Chapter Twenty
Romy
I hate waking up in his stupid bed.
Last night, after his threat, I’d curled back up on the chaise, mulling over everything that transpired between us. I’d also texted with both Gareth and Theo.
The scent of bacon makes my stomach grumble, but I ignore it. I sit up in bed and peek over at Caius’s side. It’s rumpled where he slept, but thankfully, he’s gone.
I wish I were back to sleeping in one of the weird rooms at the lodge. At least then I wouldn’t have to feel like I’m suffocating in Caius’s distinct, masculine smell.
My phone is plugged into a charger on my bedside table. Caius, if not for being a kidnapping, molesting ( even if I did enjoy it ), psychopath would be a good real boyfriend because he’s apparently considerate of my wants and needs. Tucking me into bed and charging my phone are nice things to do.
Not nice enough to make up for what a prick he was last night.
I open up my messages to see if I missed any texts from his brothers. No new messages. I quickly reread through my back and forth with Theo.
Me: Which group home did you come from?
Theo: What?
Me: It’s not a hard question. Caius came from Reno Umbra Center for Boys. How do you know Ted?
Theo: Caius told you that?
Me: Stop answering questions with questions. I need to make sense of this place and you all. If you’re my friend like you claim, help me understand.
Theo: Pittsburgh Dominion House. And yeah, I know Ted. Everyone knows Ted.
I’d asked about Ava, but he’d stopped responding. Since it was late, I assumed he went to bed. My conversation with Gareth was more difficult. It definitely hurt more.
Me: You did me dirty earlier. Is Megan even here? Did you give me the keys to watch me get caught? I must be so amusing to you.
Gareth: I’m sorry. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Forgive me.
Me: Right. Also, what kind of getaway car was that?!
Gareth: I could have thought that through better.
Me: You lied to me. Megan’s not here, is she?
Gareth: It’s not that simple.
Me: Not that simple? Really? It’s literally a yes or no answer. This is just another one of the games you people play. Is she dead? Did Solomon kill her?
Gareth: I hate that you had to see what he did to that girl.
Me: Do you? Seems like you led me straight into his path.
Gareth: That will never happen to you. You’re protected.
Me: I don’t trust a word you say. You flaunted me to him knowing what a sicko he was. If it weren’t for Caius, I’d probably be locked in the trunk of that man’s car by now.
He’d also stopped responding after my last text. I hated that I admitted Caius saved me from that leering murderer, but it was the truth. While texting Gareth, I’d wanted to make him feel bad for what he did.
What a liar.
These people are experts in playing with my emotions. I’m clearly a toy to them.
With anger boiling up inside me, I fling off the covers and climb out of bed. I quickly dress in jeans, boots, and a T-shirt over a thermal. My bedhead hair gets brushed and tossed in a messy bun. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I venture out of the bedroom.
On the dining room table is a covered plate beside a carafe of orange juice and a bowl of cut fruit. As much as I want to eat, I need to gauge Caius’s mood. If he’s back to his usual emotionless self, I’m going to probe him on Megan. However, if he looks like he wants to shove me into a roaring fire for uncovering his secrets, I’ll turn tail and hide for the rest of the day.
As I near his office, I hear a woman. Slowly, I creep over to the door and listen.
“I’m fine,” she says. “I can handle school and a boyfriend, Dad. People do it all the time.”
My blood runs cold.
Does Caius have a daughter? Is her name Calista?
“And, before you say it, I’ll be home for Christmas. Promise. As long as you’re okay with my boyfriend coming along, too. Things are serious between us, and I want to spend my time off from school with him.”
Caius responds with, “Fine, but you won’t share a bedroom under my roof while you visit.”
I almost giggle at the absurdity of his statement. This, coming from my kidnapper. Suddenly he has morals?
“We sleep together all the time, Dad. You’re being ridiculous.”
Wait. She sounds familiar. Really familiar.
“If you want to share a bed with him, then you can book a hotel room with your own money. That’s my final answer. We’re not discussing it further.”
And I know that voice. It’s not Caius.
Dad?
And the woman’s voice is… mine .
I burst through the door, trying to make sense of what I just heard. Caius sits at his desk with a phone connected to his laptop. As soon as he sees me, he quickly types something and then mashes a button.
“Oh, crap. Late for class. Gotta go, Dad. Talk soon!”
I stand in the middle of his office, gaping at him in confusion. “W-What was that?”
Caius snaps his laptop shut and then leans back in his chair, eyes raking down my form. “What was what, little girl?”
Rubbing at my temple, I huff out a breath. “That. The conversation with my dad. How did you do that?”
A small smirk quirks his lips. “A.I.”
“What?”
“Artificial Intelligence.”
“I know what A.I. is,” I shriek, shuddering as understanding prickles over me like an ice-cold rain. “How did you get my voice on there to say those things?”
“Some things are best left to mystery.”
Without thinking of the consequences, I grab the nearest thing to me—a candle on a bookshelf—and lob it at his head. My aim is off, and it sails past him, hitting the floor with a loud clatter. The asshole doesn’t even flinch.
His eyes, though, flash with anger.
Before I can retreat, he’s on his feet and storming over to me in a few short strides. I slink backward, but he prowls after me. He grabs hold of my bun and jerks my head back. A terrified whine rattles out of me.
With his other finger, he runs the tip along the side of my neck. “When you’re afraid, this vein dances.”
I attempt to give him my fiercest glare, but it’s hard to do when fear is driving. It’s unnerving how easily he’s taken over my life. He can now pretend to be me using technology. This is sick.
“You get off on scaring girls?” I hiss, suppressing a shiver. “Kidnapping, drugging, raping…”
He bucks his hips against me, shoving me against the wall and trapping me with his massive frame. His cock is thick and hard between us. A flare of heat zings through me. I nearly curse in frustration.
“I don’t have to rape anyone,” Caius growls. “Usually they beg for it.”
Shame has my cheeks flaming hot. I’d been begging for more last night on the hood of that car. Disgusting.
“It’s called manipulation,” I clip out. “Physical and emotional manipulation.”
His dark, dead eyes bore into me. Slowly, he slides his hand down my neck, brushing his fingertips over my collarbone. My breath hitches when it continues lower. The warmth of his massive hand covers my breast. Throbbing in my core dizzies me. I hate that he makes me want him.
“Would you want someone to treat…” I trail off and his entire body tenses. “Would you want someone to treat her like you’re treating me?”
I didn’t say the forbidden name, so I should be safe from bullets. The intended impact is a bull’s-eye because he recoils away from me, nearly stumbling over his black leather shoes. I’d laugh at the loss of his ironclad control but wisely keep it in my throat.
Caius’s brows are slightly pinched, and for a hint of a moment, I think my words actually upset him.
Calista is his vulnerability just as I thought.
Wife? Girlfriend? Sister? Daughter? Another victim like me? I’m dying to know who she is to him.
“Don’t mention—”
“I didn’t say her name,” I bite back. “You don’t have to shoot me.”
If looks could incinerate a person, Caius would have me melted down to a puddle of bloody goo. The pure hatred and fury in his eyes are straight nightmare stuff.
I should run.
How far away would I get before he grabbed me?
What sort of tricks would he have up his sleeve then?
His house has brought me the most clarity. I can’t mess this up now because I can’t keep my mouth shut.
And yet…
“You can only pretend to be me for so long,” I state, venom in my tone. “Dad wants me home for Christmas. We both know this. I’m sure you got to see his incessant reminder texts.” I cross my arms over my chest, trying to appear more fearsome than I am. “When I don’t show, he’ll find me.”
Caius scrubs a palm over his face and then looks at me again, this time with his obnoxiously impassive expression. “Who says you won’t show?”
I frown at his words. “You’re not going to let me out of my prison anytime soon.”
“You’re my girlfriend, Romy. Not a prisoner.”
The sure, almost arrogant way he says that is nearly convincing. Keeping up with his games is a full-time job.
“Ha. Hilarious.”
“I don’t know what’s so funny about that, little girl. We’ll visit your father at Christmas later this month just as we’ve made plans to do.”
My heart rate speeds up at the thought of seeing my father. I don’t like him most days, but he’s still my dad. The best part of seeing Dad, though, is I get to see Bastian too.
“Your whole house of lies will crumble around you,” I say with a taunting grin. “Game over. You lose.”
Why must I poke the bear?
The anger is long gone on my captor. Now amusement glitters in his dark eyes.
“You’ll play your part,” he rumbles, lips curling into a half grin. “Or people will get hurt.”
People will get hurt.
Not Dad or Bastian or Eva. They’re insulated. Protected. Untouchable.
“You forget I come from an influential, wealthy family too,” I say with a sneer. “And I was actually born into it.”
The adoption jab doesn’t hit the mark like I want. He doesn’t react, not even the tiniest bit.
“I didn’t forget,” Caius rumbles, slowly stalking my way. “You’re a complicated piece in a game I’ve learned to master. I do enjoy the challenge.”
Liar.
I make his life hell and we both know it.
He’s close again and I make no plans to retreat, which forces me to tilt my head back so I can see him.
“You’ll do as I say.” He brushes a hair from my face. “If you truly care for Megan, then you’ll be a good little actress.”
I freeze at his words.
Idiot.
Of course he knows how to hit me. He’s been doing it all along.
“She’s probably dead anyway,” I say, voice cracking as tears form. “You and your perverted friends and family murdered her.”
He snorts in amusement. “Megan is very much alive. If you behave, I’ll let you speak with her.”
Hope hammers inside my chest.
She’s alive. Despite his taunting, I can see it in his eyes. He’s telling the truth. Megan hasn’t been killed. There’s still a chance I can find her and get out of here.
He pulls something out of his pocket. Then he lifts up both my shirts above my belly button before sliding something flat and cool between my skin and jeans. My body quivers at his touch.
“I have work to do. Get on your phone and do some shopping.”
As soon as he steps away, waving a hand dismissively in the air, a cold chill settles in my bones. Happy to have his intoxicating closeness gone from me, I reach beneath my shirts to see what he gave me.
Black, metal AmEx.
His credit card.
“I’m not your real girlfriend, remember? You can’t make me go away by letting me go on a shopping spree with your credit card.”
He settles in his chair and then bends to pick up the candle. After he sets it on the edge of his desk, he looks my way.
“Order some dresses, shoes, accessories. You’ll need them.” He turns his wrist over to check his watch. “Hurry. We only have a couple of days until our trip. My address is saved under my contact in your phone.”
Trip?
What trip?
“Lake Erie is cold this time of year.” He flips his laptop open again. “Buy a nice coat, too. Our plane leaves Friday.”
We’re going to Lake Erie?
On Friday?
“Cai—”
“Enough,” he barks out. “I said I have work to do. Go on and do as you’re told, little girl, or I’ll punish you.”
The sinister expression on his face tells of something I want no part of.
I shoot him the bird because he’s a dick but then hightail it out of his office without waiting for a response.
I’m not sure what awaits us on our trip, but I hope it brings me a step closer to getting Megan.
Keep your eye on the prize, Romy.
This is a game, and you have to think several moves ahead.