Azeira
I swiped the sweat from my brows as I finished dusting the fireplace in the living room. Kairus’s house was huge and I hadn’t even seen it all. Yesterday I worked on the upstairs rooms. They weren’t even dirty, just looked untouched and in need of a good dusting. Now it was time to get the downstairs together. I noticed Kairus’s house wasn’t very homey. It was barely decorated, no pictures, a couple paintings on the wall, but nothing that showed off any personality. The backyard was the only thing that looked like he had put actual thought into it.
Most of the day, the house was empty. There were a few staff members here and there, but they minded their business and did their jobs, keeping their heads low. I tried to converse with them, but they brushed me off.
I sighed.
Even though I had agreed to be here in order to save my dad, and didn’t regret it, I was lonely. While I didn’t have a lot of friends, I missed basic human contact. I was now weeks behind in my studies. Finals would be approaching soon and if I missed them I could kiss this semester goodbye. Kairus hadn’t given me permission to leave when I brought it up to him last night. His whole behavior caught me off guard.
He was so angry when he caught me in the garden. Part of me thought he might strike me when he came into my room afterward. I thought maybe I could seduce him and get him to soften up, but when I touched his face, everything shifted.
It was then I realized the scars ran deeper than his skin. A tormented darkness passed through his eyes before he scrambled away from me as if I had the plague. Lifting my hand, I brushed it over the marking on my shoulder that matched the one on my breast. I shouldn’t like that he had marked me again. Any normal person would be repulsed by his actions, but I was learning maybe I wasn’t as normal as I thought.
When I finished the living room, I started for the hall. The room I learned to be his office was off limits, so I skipped that door and moved to the next.
It took a few hours, but once I got down to the last two rooms on this floor I was exhausted, in dire need of food, shower, and a nap.
I went down the hall next to the kitchen where two doors were. The hall was dimly lit. I frowned and looked around. I went to the first door and attempted to open it, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Leave that room.” I jumped and spun around, seeing Lillian behind me.
“What?”
She looked behind me at the door. “That room is Mr. Navarro’s private sector. Only he is permitted inside. This entire wing is closed off to him only.” I squinted.
“Why?”
She gave me a blank look. “You ever heard the expression curiosity killed the cat? Finish what you’re supposed to be doing and leave this wing alone.” She turned around and waltzed off.
Pushing out a heavy breath, I turned and stared at the door again. Moving away from it, I went to the other one. My teeth sank into my bottom lip and I glanced over my shoulder, making sure Lillian was gone.
With my heart pounding loudly, I grabbed the two door handles and pushed them open. My mouth dropped and my eyes grew large as I scanned the tall, built-in bookshelves. While not all the shelves were filled with books, there were a good amount inside. I wasn’t even sure what kind they were but it looked like a mini library. Stepping in further, I inhaled the smell of books and musk. It was clear the room hadn’t been used recently.
Stepping toward one shelf, I lifted my hand and brushed it across the leather spines. They were dusty but all seemed to be in good condition. I’d always loved to read since I was a kid. My interest in a variety of genres grew the older I got. With school kicking my ass and worrying about my mom, I had less time for it than I would like. Still, reading was one of my first loves.
I did a three sixty and felt some tension leave my body. Maybe being here in my lonesome wouldn’t be so bad after all.
When I stepped out of the bathroom into my bedroom, I felt a lot better after having a shower. I pulled the towel from my hair and my curls sprang out. Wetness hit my face. I really needed to grab my things from my house if I was going to be here for the next six months. He had Lillian bring me a few essentials and outfits to wear, but I wanted my things. Kairus hadn’t made it clear if I could leave the house or not, but it would be crazy for him to think I would stay trapped in this house the whole time with no communication with the outside world.
I looked around the room. It was going on six in the evening. For the past couple of days Kairus didn’t come back home until around nine or ten. I had time to spare. Mostly everyone would be gone by now, leaving me alone, outside of Lillian, of course. She was like a damn fly I couldn’t get rid of.
Quickly I got dressed. I couldn’t do much with my hair, so I threw it in a ponytail of messy curls.
Leaving the room I quietly walked down the stairs, making sure to keep an eye out for Lillian. She was like a shadow, always popping up out of nowhere.
When I saw the coast was clear, I crept to the door I knew to be his office and slowly reached for the door. I held my breath as I turned the knob. Joy filled me when I saw it was unlocked. Hurriedly I stepped inside, shutting it behind me. I exhaled a deep breath and looked around the room. Nothing about it seemed out of the ordinary.
I rushed to his large desk toward the back of the room and searched it. I hoped he had a house phone or something I could use to at least check in with my parents. I knew by now my mom had to be worrying since I hadn’t been around to see her. I wasn’t sure how my dad explained my absence to her.
Some of the drawers were locked as I tried to open them. I yanked one of the top ones open and exhilaration filled me when I saw my phone.
“Yes!” I grabbed it quickly. Pressing the side button, I prayed it was charged. I darted my eyes to the door.
When my phone lit up, I watched as my notifications flooded the screen. I saw a few from my mom and the majority were from Jatavia. There were also a ton of notifications from Elite. I knew I couldn’t stay in here at the risk of being caught. Making sure everything was how it was before I came in, I hurried out of the office with my phone clutched to my chest.
“What are you doing?” I jumped inches away from the steps.
Spinning around, I folded my arms, making sure to tuck my phone to keep it hidden.
“What do you mean?”
She squinted. “Why do you look like you’re up to something?”
My brows furrowed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just doing a last minute inspection to make sure the house was clean enough for Kairus.”
She shook her head. “You’re trouble, girl. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep your head low and stay out the way.” Her eyes were penetrating, causing me to grow uncomfortable. My stomach knotted.
I bit the inside of my jaw, biting back my words, and nodded. Spinning on my heels, I hurried up the stairs.
Once in my room, I slammed the door shut and locked it behind me. I sighed and rushed to the bed. While I knew there was no way I could escape my fate, I did know I needed to find a way out of this house for a few hours. Kairus never bothered me when he came back late so there was no way for him to know I was gone. If I made sure one of the downstairs windows was unlocked, it would be easy for me to sneak back in and up to my room.
I scanned through the texts and notifications. A smile crept on my face. Being sneaky wasn’t something I typically did and that was probably why I felt so excited about it.
“You and your father have been keeping secrets from me, haven’t you?” Mom said between coughs. “He’s been gone a lot. I haven’t seen you in a month. Something’s not right. He came home a few weeks ago with his hand all bandaged up, claims he had an accident.”
My mom’s body was frail and pale. Her once long black luscious hair was cut low into a pixie style. It looked like she had aged years since the last time I laid eyes on her.
As soon as I made it out of the house, the first thing I did was get a rideshare to my parents’ house. I missed my mom and was sick with worry not knowing if she was getting better or worse. I had yet to lay eyes on my dad. From what my mom’s nurse told me, he had been out a lot, at all hours. When he came home, he was distracted and distant.
“It’s nothing to worry about, Mom. I’m here now, that’s all that matters. Tell me how you have been? Your nurse says the doctor finally approved you for the surgery.”
Her eyes narrowed and she peered at me with what I called the “mom eyes.” I covered her hand with mine and gave it a small squeeze.
“I promise, Mom, everything is fine. I want to hear about you. Tell me what’s going on.”
When we found out about my mom’s cancer it progressed quickly, too quickly. They weren’t able to operate like they hoped they would be able to, which was why she had to do rounds of chemo first, to try and kill some of the cancerous cells. Turned out the chemo worked because they approved her surgery and she was due to have a hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Once that was handled, she had to go through chemo again and hopefully the tumors and cancer would be nonexistent after everything.
I swallowed hard. A lot of the waiting had to do with money. Their insurance only covered so much, leaving my dad to have to pay a good amount out of pocket. Knowing my mom was going to get the care she needed and deserved made everything I was dealing with worth it.
I was only at my parents’ house for an hour before my mom drifted off to sleep. “Let her know I’ll be back soon to see her, okay,” I told the nurse.
She nodded at me and passed by. I stepped into the hallway and stumbled back when I collided with a body.
“!” My dad looked at me shocked, grabbing me. “What are you doing here? Are you okay?” He looked me over.
“I’m fine.” I waved him off. “I just came to check on Mom and you. Are you okay? How’s your hand?”
He clenched his jaw. “My hand’s been an adjustment.” He lifted it and I stared at his four fingers. “But I’d rather lose my finger than my life.” A solemn expression passed over his face. “How are you, ? I’m so sorry I got you into this. I never wanted you caught up in my shit.”
I shook my head. “I’m fine, Daddy. I can handle myself. As long as you’re okay and Mom’s getting the treatment she needs, I’m fine.”
“No. . That man… I should have never gone into business with him.” He turned and pressed his back against the wall, his head dropped in defeat. “I was desperate to save your mother. The bills were piling up. They were threatening to take the house because of the second mortgage I had to take out. Shit was getting outta control and…” He clenched his jaw again.
I knew it was killing my dad being so out of control.
“How are you gonna pay a hundred thousand dollars back in less than six months? Where are you gonna get that kind of money from? I have some saved up and—” He raised his hand.
“No, I won’t involve you any more than I already have. This is my mess and I’m gonna figure it out. I got a job down at the docks that pays well. I’m also picking up odd jobs. Don’t worry about me.”
I bit into my bottom lip as my leg shook wildly. I didn’t like this. It made me uneasy knowing the debt hanging over his head and what was at stake. The last thing I wanted was to lose my father.
My phone went off in my pocket. I pulled it out and took a look, seeing it was Jatavia.
“I have to go, Daddy. But don’t worry about me, okay? Just take care of Mom.” My voice grew thick and it cracked. I inhaled a deep breath, struggling to hold back my tears.
My dad pushed off the wall and pulled me into him.
“Please be careful, . That man isn’t safe. Do whatever you have to do to stay out his way. I promise you I’m working as hard as I can to get the money so we can wash our hands of all this.” I dug my face into his chest. Tears pooled in my eyelids.
“I love you, Pumpkin.” He kissed the top of my head.
“I love you too.”
He held me a little longer before releasing me. Remorse covered his face and I forced a reassuring smile on mine.
“I’ma try and make it back for Mom’s surgery, okay? Let her know I’ll call her soon.” I didn’t care what I had to do to make both notions true but I would. I didn’t care what Kairus said or how he reacted.
With a heavy heart I walked down the hall to the front door. I hated to leave my parents’ house not knowing when I would be able to see them again. My stomach twisted around a ball of ice. I wished I was able to take my parents and go somewhere Kairus couldn’t find us.
“So wait, let me get this straight. Not only were you not out of town, but you were kidnapped and now you’re technically being held hostage, but you managed to sneak out? What the fuck you got going on, girl?” Jatavia expressed loudly.
I picked up my lemon drop and took a large sip. “Say it a little louder, why don’t you?” I narrowed my eyes at her.
We were currently at the bar up the street from my house. I was able to stop by and get some things to take back to my prison.
“, this is serious shit. I’ve heard the rumors about Kairus Navarro. He’s vicious and ruthless and doesn’t hold back when he feels someone betrayed him. I don’t want something to happen to you.”
Sighing, my shoulders fell forward. “Well there’s nothing else I can do, Jatavia. I can’t just let him kill my dad.” I licked my lips and looked around the bar. What I didn’t admit to her was I didn’t fear being held by Kairus because I thought he would kill me, even though I probably should be. I was more afraid of how my body reacted to him when he touched me. How his cruel ways turned me on.
“And you’re really trapped there for the next six months? I can’t believe your dad would get you wrapped up in all this.”
I shook my head. “Well it’s more like five and half now, but yeah, I am.” I looked back at the bar. “I’m fine though. All I have to do is keep the house clean. Being a maid isn’t that bad.”
She gave me a worried look but I ignored it. Checking the time on my phone, I saw it was going on nine. I had to prepare for my date.
Thankfully I was still on the roster and able to receive jobs from Elite. I was working with limited time, but I had to continue to build my savings so I could try to help my dad pay his debt back faster. I had gotten dressed for the night before leaving my house to meet Jatavia at this bar.
“Look, I gotta go. As soon as I’m able I’ll reach out and we can meet up again, okay?”
I stood up. “.”
“Seriously, Jatavia, don’t worry about me. Just do me a favor. Keep an eye on my mom? My dad’s working all the time and I want someone she’s familiar with at her side.”
She sighed. “You know I love your mom. I just hate you have to go back to that man’s house. Is it horrible? Is it full of torture devices?”
I snickered. “What? No! It’s a normal mansion. Big as hell with too many damn rooms.”
I grabbed my phone off the bar. My date was simple. He needed me for a three-hour dinner party. When I was finished I would rush back to the north side of town and sneak back into Kairus’s house before anyone knew I was gone.