All I Need

Chapter 54 - Untie Me

Kaia

It wasn't surprising that I couldn't sleep, because every time I closed my eyes I saw that man's face turning red. I saw myself choke all of the air out of his body until he stopped breathing.

I was at my limit of shit I could take. I felt like a glass house, where all it would take was one stone to break me. One stone to make everything come crashing down, so far down that, I didn't know if I would be able to get back up again after.

"You'll do anything to get the contract out of him, yes? Cut him, stab him, even shoot him in the back of the head for god's sake if you have to. I want that fucking contract."

I stood outside the bedroom with my father, with a robe as the only coverage over my lingerie set underneath. He leaned down and lifted my chin, forcing me to look at him. "You'll pretend you're strong and fearless like you do with the other men, won't you?"

I didn't respond with words. I was afraid that if I opened my mouth and started talking the words would turn to sobs, and I wouldn't be able to contain my feelings. I already had a tight lid on them. I wasn't sure how much I could say before it blew off. I relaxed my shoulders and tried to calm down while nodding in agreement.

He could see my distress. He could sense it in the air around us, and for a second it seemed like he cared. I almost couldn't believe it when he pulled me into his chest and wrapped his arms around me tightly, breathing in the scent of my hair. "You know...this is the last thing I'll ask, and then you can be free of me. I'll let you go after this if you want to leave."

Leave?

He was going to let me go?

I stayed there frozen in my place, thinking about what he had said. Let me go? Did I still have to kill him then? The right answer was yes because he deserved to die for everything he had done, but what if I could just leave it all behind? Run away and never come back?

No. I couldn't leave Elias. I couldn't let him rot in this house like his brother was. It's not right. I promised Daniel I would take care of him, and I was sticking to it no matter what. There was no way, after everything, that my father meant those words. It was just another guilt trip to make me do what he asked. It wasn't true. It wasn't real.

He was a liar.

He pulled away and lifted my chin again, gripping it a little harder this time. There was a flash of regret on his face like he felt sorry for what he was doing to me. He sighed, then asked the question he always did to reassure I still loved him. "You're still my little girl, aren't you, my love?"

One stone.

I wouldn't let this be the one.

Play along.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I forced a smile and gave him the answer I did every time. "Always."

He smiled back and pulled away completely, opening the door to the bedroom. I walked in and he closed it behind me, making sure to lock it so I couldn't leave before I was done.

Elias was passed out on the bed, with a new bruise on the side of his head that looked very painful. I wanted to go and wake him up, and comfort him, but I knew I was being watched. I glanced at the hidden camera on top of the dresser, where I knew my father's men were overseeing everything I did.

Instead of helping him, I grabbed some of the chains off the wall and wrapped them around his wrists, attaching them to the headboard. I locked them with a key and placed it on the nightstand beside him. I knew he would be able to see it if he paid attention. I wanted him to know there was a way out.