Renata
“No! Get off me, assholes! I said no!”
The screaming is instinctive, but once we’re at the end of the boardwalk, I give up entirely. It’s draining me fast and it isn’t making the slightest bit of difference. Both my captors look like they’re robots who aren’t affected by sound or struggle. They keep me moving until we’re back in the enormous mansion.
Except that the staircase they lead me towards goes down, not up.
“Wait,” I balk, my body stiffening up instantly. “Where are we going? Where are you taking me?”
Of course, neither one answers me. It’s like they don’t even hear me. The neutral expressions on their faces are so blank that they barely look human.
When we get to the bottom of the staircase, I realize we’re in a basement of sorts. One that’s completely devoid of the luxury of the upper floors. The floors are hard cement, and it appears the walls are, too. It feels like the temperature’s dropped by like ten degrees. I’m shivering when they toss me into a small, dark room completely devoid of distinguishing features. Four walls and no windows. Just cold stone everywhere. Basically a fucking cell.
When the guards lock me in, the door seems to blend into the walls, making me feel like I’m in a sealed coffin. I collapse against the back wall. Shivers run down my spine as I slide to the ground, feeling the hunger and fatigue catch up to me.
How much energy had I burned fighting with Kian? With his men? I don’t have much to spare. I don’t know how long I can go on like this, either. My stomach twists into agonizing knots. I want to throw up, but there’s nothing in me to expel and dry-heaving will only weaken me further.
I look around, hoping that I’ve missed something my first go-around. But there’s nothing to give me the slightest bit of reprieve. Not a bed or a blanket. Not even a chair to separate my ass from the cold stinging of the cement floor.
I pull my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around them. I try to take low, shallow breaths. Maybe if I black out, I’ll hit my head really hard and I just won’t wake up. It would be a pathetic end, but since my current options are limited, I’m willing to take it if it’s my only way out.
After a few more minutes, I breathe hard into my hands and rub them together. It’s comforting, so I do it again. I’m rubbing my palms together vigorously, trying to conjure a scrap of warmth, when I hear a bolt at the top of the door.
I nearly jump out of my skin as the bolt gives way to a sliding panel that reveals Kian’s face. I try and muster up the accurate level of disgust, but I’m not sure I’m managing it.
Nothing ever goes right for me in his presence.
“Is this where you put every woman who pisses you off?” I scowl at him.
“You have the power to get yourself out of this cell, you know,” he says with cool indifference.
“And you have the power to go fuck yourself.”
It’s a weak insult. But I’m going on nearly three days without food, so I’m not quite thinking clearly.
“And make you jealous?” he counters. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “You’re a real piece of work.”
“Flattery’s not going to get you out of this.”
I scream inwardly, wishing there were something I could lob at his head. Not that it’s going to do a damn thing. But I’m just chasing a feeling here. A desire to fight back. To not be a puppet anymore.
“What do you want from me?” I demand in frustration.
“I’m still deciding.”
I shake my head. “I can’t… I can’t…”
“Can’t what?” he asks bluntly.
I make the mistake of meeting his eyes. Even in the near-darkness, I know their color. An intense blue that makes me think of the ocean before a storm.
“I can’t understand you,” I blurt out before I can stop myself.
“Funny,” he says sarcastically. “I thought you had me all figured out.”
I’m annoyed with myself for letting that slip. “Parts of you.”