Cruel Intoxication (Underground Kings 4)

“And you? You have anyone waiting at home for you?”

“No,” I say sadly. “I don’t think my parents care to know where I’m at.” The saddest part of it all is that I don’t even think they looked for me. I never talked to them much, so deciding to cut them out of my life wouldn’t have been a surprise for them.

“I doubt that’s true. I’ll have our cop

friend, Officer Howard, see if there has been any missing person’s report on you, and—”

“I don’t want to go back to my family. They aren’t the best people. I’d rather get on my feet and try to make something of my life again. It took forever to get out of the trailer park, and I refuse to go back to that life. I’m three classes away from getting my degree in accounting. I’m not going to give up. I have a long journey ahead of me, and I’m not going to let my family ruin it for me. And they will.” They have the tendency of ruining everything.

“I’ll do whatever you want,” Owen says. “I’ll respect anything you want or have to say, but I think it’s worth to see if any friends or a boyfriend was looking for you.”

“No friends. No boyfriend. It’s just me,” I state, remembering my first time was with a man who kidnapped me. I never want to have sex again. If it’s like that, then I want nothing to do with the horror that comes with it.

“Now that I find hard to believe,” he says, looking down at me as he pushes a skinny tree branch out of the way. Droplets of water fall across my face from the leaves catching morning dew. He continues walking, and my breath catches when the view of a lifetime comes into sight.

“There’s no way you live here,” I say, staring at the massive house with windows and a balcony. There’s a staircase whirling up the cliffside, and the beach rolls onto the shore in small crashes while the seagulls fly overhead. There is no one here. The beach is empty.

“Yeah, it’s pretty amazing. Jaxon went all out to get us the safest, isolated place there is. We own the beach too. We like our privacy.”

I lean my head against his chest, tired from holding it up to make sure I get every angle of the masterpiece in front of me. I never thought I’d see outside of that damn cabin, but here I am, looking at paradise.

Maybe I’m dead and this is all my afterlife. It makes sense considering that I was on the verge of death. I’m on the beach, rescued by a man who I shouldn’t think is attractive. I’m laying in his hulking arms, warm and protected.

Yeah, I’m dead, and this is a dream because no way would I ever think a man is good looking in real life.

“Alright, let’s go introduce you to everyone, and then you can actually get a good night’s rest.” He walks along the beach, slowly sinking into the sand, and the salt-infused breeze blows across my face. I shut my eyes and listen to the music around me.

Waves foam as they curl and crash.

The seagulls caw above.

And the slight grains of sand rub together as Owen walks across the beach. I don’t know how he hasn’t passed out from carrying me so far, but it’s like it’s just another day for him.

Anxiety starts to curl in my stomach as we take a turn, disappearing into an enclave. The rocks are huge, jagged, and to the left is a cave that’s dark. I don’t want to go in there. Who knows what is waiting in the dark just to snatch me.

Owen climbs the steps, and they seem to be natural or carved into the rock. When we get to the top, he turns so I can see the view he gets to look at whenever he wants. It’s endless. The ocean goes on for miles, melting with the sky.

“You live in heaven,” I state, never wanting to be anywhere else but here.

“I do, don’t I? I suppose I take it for granted. I need to enjoy these luxuries; you’ve reminded me that they aren’t always there,” he says, strolling down the sidewalk until we get to the driveway and are staring at a huge garage door. He pushes his finger against the wall, and a red light scans over it.

A second later, the metal door opens and creaks, showing the impressive collection of cars. There are three trucks, an SUV, and a car that seems too luxurious for the road.

“This is the garage; it’s one of the only ways in and out of the Cliff House. We don’t have a front door. We take security seriously here.” As we step inside the garage, the black on black truck beside us is so nice, it has me curling into a tighter ball in his arms, so my feet don’t dirty the paint.

Owen reaches for the doorknob and turns it, angling his body between the door. We enter into a kitchen. To the left is a breakfast nook that has a view of the ocean, and to the right is an open kitchen area that faces the living room. There’s a TV that takes up the entire wall, and the sectional looks like it’s as soft as clouds.

“Woah, hey,” a man dressed in a pristine suit greets us as he nearly runs into Owen, coming around the corner of the hall. “I wasn’t expecting you back until tomorrow.” The man’s eyes drop to mine, and I immediately turn my head away, hiding away in Owen’s chest.

It’s safe there.

“Yeah, about that… This is Jolie. Jolie, this is Jaxon, the man I was telling you about, remember? You’re safe here,” he reminds me, but I didn’t expect Jaxon to be so … intimidating.

He’s tall, leaner than Owen, and has tattoos from head to toe, minus the space on his face. The sides of his heads are shaved, and the tendrils are an inky black. His eyes are dark pools of oil as he stares at me, trying to figure me out.

I gulp as Owen sets me on the floor and the cold tile has a chill running through my toes. I step behind Owen and like a child, I peek from the side of his arm, gripping onto him to keep me safe. I haven’t been around other people. It’s been me and my captor for a year and a half. I don’t know how to be anymore.

“Hi, Jolie. I’m Jaxon. It’s nice to meet you,” he says kindly, giving me a big smile that stretches across his face.