Dancing With The Devil

Chapter 9

I awkwardly wiggled my way out of the SUV when it became clear we had reached our destination and that I was expected to be in the public eye once more. As I squirmed around on the smooth seats Alistair held open the door, but made no move to undo my handcuffs and he didn't reach out to assist me as I shuffled along, moving like a beached fish more than a person. It almost seemed like he enjoyed watching me struggle, but that only made me grit my teeth harder and attempt to move as gracefully as possible. My resilience didn't last long though. As soon as my feet hit the pavement I teetered forward too much and would've landed flat on my face had it not been for Alistair grabbing my arm and steadying me. Once he was certain I would remain upright he released my arm.

"Thank you." I said automatically, the kind Canadian too deeply embedded in me.

I was given no response, but he pressed his hand firmly into my back and began leading me towards the unmarked building, which was finally beginning to raise concerns in my muddled mind. When I assessed how dingy the building looked and the fact that there were no other cars in the parking lot my heart began to race. This man- who was much larger and stronger than I was- had dragged me out of my home and was now taking me to a secluded building that didn't appear to have any pedestrians milling around, only cars whirring by in the distance. I doubted they would be in range to hear a scream, and the mature trees that bordered the parking lot kept us mostly out of view. No good Samaritan could swoop in and save me if I had no way of alerting them to the danger I was in.

"No." I said, planting my feet as firmly as I could. "I'm not going in there with you. This stupid game of yours has gone on long enough."

"You don't have the right to refuse the orders of a governmental agent, Miss Lopez." One hard shove to my back was all it took for me to stumble forward to keep myself from falling on my face. I wanted to bite back at him, but I worried that the more I pushed the angrier he would get at this point.

With every step we took towards the building my heart rate increased and I had to clench my hands tightly behind my back to keep from screaming out for help, though I wasn't particularly sure if I should've been stopping myself. This man had the authority to turn cops away with the wave of a hand; he could do whatever he wanted to. I know because Josh had been the same way, his government status more important than his actions. Everyone was more than willing to look the other way when he had done something wrong, or worse, they would cover up his tracks for him. I had seen the horrendous and ugly extent of his power. Alistair could be the same and in a private, unmarked building he could have the opportunity to do whatever he wanted, even if it was beyond unlawful.

"I have entertained your foolish actions long enough." I spat, trying to sound furious instead of anxious, "You will take me home immediately."

"I will do no such thing." Alistair hissed. His large hand clasped itself around my small arm and he dragged me along behind him, unbothered by my resistance. The added weight that came from me digging my feet in as hard as I could didn't even slow him down or throw off his gait.

He pulled me along to a beat up door and entered in a code on a pin pad which made the door groan as a lock shifted within it. Looking at the condition of the rest of the building I wondered if the door might simply fall off its hinges when swung open. I felt dizzy with anxiety and panic, terrified on what would happen to me once I was beyond that old door. Alistair didn't seem the slightest bit worried though, he yanked open the heavy door with one hand and strung me along with the other.

But what I was greeted with inside is not what I expected at all. Beautiful hardwood floors covered the ground before me and, the walls were painted a very chic blue toned grey with modern art hanging from them. It was almost the same colour scheme and design as my office. And directly in front of me was a small woman who was typing insanely fast on a very expensive computer grinning broadly at us as we entered. I was startled, this seemed more like a high class law office than an abandoned building with all of the outstanding technology and the well-dressed men having discussions around a water cooler.