Unfold Me (2 page)

Unwilling to stay a moment longer to see more people I can’t save walk onto the stage to be degraded and sold like cattle, I get to my feet and hurry backstage. I can feel everyone’s eyes on me, especially Archer’s guy’s curious ones. I wonder if Archer will find out about this and figure out who bested him and got what he wanted. Considering how many connections he has around here, he probably will. Besides, it’s enough that his employee just describes me to him. He’ll immediately know who I am; I’m sure of it.

“Hello, miss,” a woman greets me when I step into a small, empty room with gray walls. She’s wearing a tight leather black dress, high heels, and way too much makeup. “Your purchase will be ready in a moment. If you would please...” She hands me a tablet so I can transfer the money. Everything, from this place’s own special currency to the accounts, is super safe and secret, and I’m sure no one would be able to trace it even if they wanted to. There’s also a medical report that assures that Isaac is healthy and has gone through various checkups. I even have an option to return him if I find out he’s been damaged. I hand the tablet back to the woman, and she smiles.

“Thank you,” she says, then gives me a black carton bag with a symbol of some perfume brand. Inside the bag is a black perfume box that definitely contains something other than the perfume. I don’t have to look to know it’s a package of pills that are supposed to help me control my purchase easier. “Don’t give it more than four a day. If you need more or anything else, just let us know,” the woman says, and I give her a brief nod.

The door in front of me opens, and Isaac walks in, followed by a masked man. They have cleaned up the blood from his face, and he’s wearing dark jeans, boots, and a turtleneck sweater, no doubt to hide all the bruises. Isaac’s eyes are empty, and he’s just staring in front of him. They’ve pumped him full of drugs.

“Do you need assistance?” the woman asks as I place my hand on Isaac’s arm and steer him toward the exit.

“No.” I don’t look back at her as I tug on Isaac’s arm and lead him down a long hallway until we emerge into the VIP area of a big bar. Who would ever suspect I just purchased a man in a secret room hidden in a bar? I take Isaac’s arm and wind it around my neck, and as we slowly make our way toward the exit, I notice one woman at the bar has her eyes narrowed at us.

“Come on, baby, let’s get you home,” I say to Isaac. “Can’t believe you got drunk so early. It’s not even 7 p.m. I had to stop my shopping spree because of you!” I make a show of rolling my eyes and the woman’s face turns sympathetic. Getting my “drunk boyfriend” to my car takes some effort, but I finally push Isaac into the back seat. “Sit still, okay?”

He just leans back, his eyes glazed. I sigh, and before I close the door, I throw the bag with the pills onto the front seat. If the drugs wear off too soon, I don’t want him to be anywhere near those pills. After I get in the car and make sure all doors are locked, I gun the engine and speed toward my apartment, hoping I’ll come up with a good way to explain everything to him.

It takes me a while to get Isaac out of the car and then into the elevator, and all the way to my apartment. But as I try to steer him in the right direction, he recoils from my touch and runs his hand through his hair, wincing. The drugs must be wearing off, and judging by how quickly that happened, he’s been on those drugs before.

“Isaac?” I say tentatively as I close and lock the door. He blinks at me, then at my hallway.

“Don’t fucking touch me!” he snarls, leaning on the wall for support. 

“Okay.” I set the bag with the pills and my purse on the cabinet and raise my hands up. “Maybe we could sit down and talk first. I’m not...”

He screws his eyes tightly shut and shakes his head. I open my mouth to tell him the truth about why I bought him, but before I can say anything, he lifts his head, his blue eyes flashing dangerously, and lurches at me, his fist held high.

I barely have a moment to duck, and his fist collides with the wall above my head.

“Isaac! Stop it! I’m trying to help you!” I’m trapped between the wall and him, and if I want to get up again or get away, I’ll have to push him or hit him, and I don’t want to do any of that. He already thinks I’m just another one of his captors. He’s still unsteady on his feet, and when he looks at his fist, a frown forming on his forehead, I can see blood coating his knuckles. He stumbles back, and I use the opportunity to jump up and put some distance between us.

“Isaac,” I say softly, and he drops his hand to his side, his fingers still tightly curled.

“Stop talking!” he snaps, pressing his hand against his temple. “I don’t care how much you paid those assholes. I won’t be your toy.” He turns around so fast that I think he’s going to fall, but he doesn’t. “I’m so... so sick of this,” he mumbles more to himself than to me as he collides with the door. He bangs against it so hard that I flinch.

When he turns around, his eyes are narrowed at me. Shit. I don’t think his mind is clear enough for this. The pills have to still be affecting him. Whatever I try to say right now, it’s probably not going to go through to him. My gaze falls on the bag with the pills. It’s a terrible idea to give him more, but right now, I don’t know what else to do. And as he starts toward me, I lift my hand up.

“Do you want the pain to go away?” I ask. He’s limping slightly, and his face is drawn in a grimace. He must be hurting all over from what they’ve done to him.

He stops, tilting his head and chewing on his lower lip. Then just gives me a quick nod.

“Okay then.” I snatch the bag and take the box out. “I might just have the right thing...”

His eyes never leave me as I quickly open the pretty black box with silver letters engraved into it, toss the actual perfume out, and open a small package of white round pills. I take one, but then I look up at Isaac’s desperate eyes, and add another one.

“Here. Take these.” I stretch my hand toward him. He just watches me for a moment, but then snatches the pills and pops them into his mouth, swallowing them as if they were candy. Closing his eyes, he leans on the wall and throws his head back.

“Come with me, okay?” I tentatively approach, reaching out for his arm. He doesn’t even acknowledge me as I wrap my fingers around his arm and tug him down the hallway. His eyes finally open, an amused expression on his face, and he leans his head on my shoulder.

“So soft...” he says, his fingers entangling in my hair, and I have to stop to push his hand away, but his grip only gets stronger.

“You’re hurting me,” I say, trying to pry his fingers off. That only makes him laugh, but he lets his hand slip out of my hair. Breathing out a sigh of relief, I steer him toward my bedroom. His steps falter, and I groan as he leans most of his weight on me. I glance toward the bed. It’s so close and yet so far.

“Come on, a few more steps,” I say through my teeth. He stumbles forward and we both fall down onto the bed.

“I’m going to... kill you...” he whispers, his eyes closing. I get to my feet and run my hand through my now disheveled hair.

“Isaac?” I ask, but his eyes are closed, his chest rising and falling steadily. I guess he’s finally out. Taking hold of his arm, I roll him to the other side of the bed and prop a pillow under his head. My only hope is that he’ll wake up with a clearer mind so I can explain everything, but I’m not sure if he’ll let me. That said, I would be pissed too if someone just bought me at an auction.

I couldn’t really blame him for not being willing to listen to anything I have to say. Who knows how many times his ex-owner played mind games with him? Who says he’ll believe anything I say? He’ll have to hear it from someone he trusts, maybe from Lilith or from his friend Caleb. I run a hand through my hair and plop into the chair in front of my dressing table. I wait a couple of moments to catch my breath, calm down, and make sure Isaac is truly asleep and not just pretending so he can use the opportunity and try to run away or do something to me.

When I’m sure he won’t wake up, I open one of the drawers and find a burner phone I bought specifically for situations like this. I need to tell Lilith that my mission has been successful and that she can continue with her part of the plan to take down Raphael and his elite prostitution ring.

As the phone rings, I stare at Isaac’s face. Even with a split lip and dark circles under his eyes, he’s still handsome.

“Hello?” Lilith says in a shaky voice.

“I’ve got him,” I say.

“You do?” she breathes as if she can’t quite believe it.

“Yeah, but can you figure out real quick what you’re going to do with him? Because he’s insufferable.” I groan. “He thinks I’m his new master or something.”

“Can I talk to him?”

“Um...” I grimace, wondering if I should’ve called Lilith immediately, but I doubt Isaac would’ve been up for phone conversations. “Not right now. He’s out.”

“What? Did you give him something?”

“Just the mandatory pills. I assume he took something before that too. Don’t worry. He’ll wake up.” I try to sound as cheerful as possible. If Lilith only knew...

“Mandatory pills?” Lilith sounds surprised.

“Yeah, how do you think people transfer unwilling slaves to where they want them?”

“Right,” she says, but I know she doesn’t fully understand what I’m talking about. The world of sexual slavery and human trafficking isn’t something she’s familiar with. The only reason she got mixed up in this whole thing is because she fell in love with the guy she was paying to help her overcome her fears without knowing what he really was. “Just take care of him, okay?” she says.

“I’ll do my best. I don’t have a dungeon, though, so I hope he’ll be smart enough not to try and escape.” Him escaping is among the least of my worries, but that’s something Lilith can understand. Besides, I don’t really want Isaac here with me. I don’t know what to do with him, and I don’t have an extra guest room for him. If I let him sleep on my couch in the living room, then I’ll have to worry because it’s unlikely I’d hear him open the main door while I’m asleep in my room. Oh God.

“I promise I’ll call Caleb tomorrow and then he’ll talk to Isaac, and we can figure this out.”

“Sure,” I say dryly, then end the call. How long will it take until Caleb is able to come and talk to Isaac? He’s a sex slave after all, and his ability to come and go depends completely on his master. I just hope Raphael likes Lilith’s money enough to let Caleb go to her. I put down the phone and run a hand over my face. I can’t exactly keep Isaac drugged for a whole week or so. And even if I somehow explain everything to him and he believes me, then what? I’ll have to live with him for days.

I look around my room. I’ve been living alone for a few years now. This apartment has always been my sanctuary. The thought of having someone—a complete stranger—staying here terrifies me. Who says he won’t try to go for my throat? Besides, I can’t stay in this room forever and watch over him constantly. And if he wakes up alone, who knows how he’ll react or what he’ll do? Shit.

But as I watch him sleep, my metal headboard catches my attention. I rush toward the closet and open it wide. Somewhere under all the clothes and boxes, there has to be what I need. A small dark blue box comes into view and I open it, my shoulders slumping in relief. I pick up a pair of metal cuffs, suddenly glad that when I got them I wanted the real thing, not some fluffy fake stuff that could break easily.

I pad over to Isaac and get a hold of his arm, slip the cuff around his wrist, then attach the other cuff to the headboard. He’s so going to hate me when he wakes up, but I’m not willing to risk anything. I would’ve checked his wounds, but I don’t want to touch him while he’s unconscious. He’s been touched way too many times without his permission. Besides, his injuries don’t look life-threatening.

Making sure the cuffs are in place and that my headboard won’t give under force, I grip the key of the cuffs tightly in my palm. At least I’ll have a better chance of him listening to me before he tries to attack me, tries to wreck my place, or hurts himself. After getting a comfy pair of pants and a sweatshirt, I go for the door, glancing over my shoulder at Isaac. Telling him the truth about my past might make him listen to me, but I don’t want him or anyone to know about that. I’ll make sure he never finds out anything, and in a few days, he’ll be gone and I’ll go back to my life. Yeah, that sounds like a plan.