“Yes, me too. She's a bit worked up, so I'm going to make sure she get's to Bernadette safely.”
Every piece of me wanted to yell and scream, but the hard metal buried against my back held me silent. My lungs were inhaling slowly, trying to force down the icy air. I had to keep calm, had to.
It was the most important thing for me to do, risking my life wasn't an option.
“Alright, Sir. Good luck, Noella.” And like that, he was gone. We were alone again in the cold dark night. The one chance to get me out of Stefan's grasp had just walked away.
“Get in.” Stefan grabbed the driver's side door and pulled it open.
“I thought you—”
“No, you're driving. And I'm going to tell you where to go.” Placing his hand on my head, he pushed me down onto the seat and shut the door. Climbing into the passenger seat, gun held firmly at eye level, he shoved the key in the ignition. “Start it and drive.”
The shivers that had riddled my body from the cold had disappeared. I was numb. But not from the weather, it was my mind shutting down all my feelings, sending me behind my interior walls.
I couldn't let myself feel the true fear that wanted to settle on me. My walls had always been there to protect me. They saved me from feeling; all the horrible things that had been thrown my way, all the disappointments that seemed to shadow my every move. Until Hegan, he'd knocked them down; opening me up to the pleasures of life I didn't think existed.
But here, I needed to build them back up.
Stefan wasn't going to get to me, I wasn't going to let him. No matter what he threw at me, I wasn't going to let him break me down.
“Where are we going?” Gripping the wheel, I turned out of the driveway, away from safety and towards the unknown.
“Didn't you hear me tell Anthony?” His snake-like fingers crawled across his jaw, rubbing his chin. “We're going to Bernadette, keep you away from here.”
“Why, Stefan? Why are you doing this?” I asked, keeping my eyes on the road. I didn't want to look him, didn't want to see the face of a monster.
“Frankly, Noella, I need you gone. It's that simple.”
“Simple? This is simple?” Rolling my eyes, I squeezed the wheel tighter, knuckles turning the same color as the snow. “Why do you need me gone, Stefan? Huh, tell me why?”
“Look, I don't know how well you know that boyfriend of yours. But he's supposed to have a kid, and I can't let that happen.” His tongue made a sickening slurp as he inhaled through his teeth. “That's why he's with you, he needs you to have a baby.”
“And? I already know that. But what does that have to do with you?”
“You know that?!” His body twisted in the seat, brows furrowed. “Why are you here then?”
“I'm with him because I want to be. And this whole thing is none of your fucking business anyway.” My lower jaw shot out, teeth biting down hard. “You know Hegan's going to come look for me, he will.”
“Is that so? See, that's what you don't get. That's what none of you get, no one can see what I deserve. I deserve all of it, Noella! Not Hegan!” His voice blared into my ear.
Cringing, my shoulders shot up. “What are you talking about?!” Slamming my palm on the steering wheel, I jerked my head in his direction. “Your the butler! Why do you think Hegan doesn't deserve this?”
Lowering his head, he shook it side to side. “This should have been my life, he takes it all for granted. He doesn't appreciate anything his father has done for him.” Dragging his hand through his hair, he said, “This is mine, it should all be mine.”
“You're fucking crazy, you know that? You have a good life, a good job. You don't need to be jealous of Hegan.” My chest lifted heavily, throat feeling as though it was thickening. Stefan was coming undone, a loose canon. I was watching him lose his mind slowly beside me, with a gun still set on my head.
“No. I didn't come here to be a butler, that happened accidentally. I came here to meet Brandon. But, when I got here, he thought I came to interview for the position as butler.” I watched his arm start to shake, trembles filtering in from his shoulder. “Alright, shut up! Just shut up and drive, Bitch.” His piercing black eyes glistened under the streetlights.
“Stefan, please tell me why you're doing this. I don't want you to hurt me, my mother needs me. You know she's sick, don't do this to her.”
Shifting my eyes, I was looking down the barrel of the gun. He had lifted it to my temple, hovering it just above the flesh. “Drive. No more talking, unless it's me telling you where to turn.”
Swallowing a large gulp of air, the oxygen mixed with the taste of acid from my throat. The hot grit scraped down to my lungs, the stinging sent a wave of electricity through my body.