even if
"AUSTRALIA."
THE WORD CHOKES HER.
"This is the only place Kai cannot enter."
Her head begins to spin. "Australia," She whispers in panicked breaths. "Australia? No, I can't be this far away from my brother—"
Connor's patience is being put on a test as he listens to her complains. "I'll give you some hours to calm down and get used to this environment."
Aubrey pushes her hands into her hair and by the looks of it, she can be having a major mental breakdown. "Hell no!" She yells. "You are taking me home. I have a family and I am going back to them." She marches up to him, lifting her face close to his to seem threatening, "I refuse to be abducted."
Back when she was barely a teen but still charged with the responsibility of looking after Brady, she taught him how to stand up for himself in cases of bullying, now she is going to apply that.
Her threatening tactics doesn't seem to work on him since he gives her a plain reaction. "I don't care about the state your brother is in right now or whether he dies or not."
Aubrey's face scrunches up at his words. Connor takes a step closer, his face morphing into complete seriousness, "My life is in your hands and if you mess up, we are all doomed. So, I am going to do anything possible to keep you away from Kai. We are not going back to Mid-Bayern."
His words slowly settle in her mind and she frowns at him, "For heaven's sake, what in the world are you talking about?"
Connor sighs, putting his hands into his white hoodie. "Get cleaned up and meet me downstairs." Those are his words before he walks out the room.
She scoffs with a smile playing on her lips as tears sting in her eyes. She is unable to decide which emotion she is to put on in a terrible situation like this.
Aubrey numbly moves to sit on the bed with a perplexed look. Sitting there lifelessly, she can't help but wonder what moment it was that led her into this mess. Was it the little robbery on Friday night? Or could it be because she requested for the stolen toasted?
Aubrey sighs from her exhausting thoughts.
It all does not make sense. The events of last night only leaves her more confused and skeptic than before. She looks up at the white ceiling with annoyance; if they want her to listen to their foolish story, she will listen. Maybe then, they would be satisfied and leave her alone.
She gets up from the bed, moving towards the bathroom with the intention of complying with Connor just so he can let her go. She has to get back to her family after all.
In black trousers and a small, dark green top, she slowly walks down the stairs. She does not get the chance to fully drool over the beautiful structure of the Mansion as she is furious over her current situation.
She spots Connor standing in the kitchen with his back to her. She watches his posture for a while, carefully observing him as he takes out coffee and begins mixing it. After she makes sure he isn't up to anything crazy, she clears up her throat to announce her presence.
Connor turns around in an instant.
Aubrey notices something different in his facial expression. She sees his eyes move from her tied up hair down to her clothes then bare feet before he looks away, his Adam's apple bopping up and down. She doesn't question it, being more concerned about running back home.
He too clears his throat, walking towards the counter placing his coffee down. "Take a seat and drink that, I know you didn't eat what I set up for you. You need to eat." He gives her a straight look.
Aubrey doesn't even spare it a glance. "No, you could have poisoned it." There is a little edge to her voice and she does not bother to correct it.
While getting ready for the perceived tragic day, she deliberately passed by the food set on the bed and walked downstairs. She isn't going to eat anything from this unknown place until she gets out.
Connor sighs, "Fine, don't eat. Well at least sit." He commands, getting offended by her attitude.
Aubrey shakes her head, "No, thank you. I can stand listening to what you desperately need to tell me."
"For what I need to tell you, you need to sit."
Aubrey sighs, seeing how she is not getting anywhere with her escape. She reaches for a seat close to the kitchen but still a safe distance away from the tall, handsome man. "What is it?" She asks, once she settles into the chair.
He huffs out a breath, sitting at the kitchen counter and placing his intertwined fingers on it. He slowly brings his grey eyes to her frowning face, "I hope you hear me from where you're sitting."
Aubrey tries to ignore the coldness of the wooden chair and nods her head.
"Last night could have been your last on earth, if it wasn't for the tracker."
A smile forms on Aubrey's lip, "See, that's how I know all this is a lie." She says, crossing her legs. "I destroyed it. Right in front of my house. So don't tell me it still works." She gives him bored eyes.
He shakes his head. "We knew you were going to do that, which is why there's another infused in your neck."
Him saying those words so casually makes her panic as she reaches her hands up to her neck.
Then she remembers something weird happened that night before she left. She felt a painful sting at the back of her neck, only to turn back and see Gemma standing there so innocently, with her next words to be-
"You simply have a great neck."
She knew it was unusual to hear a compliment from her at such a moment.
She stares dumbstruck at Connor and he gives her a small smirk. "It's good you remember."
"You can't do that—" She begins to debate but he cuts her off.