“He can’t help you,” he says. The words are spoken so cold that it causes goose bumps to spread across my body.
“Did… did you hurt him?” I manage to get out.
“No.” He shakes his head. “I’m not who you think I am,” he adds vaguely.
“You drugged me,” I say, my breath catching. “Tried to kill me. Who am I supposed to think you are?”
“I did what needed to be done to get you somewhere that was safe. If I hadn’t drugged you, would you have gotten on a plane with me?”
“Fuck no,” I snap, feeling anger toward this man now. He’s lying to me.
He nods as if happy with my answer. It just proves his point. “This is your new life. And if you want to move forward, you have to let your past go.”
No. I refuse to believe that. “But Luca—”
“Luca can’t save you.” He interrupts me. “I am the only person you contact if you need something.”
I snort, but he ignores it.
“You have a new identity. Name, license, social security card …” he gets up and grabs a box off the kitchen table and drops it on the coffee table. “Everything you need is in here—checking account, birth certificate, and credit card.”
“So …” I run a hand through my hair, trying to comprehend what the hell is going on. My head must still be foggy from the drugs. “You want me to walk away from Luca?”
“I want you to survive,” he states. “I didn’t pay ten million dollars for you to be kidnapped and die next week because you did something you weren’t supposed to do.”
I get to my feet, ignoring the way the room sways at the quick movement. “You don’t know me.” Giving him my back. I start to walk out of the room. “You don’t know …”
“I know your family was selling your body to the highest bidder,” he barks out.
I stop slowly, turning to face him to see that he’s now standing with his arms crossed over his chest. “Luca was the one who reached out to me.”
I shake my head. “I don’t believe you. He would have come and saved me himself.”
“You were being sold,” he growls through gritted teeth like he fucking cares. “He couldn’t buy you. He couldn’t send Nite to buy you. It had to be me. Someone you didn’t know. It had to feel real.” Walking over to me, I stay standing in place, letting him get close. He comes to a stop, and I blink, fresh tears running down my face.
“No,” I whisper, refusing to believe a damn word this stranger says to me.
It was real. The way he looked at me, spoke to me, and the way he manhandled me. Luca would have never allowed someone to treat me that way, not even a friend of his. This is a way for this man to manipulate me. Make me think I’m safe with him when he’s the real enemy. He’s probably best friends with Matteo, and they’ve set me up. Thinking I’ll see this as a sense of security, only for them to attack me when I let my guard down. That’s why he also mentioned Nite.
“Who do you think called me in the limo?” he asks. Reaching out, his knuckles run down my tear-streaked cheek, making me shiver. “I don’t care if you stay here or if you run the moment I walk out that door.” Sliding his hand into my hair, he grabs it and gently pulls my head back. Lowering his face to mine, he pauses just before his lips touch mine, and I hold my breath. His pretty blue eyes bore into my silvery-blue ones as he delivers the threat I was waiting on. “But if you leave this house, just be prepared to run for the rest of your life.”
CHAPTER FIVE
BONES
I WASN’T PLANNING on waiting for her to wake up. I was going to leave the cash, credit card, and license along with the cell phone on the table with a note. But that didn’t seem like enough. First, I needed her to fear me, but now, I need her to fear her past.
She won’t survive on her own.
I ignore that, though. She’s never had the chance to be independent, but that doesn’t mean she can’t do it. It just means she needs a little help. I’m the only option for her.
“Will…will you be back?” she asks, stumbling over her words.
“No,” I say, letting go of her hair and running my hand through the long curls. “Not unless you need me.”
The way her eyes widen lets me know that my words catch her off guard, and I hate that my cock reacts to the way she responds. Like I’m the last person on earth she would call.
She steps back, and I allow my hand to fall from her. She licks her lips. “Where are we?”