chapter 8

Angelina

My sleep was disturbed when my phone rang just beneath my pillow which made me jump in my sleep and jolt up on the bed, my heart thumping vigorously in my chest. I glared at the screen and then snapped,

"What?"

"Good morning, sunshine!" Creed's voice rang through the speaker. I groaned in annoyance.

God, how can he be so cheerful?

"Morning!" I grumbled. "Why did you call?"

"Well, Danzel called me and said you wanted to go out somewhere."

"Did he now?" I asked yawning loudly.

"Yes, he did. Now get up and get ready because it's ten in the morning."

"Okay," I mumbled.

I leaned my face on my hands and closed my eyes. Last night, my eyes closed around two in the morning. I kept thinking about him, about our kiss. My fingers went over and grazed my lips, feeling a strange feeling growing inside. He kissed me. The feeling was nothing compared to what Lexi had described to me. It was more than that; it was more intense and deep. My thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of my phone and I saw Creed's message flash,

On my way, wear something comfortable.

I sighed and headed to the bathroom.

Standing under the shower, my mind drifted off to him. Last night, Danzel was so reluctant not to send me out. So, what changed his mind suddenly? My thoughts didn't help me, even when I exited the shower and headed to the closet, I kept thinking about it. Dressing up quickly, I went down.

"Hey Yara, Good morning!" I greeted her when I entered the kitchen.

As soon as she saw me her face lit up, "Hey honey, good morning. I made some sandwiches, I hope you like them."

"Of course, I would." I said sitting on the chair, "You are the best cook!"

"You look cheerful." She stated.

"Yes, I am. Danzel is letting me go out for the day." I smiled and then said, "But only with Creed."

"I hope you enjoy your day." she wished.

Just then I heard heavy footsteps entering the kitchen and I stopped chewing the morsel.

"Good morning, Danzel." Yara greeted.

"Good morning Yara. Bring me my breakfast."

As soon as I heard his voice behind me, blood rushed to my face.

Images of last night flashed across my eyes and I lowered them as much as I could to avoid his gaze.

"Good morning, Love. Did you sleep well?" He asked with a smirk playing on his lips. I gulped down the food and controlled my posture and spoke,

"I did, thank you."

I kept playing with my food, not wanting to eat anymore.

"Well..."I began,

At my voice, his gaze snapped up from his phone and he cocked his brow.

"I—I" I struggled and then spoke, "Thank you for today."

"Your welcome, Angelina." He said and then I saw a mischievous glint flash across his eyes, "You kind of didn't leave me a choice last night!"

I choked on my drink as the words left his mouth. How could he say with Yara right in front of us? To save me from embarrassment, Creed entered the kitchen.

"There you are!" he said and then pulled me in a side hug. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks!" I blushed at his words.

I saw Danzel's jaw tense and his fingers fist up to his side but he kept his gaze down.

"You, ready?" Creed asked me.

"Yes. Give me one minute, I'll grab my purse." I said and hurried up.

When I walked into the living room, I saw Danzel telling Creed something. Danzel had a stern look on his face and by the posture of Creed's back, I knew he was listening carefully. Danzel stopped his words in mid-sentence when he saw me standing there.

"Let's move, shall we?" Creed grinned and then walked out. I grinned back and followed him but just as I was about to leave the door, Danzel called me. I frowned and turned around and saw him walking at me.

"You forgot your phone in the living room." He said and handed me his phone.

"Thank you."

He nodded and then kissed my forehead softly and murmured,

"Stay safe Angel."

I mumbled a small yes and then ran towards the elevator where Creed was standing impatiently for me. I looked up and saw him smiling mischievously at me.

"What?" I said glaring at him.

But his smirk answered it all.

His car was parked in the driveway. We both made our way towards it and then he opened the door for me. I slid down quickly and waited for him to start the car. My eyes moved towards the mirror and I saw Danzel staring at us through his window.

I turned my head to the other side and asked Creed, "Where are we heading to?"

"Well, I never go out with a girl except for dates and parties," he said, "But I am sure, you'll love this place." That was all he said and then drove off. I kept asking him for more clues but he simply shook his head and denied it. It's a surprise, he said. After an hour, he stopped a car in front of a park. I frowned in confusion and I got out.

My eyes grew wide in confusion, "Amusement Park!" I squealed in excitement.

He laughed at my expression, "Come on then!"

*****

I forgot everything that happened in these past days and enjoyed myself. We played games; we sat on rides that revealed Creed's fear of heights. He had a death grip on my hand when the ride took off. I laughed at his frightened expression and then teased him all along.

As the day went by, Creed took me to a restaurant to eat.

As soon as we entered the restaurant, I felt nervous eyes glancing at us. Everyone moved out of their way and even though the place has crowed, we were given a table immediately

"Hello, sir." The waiter greeted nervously.

"A table for two of us," Creed told him.

My eyes widened at the sudden change of tone in his voice. The playful and cheerful tone vanished and instead it had more seriousness. Creed gave in our orders, some Italian cuisines which I never heard of before.

Creed kept his demeanor stern and rigid while the waiter was there. Once the man hurried out of our eyesight, I turned at Creed and said in awe,

"Wow, Creed," "I didn't know it?"

"Knew what?" he asked in confusion, the sudden softness in his voice was noticeable.

"That you can be bossy like Danzel when you're with other people."

"Trust me, darling, we need to be bossy when we are amongst them." he continued, "Because it's kind of necessary for us. We cannot be kind when it comes to working."

"Then why are you so soft towards me?" I asked raising my eyebrow.

"First of all, don't call me soft." He glared and then his lips tugged in a smile, "And that is because you're my little friend."

"Good to know!" I smiled.

"Can I request you something, sunshine?" He asked in a serious tone.

"Yeah, go on." I nodded hesitantly.

He took a deep breath and said,

"Listen, Angelina, I know that you've been brought here against your wish." My eyes widened at his words. "I also know that it was Danzel who has kidnapped you but—" his Danzel grew deep, "please don't leave him. He has been through a lot. He never allowed anyone to enter his personal space. Hell! I don't recall him bringing any girl home in years. But now, Danzel'd changing himself." Creed leaned forward and took my hand in his and continued,

"And it's you who is changing him. Please don't leave him and go. Be kind towards him, gain his trust and I am sure he will let you do as you please. But yes, let me warn you, never!! I mean never, break his trust. Once you promise him something, make sure you stand by your words, or else he'll be the death of yours."

I wasn't what my expression gave off because my mind was processing his words. Danzel's changing, and it's you who is changing him. How am I supposed to change him? And how am I supposed to not leave him? He abducted me for Christ's sake! He is a dangerous man and I can't live with someone who loves killing. I need to get back to my mom; I have a whole life waiting there.

"Angelina, will you?"

Creed's voice brought back me to reality. I gulped down nervously and spoke,

"Uh--I'll try Creed." I said honestly, "I mean he kidnapped me. How can I live with him? I understand your emotions but—" my words failed when I saw his expression dropping, "—I'll try for sure." I assured him with a smile.

He smiled weakly and nodded.

The food was amazing. Even though I didn't catch the names, I enjoyed the taste. We talked about everything and then when it was time to pay, Creed stood up and simply walked out.

"Creed," I hurried. "You didn't pay!"

"I know." He nodded and said simply. "I don't need to pay, sunshine."

"Why?" I asked and then my eyes widened in realization, "You own it!"

"Yeah, no big deal." He shrugged off. "Now, come on."

We headed back immediately. Creed had some work to do and I was tired. I wanted nothing but to sleep on the comfy bed.

Creed insisted on walking me up to the door and then followed me into the living room. As soon as our footsteps were heard, a loud voice boomed,

"I told you to be back by noon!" Danzel said angrily, his anger evident in his eyes. "Why are you late, Creed?"

I flinched and caught Creed's hand.

Danzel's eyes followed my actions and his jaw clenched.

I immediately left his hand.

"You," he pointed his finger at me, "In your room now!" I nodded and started walking.

"We stopped by the hotel to have lunch. Angelina was exhausted." Creed said, unfazed by Danzel's yelling. "Which is partly my fault." He finished with an amused expression.

"What the fuck do you mean?" Danzel said gritting his teeth.

Creed laughed.

"Calm down man! We went to the park and enjoyed a lot. And then we both were hungry so we stopped by and grab a bite."

"Okay, you can leave now," Danzel said and without waiting for his reply stormed into his office.

I stood there watching the scene.

Creed came up to me and hugged me, "Well I got to go, but you can call me whenever you want to, okay?"

"Sure Creed. Thanks a lot, I enjoyed your company." I said punching him lightly on his arm.

"I know," and then he raised his voice for Danzel to hear. "Everybody loves me."

"If I come out, you'll be in trouble, Creed!" Danzel shouted from his room.

Creed laughed and walked towards the main door but he stopped and turned to face me and then winked, "Love you too, Angelina!"

My eyes widened at his amused expression and I waited for the reaction we both were hoping for. It didn't take more than two seconds for the door to Danzel's office and he marched out towards Creed who ran out quickly.

After a good warm bath, I took a nap. I was tired and wanted to rest for fifteen minutes but I slept in for two hours. When I opened my eyes, Yara was already calling me for dinner. When I scrolled down, I saw Danzel sitting over the opposite side waiting for me to join.

"Hey, honey!" Yara smiled. "How was your day?"

I told her everything, making sure not to miss out on any single detail. Danzel kept listening to me, not saying anything, but his eyes were trained on me. When I was done telling her about my day, I asked her about hers. She told me she had gone shopping for her daughter. I frowned sadly when yara told me that she will be leaving town for a couple of weeks, leaving me in the hands of the dangerous man.

Yara excused herself and went for packing her stuff. I sat there toying with my beans and then opened my mouth a couple of times to speak. Danzel was eating silently, his eyes on his plate.

"Danzel?" I called out.

He looked at me and raised his eyebrow.

"Yara told me about the sale in the mall. It's not far and I kind of wanted to go and buy some clothes." I said nervously.

He chuckled.

What?

"You know that you don't have to wait for sales and worry about the cheap dresses they sell at a high price. You can order anything you like." He said.

"They aren't cheap. I love malls." I said. "And I want to go."

"Okay love, we'll go tomorrow."

Yea-wait, what?

Did he say we?

"We?" I asked in confusion.

"Yes, Creed's busy tomorrow; so if you want, you have to go with me." He said smirking.

"Okay..." I managed to speak, "Don't you have work tomorrow?"

"Don't worry about it." he got up and leaned at me and spoke, "Besides, instead of staring at fucking papers, I'd rather see you trying every dress and spend time with you!"

He chuckled and then kissed my cheek.

"Good night love, sleep well." he said walking away, "We have a long day ahead."

I sat there frozen.

Oh god! Tomorrow is really going to be a long day.

***

I was up before my alarm went off the next morning. I was excited and nervous about the day, excited because it was shopping, and nervous because Danzel was tagging along. My steps faltered on the stairs when I saw Danzel waiting for me.

With a simple black shirt and black jeans, he looked like a completely different person. This was the first time I had seen him without a suit, and I liked it.

He saw me coming and then asked,

"Ready?"

"Absolutely "I grinned.

He just shook his head in amusement and headed out. As soon as I saw his car, I stopped in my tracks. It looked exactly similar to the black car which was stalking me for weeks.

"Come on, we don't have all day." He said waiting for me to get in. I hurriedly went and sat.

"So how many dresses are you planning on taking?" He asked once we were on the road.

"Uh-I don't know I am just--I don't have much money."

Danzel glared at me. "You don't need to worry about money, Angel. You can buy anything you want."

"Okay," I said. There wasn't any use in arguing with him.

I kept my gaze outside the road, suddenly missing Lexi. We both enjoyed it a lot every time we went shopping and now here I am, going shopping with my abductor sitting right next to me, who happens to be a freaking mafia!

"Tell me what's going on that little brain of yours?" He asked me.

"I miss Lexi a lot," I said honestly.

Danzel stiffened at my words. He clenched his jaw tightly and remained silent.

We soon reached the mall. I got out quickly and smiled when I saw the orange banner sale hanging on the wall beside us.

"Let's go," Danzel said, intertwining our fingers and started walking.

He didn't let go of my hand when we entered the shop. I tried to ignore the weird feeling I was getting from his touch. I could feel many female eyes on us, or him to be specific. Some girls even glared at me.

What? He's not mine!

Danzel remained unaffected by their gazes and told me to select whatever I like. As I was choosing dresses, my eyes would fall on him, and wouldn't be surprised to find his trained at me. When I was done, I walked over to him. Apparently, Danzel had selected some dresses as well and told me try them out. I did not like the ones he had selected except for one. It was an emerald-colored dress that reached up to my mid-thigh, the neckline was diamond shaped and exposed the swell of my cleavage.

I smiled in the mirror when I saw the dress fitting perfectly. When I opened the door and called Danzel, his gaze fell upon me and his eyes widened.

I shifted uncomfortably under his intense gaze...He stood up and walked upon me until my back hit the wall. He came in and kicked the door closed with his leg.

His eyes trained from my face to my body and I felt a tingling sensation. His blue eyes illuminated beautifully under the light and then his pupils' dilated when his gaze met mine.

"You look fucking delicious in this dress. I want to rip it apart right now and fuck you senseless." He said bluntly.

I gasped at his crude words and backed up against the mirror.

Danzel pressed his hands beside my head and leaned in, pressing his lips.

My eyes fluttered closed when he brought one hand and caressed my jaw while moving his lips against mine. He gently bit my lip which made me moan. His arms were around me, holding me closer, smashing me against the mirror behind us.

I pulled apart when my lungs gave out oxygen. It took me a few moments and then I slowly opened my eyes staring at him.

"God, I missed your lips..." He whispered, tracing his finger over my lower lip.

"Get changed, I am waiting for you outside." He said and leaned in to kiss me chastely and then walked out.

When I was done, Danzel took the dress from my hand and went to the cashier for paying.

"Can I use the washroom, please?" I ask Danzel quietly.

"Yeah." he said and then looked at me, "Don't try to do anything stupid." He warned.

I gulped and nodded, "I won't."

When I was done re-adjusting my dress in the washroom, I walked out of it.

As I was passing by, a hand grabbed me and covered my mouth, and took me to the washroom again. My eyes widened in panic and struggled in the tight grip.

"Shhh, it's me."

As soon as I recognized the voice, my eyes snapped open. My face paled as I stared at the person holding me. His worried eyes made mine dwell up with tears. It was the guy I had a crush on since high school, the guy I always wanted to be with, my classmate,

"Thomas!"