Chapter 74 - Lost It

Few Months Earlier (October 2017)

After talking to Shadrach I had remained sort of lost for the rest of the night. I decided to not text him even after I got free, and he did not call or text either, much to my relief. The next day I had a plan with Rachael, we were going out for lunch to our favorite local restaurant, that we had really missed during our time in Paris. We both got dressed pretty quickly, wearing crop tops with boyfriend jeans, converse, and hoop earrings. We had always loved to twin when it came to clothing.

We left in Ash's car, and reached the restaurant in less than fifteen minutes, since it was not so far away from my house. It was a Saturday, and thus there were quite a lot of people in there. We had to sit at a table for four, since those for two people were all occupied. It didn't take us much time to place our order either, since we had already decided what we wanted before showing up.

"So, are you gonna talk about Elijah now?" Rachael asked me, wiggling her eyebrows. "Since I came to your house, all you've done is talk about Maxon. I think you need to pay attention to other dudes too."

"Oh really, Rachael?" Someone said loudly, making both of us snap our heads in the direction of the voice. My eyes widened when I saw Shadrach, standing some distance away from our table. I instantly stood up, my eyes wide.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Sit down, Butterfly," he said calmly, walking over to us. "Don't cause a scene here." He pulled a vacant chair and sat down, making himself comfortable at our table.

"Shadra-"

"I said, sit," he ordered, his eyes warning me to listen. I obliged, sitting down. "That's a good girl," he smiled, crossing his leg over the other. "So what were you guys talking about?" He asked.

"Nothing," I replied, feeling my heart pace.

"Nothing?" Shadrach frowned. "Didn't seem like that."

"Well it was. And even if it wasn't nothing, it's not your business. It never was," I replied.

"Really Butterfly?" Shadrach asked in a tired tone. "You want us to go through that whole process all over again? Before you finally accept me?"

"That's the thing, Shadrach. I'm not accepting you this time. I've seen your true face. You belong to a family of murderers. And I want nothing to do with such people," I replied. Shadrach face hardened into one of anger, his jaw clenched. He slammed his hand onto the table, leaning towards me, making me gasp and back away. A number of eyes turned to our direction, and I gulped, my gaze shifting from him to the people around us, and then back to him.

"I'm not going to care about what you want anymore, Alizabeth. I'm done playing nice. I'm done respecting your damned choices. Not anymore," he said loud and clear, and I was pretty sure half the people in the restaurant heard him. A few people even proceeded to take out their cameras and their phones, immediately beginning to record videos. Tears pricked my vision, and I gulped.

"People are recording us," I whispered softly.

"I don't give a fuck," Shadrach replied.

"You're creating a scene, Max-" Rachael tried to intervene, but Shadrach took out his revolver and aimed it straight at her, making her instantly shut up.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" I now yelled, my eyes stuck on his finger that was placed on the trigger.

"You're coming with me. Right now," he stated, and a few tears escaped my eyes.

"Shadrach, people are-"

"I don't bloody care Aliza!" He yelled at the top of his voice, making me flinch and close my eyes shut. A sob escaped my lips, but I covered my mouth to muffle my cries.

"Alright," I whispered, barely holding back my sobs, and I stood up.

"Liza?" Rachael asked, shocked, and afraid.

"I'll be fine," I reassured her, and Shadrach stood up as well.

"Go outside and get in my jeep. I'll join you in a moment. Don't try anything, you know it won't be of much use," he ordered.

"But wh-"

"I said!" He shot me a look. "Go."

With shaking legs, I did as I was told. I went outside and easily found his jeep. It was exactly the way I remembered it to be. Nothing was different. I climbed into the passenger seat, and closed the door, my heart hammering in my chest as I was taken on a trip down memory lane. I was back to those old times, where being kidnapped by Shadrach had turned into an everyday thing for me. But for some reason, this day felt different. Okay, who am I kidding? It felt just the same.

My heart was hammering in my chest, while goosebumps were dotting every single inch of my skin. My breath was hitching, and my legs were trembling. I was afraid. Afraid of what he was going to do. Afraid he would finally take revenge from me for running away all those years ago. Afraid he would finally have his way with me, after playing nice for so long.

He came into view a few minutes later, and I shifted my gaze to my lap. He got in, and tucked his gun into his belt, before starting the jeep and driving away from the restaurant.

There were a million questions going on in my mind, but I couldn't muster up the courage to ask anything. I felt him look at me, before shifting his gaze back to the road.

"Wear your seatbelt," he said, his tone still assertive, but much gentler than it was earlier.

I did not reply, and quietly obeyed him, buckling my seatbelt.

"Now we're gonna go to my farmhouse, and you are going to do exactly what I tell you to. Do you understand?" He asked.

"I-I don't wanna go with you," I whispered.

"Yeah, we already established that, but here's the thing, I don't give a shit. You will either listen to me like an obedient little princess, or I'll make you listen to me by force. I am in a really shitty mood today, alright, Butterfly? So I'd suggest, that you do not test my patience. I don't wanna end up hurting you and then regretting it." His words sent a chill down my spine, and I gulped. This was the first time he had something like that to me. That he would hurt me. Never before had he ever said anything like that.

"I understand," I said softly, my eyes on my lap.

After about half an hour of his rash driving, we reached his farmhouse, the one I had been to once before. Memories began to flood my mind, but the fear which was coursing through my veins at that moment forbade me from focussing on any of them. Shadrach got out of the jeep, and I did so as well. We entered the farmhouse, and he led me straight upstairs, without wasting a single moment. He opened a door for me, and asked me to enter, which I did reluctantly. My nerves began to kick in as I heard him close the door, and lock it shut. It had a keypad lock, the password to which only he knew, which meant no matter what happened, I could not leave that bedroom without his permission.

"Go lie on the bed," he ordered, and I turned around to face him, my eyes wide.

"What?" I asked.

"You heard me," he replied, rolling up the sleeves of his T-shirt.

"W-why?" I asked, panicking.

"Look, Butterfly," he said, stepping closer to me and holding me by my shoulders. "It doesn't make a difference. You have to listen to me anyway, right? So go lie down yourself, before I pick you up and throw you on the bed. Good girl."

His eyes held a warning, one that shook me to the core. I gulped, stepping away from him, and walking towards the bed.

"Actually wait," he said, sparking a glimmer of hope in my heart. "Give me your phone." And the hope died down instantly. I took it out of the pocket of my jeans, and handed it over to him. "Good. I'm switching it off, I'll return it to you once we're done here," he said, before placing it on top of the cupboard, a spot too high for me to reach. "You go. Lie down."

With trembling legs, I made my way to the bed and lied down.

"Move a little upwards, use the pillow," he said, and I did as I was told, all the while holding my sobs in, not wanting to anger him. Shadrach took off his shoes, and made his way to me, before taking my converse off as well. I froze, trying to focus on my breathing. He now climbed into bed with me, straddling my body. "Okay, now hands behind your back," Shadrach said, and my eyes widened.

"Shadrach, please don't-"

"Shhh," he scolded. "What did I tell you, Butterfly? I don't wanna manhandle you and end up hurting you. Please just do as I say."

A couple of tears left my eyes, and Shadrach rolled his eyes in annoyance. Still shaking with fear, I put my hands behind my back.

"Good," he commented, ensuring they were perfectly trapped under me, before slightly changing his position to add a little more pressure on them. I tried to move, and realized I could not. Shadrach leaned in closer to my face, and I instantly shut my eyes, cowering in fear. He roughly grabbed my chin, pressing my cheeks with his index finger and thumb, causing my lips to pucker out. Another tear escaped my eye as I felt him lean in closer. His lips barely brushed against mine, before he inched up and pressed his lips against my forehead instead. He placed a hard, lingering kiss on my forehead, letting go of my chin and gently cupping my cheek. I let out a shaky breath, before opening my eyes.

"Shadrach?" I said softly, and he pulled away to look into my eyes. "Are you..." I took a deep breath in, "Are you going to rape me?"

"No no no," he instantly shook his head, frowning. He cupped both my cheeks now, also wiping my tears away. "I would never," he added. "I just..." He said softly, before biting his lip, as he began to caress my cheeks. "I just wanna spend some time with you. Hold you close to myself, kiss your forehead and your cheeks, and just, feel your presence. I feel at peace with you, Butterfly, and I haven't properly felt it since you left. I had to abduct you because I knew you would not come with me, and you would not let me just touch you like this. I'm sorry that I scared you so much."

I did not know what to feel, except for relief.

"I fought with my father today," he said, and I frowned. "It's been a really long time since we fought like this. So brutally, so aggressively. We were yelling so loud I'm pretty sure the whole neighbourhood would hear, if, we would have any neighbours, that is. I felt so fucked up, I wanted to see you, but you left with Rachael and so I followed you to the restaurant. Then I heard Rachael talking to you about a guy, and I just lost it. What was his name again?"

"I'll tell you if you get off of me," I replied.

"Alright," he said, and got off me, but stayed on the bed. I instantly sat up.

"Elijah," I told him. "He's my friend."

"Wait. Isn't that the guy you told Rachael to bring to our date?" He narrowed his eyes. "I thought you said he is Rachael's friend."

"He is. Now he's mine too," I shrugged.

"Just a friend or..." He trailed off, his jaw clenched.

"Just a friend," I replied.

"Good," Shadrach nodded. "You know why Alizabeth?" He asked, shifting closer to me.

"Why?"

He firmly caught hold of the back of my neck, and pulled my face closer to himself, looking me right in the eye. I gasped and my eyes widened, while my hand flew to his, trying to make him let go of me. His move frightened me, but thankfully his hold was gentle enough to not hurt me. Again, assertive, but not harsh.

"Because if you fall in love with him, I swear on you, my Love, I'll bury the motherfucker right where I find him."

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