—Ellie— There wasn’t a clock anywhere in the room, but it must have been early afternoon by now. Except for the cold pizza and the tap water, I hadn’t had anything to eat or drink. Maybe this was another part of Tristan’s game. The sound of knocking followed by the lock being turned made me face the door. I winced at the dull pain in my forearm. A teenage boy in fight shorts and a T-shirt stepped into my room. He had slightly longer curly brown hair and was lean but muscled. “Hey,” he said hesitantly, brown eyes kind. “Tristan sent me to get you.” I didn’t move from my spot at the window. “What are you, his servant?” The boy smiled an unguarded, honest smile. A smile few could afford in our circles. “I’m his youngest brother, but that’s as good as the same in Tristan’s eyes.” He opened the door wider and gestured for me to walk through. I wondered what he would do if I refused to follow him. He was taller than me and definit
—Tristan— I headed for the utility cupboard. Savio leaned against the bar, nursing a drink and his bruised ego. “Next time you should pay more attention.” He glared. “I think from the two of us, you have more reason to worry. She’s yours, not mine. Wait till she tries to boil your dick.” “I can control Eleanor. Don’t worry.” I took a mop and a bucket out of the closet before I returned into the kitchen. Eleanor stood at exactly the same spot, frowning down at the floor. I handed her the bucket and the mop, which she both took without protest. She avoided my eyes as she set out to fill the bucket with water and put it down on the ground. It became apparent pretty quickly that she had never wielded a mop in her life. She used too much water, flooding the floor. Leaning against the counter, I watched her in silence. She should have taken a rag, gotten down on her knees, and cleaned the floor properly, but I knew her pride would stop he
—Ellie— The next morning I took a quick shower, holding my arm out of the stall so it wouldn’t get wet. The painkillers had helped with the sting. I hadn’t expected that kind of consideration from Remo, and I suspected he had ulterior motives for the gesture. The sound of the lock startled me, and I quickly put another one of Kate’s long summer dresses on before I stepped out of the bathroom, my hair still damp and barefoot. Tristan stood with his arms crossed in front of the window, tall and dark and brooding like the love interest in romance movies. He turned and scanned my body. It was unsettling how physical his gaze felt on my skin. “I’m taking you outside for a walk in the gardens.” I raised my eyebrows. “Why?” “Would you prefer to spend your captivity holed up in here?” “No, but I’m wary of your motives.” He smiled darkly. “I want to keep you sound of mind and body. It would be a shame if these four walls bro
—Ellie— The lock clicked and I quickly sat up, bracing myself. I wouldn’t allow Tristan to catch me by surprise again. My eyes widened when Fabian stepped inside, carrying a plate. I stood. Why was he here? Would he help me? Fabian regarded my face then shook his head as if he could read my mind. “I’m bringing you dinner.” He came in but left the door ajar, and I wondered why he did it. I doubted it was so I could run. Was he worried of being alone in a room with me? “Here,” he held out the plate with steaming mac and cheese to me. I glared. “Do you remember how you, Mateo and I played together? Do you remember how you and him pretended to be my protectors? Do you remember that?” For a moment we did nothing but stare at each other, but he didn’t allow me to glimpse behind his emotionless mask. With a sigh, he walked past me and put the plate down on my nightstand. “You should eat,” he said firmly. I whirled around to face him
—Ellie— I was still in bed when the lock turned and didn’t have time to sit up before Tristan stepped inside the room. Feeling vulnerable lying in the bed, I pushed into a sitting position. He regarded me with an intent expression. I was only in a chemise and shorts and was acutely aware of how little the fabric covered. Swallowing my nerves, I got out of bed, not wanting to show weakness. His eyes followed my every move, lingering on my breasts. My body betrayed me as my nipples hardened in the cool air. “I’m fairly sure God designed your body to drive men into insanity,” Tristan said darkly. Stifling the excited thrill his words sent through me, I retorted, “You believe in God?” “No. I don’t. But looking at you, I could turn into a believer.” I huffed. “There’s a cozy warm place in Hell reserved just for you.” “I’ve burned before.” I slanted him a look. He’d said the same words before, and I wondered what exactly he
—Ellie— It was around lunchtime when someone knocked. I hadn’t seen Tristan since he’d brought me back to my room after my call with Mateo yesterday. Savio brought me breakfast in the morning without a word. He was probably still pissed. Kate opened the door with a shy smile and two bags in her hands. “I bought clothes for you. I hope they fit.” She stepped in followed by Damian. I hopped off the windowsill. My limbs were starting to feel sluggish from lack of use. I’d worked out almost daily before my kidnapping, and now all I did was sit around. “I assume that means my stay won’t be ending anytime soon,” I said bitterly. Kate sighed. “I don’t know.” My eyes moved over to Damian, who looked his usual stoic self, not that I had expected an answer from him. Kate held the bags out to me. “I got you sandals and a pair of sneakers. A few pairs of shorts, tops, and dresses. And underwear. I really hope I got the right size
—Tristan— As promised, I picked Ellie up at seven so she could run with me. Usually I preferred to do my morning run alone, but I couldn’t resist her presence. Ellie had put on shorts, a T-shirt, and sneakers. She followed me quietly through the house but stopped when I led her toward the driveway. “Where are we going?” “We’re going running, like I said. Did you think I do my laps in the garden?” I opened the door to my Bugatti SUV for her, and she got in without another word. I got behind the wheel and pulled down the driveway, feeling her eyes on me. I enjoyed her confusion. I took us to a trail in a nearby canyon where I’d run before. Soon it would be too warm, but this early in the morning the temperature was perfect for running. Ellie followed me out of the car and looked around the gravel parking lot. We were the only people around. Her eyes were assessing and attentive. She’d try something, and I had to admit I couldn’t wai
—Tristan— I called Salvador in the afternoon. He picked up after the second ring, his voice cold and hard but with an underlying tension that gave me a thrill. “Salvador, I wanted to ask when you were going to fulfill my demand.” “I won’t, just as you intended. I don’t have time for your games, Tristan. This is between us, between you and me. Why don’t we meet in person,and settle this like men.” “You want to duel me? How archaic of you, Salvador. You didn’t strike me as the primitive type.” “I’ll gladly convince you of the contrary.” I almost agreed because the idea of shoving my knife over and over into the cold fish was too fucking enticing. Fighting him would have been a highlight. Since cutting Luca into bite-sized pieces was out of the question for now, Salvador was the opponent I longed for. There was only one thing I wanted more than killing him: having Ellie in every way possible and destroying him through her. “We will