Bound to You

When Eliza woke up, she realized she was no longer in the car, and opened her eyes, trying to figure out where she was. When she opened her eyes, she realized that Zack was carrying her towards a large, three-story mountain cabin. Confused, she looked up at Zack’s face, seeing his eyes staring straight forward as he carried her.

“When I’m not at the mansion, I’m here. That means you’ll be here when I’m here as well.” He told her.

“Where’s here?” She asked him. He chuckled and she saw his vibrant green eyes roll in their sockets.

“Nice try, Eliza.” He told her. “Here is on a mountain, on a heavily guarded estate which you have no chance of escaping.”

“Hmph." Eliza frowned, not moving as Zack carried her into the house.

He punched a code into a remote in his free hand and the front door opened for him. He kicked it shut with his foot and helped her to stand on her feet. He peeled the suit jacket off and hung it on the coat rack that was standing by the door.

“Come on, I’ll show you to our room.” He told her, grabbing her hand in his. Eliza’s heart pounded in her chest; the feeling of his callused fingers on her smooth skin felt nice in contrast. But she narrowed her eyes in anger nonetheless; she’d never said she’d share a room with him.

“What do you mean, our room?” She asked defiantly. Zack stopped and turned to look at her, his eyes and facial expression firm.

“I did, for the simple fact that sharing a room with me is the safest bet you have not to get yourself killed.” He told her. “That, and since—if we’re going by technical terms—you’re my hostage. I tell you what you do, and you do it. Or there’s punishment to face.” He told her, as though it were an everyday explanation.

“I don’t think so, Buddy.” She told him. “I don’t share rooms with strangers, and I damn sure don’t do whatever they tell me to do.”

Zack’s hold on her wrist tightened, and she winced in discomfort.

“You will do as I say, Eliza.” He told her, his voice leaving no room for disagreement. She glowered at him but followed him up the rough-hewn staircase towards the second story. He walked down a short hallway towards a door at the end and pushed it open with his hand, revealing a medium-sized bedroom with log walls and what could be considered romantic lighting in any other circumstance. The windows were located near the top of the furthest wall in the ‘V’ shape of the ceiling, giving the room a very private feeling. The bed was a queen-size, with a western quilt covering it and an ample supply of fluffy pillows. On the other side of the room were two closets and a door leading to the master bathroom, a spacious cabin-style bathroom with a large spa tub, huge walk-in shower, and a long counter with his-and-her sinks. Overall, it looked very comfortable, though it wasn’t exactly what Eliza had figured to be Zack’s personal style.

“That’s what everyone who’s ever been up here has said.” Zack told her, as though he had read her thoughts. “For some reason everyone thinks I’m into the demonic-looking shit.”

“Maybe it’s because you act like a pompous asshole?” She suggested.

“Cute.” Zack sneered at her. “Change your dress into something more suitable before I decide to do it for you.”

Eliza rolled her eyes; his empty threats were becoming annoying. Zack just walked out of the bathroom and bedroom, closing the door behind him. Eliza walked out of the bathroom to the closet and picked out a simple, long-sleeved grey shirt and a pair of jeans with some black converse and walked towards the bathroom to take a shower. When she was done getting redressed and she’d hung the black dress up in the closet, never wanting to wear it again, she walked out of the bedroom to find Zack talking into the phone.

“I’m at my house…No, I’m not coming back in for a few days...Why does it matter? Is it a matter of life and death? No….Then I’m not coming back to the City of Evil until later. Okay, sign the damn law. I don’t care. Does it look like it affects me? Yeah, bye.”

When Zack turned and looked at her, Eliza almost wanted to die. He looked very angry. He turned his back to her, and walked back down the hall. “I’m making food, so if you’re hungry you can follow.”

Eliza didn’t want to follow, but her stomach growled, and she knew that she had no choice. She couldn’t starve herself just because she was stuck in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with her kidnapper.

You know you’ll learn to enjoy it, A little voice in the back of her head said to her. She shook her head. If she ever enjoyed this man’s company, she’d be insane. She followed him down the staircase and towards the kitchen, sitting herself down at the cedar wood breakfast bar, watching while Zack cooked for her. He was making something that she’d never seen before, though it looked good. When he was finished he put a plate in front of her wordlessly and walked over to the set of French doors on the wall outside of the kitchen, opening it and walking outside to the deck with his food. Eliza assumed he wanted to be by himself, and smiled to herself mischievously. If he could make her miserable, she could do the same to him. Without a sound, she grabbed her plate and walked outside to the deck, sitting across the table from Zack. He growled in protest at her company but he didn’t say anything to her opting instead to keep a fixed stare at the pine tree in front of the deck.

“So, you work in the City of Evil?” She asked him.

“What I do for work is none of your concern.” He scowled. “Go back inside.”

“I like being outside, and I assume you’re not going to just let me go outside without you. I mean, since you are my kidnapper or whatever. It wouldn’t be very smart to just let me—“

“Would you please just shut the fuck up?” He asked her, turning and glaring at her. “And stop calling me your kidnapper. I didn’t kidnap you.”

“What do you call it, then?” She retorted. “The last time I checked, the law defines ‘kidnapping’ as taking an unwilling person from their home and holding them against their will. That’s what you’re doing. So it’s kidnap. If you don’t like the word, maybe you should just fucking let me go home.”

“Your home has been destroyed.” He told her vehemently. “A fire accidentally broke out, and everything was damaged. Your body was found, charred beyond recognition. Sean identified what little of you he could. You’re dead to the outside world, Eliza. So you better get used to the idea of being stuck with me. Because you’re not going anywhere.”

That stopped Eliza. Tears formed in her eyes; she’d assumed that, even if Sean hated her, he’d put out a missing persons report on her when he couldn’t find her. He always found a way to find her, even if it was illegally. And until now, she’d always hated it. She didn’t like how he could sneak around the law to find her, no matter how often she’d moved apartments. If Sean had willingly identified a dead body as hers, that meant…That meant that he was in on this, too. That meant that she officially had no one.

It meant that Eliza was alone.

She’d left her family back in Tennessee without looking back, and since she’d gotten to San Diego she hadn’t contacted them. She’d been dead to them ever since she’d moved out here, and she highly doubted they’d come looking for her after so long without no communication.

“Then why don’t you just fucking kill me?” She spat at him, throwing her plate off the table in frustration and getting up, storming back into the house towards the bedroom. She slammed the door shut and collapsed on the bed in tears.

She couldn’t handle this. She’d been telling herself ever since Zack had kidnapped her that she’d get out somehow; that someone, presumably Sean, would worry and call the police. But apparently, Zack was the police. He worked in the City of Evil; he was obviously very high up on the ladder if he was talking about signing laws.

Eliza didn’t look up when the bedroom door slowly opened, or when the bed shifted. She didn’t look up when Zack placed his hand on her shoulder, or when he pulled her onto his lap.

“Why are you so upset about this, Eliza? I’m not mistreating you, I haven’t raped you or hit you. I feed you, you have been given clothes, and you don’t have to do menial work. Why are you so angry?” He asked her quietly.

She glared at the pillow, deciding not to say a word. She had nothing she wanted to say to him.

“Fine, don’t answer me.” Zack sighed. “We’re not leaving the cabin for at least a month, though we’ll have a visitor tomorrow.”

Eliza again didn’t respond, and she waited until he had walked out of the bedroom and shut the door before she allowed the tears to fall out of her eyes and into the pillows.

What had she done to God to make him do this to her, she asked herself.