Chapter 106: Shut Up

Chapter 106: Shut Up After Jax left, Mari paced the length of the room as Jax’s words kept ringing in her ears. "Your father? You mean Cassidy Bank?" Her stomach twisted. He knew too much. But what did he want from her? Who was he? What else did he know about her family? Why was he keeping her here in his house? Mari took a deep breath, pressing a hand against her temple. Panicking wouldn’t help. She needed to think. He had said he didn’t want to hurt her. So, if he didn’t want to hurt her what did he want to do? Torment her father? She needed answers. She needed to get out of here. Now that she knew for a fact they didn’t kidnap her because they were trying to find her father, she was even more worried. What did they want from her? She needed to escape. She was smart enough to find her way out of here. But first she needed to know where she was and what time it was. Her eyes flickered to the heavy curtains covering the window. Moving quickly, she strode over and pulled them apart. Darkness greeted her. A vast, endless night stretched beyond the glass, with only a few scattered lights in the distance. It was nighttime. How long had she been unconscious? It had been sometime past 4 PM when those ugly idiots took her. She cursed under her breath when she glanced down at her wrist and saw that her smartwatch was gone. Of course, they had taken it. The one thing that could tell her the time, track her steps, or more importantly send a distress signal. Thinking about it now she looked down at herself to see what else they had taken. She was still dressed in the pink crop top and denim skort she had worn to the airport to see Emily off. Her sandals were nowhere around. Perhaps they took it off so she wouldn’t use it as a weapon of some sort. Her gaze landed on the door. Slowly, she approached it, half-expecting it to be locked. With a hesitant breath, she grasped the knob and turned it. Mari blinked when the door creaked open. Why would they leave the door unlocked? Was this a trap? She peeked out into the hallway. It stretched out in two directions, both lined with wooden doors that looked identical. She hesitated, unsure which way to go. Then she heard raised voices. They were arguing. She turned to the right, following the sound. The voices grew louder as she approached a doorway left slightly ajar. Carefully, she stepped to the side, pressing her back against the wall as she peered inside. It was a living room. Large. Luxurious. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting golden light across the space. Plush sofas surrounded a glass coffee table. Jax was seated on one of the sofas, his elbows resting on his knees as he massaged his temple like he had a headache. Two women stood before him. They looked like they were in their late twenties. One of them, a tall, slender young woman with dark brown hair, had her arms crossed and was glaring at him. "I don’t want her here," she snapped. "She doesn’t belong in this house. Take her somewhere else." The second woman, a blonde with striking blue eyes like his and who resembled him in a way, nodded in agreement. "She’s right, Jax. I don’t want her here either. She shouldn’t be here." Mari nodded in agreement. That was good! Women supporting women! She didn’t want herself here either. Jax sighed, tilting his head back against the sofa. "I wasn’t asking for your permission," he said flatly. "And I don’t need your opinions either. If you don’t want to live under the same roof as her, you’re free to leave. It’s not like you don’t have your own place." Mari watched as the blonde’s face twisted in outrage. "How can you say that to me? Do you even hear yourself? You’re choosing her, the daughter of the man responsible for our father’s death, over me? How am I supposed to look at her everyday?" Ouch! That was the reason they didn’t want her here? Not because they were looking out for a fellow girl? "I’m not choosing anything or anyone over anyone. Stop making this more than it is. I’ve made my decision, Venita. I’m not changing my mind. She is staying until I say otherwise," Jax said with a note of finality in his voice. The brunette clenched her fists. "And what about me? I’m your girlfriend, Jax. I have a right to decide who stays with my man and who doesn’t." Mari scowled at that. So, he had a girlfriend? Too bad. Jax scoffed, standing up. His piercing blue eyes held an edge of irritation as he turned to the girlfriend. "You’re not my girlfriend, Diva. You’re my fuck buddy. And even if you were my girlfriend, you’re not my wife. You don’t get a say in what I do or who I let into my house. And if either of you don’t want me to throw you out, I suggest you stop bothering me with this nonsense." Mari took that as her cue. She stepped forward and into the room, arms crossed, her lips curling into a smirk. "I have to say I agree with both you." All three of them turned toward her. "I suppose I don’t need to introduce myself since I guess I’m the one you’ve all been talking about. It’s nice to meet you, Venita. And you too Diva," she said with a sweet smile, wanting to test the waters to see how much they were willing to accommodate her and how much she could push them. What better way to do that than to cause confusion and more discord in the enemy’s camp? Diva’s eyes narrowed as she looked Mari over. Venita raised a brow. Jax, on the other hand, merely exhaled, as if he had already expected her to pull something like this. "How long have you been eavesdropping?" Jax asked her. Mari tilted her head, feigning innocence. "Long enough," she said, then turned to the Diva, "If my boyfriend... I mean fuckbuddy, not that I’d ever be anyone’s fuckbuddy unless it’s on my own terms. But if I were in a situation like you and he ever tried to keep another girl under his roof, especially one that has a crush on him like me, I’d be mad too." Diva sputtered. "Excuse me?!" Mari gave her a sweet smile, "You should ask Jax to take me back. I have a feeling he kidnapped me not because of whatever excuse he gave you, but because he likes me." She paused, lowering her voice just enough to make it sound like she was letting them in on a secret. "I caught him checking me out while I was sleeping." Jax’s jaw tightened. "Shut up." Mari gasped, pressing a hand to her chest dramatically. "Ooooh. Touched a nerve, did I?" "Jax is that true?" Diva asked angrily. Mari grinned. Perfect. She turned to Venita, "I’m sorry about your father. But I think you’re mistaken about my identity..." "Shut up!" Venita snapped at her. "By the way, where are the two ugly men who kidnapped me? Are they out looking for other innocent young ladies to kidnap? Are they only good for poorly executed abductions?" Mari watched as Venita exchanged a look with Diva and then they turned back to Jax. Mari took another step forward, lowering her voice as she addressed the women. "Girl to girl, if I were you, I wouldn’t let him have his way. And if you help me escape, I promise I’ll reward you." All three of them turned to her at once. "Shut up," Diva snapped. "Shut up," Venita echoed. "Shut. Up," Jax ordered, his voice dripping with irritation. Mari sighed dramatically and plopped down onto the nearest sofa, crossing her legs. "Jeez! You guys are no fun. Anyway, I’m hungry." Jax’s eye twitched. Diva clenched her fists. Venita looked like she wanted to throw something at Mari. Then, as if coming to a silent agreement, the three of them exchanged a look. Jax exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple once more before turning to his sister. "Get her something to eat." Mari smiled. For a prisoner they seemed to let her have a lot of freedom. Why wasn’t she locked up? Why were they allowing her run her mouth this way? Venita blinked. "What?!" She practically shrieked. Jax ignored her, walking away. "Serve her dinner," he repeated. Diva hurried after him, her voice rising as she protested that she wanted Mari out of the house. Venita, however, stayed behind, watching Mari with angry eyes. She wished she could go against Jax, but she couldn’t. Mari leaned back, tapping a finger against her chin. "It’s obvious you hate me. Why not help me escape?" Venita’s eyes filled with nothing but disdain. "You’re crazy." Mari grinned, resting her chin on her palm. "I get that a lot. Don’t forget to serve my dinner. I get crazier when I’m hungry." Venita huffed, throwing her hands up in frustration before storming toward what Mari assumed was the kitchen. Mari leaned back against the sofa, smiling to herself. She didn’t know how she was going to get out of here yet, but one thing was certain, she was definitely going to have fun while trying.