protector, but
she’d become numb to it all. He wasn’t her protector. He’d put her here. It was
going to take a lot more than shampoo and a hairbrush to make her feel any
different.
She
didn’t want to become used to life living as a captive in a dark, dirty room,
but she was. Nothing since the day she had gotten here had changed. No one had
come to seek her out. She had listened day and night to the voices outside her
door, trying to figure out a way of escaping, but nothing.
Hayden
guarded her as if his life depended on in it. How was she going to escape from
him? He was twice her size and was constantly on alert, as if he was waiting
for her to make a move against him.
She
knew before Hayden approached her in the room that it was he entering. She
could hear it in his footsteps and smell his scent.
“I
bought you something,” Hayden said.
Ava
turned on her mattress to Hayden walking over to her with a chocolate bar in
his hand. Her mouth watered at the sight of it.
He
casually sat down next to her on the mattress, as if they were two friends
about to have a casual chat. He handed her the bar and she took it quickly,
unwrapping it and biting down before Hayden decided to take it from her.
“You
know, I don’t want you to be here anymore than you want to be here. It doesn’t
have to be like this, Ava,” Hayden said, an assertion in his voice.
Ava
continued to stare at the ground, taking as many bites of the chocolate as she
could manage in one mouthful.
“All
you have to tell me is what you know about Thornakorn .
I promise you, no harm will come to you. If you tell me what I need to know,
you will be free from here. Free from this room. I’ll provide you safe passage
back to your home. No harm from anyone, including Thornakorn ,
will come to you. This has gone on long enough. You don’t need to protect him
any longer.”
Ava
finished the last bite of the chocolate, savouring the taste. Then she handed
the wrapper back to him.
“I’m
not protecting anyone,” she said simply.
“Then
why aren’t you telling me where Thornakorn is?”
She
looked up at his blue eyes. He was wearing the same outfit he always did. White
shirt and khaki coloured long pants. He must have owned a whole suitcase full
of them.
She
found herself staring at him sometimes. Wondering what kind of guy he would be
outside of this hellhole. He was handsome, fit, and mysterious. He had this thing
about him that made you want to listen to him, obey him. He wasn’t like any of
the men in her home town. There was something about him… Then, she would knock
herself back to reality and blame cabin fever for her thoughts. Memories and
thoughts were the only thing that occupied her mind during the hundreds of
hours she was left alone in the darkness.
But
during those moments, she was reminded of where she was. She may have been
going numb, but she wasn’t about to lose her mind. She only had to look at
herself and the realization of what had happened to her came through.
Ava
still wore the blue dress that he gave her. It was dirty and in desperate need
of a wash, but the only thing Hayden gave her when she had a shower, was a
fresh pair of underwear.
How
considerate.
His
treats wouldn’t work on her. She wouldn’t let them.
“You
just don’t get it do you,” she said looking into his eyes. “I’m just a small
town girl from Australia. The only people I know are the people in my town. I’d
barely even left the state before I came here. You only have to check my
passport and background to see this was the first time I’d been overseas.”
“I’m
sick of this game you’re playing. No matter what you do to me, I’m not going to
tell you what you need to know because I don’t know. Even if I did know this, Thornakorn guy you keep talking about, there is no way in
hell I would give you the satisfaction of telling you where he was.”
Hayden’s
jaw tensed at Ava’s words. She could tell by the veins in his neck,
she’d become numb to it all. He wasn’t her protector. He’d put her here. It was
going to take a lot more than shampoo and a hairbrush to make her feel any
different.
She
didn’t want to become used to life living as a captive in a dark, dirty room,
but she was. Nothing since the day she had gotten here had changed. No one had
come to seek her out. She had listened day and night to the voices outside her
door, trying to figure out a way of escaping, but nothing.
Hayden
guarded her as if his life depended on in it. How was she going to escape from
him? He was twice her size and was constantly on alert, as if he was waiting
for her to make a move against him.
She
knew before Hayden approached her in the room that it was he entering. She
could hear it in his footsteps and smell his scent.
“I
bought you something,” Hayden said.
Ava
turned on her mattress to Hayden walking over to her with a chocolate bar in
his hand. Her mouth watered at the sight of it.
He
casually sat down next to her on the mattress, as if they were two friends
about to have a casual chat. He handed her the bar and she took it quickly,
unwrapping it and biting down before Hayden decided to take it from her.
“You
know, I don’t want you to be here anymore than you want to be here. It doesn’t
have to be like this, Ava,” Hayden said, an assertion in his voice.
Ava
continued to stare at the ground, taking as many bites of the chocolate as she
could manage in one mouthful.
“All
you have to tell me is what you know about Thornakorn .
I promise you, no harm will come to you. If you tell me what I need to know,
you will be free from here. Free from this room. I’ll provide you safe passage
back to your home. No harm from anyone, including Thornakorn ,
will come to you. This has gone on long enough. You don’t need to protect him
any longer.”
Ava
finished the last bite of the chocolate, savouring the taste. Then she handed
the wrapper back to him.
“I’m
not protecting anyone,” she said simply.
“Then
why aren’t you telling me where Thornakorn is?”
She
looked up at his blue eyes. He was wearing the same outfit he always did. White
shirt and khaki coloured long pants. He must have owned a whole suitcase full
of them.
She
found herself staring at him sometimes. Wondering what kind of guy he would be
outside of this hellhole. He was handsome, fit, and mysterious. He had this thing
about him that made you want to listen to him, obey him. He wasn’t like any of
the men in her home town. There was something about him… Then, she would knock
herself back to reality and blame cabin fever for her thoughts. Memories and
thoughts were the only thing that occupied her mind during the hundreds of
hours she was left alone in the darkness.
But
during those moments, she was reminded of where she was. She may have been
going numb, but she wasn’t about to lose her mind. She only had to look at
herself and the realization of what had happened to her came through.
Ava
still wore the blue dress that he gave her. It was dirty and in desperate need
of a wash, but the only thing Hayden gave her when she had a shower, was a
fresh pair of underwear.
How
considerate.
His
treats wouldn’t work on her. She wouldn’t let them.
“You
just don’t get it do you,” she said looking into his eyes. “I’m just a small
town girl from Australia. The only people I know are the people in my town. I’d
barely even left the state before I came here. You only have to check my
passport and background to see this was the first time I’d been overseas.”
“I’m
sick of this game you’re playing. No matter what you do to me, I’m not going to
tell you what you need to know because I don’t know. Even if I did know this, Thornakorn guy you keep talking about, there is no way in
hell I would give you the satisfaction of telling you where he was.”
Hayden’s
jaw tensed at Ava’s words. She could tell by the veins in his neck,
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