"It's okay, you are safe for now" he responded to my panic while still groping for his car keys. A skin tight pair of jeans has its own disadvantage. I looked at his face to find that same ignorance he had showed earlier. As if responding to my growing anxiety he looked at my face.

"You have to understand something" he spoke as he extended his arms and grabbed me by my shoulders. "You are safe with me, but I can't let you go after all that happened inside" He gestured towards the ghostly looking building which was a war zone some time back. Realizing my concerns and confusion his grip relaxed a little but was strong enough to stop me from running. He sighed. "Even if I let you go, you will be hunt down as you are a witness, and trust me honey they will not be as kind to you as I am".

Kind? My foot; if that was kindness what he showed inside, what would be the unkind? "Maya, that's my name" I felt irritated being referred as otherwise.

He looked amused and showed me inside the passenger seat of the car. That's how our one-sided introduction ended. We drove fast into the night towards the city. I looked at the dashboard that displayed the time nearing slowly to midnight.

"What were you doing there?"

I looked at him lost not realizing what he meant. He repeated his question and I was pulled back out of my thoughts. "I was there to meet someone".

"I see your choices are quite unusual, Maya. That didn't look like a place for a date.Was your date a drug peddler?" I guess I saw a smirk cross his handsome features.

I moved in my seat in protest "You got it wrong, I was here to meet a tipster, not a date".

He looked at me sharply, a glare crossed his face and I bet I could see his eyes turning golden brown before settling back to the midnight black color. I realized my mistake and immediately corrected myself "It's not what you are thinking. I am a journalist, a beat reporter precisely. I write about social issues and environment. I got a different assignment from a colleague and was supposed to meet him."

"What kind of social or environmental information were you about to share at such a deserted location, Maya. Would you like to throw some light on this?"

The way he mouthed my name made me very uneasy and pleasing at the same time. I must be a moron I thought. I replied with irritation wrapped in my voice "I don't see the need to share with you anything about my work or me" and I looked outside the window. I heard him chuckle and the back of my neck burnt with anxiety. Who is this guy?

"I am called Ronnie" he spoke. The way he introduced himself was quite unusual. I felt that this may not be his true name. I shivered a little. Was it the chill breeze coming in from the car window or was it the fact that somehow he knew everything that I was thinking, I am not so sure. "Ronnie; that's a good name" I mouthed.

He chuckled as if in agreement with me on my view of my stupid comment. I felt like an idiot.

"Where are we going?" I asked while looking for my cell phone inside my handbag which he had picked up on our way out of the storehouse.

"It's a calm place and quite safe; you need not call anyone right now, there is no need. I am sure no one would worry" he picked up my phone from the dashboard in front of him to show me and then kept it inside his jacket pocket. I looked desperately at him for a while and gave up. Something in my heart told me that I was totally screwed.

After almost an hour drive we came to a quite posh locality with huge villas and bungalows lined up on either side. As I frowned and look at him he responded "No I am not planning to break in if you are wondering. If you are curious then let me tell you that my friend owns the last house on the row. Whenever I am in town I put up here". As he spoke the car slowed down and entered into a small drive way that led to a handsome looking villa. My mouth was about to drop when I restrained myself from it. As we walked to the front door of the beautiful house I noticed that all the lights were put out. He again fished his pockets for the keys and produced one to unlock the massive door probably made from teak wood. As he switched on the lights I gazed at the plush cotemporary living room setup. I heard a sharp click realizing that the he locked the door and turned to find him putting the keys back in his jeans pockets. I was practically held locked up in a deserted house with an intimidating stranger.

He produced some clothes from the closets and offered some to me. My own attire looked like they have been dug out of an ancient relic site. So we both took the liberty to clean ourselves and put on fresh clothes. He handed me some packed food from the refrigerator and produced two juice cans from the kitchen. As we sat across each other on comfy sofas in lose home clothes and ate, realization dawned to me. I was just apparently safe till my captor decides otherwise. I understood that there was only one way out of this place and out of this man's grip. I needed to be friendly and convincing until he thinks that he can trust me and then I can make an escape at the first chance when he is inattentive. I might be thinking loud because he looked straight at me and gave a smile. The smile was both assuring and threatening. I moved uneasily in my seat as I played with the food crumbs on my plate.

"What exactly did happen back there?" I enquired.

"I don't speak about anything unless you do, it's a deal".

I exhaled sharply and responded "Okay. As I told you earlier it was a harmless meeting. The guy I was supposed to meet promised me some contacts. I am working on a report on progress of human trafficking cases. This guy knows some big shots who he thinks might be in it so he didn't want to meet in public."

"Hmm, I see. So you are not that harmless after all. Are you Maya?" he did it again, he uttered my name in a way that was provocative. His fingers played with his food, as if caressing and teasing it. I felt my ears burn and my cheeks blush. I could not help but look away from him. He did something to me, something that made me weak and flipped my heart and stomach in an enigmatic and primal dance. This was so wrong, I felt like dying.

After a pause he cleared his voice "In fact I think you are quite dangerous to keep my secret. But as I have decided to hold you for some time, there is no problem with a harmless chat."

I felt very intimidated and looked around the house in false hope of a way to escape. He laughed as I did and got up from his seat and walked to me. He sat beside me close enough so that our legs touched and held my hand in his fair and long fingers. His touch sent a pleasing jolt through my body and for a moment I could only think of surrendering in those strong arms kicking away every single reasonable worry or threat. With his other hand he held up my face and then ran his thumb gently over the line of my jaw.

"Don't panic sweetheart, I never intend to hurt you" as he spoke he drew his face close to me so that our lips were only inches apart. My eyes closed involuntarily and I found a calm settling over my body. I could almost feel his lips brushing against mine, but the feeling died out quickly.

I opened my eyes in reaction and found him sitting crossed legged on the couch lost in a deep thought, his eyes the color of emerald. I was surprised; I certainly remembered that he had black pupils. Is he wearing contacts now or earlier? His trance broke as his cell phone vibrated violently in his pajama pocket. He took it out and walk towards the kitchen for privacy.

I could hear his faint voice speaking over his phone. Curiosity took over and I walked to the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room partly. What I heard made me froze in my place. I was very right about this man. The conversation abruptly ended and I could hear his voice echoing in the empty house "Didn't anybody teach you manners?" Crap! I was caught eavesdropping. Before I could retreat to the couch he swiftly moved in front of me.