He laughed at my obvious attempt at making light of my depressing life story. “It’s about as wonderful as you could possibly imagine. Granted, sometimes I’d like to strangle my sister but at other times I don’t know what I’d do without her.” He eyed me, squinting, and nodded his head. “I have a feeling you’ll build quite an amazing family yourself there. All you need is time.”

“Thank you. I think you may be right.”

The Security Check Point was tedious. I had to place my lap top in its own container, unlace my ridiculous boots and place them in one as well, then stuff my purse and carry on through as well. I passed through the metal detector easily enough and went straight through to gather my stuff. My shoes were back on, lap top back in its bag but I had to wait a moment while they checked my carry on a little more thoroughly. I glanced down to see that my boots were laced properly and unhooked the hem of my jeans from the back of my right boot. When I glanced up, my breath caught in my throat.

I noticed in the reflection of the mirrored window in front of me, John Bell, bending to put his own shoes on. I spun around quickly but he wasn’t there. Adrenaline pumped through my veins at an alarming rate. I admonished myself for torturing my heart the way I was. Keep it together, Harper, or they’ll take you in for drug use or something.

“God, I have to call Detective Carson. I’m losing it,” I whispered to myself.

One glance at the terminal clock told me I didn’t have time for that. I’d have to call when I arrived in Seattle. I arrived at my gate just as they were calling for all remaining passengers. I huffed down the aisle to the very last row, where my assigned seat was, stuffed my carry on above me and plopped in the window seat. I listened to the flight attendants ready to close the plane’s door as I settled in for the not so comfortable six hour flight ahead of me.

I almost laughed at loud when I noticed that every seat was full yet the seat next to me was vacant. What luck!

Just when I thought they were closing the doors, the attendant whipped it back open for a moment to let the last minute straggler board the plane. Damn, there goes my luck. I grabbed my laptop bag and purse from the seat beside me and began shoving it under the seat in front of me.

“Thank you, miss,” the passenger said to the flight attendant as I removed the iPod Callum got me for my birthday last year from my bag. I stuck the buds in my ears, closed my eyes and rested my head against the pane.

The passenger beside me settled his ginormous body next to mine and I almost groaned out loud. The plane’s engine roared to life and I was suddenly in a much better mood. I was going to see Callum! As we prepared for take-off, I felt a tap on my shoulder. The flight attendant had to lean forward, the engine was so loud.

“I’m sorry, miss! All electronic items must be turned off for takeoff.”

I nodded and apologized with my expression. She stood and started walking away as I glanced down at my seat belt and made sure it was buckled.

“Flight attendants, prepare for takeoff,” the captain came over the intercom.

The last thing I wanted was to get in more trouble. I’d be flagged by the National Guard as an uncooperative passenger. I started to laugh at my own little joke as the plane positioned itself on the run way for takeoff but the chuckle died in my throat when I saw who the late passenger sitting beside me was.

“Jesus!” I yelled, propelling myself against the window, but no one could hear me over the rumble of the engine.

John Bell.

He was smiling. An evil, wicked, demented smile. Tears came of their own accord and I began to shake, squeezing my eyes shut, then opening them to see if he was real. And he was. Very real. I opened my mouth to scream and struggled to remove my belt but he clamped his hand hard over my mouth.

He leaned in closely to my ear. “One peep and I’ll strangle you to death. Believe me, no one will notice.” He kept his hand over my mouth and waited for me to respond. Salty tears clouded my view but I nodded as best I could despite the fact he was pressing me hard against the hard plastic of the interior plane wall.

He slowly released his grip on my mouth. I tried to catch any sort of eye contact with any passenger around me but they were all too focused on the impending take off.

“Good girl,” he said, leaning in closely to my ear again. I shuddered in response.

He leaned back and studied me, making sure I’d remain quiet. My eyes searched his face.

“I escaped,” he excitedly told me. Though I hated myself for wanting to know, my eyes asked how and he continued. “I head butted the officer transferring me from the patrol car to the jail and ran. They didn’t stand a chance.”

That’s why Detective Carson wanted me to call him so urgently. I felt like such an imbecile. I should have known something like this would happen to me. This was my luck. My shitty, awful luck.

“Sweetheart,” John said, running his meaty hands down the sides of my face. It was revolting and made me gag but I steeled myself. “Now we can be together.” He kissed me hard against the mouth, smashing his wet mouth against mine. He dug his tongue through my tightly lined lips and almost choked me. He pulled away, nipping me with his teeth a little. “How many times will it take for you to learn, Harper?” He admonished. “You belong to me.”

He grabbed my hand and squeezed it between his fingers. I turned my head away and began to tremble. This angered him, I could tell, because his grip tightened uncomfortably before releasing me. He grabbed the back of my neck harshly and pulled me toward him.

“Do you know that I know where Callum is right now?” He asked. I shook my head. “Ames is his uncle, right?” I didn’t answer. “That’s right. I know everything, Harper. In fact, I have many things planned for both your asshole husband and his uncle. I’m going to show you, actually. Right after I remind you of why you’re mine.”

I knew now what I needed to do and thought to try the only thing I could think to save John from hurting anymore people in my life.

“You win,” I said, swallowing hard as the plane began to level off.

John seemed surprised. “Excuse me?”

“You win,” I repeated after the captain removed the ‘fasten seatbelt’ sign. “I will do whatever you want. I’ll be with you forever and do it willingly just as long as you don’t hurt Callum or Ames.” I knew it was idiotic. It was my attempt at being reasonable with the unreasonable. It never works. Never. But it was the only bargaining chip I had.

And it seemed to intrigue John. “Willingly?” His perversely handsome face said, amused. I nodded sharply once. His hand worked up my jean clad thigh. “Prove it.”

I sunk even further into my seat as the flight attendants drove their beverage cart past us toward the front of the plane.

“Wh-what do you mean?”

John’s cheek grazed mine as he whispered in my ear. “What do you think it means, Harper?”

“Tell me what you want,” I asked bluntly.

“John,” he corrected.

“Tell me what you want...John.”

His eyes rolled to the back of his head in sickening satisfaction and he smiled. In a lightning flash movement, he unbuckled my seat belt, then his, before lifting the armrest that separated us. He brought me as close as possible and I was practically on top of his lap.

He spoke into my hair. “Put your hand here,” he said, guiding my shivering hand onto his thigh, making him moan softly. The bile that had risen in my throat began to threaten an appearance but I tamped it down. He offered me his neck and I seriously considered biting it hard but thought twice. If it didn’t get me the reaction I wanted from the rest of the passengers, I still had a few hours to survive with John and I’m sure that would make them even worse. I hesitantly kissed the bottom of his throat with tight, trembling lips and struggled with the nausea that caused. I retreated slightly. There was a twinkle in John’s eye.

He crushed his mouth to mine and I willed myself to kiss back but couldn’t. When John’s grip on my arms tightened, I knew my chance to ‘prove’ myself, or whatever the hell he called it, was fading away and fast. Pretend, Harper, I pleaded with myself. Anyone. Pretend it’s anyone...but Callum. Whatever you do, don’t taint Callum. I wanted him to always be that pure part of me, to remain the only good part of my past and whatever future I had left. I reluctantly moved my hand to John’s hip, fingers trembling the entire journey, and reached deeper with my tongue. The kiss became feverish, heavy, and altogether revolting. I fantasized it was the guy across from us to keep the knowledge it was actually John away from my thoughts but that did nothing but make me even more uncomfortable, if that was possible. I decided to act like I was kissing a stranger and that seemed to help, if help is what you’d call that.

John was forgetting where he was. Reaching beneath the hem of my shirt, pressing the warm skin of his hand to the bare skin on my back. Instinctively, I shoved him off me.

“I need to pee,” I lied, trying to recover.

His pupils narrowed and grew cold. “Come then,” he said, gripping my hand harshly in his.

“I can’t go by myself? It’s not like I can escape,” I argued, like an idiot.

“Right but I can’t risk you alerting anyone.” He dragged me out of my seat, and shoved me in front of him.

Since we were the last seats on the plane, the walk to the lavatory was but a few feet. He shoved me inside and closed the door behind him.

“Go ahead,” he said, crossing his arms at his chest, leaning against the door, as if he was about to enjoy the show. His eyes bore creepily into my skin and I wanted to rub my hands over myself to shed the feeling.

“Turn around,” I said.

“No,” he said, an evil grin spread flush across his face. “Just a warning, if you don’t piss right now, I’ll make you pay for interrupting when things were just getting good.”

I maneuvered my clothing so that I wasn’t exposed as I sat on the toilet. We sat there, John’s eyes revealing just what a sick bastard he really was.

“I can’t pee with you watching.”

“Stage fright? Please, Harper, you probably did plenty of personal things with that bastard around, including taking a piss.” He shook his head, his body began to shake. “You’re such a slut!” He spit out, trying not to yell. “You shouldn’t have any problem peeing in front of me in light of the fact that you and I will be doing a lot worse soon.” He leaned toward me closely. “You belong to me now, bitch. You’ve always belonged to me and I’ll drive every single smear of disgraceful stain he placed on your body. My tongue will know your body better than he ever did.”

His words shamed me, made me feel dirty and disgusting and violated before he’d even laid a serious finger on me.

“Do it, Harper.” Tears were streaming harshly down my face. “Do it, Harper,” he gritted out, his face growing red with restraint.

Suddenly, a loud knock came to our door, making me simultaneously terrified and relieved. “Excuse me! Excuse me! I know you’re both in there! Out! Right now! We don’t tolerate that behavior!” The flight attendant said, all the time rapping loudly at the door.