Chapter 18

Jaya decided to keep reading anyway. She wanted to find out for herself what happened to Cathy. She suspected Ivan wasn't telling her the whole truth about the unfortunate heroine's demise. So after a fitful sleep she woke to find Ivan already gone, rolled over and picked up the book. Apparently, he'd pushed it back through the bars while she slept. Perhaps encouraging her to continue her newfound literary pursuit.

Though it vexed her to give him anything, she was actually enjoying the book. With Haty ripping around the bedroom, running energetic circles and killing imaginary bugs, Jaya read comfortably, enjoying the morning sunlight filtering through the open balcony doors. She had just reached the part when Heathcliff returned to Wuthering Heights only to find Cathy married to another man when a servant entered the bedroom, followed by Keane.

"Psst, Haty," Jaya hissed urgently. She didn't trust the giant redhead and the man knew it. She could tell by the vague smirk playing around his thin lips. But he kept his eyes averted, his beefy arms crossed over his broad chest, tattoos popping and rippling all up his arms while Haty ran to Jaya. She scooped the kitty up and held her against her chest while sitting cross-legged on the mattress. She watched him warily, but he didn't move as he stood by the door and ignored both her and the servant while the servant approached the cage with Jaya's breakfast.

She was so used to the routine she accepted the food without thought and ate, setting aside what she couldn't finish. As usual, she had a brief thought that she shouldn't be settling into the routine of captivity, but it took too much energy. Especially when she was immediately hustled through the door, toward the washroom for her daily shower.

As Jaya took her shower, scrubbing her body, she thought about her feelings toward her captivity. She was bored, that was for damn sure. She was used to having the world at her fingertips, her agile brain constantly on alert for a new project. She was worried about Ivan's next mind-fuck. But- she wasn't stressed. She was eating and sleeping better than ever, her meals were well-balanced and she wasn't constantly terrified of the bogeyman breaking down her door and murdering her in her sleep. Because he'd already broken down her door and stolen her away.

She ran her hands over her body, feeling some of the new curves that were already starting to develop from the regular meals Ivan's people forced on her. She'd been enjoying a healthy selection of fruits and vegetables, meats and breads rather than her usual fare of whatever she remembered to grab in between jobs and whatever her pantry might happen to support at any given moment. Computer geeks weren't exactly known for healthy eating habits and Jaya was definitely of the breed. She regularly forgot to eat and when she remembered, she usually discovered an empty fridge.

Jaya slapped the shower handle off with a vicious swipe and stepped out of the state-of-the-art floor to ceiling marble shower stall. She was definitely growing complacent if she was having thoughts like these. After all, Ivan nearly raped her the night before. They were in a constant tug-of-war and she never knew which way she was going. If she became too satisfied under Ivan's care, she'd wind up dead.

She dried herself off, brushed out her thick hair and pulled on a pair of black leggings and a red sleeveless shirt she'd chosen from her wardrobe. There was a soft, warm breeze flowing from the open windows that she could enjoy from her cage.

"There you go again," Jaya growled at her reflection, taking a swipe at herself. "Enjoying your damn captivity. Maybe you should pick out your grave stone while you're at it, stupid."

She stomped back into the bedroom and into her cage, throwing herself down on her bed. She refused to look at either the servant or Keane again. Usually, once her needs were cared for, they would leave at this point in her morning anyway. She curled her arms beneath her chin and glared moodily toward the open balcony doors, wishing she could go outside.

"Do you require anything else?" the servant asked.

Jaya raised an eyebrow and twisted her head around. The servants didn't speak to her. She thought it was pretty clearly not allowed. She opened her mouth to reply, but Keane snapped at the woman to get out. She looked terrified for a moment, her gaze jumping from Jaya to him and then back. She bobbed her head at Jaya and then scurried off.

Jaya turned and shot the man a glare. "You're an asshole."

He gave her a nasty grin. "Might be an asshole, but I ain't caged up like a little canary."

"Fuck you," she snapped.

"You wish." He winked and flexed a bicep at her.

Jaya blinked and then started laughing. "What are you, like thirty-five? Is that the most mature reply you can come up with?"

He chortled in response showing a ton of shark-like teeth. "It's all I can give the boss's lady."

"Oh my god," she giggled and rolled her eyes.

He nodded and left, closing the door behind him. It took about two minutes after that for Jaya to realize that she never actually heard the click of her cage door when the servant had locked her back in. She gasped and flew to the opening, reaching for it automatically. Her hands shook as she took hold of the bars and pushed, swinging the door open. It wasn't locked. It wasn't even latched. The servant had forgotten to close her inside.

"Oh my god." Jaya's voice was hushed now as her brain flew. She had to force her scattering thoughts to organize. She was a highly intelligent woman, used to working rapidly through problems, but she'd been locked in two rooms for days on end, her brain slowing in the process. "Okay, I can do this." She snapped her fingers and glanced around for her cat. "Psst, Haty."

The kitten looked up from her dish, where she'd been eating her crunchies, and immediately abandoned the food to scamper over. Jaya bent over to scoop her up. She stood part way between freedom and caged captivity and worked the problem. The urge to simply run was so great she had to sit down on Ivan's bed and take several slow, steady breaths, so her brain could function properly.

"Okay," she whispered out loud. "They won't be back for hours, that gives us lots of time to plan." She glanced around the room and began mentally stockpiling and discarding each item her eyes fell on, based on its usefulness. She nodded sharply, stood up and headed for the closet, intent on finding a bag of some sort. "We're out of here, Haty. No more cages for us."