Chapter 9 Ansel
ANSEL
The call I’ve been desperately waiting for is finally happening.
But I’m not ready to answer it.
Why do they have to be calling now? I followed the instructions to the letter. I took Brad to the right spot and texted to say we were there…only to be met with silence. That silence continued for so long that I was seriously beginning to wonder if I’d made this whole thing up in my mind.
I mean, with how little I sleep, it’s possible.
But this is the sign that it’s all real. I pace back and forth outside the cabin as my phone continues to vibrate in my hand.
What do they even want with Brad? It’s not like I bothered to ask before accepting the job. Accepting. That’s hilarious. Makes it sound like I had a choice.
I didn’t have one. Not if I wanted to live.
It was easy to compartmentalize before I met him.
It was his life versus mine. With the research I did into him, I knew it wasn’t much of a life that he was leaving behind.
Dude had no family he bothered with. No prospects.
No social media presence. Just a seedy investment in the dark web that’d caused him to run into the wrong people.
Just as I had…albeit in a different sense.
But the Brad I had in my mind doesn’t measure up to the man inside the cabin. The one who flirts with me incessantly. Who could’ve escaped but decided to stay instead. Who makes me come instead of attacking me. Who cuddles me instead of killing me.
The one who went through unbelievable torment as a child. Who survived things no one should be made to go through.
Who still smiles, despite what he’s suffered.
That Brad…I’m not so sure that I can hand him over. I prepared myself to walk away from this, riddled with guilt. Kidnapping someone and knowing something bad would likely happen to them as a result…that was never going to rest easy on my conscience.
Now though, I don’t think it’s my conscience I need to worry about.
It’s my heart.
Don’t be stupid, I tell myself. You barely know him, and this is business. You have to do this. You don’t have a choice. It’s Brad or you.
It was an easy decision a few days ago. No question at all, really.
Everything is different now.
The phone stops ringing. For a heartbeat, I think maybe it’ll all be okay, that they’ve given up. My foolish brain believes perhaps this won’t end badly after all.
But then it starts to ring again.
Unable to put it off any longer, I answer and bring the phone to my ear. “Yes?”
“Ansel.” The voice is chilling, sending goose bumps over my skin, just as it does each time I hear it. I want to know the man behind it, his name, his face. “What kind of game are you playing?”
My blood turns to ice. “What?”
“Precisely what I’d like to know,” he responds. “You were asked to kidnap Brad Miller. According to the texts you’ve sent, that’s what you’ve done.”
“It is. I have. He’s in the cabin, right where you told me to bring him.”
“That’s interesting. Very interesting.”
I still, frowning. What the fuck is happening? “It is?”
Through the window, I see Brad. He’s sitting on the edge of the bed, still naked, studying me intently.
“It is. Because I’m sitting and watching Brad Miller right now.”
I cringe, thinking of all the ways Brad and I have entertained ourselves. “You have cameras in the cabin?”
“No. But I have eyes in my head, Ansel, and they can see that Brad Miller is sitting in a café on Fifth.”
I freeze. “No. That’s not possible.”
“That’s what I thought, but my eyes don’t lie, unlike you. So, why don’t you tell me what kind of game you’re playing?”
My hands are going numb. “There’s no game. I promise. I have the guy you want right here.”
The voice is colder now. “Careful, boy. I’ll give you one more chance to answer. Whatever you tell me will determine exactly how you die. The more you lie, the more painful I’ll make it.”
My knees buckle. Stones and twigs are beneath them now, biting into my skin. I pay them no heed. “We had a deal.”
Strong legs appear before me. Ones I’ve become familiar with.
I reach out to grab one. I let it anchor me before my fear swallows me whole.
“You promised to let me live,” I whisper, my hands trembling. “You said if I did this, we’d be even.”
There’s a hiss above me. I should care that Brad can hear me, but I don’t. What’s the point? I may as well let him kill me. Maybe he’ll make it less painful.
“That was true before you reneged on your end of the deal,” the icy voice says. “You haven’t kidnapped Brad.”
“I have. I’m not crazy. He’s right here.”
Brad touches my head lightly, and I feel comfort pulse through me. “Want me to talk to him?”
I shake my head, sending tear droplets flying.
Shit. I’m crying and I didn’t even realize.
All this time, I’ve been strong. I’ve had to be, just to make it through.
I knew there was no way of coming back from this.
I’m a kidnapper now. A bad person. No longer ethical.
I’m just someone who puts his needs above everyone else.
I sold my soul, and it’s not enough to save me.
There’s a long pause on the other end of the phone. “There’s someone there with you.”
“Yes. I told you there was. Brad is here. You’ve made a mistake.”
“Send me a photo. You have five minutes, Ansel.”
He hangs up. I look up numbly to see Brad staring down at me, his dagger hanging loose in one hand.
When did he find that?
My mouth is so dry, but I manage to force out one question. “Is your name Brad Miller?”
His jaw tightens. I swear I see remorse shining in his eyes. “No, butterfly, it’s not.”
Everything shuts down.
Oh my god.
I kidnapped the wrong person.
This was all for nothing.
They’re going to kill me.
Noise is roaring in my ears, which is funny because it was so quiet a moment ago. My body feels odd, too. Like I’ve been wrapped in cotton wool, not quite able to feel the world around me.
There’s a tug on my hair as not-Brad says something. I don’t hear him. I’m too far away, wondering how I’m going to die.
More words are spoken, then I’m being scooped off the ground. I think I’m being carried.
I blink against the shadows. The cabin is so dark after being out in the sun.
I wonder how many more times I’ll get to see it.
The man I kidnapped sits me on the bed and crouches in front of me. His lips move. I see it happen. But there’s no sound. Well, none that I can hear over the roaring in my ears.
He frowns and shakes his head.
Then he takes my face in both his hands and leans in.
I slam back into my body as his lips brush against mine. He kisses me gently. Once. Twice. Barely there touches that sear my very soul.
Then he pulls back to stare at me. “Are you back with me now, butterfly?”
I answer him by grabbing the back of his neck and hauling him against me. He groans as we collide, his lips parting for his tongue to mingle with mine. It’s not tidy or polite. It’s messy. Uncontrolled. Teeth clashing and moans echoing.
It’s the best kiss I’ve ever had.
All the emotion I’ve been suppressing around him comes pouring out. The want. The need. The desperation. I let him feel them all. I let myself feel them.
He bites my lower lip, and I whimper. “Brad. Oh, fuck.”
He stills against me, and I realize my mistake. That’s right. He’s not Brad. I’ve got no fucking idea who he is, or why he’s gone along with this whole thing.
He pulls away and there’s an expression on his face I haven’t seen before. It’s guarded. Almost regretful?
“I think you have a deadline, butterfly,” he rasps, handing me my phone. “Take the picture, then we can talk about all the secrets you’ve been keeping from me.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I heard what he said. Now, take the picture and send it before the deadline passes. We need to buy ourselves some time.”
I take it from him with numb hands. Three of the five minutes have passed already. “I… No.”
He cocks his head. “What do you mean, no?”
“I can’t do it. There’s no point, anyway. You’re not Brad. I kidnapped the wrong person.”
“Just send the photo anyway, Ansel. Prove that you followed through…even if it went slightly wrong.”
Slightly. Like kidnapping the wrong person was akin to taking the wrong exit on the freeway.
“But then they’ll know who you are. You don’t want to be dragged into this life. Trust me on that.”
He gives me a thin smile. “Don’t worry about me. Right now, my priority is keeping you safe.”
I search his face. “How can you say that? I kidnapped you. If they had shown up, I would’ve just handed you over to them. So they could do fuck-knows-what to you. How the hell are you trying to protect me right now?”
His large hand cups my face. “Because, out of the two of us, you’re the one who needs protecting.”
“You’re insane,” I whisper. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with. What they’re capable of. They’re very bad men.”
He shrugs. “You’re not the only one who’s been keeping secrets.”
My breath catches. “Wait, what secrets are you keeping?”
He grins, but there’s no humor in it. “I’ll share my secrets when you share the rest of yours. Let’s just say that we’ve both woven a tangled web, and I think it’s time we start unraveling it. To do that, we need to get whoever those fuckers are off your back by sending a picture.”
Less than a minute left. “You can’t be serious. No. I’m not doing it. This is my mess, not yours. I’m not dragging you down with me.”
“Fucking stubborn,” he mutters, snatching my phone from my hands.
He snaps a selfie. He’s not smiling, those dimples are nowhere to be found.
Instead, he’s glaring at the camera like he can murder the person on the other end with that look alone.
“Right, last number called…” Before I can process what he’s doing, he’s handing my phone back to me. “There. Done.”
I blink at him in disbelief. “Why would you do that?”
“I told you, to keep you safe.”
“But it’s just proof that I fucked up,” I say, my voice slightly hysterical. “All you’ve done is implicate yourself. Can’t you fucking see? They won’t want any witnesses to this. They’ll kill you now, just like they’re going to kill me.”
“They’re not.” He grips the back of my neck and pulls my forehead to his. “Stop spiraling and take some deep breaths. It’s going to be okay. Sending that picture will have the exact consequences I intend. Trust me.”
“Trust you? I don’t even know your name.”
He opens his mouth to respond, but my phone beeps. He snatches it from me before I can read it. His eyes scan over the message and then he snorts in amusement. “See? Fixed. I told ya.”
Bewildered, I take the phone from him to read the message myself.
UNKNOWN
You fucking idiot. You’ve fucked yourself over more than you know. Lose this number, Ansel. We’re not being dragged down with you.
“What the fuck?” I say, looking up at not-Brad with questions in my eyes. “What the fuck does this mean? Dragged down into what?”
He grins broadly and sticks out his hand. “Let me introduce myself, officially and with my actual name this time. Cade Buckingham. It’s a delight to meet you.”