Chapter 29
Lucia
It’s hard to swallow. My tongue feels distended. My mouth dry. I rub a hand over my face.
A memory of passing our turn flashes. My fists on the gray felt.
I sit up in a lurch and blink rapidly, straining to take in my location.
Where am I?
Through a narrow window, a full moon casts a glow. I’m on a bed, above the covers. My boots are still on. I’m still dressed. My hands go to my chest and I finger the outline of my bra. The walls are rough stone. A rectangular frayed oriental rug lies over a worn wooden floor. To my right is a small table with a glass of water and a ceramic pitcher.
I can break either of those and use the remnants as weapons.
But wait…I rub the back of my head, attempting to remember something. The back of the car.
How did I get here? Where am I?
My limbs shake. Dizzy, I lean against the wall and, using it for support, slide my body to a window.
The glass panes are vintage, and the view is blurred, but I can make out an expanse of forest. It looks like a stream curls beneath a break in the trees. But that stream looks far away. I’d need to break the glass to be certain, but it appears I’m too high to jump out the window.
The massive wood door has an arched top and features a small square closed door in the center, resembling the type people used on front doors to check who was there before opening it. Slowly, I make my way to the door and twist the heavy metal handle. It doesn’t budge. It’s locked.
“Hello?” I holler.
I listen, but hear nothing.
What the hell is going on? Did Tristan do this?
What the hell is he planning?
He can’t keep me here forever. In a tower. Like seriously, what the hell?
I scan the room for my work bag, but it’s not here.
Which means…no phone. No laptop. No connection to the outside world.
No pepper spray.
I slide down the door to the floor.
Did I even get to use the pepper spray?
I have no memory at all of what happened between the car and here. I have no idea where I am. If I’m even in Switzerland.
And there’s no way to escape.
Unless I break that glass and use a wedge as a knife. I can hide, waiting for someone to open the door. Surely he’ll feed me, right?
In the room's corner, veiled in shadow, is another small door. I push forward, back up on my feet, and approach. The lever knob twists. Yes .
It’s a bathroom. Damn . A toilet, a sink, and a tub.
If things get particularly grim, I could either drown myself or jump out the window. Or use the broken glass to kill myself.
Where are these dark thoughts coming from?
But these possibilities exist, which means Tristan doesn’t think I’ll kill myself. Or maybe he does. Maybe he wants to breed desperation, so I’ll handle the issue for him.
Whoa. I place my palms against the cool stone.
Get it together. That’s not Tristan. He’s not a monster.
I don’t know what is going on, but he would talk to me first. If he doesn’t want me to have the baby, he would talk to me. My last text from him said he wanted to talk.
And I agreed. So, why take me? Why would he do that? Unless… my stomach flips and bile rises up my throat with speed. I rush to the toilet, dry heaving mostly. There can’t be much to vomit.
There’s a black towel hanging over the edge of the tub and I grab onto it, wiping my mouth. I push up and turn the sink on, cupping water into my mouth, then splashing my face.
I grip the sink for balance as water droplets drip from my jaw to the floor.
What if someone else took me? What if this has nothing to do with Tristan?
Who? Could it be something to do with my family? The last I heard, my father and brother were in prison, but what if…I don’t know. No, that’s crazy. The Primeiro can’t possibly reach me in Switzerland. My mother sent me to Portugal to escape them. And that was what...nineteen years ago. No, it can’t have anything to do with mi familia.
Slowly, I make it back to the bed. I remove my boots and climb beneath the covers, stacking the pillows so I can sit back and watch the door.
If Tristan didn’t take me, I can’t imagine who did. But there’s nothing I can do right now except wait and see. With more information, I’ll formulate a plan.