Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
I’ve been scared before, but I’ve never felt the kind of fear I do right now. I’m literally in the hands of a psychopath. But at least Rosie is okay. He let her go, and for that, I’m going to take whatever fate I’m being dealt. Because if it’s my sister or me, I’m always going to choose her.
She has a bright future ahead of her. She’s going to fall in love and have children.
She’s going to be a great mother one day.
And me? Well, I’ve already found my great love.
I know what it feels like to be loved so wholly it wraps around you like a warm, fluffy blanket.
He’s not going to accept this. He’s going to try to find me.
I just pray that he doesn’t end up collateral damage in whatever this psychopath’s plan is.
I tried really hard not to cry. I didn’t want to be weak in front of him.
I didn’t want him to know just how terrified of him I am.
But I broke. The more I think about my family, my parents, my brother, my sister…
all of my uncles and aunts, my cousins… how much my death is going to impact them, the more my heart breaks.
I’m also scared of the pain. I don’t know what he’s going to do. I’m pretty sure he’s going to kill me. But how? I wish he would get it done already. Instead, he’s just sitting across the room staring at me.
Meanwhile, I’m chained to a damned pipe that’s attached to the wall. The concrete floor cold and damp underneath me. I don’t dare say anything, for fear of saying the wrong thing and sending him into a fit of rage.
I’m trying to think of every little tip my dad taught me about this exact situation.
He taught all of us children what to do in a kidnapping scenario.
Although he assured me it was never going to actually happen, but he was always big for being prepared.
Right now, though, I’m coming up blank. All I can think of is how much I want my dad and uncles to come in here, guns blazing.
I want to watch them kill this asshole who thinks I somehow belong to him.
My finger feels around my now bare finger. The one where, for a short time, I wore CJ’s ring. I smile at the thought. I am his wife. I got a week of being the wife of CJ Bianchi, and nothing this creep does to me can take that away.
After what feels like hours, he stands and silently approaches where I’m seated on the floor. When he kneels down right in front of me, I flinch backwards but there’s nowhere to go. Reaching his fingers out, he wipes my face, right where my tears have been falling. Then he sucks on the same finger.
He doesn’t say a word. Nothing. But when he grips onto my hair, tilting my head backwards, I cry out in pain and fear.
Bile rises in my throat when his tongue slides up my cheek.
First one side, then the other. I want to throw up.
I should let myself throw up all over him.
Show him just how disgusting I think he is.
“Delicious.” He utters a single word before rising to his full height and returning to his chair. Those beady dark eyes silently watching me again.
What the hell is he waiting for? Why is he just watching me? Again, it’s bloody weird as hell.
I search the room, looking for any kind of clue as to where I am. But there’s not much in here. Other than the single chair the creeper is sitting on and the concrete floor beneath me. The door is closed, and I have no idea what’s beyond it.
I look at the guy who I once knew as my professor. I don’t understand what I did to gain this kind of attention from him. Why me? I’m nothing special. I’m not anything unique that should captivate a psychopath.
“What did I do?” I ask, unable to stop my curiosity from slipping out.
He seems just as stunned by my question that I am. “What do you mean?”
“Why me? What did I do to make you do this to me?”
Those beady eyes roam over my entire body before they come back up to my face. “I saw you the first time in Vegas. You were with him. But I knew you were supposed to be mine.”
I blink. I don’t understand how someone can be so out of touch with reality. “You tried to kill me,” I remind him. “If you love me, why would you want to hurt me?”
“I don’t want to hurt you, Daniella. You are mine. That was my father’s direction. He had his men go after you. I saved you.”
“Is that why I’m here? So you can save me?” Now that I’m talking, I can’t seem to stop. Maybe if he doesn’t think I’m a threat, he’ll untie me.
“I did save you. Don’t be ungrateful.” His voice rises in volume. He glares at me while his hand is twitching at his side. He’s angry. I’ve made him angry.
“I’m grateful. Thank you for saving me,” I say quietly, trying to appease him. If I can keep him happy, maybe, just maybe I can keep myself alive long enough for my father to find me.
“I did save you. From him. He’s not right for you, Daniella. I am the one. Me.” He points to his own chest.
Holy fucking shit, I knew he was cray-cray, but he’s far more down the Looney Tunes hole than I originally thought. I honestly assumed he wanted to kill me. Now, I have no idea what he wants to do with me.
I don’t know what to say to his comment, so I just sit still.
Say nothing. I really, really want my dad right now.
I want my mum. More than that, I want my husband, which is the one person I’m trying really hard not to think about.
Because the thought of never seeing CJ again brings tears to my eyes again.
How did this happen? This man got into my home. I let Rosie talk me into going down to the basement to check on Kevin for her. When we got to the door, there were no guards in sight, so we both went down.
I knew something was wrong. I had that feeling in my gut.
I chose to ignore it. And when I reached for the light switch and they didn’t come on, I knew we were both in trouble.
I pushed Rosie towards the stairs, told her we needed to go back.
But then she tripped over something, not something, a body.
Rosie screamed as she scampered to her feet. That’s when I was grabbed from behind.
He had a knife. Ordered me to tell my sister to come closer.
I knew he was going to kill her and I couldn’t let that happen.
I pleaded, insisted that I wanted to go with him.
Begged him to let my sister go. She didn’t matter.
He mattered. I said whatever I thought would get her out of that basement alive.
Rosie shook her head at me, but I told her to go.
To run back upstairs. She did, and the last thing I heard was her screaming for our brother.
A rag was placed over my face, and sometime later I woke up here.
In this damp, cold-ass room. I don’t even know where we are.
I don’t even know how he got me off my parents’ estate.
Then again, I don’t know how he got on the estate and into the basement either.
“How long do we have to stay here? In this room?” I ask him.
“Not too much longer. It’s almost time,” he says as he pulls a phone out of his pocket. If only I could get out of these chains, knock him out, and grab that phone, I could call for help. I don’t see how that is going to happen, though.
“Time for what?”
“Time for the fireworks, sweetheart,” he says.
“Fireworks?” I question.
“Yep, I’ll be right back. Don’t you go anywhere.” He laughs, because even if I tried, I couldn’t go anywhere.