Alone with a lunatic

Imagine the horror of being in a locked car. Now imagine being trapped by a psychopathic, spoiled billionaire who holds a grudge against you—scared enough? If not, imagine him driving the vehicle recklessly at a dangerous speed. That’s what was happening to me.  
I kicked the driver’s seat. “Where are you taking me?” I asked Nathan for the fifth time. That pompous lunatic had been sitting in silence since the moment he got control of the wheel. “You know that taking someone against their will is a crime.” 
Again, there was complete silence from Nathan’s side. The thunderclap synchronized with the evilness stirring up in Nathan’s head and whatever cruel thing he wanted to do to me. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nathan could control the weather with his brain. Only God could save me now. But God only helps those who help themselves. I had to do something to get out of there. 
“Aaa!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, banging my fists on the car’s rear window, attempting to attract the attention of someone. A car was right behind us. The eyes of its driver were in my direction, but he was acting like I was a ghost to him. What was wrong with people? Where was humanity? Why did all of a sudden no one wanted to help me? I looked back, glaring at Nathan. “Your driver didn’t listen to me, and the man behind us refuses to acknowledge me. Do you own everyone and everything here? Or are you involved in the dark arts?”  
“None.” Nathan finally opened his goddamn mouth. “That man is not ignoring you. He can’t see you. The rear windows are all tinted. And most of my employees, especially my driver, listen to me.” 
I couldn’t believe his insolence. “And what was in your ears before that prevented you from listening and replying to me? I will not sit in silence, Nathan, while you kidnap me. I understand you are not used to hearing no, but you can’t hurt someone because they rejected you. Seek help if you’re having murderous thoughts about me. God will not forgive you for taking an innocent life. Think about it.” 
God must have listened to my prayers or my strong reminder of an afterlife, and morality had affected Nathan because he stopped the car and parked it on the side of the road.  
“Get off right now. You have two minutes to exit this vehicle,” he said.  
Baffled, I scanned my environment. It was a wide, empty road surrounded by the woods. I could see the intent behind the so-called generous option he was giving me. It would be suicide to be on foot and all alone in the middle of nowhere. A bear or some other wild animal could attack me and tear me into pieces.  
“Take me to the city. I don’t have a death wish,” I demanded.  
“As you wish,” said Nathan, staring at the car and immediately speeding like the nutcase he was. “I will leave you outside the boundary of my home, and you will have ten seconds to exit the car before I leave.” 
“Why do I have so much less time to do everything? Won’t you be coming inside your own home?” I asked. 
“No.” came a dry response.  
“What should I tell your parents if they ask about you? When will you be back?” I questioned, out of decency.  
“It’s none of their business. Refuse to accept that you were with me. I came here without telling them and brought my mother’s car. So, they won’t find much in the CCTV camera footage,” he replied.  
Nathan’s responses had begun to add to my anxiety. What if his actual plan was to end his own life? What if he was one of those mad people who could hurt themselves to get what they wanted?  
I placed my hands on the back of his seat. Touching his shoulder would be too much, so I moved my head forward through the space between the two front seats. His facial muscles were so stressed. If a person could murder with an expression, he had exactly that one on his face. “Nathan, I know I don’t have any right to meddle in your life... As a fellow human, your employee, and someone you shared a short-lived connection with, I must remind you that you are very ill. You have a condition where you temporarily lose your ability to walk. What if it happens while you are driving alone?” 
Nathan took a sharp turn without slowing down, and we almost hit a tree.  
“What is wrong with you? We could have died,” I yelled at him. “Why are you acting so childish?” 
“What are you talking about? As a skilled driver, I have never had an accident. I am trying to get us to the city as fast as possible. I don’t have any time to waste,” Nathan said calmly.  
“Drop the act. You did that purposely to scare me. I was only being a good person by reminding you of the dangers of driving alone as a partially disabled person.” I leaned back in my seat and pouted. “Fine, do whatever you wish. There is no place for kindness in this world. I won’t say a word from now on.” 
Nathan chose silence instead of hitting back with a snarky response. Without a doubt, he was possessed. The only difference was that the thing that had taken control of his brain was not a demon but his twisted alter ego.  
We drove without saying a word for a while. Nathan stopped somewhere. I could see giant walls from a distance. “You can get off now. I won’t get any closer to my home.” 
Furious, I immediately reached for the door, but something stopped me from opening it. Dammit, my caring heart was making things difficult for me again.  
“I can’t let you go by yourself. If anything were to happen to you, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself,” I said. 
“Is that your final decision?” Nathan asked rudely, without any appreciation for my concern. 
Why couldn’t I say no and move on with my life? Not having Nathan around would make everything much easier for me at the Sinclair estate. Why did I care so much? It couldn’t be love or something close to that. He didn’t deserve my feelings. I was only doing that out of humanity.  
“Yes.” I closed my fingers tightly into a fist. “I want to go with you.” 
The car began to move. That time, Nathan chose to drive responsibly at an appropriate speed. Even though I had no idea where we were headed, I decided to stay with him. Without my phone, I was completely reliant on him. Was it a smart decision? Maybe not, but I had to keep faith in him for the last time.  
“Amelia,” Nathan took my name.  
“Yes,” I immediately responded. 
“Why are you in this car with me? You had the chance to escape. Why didn’t you run away? I thought you were afraid that I was about to kidnap or murder you?” he asked. 
My gaze dropped to my lap, and I rubbed my thighs in uncertainty. I didn’t have a clear answer to his question. “If I had let you go by yourself and you would have gotten hurt, your parents would have blamed me for everything. I had to choose between jail time and trusting you.” 
Nathan burst into laughter. “I am amused at how you see me as the safer choice. You barely know me. What if I am taking you to a torture house?” 
My heart dropped at those words. I pressed my hands on my chest, trying to calm myself. “Don’t say that, please. My biggest fear in life is getting kidnapped or murdered. The mafia is already after me. Do you want to do them a favor? Or do you hate my guts for turning you down?” 
“Um...” Nathan started. “You may not be my favorite person in the world, but I don’t hold a grudge against you. I wanted a woman to make me fall for him. I lost interest the moment you turned down my proposal. You can breathe and live normally without fear now. I don’t have any desire to hurt you.” 
I wouldn’t lie. It hurt a little. Deep down, my stupid heart wanted him to care. I had to push those meaningless feelings down. I was a responsible adult, not a teenager. My feelings should be in my control.  
“Thank you for clearing that up,” I expressed. “Where are you taking me then? It seemed like you had no intention of letting me go until I asked.” 
“You’ll find out,” Nathan spoke. His mood had improved drastically. “It will take us around twenty more minutes to get there. I want to share something I have never shown anyone else.” 
“What is it? I thought you had already shown me that,” I jested. 
“I wasn’t a virgin when we slept together. So, no. You’re wrong,” he replied sarcastically.  
My cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “I wasn’t referring to sex.” I touched my forehead. “My bad! I should have completed the joke. It wasn’t that obvious. I was talking about a little extra generosity and a genuine smile.” 
“Yes. That too,” he said. “But this is a place. A place that contains a piece of me. It’s sacred to me. I have never allowed anyone to enter it.” 
My curiosity increased with every word he said about it. What was that place? I gulped as a dark thought entered my brain. I prayed to God that he wasn’t holding people captive or some other creepy thing.