Ransom

"Your brothers aren't even looking for you." A deep voice echoed from the back of the room.

The man from the SUV was leaning casually against the door, arms crossed and head down. Kailee looked him up and down, noting the muscles protruding from his buttoned shirt.

"You're wrong," she spat the words out stubbornly.

He tilted his head to one side, and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Amuse me, Miss Brooks. Is it not a regular occurrence for you to leave the house unexpectedly for over 24 hours?"

Her eyes narrowed, "You don't..."

"They won't even know you're missing until we inform them that we have you in our possession."

He took a few steps forward until he was towering over the edge of the bed.

"And let me assure you; by that stage our tracks will be well and truly covered."

Now that he was in front of her, she was able to take in his full height. He was slightly taller than Nathan, but where her brother had enough muscle to just hide his lankiness; this man was incredibly well-built and wore his height with pride. If she were unrestrained, Kailee would have wiped the smirk off his face with her fist; instead, she smiled innocently up at him.

"I guess you didn't do your research too well." She spoke patronisingly. "You see," her fingers brushed against the gold pendant around her neck, "I'm constantly wearing a tracking device. Why else would my brothers allow their esteemed sister to venture out on her own so often?"

She turned to Jakob who was eying her necklace cautiously.

"My guess is that my brothers are on their way here as we speak, police in tow. And let me assure you, they'll cause a lot more damage than a broken nose."

Jakob stood suddenly, the colour drained from his face.

"Dom, you said..."

"She's lying."

Kailee's eyes flicked back to the dominant man above her, but he remained expressionless.

"Are you willing to bet a life in jail on that?" she lifted her chin slightly, challenging him.

His hand roughly grabbed the gold heart from her neck and pulled it forcefully, snapping the chain. She huffed indignantly as he tossed the necklace into the sink, letting it wash down the drain.

"You bastard! That was..."

Within seconds he was on the bed, his hand around her neck, pushing her firmly against the backboard.

"You think you're smarter than me, little girl?" He spoke low, his eyes murderous. Kailee clawed at his tightening hand, struggling to breathe.

"Dominic..." Jakob placed a hand on the man's shoulder, urging him to stop.

"Get out!" Dominic growled, his eyes not deterring from Kailee's face.

Jakob hesitated before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

"Now you listen carefully," his face was inches from hers. "This plan involves you not being hurt," she could feel her dress riding up the more she struggled and she stilled, conscious of the amount of leg she was showing. "Threaten me again and I'll be very tempted to alter that plan."

Kailee took a ragged breath under the tension of his fingers. "I'm not...scared of you," her words came out as a whisper.

"No?" his grip around her neck tightened slightly and his eyes bore into hers, searching for any signs of fear. He leaned in close, his lips brushing her ear. "You seem like a quick learner. You will be soon."

He released her from his grasp and stormed from the room, slamming the door on his exit. Kailee slunk down into the mattress, heaving uncontrollably and trying to catch her breath. She held a shaky hand in front of her face and waited for it to steady, eliminating all traces of fear from her body and bringing herself to calm.

*****