I bite my lip to stop my laughter. Lord knows I don’t want another pissed-off captor. Boo doesn’t stop herself though, she bursts out laughing. “What the fuck? ThunderPants? Why? Are you the king of flatulence?”

Rock holds out his hands in argument. “No! Because of my massive dick!” Boo laughs harder. So hard she doubles over. Rock glares at her and turns to Nox. “C’mon, boss. It’s a cool nickname, right?”

Nox’s lip twitches but he shakes his head at Rock. Rock’s face falls dejectedly and he turns to me. “Okay, no ThunderPants. Rock will do just fine.”

Who the hell are these guys?

I’m sure this is how Alice felt falling down the rabbit hole. I stand and all three of them look at me cautiously as if I might run. I’m in an underground room, an underground, soundproof, concrete room with a heavy, metal door locked with a rusted latch.

I mean, I’m badass and all, but I am no MacGyver. MacGyver is the king of badass. Seriously, who else could escape Bulgarian extremists by making a bomb from dental floss, lemon juice, and bleach? That shit’s impressive.

Nox’s watch beeps and he stands. “Time to go.”

My stomach knots. I don’t want to leave. I feel safe here.

When all three of them walk to the back of the room and move a storage cabinet out of the way, I’m shocked to see there’s a secret door hidden there, a door almost identical to the one we came in through. Boo tries to open it but it doesn’t budge. Rock tries next and it creaks but doesn’t open. Nox tries last and his arms bulge as he strains.

Nothing. Nadda. Zip. It’s safe to say the door is stuck.

“How are we getting out of here?” I haven’t realized I’m so close to Nox until he turns around and we’re almost nose to chest.

He looks down at me coolly. “Wanna see how explosives work?”

My eyes widen and I want to shout hell yeah! But I contain myself and say in a bored voice, “Sure. Whatever.”

His lip does that cute twitchy thing again. Rock and Boo go to work placing something that looks like grey play-doh onto the door hinges. Nox pulls me to stand behind him, shielding me with his large frame. Boo shouts, “Fire in the hole!”

Two small firecracker sounds go off with little poofs of smoke. And I gotta say…I’m a little disappointed. “Well, that was anticlimactic.” Rock and Boo chuckle while they work the door open. As soon as fresh air hits my face, I shrink into myself. Nox turns and I ask quietly, “Where are you taking me?”

He looks at me for a long moment before he answers. “Home.”

Chapter Three

Homeward bound

Lily

When Nox said we were going home, I assumed he meant he was taking me back to my home. This is the reason I went so willingly. I practically skipped to the large, black van smiling like a fool and yelled out, “What are we waiting for? Let’s ride!”

So we’ve been driving for an hour now and I have no idea where home is. They won’t answer any of the hundred questions I’ve asked, and I’ve reached the point where I see Nox’s cheek tic. He scowls at me. “Don’t you ever shut up?”

Slumping in defeat, I mope. I’m officially peeved. I don’t have my cell phone to check on my parents or sister. I suddenly realize that I haven’t asked where they’ve been taken and my heart skips a beat. I’m panicked. “I know you said we’ll talk about this later but please, just answer one thing.”

He sighs then snaps impatiently, “What? What is it?”

“My family. Are they safe? Where is my sister? Is that the place where you’re taking me?” I rush out.

He looks annoyed. “Firstly, that’s three questions and the answer to those questions will result in a lot more questions. So the answer is no, I won’t answer any of your questions right now.”

With the windows still covered, I’m suddenly grateful for the dark. My eyes sting and my chest aches. I just want to know they’re okay. That’s all. I shut them tight but tears leak out of the sides of my eyes. I steady my breathing as much as possible, but out of nowhere, my breath hitches loudly and I know he knows I’m crying. And that sucks. I don’t want to be that girl. You know, the whiney, pissy cry-baby. That’s not normally me. Okay, these are extenuating circumstances, but I still don’t feel good about it.

This Nox guy isn’t doing a thing to make me believe that he’s protecting me, and I was so hoping it was true. When you face bad circumstances, you want to believe you’re going to get the best possible outcome. And that’s what I was wishing for. But I can’t trust this guy. Why else would he keep something as simple as my family’s safety a secret?

Maybe the guy’s just an asshole?

He is an asshole! No maybes about it. This is all too bizarre.

After my breath hitches a second time, Nox sighs. Shuffling closer to me, he tilts his head to the side, closer to mine and whispers, “Your mom and dad are fine. Your sister is fine. We’ve separated you for a good reason. They’re safe, okay?”

Unable to look at him, I nod into the covered window. It’s funny how a few simple words can alter your mindset. I’m feeling unexpectedly stronger all of a sudden. I read a lot, so I know that words hold power. They can bring you from the lowest low to an ultimate high in a matter of moments, and just the opposite, too. I’m thankful for Nox’s reassuring words. I force my tears down and remind myself that everything will be okay if I just go along with what they want. I mentally chastise myself. No more tears. I’m tougher than that.

I wonder how much longer it’ll take to get home.

***

The van stops abruptly. No one speaks. They move around without a word and it’s starting to freak me out. Feeling uneasy, I break the silence. “Are we there yet?”

Without answering, Nox releases my arm and slips the blindfold back over my head.

Son of a bitc-

Nuh uh. I don’t like it. The blindfold has got to go. Sighing loudly, I reach up and yank the blindfold above my eyes. “I think you know I’m not going to run. Where the hell would I run to?”

Nox’s glare is harsh and his lip curls. “For fuck sake, Delilah! When I put a blindfold on you, there’s a goddamn reason.” He leans closer to me and whispers, “Don’t push me, little girl. You don’t wanna see my bad side.”

I blink a second before my eyes widen and I lean back from him as I whisper hiss, “This is your good side?”

He says nothing but his cheek tics again. I’m thinking that might have something to do with me. I haven’t confirmed this yet.

Holding up my hands in surrender, I concede, “Okay, okay. Sheesh. I’ll wear the freakin’ blindfold. Don’t get your panties in a twist, oh captain, my captain. And don’t call me Delilah.” I see his jaw clench tighter and I bite my cheek to stop myself from smirking. Pulling the blindfold down, I hold out my arm which he grips tightly and leads me out of the van.

We start walking, and after a while, I do not like the silence. Just as I open my mouth to say something, no doubt crass and sarcastic, I trip over a jagged stone and stumble to my knees. Nox hauls me up not a second after I fall. “You ‘kay?” He says this in a way that could have been interpreted as ‘You are a burden in my life and I don’t like you’.

Currently blind, I push my arms out towards the sound of his voice and they luckily connect with his chest, pushing him back about a hairs breadth. My face flushes more from embarrassment than rage. “Goddamn it! Watch where the hell you’re going! This is why I don’t like the blindfold. Blindfolds are used in trust exercises, you moron, and I think it’s clear that I. Don’t. Trust. You!”

I’m shocked when he apologizes. “Sorry. Got distracted.”

This doesn’t placate me. Not one teeny bit. “And you’re meant to be protecting me? What the hell? Jeez, just feed me to the sharks, why don’t you!”

My knees sting like hell but I don’t utter a word of complaint, because let’s face it, Nox doesn’t seem like a giver of fucks. What I have noticed is that his grip on my arm is marginally lighter and he’s walking a lot slower, too. We stop and I hear footsteps, but no one says a word. Some loud mechanical whirring sounds start up and I jump back in fright. Nox squeezes my arm in what I’m sure was meant to be reassurance. It feels more like a threat, though. We walk another short while, then I hear a door creak open, and suddenly, I can see again.