Chapter Four - Who Is Nikolas Ardolf?

Brooklyn gazed at him with a shocked expression on her face as she slowly shook her head. She did not know who Nikolas Ardolf was! Although she had never heard of him, she felt a little relieved that he wasn’t a criminal, that he wasn’t Jimmy Black. But the question that was upmost on her mind was why was he after her?

“I fucking don’t believe this! Haven’t you heard of me?” His furious glare was enough to make her cower with fear. If he was angry before, he was seething with fury now at her ignorance. Brooklyn’s eyes widened with fear and dread, as she didn’t have any idea what he had planned to do with her!

“No, I haven’t. So, why are you after my life? What did I ever do to you?” She trembled like a leaf at the far end of the room, her back flat against the wall behind her. Nikolas gave her a look of contempt and then slowly walked towards her, wanting nothing more than to teach her a lesson. He hated women, and this girl was no better. She was a nuisance, and the faster he dealt with her, the better.

Brooklyn’s eyes widened, seeing him approach her stealthily like a tiger on the prowl. Would he stab her to death or would he take out his vengeance in another way? No, she wouldn’t fear him. She would look him in the eye and demand an answer to her question. That was the only way out of this situation. She would be brave. Saying a silent prayer, Brooklyn stood straight as she gathered all her inner strengths to face the devil, her eyes flashing with defiance. She looked him straight in the eye and, for a moment, making him look a little taken aback at her stance. He stopped inches away from her, his hazel eyes watching her like a hawk, but Brooklyn didn’t cower anymore. She stared back, her hands balled into fists, ready for war.

“Don’t show me this attitude! Stay within your limits!” he gritted out, his eyes flashing with anger.

“I will revolt. Why have you kept me here against my will?” she screamed, losing her composure. “I want to go home.” She raised her hands to push him away and run for the door, but he was too strong for her. He caught her hands in one of his own and pinned them roughly over her head, his eyes flashing with a mad fury.

“How dare you answer back? I can crush you in seconds if you disobey me.” He tightened his hold on her hands while the other hand gripped her throat, making Brooklyn’s eyes widen with fear and she closed her eyes, waiting for the worst. Would he throttle her now? A tear fell from her eyes at the thought of Brandon. He wouldn’t know of her death and would look for her everywhere. No, she would have to fight the devil and escape.

“Let me go, you monster, or I’ll run away from here again,” she screamed hysterically. Nikolas was now too angry to think straight, and his body trembled with fury at her insolence. No one had the audacity to defy him in all his twenty-nine years of life. He was the king and now this young teenage girl insulted him in ways he couldn’t accept, so in his fury he tightened his hold on her throat, making her choke.

“You want to see what a monster I can be? I swear that you’ll plead for death instead,” he yelled furiously, shaking with anger while Brooklyn sputtered and gasped for air and tried to tell him he was hurting her, but no words came out of her mouth. Hungry, dazed, and completely exhausted, her body gave way and her head reeled from the torture. She gasped for the last time and sagged into Nikolas’s arms, unconscious and helpless.

It startled Nikolas back to his senses, and he released her immediately. His arms wrapped around her delicate body and he picked her up in his arms. Laying her gently on the bed, he could not comprehend what had happened to her suddenly. He had never been around women and did not know that his sheer animal strength could kill a delicate girl like her. Hypnotized, he stared at her milky white skin, at the flushed pink cheeks, at the full, kissable lips and the teardrop trickling down her eyes and something stirred in his ruthless heart.

He sighed and got up from the bed. No, he wouldn’t soften. She deserved this for what her brother had done to him. No one can get away from his clutches! He strode out of the room and locked it behind him. “Bruce,” he yelled again and in a minute, Bruce came rushing to him.

“Yes, sir.” Bruce warily glanced at the closed door.

“Ask Kathy to come up and revive the girl and give her something to eat.” He walked away without another word, leaving Bruce gaping at him wordlessly. His boss was never concerned about what he ate or didn’t eat, yet he was always concerned about what this girl ate. Their plan wasn’t to abduct her, but to monitor her so that they could grab her brother when he showed up. But now everything was a mess, and they were criminals in the eyes of law. He dragged his feet to the kitchen, wondering what his boss had done to the poor girl to make her unconscious. He sighed, knowing what they were doing was very wrong since she was innocent in all this, and punishing her for her brother’s crimes wasn’t right at all.

Kathy Browning, their middle-aged cook, was busy serving her master’s breakfast when a lost Bruce entered the kitchen. “What happened to you? Don’t tell me you’re hungry again?” she asked with a chuckle.

“No, I’m not. Sir wants you to go check the girl in the guest room. She’s unconscious and hungry.” Bruce massaged his temples and sagged into a chair. Kathy looked shocked hearing the information.

“What girl? Are you drunk?” Kathy continued with her tasks, not taking him seriously. She knew her master hated women and in all her ten years of working here, she had never seen or heard of any women in and around the property. She was the only woman employee of Nikolas Ardolf!

“Sir has abducted a girl. Please don’t ask me anything else. I’ll take his breakfast to his room while you check on the girl. Here’s the key to her room.” Bruce got up and handed her the keys to Brooklyn’s room. Kathy took the keys and walked towards the guest room, bubbling with curiosity. She unlocked the door and went into the eerily quiet room.

The moment her eyes fell upon the delicate and beautiful girl lying on the bed, she felt a maternal tug at her heart. She looked so young and innocent that Kathy wanted to protect her from her ruthless master. She didn’t have any idea why he had abducted her. Had she committed a crime? Would he kill her? That wouldn’t be fair at all. She walked to the bedside and her jaws dropped to the floor, as she had never seen a creature more beautiful than her in her entire lifetime. No wonder the cold Nikolas Ardolf had melted seeing her beauty! It was too much for any man to ignore. It was out of this world! She went to the washroom to get some water to sprinkle on the unconscious girl as she needed to be revived first.

Coming back, she sprinkled water on her face and the girl sputtered and took a deep breath. Then she opened her eyes and looked around with fright. “It’s okay, dear. It’s just me, calm down,” said the middle-aged housekeeper, stroking the girl’s hair out of her face. Wide, scared doe-shaped eyes stared back at her and then looked around again, as if searching for someone.

“It’s okay, dear. He’s gone. Are you okay?” Kathy’s heart went out to the helpless girl. Brooklyn focussed upon the kind woman beside her and sighed with relief.

“Who are you?” she whispered, her voice trembling a little. Kathy handed her a bottle of water to drink.

“I’m Kathy. I’ll get you something to eat.” Kathy got up to leave, but Brooklyn caught her hand with fear, not letting her.

“Please don’t go, he’ll kill me,” she whispered with fright. Kathy felt bad for the young girl and she sat down beside her.

“Don’t worry, dear. Everything will be alright. Just have faith in God. You have done nothing wrong, have you?” she asked and Brooklyn shook her head. “I’m sure sir will realize his mistake and release you soon.”

“I’m losing faith in God. He hates me, he never helps me,” said Brooklyn brokenly as tears stung at her eyes while her throat choked with fear. Kathy stroked her hair to calm her down.

“Never lose faith, my dear. I’m sure God has some bigger plans for your welfare. Just be strong and don’t break down whatever comes your way.” Brooklyn gazed back at the good-natured woman, but a feeling of dread washed over her. What good could come out of this? She knew she wouldn’t stay here for long at the mercy of a devil. Escape was the only thing on her mind now, but she didn’t tell Kathy. Nodding slowly, she looked away in case she saw through her plans. This time, she knew that she would have to plan her escape.

“What’s your name?” asked Kathy eagerly. Her face looked familiar, as if she knew someone who resembled her.

“Brooklyn, Brooklyn Davis.”

“Aren’t you Brandon’s sister?” Brooklyn’s mouth hung open with shock as she gaped at the older woman. How did she know Brandon?