Chapter 8 His Warnings

• Demi
• I stare at him, shocked that he so openly admitted that he stalked me. He said it in a way that makes it sound like it is a normal thing to do. Still, I’m curious.
• “How long did you spend watching me during the day?” I ask.
• He sits back and gets comfy.
• “Mondays. You get up at six-thirty, shower until seven, and do your hair and such until seven-thirty. At which point you make breakfast. Mondays are typically yoghurt and fruit. After eating, you leave and walk down to Sycamore Road, where you work at the estate agents’ office. Twelve thirty, you leave and go to the bakers. On a Monday, you get an egg and bacon sandwich before walking back to work. You finish work at four thirty, go to the bakers and get a doughnut and a chocolate eclair. Which you eat on the way to the gym.” My eyes widen at his words, and he continues.
• “You spend ten minutes on the rowing machine in the gym, another ten minutes on the bike, and then you do approximately fifteen reps on the leg press, another fifteen on the leg extension machine. After that, you do about thirty reps on the tricep extension machine.” He smiles at me. “Once you have done all that, you head home, always taking the same path. You walk in, strip as soon as you do and walk to the shower naked,” he smirks, and I gawp.
• Well…Shit.
• “I can explain the other days of the week if you would like,” he asks, and my head shakes.
• “No thanks,” I whisper, and he laughs.
• “I saw a wild, chaotic woman the first time I met you, Demi, but outside of that? You’re very structured and stick to routine, which is great, but there are a few things to consider.”
• I nod and wait. “If I could follow you and learn your entire routine and what routes you take, a stranger could. Your curtains are see-through, and I saw you naked every day, so anyone else can. Change up your routine and go a different way. You’re predictable, and it made it easy. Next time I kidnap you, I want it to be a challenge,” he says while smirking.
• “Okay, I get the point,” I reply.
• “Headphones are great, but we got in your apartment without you hearing. They stood behind you for a while and planned who would do what, and you didn’t hear. Be more cautious of it,” he explains, and I nod.
• I’ve never noticed. But hearing him give a detailed description of what I do on Monday in the gym and what I eat makes me feel like a fool for not being more careful.
• In the future, I will be, especially with changing the route I take to places. The room falls quiet, and I consider everything that he said. He stalked me, not just to find an easy way to kidnap me. He stalked me to the point he probably knew everything about my life.
• “You’re quiet. I know it is strange that I essentially stalked you for a month and watched you sleep some nights. It was all innocent, though, I promise,” Demitri says as he smiles at me, and I laugh.
• “When is stalking ever innocent?” I ask.
• “When I get told I have to kidnap a person back. I like to be thorough without the chance of a mistake. Unlike your friend who kidnapped me and not your boyfriend,” he explains, and I guess he’s right.
• I said they made it look easy in movies, and it wasn’t easy at all.
• “He’s not my boyfriend anymore,” I explain.
• “Oh, that saves a lot of awkwardness then, and you won’t care when I kill him,” he laughs, and I stare at him. Is that a joke? I wait and realise it isn’t. He actually meant that.
• “Your boyfriend set fire to one of my warehouses. Now, I can deal with losing the items inside. I can’t deal with the attention it has received from several law enforcement agencies, who are now deep in my business and making it hard for me,” he explains, and I laugh.
• “He wouldn’t do that. You have the wrong guy. Dean is nothing like that at all,” he wouldn’t. I don’t think. I watch as he moves and turns the laptop to face me.
• “Do you know this man?” He points, and my head shakes.
• “No, why?” I don’t recognise him. I continue to watch and see Dean walk over and sit with him. My eyes stay on it, and I watch him hand over money—a lot of money.
• “See, the man in that video was the lookout and driver. The person who paid him to be, and set my warehouse on fire, is sitting with him in that video,” he smirks at me. “Your ex-boyfriend was offended that you kidnapped and fucked me. Apparently, highly offended,” he laughs, and I just gawp.
• Is Dean really that stupid to retaliate against the Don of the Cosa Nostra? Apparently so, which makes no sense as he was cheating on me, so why did he care?
• Forgetting about Dean, I consider this. What is happening now, and what Demitri expects going forward? I’m not sure I’m comfortable with it. Actually, I know that I’m not.
• “Why do you want me to kidnap you again? Surely, we should stop while it is still fun and not complicated. If we continue this kidnapping game, there’s a chance we’ll ruin the fun we’ve already had.” I don’t want that. It was fun, spur of the moment. “I kidnapped you by mistake. You kidnapped me back because I said it. Surely that is it?”
• His smile widens. “Why would we stop when we clearly have a good thing going, Doll? Plus, me taking you wasn’t as fun as I had hoped. You made it too easy,” he smirks, and I groan. “I like a challenge, Demi, so you have a month to get your plan together and kidnap me. Then, I am hoping I can’t get to you so easily.”
• Okay, kidnapping me was easy, as everything I do is the same constantly.
• “I can’t kidnap you, Demitri. My friend won’t agree to kidnapping you, even if I say you agree. There’s too much risk involved, like one of your guys shooting them.” No one is going to be foolish enough to agree to kidnap him.
• “I’m sure you will find a way,” he smirked, and I groan.
• “You realise if you want to fuck me again, you could just be normal and…oh, I don’t know, ask.” I laugh slightly.
• “Where’s the fun in that? Actually, answer me this. Which would you enjoy more, the time you kidnapped me or if I showed up tomorrow at your place and we fucked?”
• Okay, fine, I enjoyed it more. Sure, I thought it was Dean, but it was fun. It was a thrill and added to it. Still, how the hell can I kidnap him? To be fair, we managed it once before. So surely I can do it again? I know a time frame for where he will be. I’ll also know where he lives, considering we’re here and I will leave soon.
• “Okay, so I have a month. What happens if I fail?” I ask, more interested in that side of things.
• “Oh, I get to keep you,” he says calmly, like it’s a normal thing. I just sit and gawp at him. “Are you against that?”
• No, but also yes. It depends on what he means by he gets to keep me. Then again, I want to try even harder to win to prove that I can do it, as he clearly thinks I will fail.
• “Okay, I’ll agree. What do I get if I do kidnap you successfully?” I ask, and he laughs.
• “Consider it. Whatever you want, you can have. A holiday, you can have it. A diamond ring, you can have it. A new car, I will buy it. You decide, and let me know when you kidnap me.” My eyes roll. I won’t ask for something that costs money. That’s fucked up.