Marian
It had to be late. For what felt like forever, the masked man didn’t move.
He leaned against the wall not far from the foot of the bed, staring at me.
Why, I wasn’t sure. When he returned, he never said another word.
He just stood there staring at me as I squirmed—shirtless, in his unbuttoned jeans—watching me.
I talked. I cried. I fought. And he let me.
“Are my parents really dead? Is my brother gone too? What about Elliot?”
Silence.
“Can you at least call them so I can see if anyone picks up? You can put it on speakerphone and have it on mute so they can’t hear me talk. They’ll never know it’s me. Please.”
Nothing.
“I have to see if they’re okay. Will you at least let me call so we can check on Penny?
I mean, you took her once. You have to care for her.
You kept her for four months. What she told me…
it sounded like you loved her.” The man straightened but stayed against the wall.
“Don’t you want to see if she’s okay? You can’t be alright with her being with Bastian or his guards.
He would take care of me, but what if he doesn’t with her? What if he hurts her? What if—”
I couldn’t go on. My lids closed at the pounding in my head. I felt sick and weak. Like I had the worst hangover of my life. A good minute went by.
“I can’t accuse him of hurting her,” I breathed out, seeing only darkness. “That’s not fair. I’ve only ever heard rumors. Still, it makes me nervous at the thought. She’s my friend. She’s been through enough.”
“Rumors?”
His question caught me off guard and I opened my eyes, only to close them again.
“There’s no telling if it’s true. It’s just talk. People love stirring up drama whenever they can. My mother—She said it was lies. The claims were so they could get paid. Besides, I can’t see Bastian being a violent man. I mean, sure, we all have secrets but—”
“Violent, how?”
I squeezed my lids tighter, not wanting to think about how any of the stories might be true.
“He has mistresses. I’ve heard he’s gone through quite a bit. I always assumed he just like variety. Anyway, the rumors are that he’s had to pay some off. They say he’s…really rough. One woman even claimed he nearly killed her. People will say almost anything for money.”
“And if it’s true?”
“I’m pretty good at judging character. I think they’re lies. It doesn’t change the facts. Bastian will come for me, and he will find me. Let’s bypass that, please. I don’t want to be rescued. Five million,” I barely got out. “Not a dollar more.”
The mattress shifted. It had my eyes flying open and my head lifting. The man didn’t come forward. He sat on the edge just as still as he’d been against the wall. But he was still looking right at me.
“Enough. God, stop delaying. I want to go home. What the hell do you want?”
When he didn’t answer, I dropped my head, shutting my eyes again.
I was so tired. And did I truly have anything to fear?
He’d taken me, but he hadn’t hurt me yet.
Not really. Then again, he had been naked when I’d woken up.
I was naked now. That spoke volumes. Unless it was a fear tactic, in which case, it was fucking working.
The only thing that left me slightly rational was that I couldn’t see his eyes through the black covered holes in the mask.
I couldn’t tell what part of my body he was looking at. It was both a blessing and a curse.
“Despite the rumors, you have to know that Bastian’s going to kill you when he finds you.
We’re getting married. He has a reputation to uphold.
In the eyes of the world, you’ll never be found, but only because you’re dead.
He won’t let you live after this.” I forced my lids up as I lifted my head again.
“I’m giving you the chance to live and to be rich.
Take my deal. Five million. I’ll call my people.
It’ll be completely untraceable. No one ever has to know about this. ”
Fingers curled around my foot, and any form of fatigue vanished as I tried to jerk myself free.
The hold only grew tighter as he latched to my other foot, standing to spread my legs wide.
Panic sparked despite I pretended the tediousness earlier.
The truth was, I wouldn’t have laid back and taken it.
I would have tried to snap his neck. I was starting to see that wasn’t going to be easy.
“No! That is not part of the deal. No fucking way. Take the money.” I kicked mercilessly, trying to break his grip. It didn’t work, and he was moving in, wedging himself between my thighs as I tried clamping them closed. “Stop. I said stop!”
Hands locked to my waist and hips so tightly that I was sure my bones would crack, but they were only keeping in place as he lowered his head to rest against my stomach.
I was gasping from the fight I put up, trying to catch my breath.
And I was waiting to see what he’d do next.
His shift to his stomach had me bracing to fight, but he just continued to rest his head on my belly, turning in as if he were trying to breathe in the scent of my skin.
Forever passed. Longer. Soon, light snores had me fighting to wrap my head around what was happening.
Who was this man who cared about an assault I had never told a soul?
Who was he to be so rough and unbending and yet slept with his head on me?
He was a masked stranger. He was a psychopath who warped Penny’s mind, and now he’d had me taken.
I wasn’t sure who he was, but I knew one thing.
If he killed her parents, it was probably true that he killed mine as well.
And that hurt. Not because I’d truly mourn them, which seemed heartless, but because I didn’t know my family very well except for the bad parts that wouldn’t leave me.
Growing up, I spent a lot of time with nannies or away at different schools.
The summers were my mother’s. As for my brother, he was considerably younger, so we hardly spent any time together.
But when we did, he was always getting into trouble or bullying someone.
My father wasn’t much different, which was why I was fine being away.
I wasn’t like them. I didn’t enjoy hurting people because I could.
Solitude seemed to fit me best. I was happy with my life, but still lonely.
It was just me and my lessons. Me and my teachers.
Sometimes my mother. My friends. Drayton. Then, me and Elliot.
My heart squeezed at the thought of him. I did hurt for my guard, but maybe he wasn’t dead. Bastian had talked to him.
Unless…Bastian had done this.
I blinked through the question and what it could mean. Bastian. Maybe the man didn’t want my money because Bastian had paid him a lot more than I was offering. But if that was the case, then wasn’t I as good as dead?
I felt sick. …If he killed my parents and I was missing, Bastian was free of his obligations.
Free of me. And hadn’t he been acting so differently, suddenly wanting to love me?
Flying to Miami to watch over me? Keeping tabs on my every move?
And what about the stories of mistresses?
Maybe he just preferred that life over one with me.
Was I right about this? Was I wrong?
My breath caught as horror twisted with terror. If Bastian was the cause of this, no one was coming. A half hour ago I didn’t want them to, but now that I knew it could be the truth, it turned my blood cold. No parents. No fiancé looking for me. I was alone… with him.
The whimper that left me had the man stirring. His head lifted, and I didn’t even try to fight as he crawled up to the pillows and curled around me. The thoughts kept swirling, and I knew it was now or never. I had to see some sort of reaction. I had to test this man’s loyalties.
“One-hundred-and-fifty million dollars plus one murder.” The man’s stiffened, and his head lifted, but I continued. “Bastian put you up to this. It had to be him. One-hundred-fifty million, but you must kill him as part of the deal. It’s me or him, and it won’t fucking be me.”
The man groaned as if bored, lowering to lay his masked head along the underside of my bicep so that his face was nearly against mine.
“I’m serious. It was him who paid you to take me, right?
” When he didn’t answer or accept my deal, I felt confused.
“Right? There’s no one else. You took Penny.
You’ve done this before. What are you, Bastian’s friend?
Business partner?” Nothing. I thrashed back and forth, shaking both of us with my violent sways.
“If you’re not going to answer, can you at least move your heavy ass head off me?
Do you not see my wrists restrained in these stupid cuffs?
They’re at an incline. I can’t even feel my hands anymore.
This angle hurts enough. I don’t need your weight making it worse. ”
His head rose, and I could see his anger through his movements as he sat up, lifting a notch and snapping the cuffs down, even with the mattress.
His arm latched to the far side of my hip, jerking me roughly into his side.
Weight from his leg settled just above my knees and he scooped underneath me, cradling my head in the crook of his elbow as he held me tight.
The uncomfortable sensation had me turning to glare at the dark eyes that were not a few inches away.
“Take my money. I’m good for it, I promise. You don’t have to kill Bastian, just tell me if he paid you to do this. That’s all I want.”
The man’s hand lifted, and fingertips made a path from my hip, down to where my legs were trapped under his.
“Enough,” I snapped.
“More.”
He made a deep sound, barely touching as he traced a slow circle just over the top of my slit.
“No. Not more. Are you going to take my money and kill him for me or not?”
A chuckle.
“Stop it.” I tried to wiggle away from his touch. “Just say yes or no. Did Bastian get you to do this?”
He brought his hand up, pushing under the mask.
I could hear him suck against his finger before he returned it to the top of my slit.
He dipped down, adding pressure and circling.
My legs tried to jerk at the pleasure and sensitivity.
My head shook, but I tried not to let him see the twist of pleasure and fear.
“Bastian is one of us. You’re obviously a part of the circle.
He had you do this. It’s apparent from his actions.
He never wanted to marry me. What he and I had was a business arrangement.
Why he suddenly said he wanted to fall in love with me was a ruse.
He wanted to throw me off the trail and be there to make sure you went through with the abduction, so he came to Miami.
I get it. I’m not upset. I’m aware how our world works, which is why I’m offering you the deal. ”
“No.”
“No?” A cry left me as he pried my legs apart. “Stop. No, to what? No, Bastian didn’t have you do this? Or, no, you’re not taking my money?”
He didn’t answer. I let out an aggravated yell, fighting against his sudden hold over my legs as I tried to use mine to hurt him.
I couldn’t which only had me yelling out even more.
It was for nothing. The man slid his body over mine, pinning me even more as he forced his way between my legs.
I could feel his thick length against me.
It had me fighting against him even harder.
“If you rape me, you won’t get a dime. Do you hear me? I’ll give you nothing. You might as well kill me.”
“I may in the end.” He lowered, shifting as his hand pushed between us and he rubbed his fingers over my slit. “But for now, I keep you, and you suffer. This.” He lowered his voice even more. “Is nothing. Soon, you will scream. Soon, you will know.
“Know?” I tried twisting. “Know, what? What do you want from me!”
The slap against my thigh had my mouth flying open as I sucked in air. Whack! Whack! The sting burned, webbing against my flesh as I stared up at the mask in shock. I looked at him in a new sort of fear as trepidation got heavier in my gut.
“Tell me what to do so I can leave.”
Whack!
I screamed at the impact, not stopping in my attempt to get him off me.
“You can do nothing. You’re mine now, I’m going to kill them, Marian.”
Whack!
Whack!
Whack!
A sob exploded from me, and pressure clawed and squeezed back into my thigh as he lifted and drew my knees up, spreading and forcing them wide.
“If you fucking move…”
The threat was obvious. My entire body was shaking as I stared up at his nude form, braced above me ready to inflict punishment again.
“And if you—"
“Don’t. Move.”
The command locked me into place with how deep and authoritative it was.
I was breathing heavy, not able to stop the tears that flowed like a river.
My legs shook as I fought to keep them open.
I felt exposed. Mortified. I felt shame.
As it built, I could feel my legs moving in on their own.
Each second, my tears were heavier. It was all too much.
The drugging. The murder of my family. The lifelong fight.
The constant battle with the world. The truth…
Pain and realization seemed to come from nowhere.
I had no one. Not really. I had Penny, but even I couldn’t open to her like I craved.
To be able to breathe. To talk and connect to someone.
Anyone. I cried harder, sobbing soul deep as a piece of me seemed to break off inside.
Yes, there was a hole there now, and each second it was growing bigger.
I wanted to leave this moment. To… disappear.
To just be done and gone from this lifelong humiliation.
This… mortification of my abductor seeing me so exposed.
My family. Drayton. Me. … This. This. This!
My cries grew, and the man in front of me shifted, becoming fidgety at my heart wrenching cries.
My knees were angrily gripped and closed.
On instinct, I did it. I screamed, drawing my foot back.
I kicked out with everything I had, slamming it right into the middle my captor’s mask.
The looming figure flew back, and his crash into the table had me using the cuffs to scramble to my knees.
Horror washed through, and I gagged at the pain in my head and the reality of seeing his motionless body.
If I had a chance of leaving, that might be gone now.
This stranger may not let me live through the night.
With how he wasn’t moving… maybe he wasn’t even alive at all.