Beautiful No More

by MJ Nightingale

  Just then she saw a house, a small cabin, and glanced at the mileage. Spiro caught her looking. “Yes, Catarina. That should be the last house you see before we arrive. Its eight miles from my mother’s cabin. Very far. You do not have the proper attire to make it that far.”

  She slumped further in her seat. Eight miles was not impossible though. Her anger was building. She needed to keep her wits about her, and figure out a way.

  She heard him sigh next to her. “Catarina, please don’t try to run. I don’t want to be mad at you again.” His tone was menacing, and he could not meet her gaze.

  The word came out before she could stop herself. “Again?”

  “Marino. I saw you together several times. He looked at you the way I like to look at you. And you!” His voice was rising. “You looked at him the way I want you to look at me.”

  Cat remained silent. She didn’t want to provoke his anger. He continued. “I saw that episode of Forty-Eight Hours. I knew you did not break up. It was a ploy to lure me out, force me to go after him. That bastard ruined my life once. I wasn’t going to let him trick me again.”

  “He really ended it with me. I thought . . .”

  “Don’t lie to me.” His head whipped her way, his nostrils flared stretching his face grotesquely. She saw she was treading on dangerous ground. “Don’t ever lie to me. I watched for his car every night after that. He went to get you. Took him long enough. Brought you back to his mansion on that god forsaken island that he thought was so impenetrable. But I outsmarted him in the end. I rented that boat. Every day for a week I drove it in the bay. Saw you exercising. Saw the house next door had no activity. I parked it there for three days after I knew your routine. Waited for you to be on the dock. It was perfect. And today is Christmas. Perfect.” In the blink of an eye his anger had turned to joy. He was like a little boy who got what he wanted after begging for it.

  Cat felt the bile rising in her throat although she hadn’t eaten anything all day. Knowing he had been watching them for over a week, had followed Andreas to her hotel the week before, and the fact that they had all been unaware, made her stomach roll.

  She heard Spiro sigh. He turned onto an even narrower dirt road and the snow fall made it difficult to see much of it. Only the wind blowing made parts of it visible from time to time. He took several calming breaths before he spoke again. “But that’s over now. You will forget about him. And love me. Maybe even tonight.”

  Cat almost gagged. Tonight! He planned to use her body tonight. She had to think of a way out of this. Avoid his touch, or whatever else he had planned. She vowed to herself all those years ago, after testifying against this man’s father, that no man would use her body against her will again.

  The silence stretched between them for a few more minutes. “There it is. Home sweet home.” His voice was like that of a child again.

  Cat held back the emotion. She needed too. It was the only way she knew to get through what the future, and this night held for her. She willed her body and mind to become stone once more.

  * * *

  Spiro backed the car under the carport. It was nearly ten o’clock. “Stay here,” he said, and pulled on her cords, making sure they were affixed tightly to the steering column. Where was she going to go, she thought, grimly. He pocketed the keys. “It should stay warm in here until I get a fire going. No electricity, but there is a wood stove, fireplace. I’ll be quick. I want to uncover the furniture, and get it ready for you. I have not been here in nearly two years.”

  He looked at Catarina and saw fear in her eyes. He didn’t like seeing it. He felt his anger rising. He reached for her face. Held it between his two hands. “Don’t look at me that way, Catarina. I really don’t like it. I want to see your kind eyes.”

  Cat nodded fearfully and forced herself to smile. He was hurting her.

  His smile softened. “Be right back, my love.”

  As soon as he went inside the small cabin, she tried to loosen the ropes but her hands couldn’t move much. He had coiled the ropes around her wrists, and thumbs, and they also were tied to her ankles. She moved them as much as she could to get the blood flowing to her limbs. She glanced around the car to see if there was anything within reach, but she could only move about six inches. All she saw was trash from fast food chains littering the floorboards. She focused on her limbs, and slowly she felt the circulation improving in them. If she had to fight, or struggle, she would need to have use of them.

  She stared ahead at the long stretch of road they had come from, and the snow was falling faster. Her aerobic sneakers would not protect her feet for long if she had to run, and her clothes would not weather these conditions well. The car was already beginning to cool from the outside temperatures. Again, she felt lost, almost hopeless. But thinking about Andreas, the man she loved, she prayed he would find her. The ring nestled between her breasts felt heavy, but it gave her the courage to not give up. To keep trying to think of a way out.

  * * *

  The first thing Spiro did upon entering his mother’s cabin was to light a few of her old oil lamps. Once the brightness illuminated the darkness, he checked the fireplace. Stacked beside it was some dry kindling he had left the last time he had been here. He hustled over to the rustic brick fireplace, and opened the flue. Then using the gas can squirted a bit onto the wood so it would light more easily. He had the fire started and soon the place would be warm. It was a small cabin. Just a single room, and a small bathroom off of the kitchen area with just a sink, and toilet. When he had been here as a boy, they swam in the stream out back, or boiled water and washed up in a basin. Next he began to pull the sheets off the sparse furniture being careful to fold it and not stir up the dust. Then he picked up his mother’s old straw broom and set to removing the cobwebs he could see clinging from the exposed beams. He glanced at his watch. Fifteen minutes work, and the cabin was nearly ready.

  He went to the bed, which sat in the corner of the room. His mom’s bed. Now his. He had slept in the pull out trundle when they had been here. He pulled off the sheet covering it, then pulled down the bed spread. His excitement for tonight, and what he finally hoped to do with Catarina had his cock hardening in his pants. Not yet, he told himself, and tried to tamper his excitement. But soon. Soon.

  He turned and went to the high boy dresser, and opened the top drawer. Inside were two pairs of pajamas and a nightgown. A simple white covering. Old fashioned, but it would do. He took it out, and laid it on the bed. It smelled musty, but it would do for tonight. For Catarina.

  He began to feel the cabin warming. He would go get the supplies, bring them in, and then bring her in. His blood pumping in his veins, he hadn’t felt this alive in a very long time.

  * * *

  When Spiro opened the door for her, Cat was first hit by the musty smell, and wrinkled her nose. He noticed.

  “Sorry, but it will pass. You will get used to the smell. Tomorrow we can open the window, and air it out some.”

  Cat swallowed the lump in her throat. Tomorrow seemed like a long time away. He watched her as she glanced around the open area. She saw the bed in her peripheral vision; the white nightgown did not go unnoticed and she avoided looking in that direction.

  “So, there is the stove, and table and chairs,” he pointed to one corner of the room and against the wall was a small window that looked out into the darkness. It was the only window she could see, and below it was a sink, and small counter top. “And I have a small sofa here in front of the fire. That was my mom’s rocking chair. She liked to knit in it. Then I have some books on this shelf. I could get you some more if you like to read. No electricity though. Sorry. The door by the kitchen area, that’s a bathroom. No tub, or shower. But we have a basin, and we heat water on the stove for it.” His eyes swept the room to see if he had forgotten anything. “That’s about it,” he ended.

  Cat saw another door by the bedroom. “What’s that door?”

  He followed her gaze. “Oh, that’s a ro
ot cellar. Storage. And it goes outside too. But that’s locked. I always keep it locked.”

  She just remained quiet after that. Glancing behind her once at the door to the outside; she knew it was the only way.

  He saw her look at that door. “Oh, let me take care of this.” He turned, locked it from the inside. Slid the deadlock into place, and then pocketed the key.

  He turned around and clapped his hands. “So, you must be hungry. I have some soup. Let me warm that up. You go sit, and relax,” he pointed at the sofa. She walked slowly towards it, but glanced at the rocker instead. “Or the rocker. That’s fine, Catarina. I want you to feel at home.”

  She chose the rocker. Although he had untied her feet when he came to get her from the car, her hands were still tied together. As she sat quietly she examined the room more closely while she also watched Spiro put a few pieces of kindling in the stove. He opened up the cupboard under the sink, and took out what looked to be an old pot. He placed the pot in the sink and pumped water into it, rinsing it out. From a box on the table, he pulled out two cans of soup.

  “Mushroom, okay?” he asked.

  Cat shrugged her shoulders and nodded, never having tired it before. Her mouth was dry again. She would eat anything to prevent whatever he had planned next.

  “Could I have a drink?” she asked tentatively.

  “Oh, of course. Where are my manners?” He laughed nervously.

  He pulled out a bottle of water from the same box. He brought it over to her, and then looked down at her tied hands. She saw a flicker of doubt pass his eyes. He looked away. “I’m sorry. I just can’t trust you yet.” He twisted off the cap and brought the bottle to her lips. She took a small sip. He smiled, and put the cap back on. “Just let me know when you want more.” Pivoting on one foot, he turned back to the kitchen to prepare the soup.

  Opening up the pop top cans, he dumped the contents into the pot and placed it on the stove to warm, stirring it with a large wooden spoon. She watched as he set the table with two bowls, and two spoons, and he also put a bottle of water in front of one of them. He left hers beside her on the floor.

  “This won’t take long.” He lifted the lid on the pot and gave it another stir.

  Cat cleared her throat. She glanced at the bathroom. “Um, can, I go . . . to the restroom?”

  Spiro glanced at her. Then the bathroom. He let out his breath through clenched teeth. “There is no window in there. No way out.”

  “I just have to go. I’d like to wash my face and hands too.” His eyes narrowed and she didn’t look away.

  “I’ll untie your hands, Catarina. But as soon as you are finished I need to tie you again.

  “Okay?” He hated being so suspicious of her, but he didn’t want to risk losing her either.

  Cat nodded, and rose. She walked towards him, and when she got near, he pulled out a pocket knife from his pants pocket, and cut one of the ropes. The cords unraveled when he tugged on it. Dropping her hands to her sides quickly, she flexed her fingers, and the red marks on them burned with the release. “I’m sorry,” he said looking down at her hands. “I won’t tie it so tight for dinner.”

  He ushered Catarina over to the bathroom, and opened the door for her. “Don’t be long, okay.” She nodded silently, and turned into the tiny room. He shut the door for her. And she glanced at the back of it. There was no lock. And no window. Just a toilet and sink. Her dread grew.

  She heard him call out, “Just pull the chain to flush.” She nodded, even though she knew he couldn’t see her.

  * * *

  For dinner Spiro tied only one of her hands. He bound her wrist with the cord, and fastened the other end of it securely to the table inviting her to sit down afterwards.

  “You’ll be able to feed yourself,” he smiled at her like he had just given her the greatest of presents, his face stretching awkwardly. His eyes were overly bright. He turned to fill her bowl, and then set it on the table before her.

  Sighing, he sat across from her, his mood had brightened since she came out of the bathroom. He uncapped her water bottle, and when she looked down, she noticed he had buttered a slice of bread for her and folded it in half. It was placed beside her spoon.

  “Oh, Catarina. You do not know how many times I’ve dreamed of this.” He picked up his spoon, slid it into his bowl and took his first taste. He savored it a moment before going on. “So many times I’ve dreamed of having you here. Sharing a meal together, like this.” He used one hand to indicate the room before them.

  She couldn’t help but to glance. She saw the bed. The nightgown. She shuddered.

  “Eat,” he commanded. “You have not eaten all day, and you will need your energy.”

  She tore her head away from the bed and focused on Spiro. He was staring at her hard. She nodded, and reached for the water bottle taking a small sip. Her stomach was in turmoil. “Eat,” he repeated. This time his voice dropped to a deadly whisper. She picked up her spoon, and jerked it into her bowl trying to disguise the tremors.

  “Eat, Catarina. Please,” he urged again. She was terrified. It was the way he was looking at her. She brought the spoon to her mouth, her hand shaking the whole while. She couldn’t hide her fears any longer, although she knew seeing that was making him angrier. She saw the flare of his nostrils. But something within her told her she was running out of time.

  His hand hit the table hard, and everything on it shook, her water bottle almost toppled over. She popped the spoon in her mouth, and swallowed the thick brew. She forced herself to swallow it even though she felt like she wanted to gag. It was thick and vile. She dropped her spoon. Reached for her water quickly. Took a longer swallow, some dribbling out the side of her mouth. She tried to wipe it away as he watched her, but she forgot that her other hand was tied. Seeing his frustration rising, she was quick to apologize. “I’ll eat the bread.” She put the bottle down, picked up the slice of bread and took two small bites. Her hand shook less.

  “You don’t like the soup?” His eyebrows drew together in question.

  She glanced at it. She didn’t think she could manage to eat it. “I’m sorry. I never had it before. But I tried it. For you,” she added hastily. Taking another bite of the soft bread she chewed and swallowed. She didn’t want to think him ungrateful.

  “Well, if that’s it, then I won’t make it again.” He pushed his own bowl away. He looked at the bed, and smiled at her.

  She just kept her eyes on him, trying to gauge his next step. She chewed and swallowed taking smaller and smaller bites. She was desperate to delay the inevitable. “Could I have another piece of bread?” she asked.

  He smiled and jumped up to get her one. “Of course.” He handed it to her. He had smeared butter on this one as well. Then sitting across from her he just watched her eat. His chin leaning against his hand, elbow on the table.

  Cat nibbled her bread, and Spiro watched her. She prolonged it as long as she dared taking occasional sips of her water.

  It was nearly midnight when she glanced at her small wristwatch. He saw the small movement. “You can’t be tired?” He laughed at his own joke. “You slept all day.”

  The meal she consumed threatened to come up. The terror she felt at what might come next was beginning to break her down once more. She could think of nothing else to do in that moment, other than to beg. “Spiro, please,” she beseeched. “Don’t force me. Don’t do this.”

  He pushed back out of his chair, the wood creaking as he stood up unfolding himself from his former position. His eyes became hard.

  “Catarina, you loved me once. I know you did. And you’ll love me again. I’m sorry, but this,” he indicated the bed with a sweep of his hands, “our consummation of this love, is long overdue.” He stomped over to the bed, picked up the nightgown, and came back. He pulled her up from her chair, jerked her towards him, so she was forced to lean into him.

  His voice had gone from childlike, to plaintive, to rough in an instant. “You will spread tho
se legs for me tonight, Catarina. Knowing that you let Andreas there still burns me. But, I’ll forgive you. After.” He crushed his lips against hers. The feel of his wiry longish hair and the smell of his breath had her trying to turn her head, but one of his arms came up to pull her face to his so that she could not turn from him. He held her head in a very powerful vise. She felt his tongue seeking entrance, and heard his growl of disappointment, so with tears streaking down her face, she opened her mouth. He immediately plunged inside, and tasted her. She moved her head in time to his movements. And his tight grip began to relax.

  When he pushed his hard cock against her abdomen, she willed her body to not move back as he ground himself into her. When he broke the kiss for a breath, he was heaving, gasping for breath. “Catarina, that was better. Much better.” He began to untie her hand. “Go change while I clean up. No underwear though. You won’t need it.” He turned from her and began to clean up the kitchen area. Slowly, she turned and walked to the bathroom, her hand instinctively reaching towards the ring hidden underneath her shirt.

  Her heart was breaking. This was not supposed to be how this day ended. Not at all.

  She was at her breaking point, and she felt the darkness closing in around her. Only thoughts of Andreas kept her growing. She loved him, and because of that love, she knew she could not be stone again.

  Chapter 36

  Alvarez Security

  As soon as the doors to the private jet were open, Andreas and his brothers were off the plane walking down the steps to the Tarmac. The cold blast of air that met them failed to reach Andreas. He had only one thing on his mind. Getting his woman. Getting Cat.