Dark Passions

Chapter Twenty-One

"Please don't look at me like that."

I was glaring up at Black as my hands were shackled to the wall, dirt smudges covering every inch of my face. As soon as we got back to the states, Black escorted me down into the basement where he kept me for days. He would send one of his men down there to make sure my needs were met, but I was down in the chamber of darkness for a total of ten days. According to Black, he had two reasons for this. One was for punishment over the whole ordeal I had caused, and two was he had to leave to work for days on end, so to ensure I did not escape, he thought it better to keep me where he knew he could find me. My wrists were rubbed raw, and my feet had several cuts and bruises on them. Most of all, I wanted to bathe properly. My arms were sore, and majority of the feeling was gone from them. I adjusted my position on the ground, continuing to glare at Black who was standing in the doorway. He finally lit the room with a few candles, and the flickering of the candlelight cast a shadow over his face, making him look like a demon who worked for Lucifer. I finally turned my head away from him, refusing to acknowledge he was there.

"This is partly your fault." Anger flashed through me.

"My fault?" I spat, still looking away from him. "I came back, didn't I? I obeyed you, and this is what I get in return?"

"Jess, I know better than to try to leave you alone for a few days," sighed Black as he pulled the key out of his pocket. "Leaving you unsupervised and unguarded is the last thing I will ever do." I huffed at him as he walked over. I heard him insert the key into its slot, and suddenly my arms fell limp to my side. I squeezed my eyes shut as the blood rushed back into them, causing severe pain to throb its way down my arms. Black wrapped his arm around my waist and steadied me until my legs were used to the idea of bearing weight again. Afterwards, Black removed his hand from my waist and proceeded towards the exit. He gestured with his head for me to follow him, and I did reluctantly. I just really wanted to get out of the basement. Once I hit the light, I squinted and blinked multiple times as my eyes adjusted. Black closed the door behind me and locked it, then turned to me with a smirk on his face.

"You may want to go get washed up." I narrowed my eyes as I feel my muscles tense up. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Don't tell me you want to stay smelling like that?"

"As if you cared," I snapped as I defiantly lifted my chin up at him. "I'm surprised you didn't forget me down there."

"Oh, Jessica, I would never forget you." Something in his tone caught me off guard, and the scowl on my face vanished, replaced with a look of confusion. He saw my reaction and chuckled at it, which made the scowl return to my face. I turned and marched up the stairs towards the bathroom, murmuring under my breath as I went. I grabbed a towel and headed straight towards the shower. I turned the water on and shoved my dirty clothes into the trashcan. There was no way anyone could save those clothes. I hopped in and smiled as the hot water soothed my aching body. The water burned my wrists, but I ignored it as I began scrubbing my body down. Thirty minutes passed and I finally decided to get out. I wrapped my hair in a towel, and wrapped another around my body and made a quick dash to my secluded room up on the third floor. Yes, I was officially back in Black's mansion, and my room was out of sight from others. I was locked in my room when Black had visitors over, either for his job as a lawyer or as his under-the-table deals. I walked over to my closet and noticed that Black had prepared a whole new wardrobe for me, and I immediately felt irritated. Black had disposed of all of my comfy clothes and replaced them with cute clothes instead. Cursing him under my breath, I grabbed a normal-looking blouse and a pair of jeans.

I left my room, having combed my now clean hair, and proceeded down the stairs to find Black standing around the island in the kitchen, with a cup of coffee in his hand. He was reading papers, and I glanced over to the side. I noticed quite a few boxes, but I didn't know what they were for. Shooting a glance over at Black and seeing he hadn't noticed me yet, I crept around the kitchen and into the dining room where the boxes were stashed. I wanted to know what Black had been doing these past few days. I ducked down so he wouldn't see me, and waddled over like a duck to the first box. I was about to lift the lid when Black cleared his throat.