Chapter Four
Arianna
Imanage to get a blanket around me despite my bound hands. The room has a chill in the air that makes me continuously shiver but at least I’m alone. I can think. I can try to find a way out of here.
I use my teeth to nibble at the rope around my hands but I can’t get it off. I already tried the window hours ago and it refused to open. I kicked at the door until my feet hurt. Nothing worked.
I’m stuck in here now.
My tears dried a long time ago but the fear in my chest hasn’t left me. What happened to my parents? Are they dead? I don’t know anything.
When I hear the front door open, my heart rate spikes. Cormac is back.
I scramble off the bed and look around the room, searching for anything I can use as a weapon. My eyes land on the lamp by the bed. Even though my hands are tied, I can still grab the lamp. I position myself by the door and get ready.
After a long moment, the door opens and Cormac steps inside.
I swing the lamp at his head and it makes contact, knocking him to the side. With a grunt, he stumbles. I drop the lamp and run out of the room but I don’t make it far before Cormac catches me.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he growls, shoving me back into the room. He kicks the door closed and stands before it, blocking my way out. “Sit down.”
“Don’t hurt me.”
“Just sit down and I won’t have to.”
Slowly, I take a seat on the bed, my legs shaking. I wrap the blanket around my shoulders, shivering harder.
“What do you want from me?” I whisper. “Just tell me if my parents are dead or not.”
“They’re alive.”
I suck in a breath. “They are?”
He nods once. “I didn’t need to kill them. I just needed you for my plan.”
“Why do you need to hurt me to save your sister? I don’t understand.”
“Your uncle married my sister. He hurts her every day. I know it. I need to save her from him and I have to use you to get it.”
“But why? I told you: my uncle barely knows me. I barely know him.”
“Because you’re a young woman. Someone he’ll be willing to fight for. Someone he’ll leave my sister for to save.”
“You’re deranged.”
A look of pure fury crosses his face. “I am not deranged. I am thinking straight. I am the only one thinking straight. It was wrong of my father to force my sister to marry your uncle. I need to rectify it and you’re the only one who can do that for me.”
“Just let me go,” I whisper.
“No.”
A shiver wracks my entire body.
“Are you cold?” he asks in a voice I can’t make out. It’s not taunting. It’s…just neutral. No emotion in his voice.
“Yes. I only have this blanket. I’m naked.”
His eyes sweep over my body. “I can see that.”
I wrap the blanket tighter around me. “Can you please untie my hands?”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because it’s uncomfortable and clearly, I’m not going anywhere. I’m your prisoner. Please.” I force myself to look into Cormac’s eyes. It’s the scariest thing I’ve ever done.
After a moment, he sighs. “Fine.” He takes the rope off my wrists and the moment he does, I swipe my hands towards his face. He grabs my wrists, stopping me. I gasp.
“Don’t be stupid,” he growls, so close to me. His nose is practically touching mine. “I will hurt you. I already plan on it. Don’t make me do it sooner than I have to.”
I frown. What does he mean by that?
He lets me go and steps back. “You’ll stay in here. I’ll bring you food. I can’t have you dying on me. That would defeat my plan.”
I cling to the blanket around my shoulders. “Could you bring me some clothes at least?”
“You’re not even a human to me. Why would I give you clothes?”
I flinch. “How can you not see me as a human? I don’t understand. I have done nothing to you.”
“You belong to the Italian mafia. That makes you not human.”
“And you kidnapped me,” I snap. “What does that make you?”
He doesn’t give me a response. Instead, he leaves the room, locking the door behind him. I slump onto the bed and curl into a ball, trying to convince myself that I will wake up from this nightmare eventually.
After a few hours, I wake up with a gasp, realizing I managed to fall asleep. I think the exhaustion over took me before I could help it.
I frown, looking around the room, remembering where I am. It’s then that I hear multiple voices coming from outside my room. Male voices.
It’s what woke me up.
Getting out of the bed, I press my ear to the door to listen. I still can’t make out what the men are saying. I can’t even tell how many of them are out there. Is Cormac hosting a party? At the place where he’s holding me prisoner?
Or did he bring these other men here to hurt me?
It’s then that I hear footsteps approach the door and I stumble back when it swings wide open. Cormac stands on the other side.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“I have some friends over. They want to see you.”
I hold the blanket around my body with a death grip. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, they want to see the Italian girl I have locked up in this room.” He slowly approaches me and grabs the blanket, ripping it from my body. “They want to see your nice body. And you do: have a nice body that is.”
“I dance,” I say, not even understanding why I say it. “Contemporary.”
“What the fuck is contemporary?”
“It’s a style of dance. Like ballet but… not.”
Cormac huffs. “I don’t give a fuck. Come on.” He takes my arm and guides me out of the room into a main living room/kitchen area. The cabin is not that large. I look out the front window but all I can see is trees. Nothing to help tell me where I am.
It’s then that I see two men seated on the couch. Around Cormac’s age. They both look at me with hungry eyes that make me flinch back.
“These are some of my oldest friends,” Cormac explains. “Two men who didn’t abandon me. The only two who didn’t.”
So Cormac was abandon somehow. The more information I have, the more I can use it to my advantage.
“Josh and Sam,” Cormac says.
I don’t say a word as both men wave at me.
“She is something,” Sam says. He has curly brown hair and soft brown eyes except… his eyes don’t look soft at all. Not with the way he’s looking at me.
“She really is,” Josh adds. He’s the opposite of Cormac. Skinny and almost gaunt looking.
“She’s my prisoner,” Cormac says. “To do with as I please. A filthy Italian.”
“Let’s have some fun with her,” Sam says, waggling his eyebrows.
Cormac makes me sit on the other couch, opposite his friends. He takes his place beside me, never letting go of my arm. “You can look but I need her in good condition. I need her to last as long as possible.”
I shiver. Cormac may not want me abused but it’s only so he can do the abusing in the future.
To hurt my uncle. All because my uncle belongs to a dangerous world.
My parents tried to protect me from it and now I see how wrong I was to be upset with them for not telling me.
They just wanted me safe and I’m grateful.
“So you haven’t fucked her?” Josh asks.
“Why would I fuck her? I can’t stand the Italians. I don’t want to put my cock in one.”
“But I’m sure it would feel good. I mean, look at her body.” Josh’s eyes rake over my skin. “I’m sure her cunt would feel amazing.” I press my legs closer together. “See? She’s turned on by the thought of you fucking her.”
The opposite, in fact. But I don’t say a word. The less I say, the better.
Cormac’s eyes flick down to my legs. “I don’t think it’s arousal, you fucking idiot. She’s clearly scared.”
“Don’t you want her to be scared?” Sam asks.
“Of course. I want every Italian who belongs to the mafia to be scared. Josh is just a fucking idiot for thinking the girl is turned on. She’s my prisoner. Not my girlfriend.”
“Still, I’m just saying.” Josh shrugs. “You could give her body a taste. I’m sure it would taste good.
She looks young and innocent. I doubt she’s had that many men inside of her.
How many men have you fucked?” he asks me.
When I don’t respond, he laughs. “Too shy? A pretty girl like you is a slut, I’m sure. ”
“Probably has had a ton of cocks inside of her,” Sam agrees.
“What do you think, Cormac?”
Cormac stiffens. “I don’t care if she’s had other cocks inside of her before. That’s not why I took her. I just want to save my sister and she’s the way I can do it.”
“You were always suck a stickler for treating women with respect,” Sam says, sharing a laugh with Josh.
“I’ve never needed to rape a woman. Look at me.”
Josh glowers. “True. Not everyone gets to look as good as you do.”
“Arianna is my prisoner. Nothing more. I will not be putting my cock in her.”
No. He’ll just be cutting off my fingers when he gets the chance. He’s a horrible man who thinks he’s doing the right thing. That makes Cormac the most dangerous man in this room.
“Talk, female,” Josh says, snapping at me. “Say something. I want to see you talk so I can imagine your pretty lips around my cock.”
I still don’t say a word.
“Talk.” Josh’s eyes narrow. “Talk!” He surges forward and slaps me across the face, making me gasp. Cormac stiffens even more. “So you can make a noise. Now, talk.” He goes to slap me again when Cormac grabs Josh’s wrist, stopping him.
He stands up, pushing Josh back. “Enough.”
“But you kidnapped her to hurt her. Why are you telling me to stop?”
I can’t see Cormac’s face from here so I have no idea what he’s thinking. “I kidnapped her to save my sister. That’s all. I didn’t bring her here for you to slap. If anyone is going to hurt her, it’s me.” He grabs my arm and pulls me from the couch.
I gasp when he takes me back to the bedroom. “What are you doing?”
He gives me a look like he doesn’t understand me one bit. “What do you think I’m doing?”
“I have no idea.”
“Just wait in this room,” he snaps before leaving the bedroom and shutting the door behind him, locking it once more.
What just happened? It’s like… Cormac didn’t like Josh hurting me. But that doesn’t make sense. Cormac kidnapped me to hurt me. Well, he really wants to hurt my uncle. That much I have figured out.
He said he’s never raped a woman before but how can I believe his word?
His word means nothing. And yet… Cormac hasn’t beaten me yet.
He’s on a mission and using me to get what he wants.
But it doesn’t seem like he delights in torturing people just for the fun of it.
He’s doing this for a purpose. Not for fun.
I’m not sure if that’s better or worse.
I wrap the blanket back around me and shut my eyes, hoping this nightmare will end soon.