Acting Royal #Wattys2017

Chapter 34

JENNY

Jenny's head was spinning as she was dragged down a flight of stairs and thrown into a cell. She looked around and started shaking. This place looked old, it looked like the kind of place that had ancient torture chambers hiding in it. It looked Medieval and she had never been more terrified and confused in her entire life. She grabbed at the bars and shook them.

"Let me out, let me out." She screamed over and over again until her voice went hoarse and her throat felt raw. "I want a lawyer. I want a lawyer, let me out of here."

She paced and grabbed at the bars, looking for a weak spot. Looking for anything to get her out of there. But finally, when she had exhausted her search and her voice was completely gone from screaming, she slumped to the floor, and that was when it all started to hit her.

Zayn had been playing her this whole time. She was nothing more than some exotic fuck for him. A challenge, a game to keep him amused and occupied. She'd almost not believed him, she'd gotten the sense that he was being forced to say all that, right up until he'd told the guards to arrest her. That was all the confirmation she needed to realize that she meant nothing to him. She was a piece of trash that he could just throw away. She hated him. She had never hated anyone so badly in her entire life, and she had never been so deceived by anyone.

And as for Rafiq... she had trusted him. She had liked him. And he had thrown her in jail. She started to shake violently and her heart pounded so hard she felt dizzy. She grabbed onto the bars to stop herself from falling. She needed to get a grip. She needed to get a grip. But she couldn't. Because all she could think about was being locked here for the rest of her life for something she hadn't done. She didn't know what was worse right now, the feeling of terror she felt, or the burning, ripping, tearing pain of her heart breaking into a million little pieces.

She'd loved him. She's loved him so much...

She started to cry. It was soft at first, but soon her loud, violent sobs wracked her entire body. She spread out across the floor, the cold hard cement floor and held herself while her entire body shook.

ZAYN

"What the fuck did you do that for?" Zayn hissed at Rafiq when they were alone and out of Amir's earshot.

"She'll be safe there. Trust me."

"Safe from what?" Zayn asked.

"From your cousin." As soon as the words were out of Rafiq's mouth Zayn suddenly understood why Amir had looked so angry when Jenny had been taken away to jail. Zayn's blood ran cold, he could barely think it, let alone say it. He looked at Rafiq and urged him to speak. He needed to hear it. He needed to hear Rafiq say it, or he wouldn't believe it.

"As long as she's locked up and has a guard watching over her, Amir cannot get to her, she'll be safe."

Zayn felt his legs go weak underneath him and he moved to sit. He knew his cousin was pure evil, but was he capable of hurting someone. Had he really been planning to do something to Jenny? But what, drive her out to the airport and what...? Zayn felt like a spear had just been plunged into his stomach. His insides twisted and burned. He looked up at Rafiq and Rafiq started back at him as if he was reading his mind.

"You once tried to tell me that... that...." He stuttered. He couldn't say it out loud.

"Yes." Rafiq said sitting down opposite Zayn.

"I didn't... I wouldn't... I didn't believe you."

"He's your cousin. You grew up with him, you were young and naïve and knew nothing of the world and the evil in it when I told you. You couldn't believe family was capable of that."

"Yes." Zayn's blinkers were off now. Amir's behavior over the last few days had changed his opinion of his cousin. He's always known he was a snake, but a murderer....?

"I have no proof." Rafiq said. "I have no proof and your father would never believe it."

Zayn hung his head, it felt like it was going to explode from all this information. He thought back to the funeral after the plane crash. Amir had wept and cried. He'd comforted everyone, he'd gotten up and made a eulogy. How could he have done it and been able to act like that. Was he a psychopath? That funeral had been so difficult for Zayn, and for Rana, she hadn't understood what was going on at all, all she wanted to do was play with her cousins and she didn't understand why she couldn't....

Zayn's head snapped up. NO! No, no.... It couldn't. There was no way.

"The fire?" Zayn's voice shook as he said it. "Did he... OH MY GOD," Zayn jumped up, "I'm going to fucking kill him, I'm going to fucking kill him." He ran for the door and Rafiq threw himself onto him.

"Stop. Stop." Zayn tried to break free. "Listen to me. We have to be smart. We have to think about this carefully. Our top priority is getting Jenny home safely and making sure Amir thinks you hate her."

Zayn turned around and looked at Rafiq. "What?"

"He seems to have a habit of getting rid of the people you love. He has to believe you are totally indifferent to her."

"Is that why you wanted me to...?"

Rafiq nodded. "It was part of the reason. Jenny will be safe is Rafiq doesn't see her as a threat, or see her as a potential way to hurt you. But I also meant what I said about her hating you being better than loving you and knowing she cannot have you."

Zayn looked at Rafiq. After everything he'd put this man through over the years... yet here he was. And once again, he was right. As long as Amir thought Jenny meant nothing to him, she was safe. And he wasn't going to let anything bad happen to her. If hurting her some more meant keeping her safe and alive, he would do it.