by J. S. Cooper
“I’m sorry, sir, I’m not sure what went wrong. Billy is friends with him. I’m sure he can find out when he regains consciousness.”
“He’s lucky I didn’t kill him for going rogue.” Jakob spoke again with a menacing voice.
“I know, sir.” The other voice spoke again, and I realized it sounded familiar. I racked my brain trying to think where I knew the voice from. And then I remembered. The blood drained from my face as I realized the man talking to Jakob was the same one who’d worn the mask and pointed the gun at me when I’d been kidnapped. “Did you at least get what you needed on the island, Mr. Bradley?”
“Almost,” Jakob replied, and I ran back to the bed.
Jakob was the one who’d kidnapped me. He had set the whole thing up! He had known Steve the whole time. He had purposely put Steve on the island with us. But why?
I ran to the bathroom and locked the door, shivering with fright. Why had the man called Jakob Mr. Bradley? I swallowed as I thought back to the beginning. I’d been set up from the start. I looked around the bathroom and spied a phone. Thank goodness for new high-tech hotels. I picked it up and decided to call David. He was the only one who could answer the questions I had.
“Hello?” A groggy voice answered the phone.
“David, it’s me, Bianca.”
“Bianca?” He sounded surprised. “Where have you been?”
“What do you mean?” My face flushed with anger. “You’re the one who set it up.”
“What are you talking about?” He hissed.
“The kidnapping,” I whispered into the phone.
“Bianca, you should know something.” His voice was low and panicked. “My brother, Mattias, was really angry when . . .” he started, and then the phone went dead.
“Bianca?” Jakob’s voice called through the door, and I froze.
“Yes?”
“Are you in there?” His voice was low, and I couldn’t tell if he knew that I’d heard him.
“I’m just going to the toilet.”
“Do you want to have a bath together?” His voice was soft.
“No, it’s four a.m.” My voice trembled as I looked around the bathroom, trying to figure out what to do.
“That doesn’t matter to me.”
“I’m tired, and I’m feeling sick. I’m just going to sit in here for a few minutes. Go back to bed, and I’ll join you in a few minutes.”
“You’re sick? Open up the door and let me take care of you.”
“It’s fine.” I bit my lower lip to stop it from trembling. “I tried to call room service to bring me some pills, but the phone died.”
“That’s the problem with being on an island—service isn’t always reliable,” he answered, and my face went white. “Let me in, Bianca.”
“No!” I shouted, unable to keep the fear out of my voice. Silence filled the air as I waited for Jakob to respond to me. It seemed like minutes had passed, and I wondered if he had just gone back to bed. My heart relaxed for a little bit as I closed my eyes and walked to the door. Maybe I’d be able to sneak through the room quietly and escape from the front.
“You know, don’t you, Bianca.” His voice was soft and deadly, and I stood still in my tracks. My hand on the handle of the door froze as I realized how close I had come to walking right into his trap.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” My voice was nothing more but a whisper, but I was certain that he heard me.
“You heard me talking.” He sighed. “You weren’t meant to hear that.”
“You lied to me.” I took a step back from the door.
“I think we need to talk. Please open up.” He banged on the door hard, and I could hear him trying to open it. “Please open the door, Bianca.”
“You lied to me!” I shouted, and looked around the room for something I could use as a weapon.
“You said you trusted me.” He banged the door harder and more frantically, and I felt my insides starting to panic. I had made a mistake. I had trusted the wrong man.
“Who are you, Jakob?” I screamed, while looking around for a way to escape. “Why didn’t you call the police to tell them we were kidnapped?”
“I already told you why.”
“Because those who are meant to help us may do more harm than good, right?” I cried out as I realized what a dumbass I’d been. The reason Jakob had given me the day before for not calling the police was almost the same thing that the man had told me on the phone after the fake policeman had entered my house.
“Open the door, Bianca!” he shouted, and I could see the handle rattling. I could feel myself starting to grow hysterical. The whole situation was so ironic; it had been Jakob himself who told me appearances could be deceiving. I hadn’t realized that he’d been talking about himself.
“We just made love, Jakob. You told me you were starting to fall for me, but it was a lie, wasn’t it. Was this all a ploy to trap me?” I tried to focus on breathing in and out as I felt myself on the verge of a panic attack.
“Let me explain, Bianca.”
“So you can lie to me again?” I screamed. “You nearly killed a man.” My words were loud and incoherent, and I could hear him trying to bang the door down. “Were you that worried that I was going to steal your family money?” I cried out, my heart breaking.
Everything I thought I knew about Jakob and my time on the island was an illusion. None of it was real, and now I needed to ensure that I survived whatever his master plan really was. I’d made it off the island, but I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it out of the hotel room. Until I saw the window. It was large, and I knew I could fit through it if it opened all the way. The only problem would be if there was somewhere for me to go once I made it out of the window.
I grabbed a bathrobe from the back of the door and pulled it on, fumbling with the window latch as I hurried to open it. I looked outside and breathed a sigh of relief as I saw the balcony. Clambering onto the windowsill, I stared at the rattling door one last time before I leaped. The last words I heard Jakob shouting were “To find the truth, one must be prepared to do anything, Bianca. One must be prepared to do anything.”
“I don’t think so, Jakob.” I whispered as I eyed the balcony across from ours. There was only about two feet between the two balconies, and I knew that I had to climb up and jump if I wanted to escape. I climbed up and took a deep breath as I was about to jump. I needed to hurry if I was going to escape Jakob. He’d remember the balcony pretty quickly and then it would be over for me. I needed to jump and make a call. As long as I could call Rosie, I knew everything would be okay. If I got access to a phone, I could tell everyone that I’d finally come face-to-face with Mattias Bradley.
Keep reading for a sneak peek at the next installment in the tantalizing, heart-stopping Swept Away series by New York Times bestselling author J. S. Cooper
disillusioned
Coming Spring 2015 from Gallery Books!
“Did you really think that I’d let you go, Bianca?” His voice was a muffled whisper to my ear, coming softly through the blindfold tied around my head. “Did you think I’d just give up?” The tip of his tongue trailed from the inside of my ear and down the side of my neck. I shivered in the cool room as I struggled to move my hands. The rope was tight around my wrists and I squirmed in the bed.
“Why are you doing this, Mattias?” I said as his lips pressed against mine roughly. I ached for his touch, even as I resisted it.
“Because I want to.” He bit down on my lower lip and tugged gently. “And because you want me to.” He leaned down closer to me and I breathed in his scent, wallowing in the smell of his cologne. The first time I’d smelled him I’d been instinctively attracted to him. I could still remember being in the back of the dark car with him the night I’d been kidnapped. My eyes felt heavy as I thought about his betrayal. How could Jakob have done this to me? How could I have not known he was Mattias?
“You need to trust me, Bianca.” His voice was
a monotone as he kissed me again and I tried to avoid breathing in his scent.
“You said that last time,” I whispered, and my body froze as I smelled him again. Every nerve in my body tingled with shock as the truth hit me.
“I want to make you mine, Bianca. We can still make this work.” His voice deepened and I tried not to cringe as I felt his fingers in my hair. I remained tightlipped, scared that my voice would give something away.
“Jakob,” I said softly and he froze, confirming what I already knew. “I know who you are.” I said again, this time my voice stronger.
“That’s why this will be so very enjoyable, Bianca.” He kissed my cheek before stepping back. “Let the games begin.”
One Week Earlier
“Bianca, open up.” I could hear Jakob’s voice through the open window as I huddled on the balcony. My heart broke at the sound of worry in his voice. At one time, I would have believed that the concern was for me and my livelihood. Now I knew better. Now I knew that Jakob didn’t care about my career. All he cared about was finding out what I knew and scaring me into trusting him—I still couldn’t believe he’d masterminded our kidnapping to that desert island. My body shivered as the cool ocean breeze washed over my trembling skin. I held on to the railing and said a quick prayer. The distance to the next balcony was only a couple of yards, but those couple of yards were waiting to pull me down like a dead weight.
“Bianca . . .” Jakob’s voice was louder as I heard a loud crack coming from inside the bathroom. Adrenaline kicked in then; I grabbed hold of the side railing and stood up quickly.
“Bianca, stop!” he shouted at me as he poked his head out of the bathroom window.
“One, two, three. You got this,” I muttered to myself. I took a deep breath and jumped, arms windmilling through empty space. I screamed as my left foot hit the balcony railing, going instantly numb; I landed on the floor in a heap.
“Bianca, are you okay?” His silky tone almost deceived me as I struggled to get up. I heard him walking onto the balcony and I scrambled to the sliding door that led to the bedroom. The lights were off and my heart was beating fast as I tried to open the door, to no avail.
“Open up, please, open up!” I bit my lower lip as my fingers clenched the handle and tried to pull it open.
“Bianca, please, don’t make me come over there.”
“Don’t even think about it!” I shouted as I turned to look at him. His blue eyes were focused on my face as he stood mere yards away from me.
“You can’t get in there.” He shook his head. “The door’s locked and the room is vacant.”
“How do you know that?”
“I made sure of that fact when we arrived.” He shrugged. “I didn’t want us to have any distractions.”
“You mean you didn’t want me to find out the truth!” I shouted, anger making me brave in the night air. I stared at his profile as he looked at something in the distance. His face looked so familiar, so ruggedly handsome, so much like the Jakob that I’d come to have feelings for that my heart broke when he turned to look back at me.
“Why are you running from me, Bianca?”
“Do you think I’m crazy?” I shook my head and tightened the bathrobe belt around my waist. “Do you think I’d stay with you after what I heard?”
“What do you think you heard, Bianca?”
“What do I think I heard?” I repeated and screamed. “Help me! Somebody help me!”
“Bianca, calm down.” He grimaced as he stared at me. “Take some deep breaths and stop panicking. Let your common sense control the situation, not your fear.”
“What?” My eyes narrowed as I stared at him, my heart racing fast.
“I was on a deserted island with you, Bianca. I know how your mind works.”
“It’s a pity I don’t know how your mind works, Jakob,” I said, my fear dissipating as I stared at him. He wouldn’t hurt me, would he? He hadn’t hurt me on the island. I had to believe he wasn’t looking to hurt me now.
But how could I have given myself to this man? I’d trusted him, made love to him, slept soundly in his arms. I could feel hysteria bubbling to the surface as I stared at his naked chest, so familiar, muscular and toned in the moonlight. And then the laughter erupted, flowing out of me with abandon, sounding manic and crazy in the still night.
“Bianca?” His eyes narrowed with worry.
“That’s my name, Jakob,” I said eventually, after my laughter had subsided and all that was left was a dry throat and a heavy heart.
“What is it you think you know?” He leaned closer and I stepped back.
“Don’t come over here,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “Please.”
“Why are you scared of me, Bianca? You know I would never hurt you.” His eyes looked sad and I wondered at the fact that he was such a great actor. It was almost ironic, what with me being a movie critic. I’d witnessed the greatest performance I’d ever seen, and I hadn’t even known it.
“How could you have made love to me?” My voice dropped and my legs tingled as I thought about the way he had kissed and caressed me just minutes before. My skin felt warm as I remembered the things he had done with his tongue, and I sighed as my senses betrayed me and tried to convince my brain to walk over to him. Trust him, my body said. Let him hold you and keep you warm. I closed my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. I needed to focus. I needed to be on high alert. I couldn’t allow him to twist the truth and turn me against myself.
“I made love to you because you’re beautiful. I made love to you because I couldn’t not make love to you. In fact, I want to make love to you right now.” He smiled and then looked at my chest suggestively. “Come, dear Bianca, let’s just go back to bed.”
“Just tell me two things,” I said confidently, and felt a surge of pride running through my veins as I hid my fear. “Did you know the other man on the island—Steve? And were you really kidnapped?”
“Bianca, it’s complicated.” He bit his lower lip and his eyes narrowed again. His body was tense, his shoulders hunched. His fists were clenched as well and I could see a vein throbbing in his forehead. I took a step toward him.
“Why so worried? Angry that I might know the truth?”
“What ‘truth’ do you think you know?” He reached out and grabbed my hand in his. His palm felt rough from his time cracking coconuts on the island and carrying wood. His fingers squeezed mine tightly and I gasped at the dart of pain that surged through me at his tight grip. “I’m sorry,” he whispered as he stared at me from the other balcony. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Bianca.”
“Then let go of my hand.” I tried to pull it away from him again, but he wouldn’t let go. “Please.”
“Bianca.” His voice was hoarse. “I can’t let you go.”
“Why did you lie to me?” I shook my head and stared into his eyes. For a few seconds we were back on the island. For a few seconds, it was just us against the world. For a few seconds, my heart stopped beating and I was caught in the magnetism that had attracted us to each other from the moment we met. As I stared into his deep blue eyes, I ran the gamut of emotions: pain, anger, sadness, and something akin to love. My heart broke as I recognized the same emotions reflected back at me.
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this.” His fingers dug into my skin. “I didn’t count on falling in love with you, Bianca.”
“You didn’t answer my questions. Did you know Steve and were you kidnapped?” I couldn’t allow myself to think about what he’d just said. Love wasn’t a part of Jakob’s equation, no matter how much my heart wanted to believe that what he’d said was true.
“You know the answers,” he said simply, his eyes never leaving mine.
“Is David your brother?” I asked softly, not even allowing myself to breathe as I waited for his answer. Please say no, please say no, please say no. The worst possible answer would be that the man I’d loved as “Jakob” was actually my ex-boyfriend’s unbalanced brother Matti
as.
“Yes.” He nodded. “Yes, David is my brother.”
It was then that I saw a sudden movement on the ground below us. A group of people were walking down a narrow pathway toward the hotel.
“Help!” I screamed. “Help me!” I yanked my hand from Jakob’s grip and fell backward against the balcony railing. “Help!” I screamed again, desperate for them to hear me.
“Bianca, stop it!”
“Leave me alone!” I screamed, wanting him to know that I wouldn’t be silenced.
“Bianca, we had something special. Please, give me the chance to explain.”
“We had nothing,” I spat out. “It meant nothing. You ruined it all with your lies.” I could feel tears running down my face as my shock made the transition from anger to complete and utter devastation.
“I’m coming over.” Jakob stood on the edge of the balcony, balancing like an acrobat preparing to leap into the void. I stilled, holding my breath as he stood there.
“Get down.” My heart was in my throat as he stood motionless, as relaxed as if he were simply waiting for a cab. “You could fall.”
“So you still care.” He gave me a satisfied smile as he hopped down, back onto his balcony.
“Why didn’t you jump?” I was confused. He could have easily grabbed me if he wanted to. All he had to do was make one small jump. Why hadn’t he?
“Have you ever seen The Talented Mr. Ripley, Bianca?”
“The movie with Matt Damon and Jude Law?” I frowned at his randomness. Why was he bringing up movies? That was my thing.
“Yes.” He nodded.
“Yes, a long time ago. Why?”
“I want you to trust me, Bianca. Everything isn’t as it seems.”
“Yeah, you’re not as you seem, Jakob.” I paused. “Bradley, right?”
“Yes, my last name is Bradley.” He nodded solemnly. “It’s not a name I carry with pride.”
“I wonder why.” I glared at him. “I assume you hate it as much as you hate your first name.”
“Life is complicated, Bianca. Sometimes we have to make decisions we don’t want to make. It’s just what life brings us.”
