Buy My Time ✓

Part 21: Reveal of Revenge

"You're breaking my heart, James."

"And that's all I'll ever do."

"What..."

He laughed, "Can't you see? I don't love you the way you love me!"

"But you promised m-"

"Zyla!"

I shook awake and looked up at Titus, who was just looking over the features of my face worriedly.

He wiped away my tears with his rough fingers, "Nightmare again?"

I sat up, trying to calm down, "Y-yeah."

"Him?"

I looked down.

"I get it," he said. "I used to have nightmares about my previous love too."

I looked up at him and ran my fingers along the wing tattoo of his arm, "Really?"

"Yeah..." he sighed to himself  before placing his hand upon mine, "Now all my dreams consist of you."

My breath caught.

"Pumpkin!"

My eyes fluttered open and I found myself strapped to a chair in an all white room.

"Pumpkin?"

I blinked and looked to my side, "Yoyo???!"

She smiled.
She remembered me now? How?

"What is going on?" I panicked.

She tried to get out of her ties, "Hell if I fucking know."

It felt good to see her again, but this reunion was odd. We both were literally helpless.

"I'm sorry, Zy."

"What for?"

"For acting as if I didn't know you back there."

"You knew??!"

She nodded, "When I was grabbed by that man, there was something off about him. He told me to fake dead."

My eyes widened, "What..."

"So I did, and I trusted him. If he wouldn't kill me, he definitely wouldn't kill you, right?"

She took a deep breath, "I thought I would never see you again, and then one day I stopped by the club and this blonde man told me to find you."

"Who now?"

"I don't know, and then you showed up. I had to act as if I didn't know you, because if I did, I knew you'd follow, and I couldn't risk it. And now here we are...trapped, and it's creepy as hell."

I laughed. Typical analytical Yolarie.
"Thanks Yoyo."

She shrugged and started blabbering as if she wasn't kidnapped, "Girl not gonna lie, this be reminding me of them yandere fanfics wh-"

The door cracked open and Duggard walked in, "Hi ladies."

Oh yeah...him.

Yolarie rose an eyebrow, "Hey stankie."

He pulled out a folding chair to sit and flipped through pages in a worn out book, taking the blunt out of his lips, "I like that nickname."

Easton came in and set up a camera.

He smiled and projected both of us on a flat TV screen. "The whole world is going to see you and we're going to be rich."

"Y'all sure you want me. Like I'm pretty tasteless, I can honestl-"

"Yoyo shut up," I mumbled.

She pursed her lips and Easton stood and walked over to her, running a hand underneath her braids, "Are these real?"

"Nigga if you d-"

He kicked her over and her face hit the floor.

I screamed, trying to get loose.

Titus had taught me how to free myself from ropes, but judging at the way guards were armed with rifles along the wall, I wouldn't make it.

I'd have to use defense only when I'd absolutely have to.

Duggard put his book down and let out another puff, "Easton. Help her up. She's irrelevant to the bigger part of the picture," he looked over at me.

I shook my head, "Whatever you think I have for you, I can assure you I don't have it."

"I want your brother."

"What?"

"He killed my father, as well as yours right?"

How did he know?

Easton put Yolarie's chair back in place and she tried to bite him, "Bro, she's really not cooperating. Can we just get rid of her?"

Duggard rubbed the creases forming on his head, "No."

Easton duct taped her mouth instead and she started barking as he pet her head.

Crazy bish.

I swallowed a lump in my throat, "What do you want?"

Yolarie looked over at me, surprise all over her face.

I didn't shake or crumble underneath pressure like I used to do.

She's sensed I've changed.

"Lure your brother here. It doesn't matter how. I just want him alive," Duggard said.

"What makes you think he'll fall into one of my traps?"

"Well, you were to be killed. When he finds out you're alive, he'll come looking for you, right?"

Easton smirked, attaching a mic to an outlet and started the recording.

Was I going to be shown everywhere?!

He started speaking, "We have your murder queen! Every one of you have been given the address. Come get her."

I struggled and tried to move my seat away from the lense.

Easton laughed, "Look. She's feeling the guilt-"

The TV started going fuzzy.

Easton slapped the camera, "Shit. Are we hacked? What's going on?!"

It switched to a different channel.

Duggard smirked knowingly.

A familiar figure came on screen. He was faceless and dressed in all black.

The voice soothed me and frightened me all the same.

"To the world watching. The woman who you deem a murderer is innocent. No harm should come to her or you will face the real villian. A man named Titus."

I shook my head, my chest starting to tighten.

It couldn't be...

The TV stopped blurring and the man pulled the hood off his head, showing himself.

That murderous glint in those blue eyes returned.

"I am Titus. Come find me."

The recording stopped and I bursted into tears.

Easton rose an eyebrow, "That's dumb, now he's as good as dead."

Duggard laughed quietly, glancing over at me before standing.

"Let the games begin, hm?"