“Throw them in!” are the last words Delia hears before she’s thrown onto the floor. The door slams shut. With her wrists now free, she yanks the cloth bag from her head. Gagging her was quite troublesome for the criminals as she kept snapping her teeth at their fingers. So, they threw a bag over her head—god—she had never felt fear like that in her entire life. They put their rough hands on her arms and dragged her out of the suite. She screamed for her life, but no help came. They even made lewd comments regarding her weighty chest. They didn’t try to cop a feel, which she was thankful for—if she could even afford to be grateful in this plight.

Delia blinks, wiping the water from her eyes. They were jailed in this hotel room? …If she could even call it that. No desk or chair to be seen—just a small, naked mattress and a jacuzzi tub in this windowless room. She knew it wouldn’t have been wise to keep any sheets in the room if this was to act as a prison cell—they could be used as weapons in a variety of ways, and, with a large man such as Theo, could be used effectively. She could assume that the bathroom would be the same. These criminals have ties with the hotel—the furniture left in the room matched the style of the décor in the suite made it obvious.

She turns to Theo, observing as he scans the dimly lit room. His face is anxious and tense. Delia didn’t know Theo for very long, but it seems unnatural for him to bear this dark of an expression.

“Fucking assholes didn’t even let me finish my steak,” Theo grumbles beneath his breath.

“That’s your biggest concern?! And not the fact that we were both thrown into this hovel.”

“I get pissed when I’m hungry.”

“You could have eaten the steak in the restaurant instead of packaging it up to go.”

Theo crosses his arms. “And watch you eat?”

Delia scoffs, “I’ll beg your pardon—eggs are food from the divine thank you very much! And like you’re one to talk, Satan Sprinkles.”

Theo raises a finger to comment but puts his hand down realizing this wasn’t a discussion worth having. “Now isn’t the time to discuss your grotesque fancies. There are other things worth focusing on.” He heads to the door, rattling the lock with an iron grip. He grunts, upset that he can’t budge the handle. “Bastards have us locked pretty tight.”

“I can see that.” Delia sighs, she didn’t expect him to break the handle in two with his bare hands. Panic fills Delia’s frame as the disparity of her predicament catches up with her. Whatever brief reprieve this was, she wanted it back.

Theo’s frown deepens before he takes a look around the room. “These guys could be pissed about Oli’s change of heart—using both you and I as collateral for his betrayal.”

“Oli’s with these guys?!” She couldn’t believe what was happening, this is exactly what she warned her grandmother about! She knew that Oli's trifles hadn’t been fixed, despite her grandmother's claims that there were. Her soft-spot for her moody and dramatic grandson had left her blind to the most obvious plot this was. Theo had to be right—what other reason would they kidnap her?

“Oli was with them, yes. They are called the Odious Oranges, if I remember correctly. He broke it off with them when he settled with Delius.”

“Odious oranges? Really?" Her brow crinkles. "And he didn’t think that would make these guys angry that he just broke it off with them to date their target?!”

A brief smile flashes across his face, “You assume Oli thinks? That’s a good one.”

“Everybody has thoughts.”

“Not Oli. He wouldn’t give two shits if the world collapsed around him.”

“Then how do you know he isn’t trying to finish the job? It’d be strange if Oli wasn’t pissed about being disinherited—he’d need to swap Deel with another Firthe to keep the peace…and that Firthe is…me.”

“Oli’s not smart enough to think ahead. Besides, he’s oblivious, not malicious.” Theo pauses, staring at Delia. “You might be right about the hostage thing though. Since the gang couldn’t get Delius, they thought you’d be a fair trade.”

“Why would you say that?!” Delia growls. “I’m trying to stay calm and you’re not helping!”

“You literally said the same thing seconds ago!” Theo massages his fingers against his forehead. “What makes no sense is why I’m wrapped up in all of this.”

“They didn’t tell you anything?”

“They…managed to immobilize my movement with some kind of drug.” Theo rubs his neck—did they inject him with something? But he seems fine now? “All I remember is that they planned to kill me at first, but then they thought of something much more suiting for me—so they kept me alive. I’m guessing that drug was how they planned to get away with the murder.”

Delia’s stomach drops as she clasps her mouth. She…she can’t believe this.

This had to be some kind of fucked up dream.

Theo turns his gaze to Delia. “I wasn’t trying to make you feel worse, but it’d be indecent to lie about our situation. Just know that I won’t let them separate us. I don’t trust they’d be cordial with a lady of your physique.”

“God, just shut up!” Delia’s cheeks flush. “Nothing out of your mouth has been remotely helpful!”

Theo lifts his hands up in frustration. “Are you deaf—I said I wouldn’t let them lay harm to you!”

“But here I am, kidnapped and soon to be enslaved.” Delia huffs as she flops on top of the queen-sized mattress.

Theo lets out a heavy sigh, “And ungrateful too.”

She doesn’t retort. There was no point in reasoning with him.

Wish a hard fist to the wall, Theo cusses under his breath.

“Fucking Oli...he said he handled everything.”

There wasn’t any use rehashing that conversation. Delia sits on the mattress, staring at her knees as she lowers her head.

Both turn their attention to the screech of a metal latch opening—a tray with plastic plates appear. Theo storms up to the door in a fury, snatching the tray from the opening. She would have joined him, but her reaction time was feeble. Delia gawks when he sits down on the bed and shovels what looks to be sirloin chunks mixed with mashed potato into his mouth.

“Seeing you eat like that is nauseating.”

“Do you see any utensils?” Theo talks with his mouth full as he rolls his eyes. “Eat your meal before I do.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Suit yourself,” Theo says as he dumps her food onto his. Delia shudders when he pulls out a mini pepper packet from his pocket, sprinkling it onto the slop he’s created.

Delia lets out a disgruntled moan as she rakes her fingers through her hair. How the hell is she going to survive captivity in here? With HIM? At least the bed was big enough for them both. She's not a monster, she’d let him at least share the bed with her. She had no worries being around the man, he clearly made it obvious he wasn’t attracted to her. It makes her more furious that she’s irritated by that thought. No, that's a good thing—she doesn’t have to worry about any unwanted and uninterrupted advances. Guh! They've only been in captivity for what felt like over an hour and she’s already growing stir-crazy! God knows it could be going on midnight by now…there was no way of telling!

Delia heads to the bathroom—she can’t stand Theo's lip-smacking any longer. She closes the door while staring at herself in the mirror. Her eyeliner created dark circles under her damp tear-filled eyes. She’s glad that she didn’t try to doll herself up for the date. She turns on the tap, letting the water run for a handful of minutes before splashing water into her face. She needed to do something to calm herself down. With a swift motion, Delia drenches her face with warm water, patting her cheeks dry with the edge of her lilac-coloured dress—as there aren’t any towels in this room. She only notices the toilet paper sitting on the floor when she already marked her dress with smudges of eyeliner.

She turns off the taps, only to hear another one running. That didn’t make any sense—unless—Theo was filling the jacuzzi tub? Good god, was Theo going to bathe right now? She was in the bathroom for a while but it didn’t give him the excuse to just take a bath without her consent. She wasn’t ready to see him naked!