“You know better than to touch my personal things!” Spittle flew from his mouth, the veins on the side of his neck pulsing.
“What the hell is wrong with you? I’m your fiancée. You should be able to confide in me.”
Tristen remained hovering over me like a vulture for a full thirty seconds before shoving his phone into his pocket. The only reason I’d looked was that he’d been four hours late in getting to my house, and he’d yet to offer an explanation. I was used to his usual work overload and the excuse that a client came late, but the instant he’d walked into the door, I’d known something was off. He’d yet to take his suitcase into the bedroom or change out of his suit, which was abnormal. Something was terribly wrong.
“Confide?” He laughed, the sound unlike anything I’d ever heard. “That’s never going to happen. However, I do need to be able to trust you. Whatever is going on with you, I can’t handle it right now.” He turned quickly, moving toward the door and grabbing his suitcase.
“Where are you going?” I was shocked, my mind a blur. What in the hell was wrong with him?
He opened the door then tilted his head, the look in his eyes terrifying me. “There are things you don’t need to know, Sierra. I suggest you stop asking.”
Then he’d walked out, slamming the door and I hadn’t heard from him in a week. However, when he’d finally called, he’d been sweet, acting as if nothing had happened.
Then he’d sent me a dozen roses.
Just like…
I gasped audibly, jerking to a standing position. What in the hell was going on? I thought about what the monster had done to me, including ripping my clothes to shreds. As I slid my fingers down what I was wearing, I cringed, remembering he’d grabbed a dress from my closet, forcing me to put it on. Without any underwear. A wave of embarrassment skittered all the way down my body from the intensity of Alessandro’s scent still covering my skin.
I wanted nothing more than to take a long, hot shower, scraping off his DNA. Why did I think his musky fragrance would remain, covering me like a warm blanket? I was barefoot, which I was certain he’d done on purpose.
Still shaking, I took a single step away from the bed, holding out my arms in order to try to feel my way around. Then I took another step. And another. I was certain I heard a noise. “Are you there?”
There was nothing but silence.
“You son of a bitch,” I hissed. “I know you’re there. What the hell is wrong with you and who the fuck are you?” My voice had raised several decibels by the end of the sentence and my ears rang from being lightheaded. I swayed slightly, still woozy from the drugs. The asshole wasn’t going to answer me. Fuck him. I’d find a way out of here.
I shifted to the left, my foot hitting something. When I lowered my hand, I was able to run my fingers across a wooden piece of furniture. After a few seconds of exploration, I realized the huge mass was a chest of drawers. I was in a bedroom somewhere. Maybe that meant I could find a way to escape.
After taking several deep breaths, I continued my exploration, moving slowly so I wouldn’t trip given my body’s state of weakness. A few seconds later, I could swear I heard a scrape of something on the floor several feet away.
“Alessandro. What is this about? You called me for weeks, acting as if you cared about me. You said I was your salvation. What was that all about? From what I can tell, you’re a gutless coward.” My words were meant to anger him in order to bring him out in the open. Who cared if I was playing a dangerous game?
I shifted a little further, lifting my arms. What the hell was I feeling? I slid my hands across the rough texture until I found an edge. Then I felt nails. A board. My God. A piece of wood had been nailed. If I had to guess, I’d say the son of a bitch placed it across the window to block out all the light. He was a sick man.
“You’re so afraid a little woman will slip through your hands that you blocked out all light, attempting to eliminate her ability to escape? You’re a bigger fool than I originally thought.”
That’s it. Keep angering him.
“If you’re such a big man, why not show yourself. Tell me what this is really about.” I hesitated before shifting another couple of feet. “Just like I said before. You’re a loser, incapable of handling a situation with conversation or rational actions. If you’re trying to scare me, you’re failing miserably.”
The truth was, I was terrified, my bones aching from the thought I’d never get out of here alive. I managed to find the corner of the room and carefully placed one hand against the wall then the other as I made the turn, running into another piece of furniture hard enough I moaned. “Shit.” When I ran my fingers across the surface at eye level, I sensed there was a mirror. I turned around, ready to walk the other direction in order to find the door.
“You thought you could seduce me with your sensual words, pretending you were cut from the same cloth that I was. You’re nothing but a stalker, a vile criminal. You will be caught and you will be sent to prison.”
Did I just hear a chuckle? Goddamn the bastard.
I became bolder, moving more quickly, daring the asshole to taunt me. “Fuck you.” My frustration had reached a level I couldn’t ignore, anger boiling deep inside of me. This was getting ridiculous. I hated games and it was obvious he loved them.
After taking another two steps, the sense that he was right there in front of me became a powerful set of vibrations. I swung out my arms, hoping I could slap him hard across the face.
“I’d be careful where you’re going, Sierra. There are dangers everywhere.” His deep voice resonated all the way into my soul, but not before jetting vibrations into my core.
I closed my eyes for a few seconds, encouraging my rage to come to the surface. “What. Do. You. Want?”
If my calculations were correct, he was four feet directly in front of me. When he didn’t answer right away, I lunged toward, flailing my arms.
The sharp, loud crash echoed in my ears, whatever I’d broken falling across my feet.