Enemy Beloved

50 | revealed

★

C L A I R E

My panic mode sets in and instead of gently untying the thread off my leg, I yank hard at it, the strong thread cutting the skin of my ankle as I stand up, taking steps back from the man.

"I'm getting sick of this. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?" I shout at him. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

"I want you dead," he drops casually, drawing nearer. Rose and Doris are right behind me and they are crying. I take a peek at the floor trying to look for my phone but it is not anywhere nearby. "Didn't know killing you would be this hard though. You surprise me every time, Claire."

There is laughter in his words, the kind which sounds like he is making fun of himself and he isn't embarrassed by that. He must be pissed at me. He knew that he couldn't get me when I was alone and so he is here, using Rose and Doris as leverage against me. How did he even get in? No one from outside was allowed to enter the mansion — no one except the guards themselves and Jake.

Is he one of the guards?

"Let them go," I say to the man, my hands curling into fists as I maintain my stance, shielding my family behind me. I am scared of him but I can't allow it to show. "You want me. You can have me but let them go."

I hear Rose's painful moan from behind me. It is like she is trying to say something. I wish I had the time to remove that tape from her mouth. But I can't do that now. One thing Rose taught me as my first lesson was to never be distracted from your opponent. One second of ignorance can cause damage for a lifetime.

The masked man stalks towards me, his soundless boots pressing hard with each step.

"That's good, Claire. You're taking responsibility for your actions...but unfortunately..." He stops and tilts his head to a side as if to study me. "...I can't let them go. They are my investment in an audience. They will stay right where they are and they will watch."

I suck in a breath at his words. He gets even more twisted with each meeting of ours. Whoever he is behind his mask, he is dangerous because he never gives up until he gets what he wants.

And he wants me.

Suck it! He won't get me.

"The cops...will be here. You can't kill me. They know my location and they are on their way."

"I'll be done by the time they get here, darling," he chuckles, twirling the knife in his hand, grabbing it tightly, the sharp point of the steel pointing towards me.

Sweat trickles down my cheeks as I look at the knife, my nerves growing frantic at the memories of it being that close to slicing through me. I take more steps back, moving past Rose and Doris as my eyes stay fixed on the weapon. The man comes closer, no longer talking and the silence between us gets impenetrable.

Without another thought, I turn back and run to the nearest window overlooking the garden. My footsteps thump loudly on the floor along with his as I reach for the window but just as I am about to pull it open, an arm wraps around my waist, picking me up from the floor. I scream, jerking my legs in the air as the man drags me with him. He drops me hard on the floor, making me see stars for a few seconds when my head hits the marble with a thud.

As I try to adjust my vision, he grabs hold of one of my ankles and starts to pull me back towards him, sliding my body on the floor. Seeing him do that, I use my other leg to place it over the one he is holding and aim for a hit on his shin. I get his thigh instead but the impact is hard enough to make him release my ankle.