Not Who I Thought He Was

SHAY

I came to in the seat of a moving vehicle, sitting on someone’s lap. Their arms were wrapped around me in a vice-like grip, but I couldn’t see a thing.

As I started to wake up, I tried to open my eyes, but all I saw was darkness. I must have been blindfolded. I attempted to move my hands, but they were tied together in front of me.

I groaned and tried to shift, but the grip on me only tightened. Then I heard a voice I never thought I’d hear again.

“Take it easy, Shay, just relax. I’ve been watching you in that club for months now, and I just had to have you for myself. Dana was just a stand-in for the fantasy you wouldn’t fulfill.

“I tried so hard to get you to go out with me, but you never would, so I started seeing her. But the truth is, it was always your face I saw when we were together.”

“Forest? What are you doing?” I asked, my voice trembling.

“You knew I always wanted to be with you, but you never gave me a chance. I’ve been watching you ever since we graduated high school, planning my move to make you mine.”

“Why did you propose to Dana if you didn’t love her?”

“I did love her, in a way, but not like I love you. You left for college and then started your own life. Dana was more of a friend with benefits, but our families pushed us to get married.

“Then she started pushing for marriage, and her attitude changed. The sweet girl from high school turned into a demanding woman who threw tantrums when she didn’t get her way.

“I was going to break off the engagement when I found out you were living here, but she threw a fit and attacked me.

“Long story short, one of my bodyguards shot her. We made it look like a drive-by shooting. Her family was devastated, but I was done with her after she changed.

“All I could think about was you and your sexy body.

“Now I run my father’s business and my own—it’s one of the biggest in the North. The only thing missing is the one person who can complete my life.

“That’s you.”

“Forest, do you realize what you’ve done? Zane will hunt you down and kill you for taking me.

“We set a trap for a stalker today at the club, and now all that’s ruined because you kidnapped me.”

I heard him chuckle, and then he removed my blindfold. We were driving down a long, dark road in the middle of nowhere.

“Shay, I was the one who tried to get you to open your door the other day. You were so scared that I had to run when you started honking the horn.

“I’ve been watching you at that club for months now, trying to find a way to talk to you. But your section was always full or you weren’t working when I stopped by.

“Didn’t Tammy tell you that a man had come by your apartment looking for you?”

“No, when did you do that?” I looked around to see that three heavily armed men were also in the car with us.

“I stopped by about a week ago. She said you were out shopping for a new shirt. Then a few days later, you disappeared from the club floor.

“When I finally figured out what had happened, I got a friend of mine to let me into the compound so I could find what I needed. Then I realized you were there too.

“I left that note to lure you out into the open so I could have you with me forever.”

“Forest, please! You don’t understand. He will come after you and kill you for taking me. I don’t want to lose my friend over all of this.” Tears streamed down my face.

“He won’t find us. I created a diversion while you were in the bathroom, and I used signal blockers so his CCTV wouldn’t work when I entered.

“Their files are blank—they won’t have any idea who took you. When you walked away, I left through the front door.

“I turned on the blocker, slipped in through the back door, grabbed you, and we left through the back door.

“Now we can start the life we were meant to have together. I’ve loved you since middle school. Now I have you in my arms and I’m never letting you go.”

We drove down the long road in silence for a while. He held me tightly against his chest. I finally broke the silence.

“You mentioned your father’s business and your own. What exactly do you do?”

Just then, the man in the front seat spoke. “Boss, which way should we go?”

“The main house for now. We can leave for the secure house in the morning.”

He looked at me with his piercing eyes. “I’m just like Zane, love. He runs his Mafia; I run mine.

“Mine is bigger, but we’re both powerful leaders with plenty of contacts and resources. I hope he’s not foolish enough to try to take you from me again. That would be his death sentence.”

“Forest, please. You were my best friend, like a brother. I can’t do this with you. Just take me back and drop me off, and I’ll lead him in a different direction so you’ll be safe.”

He shook his head, lowered his lips to mine, and kissed me slowly. I was so shocked that I gasped, and he took advantage of it.

His hand held the back of my head, and even though I tried to pull back, he wouldn’t let me. His kiss was slow and sweet, as if he’d been dreaming of it for a long time.

As he deepened the kiss, I tried my best not to enjoy it. But something about it was electrifying, even though I knew it was wrong.

I tried to push him away, but he held me tightly and continued to kiss me. When we finally broke apart, his eyes were sparkling like fireworks had just exploded inside him.

“I’ve waited nine years to do that. You have no idea how hard it was in school not to touch you or even try to kiss you.

“Dana was always a thorn in my side, but now she’s out of the picture. I resented my parents for forcing her on me when I didn’t want her.

“They knew I was head over heels for you, but they didn’t give a damn. Her family had a reputable name and the wealth to match.

“I didn’t give a hoot about that because we’ve always had more money than we could ever spend, but my father was greedy for more.

“Her father wanted to tap into our resources, contacts, and the family name. He wanted grandkids carrying my last name.

“Everyone was pushing their own agenda and wouldn’t hear me out.

“So when the opportunity presented itself, I pissed her off royally. She wanted another new car, but I refused. I had just bought her one three months prior, but she was already tired of it and wanted another one.

“So she lashed out at me, and I got rid of my problem. Now I can chase after the woman I’ve wanted since I first saw her in the sixth grade.”

“Forest, you’re not the person I thought you were. In school, you always had my back and acted like my best friend.

“We were inseparable. We were like siblings, always grabbing a bite, catching a movie together, or just hanging out at your place. What happened to you?”

“Nothing happened, sweetheart. I’m just finally getting what I want. And no one can stand in my way this time.

“Like I said, I fell for you when we met in sixth grade, but my father had already made other plans, so I had to play the dutiful son and pretend to go along with everything.

“Little did they know that eight years later, I’d get back at them and go my own way. Our families severed ties when she died since there was nothing more to gain from each other.

“I spent the next two years tracking you down, monitoring your every move so I could finally have exactly what I wanted.

“Dana was a disaster in bed; she was awful. Then her attitude worsened when I wouldn’t spoil her like she wanted, so I kept pushing that issue until she made her one big mistake.”

I buried my face in my hands as I started to cry again. How could he be so cruel to her, and why would he risk his life by taking me from a man who will kill him?

“Oh, by the way. I have a couple of people locked up at my place whom I think you’d like to have a word with.”

“Who are they?” I asked, looking up through my tears.

“The same people Zane was hunting for, but I got to them first. They’ll pay for what they did to you that night.”

I furrowed my brows, and then it dawned on me; he had the two men who had assaulted me when I was eighteen. How did he know about that night? I opened my mouth to ask, but he cut me off.

“I found out you had left the party. I was on my way to pick you up and take you home when they ambushed you.

“They fled, and it took me a while to find the hotel they took you to. When I finally did, it was too late. They were leaving in the middle of the night and bragging about what they had done.

“I tried to get into your room, but they wouldn’t give me a key since I wasn’t the one who booked it.

“I finally managed to sneak around and get on the computer to find out your room number and get the key.

“You were unconscious on the bed, and you looked like you had been beaten up badly. There were bruises all over your body and blood on the bed.

“I chased after them, but they were long gone. I tried to track them down by calling people to find their car, but it was a dead end.

“When I returned to the hotel, you were getting into a cab. I followed you home, and once I knew you were safe, I resumed my search for them.

“After a few months, I found out who they were, but they had moved and I lost their trail. Their family went into witness protection because their dad was a key witness in a murder trial.

“I finally found them about three months ago. They’ll pay for that night with their lives, and you can watch me do it.” His hands were clenched into fists.

I started to tremble. He wasn’t the kind-hearted person that I remembered. He had morphed into a ruthless leader who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

“Don’t worry, Shay. You won’t be harmed in any way. I love you with all my heart and always will.”

Crying again, I fell asleep on his lap.