Trust Me

Chapter 5

The casualness of the kidnapper confused Ranalla. His actions were not like those of an abductor. She didn't have a lot of experience in that area, but even what she did know did not mesh with the actions of this one. She shook her head as she slowly walked into the living room. He had turned the television on and was surfing channels.

She paused behind the couch and stared at his head of thick black hair. Another glance moved from door to windows. Her exits were pretty well blocked for now. She could either try to watch a movie or hide in her room and go stir crazy. Watching television would give her more time to evaluate the room and even her kidnapper. She shrugged her shoulders and resigned herself to a movie.

Moving around the end of the couch, she settled herself down on the leather sofa in the corner farthest from him. Her eyes stayed on him and watched for any sudden moves. She had the soda can ready to use as a weapon. A smile played around his lips. She had the feeling he had known every move she had made since he left her standing against the door. Pursing her lips she looked at the television screen while keeping an eye on him in her peripheral vision. Her fingers flexed around the aluminum can.

"I won't bite." His low voice floated over to her.

She lowered her eyes but refused to look directly at him. "This coming from the man who kidnapped me and...and..." She turned quickly toward him. "You drugged me. Think I'll trust you now?"

He spared her a quick glance before returning to the movie he started "I only said I wouldn't bite."

His humor unnerved her. This was just too bizarre. She looked back at the screen but couldn't get into the movie. Her body tense, she turned to face him. She didn't trust him at all. All he had to do was make one move, the soda would be in his face, and she'd find something else to hit him with.

Thirty minutes went by. The only time he moved was when he laughed at the comedy scenes. Ranalla had not moved herself as she waited for him to make a move. Without taking his eyes off the movie, he commented, "Enjoying the view?"

Her breath caught in her chest. "What?"

His eyes crinkled from the humor he saw in the situation. "You've sat there the whole time looking at me." He turned to face her. Their eyes met. Hers confused. His amused. "Enjoying it?"

"I....I..Wh...I.." Unable to utter a coherent thought, she jerked around to watch the movie. "Jerk."

His only response was a laugh.

The rest of the movie went by in a blur for Ranalla. Her eyes were focused on the screen, but her attention was on the man beside her. He had her all confused and wound up. What would happen if she dropped her guard? Was that what he wanted her to do so he could pounce on her and finish what he wanted to do to her? And what was that? Why was she there? Money? Rape?

As the credits rolled up, he took the remote to change to what appeared to be satellite feed. He laid the remote between them. She felt his eyes on her. For several moments she refused to look at him but the silence drove her crazy. With pinched lips, she turned to face him and stared back.

"What?"

"Here's the remote. You can choose whatever you want to watch or you can help with dinner."

It was then she noticed how dark it had grown through the windows. The day had zoomed by while he watched the movie and she watched him. Thinking about it quickly, she leaned toward helping with dinner. Surely the drawers would open up to get their food ready. That could be her chance.

She bit her lip and nodded. "I'll help with dinner." Ranalla tried to keep her voice tight. The last thing she wanted was for him to get wind of her true intentions for helping him.

Another smiled appeared on his face. How she wished she could forcefully remove it! "Thought you might choose that." She watched as he stood up and walked into the kitchen leaving her to follow.

She must be going crazy. None of this made sense. Hearing a drawer open, she got up and entered the brightly lit kitchen. She hadn't noticed before how beautiful it was. The large island in the center was perfect for cooking a huge meal. Everything was rustic as the rest of the cabin, but in an elegant manner with stainless steel appliances and granite tops. This was no hunting cabin. This was luxury. Again, nothing made sense.

He was pulling out various items from the fridge. She looked around for which drawer was open, but all were closed. One was unlocked. It had to be, but which one? She walked up to the island, leaned against it, and hoped the casual stance belied her true action of investigating each drawer within sight.

Her attention was pulled in the direction of the food. Her heart sank as she saw ground beef, precut lettuce, hamburger buns, sliced cheese, and mayo. Even the mushrooms were already sliced. There was no need for a knife.

In his apparently typical act of not looking at her, he commented, "You'll notice that I usually plan ahead."

She huffed and crossed her arms in front of her. This was going to be harder than she thought. If she believed in such things, she'd believe he was a mind reader.

"What can I do to help?"

"There are packages of seasoning I've pulled out on the counter by the fridge. Season the meat and form patties." He took the mushrooms and began sautéing them in a small skillet. She frowned at the stuff he had managed to pull out before she got in there. It was as though it had been done by magic.

"I need a bowl."

He picked up one from in front of him and handed it to her. His eyes met hers, and he said, "Told you I'm always prepared."

Eyes narrowed, she jerked the bowl out of his hand and began opening the package of meat. Between the two of them, it didn't take long to get the meal ready. Her mouth began to water as the delicious smell of burgers filled the kitchen. This was her favorite burger with mushrooms in a steak sauce to complement the meat and cheese.

Once they were all done, she grabbed their drinks and followed him to the table that was in the corner by the living room door. As she sat the drinks down, he appeared with a bag of chips. She looked around in surprise. She had not heard any door open or close.

Refusing to give him another chance to laugh at her, she sat down and avoided his gaze. Instead, she focused on her food. It took all she had to control her facial expressions.

She almost groaned with satisfaction as she bit into the succulent burger. It was one of the best she had ever had. It was perfect to her taste in every way. The meat was medium rare, the mushrooms were tender, and the cheese was Baby Swiss. It was as though he knew her likes. She paused before the second bite. As the thought flitted into her mind, she pushed it aside. It couldn't be true. No way. How could he know those details of her life?