Page 6 of Taking Adalisa (Montgomery Syndicate #2)

ADALISA

I suck in a deep breath as I stare at Matthias, not knowing what to say or do. I’ve tried telling him he can’t be in here, but he’s obviously not paying attention. I can’t go to the police since he said they will act as if nothing is happening.

Who do I go to?

I can’t tell Margery about it. She wouldn’t understand that I can’t go to the police. They are in so many people’s pockets; I don’t trust them.

No.

I can’t and won’t do it.

“Let’s go have breakfast,” he says. “I know a place just around the corner.”

“No,” I state. “I am not getting breakfast with you. I need to get ready for work, and you are not part of it. I don’t want to see you again.”

His face hardens as he looks at me and my mouth drops open on a gasp. Okay, not the right thing to say, but I need him to understand that he can’t just walk all over me. That he can’t just declare that I am his and expect me to roll over and be okay with it.

I’m not.

I never will be.

“You will come out to eat with me before you work,” he declares.

“No, I won’t. I will kick and scream the whole way and make a scene if you drag me there,” I fire back, not giving in.

He inhales deeply, keeping his eyes on me. We stare at each other for a while, not a word passing between us.

“I promise I’ll make a scene,” I tell him again, wanting him to really know I mean business.

He smiles.

He fucking smiles .

“Good. You making a scene won’t bother me,” he states, and my mouth falls open again.

“It… it won’t?” I ask.

“No, it won’t. Everyone knows who I am. It won’t do anything. They know not to interfere if I am with someone.” He smirks and cocks his head to the side. “Did you really think it would deter me? Oh, baby, you are so wrong.”

Tears prick my eyes, and I blink them away, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing me break down in front of him.

“It’s okay,” he whispers. “Everything is going to be okay. You can come peacefully, or you can kick and scream like you said. Either way, you are coming to breakfast with me.”

I clench my jaw as I glare at him.

Pick your battles.

I need to be wise about this until I have a way to get out.

I need to come up with a plan. Maybe I can move somewhere he won’t be able to find me and lay low for a little while until he forgets about me.

Margery won’t understand, but maybe if I tell her I’m going on a vacation, one I really need, she’ll understand.

“Okay,” I whisper, forcing the next couple of words out of me. “I’ll come with you.”

Am I really doing this? Am I really about to go to breakfast with someone who claims I am theirs and won’t hear anything else?

Yes, I am, and I can’t do anything about it. I could try and make a scene like I said I would. But if he is telling the truth, then I’m just wasting energy that I could be saving for something else. I am going to need this energy at a later date, I can tell.

“Good. Let’s get dressed,” he says as he pushes away from the wall and walks out of the bathroom, leaving me alone.

I take several deep breaths, trying to calm myself as I think over the situation. I didn’t think putting on the bracelet would make him possessive of me like this.

I didn’t know going to that munch was going to change my life.

If I had known, I wouldn’t have gone. I would have saved myself from having my life turned upside down. But would he have made us meet in another place?

He is in control of everything, and I can’t do anything about it right now.

“Adalisa!” he calls out. “Come and get dressed. I picked out one of your dresses for you.”

I push myself off the wall and stalk into the room, my eyes narrowing on the dress he picked.

It’s one of my more innocent dresses, one I love but don’t wear often.

It makes me feel girly and like I stand out in the world.

I don’t like being the focus of a room when I wear it, so I normally wear it around the house.

“I found this at the very back of your closet and thought you would look nice in it.” Matthias picks up the dress and holds it out. His eyes scan my body as he licks his lips. “I wouldn’t mind you going out like this, but I figure you wouldn’t want to.”

I snatch the dress out of his hands and quickly put it on, not wanting him to be able to see my naked body any more than he needs to. Rushing past him, I open my drawer and grab some underwear.

“No panties,” he says, grabbing them from my hands. “You are not permitted to wear panties with this dress.”

“No, you can’t do that. It’s New York City. It’s windy outside. One step outside and everyone will see my pussy! I am not walking down the street and showing everyone my bits.” I grab another pair, but he takes them before I can put them on.

“I said no panties, so you will not wear any.” He closes the drawer.

“You cannot expect me to walk down the street with no panties on.” I look at him in disbelief. “I’m not having everyone see my pussy.”

“You won’t be walking down the street. You’ll be walking to my car and then into the shop. While we are walking out to my car and to the shop, you can hold onto the side of your dress so it does not fly up,” he points out. “Problem solved.”

“Problem solved?” I ask. “No. Problem not solved. I am not leaving this house without any panties. Going without a bra is one thing since this has a built-in one, but without panties is a no-go. I’m completely exposed.”

He takes my panties and drops them onto the floor and steps closer to me. “You will not be completely exposed to everyone. No one will dare look at you while I am with you. One wrong look and they will have me to deal with. Trust me, they don’t want to deal with me.”

I shake my head and take another step back. “This is all too much. I can’t do this.”

“You can and you will.” He shrugs. “I can carry you over my shoulder, giving everyone a little peek of my pretty pussy or you can walk by yourself.”

I take a deep breath and stare at him, hoping he gives me another option—any option. But as the seconds go by, I realize he isn’t going to give me one. “Tick tock. Pick or I will pick for you,” he says. “And you won’t like my choice.”

“I’ll walk,” I quickly say. “I’ll walk to the car and into the restaurant.”

There is no way I’m going to let everyone see my pussy as he walks out of my house with me over his shoulder. No way in hell.

“I was hoping you would pick the other option,” he gently offers. “Maybe next time. Maybe we can do it when it grows dark the first time, so you aren’t as embarrassed. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. Everyone will know you belong to me. They already do.”

“They do?” My eyebrows furrow. “But how?”

He chuckles. “Quite simple. You look amazing when you sleep. One picture told them you were off limits. It spreads like wildfire when you have connections and people are afraid of you.”

“You’re lying.” I shake my head.

I try to get away from him, my back hitting the wall. He has to be lying. He wouldn’t use my picture to show people that I’m off limits.

“Oh, but you underestimate me,” he says, his voice smooth. “I would do it again if I had to.”

We stare at each other for several seconds, letting the quiet settle around us.

He keeps shocking me, and I don’t know how to cope with it.

“Now, let’s go get breakfast before you have to work.

” He holds his hand out for me. “I would hate for you to be late for work. But we aren’t going to let that happen. ”

“It wouldn’t matter,” I mutter to myself.

My boss doesn’t seem to care if we are late. She doesn’t seem to care about a lot of things. She just wants the store open every day so we make money and then we can close whenever we want to. I know the longer we stay open, the more money we’ll earn.

Matthias cups my face. “It wouldn’t?”

I look away and step toward the door. “No, it wouldn’t, but I still need to get there on time. We have customers who like to come in at a certain time, and I can’t disappoint them.”

I should have known he would hear me when I was talking to myself. He hears everything. I don’t need him thinking I don’t have to go into work on time. It’s an excuse to cut things short.

Matthias grabs my hand and guides me out of my own apartment and onto the street.

“I do know how to get out of my building. I’ve been doing it for several years now,” I tell him, feeling slightly annoyed already. “You don’t have to hold my hand.”

His grip tightens a fraction. “Holding your hand ensures me that you aren’t going to run off. Though I do love a good chase, so maybe I should let your hand go so you can run.”

I glare at him. “I will not be running for you to fulfil some twisted fantasy with me. I’m not into that.”

But the thought of being chased turns on something inside of me. The thrill running through my body as I know he’s going to catch me, but I would still try and get away.

He wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me in close as we stand in front of his sleek black sports car. “Lies,” he whispers in my ear. “I saw the way your body tightened just a bit as you thought about it. You can’t lie to me.”

I push my body away from his, opening my door and sliding into his car. I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of him hearing me say he was right. Nope. No way in hell.

Matthias closes my door and walks around the car, keeping his eyes on me the whole time. My eyes flitter over to the door handle. Would I have enough time to get out and safely run somewhere before he can catch up?

“I wouldn’t try that if I were you,” he says.

“Try what?” I sass back, putting my seatbelt on.

“Getting out of the car. The child lock is on, so you won’t be able to get out.” He looks smug as he starts the car.

I clench my jaw and look away. Of course, he put the child lock on. It’s like he knew what I was going to think. Almost like he could read my mind and intentions. Maybe he’s done this with another girl.

“Wait!” I yell, my hand gripping the door handle. “Stop!”

My breathing comes out in pants as he stops the car and turns toward me. Shit. What if he has done this before? What if he is some type of serial killer who follows his victims for months to learn their habit?

“What’s wrong, Adalisa?” he asks.

I push my body into the door, staring at him in horror. “Are you a serial killer? Have you done this before?”

I don’t expect him to answer me truthfully, but maybe I can read his body language if he is lying to me or not.

Maybe he’ll mess up if I ask him too many questions and annoy him.

Matthias full-on laughs as he stares at me.

I wasn’t expecting that reaction. I was expecting him to brush it off and have some elaborate explanation as to why he’s been following me.

“I’m not a serial killer, and I’ve never done this before,” Matthias finally says, sobering up after several minutes of laughing. “But I have killed people, and animals when I go hunting. But I don’t think you included animals in your question.”