31. Sian
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
SIAN
I don’t want to tear my eyes from Tate’s face, but Daniel forces me to turn around and leave with him. He shoves me into the back of a car, and he gets in with me while one of his men gets into the driver’s side. I don’t cry. I’m not going to give Daniel the satisfaction of seeing me upset. I know Tate will come and get me. I don’t know how he’ll do it, but if I know one thing about Tate, it’s that he’s kept his word this far.
I’m terrified, though. I know what Daniel is capable of. I bore the scars. I’ve seen Tate’s scars. Daniel is ruthless. He’ll go as far as he wants, and no one is going to stop him.
I know my final kiss with Tate is driving him insane. I could feel it in the way he clenched his hand around my arm, where I’m sure a bruise will appear later. There was an edge to it I haven’t felt before. He’s punished me a lot, but it’s always felt like he was in control. Now, it feels like he’s lost control, and possibly his mind.
“You’ve misbehaved, Sian,” Daniel says as he takes out some handcuffs and puts them on me. He then takes out a blindfold. “You’ve misbehaved a lot. What is it about Tate that has you wrapped up around him?”
I don’t respond. I don’t want to. I’m terrified of setting him off and him killing me before Tate can get to me.
“You’re going to be punished for letting Tate touch you,” he murmurs against my neck. He presses a soft kiss against my skin, and I shiver, goosebumps rising on my arms. “See, you’re already excited. You always were easy to turn on. I know what you want. Why you would think you could get it elsewhere is beyond me. You’ve messed up, Sian, and you’re going to pay for that. But I might forgive you after the punishment and afford you some time by my side.”
He’s completely unhinged. I know that now. There’s nothing that can protect me from what he’ll do to me until, or if, Tate can find me. He isn’t making threats, he’s making promises. Promises of pain. I always knew Daniel was envious; it was a character flaw. But I didn’t realize how much it drove him crazy. Somehow, he knows Tate and I slept together. How he knows that, I have no idea, but it sickens me. Daniel won’t let that lie. Just the thought of Daniel touching me like that makes me want to vomit. I can’t go through that again.
I think about Jodi and how easily he killed her. When or if he’s through with me, he could kill me without batting an eye. I can’t anger him. I can’t push him too far. So, I’ll keep quiet and let Daniel think I’m obedient. Let him think that I’m listening to him and that I respect him. I could never respect someone like him, but if he believes it, it might buy Tate enough time to track me down.
We had to use me as bait to draw him out. Now, I’m expecting Tate to ride in on a white horse and save me from the villain. I almost want to laugh, but I don’t. I keep my face as neutral as possible. I need to maintain control the way Tate does. Never let Daniel see what gets to me.
The drive feels like it takes forever, but thankfully, Daniel keeps quiet most of the way. Not being able to see makes me feel ill, but just as suddenly as we sped away, the car stops, and Daniel yanks my blindfold off. We’re outside a small estate, and he gets out of the car, dragging me by the handcuffs. I wince as they pinch my wrists. Daniel drags me into the house and down some stairs. I don’t even have time to take in anything about the house, even though I know I should. I try to memorize where the doors are as he yanks me down and into a room. He takes off the handcuffs and shoves me to the ground.
“Now, be a good little bitch and stay. I’ll be back to deal with you later.”
He slams the door, and I rush at it, pounding my hands against it. I try to open it, but he’s locked it. I don’t know what I expected. Certainly not that he would leave it unlocked for me to wander around.
I pace around the room. It’s large and L-shaped. I go around the corner and investigate whether there’s any other way out of the room. Another door, a window, or even a vent that I could crawl through. I don’t know what I’ll do in a vent, but I need to try. I’m not a helpless victim anymore, and I’m not going to stay here and wait to see what Daniel has in store for me.
There’s nothing in the room that I can use to get out or protect myself with. There are shelves around the room, but there’s nothing on them. It looks like this used to be a wine cellar. Pity there’s no wine for me to throw at Daniel.
I sit down in the corner, around from the door, and hug my knees. I can’t be a victim. I can’t let Daniel get to me. Tate will find me. I must hold onto that hope I felt during the drive.
I picture Tate, the look in his eyes as I walked away from him. One step backwards after another, the pain in his eyes clear. He didn’t want me to leave with Daniel. He had promised to protect me, and we had lost. We had misjudged Daniel, and now he had me. But I know Tate. It will make him more determined to find me.
I don’t know how much time passes by, but it feels like hours before I hear the door open, and I stand up. I hold my fists up as Daniel rounds the corner, and he bursts out laughing. “What’s this? Are you going to hit me?”
“If I have to,” I say, but I don’t feel confident. I mostly avoid conflict; I’ve never thrown a punch in my life. Sure, I’ll throw a drink at someone, but if they attacked me, I’d probably cower in a corner. I can’t this time. I won’t be defeated, and I’ll stand my ground for as long as I can.
Daniel stands there for a moment before he walks towards me slowly. “Go on then, hit me. Give it your best shot.”
I shouldn’t rise to his bait, but Daniel takes a step towards me, and I swing. He grabs my hand and slaps me in the face. My head jerks to the side and I feel the sting of his hit. He then twists my arm behind my back and kicks the back of my knees, forcing me to the ground. I cry out in pain, even though I don’t want to. I quickly bite down on my lip, wanting to stop another cry from escaping. He lets me go and pummels me with his fists. He’s screaming while he’s hitting me, hunched over me like a madman. I don’t catch what he’s saying because my arms are over my head, trying to protect myself the best I can.
With my arms up, he takes swings at my side and ribs. He punches me in the back and even swings to punch me in the belly. When I can, I try to lash out at him with my legs and claw my nails into his skin. I want to fight back as much as I can. I try grabbing his hands, but he pulls away, picks me up, and slams me into the floor. He does it again and again, still bellowing at me.
When he gets tired of slamming me into the floor, he stands up and starts to kick. I bite my lip until I draw blood because I refuse to cry out, and this seems to incense him. He wants me to beg for mercy, wants me to beg for him to stop. I won’t do it.
He kicks anywhere he can. My back, my legs, my head, but I keep my arms up to protect it. He eventually stops and stands over me. I’m scared to lower my arms, but I’m so tired. I open my mouth and spit blood. I can feel my eye swelling, and my cheek is on fire. My ribs don’t feel broken, but it hurts to breathe.
I choose to survive this, though. I choose to live.
Daniel walks towards the door. “I’ll give you a reprieve for now. This is only the beginning of your punishment. I will be back.”
The door bangs shut, and I can feel the tears forming in my eyes, but I wipe them away angrily, and even that hurts. I’m shaking like a leaf, and I try to pull myself up against the wall. I lean back and take several deep, struggled breaths.
I don’t know what happened to Daniel all those years ago that has turned him into such an evil monster. What cruelty did he face because, surely, he must have faced some. He had to have learned this from somewhere. People don’t wake up and decide to be abusive suddenly. I wish I knew what it was. Maybe I could use it to get through to him. Although, with the way he’s taken to beating me, I don’t know if there’s any getting through to him at this point.
I starting to wonder if what I knew about Daniel’s father was all a lie and an act to throw me off. I think of Tate’s father and how nice he is, despite being a retired underworld crime boss. He seems so reasonable, but then, so does Tate. Sure, he’s cocky and fiery, but he’s reasonable. How can one person be so different from another? There’s no redemption for a man like Daniel.
I try and hug my knees, resting my forehead against them and trying to regulate my breathing. I need to prepare for the next round with Daniel.
Whatever that may entail.