"So one thing is for sure. We can't let her go. If Woods sent her here, there must be a reason behind it." Adonis # 1, Mr. Miller, said.
"Hello? I'm sitting right here?" I waved my hand at them. I was sitting to the chair in front of the couch they were sitting on.
"Obviously we can't. But the question is, what will we do with her? She doesn't look like she can be of any help to us." Adonis no. 2, Lucas, said.
"I can hear you, mate." I said.
"That she doesn't. But we'll find some use of her." Mr. Miller replied, ignoring my presence altogether. "Till then, set her up to an empty room."
"Who the hell do you think you are?" I stood up angrily and went to the couch. I placed my hands on my hips and tried my best to look scary. "You can't keep me here in your fancy house or scare me into submission. I am a strong, independent womaaaa----"
My eyes fixated on the shiny piece of metal that the Lucas guy had pulled out from his pant pockets.
"Hey, no need to get your panties in a twist. We can talk like adults." I murmured under my breath.
"Walk." He aimed the gun towards my foot.
"But I..."
"We're supposed to protect you but one can live without a foot. Right?" He cocked his head to a side.
"Oh my God! Is this guy crazy or what?" I said to Mr. Miller, who was sitting like a calm statue, as if he hadn't heard me getting threatened by a madman.
Mr. Miller stood passed me his signature smirk. "I'd say he is borderline psychotic." He said.
"Walk!" Lucas said a little angrily this time and I jumped on my feet.
Not wanting to lose my healthy foot, I started walking to wherever he was taking me. He guided me upstairs, his boots clicking on the marbled floor. I wanted to turn around like those action heroines and punch him on his face but then I remembered that I have the strength of a potato.
The interior of the house looked dark and twisted, unlike the angelic exterior. If there was one word to describe it, that would be mysterious. The vibe coordinated perfectly well with the nature of its residents.
"Who are you guys exactly?" I said annoyingly.
"We're businessmen." He said, leading me into the first room to my left. "We run an automobile company."
"And I'm Captain America." I whispered under my breath. "I save people from monsters."
"Your mouth will get you killed some day." He snarled and I shrugged. People have died for less, I guess.
We entered the second room on my left and my mouth fell open in awe. It was a beautiful room and by beautiful, I mean breathtakingly beautiful. The room was easily bigger than my whole apartment back in Florida. The walls were painted in dark violet, contrasting with the white fancy furniture. The furniture wasn't something we could do easily find in IKEA, all of this looked imported.
"Mr..." I trailed off.
"Miller. But that would be confusing for you so just call me Lucas." He said.
"You're his brother?" I asked.
"What gives it away? The handsome face or my charming brown eyes?" He said sarcastically.
"Your profound tendency towards keeping someone against their will." I replied back, and then reminded myself of the gun. Ah, the GUN.
"I'll take it from here." I heard the familiar deep voice that belonged to the older Miller brother. He had taken off his coat, under which he was wearing a white button down shirt, hugging the contours of his torso. I didn't want to admit to myself but boy, he was hot. And downright crazy too, I reminded myself.
"I don't need you to babysit me." I said once Lucas left.
"Do you think we love to have you here?" He said, crossing his arms in front of his chest, an action that caused his biceps to bulge out. "You are a liability, Miss. Woods. But until I figure all this out, I need to keep you here." He said.
"I don't trust you., Mr. Miller." I replied honestly.
"Do you trust your father?" He raised his eyebrow and I gulped hard, swallowing the ball of nerves down my throat.
"I have a job. What about that?" I asked.
"I'll find a solution." He said.
"Why are you doing all this? How did you know my father?" I groaned. "Don't I deserve some truth?"
"He used to..." He took a pause, searching for words. "Work with my father. That's enough for you to know."
"What kind of work?" I asked.
"You should know when to stop, Miss. Woods." He replied curtly, a hint of annoyance on his face. "And if I were you, I won't leave the room without any reason."
"Good thing you aren't me." I said under my breath.
"What?" He asked.
"Nothing." I passed him a sweet, saccharine smile.
Rolling his eyes, he left the room and once he did, I sprang on the soft, inviting mattress. I had been in a long flight and I spent the whole night looking for a cheap hotel. When I couldn't find any, I had to stay in a motel where I was kept up by the cockroaches all night. That explains why I was lulled into sleep as soon as my bottom hit the mattress.
°°°
I slept on the comfy mattress for some three four hours, after which a knock on the door woke me up. I squinted my eyes to get a clearer look at the intruder, then I realized I was the one intruding in this house.
"Madame, these are some clothes for you." The girl who entered the room said in an unfamiliar accent.
"Whose clothes are these?" I asked.
"These are brand new." She said. She looked like East Asian from her features and her accent vaguely reminded me of a Korean TV series I watched.
I jumped out of the bed and stared at the stack of clothes that Mr. Miller had sent for me. I wasn't one to accept things I didn't pay for, but it wasn't like I was being kept here by my choice.
"Do you need anything else, Madame?" She asked.
"Call me Penelope. What's your name by the way?" I asked.
"Uh... Jennie." She replied innocently. She looked like she was hardly twenty. She had dark brown eyes and her short black hair was framing her cute, round face.
"You are really pretty, Jennie." I said, resisting the urge to drill my finger through the huge dimples on her cheeks.
"Thank you Mada— I mean, Penelope." She said, blushing.
Passing her a smile, I picked out a black crop top and denim jeans from the stack and went into the humongous attached bathroom. The bathroom had everything all I wished for in a bathroom; a Jacuzzi, those fancy square showers, a glass basin. I took my time cleaning myself, washing the dirt and tiredness off me and when I went back, Jennie was cleaning up the bedroom.
My mobile was sprawled over the mattress. I picked it up to call Mary; my best friend Mary. She must have been really worried for me. She had told me not to come to Chicago but I was too stubborn to listen to her. Look where it landed you, Miss. Woods.
"Strange." I said and I tried to call her but there was no network in my phone. "What's the WiFi password Jennie?"
"It won't work. There are jammers in the building." She said.
"What?" I asked in surprise. "But why?" She shrugged in response.
"Mr. Miller doesn't like a breach in his privacy so he doesn't let us use our phones." She said.
"What the hell!" I groaned and made my way out of my room. I walked through the dimly lit hallway, looking for Mr. Miller to ask him what exactly was wrong with him. I could tell he had some loose screws but now, he was pushing his limits. If he thought he could keep me here like war criminals, he ought to change his mind.
°°°
YOU ARE READING
The Mysterious Mr. Miller
Mystery / Thriller"Why can't you let me go?" I asked, my voice dripping with frustration. He had cornered me against the wall, his muscular arms caging me. "I don't know." He replied, leaning his head against me so gently that for a moment, I forgot how dangerous th...
