Jared heard the muffled sobs from his bedroom. Though he felt for her he had no intention of letting her go and even less intention of trying to offer comfort. Many people had cried in his wake men and woman had sobbed over his choices even his ex-girlfriend had shed many tears because of him over the years. He did not fool himself to think she was crying over him. Nobody ever did, just what he had to do to them to repay a debt, keep a promise or make ends meat. He knew what he was, though he had spent much of his life trying to run from it. One call from his brother sent him right back into this world, though he had vowed never to visit it again. This week would be testing if he had to look at the little captive in his guestroom. Best to lock her away and when Friday falls hand her back to Tracy. What Tracy did was harsh. The scum work of the underworld. He had heard many a story of Tracy and his victims but helping a damsel in distress was not his foreplay...not anymore. Rolling over on his side of his bed he hoped she would quieten down. If her sobbing woke the whole house he would have a lot of explaining to do to someone he knew he could never lie to. He sighed shutting his eyes to the world. Once again the memories of why he had left this life overwhelmed him. He hoped this boyfriend of hers knew what he was doing or the girl tucked up in the other room, Jared knew, would soon meet her maker.
The small hairgrip snapped in half with the pressure she was exerting on the tip.
'For God's sake.' Nicki fumed leaning away from the door lock; that was the last of her grips. She could no more pick this lock than blow the door of its hinges with dynamite. The intricacy of this lock astounded her. She had not that much of a reason to suppose she could pick the lock of this bedroom but the optimist in her recalled her favourite heroines in the small collection of crime books she owned slipping a hairpin into a lock, practically stumbling into the door and falling through the other side as the lock clicked open, FREEDOM, why couldn't it be that easy now.
She had to get out of here. She knew Steven wasn't going to stump up the money. During her restless night in her roomy prison she had come to realise her mistake. To put her life in the hands of the very man who had thrown her in harm's way. She had begged him not to take the money of a mobster lord as he couldn't even be trusted not to gamble away a child's piggy bank if he got his hands on it. He had snuck out one night high on enthusiasm and met with a dam loan shark. Accepted fifteen thousand dollars happily and been at the pool tables by dusk. She had woken to a sobbing Steven on the floor of the bathroom, drunk and unashamedly weeping from his financial loss. She had never even got to see the money, didn't even know how much he owed until he confessed it to her. She had slapped him so hard across the face it hurt her hand.
Now in a moment of stupidity she had taken the fall for him. He could be half way across the world right now, leaving her to die at the hands of thugs. She sank to the floor behind the door and tucked her legs into her chest, her tears had been flowing like steady streams all night making her feel dehydrated and tired. She hadn't really slept for longer than an hour, after she had sank to the bed she had cried out her pain then finally pulled herself up by her shaking hands and crawled to the bedroom door, where she had sat for the last several hours bending the three grips she had in her hair in half and prodding at the lock.
Finally the last one snapped jamming the lock. Searching around the room for any help had proved useless and sure to Jared's words the windows didn't even open an inch. Even if the window could prove an exit the mountain high drop to the ground would surely hinder her escape.
Movement on the other side of the wall unnerved her; she gathered the broken hair pin pile into her hands and scrambled away from the door and onto the bed covering the loose pins with the palm of her hand. The handle to the room trickled down with the force of a hand. Anxiety charged her, readying for a fight if this was to be Jared or worse Tracy coming to beat her senseless. God knows what these roughens were capable off. Would they just torture her for fun until Friday came and Steven never showed up with the money? She had to face it she was on her own and no way was she going to take anyone hurting her without a fight. Clambering to the far side of the bed Nicki readied herself for a fight. The door swung open on its hinges.
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Jared fixed eyes in her direction, cautiously stepping into the bedroom with one objective in mind. Give her something to eat and be out the door in thirty seconds. He noticed her apprehensive expression as he slowly entered the room and found himself daring to lift the corners of his mouth. Was he smiling? What the... he instantly looked as perplexed as she did. Choking down his embarrassment he realised he just couldn't help that the overly terrorized expression she offered amused him. He was not the one she should be fearful of. He had no intention of talking to her let alone harming her.
'What is that?' Nicki muttered, drawing Jared from his thoughts.
He looked down at the tray filled with fruit and toast, even a glass of milk on the side. He wasn't sure if she was a milk drinker but it was all he had. Why he thought to ponder her dietary requirement he did not know but her disgust at his offering provoked an equally irked response.
'Food'
'I can see that, I mean what are you doing? I thought you were locking me in here for the week?'
'Without food...? Do you want to die of starvation before the three days are through? I don't know about you but I don't fancy having a corpse on my hands at the end of all this.'
Nicki folded her arms feeling the fatigue of a petrifying evening and sleepless night hit her. A bad temper always followed a poor night's sleep for Nicki and apparently the threat of death did nothing to check her exasperation.
'Are you asking in place of a bullet to the head?'
Jared ignored her comment placing the small tray of food down on the chair in the room. In that moment Nicki noticed the bedroom door had been left open and Jared had dismissively walked to the other side of the room leaving it empty and a clear path for Nicki to run. Jared turned back just in time to see the light in Nicki's eyes change and her decision to run become clear. Where she didn't know, she knew the lock on the front door could not be open in two seconds and the room she was in last night held no means of escape. No matter if she didn't make it out the flat perhaps she could find a room with a phone at least call the police. Her blood thumbed in her veins drawing blood to her heart. The heart she wanted to keep beating. She glanced Jared's way and saw him tensing to run after her.
Now or never, she moved with all the power in her body and swung round the bed towards the door. Jared leaped for her, scrapping the fabric of her top but missing something to hold.
'STOP' He shouted after her as she ran through the open door, Her trainers felt heavy as they heaved her down the corridor. She could hear Jared rushing up behind her and with mere moments ducted into a room at the far end of the hall. Thank god there was a latch on the other side, in seconds she had locked it and backed away. The hammering of the door alarmed her. Was he that angry to have her run? She could hear the wood cracking under his powerful hands and she imagined the muscles of his torso working with full strength to break down the door that protected her.
'NO, not this room! Let me in.' Demanded Jared. Not this room? Nicki thought. Maybe there was a phone in here she could use was that why he didn't want her here? She turned in search of a desk with a phone even a mobile would be handy. As soon as she stopped spinning the room came into clear focus. Pale blue walls filled her vision. In the corner of the room she noticed the light streaming through a softly light window. Suddenly cuddly toys littered the floor, a toy train set and miniature bed forced her to step back. What the hell was this?
'Daddy?'
Daddy! Nicki trained her eyes on the thin ray of light reflecting on the small bed to one side of the room. Shuffling from the covers, a tiny face appeared panicked from the commotion outside the room. A little boy! As Nicki looked upon the tiny boy she was sure he could be no more than four or five years old. His pale cheeks looked flushed with nerves. The young boys fear wrenched at Nicki's heart. No matter what situation she was in she couldn't bring a small boy into her trouble even if it was his thug of a father who put her here.
'Um...No I'm not your daddy.'
The little boy looked aghast at Nicki almost draining colour on his face.
'Can you get my daddy?' He whispered, fear taking the sound from his words. As the look of panic set across the young child's face, Nicki lost control. The thundering on the door got louder as Jared began to lose control of his senses and Nicki believed she was dead for sure. She sank to the floor in dread curling her feet into herself. She dropped her head into her hands and felt for the hundredth time tears flow down her cheeks.
'For Gods sakes let me in,' bawled Jared pushing at the lock on the door with every ounce of his strength.
'Let me go!' Nicki cried back to tired and terrified to mince her words.
