24
Nicole
The drive home is met with silence. I stare out the window of the truck.
Dante hasn’t said more than two words to me since we left.
That was over an hour ago.
I can’t tell if he’s mad or just lost in his thoughts. I rest my eyes and doze off until we arrive back at the castle.
It’s dark outside, and for the first time in days, my stomach isn’t churning. The doctor prescribed me some medication and had given me an I.V. while at the hospital. That probably helped for the time being.
Dante parks the truck out front and rushes around when I open the door.
“Here, let me help you.”
His men are already at the door. Moreno opens the front entrance, and Leone is right beside him. Behind him are two other men who I’ve seen around the premises from time to time, but I don’t know their names.
Something’s happened. I can feel the heaviness in the air.
Dante must sense it, too.
“What is it?” he asks.
Moreno glances at me. He’s hesitating. Is my father coming to rescue me from this prison?
Why has it taken so long? I truly believed he would have come sooner.
I rest a hand over my abdomen and make my way up the stairs. I know the route up to my bedroom. I don’t need an escort.
Yet, I feel him on my heels.
Dante is following me.
“Planning on locking me in my room?” I quip over my shoulder. I’m tired of the games.
I will escape. It’s only a matter of time.
“I don’t believe that is necessary,” he says.
I stop outside my bedroom door and spin around to face him. His breath is warm, and there’s an obvious charge in the air.
“Why is that?” I should be grateful he’s not going to lock me in my room, but I’m surprised. I want to know why the sudden change in his demeanor.
“You won’t leave.”
What makes him confident that I won’t run and betray him the first chance that I get?
“You won’t let me leave,” I counter. If I had the freedom to go, I would.
He turns the handle to my bedroom and opens the door. Dante gestures for me to step inside. He flips on the overhead light and then walks toward the bedside table, turning the small lamp on as well.
With a sigh, I trail into the bedroom. I doubt he will stay. He never stays. He usually comes in, chews off my head, we fight, and then he leaves.
That’s the only pattern that we’ve established. Why would tonight be any different?
“How are you feeling?” Dante asks. His eyes flicker. I don’t know what he’s thinking. Feeling.