I press the back of my palm to my mouth to stifle a brief, hysterical giggle. Maybe I’m finally cracking under all the pressure, losing my mind right along with my freedom. I take a deep, shaking breath and try to get myself under control.
I could just go back to the bedroom or pick another hiding spot, but I’m not foolish enough to try that again. He found me easily and toyed with me until I fell for his trick. And then he … I grip the railing hard as the memory surges through me again. Shame warms my cheeks, and I add that to the list of things I have to push down and bury. I can’t dwell on it right now, not if I want to survive. He hasn’t hurt me. Not yet. What he did was psychological torture more than anything else, but the way he handled that belt—I have no doubt he’ll use it on me if I don’t play his game to his liking. So that’s what I’ll do; I’ll play his game until I see a chance to run. It’s not what I want, and I certainly don’t want him to think I’m going to sit quietly and take his abuse, but what choice do I have? I have zero leverage. I have to get my bearings and stay out of Mateo’s crosshairs. Maybe then I can find a way out.
Mind made up, I drop quietly down the stairs and reach the second level. There’s more sound down here, voices and what sounds like pans clattering in a kitchen.
I ease along the hallway of closed doors and pause when I get to where it opens into the foyer, the second floor looking down at the front door.
A man stands guard, his rifle slung lazily over his shoulder as he looks at his phone.
“That’s not what I said, Benny.” A man with red hair strides into the room, a dark-haired man on his heels.
“You said you fucked her,” the other man, Benny I suppose, says.
“No, I said I did things to her that made her see god,” the red-haired man retorts.
Benny snorts a laugh. “You’re full of shit, and I bet you never even touched her.”
“Look, I see what you’re doing. Trying to learn from the master. But if you want me to teach you my ways, you’ll have to pay for that privilege.” The other man opens the front door and both men stride out, bickering lightheartedly until they’re out of earshot.
“Hungry?” The voice in my ear makes me jump.
I whirl to find Mateo behind me, his gaze raking over my body. No words form on my lips as my heart kicks into overdrive and I stumble backwards.
He advances, a smirk twisting his full lips. “Where are you going, wife?”
The word is like a dagger, one intended to maim, not kill. He’s going to take his time with me.
His hand shoots out and grips the sheet.
I squeal as he yanks me to him, his eyes boring into me.
“I can’t have my princess walking around dressed like a pauper, now can I? You’re a Milani, not some guttersnipe Fontana.” He adds a cruel smile to his words. “Come with me.” He releases me, then walks past me.
I keep my eyes on him, turning to watch as he stalks down the hallway. I don’t want to follow him, but I don’t want to anger him either. My heart sinks farther with each step I take, but I follow him into a bedroom at the end of the corridor. It’s huge, even bigger than my parents’ lavish bedroom back home. Dark wood panels the walls, and the floor is similar but dotted with rugs beside the large bed and in the sitting area in front of a fireplace. It smells like him in here, a hint of some sort of expensive cologne and soap.
He disappears through another door.
I stop, hesitating. I don’t want to move farther into what is clearly his bedroom, and I definitely do not want to get closer to his bed. It’s not rumpled at all, the navy duvet perfectly crisp. He didn’t sleep last night?
“Are you coming, princess?” he calls.
I jump, then press my palms to my cheeks, trying to calm myself. It doesn’t work, but I still have to follow him. I walk slowly and hover at the doorway. It’s a closet, a huge one that’s mostly bare except for a few things on hangers.
“This is your closet.” He turns to me, a ridiculous outfit in his hands. “You will sleep in our bed every night, and you will comport yourself as a dignified wife should.” He holds the clothes out to me.
I blink and make no move to take them from him. It’s nothing but a ridiculous maid costume, a tiny one at that.