Rose with a Thorn

CHAPTER TWELVE

I'd been sitting in this chair, blindfolded, for hours. I couldn’t feel my arms or legs since I was unable to move them, and every time I drifted off to sleep, someone blew a foghorn in the room. I thought Amelia was going to be stuck in here with me as well, but I knew I was alone.

I could feel the door left open just for that stupid horn to be blown, but no one made any other noise. I started talking out loud for no other reason than to hear a voice, even if it’s my own. I’ve been replaying everything that had happened since I left home.

Home.

I didn’t think I'd ever see it again. I didn’t think I'd ever see Miranda again or get to explore the world like I always dreamed of. I was going to be stuck in this damn basement and with Keith until he killed me. Maybe I'd be lucky enough to escape one day, but I knew it wouldn’t be any time soon.

I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. By the time they reached the bottom, I could feel sweat dripping down my back in anticipation. The eyes I could feel watching me weren’t making me feel any better. My whole body was rigid and the restraints around my wrists were tight.

“Good afternoon, Rose. I hope you’ve had a pleasant 48 hours down here.”

48 hours... 2 whole days... It felt way longer than that, but maybe that’s from the lack of sleep. I knew I wasn’t thinking straight.

“It seems I had some time to cool off, and I didn’t want to wait any longer to find out some information about my men and business. Let’s get to it, shall we?”

I heard more footsteps. It sounded like there were 3 sets of them? I wasn’t sure of anything anymore. I flinched when I felt someone touch my hands.

“Relax, Rose. I'm just going to untie you.” I recognized that voice, but I couldn’t place it. I tried to relax my arms when I felt them loosen and come undone.

“Hurry up, Michael. We’ve wasted enough time already.”

Michael. Why was he being so nice to me? I just met him. Could it be that one of the henchmen was actually good? As my hands came free, I was quick to remove the blindfold so I could finally see something besides darkness.

“Not so fast there, Rose.” I heard Keith say. “The blindfold stays for now or you’ll be back on that chair.”

I froze. I may have been sleep deprived, but I wasn’t dumb. Keith had followed through on his threats one too many times for my liking, and I didn’t want to push it. If I had any hopes of escaping, I needed to take him by surprise.

“He’s going to touch you now, and you’re going to concentrate on lunch next week.” I felt hands slide up my thighs and it made me feel even more dirty than I did. Not only did I have zero control of this situation, I had never been touched like this before. Hell, I had never even been kissed!

I heard Keith clear his throat and the hands stopped moving. If he were to move his thumbs, he’d be touching my private area. How was I supposed to focus this way? I was shaking like crazy and not because of the vision. I was so uncomfortable I could hardly breathe. I put my hands over his and tried to push them down on my legs, but he didn’t budge.

“Oh, Keith,” I heard the man laugh, “I think we have a virgin here.”

“Shut up.” I whispered. I could feel my face heat up under the blindfold. “Just move your hands so we can get this over with.”

The man laughed again but moved his hands to my knees. I took a deep breath and tried to concentrate. Nothing was coming. I kept trying, but nothing was happening.

“I think I need to take off the blindfold. I'm not seeing anything.”

“Not a chance. This man’s identity needs to stay classified from everyone.” said Keith.

“Can he stand behind me then? I don’t know what you want me to do if nothing is coming.”

“Just keep trying.”

I could hear anger in his voice. I grabbed the man’s hands harder and tried to imagine what he was supposed to be doing for lunch next week, just like the Boss wanted. I rolled my eyes at myself for calling Keith that in my head. After several minutes, there was still nothing. I heard Keith whisper with someone but couldn’t make out what they were saying.

“Alright, behind her, hold her shoulders.”

I let out my breath. Now maybe I could see who else was in the room. I could feel Keith and someone else move behind me and start whispering. The next thing I knew, Michael was whispering in my ear. “There’s only 4 of us on site today. You’ll be alone for 15 minutes when we’re done. I will leave your hands loose.”

Did I just hear him properly? He spoke quickly and quietly. It had to be a trap, there was no way he’d help me out and betray his Boss. And for someone he didn’t know?

My head was spinning. I felt Michael step away at the same time the blindfold fell off my eyes. I tried to look around the room without moving my head, but I only saw Michael and Keith. I felt hands on my shoulders and a tight squeeze. I winced from the slight pain before I was pulled back into the chair.

“Relax little flower, I won’t hurt you.”

I tried to clear my mind before I placed my hands over his. I closed my eyes. Again, I focused on lunch next week. I started to get shaky, and my breathing quickened. My palms were getting sweaty against his, but he grabbed them tighter and wouldn’t let go.

My vision started to blur. I could feel myself slowly leaning forward in the chair as darkness came for me. I heard the man say in a panic, “What’s happening to her, Keith?”

He grabbed me up in his arms before I was consumed, and I whispered, “My protection”, before completely losing consciousness.