"I'm here," I said. And I meant it. Even though I didn't want to. Even though I was supposed to be planning my escape and keeping my heart locked down. I was here.
He looked at me and something in his face softened just barely.
"I know," he said. "That's why I came to get you."
We stayed up there for hours. Talking about nothing important. Just existing in the same space. He told me about the compound — how his father built it brick by brick over thirty years. How his mother runs half of the operation even though his father is technically in charge. How his brothers kept him sane because without them, the weight of what he was stepping into would crush him.
I told him about growing up with money but not feeling rich because my parents weren't emotionally available. How my mom used to be my best friend until I did something to disappoint her, and she basically turned on me. How I built my own life because I had to. How I valued independence more than anything because I learned early that people couldn't be trusted.
"You trusted me enough to hug me," he said at one point.
"That was a moment of weakness for us both. We both needed that hug," I said back.
"Nah, it wasn’t weakness.” he said. "That was real."
Around midnight, he started the truck. We sat inside a random steakhouse that was open late, had a nice dinner, then we drove back to the compound.
When we got there, he walked me to my room but didn't leave. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled me down beside him.
"Your mother came by today," I said. I hadn't planned to tell him but it came out.
His whole body went tense.
"What did she say?" he asked.
"She said a lot of things," I said carefully. "But mostly she made it clear that she knows things about me. Things I've kept private. And she also said some things about you,”
Kaseem looked at me straight.
"What kind of things?"
"I don't know," I said. And that was the truth. "But she wanted to scare me. She said she knows my deepest, darkest secrets. Everybody has a past, so whatever she feels she needs to do, she can go ahead and do it.” I spoke honestly.
I watched his jaw work. Watched him process what I'd just said.
"Don't let her get in your head," he said. "My mother is a lot of things but she's not a liar. If she said she knows something, she meant it. I’m sure she said it to make a point. She's testing you."
"I'm tired of tests," I said.
He shrugged like it was just what I had to deal with. “It’s life. This is what you signed up for."
"I didn't sign up for anything," I said, but there was no bite to it. "I was forced."
"Yeah," he said. "But you're still here. You could have run. You could have tried something. But you're still here and it’s been looking like you getting comfortable with it too.”
He was right. And I hated that he was right. There had been a couple times when guards weren’t on my tail, but escaping didn’t cross my mind. Instead, I was sitting around waiting for this man to get back home.
He laid back on the bed and pulled me down with him. I laid my head on his chest and he wrapped his arm around me like he'd done it a thousand times before.
"Tomorrow is going to be heavy," he said quietly. "And I can't tell you why. But I need you to know that whatever happens, you're safe. Nothing is going to happen to you under my roof."
—
"Since I'm going to be gone in the morning handling something important," he said, his hand still on my back. “I want you to do something for me."
"What?" I asked, already knowing I'd do it anyway.
"Call your girls tonight," he said. "Tell them I'm having a car pick them up in the morning. I'm paying for all three of you to go to the spa. Full day. Everything paid for."
