Then what? He needed to have something else to focus on and there was plenty of work at the company to go around—I certainly needed help, and I didn’t want to have to rely on anyone else. Even if he didn’t help out much, there were things I didn’t trust people outside of our family to handle—things that I used to trust Wyatt with—and it had been a hard year with Reynard’s obsession taking over his life.
“Alright, I’ll be back in a little while.” Reynard walked back into the living room wearing his best suit. “It’s about time for her to eat again if you want to feed her—but she shouldn’t get anything for free.”
“Right…” I nodded and watched as he left.
I really didn’t want to interact with Lizzy. She saw my face when I talked to her the night we took her,
but I wasn’t sure if she would even remember me. It really wouldn’t matter. I was an accomplice, regardless, if she saw me in a lineup, she would probably be able to pick me out. I walked over to the screen and sipped my drink as I watched her in the cage. Despite my desire to do nothing more than make sure she was still alive when Reynard returned, the thought of her starving didn’t exactly sit well with me. In my heart-of-hearts, I knew she deserved to be punished—and I knew we were in too deep to ever try to involve the authorities at that point, but I didn’t want to see her suffer the same way Reynard did.
Fuck. I guess I can feed her at least.
I went to the kitchen and made a couple of sandwiches. I wasn’t much of a cook—I had a butler to handle that for me. Reynard preferred isolation and didn’t like having any sort of staff around. I found a tray sitting on the counter and loaded it up with sandwiches, chips, a few pieces of fruit, and some drinks. I assumed the cola in the fridge was for her since Reynard didn’t drink anything that wasn’t alcoholic. I carried the tray to the room where she was being held and took a deep breath as I removed the key from the wall and pushed it into the lock. As soon as the door opened, I was shocked by how dark it was. I was surprised the camera could even pick up her movement, much less give a clear image of her.
Where’s the fucking light—oh, there it is.
I felt around on the wall until I found the switch, and it didn’t do much to illuminate the room. It was just a dim light bulb hanging over her cage. She didn’t even look up at me at first. I walked closer, put the tray down on the table, and cleared my throat. Her head slowly lifted, and I saw her vision coming into focus—then a confused expression swept over her face. I obviously wasn’t the one she was expecting when she lifted her head. She moved to the back of the cage like she was scared—like an animal that had just been startled.
“I’m not going to hurt you.” I pointed at the tray. “I brought you some food.”
“What’s the price?” She looked up at me and I could tell that she had been crying—a lot—her eyes were bloodshot and red-rimmed.
“Price…” I nodded. “Right.”
He mentioned that nothing is free, and I know he was making her trade her clothes for everything—but she’s naked now.
“I’ll pay it.” She crawled to the front of the cage. “You can hurt me if you want—I know that’s what I deserve.”
Wow, she’s begging for punishment already. Maybe I shouldn’t have come in here. Reynard has already broken her, and I don’t have the cruelty to test those limits.
“I don’t want to hurt you.” I shook my head back and forth. “Why don’t you eat, and I’ll go get something that you can use to clean yourself up a little bit.”
“But—the price.” I could see apprehension on her face—Reynard had already taught her that nothing came without a price.
I didn’t respond, I just walked over and pushed the key into her cage and unlocked it. She moved away when I let the door swing open, but she slowly started to crawl towards it. I took a step back, hoping to show her that I meant no harm, and she crawled until she was completely out of the enclosed structure. I heard her bones crack and she started to stand, and she groaned when her muscles were stretched. She still looked at me like a caged animal—slowly moving towards the chair with the food. I walked to the door, and while I didn’t necessarily think she would run—or be able to escape—I still locked it before walking down the hall to the bathroom. I found a bucket, a sponge, some soap—at least enough for her to take a quick bath and rinse off.
Reynard would lose his shit if he knew I was being nice to her, but—what did he really expect? I’m not a monster like him.
When I returned to the room where she was being held, I found her devouring the food on her plate like a savage. The sandwich was gone, the fruit had been decimated, and the soda can was already on its side. She reached over and started eating the food on my plate as well—it appeared that she was very hungry. Whatever sophistication and proper etiquette Elizabeth Abernathy developed in the real world had been lost after only spending a short time in the cage. I couldn’t imagine how awful it was in the darkness—it had to bring feelings of despair. All part of my brother’s sick game—punishment for her crime—one she didn’t even know she really committed—not the one that landed her in the cage at least.
“Here, you can at least bathe with this.” I put the bucket down and laid the sponges on the table.
“I—would rather drink that than use it to bathe in.” She stared at the water.
“Hold on, I’ll get you some water.” I shook my head and walked back towards the door.
Starved—thirsty—completely filthy. Maybe that was how my brother preferred his submissive women, but it didn’t really cater to my tastes. There was room for dominance, and there was something inside of me that often cried out for it, but I stopped short of inflicting pain—whether it was physical or emotional. Lizzy might have been responsible for what happened to Wyatt, but she was still a human being—although I wasn’t sure how much humanity she would have left once Reynard was finished playing with his toy. Part of me just wanted to wrap her in a blanket and leave—take her to the police station—face the repercussions of my actions. But I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t tarnish my family name or break my vow. The part of me that wanted justice though—the part that was strong enough to help Reynard with his plan—was starting to fade. My desire for vengeance just wasn’t strong enough to personally deliver it.
“I brought a pitcher. Drink all you want.” I carried the pitcher into the room and poured a glass.
“You’re—Mauro, right?” She looked up at me.
“I am.” I nodded and sat down.
She knows my name. I’m surprised Reynard even told her who we were—unless she remembers us from talking to Wyatt.
“Why are you being nice to me?” She picked up the sponge and shifted to the floor, so she could bathe.
“Why shouldn’t I be?” I tilted my head—and when the water started moving across her gorgeous breasts, I couldn’t stop my cock from twinging at the sight.