Take Me Away | ✔️

26. TIME

MY BODYGUARDS COULDN'T SEEM to understand privacy everywhere I went. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't ungrateful for what they were doing and I would rather have them watch me rather than Ruvée's men who always seemed like they couldn't be joked around with.

          The only privacy I got was at the bathroom, and Thank God for that. I could hear Tyler and Lucas conversing outside but I couldn't get a clearer picture on what they were talking about. Nevertheless, I was about to reach for one of the faucets to wash my face when a hand grabbed my arm, turned me around, and had placed their other hand on top of my mouth.

          I was unable to scream for help, or scream that Max was inside the bathroom, now holding a knife to my throat.

          His eyes were bloodshot and there were deeper bags under them. "I have looked for you everywhere. I'm not going to hurt you, Mantha. I need you to listen to me."

          I couldn't do anything but nod. You know that fear that just cripples you and you can't think straight, all you want to do is run and go hide? That was the fear that was seeping through me. Being this close, breathing in his scent, hearing his voice, sent shivers down my spine. And, again, I was hopeless against him.

          "You're never going to win this fight," he whispered loudly. "I could get in your house undetected and even in this place. No one knows my face except your brother and that Alex who I said I didn't want to be near you."

          Oh, he was angrier than I imagined. He was fuming. "We're going to play a game, Mantha. You know how I like games, right?" Nodded. That smile he had just made me want to curl up. "I'd like this one because if you don't come back to me tomorrow before midnight, I'm going to take you forcefully but not before killing your brother."

          Tears were threatening to spill and he could see that because he did what he used to when he would see me cry—he kissed me on the cheeks. I tried to avoid them but the pointed knife under my chin wasn't helping my situation. "You have about more than twenty-four hours to make up your mind. I'll be at the old cabin we used to go up to when we would want our own space."

          Before I knew, he had released his hold of me and crawled up to the window by the last cubicle and went out.

          My knees failed me to help me stand and I fell down.

          After everything I've done to try to get away from him, he always manages to come back and get to me, control me like he used to. How? How could I be so stupid to let myself think that he was dead, only existed in my nightmares? How could I be so stupid to let myself think that I'm going to be able to escape him?

          All those training for myself to feel strong, to feel like no one could do it again—so much for those, right?

"Don't do it."

          When I looked up, Tyler was staring right down at me with a small smile, passing me his extra pizza that he said he would get for me. "When you went out of the bathroom a while ago, you looked like you were thinking about something and you still do. Oh, and Lucas was pretty hurt that you didn't find all of his jokes funny."

          I was thinking whether or not I would tell them about what happened or not, thinking about how I should have never left where I was, thinking about I should've believed my instincts that it was him and not doubting myself. Maybe by then, I would have gotten rid of this situation.

          "I'll send him an apology card," I forced out a chuckle, enough for Tyler to believe I wasn't thinking as hard as I was. "I was just thinking about how you guys must have been getting tired trying to keep an eye on me."