***LONDON’S POV***
It has been one week since the incident at the bakery. Since I passed out in Zane’s kitchen after he punished me.
We haven’t said anything too personal to one another. He hasn’t touched me, looked at me, or done anything to make me doubt that we are on talking terms.
I have met Micah and he seems to keep drowning in debt. Also, Zane doesn’t trust me enough to let me go. Manipulating my cell phone is harder than I thought. Skipping to the room upstairs every now and then is a big challenge because I risk getting caught.
Zane walks into the room as I am putting my hair in a ponytail. I am already dressed.
“Going somewhere, little girl?” he asks warmly.
“Yes. To have a run. I need my legs stretched out a little,” I smile as I use my scrunchy to secure my hair at the back of my head.
From the mirror, I could easily see Zane’s mind working something out, that is crazy because this is actually the first time I am going out for a run and it is also the first time he is being closed to burst.
“I should run with you then, remember, you don’t get to leave this house alone,” he points out.
“You don’t trust me,” I let out slowly, holding on to my anger.
“I have no reason to trust you when you act irrationally when you are left alone. You need someone watching you all the time,” he mutters.
My face heats with anger, it annoys me hearing that from him, I bet I would claw his face if I had the means, well, I don’t, and Zane can overpower me.
I have a motive for going for a run though.
Micah. He borrowed two thousand dollars from me this time.
In a week, it officially makes it three times I have given him money. He just doesn’t relent. It is annoying.
“It wasn’t up for suggestion, London. Either get ready for us to go together, or you come with me to the gym. I have one on the top floor of the house,” he says.
“No. I need to do track, that is what I want,” I blurt out.
It was a lie though, I didn’t love to run, but if you could do this to help Micah out, I am in for it.
Zane walks in behind me and flips me around to meet his eyes. I press my body against the vanity, my breathing picking pace instantly.
“You don’t get to leave the house without permission. That ban hasn’t been lifted up for you,” Zane strikes out.
He had had a very long talk with me after I had woken up a week ago, it was personal but meant for my safety, and that of people around me.
He still hadn’t found Michael but he swore to kill him if he did. It had made to stay away from the dude. He was nice to me, a real friend if only I could make Zane see that.
“You chased Mike to heaven knows where, I don’t even know if he is still alive, you made sure that I don’t have any friends and now, Zane, I can not go out. Why are you this evil?” I throw out the question at him.
“Evil? Oh, baby, I am anything but evil to you,” he says.
“What… What are you saying? you think I don’t know, London?” Zane asks his voice slightly becoming angry.
My heartbeat starts throbbing as I look at him.
“Know… Know… what Zane?” my voice breaks as I want to know.
I look at him, at the angry expression he had strewn on his face, it can’t be any good thing, it makes me fucking nervous that I even have to consider such a thing, but I still need to be sure, and hold out my breath as good as I can.
“Who have you been meeting when you go out every night, London?” Zane question.
I gasp. Quickly wrapping my hands around my mouth, I stifle the shock as my legs start dancing in place, I start moving so fast, but I can’t go anywhere. I am stuck between Zane’s muscular arms. It sucks.
“Zane…” I call out and he shakes his head, slowly, he starts pulling away from me.
“Do you want to explain who I am going to kill because of you?” he demands his brown eyes flashing with something gold.
My heart is pacing in my fucking chest, I think I will pass out if Zane doesn’t do anything to give me some space.
I know I should act cool, I try but the result almost causes my death.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” I whisper.
Before I could finish that sentence, Zane’s hand was around my neck, he was squeezing hard enough to choke me.
He pushed my back against the desk, making it hurt. I see starts flashing but Zane stops halfway, relaxing his grip on my neck enough for me to breathe.
“One more lie from this deceptive tongue of yours and I am cutting it. Dare me, London,” he says.
I start shaking my head, thinking of something to say.
“Do you want to try again? Who is that fucker you leave the house to meet when you are supposed to be in bed by my side sleeping?” Zane questions.
I was already crying, tears flowing down my cheeks. Zane doesn’t seem to be faced by my crocodile tears.
Deep in me, I knew I was going to die the moment Zane figured it out that I had been stealing his money, but he hadn’t asked about that, just the late-night meetings he wanted to know about.
“I… Uhm… Just used to go out for walks…” I lie but it isn’t easy.
My eyes are roaming around the floor but not meeting Zane’s own.
I feel him pacing the floor beside me.
“At night? At those odd hours, London? I gave you one chance to be honest with me but you blew it off,” he bites out.
When I think he is going to pull out a Glock and shoot me with it, that doesn’t happen, instead, he takes me by surprise by asking me this question.
“Do you want to talk about the money that has been disappearing in this house, honey? I leave with only one person, but I don’t get it when little cash disappears in this house,” he says.
“You don’t want me taking little cash from you? That’s okay, I will stop,” I say trying to be half honest.
Zane chuckles.
“That isn’t what I mean, little girl, now is it? I have been noticing wads of cash disappear here and there, and whenever I do a refill, it still goes. Do you have an idea?” he asks wondering if I have anything to say.
This is a trap, I know my next words are supposed to be chosen wisely, if not it wouldn’t end well for us, I just know it wouldn’t. Still, I catch my breath and push myself forward.
“Enough of this silly conversations, Zane, I don’t know what you are talking about. I have to go and run, have a nice morning,” I blurt out walking past Zane.
Immediately, Zane grasps me by the waist and he throws me to the bed face down first. A loud cry tears through my throat as Zane slams my head on the bed. It spins as blood rushes to my head. I fear that it might burst in the process.
“I warned you, little human. Don’t ever fucking lie to me,” he shouts.
Pain fills my body as I shiver, I can’t see Zane’s face but I know it is red with anger. When I look over my shoulders, tears fill my eyes, I notice how red Zane’s ears are. Not a good sign at all.
“I am… Not lying,” I lie through my teeth.
“Lies. You are a liar you little thief,” he blurts out at me.
I have never felt my entire body convulse with so much fear, it is the most I have ever experienced, and there is nothing I can do now that this man is so mad at me.
“Zane!” I call out as he spanks my ass.
I jerk forth with pain coursing through my body. He pulls out his phone from his pocket, tapping on it before showing me.
Before me is a footage of me removing money from that secret door on the wall I had discovered. I stop wrinkling beneath Zane, it makes my head feel so light.
I have been caught red-handed. That means there is a camera in this room.
What other room had cameras in them? Did Zane already know who I was dealing with? Jesus! My heart was going to break its cage to run away from me.
I could feel my face pale immediately. It wasn’t even funny at all.
“The cat has gotten your tongue, little girl, or should I call you little thief?” he questions as he slips out of my body.
I was shaking as I stood.
“I am sorry,” I say.
“No, honey, you are not,” he says.
I try running to the door but I bundle of cash falls from my crop too. It was a tight one, but the little movement had been enough to make it fall.
Zane stood like a statue staring at me.
“Take everything out,” he blurts out instantly.
I removed the three small wads of money and picked the fourth one from the ground and placed it on the bed.
Humiliation. That is what this was all about. As if the video from Zane’s phone hadn’t proven me enough, money had just come out of my body.
Embarrassment caused tears to hit me.
“You didn’t have to steal from me, London, you would have simply asked. I am disappointed in you,” Zane grits out as he walks away from me.
“I am sorry,” I choke on the words as Zane opens the door and closes it behind him.
This was all my fault, I had dragged things out more than they were supposed to be, I should have come to Zane when Micah had first asked me for money.
I don’t even know what to do now.
I hear Zane’s car start and zoom out of the house. I knew I had to leave this place. Leave this town.
Picking a pen and a paper, I left a small note for Zane. It was nothing personal, just that he shouldn’t look for me.
I picked a wad of cash from the rest on the floor and rushed upstairs. I removed the burner phone Micah had given me and grabbing a hoodie, I took off.
The hoodie was Zane’s own, it was a reminder that I was still stealing from him. This was found to be the last one of course. I slipped it over my head, my sports shorts cutting across my thighs. I had running shoes on, so, it was the perfect mix for me to leave, I wanted to go as far as this world would take me.
As I took a can to the bus station, since I couldn’t afford a flight, I didn’t even have my passport with me. Everything had remained in my apartment in New York.
Indeed, this sense of going back to my former life hit strongly.
I know Oliver will be present there, he might, but I will tell him to be off if not, it won’t end well for him.
I know I am just bluffing, I wouldn’t go to the police and as I booked the ticket, I was the last passenger to board the bus. I found a sit at the end and slumped down, closing my eyes as a deep sleep take over me.
This journey will be a long one, I won’t be comfortable, and with the money I have on me, I’ll be barely able to feed myself with it.
Tears choke me but I bite my lips, fighting it back with everything in me possible.