Chapter 9: Shield (Claire's POV)

I sat at the desk, my leg bouncing up and down, my right elbow propped up on the table and my chin resting in the palm of my hand while I clenched and unclenched my jaw and chewed the inside of my cheek. 

I don't know why I was so mad. I mean, am I even allowed to be that mad? I didn't listen to anything that he told me. I didn't do one thing the way he asked me to. I never listen to him. 

Which is wrong because the whole purpose of me being locked in here like freaking Rapunzel, is at least to be safe. But I'm not letting him keep me safe, nor am I listening to what he's telling me. Even though I told him I would. 

I put my head down on the table, letting out a sigh of frustration. I stood up and turned around to start pacing but let out a gasp when I saw him just standing at my door. Which I very vividly remember slamming shut. "Oh, my God! Stop doing that!" I grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. 

He grabbed it before it could hit his face and tossed it back on the bed. 

"Please just go," I sighed, running my hand through my hair. He didn't move though, not even an inch. "You can't just stand there," I glared at him. 

He still didn't say anything and only stared at me. An apology just doesn't come out of his mouth, does it? 

"I will literally go and lock myself in the bathroom if you don't either start talking or get out," I huffed. I nodded, "Okay," I sighed, turning around to seriously lock myself in the bathroom where I could get some privacy and be alone. 

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me back before I could step in, spinning around and pulling me, making me collide from him. "I have a spare key to every room in here. Bathrooms included," he said. 

"You can't walk into a bathroom," I rolled my eyes. 

"You don't wanna push it," he glowered. What the hell is he glowering at me for? I did not do anything. "What if they didn't believe your lie? What if they just came in here and took you?" he asked his grip tight on me. 

"Well, they didn't," I rolled my eyes. 

"And if they did?" I opened my mouth to argue but he beat me to it. "If they did, Claire?" His voice was calm. That scary calm. Too calm for the situation. 

"Then they would have taken me, what else?" I shrugged. 

"Did you listen to one thing I told you the last time we had this conversation? I can't keep you safe like this!" 

"You couldn't save me today anyway because you weren't here. So if they took me, that was on my account, it wouldn't be your fault," I explained. 

"Was I supposed to put you in the trunk of my car? I went to meet the person who sent those guys here, he would figure it out," he explained, "He already thinks I'm keeping you here to help your father." 

"He's not wrong. Why are you helping my father? And don't give me crap about how you saved me once, you can do it again," I rolled my eyes. 

He didn't have an answer. "I told you, consider it a favor," he huffed. 

I sighed and let it go. Maybe he just doesn't wanna tell me. "You are..." I trailed off, "You're un-fucking-believable," I scoffed. I pulled out of his grip and pulled my closet open, grabbing the first bathing suit in sight. 

Maybe I'll consider drowning myself this time. 

I slammed the door in his face, threw my clothes off, pulled the bikini on, grabbed the towel, worse flip flops this time even though I noticed earlier he listened to me and put a doormat out there. I opened and he was still standing there, slightly confused. 

I walked past him, hearing his footsteps behind me when I reached the stairs. "Do not fucking follow me, I swear to God, I'll push you in that pool myself!" I yelled without turning around to look at him. 

He surprisingly listened. 

I pushed the door open and stormed over, leaving my towel and flip flops by the pool before climbing in. I took a deep breath and went underwater, swimming the length. I got back up to the surface, gasping because I did that in one breath. I held my breath and just stayed underwater for a while, trying to hold my body down to the floor which was considerably hard because the human body fights to float. 

I gave up after a while and kicked up to the surface, taking in a deep breath. I let out a shaky breath while running my fingers over my eyes, wiping the water from them. I felt safe here, in the water. It surrounded me, it felt like a safe bubble. It felt like a shield. I swam one more length and came back up to the surface, looking to the door when I heard it close. 

I wiped my eyes and saw him walking over in swim trunks with a towel over his shoulder. He threw his towel beside mine before crouching down by the pool, touching the water to test the temperature. "What are you doing?" I asked. 

"You don't listen to me when we're in there," he said while climbing in, "You can't get out of here." I stared at him while he walked over to me, easily walking at the shallow end. "Oh, my God, it's cold," I heard him whisper to himself. 

I looked away and bit back a laugh while he stopped in front of me. I arched an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to talk but even his teeth were slightly chattering. He glared at me before dunking his head under the water once. That usually evens out the body temperature. He didn't find it so cold anymore after a couple of seconds and he was just fine. 

I began swimming over to the ladder to get out but he grabbed my waist and pulled me back. "Just shut up and listen," he demanded. 

I grunted while leaning my head against the wall, staring at him. The lights from under the water lit up his face in a completely different way. It illuminated it, his eyes looked lighter, his hair looked lighter, his skin looked smoother, he looked good. Like really good. I swallowed, kicking around and keeping myself up. 

"People are out there looking for you, Claire. People you don't want finding you. People who want to take advantage of the fact that your dad owes someone." My eyebrows furrowed. "The people your dad owes are really dangerous, and also have no idea that you're his daughter. Other people, some who owe your dad, want to use you to get him in even more trouble than he's already in. 

You're his weakness, they want to use that to get his money, to get him in trouble, basically, to get rid of him. And if anyone tells or takes you to the people who your dad owes, you're as good as gone." 

I listened to each word he was saying very carefully. "As good as dead?" I asked hesitantly. 

"I don't know what they would do after they got what they want from your dad," he answered honestly. 

"I'm useless then. Why would they keep me?" 

"Because by then you would have seen too much. They wouldn't risk letting you go. You'd probably get stuck with someone else holding you hostage. Really holding you hostage. You won't be playing Mario kart there," he rolled his eyes. "You have to listen and do as I say, Claire. It's to keep you safe, you already know that." 

"What are you gonna do? If someone tries taking me?" He contemplated answering me. I had a hunch he was going to lie. "Don't lie to me," I said before he answered. 

"There would probably be a fight. People helping us against people trying to take you," he shrugged. 

"And if they came here?" 

"They won't, nobody comes here and if they do, it's while I'm here. Which is why the guys from today left as soon as I came in." That made sense. Also probably explains why he rarely goes out. 

There was one unsaid question I was looking for an answer to. He knew what I was indirectly asking. "I don't think you wanna know the answer to the question you're hesitating to ask," he said while looking everywhere but at me. 

"If you don't tell me I'm just gonna ignore everything you explained to me." Completely false. 

He clenched and unclenched his jaw before looking around, contemplating telling me. He has to tell me. I need to know if something like that is going to happen on my account. Because of me. For me. I would never want that to happen, but that doesn't mean it couldn't. 

I hope he says no, why would he say yes? Why would he go so far? 

Say no, Leo. Please. 

"Yes, I might have to kill someone."

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Chapter nine

Yikes... that just took a turn

anyway...

next chapter: Responsibility