by Violet Howe
Her smile faded, and her eyes grew wary.
“Please, Bea. Do you know of a room like that here? Or do you know of any other place that might have a room that looks like that? It would probably be close by. Maybe an office building or something?”
“I would suggest you get in the shower, dear. The clock is ticking.”
“Please, I’m begging you. I understand that you’re simply trying to do your job. I respect that. And I also understand that in your opinion, I chose this situation when I married Victor, but just so you know, I didn’t know what I was marrying into. He hid all that from me. And yes, I should have taken more time to get to know him, certainly more time before marrying him, but none of that changes his dishonesty and that what he presented wasn’t true. I’m willing to pay the price for my mistake, but a man’s life is in danger right now because of me, and he doesn’t deserve to die.” My voice broke as my mind replayed the image of Seth beaten, bound, and gagged. “He tried to help me. He tried to protect me, and now, he’s being punished for my sins. He’s innocent in all this, Bea, and I can’t bear to have him suffer for me. Please? Do you have any idea where he might be? If there’s any way I could help him, or at the very least, if I could just get a message to him—to tell him I’m sorry. To tell him that I love him.”
She chuckled as she shook her head. “You’ve sentenced this man to his death, and now you want to sentence me to mine? You haven’t learned anything from your mistakes, it seems.”
“I mean you no harm at all, and I pray I haven’t sentenced Seth to his death. The only reason I’m agreeing to go with Victor is to save Seth. Victor promised he’ll get help for Seth’s injuries and that he’ll let him go if I get on the plane.”
“Are you really as foolish as you seem?” She cocked her head to one side as she crossed her arms. “After rejecting your husband, you rubbed it in his face that your love and loyalty is given freely to another man, and you think he’ll let that man live? You know less about this family’s lifestyle than you think you do.” She brushed me away with her hand as she turned to go, but then she stopped at the doorway and looked over her shoulder in my direction. “You’d best get moving, my dear. His patience has its limits, even for you.”
As I stepped beneath the stream of hot water, it wasn’t lost on me that my desire for a shower was what had spun everything out of control. If I hadn’t wanted so desperately to be clean, Seth wouldn’t have left the room, and we would have been together with at least a barrier of locked doors between us and the danger that lurked outside. Tristan’s men would have had more time to find Victor, and Seth would likely be uninjured and by my side still. I lay my cheek against the cool tile and tried to quell the panic inside me.
Would he release Seth as he’d promised? Would I have any way of knowing that Seth was okay? That my sacrifice had worked? Maybe I could insist on Victor providing proof. Pictures of Seth with a doctor, or even better, a call from Seth to let me know he’d been freed.
But Bea was right. Victor’s patience was wearing thin. I’d denied him. I’d rejected him. I’d revealed my hand, and I had no leverage left to make demands. I was certain now that I’d be forced on the plane whether I agreed or not, and Seth’s fate would be determined by Victor’s jealousy and need for revenge more than any action on my part.
What about my family, though? Could I at least buy their safety if I changed my attitude? Perhaps if I tried hard enough to charm Victor and go along with his plans, I could be convincing enough to negotiate their safety. It was the only straw left to grasp.
Images flooded my mind, and I shoved my fist in my mouth to keep from screaming in rage and pain. My sister smiling as she cradled her belly, my mother and father holding their first grandchild, Seth’s eyes vulnerable and unguarded as he’d looked at me on the dance floor tonight.
How could I save them all? How could I keep my mistake from touching them?
I had to play my part through to the end. I had to make Victor happy again. Get him on my side. I had to convince him that doing these favors for me would pay off for him in the end. It was obvious that what he thought was love for me was more of an obsession. I needed to use that to my advantage.
But could I do it? Could I fight my repulsion, my disgust, and my anger to make him believe that everything I’d said tonight wasn’t true?
He’d see right through me. He’d know I was lying. But would it matter? Was he morally bankrupt enough to not care why he had my devotion as long as he had it?
Something told me soothing his pride would go a long way. It was the only chance I had, and I knew I had to take it.
When I came out of the shower wrapped in a towel, Bea had the burgundy dress hanging on the linen closet door with a lace bra and panties in the same color laid out on the vanity counter. A pair of silver stiletto sandals sat on the floor beneath the dress, and a full collection of my usual make-up and cosmetic items sat ready on the counter, an eerie glimpse into how thoroughly Emmett had been in cataloging my life.
As much as I was willing to give my life for those I loved, I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to me. If I managed to soothe Victor’s anger during the flight, would I have a chance to escape once we arrived on his island? If I escaped, would he come after me? Not likely, since he couldn’t enter the country again once he’d departed. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t send someone to do his dirty work. I had no doubt his reach wouldn’t be diminished by distance.
What was my other option then? Ride it out and hope his feelings for me waned? Would it be possible for me to return if he tired of me? Or would he simply dispose of me when he was done? I didn’t know the standard breakup procedure for someone who had no qualms about killing.
I put on the bra and panties, forcing myself not to consider how they might be removed, and I stood staring at the burgundy dress when Bea knocked again.
“Need help with the dress?” she asked as she entered, not even waiting for a response to her knock. “We don’t have much longer, and he’ll be waiting downstairs.”
She pulled the dress from the hanger and unzipped it, and then she helped me put it over my head and shimmy it down my body before zipping it closed.
“You’ve no time for a blow-dry, so how about we do a nice braided up-do instead? Sit here and I’ll start your hair while you apply your make-up.”
I nodded and sat on the round padded stool she’d pulled from beneath the vanity counter.
“Must take hours to dry all this hair,” she said with an appreciative smile, her hands running through my hair as deftly as any hairdresser’s ever had. She had it braided and twisted around my head into a clever up-do before I’d even finished with my makeup. The sleek edginess had come with minimal effort, and I was so impressed I didn’t hesitate to accept when she offered to finish my makeup. I watched her in the mirror as she worked, blending shadows and executing a perfect cat-eye. She hummed softly, and a lump formed in my throat at the thought of my own mother. Would I ever see her again?
“Do you have daughters?” I asked Bea, and she nodded but offered no details. “I thought you must. Either that, or you’ve spent time working in a salon. Maybe both.”
She didn’t respond.
A loud knock on the door behind me brought forth a smile from Bea as my heart began to pound again.
“It’s time, my dear. Chin up,” she said, tucking her knuckle beneath my chin to gently guide me. “He’s quite smitten with you. I’d daresay if you play your cards right, you could probably get him to do most anything you wanted.”
“All I want is for him to let Seth go and leave my family to live in peace.”
Clucking her tongue, she released me and began to gather my cosmetics back into the bag, which she then added to the suitcase she had carefully repacked. “Come along now. Don’t keep him waiting and stoke his anger.”
She zipped the case closed and went to open the door, handing it off to the giant who stood waiting in the hall.
&nb
sp; I took a deep breath and laid my hand on my stomach, hoping to quell the ever-present nausea. Squaring my shoulders, I walked toward my fate, my sense of dread so heavy that I might as well have been walking to the executioner.
More images of Amy and my parents came to mind, and I focused on their faces with every step. I would do this for them. I would make it work to keep them safe and to protect them from my mistakes. Seth’s face floated before my eyes, and my step faltered, the narrow stiletto catching on the rug as my ankle gave way. My hand went out instinctively, and I latched onto the giant’s arm to keep from going down. The muscles beneath my hand were rock-hard and solid, and though I murmured an apology for grabbing him, I left my hand there, using his strength to steady myself as we walked toward the next chapter of my impossible life.
Seventeen
Victor stood at the bottom of the stairs talking with Ned and Franco, and they all turned as Bea cleared her throat.
His eyes swept over me, and his smile came easy, bringing forth an unwanted memory of another time when I’d come out in a similar dress, desiring his smile and his approval for much different reasons.
I released the giant’s arm to grasp the railing and begin my descent down the stairs. Victor rushed to meet me before I was even halfway down, taking me in his arms as his smile widened.
“Thank you,” he whispered against my ear. “You are the most beautiful woman in the world, and I am the luckiest man to hold you. I will make this up to you.”
He planted a kiss just beneath my earlobe, and I shuddered in repulsion, which he must have mistaken for desire judging by the look in his eyes.
As he escorted me the rest of the way down the stairs with his arm firmly ensconced around my waist, he nodded his head toward Ned and Franco.
“Finally,” Ned mumbled none too quietly as he followed Franco out the front door.
When we stepped outside, two black SUVs sat waiting. Two men I didn’t remember seeing before got into the second vehicle as Ned held the back passenger door of the first one open and Franco made his way around to the driver’s door.
The giant placed my suitcase in the back as Victor helped me into the back seat, and I struggled not to hyperventilate as the walls of the vehicle closed in around me and my freedom slipped farther away.
This time, Victor slid into the back seat next to me, his arm laid possessively across my thighs as his hand squeezed my knee and drew me closer to him. He turned his face toward me, his lips pursed and his eyes expectant, and I forced myself to grant him a kiss as I mentally repeated the names of my parents and my sister over and over again.
“I love you,” he said, reaching to caress my cheek. “I hate that you look terrified right now, and I wish I could erase your fears. It’s going to be all right. You’ll see, sweetness. Just give me a chance.”
I wanted to jerk my face away from his touch. I wanted to grasp at the door handle on the other side and jump from the vehicle. I wanted to headbutt him and jam my elbow into his crotch. But instead, I forced a smile and managed to bob my head in a quick nod, and then I turned away to look out the window, even though nothing of the dark night was visible through its tint.
When we reached the large gates at the entrance to the property, I expected Franco to turn left, taking us back the way Emmett had brought me when we came. Instead, we turned right, winding deeper into the neighborhood until there were no more houses or driveways at all, only trees.
My nerves were on high alert, tingling with fear and apprehension, and I struggled to sit still.
Victor’s hand moved gently back and forth across my knee, his fingers stroking my skin and making it crawl.
I bit down on the inside of my lip, willing myself not to slap his hand away and bolt from the vehicle. The only way I could protect my family was for Victor to want to make me happy. Their best outcome depended on his generosity. To achieve that, I needed him feeling affectionate and warm toward me.
But, God, it wasn’t easy. I was equal parts terrified and enraged, and to muster a smile for the person responsible for both took everything I had. I didn’t know how I’d ever find a way to move beyond that and make him believe I wanted his touch.
Soon, we came out of the trees, and the bright lights ahead revealed several large hangars surrounding a center expanse of concrete. All the hangars were dark except the last one on the right. Light poured onto the concrete from inside the hangar, illuminating the nose of a propeller plane parked inside. A helicopter sat in front of the open hangar, and beyond it, a small jet sat waiting with a set of stairs leading up to its open door.
My varying levels of panic throughout the night were nothing compared to the near-hysteria I felt seeing the plane that would carry me away from my family and toward my imprisonment and possible death. My body tensed, and I held my breath to keep from crying out.
Once Franco had parked the SUV near the helicopter, he and Ned exited. Franco opened the back hatch to retrieve my suitcase, and Ned moved to open the back door for Victor and me.
“Give us just a moment,” Victor said, pulling the door closed as Ned narrowed his eyes at me and frowned.
Victor cupped my face in his hand, and then he slid his fingers down to rest his palm on my neck as his thumb traced my jawline.
“I know this must be very hard for you,” he said, his eyes searching mine and his voice barely above a whisper. “I’m sorry that I’m causing you stress and unpleasantness. That was never my desire. I lost my temper with you, something I swore to myself I’d never do, and I did and said things I never should have. You must understand that you are my very life. I could no more fly away and leave you behind than I could take my heart from my body and leave it here. I promise, you’ll live a happy life with me. You will be loved, you will be cherished, and you will never want for anything.”
“Other than my family,” I whispered.
He frowned and moved to take my hands in his.
“Once we’re settled, they can come and visit any time they’d like,” he said, looking down at my hands and then lifting his gaze to smile at me. “I would very much like to meet them. To get to know them. I hope someday they can be my family, too.”
I resisted the urge to tell him that would never happen. I didn’t want my family anywhere near Victor or anyone connected to him.
Ned rapped on the window. “We need to get in the air, boss.”
Victor muttered a swear as he glanced toward Ned, but then he turned and flashed me his most charming smile. “Are you ready to fly away with me?”
Nothing in me was ready to get on a plane with a killer and leave everything I knew behind, but I squared my shoulders and nodded.
He opened the door and stepped out as I slid across the seat and swung my legs around to the side, hoping I could exit without flashing my lace panties to Ned.
Victor placed his hands on my waist, lifting me out and setting me on the ground. He pressed his lips to mine, his hands roaming across my backside with a slight squeeze before he released me.
Ned stood behind Victor with his arms crossed, his contempt for me obvious in his steely glare.
The three of us began to walk toward the plane. Franco walked ahead of us with my suitcase, and the two men from the SUV behind us each pushed a large wooden crate on wheels. With each step, my trepidation grew. My heart pounded so loudly that I feared Ned and Victor would both hear it.
I couldn’t get on that plane. Once I boarded, it was over. My life was done. I needed to think of a way out. Something, anything, to delay takeoff. I needed to buy more time in the hope that Tristan would somehow come through and be successful in his search. Maybe he’d even know how to find Seth.
Running was out of the question. It would be damned near impossible in the stiletto sandals I wore, but even if I’d been wearing sneakers, there was nowhere to go. The other hangars surrounding us were all closed and dark, and the well-lit expanse of concrete guaranteed I’d be running in the wide open with Victor and his men i
n close pursuit. My mind was all too eager to play out a scene of me getting shot in the back and falling face forward, and I quickly dismissed that thought and searched for a different option.
As we passed the open door that led into the hangar, I saw a restroom sign on the wall inside, and I seized the opportunity to buy a little time.
“I need to go the bathroom.”
“Here we go again,” Ned muttered.
“There’s a restroom on the plane,” Victor said, not slowing his stride in the least.
I stopped walking, pulling my hand from his. “I need to use the restroom now. This restroom. I don’t feel well, and I’d like a modicum of privacy.”
“Very well,” Victor said with an exasperated sigh. “Go ahead but be quick about it. Ned, wait with Danielle while Franco and I touch base with the pilot to make sure we’re set.”
Ned cursed loudly. “C’mon, boss. She’s playing you. Surely, you can see that. Why can’t she just pee on the plane?”
Victor moved so quickly that I didn’t know what was happening until he had Ned pinned against the wall of the hangar, his forearm against Ned’s throat.
“Enough!” Victor spat out, their noses almost touching as Victor pressed Ned harder into the wall. “You seem to have forgotten who I am and who you are while I was away. You will not disrespect me or my wife, no matter how many years you’ve spent by my side. Do I make myself clear?”
Ned nodded in response to the reminder, raising his hands in surrender, and I released the breath I’d been holding, shocked again by the volatility of Victor’s mood swings and the swiftness with which he turned to violence.
After releasing Ned, Victor took a step back, straightening the cuffs on his sleeves. He dipped his head toward his left shoulder and then his right, moaning quietly when his neck emitted a loud crack.