Chapter 29: Under His Skin

Arielle struggled to stay still in her seat as the car jostled back and forth in the road, hitting each pothole as they drove further from her home. Her eyes darted from window to window, pondering her fate and inspecting her surroundings to the best of her ability.

What could Lorenzo want with her? She wondered.

She blamed herself for being in this situation. She leaned on her own understanding and was all too trusting. She knew to think the best in everyone, but not without wisdom and guidance from the Lord.

So here she sat, wondering if she had simply stopped to ask God first, would she still be in this situation? Was there something bigger to this or was this all due to her lack of discernment in the past hour?

She thought to Meghan who had escaped the grasp of those who grabbed her and made a run for it. Arielle had stood still in shock in that moment. She could have turned and run too, but instead, she stood there, feet planted like a tall eucalyptus tree.

Oh how she desired to be seated under one of those and not on the squeaky uncomfortable leather seats of their car.

Lorenzo's eyes continued to look back at hers. They were cold and calculated. The coolness surpassed their natural blue hue to something more sinister.

Arielle watched as the trees of her small city slowly faded off into the distance and they were soon met with tall buildings yet again. Buildings that she hadn't seen in a while.

She felt more uneasy as the trip continued. A stirring in her gut caused her to want to curl into herself, but a small voice caught her attention.

"Pray," she heard.

With a small and gentle smile, she lowered her head a began to pray quietly. She first began to pray in her mind, but soon she was praying out loud.

She could feel something and she felt a sudden peace again and along with that a warmth. The vibration of the car and the bumpy roads seemed to melt away as she focused on Jesus. She could picture His eyes, much warmer than Lorenzo's, or anyone's for that matter.

A reflexive smile came upon her face and she continued to pray. "Cover and protect us, Lord. Soften the heart of my enemies. Show me favor in the eyes of those around me. Cover me under the shadow of Your wings and strengthen me with Your strength. Be my Rock and my firm foundation. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Shield my family, and my friends, and convict the heart of the wicked. Allow them to feel your conviction so strongly, that they can hardly stand under its weight- that they cry out to you in repentance. Turn them from their wicked ways and set the captives free. I praise You, God, because You are good. I love you, Abba because you loved me first. Thank you Father for loving me. Cover us-"

"Stop it." Lorenzo spat, but Arielle didn't catch it.

"Cover us, Father. Cover us, Abba." Arielle continued.

The car came to an abrupt stop, lurching her body forward, but to her gratitude, her face didn't hit the seat in front of her. Her hair messily fell forward as well, draping temporarily above her eyes, shielding them from his angry gaze.

"We're here." The car door swung open, allowing a large blow of wind to make its way in. Soon that gust grew stronger as brighter light showered her. Yet he quickly stood in her path, yanking her out roughly with the help of the guard who had sat quietly on her right.

"What do you want?" Arielle asked.

"Ah, a common question. Is there ever an answer adequate to satiate the inquirer?" He practically sang with a sarcastic tone to his words.

"The truth. That is what I'm asking for right now." Arielle spoke calmly.

"Hm..." Lorenzo looked her over, pondering more than Arielle could decipher on his face.

"So?" She pushed.

He yanked her arm harder as he pulled her further into the basement level of some building. Arielle's eyes looked up and down the parking garage, but there were only four cars, one being the one they just arrived in.

"So it's nothing you have to worry yourself about," Lorenzo seethed. His face uncovered the building irritation that he was experiencing while being questioned by her.

Arielle sighed and remained quiet. Angering a foe rarely bode well to her knowledge- she wasn't quite sure as she had never been in this predicament for herself, but from the stories she had heard, she decided to stop speaking.

Regardless of what she heard before, she decided to keep her mind on God.

Two large hands shoved her roughly into the small elevator, fitting the ambiance of everything else that was smaller there. The dim lighting in it flickered, begging to be changed for a newer, brighter bulb. Yet looking between Lorenzo and his guard, they were unphased, seemingly used to the unsteady environment.

It appeared to be a very hidden or secretive place. Dim and empty. It was sad too.

It was as if it were a representation of his heart and soul. Empty, lacking any sufficient light.

Yet the way he stood, pursing his lips, glaring into the metal sheath around them, he wasn't searching for it. It came across as if he enjoyed the darkness or he had found a home in it, a dependancy or familiarity toward it.

The elevator dinged as they reached a few floors up. Arielle saw the number nine highlighted in red just before the elevator doors opened. The hall was narrow, leading to double doors of a moderate height and width toward the end of the hall.

Only two more guards lined this hall, but it was barren besides them. It wouldn't surprise her if a tumbleweed pushed past the empty desk in front of them to roam the diminutive establishment.

"Stop fan gazing and move your feet," One of the guards practically snarled at Arielle. In her shock, she shuffled her feet, moving quicker to keep up with their pace.

As they made their way further down the hall, Arielle was hit with the nauseating scent of an overpowering cologne. It coated the air like a thick cloud and as they drew near the double doors, it grew in intensity. Her nose and brows scrunched in disgust before she could stop them, causing a chuckle to come from Lorenzo.

"Tragic, the garrish sensibilities of a pauper. Not used to fine scents I see. Alexander has deprived you of delectable smells, but even he could only wish to obtain the large the collection that I hold in my estate. It's custom-made by a perfumer that only works with the best of the best I see, avoiding our rivals to keep business booming," He spoke with a prideful grin.

"I don't think he would care that much," Arielle shrugged.

"Aren't you bold," Lorenzo's grin fell into a grim frown. "Get in." He shoved her into the larger office. She wondered if they had simply borrowed some of the office space, would the hall feel bigger?

"Lorenzo... What do you want?" Arielle asked slowly, searching his face for any possible sign of an answer.

"I'd much rather you call me by my surname. You have shown Alexander that much respect. What is wrong with you people- denying me the respect I rightly deserve!?" He slammed his fist on his desk. Arielle was taken aback. His emotions were beyond unstable. He went from a grin to a frown, to a calm tone, to yelling at her.

But she knew not to be too surprised, he kidnapped her after all.

"Mr. Denaliz. That's what you want me to call you by?" She asked.

Flustered, he blinked rapidly, smoothly his hair and his shirt before nodding quickly.

While clearing his throat he responded. "Yes."

"I can do that." She replied with a gentle smile, that was a stark contrast to the expressions on the faces of those around her.

"Good," his countenance hardened once more, but Arielle didn't lose hope. Unbeknownst to him, she had begun praying for him. God would save him and she would do what was necessary to be a holy vessel to speak to him.

The three sat in his office, quietly. It didn't take Arielle much observation to see that Lorenzo didn't come to a clean conclusion of his plan. He wanted to irritate Alexander, anger him, cause him to live in fear- and he had likely succeeded, but now that he had Arielle in his grasp, he appeared to be stuck. Similar to an author midway through their story.

He sat with his head in his hands, mumbling to himself. Arielle realized that he may have just recognized the gravity of his absurd choice to snatch her. Every other plan he had gone through with, didn't have a clear connection to him, and he would likely pay someone to not say a word- but this was in broad daylight. In his anger and lack of patience, he took her himself and a witness got away. There's no telling who else saw the two together in the car.

She felt calm though, it would likely be odd to a stranger, but not to her or to anyone who knew Him. Him being Jesus. As they all sat there, a plethora of worship music played in her mind, one after another, and she would sing along in her head, occasionally humming the tune. Yet Lorenzo, hearing her hum each time would glare over at her, daring her to continue.

To that she would continue humming. It wasn't intentional at first, but praising God made her feel safer and at home.

There was nothing she could do to get out without an altercation anyway and they had already tied her hands up. A guard was standing by the door too. He would occasionally throw glares her way, but more often than not, he seemed confused. Whether it was about Arielle's peaceful demeanor, Lorenzo's panic and ever-growing conviction, or if it was his own choice of employment- the man was noticeably puzzled.

So much so, that Lorenzo would yell small and progressively pettier demands toward him.

Starting with, "Contact Jay and see what's going on with him!" Which he had yelled in more of a bark.

It was soon followed by, "Focus. Stop mindlessly scrolling on your phone as if you have no sense!"

What Arielle found to be the most intriguing, was when he angrily demanded that the guard, "Stand up straight you insufferable oaf!"

She wasn't sure if she was in a corporate office or on a military base with how specific each command was becoming, but although Arielle had never stepped foot on a military base, she thought that the motives had to be different. Lorenzo's motives were fairly dark and unsettling.

His envy pushed him to a place of insanity. He did whatever he thought would torment those around him, but it became his own torment and his own turmoil. He made his bed, filling it with fear, rage, and pain. Yet now Arielle could see the emotions forming on his face.

As he rubbed at his brows and continued combing his hair back with his fingertips, she wondered if that was why his hairline had begun to recede rather lightly.

"Stop dissecting me with your eyes." Lorenzo snarled. Arielle quickly shot her eyes down, wondering if she had truly been watching him that long.

"I get that I'm not your handsome prince, Alexander, but you could show me some respect," he spat.

"I see that you're becoming stressed," Arielle replied softly.

"You don't say!?" He lashed out.

"Why?" Arielle asked, not taking offense to his tone or even the fact that she was in his office right then when she should be home, cooking dinner for her mother. Her stomach twisted at the thought of her mother coming home and not seeing her. Arielle hadn't been able to locate her phone and she surely didn't have any access to a phone at the moment. There was no way to tell her mother that she was okay.

She held on to hope that Meghan would alert the authorities and her mother. Alexander was likely to catch word soon too. She pleaded with the Lord inwardly that it wouldn't take too long. She didn't want her mother to fall into worry or fear. Although her faith was as strong, if not stronger than Arielle's- she didn't want to add more to her plate.

"Why? Why?" Lorenzo mocked Arielle's higher-pitched voice. "Maybe- just maybe, it's because- it's because..." his voice drifted off as his cool eyes darkened. The anger in him seemed unnatural, but so did the budding perplexity.

"You didn't think this far." Arielle concluded for him.

Lorenzo didn't answer.

"And now, I'm here." She continued while allowing her eyes to take in the large office space once more.

"Just shut up." His voice nearly came out as a growl. His anger was tangible. His cold eyes bored into hers and she knew he was at the brink of something. It would either be disaster or redemption. She couldn't push it too far too fast.

Arielle decided that was enough to be said for now. She knew not to poke a bear, so she began to pray again. Her mind remained focused on Christ. She could feel the presence of God there with her in the room. It was becoming stronger as her prayers continued.

She prayed for her safety, she prayed that God would continue to convict the heart of the man who sat before her so that she could get through to him, and she prayed that her loved ones would know of her whereabouts soon.

Arielle looked him over again and she knew to stay quiet for a while and to take the moment to pray because there was no doubt that she was beginning to get under his skin.