Chereads / Inferno (Book one) / Chapter 5 - Chapter Three

Chapter 5 - Chapter Three

Evelynn

 The car ride is silent for a long while as he drives back into the bustling city. The clock on the dash reads nine o'clock exactly and I'm pretty sure it's Saturday, maybe Sunday. I'd lost all sense of time in captivity with Jed and Gabe keeping me drugged up. I didn't want to think about that right now, but Camden's deep voice brought it back to the surface.

 "The men who kidnapped you. Did you know them?" Camden glanced at me, his expression carefully neutral.

 "Yeah." I met his gaze. "Not well, though. They were friends with my ex."

 He turned back to the road, a scowl on his face. "I'm going to get you back to my place and have you looked over." There's a short pause before his eyes go to the bruise on my neck. "Which one gave you that?"

 My hand goes to my bruised neck, his eyes tracking the movement as the memory plays through my head. "Jed." I didn't hesitate to tell my childhood friend exactly who put a bruise on me but I kept my eyes on the front windshield, not seeing the city lights but replaying that moment, that feeling of helplessness, again and again.

 I felt fingers gently pry my hand from my neck and looked down to see Camden's hand wrapping around my own as he pulled it down to the console between us. "I'll take care of him. And Gage."

 When I looked at him, he was looking at me again with a gaze that spoke of fury and fierce protectiveness. His dark eyes were deep pools of black, drawing me into the black hole that was Camden. I nodded and looked out the windshield again. "You always seem to show up at the right time."

 I was startled when his deep chuckling rumbled around the car's cab, making me whip around to face him as he shook his head at me, chuckling again at the look on my face. "It's nothing, sweets, but we must stop meeting under these circumstances." His smile is infectious.

 As he pulled the car into the underground garage, we were once again silent. He quickly parked and shut off the vehicle before exiting to open my door for me then led me to an elevator that was only feet away from his parking spot. It opened almost immediately with a chime and he led the way inside as I took in the opulent gold fixtures and rich red walls. He pressed a code into the keypad and then hit the button for the twenty-sixth floor. The top floor.

 "Owner's privileges." Camden grins down at me when I toss a confused look his way.

 "You own this apartment building?" I balked.

 "This building and four others around Chicago."

 I hadn't expected him to drive such a nice car much less own five apartment buildings. Five. wow. Was this the same Camden I knew in middle school? The one who wore shitty Walmart shoes with holes in the bottom? The one who I shared my goldfish with because he never brought anything to recess? How did he build his wealth? What did he do to afford to buy five apartment buildings? But he had the same dark tortured eyes and sharp jaw and thick dark hair that despite being slightly shorter than it used to be, held the same waves. He was much better put together, but he was still Camden. I had thought he was hot when we were kids but looking at him now, he was devastatingly beautiful.

 I narrow my eyes at him in suspicion and he chuckles darkly. "A lot happened after I left. Some good, mostly bad though." He loses his smirk and replaces it with a frown as he turns his body to face me fully. "I assume you've changed too." I stared up at him, our bodies only inches apart. He reached up to cup my chin and raise my face to his. "You slipped right through my fingers when we were kids, Evelynn, but here we are again." His arm slipped around my waist and he pulled my body flush against his. I could feel my body reacting, my breaths growing faster, the closer he leaned until his lips were inches from mine. "I won't let it happen again. You were mine the moment I saw the look of fear and fury in your eyes that day on the playground. You won't get away from me again."

 A shiver went down my spine just before he brushed his lips over my cheek, just a soft slide of skin against skin before he claimed my lips fiercely. My arms wrapped up and over his shoulders to slide up the back of his neck and into his thick, dark hair as he consumed me, parting my lips with his before twining our tongues together as my heart pounded. In the back of my mind, I realized it was the first time I'd been alone with a man, and didn't want to claw his eyes out or wretch. I'd spent the last year not even wanting to think about kissing another man much less doing the dirty, but right now he was making me break my self-imposed abstinence and all he had done was kiss me.

 Just as the elevator chimed to signal that we had reached our destination, I realized he had my back pressed to the elevator wall. He stared down at me for a moment longer, both of us panting for breath before murmuring, "Come on." He took my hand gently in his and led me out of the opulent elevator into an even more opulent penthouse apartment. It was decorated with elegant black and white walls with splashes of deep red area rugs and drapes over the large floor-to-ceiling windows. There was a black couch and loveseat across from a small wooden coffee table and a massive flat-screen TV on the living room wall. It was exactly what I expected the owner of several apartment buildings, and penthouse to look like.

 "I'm going to call Dr. Amena over to make sure you're okay." He leaned in closer to study my eyes. "You still look a little unsteady and your pupils are blown. Until then, sit on the couch and let me get you some water and something light to eat. Did they feed you?"

 I furrowed my brows, not used to having someone being so attentive over me but as he pressed my shoulders to sit on the couch, I answered. "I haven't eaten since Thursday night."

 He leaned down and captured my chin in his fingers as he swore under his breath. "I won't let them get away with hurting you, sweets. You're mine, whether they knew it or not, and they will pay dearly for hurting you, starving you."

 "Yours?" I breathed as my eyes widened at his possessive tone. Since when had I agreed to be his?

 "Yes." He gave me a dark smile as he leaned closer, tightening his grip on my chin to keep me from escaping when I tried to pull back in alarm. "Mine."

 My heart pounded and alarm bells were going off in my mind as if I could really be in danger from my childhood friend as I stared up at him with wide eyes while he leaned over me. There was a wild possessiveness in his dark chocolate eyes as they stared into mine but it was gone as soon as he stepped back, releasing me to grab his phone, melting into a serious expression as he dialed a number and turned on his heel towards the huge open kitchen filled with bright lights and stainless steel appliances to work on fixing me a bowl of soup from what I could tell as he worked and spoke to someone on the phone. I quit paying attention as I pulled my knees to my chest wrapped my arms around them and placed my chin on my knees. I let my mind wander over the last few days, the drugs keeping my mind a little muddled still but clear enough to finally start thinking about what I was going to do.

 Camden wouldn't get the chance to kill Jedadia and Gabrial. Their heads would roll but it wouldn't be him to end their lives, it would be mine. This wasn't his anger, it was mine. I had been the one to be wronged and I would get my revenge and it wouldn't be as quick as it had been with my ex. No, it would be bloody and gruesome. Especially Jed. He had threatened to do the exact same thing that my ex had and he was planning to sell me as a fucking sex slave. Sick bastard. I'd make damn sure he could never hold that threat over anyone's head again.

 I was brought out of my thoughts as Camden held a glass of water in front of my nose, condensation dripping down the side over his tanned fingers where they wrapped around the glass. I took it, raising my head, only intending to sip it but as the cool crisp water hit my parched tongue, I took gulps until Camden was chuckling and pulling the glass away from my lips.

 "Slow down, beautiful. There is plenty of time and plenty of water. Don't make yourself sick." He sat a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup on the marble coffee table in front of me as I practically eye fucked the bowl in hunger, my stomach rumbling.

 "That looks so good..." I murmured as he sat the glass down next to the bowl and sat beside me before taking the spoon out of the bowl with a little bit of the broth in it then slowly brought it to my lips which I parted to let the spoon past then moaned in delight. It tasted homemade but He hadn't had nearly enough time to make this in the five or so minutes he had been in the kitchen.

 He shifted slightly as he pulled the spoon from between my lips and fed me another spoonful. "The doctor will be here in about thirty minutes."

 I swallowed as I turned my gaze back to his dark eyes which were staring at me. "Here? As in, inside your apartment? Since when do doctors do house calls?"

 He moved the spoon back to the bowl and brought it back to my mouth. "You can buy anything with enough money, sweets."

 I raised a brow at his nonchalance but chewed as he finally gave me a few noodles since I obviously wasn't nauseated by the broth.

 "And I have a few people under my thumb. Dr. Amena is one of them but I pay her a hefty retainer fee along with whatever she asks for to treat those I care about." He shrugged as I blinked. This man bled money, I realized as I took another look around his living room.

 His chuckle brought my gaze back to him and he fed me another spoon full of soup. "Like I said, a lot has changed since we were kids."

 "Obviously," I spoke softly. "Are you going to tell me what you've been up to for 14 years?"

 His gaze darkened as a frown took the place of his amused smirk. "A lot. More than I want to burden you with at the moment, sweets. Just focus on healing for a little while.

 I nodded wordlessly and he continued to feed me in the silence that ensued until the bowl was empty and I finally put my feet back on the floor, leaning back on the couch with a contented sigh. He placed the spoon back into the bowl and sat back as well, pulling his phone from his pocket as it dinged.

 "The doctor is on her way up." He murmured, putting his phone away and then getting up to take the bowl to the kitchen sink and wash it before setting it on the rack beside the sink. I watched him the entire time as I reached for my glass and sipped the rest of the water, determined not to gulp it down like I was dying of thirst this time. Just as he grabbed a dish towel to dry his hands, The elevator dinged and the doors opened to reveal a tall woman in black slacks and a white button-down with a black windbreaker slung over one shoulder and what looked like a pink medical bag on another. Her long dark hair was swept up in a high ponytail and she smiled politely as she met my eye then turned her gaze to Camden as he walked out of the kitchen.

 "Amelia." He held out his hand and she took it, shaking hands with him. She was tall enough to tower over me but he still dwarfed her by several inches and leagues more muscles.

 "Mr. Antonov." She regarded them as she released his hand.

 "I need you to take a look at Evelynn for me. She was kidnapped and drugged and apparently starved as well for three days. I need a full workup and blood tests, the whole nine yards." Camden spoke in a serious tone and the doctor nodded, her brows furrowing as she turned to take me in more fully.

 "Poor girl, I'll-"

 I cut her off. "I don't need your pity. I'm fine. I don't even know why Camden called you over. I'm fine." Her pitying look went all through me and struck every nerve in my body as I stood crossing my arms and frowning at Camden who frowned right back. The doctor raised her brows as she looked between us her gaze finally settling on Camden when he spoke again.

 "You were kidnapped and that man put his filthy hands on you, around your throat, you have rope burn on your wrists, Evelynn." He stepped closer but I didn't cower or back down from the massive man, if anything it made my hackles rise even more. I didn't need anyone coddling me. Not anymore. If there was anything I'd learned from my ex and his friends, it was that I would never rely on anyone ever again, much less accept help but before I could open my mouth to tell him this he grabbed my wrist and pulled me into his chest, wrapping an arm around me to press a hand into the small of my back as my hands went to his chest. My head was craned back to stare up at him in surprise as he tilted his own down so his face was close to mine.

 "Let the doctor look over you, sweets. I just want to make sure you're okay. It's more for my sanity than anything else." He spoke the words low as he held me close and I found myself nodding my head in agreement. Before I could snap out of his spell, he tugged me into a bedroom and sat me on the bed before placing a kiss on my forehead then leaving me in stunned silence before the doctor came bustling in, shutting the door behind her with an odd expression on her face as she turned to face me.

 "He said your name was Evelynn, right?" She asked as she seemed to get ahold of her expression, pasting on a serious face as she shifted to doctor mode, taking out a small tablet from her left pocket as she waited for me to answer.

 "Uh, yeah," I answered feeling awkward as hell all of a sudden. "Evelynn Meyers"

 She nodded and typed on her tablet for a moment before she began asking me the usual questions which I answered easily before she took my blood pressure placed a pulse ox meter on the pointer finger of the opposite hand and wrote the numbers down after telling me the results which were normal. It was all so mundane and her soft-spoken and easygoing nature put me at ease as she went on, eventually checking my rope-burnt wrists and making me tilt my head back to show her my bruised neck. I had to give her credit, she didn't even flinch when she was looking me over which was nice. I didn't want anyone making a big deal over me.

 "You look good for the most part, just a little beat up but you should be fine with some rest." She gave me a smile to which I returned, albeit awkwardly. "I just need to get a blood sample from you to see exactly what kind of drugs those guys gave you and check a few other things, then I can get out of your hair."

 She reached for her bag and pulled out a butterfly needle and a few little blood vials, placing one in the cup at the end of the tube and then uncapping the needle as I held out my arm for her. She placed the needle expertly in a way I couldn't even feel her pushing it into my skin then clicked the vial in place for the blood to flow into, filling up two more then placing all three aside and gently pulling the needle out to place a little skin colored bandaid over the puncture.

 "Alright." She said as she stood beside me, stowing away all her equipment and getting ready to leave.

 I nodded as she left, remaining on the bed as I heard her and Camden speaking quiet words I couldn't make out before silence fell again. It was a few more moments before Camden peeked his head into the room from the slightly ajar door and then pushed his way in, closing the door once again.

 "You're going to stay here for a few days until you're better," he said in a matter-of-fact voice that brooked no argument as he walked to stand directly in front of me. "you can stay in this room for the time being."

 I furrowed my brows and stood, putting us chest to chest. "No. I'm going home."

 He raised his brows, pushing even closer so my knees hit the back of the bed, turning my insides to mush with the intense look in his eyes as he placed his large hands on my waist. "I'm not inclined to let you out of my sight right now, Evelyn."

 The way he said my name made liquid heat rush to my core as my thighs clenched and I could already feel him bending me right to his will but I held out despite the breathy tone of my voice. "I'll be okay. I just… need to go home."

 "Evelyn." He leaned in closer until his lips were right beside my ear, his warm breath puffing over my neck. "Please. Stay."

 Much to my embarrassment, I fucking whimpered, a soft, flustered little sound. I was pretty sure I'd never made that sound before in my life but it was wholly his fault, I would blame him.

 I could feel the heat on my face and was sure I was turning a very unattractive shade of tomato red as he pulled away with a smirk and then took a step back. "The bathroom is through that door, take a shower and I'll bring you something clean to wear, sweets." He nodded his head towards the open bathroom door.

 And then he swept out of the room shutting the door like he hadn't just turned me into a fucking puddle on his guest bedroom floor. I took a moment to compose myself and catch my breath after all that then walked into the bathroom, stripped, and then turned on the shower.

 As I waited for the water to get hot, I caught sight of myself in the mirror, bruised and dirty and looking like absolute hell frozen over. The bruise on my neck was quickly turning a mottled chartreuse color and encompassed most of the front of my neck. I realized I also had dried blood speckled across my face from punching Jed which made me feel a little better.

 When the mirror began to fog from the steam, I finally stepped into the cleansing stream, shutting the shower door behind me.