Becoming strangers again (Lily and Ryan)

Chapter 128

JAKE

I was certain the effects of the drug should have kicked in by now. Turning off the radio, I made my way to the room where she was staying. Inserting the key, I unlocked the door and pushed it open.

There she lay, frozen and immobile, her eyes the only part of her body able to move. She was sprawled next to the untouched food, paralyzed.

Chuckling, I squatted down to her level and grabbed her cheek, feeling the helplessness radiate from her. “You really had the nerve to stab me, Lily, and then you went ahead

and ate the food I presented? How foolish.”

Her eyes spoke volumes, conveying the fear and regret her body couldn’t express. Tears rolled down the corners of her eyes as she stared at me, unable to blink.

“You do realize that you are at my mercy right now?” I asked, wiping her tears away with my thumb. “I could do whatever I please with you, and you wouldn’t be able to fight back.”

She was fortunate that I wasn’t the type to take sexual advantage of women. I might be guilty of many things, but rape was not one of them.

Sighing, I lifted her paralyzed form;and carried her over to the bed, gently laying her down. “Don’t worry,” I said in a calming tone, “you’ll gradually regain your mobility as the effects of the drug wear off. That should be in about three to four hours. Just close your eyes and try to sleep through it. Tomorrow, we’ll call Ryan to see if he has my demands ready. Otherwise, you might lose a pinky.”

Patting her cheek, I leaned down and kissed her forehead softly. “For what it’s worth, Lily, you were a lovely lady. You made me forget the darker aspects of my life, even if just for a little while.”

I walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind me and making sure to lock it. I didn’t trust her not to attempt running away once she regained her mobility.

The next morning, I woke up to a very quiet house. Chuckling at how well–behaved she was being, I went to the kitchen to prepare her final meal. After this, we would both be going hungry since there was nothing else left in the house, and I couldn’t risk going out to shop. It amused me to think how I had been using the last of my supplies to make her food, and she was letting it go to waste.

I quickly whipped up some scrambled eggs for her, then carried the plate upstairs.

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Unlocking the dam. 4 carefully stepped inwie, wary of any potential ambush. Despite cleaning up the broken glace under her bed wouldn’t be ourprised if the had hidden sose other muskeshift wraps one where

Rabancing the plate, I appresched her with rationell morning. Lily † aid, my voce calm. I’ve brought you some breakfvoer hope you appreciate it this time

und her seated on the bed, her gure feed Blankly on the wall Are you okay? I

red setting the tray of food down on the floor What are you daring at?”

sing my question, she continued to stare intently at whatever had captured her sirgetion. “Throught food. I announced, blocking her view from the wall

Sundy, her eyes shifted to me, and before I could anticipate her next move, she raised ther band and delivered a sharp slap across my cheek

The sudden sting on my check triggered a chuckle from me. It seemed I hadn’t quite breken through to her yet. I had assumed that paralyzing her would instill more thur clearly, she still had fight left in her.

How dare you?” she growled, her voice seething with anger. “How dare you drug me I shrugged indifferently, which only seemed to fuel her rage further. “Do you realize the implications of this for my health?”

our heart is still beating, isn’t it?” I quipped with a chuckle, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere. Standing up, I gestured towards the tray. “I brought food, whether you

asose to eat it or not is up to you.”

her gaze bore into me with an intensity that made me slightly uncomfortable. And you

get me to eat it?” she retorted, her voice dripping with skepticism.

dragged, feigning nonchalance. I’d call you naive if you accepted it without any Soot or skepticism,” I replied, attempting to maintain a facade of confidence. Walking ser to the tray, I picked up a fork and stabbed a small piece of scrambled egg, popping

anto my mouth. “You can eat; this one wasn’t tampered with,” I added, trying to Measure her.

Lay returned to her silent contemplation of the wall, seemingly uninterested in engaging with me any further.

So yourself, I muttered under my breath, deciding to give her space. “Eat while I go fake a shower. When I come back, we’ll call Ryan and hopefully get some good news.” Without waiting for her

response, which I didn’t expect anyway, I turned and walked bor of the room, closing the door behind me

After showering and changing into fresh clothes, I returned to Lily’s room to find the food still untouched, and Lily remained in the same position, seemingly lost in her thoughts.

“Are you really going to be stubborn about that food?” I asked, knowing full well she would likely ignore me, as usual. With a scoff, I pulled out the phone I hadn’t yet used to contact Ryan and dialed his number.

He answered almost immediately, which elicited a chuckle from me. “I guess you were really expecting my call,” I remarked teasingly.

“Where is Lily?” he demanded, his tone sharp and urgent.

I glanced at Lily, who continued to stare blankly at the wall. “She’s right here with me, staring emptily at the wall.”

“What the fuck did you do to her?!” Ryan snapped angrily through the phone, his voice booming in

v car.

I raised an eyebrow at the sudden outburst, unfazed by his anger. “Nothing yet,” deadpanned, “and you’re going to have to stop yelling in my ear before I end this call

I

“What you want is ready,” Ryan revealed in a raspy voice, sounding breathless and desperate. “I’ve made the necessary arrangements to get you into Turkey. I’ve arranged for a new identity for you. I just want her back home!”

It was surreal to realize the power I held over Ryan Williams. “I’m going to move to a new location alone tomorrow,” I informed him, keeping my voice steady. “From there, I’ll give you a call. Have someone pick me up and take me to whatever location you’ve prepared for me to leave this country.”

“And Lily?” he pressed, his concern evident in his voice. “How am I supposed to get her back?”

“I’ll leave her with enough water and energy drinks to keep her heart beating for three to four days,” I replied, my tone matter–of–fact. “Once I’m far away from here, at scheduled mail will be sent to you with her location.”

“You’re insane to think I’m going to agree to that!” Ryan retorted, his voice filled with disbelief and anger. “How do I know, that she’s fine and alive?”

“I’ll FaceTime for a few seconds before I leave tomorrow,” I reassured him, trying to sound as convincing as possible. “That way, you’ll see for yourself that she’s alive and…” I glanced at Lily and chuckled softly, “…well.”

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“I hope you pray to the heavens that I don’t get my hands on you because when I do, you’ll regret being born! That’s a promise!” Ryan threatened, his voice dripping with

venom.

“Don’t worry, Ryan,” I teased, unable to resist taunting him. “You won’t see me, or your hands on me, that’s a promise.” With that, I disconnected the call and turned to Lily. “Looks like you’ll be heading home soon.”

I was met with silence, once again, as Lily ignored my presence. With a scoff at her unwarranted attitude, I approached her and stared down at her small form. “I’ll advise you to eat,” I urged, my voice tinged with frustration. “Because after today, all you’ll have access to are liquids–water and energy drinks, to be precise.”

When I didn’t receive a response or even a flicker of acknowledgment from her, I shook my head in exasperation. Walking out of the room, I locked the door behind me and headed to the kitchen to prepare for her three–day stay.