Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Alexis
Panic claws at my throat. Even through the flight, the car ride, everything, some part of my brain had managed to convince itself that an escape was possible.
But I know, with absolute certainty, that if I go in that house I’ll never leave again under my own volition.
Crossing my arms, I press myself against the seat. “No. I’m not going anywhere. I want to go home.”
“We are home, Alexis. Come with Mommy.”
My heart pounds against my chest as I stare into those dark, demanding eyes. Refusing her will likely mean a punishment. Because there is little doubt in my mind that she will find a way to get me where she wants me, and the more I fight her, the worse that punishment will be.
But maybe if I lean into the role she’s placed me in, if I can convince her I’m just a scared Little girl, it will buy me some time.
Drawing on the acting classes I took during the brief stint where I imagined myself an actress, I widen my eyes so that the sting brings on tears, all while pushing my bottom lip out and making it tremble. “I’m sorry, Mommy. I–I’m just scared. Please don’t be mad.”
To my surprise, it works. Everything about Catharina softens as she crouches beside the open door. “My poor Little girl. I suppose it has been a very long day full of very big changes, hasn’t it?”
“Big changes” is a hell of a way to describe being kidnapped by a sociopathic billionaire heiress, but sure. We’ll go with that. “Uh-huh,” I reply with a deliberately dramatic sniffle.
“I know it’s been very hard, getting used to your new life. But if you don’t come inside now, Mommy will have to punish you.”
Dammit. So much for the scared Little girl act buying me extra time.
And, honestly, I don’t know what I’d do with that time if I had it. Make a run for it? Catharina’s in much better shape than I am, no doubt she’d catch me in no time.
Fight her off? She already proved on the plane that won’t work.
Physically, she has every advantage. So I’ll have to rely on my brain to get me out of this. Which means giving myself time to plan the perfect escape.
And that means going in that damn house.
“Okay, Mommy. I’ll go with you.”
“That’s my sweet little imp. Come on.”
Trying to ignore the thundering of my heart in my chest, I let her help me out of the car and lead me toward the stunning house. Even from the outside, it looks like something out of a fairytale. Not like a castle, not really, but more like a fairy cottage of sorts.
Just way, way bigger.
The outside is all stonework, with lots of pretty wooden framework. There’s even what looks like a turret on one side. All in all, it’s a surprisingly whimsical house for such a pragmatic woman.
Taking my hand firmly in hers, Catharina leads me up the front steps.
Halfway up, the door swings open, and a giant of a man looms in the doorway.
Despite his size, however, he isn’t nearly as scary as the woman beside me.
If anything, the smile on his face is the most welcome sight I’ve seen since I stepped on that damn plane.
“Gavin.” There’s a warmth to Catharina’s voice that has me looking from her to the man in the doorway and back again. “I trust everything has been taken care of in my absence?”
“It has.” His voice is a deep rumble that I find oddly soothing. “Though you might want to give the nursery a bit more time to air out. The paint is dry, but the fumes are still a bit strong.”
“We’ll just pop up for a few minutes, then. In the meantime, would you mind sending word to the others that we’ve made it home safely? I know her uncles are eager for a visit, but if you could ask them to give us an hour or so to settle in, I’d appreciate it.”
“I’ll take care of that for you right away, ma’am.” Gavin’s smile widens as he bends down to eye level with me. “Welcome home, little one. Your Mommy is very happy to have you here. If you ever need anything and she isn’t around, you can just ask me and I’ll take care of it for you.”
“Could you take care of getting me a flight back to the states?”
“Alexis Paige!”
In direct contrast to Catharina’s scandalized tone, Gavin only laughs and taps me on the nose. “I can see your Mommy is going to have her hands full with you. Do you have any special requests for dinner tonight?”
“Lasagna.” Leaning toward him, I drop my voice to a loud whisper. “With a file baked into it so I can saw through the bars of my cell.”
His gaze flicks up to the woman beside me, and when he looks back at me, he winks. “Lasagna I can do. The file might have to wait, though. Between you and me, your Mommy is kind of scary, so I try my best not to get on her bad side.”
“Oh good, I thought it was just me.”
Beside me, Mommy sighs. “You’re both incorrigible and if you don’t cut it out, I’m sending you both to bed with no dessert and well-spanked bottoms.”
Gavin doesn't seem at all worried, judging by the way his smile widens. “Don’t threaten me with a good time, Cat.”
“I’m going to threaten you with a hell of a lot more if you don’t stop teaching my Little girl naughty habits.” But even though she’s clearly scolding him, Catharina’s lips twitch with amusement. “Now, go do as I asked before I decide you need a lesson in manners.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” With another saucy wink in my direction, Gavin turns and disappears down the hall.
It’s only then, with him no longer blocking my field of vision, that I can truly take in my surroundings.
The interior of the house is no less charming than the exterior.
Walls painted a pale, calming yellow are decorated with artwork.
And not just prints, either. Actual paintings on canvas, and I let go of Catharina’s hand as I step toward a depiction of a dark-haired mermaid on the rocks of a rather choppy-looking sea.
The closer I get, the more detail I can see, and my heart fractures at the forlorn expression on the mermaid’s face.
“This is beautiful. Where did you get it?”
“Somewhere.” Catharina’s tone is breezy, but there’s a hint of something underneath, like she doesn’t want to tell me where she got the painting from.
Interesting.
I’m tempted to push the issue, but before I can, my attention is drawn to yet another painting.
This one of a fairy in the woods, watching from the sidelines as other fairies play in a circle.
Again, my heart breaks for this poor magical creature, sitting on the outside with such longing I swear I can feel it.
“Come, little imp. Let’s go see your nursery.”
Once again taking my hand, Catharina pulls me away from the painting and toward the stairs.
I trip a few times, too busy trying to take in every inch of her gorgeous house to pay attention.
By the third, Catharina pauses to frown down at me.
“If you can’t be trusted to walk on your own, I can call Gavin to come carry you. ”
Surprise freezes me in place, staring up at her. “He can’t. I’m too heavy.”
“I’d like to see you tell him that,” she says with a wry smile. “Now, are you going to pay attention or do you need to be carried?”
Part of me is tempted to tell her I need to be carried, just to prove to her that as giant as Gavin might be, there’s no possible way he could pick me up.
But there’s something about the way she’s watching me, as if that’s exactly what she’s expecting me to do that ignites the stubborn brat inside me. “I can walk.”
“All right. But watch your step. Mommy doesn’t want you to get hurt.”
I don’t want to feel the flutter of pleasure in my tummy at her words, but my body seems intent on betraying me as I follow her up the stairs.
At the top of the steps, Catharina turns right, leading me toward a door with a wooden sign hanging on it.
My heart beats faster with every step closer, and it damn near leaps out of my chest when we get close enough for me to read what’s written on the sign.
Alexis’s Nursery.
The words are painted in bright red, my favorite color, with playful little strawberries dancing around my name. It’s… Well, it’s really fucking adorable if I’m being honest.
Then Catharina opens the door, and my jaw practically drops to the floor.
If I could have designed my dream room, it would be this one.
Well, sans the crib and the other stuff that was obviously designed for an adult-sized toddler.
But the red-and-white color scheme carries into the room, along with the dancing strawberries.
Even the rug in the middle of the floor is a smiling strawberry, and the crib is painted a matching bright red.
“Oh my gosh, it’s so cute!”
“I had a feeling you might like it. Go on.” Letting go of my hand, she nudges me forward. “Feel free to explore as much as you like, little one.”
Gavin was right about the fumes being strong, but I don’t care. The room is gorgeous, and everywhere I look is something new. Like the giant dollhouse along one wall, or the adult-sized rocking horse, or the stuffed bear in one corner that’s nearly as big as I am.
Then I discover the closet, and I very nearly faint.
“Are these clothes all for me?”
Rows upon rows of tulle and silk greet me as I step inside a closet that is larger than my apartment.
The fluffy dresses aren’t my usual style, but they are absolutely stunning nonetheless.
Reaching up, I run my fingers reverently over the soft material in a rainbow of colors as Catharina steps into the closet behind me.
“They are. I’m sorry I didn’t have time to get more, but we’ll go visit Solene so you can pick out whatever you like.”
“Solene?” Something about the name pricks at my memory but it takes me a moment to properly place it. “Like the designer who just fell off the face of the earth, Solene?”
“The one and only. She came to live on the island when we first started building it, and she’s been here, designing clothes for our Littles ever since.”
An old, familiar hurt wells in my chest. “Oh. Um. It was really nice of you to want to buy me clothes, but they’re probably not going to fit. Designers don’t usually make things in my size.”
“My silly little imp.” Her eyes positively twinkle as she smiles down at me. “Of course they’ll fit.”
Of course you’d think that. Humiliation floods my cheeks. What would someone like Catharina, who looks like she just walked off the cover of Vogue, know about being the fat girl? “Never mind.”
“Here. Let’s try one on, just to see.”
The absolute last thing I want is to try on a bunch of too-small clothing in front of this gorgeous, successful woman. “No, thank you.”
“Come on. Which one do you like best? Oh, what about this one, with the cherries? It has a bit of that retro vibe you like.”
It’s exactly the style I like, though clearly tailored more for a child.
And the knowledge that there’s no possible way it’s going to fit has anger sparking in my chest. I know, on some level, it’s just my body’s way of covering my shame, a shame I’ve carried my whole life, but that doesn’t stop the words from leaving my mouth with more attitude than is wise.
“I said no, Catharina! Leave me the fuck alone!”
In a fingersnap, everything about the woman in front of me changes. Hardens, in a way that tells me I am in big, big trouble.
“And here I thought Gavin was the one needing a lesson in manners, but it turns out it’s my Little girl, instead.”