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The creaking of a door made my heart jolt in terror. I curled in on myself, my heart racing out of control. I didn’t know where I was or if anyone could hear me if I screamed.
With every click of his heels on the stairs, I tried to think of something—anything to do to get out of here, but as soon as he reached the bottom, my mind went blank and my heart stopped. I recognized the silhouette immediately. I had nightmares about this man. I dreamed about him after the club, about how he pressed me up against the wall, begging to take me home. It was only by sheer luck that I escaped him.
Apparently, I wasn’t lucky enough to escape him for good. Dread filled the pit of my stomach as he walked closer. I knew whatever he had planned, I would not be leaving his clutches anytime soon.
“Isabelle. How lovely to see you again.”
When I didn’t say anything, he cocked his head at me as if he wondered why I wasn’t speaking. I couldn’t if I wanted to. My throat was too busy trying to remember how to function, how to allow air through.
“Aren’t you going to tell me you’re happy to see me, too?” He chuckled, resting his arm against the bars like he was lounging around, having a good time. He didn’t care that I was scared out of mind or that he had ripped me away from everyone I loved. There was no concern about whether or not I was okay. He didn’t even ask me how I felt. This man was a psychopath.
“Well, I suppose we can save pleasantries for later. I’ll let you get accustomed to your new home first.”
That sparked a response from me. “My new home?”
His eyes flashed with excitement. “Yes.” He looked around gleefully. “Until you’re prepared for what I can offer you, you’ll stay here. Only then will you be moved.”
What he could offer me…Was he serious?
“You could never offer me anything I would want.” My voice shook with anger and fear, but the truth in my words was strong. There was no way I’d ever give this man a single piece of me.
“We’ll see,” he chuckled.
“Did you really think you could kidnap me and I would fall in love with you? You’re sick.”
“Isabelle, you felt it at the club?—”
“I felt nothing! I pushed you away!”
“Yes,” he grinned. “And it made me hard. I love a woman who fights back. It makes it so much more fun to break her.”
The threat in his voice terrified me. I was afraid that deep down, I was not as strong as I thought. I wanted to believe I was, but there was a difference between acting tough and actually carrying through on it. A few self-defense classes did not make me mentally strong, and I had a feeling that’s what I’d need to hold out against a man like this.
“What do you plan to do with me?”
“It wouldn’t be any fun if I told you everything at once.”
“Then what about tonight?”
“For tonight, and the foreseeable future, you will stay here until you can learn to accept your new home for what it is.”
He was going to leave me here in this cold, dark cell. I would go crazy down here. I had to find a way to fight him…maybe make him think that I was on his side. If I was with him, I might be able to get to a phone or send a message for help. Anything!
I jumped up from the bench and rushed over to him, grabbing his hand in mine. His eyes flashed in approval, and I did my best to keep the disgust off my face. “I’ll go with you,” I said hopefully. “I don’t want to stay down here in the cold. I promise to behave and do whatever you tell me to do.”
A slow smirk filled his face. “I know you will. In time. I will never have your true devotion unless you earn it. And believe me, by the time I’m done with you, there will never be a day that you don’t want to be by my side.”
He peeled his hand from mine, pulling it back through the bars.
“No,” I whispered. “Don’t leave.”
“I’ll check on you tomorrow. For now, enjoy your night with the rats.”
“No!” I screamed. “You can’t do this!”
But he didn’t listen. He didn’t even stop and turn around. His footsteps faded as he marched up the stairs. Then the door closed and I was locked in silence. The cage felt like overkill until I heard the scurrying of little feet, and then I understood why he locked me in here.
Pure torture.