The pills from the doctor are helping but make me feel tired and my mind is hazy. But the pain is less than hours before, so I will take the trade-off. I look up at Pierce and hope he will be the one to set me free.
His eyes are almost black they are so dark. Up close, I see light stubble covering a strong jawline. His hand is firm on my arm where our skin meets. He is guarded, and I can tell he doesn’t trust me. I desperately want to tell him that I saved him that night of our birthday. If I could remind him of his promise, maybe he wouldn’t be so wary of me.
I feel his stare on my face when I see the ocean for the first time. My jaw drops and my feet falter. It’s so beautiful that I almost forget the pain I’m in. I’m distracted by the salty smell of the humid air and don’t even notice a woman wrap her arms around me.
“Come on, we will get you cleaned up,” she says to me.
I try to look past her, to the ocean again. I have only ever seen it online or in magazines before. The blue and turquoise stretches as far as I can see. Living in the desert, the only body of water I saw was our fountain.
“Feed her too,” Pierce adds as I’m shuffled away from him.
From the runway, we walk the short distance to the massive house. White stone and mostly windows, it sits with a cliff on one side with palm trees surrounding it.
The first thing I notice about his house is how open it is. The living room is open to the ocean. Light curtains drift in the breeze. Two huge, crystal chandeliers hang over our heads, reflecting the sunlight. The stone floors stretch from one room to another without interruption. From the entry I can see a large kitchen at the back of the house.
It’s so different from my home but there are similarities as well. Like the men dressed in black, lurking around aimlessly. They carry themselves with a confidence and entitlement just like my family’s guards. Despite the openness of the home, there is still seclusion.
“This way,” the woman says, pulling me toward the stairs and up three flights.
“I’m the head housekeeper, Elizabeth. You can call me Eli. What’s your name?” she asks me.
Once again, I can’t make any sound. The air gets caught in my throat, and I choke on the words.
“You can’t speak?”
I shake my head sadly.
“Alright,” she says slowly. I can hear the suspicion in the words. She doesn’t trust me either.
She swings open a door and pulls me inside. A large four-poster bed sits in the corner of the room. A canopy hangs over the gold and white bedding. The wall opens to a balcony, and I can hear the waves crashing below. I wonder how long I will stay here.
“Mr. Gallo wants you close for some reason, so you’re up here for now. This will be your room.”
Eli ushers me to the attached bathroom and forces me to sit on a bench.
“You are filthy. And bloody. What the hell happened to you?”
I assume she doesn’t really expect an answer since she knows I can’t give her one. I watch her silently as she starts the water in the claw-foot bathtub.
“I found this for her to wear,” another voice says. Another younger woman joins us in the bathroom, a stack of clothes in her hands.
“Thanks, Julie,” Eli says. “Set them there and see if Roy can send up some soup.”
“Who is she?” Julie whispers to Eli.
“No idea. The girl is mute. Can’t speak. All I know is that they got her in Las Vegas and Mr. Gallo asked that she be placed in the room next to his.”
Both women turn to look at me, their eyes judging and curious. I wish I could offer some kind of explanation, but I can’t. Not only is my voice gone, but I’m not too sure of what’s actually happening.
“Someone banged her up pretty good,” Julie says. “Should we clean up some of these cuts?”
Eli takes my chin, turning my face to get a better look at me. Without warning, she pulls at the hem of the shirt I was wearing and pulls it over my head. A faint squeak of surprise escapes my throat, and I try to cover myself from the two strangers in the room.
“Get the kit and we will put something on these stitches after her bath.”
The women continue to talk about me like I’m not even there. I want to scream that I’m not deaf and can understand them. My throat is crushed, I’m not brainless.
I’m helped into the bath and the hot water feels perfect on my body. The pain is everywhere, but when I can float in the soapy water it’s not as bad. The two women continue to gossip, but I ignore them. I am used to being unseen and invisible.
“You think she’s one of those whores? If he got her Vegas?” Julie asks.
I glare at her, but she doesn’t notice. Eli scoffs and rolls her eyes.
“Mr. Gallo would never need to pay for a woman.”
I would have to agree with her there.
By the time the water runs cold, they have to lift me from the tub. My body is done for the day. All my strength runs down the drain with the water. Bones ache and my skin stings. I only barely cooperate as they try to dress me.
“Shit, it’s like trying to dress a sleeping child,” Julie hisses.
I fall backward on the bed, but Eli grabs my hands, pulling me back upright. I fade in and out as they dress me and apply bandages. I’m given another dose of pain medication before I drift into darkness, the sound of the ocean waves comforting me.
On my fifth morning here, I wake alone. The sun is starting to rise … or set. For four days, I stayed in this bed, barely waking as my body fights to heal. Food and drugs come regularly from Eli or Julie. Pierce never comes for me. I start to wonder if I imagined the whole thing.
My ribs ache as I roll over to look out the open windows. I fight the lonely feeling threatening to choke me. I’ve never been away from home, and now I’m across the country.
My home may have been confining but it was safe and all I have ever known.
I struggle to get out of the bed and walk to balcony. Looking down, the cliff drops to the ocean. The water crashes into jagged rocks. My heart aches when I think of my sisters. I will miss Poppy and Grandma the most.
Hiraeth (n.) a homesickness for a home to which you cannot return.
Did I make a huge mistake? Was my life so terrible back home? My father did everything in his power to see that I was protected. It may be extreme but it could be worse. If people are anything like the men that beat me up, then maybe he was just in his over protection.
My father will never allow me to come back. My family will never forgive me for leaving. I need Pierce now. I need to stay here with him because I have nowhere else to go.
I gave up my sisters, Cyrus, and even my hidden attic space. For what? A man that doesn’t want anything to do with me. I hoped for a spark of recognition when he saw me. I saw nothing but anger and suspicion. He has no intention on keeping those promises that pushed me to keep breathing when it felt like giving up. He has no reason to keep me or give me anything. I left a dangerous man only to be in the clutches of a different dangerous man. Pierce reminds me very much of my dad in some ways.
I was so foolish to go to Amethyst. She said our families were enemies. What would happen if Pierce ever found out who I really was? The very thing my father locked us away to avoid, and I just fed myself to the wolves.
“I wouldn’t think about jumping,” I hear from behind me. I spin around to find Pierce in the bedroom.
I try to tell him I wasn’t going to jump but nothing comes out. My throat hurts when I keep trying, so I just shake my head and step back inside.
Pierce watches me carefully, like I’m a dangerous animal. Like a snake ready to snap at any moment. We slowly circle each other, observing but keeping a distance. He is trying to see through me, and I’m trying to let him.
“Come with me.”
chapter seven
pierce
SHILOH QUICKLY LIMPS ahead of me toward the back patio. The dress she is wearing is too short. I can see too much skin when she moves. It’s distrac
ting. Instead of trying to see through her, I am looking at her.
Her eyes lit up when I suggested going down to the beach. Something about the way her eyes shone gripped me. My whole life I either give people money or trouble. It’s different to give someone something so simple that makes them happy.
I breathe in the salty air. This Bahama home is my favorite of all my houses. I love the water and the quiet of being on the island. It’s where I go to relax or clear my mind. As I exhale, I let out some of the anger that I’ve been harboring since the attack in Las Vegas.
I knew I wasn’t a friend in Las Vegas, but I didn’t expect an attack. The Blackards and their friends are more bitter than I thought.
Shiloh stops when her feet touch the sand. I watch her with fascination as she digs her toes under the grains. She inhales deeply, like the smell of the salty sea can heal her.
Nothing in the house impresses her like the span of the beach that stands before us. Not the home theater, the massive bedroom, or the high-tech kitchen. She must come from money if she didn’t so much as bat an eye at all the things my money can buy. She didn’t appear fazed by the armed guards on the property or the guns on their hips.
We stop inches from the water. I stand back and watch as a wave breaks and the water rushes over her feet. A smile spreads across her face as she sinks into the wet sand. She looks so young and innocent, amazed by dipping her feet in the water.
I know she can be dangerous. She comes from Vegas, where our enemies live. The Blackards are connected to almost every family with power or wealth on that side of the country. She must be wealthy and protected where she comes from.
As I watch her wade into the sea, I realize one thing is certain: someway, somehow this girl is connected to the Blackard family. Shiloh is from a family of crime and power, that is for sure. The real question is how powerful of a family? Marcus Blackard has no children. He and his mother run their kingdom. They have many friends though. Their dynasty spreads just as wide as our does. Why is she running from them and what will they do to get her back?
“Has she never been to a beach before?” Hans asks as he joins me.
“Doesn’t appear so.”
“I can’t figure out her angle. What does she want?”
“Safety. Freedom.”
“Will you take her to the States with us?”
I hear the disapproval in his voice. Hans thinks I should get rid of her. Maybe he is right, but I won’t. I want to keep her close.
“Yes. My secrets are safe with her when she is without a voice.”
“They will come for her if you are right, and she obviously has connections in Las Vegas.”
I nod and watch Shiloh glide into deeper water. The water laps around her bare knees. She bends over to trail her fingers on the surface.
“I plan on it. And when they do, I will trade for the dancer that saved my life.”
“You think that’s wise?”
I glare at Hans. I don’t like being questioned.
“What do you have to worry about? We are in the middle of an island, so she can’t rob me and escape. She is smaller than your baby sister. She can’t hurt me. Her throat has been crushed, so she can’t tell my secrets.”
Hans watches Shiloh. She looks harmless, but I don’t think she’s weak. I’m not going to throw her to wolves just yet. There’s too much to learn about the mysterious blond that showed up on my doorstep.
I will use her just as she wants to use me. Someone has to be looking for this pretty girl, unwilling to just let her go so easily.
Shiloh turns, her eyes wide and sparkling. I can’t decide what is more blue, her eyes or the ocean.
“Find her clothes. That fit properly,” I tell Hans. She is driving me crazy in the skimpy dress that is now soaked and clings to her body like a second skin.
He nods and leaves me on the beach with Shiloh. I unbutton my shirt, dropping it to the sand. I drop my phone and watch on top before slipping off my shoes and wading into the waves. Shiloh looks shocked to see me coming toward her.
When I meet her, waist deep in water, I hold her elbows and guide her into deeper waters. I feel the slight hesitation with each backward steps she takes. Her wide eyes stare up at me, confused and questioning.
“You trust me?” I ask as the water reaches her chest.
She doesn’t answer. Not even with her eyes.
She shouldn’t.
“Trust is something that needs to be earned,” I tell her.
Shiloh moves her hands to hold my forearms for balance as we move deeper. The waves crash into our bodies as the water reaches her neck.
“Trust me,” I whisper. She has no reason to, but I want her to.
I take another step, letting the current pull us further. Panic flashes across Shiloh’s face for a moment before she realizes I am holding her above water. She floats in my hands, body against mine under the surface.
The bruises are healing. They are fading into yellow from purple and dark blue. Light freckles dot her nose and cheekbones. There’s an innocence about her that I’m not sure if I should trust. I’m staring down into deep blue, like the ocean surrounding us.
“You can stay with me if you are loyal to me,” I tell her. “Just as I am keeping you safe now, I will continue to do so. You betray me, and I will let you go to be swept away in the ocean.”
Maybe I should let her drown. Maybe I should eliminate the risk she has on me. I won’t.
I can’t bring myself to let her go just yet. I have always trusted my instincts, and they are telling me to keep her close. Even my fingers tighten on her body, not wanting to chance letting her drift away with the ocean tide.
She looks into my eyes and nods. Her body is no longer tense with fear; it’s melting into me. Exactly what I need. She doesn’t need to speak to me for me to understand what she is thinking. This girl needs me and she knows it. I could use her, but I don’t need her. There’s a fear and desperation in her that will keep her in line.
I slowly pull us back toward the shore as Shiloh clings to me. I don’t need her to tell me she can’t swim to know it. I feel her unease in the tensing of her muscles. I know she needs me and trusts me by the way she holds on like her life depends on it.
Shiloh is wordless but not to me. I feel every word.
On the patio she wraps a towel around her shivering body. Her skin is fair, and I already notice the red from the sun starting to spread. Wet lashes frame her eyes as she watches a drop of water run down my bare chest.
“I am heading to the main island for supplies. I will be back in a few days,” I tell her.
She nods, but I see the worry.
“Eli and the rest of the staff will make sure you are taken care of while I’m gone.”
I watch her bruised neck as she swallows. I can’t take her anywhere when she looks like this. She needs more rest and time. I need time to clear my head and develop a solid plan.
I have revenge to plan, a girl to figure out, and a very important customer to land.
chapter eight
shiloh
I FINALLY LEAVE the room to explore while Pierce is away. Everything I just endured was to escape my own personal prison; I shouldn’t allow myself to be locked into another. Since Prince left the island, I’ve eaten my meals in here and kept to myself.
As I stretch and walk to the balcony, my body feels less sore than the day before. My ankle doesn’t like it when I put all my weight on it, but slowly the bruises are fading. My voice hasn’t returned. I try all day to speak but nothing comes out.
Quietly, like I have hundreds of times back home, I leave my room and walk the halls. I peek into the bedroom next to mine. A huge bed sits in the center of the room, facing the ocean view. The room is masculine, decorated in light grays and dark blues.
There are no other rooms on the top floor. On the second floor I find a few more guest bedrooms and a home theater. It’s the darkest room in the house with no windows. Rows of leather couches fac
e a huge screen. An old-fashioned popcorn machine sits in the corner.
On the main level is the living room and kitchen that I saw when I first came in. More bedrooms line one corridor and I figure they must be for the staff when I hear Julie’s voice coming from one. There is also a screened in porch near a massive pool that looks like it drops off the cliff.
I’m avoiding the few guards and Eli. They all look at me like I’m an intruder. Making my way down another corridor, I freeze when I see a door handle turning. I slip into a bathroom to avoid whoever it is.
The blond guard walks past me, typing on his phone and I hold my breath. He’s young, maybe even my age or just a few years older. After he passes I walk to the room he just left. The door is slightly ajar, so I don’t need to enter a code on the keypad to enter.
Once inside I see it’s an office. A large desk sits in the corner, the computer screen still on. Photographs of large cargo ships line the walls, each one with a plaque with the ships name and date. My father’s office looks similar but his photos are the airplanes that built our empire.
If Pierce is anything like my father, then I shouldn’t be in here. The hair stands on the back of my neck as I slowly backtrack. I only made the mistake once of being found in Dad’s office; James locked me up for three days afterward. I quickly leave the office, closing the door behind me.
The next few days are the same. I see a doctor that examines me but tells me nothing. I fear I will never speak again. I try to speak every day. Each time I fail I wonder if it’s a curse or a blessing. The purple ring around my throat has faded and the whites of my eyes are no longer red.
Roy made me tea a few times and though that soothes the ache, it doesn’t fix the damage. When I cry at night, it’s a silent cry; the only sound is my heavy breathing.
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