Desiree
An annoying buzz dragged me from a dreamless sleep. It had taken me hours of tossing and turning to finally drift off, only to be awakened by a loud, incessant buzz that would not stop. I had figured out how to draw the blackout curtains remotely, so darkness surrounded me like thick black clouds.
The red blinking light near the door found me through the thick darkness and alerted me that the house’s intercom system was the reason for the unwanted intrusion. I sat, staring and rubbing my eyes before my arms flailed about searching for the lamp. I ambled to the device on weak and sleep-deprived legs. “Yes,” I answered, my voice groggy and deep.
“Breakfast is ready,” Arjen’s voice came through the intercom, cheery and bright. I hated mornings, and due to the work hours I kept, sometimes, working well past one or two in the morning, I was not usually up before nine.
“Okay,” I said, fiddling with the button, not sure if I was pressing the right one. I shuffled to the bathroom and did a quick relieve and refresh. I threw on the dog-eared black robe I wore religiously throughout most of my workdays and headed to the kitchen.
I had pulled my shoulder-length locks into a loose ponytail and patted them a couple of times like it held the magic touch. If Arjen expected a fashionista, he should have picked Mecca. She had the incredible ability to jump out of bed runway ready. His eyes met mine before scanning my attire. His brow lifted, but he didn’t comment.
“Good morning,” we greeted each other at the same time.
The lavish display of food ignited my hunger, causing my stomach to make a low rumble as I shuffled around the table. Scrambled eggs, toast, pancakes, mini omelets, and breakfast sausages made up the scrumptious spread. There was also a variety of fruit and condiments. I took up a plate and began the task of collecting what I wanted to eat, sensing eyes on me the entire time. I met Arjen’s waiting gaze after taking my seat.
“What?” I asked, knowing he was amused at the amount of food I had piled on my plate. I was no stranger to missing a few meals because I couldn’t cook, but I made up for it when I did come across a viable food source.
“I notice you’re not afraid to eat.” He shot another glance at the stacked plate sitting on the table before me.
“I can’t cook, so when I’m presented with a good meal, I don’t waste it by pretending to be a meek eater.”
His head shook in amusement as I started in on my eggs and sausage. Besides, any man with eyes could tell by the ample amount of ass I had that I didn’t eat like a bird. I was naturally thick in the places that were trending for desired body image.
A thick coat of silence fell between us as I took in the view across the dining room table and over his left shoulder. The determined rays of the morning sun pushed through the floor-to-ceiling windows and tipped past the sheer white drapes. The shadows of mountains in the distance blurred by the drapes made their presence known.
“We won’t be getting married on Friday,” he informed me, letting a hint of disappointment flash in his gaze. I had no reply as I didn’t know how to feel about the news. However, my father crossed my mind. Did Arjen not want to go through with the deal anymore? A crease of worry wrinkled my forehead, and my body followed, tensing.
“We’ll still marry, but I have urgent business that came up, so we’ll postpone until I return.” His update put relief back in my posture and untightened the stress that had traveled to my forehead.
“There’s a possibility I’ll be leaving the country, and although I assigned Sam to be your protection, there is only one person that I trust to protect you while I’m gone.”
Eager to know who he planned on leaving me with, I leaned further across the table, my eyes zeroing in on his.
“It’s my brother, Khane. He may seem a little dark and intense, but I can assure you that for me, he would protect you with his life.” Arjen was confident in what he was saying, and I didn’t miss the hint of pride that flashed in his eyes at the mention of his brother.
“How long will you be gone?” I asked. The longer he was away, the better. It meant I would enjoy my freedom longer.
“Shouldn’t be any more than two weeks.”
I nodded. “I know we don’t know each other, but thank you for helping my father. He’s still a work in progress, but I don’t know what I would do if something bad happened to him.”
I wanted Arjen to know that I was doing this for my father and that I would support him if it meant saving my father’s neck. I was sure my father had withheld some key information, but for him to take a measure this drastic, I knew that things were dire.
“You’re welcome, but it’s my pleasure. I left a sat phone on your dresser. It’s unlocked and has my brother’s address programmed in it. Khane lives up in the mountains, nearly two hours from here. He should be back tonight, or early tomorrow morning at the latest. Sam will take you to his place and stay near until Khane arrives. The temperature is a bit cooler up there, so pack a sweater. I don’t want to come home to a sick fiancée,” he stated playfully, making me laugh.
I could like Arjen, I thought, smiling. He was so neat and expensive-looking, as though he owned a big part of the world. I could always try and refine myself into a more expensive version for his sake, but I preferred to keep things simple. He wasn’t who I would have picked for a husband, but given that I wasn’t dating and the last three clowns I had dated were duds, I wasn’t complaining.
Small talk carried us through breakfast before Arjen excused himself to go and pack after receiving a phone call that lasted about twenty seconds. I was set to leave later that afternoon.
* * *
The distractionof my pending marriage and the sudden change in my living situation had my anxiety kicked up so high that I hadn’t given much thought to staying with Arjen’s brother. Now that I was making the drive, following Sam, my brain decided it wanted to dredge up all I knew about Khane Vallin.
The stories had made him a legend. His reputation was something you sat around a campfire and talked about. Rumor had it that he had been the one who earned his family the moniker of animals, and suggested he had killed so many people that he had earned his nickname, ‘The Kannibal,’ ten times over.
He was his family’s go-to guy for security. In the criminal underworld, the security guy was usually the most dangerous because he was the death-dealer, the hunter, and the assassin: the one that took care of the messy side of the business. Things like dropping bodies and making people disappear.
Now, I was set to go and live with a man with a reputation that made ghosts hide in dark places. How the hell was I supposed to get through this? Arjen was certain I was safe with his brother, so I shouldn’t have been worried. Right?