Chapter 4 – I Know How Your Mind Works
4 – I Know How Your Mind Works
Present
The look in Shadrach's eyes made my spine tremble, as we both sat their staring at each other in uncomfortable silence. I knew what he was doing - he was giving me some time to speak the truth, before he would completely lose his cool. But I didn't. I remained quiet, but not by choice. I just could not speak.
"Alizabeth," Shadrach said in a low voice, the threatening undertone to it making my heart pace. "Who were you thinking about?" He asked, and I realized what he meant.
"I was not thinking about Elijah, if that's what you're asking," I replied calmly, trying to ignore how angry his expression was.
"How did you know what I was thinking? I didn't even say his name!" Shadrach hissed, grabbing my arm.
"Because I know you!" I yelled, jerking his hand away from my arm. "I know how your mind works, Shadrach."
"Oh really? You're saying you know how I think?" Shadrach asked, his tone not as high as mine.
"Yes. Yes I know how you think."
"Then tell me, Alizabeth. What am I thinking right now?" He asked, crossing his arms, his eyes narrowed into slits.
"You're... You're thinking of ways," I replied, my voice almost breaking.
"Ways to do what?" Shadrach asked, a slight smirk on his face, as he moved closer to me, making me lean backwards into the door of the car.
"Ways to... Make me pay for what I did," I whispered, just the thought of it making my legs tremble.
"Oh," Shadrach smiled, caressing my cheek with his thumb, "no, my Sunshine. I have that already planned out. But you don't worry about it, I'll make sure it's not too... Hurtful." His tone was husky and dangerous, and my breath hitched when he used the word 'hurtful'. I had no idea what he had in store for me. I knew he wasn't going to beat me up or something because according to him I was his property, property that was too precious to damage. So I was aware that his revenge would be something deeper, something that would break my heart... Or taint my soul.
"What are you going to do to me?" I whispered, closing my eyes tightly to hide the tears that were threatening to flow.
"I'm going to make you my Queen."
The determination in his voice made me shudder, and I took a deep breath trying to calm my racing heart.
Five Years Earlier (16th June 2013)
"No. She's my girl," Mr. Dark Eyes replied, placing a hand on my waist. I frowned, looking up at him, but for some reason I couldn't find it in me to remove his hand from my waist.
"Oh," the other guy replied, disappointment evident on his face. "I'll back off then," he mumbled, giving me one last look before walking away.
Mr. Dark Eyes smirked, removing his hand from my waist. "You're welcome."
"I didn't ask for your help," I crossed my arms.
"Oh yeah, you had it completely handled," he replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, can I get you a drink?"
"No. I don't drink."
"Oh, so you're a naive, innocent one. Where did you get that fire then?" He asked raising an eyebrow.
"That what?" I furrowed my eyebrows.
"That fire. On the dance floor. You were dancing like you own the place," he smirked.
"Someone really enjoys staring," I retorted.
"I stare at what I want," he shrugged.
"Okay. Bye now," I replied, not wanting to continue the conversation any further. I wanted to drink another soda and so I walked to the bar, not waiting to hear his reply. I sat on one of the chairs, and ordered a soda for myself.
"Hi," Mr. Dark Eyes winked, sitting down beside me.
"What are you trying to do?" I asked, sighing. "First you save me from a guy trying to hit on me, now you're doing it yourself."
"I saved you so I could do it," he shrugged, making me huff in annoyance.
"Look Mr... Whatever your name is, I'm not here to make new friends, or boyfriends, or meet anyone new. Please just let me be," I said, my tone desperate.
"Maxon, my name is Maxon, but people close to me call me Shadrach," he smiled.
"Okay, Maxon."
"Shadrach."
"I'm not close to you."
"You're sitting right beside me," he chuckled.
"Okay fine, Shadrach. Just let me be?" I almost begged.
"Okay, I'm not talking to you," he said, raising his hands in surrender.
Although that action was supposed to relieve me because he was finally going to leave me alone, what it did was the opposite. When he raised up his hands in surrender, something silver caught my eye, tucked safely into his belt. It wasn't hard for me to make out that it was a pistol, and my blood ran cold. I guess my wide eyes and prolonged staring at his side made him realize what had happened, and he looked down, moving his jacket. It confirmed my suspicion - he was carrying a gun.
Shadrach looked up at me, his demeanour changed. He was once again giving an extremely dangerous vibe, and not just because of his weapon. It was like his eyes had turned even darker.
"Not a word," he warned, making my legs shudder.
"I-I uh.. I'm not going to-" I whispered, unable to form complete sentences, but before I could finish what I was saying, Shadrach placed his index finger on his lips, making me shut up.
"Shh," he whispered, "I said, not a word."
A shiver ran down my spine, and I gulped, my body shuddering.
"What's your name?" He asked, making my breath hitch.
"Al-Alizabeth," I replied.
"That's a beautiful name," he replied. "Now, Alizabeth, you're going to stay completely quiet about this, alright? It will cause unnecessary drama and panic, after which I'll have to use my sources and that would create problems for everyone in here. So you're going to stay silent. You understand?" He asked, leaning closer to me. I gulped, and nodded, my voice stuck in my throat. "Good. Now where were we?"
"I-I don't want anything to do with you," I whispered, tears forming in my eyes. I was scared of him. Powerful people scared me. I glanced around me searching for Baxter, Klara or Kaden, but none of them were there.
"Ouch," Shadrach said, placing a hand on his heart. "You're the first girl to say that, you know? Others just realize I'm rich and want everything to do with me."
"Well, I don't. Please, please leave me alone, Shadrach."
"Fine, whatever. Until next time, love," Shadrach winked, getting up from his seat. He then walked away, leaving me alone, and it felt as if my surroundings had been infiltrated with a boost of fresh, breathable air. My heart was still pacing wildly and still shuddering, I turned around to see if he had left, but he was just staring at me from far away now. He waved at me with a huge grin on his face, and I instantly turned back around, my eyes wide.
"Aliza?" Someone placed a hand on my shoulder making me jump, but I relaxed when Kaden came into my line of sight.
"Gosh, thank God it's you. Where did you disappear?!" I scolded.
"Sorry, I had to receive a call. Apparently a distant relative is here, so I gotta go meet him. Klara and Baxter are out in the car, you can go sit with them. Oh, and Happy Birthday!" Kaden smiled, giving me a small, side hug. I slightly froze at his action, not really used to hugging males. He pulled away in less than a second, before calling someone on his phone and leaving me alone, once again. Sighing, I stood up and headed out of Diandro's, to Klara's car.
Present
"I'm not your Queen," I muttered, my voice low because a part of me was scared of how he would react. For some reason, I had still not completely accepted the fact that he had me now. He had abducted me once again, and this time he wasn't letting me go no matter what. I was completely and utterly at his mercy. He could do whatever he wanted to me, and I couldn't stop him.
"You will be, my Love. You don't have another option," Shadrach smiled. His eyes were then back on the road, and he started the car again, continuing on our course. I shifted in my seat so I was no longer leaning into the door, and sat upright. I sat there wondering where he was taking me, because it was taking too long. Given how fast he was driving, swerving the huge jeep around cars and motorbikes, we should have already reached his house. But we hadn't, and that meant we were going somewhere else.
"Wh-where are we going?" I squeaked out, suddenly very aware of my surroundings.
"Somewhere where no one will find you," he replied, and a shiver went down my spine. Now I was beginning to get scared. Not just scared, I was freaking out.
"Where are we going, Shadrach?" I asked again, wanting a more 'specific' answer.
"I already told you. You don't need to know where you're going because you're never leaving that place, Aliza," he replied, and I gulped. Now I was full on panicking.
"Shadrach. Stop the jeep!" I whispered, looking around.
"Don't test me, Aliza," Shadrach replied, rolling his eyes.
"Stop the jeep!" I yelled, tears forming in my eyes. He didn't offer a response, his eyes were stuck on the road.
"I said, stop the fucking jeep!" I yelled, and took off my seat belt, also opening the car door.
"Aliza!" Shadrach yelled, his eyes wide as he caught hold of my wrist. Instantly, he stepped onto the breaks, and the jeep jerked to a sudden halt. I was almost sent flying forwards, but Shadrach was quick to place his arm in front of my waist, holding me back. I pushed his hand away and jumped out of the jeep, but before I could even take another step forward, a hundred guns were aimed at me by his men, making me freeze. My breath was heavy, and tears were freely flowing from my wide eyes.
"What the fuck were you thinking?" Shadrach yelled as he approached me. He grabbed my arm and pushed me backwards, pinning my body to the jeep, his hands on either side of me, caging me. I let out a sob, unable to form words. "Answer me, Alizabeth!" He yelled, banging his hand against the jeep, making me let out a small scream. My eyes were tightly shut, as I couldn't find the courage in me to look into his enraged eyes.
"Alizabeth," Shadrach repeated through gritted teeth, "what were you thinking?"
"I-I don't wanna go wi-with you," I sobbed, more tears escaping my eyes. I heard him suck in a breath in annoyance, and I almost expected him to lash out, but a moment later he sighed. I felt two large hands gently cupping my cheeks, and I flinched, opening my eyes.
"Aliza, calm down," he said softly, wiping my tears away with his thumbs.
"I don't wanna go with you," I cried, trying to push his hands away from my face, but he just placed them back.
"Calm down. Calm down, Alizabeth. Stop crying, please," he whispered.
"What-what are you going to-" I gulped, "what are you going to do to me?" I asked, my heart hammering in my chest. Shadrach closed his eyes and faced up, towards the sky, and took in a deep breath, before shifting his attention back to me.
"What do you think I'm going to do?"
"Yo-you'll..." I began, but I couldn't complete my sentence as my throat burned too much from trying to hold my sobs back. I pushed his hands away once again, and buried my face into my own hands, a sob escaping my lips.
"Hey, hey, look at me," Shadrach whispered softly, gently pulling my hands away from my face. He cupped my face once again, and bent his knees so he would be on eye level with me, so that I had to stare into his concerned eyes.
"My love, tell me, do you really think I could ever hurt you?" He whispered, his eyebrows raised. I just stood there looking into his eyes, not able to form any words. Truth was, I knew he wouldn't. Somewhere deep down, I was aware of it. But another part of me, the pessimistic side of me refused to accept it. After all, he was ruthless.
When I didn't reply, Shadrach slowly shook his head, as an answer to his own question. His eyes were filled with such intensity and sadness that my chest tightened. He pulled me away from the jeep and to his chest, his one hand on my waist, and the other behind my head. I stiffened slightly, not knowing what to do, but somewhere deep inside me, it felt like something clicked.
"Let's go," he whispered, pulling away, and once again wiped my tears away. He opened the door of his jeep and helped me in, holding the tail of my wedding dress for me. I buckled my seat belt myself, a part of me slightly relieved to know that he wasn't going to hurt me. Shadrach closed the door, and I expected him to immediately walk around the jeep and get in himself, but he didn't, his attention now on his men who had been following us. He took out his gun, loaded it, and shot a bullet into the air, making me gasp and cover my ears.
"Listen up, all of you," he said loudly, his tone assertive and authoritative. "This was the first time, so I'm going to let it go. But if any of you dare to aim a gun at my Queen again, or disrespect her in any way, you will never see the sun again. I swear on my Queen."