Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Susanna
I’m not sure how much time passes before Gabriel shows back up but it’s not enough time. I never want to see my kidnaper’s face but here he is, waltzing into the basement with an ease that isn’t fair.
“We’re going to have fun today,” he says. That’s when it registers: it’s the next day. I can see the light coming in from the window. My stomach rumbles in hunger but Gabriel doesn’t comment on it. He probably intends to starve me in here.
“Fun how?” I ask warily, even though I know I shouldn’t. Nothing good can come out of Gabriel’s ‘fun.’
He steps right up to me so we’re toe to toe. I can smell his warm scent, like cinnamon and vanilla mixed with pine. Christmas. Except, this isn’t a fairytale wonderland I’m in. No. It’s a walking nightmare.
And what Gabriel says next doesn’t help matters. “You’re going to get naked for me.”
I gasp and reach out to slap him but he catches my wrist before I can make contact with his face. “How dare you! I am not going to get naked for you.”
“Are you sure about that? You don’t have any say in this, Susanna. Now, you’re going to get naked and I’m going to take a picture of you to send to Luca. He needs to know that I have you. He needs to know that I’m back.”
It dawns on me then: does my family even know I’m missing? Do they even care? I’ve been horrible to them in the past. Maybe it’s what I deserve, to never be found. To never be loved.
But I do know I don’t deserve to be treated like this.
“You’re going to have to rip the clothes off me because there’s no way I’m getting naked for you. Not in a million years.”
His smirk is sexy, which only makes me hate him more. “Fair enough.” He grabs the end of my shirt and pulls it over my head. Since I’m in my sleepwear, I don’t have a bra on. Gabriel’s eyes zero in on my bare breasts.
I don’t cover them. If I let Gabriel see how afraid I am, he’ll win and there is no way I am losing to him.
“You have a nice figure,” he comments.
“So? It’s not like you’re going to get me.”
He leans in even closer and it takes everything inside of me not to flinch. “If I wanted you, I could have you whenever. I already took you here. No one stopped me. No one even seemed to care.”
That finally gets me to flinch.
“There it is. I want your fear.”
“You’re sick,” I hiss. “Let me go this instant.”
“Not going to happen, I’m afraid.” That’s when he grips my sweatpants and rips them off me, leaving me in nothing but my underwear.
His fingers settle on the edge of the fabric, so close to baring me completely for him.
“Tell me, Susanna, has any man ever seen you like this? I learned that you just turned twenty. Still so young.”
“Which makes you a pervert for even looking at me.”
“You’re an adult. Not just in age but in your body. That much is obvious. You have a nice, full figure. Thin but not too thin. Sizable breasts. A flat stomach. You have the perfect body.”
“You sound like you’re sizing me up for auction.”
“I guess I am. I don’t have any feelings for you. This is all purely for revenge purposes. Don’t take it personally.”
“How can I not? You fucking kidnapped me.”
“Language. I like it. You’re feisty, aren’t you?”
“So I’ve been told. Most people don’t like it.”
“Guess I’m not like most people then,” he says.
“If you’re trying to intimidate me, it won’t work. Do your worst to me. I can handle a lot.”
“Can you?” He rips my underwear off, making me gasp. The cold of the room settles over my entire body. Being fully naked before him is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. It’s raw and vulnerable and the most terrifying thing in this world.
“I don’t like your attitude,” he says. “Chip told me how you insulted him.”
“Chip?” I crinkle my nose, trying to remember.
“He came down here last night. He and Issac.”
“Oh, that’s right. Short guy. I just said he was short. It’s not an insult if it’s true.”
He smirks. “Chip may be short, true. But that doesn’t give you the right to be rude to my men.”
“You kidnapped me. I can do anything I want. I think we’re past the point of pleasantries.
And Chip was being an asshole towards me, telling me I deserved this.
He’s an incel. That much is obvious. You all are.
I mean, why else would you need to kidnap a girl to get her attention? You’re an incel, Gabriel.”
“Trust me, baby. I’m no incel. I have fucked my fair share of women. But I didn’t kidnap you to get your attention. I kidnaped you to get back at Luca. Now, get on your hands and knees.”
“Why? Are you going to make me give you a blow job? It’s not going to happen.”
He grips my chin, not too tight but also firm enough to let me know he’s serious about this. “Have you ever given a man a blowjob before?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
“I have ways of making you talk so it would be in your best interest to just tell me.”
I have no desires to find out what those ways of making me talk are so I bite down my pride and answer him. “No. I haven’t. So you wouldn’t want me to give you one. I’ll probably be terrible at it.”
“Something tells me you’re a fast learner.
” He swipes his finger over my lip and I try to bite it before he moves away.
“You are feisty. I wouldn’t let you anywhere near my cock.
You would just try to bite it and I have no desire for that.
” He settles his hands on my hips. My bare skin, completely exposed to him.
“But I could fuck you. It would hurt but I can make it feel good.”
“That’s called rape. I thought you said you weren’t an incel.”
He smirks and steps back. “Get on your hands and knees. You need an attitude adjustment and I know exactly what. Something tells me that you’re the kind of woman who has never gotten her hands dirty. Have you ever cleaned a bathroom or anything?”
“Never,” I scoff. “I have a maid for that.”
“I thought so. But I know what it’s like to get my hands dirty.” He walks over to the stairs where a bucket, a rag, and a cleaning spritzer are and picks it up. “Here. On your hands and knees.”
“You want me to clean?” I ask with a sneer.
“Yes.”
“I refuse to clean. I’m not a servant. Not your maid.”
“No, but you are prisoner. So get on your hands and knees and scrub the floor. It needs a new cleaning. If you don’t do this, well…”
“Well what?”
He raises one eyebrow. “You really want to find out?”
“No,” I grumble and drop to my hands and knees. He places the bucket beside me.
“Clean.”
Swallowing my retort, I use the cleaning solution to spritz the floor, then use the rag to wipe it up. “There.”
“That was just one spot. You’re going to do the entire floor.”
“The entire floor!? But that will take forever.”
“Are you whining? Susanna, you’re my prisoner. I almost think you’re not taking this as seriously as you should be.”
I sigh. He has a point. Why am I arguing with him about this?
It’s humiliating having to crawl on my hands and knees to clean the floor but I do it and the entire time, Gabriel watches me with an amused expression. He must think it’s hilarious making me work. Well, I’m going to make sure he gets what is coming to him soon enough.
My knees ache as I move around the floor. “You could have put some padding under this hard cement. My knees are killing me.”
“Do I look like I care?”
I slap the rag onto the ground. “Enough. Stop doing this to me. You want to hurt Luca? Fine. Go hurt Luca. You don’t need me for that. He doesn’t even like me.”
“We’ll have to see about that.” He pulls out his phone and points it at me. “Smile for the camera.”
“No.”
He sets the phone down and pulls out a pair of scissors from his back pocket.
“What are you doing with that?” I squeak.
“Giving Luca proof that I took you.” He grabs a piece of my hair and cuts off a lock.
“What are you doing!” I wrench away from him as he laughs and stuffs the piece of my hair in his pocket.
“Just be thankful it wasn’t a finger.”
“I hate you,” I hiss.
“I figured.” He then pulls out a knife from his other pocket.
“How many things have you hidden in there?”
“You would be amazed.” He sets the knife to my throat while he holds the phone in his other hand, filming me. Filming us. In this position, our faces are close enough to kiss.
“I thought you weren’t going to kill me just yet,” I whisper.
“All I need from you is to cry. Just cry once. And I’ll let you go.”
“Really?”
“Cry for me, Susanna.”
Except… my tears won’t come. Something in my gut is telling me that Gabriel won’t let me go for anything. Not until I’m dead. So what’s the point in crying? I’ll only be giving him what he wants and I refuse to do that.
“No,” I state.
He presses the knife harder to my throat. “Cry for me.”
“No.”
“You’re really not scared? Ok. I guess you have it figured out that I won’t kill you.
Not yet. But you’re not afraid I’ll cut off something else?
What about… this?” He lowers the knife to my breast. It’s right by my nipple.
“It’s going to hurt if I cut this off and I would hate to ruin your pretty breasts. ”
“You’re not going to do it,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Want to try me? Just cry, Susanna.”
“I can’t make myself cry on demand. I just can’t.”
“What about this then?” He brings the knife to my upper inner thigh. “I could stab this right inside of you. That wouldn’t feel too good, now would it?”
“You wouldn’t. I’d be dead.”
He stares back at me for a long moment before he pulls the knife away.
“Fine. You won’t cry? You can stay down here until you do.
” He puts the knife away – thank God – and turns the phone off.
“I wonder what Luca will think seeing his sister-in-law in this position. Naked and scared. Will that make him care for you then?”
“Luca can’t stand me. You chose the wrong person. Just let me go.”
“But I’m having too much fun with you.” He pats my face like I’m a dog. “Just sit tight, Susanna. I’ll be back later with some food. I don’t need you starving just yet. I’m having too much fun with you.”
He whistles to himself as he leaves the basement. With shaking fingers, I put my clothes back on. At least he didn’t take those from me.
My hands go to my hair where he took a piece of it but nothing feels out of place. Gabriel is trying to break me down but I cannot let him. I just have to remain strong enough until someone comes to save me.
If they’re even coming at all.