“So he knew what he was risking, but he did it anyway. He’s the evil one, not me. If I had a single person I loved, you can bet your ass I wouldn’t mess around.” He drank his scotch again, resting his elbow on the table. “I have a reputation to maintain. Joseph doubled the amount of money he owed, but that isn’t enough after what he did. The only way to maintain my power was to do something terrifying—which is why I took you. I’m not evil, London. I’m just trying to survive—like everyone else.”
“And how will anyone know you took me?” I questioned. “As far as I can tell, no one even knows we exist out here.”
“They’ll know.” He swirled his glass before he took another drink. “Trust me on that.”
My heart fell into the pit of my stomach. He had a plan for me. I wouldn’t remain on Fair Isle forever. I didn’t consider this place to be home, but I wasn’t stupid. I knew there were far worse places out there. At least living here gave me the luxury of having some freedom. “What are you going to do to me?” I asked the question even though I knew I wasn’t ready to hear the answer.
“It doesn’t matter. You’ll see soon enough.”
I didn’t touch my dinner because I lost my entire appetite. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Crewe was a capable man. He had the power to do anything to me, and I would be powerless to stop him. If he wanted to rape me, he could. If he wanted to kill me, he could. If he wanted to do something far worse to me, I couldn’t stop it.
Now I truly was terrified—of the unknown.
5
Crewe
Ariel knocked on my open office door. “You wanted to see me, Crewe?”
I paused my email to look at her. “Could you contact Bones and invite him over for dinner tomorrow night? Tell him I want to introduce him to someone.”
She nodded. “Of course. I’ll let you know what he says.”
“Thank you.”
Ariel walked out, leaving the office door open.
I turned back to my email, and a few minutes later, I received another guest.
“So, this is where all the magic happens?” In dark jeans and a designer blouse, London walked inside. Her hair was done today, shiny and long. Makeup was on her face, something Dunbar brought with him once he returned from Glasgow. When she put in the effort to look nice, she really shined. It surprised me that Joseph had a sister so much better looking than he was.
“Yes. A lot of magic.” I turned in my seat to face her, my hands resting in my lap. My eyes roamed over her body without shame, knowing she was mine to do whatever I wanted with. I was the kind of man who appreciated a woman’s curves—and I was appreciating hers. I’d seen her naked, and while the sight got me hard, she was malnourished and dirty. Now that she was regularly hygienic, she turned my head a few times. I wasn’t entirely impressed with her because it took a lot for a woman to floor me, but I wasn’t disappointed either.
She walked farther into the room and examined my desk.
“If you’re looking for ways to kill me, be more discreet about it.” When I slept in the same house as her, a part of me hoped she would make an attempt on my life. If she did, I would feel no guilt pinning her to my mattress and fucking her so hard she screamed. It would be a fair punishment for the crime—in my eyes.
“Actually, I wasn’t—right now.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Why do you think? I’m bored.” She crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight to one leg. “I was in medical school, working sixteen hour days. And now I don’t know what to do with myself.”
I gave her a smoldering look, feeling my cock do all the thinking. “I can entertain you on this desk.” I nodded to the dark wood where my computer and stationery sat. “Trust me, you wouldn’t be bored again.”
She rolled her eyes and walked to the window. “I’ll pass.”
I stared at her ass in her jeans, noting how tight it was. “You pretend not to be interested, but I think it’s pretty obvious you are.”
“Interested in what?” she asked incredulously.
“Me. If you hate me so much, why are you in here?”
She turned around and met my gaze. But she didn’t have a response.
I rose out of my chair and stood behind my desk. “If you want me, all you have to do is ask.” My hands moved to the wood below me, and my fingers felt the smooth polish. “I’m at your service anytime.”
She made a look of disgust. “I knew you were arrogant, but wow.”
“Wow what?” I asked.
“You just assume everyone wants to sleep with you?”
“Only kidnapped women who voluntarily spend time with me.”
She knew she didn’t have a logical counterargument to that. She pressed her lips tightly together as she stared me down, trying to think of something to say.
I knew she didn’t have a goddamn excuse.
Ariel walked back into the room. “Bones said he’ll be in the area, and he’d love to join you.”
I never took my eyes off London. “Ariel, you’ve met our guest, haven’t you?”
“No, I haven’t.” Ariel looked London up and down but didn’t extend her hand. “Now I can put a face to the name.”
“And I can put a face to evil,” London snapped. “This guy is holding me here against my will, and you don’t care at all?”
Ariel stared at her coldly, the same look she gave me when she was pissed at me. “You expect me to care just because I’m a woman? I don’t care about your problems. Whine to someone who gives a damn.” She walked out, her head held high.
London shook her head like she couldn’t believe what she just heard. “Everyone here is twisted.”
“Maybe you’re the one who’s twisted. You don’t belong in our world. Of course you don’t understand it.”
“But our worlds have the same laws. And kidnapping is illegal no matter what world you live in.”
I smiled. “Not in mine.”
Sooner or later, I knew she would make her move.
She would try to kill me, and since she knew she couldn’t overpower me, she would try to do it while I was asleep. I purposely kept my door unlocked since I was a light sleeper. The second I heard her footsteps outside, I would be aware.
And then she came.
I heard the doorknob gently twist, the sound announcing her approach. I remained in bed and waited for her, my cock getting hard at the thought of what would happen next. She would try to choke me or slam something into my head. Instead, I would fuck her to teach her a lesson.
And I’d have every right to.
I felt her approach my bed slowly, her breathing steady. Despite her petite size, the floorboards still slightly creaked under her steps. The house was old, once a beautiful castle, but time had worn down several aspects of it.
Once she was close enough, I made my move. I grabbed her wrist and slammed it down on my nightstand, forcing the rock in her hand to come loose and topple to the ground. She screamed at the impact of her hand, either from the pain or the surprise.