Chapter 11
According to the clock on the nightstand, I’d been in this room for two days. No windows. No way out. Just me stuck in here with my thoughts. I slept with the television on so it wouldn’t be so dark in here. I mean, who in their right mind had a fucking house built underground?
At least I didn’t think that he brought me here to kill me or else he would’ve done it by now, especially after I stabbed him. I didn’t feel bad about doing it either. He shouldn’t have kidnapped me. What I was trying to understand was why he’d taken me in the first place.
After sitting here in this room with my thoughts, I’d pieced together everything.
The ring from Vegas. All the expensive gifts.
Everything was him. I thought it was just a prank, but from the looks of it, I’d gotten drunk and married this fucking fool.
I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to get myself out of this mess.
There was a knock at the door. My head whipped in that direction. The only time someone knocked at the door was when food was being brought in. I never knew who brought it to me, but it was cooked to perfection. Whoever was in the kitchen was getting down, baby.
Normally, they’d slide the tray into the room and grab the old one so fast I couldn’t even make it across the room. This time, I zoomed from the bed and stood behind the door, waiting for them to open it. The door clicked, and it creaked open. I grabbed it and yanked it all the way open.
A woman stood there with kinky brown hair that stopped at her shoulders. She was a bit older, maybe in her early forties. Her gray eyes peered at me through her pink-framed glasses. She was shorter than me and petite, so I knew I could take her and get the hell out of here.
“Solei, I don’t want any problems. I just came to bring you food. That’s all,” she said as she slid the tray onto the floor at my feet.
“And you’re with him kidnapping women?” My forehead scrunched.
“I told Savion that I thought it was a bad idea. He never listens to me. He’s the type that has to learn the hard way.”
“I’m getting out of here. You can either willingly let me go, or I can beat your ass and go. Either way, I’m leaving.”
The woman tossed her hands up in the air and backed against the wall behind her.
That was easy.
I ran full speed out of there, down the hallway.
“You’re not going to get far!” she yelled behind me.
Yeah, we’ll see about that.
Stopping at the end of the hallway, I stared in both directions, trying to figure out which way I needed to go. Noticing the huge lion painting on the wall to the left, I remembered seeing it when I was brought in, so that was the way I went.
I kept running, not knowing exactly where I was going, but if I had to try every single door in here to get out, I would. The first knob I turned was locked, so I kept sprinting. Soon as I bent the next corner, I was grabbed by the neck and slammed into the wall.
Savion stood there calmly as he stared into my eyes. “Where the fuck you think you’re going?”
My teeth clenched and chest heaved as I gazed back at him. “I was going home.”
“This is your home, wifey.” He thumped me on the tip of my nose, and I frowned.
“No, it ain’t.”
“I tell you what. Since you’re so fucking eager to leave, I’ll cut a deal with you.
” My heartbeat kicked up a notch, not knowing what to expect to come out of his insane-ass mouth.
“Give me sixty days. Give me sixty days for you to fall in love with me. I probably won’t even need that many .
. . but sixty days. If you don’t, then I’ll kill you. ”
My eyes expanded. “Are you out of your fucking mind? Why would I agree to something like that?”
“Don’t tell me that you’re afraid of a lil challenge.”
“I ain’t scared of nothing,” I quickly shot back.
“A’ight. Do we got a deal?”
“Will you fight a lion? We’ll have a deal if you’re willing to go out there and fight a lion for me.”
Savion released me and took a step back. He wasn’t stupid enough to do no shit like that. I knew that; that was exactly why I brought it up.
“A’ight. Let’s go.”
“Huh?”
Now that was a response that I wasn’t expecting.
“Let’s go.”
Taking me by the hand, he led me down the hallway ’til we made it to a door. Opening the door, he flipped on the light, and that was when I realized we were in the garage. Savion grabbed a pair of keys and hit the fob. The lights on a black G-Wagon lit up.
“Where are we going?” I questioned him.
“You said you want me to fight a lion. I’m finna go fight one.”
I erupted in laughter. Tears filled my eyes. “And where exactly are you gon’ find a lion?”
“The same place anyone would,” was his response as he opened the passenger door for me. “And don’t think about running away. I always got eyes on you.”
Goosebumps coursed my frame. Shit was kind of creepy, but I left it alone for now. I slipped into the passenger seat, and he shut the door behind me.
The light appeared at the end of the tunnel. Savion drove out, and the sun would’ve blinded me had he not had illegal tint on his truck. People took the lil things for granted like being able to see the sun and having it touch your skin. This was the first time that I’d seen sunlight in days.
We finally arrived at Savion’s destination, which was the Montgomery Zoo. This man had lost his fucking mind. Those people were not gon’ let him anywhere near their lion, let alone let him inside to fight it.
“You’re really out of your mind,” I told him as he got out the truck.
“Maybe so,” he said when he opened the door for me.
Climbing out, I followed him up to the entrance of the zoo.
This man paid our way inside as if he wasn’t about to go in here and commit a crime.
We walked around ’til we found the lion’s den.
People were standing out here, watching it as it lay out there basking in the sun.
It’d been so long since I’d stepped foot in the zoo.
The last time I came was when Kairose was younger.
“Wait right here,” Savion said as he slipped away from my side.
“Your ass going to jail,” I tossed behind him. I wouldn’t have to worry about going back with him to his hole in the ground if they arrested his ass. That was a win for me.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I watched through the glass to see what the hell he was about to do. A few moments later, I saw the door open on the lion’s den, and Savion crept inside. Silence washed over the den. Every single lion in there had gone still.
My fingers curled around the black iron railing as my heart climbed into my throat. Savion stood at the edge of the enclosure dressed in all black. The zoo alarms screamed overhead.
“What are you doing!” one of the workers yelled from behind him. They must’ve seen him enter and came in behind him.
The parents that stood next to me with their kids grabbed them. Somebody near me started crying. They just knew those lions were about to rip him to shreds.
This nigga Savion stood there calm as ever, without a care in the world like the lions weren’t a threat. Like entering a lion’s den was just another Tuesday afternoon for him.
“Sir! You can’t be in here!” a zoo employee shouted. Savion tilted his head, eyes locked on the massive male lion stalking closer. “Are you insane!”
“Yes,” someone answered alongside me. When I turned, I saw this handsome ass chocolate guy standing there dressed in all black as well.
My stomach dropped. I didn’t think he was really gon’ go through with this. “Oh my God,” I whispered. I had done sent this man to his death.
Savion stepped further inside with no weapon. He really didn’t fear anything.
The lion let out a growl so deep I felt it vibrate in my chest. People screamed behind me. Savion kept moving as if he was predatory like the lion. The lion charged first. I didn’t even process it before my body jerked forward. “Savion!”
The animal lunged with terrifying speed, all teeth and fury, its roar splitting through the entire enclosure. This crazy mufucka met him head on. His hand caught the lion by the mane while the other slammed into its jaw hard enough to make the sound echo.
The crowd gasped collectively. The lion twisted, claws slicing through Savion’s shirt, but he barely reacted.
Blood streaked across his chest as the beast snapped for his throat.
Savion grabbed its mouth. My knees almost gave out.
I didn’t know that I would be bothered if something actually happened to this man.
I didn’t know shit about him, but he was tugging at my heartstrings right now.
His muscles flexed violently beneath his skin while the lion fought against him, snarling and thrashing. Dirt kicked up around them. The cage rattled.
“Why is he smiling?” I whispered.
It was like he was enjoying this shit.
The lion broke free with a roar and slammed into him again, knocking him backward into the rocks. The crowd screamed louder.
“Savion!”
The lion climbed over him. Massive paws pinning him down. Teeth inches from his face. My breathing stopped completely, then Savion laughed.
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth while his fingers dug into the lion’s throat with force.
“You should’ve ran from me,” he spoke.
With a brutal twist, he threw the animal off him hard enough to shake the ground. The lion stumbled. Savion stood. Blood covered him. His eyes were dark.
The lion charged him again, but this time, Savion moved first. He caught it mid-lunge and drove it into the enclosure wall with enough force to crack something. The sound that left the animal after that was more pain than anger.
For the first time since Savion entered, the lion backed away. Fear flashed through the animal’s eyes. The entire zoo had gone silent now. Nobody moved or breathed.
Savion stared the lion down for a long moment before wiping blood from his mouth with his thumb. Then he turned his head slightly toward me, like he could feel me shaking from across the enclosure.
“See?” he called calmly. My chest tightened. “That’s how predators survive, and now you’re stuck with me for sixty days.”