Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Isabella
“Thank god. I thought they’d never leave.” Setting the doll she’d been playing with aside, Juliet leans back on her hands, her Mary Jane clad feet out in front of her. She looks over at me, her gaze surprisingly shrewd for someone dressed like a toddler. Though I suppose that’s not a fair assessment since I’m wearing a similar outfit, but she and Tori seem to have embraced their role whereas I am fighting it with everything I have in me. “So, what’s your story? How’d you end up here?”
Beside her, Tori shifts, sitting cross-legged with a doll still in her lap, an eager expression on her face. “Yes! We need details.”
As nice as they seem, I’m not sure I can trust them. And if I tell them too much, I risk losing the little bit of edge I have with Daddy.
Gideon. His name is Gideon. Uncle Gideon to the two women sitting next to me. But try as I might, thinking of him by his given name just feels too weird. Maybe because a real name makes him feel more human, and I’m much more comfortable continuing to think of him as a monster rather than a man.
“How did you two get here?” I ask instead, turning the question around on them. Maybe if their stories are similar to mine, I’ll feel better about confiding in them.
On the other hand, if they’re here willingly, if they actually wanted this, then I’ll know they can’t be trusted with the truth.
The pair share a look, and Juliet shrugs. “Okay, I’ll go first. Jasper is my stepbrother. I got into some legal trouble a while back so I called him to help me, and well… here I am. Playing Daddy’s Little girl on some island in the middle of nowhere.”
Holy crap. Her stepbrother? That’s fucked-up for sure, but I’m not sure it’s more fucked-up than being drugged and abducted in the middle of the night. “So are you like, stuck here? You can’t go back home?”
“No. And believe me, I tried, but it was not worth the consequences.” Color creeps up into Juliet’s cheeks. “Zero out of ten, would not recommend.”
Which means she’s unlikely to help me escape, but at least I know she wanted to at some point. Points for Juliet. Shifting my attention to Tori, who is now staring at the doll on her lap, her cheeks blazing bright red, I cock my head to the side, studying her. “What about you?”
“Um, well. I sort of stole from Daddy’s company.”
Interesting. I wouldn’t have guessed sweet, bubbly Tori had it in her. “Really? Is that why he calls you little thief?”
Still blushing furiously, she nods without looking up. “Uh-huh.”
“How much did you steal?”
“A million dollars.”
My mouth falls open. Yeah, Tori is full of surprises.
“A million fucking dollars? Are you serious? I would have disappeared into the wind with that kind of money.”
Now she does glance up, a smile tugging at her lips. “I figured if I disappeared like that, they’d know it was me who stole the money and they’d come looking for me. So I tried going to work and playing it cool.”
“I’m guessing that didn’t work out too well.”
“It didn’t. Turns out, Daddy set me up and he knew the moment I stole the money. He called me up to his office and made me sign a contract agreeing to spend a month here on the island with him while he punished me for embezzling.”
“How long ago was that?”
“I dunno.” Lifting a shoulder in a careless shrug, she picks up the doll and runs a hand over her hair. “A couple months ago, at least. Apparently, he never intended to let me go after the thirty days, which is fine with me if I’m being honest.”
“Really? You’re okay being a prisoner here?”
“I mean, it’s better than what I had back in New York. Working to pay off my mom’s medical debts, constantly falling behind. Here, I just get to play all day and Daddy takes care of everything else.”
On some weird level, I can almost understand that. Honestly, if it weren’t for the ballet, I’d probably feel much the same. Busting your ass day in and day out just to barely scrape by is exhausting.
But I do have the ballet. A career I’ve been working toward my entire life. And the thought of giving up that dream just to play dolls and dress up in pretty dresses all day sits like a lead balloon in my stomach.
“All right, your turn.” Juliet grins, looking as though she’s actually enjoying our story time. “How’d Uncle Gideon get you here?”
Well, there doesn't seem to be any point in hiding the truth in light of their tales. “He kidnapped me.” My voice catches slightly, and the last thing I want is to cry in front of these strangers, so I swallow hard before continuing. “I’m pretty sure he’s been watching me for months. Last night I passed out in my apartment and I woke up in a crib this morning with him standing over me, calling himself Daddy. I don’t really know what happened, but I’m pretty sure he drugged me because I had like two shots of whiskey and blacked out, which never happens.”
Both of my new “friends” are staring at me now, their mouths hanging wide open in shock.
“He drugged you?” Tori asks, her voice rising to a squeak.
“I’m pretty sure he did, yeah.”
“Wow.” Shaking her head, Juliet lets out a low whistle. “That takes some serious balls. I actually kinda figured you wanted to be here, the way you were clinging to Uncle Gideon.”
“Not at all. But I figured fighting it would just make things worse, right? Better to pretend I’m okay with everything while I figure out how to get the hell out of here.” Off this island, according to Juliet.
That might complicate things a bit. Escaping some cabin in the woods and making my way back to New York is one thing. Making my way across an entire ocean is quite another.
My new friends share a look, and when Juliet faces me again, her expression is full of sympathy. “Look, I’m not going to try and talk you out of doing whatever you need to do but you should know that getting off this island isn’t easy. So far, I’ve only ever heard of one ship coming or going from this place, and that ship is run by a bunch of lumberjacks who are also Daddies. Even if you could sneak onto their boat, they’d catch you, and then you’d be stuck with a bunch of pervy mountain men until Uncle Gideon could come get you.”
My stomach drops. This is going to be even more difficult than I realized. “Well, I can’t just stay here. I didn’t work my whole life to get a spot in the New York City ballet just to give it all up for… this.”
“It’s not so bad,” Tori offers up with a shy smile. “You might even like it here, if you gave it a chance.”
“Not gonna happen. One way or another, I’m getting the fuck off this island, if it’s the last thing I do.”
* * *
Gideon
One way or another, I’m getting the fuck off this island if it's the last thing I do.
Still gripping the baby monitor in my hand, I stare down at the screen, watching my Little girl conspire with her friends.
So the sweet little doll act is exactly that—an act. Isabella is simply biding her time, attempting to lure me into a false sense of security while she searches for an escape she’ll never find.
Well, she’s about to learn that two can play that game. And in this house, Daddy always wins.
Setting the monitor on the end table beside me, I turn my attention to Jasper and Maxwell, both of whom are watching me with raised brows.
“That was a rather… enlightening conversation,” Maxwell says, his lips twitching slightly. “I guess our newest addition isn’t quite as docile as she seems.”
“No, I suppose not. I must admit, I’m a bit curious to see what she comes up with.”
“Should I let Evander know to put his men on alert just in case she manages to slip past you?”
“That might not be a bad idea.” Though I have no intention of letting my little doll give me the slip, Victoria and Juliet have both proven already that Little girls can be more creative than any of us realized when it comes to sneaking around. “Might as well let Axel and his crew know as well. Seeing as how Juliet has now planted that seed in Isabella’s mind.”
Jasper relaxes against the couch, a grin spreading across his face. “Would you like me to teach my naughty girl a lesson about speaking out of turn?”
“No. Not just yet, anyway. I don’t want Isabella to know I was listening. The longer we let them believe those conversations are safe from us, the more we’ll learn.”
“And I thought I was the devious one,” Maxwell says with a low chuckle.
Tossing his head back, Jasper joins in with his laughter. “It’s always the quiet ones.”
I can hardly be offended, considering they have a point. My little Isabella wouldn’t be the first person to underestimate me simply because I am not as openly aggressive as Maxwell, or as slickly charming as Jasper.
No, I much prefer to wait and watch. Learning everything I can about my prey before I strike.
And I obviously have much, much more to learn about my little doll.
“Speaking of…” Maxwell sits up straighter in his chair, his expression sobering. “We need to have a talk about your methods. Did you really drug and kidnap her?”
I knew this moment would come, but I am not a man accustomed to being questioned. If anyone but Maxwell was doing the interrogating, I wouldn’t even entertain it.
But it is Maxwell, my oldest and closest friend, so I settle in, meeting his gaze head-on. “Yes. And as long as we’ve known each other, you should know that if I say it was the only way, then it was. I’ve been watching her for months, Maxwell. Since well before you brought Victoria to the island, and I considered every plan of action before I made my move.”
Sighing, Maxwell scrubs a hand over his face. “There wasn’t a single other option? Blackmail worked surprisingly well for Jasper and I. Surely your Little one has some skeletons in her closet she’d rather keep hidden there.”
“I did briefly consider that. She was keeping her fellow ballerinas supplied with the illegal drugs many of them use to keep their weight in the unacceptably low range the ballet demands. But I worried if I approached her with that, she’d go running to Typhon without realizing he’s the type to eliminate a threat immediately rather than help her.”
Tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair, Maxwell seems to consider this information while Jasper watches on silently. “I trust you,” he says at last. “It certainly isn’t my preferred method, but if I can trust anyone to have looked at a problem from all possible angles and to take the precautions necessary to ensure her disappearance can’t be traced to us, it’s you.”
“I appreciate that. I am sorry I didn’t tell you of my plans sooner.”
“Apology accepted.” A wicked smile curves his lips. “Now, tell us how you plan to deal with your naughty little doll.”
* * *
Isabella
After our initial conversation about how we all came to the island, I’m surprised to find our attention shifting to actual play. I’d assumed it was simply a ruse to get the Daddies to leave us alone, but Victoria draws us into a game with more ease than I would have expected.
I can’t remember the last time I simply… played. There’s no time for such frivolities back home, between my side job and the hours of practice time my ballet career demands. Even when my friends and I find time to relax, we usually do so by attending other ballets or rewatching recordings of our past performances and picking apart our technique. Constantly critiquing ourselves in the pursuit of perfection.
Or, at the very least, a shot at a better role.
But here, that’s not an option. Even if I wanted to spend my time doing something more constructive, I wouldn’t be allowed. It’s surprisingly freeing, knowing that I have no choice but to pretend to be a Little girl, playing with my friends. And before long, I find myself immersed in the game Victoria has created for us.
So much so, that I don’t notice we have company until a set of familiar arms scoop me up from the ground. “All right, little doll. Time to say goodbye to your friends.”
Even more surprising than how much I enjoyed playing dolls is the realization that I don’t want my friends to leave. “Can’t they stay a little longer, Daddy?”
Despite what I’m certain is an award-winning pout, Daddy shakes his head. “Not tonight, little one. But we’ll have a big family dinner soon, and I’m sure Uncle Max and Uncle Jasper will be happy to bring Tori and Juju by early so you can all play for a bit.”
From their positions in their own Daddies’ arms, Tori and Juju stare at me, wide-eyed. I get the distinct impression they’re trying to silently tell me something, something important, but I have no idea what it could possibly be.
Before I can find a way to ask them about it, Uncle Max and Uncle Jasper make them say their goodbyes, and then they’re gone. Leaving me alone once more with my Daddy.
Correction. My kidnapper. His name may be Daddy, but he isn’t my Daddy. He is my captor, my monster, nothing more.
Thinking of him that way will help me remember my goals. Pretending to be Little, enjoying playtime with my friends is one thing. But when it’s just me and my kidnapper, I need my wits about me. I need to remember what the endgame truly is.
Play the game, but stay vigilant. That’s the plan.
And I manage to stick to the plan the rest of the evening. Through dinner, another bottle, and yet another humiliating diaper change. Thank god I haven’t had to poop yet. The thought of doing that in a diaper is enough to send me running screaming into the woods.
By bedtime, I’m fighting sleep, feeling more exhausted than I would have expected. And no closer to finding a way off this island.
Tomorrow, I tell myself as he changes me into a frilly pink nightgown and tucks me into bed with him. Tomorrow is soon enough to look for an escape. Tonight, I’ll sleep, and maybe if I’m lucky the answer will come to me in my dreams.