CHAPTER 2

I didn’t know which was worse; getting kidnapped on my way home from work by three unidentified men and going unconscious, or waking up in this room with a new man staring down at me. I knew he wasn’t one of the men who took me. None of them had been this tall.

“Who are you?” I asked in a tiny voice, trying to hide the tremble so I didn’t seem weak. Even though I was practically dying inside.

There was no response. He just kept staring at me. And I was starting to panic again. A thousand questions ran through my mind with no one to answer them. What did these men want from me? Was this some kind of mafia operation? A switch went off in my head, and my eyes bulged out of their sockets. Had I been sold off to this man? Was the mafia even real? Just how dangerous could he be? Maybe I could fight him off and get help.

“Hello Hazel.” He finally answered.

His voice was deep and confident, and it did nothing to help ease the tension in my bones.

“How do you know my name? Who are you?” I asked again, feeling even more scared now.

He let out a chuckle and finally left his position at the foot of the bed and started walking towards me.

“Stop! Don’t come any closer or I’ll scream!” I threatened as my eyes darted crazily around the room. I had no idea what I was looking for but I definitely needed a weapon if I was going to fight against this man.

He let out a dry laugh, a laugh that sounded like he was mocking me, and I decided in that instant that I hated him. “Oh you can scream as loud as you want honey, but I promise you no one’s coming to get you.”

Honey. I frowned as the term of endearment left his lips, and I felt like throwing up. “Who are you? And what do you want from me?” I asked again, patting down my jacket with my hands to try to find my phone but I came up with nothing.

“Are you looking for this?” The man asked.

I looked up to find him waving my phone in his hand with a triumphant look on his face, and my fear was ignited all over again. My heart thundered in my chest and I could feel the fear like liquid travelling through my veins. I squinted my eyes and looked down at myself, wondering if this sick man had done anything to me while I was unconscious, but my clothes were all intact and except for the obvious fear I was feeling, I felt fine.

I heard a scoff and the sound of his footsteps receding as he walked away from me. “You really think I’m that kind of man, don’t you?” He asked.

“Well, I wouldn’t put it past you! You did kidnap me, didn’t you?” I spat at him, trying to be brave.

I heard him abruptly stop, and there was silence between them for a moment before I heard the sound of the light switch, and the room was flooded with light. “I wouldn’t call it kidnapping. All I did was bring you home Hazel.”

My eyes were adjusting to the light now, and I could see the room clearly. The bed was a king sized bed, with covers that looked like they cost a fortune, the ceilings were high and the windows I had noticed earlier were floor to ceiling windows. Everything looked expensive, and I swallowed down a gulp of air. The man was still rooted in the spot he’d been standing at, with his back still turned to me. And now that I could see clearly, I was starting to realize just how much danger I was in. There was no way I would’ve been able to overpower him. I was right, he was definitely over six feet tall, he had broad shoulders and a build that only meant that he worked out regularly, I could tell how strong he was, especially with his confident stance. His presence seemed to make the massive room shrink and appear smaller. I tried to control my breathing. My heart was beating so loud, I was sure the man could hear it.

“Please… if it’s money you want, I don’t have any, but I can definitely figure something out, please don’t kill me. My mother, she’s sick, she’s…” my words stopped as a sob caught in my throat. My mother would never be able to survive it if I died. My hands were starting to shake now.

The man scoffed again. “I don’t need your money, Hazel. I’m sure you can figure out that much.”

He was right, he didn’t look like he was after money, with a house like this, money definitely wasn’t a problem for him. I hated his arrogance but I was grasping at anything to save myself. I needed to get back safely to my mother. “What do you want then?”

“You can relax, I’m not going to kill you. Like I said before, I only brought you home.”

“Home?” I asked in confusion. “But I don’t even know you, I’ve never seen this house before, what do you mean… who are you?”

My question was met with silence yet again, but the man started to turn slowly. I held my breath as he took his time. And when he was finally facing me, I let out a loud gasp. “Christian.”

“Hello Hazel.” He said again.

It was Christian, it was definitely him. It had been four years since the first and last time I saw him, but I could recognize that face anywhere. He had shown up to the hotel bar four years ago, and our easy conversation had quickly turned into a night of intense passion, and I had left before he woke up the next morning, hoping to never see him again. We had both agreed it would be a one time thing. So why was he here again four years later? And why had he kidnapped me? Had I unknowingly gotten myself entangled in some huge mess by making that decision four years ago? The regret was rapidly kicking in. I had slept with a man I knew nothing about. I was starting to realize just how careless I had been four years ago.

“What… what’s going on here?” I asked in a shaky voice. “What are you doing here?”

“I live here.”

“Christian, you know what I mean. Why am I here? Why did you kidnap me? What kind of sick plans do you have?”

“I’m glad you still remember me. And I’d really like it if you stopped calling it kidnapping.” He walked back to me. “Let’s get down to business now, shall we?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and waited for him to continue. I had a feeling that whatever he was about to say wasn’t going to be good.

He looked down at me menacingly, the way a predator looked down at his prey before he pounced on it, with his face as serious as ever. “The reason you’re here Hazel, is because this is going to be your new home. We’re getting married.”