FAKE

twenty two

Two Days Later

I'm going to go mad soon. All I do all day is stare at these stupid walls, pace around this stupid room, and rub my wrists against this stupid zip-tie.

Judas visited twice to bring me food, but besides that, I have been alone in here, and it's possibly the worst thing I've ever had to tolerate.

I just want to go home, I think bitterly.

Something snaps me out of my thoughts.

The familiar sound of footsteps, and the door handle turning.

I instinctively sit up and watch the door open.

Judas is back, and he doesn't say anything, just swiftly unties the rope around the chair and I, even though I've already escaped it multiple times.

"Get up," He instructs quickly. He takes out a Swiss army knife from a pocket in his jeans and cuts the zip-tie.

I rub my wrists and examine where the zip-tie had dug into them. It wasn't too bad, but it still hurt a bit.

"Follow me," Judas continues. I obey cautiously. He leads me up the stairs into the main floor, where we had struggled when we first got here.

Standing on the other side of the room is Clovis and three other men. I don't recognize two of the new faces, but the third person makes me freeze.

Ross, standing there, his face set in a stony expression. He looks up at the movement from our side of the room and locks eyes with me.

His features soften when he sees me, and he looks relieved at something. I make my way to him and the others with Judas.

Ross' eyes never leave me, and once I get there, he takes a step towards me.

Clovis intervenes before we can get too close.

"Lets talk business first, alright?" He folds his arms across his chest. Ross sighs reluctantly and faces him.

"What are you proposing?" He asks.

"I need you to make three more deliveries. After that, we drop you."

"Just like that?" Ross raises an eyebrow. He looks unconvinced, and I don't blame him. It seems too good to be true.

"On one other condition," Clovis adds. "You never speak of any of this. If you try to turn us in, I'll make sure you come down with us." The tone of his words darken with his threat.

Ross nods solemnly.

"And if I agree to these terms, Courtney comes with me safely, and we never have contact again."

Clovis extends his hand towards Ross to shake on it.

"Do we have a deal?"

"I believe we do." Ross takes his hand and shakes it.

They break, and the other men huddle together and discuss something quietly.

Ross finally moves towards me and pulls me into a tight hug. I wrap my own arms around him and just rest my head on his chest.

"Are you okay?" He asks suddenly and pulls away too soon to look at me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Hungry, but fine," I assure him.

The anger that he had last left me with was gone. It's like it had dissolved into thin air one day and I didn't even notice because I was too preoccupied with settling down.

His arms wrap around me again and he holds me as close as possible. He leaves a soft kiss on the top of my head that makes every muscle in my body tense.

"I'm so relieved that you're alright," He admits.

"Me too," I agree and start to relax.

Clovis clears his throat, making Ross step away from me and turn towards him.

"Before you go, I need you to go on your first run." Clovis demands.

"Already?"

"Already. Business is business."