Chapter 9
The grating sound of something heavy being dragged along the ground grew louder in the suffocating darkness. Natalie’s eyes darted frantically, her chest tightening with fear as she struggled to make sense of her surroundings.
Suddenly, a faint beam of light slashed through the void, illuminating the scene ahead. A towering figure emerged, hauling something behind him…
Natalie’s instincts screamed at her to retreat, but before she could act, a pair of piercing sapphire eyes locked onto her, freezing her in place.
Relief washed over her, stiff and fleeting, as she forced a trembling smile. Then her gaze dropped to his dangling arm–and the limp figure it dragged. It was her father.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips, and in that instant, her eyes snapped open. She jolted awake, her breath hitching in panic, her heart pounding against her ribs.
The dim environment around her blurred the line between dream and reality, leaving her disoriented and paralyzed with lingering dread.
“Awake now! Then get out of the car. What’s the matter–starting to get addicted to me carrying you?” Jonas’s voice, low and velvety, usually had a cadence that could make anyone’s knees weak. But to Natalie, in that moment, it was the most chilling sound she’d ever heard.
Her body jolted involuntarily, a shiver raking through her as she scrambled to shift away. The seatbelt caught her abruptly, digging into her chest with a dull ache, snapping her back to reality. “It was a dream just a dream.
But Jonas wasn’t oblivious. He noticed the crack in her composure, the faint tremor in her breathing.
Standing by the open car door, his tall frame bent slightly, he leaned against the edge with casual dominance. His right hand rested against the doorframe while his left toyed idly with the silver bracelet around his wrist, the faint gleam catching the dim light.
His deep voice rolled out slowly, teasingly. “What’s the matter? Seen a ghost?”
Natalie shook her head quickly, her instinctive reaction laced with urgency. She dared not anger him, yet her gaze refused to meet his. Not a ghost
but something worse
Jonas raised an eyebrow. “Bad dream, then?
His tone held no warmth, no concern, but Natalie wasn’t about to provoke him by pointing that out. She nodded obediently, her head lowering slightly.
“Hmm” His response was a low hum, his lips curling faintly as he snapped the bracelet back into place. Straightening his posture, he made a motion as though to leave.
Natalie exhaled in silent relief, her tense shoulders loosening–only for him to shatter her hopes with a single sentence. “Don’t tell me you dreamed I was hauling your dad off to watch the sunset.”
Her head shot up in stunned disbelief, her wide eyes betraying the thunderclap of panic inside her. What? How does he know?”
Jonas’s sharp brows arched lazily, his smirk deepening with a knowing, almost predatory amusement.
Natalie’s stomach churned as she averted her gaze, her head ducking like a frightened bird. She shook her head vehemently, desperate to deny it But the quick, evasive movement only made her look guilter.
Her reaction amused Jonas further. To him, she was an open book. Her clear, expressive eyes betrayed every thought, every fragile attempt at hiding her true feelings. And be read them all with ease.
He thought to himself, She woke up and looked at me like she’s seen a monster. She must’ve had a nightmare about me. A nightmare for sure. something awful
“But who gave her permission to dream about me? She clings to me like some kind of permanent fixture in reality, and then dares to dream about me without my say so, and about something like this?
cover Natalie, casting a
His hand, which had been absently toying with the silver bracelet, suddenly froze. Jonas straightened, his tall frame looming ov shadow as he looked down at her.
“So it was a dream, huh?” he drawled, his tone biting. Tve got a hobby of dismembering bodies, but I’ve never been interested in carrying bodies around”
The harsh, cold sarcasm in his voice sent a shiver down Natalie’s spine. She nodded quickly, but then something about his words made her hesitate. and she quickly shook her head. She knew she had once again gotten under his skin.
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Chapter 9
Her mind raced back to the moments before she’d fallen asleep and her body instinctively recoiled.
Though Jonas had never once shown any sign of wanting to take things further, she wasn’t sure she could handle that kind of kiss agun
“I’m sorry.” Curled up in the seat, wrapped in the camouflage jacket that was too large for her, Natalie looked unterly helpless. Her long lashes, wet with a hint of unshed tears, fluttered nervously as she glanced at him, her expression one of palpable distress
Jonas watched her from the corner of his eye, his lips curling in amusement at the way she seemed to shrink into herself. He couldn’t help but think, “Well, at least she’s quick to apologize. But now it’s just boring.
At that moment, Myla called out from the other side, her voice light and brisk, “Boss, it’s all set up.”
Without sparing Natalie so much as a glance, Jonas turned sharply and walked over to Myla, his posture commanding.
Natalie waited, heart in her throat, for what felt like an eternity. She held her breath, waiting for him to leave, and when he finally did, she hurriedly swung open the door and climbed out of the car.
She remembered he had told her to get out of the car since she was now awake
But standing by the car, she hesitated. I just made that moody guy angry. If I go over there now, will I be walking straight into the lion’s den”
Uncertain, she remained where she was, cautiously surveying her surroundings. The place looked like an abandoned garage.
The wall connecting it to the small house had collapsed in large chunks, and the garage door was nowhere to be found. But compared to the cold. exposed night, she figured a roof over her head was a small comfort
A fire pit flickered a few paces away, casting a soft glow in the gloom. A lone mattress lay beside a collapsed low wall, as though it were a makeshift recliner.
Jonas was lounging on it, his legs crossed carelessly, his eyes closed in an almost lazy repose, as if the world had paused around him.
Natalie stood awkwardly by the car, unsure whether it was safe to approach. She didn’t know if she was welcome to go over
But then, her gaze fell on the phone Jonas had pressed beneath his hand, and her beautiful eyes suddenly sparked with a glimmer of hope
When she had been kidnapped, the plane had been torn open by an explosion, but it hadn’t caught fire. She thought to herself, The coffin with my father’s body should be unharmed. And once Grandpa’s prople arrive, they’ll take it away.
It was the best outcome she could imagine, but she wished she could confirm it.
She really wanted to borrow Jonas’s phone to let her grandpa know she was safe. It would be even better if he could come to pick her up, but she wasn’t sure if Jonas was in a better mood to allow her to make such a request
She hesitated, unsure of how to approach him, especially after stealing several quick glances at him. Her lips parted, then closed again, but she
didn’t dare to uller a word.
Jonas seemed to be resting with his eyes closed, but he was fully aware of the heat of her gaze.
He cracked open one eye just enough to see her, though his long, thick lashes hid most of the movement. Natalie, too afraid to stare directly at him, didn’t notice that he hadn’t actually been sleeping
A gust of wind swept through the area, and Natalie instinctively pulled the oversized camouflage jacket tighter around her, lowering her head as she fidgeted with the hem of her skirt.
The cold air bit at her skin, and she couldn’t help but feel that Myla, who was tending to the fire with a blank expression, seemed far kinder than Jonas at that moment.
Natalie figured that at least Myla wouldn’t kiss her until she fainted, and she didn’t have that unpredictable, stormy temperament that could make someone feel like they were walking on eggshells
Natalie lowered her voice, speaking in a soft, almost hesitant tone, “Ms. Carr, may I call my grandfather! If he can send someone to pick me up, it would save you the trouble.”
Natalie had been stealing glances at Jonas, but Myla had been keeping an eye on her too. Now, Natalie was looking at Myla with hopeful, pleading eyes. Her voice was soft, almost like a gentle caress, the kind of tone that would make anyone feel weak in the knees
Myla couldn’t help but think, ‘No wonder they say beauty is a
y is a weapon. Who wouldn’t be charmed by a sweet, innocent little vixen like her?”
Just as Myla opened her mouth to respond, Jonas’s voice cut through the air, sharp and unexpected. “Did you not see the signal towers have been
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Chapter 9
blown to pieces
The sound was so abrupt that it startled Natalie, making her flinch
Natalie immediately feared she had woken him with her voice and angered him, and she closed her mouth timidly.
Jonas waited a moment, expecting a reaction, but none came.
He finally opened his eyes, casting a dark look over at Natalie. She was pressed up against the car, stiff as if she were standing in timeout, not even sparing him a glance.
He scoffed inwardly, ‘Before all this, she was chatty, sweet–talking her way around me. moon and back. But now that she’s stuck with me, she’s gone mute
Calling herself my fiancée, saying how she loved me to the
Expecially in front of Myla, this poker–faced girl. Natalie’s been acting all friendly with her, and then going quiet the second she sees me? Looks like this little spy knows how to play hard to get.”
Jonas let out a cold laugh. “You were such a bad kisser when we were kissing, and now you don’t even know how to speak? How about I cut your tongue out and show you where the problem lies?
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