I Told My Stepbrother to Kidnap His Crush, So He Kidnapped Me Chapter 07

I Told My Stepbrother to Kidnap His Crush, So He Kidnapped Me Chapter 07

I pushed myself up and looked around. 

A room with no windows. 

It looked familiar. 

Wait. 

It did. 

Had I been here before? 

I got out of bed–wait, a bed–and looked around. 

On the desk was a green notebook. On the cover, in 

fancy script: [Willow Creek.] 

I flipped it open. Lots of stamp marks. 

At the bottom: [Mint iced tea! So good!] 

That looked like my handwriting. My notebook. If I 

remembered right, I’d gotten it last summer in Willow Creek. 

Outside the Willow Creek Museum, I’d donated to an AED 

fundraiser. The Red Cross volunteer gave me this notebook. 

Free stamps if you bought it. 

I’d stamped a bunch. Then I’d journaled about my trip- 

what was fun, what tasted good. 

I frowned. 

I kept looking. 

Found more of my stuff. 

When I found a whittled wooden bird I’d bought in Sandy 

Creek Old Town, it hit me. This was the country estate- 

Hillside Estate. 

Over the summer, I’d gotten a weird urge to try 

gardening. You can’t really garden in the city. I told Blake, and he gave me a key. 

To this place. 

Big yard. Perfect for vegetables. 

I’d moved out here for a bit. 

Didn’t even last two days before my friends invited me 

on a trip. 

I’d left all my stuff here and stayed for the rest of the 

summer. 

I didn’t hang out in the basement much, so I didn’t 

recognize it. 

How did I get here? 

walked to the door and stepped out. 

A living room. Empty. 

In the distance, at the tea table, a man sat. 

He was making coffee. The air smelled like fresh roast. 

He heard the door and turned. “Awake?” 

I walked over and sat next to him. 

He poured me a cup. 

I held the warm cup and asked, “How did I get here?” 

“Kidnapped.” 

“…What?” 

He repeated patiently, “From the movie theater.” 

“What??” 

I was shocked. “You drugged me?” 

He stood up, casting a shadow over me. 

I had to tilt my head back to see his face. 

He leaned down, caging me between him and the chair. 

“Yeah. Isn’t that your advice? If you want someone, take 

them home?” 

He brushed a strand of hair from my temple, his voice 

low and soft. 

“Any other questions, babe?” 

The last word rolled off his tongue, warm and intimate. 

I swallowed. Had no idea what to say. 

He tucked the hair behind my ear, his warm fingertip pressing lightly against my lips. 

“If not… I’m going to start.”