He eyes me. “Well, I can’t leave you alone now, can I? You’ve proven yourself untrustworthy.”
My stomach plummets. “You’re going to stay in here with me all night?” I croak out.
He frowns down at me. “Don’t worry. I’m not into raping women. I won’t touch you. In fact, I’m going to sit right here.” He walks over to the chair he was sitting in when I first woke up.
“You don’t have to do that,” I tell him. “I’ll be good now. I promise. I won’t try to escape again. You can leave me alone.” I’m beginning to panic at the thought of being trapped in a room with him.
“Not a chance,” he answers evenly as he settles himself down into the chair.
“You can just lock me in or something,” I say, trying to reason with him. My nerves won’t be able to take him being in here all night.
“There’s no lock on my bedroom door,” he says.
Damn it, why hadn’t I noticed there wasn’t a lock on the door? Wait, his bedroom? This is his bedroom?
I glance around the space again, noting the masculine tone to everything and seeing it in a new light. He put me in his bed. Why would he do that if I’m just a means to an end? Why not throw me in a basement like a normal kidnapper? Nothing about him makes sense.
“Have you contacted my father yet?” The sooner my daddy gives him whatever I want, the sooner I can get out of here. Hopefully. If he’ll release me, that is. He’s already admitted he might not, though why I don’t know.
“Yes,” he answers me unblinkingly.
I stare at him, waiting for him to elaborate, but he doesn’t.
“And?” I prompt.
“And what?” he asks stoically.
I scowl at him. “How much longer am I going to be here? Is he going to give you want you want? Did you tell him you have me? I know he’ll do whatever you want to get me back.”
He raises a thumb up and traces it over his lower lip while he studies me. “You so sure about that?”
“What?” I bristle at the insinuation.
Gage shrugs. “I made contact with your father as soon as I had you on my plane, princess. I laid out my terms. He knows I have you. In fact, he’s known it for at least eight hours now, and yet I have yet to hear back from him.”
I feel the color drain from my face, but then I sputter, “He must not have gotten the message yet. He’s a very busy man. He runs businesses.” My father wouldn’t leave me in the hands of a kidnapper. I can’t believe that. There has to be a reasonable explanation for why he hasn’t gotten me back yet.
Gage’s face darkens. “Oh, I know all about his businesses.” He practically spits the last word.
I’m quick to rush to my daddy’s defense, “My father’s businesses help people. He’s a great man.”
At that, Gage explodes, jumping up from his chair, “He’s a no-good fucking snake, and he’s lucky I don’t kill him!”
I shrink back from his anger. I’m reminded once again that I don’t know anything about this man or what he’s capable of.
“Why do you hate him so much?” I whisper. “What has he ever done to you?” I can’t imagine my father having anything to do with a man like this, a hardened criminal who’s not above kidnapping innocent girls to get what he wants.
“It’s not what he’s done to me,” he spits. “It’s what he does to others.”
I frown. I don’t understand. He’s implying that my father is some kind of deplorable person.
“You must have him confused with someone else—“ I begin, but he cuts me off.
“He’s a fucking human trafficker, Ava,” he hurls down at me.
I stare up at him, my mouth open in a silent gasp. My father? A trafficker of innocent women and children? I can’t believe it. I won’t believe it.
But as soon as the denials enter my head, other thoughts creep in right after them. All the warehouses. I’ve never been to any of them. I’ve never been to any of his business locations. Agricultural investor. It’s such a vague term. How do I know he really does what he said he does?