I was so so fucking hungry. I had skipped lunch because I wanted to finesse the leftover jollof before my little brother got it. Again, fuck my life. Only I could be smart enough to bring pepper spray, but dumb enough to not keep it on hand and get snatched anyway. Dumb hoe energy times 1,000,000. I looked around me and the darkness felt suffocating. The idiots had left me with my backpack but my phone was dead. I didn't know where I was or if I was alone, so pepper spray couldn't help me. My eyes burned with tears but I couldn't get myself to cry. My whole future was planned, I had already been accepted to Princeton. I was supposed to become a lawyer.
Fuck.My.Life.
I reminded myself that complaints would do nothing. I told myself to screw my tears and my panic attack. If whatever genius was holding me captive had actually left the lights on, maybe I could formulate a plan, but I knew nothing of my location. The ground below me was hard, and I wasn't tied up, but I didn't know where the door was, or where I was. Hell, I didn't even know if I was still in the US, let alone New Jersey. I prayed whatever creep took me was just going to hold me for ransom, or had fumbled in my capture so the cops were on their way right now. I prayed I would live. Suddenly a light came streaming through a crack level with the floor that had to be the door. I scooted towards it slowly and used the light to take in my surroundings. There was no bed in the room. I hoped that was a sign that they just didn't give a fuck about me, and not that they planned to kill me very soon. I pressed my ear to the door and began to take in the sounds outside, however muffled.
"When the fuck did I say to throw her down here ?" A voice said. Upon hearing it I shivered, something about it didn't sit well with me. It felt as if something with no soul had spoken. It was empty, and cold. Colder than me.
"First of all, you gave no specific instructions to anyone. I was just sitting on my couch minding my business and the moving team asked where to put her like she was furniture. How the fuck would I know where you wanted her? Acting as if you aren't treating her like trash by kidnapping her to begin with. This isn't in my job description and my payroll is much too high for this garbage. Fuck out my face. " another voice bit back venomously while somehow sounding bored simultaneously. My eyebrow raised slightly. He didn't seem to be the boss, and the boss seemed batshit crazy, I was quite surprised he wasn't fearful of him in the slightest. A part of me was familiar with his voice but I was sure I couldn't have met him before. Uneasy didn't begin to describe how I felt.
As footsteps approached heavily I heard the other voice yell something snarky and probably funny but I was to busy scurrying back to the middle of the room where I woke up, and playing dead. The door creaked open.
"Princess I know you're awake." My heart spad up but I continued to play dead, making sure to take extremely light breaths.
"Get the fuck up. Now. I'm a bit tired today and don't have much time for games love, I'm sorry. I could use some comforting from my wife however." 'Then go get comforted by her and let me go, the fuck? Ain't nobody ask for your presence,' I thought to myself.
"I'll ask one more time baby, I don't want to have to hurt you." 'How do I return him to his fucking wife with his weird ass?' I thought, as I slowly opened my eyes and stood up. When I glanced at him I took in his appearance, his eyes pierced me, so blue and so fearful they reminded me of white walkers and contrasted with his olive complexion. He ran a hand through his dark chin-length wavy hair, and sighed. He looked like someone many people my age would fawn over, but I was focused on the fact that he was damn near ancient. He was probably in his mid to late twenties. I really couldn't have been less interested in his game. His attitude and his age were things no amount of external beauty could cover up to me.
"See, wasn't that easy?" the dumbass said, " My name is Ximenes, may I ask yours?"
Damn his momma must have hated him, was my first thought, my second was, No, you may not. So I remained silent.
"That's fine Nkiruka, nothing will ruin this for me. You thought I wouldn't know my wife's name? I just wanted us to have introductions. But if you insist on being rude and disobedient I suppose I can persuade you to open up your mouth in other ways." I ignored him and got back to thinking. Everyone has called me Nani since my little sister couldn't pronounce Nkiruka when we were young, and somehow (don't ask me how, I know it makes no sense) turned it into Nani. This was not a crime of opportunity. Either this was personal, they wanted to hold me for ransom, or I had a stalker. I assumed stalker because of how delusional his ass was.
"I usually go by Nani. It's nice to meet you" I ground out. I was lying.
"Follow me, my love. I don't know why they threw you here. I would have retrieved you myself and I desperately wanted to but I had a mandatory meeting. You know what they say, if you want it done right, you must do it yourself. Forgive me, baby." he proclaimed tenderly, as if I were a porcelain doll. I hoped and prayed that meant he was too "in love" to stop me from escaping, but deep down I saw right through him and I knew that was impossible. I also knew that it was a facade. Whatever love he claimed to have for me was fake and I was sure he knew that. He wanted me, but never loved me.
"For what? The kidnaping? Or poor execution of said kidnapping?" I looked at him like he was a dumbass, because he was.
"You can't steal what belongs to you. I'm sorry for the way your retrieval was executed but I'd be lying if I said I was sorry altogether. You wouldn't have come willingly because you didn't know that you were mine yet. Now that you're here, everything can finally be as it was meant to be."
"So....I think you're confused. Maybe you should just return me before you're disappointed. I promise I won't tell a soul." I lied. If I had my way, every bitch on the surface of the earth would hear about it until he was either behind bars or dead.
"No love, I think you're confused. You belong to me. And if you disappoint me, I'll just kill you. Maybe you haven't accepted our situation but you will be here until one of us dies. And if that one of us is me, I expect you to follow." With every word he spoke, his voice rose like he was actually owed something. I was in some deep shit.