Stolen - The Devereaux Case Files Book 4

Chapter 12

Ayah was frustrated to find that she had only been given back the freedom of her own room because that day, that awful Friday, was the day of her engagement party. Blake had been busy with business ever since he had kidnapped her and ripped her daughter from her arms. She had been there through it all; sitting in the corner, never leaving her chair for fear of what he would do to her if she interrupted him. Some of the bruises he had given her from the beating were still bothering her, but she knew that she couldn't risk getting hurt again.

She had to escape and get her daughter back; nothing else mattered but that. And until that happened, she had to make sure she was safe and healthy enough to get to Olivia. At least he had been smart. Barely any of her bruises were visible. That would give her an advantage when she finally got free. No-one would be stopping her in the street asking if she was alright, or trying to interfere. Then again, she couldn't use it against him either.

Ayah had just reluctantly put on a new dress, for the engagement party, when there was a knock on her door and Blake entered without even waiting to be invited. Luckily, she was tying the strap of her sandal into place when he entered. Luckily for him though, because if she had still been getting dressed, her temper would have taken over and he would be leaving her room with a black eye.

"You know, you're a real disappointment lately Ayah. You're so different from before. You're not keeping up the same happy pretenses you did the first time we got engaged. What's changed?" Blake wondered as he paced the floor in front of her bed. He held his hands behind his back, obviously so that he wouldn't lash out at her or attempt to touch her in any other way. He was intrigued by the new defiant girl that sat before him and how she had dealt with the police he had sent to find her.

"I don't lie so well anymore, I guess." Blake could only laugh at that remark.

"Oh I wouldn't say that. Those cops were convinced you'd runaway and not been kidnapped. But then we both know better than that, don't we?" He tried to get her to admit it, but she wasn't giving in that easily.

"Do we?" Ayah wasn't going to tell him anything. She knew it would provoke him and she knew how angry he could get but it didn't matter. She wasn't going to tell anyone about Reed, now or ever. She had spent the last three years not saying a word about who Reed was or what their life was like together and she wasn't going to go back on that now.

"Well, at least we know you didn't runaway alone. I had an interesting chat with one of the girls at your school, concerning the very close relationship between you and a Mr Anderson of the English department." He mentioned casually, glancing up at her with a faint smile to see no hint of a reaction from her. He was surprised. "Funnily enough, after a little jealous investigating on my part, low and behold I found there was no Mr Anderson teaching English." Blake sounded almost as if he was gloating but Ayah didn't care what he'd found out, he knew nothing.

Knowing Reed had never been a real teacher and that she'd really run off with him after leaving school was nothing compared to the real truth of who her husband was. Or had been. And that was still none of his business, so she put on an innocent expression. "That's strange." She claimed softly. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that much about him. We only knew each other a few weeks. He never returned to school after winter break." She shrugged it off without hesitation. The fact that Blake smiled didn't worry her at all, she knew that either she would escape him or Reed would rescue her. Anything that happened in between was inconsequential.

"Yes, I had thought about that, but then I got a little description of him and he sounds awfully like your precious hubby." Blake continued pacing, until he saw the defiant look on her face and realized that she wasn't going to admit to anything. She continued to feign innocence but he knew she was anything but innocent. So he tried another tactic, letting his temper get the better of him. "Don't get smart with me Ayah. You can't get out of this one now. Just tell me the truth." He demanded, advancing towards her only to get the first real reaction from her in that instance. Ayah pushed herself from sitting on the edge of the bed to crawling back towards the headboard, yelling at him as she did so, removing herself from his reach.