❝ Had a face like an angel, but inside my heart was as black as a broke movie screen ❞

❦

I call Harper from Fai's phone, sitting on his bed while he's drawing in the kitchen. I don't know if she'll answer when she'll see the unknown number.

I wait, letting it ring and, staring at the dark TV screen until I hear her reluctant voice. "Hello?" she asks carefully.

"Harp, it's me," I say.

There's a pause. And then, "Kadie?" she sounds hopeful. "What happened? Where are you? I've been trying to reach you for days!"

I grimace. I don't want to tell her, but she has to know. Especially if she decided to have this life, too. With Jon. "I don't know how to say this any differently, but I was kidnapped. For three days. Fai saved me and I'm here now."

I hear a gasp. "Kidnapped," she repeats, her voice faint. "Oh, my God. Kadie. Oh, my God," she panics.

"I'm okay, Harp. I'm all good now. I wasn't careful and they just wanted to get to Fai through me, but they didn't do anything."

"You got kidnapped and I didn't even know! I thought ... I thought you weren't answering your phone because you were with Fai. I should've known something happened."

I sit up on the bed. "Harp, shut up. This is not your fault, really. I promise I'm alright. I'll stay with Fai for a few days just to be safe and to keep you safe, okay?" It's mostly because I don't want her to accidentally see my bruises.

"Kadie," she says weakly and I know she's struggling to find words to say to me. I also know she wants to say something I won't like to hear, so I cut her off.

"I know what I'm doing. Just take care of yourself and I'll see you in a few days. Oh, and save this number, I'll call you from Fai's phone until I get myself a new one."

"I have so many questions, you can't just leave me hanging!" Harper says and I hear her sniff. Oh, boy. She's probably also scared that something will happen to her, too.

"Harp, this is for both of our safety. I could be watched right now and I don't want to risk anything. You shouldn't, either," I say softly, hoping she knows what I'm getting at.

She exhales slowly. "Okay. Be safe. Please call so I know you're okay," she says.

"Yes, will do. Take care, Harper."

I squeeze my eyes shut when I end the call, taking a deep breath. Well, that went well.

I go to the kitchen, quietly sitting across Fai and twirl his phone around absently, watching him work. He senses I'm waiting for him to give me some attention, apparently, because he lifts his head.

"Where does Jon stand with Harper?"

"Don't know. Don't care," he says.

I huff. "You guys talk. Does he ever talk about her?"

Fai's eyebrows slowly raise up. "When we get together we don't talk about who is fucking who, that's for damn sure. I know he spends time with her. That's it." He goes back to drawing.

It seems like I'll have to take the matters into my own hands. I pick Fai's phone up again and go through the last messages. I don't read them, this is just an easier way to find Jon in his phone.

I call him and he picks up immediately. "Yes?" he says.

"Hi, Jon," I say sweetly. Fai's head shoots up in interest. "First things first. Fuck up Harper and I fuck you up. And, for your own good, I hope you know what you're doing. Don't come on my shit list."

"Okay. Anything else?" I can hear he's not taking me seriously.

"Go to her. If you're dragging her into this mess it's on you to protect her and she needs someone right now."

A pause. Then, "Okay. I'll go." His voice now sounds softer.

"She'll pack a bag for me with everything I need. Bring it to Fai's. I'm staying here."

"Yes, speaking of which - is he there with you right now?"

"Sitting right across me." I grin at Fai. "Want me to tell him you said hi?" Without waiting for an answer, I move the phone so I'm not speaking directly into it, but I don't bother covering the receiver with my hand. "Jon is sending you kisses," I say to Fai.

He scowls.

"Hanging up now. Glad to see you're doing okay, though," Jon says and, surprisingly, he doesn't say this with sarcasm.

"Thanks," I say meaningfully. I hope he catches that I mean that for everything he did. Before we hang up, I add, "Fai is sending you kisses back."

My grin gets wider when Fai gives me a grim look. I hear Jon chuckling before hanging up.

I text Harper to prepare me a bag and tell her that Jon is coming to pick it up. I don't know if I did the right thing, sending Jon over there, but I can only hope that he's not going to fuck her over. Harper isn't like me. I don't think she'd want this life. I don't think she would even be able to go through it.

I put the phone down and sit cross-legged on the chair, watching Fai draw. "I have a proposition," I say after minutes.

"I'm all ears," he says, not lifting his head.

"I want a tattoo and I want you to draw it. I'll draw one for you in return."

He lifts his head now, interested. "What if I don't want a new tattoo?" he says.

I shrug. "That's okay. You don't have to get it. I won't be mad."

His eyes narrow. "You want me to draw you a tat and tattoo you? But you only get to draw me one?"

I shrug. "Yeah, pretty much."

He chuckles. "Alright. Want to go through my drawings?"

I immediately shake my head. "No," I say fiercely. "I want something unique. Something that reminds you of me."

He raises his eyebrows and he looks at me thoughtfully. "Right," he says slowly. I grin. "I do want payment if I'll do your tattoo, though."

My grin disappears. "Oh, fuck you. How much do you even charge?"

"Not talking about money, princess."

I raise my eyebrows. "What then? Sex?" My grin appears again. "Now you're talking my language!" I wiggle my eyebrows.

He darts his tongue out, making a way across his bottom lip with it. "I want to make you come."

I let out a huff. "How about I make you come? That sounds fair to me."

"Nah," he says, dismissing the idea. "You know what I'm talking about."

"And you know that's not possible because I told you already. I'd rather just give you money. How much will you cost me? So I'm prepared."

"That's my deal. Take it or leave it." He crosses his arms.

"Fai," I say, looking him in the eyes, silently letting him know he's being absurd. "You can try, sure. So you'll get that smug look off your face when you won't succeed. Your ego will shrink as well. Are you willing to take the risk?"

"A challenge," he says, grinning. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I know all the risks."

I just roll my eyes. "That was way too easy. Maybe I should make deals like that more often. I'd save so much money!"

Fai's smile disappears and a dark look crosses his face. And speaking about money ... I have to call my manager about my job. "Lose that scowl," I say to Fai. "I'm only joking. I'm all yours." I send him a kiss and grab his phone. "And you'll be a sweetheart and lend me the phone because I need to save my job."

It turns out I'm an amazing actress. I didn't go into details why I missed days of work, but I told him it was a family emergency and that I've also lost my phone so I'm contacting him from someone else's to let them know I'm still alive and ready to go back to work.

Fai is scowling when I come back. "Aren't you a grumpy one?" I ask him, plopping back down on the chair.

"You were kidnapped and you're talking about going back to that place and work. Did you lose your fucking mind?"

"Why? You'll be looking out for me." I blink innocently.

He puts his iPad down on the desk and stands up, putting his fists on the table and leaning over it, looking me deep in the eyes. "You are purposefully putting yourself in danger which puts me and everyone else in the danger. You know that, Kadie? Or you only think about yourself and your stupid fucking stunts you want to pull all the goddamn time so we have to come and save your ass out of the shit you put yourself in?" He doesn't raise his voice, but he speaks the words with venom.

Oh, he's pissed. "I need the money," I say calmly.

"I will give you the fucking money if you need it that bad," he growls.

"The hell you will!" I say, standing up, too. Now we're both pissed.

"You can't go to work!" I see the vein appearing on his neck from the anger.

"Watch me," I say sweetly.

He growls, sidestepping the table until he's right in front of me. "You fucking watch me if you decide to go."

I step closer to him so we're nose to nose, glaring at him. "What are you going to do, then? Huh, Fai? Hit me?"

He steps back as if I punched him and I see his shoulders drop. "Why would you - fuck no. I'd never hit you. What the fuck."

This is not the first time I said this to him. I think, deep down, I know he wouldn't because he's not like that - at least not around me. But I've also been betrayed by many men in my life. What is one more?

"You're not going to work until all this comes down. And that's final. Just try and fight me and I will lock you into this apartment." He glares at me to make me know he's completely serious.

"Oh, fuck you," I say, sitting back down, feeling defeated. He's right, of course, although I loved pushing his buttons to see just how much he really cares. There's a big part of me that will always be wary, I think. I can never fully believe a person, especially not men. I always wait for their hit. Maybe that's why I love dating assholes. I at least know what to expect with them.

"Good," Fai says as if I just told him I agree with him completely. Which I think I did, but in my own way. "Jon's here," he says.

"What?" I ask, confused.

He's already walking to the door. I walk behind him to the door and when he opens it, I peek over his shoulder. "Hey, Jon! You and Fai really have such a strong connection that you don't even have to knock because he just feels when you come." I give Fai a pat on the shoulder. "I didn't know that. Cute." I kiss him on the cheek.

Jon just stands there, dumbfounded. "Yeah. Don't even ask, man," Fai says, aggravated.

I lean closer to Jon. "If I suddenly go missing or if you find my dead body, it was Fai," I tell him quietly, yet loud enough so Fai can still hear me.

He puts his hand on the back of my neck and pulls me back with a grunt. "See you, Jon," Fai says and closes the door, turning to me.

I beam. "I really need a cigarette," I say looking around. I know that I don't have any here and Harper definitely didn't pack them for me.

"What you need to do is sit your ass down and talk," Fai growls.

I raise my eyebrows at his tone. "I'm not your bitch. If you want someone to order around, get a dog maybe."

"Kadience, stop testing my fucking patience. Stop pretending nothing happened."

I cock my head to the side. "Why? Are you suddenly interested in becoming my psychiatrist? Boy." I shake my head.

"No, I want to hear what happened so it doesn't happen again. I want to hear what they did and how they did it."

I roll my lips into my mouth. "Can't tell you exactly what and how. They came to me in the dark, there were many of them so I couldn't fight them. They drugged me and when I woke up, I was tied to the bed." I shrug as if that's the most normal thing in the world.

"Naked?" he wants to know and I hear how sharp his voice got.

"I lost a piece of clothing for every time I made him mad."

"Stefan? That motherfucker." Fai curses, turning away from me. To calm down, I assume.

"He didn't really touch me, though. He's too much of a pussy and he doesn't know what to do with one." I don't tell him about the hickey he wanted to give me. He didn't succeed, so there's no point. "You know what I want to do? I want to go to a party."

He gives me an incredulous look. "You're in house arrest. You can't leave this fucking place so you better stop wanting to do things that involve the outside world."

I put my hand over my chest. "Wow, dad. Okay. whatever you say, sir!" I salute him and he gives me such a grim look that I chuckle. "Why not have a party here, then? Lots of booze, lots of drugs, lots of fun. And lots of fucking afterwards. Hey, we can even have a groupie."

His eyes widen slightly. "How about we not?"

I pout. "You're clearly no fun."

"And you're clearly fucking with me," he says, letting out an exasperated sigh.

I send him a kiss.

*

Sorry I took this long with the update, the time just doesn't exist for me anymore since I'm in quarantine.