slowly making its descent every few thousand feet. I could see buildings and trees,
roads and small bodies of water. Clouds whipped by us, the sun still shining above,
yet even in the midst of an experience I had never had before, my concern was not
of the sky, but of the ground below.
Now that Darren had laid out the new rules, I felt myself wanting to slip back
into my depression, to give way to the tears that wanted to fall, to crumple in the
exhaustion of trying to stay strong. The cuffs that chilled the skin around my wrists
and ankles reminded me of how hopeless my situation was.
A new chessboard had been laid out—my family members were my pieces and
Darren’s empire, his. The unfairness was that my pieces were blind to the game,
unaware that they were even playing. I’d hoped that my message to Jason would get
through to them, but obviously after my “death,” the idea of a threat against them
seemed to be debunked. They probably thought Jason was crazy now and probably
resented my mom and brothers for disappearing. Everything was so fucked up, but
at least I’d gotten four people away from Darren’s clutches … for now. I knew his
men were still looking for them, and I didn’t know if I could survive it if he found
them.
21
UNWELCOMEHOME
A small bout of turbulence shook the plane, dragging me from my thoughts and
causing me to grip the arms of the chair. Darren remained unconcerned as he
rested his chin in his hand, his eyes still focused on the screen of his laptop. He was
watching something, and by the looks of it, he didn’t like what he saw. His jaw was
clenched, his eyes cold and narrow, clearly deep in thought. Something was going
on; something he wasn’t telling me, something he wouldn’t tell me.
An announcement came over the speakers, declaring we were about to land. I
looked out my window to find the approaching runway up ahead, excitement and
nervousness mixing in my stomach. I could see Darren in my peripherals as he shut
the laptop in obvious irritation and placed it in a bag by his seat. A few moments
later, my body experienced the change in elevation, the pressure fluctuating before
we finally hit the ground. I didn’t know anything about landings, but it felt smooth.
When the plane finally came to a stop, the engines cut out, but my nerves
increased. When the door was finally opened and the stairs released, Darren stood
and escorted me out of the plane. Nodding at the pilot and co-pilot in obvious
thank you, Darren led me down the stairs where we were greeted by three black
BMWs and about six men dressed in black. They waited by the cars, their hands
neatly placed in front of them, their blank expressions hindered behind dark
sunglasses.
Darren kept a firm grip on my shoulder as he walked us to the middle car where
one of his men opened the door for me.
“Sir,” he said with a nod of acknowledgment to Darren.
Scooting inside, Darren followed me in, watching as I buckled my seat belt and
turned my head to stare out the window. Moments later, more doors slammed shut,
the car took off, and we were in motion. As I watched the outside pass by, I realized
even though I’d been with Darren for the past five months, this was only the
second time I’d been in a vehicle with him. I was grateful he allowed me to sit in the
seat like a human being, instead of between his legs on the floor.
Darren ignored me for virtually the entire drive, which lasted about an hour. He
spent most of his time typing away on his phone, and I was fine with that. The
more shit that occupied his time, the better. At least then, I wouldn’t have to deal
with him.
Now that I’d been outside the estate, I couldn’t help but smile as we passed
through the small town to get to Darren’s estate. The corners of my mouth curved
as I remembered speeding off down the road on his Ducati, giving his men and the
pocketed police department a run for their money.
“Something amusing?” Darren asked.
I smirked and casually pointed out the window. “I popped a wheelie on your bike
right … there.” I grinned, pointing to the exact spot as we drove by. “Pretty sure I
scared the shit out of one of your guys.” It was probably a bad idea to poke fun at
the idea of my successful escape, but he was the one who asked.
deadly. I gulped back my regret.
“Well, I hope it was enjoyable because you will never ride another motorcycle
like that again,” he said sharply.
I shook my head in disappointment. “You’re wasting my talents,” I said, turning
my head back to the window.
“Excuse me?” Darren quipped, anger beginning to rise in his voice.
I exhaled a deep breath. “Penguins can’t fly, but if you were to see one do it, you
wouldn’t try to stop it, now would you?”
Darren cocked an eyebrow, but I could tell he wanted me to elaborate.
“Guns, motorcycles, fighting? Not many girls come with the skills that I have. In
your line of work, you’re better off exploiting them than burying them.”
“And what do you know of my line of work?” His eyes narrowed at me, dark slits
just waiting for the challenge I was presenting.
I shrugged. “I know it’s dangerous and beyond illegal. And I’m smart enough to
understand that your life is probably under constant threat, especially considering
you have two cars to flank us with a total of six men to protect you, which then
inevitably, also puts my life in danger. Am I getting warm here?” I asked. I
shouldn’t sound so cocky, but he had to know I was right.
“I have a feeling you’re trying to make some kind proposal,” he sneered.
“I don’t think you want to fully domesticate me, not really, anyway. Watering
me down wouldn’t be in your best interests, not when I have so much more to offer
you than just a pretty face with a hot body.”
Darren instantly relaxed, crossing his arms over his chest, and leaned back
against his seat, a smirk on his lips and the cockiness of a crime lord giant. “And
just what else exactly do you have to offer me?”
“You can feel secure in the fact that when I eventually become the target of your
enemies, they’ll regret trying to play the damsel in distress with me.”
“And what makes you think you’ll ever become said damsel in distress?”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, please. The moment you marry me is the exact same
moment you declare me as your weakness to the world. You already know they will
try to use me to get to you.”
“They can try,” he said, the cockiness in his voice unnerving. “And by try, I
mean fantasize about it in their heads. You underestimate my capability in the
underground and the civil world. My organization is much more than what you
think it is, with ties further and deeper than you can imagine. Yet some will still try
to cross me. I’ve been to war several times, Jaden, and I’ve never been beaten. So
should the day come when some idiot decides to attempt to fulfill his little
daydreams of overthrowing my empire, I will once again remind everyone why I am
not to be fucked with.”
Goddamn.
“So in response to wasting your talents, you have nothing to fear because I plan
to have you match me in just about every one of my talents. The idea of anyone
seeing you as my weakness will be gone before it’s even thought of. I don’t have
weaknesses, Jaden, and I will not allow you to become one; therefore, you will be
my strength instead.”
I furrowed my brows in confusion.
His strength?
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that by the time I’m done with you, my enemies will not even bother
marking you as a target because you will not be worth the bloodshed that you would
deliver should you ever be trifled with.”
A dark look came over Darren’s eyes as he grinned with satisfaction of his plan,
and I felt my stomach drop. He was going to make me like him, and I was too busy
trying to figure out if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
A few minutes later, I could see the black and gold gates to Darren’s estate open
for our entry. Trepidation swept over me as we pulled up to the house. More men
waited outside for us, only this time, most of them carried assault rifles openly.
Darren opened the door and helped me out of the car. My eyes traveled among
Darren had his sights set on two super tall men who stood off to the side. His hand
on my shoulder, he led me over to them, and I wondered if maybe they were my
new babysitters.
“Sir,” they both said with a nod.
Darren smiled. “Jaden, this is Clive and Owen,” he said, pointing at each one.
“They are your new bodyguards.”
I looked up at him. “Clive and Owen. Seriously?” I nearly laughed. They were
officially one name to me now.
“Absolutely. They are among my best men and have been trained to anticipate
any little line of bullshit you might try to feed them to gain an advantage.”
“Sounds like a challenge to me.” I smirked, crossing my arms over his chest.
“You would see it that way. But the only thing I see is an invitation to getting
your ass beat by me should you test them. Should you get out of hand, they will
tranquilize you immediately, and I will deal with you when you wake. I suggest
avoiding that as best you can.”
“Noted,” I replied with a nod as I studied them.
I didn’t want to stare for too long, but the one named Clive had short buzzed
black brown hair, zero scruff, and looked to be just a tad younger than Darren was.
The other one, Owen, seemed even younger, late twenties with blond hair, slightly
longer than Clive’s. They both wore the same outfit as the guards on the tarmac,
but the sunglasses they wore seemed a little different in shape—more angular and
the color was different, certainly not standard.
I was beginning to see a pattern in the uniform of his men. It seemed the ones
who guarded the house wore more combat gear, as if they were ready for an assault
at any time, while the men who accompanied him, my guards included, wore less
combative but more athletic. Normally, in the movies in organized crime, everyone
wore suits but not Darren’s men. They seemed to wear clothing more fit for their
stations. It made sense. If I wanted guards protecting me, I wouldn’t want them
fighting in the restrictions of a suit either.
“She is to stay in her room for the remainder of the day,” Darren suddenly said
to them.
And just like that, I went right back to being treated like a child. I couldn’t help
but huff in disappointment.
Darren turned to me and bent down to kiss me on the cheek. “Behave,” he
warned in my ear and walked away to address Scott and several others.
Stupid fucker.
“This way, please, Miss Jaden,” Clive said and immediately escorted me back to
the house. A shadow of pain crossed me as I entered the house, the one I tried to
run from so many months ago, and now, I was back, being nearly pushed up the
stairs to my old prison cell.
Owen opened the door for me, and I reluctantly walked inside.
“We’ll be just outside the door,” Owen said, but it was meant as more of a
warning. “There are men patrolling your windows, so don’t get any ideas. Your
dinner will be brought to you shortly. Knock if you need anything.” He then closed
the door and locked it, actually leaving me alone in my cell.
Exhaling deeply, I turned to examine my old room, finding it looked the same.
Everything was in its place, exactly as it had been left. Padding over to the
bathroom, I looked below the window I had tossed my Molotov cocktail out of and
noticed the damage fixed. But after seeing the guard with an assault rifle and a
German shepherd come into view, I immediately ducked back inside. I didn’t want
them thinking I had ideas. Opening the cabinets, I found a lot of shit missing.
There was no more alcohol, nail polish remover, bath oils, matches, or even
candles, for that matter. All my sharp little tools like my cuticle cutters, metal nail
file, nail scissors, even my rat-tail comb was removed. Obviously, someone was a
little paranoid and a little overcautious. He had my damn family on the table. I
wasn’t going to jeopardize that by attempting to stab him with a nail file.
Shaking my head at the ridiculousness of it all, I took a long hot shower, hoping
to smooth out some of the kinks that had worked themselves into my shoulders.
When I was done, I wrapped a towel around my body and stepped out into my
bedroom only to jump back to see Clive Owen standing by my table. They both
immediately turned their eyes in another direction.
“What are you doing?” I asked them, clutching my towel even tighter.
“We’ve been instructed not to leave until you’ve finished your dinner,” Clive
said.
I rolled my eyes. “Do you mind if I get dressed first, or do I have to eat right this
second?”
“Please make yourself comfortable, Miss Jaden,” Clive answered.
Yeah, okay…
Shaking my head, I walked into closest to find the exact same clothes as before.
Now that it was November, it wasn’t exactly as warm as it usually was, so I opted for
a longer purple striped sundress. I quickly brushed my wet hair out and then made
my way over to the table and sat down. Dinner was roasted chicken with rosemary
potatoes and mixed steamed vegetables. I managed to eat most of it, though it was
difficult to do with Clive Owen watching me the entire time. With only a few bites
of potatoes left, I was beyond full, hoping they would concede to that before
pushing my plate away. Owen shook his head.
“All of it, ma’am,” he said.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I complained. “I can’t fit another bite.”
“We have our orders,” said Clive chiming in.
“Do your orders include wearing your sunglasses indoors?” I asked. They hadn’t
removed them, and even though the shade had lightened a bit, I still thought it was
weird.
“Yes,” they both said.
I rolled my eyes. “If I throw it up, it’s your fault then,” I snarled and then shoved
the remaining bites of food into my m
outh.
With my nerves constantly running amuck, it was difficult to devour a large
meal. Normally, this much wouldn’t be that difficult, but my stomach had shrunk
in size significantly, especially after my thirty-day liquid diet.
Shoving my plate away from me, I abruptly stood and stormed my way onto my
balcony, slamming the French doors behind me. I heard the door to my bedroom
close, and I knew they’d left. There were plenty of men standing around below me,
so there was no need for them to think I was going to make some crazy elaborate
escape now.
Trying to calm myself down, I sat on the lawn chair and curled into myself. I
thought about the conversation I’d had with Darren in the car just a few hours ago.
He’d mentioned his mother and how they hadn’t gone to war since her death. I’d
never asked how she died since I never cared. It was probably better that she never
got to live to see her sons become monsters anyway. But now, it seemed she had
been killed, which must have started the war Darren had mentioned. A war he’d
clearly won. He was young then, still just a boy, and I was sure the bloodshed that
came from that kind of retribution was the cement to his character.
The loss of a parent was difficult. My dad, his mom—I didn’t know which was
worse, knowing your parent and losing them forever or never really getting to know
them in the first place. Either way, I was sure his dad wanted revenge for the loss of
his wife, regardless of whether they had children. I wondered how it happened.
Clearly, it was away from the estate and obviously by one of their enemies. If the
war was bad enough to cause other organizations not to cross Darren’s, it must
have been one hell of a fight.
Fuck. Just what the hell was I up against?
Toward the end of the evening, after the shift change, Jaden’s bodyguards arrived
in my office to report on her day, even though I already knew how it had gone. I
wanted to know what they thought, if they noticed the same things I did, and what
they would do to avoid escalated situations in the future. Clive and Owen both sat in
the black leather chairs across from my desk and sat like the perfect soldiers they
were.
“So how was Jaden’s first day back?” I asked them, relaxing into my chair.