His Basement: The Kidnapping of Kasmine Dolheim

Chapter 6: Coward

Julian

I stare at Noah in disbelief and he crosses his arms over his chest as if to dare me to command her freedom. I came over the following afternoon to hear that Kasmine showed up on his doorstep last night. He's keeping her down in his basement although I don't hear anything coming from downstairs. I believed him when he showed me her phone.

"I've only gone down there once today. I gave her food and took her phone. That was around 11 am." Noah looks at the stove clock it reads 5 pm. "She is.. acting out."

I pinch the bridge of my nose, thinking about what to do in this scenario. "Can. I speak with her?" I asked and look up at him. He's taller and stronger than I, definitely getting more of our father's side.
"Alone?" Noah asks as his brows pinched together. Letting out a breath-I nod.

"Im sure she's scared of you right now. I want the opportunity to calm her down so I can check up on her too. If you're keeping her we should make sure she's perfectly healthy hm?" I want to cringe at my statement but I would've been stupid if I had thought Noah would let me see her if I was against this. Noah's arms fold tighter against his chest but he nods and steps aside.
"I'll be right outside the door."

I put my head down and move past him, "I'm gonna grab the first aid kit in case." I say and go into the bathroom in the hall to grab it from under the sink before heading toward the basement.

"Be careful, Julian. She's emotional and aggressive right now. I could come down as protection." Noah said. It's clear to me that he thinks I can't handle myself. His tone was plain but I found it condescending to suggest I couldn't defend myself against a girl. I'm 6 foot with a lean build but that doesn't mean I'm weak.

"I can handle it," I call without turning to him as he follows me down the hall. "I'm the older one remember?"

"Why does that matter?" Noah asks seriously as I unlock the door. I don't answer him because he's right. I've never been a protector and that's clear from our childhood. I let out a silent sigh and start going down the stairs. I look behind me to see Noah's dark eyes staring into mine. I wonder briefly if he would trap me in here as well but know that's ridiculous. I look away and hear the door shut. Since I'm at the bottom of the stairs, I can see into the room. It's a disaster and my eyebrows shoot up. I can even see into the bathroom from where I stand and the mirror is shattered.

"How are you doing?" I ask tentatively as I step closer to the messy bed. Her eyes glared into me and I wonder if she'll stab me with one of the pieces from the mirror. It's no wonder Noah had only come down here once. Not only is he probably unsure of how to calm her but seeing his hard work destroyed was painful. Although I never supported his plan of kidnapping someone, I can acknowledge the renovations and thought that went into this area. He always intended it for her but she ruined it.

I get closer to the bed and see her red slightly puffy eyes. My heart clenches at how desperate she looks. My brother did this- made someone feel this desperate and I'm to tell him he's nothing like our father.

"Come closer and I'll attack you." Kasmine's voice is smooth up until it cracks at the tail end. This crack makes her glare harder at me as if to make up for it.

"Okay." I raise my hand that held the handle of the first aid kit and raise my empty hand as well to show im not a threat. "I'm not going to hurt you," I say but she seems unconvinced. Her legs are pulled close to her chest and her fingers grip her arms so tightly I'm sure her skin will bruise. "I'm sorry this happened to you," I whisper and her glare eases up completely. Her hands release her arms and her shoulders drop a little. Kasmines eyes are brown, wide, and warm unlike Noah's.

"You're gonna help me?" Her voice is weaker this time. Vulnerable.

"Yes," I say and gesture to the first aid kit. "Noah told me you walked a long way yesterday. I just wanna make sure you're doing alright. Is that okay?"