Overture (Rain Dance, Book 1) (Rain Dance Series) (52 page)

     
"Are you
sure it's safe?" I asked.

     
"Of course
it's safe."

     
"…It's too
quiet. Are you sure it won't break?"

     
He reached over
and grabbed my hand, rubbing it with his thumb. "What am I going to do
with you?"

     
We made it back
to Ethan's home safe and sound, all in one piece. During the ride, he'd tried
explaining the basics of how the car worked, but I struggled to grasp a full
understanding. For now, it was enough for me to know that it could get us from
point A to point B without self-destructing.

     
The first thing
we did once inside was make dinner out of the ingredients his housekeeper had
conveniently left in his fridge. Later on, while he left to take his shower, I
got ready for our game. I grabbed a flashlight from the laundry room and then
ran into his office for some paper and a pen, making sure to turn off all the
lights along the way.

     
I quickly
scribbled the details of the game onto the sheet of paper, making most of it up
as I wrote.

     
Objective:
Capture target and bring back here (target being: The Girl)

     
Rules:

     
1. Aside from
the flashlight, no other light sources are allowed.

     
2. Stay
indoors.

     
3. No locking
doors. (Unless it's a private chamber where you keep the bodies of all the
women you've murdered)

     
4. Failure to
complete the objective before the final song on the playlist ends will result
in loss of the game.

     
5. Do not
attempt to mess with the music.

     
6. Turn off the
lights in this room before starting the game.

     
Note: Target will
probably try to resist capture. Use force if necessary, but do not injure.

     
If you win: The
night is yours.

     
If you lose:
You get to sleep alone.

     
I wanted him to
win, of course. The playlist I had set up was at least half-an-hour long, which
would give him plenty of time to find me. Humming quietly to myself, I made my
way into his bedroom. From his closet, I pulled out a red silk tie from one of
the drawers, which I then tied into a bow around the flashlight before setting
it down onto the bed along with the instructions. Then I left, closing the door
behind me, and ran downstairs to hook my iPod up to the speakers in the living
room, only to run back up and listen in the hallway for the shower to go off. I
took this time to strategize. Hiding in simple places, like under the bed and
in the corner of the closet, was out of the question. He would find me within a
matter of minutes, possibly less if he was lucky. I was small enough to fit
into some of the cupboards placed throughout the house, but I was afraid of the
noise that might cause. Luckily, this place was large enough that I'd have
plenty of chances to improvise.

     
It became
silent. I tiptoed back down and hit play. Music filled the entire living room.
I was glad that Ethan lived away from any neighbors that might complain.
Unfortunately, the music would definitely end up counting against me. With it
on, I probably wouldn't be able to hear him down here, so I would have to rely
on the flashlight.
If
he used it, that is. I was about to hide when a
small question hit me…would he even play?

     
...
You know
he will.

     
Grinning, I ran
to my first hiding spot. I was barefoot and had my hair up - two things that
would make the game a lot easier for me. I'd made sure to bring extra lounge
clothes the last time I was here, so instead of a long nightgown, I wore a cute
little babydoll top and matching shorts.

     
Once in the
kitchen, I didn't waste any time. There was a corner in one of the larger
cupboards, behind the pots and pans, that was unused. I had to morph myself
into a ball, but otherwise I fit into it quite easily. I silently prayed that
there would be no spiders to come and bother me, which would put an end to the
game immediately. I didn't plan to stay in here the
whole
time - that
wouldn't be any fun, so I'd have to start moving at some point. And if he found
me in here, I would have no choice but to crawl out. That didn't mean I
couldn't put up a fight afterwards, though.

     
A few minutes
went by.
Wouldn't it be funny if he was up there sleeping?
I was fairly
certain that he wouldn't leave me hanging in this silly little game of mine,
but I did start to worry as more time passed. Chewing on my lip, I desperately
wished to know what he was thinking. Probably something along the lines of...
she's
obviously a little wack.
After all, what adult plays hide-and-seek?

     
A sudden,
painfully loud slam made me jump. Someone was in the kitchen. I held perfectly
still, listening as best as I could and breathing as quietly as possible. I
would be lying if I said it didn't trigger some unpleasant memories. But I knew
I was perfectly safe, so they had very little effect on me.

     
Another slam
echoed all throughout, causing the cupboard door to rattle, but I didn't move
an inch. He was trying to scare me. That or he kept bumping into shit, but that
was unlikely. Still, I laughed inwardly at the thought.

     
A few more
minutes went by before I slowly nudged the cupboard door open just a smidge.
There was no sign of any light. Was he upstairs? Or had he decided not to use
the flashlight? Having a brain, he probably would've realized that I could use
it to my advantage. But on the other hand, he probably knew that once he found
me the chances of my escape were slim to none - so why bother?

     
I wanted to
give him the chance to search every room before getting serious, so I continued
to wait things out. More minutes passed until I finally heard the opening bass
of
 
'Don't Look Any Further.'
It's
time.
Most of the songs on the playlist were meant to troll him. It was my
own idea of a joke.

     
Quietly, I
opened the cupboard and climbed out, making sure to keep only on my hands and
feet. When I was fully out, I closed the door and crawled to the living room.
Since there was a lesser chance of me casting a shadow, I stayed close to the
ground. After having been in the dark for some time, my eyes were already
well-adjusted to the dim surroundings. Even if I didn't know his home too well,
I would at least be able to avoid bumping into anything. I circled the living
room, finding no sign of him.
Is he upstairs?
If he were, it would be
dangerous for me to go up there. My knees began to hurt, so I stood up and
slowly made my way towards the stairs, straining my ears to listen for any sign
that he was up there.

     
I stopped
mid-step when I heard a small shuffle behind me.
Shit. He's right here.
Where
the hell had he come from? Had he always been in here and I just happened to
miss him? He didn't have the flashlight on…Perhaps he was just lurking, hoping
I would come out eventually. Or maybe he was just getting bored and decided to
give up.
Where do I run to?
I didn't want to head up the stairs with him
so close.

     
Taking a deep
breath, I dashed back into the kitchen. Excitement began pulsing through my
veins as he gave chase. I made it behind the island counter, darting around to
see his tall form standing on the opposite side. Whether I moved left or right,
he had a good chance of catching me.
Well, fuck.
I had just trapped
myself.
Looks like I'll just have to trust my body.
I shifted to the
center, readying myself. He moved to the left to come at me, but as soon as he
turned the corner of the island, I pulled myself up onto the counter and leaped
over it, landing in a kneeling position on my feet. The action had hurt my
wrists more than it had my feet. No more than a second later and I was on my
way back into the living room.

     
I had just
reached the third step of the stairs when he suddenly grabbed me by the upper
arm. I went into automatic defense mode, lifting and then rotating my arm
inwards before quickly drawing my elbow back. As this was happening, he also
made a grab for the other arm, but I escaped it, too. It was over in a second.
I ducked before he could grab me again, crouched to my knees and rolled down
onto the floor. I caught myself by the palms of my hands, quickly pushed up
onto the balls of my feet and sprinted to the entrance area. As soon as I
reached it, I felt him come at me again. Sensing both arms about to wrap around
me, I ducked again and dove to the side. I already knew that he was faster than
me, but that didn't mean I wasn't capable of keeping this up. I had to fight
the urge to attempt to knock him down. This was mostly a game, after all, and I
would never forgive myself if I hurt him.

     
When I finally
made it upstairs, it turned into a game of catch and escape. I had to be
extremely careful about where I ran. If I didn't keep to open areas, it would
be over. As adrenaline pumped through my blood, I found myself thoroughly
enjoying this game. I could only hope that Ethan was, too. Unfortunately, I did
start to get tired, and it soon became obvious that he was letting me get away.
I was close to making a final run to the first floor when he successfully
managed to grab me from behind. I didn't have it in me to fight back -
especially not while I was practically hanging at the top of the stairs.
Instead, I just screamed. He lifted me with ease but didn't turn me around. I
kicked restlessly into thin air as he backed into the hallway. Midway in, he
set me down onto my feet for just a second, only to lift my body over his
shoulder.

     
Game over.
There were two songs left. Still, I continued to struggle knowing there was no
use.
Not that I wanted to get free.

     
He sauntered
into the bedroom. As soon as his knee made contact with the bed, he threw me
down underneath him, grabbing hold of my wrists. I felt something soft wrapping
around them. Something…silky smooth.
The tie.
He'd knotted it so that I
couldn't move my hands.

     
"I
win." His voice was low.

     
"…Congrats," I breathed.

     
"You
weren't very specific about the reward."

     
"Wasn't
I?"

     
"The night
is mine, which means…?"

     
"Everything is yours. Me. My body. Do your worst." I raised my
knee and ran my foot up his thigh. "If it helps any, I do believe I'm in
need of some discipline. Didn't I take off a little while ago without telling
you?"

     
He leaned down
and cupped my face. "Daphne...I'm not sure you can keep up with my
worst."

     
Daphne. Not
Kitten.
"…I only need to hold on, right?"

     
And that's what
I did. For the rest of that night, I held on for dear life. But just as before,
whether I ended up falling or not wasn't up to me. And so I did fall. Many
times.