The Mysterious Mr. Miller

37. CAPTURED

"Thank you Jason.  I don't know how I'll ever repay you." I muttered softly under my breath as I stopped the juice.

"It's okay. I didn't do you any favour. We are friends, remember?" He smiled while keeping his eyes on the road.

It wasn't that simple. He had helped me run away from the Miller mansion and Sean would never take it easily. Jason had put himself in danger to help me and I would forever be indebted to him.

Last night, after I heard Sean talk about me like that with Hailey, it broke my heart. I didn't know he thought that low of me and he wanted me gone. My self respect didn't allow me to stay there any longer so I asked for Jason's help, who agreed instantly. He hid me in the back of his car before leaving for his house and fooled the gatekeeper by distracting him.

"You owe me a dinner. Remember?" He winked at me and I smiled.

"I do." I said as the breeze flew by my face.

Jason was taking me to a nearby town where we would be staying in a hotel until the search for us was over. I know I took a rash step but I was done. I couldn't be a burden anymore.

"What's that?" I saw Jason angle his neck and something was peaking out from under his shirt.

"Oh that?" He slid his shirt and showed me the tattoo. "That's a bleeding rose."

Something flickered in my memory and my eyes widened in recognition. I had seen the same tattoo before on the men of Machiavelli's and Sean had told me what it meant.

I slumped in my seat and stared at Jason in disbelief. It couldn't be a coincidence. He was one of Machiavelli's men. But how? How was that possible?

"What happened?" He asked.

"Nothing." I managed to fake a smile while my body had gone cold. "Can you stop at a gas station? I need to pee."

"Sure." He nodded.

My mind filled with thousands of possibilities as I cursed myself for running away with him. How easily he had manipulated me into thinking he liked me and was doing all this to save me? God, what have I done and how am I going to get myself out of this?

After the longest, most torturous twenty minutes of my life passed, he finally stopped at a gas station. While he filled the tank, I went towards the bathroom but instead of going inside, I turned towards the mart.

"I need to use the telephone." I said to the man and gave him some money from my pocket. Thankfully, I had kept some with me before I left in case things didn't go according to my plan.

He walked away after handing me the phone and I dialed Sean's number, which was the only number I knew by heart. "Please pick up." I mumbled under my breath as adrenaline rushed through my body. "Come on."

After few minutes, I heard some shuffling from other side.

"Sean. It's me. Penny. I'm going to Egerton Town. Jason... Jason isn't... Sean?" I was speaking nonstop in panic when I realized the line had been dropped. I looked at the phone and realized someone had unplugged the reciever.

I angled my neck and found Jason standing beside me, looking down at me with a terrifying look on his face. Gone had the innocent boyish persona and was replaced by a sardonic frown.

"Help! Somebody help!" I attempted to run away but Jason clamped his hands on my mouth, blocking my voice. He picked me up roughly and I struggled in his hold as he took me outside the store and towards the car.

"Everything was going fine but you just had to mess up." He said as he threw me in the backseat after stuffing my mouth with his handkerchief and then tied his tie around my mouth. Afterwards, he went to the drivers seat and came back with a rope to tie my limbs.