Chapter 13 Jordan
JORDAN
The door shuts behind him.
I stand frozen, still clutching the stupid leather notebook. My hands shake. The pen slips from my fingers and hits the floor. I don't grab it. I just turn and toss the notebook on the bed.
Even with this stupid deal, no one knows where I am. This isn't normal. I need to get a hold of Lindsey. Maybe I can find a phone elsewhere. He did say they have amenities.
I walk to the window and look outside at the manicured lawn, tall hedges, and a glimpse of what might be a pool. Beyond that, the city sprawls in the distance, hazy under the morning smog.
I turn and look back at the room.
It's nice, but it's just a beautiful, expensive cage.
Suddenly, the door opens.
My heart jumps as a woman steps in. She's older, maybe fifty, with dark hair pulled into a tight bun. I haven't seen her yet.
She's wearing a simple gray dress and an apron.
She carries a tray and looks at me. "Good morning," she says with a smile.
I nod. "Good morning."
She sets the tray on the small table near the window, adjusts the napkin, and straightens. "Breakfast," she says, gesturing.
"I'm not hungry."
"Okay." She nods, still smiling. "You can eat it later, yes?"
"No. I mean…" I shake my head. "I don't want anything."
She doesn't seem bothered. She just nods again, turns, and walks toward the door, leaving the food anyway.
I watch her go, and as the door closes, there's nothing that follows. No clicking of a lock or bolt sliding into place.
Come to think of it, I don't remember if I heard it when Matei left. I was too upset.
My body rattles with nerves as I walk over to the door and turn the knob.
The door swings open.
I shut it instinctively like I've made a mistake. I decide I'm going to venture out. I walk over to the closet and put on a shirt and some jeans. The shirt is a bit baggy, probably on purpose to hide my features.
I step out, and the air smells faintly of coffee and something floral. I wait a second, expecting to see someone, but I don't.
So I start walking.
Just checking out the amenities, nothing else.
Act casual, Jordan.
I wander down the hallway away from his room and toward the landing that overlooks the first floor. I stop at the railing and look down at the foyer below.
I turn away and follow the landing to another hallway. It's lined with more locked doors, but then I spot a set of glass doors at the end, and through them, I can see a balcony.
I look around, hurry down the hall, and try the handle.
It's locked.
I could pound on the glass until someone hears me, but the only people who would hear me work for my captor.
Just as I am about to turn away, I see them.
The guards. They're everywhere outside. More than I realized.
I swallow hard. This isn't a house. It's a fortress.
And I'm not a guest. I'm a prisoner.
I walk back down the hall and look down.
At the bottom of the left staircase is a guard. He is younger than the others, maybe late twenties. He's clean-shaven, and his hair is slicked back with too much gel.
He's trying to look tough, but he's not. Not like Matei.
I walk down toward him, and I see the way his eyes glance at me, down and then up, lingering on my chest for just a second too long before he turns away.
I know that look.
I've seen it a thousand times at the club, at auditions, in Ubers, on the street, and in every room I've ever walked into where men thought they had power over me.
But men don't realize that when a woman sees it, it's a weakness, and right now, I need a weakness.
I take a breath and step closer.
"Hi," I say softly.
He looks at me and nods.
I bite my lip, tilting my head just slightly. "I'm sorry to bother you."
"You're not…" He clears his throat. "You're not bothering me."
I let my eyes go wide. Innocent. "I just… well, maybe you can help me."
"Help?" He shifts, his hand moving instinctively to his hip, where I'm sure there's a gun.
I laugh, quiet and breathy. The same laugh I use on cam. "I just need to call my roommate to let her know I'm okay."
He frowns. "There's no way to…"
"Please?" I take another step closer, biting my lip in the sexiest way I can. "She's probably freaking out. I just want to tell her I'm safe."
I reach out and touch his arm. Just my fingertips, light and casual.
"It'll be just one minute," I say, running my hand up to his shoulder. "That's all I need."
I pull my hand away and brush the top of my chest, just enough to draw his eyes there again, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
I see the exact moment he breaks. He glances around. Left. Right.
"One call," he says, pulling a phone from his pocket. "Make it fast."
"Thank you." I take the phone, my hands trembling.
I dial Lindsey's number from memory. My thumb hovers over the call button.
Please pick up. Please.
Suddenly, a hand clamps over mine, and the phone is ripped away.
I gasp, stumbling back, and look up.
It's Matei.
He's right behind me. I didn't hear him, didn't see him, didn't even feel him coming.
He's holding the guard's phone, his knuckles white around it. His face is calm and expressionless, but his eyes are burning.
It's the same look he had in my apartment when he was storming down my hallway.
"Matei," I start.
He doesn't look at me. Instead, he turns to look at the guard.
The younger man goes pale. "Sir, I…"
Matei moves fast.
He backhands him hard.
The guard drops to one knee, and his hand flies to his face. Blood pours from his nose, bright red against his pale skin.
His hands come up to shield his face, and he starts rambling in another language.
Matei takes a deep breath and then turns to me.
"We have a lot to go over, fluture. Don't start breaking the rules so soon."
"No, I wasn't," I say, forcing the words out of me.
"Yes, you were." He smirks and steps forward, my heart rattling in my chest. "If you don't follow what I say, you don't get hurt, but as you can see, others will."
I don't know what to say.
He steps forward and brushes a strand of hair out of my face. "You're important. I can't jeopardize your safety. Do you understand?"
I nod as his fingers graze my face, gentle and warm.
"Good," he says. "Would you like some coffee?"
"Umm… s-sure," I say with a forced smile, even though inside I'm anything but sure how to feel right now.
He grabs my hand, and we walk away together.
I turn and see other men take the bleeding guy away.
I look back at Matei and smile.
Play the part. Just play the part.