says he’s rough. Do you like
it rough?”

I turned away from his smug expression, my mind howling
for every muscle in my body to move and hurt him. I wanted to hurt him. I
should’ve had him arrested the first time he hurt me.

“Would you look at this? I think your kitten is
embarrassed.” Audrey snarled.

I threw her a despiteful look, “You’re just a jealous,
psychotic, resentful bitch.”

Audrey smoothed the hair back from my forehead. When she
moved her hand away, it distracted me from the blow that whipped through my
face. My cheek was on fire, stinging from the crack of skin contact with her
palm. Seeing red, I decided not to give her the satisfaction to see me
struggling to relieve the ache she caused with her blow and found a way to
smirk at her.

“Did I hit a nerve?” I bitched out, “Landon is mine and he
will always be.”

Her loud laugh was nauseating, “Oh honey, he was mine
first, and once Caden makes sure Landon won’t want to touch you again, I’ll
find a way to have him back.”

I broke into fits of hysterical giggles, “You are
disturbed beyond repair.” I stopped, hiding the fear that gripped me at the
realization, “You both are.”

I had to find a way out of there; I was getting weaker and
hopeless by the second. I needed Landon. It seemed as if I hadn’t seen him or
been with him in forever. I missed his touch, the comfort of his arms, and the
safety I felt when they were wrapped around me.

I searched for Jude’s eyes for strength; I could see him
staring at me, running to protect me. He was on his
       
way, he always finds me. I
had to stay strong. Closing my eyes, I mentally sought the warmth and comfort
of Landon’s arms, I belonged to him, he’ll always find his way to me, he
promised. Just like that, with the mental vision of my loved ones, I was
hopeful again.

Audrey snapped me back to reality, “It won’t be long
before Landon drags the police into this, let’s get started.”

Puffing his frustration at her, Caden moved from the bed,
“Get her ready while I take a shower.” He walked without turning back.

“Let’s have some fun, shall we?” Audrey leaned down and
started untying my wrists. My heart raced and halted abruptly. It had to be an
opportunity for me to get away.

Landon Davis.

I remember the first time my eyes fell on her beautiful
face. The light glow of her skin, the way her ringlets fell around her
shoulders, covering her back ever so smoothly. She felt like an angel. She was
my angel, and my savior.

She still is.

“I just have to find her.”

My fist smashes against the wall of the bathroom. I’m numb
to any feeling. Her absence hurts too much for me to be vulnerable to any
physical ache.

I let the hot water wash off the tension. I can’t remember
a time I was inside this shower room without her. Even when we were apart, she
haunted every inch of this apartment, so much so, that I moved to a hotel.

Even Simon’s apartment was too much for me back then,
replaying the first night we spent in there together.

That night revealed my breaking point. I had no control
over my desire for her. It was unlike me. But the moment she started toying
with me on the couch, provoking me, I knew she was the one.