Chapter Twenty-Six
Romy
T he cabinet reminds me of my closet back home. I’d felt safe there as I’d hidden among the stuffed animals, dolls, clothing, and shoes. I’ve always been good at hiding. When I was terrified, after the lights would go out, I’d sneak into my closet, barely disturbing all the items there, blending in seamlessly.
Monsters never found me there.
All I had to do was remain completely still, slow my breathing, and retreat to a place that brought me serenity. Often, I’d replay all the times I’d gone ice skating with Bastian. Being the good big brother he was, he’d hold my hand, pulling tightly anytime I’d start to fall.
He always kept me safe.
Well, not always…
“Romy,” a deep voice says in a sing-song tone. “Come out, come out, wherever you are.”
I’m snapped from my daze and panic takes over, stealing my heart and my breath all at once. Has Solomon discovered me hiding here?
Before I can consider my next move, the cabinet door is once again yanked open, blinding me with the sudden brightness of the light.
I yelp as a beefy hand grabs hold of my bicep and jerks me out of the cabinet. As I’m hauled to my feet, I’m briefly relieved to discover the person who found me is Gareth.
Briefly relieved.
It passes in an instant when I lock eyes with his gleaming orbs. Wickedness dances in his gaze. I’m angry for not recognizing it the second I met him. He’d easily fooled me, though I won’t be tricked again.
“Let’s go,” he says as he knocks the cabinet door closed with his foot. “Caius sent me to fetch you.”
As he drags me away from my hiding place, I can’t help but look for the girl. She’s no longer sprawled out on the rug. The only evidence she was here is several drops of blood and the awful stench of bodily fluids of all kinds.
Disgusting.
“Is the girl okay?” I ask Gareth as he hauls me to the elevators. “Where did they take her? Is she still alive?”
Guilt has me gagging and tears filling my eyes. I should have left the cabinet and tried to stop it. I could have saved her.
“We’ll talk in a minute,” Gareth growls. “Hush and come on.”
My mind continues to reel so much that it’s not until I’m being pulled into a guest room that’s not the one I share with Caius, where I finally begin to acknowledge my surroundings.
This room has no windows.
“Where are we?” I ask, trying and failing to jerk my arm from Gareth’s grip.
“Calm down,” he gripes. “We’re in my room. You need to lie low until we make sure you weren’t seen.”
My hair is damp from sweat and I can’t shake the nausea in my gut. I want to know what happened to the girl. Did they take her somewhere else for more evil plans or was she dropped off with Ava? Not knowing is killing me.
“I should have stopped them,” I murmur, shuddering. “I should have—”
“No,” Gareth says with mild irritation, finally dropping his hold on me. “You shouldn’t have. You’re lucky Solomon didn’t see you. Caius is pissed.” He smirks at me. “Perhaps you’re not as beloved as I once thought.”
I hug my arms to me and remain near the closed door. I’m not eager to get too comfortable in this place. I just want to go back to the safety of my room.
“What was up with you and Ava?”
Gareth’s eyebrow rises and his stare bores into me. “She’s the one who gave me my family. Why?”
I shrug, unable to look him in the eye. “Just looked like there was history between you two.”
He chuckles. “I lost my virginity to her. We go way back.”
I’m disgusted I was right about her. Gareth seems proud to have slept with that wicked witch. I suppose any teenage boy getting laid by a sexy older woman would be something to brag about.
“Caius doesn’t like her.”
“How do you figure?” Gareth asks, genuinely confused by my statement. “They talk all the time.”
“She’s a predator,” I say to him slowly as if he’s dumb.
Gareth scowls as he approaches me. My ass bumps against the door in my effort to retreat. “We’re all predators, Ro. Every damn one of us.”
“Not Caius,” I spit back, though I don’t really know that. “What’s your intention with Kaitlyn?”
His entire body freezes and malevolent hatred contorts his usually handsome features. “The fuck you say?”
I’m totally out of my element and trapped with this evil bear of a man. I should keep my mouth shut, but I can’t help but provoke him.
“You said you were a predator,” I hiss, tears threatening. “I can only imagine what you plan to do with her.”
A vein bulges in his neck. “I would never—”
“Maybe you’ve convinced yourself you wouldn’t this time.” My voice wobbles as tears track down my cheeks. “What happened with Emma? Did you lose control? Did you mess up and need to hide your horrible mistake? What—”
Pain explodes through my head as he backhands me across my cheek. I stumble, landing hard on my side, the corner of a table jabbing into me. The breath is knocked from my lungs almost immediately.
I cower as I watch the beast of a man prowl toward me, shoulders squared and looking for a fight. Before he can get his meaty paws on me again, someone pounds on the door to his room. We both freeze.
“Gareth,” Caius says, voice sharp like a thousand razor blades. “Did you do it?”
Gareth yanks me to my feet, and I yelp. He puts a finger over his lips, indicating for me not to breathe a word of what just happened.
“Yup,” Gareth says, affixing a boyish grin. “She’s here. Safe with me.”
He opens the door and Caius strides in, hard gaze searching for me. I’m a mess, I know, with my tear-streaked cheeks, messy, sweaty hair, and now bruising cheekbone. Caius assesses it all in a millisecond. I see a flash of fury on his face before he schools it into one of impressive apathy.
“Thanks,” Caius grunts. “We need to get ready.”
I don’t have to be told twice, practically running toward my fake boyfriend. He takes hold of my hand. The immediate comforting relief I feel is alarming.
Right now, he’s the lesser of evils on this boat.
He leads me out of Gareth’s room and to the elevator. We ride up in silence. I refuse to look at Solomon’s side of the yacht when we exit, haunted by what I’ve been a witness to.
Once back to the safety of our room, Caius locks the door behind us and points to the bathroom. “Shower. Now.”
I stare at him, fear bathing me instead. “W-What?”
His nostrils flare. “Not with me , little girl. Don’t be so upset. Another time perhaps.”
Shame mixed with disgust has me storming away from him. I had been terrified at the idea of showering with him. Caius, though better than some of these other monsters, is still horrible and scary. The thought of being alone with him, naked and wet, makes me shiver uncontrollably. I’m far from being turned on by him.
I snatch some clothes from the drawers and then slip into the bathroom. After a long, hot shower where I scrub every part of me as though it’ll remove the perversion I’d seen and heard, I finally exit the bathroom. Caius barely spares me a glance as he walks past me, shutting himself in there next.
The bed calls to me, promising to erase all the horrors, and I go willingly, crawling under the covers and closing my eyes. Emotion weighs heavily on my chest. I’m drowning in regret for not having done something. I should have done something.
To what end?
There were three men in that room. I’d have easily been subdued and potentially made another victim. That wouldn’t have helped the girl any.
I must’ve fallen asleep because I awake to the fresh scent of Caius’s cologne. Peeking my head out of the covers, I find him standing in front of the drawers, naked aside from a pair of black boxers that mold to his muscular ass.
Why does the bad guy have to look so good?
He turns, revealing his impressive, bulging cock, catching me spying on him. His impassive features twist into one of wicked glee. It’s not a look I’ve seen on him before, which makes my heart rate stutter wildly.
“We have time for a quick fuck, love,” he purrs in his fake boyfriend voice. “I’ve always heard pregnant women have an insatiable thirst for sex. Is it true?”
When he goads me like this, it reminds me of how much I hate him no matter what a beautiful, tattooed specimen of a man he is.
“I’d rather throw myself off that balcony,” I say sweetly. “ Love .”
He smirks, yanking his slacks off the hanger. “Suit yourself. We both know you could use a little release. You’re quite edgy today, little girl.”
No shit?
I’m desperate to lay into him about the part he played in what I saw. But did he play any part? Not exactly. Yes, he sat by idly and did nothing, but so did I. I suppose we’re equally complicit.
Besides, fighting with my only ally here is stupid. Right now, I need him to keep me safe.
“Can we call Megan?” I ask rather than indulging his taunts with indignation. “Please.”
He buttons his slacks and then pulls up the zipper. I can’t help but notice the dark trail of hair below his belly button that disappears beneath his slacks. His intricately black-inked abs are cut just enough to realize he works out, but he’s not obsessed with it Gareth. The hair there seems soft, unlike the hard prick he usually is.
“Caius,” I say with a huff. “Please.”
“I suppose,” he says as he pulls on a tight white undershirt, “if you’re a good little girl at dinner, we can make the call afterward.”
He pulls on a crisp white dress shirt, then expertly fastens the buttons with incredible speed. How can watching someone dress be sexier than undressing? Makes zero sense.
“You need to get up and get ready.” Caius snatches a red tie from the cabinet. “Wear the black cocktail dress you packed. It’s sexy but not over the top. Ava will be jealous if you steal the show, so it’s better to avoid all that.”
“Why? She knows you don’t like her,” I say as I slide out of bed.
“She’s difficult to shake off when she has you in her talons. I’d rather you not find yourself there.”
I disappear to get ready in the bathroom. After putting on makeup and drying and styling my hair into a sleek, low bun, I return to the suite. Caius stands near the big window, staring into the darkness. He’s fully dressed now and looking more handsome than ever.
Since he’s distracted, I quickly strip out of my clothes and exchange them for the black dress he requested. It’s a Versace draped cowl-neck column dress with a high-thigh slit that shows a lot of leg. The red sparkly Jimmy Choo pumps are a nice touch.
“I’m ready,” I say, smoothing out my dress. “When do we go?”
He turns from the window, eyes greedily drinking me in. His gaze pauses at my chest. “She has tits. I prefer them with tits . ” I shiver at his attention.
“You’re missing something,” he says as he walks over to his laptop bag. “Ah, here we go.”
He hands me a blue Tiffany’s box. I take it from his hands and flip the lid open. A glittery solitaire diamond pendant on a platinum gold chain sits inside. I frown as I pull it from the box and let it dangle in my fingers, the light catching the multifaceted diamond and sending glimmers of light all around us.
“Allow me,” he rumbles, picking up the chain from my hand and then motioning for me to turn around.
I can’t help but get lost in this game of pretend. I’ve spent so much time with him, I’m growing used to his presence. For once, I’m privy to his plans, and we’re to go out there as if we’re a couple in love. Apparently, one that’s expecting a baby as well.
His fingers brush the back of my neck as he fastens the necklace. The pendant falls right between my pushed-up breasts that feel as though they’re on full display in the cowl-neck dress. It’s as if he wants to draw attention to my cleavage. This unnerves me.
Before I can argue, he takes my hand, guiding me out of the room. We make our way into the elevators and soon exit on the main deck. Our fingers interlock as a man, dressed in a tailored black suit, passes by. His eyes dip to my breasts for a beat too long and he grins. The man’s smile is too perfect, and his hair is too gelled. Something about him makes my skin crawl.
“I can see why you wanted to keep Sol’s filthy paws off this one,” the man with the familiar voice declares. Michael. The other sick bastard in the room watching while Solomon defiled the girl. “You’re a delectable little treat, aren’t you?”
He laughs at his own joke, sauntering past, going farther down the hallway. I shoot Caius a disgusted look and he gives me an imperceptible shake of his head, features annoyingly placid. Right. We’re pretending. No going off on monsters for behaving like monsters.
We follow Michael until we enter an opulent dining space. A single, twenty-foot table runs lengthwise in the middle of the room set with fine china, linens, and freshly cut red roses in crystal vases. No one’s seated yet. There are a handful of people already here, but I don’t recognize any of them. At first glance, they’re sophisticated and normal. But if they’re on this boat, I know there’s something horribly wrong with them.
Several pairs of eyes find their way over to us. Any belonging to the males all find great interest in my sparkly necklace squished between my boobs. I nearly shudder in disgust.
“Everyone’s noticing how beautiful you look, love,” Caius says lowly, stopping abruptly. “Come here and let me make a statement.”
I gasp as he pulls me to his chest, one hand delicately cradling the side of my neck while the other is aggressively palming my ass over the thin material of my dress. I’m shocked to feel his cock between us, thick and aroused. My cheeks heat as I gape up at him. His hand on my neck slides up and he gently runs his thumb along the sore bruise Gareth gave me hidden beneath my makeup. Then, without warning and in front of everyone, Caius crashes his lips to mine.
This kiss—wild, hot, and claiming—does wonders in convincing everyone, including myself, that we’re a couple.
I’m his.
And no one better doubt that for a second.