Glancing at my watch, I estimated we’d be there in less than half an hour.
“Cassius, please.”
My name left her lips like a goddamn prayer. Reaching a part of me that lay dormant. I shivered off the effect. She could seduce a lesser man. Someone naïve to who she was.
The way her tongue darted to wet her lips was dangerously evocative. I’d captured an exquisite creature, and there was nothing crueler than to have her believe this was her fate.
“He’ll come after the gold,” she whispered.
“I have the only thing he’ll miss.”
With windswept futility, she turned her focus to the window.
Studying her reaction, I added, “I’m sure he’s willing to die for you.”
Anya’s expression went from disillusioned to something else as though an epiphany struck her. “He knew you’d come for us?”
“Yes.”
“Did you hurt his other—”
“His other what?”
She held my stare and then turned away. “I wasn’t sure if you’d done this before?”
“I’m a patient man.” My breath hitched. “I’m surprised your father didn’t warn you.”
“He was trying to protect us.”
“Clearly, he failed.”
“Why are you doing this?”
Reaching out to touch her, I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and felt a pang of sadness for her, that she’d lived under the same roof all these years with a psychopath. “Exactly how much grief have I caused your family?”
She continued to stare out the window. “You’ve ruined my life. I’ve not been allowed to do anything. Go anywhere. A prisoner in my own home.”
“Sorry to hear that,” I lied.
Satisfaction settled in my gut that they’d been living in terror for a decade because of me.
Anya
Cassius didn’t know about the other children. Or maybe he was bluffing. One thing was sure, Dad and Mom had known this man was a threat. They’d made our lives hell for a reason. I wished they’d warned us. We probably wouldn’t have rebelled. We’d have seen them differently.
This bastard was the reason. He was the man who’d made our lives miserable.
I couldn’t think straight. I twisted my wrists to loosen the surrounding rope in case I got my chance to bolt.
I wondered if Dad would come for me like this man suggested. Though Cassius wouldn’t know about our strained relationship. Or that Mom looked down her nose at us. Maybe all this time, I’d been reading them both wrong. They’d been living in a bubble, too.
I had been too hard on my parents. They’d tried to love Archie and me but found themselves lacking from the trauma of losing their other children. They were grief-stricken. Unable to love to the same extent because their loss was too harrowing.
Still, something didn’t add up.
As Cassius and his men broke in, my parents hadn’t protected me when it mattered most. Shaking these thoughts away, born out of fear, I was at least reassured this man hadn’t found Archie.
I dared to look out the back window to see if we were being followed. But I just saw the other SUVs following, transporting his men.
Maybe my parents would send a car after us. So they’d know where I was being taken. I watched out for landmarks. Anything that would help give away our location. That was if I ever figured out a way to contact them. I would have to figure out a way to escape. Something told me that would be impossible.
Maybe I could get my hands on a phone.
Panic rushed through me when Cassius leaned into my body. His fingers eased off the rope around my wrists, freeing my hands that throbbed and swelled.
Up ahead, tall iron gates with an elaborate design swung wide. We continued through, navigating along an endless driveway. An Italian renaissance mansion rose high with gothic flair, ivy clinging to the walls, unaware it had the choice to be free of this place.
The car pulled up into a circular driveway. Outside the front of the stone-pillared entrance, a man in combat gear stood as a sentry on the steps. He considered us with the same level of intimidation. The cars driven by Cassius’s men parked behind ours.
Scarface got out of one of the SUVs. He opened my door and reached in for me.
“I’ve got her,” Cassius told him.
The man stepped back and waited.
Reluctantly, I followed Cassius, spilling out of the car and looking up at the windows. Wondering how long I’d be here.
With a punishing grip on my arm, Cassius led me toward the front door.
My feet missed a step, and he caught me, pausing for a second and hugging me to his side. “You good?”
“Yes.” It came out breathy.
He looked the way he felt, his body rock hard and toned. The physique of someone who worked out and kept his body finely tuned like the killing machine he was. I hated how he made me feel, his nearness causing an uneasy sensation of pleasure.
He led me inside.
Refusing to relent and show any weakness, I shoved away from him.
It didn’t faze him.
We were walking through a vast foyer with pristine stone tile. The Italian design of old and new décor almost took away from the sting of being imprisoned here. My surroundings were breathtaking. The place was huge with high ceilings, and along the walls, tall bay windows let the light flood in. This classic opulence revealed more about Cassius. He either came from money or had acquired it—I didn’t want to know how.
We continued up a sprawling staircase of marble with flamboyant handrails on either side. Cassius took a sharp right at the top of the stairs and continued along a hallway. His hand moved in my direction, gesturing for me to keep up.
This place was amazing.
You won’t be here long.
I wondered how much Cassius would want for me. Whatever the price, I was sure my father would pay it.
A nagging fear my parents might abandon me chipped away at my bravery. Those thoughts melted into survival mode when Cassius led me into a room.
Keeping some distance between us, I looked around, taking in the bed with its generous blue duvet and the ornate Persian rug in the center of the hardwood floor. Other than that, it was a room that cared little for a person’s comfort. Discreetly, I looked around for something that could break the windows.
I walked over to take a peek outside. A forest of trees obstructed my view. If I could make it out, I’d be able to disappear amongst them.
“This will be your room,” Cassius said, like a concierge checking me in and not my captor.
“How long will I be here?” I said bitterly.
“Indefinitely.”
Panicked, I tried to leave the room.
He was right behind me, and before I could escape, his hand reached out and slammed the door in my face.
His rock-hard chest pressed against my back. “You will join us for dinner at seven. Until then, stay in here.”
“Please,” I begged. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Maybe not. But your father did, and that’s good enough for me.”
I spun around, facing him, adjusting to his body being so close to mine. His intimidation was bringing another rush of panic. I looked up at him, at his steely eyes that held no warmth. No kindness, no humanity, just a cruel man hiding behind a beautiful face.