I stumbled a step back, needing to put as much space as possible between me and Tomas, but he took my retreat as an invitation and took a step towards me. I backtracked, a plan quickly forming with each step I took. As soon as I hit the sink, I grabbed the decorative vase and crashed it on Tomas's head. A ghost of a smile graced his lips as he stumbled down as quietly as he could. I did not have time to decipher the actions and feelings of a madman; unlike him, his personal assistant, who also doubled as his private bodyguard, was not easy to handle. If he were here, it would have been only a matter of minutes before he followed his master into the bathroom.
Charles remained unfazed in the bathtub, looking rather amused at the unfolding scene. I grabbed the keys to the cuffs from the ledge where they typically were and freed him from the cuffs and chains. I handed him a bathrobe and pointed to the window, not wanting to draw attention to ourselves. I could see feet shuffling behind the closed door, and I had very little hope that it was one of my guys. I shoved him towards the window, and he resisted, standing his ground, arms crossed over his chest. The robe slid open, revealing his impressive pectoral muscles that were bigger than mine and an eight-pack that looked unreal. My fingers trailed across his abdomen, the imminent danger long forgotten until I heard the handle jingle.
In a split second, I went from standing in my bathroom to free-falling to ground in Charles' arms. Considering my bathroom was only on the first floor, it was more of a jump than a free fall that ended up with me on top of Charles. He had used his body to cushion my fall, and I would have been distracted by his chivalry had it not been for the shouts emanating from my bathroom as his Personal assistant walked into our aftermath. I led Charles down an unexplored path that led to the underground section of the house, which very few people knew about. In accordance with my paranoid personality, I had taken meticulous care to ensure that I had the equivalent of an underground bunker in case of emergencies.
I moved the leaves and branches that were used to camouflage the entrance. I input my biometrics and released a sigh of relief as the automated door swung open, revealing glimpses of my luxurious basement. I pushed the still hesitating Charles in and quickly closed the door behind me, not caring to follow the man who lost his footing and tumbled down the stairs before curling into a ball at the foot of the staircase, case groaning in pain. He could have been screaming for all I cared; this room was soundproof, and only my biometrics could be used to gain access. I slowly regained my confidence now that I had a fortress between me and Tomas.
My basements ran underneath the entire mansion and had just as much square footage as the mansion above it. It had an indoor gym, which also doubled as a dance studio. I had fitted in a library which also doubled as a home office. There was a kitchen with a walk-in pantry that was fully stocked and a bedroom. The home office had ten monitors, each displaying feed from a different CCTV installed around the house. I jumped over the still groaning Charles and made my way to my office, wanting to see what my nightmare from the past was doing in my house unsupervised.
The first image that popped up on the screen was that of Tomas breaking my TV into a million pieces by jumping on it like the maniac that he was. My coffee table was already in shambles, and my sofa had been overturned, pillows strewn everywhere. He was slashing out as he had always done when he did not get his way. The pounding in my heart slowed to a steady beat as I watched him lose his mind. He had somehow grown taller, standing now at over six feet. Maturity looked good on him, his face getting more chiseled and defined with age. His personality, on the other hand, had not seen any improvements since the last time we spoke, seeing as how he was destroying my home after tracking me down across the country.
Although I avoided meeting any of my former high school classmates in person, I still stalked them on social media. I kept an eye out on their feed because I knew the moment Tomas came back, at least one of them would begin kissing his ass. In high school/I would have been an easy target because I was an outsider, had it not been for Tomas. A majority of the student body knew each other from their social circles, and therefore, when he came back, any one of them could tip me off. There had been no signs of him being home, which had blindsided me, but I had had six years to prepare myself for his return. I now had the backbone of wealthy parents, and I had taken up several martial arts and combat classes to make myself stronger. My fear of Tomas wasn't on the physical level, despite how hard I trained. He could break and remold my soul into a darker, dimmer version that could not be helped.
"Impressive setup you have," Charles said, walking into my office, talking in the various feeds being displayed. "If I did not know better would say you are a psychopath."
"And you think you have me figured out from our limited interactions...?"
"Figured out? Not really, but I know psychopaths when I see them. Like your dear friend in the bathroom, it's definitely a psycho who has probably killed a few people, too. He had that off-the-cliff wild look in his eyes. You have some light in your eyes, it's dim and red, but still something."
"For your information, I was diagnosed as a sociopath, so I am definitely not a psychopath. So, what are you an expert in?"
"A sociopath, well, that explains everything you have done so far. So what is your next plan after this with me?" he said, pointing to himself and him, he continued gesturing towards one of the monitors that showed the now tired Tomas being supported out of the house.
Tomas had left a wave of destruction in his wake. I could see blood dripping from his fingers and staining my white carpet, but his blood was the least concerning thing on the rag; it would have to be replaced. His personal assistant, Jeremy, who had been with him even during high school despite being four years older than Tomas, supported him as they made their way towards their car. I switched to the next screen, following them until they drove away.
Well, that was certainly very exciting, I said, heading to the opposite end of the room where there were stairs leading to the main house. This door could only be opened from the basement; it appeared as an ordinary floor tile on the other side. Charles followed me closely behind, unwilling to be shoved again, and I couldn't help but giggle at his childlike display of cowardice. The truth of the matter, despite all evidence to the contrary, was that he was much stronger than he seemed. He was also too calm for the situations he had been put in.