Tortured - Jaele

|| Chapter Thirtyone ||

Jace -

I'm in my car, speeding out of the parking garage before I give anything else a second thought. I smirked, rolling down all of the windows to let the cool spring breeze into my car. It was really a motion to air out the smell of Riele in the front seat. If they were smart, Chance would try and take her somewhere off the radar. Some place far away that I don't know of, but no. He wasn't smart that smart. I laid on my horn as some asshole cut me off at the freeway intersection. If my calculations were correct he'd be taking her back to his house almost at the edge of the city. That was the only place I knew of that they could be escaping to. I watched my knuckles turn white, gripping the steering wheel, adjusting my position.

When I found them it was all over. It was all over. For him, and for her. I sketched exactly what I would do to Chance out in the blueprints of my mind. To make him suffer a slow and painful death. And Riele... I'd show her the gentle and delicate side of my destruction. I was unsure whether or not she could really be to blame for this sudden turning in my mental stability. Then I reminded myself that she was the reason I was doing any of this. The first time I saw her, she was having dinner with her mother and her sister at a restaurant downtown. Circa 1976, the most established Michelin star restaurant in New York City.

She was wearing a dark, velvet black dress that clung to the curves of her body with such a fondness. The moment I laid eyes on her I was unable to look away. The entire night. She sat at a table near mine at the very back of the restaurant, this was 3 weeks before finalizing my divorce with Isabela. I was having dinner with a few clients. Nothing personal, just business. I watched her enjoying her meal, sipping wine, playfully joking with her sister. I wanted her. Every inch of her, right then and there. She looked so beautiful and irresistible, it was hard for me not to think of what would become of her if I wasn't in her life.

The next day, around 6:00 in the afternoon, I hired a private detective and began looking into her life. Back then, she had been a student at NYU graduating early fall of the next year because she was so damn intelligent. But she was young, and even now it shows through. Nothing can be said of the fierce maturity I have experience with her first hand. I wouldn't call the "Investigating" that I put time, money, and effort into her, stalking. It was research. I had to make my plan exactly, perfectly right. And to my surprise it worked. I got the girl. I had been so close to getting into her heart as well, but I should have known better than to trust one of my own employees.

I turn the radio on to fill the silence and charge my thoughts. A country music song I hate is playing. The Statue of Liberty is gleaming in leftover sunlight from the afternoon sun settling into an eclipse of violet blue clouds. Planes are flying dangerously low to the city, traffic is beginning to clog up the roads. I press my foot gently down on the accelerator to avoid being stuck behind a hefty gang of trucks. Picking my phone up, I call Chance just to see if he would answer.

"Hey, it's Chance I'm not in right now so leave a message after the beep... Beep."

"Answer the phone you damn bastard, I  know you have her. We can do this the easy was or the hard way. Only one of these include your life ending so I'd choose wisely."

I sent him the voice mail and tossed my phone over into the passengers seat. Whether he cooperates or not, I was still going to kill him. It's as simple and as complicated as what I've said before. If I can't have her, no one will and I mean this in the most sincere way possible. 

...

Riele -

"You just stay in here while I go make a few phone calls, try and relax and I'll bring you a glass of water."

Chance opened the door to the guest bedroom in his town home. It was neat little place tucked away into a peace quarried neighborhood where the streets were monitored and there were security cameras everywhere you looked. We had to walk half a mile to reach it, Chance wanted to park his car on the other side of the street in case Jace decided to take a stroll through the neighborhood. Every time I thought of him my stomach would contract and I'd pull myself down into a deep, swirling pit of anxiety. Even now. The room was clean, the bed soft and welcoming. The warm glow of the lamp in the corner made me pause and take a deep breath.

"If you need anything, just yell okay?"

I turned back to Chance and nodded my head slightly, as started to close the door I reached out and grabbed it.

"Please... Leave it open."

Chance looked into my eyes and let his hand fall away from the door knob.

"Yeah, sure."

When he was gone I drifted over to the bed and gradually laid my weary body over the lemon yellow comforter. I rubbed at my throat and closed my eyes for half a minute. I can't believe I'm pregnant... With his child. How can that be? We only had sex one time, sure it was unprotected but I didn't think I would get pregnant. I raised my arm to my face and traced my fingers over the lightning bolt shaped scar just below my wrist. A month after we started having sex Jace took me to his family doctor to have Nexpalon birth control installed in my arm. Works 99.97 % of the time. So much for this piece of shit. I wanted to rip it out, but I let my hand fall over my forehead and sighed. My stomach is aching, waves of unpleasant, irritating nausea won't stop plaguing me. I want to vomit but I'd have nothing left to toss up. I haven't eaten all day.

"Riele?"

I turned my head to see Chance slipping into the room through the open door, a glass of water with ice cubes bobbing on the surface is in his hand. He passes it to me and I take it, drinking the entire glass.

"Thanks."

"No problem, are you hungry or anything?"

Chance take the class back from me and studies it. I shake my head slowly and press my hand to my abdomen.

"Hell no."

"Are you sure? Because you might really need to eat something for the-"

"I said no!"

The tone of my voice shocks even me. I didn't intend to come across as rudely as I had. Chance only nods, looking as if he's said too much.

"I understand."

His gaze became distant.

"I'm sorry."

I lower my head into my hands. I know this isn't his fault. None of this is his fault. But it just reminds me of Jace.

"I don't mean to... To be like this."

I said, quietly.

"Riele, I know this is... Crazy and scary for you but you can trust me, I promise."

Chance sank down on the bed beside me and put his hand gently on my shoulder. I looked over at him and swallowed.

"Okay."

I whispered. Chance leaned forward and kissed my cheek softly before leaving the room with the door open behind him. I know who I can trust. And who I can't trust. But it isn't a man. I'll never trust another man again.

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