“Bathroom,” he orders before he turns and enters it.
I get a pain in my chest at the situation I find myself in. I’m going to die. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. He sealed my fate when he took me, so begging him won’t make a difference. In order to tell him my future, I have to reveal my past, and I refuse to do it. There are some things a woman needs to take to her grave, and I have a couple of those. So I stick to my plan. And when I’m free, I’ll run like hell. This time, I’ll be smarter about hiding. Not even my brother will know where I go once I’m free.
I walk into the bathroom and see he has already started the shower. He walks up to me and takes my left hand. He turns it over and starts undoing the tape on my wrist. The cut isn’t that big, and it didn’t even require stitches. I was told some kind of medical glue was used. The cut is about three inches from my hand. It wouldn’t have been so bad if I had just got the damn thing and got out of there. Instead, when I stood, I slipped in the blood and fell, hitting my head.
Fucking figures.
“How does it feel?” he asks.
I stiffen and glare up at him, grinding my teeth. “Like you fucking care how I feel.”
He steps into me, his hard body pressing against mine, and I hate that my knees shake.
“You’re here because I care.”
I snort. “Don’t fill me full of bullshit, Avery. I’m twenty-eight, not twelve.”
I’m baiting him, trying to get him mad at me. This pretending to care is new. As if he is saving me from someone who would treat me worse than he does. I prefer the part where he has me cuffed and coming rather than the intimate looks and caring words.
I’m so fucked up!
He lets go of my chin, and his hand cups my face. His thumb gently rubs my skin like a lover’s caress. I refuse to flinch.
I wait for him to say something, but instead, he drops his hand and then grabs my arm and pulls me into the shower. We stay silent, and he washes me, not giving me any other choice. After the shower, we get out and dry off. He excuses himself with an order to meet him in the dining room for breakfast in twenty.
It’s awkward. I eat silently while he types away on his phone most of the time. I have a hard time even keeping my eyes open because I’m so tired. That orgasm did me in. And it felt like I was only asleep for ten minutes when he woke me up. So worn out. And I’m craving a fucking drink. Or a hit.
He sets his phone down, and I see him look at my plate out of the corner of my eye. I haven’t eaten much of my breakfast. I’m having a hard time keeping my eyes open.
“Bunny …?”
“May I be excused?” I ask, interrupting him and hating that I have to fucking ask for permission like a child.
I place my fork on the table and stare at him expectantly. He goes to open his mouth but isn’t given the chance to speak.
“Sir?” Kayn enters the formal dining room.
I spin my head in the opposite direction to look at him. He crosses his arms over his massive chest and pulls back his shoulders. His dark eyes stare at Avery, and he acts as if I don’t even exist. I like it that way.
“What is it, Kayn?” Avery asks, scooting his chair back and standing.
“I just spoke with Tristan, and he is on his way over. He has some intel on …” His eyes find mine before they go back to Avery. “The source.”
“You are excused, Bunny,” Avery says without hesitation.
I push my chair back, stand, and walk out, not even bothering to say a word. Once I reach the long hallway, I look behind me to see if either one of them are following me or if they are still talking in the dining room. When I see I’m in the clear, I run into his office, grab a bottle of scotch, and then run up the stairs two at a time, ready to have a drink and pass the fuck out for the day.
_______________
I’ve waited two days. Once again, Avery hasn’t visited me. He’s stayed away, and I’ve kept to myself in my room.
And I’m starting to go crazy. I need fresh air. I need an adult conversation. I really need to talk to Alex. Does she miss me? Has she realized I’m gone? I wish I could say this is the first time I’ve disappeared and that she would be worried about me, but it’s not. I’ve fallen off the face of the earth many times, and she’s always come to save me. She’s that kind of best friend. But I always had my cell. There was that one time it died, and I forgot my charger at home along with my purse and suitcase. Long story short, I ended up stealing a charger from a gas station and had to call her to come pick me up when the bastard left me stranded in Las Vegas. Then there was another time I went on a vacation with a man up to his cabin in Colorado. I had no service and had to run over a mile to a neighbor’s house to call her.
Obviously, I was never sober when I did these things. I don’t think I’ve done anything rational in the past eleven years. Guess that just proves why I am where I am today. I’m being punished. I never once tried to help or save any of those women taken by our fathers, and I’m paying for it now. But it’s not a complete stranger; instead, it’s someone I used to love. The only person who I thought would have my back no matter what betrayed me.
Seventeen years old
I wake up on the hotel floor. My eyes are red and puffy from tears, my back sore, and knees pulled up to my chest. My body hurts. It hasn’t stopped.
He left me!
Then his voicemail … destroyed me.
It hurts—everything. My body. My heart. My pride.
As I blink the tears away, my purse comes into view on the floor. The guy threw it into this room along with me. It’s on its side, unzipped, and the contents have fallen out. There’s a pill bottle. My meds. More importantly, painkillers. I want them. I wanna be numb. Getting up on my hands and knees, I crawl over to them, pop it open, and swallow two of them. Then I make my way over to the minibar and open the mini bottle of vodka. Tipping my head back, I swallow the entire bottle, making sure I have every drop, then I suck in a long breath before throwing it across the room. It hits the door and shatters into a million little pieces just like my fucking soul.
I reach for my phone and dial his number. Maybe Avery will listen to me. He knows me.
I place the phone to my ear, and just when I think it’s about to ring, a woman’s voice comes on. “The number you are trying to reach is no longer in service ...”
I hang up and tighten my hands on it. No! No! This can’t be … he wouldn’t … why? Why would he not let me explain?
“I fucking hate you!” I scream as if he’s here and can hear me. “Fucking hate you!” I’m shouting at the top of my lungs. My throat burns, and my heart pounds in my chest. Getting up on my knees, I allow my head to fall back and the tears to run down the side of my face.
A knock comes on my door. “Miss, you okay?”
“No!” I cry out, falling forward. I’m not okay.
They pound on it some more. “Open up, miss.”
“Go away,” I mumble, out of energy. My shoulders starting to sag. My head hangs forward. My vision starts to get cloudy. And I rock back and forth on my knees, hugging myself. “I hate you,” I whisper harshly while my eyes get heavy. The pills are doing their job. Or maybe it’s the alcohol. Either way, I welcome what is to come.
I still hear the voices outside of my door, but I can’t make them out anymore. I fall to the floor face down, and I blink slowly, welcoming the silence. The darkness. The relief of the pain I know will never go away unless I drown it out. Smother it. I’ll do whatever I need to do, whatever I need to drink or swallow to make sure I stay numb.
_______________
The following morning, I have breakfast alone. I sit at the table, finishing off my eggs, and look around the silent formal dining room. I have an uneasy feeling. The house has been quiet. Silent even. I think Avery and the guys might not even be here. Avery had put Darrell on babysitting duty, but yesterday he quit standing outside my room. I heard his phone ring. He answered and gave a few, “Yes, sirs,” then I hea
rd him walk away and down the stairs. I haven’t seen anyone actually. I’ve had this eerie feeling. It’s not like someone is watching me because the truth is, they are. Wherever Avery is and whatever he is doing, he has those damn cameras trained on me. And I can’t help but always stare at them, wondering what he’s thinking. Or what he’s waiting for. How long will I be here?
Maybe I’m bait. He could be keeping me holed up here in order to get Preston to come after me. But what would he do to my brother if he showed up? And let’s face it, Preston only cares about himself. So if my life is in his hands, I’m as good as dead anyway.
So many questions that I can’t even ask. Avery wouldn’t even acknowledge them, let alone answer me.
“Did you have enough, Miss Clarke?”
I jump when Marvin enters the dining room. “Yes.”
“Did you get enough?” he asks, and I nod.
Grabbing my plate, he turns and walks away, once again leaving me alone. I stand from my chair and walk over to the floor-to-ceiling windows. I look out over the tall trees, wondering where in the hell I am. After Avery walked away from me, I never tried to find him. And I never opened any social media page. I stayed under the radar for a reason and it was to avoid the situation I’m in now. For all I know, we’re not even in the US. Dark gray clouds cover the sky, making me wish I was still in bed.
“I’ve got to get out of here,” I whisper to myself.
Turning around, I walk out of the dining room and down the long hall that I know leads to his study. He seems to keep a nice collection of scotch in there. And I could use another drink.
I sit behind his desk and stare at his computer but don’t touch it. There’s no point. He has all his shit on lockdown. I do try all his drawers in his desk, though, but again, they’re all locked.
Looking around, I sigh when I see nothing that can get me drunk. He’s either hidden it or drank it all.
I walk out of his office and back up to my room. I lie down on the bed and look up at the ceiling, trying to decide what I can do to get the fuck out of here. Closing my eyes, I let out a breath. I could seriously go back to sleep. My body teetered on sleeping and getting up for the day. But like every other day, I’m reminded there’s nothing to get up for. I may be sentenced to a fancy bedroom in a mansion, but I might as well be in a prison cell. I no longer know what day it is or even care.
My door opens, and I let out a sigh. No one ever knocks before entering my room. I have no privacy.
“Get up.”
I grind my teeth at the command of one of Avery’s men. I remain where I’m at.
The covers are ripped away from my body, and I cry out when a hand digs into my hair and I’m hauled out of bed. “I said get up!” I’m shoved against the wall and come face to face with the idiot Darrell. “When I tell you to do something, you do it.” He spits in my face before he lets go of me and walks into my bathroom. I hear him turn on the shower and then he enters my closet.
He walks out moments later with a bag over his shoulder. “Get cleaned up.” He looks me up and down with a scowl on his face. “We leave in an hour.”
My heart rate picks up. “Leave? Where are we going?”
He walks out without answering me. Maybe Avery has realized I’m a burden, and he’s taking me home.
_______________
An hour later, I make my way down the winding staircase to the foyer. Darrell stands there with his shoulders back and arms crossed in front of him. He has an earpiece in his right ear and is dressed in a black button-down and black slacks. He looks like he works for the FBI.
He doesn’t acknowledge me in any way, and I don’t mind.
“Yes … I’m about to leave …”
I hear Avery’s voice coming down the hall from behind me, and I refuse to turn around to look at him. Still ashamed of getting turned on no matter what he does to me.
“We should arrive around seven tonight …” he continues to talk as he approaches us, then hangs up his cell and places it in the pocket. He wears a crimson button-down and black slacks. “Darrell, call Fritz and let him know we’re on our way,” he orders, and Darrell gives him a nod before he pulls out his cell while opening the front door.
“Where are we going?” I can’t help but ask, and I hope he doesn’t hear the excitement in my voice. This could be my chance to get away.
Darrell walks out the front door, and Avery turns to look down at me. His blue eyes give nothing away, but a muscle clenches in his jaw. He’s mad at me. It could be a number of things, but the thing is, I don’t care.
“Don’t think about running. I put a new tracker in you.” No surprise there. And I haven’t had a good escape plan worth trying since my second failed attempt. But that doesn’t mean I’ve given up hope either. “And good luck finding this one.” He takes my hand but doesn’t answer, dragging me out of the house and into his Escalade that awaits us in the drive.
My hands itch to slap him, just to get a reaction out of him. He took me, fucked me, and now, he ignores me.
I thought I preferred the silence, but it’s eating me alive. He types away on his phone as though I don’t even exist. Why take me away from my life, even if it wasn’t all that productive, only to treat me like I’m not even here? He’s playing head games with me. And they’re working.
I’d rather be a slave to his words than a prisoner in my own mind. And even I know how fucked up that is.
Thirty agonizing minutes later, we pull into a private airport, and I feel panic start to rise. I’m terrified of flying. The fear of falling to my death has sweat forming on the back of my neck.
My hands start to shake. “Avery, I can’t …”
A sting in my neck cuts me off. I spin to my left to see him sitting there, staring at me. He places the cap on a needle before putting it in his pocket. “I know, Bunny.” He reaches out and pushes my hair behind my ear as my eyes start to grow heavy. The last thing I see is his eyes as mine close.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
AVERY
“TELL FRITZ I WANT THE wheels up in fifteen,” I tell Darrell when I step onto my private jet with a sleeping Presleigh lying in my arms. And Kayn steps on behind me.
“Yes, sir,” he says before he turns to head to the cockpit.
I walk down the aisle to the back door and into the small bedroom. I place Bunny’s sleeping body on the cream-colored comforter. Her head falls to the side, and I cup her warm cheek.
I’ve been avoiding her. Been too busy with work and trying to decide what I can do to make it very clear to everyone else that she belongs to me. And I think I finally found my answer. I did, however, watch every move she made on the camera, hoping she would disobey me again. Needing to punish her for something. She didn’t. I had called Darrell off her and some stuff came up with work so Kayn hasn’t had the time to set her up. She’ll fuck up. And I’ll punish her when she does.
I also couldn’t see her because I wanted to fuck her. I realize how taking her was a bad idea, but it was the only choice I had, given the circumstances her brother put us all in.
I hadn’t fucked a woman in three months, and she was consuming me. Even when I knew she needed time to heal, I was still taking her. Her body needed a break. My mind needed to be clear. She’s like fog so thick that you can’t see your hand right in front of you. And that’s not good. She could very easily shift the tables on me, bringing me back to that teenage boy who was obsessed with her. I can’t afford to lose focus or my mind.
I remove my tie and undo the top two buttons on my dress shirt. I make my way onto the bed and lie down beside her. I watch her chest rise and fall in a simple white dress. My hands ache to touch her perfect tits. I still haven’t got to play with her body. Not as I had planned. I wanna kiss every inch of her. I wanna make love to her. But that isn’t what I’ve allowed myself to do. Love shows weakness, and I can’t show the slightest with Bunny.
I’m supposed to hate this woman! She destroyed me. But having her with me makes m
e forget that hatred. Makes me want to bury my cock inside her while she screams my name.
Don’t mistake my horniness for weakness, though. I still want to slap the shit out of her and wrap my hand around her neck while I pound into her soaked pussy too. Tie her to my bed and have tears running down her face as she begs me to let her come. But I can only do that for punishment. I’m not like those men who want her. I’m supposed to be the good guy, the one who saves her, but the more time I spend with her, the more I realize I’m the villain. I’ll never let her go. She’ll spend what life she has as a prisoner in my house. Only seeing me when I allow it.
There’s a soft knock on the door. “Come in.”
Darrell peeks his head in, his eyes pausing on her drugged and vulnerable form lying next to me longer than I like.
“What?” I snap.
He clears his throat, and his eyes find mine. “Can I get you anything, sir?”
“No,” I say, dismissing him.
He closes the door softly as I hear the engines to the jet roar to life.
_______________
Almost fourteen hours later, we make a soft landing in Rio de Janeiro. I look over to see Bunny is still out. But she’s been moving around for the past twenty minutes, making little noises that have my cock hard.
Just as we did when we got on my jet, I take her in my arms and carry her toward our car that waits for us.
Fifteen minutes later, we pull up to my house that sits on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
“Avery.” She sighs, turning her head and placing her face in my chest.
I groan at the way my name sounds on her lips, wishing she would say that while I’m inside her.
“We’re here, Bunny,” I tell her, entering my home.
My men scatter to their positions, and Marvin heads off to the kitchen, ready to start feeding them.
I walk her into my master room at the back of the house. I had every intention of giving her, her own room like back in Vancouver, but I want her right next to me, underneath me. I can’t wait any longer. If she hadn’t been knocked out on the plane, I would have had her numerous times already.
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